ftp.whtech.com/ftp.whtech.com.tar/ftp.whtech.com/articles/reviews/APRIL98.TXT

Text File | 2006-10-19 | 13KB | 185 lines

Microreview for April 1998 Micropendium

by Charles Good

RXB v1005B by Richard Gilbertson

Rich sent this to me on disk recently with a note that said ôReview this.  Give it away!ö.  I have reviewed
RXB at least twice before, but the product keeps getting better.  Think what we would have paid for such a
product just a few years ago.    I remember when XB3 was advertised (but never actually made available)
by Asgard for about $70.  I remember paying $100 for my first XB module in 1983.  RXB is completely
compatible with TI XB and offers many additional useful features.

As you probably     know RXB is a set of gram files designed to replace the TI extended basic and
editor/assembler modules.  To use RXB you need a gram device such as a gram kracker, or a Geneve, or
PC99.  I suspect that the largest market for RXB will be users of PC99 because the number of PC99
users has been increasing significantly in recent years.

An obvious change from previous versions can be seen in the RXB startup screen.  When you turn on your
computer RXB takes over immediately, bypassing the TI color bar title screen.  You get your choice of
several options and you have to act fast or RXB will start searching all your drives for a file called LOAD.
If you press a number or letter key RXB will immediately go to that drive and load LOAD.  If you press
the space bar RXB will default to extended basic command mode.  If you press <enter> RXB will search
your drives for an EA5 file called UTIL1.  You can optionally tell RXB which drive contains this file.  If
you press <period> RXB will shift to editor/assembler mode.  This is similar to the TI editor assembler
module but with added features.  For example, you can V(iew) a DV80 text file without loading an editor/
assembler editor.  The feature that is new to the RXB startup screen is BATCH.  If you press <comma>
RXB will look for a DV80 file named BATCH and execute this file.  RXB lets you create a text file and
then ôrunö this text file just as if you were typing the text into the extended basic editor in command
mode.

The next obvious change from previous versions of RXB can be seen in its LOAD program.  Just put the
RXB disk in drive 1, start your computer, and a great menu of RXB features is displayed on screen.  You
can read all the various RXB docs from this menu.  You can run a really fantastic BATCH file that shows
off most of RXBÆs features.  You can run a little program that gives you back your TI title screen.  And,
you can run the LOADERS program.  This program creates a menu of all runable files on a disk and saves
this menu back to the disk as LOAD.  This custom LOAD program then can be used to boot all files on the
disk.  The files can by long or short extended basic programs or any kind of runable assembly language
programs.

With RXB you can switch back and forth between extended basic and editor/assembler mode without
restarting the computer.  You can also, from RXB basic, go to TI Basic without restarting the computer.
Just type CALL BASIC or DELETE BASIC  in command mode to do this.   The only thing this TI Basic
lacks  is editor/assembler assembly language support.

A very useful feature added to RXX 1005B is a new call key routine.  The format is CALL KEY(ôö,0,K,S).
If your CALL KEY statement looks like that then any keypress will continue your program.  If your code
looks like this; CALL KEY(ôyYnNö,0,K,S) then only the  upper or lower case y and n keys will be
accepted as input.  This is great for responses that need a yes/no answer.  You can also use this format;
CALL KEY(CHR$(13),0,K,S) which will expect you to press only the <enter> key.  These formats let
you get rid of a lot of the code that usually follows CALL KEY statements.  No more IF K=__THEN 200
ELSE IF K=__ THEN 300 ELSE IF......... .

I really like using RXB on my PC as PC99Æs default extended basic.  When I start PC99 then RXB starts
immediately and starts searching my PC99 ôdrivesö for LOAD.  I donÆt have to ôPress any key to
continueö and then ôPress 2 for extended basicö. Only RXB can do this on PC99.   I have Funnelweb more
or less permanently installed on my last PC99 ôdriveö and RXB will automatically and quickly. go through
all the drives until it finds LOAD on my last drive.  By sector editing the RXB6 grom file to immediately
look for DSK4.LOAD I can speed this process of always automatically starting Funnelweb every time I
run PC99.

RXB comes on two TI DSSD disks.  Send me $2 and I will mail them to you.  Your money pays for the
disks and postage.  I can also email RXB (for free) in PC99  or TI Files format.  I cannot email it in V9T9
format.
....................
PC99 Stage 5 by CaDD Electronics and Mike Wright

It is hard to say enough good things about this 99/4A on a PC emulator.  I have twice reviewed earlier
versions.  By the time you read this stage 5 will be available.  The upgrade cost to registered owners will
be about $10.  New users have to pay either $47 or (I think) $95 depending on which version you
purchase.  If you are not an assembly programmer then the $47 version should be all you need.

The new version adds emulations of the Myarc 512k memory expansion card, a 1 meg AMS card, the
Super Space II module, a clock card, and the OPA ôson of a boardö operating system.   Even in todays
depressed market any one of these devices for a real 99/4A system would cost you at least $50.  With
PC99 you can the equivalent of a very fancy expanded 99/4A system running at better than TI speed on
your desktop or laptop PC, as long as your PC is at least a 486x66.   If you have a PC you really should
have PC99 on it   Then you can run all your favorite 40 column 99/4A software on your ômodernö
computer at home or at work.

