Here is what I suggest. Rather than waste time and possibly break the law to create a new OS for a TI-89 or any other calculator. Why don't we just makea new calculator? We could take the screen out of a gameboy color, the processor out of the 89 or 92, and overclock it, as much ram as we could fit, and then make any button arrangement we felt like. Then we could create a supreme os from scratch that was all in assembly. The calc would be able to get anyone who knew how to use it through four years of college math classes, and it would play crazy games. Also all the programs for it would be available at this web site for download. And there would be crazy peripherals like Infra Red, battery pack, external removeable ram, internal speaker, computer link cable, maybe it would even have some palm pilot functions like a little internet atenna. I'm going a little overboard here, but still dont try to make TI mad by changing its stuff. Make better stuff.

This doesn't have much to do with this.
But a lot of people read this.
Make this game for the ti-89.
Probably is ASM.
It's fairly simply and looks easy to program.
Will entertain you for hours.
GET it at the link above.
Download it even if you don't don't want to program it.
MSDOS

We wouldn't be breaking the law, nor would we be modifying their stuff. We'd simply be writing software to utilize our hardware better than the current TI-OS does, in the same way you can take a pc that came with windows preinstalled, remove it, and install *nix (2k, whatever).

For free games? i guess... but there wouldn't be many people to assemble it, and why would you screw up an 89 and a gameboy, anyway? they are expensive enough... What I would like to see is the calc pushed to it's limits!

---
Cd_Slayer

Well...
I think I have some interesting AMS informations for you.
TI claims AMS 2.01 and AMS 2.02 aren't theirs and that they are actual 'third party' ROMS. Right ?
Read the facts.
I bought a TI-92+ HW2 in the beginning of this year. It was one of the very first models issued in France. First thing I did when I received it was to check the ROM version. To my great surprise, it was AMS 2.01. This happened just a few days after ROM 2.01 was unoficially released on TI-FR.
Then I checked the user's manual and I noticed that the screenshot of the 'Tools->About' box was from ROM 2.01.
Two (three ?) weeks later, ROM 2.03 came out on TI's site.
Here is my point about TI denying they made AMS 2.01 and 2.02 :
AMs 2.01 was first to be released at the same time than ROM 2.03 and in its place. But weeks sooner, someone (people from the french TI community [ie. TI-FR] know who I'm talking about) released it on TI-FR.
What happened is that TI threatened to sue him and ordered everyone to remove the file from their sites. Then they made a few mods to ROM 2.01, named it 2.03 and released it on their own site and their last calculators.
Since then, Ti-cares guys (bots ?) have always claimed AMS 2.01 wasn't TI's and was an actual hoax.
This seems all rather strange. Doesn't it ?

As a consequence I suggest that we (TI-68K community)
disassemble and reverse engineer ROM 2.01 as much as possible. This especially concerns french people because reverse engineering isn't probihited by the french law. Would TI sue them in a foreign country for something that ain't illegal there ???
I bet they wouldn't. Now, it's all up to them.

And now a little semi-on-topic question :
Have anyone achieved to use icons in the menu bar (like the 'tools' icon) ?
If you haven't, then you should check ou the URL ('tis not mine), there's an interesting screenshot.

---Matthieu

To use pictures in a menu bar, create a 16x16 pic, then use the syntax:

Toolbar:Title picname,lbl:Endtbar

Oh My... some of the ideas that have been posted here are absolutely absurd! There are several suggestions for some program like Mathematica on a calculator... Ummm... Well, that'd be great but I think there's a reason that Mathematica costs so much - they have to pay so many PhD's to implement, and even devise, algorithms to solve such complicated problems. Improved, faster math routines? Gee... I bet even the parser for simple arithmetic equations is quite a behemoth of C code. Faster, better BASIC support? An interpreted programming language can only run so fast on a 10mhz m68k CPU... and writing such an interpreter is probably yet another very complicated and arduous task.

I really don't think that a project like this will be able to exceed the capabilities of TI-OS. I think the OS should concentrate on such things as 3d capabilities, GUI... as far as math is concerned thet 89 is really quite good and it would take a probably unbelievable amount of time to even approach what the default operating system is capable of...

Thanks for reading my rant,
-orulz

Finally, someone who agrees with me. I think the TI-OS is wonderful as it is. Doors and Te-OS both enhance the capabilities of the original OS, but they could never replace it. Yes, I think libraries are annoying, too; but they're needed just as .dll files are needed for Windows. Just imagine if a Rom were made with all the required libraries already coded into the OS, the program would be freaking huge. There would be no room for all the games that people want. I suggest we
all stick to the original Rom 1.0 and use Maple at home when needed.

i agree why not look at this the reverse way why not just take a good gaming console and make it a calculator if all people want are games because i personally dought that we could get the math stuff as good as tios although with a try id be willing to take a look.......why not get someone to make a gameboy color "game" that has a keypad that plugs in and that does calculator operations?!?!?!

yeh you do that -- good luck using it on your next calc test

Ok, I would say take a look at linux! but there is point there... if ti really makes another HW version, the OS will never be finished in time for it not becoming a problem. But I do believe amazing things can happen, they happened with linux, and given enough time, it would happen. But HW3 would be a major problem indeed because of the time involved.

---
Cd_Slayer

Why wont anyone make a good OS for the TI-83+ some people use them more then any other calc especially 9th and 10th grades. So why dont you guys make one?

m68k is MUCH MUCH easier to program in, if this project is successful, the 83+ will probably be next

Why are we telling them so much of what they should put in? I think that we should all just shut up, let them start w/ what they want to instead of trying to cram it all in there really quickly, and then, when they're done w/ the beta version and ask for ideas, then give them to them. Sometimes when you're programming, it gets a little hard to have to live up to sooooo many expectations.

As an avid user of the TI-89, i was dissapointed to see that I can not play tetris durring boring lectures thanks to me updating. But, for a future OS, I would like to see more algebra/calculus functions as well as some chemistry ones built in. Also, wouldnt a Intel Processor can be implemented? Like a modified chip at 66MHz? A little more speed for certain calculations can be appreciated. Also, for a new calc, I'd like to see rubber keys like HP 49G. I would also like Infrared port as well as data link. (Possibly USB) Also a small speaker (this is becoming a game boy now isnt it.) maybe a color screen. (active matrix like laptops??????) um, if not, have a backlit feature, and make the keys clear, like cell phones so when the back lit is on, you can see the keys!!!! maybe this can be implemented on a new TI-9x series. I would buy something like that for my desk, rather than school. and keep the ti-89 for its portabibilty, while a portable mathicmatica super calc (mini comp) is useful as well. any thoughts on that?

I think the gameboy needs a number-pad and some math features :-P

Gee, if you make any more suggestions, you might as well build your own calc,buddy. And send me one too.

--R

yeah, and don't forget the 65kW/hr genpack, no extra charge!

**comment 250. Damn I'm proud**