Re: [Ql-Users] I must test, No traffic my way for 2 weeks
Morning François, >>I'm still listening and trying to figure out why my keyboard doesn't do >>what it is supposed to do with 'QPC' under 'Vista' making it nearly >>impossible to use QPC. You need to upgrade I think to run QPC under Vista. See Marcel's web site for details. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Has QL Today lost half its readers?
Hi Roy, >> This is completely my fault.. >> I apologise to those who subscribed for this oversight and >> I will rectify matters this week. Thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] SQLUG Website
George, if you are having any problems finding a working web site, give me a shout and I'll host your programs for you. You might, if you ask for one, get your own sub-domain - ggwilt.qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk - for example. I have 125 MB of space although currently about half of that is in use but as the initial rush to use the QL Forums has died off and no-one has been there for over a fortnight, I'm seriously considering removing the forum again as a non-starter. That will free up 52 MB. Should it [still] be necessary, I can easily upgrade my hosting account and get an additional space quota. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QPC2 and a few more surprises
And a couple of the pages have some hand written notes, mine! They may or may not be accurate, I can't remember, so take care if you follow them. As far as I remember, they refer to loading an index file, which the manual mentions, but doesn't explain. An index file us what the application uses to determine if this bit of the code is data, code, config block, a pe definition etc. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] WXQT2 alternative?
Afternoon all, The QXLWIN tool never updates a qxl.win file. It can read and extract files from a qxl.win, to Windows or Linux (or Mac?) But not the other way around. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] WXQT2 alternative?
Maybe! Have a read of this though, http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/doku.php?id=qdosmsq:fs:qlwa#delete_a_file as it explains - in gory detail - why undelete is unlikely to be of much (any) use as the deleted files blocks are the first to be used to create or extend another file. Cheers, Norm. On 21 February 2017 17:18:59 GMT+00:00, Michael Bulford wrote: >On Tuesday, 21 Feb 2017 12:49:18, Norman Dunbar > wrote: > > >> Afternoon all, > >> The QXLWIN tool never updates a qxl.win file. It can read and extract >files from a qxl.win, to Windows or Linux (or Mac?) > >> But not the other way around. > > >> Cheers,> Norm. > > >Hi Norm, > >Any chance of adding an UNDELETE feature to the QXLWIN tooL? >This could be a welcome addition. > >Kind regards, >Michael >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] WXQT2 alternative?
Hi Peter, Maybe! My original intent was just to explore the qxl.win file. Then it got updated to extract files. I never intended it to do any updating on the grounds that a small error in my code could destroy someone's work. However, if and when I get time, I will look into it. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] German Minerva ROM
I'm rather fond of the AtTiny85 myself, I have to admit. :-) Cheers, Norm. On 6 March 2017 13:26:59 GMT+00:00, Marcel Kilgus wrote: >Derek Stewart wrote: >> I have had a Minipro TL866CS for a long time and works very well. >> >> It does have problems with very old eproms, not being in the Eprom >> Programmer Database. > >Yes, I had to disable the "ID check" flag to read one of my old EPROMS >and haven't tried to burn one yet. Might try this evening just for >fun, but a 10-pack of EEPROMs is somewhere on its way between here and >China, so I probably don't need those going forward anyway ;-) > >Read out the some GAL16V8s and burned some ATTINY chips so far, all >worked flawlessly. So far I'm a really happy camper with this thing. > >Cheers, Marcel > >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QL/E v3.16 (Codename "Snow white swan", Edition 1702) is out now!
Afternoon Urs, I'm in full agreement with Marcel, I have not yet looked at any of your QL/E offerings *in any depth* , not because of any lack of interest, but because I have my system running how I prefer it. As for feedback, after many years of writing stuff in various QL magazines, and occasionally creating my own Assembly Language occasional eComic,in afraid that getting feedback is pretty much impossible most of the time. If not for George, keeping me correct all those years, I don't think I'd have had any feedback at all! Good luck. Cheers, Norm. On 13 March 2017 08:47:47 GMT+00:00, Marcel Kilgus wrote: >Urs Koenig (QL) wrote: >> Marcel wrote: >>> Good job, thanks. It just seems to contain so much software that I >>> can only briefly test a small part of it :-o >> Appreciate. Your feedback is the one and only since it was released >12 days >> ago. Plus my old Swiss friend Markus took up some of my work and >expanded >> it. This is another form of very constructive feedback. > >That is a sad state of affairs, I can imagine that quite some work >goes into these things. And I would have killed for something like >QL/E while QPC was still a commercial venture ;-) I guess the main >problem is that distributions are cool for new people to check out the >system and it's a very good base for starting your own system. But >most people hanging around here, me included, have tuned their boot >files for two decades, so to speak, and are not looking for anything >that is ready-to-run. I still think it's important to have it, though, >and would like to give it a more thorough go, but there are so many >projects currently going on, some even QL related, it's difficult to >find the time. > >Cheers, Marcel > >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QL/E v3.16 (Codename "Snow white swan", Edition 1702) is out now!
Sorry. Full stop after "Marcel" and not a comma! Cheers, Norm. On 13 March 2017 13:58:06 GMT+00:00, Norman Dunbar wrote: >Afternoon Urs, > >I'm in full agreement with Marcel, I have not yet looked at any of your >QL/E offerings *in any depth* , not because of any lack of interest, >but because I have my system running how I prefer it. > >As for feedback, after many years of writing stuff in various QL >magazines, and occasionally creating my own Assembly Language >occasional eComic,in afraid that getting feedback is pretty much >impossible most of the time. > >If not for George, keeping me correct all those years, I don't think >I'd have had any feedback at all! > >Good luck. > > >Cheers, >Norm. > >On 13 March 2017 08:47:47 GMT+00:00, Marcel Kilgus > wrote: >>Urs Koenig (QL) wrote: >>> Marcel wrote: >>>> Good job, thanks. It just seems to contain so much software that I >>>> can only briefly test a small part of it :-o >>> Appreciate. Your feedback is the one and only since it was released >>12 days >>> ago. Plus my old Swiss friend Markus took up some of my work and >>expanded >>> it. This is another form of very constructive feedback. >> >>That is a sad state of affairs, I can imagine that quite some work >>goes into these things. And I would have killed for something like >>QL/E while QPC was still a commercial venture ;-) I guess the main >>problem is that distributions are cool for new people to check out the >>system and it's a very good base for starting your own system. But >>most people hanging around here, me included, have tuned their boot >>files for two decades, so to speak, and are not looking for anything >>that is ready-to-run. I still think it's important to have it, though, >>and would like to give it a more thorough go, but there are so many >>projects currently going on, some even QL related, it's difficult to >>find the time. >> >>Cheers, Marcel >> >>___ >>QL-Users Mailing List > >-- >Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] QXLDump utility.
I'm playing with QXL.WIN files, again! As part of something I'm working on, I needed a simple way to examine the internals of a qxl.win file in an easy manner. To this end, QXLDump was born. At the moment I have a download for 64 bit Linux and 32/64 bit Windows only. You can see a sample of my current win3 drive - which is a full set of the Sqlite 3 sources from some time back, at http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/downloads/QXLDump/win3.html. The file was created with a random selection of options! There is a verbose mode, not demonstrated, which hexdumps each and every block making up the directories, files etc - best avoided unless you are debugging a foible, or something similar! The Read-me file is at: http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/downloads/QXLDump/README.html. The Linux 64 bit download is at: http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/downloads/QXLDump/QXLDump. The Windows download is at: http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/downloads/QXLDump/QXLDump.exe. No additional libraries etc are required, everything is in plain vanilla C++ with the odd bit of the STL thrown in for good measure - thats the Standard Template Library. As ever, source code is available at my GitHub location, and will be cloned into the SinclairQL repository as soon as I'm happy with it. I have a couple of minor changes to make, but nothing spectacular. The source is at: https://github.com/NormanDunbar/QXLDump which you can freely clone if you already use git, or, download as a zip file from this location: https://github.com/NormanDunbar/QXLDump/archive/master.zip The utility allows you to dump out the following: The header The map The root directory The free space list Any datafile Any directory Any single block And most of the above can be accompanied by a hexdump - if you are brave. Output is only to HTML at the moment and I have no plans to make it text only, at the moment - but if you have that particular itch, feel free to scratch it and add the required code to do exactly that. :-) Have fun! Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QXLDump utility.
Hi Peter, This utility will be used to allow me to develop, hopefully, a proper tool for creating, writing and reading qxl.win files from the command line, or, a gui. With hopefully being the operative word! Cheers, Norm. On 14 March 2017 13:06:08 GMT+00:00, pg...@q40.de wrote: >On 14 Mar 2017 at 12:24, Norman Dunbar wrote: > >> I'm playing with QXL.WIN files, again! >> [Snip] > >I hope write access also becomes part of the playground ;) > >Peter > >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QXLDump utility.
