15 replies to this topic

[jchase1970]

Hi, It's time for a new contest. This one is inspired from how I used the classic 99 emulator when using Harry Wilhems Basic Compiler.

I use a open classic 99 emulator for the basic code. A open emulator for editor assembler. And a open emulator for the loader.

So I have all three instances open and share the same files between the three instances of Classic 99. It is like having 3 TI994/a connected to the same disk drive.

So the challenge for this contest is to see who can be the most creative with file sharing. Use any language you want. Different languages for difference instances if you want. But you must send information thru a file from one instance of Classic 99 to at least one other instance of Classic 99.

You can use as many instances of Classic 99 as you want as long as it is at least 2.
I dont want to just see a data base either, I'm hoping to see emulated server/ client functions for games or maybe something displayed on one instance based on what happens on the other instance. Maybe a game with graphics in one instance and data in another.


To show you what I mean I have created 2 basic programs, One you input a string and then the other displays it.
Run this one in one Classic 99 window to enter a string.

10 OPEN #1:"DSK1.FILE",UPDATE
20 INPUT "ENTER A STRING:":A$
30 PRINT #1:A$
40 CLOSE #1
50 GOTO 10

Run this in another Classic 99 window to display what you entered in the other one.

10 OPEN #1:"DSK1.FILE",UPDATE
20 INPUT #1:A$
30 PRINT A$
40 CLOSE #1
50 GOTO 10

Good luck and think outside the BOX on this one.
John

[ti99userclub]

Nice ...

[sometimes99er]

jchase1970, on Thu Jan 5, 2012 4:31 PM, said:

Hi, It's time for a new contest. This one is inspired from how I used the classic 99 emulator when using Harry Wilhems Basic Compiler.

I use a open classic 99 emulator for the basic code. A open emulator for editor assembler. And a open emulator for the loader.

So I have all three instances open and share the same files between the three instances of Classic 99. It is like having 3 TI994/a connected to the same disk drive.

Hehe, I was going to get around to a few tips and tricks on my use on Wilhelm's Compiler. I use 2 instances of Classic99. One XB and one EA. The coding is done in a notepad thing. There's a bit of swapping between Overdrive and not, so I see the point about 3 instances, and maybe even 4. One for entering code and saving it in merge format. One for the compiler and later linker. One for the assembler. And finally one for testing - being the only one not at Overdrive.

I haven't looked into it, but if one can manipulate like DSK1 to point to a fileserver or a file on the internet, then there might be some nice multiplayer game possibilities. - Tursi ?

Edited by sometimes99er, Fri Jan 6, 2012 1:49 AM.

[retroclouds]

hehe, maybe Tursi should add "tabs" to classic99, each tab running a TI-99/4A session...

[jchase1970]

Since this is an emulator only challenge fill free to make the game work in overdrive. Which FYI will let you get 20+fps in basic w/file reading or writing, making it possible to to have action games that run on multiple screens.

[sometimes99er]

jchase1970, on Fri Jan 6, 2012 9:15 AM, said:

Since this is an emulator only challenge fill free to make the game work in overdrive. Which FYI will let you get 20+fps in basic w/file reading or writing, making it possible to to have action games that run on multiple screens.

Hmm ... First of all it didn't have to be a game necessarily ? Secondly, I guess Overdrive will leave different speed results on different machines - some of which may not add much extra speed at all ?

[jchase1970]

It doesnt have to be a game, looking for creativeness.
I was under the impression CPU OVERDRIVE is same on all machines but SYSTEM MAXIMUM is different. I may be wrong.

[Tursi]

sometimes99er, on Fri Jan 6, 2012 1:48 AM, said:

I haven't looked into it, but if one can manipulate like DSK1 to point to a fileserver or a file on the internet, then there might be some nice multiplayer game possibilities. - Tursi ?

I was just thinking that as I read this thread, hehe. Hmm. I know Windows has a built-in driver to redirect file access to the web, but I'm not sure which API you have to use to take advantage of it (or if "I know" incorrectly, which is possible ). I have been meaning to set up some TI services that Classic99 can access (remember the "app store" idea, I still do!), just haven't got to it yet.

I sort of like Retro's tab idea, too.. but I've no idea how hard that would be to implement. Probably impractical unless I were to cheat and launch multiple copies of the program in the background, and just have them share a window frame .

A quick search shows there are several options, like WebDAV, NetDrive, etc, which map internet drives to Windows. Hell, I guess I could even install SAMBA on my webserver and you could mount that. But.. there are a number of security issues to deal with that.

Perhaps as an experiment in the next release, though, I could put together a little custom service... that would let me limit the users to Classic99 users as well as let me more easily control the usage of it, to mimimize abuse. But then if it's limited to Classic99, it makes me wonder if there's enough demand to be worth it? (I suppose playing some multiplayer games, even through an emulator, might be worth the novelty... )

[Willsy]

If classic99 could be re-targeted as an ActiveX DLL then you could get the tabbed interface with very little effort - in fact anyone could write a GUI for classic99 as an ActiveX container, they could even implement their own debugger user interface - they just need to provide event sinks for the events that classic99.dll raises. At that point, classic99 becomes a customizable 4a emulation toolkit. Very configurable. A lot of work to re-factor it though! As an ActiveX DLL it could even be hosted in a browser (a Microsoft browser, that is)

[Tursi]

Have you ever written an ActiveX DLL, Mark? They are a bit of a step away from very little effort. (I have written them). And ActiveX doesn't give you many of the features you list there for free, I still have to provide all the interfaces!

Before I went to that level of work I'd rewrite it in .NET, honestly. The only reason I haven't already started that was someone else had. I haven't heard the progress for a while, though.

[Willsy]

Only very simple ones, and they were a pain. Sorry, when I said 'with very little effort' I meant from the point if view of the consumer of the ActiveX object, not it's author. I fully agree it would be a nightmare to convert it to an object based, event based design.

Keep your eye on .net - word is Microsoft is dumping it.

[rocky007]

a very easy way to share online TI99 files is to use a cloud program like DropBox.

[Tursi]

Willsy, on Sat Jan 7, 2012 4:29 PM, said:

Keep your eye on .net - word is Microsoft is dumping it.

Got a reference for that? It seems pretty unlikely. Microsoft historically is very slow to remove backwards compatibility with things, and a LOT of applications use .NET (including most of theirs.)

[Tursi]

Well, didn't take much of a search to find lots of posts about dropping .NET.

It looks like all the uproar came from a 10 minute presentation of Windows 8... that is a bit of a jump to assume all plans, yeah. The way I read it is that it willl support applications in HTML5/Java, not that it is all that will work.

[RXB]

The trend for the OS industry is to push for universal apps and universal standards. Though .NET is a great idea it is still mostly a Windows only idea.

Most people do not seem to remember that most of the world outside the USA use Unix, Linux, Chrome or Android today.

http://www.linuxinsi...tory/31855.html

[Willsy]

Yeah. The fear seems to be that MS are pushing development of new (Win8) applications using Javascript and HTML and are putting less emphasis on .net.

http://www.theregist..._for_windows_8/