News stories for Episode 201, February 28, 2021 show

News stories for Episode 201, February 28, 2021 show:

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Coco 1/2/3 (and multi-platform)

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1) Erico Patricio Monterio linked to a video by Daniel Campos, showing a rare Coco 1 clone from Brazil called the LZ Color 64 he found at the market:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158990364002641/

And the video itself:

 https://youtu.be/ZIVYQDfbpqk

2) Boisy Pitre released version 1.2.1 of the DriveWire 4 Server for Mac OSX, which addressed some issues with the Sparkle updater:

 https://github.com/boisy/drivewire-mac/releases/tag/v1.2.1

3) Ken @ Canadian Retro Things posted a video showing he fixed up a modified Coco 1 (with extra reset switch, power switch and power on LED) to get it running again:

 https://youtu.be/lxsN-_1mz50

4) Erico Patricio Monteiro did some low res, semigraphics versions of various computers (including all 3 Coco's, MC-10/Alice. In the comments, Fred Rique responded with some semigraphics style renditions he did of various retro boot screens.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158997132047641/

5) Sheldon MacDonald released a really cool vector graphics (done in CocoVGA graphics modes) demo videos:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158997098952641/

He also created a later 3D demo using a perspective sine table:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158999138522641/

And a 3rd using a tangent function (based on joystick movement):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159002302912641/

Sheldon also posted a video update to his CocoVGA function library, particularly his custom font functionality:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159004312897641/

6) Aaron Newcomb did a segment on TWiT's show FLOSS Weekly (FLOSS stands for Free Libre Open Source Software), talking about his usage of open source hardware and software for his RFB to HDMI CPLD based adaptor that he has been using to hook older computers up to modern displays, and specifically mentions his using it for the Coco:

 https://youtu.be/pRAn6OEs2Y8

Full hour show is here:

 https://twit.tv/shows/floss-weekly/episodes/617?autostart=false

7) Todd Wallace released both a video demonstration and the software download for getting live weather reports on your Coco (under NitrOS-9) when connected to DriveWire:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158998193762641/

Downlod link:

 https://tektodd.com/wp-content/CoCo-Downloads/cocowx.zip

8) Jayeson Lee-Steere has put up a revised design to his Omniboard (Coco cartridge prototype board), and is asking for feedback on the design in the Facebook group:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159001067227641/

9) Pierre Sarrazin has put up a manual/reference guide for CMOC specifically aimed at BASIC programmers:

 http://perso.b2b2c.ca/~sarrazip/dev/cmoc-for-basic-programmers.html

10) Amateur Tinkering on YouTube did a video showing logging into Telnet BBS's using an original Coco 1 and the VideoTex cartridge, through a WiFi modem and a homemade cable to the bit banger port:

 https://youtu.be/o_rkEoQ803k

11) On a sadder note, Richard Lorbieski of Boysontech posted on Facebook that his home was damaged in Texas blizzard and it's aftermath, so he is busy doing repairs. He hopes to be up and running again around April 1st:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1929079184021683/permalink/2805643963031863/

12) Robert Gault put up a disk image on the Facebook Coco group that draws Koch pattern fractals (one of the earliest fractals). It's designed to run in a 640 pixel wide, 4 color window, and is written in BASIC09:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159013680127641/

13) Ron Lammardo posted up a bit of interesting history - a conversation from Compuserve back on February 28, 1988 between Mark Griffiths and Mark Siegal (the latter from Tandy) discussing some updates being done to GShell. This is likely from before the Version 3.0 upgrade officially started; both Mark Griffith and Ron were part of that team:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159013652037641/

14) Frederick Provoncha posted a video of a test program he is doing to allow a Coco 3 running NitrOS-9 and DriveWire to sync with iCalendar files (he is also the author of the latest CONTROL panel program for EOU, including his newest version which will be pre-installed in the April 6.1 release):

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159011689822641/

NOTE: He has another video in the comments that explains what he hopes to accomplish with this program (including

15) Fabian Rodriguez posted that he rescued a Coco 3 from a group of "dead" computers that he got in bulk:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159011116607641/

He also posted a question about using a floppy combo drive (Epson, 3.5 & 5.25 in one drive) with a Coco. I do know that such drives at double density *did* work on the Coco; a friend of mine had one in the 1990's. But how well it works with the Coco with high density drives (particularly with the 5.25") was the subject of debate in the comments:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159009279477641/

16) Terry Trapp has named his Parallax P2 project (that we have shown a few of his experimental videos on over the last month of so (from the Coco Facebook group)) "Coco Blender". He also lists some features he wants to get working on it:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159007360942641/

17) Brandon Tetreau posted a question about how to launching VCC with cartridges that auto launch, to use with a front end program, from the command line. Bill Pierce (currently in charge of VCC) answers in the comments, for those wanting to do the same.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159006274487641/