Thanks Marcel. I had help though, it's not all my own work, John Hall and Daniele Terdina pointed me in various correct directions when I was confused! Cheers, Norm. On 14 March 2017 13:43:17 GMT+00:00, Marcel Kilgus wrote: >Norman Dunbar wrote: >> I'm playing with QXL.WIN files, again! > >I wanted to tell you that I recently read your QXL.WIN file system >description and found it very enlightening. I have used the QLWA >driver as a black box until now and it was interesting to read about >the details. > >Cheers, Marcel > >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QXLDump utility.
Thanks Wolf, I'll have a look at those classes. I'm not a huge Java fan, I admit, but I can sort of read it, sometimes. :-) Cheers, Norm. On 14 March 2017 16:13:06 GMT+00:00, Wolf wrote: >Hi, > >SMSQmulator uses it's own driver, not the SMSQE one, for accessing >qxl.win drives. There are 4 classes (windriver, windrive, winfile and >windir). You could just port those to C++, without too much trouble, I >guess. > >Have fun! > >Wolfgang > >On 14/03/2017 14:55, Norman Dunbar wrote: >> Thanks Marcel. I had help though, it's not all my own work, John Hall >and Daniele Terdina pointed me in various correct directions when I was >confused! >> >> >> Cheers, >> Norm. >> >> On 14 March 2017 13:43:17 GMT+00:00, Marcel Kilgus > wrote: >>> Norman Dunbar wrote: >>>> I'm playing with QXL.WIN files, again! >>> >>> I wanted to tell you that I recently read your QXL.WIN file system >>> description and found it very enlightening. I have used the QLWA >>> driver as a black box until now and it was interesting to read about >>> the details. >>> >>> Cheers, Marcel >>> >>> ___ >>> QL-Users Mailing List >> >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QPTR
Morning Wolf, You mention,on the Web page, a readme.txt file for the qptr sources, but the zip file doesn't appear to have one in it. Probably a minor oversight, but I thought you better know, just in case. Cheers, Norm. On 15 March 2017 07:04:26 GMT+00:00, Wolf wrote: >Hi all, > >Tony Tebby has allowed the QPTR toolkit to be made freely available. > >I upgraded an old version of the source code to correspond to the >latest >compiled version known to me (0.14). > >You can find it + the source code at www.wlenerz.com/QLstuff > >Have fun. > >Wolfgang >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] Stella
You might have seen this, perhaps? https://web.archive.org/web/20050914114333/http Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] Stella
Sorry Dave, I seem to have an inability to use a tablet! The url was supposed to be: https://web.archive.org/web/20050914114333/http://thgodef.nerim.net/qdos/stella/intro.html but I suspect it's Arnauld's page on Thierry's site which you mentioned. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] toolkit-ii-the-sequel
Evening Michael, The following is blatantly copied from Marcel's Web page, as linked below. The ALTKEY code, too, is included in SMSQ/E without seeing any usage. I didn’t want to include it at first, because with the Hotkey System II it’s very much obsolete. But when tinkering with my QL system the HK2 is often not loaded yet and it drives me crazy when ALT+ENTER doesn’t work to recall the last line. So it went back in. Problem then was that the result was about 200 or 300 bytes too big, so I removed the ALTKEY code but left the ALT+ENTER code in. HTH Cheers, Norm. On 23 March 2017 21:59:06 GMT+00:00, Michael Bulford wrote: >On 2017-03-19 22:28, Marcel Kilgus wrote: > >> Why? Because I can. >> >> Read the details here: >> >> https://www.kilgus.net/2017/03/19/toolkit-ii-the-sequel/ > >>>Michael Bulford wrote: >>> I have installed the bin version on Q-emulator. My initial thoughts >>> were that this is fantastic, since it noticeably improves the >>> performance of my programs - they start up quicker! >>> However... when I enter WSTAT win5_, the output is garbled. STAT >win5_ gives 0/0 sectors. > >>Ah yes, I fixed that bug in the ROM but forgot to update the _link for >>the RESPR version. Please download again. > >>Marcel > >Thanks for fixing this, but the STAT bug remains. >Also, ALTKEY doesn't work. ALT ENTER does work. > >Michael >___ >QL-Users Mailing List -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] QStripper v1.10 released into the wild.
Qstripper has been updated in windows 32 and 64bit, plus Linux 64 bit, to version 1.10. You'll know if you have the latest as the opened files have a delicate yellow background! I've fixed a problem with 'rogue' formatting. It took a while to track down, but basically the current formatting settings depended on a set of flags that held the toggle state of the bold, italic, underline etc settings. Unfortunately under some conditions, it is possible for an on toggle to be followed by a paragraph end and thus, an off toggle was not required so the flags were now wrong. The current formatting was not being correctly reinitialised on each new paragraph if a toggle on was not followed by a toggle off before the end of a paragraph, so the toggle on stayed on for the next few paragraphs or until a new toggle on turned it off. Oh hum. Anyway, it's fixed. Have fun. I'll get around to Linux 32 bit soon. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [Ql-Users] QStripper v1.10 released into the wild.
Linux 32bit executable just uploaded to https://sourceforge.net/projects/qstripper/files/Linux_32bit/qStripper_1.10/. Have fun. -- Norman Dunbar Dunbar IT Consultants Ltd Registered address: 27a Lidget Hill Pudsey West Yorkshire United Kingdom LS28 7LG Company Number: 05132767 ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] Q STRIPPER 1.12 released.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/qstripper/files is the main download site. I put the windows files up on Friday, if you downloaded the executable, not the support files, since then, then please download again. I found a foibles in the export RST feature. It was not escaping asterisks, which it needs to do. 1.12 includes 1.11 too! The changes are: 1.11 Enforces a minimum size for the app and for the opened files. Only cascades opened files when more than one opened at the same time. Removed yellow background from opened files as it replicates to html and pdf exports. Textual exports are in utf8 encoding as required for accented characters. Bug fix: after exporting a document, closing the app asks you to export it again. Started work on replicating Quill tabs, margins etc. This release was never, ahem, released! 1.12 Settings now stored in a slightly different location in the registry on Windows to be consistent with my other apps. Added scrollbars to the main screen to allow you to scroll down,across, to any open file that gas moved beyond the window boundary. Nice new main window background, just because! Now exports in ReStructuredText format. Cheers, Norm -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
[Ql-Users] QStripper 1.13 Now Available.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/qstripper/files is the main download site. Apologies to all who just downloaded the 1.12 version, but I've had a good lunch hour coding today, and I've fixed a long running bug, and added another new feature, so 1.13 is now available. The bug first, the Euro character is now, finally and at long last, handled correctly in the editor, and even exports correctly no matter what format you wish to export. Hooray! This has been a bug bear since I first wrote the utility. So, how many years does it take to fix it? A lot. I ended up writing a whole new translate "codec" so that PC and QL files are correctly translated from 8 bit to UNICODE, QT uses UNICODE internally, and written out in the correct encoding - which is UTF8 for any text format except XML, which has to have ISO-8859-P15. The feature? You can now open recently opened files. Up to 10 are kept between sessions and the most recent one is always at the top of the list. Each recent file has a shortcut - CTRL+n, where n is it's position in the list from 1 (first = most recent) to 0 (for the 10th file) (last = least recent of the 10 files). The list only shows files that still exists on your disc. I've just uploaded the executable for Windows 32 and 64 bit, plus Linux 64 bit. When I get access to a 32 bit Linux system, I'll do a build and put the executable up for that too. Cheers, Norm. -- Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail. Please excuse my brevity. ___ QL-Users Mailing List
Re: [ql-users] email address Phil Borman
Ralf Reköndt wrote: Hi Ralf, didn't know you were still around. How are things these days then ? Haven't heard much from you since way back in the good old days of DJC when we were both budding authours ! Hope you are well. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] printer problem
Dilwyn Jones wrote: > Wonder if anyone knows anything about this printer problem. > > I have my son's Epson Stylus C64 set up here at the moment and it has > developed a problem - both indicators are blinking which indicates > (according to manual) print head unable to return to home position, > but it seems to be parked in the home position! > Hmm, Dilwyn + Hardware = Problems :o) Sorry, I can't help. I recently too my old Stylus 740C to bits as the cartridge was empty but it wouldn't let me change it. A very interesting and messy afternoon was spent. Did you know, for example, that the vast part of the base of an inkjet is a huge sponge built to take a lifetime's supply of head cleaning and so on. I was most surprised. I don't remeber much in the way of electrical connections in the parking zone though. Mind you, I did find that it was possible to manually move the head along the steel bar that it rides on. There's a catch under the print head (on mine) that you could press to release it - this allowed the head to be moved out from the park position. It might just be that your's isn't seated properly when it is parked - there might be a bit of paper (probaly well inked by now) stuck somewhere ? Good luck. > > On another note: just been online to try to order some ink cartridges > for my own Epson Stylus 880 and Choice Stationery have discontinued > them, describing the Epson Stylus 880 as "obsolete". I'll be trying > other suppliers of course (like those who advertise in the back of > ComputerActive). Wonder if this is general or just one supplier > discontinuing compatible cartridges? > Have you tried refilling them? I have a kit from 'FillJet' which comes in a nice round plastic box and has a set of black, plus cyan. magenta and yellow inks, a manual, a CDROM and various screws, syringes, plugs etc. I have a phone number & address - umm, just checked, it's in California - oops. Still, I've had no problems with mine. I actually refill my fountain pen with the same ink - works a treat. Cheers, Norman. PS. My wife has put a small selection of our holiday pictures up at www.bountiful.demon.co.uk - theres a few there but she took over 1450 when we were recently in South Africa. Have a look if you like - they're not bad. I just carried the equipment. By the way, the elephant the the grey one underneath - I'm the one on top :o) ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[ql-users] Testing (new email system) please ignore.
