Coffee Break - October 25, 2020

  • S02E05
  • October 25, 2020

bp9 compares docker with virtual machines and likes Oracle VirtualBox better. Then goes all retro demoing Wordstar and adventure on CP/M using a VT100 kit, to a full size monitor. We compare 8080, 8085, 8086, 286, 386 CPUs and Z80 too. Peter likes Turbo Pascal and uses Free Pascal with Lazarus on PC now. Remember the Sinclair ZX-80? Daylight savings ended in Europe this weekend, and it's next weekend in USA. Peter's Ham radio tower has had a failure, he is off the air. Dog reminisces about retro games and notes that Atari released an expensive video console. bp9 is joined by Peter and Doug.

This video is provided free of charge. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a Patron so we can continue offering more great content.
Support This Free Content
Topics Discussed:

bp9
- hopefully resolved his audio crackling issues
- Swapped out my phone running zoom, audio and video are good now.
- checklists are a wonderful thing!
- docker vs. virtual machine
- docker stays active only for as long as a process inside it is running.
- Virtual machine keeps running for as long as you leave it running.
- Originally gave it 2Gb but it's hitting swap big time, so increased to 4GB
- Considered text mode only but decided on a graphical desktop just because I like desktop.
- Using Oracle VirtualBox
- MVT100 is a kit that takes RS-232 input and drives a VGA monitor with VT-100 control codes.
- REXCPM is installed in Tandy TRS-80 Model 100
- 19,200 Baud
- PIC processor won't drive screen very fast so RS-232
- MVT100 Designed by Geoff in Australia, respun by Steve in Canada
- REXCPM on M-100 is every bit as capable as the Kaypro 2X running CPM.
- Even more capable -- REXCPM allows 4Mb floppy disk.
- CP/M can handle floppy disks up to 8Mb
- CP/M can handle hard drives too but only by partitioning the hard drive
- Turbo Pascal
- Describes differences between CPU: 8080 to 8085, and 8085 to Z80
- IBM PC CPUs went: 8080, 8085, 8086, 286, 287, etc.
- Numeric co-processors!
- demos text adventure on CP/M along with Wordstar 3.3 (copied from my Kaypro!)
- Wordstar non-document vs. document mode, sets the high-bit on the last character of each word.
- bp9 wrote a simple C program to strip the high bit and you end up with plain text.

Peter
- Notes that daylight savings time for Europe ends last weekend in October
- Used Turbo Pascal
- Now uses Free Pascal with Lazarus on Windows
- Remembers Sinclair ZX-80 computers
- We're all old! :-)
- Peters ham radio tower has had a failure; the top of the tower has broken off
- He was trying to fix his 20 meter antenna by lowering the tower -- you can lean it over on hinges and lower it that way.
- There was a problem with the tower or the last repair that was done, caused a weld to fail.
- Lamenting that he cannot find anyone to help him fix it.
- His tower is currently down so he of QRT (off the air).

Doug
- Atari new Video console
- Atari VCS
- USD$399.00
- Funny how you used to be able to download retro game ROM but you cannot now.
- Companies are realizing that there is a market in retro games
- Atari is not run by Trammel brothers any more
- Like bp9, not so good at high dexterity games any more.

Discussion

Twitter Posts

Login to Category5

Error message here!

Hide Error message here!

Forgot your password?

Register on Category5

Error message here!

Error message here!

Hide Error message here!

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link to create a new password.

Error message here!

Back to log-in

Close