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fibrewire

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Posts posted by fibrewire

  1. Posted

    Whether the screen output routines can ever be abstracted enough to become device independent remains to be seen: at the moment they're all hard-coded for a 1bpp display, which is one place we get the speed from. Code which draws a button, for example, does not call pixel plotting code which could be made screen-mode independent: It just blits the bitmap direct to the 1bpp display RAM.

     

    I like the 1bpp 8K screen. Everything is nice and fast as comparable to the original Macintosh.

     

    On a side note, here is an excerpt from the Atari Lynx FAQ:

    "The real answer for the choice for the 6502 vs. 68000 was price. Secondary considerations (that did not really enter into the decision making process): 68000 code is very fat compared to 6502 code. An application that takes 1K of 6502 code averages 2.5 to 3K of 68000 code. The 6502 is very bus-efficient, the 68000 has lots of dead time on the bus. As for it being harder to write 68000 code, that is probably not true, and in any case was not part of the reason the decision was made."

    --Stephen Landrum

    If this is true, then maybe with the right code similar applications can really run as fast on the Atari as they did on the 128K Mac???

  3. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    Rectangle-based window manager just about debugged and working now:

     

     

     

    If it's not too much trouble, could you tell us a list of the major components that might be included in the base code for the GUI?

    Also, can you update your website with your new GUI video and screenshots? This new video shows speed and usability improvements over what's currently on your site :)

  5. Posted

    You might like our game Mind Blast, which has some slightly similar principles as the Rubik's cube.

    http://a8.fandal.cz/detail.php?files_id=5547

     

    Nice game!

     

     

    This is the game I'm familiar with, but still not the greatest implementation. The only good one I've played is "Block Buster" but these games mostly sit idle.

     

    The Numen cube is excellent, and I imagine a game with three modes. The main game where one solves the cube, a cube tutorial that teaches the fundamentals of cube solving, and a cube solving mode in which the user selects the color of blocks in game and use the computer to solve a real cube. I can do something simple in BASIC that accomplishes this, and there are several nice examples that do just this in Java, but I would really like something that makes a pretty Numen cube on the Atari :)

  6. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    So my point is, I can't help but wonder if its because Atari Corp is

    gone, and we are looking at our machines through a "retro" lens,

    that this question even comes up...

     

    For me it's my (lack of) understanding of the VBXE that really prompted the creation of this thread. As someone else mentioned in an earlier post, "if it looks like an atari 8-bit..." - the VBXE surely changes that. I appreciate the limitations of the hardware as it's spawned awesome work in demos and games that create astounding graphics from the Atari 8-bit through the years. The games and demos produced so far using the new accelerator look amazing, but isn't a VBXE equipped 8-bit computer only marginally different than an Atari Lynx?

  8. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    We are getting to the point were we need a way to prolong the life of Atari hardware, would a replacement motherboard that included vbxe, extra memory etc but with sockets for GTIA, 6502 & pokey and could be dropped in an XL or XE case still be an Atari?

    This is a great example. I guess this depends on what version of the 8-bit one grew up with, or if this machine is really just a retro computing discovery, etc. Aside from what others think, a regular 6502 came with my 800 and a few extra ttl logic to make a halt state i believe. So an 8-bit atari to me is a stock 800/XL/XE or an electrical representation that supports:

     

    * 6502B w/ supporting ttl OR 6502C "Sally" atari custom cpu

    * ANTIC

    * GTIA

    * POKEY

    * PIA

    * SIO

    * 800/XL/XE RAM addressing (Incognito)

    * 2 Joystick ports

    * some kind of RF out

    * Must work with majority of software developed between '79 to '91

     

    Some grey areas that I didn't include are:

    * Atari 400/800 4 joystick ports

    * Atari 800 slots

    * Right cartridge slot

    * CTIA

    * PBI

    * XE enhanced cart slot

     

    Anything outside of this or a similar list is:

    * A Bonus :)

    * Not Atari

     

    I hope this list is the black-and-white example people were looking for. Please feel free to add to this list or just rip me a new one :)

  9. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    That said, i'd probably let an FPGA clone pass as long as it maintained an extremely high level of accuracy; that means an 800XL with a VBXE is less Atari-ish than a DE-1 with an SIO, video and joystick ports grafted on according to my "logic" so i'm not sure how seriously anybody should take any of this paragraph...?

