QLiberator questions

[ql_freak]

First:

I have now finally installed QLiberator and compiled my first "Hello, world!" (on QPC2).

But I have problems. QLiberator is installed in a subdirectory. Albeit I have set PROG_USE and DATA_USE to the subdirectory, the

LIBERATE command,

fails. It seems LIBERATE searches for "QLIB_obj" only in '"WIN1_" and ignores the PROG/DATA_USE directory.

When I use

REDIRECT "WIN1_QLIB_obj" , "WIN1_etc_QLIB_QLIB_obj'

(REDIRECT is a command from Phil Bormans excellent device drivers)

the above LIBERATE command succeeds.

Is there a way to patch QLiberator, so that it (always) uses "WIN1_etc_QLIB_" instead of "WIN1_"

p.s.: QLiberator version 3.37 (that says says the disc cover), QLIB_obj is version 3.33.

p.p.s.: I use all files from my disc, except QLIB_run. Here I use the version delivered with
QPC2, cause I assume it's more recent and perhaps required for current programs.

[tofro]

You need to tell QLiberator where to find its files:

Code: Select all

QLIB_USE win1_<wherever you store qliberator>,<wherever you stored qlib_help>

Should do the trick.

QLIB_USE can take some more optional parameters, like the x and y window position and an "Option String" that pre-sets some compilation options and that I fail to recall the meaning of the bits at the moment...

If I remember right, QLIB_USE was not described in the main manual, but came with an upgrade and was thus described in some loose-leaf addendum.

Tobias

[pjw]

QLib would be THE program to get the sources to, to update and free..

[gregtaylor]

Hi, not a solution but where did you get QLiberator from? I use Supercharge as it was easily available but when I used my QL in the 80s I was a QLiberator fan and have been keen to find a copy. They just don't seem to come up very often.

Greg

[Ralf R.]

The latest Qlib_obj is v3.36, where (beside other things, eg Integer tokenisation (for Minerva + QSAVE)) they implemented my way of putting a Config block in a SB program (same as in S_Edit).

The status of QLiberator still seem to be commercial, as noone was able to conatct one of both people of Liberation Software, nor is there any available licence for the program.

The Qlib_run from Thierry (which is part of QPC2 demo WIN) corrects a bug in reporting ERLIN and ERNUM, which are exchanged in the original version for unknown reasons.

QLIB_USE is well documented in my manual of v3.22a (Ring binder). There are just update sheets für e.g. integer tokenisation of Minerva for v3.36.

I prefer the original version of QSAVE/QLOAD, as Liberations QLOAD reports missing extensions after loading. This is not true with TTs rewritten version, which is part of SMSQ/E. Undfortunately, the original QSAVE/QLOAD is not usable in SMSQ/E as it tries to read fix ROM locations.

Why TT has not rebuild that behaviour is beyond my knowledge.

[dilwyn]

Hi, not a solution but where did you get QLiberator from? I use Supercharge as it was easily available but when I used my QL in the 80s I was a QLiberator fan and have been keen to find a copy. They just don't seem to come up very often.

Greg

Until we either get free QLiberators or it reappears in updated commercial form, why not try the Turbo compiler? Both Turbo Toolkit and Turbo compiler (plus manuals and sources) are free to download and use and kept up to date by George Gwilt, from this page:
http://gwiltprogs.info/page2.htm

[tofro]

To add to Dilwyn's comment:

QLiberator doesn't really speed up compiled S*Basic programs on SMSQ/E to the same amount it did with "plain old QDOS" programs. The S*Basic interpreter is so much faster both in loading and interpreting programs than the original QDOS one that QLiberator can only achieve improvements typically by a few percent.

Turbo, in this respect, is much better suited for modern SMSQ/E platforms in my opinion - The speed and size improvements over interpreted S*Basic are still considerable, and the resulting programs can really use the more modern CPUs to the maximum amount possible. I personally, can very well live with the few limitations the modernized Turbo compiler admittedly still has - George Gwilt has really done a tremendous job in working on the original limitations.

Tobias

[RWAP]

Hi, not a solution but where did you get QLiberator from? I use Supercharge as it was easily available but when I used my QL in the 80s I was a QLiberator fan and have been keen to find a copy. They just don't seem to come up very often.

Greg

You can get Q-Liberator via http://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/detail ... iler-11891

I actually list those on behalf of Jochen Merz (who supplies them on demand) - when I last spoke to Ian Stewart, we could not get hold of Adrian Soundy (who is somewhere in New Zealand from memory), so Ian said to just get one from Jochen who has the distribution rights.

[RWAP]

Actually - this has reminded me - I was talking to Adrian Soundy on Facebook in 2014 - only had a short message to confirm he was the right person, but then no responses to my request for his consent to make the Liberation software all freeware (Ian Stewart was happy for this but needed Adrian's permission too)

[ql_freak]

Hello,

@tofro: Thank you, WIN_USE was the first I have had tried.

You need to tell QLiberator where to find its files:

Code: Select all

QLIB_USE win1_<wherever you store qliberator>,<wherever you stored qlib_help>

Should do the trick.

Unfortunately my version only allows for a directory device name like "WIN1_" or "FLP1_". With (e. g.) "WIN1_p_qlib_" I get "invalid parameter". BTW: I have the files QLib_bin (2878 bytes) and QLib_sys (16002 bytes) which both include the same SuperBASIC extensions, e. g. LIBERATE and QLIB_USE. What is the difference?

@gregtaylor: I have QLiberator found on one of my old disks. But I'm afraid it is not the most current version I possess. But the rest of my disks and my original QL (with the hard-disk) is inside a carton, anywhere in my flat. It would be quite a lot of work to unpack it.

@dilwyn and tofro: I also liked Turbo in my old QL days and used it a lot. If I would write a large program like e. g. "The Editor", I would use Turbo (of course I would allow that more than one file can be loaded, like in MicroEMACS and DME). But for small, simple programs, which must eventually be started more than once, QLiberator has one big advantage: It doesn't require the I(gitit) option in QPac2. This can save a lot of memory (albeit not so important on QPC2 as on an original QL).