Well, if you are reading this, I might as well try to make it interesting ! Ah well, after saying how wonderful Demon were and how I'd never leave, my recent house move stuffed that up. BT told Demon that I had moved so Demon cancelled my account yesterday (2/7/07) - they did send an email to tell me this - but they sent it to the closed account. Eh A quick word with customer services sorted that out, however, I'm no longer wioth Demon and I need to check that all is well here too. I'd hate to be cut off again. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [ql-users] Testing (new email system) please ignore.
Norman Dunbar wrote: > Well, if you are reading this, I might as well try to make it interesting ! > > It works, it works - hooray ! Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] macros
Hi Dilwyn, > I'm looking to write a little utility to record keypresses as macros, > if necessary assigning them to a hotkey or altkey for later use. > > Some processes mean repeated strings of keypresses, so it may be handy > to record these keypresses and replay them later with an alt or hot > key to avoid typing the same commands repeatedly. > > Anyone have any idea how best to go about achieving this? > My first thought would be hook in an interrupt handler to read the 'current key press' word from the system variable. But, my second thought was how to determine if it has changed especially when it is the same keypress as the one before. I'm too far away from my docs to be able to look them up at present, plus I have the boiler man in to fix the central heating. We had a new kitchen put in, a radiator removed and it stopped working. The original plumber says it wasn't removing the radiator that did it and doesn't want to know. He will not be getting paid I suspect! Good luck. Cheers, Norman. PS. Check "Slow Gold" source code for hooking in an interrupt handler. Also, there was a caps lock indicator program (Quanta?) a few years back. I think that did a similar thing. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today apology
gwicks wrote: > The QL Today team would like to apologise to our UK subscribers that we have > been unable to keep our promise to deliver issue 2 shortly before Christmas. > Although the magazine was ready at the end of November it was not possible to > print the UK copies immediately. Not a problem (for me anyway!) Geoff, I've been away on an Oracle RAC course for a week and only got back late last night. Funnily enough I was thinking that there should be a QL Today waiting - but there wasn't. A good read early in the new year will be a nice start to 2008. Must get on with my next article, been working on some ideas for a while, but no code as yet. Oh dear Anyway, I hope everyone has a good Christmas, Yule, Eide, Hanukkah or whichever "religious" festival happens to be current in your neck of the woods, and a healthy and happy 2008 (or whichever year it happens to be where you are!) I don't know, political correctness eh? Who needs it! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] 2.5 inch HD
Hi Dave, Dave Walker wrote: > Modern machines have hyperthreaded CPU cores, so you are more likely > to load multiple applications and still get decent performance if > you have lots of memory available. A good theory, in practice it is let down by either the design of the Core Duo chip or the OS not utilising things properly - I'm not sure which. In a Core Duo, all accesses to the Input Output sub-systems *must* be done by the first core and only by the first core. I read this about a month ago in one of the mainstream computer comics - can't remember which one now that I need to. Apparently, core 1 says to core 0, stop that and service this I/O request for me, so core 0 has to comply, so anything running on the first core is interrupted while it passes on I/O requests for the second core, and the second core is delayed in processing I/O while it hangs around waiting for the first core to pay attention! An interesting design I thought when I read it. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] 2.5 inch HD
Hi Andy, Andy Barber wrote: > I read in the Guardian (so it must be true!) that the maximum memory that can > be used is 3Gb but that could be just for XP. Up to XP at least, Windows 32 bit can address only 4GB of memory. However, this is split into 2 GB for the user processes in total, and 2 GB for the 'kernel' processes. It is completely useless to put more than 4 GB into a Windows machine for this reason. Under Windows 2000 server and Windows 2003 server, there are patches you can apply (2000) or that have been built in (2003) called something like 'large memory system' to up the limit from 2 GB to 3 GB *under certain circumstances. Oracle databases, for example, can use the extra 1GB but only for database buffer cache, noit for program units etc. Not sure whether XP suffers from the 2GB limit or allows 3 GB though. Linux doesn't have this problem, apparently. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Evening one and all, Happy New Year first of all, may 2008 be a happy, healthy and prosperous one for everyone. Windows ate my laptop recently. Over the festive period my Xp system, fired up for the first time in absolutely ages, removed my Linux root drive (partition) without so much as a by-your-leave. As you would imagine, I was a tad peeved at such behaviour. I was deleting the 20 GB "D" drive as I wanted the space for Linux, and as I haven't used anything on XP for ages, I decided to de-install everything, delete the drive and reuse it as a Linux mount instead. Well, Windows did everything correctly until I deleted the drive, I selected the D drive and requested that it be deleted, Windows did so, but at the same time, deleted my root partition, leaving me OS-less on my laptop. After a few attempts at retrieving the partition table, which worked, I found myself with no file system on the partition any longer, it was gone. With no system backups (I do backup my own data though!) I had no alternative but to re-install. After a wee while of this, I have a brand new system - and not a byte of Windows anywhere in sight - the "C" drive got reused for my new root drive instead. I now have a completely Linux laptop. This of course, leaves me with a slight problem. WHen I go away, I usually take the laptop to watch DVDs, listen to my music, read 'books' etc, but also for QPC and my ongoing Assembly Language series. To this end, and I can almost hear Marcel groaning right now, I'm wondering what the possibility of getting a Linux version of QPC is? Do I hear the work 'slim' or even 'no chance at all' out there? Don't get me wrong here, I'm not asking for a free version of QPC for Linux. I'm even willing to put work into it myself, if I can, to help develop it, assuming it is possible. I use QT4 for C++ development on Linux, occasionally, and if the 'engine' of QPC is simply (Sorry Marcel, I know it isn't simple) something that could be converted to a library, or a module that is called, I suspect I could possible manage to build a sort of working version of QPC for Linux - a little naive there perhaps, but I know almost nothing of how QPC actually works. Now, my version of QT4 is only for applications that are Open Source, so if the engine was modular, I could write the GUI around it, and easily release the source code - without compromising on all the work and effort that Marcel has performed over the years. Additionally, the Linux version would, I imagine, only be available as an 'add on' to the Windows version. Now, whether the above is feasible, possible or even desired, I have no idea. I have tried to run QPC under wine on Linux but with little success. When I type in a command at the #0 prompt, I get an instant repeat of the first character or the command, and random ones after that. So 'dir ram1_' would turn out to be 'ddir rram1_' or similar. Not very much use to me! As I said above, I'm willing to put in the work, and assuming I have the required skills of course, to make this happen, but I depend on the hard work of Marcel in the first place. It may not be possible. Comments? Ideas? Criticism? As I said, I'm not looking for a free version of QPC to run on Linux, I'm looking to see if I can help produce a version where some of the code is free (mine) and some is not. My code will have to be made available as that is the terms of the licence, but I do not have to expose Marcel's code to the Open Source community at all. Anyway, having said all that, I'm ducking out for a bath (and a read!) and will check back tomorrow to see if I have stirred up a nest of hornets, or if I actually have had a (rare) good idea! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Hi Marcel, > Well, step 1 would be to get the whole assembler stuff compiling under > linux, which given that linux uses a completely different syntax for > everything assembler (AT&T style versus Intel style) would be quite a > feat in itself. Not to say practically impossible. It appears that under Linux I have a choice of AT&T or Intel format - depending on which assembler I use. AT least the book I have (eBook) on Linux Assembly gives me that impression - I've just started reading it - "The Art Of Assembly" by Randall Hyde. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Wolfgang Lenerz wrote: > As to Norman, I've been using QPC under Wine for quite some time now. I know - I read your article in QL Today recently to see what problems you have had with it. You didn't mention the repeating key problem but did mention extreme slowness. How on Earth did you get around the repeating keys - I find it impossible to type anything at all. > Make sure you have one of the latest versions of wine, I'm currently > using 0.9.50, which probably isn't the totally lateest version, I > haven't had time to upgrade yet (type "wine --version" in a console to > find out which version you have - get the latest version at www.winehq.org). > You might also try to poke around in winecfg... Well after Windows recently ate my Linux root partition, I have not yet reinstalled wine. It is on the list of things still to be reinstalled though. I'm just checking in Yast as to which version I have on the DVD and/or in one of the repositories I'm connected to. (It says Wine version 0.9.44.15-i586 is on the DVD) > I've also found that running QPC in a window rather than fullscreen > makes a difference. I always run it in a Window, even on Windows! Usually 800 by 640. > > Conceivably, your window manager (KDE/GNOME or whatever) also makes > a difference, although I haven't found this to be the case, I regularly > run it under KDE and also under Gnome/Metacity with a maclike theme > (http://sourceforge.net/projects/mac4lin). I'm most definitely a KDE user. We have Gnome at work and I absolutely loath and detest it. Should be wiped from the planet in my (humble?) opinion!! ;-) > There is no reason why this should work here and not with you! > Which Linux are you using (I use Suse). OpenSuse 10.3 and all patches applied up until today! