The first and only axiom.
==============================
A Scorpion owner will never become a Profi owner. The reverse is true.
A.B.K.
(c) Noman.
More precisely, the answer will be mine. The answer to the statements of CHUNG SOFTWARE regarding the owners of SCORPION ZS 256 computers.
Recently, Mr. Gromov has begun to allow himself rather rude remarks, which for reasons unknown to me are published by respected capital publications ON-LINE and SPECTROFON. In his articles, Kirill Gromov touches on not only the compatibility of PROFI and SCORPION computers with the original Spectrum 128, but also conducts a genuine anti-advertisement of the ZON's creation (what it is - that's a second question), and also greatly exaggerates the capabilities of the Kondor machine. It's even surprising that in the 18th issue of SPECTROFON they didn't "cut out" that part of the letter from the STARS OF KELADAN group from Samara (who they are, I don't know?), in which the issues I discuss in this publication are raised. But more on that later. I will have to start from Mr. Gromov's words, as he once started from the advertisement of Scorpions.
The OS CP/M on Profi is recalled too often. Here is Chung Software talking about it with bated breath:
"... far from every computer can boast a professional OS, plus high-level languages TP, C, ADA, etc. from such well-known companies as Borland, Microsoft, Aztec ...
For example, a student needs to write a term paper in Pascal or C, and he has PROFI available. Do you think he will load ... Hisoft Pascal or Hisoft C compiler?
... moreover, there is an opportunity to work in ... Fortran, Lisp, Cobol, PL/1 ...".
Let's start from the beginning. Yes, indeed, CP/M on SCORPION is the greatest monstrosity by MOA, but it is still possible to work with the same programs taken from ROBOTRON, from the same companies. But what student will engage in this? I think any PROFI professional would say the same.
I will try to recall my past. In the first year, they indeed study both Pascal and C, but only OBJECT-ORIENTED ones, i.e. Borland Pascal and Borland C++, and besides, under Windows (in the second semester), and we didn't have term papers in the first year of study.
In the second year, the first half of the year teaches programming in C++ under Windows '95, and the second half - Delphi (for those who don't know, I will say that this is a powerful object-oriented environment for visual programming for both WinDOS and for creating CRT Applications).
The third year - databases. And not just DBs, but again visual programming in Delphi (some suffer in stupid MS ACCESS).
The fourth year - JAVA under OS/2. This is generally a topic for a separate conversation. I will only say that JAVA is no less powerful an environment than Delphi, but oriented towards working with networks.
For junior command staff, I will inform that
DELPHI - descendant of Object Pascal, and
JAVA - descendant of C++.
Now I am studying in the 4th year at SamGTU. So where does CHUNG SOFTWARE suggest I write my "term papers"?
YES !!! Now I remember that we have one subject called Artificial Intelligence Systems. As is known, the purpose of a student visiting any Temple of Science is not to bring the matter to an exam. It was said: "You will write a program proving any of the theorems of Mathematical Logic using 12 rules, and you will receive an "automatic" exam."
Some "great mind" did this (and the whole stream passed). I note that in the 60s such a program was considered the greatest achievement of mankind in programming, and the author, if I'm not mistaken, received a Nobel Prize. This creation worked for several days or even weeks (depending on the theorem). On our shabby 5x86, this miracle worked from half an hour to an hour. Initially, this "mind" was going to write programs in Prolog, but for some reasons wrote in C++. This OOP represents 12 rules of Mathematical logic that recursively call each other.
Now let's imagine that I am a student, and I have PROFI available. Yes ... But this is not a "term paper"!!!
As for such specific languages as Fortran, Cobol, PL/1, LISP, whose popularity peaked in the late 60s, there is no comment here. The use of these languages is ineffective on Spectrum-compatible machines.
And now the most interesting part!!! Most of the militant Users of Profic (for example, Chertkov, Glushkov, etc.) shout from every corner that it is time for everyone to switch to Profi and program using the "most popular versions of the most popular languages ADA, LISP, COBOL, PL/1, PL/M". I bet that even Mr. Gromov cannot imagine what these languages are and what they are intended for. LISP, for example, is exclusively intended for NON-NUMERIC DATA PROCESSING tasks and is used for programming in the field of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. ADA is a real-time systems language and has no place on Spectrum.
PL is a language that does not provide any dialogue with the user at all, very cumbersome and complex, as it has absorbed the characteristics of Cobol, Fortran, and Algol simultaneously.
So, gentlemen, it would be good to learn a little about programming before starting to teach everyone indiscriminately.
"... the solemn closure of the Scorpion scheme from users..."
You, gentlemen from Kondor, when was the last time you saw a Scorpion? I feel it was in '93, at the latest in '94. News from St. Petersburg takes time to reach Moscow, and ZON is feeding everyone noodles.
"Let's honestly admit, Scorpion has been inflated."
