[Coco] CoCoNet status

[Roger Taylor]

At 05:53 PM 2/20/2009, you wrote:
>Roger Taylor wrote:
>>Hey guys, CoCoNet just gained the auto-update feature!  It also has 
>>the side effect of allowing Virtual Game Paks....
>>
>>Read on...
>>
>>The very top of the CoCoNet ROM has code that tries to replace 
>>itself with an updated .rom file (on your PC).  If the .rom is not 
>>CoCoNet, it starts up like a game pak.  So, CoCoNet is also a Live ROM Pak.
>> From your PC you tell the CoCo what ROM to boot up with - CoCoNet, 
>> a game pak, utility pak, embedded pak, etc.  Otherwise, the 
>> cartridge's EPROM already contains a version of CoCoNet that continues to boot.
>>
>>This is over the bitbanger cable, and it's still very cool.  I 
>>can't wait to see all this go wireless.
>>
>>Wireless virtual disks
>>Wireless ROM Paks
>>Wireless HTTP requests
>This sounds so excellent!  I'm using an SVD right now but supporting 
>the game paks would convince me to purchase one.  Now to find a way 
>to xvfer tape images without the recorder.   ;)
>
>~telengard


More good news:

The CoCoNet server will be rewritten in the coming days.  I need to 
use whichever language is more portable so I can bring support to the 
Mac users and any others as well.  My own choices are Visual C++, 
Visual C#, and Visual Basic.  I am no longer going to use HLA for 
authoring the CoCoNet server app.

A simple initial test in Visual Basic worked great when I simply 
opened the COM port associated with the CoCo's wireless pak, wrote a 
string to the port, and it appeared on the CoCo screen screen 
immediately (Ultimaterm 4.1).  The CoCo is stuck back in 1988 and 
thinks it's using a real Tandy pak.  :)

-- 
Roger Taylor

http://www.wordofthedayonline.com