CompatiBoot: a new fast loader

C700 Club

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Sep 12, 2011, 12:00:11 AM9/12/11

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CompatiBoot is a fast loader for single file games. Compared to the
plethora of other fast loaders, it offers these unique advantages:

* works in all emulators, including those with "enhanced disk speed"
mode
* uses a standard DOS 3.3 disk catalog, compatible with all disk
utilities (including modern ones like CiderPress)
* boots from any slot, not just slot 6
* can be launched from a ProDOS hard drive with DOS 3.3 launcher
* compatible with the CFFA3000 card

To use CompatiBoot, just copy your favorite (single file, binary) game
to a blank CompatiBoot disk. That's it! CompatiBoot reads the DOS 3.3
catalog and automatically loads the file. There are no menus to
navigate, no "maker" programs to fuss with.

Here is a blank CompatiBoot disk image: http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/
Since the disk has no files to load, CompatiBoot will display its
built-in help file instead.

Here are some sample CompatiBoot disk images with games we like:
http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/samples/

On a real Apple II (and most emulators), CompatiBoot can load a 139-
sector game in 4 seconds. (By comparison: in AppleWin's "authentic
disk speed" mode, the same game loads in 25 seconds under ProntoDOS
and 82 seconds under standard DOS 3.3.) In AppleWin's "enhanced disk
speed" mode, CompatiBoot is essentially instantaneous.

The CompatiBoot code and help text is contained in track 0. All our
code is dedicated to the public domain.

Raven

Antoine Vignau

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Sep 12, 2011, 12:27:46 AM9/12/11

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Interesting project, thanks for that.
What are the requirements and limits of CompatiBoot? In terms of RAM
for instance.

Moon Patrol is not a single boot program. You have either removed the
title page or the lunar base page.

Antoine

Bill Garber

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Sep 12, 2011, 9:58:51 AM9/12/11

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"Antoine Vignau" <antoine...@laposte.net> wrote in message
news:51ff734b-1b30-4b28...@h11g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...

The title page is there, Antoine. It's a crack. I have that
one on another loader disk that loads multi-games, not just one.

If they can make CompatiBoot so it can load more than one, and
from a ProDOS image, then I will praise it. Otherwise, speed
loading isn't an issue.

"MAN!, I got no time, I need to load this game quick!" LOL

Bill

C700 Club

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Sep 12, 2011, 11:21:46 AM9/12/11

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On Sep 12, 12:27 am, Antoine Vignau <antoine.vig...@laposte.net>
wrote:

> Interesting project, thanks for that.
> What are the requirements and limits of CompatiBoot? In terms of RAM
> for instance.

It does not use the language card or any auxiliary memory. It was
tested (under emulation) on an Apple II, II+, unenhanced //e,
enhanced //e, and IIgs. On the II and II+ it auto-converts its help
text to uppercase, but otherwise functions identically. The loader
itself is loaded into pages $BA-$BE, and at various points during
loading it will use pages $BF, $B7-$B9, and $A0-$AF.

Raven

C700 Club

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Sep 12, 2011, 11:22:49 AM9/12/11

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On Sep 12, 9:58 am, "Bill Garber" <willy4...@comcast.net> wrote:
> If they can make CompatiBoot so it can load more than one, and
> from a ProDOS image, then I will praise it.

You're going to love our upcoming project.

