Re: TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC for VIC-20 in BASIC NEWEST! FINAL!
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2022 1:04 pm
Finally, after 2 months of perfecting, improving and bugfixing TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC for Commodore VIC-20 5KB is released.
System Disk contains 20 files, which take 44.64 KB (192 disk blocs = 48.00 KB on disk)
I added Documents image of empty, formatted disk as a bonus for use as Work Disk (that's optional, but recommended if you have 2 disk drives).
There is also SDK Pack with references and source code below preview video to download.
What’s new in TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC for Commodore VIC-20 (in comparison to 1.05/PET version, for changes in comparison to last released version 1.10/VIC RC2 check previous posts):
- Support for Commodore VIC-20 with at least 5KB and it’s 22 column 8 color text mode
- New colorful loader for inter-loading operations
- BIOS Setup menu offers option to enable/disable Datasette
- BIOS Setup supports separate Work disk drive for storing system apps documents
- BIOS improvements and bugfixes
- GUI cursor is joystick operated and can move diagonally
- GUI windowed environment uses custom color background and title bar
- Up arrow button added to task bar (placed right of clock) to go back to main desktop screen
- SETTINGS is split into two apps: SETTINGS which can change time plus work disk and printer options and COLORS which can change colors of GUI elements.
- DISK is now windows & cursor operated. Changed disk content display mechanism.
- CMD Introduced improved mechanism for displaying success or error of performed operation. Minor review of command syntax (I> and V> instead of I and V). Bugfixes.
- APPS folder instead of OFFICE, contains WORDS, MATH, MONITOR, SYNTH
- MATH calculator revamped, simplified and cursor operated
- MONITOR have blue background. Command SHOW displays 2 hex digits instead of 4. HELP consolidated. Minor bugfixes.
- 4 new games: SIMCITY, STAR WARS X-Wing vs TIE-Fighter (new version), BREAKOUT (new version), NEED4VIC
- Various other bugfixes and improvements
- Empty and formatted disk image called TRIANGULAR uOS 1.10-VIC Documents in .d64 and archived .zip file formats added for use as Work disk
DOWNLOAD TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC:
Preview (YouTube):
TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC SDK Pack: SDK Pack contains references and source code in .bas files (rename cmd-hlp to CMD>HLP and star wars-eng to STAR WARS>ENG) and default uos-cfg file (rename to UOS>CG) on disk.
TRANGULAR μOS for Commodore VIC-20 on Lemon64 forum:
https://www.lemon64.com/forum/...hp?t=79488
TRIANGULAR μOS 1.05/PET for Commodore PET on Lemon64 forum:
https://www.lemon64.com/forum/...hp?t=78834
What's in the future?
I will consolidate TRIANGULAR μOS for VIC in future instalments (1.11/VIC, 1.12/VIC, etc.) Right now I will be consolidating it for VIC-20 8KB with 3KB RAM expansion as minimum setup. Version 1.11/VIC will consolidate CMD and its help file CMD>HLP, STAR WARS and its game engine STAR WARS>ENG and UOS with BIOS. This will bring down number of files on System Disk to 17. Also CMD will have more comprehensive improvements. Some reorganization of combined UOS is also in plan.
First Alpha0 release will be with CMD consolidated, and that alone will bring number of files to 19. Less the better.
Version 1.12 will consolidate GUI programs and improve DISK & MATH with new capabilities (planned, but not added due to memory constrains).
I will try to push updates as fast as possible. Realistically speaking I doubt that I will be able star development of TRIANGULAR μOS Next-Gen version 2.00 (ML) in August as previously planned. It will be OK, if I will deliver 1.20/C64 in any decent state (even very functional beta) in August (40th anniversary of release of C64). As I stated before I've reached already my minimal & initial goal of creating BASIC GUI OS for smallest Commodore computers: PET 4KB and VIC-20 5KB (and by doing so, also probably smallest GUI OS in the world), so I won't apply perfectionist approach as much as before for next releases. Also will release updates more frequently and oftentimes without videos (especially that there won't be much more functionality updates since μOS is very functional right now).
My Roadmap of development of TRIANGULAR μOS:
1. I will consolidate code into bigger chunks of software (1.1x/VIC series). First 1.11/VIC, then 1.12/VIC, etc. Expected ending of this phase in August 2022.
2. After considerable big consolidation of it (probably for maximum VIC-20 memory of 29KB) I will convert μOS into C64 40 column/16 colors version 1.20/C64. Expected start of development August 2022.
3. Next add sprites, maybe turboloader etc. (1.30/C64).
4. Commodore 128 BASIC 7.0 version (1.40/C128).
5. Next-Gen TRIANGULAR μOS 2.00/C64 version in ML, some functional API, different architecture (but text, or rather PETSCII user interface similar to 1.30/1.40), most probably on cartridge. That would be long-term project. Start of development after finishing TRIANGULAR μOS 1.xx BASIC branch (that is 1.40/C128).
5.X Probably I will also try to deliver 1.50/VIC, a lite version of ML TRIANGULAR μOS Next-Gen for Commodore VIC-20 5KB (similar concept of 1.10/VIC or rather more consolidated future 1.1x/VIC version) as I will be converting BASIC TRIANGULAR μOS to ML in order to produce Next-Gen μOS (I have feeling that that would be long process). Something like crossover version: μOS for VIC-20 interface, ML architecture based on BASIC version not on Next-Gen and ML elements from Next-Gen 2.00 version. That version will be running within 5KB of memory like 1.10/VIC and be more extra/hobbyist rather than real improvement over fully consolidated 1.1x/VIC, 1.3x/C64 or 1.4x/C128. Maybe even PET 4KB version will be produced in similar fashion. But those extra versions will be released in late 2022 or even 2023, that's not priority at all.
