JiffyDOS for the VIC-20
Maurice Randall
stage. The VIC-20 powers up fine for the first time today. However,
I've either got to find a way to crunch or stuff 32 bytes somewhere
or eliminate one of the features such as the screen dump feature.
I'm pretty much maxed out on memory. I've been able to retain all
of the other features of JiffyDOS including the built-in file
copier.
Any thoughts on if I should try to leave the screen dump feature
in there? Personally, I've never used it myself. Any input from
VIC-20 users would be appreciated.
-Maurice
--
** Maurice Randall - Click Here Software Co.
** High-Performance for your Commodore
** email: mau...@cmdrkey.com, sup...@cmdrkey.com
** web: http://cmdrkey.com
Leif Bloomquist
news:eRdyf.877$H71...@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com...
> I've either got to find a way to crunch or stuff 32 bytes somewhere
> or eliminate one of the features such as the screen dump feature.
>
> Any thoughts on if I should try to leave the screen dump feature
> in there? Personally, I've never used it myself. Any input from
> VIC-20 users would be appreciated.
Maurice, this is excellent news!
There's already a thread about it on the VIC-20 Denial Message Board. ;-)
http://sleepingelephant.com/denial/
I've never used JiffyDOS though so I can't comment on the screen dump
feature, can you elaborate on what it does and what the issue is (short of
RAM/ROM)?
I highly recommend that you check out the VIC-20 Denial forum. In addition
to people who will be interested in buying/testing it, there are several
members who know some amazing tricks with the VIC and may be able to help
you scrounge the 32 bytes you need ;-)
Regards,
Leif
--
Leif Bloomquist
leif (at) schema factor (dot) com
http://home.ica.net/~leifb/
Anders Carlsson
> I'm pretty much maxed out on memory.
How much memory is that? The 8K RAM/ROM used by cartridges?
Some of the upper 8K blocks which are part of a 24K RAM expansion?
Maybe even some of the unused I/O blocks?
I don't know how big footprint JiffyDOS has inside the other computers,
or whether it replaces the regular Kernel chip (I suppose it does?)
As Leif wrote, some of us, both hardware techies, software fanatics,
loyal customers and fans hang around on the Denial web forum.
--
Anders Carlsson
Dopple
shell commands, and the file copier. All of which would be very useful on a Vic.
-Jay
Leif Bloomquist
"Dopple" <c1...@comp.sys.cbm> wrote in message
news:RKhyf.64128$XJ5....@twister.nyroc.rr.com...
> Yea, dump the screen dump feature. The biggest features would be the
F-keys,
> shell commands, and the file copier. All of which would be very useful on
a Vic.
What about the disk speedup? ;-) Maybe not so useful with the smaller
files, but still neat I would think.
You can get all the other functions except file copier elsewhere. i.e. the
Programmer's Aid cartridge has programmable F-keys, and there's my "VIC Disk
Utility Cartridge" with the DOS wedge from the 1541 built in.
Anders Carlsson
> What about the disk speedup? ;-) Maybe not so useful with the
> smaller files, but still neat I would think.
As soon as you load programs for expanded VIC-20 (about 50 blocks or
more), a disk turbo of any kind would be great. I wonder if there
exists any software based ones already?
--
Anders Carlsson
Leif Bloomquist
"Anders Carlsson" <anders....@sfks.se> wrote in message
news:wkoe2e8...@sfks.se...
> As soon as you load programs for expanded VIC-20 (about 50 blocks or
> more), a disk turbo of any kind would be great. I wonder if there
> exists any software based ones already?
There was a Disk Turbo for the VIC and 64 published in Compute's Gazette,
but I've never tried it.
Maurice Randall
> How much memory is that? The 8K RAM/ROM used by cartridges?
> Some of the upper 8K blocks which are part of a 24K RAM expansion?
> Maybe even some of the unused I/O blocks?
JiffyDOS consists of just a kernal rom replacement. Actually,
it's a switchable module with a 16K rom. Half of it contains the
stock VIC-20 kernal and the other half has the JiffyDOS kernal.
Where I'm maxed out is in the $E000-$FFFF kernal rom space.