I have my PC99 set up with the Myarc floppy disk controller controlling four DSDD ôfloppy drivesö and
the Myarc ramdisk set up as DSK5.  I have Funnelweb and a bunch of useful utilities installed on the
ramdisk and use the floppy drives as needed for other things.  Using RXBv1005B my PC99 setup goes
directly to Funnelweb as soon as I start PC99.  The Myarc ramdisk can be formatted up to 1600 sectors of
ramdisk, which is how I have mine set up.  Unlike the real Myarc ramdisk, the PC99 emulated ramdisk
keeps its memory when you shut down PC99 and turn off your computer.  In fact, if you use PC99Æs
configure program to remove the Myarc ramdisk from your emulation (which you have to do if you want
to use the AMS card) and then later add the Myarc ramdisk back in, the software you had on the Myarc
ramdisk will still be there.    You can also configure the Myarc memory card to use Myarc extended basic,
if you already have it.  The docs for this version of extended basic are included with PC99 stage 5.  Myarc
XB is extra fast, but buggy, and will not run normal XB programs with imbedded assembly code or with
assembly CALL LOADs.  You are supposed to be able to use the Myarc memory expansion card as a print
spooler, but this never worked properly on a real Myarc card and thus doesnÆt work on PC99Æs emulation.
Memory in the Myarc card can be bank switched under assembly software control.  Using the new PC99
debugger it is possible to examine and alter the contents of each bank of Myarc card memory.

You can not use the Myarc and AMS cards at the same time, since they both include the normal 32K
memory expansion.  Software you put into an emulated AMS cardÆs memory is not retained when you shut
down PC99.  Very few people have a real 1 meg AMS card because of  the expense of purchasing the card.
Soon every PC99 owner will own such a ôcardö and this may stimulate a market for AMS specific
software.  I have earlier reviewed some of the available software.

The clock card is not a direct emulation of any real 99/4A hardware, but it is compatible with real
CorComp  clock cards.  The emulated clock card recognizes the PCÆs date and maybe also the time.  You
can, from basic, alter the time and date of the emulated clock card without changing the PCÆs clock.
When I run the appointment calendar program REMIND ME under PC99 the correct date is recognized
from the emulated clock card so that REMIND ME opens with the correct day of the month indicated.
REMIND ME does not recognize the emulated clock cardÆs time of day, but this is not at all important to
the operation of REMIND ME.

Super Space II is emulated and can be set up with the configuration program.  Super Space is a bank
switching system for the cartridge RAM.  Very little software exists for Super Space II.  The only such
software I know of is module dump software that lets you dump a module to disk and then run the module
off of disk IF you have a Super Space cartridge.  This is of little use to PC99 users.  However, Super
Space also lets you run software that requires a ôsupercartö, such as some of the Infocom games that were
converted to 99/4A format.  I recommend that you enable Super Space in your PC99 emulation and leave
it permanently enabled.  This does not interfere with the operation of any module or disk software and if
you install the emulated EA module then you can run supercart software.  Infocom games that required
supercart memory did not run on previous versions of PC99 but do run on PC99 stage 5.

The SOB (son of a board) operating system is really nice, although RXB completely bypasses all its nice
features.  You start with a slightly modified color bar screen and when you press the ôany keyö to continue
you get a screen that displays the modules you have on line.  Using TIÆs  ôreview module libraryö system it
is possible to have several modules available in a series of menus.  The SOB screen shows all of these in
one menu.  The SOB screen also allows you to bring up a directory of all your drives and run any EA5
software from this menu.   I can get a directory of any of my four ôfloppy drivesö as well as my Myarc
ramdisk ôdriveö.

A nice feature that was supposed to work in previous versions but didnÆt work well is the overlay file.  This
is the equivalent of the little hint strip you place above your 99/4A number keys.  Several overlay files
come with PC99 and you can make your own with a text editor.  You can configure PC99 to display the
overlay file of your choice to the right of the ôTIö screen.  I made a combined TI Writer/Basic overlay file
for myself which I find very helpful.

On a regular CRT monitor PC99Æs TI screen display is somewhat distorted, looking too tall and not wide
enough.  This distortion is not noticeable on the more rectangular screen of laptops.  New to stage 5 is the
ability to display a more realistically proportioned TI screen, more like a real TI on a real TI 10 inch
monitor.

At the top of my wish list for additional PC99 features is 80 column TI compatibility so that I can run 80
column Funnelweb.  This may happen in the future, although Mike Wright makes no promises.  In the
configuration program that comes with you are given the options to ôchange CPU typeö and  ôchange VDP
typeö.  Your options for CPUs are 9900 and 9995.  For VDP you can choose 9918A, 9938, and 9958.
These  ôchangesö have no effect in stage 5.  However, in the future we may have the option of a 9995 CPU
(line the Geneve) and an 80 column display using the 9938 or 9958 VDP.  I donÆt care about the 9995  or
Geneve emulation, but it would be a big advance to be able to run existing TI 80 column software using an
emulated 9938 or 9958 VDP.

PC99 stage 5 is commercial software available only from CaDD Electronics.
........................
Download File Converter by Bruce Harrison

This will take any DF128 text file downloaded from a network, correctly word wrap the text, and put the
text into a DV80 file readable by any TI word processor.  The software is in assembly language and works
quickly.  As the DF128  file is read in you can see it being processed on screen.  You can also go in the
other direction, converting a DV80 text file into DF128 format.

This cones on a SSSD disk with on disk documentation and an offer of non toll free telephone support.  It
is another of Bruce HarrisonÆs many public domain gifts to the TI community.  Send me $1 and I will mail
you the disk.  I can also email it for free in TI Files or PC99 format.
.............................
Access:

Charles Good (source of RXB and Download File Converter)
P.O. Box 647
Venedocia OH 45894
Phone [phone]
email [e-mail]

CaDD Electronics (source of PC99 stage 5)
45 Centerville Dr.
Salem NH 03979
Phone [phone]
email [e-mail]

Bruce Harrison (author of Download File Converter)
5705 40th Place
Hyattsville MD 20781
Phone [phone]