Using the system

From Ninerpedia

On these pages we collect tips for everyday usage of the systems.

How to run an unknown program

Situation: You have inserted a disk and wonder how to get the programs running which you find on it.

As with most systems there are two types of files:

• files containing data, and
• files containing executable code.

In most cases, executable code is stored in PROGRAM files.

Types

• PROGRAM files are plain memory dumps

They must be loaded at the exact same positions in memory. Apart from them, there are files with other formats, also containing executable code:

• DIS/FIX 80 files are record-oriented files containing relocatable machine code.

That is, these files must be loaded by a special loader (which is part of the Editor/Assembler cartridge, but also of the Extended Basic cartridge). This loader is able to place the contents in almost any memory location, automatically adjusting references to addresses.

• DIS/FIX 163 files are MERGE files.

These files may be created in Extended Basic. They are used when you want to merge several files to one single BASIC program. For instance, you can store subroutines in MERGE files and select those that you need when running some application.

Loading

If you find a PROGRAM file it is either BASIC or Extended BASIC or a memory image machine language file.

BASIC: Get into BASIC, type

OLD DSK1.SAMPLEFILE

If you don't get an error message, do a LIST and see whether there are strange characters in the listing and whether the BASIC interpreter outputs very sluggishly. This means it's actually Extended Basic. Do the same with Extended Basic plugged in and selected.

If you get an error message, it is likely that this is no BASIC program. Plug in the Editor/Assembler, select

5 RUN PROGRAM FILE

and enter

DSK1.SAMPLEFILE

If it is a DIS/FIX 80 file you need to load it in Editor/Assembler, select

3 LOAD AND RUN

Sometimes the file contains an autostart tag. If not, you will need to provide a name by which the machine language program has been registered. This can be a bit difficult to find out. If you look at the file in an editor, you can find some names near the end of the file. One of them may be the proper program name.