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Hi Wolfgang, > OK, so get 0.9.52 Version 0.9.52 obtained and installed. QPC runs, slowly, and still gives repeating characters - but not all the time. It is now workable - sort of. I notice that if I pause at the keyboard then start typing, I get the repeats. Pressing ENTER a few times then typing again doesn't give the repeating keys. > OK, try it the other way around, just to make sure, - you will find the > grapgics slowness then, though. I have tried running in a window and out. Both seem very similar to me. Some resolutions don't work though, but the ones I like to use ar ok - for now. The broken ones simply give me a tall windo (taller than it is wide) and nothing appears. If I change to 600 by 480, for example, I get my 'wtv 4' windows opened and showing on screen, plus win1_boot executes. >>> Which Linux are you using (I use Suse). >> OpenSuse 10.3 and all patches applied up until today! > OK, same here, so we will get this sorted out! It is running and workable, as I mentioned, I haven't tried to do any real work with it yet, but I will be doing soon. A couple of immediate problems have been found though : PAUSE 50 - only pauses a very brief time. PAUSE 60*5 - ditto. So it loooks like the PAUSE command isn't running very well under WINE. And, DIR FLP1_ doesn't work - for obvious reasons - The floppy in the drive will not auto mount even though /etc/fstab says to do so, because the file system on the floppy is not registered under Linux. The mount command won't let it be mounted with any known filesystem as our beloved QL5A file system is not known. I'm currently researching 'how to write a Linux File System' to allow me to do something like : mount -t ql5a /dev/fd0 /media/floppy Or, even better, as the ql5a file system would be a kernel module, it should be recognised and auto mounted - which would be better as specifying a type on the mount command is only permitted by root - even though /etc/fstab says 'user' as an option. So far, I have found one reasonable web site on geocities with a small example of writing a filesystem (but no actual device access!) which I am currenlty studying. Maybe, if I can figure it out, I'll be able to get a ql5a file system module written! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Hi Tim, > What I did when running UQLX under IRIX was to just put the floppy in > the disk drive and just use 'dd' to copy the entire disk to a file. This works : dd if=/dev/fd0 of=floppy bs=512 count=1440 and I get the floppy image on disc. When I start QPC up and configure the image as win2_ it is not able to read it. I assume I can open it - but the repeating characters are giving me severe grief now and hitting ENTER often is no longer preventing the problem. It would be nice to be able to read a floppy directly as a QODS floppy, hence my research! Time will tell! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Evening Wolfgang, > Not using the POKE didn't make any difference. I tried the poke here as well, it had no effect on the system either way. It is still the same. Slow responses to mouse and keyboard and then the 'mad' repeating key problem. > First of all, I'm not using the standard Suse 10.03 Kernel. > I had to comple a more recent one (2.6.23.8 default) because te Suse > kernel couldn't handle my HDDs correctly. So I compiled that kernel and > used it (and by the way, I thought that compiling a linux kernel was > really difficult, but it went like a charm using the step-by-step > indiations at http://www.howtoforge.com/kernel_compilation_suse). I used to compile kernels on Mandrake years ago (before 2.6) and never got one to work properly. One day soon, I'll maybe compile one and see what happens. My kernel is the standard Suse one uname -a give : Linux ganymede 2.6.22.13-0.3-default #1 SMP 2007/11/19 15:02:58 UTC i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux Hmmm, wonder if the SMP is appropriate here, my P4 isn't an SMP as far as I can tell! > Second, I'm using Compiz-Fusion. I don't know whether that really has > any influence. When I switch it off, my QPC still works OK. I'm not using any of those fancy desktop wobbly windows stuff. It eats processor and my laptop doesn't seem to like it. > What graphics card driver are you using (ATI/NVIDIA/INTEL?). It's an ATI Radeon which came built in to the system. 32 MB of Graphics RAM is in use. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Evening Marcel, > cd ~/.wine/dosdevices > ln -s /dev/fd0 a:: > ln -s /mnt/floppy a: Ok, tried that. No effect. dir flp1_ gave me a header for win1 instead with the sector count for the win drive and not for the floppy. On startup I set dos1_ to be the A:\ drive, and a dir dos1_ gave me "A:\ 0/0 sectors". So no joy there either. None of these made any attempt to access the floppy. Giving full rights to /dev/fd0 didn't change things either. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Hi Wolfgang, > Perhaps using a PC formatted floppy is a way around this, for now? Just tried that as well, nothing works. dir flp1_ gives me a stat of the win drive and dir dos1_ (a:\ is configured as dos1_ on startup) gives me 0/0 sectors. :-( Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Evening Marcel, > Could you (and anybody else having increased cursor blink frequency) > run this Basic program? Tell me what values it's printing (47 to 50 is > normal). Ok, managed to get it to run quite happily - couldn't type it in though, too many foibles with the keyboard. Created a file in ~/.wine/dosdevices and loaded it from dos1_ - worked a charm and no problems with the PW or PL procedures. Anyway, I ran it and the results were : 3 (yes, three!) 50 48 49 43 49 50 50 38 and so on. There were quite a few 50s turned up after about 30 or 40 repetitions, then after a few dozen of those, it started varying again. The first run was a 3 that is ot a typo. I have just run it again and it started with 40, then repeated 50 a few dozen times before I CTRL-SPACEd it. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Windows, Linux and QPC
Hi Wolfgang, > have you switched off all the stuff that Suse autostarts (e.g. the *- > +**$ Beagle indexing, Man pages autoupdate etc...)? I have checked. Kerry Beagle had indeed been turned on after my last reinstallation - but nothing much of consequence otherwise. I have disabled the beagle tool and that has made no change I'm afraid. :-( Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Falling Cursor
Hi George, > I notice that many people have a problem with fast cursor flashing. > My problem is that sometimes the cursor will not remain where it is > placed, by the mouse or cursor keys. Instead it drops directly to the > bottom of the screen at a constant, fairly fast, speed. Perhaps 1 1/2 > seconds for a full screen. I've never had that problem under Windows and not yet under Linux/Wine. It's a most interesting problem though! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Falling Cursor
Morning Marcel, > Well, I only noticed 3, none of those running QPC under Windows. And I > currently do not have any further ideas in this area because the > things told do not add up: I agree - I'm impressed that you are still thinking about it to be honest. None of the above makes any sense does it! (Sorry, the list of points you made!). The only thought I have had this morning is that the kernel cannot be used for any 'real time' processes as it is not, without a huge patch, real time able. Windows, for example, can be used in a recoding studio as is, but Linux cannot. It can when you apply the real time patch, but not relaiable until then. I'm wondering if Linux is shceduling QPC 'badly' for some reason, but I really don't know enough about Kernel programming (yet - but I have a book!) to say for certain! > What I should probably have said is that QPC does re-synchronize the > SMSQ/E clock with the system clock once per minute. So even if the > clock is runaway fast it will be right again one minute later. Ah, ok. No problems. I watched it for a while and it kept the same time as the xclock which was running side by side with it. > Therefore my first guess would be that you're using an optical mouse > that has problems with the surface it's on. I had that problem today at work! I have an optical mouse there and I was changing my monitor for a bigger one and the mouse was placed on a wooden (effect) desktop instead of the mouse mat. When the new monitor was fired up, the pointer was wandering all over the place. Shook the mouse and when it stopped, it carried on moving by itself. Put the mouse back on the pad - it remained where it was. Some mouse mats that we were issued with at work have a similar problem - they are too light coloured (I think) and the optics seem to lose the plot! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Evening Malcolm, > Umm ... that does seem anticlimatic ... :-) ... you mean the Linux > installation just detects what space it has the potential to use and > just installs itself there ? Most Linux distributions these days happily locate an empty partition on your disc, and prompt you to install there. However, you do get other options such as : * Wipe the entire hard disc and use all of it. * Resize the Windows partition and use the freed space. My last install was the former - due to Windows eating my Linux root partition. Now gone forever on this laptop! My first ever install was a dual boot with Windows 98. I had to defrag the windows D drive to get all the free space at the end. Then the installer allowed me to resize the Windows partition non-destructively. I then installed Mandrake 7 (I think) into the freed up space. They advise you run Windows chkdsk after that just to be sure. The best way to dual boot with any flavour of Windows is simply to make sure Windows is installed first - hopefully leaving you with a free partition or otherwise. Regardless, Linux will cope. Doing it the other way around is fraught with danger. Windows, all versions, believes it has a god given right to be the only OS on the computer, and doesn't bother to note that you may already have data - it takes over the entire drive without so much as a by your leave. Windows XP is also redesigned to make dual booting much much more difficult, so, best advice is this : * Run XP or 2000 rather then XP. * Install Linux last of all - it's easier and linux accepts that other OSs may exist. Have fun. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
