Question for oldschool MSX developers

Resident (45)

05-12-2004, 01:52

This is my first post here. I used to own MSX computers, from about the age of 10 until 16, when I got a peecee. I've had a Sony HB9-P (?) and a Philips VG8235 (with 7MHz and double sided disk drive built in by someone with the surname "Kornalijnslijper" in Hoorn, which is all I remember, anyone know him?).

Right now I study computer science and it's fun to remember the bad things I did in MSX Basic and have C64 vs. MSX retro discussions with my class mates.

Recently I am into "alternative" programming languages, like Scheme, Lisp, Prolog and Forth, and I am thinking about how it would have been if I was born 10 or 15 years earlier and I would have had to do my homework on an MSX instead of my iBook G4. I think it wouldn't have been that different. Real programming practice does not depend on the amount of GigaHertzes you have in your computer. Actually, it might even be good to know the constraints on having very limited resources, to get accustomed to good programming practices.

But I wonder, are there people here who have done that? Do their homework on their MSX with Turbo Pascal, Hitech C or something like that. Has anyone seriously used those CP/M implementations of compilers for languages like Fortran or Cobol? Or maybe even use their MSX to use as remote terminal to some kind of UNIX system?

It would be fun to hear stories about this.

By [D-Tail]

Ascended (8263)

05-12-2004, 02:00

Welcome T.R.!

Kornalijnslijper is -funny enough- known around here as repair_bas. Real name: Bas Kornalijnslijper. Does hardware stuff ^_^. Funny enough, I too study about Computer Science, and the bad thing about it is that it's all in JAVA. Not that JAVA's not suitable for teaching principles, but hey, we all want ASM, now don't we .

About your question: I recall my father speaking to a member of the openMSX dev team, who did all his University homework up to second grade with his MSX . That is way cool!

Alas, MSX can be a remote terminal since the coming of Uzix, which is, too bad, not so long ago (Y2K orso). Things are somehow made easier, what with the coming of ObsoNET, the first ethernet card for MSX.

By the way: RS-232(c) with null modem cable does the trick as well

By T.R.

Resident (45)

05-12-2004, 02:26

Welcome T.R.!

Kornalijnslijper is -funny enough- known around here as repair_bas. Real name: Bas Kornalijnslijper. Does hardware stuff ^_^.

Cool. Does he read this part of the forum? Maybe he remembers me. I was about 12, I came with my parents (combined trip to repair_bas's workplace-in-a-bedroom and IKEA in Amsterdam). I was sick of nerves (wow, 720KB double sided! was looking forward to that for a very long time!) so I had to throw up in the toilet at his home. My parents were a bit emberrased with the situation :-)....

Funny enough, I too study about Computer Science, and the bad thing about it is that it's all in JAVA. Not that JAVA's not suitable for teaching principles, but hey, we all want ASM, now don't we .

About your question: I recall my father speaking to a member of the openMSX dev team, who did all his University homework up to second grade with his MSX . That is way cool!

By the way: RS-232(c) with null modem cable does the trick as well

Cool, keep these stories coming please!!!

By IC

Hero (557)

06-12-2004, 02:55

Cool. Does he read this part of the forum?
sure he does... he visits from time to time and is known here as repair_bas

Yes, I know what you mean, but I really like Jave as a matter of fact. Nice clean language. Better than Visual [insert whatever], IMO. I hate GUI developement (swing/awt) in Java though. Nothing beats Borland Delphi/C++ at that. But I should not digress into this kind of subject on an MSX forum ;-)
well.. imho, borland Delphi is a gui based language. And if you ask me, I dislike Jave. I do like the whole idea of Object Oriented Programming though.. but to me, most ideas haven't been thought out yet.. cauz it isn't still OOP as it should have (Corba.. anyone )

Cool, keep these stories coming please!!!
I started coding on an MSX when I was 15 years old.. started with MSX-BASIC and later on coded ASM.. Quite neet stuff that ASM.. thanx to my knowledge I code fulltime for some big company in holland an do some small based projects from time to time.. and that all thanx to my MSX

By T.R.

Resident (45)

06-12-2004, 16:45

well.. imho, borland Delphi is a gui based language. And if you ask me, I dislike Jave. I do like the whole idea of Object Oriented Programming though.. but to me, most ideas haven't been thought out yet.. cauz it isn't still OOP as it should have (Corba.. anyone )

Delphi may be a GUI based development environment, but Object Pascal itself isn't. Except for the GUI "sugar", which to me is what makes Delphi powerful, it's just an OO language just like any other with a huge toolbox (VCL) full of useful stuff.

As for OO programming, you say you dislike java. Ofcourse it's all a matter of opinion, and I used to dislike it too. But since you mention CORBA, you should take a look at Java RMI, a remote object manipulation system for Java. You can do neat things with that.

Back to MSX: I know there is Hitech C++, but is it correct that it isn't really C++ at all, but just C?? Is there any possiblility to do OO programming on an MSX?

By AuroraMSX

Paragon (1902)

06-12-2004, 16:54

About your question: I recall my father speaking to a member of the openMSX dev team, who did all his University homework up to second grade with his MSX . That is way cool!

Wasn't me! But I definitely did do some of my university 'home work' on my MSX!

By Manuel

Ascended (19468)

06-12-2004, 18:47

Who of the openMSX dev team was that? (It wasn't me...)

Who's your dad anyway, D-Tail? Do I know him?

Oh, and I've never heard of Hi-Tech C++... I guess there is no compiler for Z80...

By [D-Tail]

Ascended (8263)

07-12-2004, 20:47

The openMSX-team member is iirc him! Dunno his name (anymore). Might sound familiar if you say it ;).

My dad: Marth van Herk. Did some articles about stamps & dynamic publisher in MCCM, iirc also about miniature trains. Also wrote some articles for other (paper) magazines, amongs which XSW, MSX-Info and some older MCMs. Those were mainly about the foundation he's a secretary of: Stichting Educatief VVG, a foundation which helps mentally disabled people with educating them via computer software. It all started on MSX :)

My dad was also responsible for my MSX-addiction, as you can read in this forum thread. :)

By Manuel

Ascended (19468)

07-12-2004, 22:07

ah, that's Joost Yervante Damad.

Stichting Educatief... ah, Wim Wallaart Is he still involved as well?

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10109)

07-12-2004, 22:10

D-tail: cool... 2 generations of the same familly doing something in the active msx world ^__^

By [D-Tail]

Ascended (8263)

07-12-2004, 22:52

ah, that's Joost Yervante Damad.

Stichting Educatief... ah, Wim Wallaart Is he still involved as well?Euhm... that name rings a bell, yes

Wim Wallaart is still -as ever- president of that foundation. They're doing very well these days, sometimes even reaching the media and such .

But they've quit MSX, and continue their efforts on PC now.