[Coco] C VS Basic Coco

Tue Feb 13 22:33:20 EST 2018

oops, I forgot to say. The Vcc, Drivewire and the server I will be writting
will be running Nitro Os9 Level 2 and will be running on the same machine.
No wires are required.

On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 10:31 PM, phil pt <ptaylor2446 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Gene
>
> What I was trying to say if its from my understand that the Bitbanger in
> Drivewrite use a eof to check for carrier and that is maybe. The Old bbs
> software use the orginal Rs232 address to receive, send data and check for
> carrier. If a Rs232 pack can be developed using only the standard memory
> address to receive, send and check for carrier in the Rs232 pack then I
> write the server part that will act like a modem and accept all the ATDT
> command and update by sending it to the Rs232 pack. We skip using drivewire.
>
> By looking at the call codes in the bbs software they are different from
> what is in Os9 Level 2 and Nitro Os9 Level2. I will have to already make
> changes to over 2 to 8 dozen lines in the code.I really like to try and get
> this project done without having to re-write the entire bbs code that exist.
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 10:00 PM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at shentel.net>
> wrote:
>
>> On Tuesday 13 February 2018 21:16:22 phil pt wrote:
>>
>> > That is good. Why do you help with the project and write the Rs232
>> > pack for VCC as plugin cartridge? I could use your help with it.
>> >
>> On a coco2, running level 1 os9, now nitros9, at /that/ time the aciapak
>> driver was all that was needed as the forgotten chip actually made use
>> of the bitbanger port. They were effectively in parallel.  So there was
>> no need to actually build a new RS232 pack, you just used its driver,
>> with a change of port address. No big deal. I have no clue if the
>> current version of nitros9 level one can do that, as a lot of stuff that
>> was in the aciapak.dr, is not in Sacia.dr, and  likely not in sc6551.asm
>> either.
>>
>> Checking my own last hg pull of nitros9, it looks like the level1 serial
>> driver is now named sc6551.asm. But I don't have a clue if it can work
>> with the forgotten chip, or with an RS-232 deluxe pack.
>>
>> But one thing is confusing me (I have many older versions of os9 here) is
>> that if I go back in time to where aciapac.dr existed, I find its
>> src.asm file is only 11,568 bytes in 2002, fast forward to
>> nitros9-3.3.0, in 2016 and sc6551.asm is now 44,713 bytes. But it only
>> assembles to 1315 bytes.  So it ought to be doing way more, but I'll be
>> damned if I can make the 7 wire hardware flow control work. Looking at
>> the assembled size, somethings definitely all aglay.
>>
>> > On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 9:09 PM, Gene Heskett <gheskett at shentel.net>
>> wrote:
>> > > On Tuesday 13 February 2018 19:59:08 phil pt wrote:
>> > > > Let me re-word what I said. There has been a lot of changes that
>> > > > has been done to the basic compilers sine the 80's. In the 90's
>> > > > writing code using Cbasic3 increased the execution speed of the
>> > > > program, Visual basic.Net has come a long way since the 1st
>> > > > version was release, Real Basic runs very fast so it also depends
>> > > > on how to write the code.  Developing code using the basic
>> > > > compilers is only as some people think. For example using one
>> > > > function routine to handle different process saves memory and cpu
>> > > > time. Believe me I have been programming since the Coco1 and I had
>> > > > the changes to use many different basic compilers. since 1985.
>> > > >
>> > > > On Tue, Feb 13, 2018 at 7:16 PM, James Jones
>> > > > <jejones3141 at gmail.com>
>> > >
>> > > wrote:
>> > > > > I agree, use what gets the job done and is best for you. I also
>> > > > > agree that a large class of BASIC language systems are not
>> > > > > suited for writing programs of any size or complexity. (I
>> > > > > recently got a copy of the 1985 book *Back to BASIC: the
>> > > > > History, Corruption, and Future of the Language* by Kemeny and
>> > > > > Kurtz, the creators of BASIC. It is well worth reading in this
>> > > > > regard, especially Chapter 4.)
>> > > > >
>> > > > > BASIC09, though not perfect, is not in that large class.
>> > >
>> > > Story time folks, skip if its not of interest.
>> > >
>> > > I have written 2 programs that were in continuous use at the tv
>> > > station I wrote it for, for nearly 15 years each time. The first one
>> > > I wrote, was for an RCA 1802 based Cosmac Super Elf, in '78. I made
>> > > the video for it, and used a large amount of self modifying code.