My own experiences with Laptops are as follows : Sony PCG-FR315S laptop, 512 MB RAM and a P4 processor running about 2.3 GHz. Can't remember when I got it, it was around 2003, no later than December 2003. Running Windows XP (Only for work) and Linux - for everything else. Mandrake of various flavours, then Suse 10.0, 10.1, 10.2 and now 10.3. Worked well for ages then one day, restarting after an overnight shut down, a message "no Operating System found" Hmmm. A quick look around with Knoppix showed that the hard disc (Hitachi Travelstar 60 GB) had died horribly in its sleep. New Samsung 80GB drive fitted, restored Windows from the CD, repartitioned, reinstalled Linux. All well and good again. Recently, the keyboard expired - usual thing, some keys not working. Impossible to get one, Sony UK advised me to contact my local dealer, local Sony Centre didn't bother to reply. No more business for them then! Tried all over, but no spares to be had. Finally found one on eBay but was outbid at the last moment. Found another and clicked on 'buy it now'. Easy to fit and it has worked ok since then. I'm happy. This laptop has been all over the country for years and lived in the boot of my car at times too. Only problems have been the above, battery life is abysmal - but it was in those days. Oh, plus it's a heavy b*gger!! Runs Oracle 10g databases on Linux and Windows (well, it did!) quite happily - and that's what I do for a living, so that is most useful. I'm considering whether or not it's worth adding another 512 MB of RAM. I suspect it might well be. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Hi David, > As a single paragraph yours is unreadable. I imagine it would be! However, I sent it from the web interface at work and my copy here in Thunderbird (on Linux) reads perfectly as a number of paragraphs and indeed, looks remarkably similar to that which I sent. I shall forward myself at work (Outlook) a copy from my online sent items to see what it looks like. What email client do you use? Does anyone else have difficulties reading my previous email? I shall forward you a copy from Thunderbird privately. Let me know what you receive please. I'm puzzled. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Hi Wolfgang, > "Difficulty" is too much of a word. It arrived here as separate lines, but > the lines don't linewrap, so I > scroll a lot. Spookily enough, your email to me is one long line as well. I've never suffered from this before until David raised the 'fault' with my email all being one single long paragraph - which it so far appears that he is the only one who is having thins problem. Wonder what's going on? Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Evening David, > Eventually I rendered it readable. I have no idea what it could have been that caused the problem. I've read it fine in the Linux version of Thunderbird as has at least one other recipient, I sent it to work and Outlook read it fine there. Wolfgang seems to have had a different problem to yours in that he saw each of my paragraphs as one single long non-wrapping line. Eudora reads it fine as well and my Wife's version of Thunderbird on Windows XP has no problems either. Spooky. >>It is surely just common sense that if you want a multiple boot >>machine you should mark the space out before installations. I >>have no idea what Linux has to offer in the way of such tools, > > Now, while I agree that it is sensible to do what you say, I have to > state, for the defence, . . . . . . > > Of what, where is the attack ? It was a figure of speech, sorry if thought that I thought I was 'under attack'. I shall attempt to refrain in future from using words that may cause confusion. > Will learned counsel for the defence please inform the court what he is > defending. > The less than sensible ? Linux ? Or Norman Dunbar ? You suggested that you knew not what tools Linux had to offer in the realms of disc partitioning. I provided a small list of these I knew about off the top of my head. As with many things Linux/Unix, there are about 101 different ways to skin the proverbial cat, so there may well be others. As for what I was defending, as I said above, it was a figure of speech. > Is paranoia showing again ? It was yourself that perceived a > non-existant slight in Tony's mail some while ago ? I believe you may be getting me confused with another member of the list. I have never been slighted by Tony, nor have I taken offence at any recent posting on the list. Paranoia doesn't live here! >>Bearing in mind you need a Primary ptn' for each bootup, > > I'm not 100% sure that this is true. You van define a maximum of 4 > primary partitions on a disc and then you are stuffed if you want more. > To get around this limit, you define an extended partition a. . . > > It is not a work-around, it is the system, the MBR is the first sector, > number of definitions is limited. Sorry, I'm missing your point. You said that a primary partition is needed for each boot up. I said that I wasn't 100% sure if this was the case - in other words, I was questioning your statement of fact. I mentioned the 4 primary limit and you say that it isn't a work around (which I don't believe I mentioned), you then tell me that it it limited. So when I mentioned getting around this limit (of only 4 primary partitions) I was indeed mentioning how to get round the *limit*. Not a workaround at all. > >>I did once install W95, 98 & 2000 in one box, as I recall it >>was a doddle, Windows just used free space to make the new >>primaries, > > The windows installer would have seen the partitions as separate drives > . . . . > > You are quite wrong and just fatally biased against Microsoft, Dear or dear. You seem to know a hell of a lot about me and we have never, to the best on my recollection, ever been introduced. I am *not* fatally biased against Microsoft. My desktop PC runs Windows XP (occasionally I admit) and my wife's laptop runs XP as well. I tend to favour Linux on my laptop and on the desktop, again, I run Linux (it dual boots). Those are my preferences. I use Windows at work all day every day and it works, mostly. And I stand by my statement above. If you create 4 partitions on a disc and then install Windows, you will be asked which 'disc' you wish to install to and each partition will indeed be a 'separate' hard disc - as far as Windows is concerned. > there are pro's & con's for MS, allow credit where it is due. > 25 years ago the bleat was "why wont computers talk to each other ?", > no they cry MONOPOLY ! WTF? Did Microsoft suddenly invent networking? I believe not. In fact, Microsoft came late to networking, like they came to the internet, very late and with a half botched attempt at a bolt-on to Windows 3.1 making it 3.11 (if I remember correctly) which was the first to have networking capabilities built in. Up until then, networking of Windows up to 3.1 was done on top of Novell Networking - or similar. >>A Sony VAIO of a friend caused quite a headache, a reinstallation was a >>pain due to the Sony Specials and an unhelpful dealership > > My Sony Vaio reinstalled quite nicely thanks. . . . . . > > I was just recounting , for Malcolm, laptop experiences - not seeking > remedies for long past problems. And illustrating why I dislike the > proprietry brands. And I was actually agreeing with you and recounting my experiences with lap
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Evening Tony, >> Wonder what's going on? >> > html? > I often resolve long lines in Thunderbird by using "view | message body > as | simple html". I have all my email systems, including work, plus the 1 and 1 webmail system configured to send everything in plain text. It is the standard after all. Up until David's report of problems, I've had absolutely no problems sending or receiving mails from the web inteface to anyone I know. But suddenly, it's all gone pants! > Even spookier are the totally blank emails from TomTom customer support > that are only visible as html. They contain nothing but text and basic > html tags. The idiots refuse to even *consider* that they are doing > anything worng. Yes, I get a few of those at work, not from TomTom. They come in as attachments and the main email itself is totally blank. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Portable computers - experiences
Norman Dunbar wrote: > David Tubbs wrote: >> Please stop, it was enough effort to write a response to Malcolm's request. Ok.no worries. >> I was not seeking guidence or solutions to problems long past. Don't ask questions then! >> I admit no knowledge of Linux, am grateful to have avoided a basis of >> need to know. :-) >> There is no room in my head anyway. I have a similar problem! >> Now I wish even more it was not unpicked. > Consider this the end then! >> D > Cheers, > Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] IOP_RPTR event vector - where is it documented.
Hi George, > The manual (called description) for TurboPTR and the source code for > the extra keywords (tptr510_asm) will give information about WRPTR. > All this is on he SQLUG site. > > The information is sufficient to enable actual programming but there > is far too much too put in this email! Ok, I'll give that a try when I have a moment of five to spare. I've had some good information from Wolfgang and Per as well. Thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] IOP_RPTR event vector - where is it documented.
Hi Per, > These are a different kind of event. You need to use a trap > (sms.sevt)to send a job event. Used for jobs communication. Thanks - found that somewhere using google. Couldn't find what I was actually looking for though! > The above it what I do in D-Miner. The Timer toolkit (source code > included on www.witteware.com/knoware toolkits/Timer) demonstrates a > use of job events. Thanks, I'll take a look when I have time. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] IOP_RPTR event vector - where is it documented.
