[A83] Re: Beginner confused?


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[A83] Re: Beginner confused?




> Van: W. Kochman <wkochman@earthlink.net>
> 
> Hello to all,
> 
> As a homebound handicapped and trying to learn the TI-83/89 I have become
> confused. I wanted to learn how to program these calculators but seeing
> so much on this group has me confused as to the software to use? I
> downloaded the SDK for them and so far have not had a chance to read them
> due to an illness this past month.

Err, you could have saved yourself some time (and maybe have something to
do in that month) by getting the SDK(s) in printed form. There are quite a
few companies nowadays with digital copiers that can be steered from a
computer. They would be able to print the SDK since it's in PDF format. I
think there's always someone who could take a floppy to the copyshop, if
they can't download it themselves.

Anyways it is better to read it that way, I guess.

> What softwares will I need to read/study/review to accomplish this goal?

Ehm, people here generaly learned Z80 assembly by reading AsmGuru. There's
also a new tutorial which is less Ti83 'biased' and more like a general Z80
tutorial. Look for these in the "informational texts" ticalc.org archive
here: http://www.ticalc.org/pub/

Then you will also need an assembler, it converts the instructions to
binary-code which the CPU can execute. Most of the time TASM is used. It
was built for DOS, runs under a DOS-box in Windows, and there's a Linux
port.

Before you can send the program to your calc, the Ti GraphLink (TIGL)
software (and also "third party" software like Tilp) wants a header around
it which contains some info like the program name (on-calc), calc type and
some checksums. A good program which handles all this is bin2var. It will
run under DOS, and in general on anything with an ANSI C-compiler.

And finaly you *might* want to use VTI (Virtual TI) so you can test
programs easier, without crashing (..batteries out, wait, batteries in..)
your real calc.

Oh, and I guess I need to mention the other option, out of "personal
interest". There are a couple of good (in different ways) Z80 C
cross-compilers around.

- Ti8xcc, nice lib for ti-calcs, bad code
- Z88DK, good lib, not entierly Ti-based, not really good code
- SDCC, bare bone lib, no Ti support, quite good code generation

Then there's also TISCO, which has been a maintained untill they convinced
the guy that compilers are not something you need for a Ti calculator. It
has fairly good codegeneration, but can only (?) be used with the Ti86. I
have got the source-code, anyways, if somebody is interested.

> I have been using TI's since the very first one in 1973 I believe. I have
> worn out three of them so far.

Guess that was the Ti85? Or just a plain, "non graphing" calc? Ti-30?

	Henk Poley <><