The Sinclair QL Forum

Hi
I would like to buy an Atari ST 1024.
If I use SMSQ/E will I be able to run QL compiled software ?



Thanks in advance!

M.

genetika wrote: Mon Mar 10, 2025 7:42 pm I would like to buy an Atari ST 1024.
If I use SMSQ/E will I be able to run QL compiled software ?

Not on an unexpanded ST.
ST has lower resolution than QL, You need a special graphic card to run SMSQ/E.
Using SMS2 You can run some QL software in monochrome, but without the SBasic interpreter.

dex wrote: Mon Mar 10, 2025 8:09 pm

genetika wrote: Mon Mar 10, 2025 7:42 pm I would like to buy an Atari ST 1024.
If I use SMSQ/E will I be able to run QL compiled software ?

Not on an unexpanded ST.
ST has lower resolution than QL, You need a special graphic card to run SMSQ/E.

That's not quite true. There is an Atari SMSQ/E version on the SMSQ/E site that works with a monochrome graphics driver. No SMS2, but full SMSQ/E with all bells and whistles.

you will have
Screen 640x400 in B/W
Storage Floppy 720 kb
Memory 1 MB
Keyboard

you will need
Monitor and Adapter
Mouse
Floppy drive
Harddisk

your decision ....

Works nicely on my Atari Stacy 4 that only has a monochrome display anyways. But some PE programs suffer a bit from the missing two colours : It's nice when you programs like QD allow you to adapt the used colours with Menuconfig or the likes

Could I use one of the following graphics cards ? Or I need a specific one ?

Thanks!

https://temlib.org/AtariForumWiki/index ... hics_cards

If TT had built the 16 color mode into SMSQ/E, you could have had a color image on the ST, ST/E, TT without additional hardware (EXT 4 emulator, QVME). The computers can do that.

That would have been the unimplemented 16 color Aurora mode.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

at the moment you have two ,more or less future proof options

QIMSI standalone
viewtopic.php?p=56909#p56909
pro
HDMI
SMSQE
extended resolution in Q68 mode
SD CARD with QXL.win containers
con
PS2 keyboard, mouse

MIster FPGA and clones (Mister PI,QMTech)
https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Wiki_MiSTer/wiki
https://misterfpga.org/viewtopic.php?t=8340
https://misterfpga.org/viewtopic.php?t=8162
pro
HDMI
USB keyboard, mouse
SMSQE
SD CARD with QXL.win containers
con
standard resolution

Greetings from Switzerland
Markus

The color drivers in Atari SMSQ/E are for some very special graphics cards that were produced in Norway and, later, by Jochen Merz in Germany.

There used to be cards for the "standard ST" and Mega ST, namely the MODE4/8 emulator and the extended MODE 4 emulator. (They are called "emulators", but are essentially graphics cards that somewhat emulate QL video on the ST). Later, there was a QVME card for STs with VME slot.

=atari]QL Wiki has quite a bit information on them

tofro wrote: Tue Mar 11, 2025 10:26 am The color drivers in Atari SMSQ/E are for some very special graphics cards that were produced in Norway and, later, by Jochen Merz in Germany.

Originally there was only JS on the Atari, and there was no talk of SMSQ/E. Only the device drivers were already from the SMS area. The first graphics card from Norway also still needed a QL ULA.

The Extended Mode 4 graphics card no longer needed a QL ULA, but initially only ran with JS. As Jochen Merz later supplied "SMSQ/E" disks for Atari, I assume, that the Level-E drivers also worked with JS.