The one thing YOU think they should NOT have left out of the TI-99/4A.

[Omega-TI]

The TI-99/4A was hobbled by the Texas Instruments purposefully for various reasons, and they left a few things out too. What is the single most important item you think was left out or overlooked? We might get a few different answers on this one and for various reasons. If we get lucky,we might learn something new or find a great new project to embark on!

 

I'll start if off with my choice... A RESET BUTTON! (It would have been cheap to include too).

 

Back in the day, there were various projects in newsletters showing people how to install reset buttons. There were also products that had their own reset button built-in, like the Navarone Cartridge Expander. Now days, we have Tursi's PS/2 Keyboard Enhancement. So it appears all along there has been a need for a reset button, now more than ever with Gazoo's BOOT enhanced XB2.7s cartridge.

 

So, what's missing from your TI that you think TI left out?

[JamesD]

The ability to upgrade CPU RAM internally.

Even 16K of CPU RAM would have made a huge difference.

[TheMole]

Seconded. Although instead of being able to upgrade it, simply shipping the damn computer with some would've been awesome...

[am1933]

Some decent hi res graphics commands and more flexibility in sound control from basic would have been nice.

[Opry99er]

Would have liked a built-in program recorder like the PET2001 or a built-in thermal printer like the HP85.

 

Barring that kind of stuff, though, I would have liked a single-interpreted BASIC with SPRITEs.

[Dexter]

A decent machine language monitor and CPU RAM, to be able to program and use ml on the bare console.

[+save2600]

More RAM or easier/cheaper way to install would have been nice. BTW: was there ever a RAM expansion board that plugged into the CPU socket back then? Or piggybacked over the chip? You see that type of solution on other computers, such as Amiga and ST - but I guess it wasn't as common then (save for the A1000) as it is today.

 

Other thing is that crazy single proprietary DB9 port for controllers, printers, etc. Very cool you can kinda/sorta print from it, but always wished the system had two Atari/Commodore controller ports built in instead. Was lucky to have a single Atari adapter BITD though and one of us would simply use the keyboard to control the other tank in Blasto!

 

Looking at it years later, realize TI probably avoided the 2600 compatible design for liability reasons. Or wanted to sell more of their controllers, etc.

[Gary from OPA]

Most people at the time, wanted to see peek/poke type commands in basic, a way to send assembly even if lots of poke lines in their basic program to get more control.

 

But TI was not willing to allow 'access' to the core of the system, even to the game developers one of the reasons for GPL, they wanted master control over the system, no bending their rules of look & feel.

 

As for reset button it was there in a way, built into every single cartridge you plugged it in, the system resets, alot of the other systems that had reset buttons, didn't in their cartridge, you could swap cartridges, and still the system would be frozen or trying to play the old game, hence the reason for a manual reset button.

 

At the time TI thought it would be clean and look more smarter to have an auto reset button.

[PeBo]

I have to agree with those saying that access to greater CPU RAM size (256 bytes is just this side of ludicrous) with an internal upgrade option, and an alternative to GPL based Basic so that code could be interpreted once before execution!

 

I don't think anything hobbles the machine more for the average user than those two items.

[+Lee Stewart]

Learn Forth!

 

...lee

[Asmusr]

I have to agree with those saying that access to greater CPU RAM size (256 bytes is just this side of ludicrous) with an internal upgrade option, and an alternative to GPL based Basic so that code could be interpreted once before execution!

 

I'm inclined to believe the integration of the GPL interpreter in the firmware has done the computer more harm than good by taking away the focus from real machine code.

[Omega-TI]

Learn Forth!

 

...lee

 

I'm seriously toying with getting a cartridge... but I need to know what is already out there available to use now. I remember the best way to learn BASIC was by looking at other peoples code, then as time went on we developed our own techniques and habits. With my fading memory, I NEED examples.

[Opry99er]

Issues 4 and 5 of SHIFT838 and turboforth.net.

 

Good stuff in there

[Omega-TI]

Just bought an fbForth cartridge less than 10 minutes ago!

Now maybe I'll learn something while I'm having some fun and exercising my fading memory.

I already have those issues printed up and in a binder too! But I might have to wait a while on that fbForth manual...

[Opry99er]

Go buy a box of printer paper and 4-5 black ink replacement carts.

[Omega-TI]

Go buy a box of printer paper and 4-5 black ink replacement carts.

 

I wonder if there are any print shop places online I could send it to that could do the job cheaper?

Double sided is the way to go, and I'll design my own cover.

[Opry99er]

I take my big printing jobs to Office Depot. They do a quick job, spiral bind if desired, and fairly cheap.

[Omega-TI]

Great idea, there is one a couple of blocks away from work. I should be able to drop it off before and pick it up after. Thanks!

Do they accept PDF? Can you email it or can they take it off a memory stick?

[JamesD]

More RAM or easier/cheaper way to install would have been nice. BTW: was there ever a RAM expansion board that plugged into the CPU socket back then? Or piggybacked over the chip? You see that type of solution on other computers, such as Amiga and ST - but I guess it wasn't as common then (save for the A1000) as it is today.

 

Other thing is that crazy single proprietary DB9 port for controllers, printers, etc. Very cool you can kinda/sorta print from it, but always wished the system had two Atari/Commodore controller ports built in instead. Was lucky to have a single Atari adapter BITD though and one of us would simply use the keyboard to control the other tank in Blasto!

 

Looking at it years later, realize TI probably avoided the 2600 compatible design for liability reasons. Or wanted to sell more of their controllers, etc.

TI wanted to sell their own joysticks, just like they wanted to force everyone to buy software from them.

[Opry99er]

Great idea, there is one a couple of blocks away from work. I should be able to drop it off before and pick it up after. Thanks!

Do they accept PDF? Can you email it or can they take it off a memory stick?

I take mine in on a stick, but I think they accept eMail, too.

 

Be sure to specify your stock... I hate getting the cheap stuff if it is for a project like this one.

 

My last peoject was a baseball scorecard book I made up for the boy and me when we watch ballgames. I got some nice cardstock, spiral bound, with a clear plastic cover and black plastic backing.

[Omega-TI]

Thanks, I checked them out online...

 

I know the manual has color, but SCREW THAT!

I'll have to go B&W!

[Opry99er]

You can do two print jobs... One of all the B&W pages and one with the color pages... Will save you a.ton. then just combine the two properly and ask them to bind it for you.

[JamesD]

FWIW, I've seen quite a few machines that don't have a reset. It's totally stupid but for some reason someone felt the need to save a few cents on the design.
One of the reasons I chose a Color Computer over something else was because I could reset the machine and my BASIC code was almost always still in memory.

[Omega-TI]

Remember the old CORE memory? You could turn those systems OFF and the program would be there when switched back on.

[Omega-TI]

You can do two print jobs... One of all the B&W pages and one with the color pages... Will save you a.ton. then just combine the two properly and ask them to bind it for you.

 

Now why the heck didn't I think about that!