I'll probably think of something here fairly soon. I've got a few
odd chunks of available space such as 4 bytes here, 7 bytes there,
and a so on. I might end up breaking up a routine and having it
jump around a little to make it all fit.
Maurice Randall
> What about the disk speedup? ;-) Maybe not so useful with the smaller
> files, but still neat I would think.
The disk speedup is all there. Actually it is very useful when you
are doing some intense disk activity such as copying a bunch of
files. And then there are those with 32K expansion rams that might
be loading in larger chunks of code. The disk speedup is handy for
those people.
Payton Byrd
> Leif Bloomquist <sp...@127.0.0.116> wrote:
>> What about the disk speedup? ;-) Maybe not so useful with the smaller
>> files, but still neat I would think.
>
> The disk speedup is all there. Actually it is very useful when you
> are doing some intense disk activity such as copying a bunch of
> files. And then there are those with 32K expansion rams that might
> be loading in larger chunks of code. The disk speedup is handy for
> those people.
>
> -Maurice
>
Not to mention, if you are needing the disk speedup because of a RAM
cart, you need JD to be internal instead of another cart. I know you
could locate carts at different addresses, but that requires a port
expander, which is yet something else JD would eliminate.
Since I have a 1541 with JD, but no 64 or VIC with JD, I may be getting
a copy of both the 64 and VIC JD.
Is JD for the 64 and 64c the same?
Maurice, how is the update to HD-DOS going to allow > 4gb and larger
partitions? A neat feature would be multiple device numbers, so that I
could assign an individual device number to specific partitions. That
would make it much more useful for software that's not drive number
oriented, or only allows you to reference drives 0 and 1.
White Flame (aka David Holz)
> The disk speedup is all there. Actually it is very useful when you
> are doing some intense disk activity such as copying a bunch of
> files. And then there are those with 32K expansion rams that might
> be loading in larger chunks of code. The disk speedup is handy for
> those people.
I guess the speeder routine got a whole lot smaller (and faster too) since
it doesn't have to synchronize with badlines on the VIC20? It'd be
interesting to time it against the 64.
--
White Flame (aka David Holz)
http://www.white-flame.com/
(spamblock in effect)
Nicolas Welte
> JiffyDOS for the VIC-20 is currently in the testing and debugging
> stage. The VIC-20 powers up fine for the first time today. However,
> I've either got to find a way to crunch or stuff 32 bytes somewhere
> or eliminate one of the features such as the screen dump feature.
> I'm pretty much maxed out on memory. I've been able to retain all
> of the other features of JiffyDOS including the built-in file
> copier.
>
> Any thoughts on if I should try to leave the screen dump feature
> in there? Personally, I've never used it myself. Any input from
> VIC-20 users would be appreciated.
Will there be support for the PAL-VIC20? IIRC, the NTSC VIC has exactly
the same clock speed as the NTSC C64, but the PAL-VIC runs considerably
faster (yes faster, not slower as the PAL-C64). There are two kernal
versions anyway, one for NTSC and one for PAL, because the VIC chips
need to be setup differently.
Nicolas
Maurice Randall
> Is JD for the 64 and 64c the same?
No, the early 64 uses a 24 pin kernal rom. The first 64C also
uses the same rom, but the later ones use a 28 pin rom.
> Maurice, how is the update to HD-DOS going to allow > 4gb and larger
> partitions?
There's a new partition type called "extended native" which can be
up to 4gb in size.
> A neat feature would be multiple device numbers, so that I
> could assign an individual device number to specific partitions. That
> would make it much more useful for software that's not drive number
> oriented, or only allows you to reference drives 0 and 1.
This could be done, but it would require more ram in the drive in
order to store tables and buffer areas for both device numbers. It's
not really possible with the present hardware.
Maurice Randall
> I guess the speeder routine got a whole lot smaller (and faster too) since
> it doesn't have to synchronize with badlines on the VIC20? It'd be
> interesting to time it against the 64.
Part of it got smaller, but part of it also got bigger which is
why I'm hurting slightly for code space. Due to how the clock and
data lines are addressed in the VIC-20 as compared to the 64, it
required some extra code after all 8 bits have come in from the drive
in order to reassemble the byte.
