Re: A86: Ti-86 Demo Program
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Re: A86: Ti-86 Demo Program
Jeff Tyrrill wrote:
>
> The ON key triggers an interrupt, and is a different port than the other
> keys. They probably didn't block the ON key so there was a way of stopping
> the demo.
> ________________
>
> Jeff Tyrrill
> http://tyrrill-ticalc.home.ml.org/
> http://ti-files.home.ml.org/
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org On Behalf Of TGaArdvark@aol.com
> Sent: Saturday, August 30, 1997 11:51 PM
> To: assembly-86@lists.ticalc.org; CALC-TI@lists.ppp.ti.com
> Subject: Re: A86: Ti-86 Demo Program
>
> > What is the demo program about?
>
> TI wrote a demonstration program in assembly for the 86 and put it on
> calculators that were intended to become display units. When you turn
> on a calculator with the program installed, you get something like this:
>
> Texas Instruments
> TI-86 (I have no idea what's centered,
> this isn't a mono-spaced font)
> 1. Start demo
> 2. Skip demo
>
> Pressing [1] will bring up another menu listing 7 features and "8. all".
> Pressing [2] will return you to the OS.
>
> When you choose a feature (or all), the program loads a TSR (interrupt),
> turns off the keyboard port, and returns to the OS. Once in the OS, the
> interrupt program will write to the keyboard scancode address, "fooling"
> the OS into thinking specific keys are being pressed. The entire demo
> is about 5 minutes long and is very interesting. I learned some stuff.
>
> An interesting thing about the demo program: when it's installed, the cal-
> culator will not let you delete or reset (in order to preserve the demo).
> The only way to get rid of it would be another backup, the self test, an
> asm program, removal of all batteries for a while, or a large hammer (the
> latter may cause undesired oeration, or maybe no operation at all).
>
> Another interesting thing about the demo program: right after choosing
> option #1 (start demo), all assembly programs other than the demo prog
> are deleted.
>
> A third interesting thing about the demo program: pressing [ON] while the
> calculator is doing something (demonstrating the solver or the graph or
> something) will still get you "Error ?? Break" and return you to the home
> screen.
>
> A fourth interesting thing about the demo program: I HAVE IT and will send
> it to anyone who e-mails me _PERSONALLY_ (not to a list). Because I still
> haven't figured out how to send backups from the calculator to the computer
> (it does not appear to be supported by the graphlink beta software), it's
> in
> a
> group file and must be installed. Send the group to your calculator and run
> the assemby programs with the "asm(" command. Then turn your calculator
> off and on again. The demo will automatically load. Contrary to a post a
> while
> ago, I was the one to get the program and am the original source of any
> internet copies.
>
> Please write to me _PERSONALLY_ for more information or a copy.
this is an awesome demo...wish i had the source(ANYONE LISTENING AT
TI????)..the ON key interrupts the program for a second...but the demo
keeps on going...well for me at least and the only way for me to kill
the demo was to take a battery out(it protected itself from the self
test!)
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