Raven

Michael J. Mahon

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Sep 12, 2011, 7:31:07 PM9/12/11

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C700 Club wrote:
> CompatiBoot is a fast loader for single file games. Compared to the
> plethora of other fast loaders, it offers these unique advantages:
>
> * works in all emulators, including those with "enhanced disk speed"
> mode
> * uses a standard DOS 3.3 disk catalog, compatible with all disk
> utilities (including modern ones like CiderPress)
> * boots from any slot, not just slot 6
> * can be launched from a ProDOS hard drive with DOS 3.3 launcher
> * compatible with the CFFA3000 card
>
> To use CompatiBoot, just copy your favorite (single file, binary) game
> to a blank CompatiBoot disk. That's it! CompatiBoot reads the DOS 3.3
> catalog and automatically loads the file. There are no menus to
> navigate, no "maker" programs to fuss with.
>
> Here is a blank CompatiBoot disk image: http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/
> Since the disk has no files to load, CompatiBoot will display its
> built-in help file instead.
>
> Here are some sample CompatiBoot disk images with games we like:
> http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/samples/

Very cute directory listing! ;-)

-michael

NadaNet 3.1 for Apple II parallel computing!
Home page: http://home.comcast.net/~mjmahon/

"The wastebasket is our most important design
tool--and it's seriously underused."

C100 Club

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Sep 12, 2011, 9:47:11 PM9/12/11

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Well over here at the other end, at the C100 Club, we are still using
tape. We will be releasing soon a way to transfer C programs via tape
to the Apple I via Dropbox and an iPhone. Stay tuned. :-)

BluPhoenyx

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Sep 13, 2011, 3:24:51 PM9/13/11

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On 09/12/2011 06:31 PM, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>>
>> Here are some sample CompatiBoot disk images with games we like:
>> http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/samples/
>
> Very cute directory listing! ;-)

Is that a font or a bitmap? If so is the font available?

Cheers,
Mike T

D Finnigan

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Sep 13, 2011, 3:36:18 PM9/13/11

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If you examine the source, you will see that it's a web font:

http://bb2k.net/40columns.css

--
]DF$
Mac GUI Vault - A source for retro Apple II and
Macintosh computing.
http://macgui.com/vault/

Egan Ford

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Sep 13, 2011, 3:48:21 PM9/13/11

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Links to other retro fonts:

http://jerkwerks.com/misc/PrintChar21.ttf (40 col II)
http://jerkwerks.com/misc/PRNumber3.ttf (80 col II)
http://damieng.com/blog/2011/02/20/typography-in-8-bits-system-fonts
http://damieng.com/blog/2011/03/27/typography-in-16-bits-system-fonts

Example use: http://jerkwerks.com/bbs-get-your-retro-on/

Example web pages (single source, easy to read, right click and save/
view source):

http://jerkwerks.com/misc/apple_int_pi.html (40 col)
http://jerkwerks.com/misc/apple_forth_pi.html (80 col)

Egan Ford

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Sep 13, 2011, 3:56:26 PM9/13/11

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On Sep 13, 1:48 pm, Egan Ford <dataj...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sep 13, 1:24 pm, BluPhoenyx <bluphoe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On 09/12/2011 06:31 PM, Michael J. Mahon wrote:
>
> > >> Here are some sample CompatiBoot disk images with games we like:
> > >>http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/samples/
>
> > > Very cute directory listing! ;-)
>
> > Is that a font or a bitmap? If so is the font available?
>
> > Cheers,
> > Mike T
>
> Links to other retro fonts:
>

> http://jerkwerks.com/misc/PrintChar21.ttf(40 col II)http://jerkwerks.com/misc/PRNumber3.ttf(80 col II)http://damieng.com/blog/2011/02/20/typography-in-8-bits-system-fontshttp://damieng.com/blog/2011/03/27/typography-in-16-bits-system-fonts

>
> Example use: http://jerkwerks.com/bbs-get-your-retro-on/
>
> Example web pages (single source, easy to read, right click and save/
> view source):
>
> http://jerkwerks.com/misc/apple_int_pi.html(40 col)http://jerkwerks.com/misc/apple_forth_pi.html(80 col)

I actually like the font from http://bb2k.net/download/CompatiBoot/samples/
better. You can get them here: http://www.thugdome.com/software_a2f.html

BluPhoenyx

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Sep 16, 2011, 3:29:07 PM9/16/11

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Thanks all for the links.

Cheers,
Mike T