Info Guide #02

Концепции

Future Spectrum - On the unreliability of the hardware.

           Development of the system.
  AlCo


   WARNING!!!! Because of the special poignancy of Article
asked to leave the faint of heart (and promovirovatsya).


   It is believed that the platform can not exist without the 
development of hardware. The view is widely presents in all 
kinds of electronic media and very popular. I wish to argue.


   Firstly, there is visible far-fetched
analogy with the IBM PC. And yet we all
see what TAM has a broad development
hardware at the expense of software
software. For example, there has never learned to write a 
turbo-loaders, as a result What program (Windows. ..) are 
forced to use upper memory for buffer. Even 64 M - enough for 
such programs. Or: are up to So far very little idea of ​​what

is one frame (but well know what fps), and can not distinguish 
between signified by not is such (he checked).


   Second. We do not want to be with our
platform there is the same as with Amiga:
fundamentally new machine, once
also become the standard, all new software written for them, 
and users of older models (incidentally, used to what is the 
old standard) remain at beans with the old software. (You can 
argue - it's my personal opinion which has arisen short-lived 
when a superficial acquaintance with vysheoboznachennoy 
platform.) 

   More ...

   You hope, well aware that after the first revolution (disk) 
Spectrum lost more than half of their users? This

almost did not happen a second time, but the Pentagon revolt 
was over the collapse of the Prestige. Of course, there 
occurred 128-I reform, but was it is softer: first, conversion 
of existing computers easier, and secondly - restrained

our colleagues from abroad, we still
then produce a soft, workable at 48k.

   For our consideration, the following directions of 
development of hardware ensure:


   -: Universal transfer to the "hard drive". The difficulty: 
the lack of market device (the principle of "do as you please") 
and good programs that serve it.


   - Increasing the memory as much as you can and
as hochet.Fakticheski already proishodit.Edinstvennoe my wish 
here: unification of the ports rasshireniya.Esli interview 
programs all the options, we will inevitably lose out mean any 
model (even though due to lack of access to it). For example, I 
have no in one program did not see support KAY

1024. Why, one wonders? If you believe ZX
Format'u (and I used to believe him), then this
very nice car! In general, based on the I
come to: the best port - # DFFD (Profi), two
significant bits of which connected in parallel with the two 
older bits port # 7FFD (Pentagon). The first port can address 
up to 2M, and the second serves for quick addressing 512k.


   - Install on all computers used by audio devices in the 
following sequence (the old is not thrown! "): AY, COVOX, 
SounDrive, General Sound.V currently stands AY wherever 
possible (even 48k), and we're in the process of transition to 
COVOX. What happens next? Hard to say. In the future of SD I 
doubt it: the quality of COVOX does not differ greatly, but the 
price is considerably higher (5 times). About GS perhaps more 
controversial. Thing is definitely good. But the focus on

it we can not for many reasons. For example, I have it 
physically is not enough deneg.Drugih can stop the difficulty 
of connecting to the "Pentagon", supplemented 
malodokumentirovannostyu, as well as the seemingly short life 
(? - In a magazine some writing). 

   - Turbirovanie used computers
for all sorts of different patterns. The idea is good, I
both hands up. "Only the coefficient turbirovanie desirable 
again unified. Otherwise we will have completely different 
computers. Would be best if the captain Nemo will publish its 
scheme in turbirovanie 2 times (unless, of course, it is 
possible to mass-produced parts and in the home). Otherwise a 
requirement for a turbocharged computer will connect the cache

(Scheme ZX LPrint III), in order to smooth out differences in 
the coefficients. 

   - Focusing on a constant speed of the program regardless of 
the underlying page (fast / slow). And do not shout at me! The 
total memory field with braking - is undeniable idiocy! On such 
computers, not that smooth listalku horseradish write - even 
digital music can not play! Imagine: some tools fall into the 
fast memory, others in a slow, but playing a procedure;

we'll hear? Will constantly change
sampling frequency (and just the frequency), and as a result - 
the monstrous distortion sound! course, we can provide quick 
page and put the tools only to them. But it's only 64k! And if 
we recall that his address to the slow memory depends

the phase of the video controller (ay, fighters for 
Compatibility, with firm Spectrum!), then player should be put 
in the same ... What - Now we write digital music only on 
Sample Tracker'e with 27k tools? Or a Flash Tracker'e with 
26k??? Exit one: looking for a way to otdiraniya WAIT with 
Scorpion-256 with the restoration of the normal form siglalov 
RAS and CAS. Other users types of brakes catch up. Write to 
those who able to make Scorpion (or Leningrad) in

linear machine. I'll be glad to publish
your scheme and make this a good thing>: o
for the Speccy.

   - Installation of mice as a necessary device. That's what I 
opposed. At least until such time as there is no written 
procedure for testing the presence of mice by 200% and tested 
on all of the pathologist. According to modern program can be 
seen that while such procedures do not exist. For example, ZF 
finds my mouse (well at least not from the buggy this), the 
first release PT3.31 finds me mouse over it believes that all 
the time I keep a fire; TWILIGHT (version by Fatality)

does not work for the same reason, one of my friends; Demo 
Digital Designer of the Demo or Die # 1 can not load any

one tunes to listen to (again pressed fire, the arrow is not 
moving, blinking in the corner of the screen, and the pattern 
all the time to scroll down). There are still a lot of these 
programs, and happiness of their authors, that I forgot the 
name. 

   And so on.

   There are still people who offer to all
change seats on the Sprinter, etc. There are searchlights
on Z380, an open architecture, music and graphics (with a 
resolution of 640x x480, monitor only) cards, the price of not 
less pisyuka.Est some friends (a group of comrades) who believe 
that a color TV to the Spectrum - burzhuystvo (apparently, again

forgotten whence the name), and most printers
unreadable print 4x8 (hatskerskim);
is, on the contrary, people who think that CTV now
at all, and rivet, for example, with Commanderie
blue cursor on a black background (Honey Com.,
Consul). There is a chela who prefer one type of
drives and writing under it turboSavery,
from which to conventional disks diskozhuyah zaginayutsya 
(X-COPY, TRMSHOB). Hopefully, it all comes from ignorance or 
inexperience. Try to mend, guys.