I'm looking for developers interested in writing Windows/Linux wrapper code for Sinclairean so it can continue being ported to those platforms, as I'm dropping SDL and focusing on the emulator OS-agnostic core and the Mac OS X version.
Duty now for the future: get in touch at madonnamkii LDIR gmail HALT com (replace LDIR with @ and HALT with a dot, for no-spam's sake).
Sinclairean on hold
Due to GPL claims, I'm removing the Sinclairean executable until not a single stub from Marat Fayzullin or Philip Kendall remains in the application's code. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Sinclairean X C1
- Bundled as an app; Terminal is no longer required.
- The app does not register filetypes by itself yet; you have to do it manually using the "Get Info" Finder pane if you wish to launch Sinclairean by double-clicking a .tap or .sna file.
- Tuned a few compiler optimization flags.
- File requester filters Unicode special characters (appeared as trash on C0).
Sinclairean X: the revolution begins
The most long-awaited port: Sinclairean X, for your Mac OS X computer, here and now.
WARNING:
WARNING:
- Requires the SDL library framework (available at http://www.libsdl.org/)
- By now, it must be run from Terminal, with the current directory set where the executable is located
Sinclairean strikes on Unix/Linux!
A recent large-scale Windows disaster on my development equipment has forced a full migration to a more stable Linux environment.
The good news are that Sinclairean, with just adding a few minor compilation switches to the source, does compile AND RUN flawlessly on my setup. So expect a stable release soon for Unix/Linux (i.e. when strike ends, lol!)
The good news are that Sinclairean, with just adding a few minor compilation switches to the source, does compile AND RUN flawlessly on my setup. So expect a stable release soon for Unix/Linux (i.e. when strike ends, lol!)
On Strike
Sinclairean development and this blog's social functionalities are temporarily halted due to the MSX developers anti freeware proliferation strike.
More info here.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
More info here.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Plain border & blending issues
Answering some comments, Sinclairean does not support hi-res raster border rendering yet, so it appears solid regardless of changing its color many times a frame.
Actually, hi-res color is not supported at all yet even on the active screen area (i.e. Shock Megademo multicolor section does not show up OK), only beam synchronized video writes are supported (the minimum required to run games like Cobra, Arkanoid, etc.)
As for the interframe blending, it is actually synced with the electron beam, so it should not show any out of sync artifact. If you come thru any artifact please report game and situation.
NB that pausing/still advancing an interframe blended moving graphic DO show "ghosts"/double images that actually build up the effect (a percentage of the current frame is mixed with the complementary percentage of the previous frame.)
Actually, hi-res color is not supported at all yet even on the active screen area (i.e. Shock Megademo multicolor section does not show up OK), only beam synchronized video writes are supported (the minimum required to run games like Cobra, Arkanoid, etc.)
As for the interframe blending, it is actually synced with the electron beam, so it should not show any out of sync artifact. If you come thru any artifact please report game and situation.
NB that pausing/still advancing an interframe blended moving graphic DO show "ghosts"/double images that actually build up the effect (a percentage of the current frame is mixed with the complementary percentage of the previous frame.)
Crestaco Labs: Channels
NB: Channels is still an experimental feature. Snapshot format will vary for a few following releases. I'll let you know when a safe file structure versioning framework is established.
Issue B11
- Channels: Instant snapshots bank. Switch between them as easy as with your TV remote control. Press Windows key + keypad number to save a snapshot to a channel. Press the keypad number alone to retrieve it.
- Icon for Alt + Tab.
- Tweaked some optimizations.
Issue B10 REV. B
- Fixed MEMPTR emulation on the CB indexed instruction group
- Some GL optimizations
- 144: Spectaculator and Sinclairean B9
- 176: FUSE
- 184: SpecEmu and Sinclairean B10 REV. B (correct CB MEMPTR emulation)
Failing RLD/RRD on z80tests.tap
Sinclairean will fail RLD/RRD tests on the z80tests.tap test suite because they expect an unmodified copy of the original Sinclair 16/48K ROM, and the emulator loader patches the tape handling routines at the first .tap file access request.
To circumvent thit situation, you may convert the .tap file into a .sna snapshot (for your convenience, it's bundled on the current Sinclairean distribution) and load it before anything else.
To circumvent thit situation, you may convert the .tap file into a .sna snapshot (for your convenience, it's bundled on the current Sinclairean distribution) and load it before anything else.