Inflated, inflated. It should be said that ZS-256 was conceived and developed looking at SPECTRUM+3 (port #1ffd and much more, and in PROFI this address was taken "randomly"). It's interesting what video effects our #FDs will lead to on SPECTRUM+3. And otherwise, Scorp has 99% compatibility with Spectrum 128.
By the way, through the "trimmed" Pentonagon port #FD on Scorp, you can access any of the ports (co-processor, #7FFD, #1FFD). Here, only two higher bits of the transmitted byte play a role.
Example: LD A,#10 :D7,D6=0 - #1FFD
OUT (#FD),A
LD A,#50 :D7=0,D6=1-#7FFD
OUT (#FD),A
For the co-processor, D7 must be set to one. In old versions, the D4 bit was also used.
And here the problems start on Profis. Not only that, but Zilog decided to play a big trick, and programs using the undocumented command OUT (C),0, produce an amazing video effect. Although OLDMAN says that fixing such a program is a piece of cake, it is still not pleasant. And this is yet another fact against the claim that Profi is 99% compatible with the branded Spectrum 128.
Regarding the button that is "relevant" for Scorpion owners and which the Kondor people are so proud of, I agree with ZON: "As manufacturers, we cannot afford to release such semi-handmade products." If someone needed a "button" on ZS, they made it themselves.
For Scorpion turbo+ owners with port #FD modification (for co-processor), everything is fine, and with the modification by V. Larkov, the shadow service monitor becomes so "shadowy" that programs that could not be viewed before, protections that were "problematic" to remove, are now all clear as day.
By the way, the word "problematic" is in quotes because for a real hacker with a Scorpion, the word "no" does not exist. Just remember the alternative memory saving to disk with or without compression, so you can unload all 256K to disk while preserving the values of all registers and modes of the processor with the press of a single key (naturally with subsequent restoration). This is convenient when removing such large protections as BYTEMARE'95, BYTEMARE'96, where with a huge number of XORs you can just hit the glitches that usually occur when programming in BASIC (Microsoft of course) under CP/M. And all these tales about STS? Seen, seen. Owners of SSM with an analyzer based on Fort systems will just smile. So far, I have not encountered a protection that I could not remove in SSM, and moreover, do it very quickly. And in STS, just the resident is worth it and managing hotkeys. And glitches? A sore spot for all modern programs: STS, TASM, MASM, and even archivers (I encountered this when preparing the second issue of Oberon, the only archiver without glitches - TRUSH). STS is certainly a cool monitor, and the owners of Pentagons and Profis have no choice but to use it. There is no alternative. And this STS is worth little in iS-DOS and CP/M systems. Although STS has its advantages: Save/Load sectors, for example, faster program tracing, etc. But Scorpion owners have one big advantage. SSM can be made simply genius!!! And having a version without Save/load sectors, I wrote this little feature, and it is called by a hotkey from anywhere in SSM and at any time. Moreover, it sits in memory resident and only needs to be loaded once at the beginning of work. You can do this with anything. To the point of idiocy, for example, intercept the command RST#8, NMI, RESET.
"The volume of RAM in Scorpion is 256K, Profi - 1M, seems like four times more..."
Well, firstly, what is sold to us in Samara is about twice less than in Scorpion. And this is only the fault of the Kondor company, which has neither dealers nor distributors. But it's simpler with Scorpions. Yes, pirate versions appear for those machines that are more popular among the people, but this "people" is not as stupid as the Kondor company tries to portray.
Secondly, I would like to see at least one PROGRAM (not a RAMDISK driver) using more than 256K. There are, of course, those for 256K, but they are for Scorpion.
"The software situation has shifted from a dead point and now among a sea of software products, one can get lost..."
Just be careful not to drown in this sea and choke on the water, otherwise who will be making new versions of the sync generator for another thirty years and three years?
Something is not visible in this sea, "there is no hay here, a desert around ...". Besides "Strana mifow" for Profi, ATM, SCORPION and a couple of lousy programs by Dr. Lamer, nothing comes to mind. ... although we did see something sluggish on the super screen, and we haven't forgotten about TETRIS on Profi.
"In Scorpion, port #FF is implemented incorrectly, in one of the incorrect ways described in SPECTROFON #14. It conflicts with external devices, particularly with the modem. In Profi, the installation of port #FF is provided, and at the request of the buyer, specialists from the Kondor company will install it. By the way, I initially implemented the most correct scheme of this port on Profi."
Port #FF in Scorpion is implemented correctly. Yes, it conflicts with CDOS, which is itself one big glitch. Fortunately, ZON has already resolved all issues with HAYES modems, which unfortunately also leave much to be desired. But regarding the "correct scheme," which was thoroughly analyzed in Oberon #1 ALKom, I will remain silent. Glitches, you know... It really works as in Rodionov's book, reading who knows what along with attributes.
"The hard drive on Profi has been functioning since September..."
Is it true?!! Is it in TR-DOS?!!
"Turbocharging the VG is done in one of the incorrect ways described in ..."
