TI-99/4A development resources

[PeteE]

@Asmusr Here's the cleaned up Parsec source code in 9900 assembly and GPL that can be assembled with XDT99.  I reformatted the source and fixed the OCR transcription errors in the DATA statements so that the generated binaries match those of phm3112.   Any OCR errors in comments still remain, and could be cleaned up if/when @Ksarul or @urbite locate their versions without the cut-off comments.

parsec.asm parsec.gpl

[Asmusr]

1 hour ago, PeteE said:

Here's the cleaned up Parsec source code in 9900 assembly and GPL that can be assembled with XDT99. 

Thank you, that must have been a lot of work. ?

[PeteE]

23 minutes ago, Asmusr said:

Thank you, that must have been a lot of work. ?

Worth it to preserve a working piece of 994a history.

 

Now what are your plans for it?

[+retroclouds]

27 minutes ago, PeteE said:

Worth it to preserve a working piece of 994a history.

 

Now what are your plans for it?

@PeteE I would like to add your reworked source files to the 1st post in this thread. Is that ok with you?

[Asmusr]

3 hours ago, PeteE said:

Worth it to preserve a working piece of 994a history.

 

Now what are your plans for it?

Nothing concrete, but maybe it would be possible to make some improvements by taking advantage of the big ROM carts we have available today?

[PeteE]

6 hours ago, retroclouds said:

@PeteE I would like to add your reworked source files to the 1st post in this thread. Is that ok with you?

Yes, absolutely.

[+Ksarul]

10 hours ago, PeteE said:

@Asmusr Here's the cleaned up Parsec source code in 9900 assembly and GPL that can be assembled with XDT99.  I reformatted the source and fixed the OCR transcription errors in the DATA statements so that the generated binaries match those of phm3112.   Any OCR errors in comments still remain, and could be cleaned up if/when @Ksarul or @urbite locate their versions without the cut-off comments.

parsec.asm 144.13 kB · 7 downloads parsec.gpl 112.47 kB · 8 downloads

One note--the comments were cut off at the 80-column point on the original printout, so no further recovery of the ends of those lines is possible without access to the original files in TI-990 format (which we don't have). My copy was rescued from a dumpster at Almelo, Holland when TI cleared out their 99/4A lab there. A Dutch TI user saw something he recognized on his way out of the facility on the day they filled the dumpster, so he stopped to take a look. He filled the entire back of his station wagon with everything he could fit into it and took it home. Unfortunately, when he got back the next morning, the dumpster had already been emptied, so most of the stuff from that lab was lost forever (his car was only big enough to rescue a small fraction of what was in the dumpster in the first place, but it was good that he was at the right place and time to rescue as much as he did).

[+arcadeshopper]

On 11/27/2021 at 10:15 PM, PeteE said:

@Asmusr Here's the cleaned up Parsec source code in 9900 assembly and GPL that can be assembled with XDT99.  I reformatted the source and fixed the OCR transcription errors in the DATA statements so that the generated binaries match those of phm3112.   Any OCR errors in comments still remain, and could be cleaned up if/when @Ksarul or @urbite locate their versions without the cut-off comments.

parsec.asm 144.13 kB · 16 downloads parsec.gpl 112.47 kB · 18 downloads

[apersson850]

I happened to look at the article about Extended BASIC in Ninerpedia. I noticed this text:

Quote

Sprite Flicker

In addition to a limit of four visible sprites in a screen row, higher numbered sprites becoming invisible, there is another odd limitation:

On some TI99/4a consoles, a sprite on row 208 (which is off screen) may cause all sprites with a higher sprite number to disappear and if the sprite is moving, the other higher numbered sprites will all flicker off and on together.

Although this may seem odd, it's by design. The TMS 9900 Family Data Book states the following:

Quote

Sprite processing is terminated if the VDP finds a value of 208 (0xD0) in the vertical position field of any entry in the Sprite Attribute Table. This permits the Sprite Attribute Table to be shortened to the minimum size required. It also permits the user to blank out part or all of the sprites by simply changing one byte in VRAM.

And that's all they have to say about that, as Forest Gump would have said.

It would be much more surprising if this really is as Ninerpedia claims, that it's only valid for some consoles.

Edited February 12, 2022 by apersson850

[apersson850]

The part about Pascal in Ninerpedia is very brief, but that's perhaps OK, considering the small user base. Worse is that the first part, about program libraries, isn't fully correct.

[+retroclouds]

1 hour ago, apersson850 said:

The part about Pascal in Ninerpedia is very brief, but that's perhaps OK, considering the small user base. Worse is that the first part, about program libraries, isn't fully correct.

Well it’s a wiki, I’m sure Michael can get an account setup.

That way, you might want to add the great articles you wrote on UCSD Pascal.

Don’t think there’s anyone in the community left, except you, with such great knowledge about UCSD Pascal on the TI-99/4a.

Edited February 12, 2022 by retroclouds

[+mizapf]

5 hours ago, retroclouds said:

Well it’s a wiki, I’m sure Michael can get an account setup.

I just noticed that the Account Creation expansion in Ninerpedia is broken; I have to upgrade Ninerpedia and all expansions. So this may take a bit more time.