I haven't done any timing yet, but the actual data transfer is
probably about the same as with the 64. It's probably slightly
longer per byte, but would tend to even out with multiple bytes
since the VIC doesn't get held up by the VIC chip.
Maurice Randall
> Will there be support for the PAL-VIC20?
This first release will be NTSC. The PAL version will follow
shortly afterwards. I'll work on that once the NTSC version is
working perfectly. I wouldn't think it would take much to make
the changes for the PAL version.
Leif Bloomquist
Payton Byrd <plb...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Is JD for the 64 and 64c the same?
"Maurice Randall" <mau...@cmdrkey.com> wrote in message
news:kyvyf.6379$F_3...@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...
> No, the early 64 uses a 24 pin kernal rom. The first 64C also
> uses the same rom, but the later ones use a 28 pin rom.
I think Payton was asking, is the *software* the same for the 64 and the
64C? My guess is that it is.
What about for the SX64? If I move a JiffyDOS chip from a 64 into an SX64
will it work, even though there's no tape hardware on the SX?
Regards,
Leif
Maurice Randall
> I think Payton was asking, is the *software* the same for the 64 and the
> 64C? My guess is that it is.
Ok, yes the actual kernal code is the same.
> What about for the SX64? If I move a JiffyDOS chip from a 64 into an SX64
> will it work, even though there's no tape hardware on the SX?
You can put the 24 pin 64 rom into the SX-64 and it will work.
Alan
> Nicolas Welte <welte...@freenet.de> wrote:
>> Will there be support for the PAL-VIC20?
>
> This first release will be NTSC. The PAL version will follow
> shortly afterwards. I'll work on that once the NTSC version is
> working perfectly. I wouldn't think it would take much to make
> the changes for the PAL version.
Wow, JiffyDOS for the VIC would be great! But what about the tape routines?
Aren't those eliminated with the C64 version of JiffyDOS? While basically
irrelevant to most C64/128 users, most of us VIC users still use the tape
drive quite a bit.
--
·.·´¨ ¨)) -:|:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
Alan
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:|:- ((¸¸ ·.·
ramswell
24-PIN 64 machine? I am assuming that the 28 pinner is a 128 version.
Charles
Colin
"ramswell" <shifty...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:1137384469.8...@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> How do I "cross the pins" to get a 28-PIN C-128 (64 ROM) to work on a
> 24-PIN 64 machine? I am assuming that the 28 pinner is a 128 version.
>
> Charles
Plug it in and cross your fingers?!
Payton Byrd
> Payton Byrd <plb...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>> Is JD for the 64 and 64c the same?
>
>
> "Maurice Randall" <mau...@cmdrkey.com> wrote in message
> news:kyvyf.6379$F_3...@newssvr29.news.prodigy.net...
>
>> No, the early 64 uses a 24 pin kernal rom. The first 64C also
>> uses the same rom, but the later ones use a 28 pin rom.
>
> I think Payton was asking, is the *software* the same for the 64 and the
> 64C? My guess is that it is.
Well, actually I was asking specifically about the software, but not
thinking that Commodore would have been so stupid as to put a different
size ROM chip in the 64C. I ask because I have a breadbin and a 64c,
both of which I'm keeping, but do not want to have to buy two different
ROMs in case one of them dies. I guess I should look in the 64C to see
which type of ROM it takes before ordering. If I buy a JD, I would
prefer that it work with both, but I'll buy it for the 64c if necessary
because I prefer having the 64c out for other people to see, the colors
of the breadbins are just hideous (IMHO).
Maurice Randall
> But what about the tape routines?
Just like with the 64, if you need to use a tape drive, then
you'll flip the switch back to the stock kernal. In the JiffyDOS
kernal, all tape routines are gone.
Maurice Randall
> I guess I should look in the 64C to see
> which type of ROM it takes before ordering.
If your 64C still has the original motherboard and also still
has the serial number on the bottom, you can figure out which
board it has from the serial number. If the serial number begins
with HB or if it begins with CA130 or higher, then it's the later
64C with the 28 pin rom.
