The Sinclair QL Forum

Speaking of QL games and software generally, one of the things I found fascinating in that vodeo of the Crash! QL session was the idea of a QL Software download service - ie load up the "store front" program, download the latest list of available software, download it (saved auomatically to sd card) and run. Which is what already exists on the SpecNext with the GetIt tool.

And also, unrelated to the point above, was the idea that we may not need container files at some point in the future*. I have no idea how they propose to deal with QL executable file headers though. Perhaps each file gets a <filename>.header file which store this alongside and the core has a filesystem driver that knows how to use it? Like OS/2 extended attributes. And I suppose there must be some way to re-attach the header when exporting the file for use on original QLs/Q68s etc.

* if I understood correctly.

For anyone not familiar wioth the Spectrum Next's GetIt program and what it does: https://em00k.itch.io/getit

So apparently both the new firmware/distro and the QL core are released on https://www.specnext.com. However, I'm not seeing any new items there.

I think that the site may have gone down when they sold the last few KS2s on Friday, due to the demand. Maybe the site they have back is a backup without the latest posts/files?

Sparrowhawk wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2024 1:22 pm So apparently both the new firmware/distro and the QL core are released on https://www.specnext.com. However, I'm not seeing any new items there.

I think that the site may have gone down when they sold the last few KS2s on Friday, due to the demand. Maybe the site they have back is a backup without the latest posts/files?

New QL core was suposed to be posted in the "latestdistro" section yesterday at 8pm GMT. At the same time they were opening the sale for some remaining KS2 Nexts. I was connected, wating for the new Next distro to be posted. It never was, apparently demand for the new Nexts was huge, and servers were not sized properly. Website collapsed and they had multiple issues with incomplete transactions and payments. Site has come back today around noon but no trace of the new distro, which should include the QL core....

I think the Next team has other major worries now than publishing the new distro

Yep, I figured that was it, based on the comments on the KS2 board.

Hope you were not affected by the payments problems.

Got the new core and have the QL working! Went to "https://gitlab.com/thesmog358/tbblue" and got all the files in a .ZIP. Not sure how stable this link is. Had to force the update (press "u" on boot). Now have;

System/Next
24.06

NextZXOS
2.09

Core (issue 4)
3.02.01

Firmware
1.44.db

Not sure how to link Microdrives or files? The F4 (yellow button and "4") mentioned in the Crash live is not working is is for another function?

Hope this helps a bit.

The-Red-Bayron wrote: Sat Nov 30, 2024 5:02 pm Got the new core and have the QL working! Went to "https://gitlab.com/thesmog358/tbblue" and got all the files in a .ZIP.

Thanks. Still can't find any info about the CPU core (nor the HDL source so I could look myself).
The readme just points to the Z80 related HDL source.

Sparrowhawk wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 1:18 pm And also, unrelated to the point above, was the idea that we may not need container files at some point in the future*. I have no idea how they propose to deal with QL executable file headers though.

This has already been solved by several emulators by prepending a header to the QL files with the "resource fork" information and simulating later directory structures in the virtual filesystem the OS sees.

I hope that they don't come up with yet another "standard" for this.

stephen_usher wrote: Sun Dec 01, 2024 7:13 pm

Sparrowhawk wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2024 1:18 pm And also, unrelated to the point above, was the idea that we may not need container files at some point in the future*. I have no idea how they propose to deal with QL executable file headers though.

This has already been solved by several emulators by prepending a header to the QL files with the "resource fork" information and simulating later directory structures in the virtual filesystem the OS sees.

I hope that they don't come up with yet another "standard" for this.

what emulators?

Doesn't Qemulator have this functionality? I thought the C68 compiler could make executables with the header that some emulators could use.

I'm trying to remember now.

Edit:
OK, yes, Q-emulator adds a header... This is apparently the SMSQ/e format. SMSQmulator can use this in a SFA device mount to the native filesystem.

But there's also the XTcc tail format which appends the data to the end of the file. SMSQmulator can use this in a NFA device mount.