BMP Update

Bob Spelten has also updated the 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 http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/graphics/index.html

SQRview Updates

Bob Spelten’s SQRview graphics viewer has had a new year update.

The first small contribution is a fix in SQRview’s RLE compression routine.The bug revealed itself while trying to use RLE2 on mode 4 & 8 sprites.SQRview at the moment doesn’t support this but as it was an item on the Forum, Bob wanted to test if it worked.

Now the RLE2 works fine packing and unpacking also these low modes but as  long as WMAN2 does not recognise these SPRs properly there is no reason  for implementing it.

Strangely these SPRs are decompressed by WMAN2 but the result is unusable.

If you have or want to use this RLE2 option on mode 32/33 SPRs, I suggest  you download this fixed package from Bob’s site:

http://members.upc.nl/b.spelten/ql/sqrview.html

QLWARZ

A Per Witte utility to stretch, refresh, or defragment a hard drive on QPC2. As there is no way to extend a QXL.WIN filing container, this program takes the next best approach and formats a new one with a different capacity and copies directories and files over to the new QXL.WIN. The author states that it is freeware on condition users report any problems they have with it to him (email address in the instructions). Download it from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/utils/index.html

QDOS-SMSQ/E Reference Guide

A new version of the QDOS-SMSQ/E Reference Guide is now available from Wolfgang Lenerz’s “QL Stuff” page at http://www.wlenerz.com/QLStuff/

The current document, available in PDF and ODT versions, is v4.2 and, according to Wolfgang, ‘fixes a few errors (including the “it’s a feature, not a bug” mentioned on the ql-user list).’

Q-Liberator Compiler

Q-Liberator BASIC compiler is now available once more, from SellMyRetro.com thanks to an arrangement between RWAP Software and Jochen Merz. The most recent version is v3.36 and costs £33 from

See http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/sinclair-ql-q-_liberator-superbasic-compiler-11891

The QLOAD/QREF utilities, also from Liberation Software, is also available from SellMyRetro.com. The QLOAD part creates faster loading tokenised SuperBASIC program files, while QREF is a programming aid for BASIC, allowing you to do things like searching for variable and procedure name in a BASIC program, list occurrences of variable and procedure names used and so on. QLOAD/QREF available for £15 from http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/details/sinclair-ql-qload-~~-qref-superbasic-utilities-11892

Level 9 Game Interpreter

Tomas Kral has been working on porting a level9 game interpreter for QL systems. His work so far can be seen at https://github.com/SinclairQL/level9

During the 1980s a small British company called Level 9, run by two brothers (Mike and Pete Austin), produced a series of text adventure games for a variety of computers. These games received considerable critical acclaim and are probably the best text adventures written for the small cassette based 8 bit computers common in Britain in the 80s.

Level 9 wrote their games using a custom designed system known as “A-Code”, which evolved from games on the 8 bit computers such as the Acorn BBC Model B, the Sinclair Spectrum and the Commodore 64 to the (then new) 16 bit machines such as the Amiga and the Atari ST.

Tomas’s work could lead to the release of several new adventure games for the QL.

Menu Extension

Marcel has also secured permission from Jochen Merz to release version 7.66 of the Menu Extension file, menu_rext, needed to run some pointer driven programs. This is not the highest version number available – there is a version 8, although that’s meant to be only for QPC2 users.

Marcel says that this is the latest version he has access to sources for, but should later general versions come ot light he will do a follow up of this release.

Download menu_rext from https://www.kilgus.net/2017/01/25/new-qpc2-disa-and-more/

ATR Device Drivers

The ATR device drivers allow the use of a device driver able to read Atari and DOS/Windows floppy disks via a device called ATR – e.g. DIR ATR1_ or DIR ATR2_ plus however many drives are supported by the interface in question.

Originally written by Jochen Hassler and available through various German dealers, the ATR drivers are now on free release following permission given by the author to Marcel Kilgus.

The package includes code for various QL disk systems, including Sandy, Trump Card, QFLP, Atari, CST, Cumana and Medic. Comes with a German help file plus a machine translated English version in need of some tidying up (any volunteers?)

Download the ATR package from http://www.dilwyn.me.uk/tk/index.html