TRIANGULAR μOS 1.11-1.19 for VIC-20 in BASIC

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Thanks Mike for feedback. WORDS is not in state to even test it. Too much GOSUB error located and fixed.
Visual changes done. Also improved games today. I will try to check True Drive Emulation tomorrow

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Edit: also the boot procedure immediately stops in VICE, when True Drive Emulation is off and VICE accesses the disk image with VDrive. Your boot loader tries to determine the disk drive type with a M-R command, which likely returns some unexpected value here. Unfortunately, you did not guard ASC() by concatenating CHR$(0) to the read-in character - GET# errorneous reads in CHR$(0) as an empty string, ASC() doesn't like this, therefore something like:

GET#...,A$:A=ASC(A$+CHR$(0))

... is the way to go here.

So I modified line containing it:

Code: Select all

122 open1,8+di,15:print#1,"m-r";chr$(51);chr$(255):get#1,d$:t1=asc(d$):close1

into:

Code: Select all

122 open1,8+di,15:print#1,"m-r";chr$(51);chr$(255):get#1,d$:t1=asc(d$+chr$(0)):close1

That's it? Just changed t1=asc(d$) into t1=asc(d$+chr$(0))

Progress Update: WORDS somewhat improved, works better. Games working. I don't know if I'll manage to upload beta5 today, but I will try do it tomorrow, since there's not much to add. Plus will update loader visually, hourglass will be phaseout.

[TRIANGULAR OS]

TRIANGULAR OS 1.10Beta5 for VIC-20 is ready to release.
This is nearly final version, all apps are here, only need minor improvements & bugfixes.

What's new:
- Loading screen changed
- BIOS minor improvements
- GUI updated icons
- WORDS improved & bugfixes.
- MONITOR background color changed to blue
- SYNTH much improved, can now play multiple voices
- non-windowed programs: quit by pressing F7, to go to desktop press F8
- 3 new games (4 overall)

GAMES:
- SIMCITY - based on idea of Feels like a city 10 liner for Plus/4 by RoePipi
- STAR WARS - not mine (PET version), from zimmers.net
- BREAKOUT - from zimmers.net
- NEED4VIC - racing game VIC-20 10 liner Fabrizio Caruso
- Removed REMEMBER 20

PREVIEW (YouTube):


DOWNLOAD (Beta5):

TRIANGULAR OS 1.10beta5 VIC-20.zip

(18.93 KiB) Downloaded 92 times

What's next:
Further improvements and bugfixes. Especially WORDS & games.
That will be RC (release candidate) for further testing, and after that phase final version with User's Manual.
Next version after that will be TRIANGULAR OS for C64 (BASIC version).

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Update: work Release Candidate in progress:
- 1 icon updated (MATH)
- WORDS greatly improved.
- BREAKOUT and NEED4VIC improved and finetuned.
- 1/2 of Manual revised and updated.

What's left?:
- SYNTH will be slightly expanded
- SIMCITY to minor improvements and balancing gameplay.
- STAR WARS - needs some improvement of gameplay and will get more expanded main menu with storyline.

OK, I'm thinking of changing color of window title bar from white to yellow (on screen below):

How do You like it?

[orion70]

I prefer the white one.

[Lechuck]

I prefer the white one.

Agree. White one looks more ‘windows like’

Cheers

[TRIANGULAR OS]

orion70 & Lechuck: Thanks for votes. Right now is draw (2 for white on Denial forum and 2 for yellow on Lemon64).

I'm still waiting for opinion regardless off title bar color (screen above).

Update: Release Candidate in progress.

What's done:
- 1 icon updated (NEED4VIC) [2 icons altogether]
- WORDS finished
- MATH small improvement
- SYNTH improved
- SIMCITY finished [3 of 4 games finished]
- 2/3 of manual finished

What's left?:
- STAR WARS - needs some improvement of gameplay and will get more expanded main menu with storyline.

As soon as I will finish STAR WARS, a Release Candidate will be released.
I will test it, bugfix it, waiting on Your opinions, eventual bug reports. After that I will prepare final version to release.

[orion70]

Not right! How can you expect another color from the LEMON forum?

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Not right! How can you expect another color from the LEMON forum?

Hahaha! Now they have 3 votes for lemon color vs 2 for white here.
I have better idea: I will procure 2 RC versions - one white, one yellow. and based on feedback most popular color will be in final release.

Update: I've nearly completed STAR WARS. I've build up intro, menu and outro to PET version standard, so it is now 2 programs game. Only thing left: STAR WARS theme in title screen (only notes - code for playing theme is added). As I've said other games are complete with title screens.
I've had today/yesterday some time, so I've tested my near complete Release Candidate and spotted few minor things to improve.

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Voting recalled. I upgraded TRIANGULAR OS by adding option to change title bar color in COLORS settings. So You can have yellow (default), white, cyan and more colors of title bar. I was little afraid if I will be able to squeeze some apps that run low on RAM but it's working.
So I'm presenting Release Candidate.
No new video this time - there not much more to show than in previous one, plus for final 1.10 version I would try to make more interesting video with voice.

