A83: RE: A82: universal calc issues


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A83: RE: A82: universal calc issues



I know the screen size, etc are a major issue, but the OS would be individualized for each calc.  That way all of those issues would be settled.  It's the programs that would be universal, while the core would have the obviously required differences.  I know it's a lot of work, but once we have all of the calcs running their individual version of the OS, the programs shouldn't be too hard to follow.
	The one thing that will probably piss off a few 85ers out there is the fact that we may resort to using the prgm file type instead of the strng type, so that there's less work involved in the conversion, especially if we move on to a proprietary file format, which would then have to be stored in each calc as SOMETHING with a string for a name. (Remember OShell's Q weakness?)
Christopher Kalos
raptorone@geocities.com
raptor_one@hotmail.com
Executive Director/Administrator
Virtual Technologies Developer's Group


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From: 	Matt Maurano[SMTP:maurano@best.com]
Sent: 	Saturday, October 11, 1997 2:51 PM
To: 	assembly-82@lists.ticalc.org
Subject: 	Re: A82: universal calc issues

Actually, an 82<->83 converter would be little more than a header, like thruska's ash2oshl thing. Once all the rom is documented in the 82 to the extent it is in the
83, it is simple. The 83 is an 82 with different ROM and a cool case. I'd be willing to bet the insides are nearly identical. TI hasn't documented the display
controller on the 83, or much of the other port stuff, though.

An 85<->86 converter could be harder. I don't have an 86, but the RAM page switching (Does that need to be done in an 86asm prog?) could be a pain.

The screen size is the killer. There is no way at all to get over that short of having two versions of each program, like above.