QL-SD Headache

[vanpeebles]

Ah I just mean on the card if you read it via a PC? I just had the bin file and its own contents but nothing else.

"Before you do anything else with QL-SD, please make sure you create a backup of the
supplied SD-Card. It holds a lot of useful QL-SD support software, the documentation, and a
number of pre-built file system images.!

All I had was a single bin file, no manual, docs or images

[tofro]

Hmm.

The manual was actually written before the first QL-SDs were out. Paul and I have agreed on what's written there.

I'll look into what I can do for you. What is it you would be missing most?

Tobias

[vanpeebles]

I don't know, as I don't know what else should be on it

[XorA]

Out of interest is there a spec for .BDI files as well, would be fun to make a qltools type tool that can read/write from them!

[tofro]

Out of interest is there a spec for .BDI files as well, would be fun to make a qltools type tool that can read/write from them!

I would like to have one myself, to be honest

For the moment, all I know is that the inside of the BDI image is structured exactly as in QubIDE's "native" format - Whether there are the usual "slight deviations"? I don't currently know.

Tobias

[jurdie]

Hi Tobias,

Massive thank you for the quick reply and detailed solution to my issue creating sub-directories. I have just carried out your advice and everything now works as should.

My other query was, is it possible for me to create my own QL_BDI.BIN file with a PC windows applciation and add in my own folders and apps, along with the standard support files require to run QL-SD?

Thanks

Jurdie

[Peter]

Hi,

sorry I had no time for QL activities recently. When QL-SD started in Germany, we gathered an archive of complementary files for it. In my opinion, this "QL-SD starter package" should now be made available for the world. It contains the MAKE_DIR extension for the QL, the MageImage Program for the PC, Qemulator related files, etc.

For the moment, the "QL-SD starter package" could be used as it is, although it deserves some improvements. I will ask Paul. And if he has no objections, all we need is a way of publishing it.

In my opinion, an SDHC card carrying the QL filesystem is not a good place to hold complementary files for the PC side. It would increase the fatal risk of fragmenting the QL image file, when a user, who is not exactly aware of the technical implications, starts to change the SDHC card contents from the PC side.

As far as I know, QL-SD is only sold via the web, so it can be assumed that QL-SD users have web access. It think that publishing the "starter package" on the web is sufficient, and that Dilwyn's site would be a good place.

Dilwyn, if you read this and kindly offer to host the file, please let us know.

Another thing I plan to do as soon as I can, is the public release of the QL-SD driver source code. This requires some cleanups, checks and adding license related texts.

If the low-level specification of the BDI interface is of general interest, I can also publish it. The interface is quite simple and not QL-SD specific. It could also be used to access other types of images files from the QL-side of emulators. The BDI interface is implemented in both Qemulator and UQLX. I hope that both emulator authors will soon release this feature officially.

All the best
Peter

[XorA]

I am working on a tool like qltools but for BDI files, you can see my initial results in the Software forum.

http://theqlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=867

This should ease file transfer issues. Now I have a good handle on the file format I just need to add functionality.

[dilwyn]

Hi,

sorry I had no time for QL activities recently. When QL-SD started in Germany, we gathered an archive of complementary files for it. In my opinion, this "QL-SD starter package" should now be made available for the world. It contains the MAKE_DIR extension for the QL, the MageImage Program for the PC, Qemulator related files, etc.

For the moment, the "QL-SD starter package" could be used as it is, although it deserves some improvements. I will ask Paul. And if he has no objections, all we need is a way of publishing it.

In my opinion, an SDHC card carrying the QL filesystem is not a good place to hold complementary files for the PC side. It would increase the fatal risk of fragmenting the QL image file, when a user, who is not exactly aware of the technical implications, starts to change the SDHC card contents from the PC side.

As far as I know, QL-SD is only sold via the web, so it can be assumed that QL-SD users have web access. It think that publishing the "starter package" on the web is sufficient, and that Dilwyn's site would be a good place.

Dilwyn, if you read this and kindly offer to host the file, please let us know.

Another thing I plan to do as soon as I can, is the public release of the QL-SD driver source code. This requires some cleanups, checks and adding license related texts.

If the low-level specification of the BDI interface is of general interest, I can also publish it. The interface is quite simple and not QL-SD specific. It could also be used to access other types of images files from the QL-side of emulators. The BDI interface is implemented in both Qemulator and UQLX. I hope that both emulator authors will soon release this feature officially.

All the best
Peter

Yes, Peter, I would be happy to host the files if you wish.

I could even set up a QL-SD specific page if that would help, e.g. manual, software, third party software (if XorA wishes to make his tools software available when complete).

Either send it to me as a zipped attachment to an email, or post it here and I will copy it from here. Posting here would mean it's available in two places, a kind of backup if my website went down at any time, for example.

[Peter]

I am working on a tool like qltools but for BDI files, you can see my initial results in the Software forum.

http://theqlforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=867

This should ease file transfer issues. Now I have a good handle on the file format I just need to add functionality.

Sounds fantastic! And sorry I have so little time to look at it at the moment.

For the image type better say QL-SD (or Qubide although I'm only 99% sure about full compatibility).

BDI is not an image type, just a QL side interface specification, so native QL drivers can get access to PC side image files in general. It is mainly for emulators, completely independent from the actual type of the image. One could theoretically use it on floppy images, QLWA or whatever.

There were three ideas behind the BDI ("Block Device Image") interface:

1. Simplicty, reduces implementation effort for emulators
2. Get a test platform for native QL driver code (except the hardware specific layer)
3. Exactly identical driver for all emulators