TRIANGULAR OS 1.10RC:
- Title bar color is now changeable (in COLORS settings) to one of 6 colors
- 2 icons updated (MATH & NEED4VIC)
- WORDS greatly improved
- MATH small improvement
- SYNTH improved & added lower octave to all voices (shift + key)
- All games improved and finetuned. All have title screens
- 2/3 of Manual revised and updated
- Few minor improvements & bugfixes

Screens:




DOWNLOAD:

TRIANGULAR OS 1.10RC.zip

(21.68 KiB) Downloaded 82 times

PREVIEW of older beta5 (YouTube):

[orion70]

Very nice effort to bring a simple, yet sophisticated, complete ecosystem to the unexpanded VIC. Will test it ASAP. Congratulations on this Triangular!

[TRIANGULAR OS]

Very nice effort to bring a simple, yet sophisticated, complete ecosystem to the unexpanded VIC. Will test it ASAP. Congratulations on this Triangular!

Thanks orion70. It's not yet final version of TRIANGULAR OS v1.10, but nothing will change in functionality other than bugfixes.

Progress:
- I located few minor (visual) bugs in RC and fixed them today. Right now I don't see other issues.

What's plan:
- Further testing
- Changing cyan loading massages text back to black
- Add SDIEC code to disk database (if possible)
- Adding code to prevent change upper/lower case (Shift + Commodore key), blocking Run/Stop key.
- After test: creating system disk this time with more packed program (lines renumbered, instructions more packed) for slightly smaller programs (and faster loading time - just few %, but always)
- Finish manual
- Creating more interesting video for final release.

Also, in meantime, I will be upgrading PET version 1.03 to 1.04. It will mostly be changing CMD, MONITOR, WORDS to version 1.10 standard, bring SIMCITY in change for LUNAR LAND and probably add DISK program + add some very minimal visual changes to OS (some icons and names). I will release it before final 1.10 or in the same time.

After that I will be moving my OS BASIC version to C64.

I have 2 questions:

1. Can somebody with VIC-20 with SDIEC give me feedback how my OS display this drive (UKNNOWN, SD2PET, 1540 or other) in BIOS Setup (press F1 in launching screen with big TRIANGULAR logo). Please press Run/Stop key and give me value of peek(905) (if SDIEC is set as drive #8). That will show what kind of M-R code OS is receiving back from it.

2. I'm contemplating changing slightly name of my OS to μOS (spelled Micro OS with micro symbol). So it will be TRIANGULAR μOS. I thought about this in February, but carried on old name. Since it is probably smallest GUI OS in the world it would better reflect it's purpose. Plus it would differentiate better: by just saying μOS, one would know that this is TRIANGULAR μOS and just OS is more broad.
Below are screen launching logo and name variants:
1. old TRIANAGULAR OS
2. TRIANGULAR μOS 2 graphic chars
3. TRIANGULAR μOS 2 graphic chars rounded
4. TRIANGULAR μOS 1 custom char (micro symbol - it will be on VIC-20 cart version, C64 BASIC and later).

Screen:

[TRIANGULAR OS]

I found new bugs (and fixed them), while converting WORDS and CMD to PET. Tomorrow I will try to convert SIMCITY to PET, and then I will see if I will be able to migrate DISK program (it will have to be severely mutilated, because of 3KB BASIC RAM, so I don't know if it will work on 4KB PET).

I have 2 questions:

1. Can somebody with VIC-20 with SDIEC give me feedback how my OS display this drive (UKNNOWN, SD2PET, 1540 or other) in BIOS Setup (press F1 in launching screen with big TRIANGULAR logo). Please press Run/Stop key and give me value of peek(905) (if SDIEC is set as drive #8). That will show what kind of M-R code OS is receiving back from it.

2. I'm contemplating changing slightly name of my OS to μOS (spelled Micro OS with micro symbol). So it will be TRIANGULAR μOS. I thought about this in February, but carried on old name. Since it is probably smallest GUI OS in the world it would better reflect it's purpose. Plus it would differentiate better: by just saying μOS, one would know that this is TRIANGULAR μOS and just OS is more broad.
Below are screen launching logo and name variants:
1. old TRIANAGULAR OS
2. TRIANGULAR μOS 2 graphic chars
3. TRIANGULAR μOS 2 graphic chars rounded
4. TRIANGULAR μOS 1 custom char (micro symbol - it will be on VIC-20 cart version, C64 BASIC and later).

Screen:

[orion70]

Thanks for this bug fixed version. Will try with sd2iec tonight, and report.
As for the name, it's nice. I'd use lower case "u" instead (uOS). It's quite a common replacement character for Mu in scientific communications.

[orion70]

SD2IEC, drive 8:

1. Can somebody with VIC-20 with SDIEC give me feedback how my OS display this drive (UKNNOWN, SD2PET, 1540 or other) in BIOS Setup (press F1 in launching screen with big TRIANGULAR logo).

UNKNOWN

Please press Run/Stop key and give me value of peek(905) (if SDIEC is set as drive #8). That will show what king of M-R code OS is receiving back from it.

48