In the early boards, there is a separate rom for BASIC and the
KERNAL and these are the same as in the early C-64. These roms
are each 8K in size with 24 pins.
In the later style "E-Board" 64C, the two roms are combined into
one single 16K rom and have 28 pins.
The 28-pin 64C rom is the same as the 64 rom in the flat 128
and plastic-case 128D.
The 128DCR with metal case uses a 32K rom which has everything
in one rom. It has 64 BASIC and KERNAL and 128 BASIC and
KERNAL all in one 28 pin rom.
The SX-64 has a 28 pin socket where the kernal rom goes, but
it only uses 24 of those. If you install a 24 pin rom into an
SX-64, mount it so that the 4 pins closest to the notch on the
socket are empty. In other words, move the rom to the rear of
the socket and leave pins 1,2,27, and 28 on the socket empty.
On the 1541 board in the SX-64, it's the same deal, a 28 pin
socket, but only 24 of the pins are used.
The VIC-20 has two separate BASIC and KERNAL roms, each 8K
with 24 pins just like the early 64. The code is different
from the 64, but still quite similar.
ramswell
1,2,27 & 28. GOT IT!
Thanks a lot!
Charles
ramswell
try to put it in my 128 and see if it works.
Thanks,
Charles
David Murray
> prefer that it work with both, but I'll buy it for the 64c if necessary
> because I prefer having the 64c out for other people to see, the colors
> of the breadbins are just hideous (IMHO).
I agree. The C64 breadbin is a classic and a must-have for a collector.
But when I break out a C64 to put on my desk and do some programming for a
week or two, I always opt for the C64c because it is so much nicer looking
and easier to type on. My C128 is too big and my C128D is way too big. My
favorite one of all for typing on, though, is the Plus/4.
David Murray
>
> Any thoughts on if I should try to leave the screen dump feature
> in there? Personally, I've never used it myself. Any input from
> VIC-20 users would be appreciated.
Just an odd-thought I started thinking about. Is there a version of
JiffyDOS for the Plus/4? That system is just as slow loading from a
1541/1571/1581 as the C64. I've honestly never even seen the one that was
made for the TED systems that used the cartridge port (can't remember the
model number) I don't know anybody who has one.
Graham Prout
it?
Graham
Maurice Randall
> Just an odd-thought I started thinking about. Is there a version of
> JiffyDOS for the Plus/4?
That will come later along with JiffyDOS for the C-16 as well.
Then we'll have all the 8-bits with the Commodore IEC bus covered.
Amigoat
>Then we'll have all the 8-bits with the Commodore IEC bus covered.
Does this imply that the 8-bit computers with the IEEE bus are still to
be looked at?
Ernie
Maurice Randall
> Does this imply that the 8-bit computers with the IEEE bus are still to
> be looked at?
No, that's not what I was implying. I was implying just the way
it sounded, that all the IEC 8-bit computers will have JiffyDOS
available.
Whoops. Does the C-65 have an IEC port?
Golan Klinger
offered by JiffyDOS?
--
Golan Klinger
Dark is the suede that mows like a harvest.
Maurice Randall
> Would the already speedy IEEE interface benefit from the speed enhancements
> offered by JiffyDOS?
The parallel transfers on the IEEE computers could be improved, but
not as significant as with the serial bus computers.
And besides, there's no market with the IEEE computers.
James @ cbm264
Bo Zimmers has one as well, and I think one more person in this
newsgroup has one.
James
David Murray
> David, I have a 1551. Now you know someone. :)
>
Really? So how fast does it load? I know it is probably hard to compare
since I don't think there are any giant Plus/4 programs like there are for
the C64.
James @ cbm264
equivalent to GEOS 2.0 on the 64.
If I remember correctly, GEOS 2.0 in 64 mode of my 128D took 1 minute
15 seconds.... but that was with the built-in drive in 1541 mode.
James
iAN CooG
> Really? So how fast does it load? I know it is probably hard to
> compare since I don't think there are any giant Plus/4 programs like
> there are for the C64.
