Geneve Software? What will people run once they repair those boards?

[Nick99]

My Geneve has the Swan, unmodified board...

I still use MDOS 1.14F... If the TIPI will work on my Geneve I can use a newer version.

 

I used to have an Imagewise image digitiser that I used a lot until it suddenly stopped working. Don´t remember if I have it in a box somewhere.

 

I used YAPP more than My-art.

I bought the Tomy Tutor games and remember how disappointed I got when I saw the graphics, so I rarely played them.

I have a lot of disks with software I don´t remember what it is... some day I will take a look at it.

 

Me too wish for a Gambase like register to be able to recognise the software for the Geneve...

It certainly is some nice programs that I never was able to get my hands on back in the days.

I hope the Geneve will get more attention and software that use it to full potential.

 

I have a couple of GIF-viewers, but none of them seems to find the disk drive, I get some IO error, the disks with GIFs works fine with YAPP... but sadly my computer locks because I don´t have the 192Kb VDP memory.

So I´m looking for a working GIF-viewer!

Edited August 14, 2018 by Nick99

[+9640News]

Do you have Picture Transfer by Paul Charlton?

 

That was for MDOS mode.

 

As far as MDOS versions, I would have thought you could have used something like 2.50? Version 1.14F goes back before the MDOS buyout. I know there were later versions than 1.14F that worked on floppy only systems and did not use more memory.

 

 

Beery

Edited August 14, 2018 by BeeryMiller

[+InsaneMultitasker]

My Geneve has the Swan, unmodified board...

I still use MDOS 1.14F... If the TIPI will work on my Geneve I can use a newer version.

Version 2.21 would be your best option for a standard system though I think it is larger than 1.14F, which could be an issue if you only have 90k drives or need that extra memory for something specific. There are a few of us still willing and able to modify/upgrade the Geneve cards, it is just a matter of available time. Your board would probably see the most benefit by adding 32K static RAM and 64K of video RAM. A refresh of the capacitors and regulators would be good maintenance.

[+InsaneMultitasker]

Some additional MDOS (Geneve only) programs that came to mind.

 

EXEC - runs TI EA option #5 programs from MDOS command line without the need for GPL (v1.3 and 2.4g)

TASM - 9900/99000/9995 assembler, LGMA

TIC - TIC C compiler, LGMA

Diskassembler, native MDOS version of the disassembler software by Tom Freeman

FED - MDOS hex editor

Hypercopy - track copier, very fast

NotMyTerm - simple terminal emulator

GREP - command line utility

Sector One v3.0, disk sector editor

VCLR - ANSI file viewer

Tetris - MDOS game, Klause Gebeck

PORT - color ansi terminal emulator

CYA - MDOS configuration tool

QDE - Quick&Dirty (text) Editor, Clint Pulley

EDIT - Text Editor, Peter Muys

WIN-DRIVE, windows shell driver

CFORM, HFDC hard drive formatter

INF, Infocom interpreter

FileZap, file editor

Global War, advanced basic game

(there are a fair number of TI programs that make use of the V9938 that are NOT Geneve specific)

 

I seem to recall that only a few thousand Geneves were manufactured which is quite a small number of systems compared to the total TI's in the world. Often the Geneve programmers wrote utilities and productivity tools to facilitate supporting/writing 4A compatible programs. Writing a program for the 4A usually meant it would work on the Geneve. This was particularly important for people trying to earn money for their efforts. While the approach slowed the community fragmentation that was happening (in part due to new hardware being introduced to smaller and smaller support base) it also squeezed out many Geneve-only programming efforts.

Edited August 14, 2018 by InsaneMultitasker

[ndp630]

There was also “Gentri” that combined three apps into one, but all I remember about it was the Word Processor part of it.. maybe a spellchecker too?

[Nick99]

Do you have Picture Transfer by Paul Charlton?

 

 

 

 

Beery, I can´t find Picture Transfer among my disks... Is it to be found somewhere for download?

[Nick99]

Version 2.21 would be your best option for a standard system though I think it is larger than 1.14F, which could be an issue if you only have 90k drives or need that extra memory for something specific. There are a few of us still willing and able to modify/upgrade the Geneve cards, it is just a matter of available time. Your board would probably see the most benefit by adding 32K static RAM and 64K of video RAM. A refresh of the capacitors and regulators would be good maintenance.

 

Version 2.21, I guess it will be found on WHTech.

Any idea where I can buy the 32k ram and 64K ram chips?, I have no problem with soldering and the vdp ram upgrade is something I have been thinking of doing.

