The Personal Computer Division White Papers

[kl99]

I would consider the main document and the appendix as two different pieces, from their status, date and writer group.

Therefore I thought it worth noting that the main document is not referring the GPL language as such.

 

Also there are contradictionary specs between those documents. While the appendix states that the Speech Synthesizer will get 250 internal words. The main document says it will be 600 internal words. That just one example why to treat them seperate.

 

The so familiar joystick port is no where in the Appendix, not mentioned in texts nor in the figures. We only see on pdf page 115 which value a keyboard input (arrows) would get and it is the familiar -4, 0, 4 integers. So my assumption the last minute decision to have a digital joystick port did not take much, but send a similar signal like the keyboard would.

 

Extraordinary I find the statement on page 87 that the GPL language was developed at TI, specifically for the Home Computer. If this is the case, how would Microsoft/Greenberg gets involved with a Basic Interpreter in Gpl language and solely for a TMS processor?

[+FarmerPotato]

3 hours ago, kl99 said:

Extraordinary I find the statement on page 87 that the GPL language was developed at TI, specifically for the Home Computer. If this is the case, how would Microsoft/Greenberg gets involved with a Basic Interpreter in Gpl language and solely for a TMS processor?

I'm really looking forward to seeing the two BASIC documents.

 

[senior_falcon]

9985_Instruction_Cycle_Times.pdf

 

Pity the 9985 came to a bad end. This would have offered a noticeable speed improvement over the 9900.

I will leave it to the gurus to determine exactly how much faster it would have been.

Edited February 4, 2020 by senior_falcon

[jbdigriz]

Wow. How did I miss this thread? Only found it now after seeing the current auctions from Wilson's estate. Sorry to hear of his passing.

 

Did he happen to pass along any 990 HC simulator material, Toucan? Thanks so much for posting all this.

 

jbdigriz

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by jbdigriz

[RXB]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:10 AM, kl99 said:

I would consider the main document and the appendix as two different pieces, from their status, date and writer group.

Therefore I thought it worth noting that the main document is not referring the GPL language as such.

 

Also there are contradictionary specs between those documents. While the appendix states that the Speech Synthesizer will get 250 internal words. The main document says it will be 600 internal words. That just one example why to treat them seperate.

 

The so familiar joystick port is no where in the Appendix, not mentioned in texts nor in the figures. We only see on pdf page 115 which value a keyboard input (arrows) would get and it is the familiar -4, 0, 4 integers. So my assumption the last minute decision to have a digital joystick port did not take much, but send a similar signal like the keyboard would.

 

Extraordinary I find the statement on page 87 that the GPL language was developed at TI, specifically for the Home Computer. If this is the case, how would Microsoft/Greenberg gets involved with a Basic Interpreter in Gpl language and solely for a TMS processor?

I bought the original Source Code GPL for XB and the XB ROMs version 110 of TI99/4A and it has all the Source code for version 100 XB for the TI99.

Look for version of RXB 2001 to see that source code, any changes by me were noted and old code commented out with ***

The GPL and ROM guys made snarky comments about each other written in hand on the borders.

I do not get why Microsoft is taking credit for GPL when it was being used way before Microsoft ever got involved with TI!!

 

P.S. I should also note that the source code of each GROM came from a different GPL programmers. GROM >6000, >8000, >A000, >C000

were not all the same people which is why I later in RXB version 2012 moved a ton of stuff to other GROMs and 2020 entire 

sections are now in other GROM from Original but all the original is there commented out. 

Edited September 23, 2020 by RXB
comment added

[+hloberg]

looking over this stuff, in concept anyway, the TI99 could have been a real decent low cost educational game machine, more along the lines of the Odyssey 2 or Mattel Aquarius. A game machine wouldn't need a full fledged keyboard or a dedicated I/O for things like disk drives, printers etc... or much internal memory since everything was to be on Cartridge. GROM would greatly speed up development of educational games cartridges  (which really didn't need to play fast) due to it's simplicity and the BASIC would have to be just good enough to learn on. The TI99 was heads above the 2600 or intellvision in graphics or speed. offered some decent joysticks and speech module with the intended modules they might dominated the game console market.

[+FarmerPotato]

35 minutes ago, hloberg said:

looking over this stuff, in concept anyway, the TI99 could have been a real decent low cost educational game machine, more along the lines of the Odyssey 2 or Mattel Aquarius. A game machine wouldn't need a full fledged keyboard or a dedicated I/O for things like disk drives, printers etc... or much internal memory since everything was to be on Cartridge. GROM would greatly speed up development of educational games cartridges  (which really didn't need to play fast) due to it's simplicity and the BASIC would have to be just good enough to learn on. The TI99 was heads above the 2600 or intellvision in graphics or speed. offered some decent joysticks and speech module with the intended modules they might dominated the game console market.

If it had 8K of RAM built in at >2000, and the 9940 had made it in, it would be the equivalent of a ColecoVision. But all told, it cost so much more.