F18A - Mission Impossible (Challenge)

[Omega-TI]

You mean something like Geos, or like "The Final Cartridge" on the C64?

 

I just looked up "The Final Cartridge", now that REALLY looks possible!

[marc.hull]

 

It may be limiting to some who use emulated SAMS on a PC. But nothing is as limiting to a real TI user as a non-existent device.

Let me know where I can get a 10 megabyte SAMS device to daisy chain with my Nano-PEB then we can talk.

[marc.hull]

 

It may be limiting to some who use emulated SAMS on a PC. But nothing is as limiting to a real TI user as a non-existent device.

Let me know where I can get a 10 megabyte SAMS device to daisy chain with my Nano-PEB then we can talk.

[marc.hull]

 

It may be limiting to some who use emulated SAMS on a PC. But nothing is as limiting to a real TI user as a non-existent device.

Let me know where I can get a 10 megabyte SAMS device to daisy chain with my Nano-PEB then we can talk.

 

Third times a charm....

 

Kevan.

 

Maybe you could get the imaginary SAMS side car device when you go and pick up your imaginary clock. God damn, you sure beat that one into the ground huh?

Edited November 11, 2013 by marc.hull

[Omega-TI]

Third times a charm....

 

Kevan.

 

Maybe you could get the imaginary SAMS side car device when you go and pick up your imaginary clock. God damn, you sure beat that one into the ground huh?

 

Yeah, but at least I'm in the process of trying to get one built with someones help. So with any luck it might not be non-existent in the next few months.

[sometimes99er]

Truth, to me at least is, that the number of “impressive stuff” having been done then, and since, has been done within the limitations of the original expanded, generally available, system. Supercart is nice, but not many had it. SAMS is nice, but not many had it. RXB is nice, but not many had it.

 

How much software was specifically design for and made available for these devices (Supercart, SAMS and RXB) ? - Pretty damn close to nothing compared with, why not, TI Invaders !?

 

If I compare RXB with Raspberry Pi, I could say the same ("limited like hell"), but of course you'd think I'd be out of scope. Then what about a "10meg SAMS", when the original SAMS has virtually not been explored, - oh, of course, "not out of scope" !?

 

Just trying to "level".

Edited November 13, 2013 by sometimes99er

[sometimes99er]

<double>

Edited November 13, 2013 by sometimes99er

[RXB]

Truth, to me at least is, that the number of “impressive stuff” having been done then, and since, has been done within the limitations of the original expanded, generally available, system. Supercart is nice, but not many had it. SAMS is nice, but not many had it. RXB is nice, but not many had it.

 

How much software was specifically design for and made available for these devices (Supercart, SAMS and RXB) ? - Pretty damn close to nothing compared with, why not, TI Invaders !?

 

If I compare RXB with Raspberry Pi, I could say the same ("limited like hell"), but of course you'd think I'd be out of scope. Then what about a "10meg SAMS", when the original SAMS has virtually not been explored, - oh, of course, "not out of scope" !?

 

Just trying to "level".

 

Show me a Super Cart program that can run my IN THE DARK game that used 336K of the SAMS and reloads from Disk? (Or will the new Supercart do this?)

 

Many people have owned and used GRAM devices like the GRAM KRACKER, GRAMULATOR or HSGPL card or PGRAM and many others for many years, this is not a new tech introduced last month.

Not to mention all the Emulators like Win994a or Classic99 to just name two for example.

 

Look at how many programs have been converted that originally only worked with the 9938 or 9958 Video chips for the F18 lately.

Or all the software that was written for the SAMS.

 

Just because you never used them does not mean they do not exist or are fictional. That is a little disingenuous.

 

Arguing that a Supercart that does not exist is better is seems silly. I look forward to any cart they come up with. But EA alone is very very limited to what it can run or do.

I do own a Supercart 2 from Databiotics and all the software that came with it.

Edited November 12, 2013 by RXB

[sometimes99er]

Just because you never used them does not mean they do not exist or are fictional. That is a little disingenuous.

Did not say they didn't exist.

 

Arguing that a Supercart that does not exist is better is seems silly.

You said SAMS had to be loaded, and I added that the 512K was preloaded.

 

I then continued to speculate into a "512K+". Not saying it was better anywhere.

[RXB]

Cool preloaded is faster.

 

But can the 512K supercart save what I have created?

[Omega-TI]

Cool preloaded is faster.

 

But can the 512K supercart save what I have created?

 

No argument there, pre-loaded is faster.

Could it save your changes or modifications to the Cart, possibly not, but if I'm not mistaken that does no apply in this situation, as I believe the original context of this discussion was about a GUI for the TI. A Cartridge would be the PERFECT application for such a program.

 

Personally, I'd like to see BOTH items come to fruition.... talk about a win-win. Different devices for different applications. I've never believed in using a rock hammer when I need a sledge.

[+arcadeshopper]

I wrote one in the 80s in xb.. it sucked but it worked for loading fonts and programs in xb and ea 5 image..

 

called it mousedesk as it used the mechatronic mouse.. (rip mine's dead)

 

Greg

[TheMole]

Thinking about this some more, wouldn't the F18A's ECM enhanced 80 column text mode be a good candidate for a GUI project? This effectively gives you a resolution of 480x192 (or 480x240 if you enabled 30 row mode), and besides text, some widgets, icons and window borders you don't need that many character definitions so it should fit in VDP memory just fine.Should display quite a bit nicer than Geos or The Final Cartridge on the C64...

[sometimes99er]

Here's a few GUI like demos on the TI. The first two uses ordinary graphic mode, and the last one uses text mode and half bitmap mode.

 

 

[media=544,416]http://sometimes.planet-99.net/parsec/gui3.swf[/media]

[+arcadeshopper]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhafwKxP5E8&feature=youtu.be

 

Did a little video out of mess..

 

Greg

 

I wrote one in the 80s in xb.. it sucked but it worked for loading fonts and programs in xb and ea 5 image..

 

called it mousedesk as it used the mechatronic mouse.. (rip mine's dead)

 

Greg

[JamesD]

If you want more info on GEOS, here is some:

http://www.callapple.org/category/vintage-apple-computers/apple/geos/

[RXB]

One of my original hopes was the TIM card had a 9958 and hardware mouse support built into the chip.

 

When I bought the TIM card I was really hopeful that the idea of a mouse and GUI on the TI99/4A would take hold.

 

Serial has a number of issues that a hardware mouse built into the VDP chip does not have. Number one is speed and running games or applications.

[TheMole]

Thinking about this some more, wouldn't the F18A's ECM enhanced 80 column text mode be a good candidate for a GUI project? This effectively gives you a resolution of 480x192 (or 480x240 if you enabled 30 row mode), and besides text, some widgets, icons and window borders you don't need that many character definitions so it should fit in VDP memory just fine.Should display quite a bit nicer than Geos or The Final Cartridge on the C64...

 

Just replying to myself here... of course the problem with the above is that in all pattern modes (which is basically all we have) the windows would only be able to move in row/column boundary increments which would make it look a little bit odd. Maybe one could render the active window to the bitmap layer and "snap" it onto the grid when you put it in the background? Sounds convoluted though, maybe moving on grid boundaries isn't too bad...