The Sinclair QL Forum

ql_freak wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:37 pm Can Q-emulator (as UQLX/sQLux) be used with a large screen (at least 1024x768 4 colours) with Minerva or does this only work with SMSQ/E?

I only tested Minerva+Aurora once, some years ago, after I bought QEmulator. As far as I remember I had to use Poke 98371,144 to enter in Aurora 1024x768 256 colors mode.
I tried now again and it seems to change mode, but the monitor shuts down

ql_freak wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:37 pm With WIN harddisk images it has the same problem as UQLX/sQLux: It cannot create directories (at least this is documented in the PDF).

This is wrong - probably the manual was not updated.
I can confirm that it can create directories on win drives.

Andrew wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 12:33 am I only tested Minerva+Aurora once, some years ago, after I bought QEmulator. As far as I remember I had to use Poke 98371,144 to enter in Aurora 1024x768 256 colors mode.
I tried now again and it seems to change mode, but the monitor shuts down :(

Arrggghhhh! This poke his horrible, destroyed my whole Windows layout (had to rearrange all Windows programs). Do ONLY try this POKE, if Q-emulator is the only running Windows program!

ql_freak wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:37 pm With WIN harddisk images it has the same problem as UQLX/sQLux: It cannot create directories (at least this is documented in the PDF).

This is wrong - probably the manual was not updated.
I can confirm that it can create directories on win drives.

Thank you, just tried it, it's working :‑) (at least with WIN harddisk image files) AND this bug is also not present: If you try to overwrite a directory file you get "in use" :‑D

Andrew wrote: Tue Mar 25, 2025 12:33 am

I only tested Minerva+Aurora once, some years ago, after I bought QEmulator. As far as I remember I had to use Poke 98371,144 to enter in Aurora 1024x768 256 colors mode.
I tried now again and it seems to change mode, but the monitor shuts down
[/quote]

Hi Andrew,

Aurora and Q60 emulation are full-screen only (for now), so probably what you are seeing is the emulator switching to full screen and showing the Aurora video memory, that looks black if nothing was written into it.

The 'proper' way to go back would be to poke the display register again. Or in an emergency it should always be possible to Alt-TAB, then close or kill the emulator.

In hindsight, there should be a warning the first time that full screen is used.

Thanks,
Daniele

ql_freak wrote: Mon Mar 24, 2025 11:37 pm Can Q-emulator (as UQLX/sQLux) be used with a large screen (at least 1024x768 4 colours) with Minerva or does this only work with SMSQ/E?

Q-emuLator emulates hardware like the CPU and video output. It also offers some file device drivers for file systems that were not available originally on the QL (example Windows/Mac, QXL.WIN).
Graphics and all other drivers are left to the OS you run on it, and as far as I know the only QDOS-compatible OS that has colour drivers for the Aurora is SMSQ/e. Outside of that, you would need software that accesses the Aurora or Q60 video RAM directly.

M68008 wrote: Sat Apr 05, 2025 7:28 pm..., and as far as I know the only QDOS-compatible OS that has colour drivers for the Aurora is SMSQ/e.

I didn't talk about the 64K color mode of QPC2 (SMSQ/E) but high resolution with (at least) 4 Colours. This is perfectly working on uQLx, sQLux and as far as I have read, Jan Breedenbeck implemented it also for Q68. So it shouldn't be a great task to implement it in Qemulator.

ql_freak wrote: Sun Apr 06, 2025 2:21 am I didn't talk about the 64K color mode of QPC2 (SMSQ/E) but high resolution with (at least) 4 Colours. This is perfectly working on uQLx, sQLux and as far as I have read, Jan Breedenbeck implemented it also for Q68. So it shouldn't be a great task to implement it in Qemulator.

That would require changing the QDOS screen driver (and probably PTR_GEN and other software). A much smaller change compared to supporting high colour, but not necessarily trivial.

Perhaps someone could write a QDOS Classic for QL + Aurora, then it should work on Q-emuLator, too.

If people want to look at what uqlx does to support hires mode, the code is all in Xscreen.c

M68008 wrote: Sun Apr 06, 2025 6:30 am That would require changing the QDOS screen driver (and probably PTR_GEN and other software). A much smaller change compared to supporting high colour, but not necessarily trivial.

ACCEPTED

Perhaps someone could write a QDOS Classic for QL + Aurora, then it should work on Q-emuLator, too.

This would be nice, I cannot do it unfortunately. Currently only working with emulators AND I do not own SuperGold Card and Aurora (SuperGold Card seems to be required to use higher resolutions than 512x256).

hi, pls, http://sqlux.xora.org.uk/ is down? it was cool to show it simply to somebody ...
Petr

7alken wrote:hi, pls, http://sqlux.xora.org.uk/ is down? it was cool to show it simply to somebody ...
Petr

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