Norman Dunbar has started an ambitious project where he intends to try to write code to allow Linux to access QDOS disks natively. Norman prefers to run QPC2 under Linux with the WINE system.

Further details of progress with this system are on Norman’s website, and here I quote from the text on his website:

“I quite like Linux, I certainly prefer it to Windows that's for sure. To this end and especially after Windows ate my Linux root partition just after Christmas 2007, I decided that my Laptop would be totally Linux - and so it is. Unfortunately, the one program I do use under Windows, QPC, cannot run under Linux/Wine properly yet. In addition, when it does run enough for me to use it, it cannot access QDOS floppy discs natively. Under Windows it uses direct sector access (I'm told this by Marcel) which is not going to happen under Linux. So, in a fit of madness one day, I decided to read a lot and see if I could figure out exactly how to make a QDOS Floppy disc system run natively on Linux. It will be read only to start with but you never know. “

Norman Dunbar has been busy updating his website http://qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk and has added a forum for discussion of all things QL, QDOS, SMSQ and so on. There's even an off topic area. At present, it is using over half of his allocated quota of disc, so it may not remain - it all depends. Norman says he can probably update his hosting account to get more space if need be.

You can get to the forum from the web page above which has a link, or you can go direct via this link http://www.qdosmsq.dunbar-it.co.uk/forum

Guests can only read existing postings so if you want to join in, please register and get discussing!

The Forum area has an initial set of topics starting with Assembler, Emulators, SuperBASIC and “Off Topic” (the latter for anything except religion, politics and possibly sport which Norman may veto!). There is also a Suggestion Box facility for new topics, so if you wish to set up a forum on “microdrives” for example, just register and post the suggestion.

Malcolm Lear has sent me a further revision to his PCB Cad program, some important changes to bring back old QL compatibility. He’s not had a QL for more than 10 years so he’s now started using the QL2K emulator to ensure correct QL operation. It turns out that the GWASS assembler has been sneaking in 68040 instructions, so he’s gone back to using the GST program.

Malcolm says: “It was my fault really. I forgot that something like 300(a1,d1.w) was not possible on a 68000. Everything now looks OK but it does require the full 768K memory expansion (Trump card) to run. There are some file access problems when running on QL2K, but they are all caused by a compatibility problem with the Turbo toolkit function DEVICE_STATUS. It should be OK on a real QL.”

The latest version of Gwasl assembler by George Gwilt is now available from Dilwyn Jones’s website. Gwasl is the Lite version of George’s Gwass assembler, the main difference being that Gwasl is suited for use on 68008 processor systems (i.e. a standard QL and some emulators) whereas the full Gwass assembler is designed to use the additional instructions present on later 680x0 systems. Gwasl is especially valuable for those following Norman Dunbar’s Programming In Assembler series in QL Today magazine.

Changes listed for recent versions include TABs can be used as well as SPACEs and the maximum number of lines and labels is now configurable.

The program and its source code files can be downloaded from: www.dilwyn.uk6.net/asm/index.html

Gwasl assembler seen running with Launchpad.

Extract from Gwasl instructions.

George Gwilt writes:

The SQLUG website cannot now be updated. In order that programs for which I am responsible can be made available I have put some of the latest updates on the site at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/george.gwilt/

Jimmy Montesinos wrote to inform us that his website http://www.jadiam.org has been updated to fix problems experienced by some QL2K users in accessing the site.

He says that he solved the multiple problems by changing a lot of things, but it was not so easy because of a lot of things to manage between internet supplier, hosting services, firewall, networking, software, routing, referencing, moving sites and so on...It also took a lot of time because of his lack of spare time too. He also hopes to completely rebuild the website in a new more attractive design.

The Jadiam.org website is where Jimmy hosts his QL software projects, including the QLay2 and QL2K emulators. To get the latest build 100 update for QL2K, for example, click on the link to get to the QL2K page, then the Downloads link to download the original build 96 files, then the build 98a update and finally the build 100 update. Please remember that QL2K is registerware – just register it free of charge with the author.

http://www.jadiam.org

http://www.jadiam.org/QL/index.php

George Gwilt has released a number of updates to his programs. The first is the Cptr package, which no longer includes the Setw files, as these are now available separately. Setw can now produce – window definitions for S*BASIC, Assembler and C programs.

A screen dump from one of the Cptr examples.

Updates to the Setw package version 7.01 include the ability to add output for assembler as an _asm file, and allows any or all of the output files to be copied to directories chosen by the user. The previous version 6.09 corrects outlines for scaling of information and application windows.

