Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

youtube.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 75 posts

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#51

Post by pmiller2 »

ddrager wrote: post #40

Oh wow, the TI-99/4A, I learned BASIC on this computer! If you didn't have the tape storage unit, which could save data onto an audio cassette, you had to re-type your program into the computer if the power went out or unit was reset. It also had an external voice processor as an addon which was really creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPkCNcT1Yw

It was my first computer as well. I loved the crap out of that machine. I had Extended Basic, but I wish I had been able to get the editor/assembler cartridge and the expansion box. The voice synthesizer was one of my favorite things to play with. :)

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#52

Post by nsxwolf »

13of40 wrote: post #48
ddrager wrote: post #40

Oh wow, the TI-99/4A, I learned BASIC on this computer! If you didn't have the tape storage unit, which could save data onto an audio cassette, you had to re-type your program into the computer if the power went out or unit was reset. It also had an external voice processor as an addon which was really creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPkCNcT1Yw

It was my family's first computer and the one I wrote my first programs on. Three things that stuck in my craw about it were: 1. BASIC supported PEEK but there was no POKE. 2. You could save files to a disk but you had to remember the file names because there was no way to list them. 3. Lower case letters were just small versions of uppercase. For the last one, a year or so ago I actually found a dump of the Apple II…

If you plugged in the Mini Memory cartridge, it added a POKE command to TI BASIC.

There was a common cartridge, "Disk Manager 2", which gave you common DOS-like disk management utilities.

The lowercase font really was absurd. A few programs redefined them with much more pleasant fonts. The "Adventure" module for running the Scott Adams text adventures comes to mind.

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#53

Post by joncp »

ddrager wrote: post #40

Oh wow, the TI-99/4A, I learned BASIC on this computer! If you didn't have the tape storage unit, which could save data onto an audio cassette, you had to re-type your program into the computer if the power went out or unit was reset. It also had an external voice processor as an addon which was really creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPkCNcT1Yw

I still have mine in the closet. I learned to code in TI BASIC on that beautiful machine. I've kept it for 35 years because it's the biggest single influence from my childhood on who I am today. I should pull it out and relive some old memories.

That said, there's no way in hell that video was a TI BASIC program. There were way too many sprites moving too smoothly around the screen. They must have made a custom cartridge.

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#54

Post by nsxwolf »

happy-go-lucky wrote: post #3
cptskippy wrote: post #2

The TI-99 is a desktop computer, at first I thought it was a calculator like the TI-98.

TI-99/4A was an enhanced version of TI-99/4. http://oldcomputers.net/ti994a.html

I have a TI-99/4. The keyboard is so terrible the computer is nearly unusable. It's much worse than the keyboards that usually make the "bad keyboards" list - I'd happily spend all day typing on an Atari 400 or an IBM PCjr. It makes the Timex Sinclair feel like some expensive Cherry MX board.

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#55

Post by kaspm »

ddrager wrote: post #40

Oh wow, the TI-99/4A, I learned BASIC on this computer! If you didn't have the tape storage unit, which could save data onto an audio cassette, you had to re-type your program into the computer if the power went out or unit was reset. It also had an external voice processor as an addon which was really creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPkCNcT1Yw

I still have my first BASIC program for the TI-99 stored on a cassette in storage. My grandpa, who was an engineer at Parsons in Pasadena, bought it for me when I was 5 years old. My then 9-year old cousin then taught me how to program (Hi David, if you're reading this). We're both engineers now.

The program, incidentally, counts to 1,000,000 and outputs each number on the screen, it took 3 days to run.

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#56

Post by orbitaldecay »

Olivier26 wrote: post #43
joakleaf wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Parsec was 2D horizontal smooth scrolling. It wasn't full screen, but the scrolling screens in this demo generally contains repetitive graphics, which would allow them to use a number of possible tricks. I actually downloaded and tried the demo on the Classic99 emulator, and it works exactly as advertised. Would love to see actual hardware demo though.

Same here, it works even with the F18A option disabled. So I apologize to these talented developers!

No problem ;)

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#57

Post by orbitaldecay »

joakleaf wrote: post #38
Olivier26 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, Parsec is very far from this demo, if the window is small it's for speed. The demo is full screen, which is impressive. And Parsec is coherent with what the hardware had to offer for the 3D those years, like Elite.

Parsec was 2D horizontal smooth scrolling. It wasn't full screen, but the scrolling screens in this demo generally contains repetitive graphics, which would allow them to use a number of possible tricks. I actually downloaded and tried the demo on the Classic99 emulator, and it works exactly as advertised. Would love to see actual hardware demo though.

FYI, a kind member of the atariage forums will be burning carts for cheap. if anyone is interested just stop by the forums there.

Re: Don't Mess with Texas – TI-99/4A Megademo [video]

#58

Post by to3m »

kaspm wrote: post #55
ddrager wrote: post #40

Oh wow, the TI-99/4A, I learned BASIC on this computer! If you didn't have the tape storage unit, which could save data onto an audio cassette, you had to re-type your program into the computer if the power went out or unit was reset. It also had an external voice processor as an addon which was really creepy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUPkCNcT1Yw

I still have my first BASIC program for the TI-99 stored on a cassette in storage. My grandpa, who was an engineer at Parsons in Pasadena, bought it for me when I was 5 years old. My then 9-year old cousin then taught me how to program (Hi David, if you're reading this). We're both engineers now. The program, incidentally, counts to 1,000,000 and outputs each number on the screen, it took 3 days to run.

Well, the cassette is certainly probably still where you put it...
Post reply on HN