Yes, for those of you who may not have heard, there is a QL EMULATOR for the AMIGA hardware platform. The version of the Rainer Kowallik’s [Berlin, Germany] emulator software (YES, software!) which Nazir Pashtoon and I tested on two AMIGA computers last summer must currently be considered a beta-version for most North Americans.
But first … Since I have your attention for the next few moments, and my soap-box has not collapsed beneath me yet (times change: corrugated cardboard just isn’t as sturdy as peach-wood … ), I want to make a few comments about the SINCLAIR community in North America.
It seems that we, as a community, we are now in some disarray; and, the number of users and vendors is diminishing for various reasons. I was amazed when I found that a factionalism had developed (existed) in the community; but, sometimes, I’m not looking at the wall on which the handwriting can be found. The SHARING of ideas and experience is what makes a community strong.
It would seem that 2068-users apparently have a (Z-80) chip on their shoulder (so to speak) with regard to the existence of the QL. Some seem to feel that the QL is the (in)direct reason for the demise of Sinclair Research Ltd.
While these same die-hard 2068 people seem to embrace their affiliation to the SINCLAIR SPECTRUM via add-on ROMs, they ignore the fact that their beloved TS-2068 is probably as much an affront to the “real” SPECTRUM user as the QL is to the 2068 die-hard [I’ve NEVER heard of any SPECTRUM owner inserting a 2068 ROM into his SPECTRUM!].
THE BIG IF. If Uncle Clive had stayed-the-course, stuck to what (t)he(y) knew … If he just had NOT ventured off to un-charted territory with a “new” chip, he probably would not have been so bold as to try and build an electric car! Pandora’s Box, indeed.
Similarly, 2068 users apparently fear that QL users are more likely to stray-from-the-fold. Of course, this is with the understanding that 2068-users really don’t even want QL-users sharing the same wall outlet (sort of like have sheep and cattle drinking from the same watering-hole, or something … still, better to associate with them than those sod-busting PC-users!).
Some of these ex-QL_usionists will describe the many wonderful GAMEs they have for their 2068 and lament that: “If they had only had a SPECTRUM/2068 emulator for the QL, I would have bought one five years ago!” Right.
Some 2068 users like to point to the Z-88 as “proof” that the Z-80 is a viable chip. But, if they think that there is anything similar between the SPECTRUM/2068 and the Z-88 other than the Z-80 processor, then they should take another look.
Regardless of copyrights and patents, Uncle Clive would have abandoned the SPECTRUM-based operating system due to limitations. More important than a worrying about the never-to-be SPECTRUM emulator for the QL, someone should be working on a Z-88 emulator for 2068!
YAWN. Well, that pretty much brings us back to the original topic of emulators for the QL.
Currently, Kowallik’s QL EMULATOR is NOT a commercial product; I get the impression that it is a spin-off from some Doctoral research; and, I think that in North America we should consider this as being BETA-version software at the present time.
This is NOT the first EMULATOR for the QL. A DAUGHTER board developed by ABC-ELECTRONIK and currently marketed by JOCHEN MERZ SOFTWARE [Im stillen Winkel 12 – 4100 Duisburg 11 – Germany ] is available (in/from the UK) for use in ATARI ST computers for about 170 BP Sterling (that’s about $340 +/-; NOT cheap, to say the least!).
For those 2068 people out there who may be wondering why someone would want an emulator for the QL, it has been noted by people better “informed” than myself that QDOS may be the “best” 68000 operating system (OS) for a micro-computer, bar none. NETworking and multi-TASKing (of sorts) are just two of the advanced capabilities which can be implemented with minimal, additional code.
Of course, the penny-pinching penchant of Sinclair Research Ltd. probably influenced the decision to use the MC68008 rather than the MC68000. Their demise put an end to hardware evolution.
As good as QDOS may be as an OS, the hardware platform is getting long-in-the-tooth. The 68008 CPU pushing data through an 8-bit bus occassionaly makes it seem as though you are time-sharing with someone else on the computer.
The QL EMULATOR for the AMIGA hardware platform allows the current/potential QL user(s) the opportunity to maintain use of most of his/her existing software, while gaining the advantage of a 16-bit data bus.
Nazir assisted me with my informal tests. Learning to double-click the mouse was the first obstacle which I had to overcome! There are some other AMIGA-DOS “quirks” with which I was not familiar (e.g., the soft-reset key combination). By and by, after the proper sub-directory was opened, we had QDOS running on the AMIGA.