Sample opening screen from Setw.

The Gwass assembler has also been updated. V5.01 now assembles ColdFire processor functions.

Screen dump from Gwass.

The TurboPTR programming utility has also been updated, although the main changes in this verion appears to be documentation. The OVERVIEW and CHANGES text files have been updated. There is a new version of TPTR_EXT partly because the test of PE presence has been altered. The official (and correct ) way to do this is to check first that ptr_gen is there and then that wman exists. George states that the latter test has now been added. George also states that he has now ensured that the S*BASIC programs for TurboPTR no longer need to have the DATA lines defining the window. These lines, of course, have to be somewhere, but they can be added at compile time.

A couple of screen dumps from the TurboPTR programs.

These updates to George’s programs can be downloaded from his website at http://web.ukonline.co.uk/george.gwilt/

At the Italian QL meeting in June this year, Daniele Terdina demonstrated version 2.5 of QemuLator. At the time of writing this, it hasn’t yet been released. Version 2.5 is planned to be Windows Vista compatible and includes the facility to link a virtual drive to a special ZIP archive file containing QL software and configuration details, allowing you to double click on such a file in Windows and QemuLator starts to run the program. This could make it very useful for users who only need a QL emulator to run older game packages, for example. No news yet as to when this version will be released. Keep in touch with Daniele’s work via his website at:

http://www.terdina.net/ql/q-emulator.html

Sadly, the news about the Mac version of QemuLator is not so good. Development of this has stopped because of the huge changes in the Mac operating system.

Psion chess running on QemuLator under Windows.

The Mac version of QemuLator, running QPAC2.

uQLx

Richard Zidlicky’s uQLx emulator website at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Bay/2602/
now states that “Since this provider discontinued free ftp uploads, newest UQLX version is now somewhere at Sourceforge : http://linux-q40.sourceforge.net“. Richard’s other pages such as the QDOS TCP/IP project for uQLx are still at the old address, although the Linux-Q40 site is no longer maintained, use http://linux-q40.sourceforge.net instead. Links to the new download addresses are fortunately still on the old Geocities.com website.

Thierry Godefroy also has a Linux Q40/Q60 page at http://q60linux.dyns.net/

Thierry Godefroy’s main QL site at http://thgodef.nerim.net/smsq/ has now moved to http://morloch.hd.free.fr/smsq/ and also accessible via http://qdos.dyns.net. You can click on the link to enter the site, and the old software download pages are accessible by clicking on the link to “downloading” at the top of the page.

On his site, Thierry states that “As you can see, I cut down this website to a mere skeleton... This is simply because I am unable to maintain it as I did in the past (hundreds of links on dozens of pages are not easy to maintain, especially as hand-written HTML), and also because I'm now no more feeling involved enough in the QL scene.” While it is sad to hear of this, it is also good that despite this Thierry still keeps his excellent QDOS/SMSQ website going.

Thierry Godefroy’s website.

Dilwyn Jones

I’ve just got myself onto both Skype and MSN Messenger. I am not experienced at using it yet (you all know what I’m like with Windoze!) so if anyone wants to contact me to let me practise using the system, please do get in touch when I’m online. Hopefully, I can do conversation, audio and video modes, although this laptop doesn’t have an external headset microphone input so audio quality may be poor, until I get a USB headset.

I use the following names for these services:

• Skype: dilwyn_jones
• MSN: dilwyn.jones@tesco.net

Malcolm Cadman

Picture of Malcolm Cadman

The London QL and Quanta Group web page has been updated.

A lot of new pictures of Quanta Workshops from recent years, have been added, as well as many minor changes.

http://www.mcad.demon.co.uk/lquan.htm

I have also begun a new web page for "Retro Computing", to list hardware, books, etc, that are available. http://www.mcad.demon.co.uk/retro1.htm

The Group is also considering organising a Quanta Workshop in 2009.

Roy Wood has confirmed his intention to close the Q-Branch business in the not too distant future, as the current volume of QL Today comes to an end. On the 20th October, following some discussion about late copies of QL Today magazine, Roy wrote on the ql-users mailing list:

“QBranch does no business other than to deal with this magazine. I had intended to close it last year but I decided to carry it on. I apologise to the readers and the next issue will go much more smoothly. “My intention is to close QBranch forthwith but I will see out this volume of the magazine and sell off the remaining bits of QL stuff I have here.”

George Gwilt

Remarks made at the last QUANTA AGM helped George me to make TurboPTR more user-friendly. The result is now available to download from: http://web.ukonline.co.uk/george.gwilt/