Hi Wolfgang, > Use the "send_event" keyword. (send_event job_id,events) Thanks, I googled for something else and found a reference to the send event trap. Will have a look later. >> If I PICK the job, or button frame it, then DO it's button, >> I get the same event both times - $2D with a Key Stroke of $08. > Which would be a wake. Thought it might me, I'm sure a Wake is a keypress of $08. Need much more reading though. >> Both showing that the pointer moved event took place, but the pointer >> coordinates never changed... >> > I haven't checked that, either. I think I may have the answer. Apparently (it is written) that the coordinates in D1 when IOP_RPTR is called are only used to check where the pointer is, and if it isn't at whatever D1 says, then it is assumed to have moved. Good explanation, but if I always set it to 0,0 and I leave the pointer at 0,0 then it still 'moves'. H. >> FYI, this is the code I'm currently playing with : > OK, thanks, I'll give it a spin this weekend. Don't expect anything grand and spectacular - this is only about my second PE assembly language program ever - apart from some 'fun' stuff I did for Dilwyn many years ago (1992 I think!) which I never really understood anyway! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] (no subject)
Hello Everyone! As a long term QL fan, I thought it was about time I joined this list. I was wondering, can anyone help me. Is this the sort of thing I need to beef up my QL? http://uk.nine.ebid.net/perl/auction.cgi?auction=1200854907-28140-23&mo=auction ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] (no subject)
Thanks for all your advice, guys. I missed the Gold Card auction :( but I have seen this one http://uk.four.ebid.net/perl/auction.cgi?auction=1200854905-28140-8&mo=auction for a Trump Card? I can see it isn't as much of an uprade as the Gold Cards, but is it worth having? Cheers, Norm >Hello Norman (Cook) > >Welcome to the list. Exciting days lie ahead for you and your QL! > >Re your question - Is this (Gold Card) the sort of thing you need to beef >up your QL? > >[Short] Answer: yes! But be aware that there is another and better > version - 'Super Gold Card'. > >Is there a list member who can point Norman to the current web-pages of QL >tech info - rather than me re-inventing the wheel for him? :-) Please. > >Have fun Norman(C) ... and, of course, all other #Normans hereabouts - and >especially, do I like the 'kilter', of the newest web-site - just announced >here ;-) Look forward to more @ same. Thanks. > >Regards to all > >John (in Wales) > > > >___ >QL-Users Mailing List >http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Asus EeePc
Evening all, > What you should have is: > > * tiny fingers > * sharp eyesight > > as both keyboard and screeen are really, really small. uqlx at 800x480 > gives on-screen characters 3-4 mm high - So you should be used to read > the small print. If you are a 10-finger touch-typist, forget the eeePC - > you won't fit them on the keyboard all together. I'm pretty sure a new bigger model is coming 'soon' - which is apparently not 'soon' as in Sinclair speak - with more memory, more storage and a bigger screen. Because it comes with Linux installed it has been quite a popular subject in the Linux magazines, everyone loves it, says how great it is except for the small screen and keyboard. I note however from the Asus.com web site that Windows XP is now available as an optional OS. Not Vista then! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] QXL.WIN internal format?
Evening all, I'm writing up more of the sqdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk website and I'm looking into the format of the QXL.WIN format hard drive much beloved of QXL and QPC users. Now I've hex dumped a 30 MB 'win' drive and I'm going through it using the brief details I had of the QLWA format also found on the above website. Doing so has pointed out a couple of bugs in the docs I had for QLWA but no-one has noticed since about 2001 so I presume no-one read it! Take a look at what I've decoded so far (not much) here at http://www.qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/doku.php?id=qdosmsq:fs:qlwa and point out any errors in my assumptions etc. I have a few questions, some I've already forgotten - the joys of getting on in years - but those I can remember are : * What is the point of the map-groups seeming ability to hold either a zero word (I assume it's a word) that simply seems to be the map number itself? * My root directory number is $10 (16 decimal) - so what? How do I get from there to the actual address that it starts at in the file which looks like it is at $8040 (32,832)? * How do I find out where the actual blocks of a file are on disc, given that the map appears (at least so far) to be pointless? * The map apparently takes up $3D (61) sectors or $7A00 (31,232) bytes. The directory starts at $8040 so what are all those zeros doing between the two addresses? * The first free group is $338f - what is this telling me. Looking into the actual map for that offset simply shows a word of, $338F. It looks no different to any other entry. I'm sure I'll have other questions as time goes by, but for not the above will have to do. Thanks. Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QXL.WIN internal format?
Evening John, Thanks for yet more explaining. I discovered (!) that if I take the file_id from the file's entry in the directory and use that to index into the block map (having subtracted 1 first) I get a 'value' which I call stragely, the block number. Multiply that by the number of sectors per disc and we have a sector number. Multiply that by 512 and we have the file's address in the hard disc. It appears that in QLWA formatted 'discs' there is a header of 64 bytes at that address immediately followed by the first 2048-64 bytes of the file. Progress! I haven't yet figured out where the second block of the file should be, but I'll be looking at some point in the future.e I thought that the block number (also) pointed at the next block in the chain but when I followed that logic, I found that the second block in my test file was not in anyway connected to the first one. Needs more investigation I think. > Almost :-) > The chain actually belongs to the header/map and map entry $F > (containing $) is the last in the chain. Hmmm, see above. This is where I seem to lose the plot. Are you saying that the zero block in the map, holding $0001 is telling me (a) where on disc to find the 4 sectors for this block PLUS (b) where the second block in this file is (ie, map entry $0001). This is what I tried with my test file but got nowhere. :-( >> Unless you >> mean block $338f and not block zero of course, as the first free >> block. > > Yes: > > map_entry_for_first_free_group->map_entry_for_next_free_group->... Ok, thanks. > That's right - the file number is an index into the directory, not the > map or the disk. I was going to ask about sub-directories and adding/deleting files to and from those but then I discovered that each entry in every directory has a file_id word (implies 65536 maximum files per disc) at offset $3a in the directory entry - which leads nicely into the block map and from there to the first 4 sectors on disc. >> last question for now. Where did you find out? > I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you :-) Aha, that old one - I use it often myself at work. :-) > Actually, the scheme is basically the same as used by FAT-formatted PC > disks. Ok, thanks, I'll see what other info I can dig up on FAT discs sometime. Might help! > The rest is just experience and a (little) bit of logic... Ah well, experience is something I can look forward to, I only started this yesterday! Thanks again. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QXL.WIN internal format?
Evening David, David Tubbs wrote: > It is some time since I was looking into the depths of QXL_WIN, and at that > time I found a full and detailed specification of the layout. > > Not sure where it came from, a web page, not on my current machine but I > could look at an old HDD ? I have received a lot of helpful information from John H. and Daniele T. and written it up - which should keep Per happy :-) - so thanks for your offer but I won't need to take you up on it. I found quite a lot of QXL.WIN form at information on the Internet - most of which seems to be incomplete strangely enough. Hopefully, when I get mine finished, it will be complete in content. Thanks again. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QXL.WIN internal format?
Evening Per, > Good stuff all this. I hope someone's taking notes! It would be nice > to have this information in a neat documentary form. Luckily, this > seems to be what Norman (condolences!)is trying to do with his > well-made and useful QDOSMSQ.Dunbar-it.co.uk site. Thanks guys! Notes are indeed being taken and credit given! The latest write up is on the afore mentioned web site/Wiki. Still got a bit to go yet before I complete the 'article' but progress is being made - thanks to John and Daniele. Thanks for the condolences by the way. It was a difficult weekend but we are getting there now. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QXL.WIN internal format?