You think wrong. +4 can handle longer prgs than 202 blocks because of
dynamic bankswitching. For example i have here a demo,
Movie_Chaos_II/A-System, 212blocks (53.702b) and it's even crunched.
--
-=[]=--- iAN CooG/HokutoForce ---=[]=-
while(1) printf("I will not write infinite loops\r");
Riccardo Rubini
> Whoops. Does the C-65 have an IEC port?
Yup. Do you still have the pictures of that motherboard you sold me? You
should be able to see the IEC port ;-)
Riccardo
A Grosz
http://amigos.amiga.hu/plus4/plus4/ROM/1541.bin
Attila
MagerValp
J> David, I have a 1551. Now you know someone. :)
J> Bo Zimmers has one as well, and I think one more person in this
J> newsgroup has one.
Sure, I've got one as well, but unfortunately the top half of the case
is cracked. It still works fine though, as is indeed quite a bit
faster than the 1541 (maybe 8x?).
--
___ . . . . . + . . o
_|___|_ + . + . + . Per Olofsson, arkadspelare
o-o . . . o + Mage...@cling.gu.se
- + + . http://www.cling.gu.se/~cl3polof/
Maurice Randall
The system is becoming very stable and working very good.
There's only a couple of things not working correctly.
The @D command for displaying a BASIC program from disk
to screen is flaky. It will stop for no apparent reason.
Most likely the problem is just something I've overlooked
and will have it fixed soon.
The CONTROL key commands are not working. This will require
a patch to the kernal keyscan routine. Not a problem, I just
haven't done it yet.
The screen dump command using CTRL-P has been removed and
will stay out. There just isn't room in the VIC-20 kernal
for it.
Other than what I've listed above, everything else appears
to be working fine.
All the routines activated via the function keys are performing
OK, except for F2 which does the @D command. You can press
F1 to display the directory just like with the 64 and 128.
The built-in file copier works just as well as it does on
the 64.
All of the following work good:
/filename (load a file)
%filename (load a file to its load address)
^filename (load and run a file)
<-filename (left arrow to save a BASIC program)
Lfilename (that's an English lira to load and sys to a file)
'filename (verify a file with the file in BASIC memory)
*filename (copy a file to another drive)
(multiple files can also be selected from a dir listing)
@T"filename" (type a file from disk to the screen)
@B (disable the 1541 head rattle)
@F (disable the function keys)
@G (set interleave gap size)
@L:filename (lock/unlock a file's software write-protect)
@O (un-new a BASIC program)
@P (toggle printer output)
SHIFT-RUN (load and run the first program on disk)
@$ (display directory on current drive)
@Q (disable the JiffyDOS commands)
@#device (set the default device number)
@Xdevice (set the destination device for copying)
All DOS wedge commands sent to the drive work as expected.
The VIC-20 is working good with all the different types of
drives that may be connected including the 1541, 1571, 1581,
FD Series, HD Series, etc. It works good in fast JiffyDOS
mode as well as the slow mode with drives that do not have
JiffyDOS or have JiffyDOS disabled.
Things to do:
* Fix the @D routines
* Patch the keyscan routines
* Test the VIC-20 with various expansion ram combinations
* Test various software cartridges
* Test as many ML-coded software programs as possible
* Write the VIC-20 JiffyDOS installation instructions
Once the above has been completed, JiffyDOS for the VIC-20
will be ready to ship. Judging by the way things are going,
this will likely be within 2-3 weeks. JiffyDOS for the VIC-20
will be priced the same as for the 64 at $20 plus shipping.
Nicolas Welte
> Things to do:
>
> * Fix the @D routines
> * Patch the keyscan routines
> * Test the VIC-20 with various expansion ram combinations
> * Test various software cartridges
> * Test as many ML-coded software programs as possible
> * Write the VIC-20 JiffyDOS installation instructions
Will you also include the following fix? If not fixed, it will not
behave well with some RAM and ROM expansions (non-standard ones, like
64k expansions or my own FlashROM expansion):
my description of the problem:
http://www.softwolves.pp.se/misc/arkiv/cbm-hackers/8/8048.html
and a fix for it (which is from the C64 ROM!):
http://www.softwolves.pp.se/misc/arkiv/cbm-hackers/8/8051.html
There might also be some bugs in the memory test after reset, which will
trash some other bytes in memory. This is what I remember from the C64,
have to check if it exists in the VIC as well.
