pdp11 BBC BASIC development
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01-Mar-2024:
Took some effort, but *commands being passed to the host on RT11 implemented. Fairly fiddly, as the only way to call an external command is chaining to it via EXIT, so a workaround was needed to get the call to actually come back again. At the moment, only *. passed to DIR is implemented as any error bombs out to the RT11 KMON monitor.

04-Nov-2023:
Tweeks to PDP11 Emulator gets it running fine on SDL BASIC on Android devices.

19-Aug-2023:
Finished all BSD2.11 file I/O API. OPEN, CLOSE, PTR, EXT, EOF, OSFIND, OSARGS, OSGBPB implemented. Now concentrating on testing and optimisating.
01-Aug-2022:
*Commands passed to host on BSD.
20-Jul-2023:
Successfully got puTTY working, so full colours and full keyboard functions available with SIMH. See SIMHpuTTY.

06-Aug-2022:
Hurray! Sorted out BSD2.11 API and file load/save, TIME and keyboard test working. Can now get on the rest of the API.
01-Aug-2022:
Unix Host I/O interface works on BSD 2.9. Doesn't detect keyboard queue yet, so can't detect function/editing keys.
20-Jan-2022:
Successfully started writing BSD Unix Host I/O interface.

03-Jan-2022:
VT52 terminal I/O working on RT11Em.
28-Jul-2021:
RSTS/RT11 and Unix v5/v6 can't do background Escape testing, so have to do foreground polling. Escape polling reduced to mimimum, runs almost as fast as possible. Turning off completely with *ESC OFF runs at maximum speed.

30-Mar-2021:
Uploaded to online emulated PDP11 with ASR33 TeleType.
30-Jun-2020:
Unix5 recognised, so extended keypresses work.
28-Jun-2020:
Some horrible low-level memory peeking allows the Unix6 and Unix7 port to recognise extended keypresses.

22-Jun-2020:
RT11 keyboard driver recognises function and editing keys, and cleaned up and optimised VDU driver.
31-May-2020:
Open/Write/Close works on RT11, so SAVE works. Have also worked out how to select colours on the UKNC.
27-May-2020:
HURRAY!!! File Open/Read/Close works on RT11, so LOAD works! Phew, that was an effort. I can now load test programs, and will be able to quite quickly progress onto Write and SAVE.

(video, video)

26-Aug-2018:
NumberToString does fractional numbers! Currently only does General format 9 digits for floats, G format 10 digits for integers, @% ignored.
RT11 build also works, only console I/O supported.

21-Aug-2016:
Floating point addition and multiplication rounding corrected.
06-Aug-2016:
Fractional decimal parsing implemented. E format and power only implements positive integer exponents. Decimal printout not yet implemented, so printing fractions prints as integers.
14-Sep-2015:
Written a BBC text VDU driver for Unix.

(video)

11-Aug-2015:
Wow! Running on real hardware!
Running on David Banks' Matchbox CoPro for the BBC/Master. A real, live, hardware (emulated) PDP11 second processor for the BBC. What we could have done with this back in the day!
The screenshots show a 20MHz core running at the equivalent of a 25MHz 6502 and SIMH running at the effective speed of a 60MHz 6502.

30-Dec-2013:
Generalised command table, added *Help command.
24-Dec-2013:
PROC/FN parameter passing, and restoring on return works. Demo'd with a PROCedure that sets ANSI colours.

09-Dec-2013:
PROC/FN calls work, AddrOf PROC/FN also works. Now need to get parameter passing working. This is looking fiddly juggling between variables and the stack.
08-Dec-2013:
READ works.
28-Nov-2013:
FOR/NEXT and INSTR() works.

05-Aug-2013:
Floating point division works, including rounding from rounding. 1/3+1/3+1/3 gives 1.
Integer division now also works with negative numbers and floating point numbers, resulting in MOD also working.
Speeded up dispatch by only doing SkipSpace when actually needed.

12-Jul-2013:
Floating point arithmetic! While all the internals could pass around and store floating point values, all the arithmetic was integer only. I knew the concepts of floating point arthimetic from 'O' level maths, so sat down to implement it. The main code for addition was fairly simple, the fiddly bits is when the signs are different and the result is on the other size of zero. Multiplication also done, which was easier. Division to do next, then power, which may be fiddly.
Note: the printout routine only prints integers, which is why PI+PI=6 and PI*PI=9.

31-Jan-2012:
Dynamic variables implemented, all heap items now word aligned.
25-Jan-2012:
Got Unix brk() call working, documentation was faulty. Now claims as much memory as possible. END terminates if QUIT is true. TRACE output works. *cd implemented. Program can be edited from immediate mode.

26-Jun-2010:
OSFILE &00 (save) implemented for Unix, OPENOUT uses creat() call. SIGSEG and SIGBUS trapped and generate local error. OSARGS 0-6 reading and writing PTR, EXT, Alloc and EOF done. OSCLI implemented.

02-Jun-2010:
OSFILE &FF (load) implemented for Unix, load count is SP-(load address). Can load and run programs on Unix. If running on Unix, PAGE=(SP AND &FC00), putting program and heap at bottom of Unix's stack memory. Having difficulty working out how to get brk() call to claim low memory to work correctly, or how to find out how far stack memory can be pushed down before generating a Memory Fault. Comparisons implemented, so proper Beers program can be used.

27-Feb-2009:
Static variables implemented, variable reading and assignment mostly working, indirection working. Added ^ (AddrOf) function, calls to MOS functions working with returned registers returned to evaluator the correct way around. More work on getting interface to real Unix working. Bit of a slog getting SIGINT and SIGQUIT background handler working properly while allowing them to operate while waiting for raw-ish input.
01-Sep-2008:
Full 7-level recursive expression evaluator written, full set of integer arithmetic routines, decimal number printing, completed all I/O commands.

12-Feb-2008:
Forgot to demo I/O commands when could see results. All work, but with test code removed from PRINT, can't see results of functions.
12-Feb-2008:
PRINT works, including all print formatting. Number output currently returns a dummy string.

05-Feb-2008:
Input doesn't echo, DEL in line input backspaces, ESC returns escape state and returns to generate error quitting restores tty state.
01-Feb-2008:
Execution dispatch works. PRINT currently just prints the evaluation result: type, value: string, string length, string start or integer, b16-b31, b0-b15 or real exponent, mantissa b16-b31, b0-b15. tty settings not set, so input echoes, and BS causes a quit.

31-Jan-2008:
Reads input line, but dumps core Reading words from non-word aligned addresses
30-Jan-2008:
Successfully starts up

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Authored by J.G.Harston - Last update: 01-Mar-2024