Edited August 16, 2018 by Nick99

[+9640News]

 

 

Beery, I can´t find Picture Transfer among my disks... Is it to be found somewhere for download?

 

I am at work, but I am about 99% sure it was on the MESS HD image file that is on whtech. I know I have it on my MAME HD image.

 

If you are able, login to my BBS at 9640news.ddns.net port 9640 and leave me a message there as a reminder/trigger to copy the file to a DSK/HFE image if you are unable to find/use that MESS HD image. I think TIIMAGETOOL or is it TIDIR (forget which) should be able to look at the image if you are setup to do so. If you do not have any Window programs, I will upload the archive to my BBS.

 

Should be a directory called PCT or PICT on the hard drive image. I think the filenames are PICT/PICU if not mistaken. When you load the program, I am not sure if pressing enter, or typing HELP at the prompt inside the program will give you the commands to use for loading images. I've got docs I can scan if need be.

 

I've got several things going on from now through Monday next week that will likely keep me distracted. I bought a 7'x16' cargo trailer last night I need to build some boxes in to contain some equipment, need to install a brake controller in my truck, looks like I am headed up to Cincinnati to fly this weekend to assist in the location of someone believed to be deceased for a search group, mow 3.5 acres before all this rain makes mowing difficult, move items from one trailer to another after the mods to the new trailer, go to the courthouse and get my trailer registered, and finally, play with my TIPI that arrived today in the evenings when things have started to slow down.

 

Just a tad busy for this coming weekend. I'm sure my wife will think of a few other things I need to do as well.........

 

Beery

[RickyDean]

....

I've got several things going on from now through Monday next week that will likely keep me distracted. I bought a 7'x16' cargo trailer last night I need to build some boxes in to contain some equipment, need to install a brake controller in my truck, looks like I am headed up to Cincinnati to fly this weekend to assist in the location of someone believed to be deceased for a search group, mow 3.5 acres before all this rain makes mowing difficult, move items from one trailer to another after the mods to the new trailer, go to the courthouse and get my trailer registered, and finally, play with my TIPI that arrived today in the evenings when things have started to slow down.

 

Just a tad busy for this coming weekend. I'm sure my wife will think of a few other things I need to do as well.........

 

Beery

No you know how I feel

[+mizapf]

If you use TIImageTool, please do not forget the search function. You can search for file names, parts of file names, strings in file contents, or file dates, including ARC files. By that way, I found PICT and PICU on a hard disk image that I named beerymiller.hd, in the folder MDOS1.

 

By the way, the files are not on the all.hd of 9640News.

Edited August 16, 2018 by mizapf

[GDMike]

Any videos to support some of these?

 

I'd be interested in seeing tasm? I think it's called and how to use that.

Can geneve do ansi graphics?

[+FarmerPotato]

Let's keep putting together a list of Geneve software! This seems like a good thread to continue.

 

I have put together a Google Doc with all the software titles I know of. I'm sure I've missed a lot. There is a column to say where it can be downloaded.

 

Please edit the Doc and put in what you can!

 

Here is a link to give anyone Edit access:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LmuNpXUCfB1Pdw-LZxLqOCbMfePlA2ACX5tv9Ps4iAg/edit?usp=sharing

 

[+FarmerPotato]

Referencing this thread by @webdeck

 

Referencing this thread by @hloberg

 

 

[+mizapf]

Funny. I had a look on my Geneve hard drive, concerning the TIC programs that I wrote 25 years ago. Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you really wrote some program, and why you completely forgot about it?

 

As it seems, I wrote a first concept of an Arkanoid for Geneve in TIC around 1995. I found some sheets of paper in a binder, but I did not remember I already came that far. Ar least you can already play it. (Mouse is needed, of course.)

 

There is no doubt, it has the style of comments (in German) that I recognize as mine, and the odd brace placements of that time. Must be my program.

arkan.dsk

[GDMike]

9 minutes ago, mizapf said:

Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you really wrote some program,

Actually looking at some of MY own code I sometimes wonder if I even wrote it. Probably simple stuff for most assy program versed people, but for me to pull off some of the actions, amazing. Ok, maybe it's sloppy and extra loops, and no SRA or real math, but it does the job??

My skills are getting better not worse as I learn more.

[GDMike]

16 minutes ago, mizapf said:

Funny. I had a look on my Geneve hard drive, concerning the TIC programs that I wrote 25 years ago. Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you really wrote some program, and why you completely forgot about it?

 

As it seems, I wrote a first concept of an Arkanoid for Geneve in TIC around 1995. I found some sheets of paper in a binder, but I did not remember I already came that far. Ar least you can already play it. (Mouse is needed, of course.)

