Re: ANN: Web Browser for 8 bit Apple //

[julian814@hotmail.com (Ralph Glatt)]

chris@CosmicWolf.com (Chris Morse) wrote in message news:<3cacfc17.417335256@news-east.newscene.com>...
> On 4 Apr 2002 16:43:02 -0800, julian814@hotmail.com (Ralph Glatt)
> wrote:
> 
> >chris@CosmicWolf.com (Chris Morse) wrote in message news:<3cac049b.353978874@news-east.newscene.com>...
> >> 
> >> <big snip>
> 
> >> 
> >> Is anyone else working on this?
> >
> >As far as I know, no one. I was afraid I'd have to do this myself, but
> >if someone with more experience in programming is willing to take on
> >the burden, I won't mind. ;-)
> 
> So you're willing?? =) I wouldn't mind working with a few other
> people.  I'll send off some e-mail after I post this.

Sure, I'll help as much as I can. I have a couple of books on
programming in machine language, though I really don't know all that
much yet. Today I got email from someone else willing to lend a hand.

> 
> >> 
> >> I've wanted to do something like this for a while; ever since
> >> I saw the web page for a *really* small TCP/IP implementation
> >> done by someone at UMass..  Not sophisticated, but the entire
> >> implementation was on the order of 256 or 512 bytes of code.
> >> Unfortunately, the creator was not sharing those magic numbers.
> >
> >Well, we'll have to work with what's available. I'll help out where I
> >can, but I'm afraid I'm new to working in assembler. My joke pretty
> >much outlines what I'd like to see, but I'm not sure we can fit all
> >that on a double sided 5.25" floppy. I know where there's some
> >software that can convert gifs into something viewable on a //e, I'll
> >see if we can get permission to use it. Might not help much, though,
> >since most websites use jpgs, jpeg, or better. Keep posting here on
> >your progress, please!! If you want to contact me, use the email
> >address rbg at penn dot com.
> >
> >Ralph Glatt
> 
> As I said before, I read the documentation (not the source code yet)
> for uIP; it looks quite promising.  I just downloaded and installed
> the cc65 compiler and I'm playing around with that.  
> 
> Here's my thoughts on uIP & the Apple //e (or //c, //c+) right now:
> 
> (1) uIP supports SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol), but it does not
> support PPP.  PPP would be required for probably 99% of all of todays
> standard dialup service providers; we would have to implement it
> ourselves as a device driver beneath uIP.

Ew, I was afraid of that. :-(

> 
> (2) uIP requires only 4 functions to be implemented on the target
> machine; these are relatively trivial routines for doing calculations
> and need to be implemented for speed/performance reasons.
> 
> (3) uIP is ultimately "driven" through a periodic timer.  This timer
> would basically be an interrupt/IRQ that fires *at least* once a
> second. (The docs weren't clear on that; the source code for
> uip_periodic() might reveal more.)  Anyhow, I assume that extra
> hardware will be required in order to pull it off.  When I owned my
> Apple //e back in the 80's, I had purchased a card called the
> "TimeMaster II/HO".  It would generate, if I remember, 24 interrupts a
> second.  What else can generate timed interrupts?  I'll have to
> research this, but maybe a mouse card and maybe a super serial card (I
> don't know how, but I seem to recall reading something to that effect
> in the last week or so.)

How about a mouse card? I seem to recall owning some software that
allows multitasking on the 8 bits, using some sort of periodic check
to the mouse card as a way to allow the machine to run more than one
program simultaneously. If you want, I can dig it out and mail it to
you.

> 
> (4) The original //c had serial problems.  I might have that kind of
>     //c sitting in my office at work.  I found that out here: 
> 
>   http://www.intrec.com/proterm-a2/a2_tips_tricks/a2_iic_telecom.txt

If it is, I'll check my spares in the basement, see if we can work out
a trade if this is the case.

> 
> (5) I'll need some time to get back up to speed on all this!  That,
> plus I am still collecting all the resources I can find on programming
> the Apple //.  ROM routines, Peeks & Pokes..  Just last night I got my
> joystick control functions working.

This is all new to me! I'm willing to dig in and help out, though.

> 
> Lastly, I started a web page for Apple // programming; not much there
> right now, but as time goes on I will add to it.  Tonight I will add a
> link to a message forum that can be used for talking about
> programming, uIP and the like.
> 
> Here's my URL:  http://www.cosmicwolf.com/AppleII/AppleII.htm

Thanks, I'll check it out. Keep everyone updated on your progress; we
could use some good news!!


Ralph Glatt