Nicolas
Maurice Randall
> Will you also include the following fix? If not fixed, it will not
> behave well with some RAM and ROM expansions (non-standard ones, like
> 64k expansions or my own FlashROM expansion):
That code is also in the 128 and can cause problems with
the GEOS 128 kernal if called.
As long as I'm redoing the VIC-20 kernal, I'll rewrite that
portion of the code.
Maurice Randall
The only thing left is to get the CTRL key commands working.
Maurice Randall
All of the CTRL key commands are now functional. In fact,
programs written for the VIC-20 can now detect CTRL key
combinations just like the 64. I added a new keyboard
decoding table to the kernal.
I've patched the kernal RESTOR routine that was mentioned
earlier in this thread. Thanks for mentioning that...this
is a good fix.
I've managed to find room for the screen dump utility. So,
JiffyDOS on the VIC-20 is as fully implemented as it is on
the 64 now.
There are currently no "known" bugs. So, now its time for
some serious testing. This has come along a little faster
than I expected. Of course, it obviously didn't hurt having
the complete source code to JiffyDOS. :)
If testing this week proves good (it's been very good so
far tonight), then JiffyDOS for the VIC-20 should be ready
to go once I've included the VIC-20 into the existing JiffyDOS
manual and written the installation instructions.
Mike Paull
wrote:
>Update: I've been doing some serious coding on this Sunday...
>
>All of the CTRL key commands are now functional. In fact,
>programs written for the VIC-20 can now detect CTRL key
>combinations just like the 64. I added a new keyboard
>decoding table to the kernal.
Maurice, this is great news, thankyou on behalf of the Commodore community
for your efforts, they are truely appreciated.
Can I ask how progress on the CMD HD DOS+ is going? As a CMD HD owner i'm
looking forward to installing it!
Mike
Maurice Randall
> Can I ask how progress on the CMD HD DOS+ is going? As a CMD HD owner i'm
> looking forward to installing it!
I've been working on it off and on when I get home late at night.
Progress has been slow, but there really isn't a whole lot left
to do. I just need to finish it. In the meantime, I wanted to get
this smaller VIC-20 project out of the way.
The VIC-20 project wasn't a real breeze like I thought it would
be. The kernal is very similar to the 64, but there are enough
differences that it became a bit of a challenge, especially
the way the clock and data lines are laid out on the 6522 chip
as compared to the way they are on the 64's 6526 chip. This posed
a programming challenge to get the serial bus timing exactly
the same as the way it is on the 64.
Also, I always thought that the BASIC rom was the same on both
computers other than the location in memory. Wrong. There are
a few routines calls that go to different spots and it made the
@D command flaky. I managed a fix in the kernal, but for awhile
I thought I was going to have to supply a BASIC rom with JiffyDOS
as well as the KERNAL rom.
Stephan Schmid
great to see you've come back to activity. Any chance you can give us a
little insight about the production plans of new SuperCPUs? You probably
missed my email where I preordered (well, better read that as "expressed
strong interest, willing to order if I get a reply") two of them months
ago, asking for an estimation of production/delivery time. ;-)
Regards,
Stephan
Maurice Randall
> great to see you've come back to activity. Any chance you can give us a
> little insight about the production plans of new SuperCPUs?
The only thing I can say right now is sorry to everyone for dragging
my feet for so long. Lately I've been spending a lot of time trying
to catch up with everything. Just trying to get organized. Soon, I
will be building SuperCPUs as fast as I can. There are a lot of
people waiting for them.
Mike Paull
wrote:
>Mike Paull <mik...@removethis.ozemail.com.au> wrote:
>> Can I ask how progress on the CMD HD DOS+ is going? As a CMD HD owner i'm
>> looking forward to installing it!
>
>I've been working on it off and on when I get home late at night.
>Progress has been slow, but there really isn't a whole lot left
>to do. I just need to finish it. In the meantime, I wanted to get
>this smaller VIC-20 project out of the way.