System Disk contains 20 files, which take 44.64 KB (192 disk blocs = 48.00 KB on disk)
I added Documents image of empty, formatted disk as a bonus for use as Work Disk (that's optional, but recommended if you have 2 disk drives).
There is also SDK Pack with references and source code below preview video to download.
What’s new in TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC for Commodore VIC-20 (in comparison to 1.05/PET version, for changes in comparison to last released version 1.10/VIC RC2 check previous posts):
- Support for Commodore VIC-20 with at least 5KB and it’s 22 column 8 color text mode
- New colorful loader for inter-loading operations
- BIOS Setup menu offers option to enable/disable Datasette
- BIOS Setup supports separate Work disk drive for storing system apps documents
- BIOS improvements and bugfixes
- GUI cursor is joystick operated and can move diagonally
- GUI windowed environment uses custom color background and title bar
- Up arrow button added to task bar (placed right of clock) to go back to main desktop screen
- SETTINGS is split into two apps: SETTINGS which can change time plus work disk and printer options and COLORS which can change colors of GUI elements.
- DISK is now windows & cursor operated. Changed disk content display mechanism.
- CMD Introduced improved mechanism for displaying success or error of performed operation. Minor review of command syntax (I> and V> instead of I and V). Bugfixes.
- APPS folder instead of OFFICE, contains WORDS, MATH, MONITOR, SYNTH
- MATH calculator revamped, simplified and cursor operated
- MONITOR have blue background. Command SHOW displays 2 hex digits instead of 4. HELP consolidated. Minor bugfixes.
- 4 new games: SIMCITY, STAR WARS X-Wing vs TIE-Fighter (new version), BREAKOUT (new version), NEED4VIC
- Various other bugfixes and improvements
- Empty and formatted disk image called TRIANGULAR uOS 1.10-VIC Documents in .d64 and archived .zip file formats added for use as Work disk
DOWNLOAD TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC:
Preview (YouTube):
TRIANGULAR μOS 1.10/VIC SDK Pack: SDK Pack contains references and source code in .bas files (rename cmd-hlp to CMD>HLP and star wars-eng to STAR WARS>ENG) and default uos-cfg file (rename to UOS>CG) on disk.
TRANGULAR μOS for Commodore VIC-20 on Lemon64 forum:
https://www.lemon64.com/forum/...hp?t=79488
TRIANGULAR μOS 1.05/PET for Commodore PET on Lemon64 forum:
https://www.lemon64.com/forum/...hp?t=78834
What's in the future?
I will consolidate TRIANGULAR μOS for VIC in future instalments (1.11/VIC, 1.12/VIC, etc.) Right now I will be consolidating it for VIC-20 8KB with 3KB RAM expansion as minimum setup. Version 1.11/VIC will consolidate CMD and its help file CMD>HLP, STAR WARS and its game engine STAR WARS>ENG and UOS with BIOS. This will bring down number of files on System Disk to 17. Also CMD will have more comprehensive improvements. Some reorganization of combined UOS is also in plan.
First Alpha0 release will be with CMD consolidated, and that alone will bring number of files to 19. Less the better.
Version 1.12 will consolidate GUI programs and improve DISK & MATH with new capabilities (planned, but not added due to memory constrains).
I will try to push updates as fast as possible. Realistically speaking I doubt that I will be able star development of TRIANGULAR μOS Next-Gen version 2.00 (ML) in August as previously planned. It will be OK, if I will deliver 1.20/C64 in any decent state (even very functional beta) in August (40th anniversary of release of C64). As I stated before I've reached already my minimal & initial goal of creating BASIC GUI OS for smallest Commodore computers: PET 4KB and VIC-20 5KB (and by doing so, also probably smallest GUI OS in the world), so I won't apply perfectionist approach as much as before for next releases. Also will release updates more frequently and oftentimes without videos (especially that there won't be much more functionality updates since μOS is very functional right now).
My Roadmap of development of TRIANGULAR μOS:
1. I will consolidate code into bigger chunks of software (1.1x/VIC series). First 1.11/VIC, then 1.12/VIC, etc. Expected ending of this phase in August 2022.
2. After considerable big consolidation of it (probably for maximum VIC-20 memory of 29KB) I will convert μOS into C64 40 column/16 colors version 1.20/C64. Expected start of development August 2022.
3. Next add sprites, maybe turboloader etc. (1.30/C64).
4. Commodore 128 BASIC 7.0 version (1.40/C128).
5. Next-Gen TRIANGULAR μOS 2.00/C64 version in ML, some functional API, different architecture (but text, or rather PETSCII user interface similar to 1.30/1.40), most probably on cartridge. That would be long-term project. Start of development after finishing TRIANGULAR μOS 1.xx BASIC branch (that is 1.40/C128).
5.X Probably I will also try to deliver 1.50/VIC, a lite version of ML TRIANGULAR μOS Next-Gen for Commodore VIC-20 5KB (similar concept of 1.10/VIC or rather more consolidated future 1.1x/VIC version) as I will be converting BASIC TRIANGULAR μOS to ML in order to produce Next-Gen μOS (I have feeling that that would be long process). Something like crossover version: μOS for VIC-20 interface, ML architecture based on BASIC version not on Next-Gen and ML elements from Next-Gen 2.00 version. That version will be running within 5KB of memory like 1.10/VIC and be more extra/hobbyist rather than real improvement over fully consolidated 1.1x/VIC, 1.3x/C64 or 1.4x/C128. Maybe even PET 4KB version will be produced in similar fashion. But those extra versions will be released in late 2022 or even 2023, that's not priority at all.