He also posted a video showing such a launcher in action:

 https://youtu.be/D952m6Dzsus

18) Michael P Yusko posted the question on the Coco Facebook group for all: "What got you into the Coco's?". He has over 80 responses so far:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159003704922641/

19) This Week in Retro (featuring Neil of RMC and John from the Amigos & The Coco Show) has Ben Drakes Coco VR as one of their stories this week:

 https://youtu.be/aKR_w6dtSGU

(Coco VR at 9:25)

20) The YouTube channel pahandav put up a video how-to guide for creating a hard drive image, and installing NitrOS-9 for the Coco 3 on emulators with virtual hard drives (in this particular case, with VCC, although he is using a much older 1.43 version). He sets up a dual DECB/NitrOS9 hard drive:

 https://youtu.be/KPv2zSe_nOI

21) The Coco Crew episode 69 literally just dropped an our ago (so I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet), but the show notes mention an interview with John Strong, a host discussion on going for having a "full set" (I am guessing this is the hardware variations of the Coco line?), and a tech segment on Color PILOT.

 http://cococrew.org

MC-10

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1)

Dragon 32/64

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1) Stewart Orchard put up a video demonstrating an FPGA blitter board (that plugs into the expansion port). At this point it is more a proof of concept vs. a finished project:

 https://youtu.be/rYc-GtfMgfo

He also has the project files for it available on gitlab (where he mentions that it should also work on a Coco 1/2, and gives a plug to Jim Brain's blogs about DMA on the Coco):

 https://gitlab.com/sorchard001/dragonblit

2) Andy Fox posted a quick show and tell video of the CocoVGA installed in his Dragon:

 https://www.facebook.com/tiger.fox.359/videos/1370264496645336/

3) Jamie Murray posted a photo of Dragon User magazine - International Edition, which actually lists the US price, so it must have been sold in the USA as well as Europe:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragon32/permalink/2853205801605737/

4) Julian Brown posted an update (and download link) to his emulated 6809 in Javascript in the Dragon forum on Facebook:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/dragon32/permalink/2851261661800151/

5) Ciaran Anscomb posted a picture of what I believe is a 128K RAM upgrade for the Dragon 64:

 https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=896331197871399&set=gm.2849922748600709

Game On news:

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1) Jim posted a video for Darren Atkinson's version of Flood-It for the MC-10, which is written in a hybrid of 6803 machine language and BASIC, so it runs fast:

 https://youtu.be/adb2Hxtj07I

He also posted a video of Coloroid (which is his BASIC version of Flood-It), compiled version, with variable sized screens (he shows 4x4, 5x5 and briefly 6x6):

 https://youtu.be/pQdqSOlBL5U

He also posted his Alpha Force game, compiled (this is a game based on the arcade game TARG):

 https://youtu.be/7qgOso_6K6w

He also posted another entry for the BASIC 10 liner contest, "Asteroid Field":

 https://youtu.be/MLHfWtGwerg

2) Jamie Cho has released his first playable versions of his Coco 3 game Space Bandits, which is a Space Invaders type game with digital sound effects, highly detailed backgrounds and sprites. It is based on Richard Goedeken's Dynosprite library, and features both keyboard and joystick controls. (I will load some screenshots that I have in my Space Bandits folder). There is also a native Mac version as well. Facebook announcement:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10158998463342641/

Direct download:

 https://github.com/jamieleecho/space-bandits/releases/tag/0.12

Video of gameplay from the MiSTer Coco 3 core:

 https://youtu.be/4pT2PQtBZbA

3) Diego has put up a video of his version 2.0 of the Airwolf game he originally did in BASIC back in 1987. It is better optimized, and has updated graphics, and he shows the differences between the two versions in the video:

 https://youtu.be/exFZ3DbhF94

4) Retro Games Diversos on YouTube has posted a video showing the Dragon 32/64 & Coco 1/2 emulator running on the handheld Pocket-Go Miyoo console (the controls look a little difficult for the game they chose - Arkanoid):

 https://youtu.be/psfquP7x1KU

5) A newer YouTube channel called "LRU's outrageous gaming project" has just started releasing gaming videos featuring the Dragon 32/64 (well, XRoar), this week featuring games like Downland, Toppler, Fingers, Red Meanies, Perilous Pit, Star Swoop, and others (this channel does multiple retro systems):

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKaIk2c7dGJ2uVLyvrGgh7Q/search?query=dragon

6) Guillaume Major has put up both a video demo and downloadable disk image (on the Color Computer archive) for another AGI home brew game demo (incomplete) for the Coco 3, called Operation:RECON (we will put this on the 6.1 EOU release in April as well): Announcement:

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2359462640/permalink/10159018497627641/