[Tursi]

10 hours ago, apersson850 said:

I happened to look at the article about Extended BASIC in Ninerpedia. I noticed this text:

Although this may seem odd, it's by design. The TMS 9900 Family Data Book states the following:

And that's all they have to say about that, as Forest Gump would have said.

It would be much more surprising if this really is as Ninerpedia claims, that it's only valid for some consoles.

This is a hardware function of the 99x8 VDP family - it's intentional and it's highly unlikely that it doesn't work on some consoles. 

[+mizapf]

On 2/12/2022 at 9:13 PM, mizapf said:

I just noticed that the Account Creation expansion in Ninerpedia is broken; I have to upgrade Ninerpedia and all expansions. So this may take a bit more time.

Should work again. @apersson850, if you like, you can request an account, and once I'll have activated it you will be able to update the Ninerpedia texts. As Wikipedia says, be bold.

[apersson850]

OK, I'll look at it. Thanks.

[pixelpedant]

New development language manual scan: TI LOGO (92 pages)

 

TI LOGO.pdf

 

Note: This is not the TI LOGO 2 manual already present in the parent post.  This is the manual for the original TI LOGO and is an entirely different text.

 

[+retroclouds]

Hi people,

 

this is to let you know that all links that refer to documents/binaries/zips on my http://aa-ti994a.oratronik.de subdomain will move to https://oratronik.de/atariage/...  in the next few days. 

Moving away from that subdomain because my fricking ISP provider wants to charge me more money for doing SSL on subdomains.
In its current state, milage on many of the links may vary, depending on the browser and browser version you are using.

Reason is due to more enforced security policy restrictions in modern browsers like chrome and the like.

 

Will report back when done. And now back to the fun TI-99/4a stuff ?

[+OLD CS1]

13 minutes ago, retroclouds said:

Moving away from that subdomain because my fricking ISP provider wants to charge me more money for doing SSL on subdomains.

This is nuts.  Reseller price for a wildcard certificate is inexpensive enough to just provide one for your customers.

[+retroclouds]

On 5/21/2022 at 10:31 PM, retroclouds said:

Hi people,

 

this is to let you know that all links that refer to documents/binaries/zips on my http://aa-ti994a.oratronik.de subdomain will move to https://oratronik.de/atariage/...  in the next few days. 

Moving away from that subdomain because my fricking ISP provider wants to charge me more money for doing SSL on subdomains.
In its current state, milage on many of the links may vary, depending on the browser and browser version you are using.

Reason is due to more enforced security policy restrictions in modern browsers like chrome and the like.

 

Will report back when done. And now back to the fun TI-99/4a stuff ?

ok, all links referring to my website are now fixed.

[Tuxon86]

Tried accessing the book collection on my phones while waiting on my oil changevat the auto dealership. I can see the books, but when I click to read one, I get a message telling me I'm blocked. There's a captcha checkbox to unlock but it doesn't work for me.

[+Lee Stewart]

2 hours ago, Tuxon86 said:

Tried accessing the book collection on my phones while waiting on my oil change at the auto dealership. I can see the books, but when I click to read one, I get a message telling me I'm blocked. There's a captcha checkbox to unlock but it doesn't work for me.

 

I had the same trouble. What worked for me was to

• Go in via @acadiel’s home page,
• Answer the Captcha,
• Wait a few seconds,
• Hit the link again.

Why the above worked and previous attempts with the book-archive link did not is a mystery to me.

 

...lee

[Tuxon86]

5 hours ago, Lee Stewart said:

 

I had the same trouble. What worked for me was to

• Go in via @acadiel’s home page,
• Answer the Captcha,
• Wait a few seconds,
• Hit the link again.

Why the above worked and previous attempts with the book-archive link did not is a mystery to me.

 

...lee

I’ll try that. Too bad I couldn’t make it work. Sure would’ve been better than watching the weather channel in the waiting room…

[airernie]

Other than Ciro's site, https://www.ti99iuc.it/web/ the other best option might be the Internet Archive.  I think Jon passed copies of all the materials I scanned onto them.

Edited November 10, 2022 by airernie

[+acadiel]

On 11/9/2022 at 11:31 AM, Lee Stewart said:

 

I had the same trouble. What worked for me was to

• Go in via @acadiel’s home page,
• Answer the Captcha,
• Wait a few seconds,
• Hit the link again.

Why the above worked and previous attempts with the book-archive link did not is a mystery to me.

 

...lee

 

Yep, I think my web provider has a bot problem, and they put that protection in.  I don't think I can turn it off, but I'll send the support contact a note.

 

Edit:  I sent them a note... I'll see what they say.  They've been pretty good to me, I've been with them since 1998.

 

Edit2:  My Web host is asking for examples of this.  Does anyone have screen snapshots (and what is your IP/date/time you're attempting)?

 

Edit3:  My host provider is saying that my IP was showing 202 connections (that's after viewing the Hexbus books site), so it might be a limit on the number of connections per site before it asks for a captcha.  Still working on it with them.

 

[+acadiel]

My webhost provider upped the connections from 200 active to 400 active connections - so if any of you run into the issue again with the TIBooks site, please reply here and let me know so I can have Web66 check it out.  It also helps to have a date/time stamp and IP for them to look it up.