IBM + EMULATOR = SPECTRUM?
(C) HAMMER
Hi everyone!
Recently my IBM-compatible friends one and all
killed a nose and began to poke at me a floppy,
a gnarled hand was written: "Spectrum emulator.
I was wondering what it is. His friend (former spektrumista) I
started this thing ...
Before you appears on the screen menu PENTAGON 128. First,
that catches the eye is the elongation of the screen
vertically. As it turned out, the emulator uses EGA graphics,
due to which the image gets a strange look. The second - a
black border, it does not change with all the ensuing
consequences. Very I was pleased with built-in debugger, which
you can enter at any time by pressing the "ESCAPE". It is a
whole bunch, including the installation delay for the
implementation of programs and interrupts. But in multicolor
count is not necessary, because even themselves Spectrum Signal
INT is different. Can only be in MEGASCREENe anything so can
using the "+" and "-" but I'm so debilizmom not do it.
In the description of the emulator, I read that the speed of
the program coincides with the real, up to 10-15%.
Now about the music. During installation, the program asks
the musical map, if any, work muzykalki, such as emulated
without any problems. Unfortunately I was unable to verify as
we only had covox. The truth was still sound emulator cards
under covox, but he refused to work.
Proceed to the disk interface. Oddly, but turbo-loaders are
working there. I waited for another surprise. All familiar
Monster Commander and Jemmini Commander to change diskettes you
refuse, as well as a number of bootov.
A very long time, I laughed when launched INSULT MEGADEMO. If
You remember, there appears a boy with a bag of dollars, under
which is a scroll, and yet, simultaneously, to read the disc.
Well Now, scroll it goes, but the drive behaves as though dead.
My friend urged me to wait a little longer, suddenly something
loaded, but I'm a firm hand, pressed F6 - reset the controller
...
Another type of program storage - virtual tape. Since c
normal tape there's nothing to download, then the creators came
up with the virtual - a program stored on the screw. By the
way, you know how there about the buttons Magic? This is F10, I
first clicked on the error - work.
Left ports. Well, there are realized ports muzykalki,
which I have already spoken, and the port Kempston joystick
under IBMovsky analog stick. You can even set the so-called
non-existent ports, which works only team IN. So that about any
CDOS or modem can not even dream of.
The emulator in general strongly depends on its proper
installation and startup. Had to suffer badly as we have
removed all brakes, such as interruption of a frequency of 5
times per second or erroneous loading from disk.
Forget about the execution until the emulator and talk about
programs that work correctly in this environment. Those turned
out to be about 50-70%. Almost all programs that use when
accessing disc is not # 3D13, if and Georgia, with large
glitches. So had to settle for a relatively old applications.
All spit-covered IS-DOS works fine, at first I doubted Does it
start at all. Battle Command worked a little slowly, but
tolerable, Elite II reset during boot. Can continue
indefinitely on a list of incompatible programs, because almost
the "nove". ON-LINE I also could not read.
Among the shortcomings are and dignity. As I said earlier, a
powerful debugger, much like the IBM-ovsky Turbo Debugger,
allows you to break, build upon, change almost everything.
Since the duration of command execution processor, to the
frequency of interruptions. Convenient dumping was made:
besides the usual reset-a, provided More reset floppy drive
controller.
After reading this article quite rightly might ask: "Who
needs all this necessary?". Of course for a spektrumista This
article is a few interesting things. I wrote it all for those
someone at home is IBM-compatible machine. If you too got into
the this emulator, it does not count for much, the most
interesting effects are absent. As I understood from the
description, a lot of mistakes in latest version corrected this
distortion, but some remained the same. You should not berate
Spectrum if half of the existing programs do not work in the
emulator, for this must scold creators of the emulator! It is
said that soon a new version, "in which will all !!!". I do not
think it will go beyond their predecessors, as full emulation,
even in principle, not maybe ...
Always your Hammer.
ZXNet 095:5610129.5629769.9797914