>> > > That taught me to keep track of the stack, and anytime I modified
>> > > the behaviour of a subroutine, the last thing I did in that
>> > > subroutine was to restore the original value. Once I learned that,
>> > > it never crashed again that I was made aware of. Because video
>> > > machine ballistics could change, when I left I made sure there was
>> > > instructions on how to modify the code in the event newer machines
>> > > were bought. I checked in 94 when I was 250 miles north in Oregon,
>> > > an vacation and visiting an Aunt I knew I better go see before she
>> > > passed. The CE was then Norman Hoatson, who was the CE when I was
>> > > the ACE in the late '70's. He assured he was dusting it regularly,
>> > > and that it was still in daily use.
>> > >
>> > > That program was written by looking up the assembler nemonic, and
>> > > entering the hexidecimal value using a hex monitor. No assembler
>> > > except me.
>> > >
>> > > Then, at the station in WV where I finally retired from after 18
>> > > years, one of our earlier purchases was a Grass Valley Group
>> > > 300-3A/B production switcher, which came from the J.C.Penny's NYC
>> > > production studio when they closed it down. But it had spent quite a
>> > > bit of time in NYC's polluted air, and required lots of maintenance
>> > > keeping ahead of chips with black oxidized legs.  But that one did
>> > > not come with the e-disk kit which allowed the tech folks to save
>> > > the programs they had composed, and reload them the next time they
>> > > were on duty running a show.
>> > >
>> > > But it did come with a manual that fully described the protocol. I
>> > > looked at that and said to myself, I can do that with a coco2! So I
>> > > scrounged up a coco2, installed "The forgotten Chip" and wrote that
>> > > puppy in basic09. It wasn't till several years later we had a chance
>> > > at the same switcher from KTLA. It was in somewhat better shape, and
>> > > it came with an e-disk, which I did install, for about 3 days.  The
>> > > yelling and screaming from the troops in the trenches could not be
>> > > ignored and they all said to put mine back in, so I did. The coco's
>> > > 5" screen gave them English filenames instead of 2 digit numbers on
>> > > a dial wheel, and it turned out that mine was at least 4x faster at
>> > > a restore due to the baud rate diffs. And it was used until so many
>> > > of the custom circuits had died in the 300-3A/B that it had to be
>> > > replaced a year or so after I retired. So they gave me back the
>> > > machine I had sold to the tv station for $245 all those years ago. I
>> > > still have that machine and its disks and drives in the basement,
>> > > its another of those old friends I just can't part with.  Because
>> > > the com protocol used let me reach in and tickle this and that parts
>> > > of the circuit, a logic problem could often be identified down to
>> > > the gate in such and such a chip, which made keeping it ticking
>> > > along a lot easier. I don't think theres much the coco's can't do as
>> > > long as you are willing to do it at the coco's pace.
>> > >
>> > > So that also spans around 15 years. Thats an EON in a tv stations
>> > > physical plant, so I think I am justified in being proud of both
>> > > efforts at the time.
>> > >
>> > > Now, I'm just a retired old fart, whose legs are slowly going away
>> > > from diabetes, playing around with cnc'd machinery. Machinery that
>> > > was not cnc'd when it was drug in the door. That and careing for my
>> > > wife, who broke a hip a year ago, and whose been going steadily
>> > > downhill from COPD since I met her in about 87. We married in '89.
>> > > Now she is towing an oxygen hose, and incapable of doing the
>> > > exercises needed to put her back on her feet. Between all that, it
>> > > sure keeps me out of the bars. :-)
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > Cheers, Gene Heskett
>> > > --
>> > > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
>> > >  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
>> > > -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
>> > > Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
>> > >
>> > > --
>> > > Coco mailing list
>> > > Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> > > https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Cheers, Gene Heskett
>> --
>> "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
>>  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
>> -Ed Howdershelt (Author)
>> Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
>>
>> --
>> Coco mailing list
>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> https://pairlist5.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>
>