 

There is no doubt, it has the style of comments (in German) that I recognize as mine, and the odd brace placements of that time. Must be my program.

arkan.dsk 360 kB · 1 download

I'm still a little confused about using Geneve software, so I'll ask you a question, this program you wrote way back when, is it what's called GPL mode, and what makes it raw code that runs at it's best and ti4A compatible? Isn't all of software written 4A compatible? Like, how do you know what mode something runs in?

[+mizapf]

No, this is native mode ("MDOS mode"). The memory layout of the native mode is very different from the GPL mode; for example, memory-mapped devices appear at addresses F100-F13F, not within the 8400-8Cxx area. You have contiguous logical memory from 0000 to EFFF. When you write programs with TIC (the C compiler), they are created for native mode, since they rely on the XOP library.

 

In the above case, after booting GeneveOS, you switch to drive A: and run the program by its name.

 

If it were written for GPL mode, you'd have to start the GPL interpreter and switch to TI mode. Or you use EXEC to run those programs.

 

Edit: One thing to notice for native mode programs is that the files may become much longer. You often see program files up to 64 sectors, although they could become even longer, if I understand the XOP docs correctly.

Edited January 22, 2021 by mizapf

[+9640News]

The header for a program image file for MDOS mode is different than a header for a program image (EA #5) file for TI-99/4A or GPL mode on the Geneve.

 

MDOS mode software with very few exceptions, will use various operating system XOP's for screen writes, memory setup/access, and disk i/o.  Those same XOP's are not available to a TI-99/4A.

 

Beery

[Nick99]

4 hours ago, mizapf said:

Funny. I had a look on my Geneve hard drive, concerning the TIC programs that I wrote 25 years ago. Have you ever found yourself wondering whether you really wrote some program, and why you completely forgot about it?

 

As it seems, I wrote a first concept of an Arkanoid for Geneve in TIC around 1995. I found some sheets of paper in a binder, but I did not remember I already came that far. Ar least you can already play it. (Mouse is needed, of course.)

 

There is no doubt, it has the style of comments (in German) that I recognize as mine, and the odd brace placements of that time. Must be my program.

arkan.dsk 360 kB · 4 downloads

Tried it on my Geneve but ended up with a black screen and a blue square with an A> in 40 column mode. Used both MDOS 1.14F and 2.21, same result. 😪

Is it just for later MDOS versions?

[+mizapf]

I don't know about version dependence, could be. I'm using 6.50, and I think it was TIC 1.61. I guess you don't have the 32K SRAM expansion, that's why you are using these very old releases.

 

Edit: How it should look like.

Edited January 22, 2021 by mizapf

[+9640News]

There were a number of Video XOP bugs Clint squashed around the 2.21 timeframe.  Are you not able to run 6.50?

 

30 minutes ago, Nick99 said:

Tried it on my Geneve but ended up with a black screen and a blue square with an A> in 40 column mode. Used both MDOS 1.14F and 2.21, same result. 😪

Is it just for later MDOS versions?

 

[Nick99]

3 minutes ago, BeeryMiller said:

There were a number of Video XOP bugs Clint squashed around the 2.21 timeframe.  Are you not able to run 6.50?

 

 

I have not yet upgraded my Geneve with the 32K, so I guess I can't  run 6.50.

[+mizapf]

Sorry, my fault. There is a file missing on the disk image (ARKF). The file defines the playfield. (As I said, I barely remember my own game. I intended to load the screens from disk.)

arkan.dsk

Edited January 22, 2021 by mizapf

[+9640News]

3 minutes ago, Nick99 said:

I have not yet upgraded my Geneve with the 32K, so I guess I can't  run 6.50.

Is the upgrade something you do not feel comfortable doing yourself and/or sending it to someone to do for you if you don't have the skills?  Or, just don't want to touch something that is not broken?

 

I ask, because the next release of MDOS is going to have the TIPI support and if you don't have any kind of mass storage device, the TIPI is a great tool to invest.

 

Beery

 

[Nick99]

2 hours ago, BeeryMiller said:

Is the upgrade something you do not feel comfortable doing yourself and/or sending it to someone to do for you if you don't have the skills?  Or, just don't want to touch something that is not broken?

 

I ask, because the next release of MDOS is going to have the TIPI support and if you don't have any kind of mass storage device, the TIPI is a great tool to invest.

 

Beery

 

I intend to do the upgrade, sat down today trying to find the instructions but didn't find it. I've seen it but don't remember where.

I have the memory chip so as soon I get my hands on the instructions I will carefully make the upgrade, and also change the battery.