[Coco] Is there any coco3 software that can actually use 8 Meg ?

[Bill Pierce]

 Yes, large sound files would be easy. Using memory above 512k/2meg is easy as using 512k/2meg. You're just swapping the high memory pages, 8k at a time, into an 8k buffer within the system's 64k. Swapping the pages is a matter of writing a few bytes to the GIMI, same as using 512k. It's not like handling graphics where the display type, position and page has to be set up as well.
Sound programs are very simple to implement and are usually small in size, so there's plenty of room for an 8k buffer within the 64k. You play the current buffer, swap in a new one, play, rinse and repeat. The swap time is almost instantaneous.
There are numerous documents out there about using the memory outside of the 64k, for graphics or otherwise. I suggest you search for them and get an understanding on how it works. At first it's kind of hard to get your head around it, but eventually it starts to make sense and you realize just how easy it is. Swapping memory in and out is easy. Swapping graphics is a little more complex, but not as hard as it seems.
If I'm not mistaken, the "playsound" program for OS-9 will play files up to 2meg (minus memory used by the system). Larger ones could be possible with a few cheats using direct hardware manipulations, which of course is a no-no in OS-9. That code is probably in the archives somewhere. I know it was on RTSI. I'm sure there was an RSDOS version as well.
    On Friday, September 12, 2025 at 10:18:49 PM EDT, coco--- via Coco <coco at maltedmedia.com> wrote:   

 What about sound I was wondering if I could play a 5 Meg wave file from 
memory ?

On 2025-09-12 22:04, Bill Pierce via Coco wrote:
> 8 meg currently can't be used in NitrOS9 (legally), as the page map for 
> the graphics pages would be too large. GrfDrv would have to be enlarged 
> to 16k to accomplish this. 2 meg is the limit, and yes, NitrOS9 will 
> use the extra 3 meg memory and software has been written to use it. My 
> "MShell" is one example of this.
> BUT, using machine language in RSDOS, it's fairly easy to implement. 
> Back a few years ago, I wrote a horizontal/vertical/diagonal scrolling 
> demo for the 16 color screen. It scrolled (smoothly) through a graphics 
> screen 3 pages wide and 10 or 12 pages high, and using the joystick, 
> you could scroll in all directions, even diagonally. I never expanded 
> to using any sprites or collision, but I used the converted screenshots 
> of the first level of Nintendo's "Tiger Heli" as my terrane. It was 
> pretty cool and (I think) used about 4 megs for the screens (preloaded 
> at the start). I could easily have gotten to 8 meg of screens, but that 
> was the size of the Tiger Heli level.
> The video is in the Coco Facebook Group's video section (I'm pretty 
> sure) or just search the group for "horizontal/vertical scroll demo" 
> and you should find my post. I may have even uploaded the demo disks 
> (no sources) to the Coco FB files section (I don't remember if I did).
> 
> Bill P.
>    On Friday, September 12, 2025 at 03:38:54 PM EDT, coco--- via Coco 
> <coco at maltedmedia.com> wrote:
> 
>  All
>   I have heard that some coco 3's have been upgraded to 8 Meg Memory 
> and
> it is an option for the Vcc emulator
>   but is there any software that can actually use 8 Meg ?
> 
> Charlie
> 
> 
> 
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