Excellent, i'm greatful for your efforts Maurice and look forward to
installing HD-DOS+ when it is available.
>The VIC-20 project wasn't a real breeze like I thought it would
>be. The kernal is very similar to the 64, but there are enough
>differences that it became a bit of a challenge, especially
>the way the clock and data lines are laid out on the 6522 chip
>as compared to the way they are on the 64's 6526 chip. This posed
>a programming challenge to get the serial bus timing exactly
>the same as the way it is on the 64.
Typical isn't it, a small job often turns out to be a big job where it
involves anything technical with Commodore equipment.
>Also, I always thought that the BASIC rom was the same on both
>computers other than the location in memory. Wrong. There are
>a few routines calls that go to different spots and it made the
>@D command flaky. I managed a fix in the kernal, but for awhile
>I thought I was going to have to supply a BASIC rom with JiffyDOS
>as well as the KERNAL rom.
I'm sure the Vic-20 users out there ( i was one once too! ) will be
delighted with the progress.
Thanks again for all your efforts.
Mike
Maurice Randall
VIC-20 JiffyDOS is very good. It is now as bug-free as the
NTSC version.
Up to now, I've only been testing the PAL version on the
VICE emulator (thanks to the Vice Team for this ability),
but the real testing will have to be done by someone in a
PAL country on a real VIC-20.
Looks like the PAL version will be released sooner than I
thought. The only delay following the NTSC release will be
with the testing time done in another country.
I could use one or two volunteers. The requirements would be
the following:
* a real VIC-20
* a familiarity with JiffyDOS on a 64
* skilled enough to replace a chip in your VIC-20
* access to an eprom programmer in case the first JiffyDOS
needs to be modified (code sent through email)
* various different disk drives with or without JiffyDOS
* a collection of VIC-20 software and cartridges for testing
What do you get out of this? You will get JiffyDOS for your
disk drives if you need them. There is no money involved, but
you will get the satisfaction in knowing that you helped to
get this project launched for any interested VIC-20 user in
a PAL country.
Thanks...
Ruud.Ba...@abp.nl
I want to volunteer. I live in the Netherlands, a PAL country.
You can contact me at "Ruud dot Baltissen (at) ABP dot nl" or "G dot
Baltissen (at) hccnet dot nl".
--
___
/ __|__
/ / |_/ Groetjes, Ruud
\ \__|_\
\___| URL: Ruud.C64.org
Maurice Randall
> I want to volunteer. I live in the Netherlands, a PAL country.
Thanks Ruud. I will email you for an address and get the
JiffyDOS VIC-20 package sent out right away.
Maurice Randall
A new revision of the JiffyDOS manual is finished. This
is the first revision since 1994 and will be included with the
VIC-20 version of JiffyDOS. It has the info for the VIC-20, 64,
and 128 versions. I still have quite a few of the previous versions
left, so JiffyDOS 64 and 128 will be shipped with the older manual.
The only change to the new manual was to include the VIC-20 info.
The VIC-20 installation instructions are finished.
As far as I know, the coding is finished. I haven't been able to
break it in my own testing here. 3 VIC-20 JiffyDOS packages are
being sent out today for others to help test. If no bugs are
found, then it's a done deal.
I will be patching the PAL version of the VIC-20 rom to include
the Swedish keyboard and character set, so there will be 3 versions
of JiffyDOS for the VIC-20:
NTSC - North America
PAL - Europe and other PAL countries
PAL - Swedish and Finnish
How long has it been since any commercial product has been
released for the VIC-20?
Leif Bloomquist
"Maurice Randall" <mau...@cmdrkey.com> wrote in message
news:2d4Cf.14378$_S7....@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com...
> How long has it been since any commercial product has been
> released for the VIC-20?
While not a formal "commercial product", I released my disk utility
cartridge for the VIC-20 last year. A small run of them were built and
sold.
http://home.ica.net/~leifb/commodore/vic-cart/index.htm
There have been a few software releases for the VIC-20 recently, all
freeware (games/demos) etc.
Regards,
Leif
Maurice Randall
for the Swedish VIC-20. The only real difference between this and
the normal PAL kernal is the keyboard mapping.