Evening Ralf, > 8-) Winbackup seems quite a long time ago ;.) WinBack does seem a long time ago - it was the first program I had reviewed in QL World magazine. We must be getting old. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] HD Backup and Qubide HD check
Evening Davide, Which is the latest Norback version? Is the latest version the one available on Dilwyjn web site? Sorry, I don't know. Is there an alternative backup program? WinBack? Also available on Dilwyn's web site. It was written originally to backup a Miracle Hard drive, but as long as the Qubide has the file_type byte in the directory set to 255 for a directory, it should work. Backups are not compressed but can be to another hard drive, floppies (of any capacity or mixed) or to a network device. Is there any utility to check for instance that the directory structure of a Qubide HD is ok? With WinBack there is a utility that builds a SuperBasic program that will be used to recreate the current directory structure on any (new) hard drive or prior to a restore - it was (and is?) better to create your directories first and then load the files. If you ran that utility and it completed then I'm sure it would probably be ok. WinBack doesn't try to hold files in memeory - it copies each one to the output device. Large files can be split over many floppies, for example, but I would avoid it. Since SMSQ came on the scene there have been problems with files that have CHR$(0) and CHR(1) in their names and the file splitting part of WinBack used this. HTH Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] I want a NEW QL
Geoff Wicks wrote: Actually given your mention of devils and Wolfgang's QDEVil, I suggest a price of 666 Euros would be appropriate, Ah yes, 666 the number of the beast. Let's not forget though, 667 the neighbour of the beast! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] QPC and WIne
A very good evening to one and all, well now, here's a turn up for the books - and a god one at that. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth recently trying to get QPC to run under Linux and Wine, I finally have a working QPC, none of that nasty keyboard repeating problem - so far - and I'm a happy camper once more. All (!) I did was install OpenSuse 11.0, patch to the latest releases etc, installed "wine-0.9.64_aka_1.0.rc3-2.1" from the OpenSuse DVD and everything 'just worked'! My settings on startup are as follows : Display Driver = DirecDraw HAL Colour depth : High COlour Resolution : 800 x 600 Window Mode : ticked, 800 x 600 Keep aspect ratio : ticked Foreground Prio : Normal Background Prio : Lowest Memory : 16 MB Country Code : 44 AltGr function : AltGr Everything else is blank, unchecked or not selected - accordingly! I'm soo pleased! I feel a celebratory glass of wine coming on very soon now. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Last Warning
Geoff Wicks wrote: Just a last warning that my two beeb.net email addresses will disappear next Tuesday. Phew! There was me thinking that it was deadline time again! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Last Warning
Hi Geoff, Would not have been too much of a problem as I have already have a news item, letter box and article from you. The last was much appreciated as I could understand it, So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that normally, you don't understand my articles? I must have been doing it wrong all these years. Ah well, back to basics next article. This is a keyboard.. :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Random
Stephen wrote: Some random number generators such as that in the TrueCrypt encryption program use other factors such as keyboard presses and mouse movements to generate a series of random numbers that don't follow a reproducible pattern as they are independent of the passage of time. Linux's random number generator adds 'entropy' to the random 'pool' by inserting extra data ever time the network or the discs are accesses and when the keyboard is used etc. I think sound generation also adds entropy as wel - but I'm not sure. When a new random number is required it is generated using the entropy data however, if the kernel decides that the entropy isn't random enough it won't generate a new random number until it is. Apparently, this provides the best randomness of any computer system. But obviously with my maths skills (and even though I have a copy of 'Knuth') I cannot confirm or deny this fact. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Random
Dilwyn Jones wrote: Interestingly, as an aside, if you supply fixed RANDOMISE values beforehand, IIRC it would generate the same sequence of random numbers. It does. Text encryption is of course possible by translating the text to a minority language such as Welsh to render it unreadable to the majority, Like Welsh road signs then? :-) I'm sure I've read somewhere about the USA and allies using native > American languages in WW2 to achieve the same thing, to send > intelligence data, for example. If I remember correctly it was Mohawk Indians troops who have their own language that apparently is very difficult to translate. These troops were used to send data back to their own 'bretheren' and it was translated by them into English. It was unbroken. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Technical Manual
Rich Mellor wrote: Does anyone have a copy of the original QL Technical Manual, or Jochen's QDOS/SMS Reference Guide that they would be willing to sell to someone who has recently returned to the fold? In the case of the first I have 1.03 - but it is well out of date. I'm not selling though. IN the case of the second, doesn't Jochen still sell it? Best bet, if not, is Pennell - I have a spare copy which your returnee can have for the cost of postage, if desired - but it too will be out of date. Not forgetting http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk of course - which is free. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Technical Manual
Hi Jochen, Norman, you are right: of course, it is still available from me :-) talking of which, my version is old, very very very old. I bought it many years ago when it first came out and have never had an update so far. What chance do I have of obtaining an up to date copy please - what costs are involved etc etc to bring my original up to date? Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Random
Dennis S wrote: While the Mohawk had their own language, the Navajo were the "code talkers" in WWII. Duh, sorry, that is entirely correct. Wrong clan! Silly me. Thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Technical Manual
Hi Jochen, how old is it? (Later versions show dates in the center part of the footer of updated pages). Which is the latest date you find there? There are no dates in the footer on any pages! Plus I suspect my QPTR docs are well out of date as well! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Technical Guide - found an original one for sale!
SMSQ wrote: Oh! In this case, you definitely never had any updates. I'll think about something and let you know. Thanks Jochen. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Sprites for Games
Engstler Karsten wrote: is there any extnsions to SuperBasic or packages for C who provide sprite for game programming on the QL ? I think Digital Precision did something with sprites years ago. Can't remember the name though - or if it was included in the DP 'Package' that was created just before Freddy packed it all in. Dilwyn is bound to know - he is the font of all knowledge! If yes, where can I get it, I would like to port some old games I wrote for the QL. Sorry, don't know. :-( Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] FOUND THIS
Paul Holmgren wrote: http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.sinclair/msg/d86d60ac12c92da4 Highly amusing wonder who and what it was all about, I think we should be told! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] This time it's for real.
Hi George, Will I? Will living in Edinburgh help? I suspect you will. To Edinburgh dwellers it will appear as 68000 assembly language - which almost anyone can understand! (Except maybe Geoff!) I am a Highlander but I only have a tiny little bit of Gaelic I'm afraid. I was born too far East to be taught it at school - it's more a West Coast language these days. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] hypertext query
Hi Dilwyn, Can anyone help with this query I've just received? Never heard of it - as far as I can remember - on the QL. That's not to say that it wasn't a QL program though! Sorry. Google maybe? Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] hypertext query
Norman Dunbar wrote: Google maybe? Well I tried looking for hypertext +ql or Hypertext +qdos or Hypertext +sinclair - nothing of relevance I'm afraid. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Fw: 25th+AGM news
Evening Tony, > I am probably singing in Venice that weekend (8-(# Make the most of it. I read recently that the city council (or equivalent) have given the go ahead to put up neon signs in St Marks! At least I think it was neon - but with my memory, it could have been something else. Regardless, it was something 'tacky'. Cheers Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] sub-£100 notebook
Evening Jochen, just a quick word, I received the documentation upgrades safely. Thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QDOSMSQ Update - new forum
Hi George, > This looks interesting but the Traps do not include the large number of > additional SMSQ routines such as trap #2 ioa.sown (D0 = 5) which sets > the owner of a channel. Yes I know. I was working from the Original QDOS docs, Pennell and Dickens when I originally started this project *many* years ago. SMSQ was but a glimmer in the eye of Tony Tebby back then, and QPC was not around either. > Do you intend to add these? I do. Actually, anyone can sign up to join the qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk site and once a member, can add or update pages themselves - it is a Wiki I'm using for the main site. The forums (fora?) are a separate thing. All you have to do is click the 'login' link, then beneath the login details that appear, click 'register', enter a username, password and email and that's all there is to it. The forum is different and you will need to register there as well to post anything. However, you don't need to join both if you don't want to. The main web site is staying around for as long as it can, the forum is an experiment. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QDOSMSQ Update - new forum
Evening Geoff, Norman wrote: >> >> The forums (fora?) are a separate thing. Geoff Wicks replied: > Both are possible. > All part of the Just Words! service! Thanks Geoff, I had a funny feeling I'd be hearing from either you or Tony - if he is not in Venice of course! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Has QL Today lost half its readers?
Morning all, > Almost three weeks ago Jochen posted an email on this list about the shipping > of the latest issue of QL Today. In it he mentioned problems with QBranch > that meant we were unable to print and ship the UK orders: Private email sent. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] SQLUG Website
Hi Per, > Norman, your documentation site is great! Thanks. > It must have been painstaking work! It was, it is and it will be! > I hope people will support it and add to it. I notice a couple of people have signed up recently. That makes them potential updaters as readers don't need to register. > Regarding the forum, AFAIC, the ql-users list serves most of my needs. Yes, mine too. I'm giving the forum a wee while more, and if nothing comes of it, it shall be removed. I can use the space for other things. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] Loose Items and sprites.
Is there any way to use one of the predefined sprites as a loose item object in a manner similar to how we can set the window sprite to 0 and get the default arrow pointer etc. I want to put the default sprites for move, sleep, wake, resize etc into loose items so that I don't end up having the clunky mode 4 sprites showing when I'm in high colour and so on. I've set up a loose item and used all values between 0 and 20 - so far - and got a few hits, but it doesn't match up to the various pointer sprite values. So far I have these values : 0 = blank (or something white - I have a white background so I may not see it!) 1, 4, 5, 10, 15, 18, 17 = a Red 'X'. 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 19, 20 = Fatal error. 6 = a magenta 'CF1' 8 = a green bent arrow pointing to the left and down. 16 = a small '8', green on a black background. What I'm after is to set up loose items with a "non-pointer" to the internal sprites rather than me designing something that is going to look daft in high colour mode, for example, when I activate MOVE by a CTRL+F4, say, I get a nice pair of interlocking 'windows' which looks nothing like the sprite I'm currently using. I'd like my loose items' sprites to look like the pointers that appear when activated. Thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Loose Items and sprites.
Evening Per, > Just a quick answer: Are yoiu aware of the document called display_txt > in the extras/doc folder in the SMSQ/E sources? It explains the new (and > old) sprite formats in great detail. I think you may finbd some mopre > answers there.. I was not aware, or if I was, I had forgotten! I am now aware and I shall have a read ASAP. Thanks for the heads up. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] The forgotten half
Hi George, > The delay is for those subscribed by QBranch, which is being sorted out > I believe. > > Still, it is a good issue ... so worth waiting for. As far as I'm aware, the first of November is an expected date for this issue. Plus, being so late, we won't have to wait as long as everyone else for the next issue! ;-) I'm off on a course this week, so I won't be able to try out your example programs and utilities until at least next weekend. I'm heading up to Edinburgh tomorrow, be good to be back in Scotland for the first time in too many years. Shame I'll be city bound as opposed to West Coast bound, but hey, it's a free course! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] The forgotten half
Evening Bill, > I retired from work two weeks ago so I hope to rekindle my interest - so > far I have not had time ( I'm still a few weeks off full recovery from > mitral valve replacement) Take it easy and enjoy your retirement. > All the best - Bill Indeed, all the best to you too Bill. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Loose Items and sprites.
