How to run Prospero Fortran on Qemulator version 3.3

[swensont]

I went back to look at my notes on ProFortran and I was able to get it to work with Qemulator. I had to load the prl.rom as a ROM in Qemulator.
I just finished testing ProFortran with the latest sQLux. (the latest can be found here: https://github.com/SinclairQL/sQLux. Just click on "clone or download" and then choose ZIP)

I edited my .uqlxrc file to have ROMIMG point to the prl.rom. The steps to compile a hello_for file was this:

exec_w win1_f77
win1_hello
exec_w win1_link
win1_hello win1_f77
exec_w win1_hello_bin

Tim Swenson

[P2P]

Hello Tim,
thank you for your solution to the problem of running Prospero Fortran on a QL emulator.
For me it gives a new problem, which is: installing SQLux (or uqlxrc) on Linux.
I started this process by installing VirtualBox (Oracle) on Windows 10 and then Ubuntu Linux.
When I downloaded the SQLux code from github, I notoced that it gives the C source code and in the document map
a lot of info on how to install gcc, X11, GNU and info on how to generate an executable version of this Qemulator.
That's to much for me, so I give up.
My conclusion on this subject is:
You cannot really use Prospero Fortran on any QL emulator (not on Qemulator, QPC2 etc.) apart from the emulator SQLux (or uqlxrc),
but SQLux is only for experienced programmers with knowledge of C and Linux/Unix.
Thank you for your advices and greetings from Paul.

[RalfR]

Why does it run on uQLx and not on QemuLator or QPC2?

[Derek_Stewart]

Hi,

I downloaded sQLux, which requires SDL2 installed to compile.

The sQLux uses an sqlux.ini file in the directory the executable starts, instead of the traditional .uqlxrc file. But the config file can be drfined in the command line or icon properties.

Once configured all work fine, I tried Digitial Precision BMX Buerner, which was too fast to play.

The default operating system is Minerva v1.98, which maybe the reason why Pro Fortran works, as the screen and system variables maybe in the same place as a normal QL.

To get Pro Fortran running in QPC2, the QPC_QLSCREMU 4 to emulate the QL screen address.

To load the PRL rom use EPROM_LOAD, but there does not seem to be any eprom memory protection.

Some QL software used overwrite the loaded rom code, sort of a copy protection process.

It maybe better to load the PRL toolkit instead of the rom code.

I will try this later and report back.

[RalfR]

Some QL software used overwrite the loaded rom code, sort of a copy protection process.

Does uQLx have a memory protection for the ROM base?

[swensont]

I was able to run ProFortran on Q-emualtor under Wine on Linux. I tried ProPascal on QPCII (under Wine) and SMSQMulator and it failed on both. It seemed to work but compiling did nothing and at one point both emulators hung.

If ProFortran will run on sQLux, it will run with uQLx, I just happened to need to test sQLux at the time. I did not use the default Minerva on sQLux, but use JS rom. Remember, uQLx and sQLux are QDOS emulators, while QPCII and SMSQmulator are SMSQ/E emulators.

I don't know about getting Ubuntu working on VirtualBox on Windows. I dumped Windows about 6 years ago and really don't want to go back.

Tim

[tofro]

Some QL software used overwrite the loaded rom code, sort of a copy protection process.

Does uQLx have a memory protection for the ROM base?

In short: Yes.

You should actually see a warning on the console if a program tries to write to ROM.

I have no idea whether QEmulator protects the ROM area. QPC2 definitely doesn't, for good reasons.

Tobias

[RalfR]

QPC2 definitely doesn't, for good reasons.

Yes, we know. Should perhaps good to switchable.

[tofro]

QPC2 definitely doesn't, for good reasons.

Yes, we know. Should perhaps good to switchable.

QPC2 is per default an SMSQ/E emulator, not QDOS. There's no ROM area in its architecture, because there is no fixed memory map. It might make sense, however, to protect areas used by EPROM_LOAD.

[P2P]

Dear readers,
I finally have Prospero Fortran working on the Qemulator version 3.3.
What did the trick:
Unzip the Prospero Fortran ZIP file within the QL environment with the unzip program, but DON't use the boot file for loading the PRL rom
code in memory, because the PRL code will be overwritten during the compiler steps and becomes corrupt.
Instead of this, adjust the Qemulator Configuration and use as ROMS:
Use the default JS_ROM (when I used the Minerva version 1.98 ROM, the combination freezes)
For the back ROM: use the Prospero.ROM as is part of the files in the Prospero Fortran ZIP files, DO NOT USE THE PRL ROM.
With this combination and all the Fortran codes and examples in FLP1_ and an empty floppy in FLP2_ (for intermediate files) everyting works very well. Thanks to all of you for giving memany ideas, greetings from Paul.