Anders Carlsson
> Update: I just finished assembling and testing the JiffyDOS kernal
> for the Swedish VIC-20. The only real difference between this and
> the normal PAL kernal is the keyboard mapping.
The Swedish kernal also introduces a bug related to file handling
on tape (CLOSE freezes the machine), but since the JiffyDOS kernal
eliminates tape access at all, it doesn't matter.
Did you consider making a Japanese version for VIC-1001? :-) That
would be the only other officially known VIC-20 mod.
--
Anders Carlsson
Maurice Randall
> Did you consider making a Japanese version for VIC-1001? :-) That
> would be the only other officially known VIC-20 mod.
There probably wouldn't be any call for it, would there?
Varga Viktor
Its a hard thing for you then.
Two of three hungarian developed computer uses IEC ports for
communicationg with 1541.
These computers have IEC ports, and z80 processors, so they are 8 bits.
Would you like to develop for them? :)
Hungarian and some english info about these computers at:
primo.8bit.hu (it has internal adapter, bootstap mechanism, IEC proto)
ht.8bit.hu (it had external floppy interface)
Maurice Randall
> Two of three hungarian developed computer uses IEC ports for
> communicationg with 1541.
No thanks. But I find it interesting that the company chose
to support the 1541. It was likely much less costly for them
to use an existing drive rather than to develop their own.
Nicolas Welte
> Ruud.Ba...@abp.nl wrote:
>> I want to volunteer. I live in the Netherlands, a PAL country.
>
> Thanks Ruud. I will email you for an address and get the
> JiffyDOS VIC-20 package sent out right away.
I could do some PAL testing as well with my FlashROM unit I talked about
earlier (see on www.x1541.de). I have FD2000 and HD, and I have that
128DCR (so I can test the VIC20), all with Jiffydos. I don't need a full
package, but only the ROM file, as I will just "load" it to my existing
hardware. If you like you can send it to this address, it's valid :)
Nicolas
rber...@value.net
> How long has it been since any commercial product has been
> released for the VIC-20?
A few months ago, Astro Nell was released for the VIC-20. Go to
http://www.cronosoft.co.uk to buy a copy of it.
I'm waiting for Cronosoft to release
Jason Kelk's ViColumns (Tetris for
the VIC!),
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
Stephan Schmid
> The only thing I can say right now is sorry to everyone for dragging
> my feet for so long. Lately I've been spending a lot of time trying
> to catch up with everything. Just trying to get organized. Soon, I
> will be building SuperCPUs as fast as I can. There are a lot of
> people waiting for them.
That's good to hear Maurice, looking forward to do business with you!
Regards,
Stephan
Anders Carlsson
> I'm waiting for Cronosoft to release Jason Kelk's ViColumns
> (Tetris for the VIC!),
I thought ViColumns already was sold through Cronosoft, since it
was announced in October and just before Christmas, TMR put in
on the Cosine website for free download.
By the way, Columns != Tetris, just as little as Gridder = Pacman.
If you want a Tetris game for the VIC-20, I made one a few years
ago in the Minigame competition. I dunno if anyone else has made
one. It surely could be improved upon, but I don't bother.
--
Anders Carlsson
Robert Bernardo
> I thought ViColumns already was sold through Cronosoft, since it
> was announced in October and just before Christmas
Nope, not yet.
> TMR put in on the Cosine website for free download.
That's interesting to know.
> If you want a Tetris game for the VIC-20, I made one a few years
> ago in the Minigame competition.
Sounds good. Is it available anywhere for download?
Truly,
Anders Carlsson
>> If you want a Tetris game for the VIC-20, I made one a few years
>> ago in the Minigame competition.
> Sounds good. Is it available anywhere for download?
Unfortunately I've been lazy and not recreated my homepage for
a whole year (grmph), but you can find it on the 2002 compo page
hosted by MagerValp:
http://www.cling.gu.se/~cl3polof/minigame/index.games.html
--
Anders Carlsson
Varga Viktor
The hard thing i think, these computers had Z80 CPU, so they should
recode the whole disc communication in Z80 assembly.