Evening Marcel, > The document Per pointed to answers it all (of course, as I wrote it > ;-) ). But the sort answer is: a "system sprite" is what you want. A > system sprite definition is quite simpe, it only consists of 2 bytes: > a $00 byte and the sprite number you want. The move sprite for example > is simply $0006. Found it! Thanks. I was confused, slightly - as usual - because I had tried the word of $0006 and got a CF1 sprite instead. However, reading the document again, and again until my mind started working, I realised that the pointer should not be $0006 to get the MOVE sprite, but it should point to a sprite definition of $0006. Tried it, and it 'just works' in high colour mode. I have yet to try it in mode 8 or mode 4 but I'm sure it will simply work. Many thanks. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Loose Items and sprites.
Evening George, > Use SETW which will allow any of the SMSQE sprites (all coded easily by > words 1, 2 etc) to produce a window and look at the _ASM file produced > to see how the spriteare is coded in the window definition. Yes, I figured it out and confirmed it with SETW. A very nice program if you have no other way of generating the Window definitions. I haven't played much with it yet, I will do ASAP, but it looks promising. I realised I had an old copy of Easy Pointer 3 on my 'hard disc' and it comes with Easy Source which converts a menu definition from EP3 to an ASM file. For some reason it wouldn't work, just hung in execution and was still listed in the 'jobs' list but nothing on screen. Most strange. Then on one occasion, it did work but while I was out of high colour mode. A clue perhaps. It was. The code checks for mode 0, and if not found, simply loops around calling MT_DMODE to read the mode again and again until it is in mode 0 and then displays the menu on screen. Most useful. I'll be posting a patch for EasySource in a separate email. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] Patching EasySource_exe from Easy Pointer 3 to work in hi-colour mode
Evening all,
I have been using EasySourse_exe from Easy Pointer 3 to try and convert
my old menu definitions to assembly. It gives me a way to visually
design a window and convert that to assembly.
Well, that was the theory but it simply won't work under high colour
mode. After a wee bit of time remembering how to get DEA to work - it's
been a while - I managed a disassembly and quickly found the broken bit
with the help of JMON and the disassembly.
Basically, it reads the screen mode with MT_DMODE and if not in mode 0
(aka mode 4) loops back to check the mode again. In mode 8 or mode 32
(high colour) it simply loops until killed.
I have patched out a MOVE.l A4,-(a7) instruction with a short branch to
the bit of the code after the corresponding MOVE.L (a7)+,A4 and it works
happily in high colour mode now.
Obviously, it may not work correctly if you try to run it in MODE 8 -
but hey, I hardly ever run MODE 8 these days and indeed, never did!
Here are details of what I did to patch it:
copy 'easysource_exe' to 'easysource_original_exe'
fileLength=flen(\'easysource_exe')
fileData=fdat(\'easysource_exe')
addr = alchp(fileLength)
lbytes easysource_exe,addr
poke_w addr + hex('108'), hex('601c')
sbytes easysource_exe,addr,fileLength,fileData
It works a treat!
I can easily convert my menu definitions into assembly once more.
Caveats: I don't know if the version from Easy Pointer 2 can be patched
at these offsets, buyer beware as it was. Mine was from EP3 and I can't
guarantee that any other version can be patched as above.
It cannot cope with the new High colour window definitions, palettes and
so on, only the old fashioned (!) mode 4 and mode 8 stuff. But once you
get the initial menu definition converted, substituting palette entries
is easy enough.
Cheers,
Norman.
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Re: [Ql-Users] Patching EasySource_exe from Easy Pointer 3 to work in hi-colour mode
Marcel Kilgus wrote: > Of course there is also the EP4 version that has this bug fixed and > also doesn't crash when encountering any high colour sprites and > stuff. ;-) Which was much harder than it sounds. There's nothing worse, in my opinion, that taking someone else's code and running with it! EP4 is not something I have in my collection (yet) so I had to work with what I had. I have EP2 and EP3. Dilwyn and I used to call it "Difficult Pointer" all those years ago simply because it seemed to be "not easy" in the slightest. Once when I had a week off work for a holiday, I sat down with EP2 and just hammered away at it trying to find out how I could get it to do things. The tutorial series in Quanta was the result. :-) Then, I had to try and make it work with QLIBerator as well. Couldn't get it to work until I finally figured out the meaning of the bit in the QLIBerator manual about adding something like '/0' at the end of a list of parameters. After that, easy peasy! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Patching EasySource_exe from Easy Pointer 3 to work in hi-colour mode
Evening Dilwyn, > I remember poor Albin Hessler trying to demonstrate Easyptr to me at a > meeting in Germany at some point (Munster?). It's always difficult as a developer/programmer (whatever the correct term is these days!) to demonstrate something to the general public. The developer knows everything about the program and the public don't have a clue, and seemingly, never will. The developer gets frustrated at this as it's "all so simple". Never the twain shall meet! > I was still not much the > wiser. Actually, it wasn't so much "Easyptr" which was difficult, rather > the baseline QPTR programming principles and terminology and the like. There's a pretty good introduction to the PE on your web site! :-) > Easyptr at all, or at least it would have taken longer. Your tutorial > put the EASY into Easyptr. Well, strangely, I still use it myself at times! > Yes, it couldn't handle missing last parameters - where the list of > parameters ends with a separator, so you had to add a dummy parameter. That was it, yes! > IIRC it was a QLiberator issue, not an Easyptr one, so programs ran OK > under the interpreter and cuased much gnashing of teeth (to put it > politely) when they didn't work compiled. My problem exactly. I had your Calculator program running quite happily under the interpretor, but compiling it and running that simply blew up in your face! Most frustrating. > Of course, these days, you can choose to write using QPTR, TurboPTR or > EasyPtr. And there's a few packages designed to make some of these > easier to use,like the PE Kit, SPACE and the like. PE Kit - that's got my Easy Pointer tutorial on it - must be good! > As you might guess from the fairly consistent appearance of my programs, > I have a set of modules I bolt together to form the core of most of my > programs. Saves having to reinvent the wheel each time. Always wise to re-use debugged modules. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] OT : Credit Crunch
Dilwyn Jones wrote: > Careful Malcolm, John Gilpin might quote these jokes in Quanta like he > did Norman Dunbar's recently. Someone publishing my jokes? Which one(s) were they then? > On the other hand, Geoff Wicks is the former probation officer, so he > may need to take you under his wing as a "cereal offender" Do chiropodists have corn flakes for breakfast? :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] The forgotten half
Dilwyn Jones wrote: > Now that could be the subject of a few jokes ;-) > I feel a new thread coming on - Geoff Wicks Clones jokes :o) Always remember, clones are people two. :-) > Actually, has anyone worked out which is the real Dilwyn Jones and which > the clone (see page 10 of current issue of Toady). Not yet. Still waiting for the postman! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Remote Assistance
hitchies wrote: > (it rained yesterday Norman) Of course it did John! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Deadline approaches
Hi Geoff, > I know some of our readers have only had their QL Today for just over a week, > but > the deadline for issue 2 is next Sunday 16th November. Ha! I'm not worried this time because I know I've sent you two articles! So I refuse to panic this time. > ... and the start of a new series although I am not revealing the content. Intriguing . I wonder what it will be. > We hope that the late arrival of issue 1 will not prevent you writing for > issue 2, No, it didn't. As I said before, the late arrival of Issue 1 means a shorter wait for issue 2! :-) Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Need to know?
Geoff Wicks wrote: > Oops, been watching too many repeats of The Prisoner, but then the clue > lies in "The Hammer and the Anvil". Must have been the blacksmith then! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Need to know?
Evening Alan, > Norman said: >> Must have been the blacksmith then! > I think it is mixture of a stupid answer to a stupid question ... I have no idea about the stupidity of the original question, but my answer certainly was! Mind you, I have no idea what Geoff was referring to when he mentioned hammers and anvils, hence my retort - must have been the blacksmith! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Need to know?
Evening Tony, > The Prisoner wiki page suggests No6 (Geoff?) asked No2 (Chairman?) to > find a replacement. > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_Into_Anvil Aha, a reference to a TV series that I have never watched and cryptic crossword clues as well. No wonder I didn't have a clue! :-) Thanks for the heads up! Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] Need to know?
Evening Andy, Andy Barber wrote: > Norman > Thanks for the useful Wiki on No 6*: But well OT! Stop it, please. > * Good episode, though, I though John Drake#/No 6 had gone mad! I think you'll find the wiki stuff wasn't me! I was the recipient of said wiki information as I was puzzled by Geoff's original and slightly cryptic (in a crossword style) clues. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