We “ran” it successfully on both an AMIGA 1000 w/512K (with a 2000 keyboard) as well as an AMIGA 500 w/1024K. This should be taken as a conditional statement since the apparent overhead on the AMIGA’s system is well over 256K. The 512K AMIGA had something in the neighborhood of 196K FREE_MEM left after QDOS was on board. A 1 meg unit would have around 708K. I think current AMIGA 2000 allows for up to 2 meg of system memory.
The 68000 processor in tandem with the 16-bit data bus does make a visible difference … TurboQUILL+ is even better — probably comparable to using PC-QUILL on a(ny) clone.
The PC-CONQUEROR emulator (for those who might be interested), requires a 1 meg AMIGA. The available memory for QDOS was somewhere between the memory available on a 640K and 786K QL as one might suspect. MS-DOS probably runs at about 1.0 Mhz vs 0.5 Mhz on a standard QL.
FORMATting MS-DOS disks was problematical. This is in part due to the non-standard disk drives used on AMIGAs. The disk formatted to 723968/730112 bytes (i.e., 6144 bytes “bad”; or, 12 bad sectors).
TASKMASTER does NOT WORK.
QRAM does NOT WORK.
The preliminary conclusion as to why neither TASKMASTER nor QRAM may work is because Kowallik (as well as the ATARI TOS writers) apparently chose to ignore Motorola’s request regarding use of the A-line (vs. F-line) in calls to the system (this has something to do with the TAS [Test and Set] instructions/calls). This is really beyond me and I may have gotten it wrong. The apparent code conflict should resolvable (though my understanding of the problem probably will never be).
TURBO-compiled programs DO work (e.g., QLUSTer); BUT, it does NOT seem that you can use the TURBO compiler (v.2.00) with the AMIGA.
The current screen display visible is “square” with the bottom 40 pixels not shown … akin to running a monitor-only program on a NTSC television (testing was done with an RGB monitor). The problem has been forwarded to Harvey Taylor as he (apparently) currently uses an AMIGA 2000 and may find it to be a fascinating enough problem on which to spend a few moments of his time.
A REAL HARDWARE DEFICIENCY which I noted to was that disk access was incredibly slow … untimed; but the impression is that it is s-l-o-w-e-r than loading from microdrive cartridges!
I queried Nazir as to whether this could not be overcome with dedicated” drives whereby the AMIGA’s drive is shunted to “last-in-the-chain” and the STANDARD drives are activated. A dedicated interface may be needed … Nazir had been considering my query … he had considered using an IBM compatible drive as an AMIGA drive with an N.A.P designed interface card to make it think it was an AMIGA drive …
The ATARI QL-EMULATOR should NOT experience the sluggish disk access since the ATARI and the QL both use the IBM-compatible drives.
For what may have been a limited time, the “original” AMIGA 1000s w/512K were available for around $300.00 (+/- $50.00). Some AMIGA dealers may still have the older units in stock as (it should be noted that the AMIGA 1000 uses a “different” set of proprietary chips than the 500/2000/3000).
A new(er) AMIGA 500 is cheaper than a THOR XVI (the AMIGA 500 is a keyboard/system box with an “okay” keyboard). But then, even a new ATARI w/ DAUGHTER board is cheaper than a THOR!
(NOTE: Neither emulator supports QL CLIENT/SERVER NETworking, while the THOR — apparently — does.)
There are some things that STILL need to be worked out as of mid-December (the screen display and the “dedicated” QDOS disk drives). But, if you think you can overcome these problems; or, if are willing to gamble that others will resolve the forementioned problems in the near future, then you should keep an eve out for a well priced, used/new AMIGA.
If it isn’t already apparent, the reason that the QL/AMIGA emulator has significance is that it gives “new” legs to a familiar and proven operating system. Proprietary (i.e., “scarce”) chips such as the ZX-8301/ZX-8302 are eliminated. Thus, as long as there is an AMIGA, you will have a platform on which you can run your software.
TIMES CHANGE. Now they raise llamas and ostriches where cattle and sheep used to graze; and, I keep hoping for a faster, INEXPENSIVE hardware upgrade for my QL … with only an occassional glance at those OTHER computers.
HMMmm. If someone can just convince Rainer Kowallik to do the same for with QVIEW’s MINERVA code (or, vice-versa) … we could make those legs BIONIC (!) …