    My sentiments exactly. VBXE is cool, but it falls into the same category as stuffing a 6809 or SID chip inside. It's cool, but also it's not Atari. Conversely, the SWP ATR8000 is an external peripheral and allows two way interaction between the Atari, and doesn't break compatibility because there is no "brain transplant" involved. Also, the Incognito feels more like a proper Atari successor to the 8 bit line because it supports multiple original hardware configurations. But this is just my opinion...

  10. Posted

    I tend to base it off of simplicity and whether or not it's a plausible extension. The VBXE is technically awesome, and part of me likes that, but it's not really Atari to me. Seems a bit of a stretch for where the machine might have gone. The tech is cool though. Glad it's out there, and I know the people who built it and use it are having a good time of things. Happy days.

     

    [clipped for brevity]

     

    Everything in this post is exactly how i feel, down to the level of CPLD involvement for an 8-bit Atari Flashback-esque device.

     

    Fiberwire, FYI, bit-3 uses 4 layer board

     

    You got me there! (but it's staying in the collection, we just won't tell anyone it's a 4-layer pcb :) )

  11. Posted

     

    Jon, if I were you I'd allow him to sell your GUI but send him a bill for the electricity you used while developing the code ;-), some kind of rationalisation for sure!. I would have liked to do the same but I recently found out (to my chagrin) GPL wants software authors to die in starvation while entrepreneurs are getting fatter in the name of freedom :P

     

    Not to nitpick, but it turns out that the crucial step being missed here is to jump from software author to entrepreneur. Let me tell you its a scary step, and I was far to naive and trusting to not get burned the first couple of times I tried taking that big step. Usually one's world needs to be falling apart for proper motivation to take that step...

  12. Posted

    If I'm using an Atari, Altirra, Atari++, Atari 800 or a DE1 Atari inside a black box - with external keyboard. If I (or anyone) can not tell the difference from real to the others, are they the same thing on some level?

     

    I believe it is, and I definitely want one - but nothing says disappointment like making something and not having it work on any of the original hardware. Luckily there are several outstanding people here that respond quickly and work to solve these issues. I love this community!

  13. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    I know all about GNU GPL licensing but I will ask you a simple question, how would you feel if I took the AspeQt source code and turned into a proprietary software (there is nothing to prevent me from doing so in the GPL license) and sell it for whatever amount I wanted to, and stop developing the free open-source version. Maybe that's what I should do, perhaps somebody else will pick the open-source version and further develop it from now on. I would however prefer not doing so and let everybody have free access to the code, modify it to their specific needs, improve it or learn from it, that's the spirit of open-source software. It's not out there for some enterprising individual to take and sell it for profit, if this goes against the grain of GPL licensing I would have no problem changing it to freeware instead.

    As I deal with OSS more than most, the goal is to take that OSS and use it to build as much business as possible on top of that useful code base. If you happened to write that code, then congratulations you now might be anywhere between $50k-$200k year job. If tons of people depend on that code, but you got hit by a bus (or become a hermit) then congratulations, someone doesn't have to reverse engineer your binary executable, replace your software with something inferior, or worse yet, create a screen scraping program to extract data from your (soon to be) obsolete software.

     

    The goal is to spread the wealth around as much as possible, that way more people will be interested to not only protect their investment, but to also let them know they can depend on you for updates and fixes. Make it easy for people to WANT to support the creator, not WANT TO REPLACE THEM.

     

    And no, I'm not trolling. It's the defacto standard that makes open source work in the corporate world

    • Like 1

  14. Posted

    I prefer 74LS logic in a DIP package with accompanying EPROMs on a 2 layer PCB. It’s my thing, and it’s what makes an Atari 800 and that period of computer special to me. From an 815 to dual Corvus drives, and all the add-on cards I can stuff in my 800, you’ll find nothing but the aforementioned technology inside my collection.

    The hardware presents an interesting challenge to the software developers, like a “what could have been” with the right ideas and motivation, and a deep understanding of the capabilities of our beloved 8-bit machine. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings to the developer's circle! But to me, those 2 layer copper clad boards with rectangular through hole components and thick ribbon cables are the essence of the Atari.

