Bob Spelten Jr. has removed the trial limitation for SuQcess 2.05 on his site. This means it’s now effectively free.
SuQcess is based on the Dbas database engine.
Download SuQcess 2.05 from Bob’s website at http://members.upc.nl/b.spelten/ql/suqcess2.html
SuQcess
Marcel Kilgus secured agreement to release the QMake tool from Bernd Reinhardt for free.
QMake is a “make” tool which basically takes a linker file as input, collects all files that make up the executable and assembles any where the source is newer than the relocatable file. You can also add dependencies like “reassemble win1_fu_asm if win1_keys_bar changes”
QMake
Download QMake and PDF manual free of charge from https://www.kilgus.net/smsqe/qmake/
In a previous issue we reported on the fact that DISA3 disassembler had now been freely released, but bemoaned the fact that no manual was available. Now I am happy to be able to report that thanks to Dave Westbury (who provided a scanned copy) and Marcel Kilgus, one is finally available.
Download the PDF file from Marcel’s blog at https://www.kilgus.net/smsqe/disa/
DISA 3 disassembler manual
Frank Dibowski has released a Hexa-Puzzle game called Connect. Pointer driven and running in 16-bit colour modes (so only runs on QPC2 and possibly SMSQmulator), the aim is to move hexagonal cells across the board to combine 4 or more cells with the same faces to get one cell with a new face. The game finishes if the hexagonal cell map is full. You take and set a face with ‘hit’, ‘do’ takes the face back!
Connect Game
Download Connect free of charge from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/games/index.html
Frank has also released updates to three of his existing pointer driven QL games – Puzzel, Same and Sudoku. All three may also be downloaded free of charge from the same page.
I’ve created a new page in the Documents part of my website, dedicated to information about the TCP/IP stack included with emulators such as QPC2, uQLx, SMSQmulator and QemuLator.
Personally, I found it hard to come across the information and examples of how to use the facilities from QL BASIC, so after a frustrating few days when I just couldn’t find the information to get even the most basic example working, I decided to do something about it myself.
The documents include Richard Zidlicky and Jonathan Hudson’s original pages about uQLx (now that Graeme Gregory is pushing ahead with the 2017 update of uQLx for Linux/ARM systems I realised the documentation might be welcome) and the TCP/IP stack originally implemented on uQLx.
I’ve included a document of mine showing how to use the TCP/IP stack from BASIC to download html pages and read email headers, for example. The document includes example BASIC listings.
There are also links to documents and software from Martin Head, including to his IPbasic software package designed to simplify and enhance the use of the networking facilities, plus a glossary of networking terminology.
I hope this helps generate some interest in the use of the facilities the emulator authors worked so hard to bring us, yet so few people seem to have used.
Marcel Kilgus has put together a custom German keyboard version of the Minerva ROM. In the past he has used a patched German version, but since fitting a QL-SD into his QL he’s had to revert to using a “vanilla” version of Minerva where the German keyboard support had to be loaded every time. So in true Marcel style, out comes the source codes, a bit of reassembling and enter the new ROM. Printer translation tables pushed the ROM beyond the possible 48K, so those were dropped, but otherwise a perfectly usable German keyboard Minerva plus a version with QL-SD driver. An alternative to the traditional MGG ROMs for German QL users.
Further information and downloads here: https://www.kilgus.net/2017/03/05/german-minerva-rom/
David Westbury has issued another update to PHGTK, the Photon General Toolkit. He has combined separate parts into one whole.
This version also includes a modest revision to the Photon viewer program, finally allowing conversion and output to PIC files as well as just use as a graphics viewer. V0.20 of Photon now includes an option in the command line to output as a QL PIC file using the Toolkit 2 EX command:
EX Photon,infile$,outfile$;command$
There are various command line options available for viewing JPEGs and QL PIC files and making wallpaper – see the supplied manual.
Photon now supports improved dithering in the colour output for 256 colour files.
Download PHGTK from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/graphics/index.html
Codenamed “White Swan”, version 3.16 of QL/E is now available to download from Urs König’s site at http://sinclairql.net/repository.html#QLE
For those who just need a modern and compact ready to run QL environment (applications, demos, desktops, games, tools, utilities), go ahead and download QL/E. QL/E comes loaded and pre-configured with a good selection of programs including a nicely setup desktop built using QPAC, QTop, Qascade and QDT. QL/E includes the the latest versions of the virtual QL machines (aka emulators) QPC2 and SMSQmulator and the operating system SMSQ/E.
The latest version also supports other SMSQ/E platforms such the MC68040 powered QXL PC ISA card (DOS) and QPC1 (DOS) plus QDOS/Minerva platforms such as the original Sinclair QL with QL-SD, the MIST FPGA based multi platform computer, Q-emuLator (Windows, Mac OS) and uQLx (Linux including the Raspberry Pi).
Screenshot of QL/E v3.16
Urs König writes:
“The ZX8301 is the ‘Master Chip’ of the Sinclair QL Professional Computer.
Its purpose is documented in the Sinclair QL Service Manual. See:
http://www.sinclairql.net/srv/qlsm1.html#s1-p6
The chip designed by David Karlin and manufactured by Plessey. See:
http://www.sinclairql.net/story/The_long_lost_interview_with_David_Karlin.htm
There are two known editions of the chip, the CLA2310 and the later CLA2345. Their mask differs.
Way back in May 2014 I explored the die of a Sinclair ZX8301 CLA2345 chip with my newly acquired BRESSER MicroSet microscope. Another QLer is currently exploring a CLA2310. This motivated me to review my work and publish the material (both video and stills) I’ve shot using the microscope.
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx52phYHc9E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzN9zgPXcmo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o79SPPTkVMg
Stills:
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=c250d8748980ce5a%2134212
https://onedrive.live.com/?id=c250d8748980ce5a%2134212&cid=C250D8748980CE5A&cid=C250D8748980CE5A
More to come from either me or other QLers.”
Bob Spelten Jr. has updated my BMP graphics viewer.
Bob has extended the range of BMP file types which can be converted (most types from 24-bit to 1-bit), while conversions from QL graphics to BMP can now be done as either 24-bit or 16-bit files.
Saving to a DOS or NFA named device will replace underscores with a dot. A scaling option has been introduced for viewing large files – the files are scaled to fit the window, but with aspect ratio maintained.
On the command line, there is a switch option to turn off scaling if you prefer not to use it, along with an option to turn off the BEEPs if they get on your nerves. BMP can be started with a filename on a command line now, allowing other programs to use BMP as a viewer, e.g. FileInfo 2.
We are grateful to François van Emelen for assistance with testing this update.
Download the latest version 1.03 from the Graphics Programs page on my website at