Sinclairean port targets
Any x86-compatible, OpenGL-capable system is perfectly apt as a target for porting Sinclairean. That includes x86-based linuxes, of course.
Sinclairean comprises a platform-agnostic OpenGL/x86 machine code core that can be linkable to any other system's glue and initialization wrappers, and extended via a straightforward plugin architecture, so anyone will be able to port it to any compatible system and/or extend/modify its functionality without the hassle of compiling (or die trying to compile) the actual source.
I will only maintain the build of the current system I'm working on (which at the moment is Windows... yuck!), so other ports must be carried by other people. Also, the core is still too beta to release the object + API, so ports/plugins will still have to wait a little longer, sorry.
Sinclairean comprises a platform-agnostic OpenGL/x86 machine code core that can be linkable to any other system's glue and initialization wrappers, and extended via a straightforward plugin architecture, so anyone will be able to port it to any compatible system and/or extend/modify its functionality without the hassle of compiling (or die trying to compile) the actual source.
I will only maintain the build of the current system I'm working on (which at the moment is Windows... yuck!), so other ports must be carried by other people. Also, the core is still too beta to release the object + API, so ports/plugins will still have to wait a little longer, sorry.
SDL_GL_SwapBuffers hogging resources
Yesterday I started optimizing those parts of the emulator that are very unlikely to change, in order to combat some high load situations that a few users have reported, to my surprise that the task manager insisted in showing the same figures (about 50% CPU usage on my netbook).
Worried, I've crafted a test version which just does SDL_GL_SwapBuffers in an infinite loop, and guess: 50% CPU usage. Googling about I've come across some mentions about the topic; that pesky SDL call seems to hog CPU even when blocking until the next frame (vsync on).
Given that bypassing SDL and using Windows native GL is worse (vsync is not honored) I think it's time to go straight to DirectX + GL, much to my regret.
I've enclosed the SDL_GL_SwapBuffers-only version in the distribution package for you to test if you dare. Comments about CPU usage are welcome (better if compared against usage on issue B9). But BEWARE: This test version FLICKERS REAL BAD so it's not recommended for epileptics! Also, keyboard is not checked, so you'll have to terminate the process from the task manager (while trying to cope with the flicker, ouch!)
Worried, I've crafted a test version which just does SDL_GL_SwapBuffers in an infinite loop, and guess: 50% CPU usage. Googling about I've come across some mentions about the topic; that pesky SDL call seems to hog CPU even when blocking until the next frame (vsync on).
Given that bypassing SDL and using Windows native GL is worse (vsync is not honored) I think it's time to go straight to DirectX + GL, much to my regret.
I've enclosed the SDL_GL_SwapBuffers-only version in the distribution package for you to test if you dare. Comments about CPU usage are welcome (better if compared against usage on issue B9). But BEWARE: This test version FLICKERS REAL BAD so it's not recommended for epileptics! Also, keyboard is not checked, so you'll have to terminate the process from the task manager (while trying to cope with the flicker, ouch!)
Issue B9
- Better audio sync (less glitches)
- Audio muting when paused
- Docs and change log eliminated from distribution (this blog makes them redundant)
Welcome
Welcome to the Sinclairean blog!
Here you will find the latest announcements about Sinclairean in a somewhat more verbose style than its counterpart tweets on my Twitter channel. Also, bugs and annoyances can now be easily reported via comments, without the hassle of a full-fledged forum.
At the time of writing, Sinclairean is still in beta stages. This fact, together with the unorthodox nature of the emulator (and its author!), means that suggestions and feature requests are not welcome, sorry.
I have not much time to devote to this project, but I try to squeeze the most of it, so I'd appreciate brief, nonredundant, non Windows insider comments, please. I'll do my best to fix all what's commented asap, so don't worry if I don't reply. I usually will only respond if I need further info.
Thanks for your interest!
Here you will find the latest announcements about Sinclairean in a somewhat more verbose style than its counterpart tweets on my Twitter channel. Also, bugs and annoyances can now be easily reported via comments, without the hassle of a full-fledged forum.
At the time of writing, Sinclairean is still in beta stages. This fact, together with the unorthodox nature of the emulator (and its author!), means that suggestions and feature requests are not welcome, sorry.
I have not much time to devote to this project, but I try to squeeze the most of it, so I'd appreciate brief, nonredundant, non Windows insider comments, please. I'll do my best to fix all what's commented asap, so don't worry if I don't reply. I usually will only respond if I need further info.
Thanks for your interest!