    I can unplug all the upgrades on my 800, and put the OS and RAM modules back in for a stock 48K Atari, all without cutting wires. Or I can leave it all connected and use the Bit-3 mode on a monochrome monitor for terminal or text edit - and pop in or load from Corvus Disk a game of Star Raiders or Pac-Man on my Amdek Color-I attached to the monitor port of the 800, all without unplugging boards or making changes to my system. If a component dies I can take out my trusty soldering iron and replace it with minimal effort.

    I prefer beige gear, and I have a special interest in pre-Tramiel era projects. Even the cost-effective 130XE with MIO and RGB daughter board with SASI storage is still an Atari. Modifications like the Turbo 816 or Newell 256K were cool and fun to play with, but I stubbornly stick by what has sentimental value to me.

    There have been many projects to interface the Atari to a modern world which compliment the original peripherals, such as SIO2PC and Lantronix devices. There are also external storage devices that interface via SIO or PBI. These are useful for developers and power users for reducing disk swapping time or testing new code on actual hardware. Also is the advent of emulation, a way to take the original machine and every other peripheral and piece of software with you without having to ever touch the physical Atari hardware.

    Today we have amazing advancements in the 8-bit scene with CPLD hardware that would have impressed the original designers of the Atari 8-bit line. I would really like to see those CPLD projects translated into big, unwieldy external boxes housing 74LS chips and EPROMS, but hey it’s still an Atari right?

    Recently, work on a DE1 FPGA board has caused interest in creating an Atari Flashback style device for our beloved 8-bit computer. Will it include other recent CPLD projects, with modern ports and storage devices? Will it still have a SIO port?

    I guess what I am faced with is “Theseus’s Paradox” and I want to know other's interpretations about this evolutionary path of the Atari 8-bit computer.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    There is hope. I pulled out the 1200XL, popped in BASIC and had the kids writing simple programs to do simple things (i.e. sorting, moving a cursor around the screen, etc). Either they seemed to enjoy it or they are getting better at humoring their father.

     

    Amazingly enough, I tried the same thing with similar results - they had no idea that you can actually make a computer DO THINGS! Their interest is growing daily, and as I remember it was basic that got me on the computer with silly "guess a number" games with a RND + seed, adding graphics and etc. Those were the days, it was like learning magic.

     

    Maybe kids would use a BASIC app that supports dictation and line numbering combined with a hypercard interface to build useful apps...

  19. Posted · Edited by fibrewire

    I'm on an iPad so Please excuse the brevity of this post.

     

    * Piracy is not tolerated on this site.

     

    It's a good way to attract negative attention to atariage and it's users, and there is just too much valuable info here to be jeopardized with unauthorized distribution of other's hard work. Also, count on his thread being locked for taking away from more productive threads (I.e. Threads that don't promote hostility) That being said, distribution by torrent with good keywords is a great way to preserve one's own collection and have the NSA foot the bill for storing the data.

     

    * Ask first, shoot later.

     

    Most people are agreeable with preserving and sharing their work. But even if it's abandon ware, it's good practice to ask others opinions before hurting feelings or worse, provoking litigation. I'm sure intentions are pure, but please try to respect people's complaints. Remember we want solutions, not arguments.

     

    * Avoid flame war buzz words.

     

    There are a few things that shouldn't be instigated on this forum. Just browse for locked topics to get an idea of what's not tolerated here.

     

    * Can't see the forest for the trees?

     

    Please don't get stuck on the details and miss the big picture, no matter how offensive those details might be. I know the most revered members of this forum are the ones that take it one step further by minimizing argument and turn animosity into productivity. It's in everyone's best interest to work together and minimize argument. For example, I think I'm being helpful by making this post, but I'm sure it will upset someone. Let's just try to work together, because that is where all the fun is. Nobody wants to play by themself...

    • Like 2

  20. Posted

    Wish I had room for that stuff as the garage is pretty full right now. Maybe if I sell my ultralight plane then I'd have spare room for a short while :)

    Depends, does it use a rotax or hirth? :)

     

    Once the GUI is finished, maybe these synapse home business utilities will make for a fun conversion project.

  23. Posted

    That reminds me, I DO know of a person that has a metric ton of shrink-wrapped new in box software covered in 30 years of dirt and dust. AtariGeezer lives closest to the guy in Alpine, CA but unfortunately it will be an all-or-nothing deal IF the guy still has the stuff. It's where all the shrink-wrapped boxes in that pic came from...

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