January 2017 - vcf-midatlantic

Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Perhaps I asked the wrong question...
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 19 Jan '17

19 Jan '17

william degnan via vcf-midatlantic writes: > BASIC is the universal language for >demos in a museum setting when you're just showing something that you >can execute in real time. ROTFLMAO!

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Web site calendar(s)
by Evan Koblentz 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

Jeff B. smacked me over the head with a pool noodle a few dozen times until I got around to putting calendar(s) on the VCFed web site. :) The main (Federation-wide) calendar is easy to find: go to www.vcfed.org and click where it says calendar on the top navigation bar. There's also a Mid-Atlantic chapter calendar which you can reach by mousing over to Groups - Mid-Atlantic - Calendar. ________________________________ Evan Koblentz, director Vintage Computer Federation a 501(c)3 educational non-profit evan(a)vcfed.org (646) 546-9999 www.vcfed.org facebook.com/vcfederation twitter.com/vcfederation

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Lego LOGO hack
by Dan Roganti 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 11:19 PM, Dan Roganti <ragooman(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 11:07 PM, Dean Notarnicola <dnotarnicola(a)gmail.com > > wrote: > >> Dan, >> The .do disk is the main Logo environment, used to write and run Logo >> programs. This is what would need to be patched and therein is the rub. As >> we both discovered, ciderpress will not read the .do file because it is a >> custom format. I'm starting to suspect that it was developed with some sort >> of intermediate system similar to p-system. >> >> > ok, so there's another *.do disk image out there. > cause Ciderpress says it can read *.do images > so I thought it was still a Apple disk image > I just tried 2 more mirror sites for asimov.net like this one without any > luck > ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/programming/logo/ > > On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 11:22 PM, Dean Notarnicola <dnotarnicola(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I tried a couple of different versions myself, and I had someone create a > .do from an original disk. Despite the fact that it is a .do image (merely > a container file), the disk itself is a non-standard format that ciderpress > sees as corrupt :-( > > <ftp://ftp.apple.asimov.net/pub/apple_II/images/programming/logo/> >> > On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 11:46 PM, Dan Roganti <ragooman(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I just tried reading this with AppleCommander, and it couldn't open that > either > but it mentions one of the possible reasons is the *.do image could be a > protected disk > Is there another Viewer or Reader for Protected disks ? > Dan > > On Tue, Jan 17, 2017 at 11:50 PM, Dean Notarnicola <dnotarnicola(a)gmail.com> wrote: > I considered that, but I am able to boot the .do file into an A][ > emulator, so I would think that this would indicate the absence of copy > protection. > > oh man, I didn't even try to load it yet into the emulator I just tried it on AppleWin and it loads fine !! I used each ][+, ][e and Enhanced ][e LinApple is supposed to be a port of AppleWin, so it should work there too I get the splash screen and then pressed enter to get to the main screen So it must be a Protected disk, right ? But I think I forgot how to load Dos into the original ][ mode After it boots up into the Monitor, I switch to Basic, and at the prompt, I tried PR#6 at the Basic prompt, but I get a "Error #6" So the Dos didn't load, it's the same Master.dsk used for ][+, ][e, etc But which emulator did you use again ? Dan

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Assembler, continued
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

William Dudley via vcf-midatlantic writes: >IMHO, the difficult bit with assembly language is that you have to keep >track of all the "book keeping" needed by your algorithm. If you need >10 variables, and array of 100 integers, and pointers to subroutines, >then you have to keep track of all this stuff yourself. This means that >you have to start planning on paper long before you write your first >opcode. Of course, it also means that you have to be familiar with the >machine architecture, how many registers it has, how much stack, etc, so >that you can figure out WHERE you are going to store all the stuff you >need. First, that's one of the reasons that assemblers accept human assigned names for routines and fixed data location -- so you don't have to keep track of a routine or data pointer. Local data? Carve up the stack. Arrays? Machines with indexing make this much simpler that those without. If you really want a challenge, try writting assembly on a machine that doesn't possess branch instructions and executes multiple operations at one time! ;)

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Washington, D.C.
by Cayea, Daniel 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

If anyone is going to be around the D.C. area over the next couple of days for whatever reason and would like to meet over coffee, feel free to e-mail me at dcayea(a)lyonmountain.com

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Washington, D.C.
by Alexander 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

Depending on the time, I will probably be free on one of those days for something. I'm near Tyson's more or less. -Alexander 'Z' Pierson Sent from my pocket telephone. "J. Alexander Jacocks via vcf-midatlantic" <vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: >I'm also in the DC area, and will be in Tyson's Corner, tomorrow, and could >probably meet. > >- Alex > >On Wed, Jan 18, 2017 at 12:51 PM, Ethan via vcf-midatlantic < >vcf-midatlantic(a)lists.vintagecomputerfederation.org> wrote: > >> If anyone is going to be around the D.C. area over the next couple of days >>> for whatever reason and would like to meet over coffee, feel free to >>> e-mail >>> me at dcayea(a)lyonmountain.com >>> >> >> I'm in Northern VA. I know there is a few others on here (though haven't >> met them face to face.) Are you in the city or suburbs? Any NoVA people >> want to meet up in the evening Thur/Fri ? >> >> - Ethan O >> >> >>

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For all you Amazon Shoppers...
by Joseph Oprysko 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

Amazon has philanthropy program (where they donate money to NPO's). If you do your shopping at smile.amazon.com and select Vintage Computer Federation, you can have Amazon donate 0.5% of qualifying purchases to provide money to our favorite charity, and support our hobby at the same time. This has been a public service announcement. -- Normal Person: Hey, it seems that you know a lot. Geek: To be honest, it's due to all the surfing I do. Normal Person: So you go surfing? Normal Person: But I don't think that has anything to do with knowing a lot... Geek: I think that's wrong on a fundamental level. Normal Person: Huh? Huh? What?

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Assembler, continued
by VAXman＠tmesis.org 18 Jan '17

18 Jan '17

Evan Koblentz via vcf-midatlantic writes: >> I decided to try to cookbook series. Getting it now... > >Page 19: "So many assembler books and courses omit this essential first >step! An assembler is simply too powerful a tool to start off with. You >must first know what op codes are and how they are used. You must >thoroughly understand addressing modes and the different ways you show >which addressing mode is in use." You should have attend my assembly lecture first VCF University. Your loss.

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Perhaps I asked th e wrong question...
by Kenneth Seefried 17 Jan '17

17 Jan '17

From: Evan Koblentz <evan(a)snarc.net> > Was it normal to go from BASIC directly to assembly (is BASIC enough preparation), > or were people better off getting some in-between experience with a language such > as Pascal or something else? > As with most things, that depends. One runs into the limits of BASIC pretty quickly. In the world I was in back in those days (mostly 808x/Z-80/TRS-80/CP/M), people seemed to pretty quickly bifurcate from BASIC to either assembly or (usually Turbo) Pascal. I was in the later category, FWIW. Other than figuring out Z-80 asm well enough to cobble together custom CP/M BDOS and other components, I lived in Turbo Pascal. But then, it was dirt cheap. If it was more expensive (see: Pascal/MT), I might have been on a different path. KJ

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Re: [vcf-midatlantic] Perhaps I asked the wrong question...
by Mike Willegal 17 Jan '17

17 Jan '17

I recommend reading MOS's original 6500 series programming manual. It's done in the form of a very well written tutorial. http://archive.6502.org/datasheets/synertek_programming_manual.pdf regards, Mike Willegal

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