Again a misstep, Mr. Gromov. Everything has been working for more than a month, and there is not a single ruined disk!!!
"Apart from the most complete compatibility, characterized by (of course with the latest version of the sync generator) perfect operability of branded programs, preserving video effects..."
Tell me, did you suffer all this for Venom & MonteCarlo? Because everything else in this country is designed for a non-volatile Pentium computer? Actually, I have not encountered a single (not #FD) program on Scorpion that fundamentally did not want to work, but their list for Profi just in the last year:
1) ZX-FORMAT 1
2) ZX-FORMAT 2
3) newspaper X-RAY - the scroll is incredibly jerky.
..............
I don't want to upset you, but the list remains open ... and it's not about the FD port...
In the twentieth SPECTROFON, some Lamer was printed. Oh smart, oh smart... Reads a lot of scientific books ("IBM PC for a single-celled User," written by the well-known User Figurnov). I haven't heard such "runs" in a long time. With foam at the mouth, he defended his conglomerate. He recommended to me (the reader) to familiarize myself with programs on CP/M L80, M80, LIB80, or something like that. Well, I specifically obtained this miracle. Here's what I'll say:
If we are talking about programs like LINK80, ver 3.43, Created by Microsoft on 18-Sep-81, then I sincerely feel sorry for the owners of the Profi computer. Gentlemen, FORGET your CP/M, it pulls your machines into the past. It's 1997!!! Use modern powerful programming tools written a month or two ago, such as XAS by MAX PETROV (Thank you so much), TASMЧ.0 (for those with good eyesight, iron nerves, and abilities not to stumble upon glitches) and others.
Honestly, I haven't read the Help for M80 in 500K, but I've been working with TASM and TLINK programs on PC for about 5 years, written (according to Profi fans) by the same companies. Either these companies forgot how cool they wrote programs for CP/M and "spun such nonsense" for MS-DOS, or I got used to the good so quickly, but I don't intend to give up the service of XAS, for example. I understand, of course, how cool it is: load the editor, load the assembly text, edit it, save, exit the editor, disassemble the text, link the object code, run the executable file, and if the whole CP/M doesn't hang after this launch, then the Profi owner will jump for joy and kiss Gromov not just anywhere, but in a specific place. Here I still kept silent about the speed of assembling. The owner of a Pentagon or another computer will simply use a normal MASM, TASM (named after himself), XAS, ZXASM, and others. The owner of Scorpion will press Magic in case of a hang and, having fixed all the bugs, will return to the assembler, forgetting about what happened already in two seconds, and will not scream like Glushkov (LA-AMER) that he forgot to put EI before HALT.
Now about iS-DOS. Any person with years of experience working on PC under Windows, MS-DOS and no less in the iS-DOS system will tell you, gentlemen Profi owners, that the IskraSoft system is one of the most successful DOS developments, and if you put it side by side with MS-DOS, CP/M, DR-DOS, TRDOS (forgive me for the rudeness), it will take an honorable first place among them. iS-DOS is a system where everything is thought out to the smallest detail, and naturally it cannot satisfy the requirements of some lamers who believe that CONFIG.SYS contains the names of drivers. The entire DOS structure provides everything that allows for upgrades without any global changes. To avoid being unsubstantiated, I will give a specific example - the file descriptor in the iS-DOS, MS-DOS, CP/M systems from which, paradoxically, such a thing as the silly FAT MS-DOS, the bitmap of the disk in iS-DOS, and ... nothing in CP/M! There is such a concept as a deleted file. That's what we will chew on now.
In MS-DOS, a file (directory) is considered deleted if the first byte of the descriptor contains a character with the code OE5h (the Russian "х"). Funny, isn't it? That is, a file named "хорь" should not exist. But in reality, it will exist, only the unerase program will think that the file is deleted, and the clusters are foreign. When deleting a file, among other things, the FAT is also zeroed, and it is impossible to restore a file longer than one cluster with 100% probability!!! Another lamers will say: "... I, like, pulled out a megabyte file...". And this is easily explained. Thank God, mICROSOFT released the MIRROR.EXE program or COM up to MS-DOS 5.0, the purpose of which neither Glushkov nor Chertkov will ever guess. And it did the following: it hung resident and saved information about N deleted files in a special file. The parameter N was set when launching the program. So if N=100, and 200 files longer than one cluster are deleted, only the last 100 can be restored. And starting from the next version of DOS... it became even more fun.
In iS-DOS, there is a File Status Register that has a bit responsible for "deletedness". Moreover, in iS-DOS, there are concepts of contiguous and segmented files, completely absent in MS-DOS. Thus, each segmented file has its own little "FAT", and contiguous files do not need it at all!!! And in iS-DOS, any number of files of any size can be restored.
I have nothing particularly good to say about CP/M. This is the only system where there are no standards at all defining the placement of the directory on the disk. And an example of this is SP-DOS, CP/M v.2.2, SCP, etc. The file attribute is placed (also not in Russian) in the higher bits of the name. And so it goes. I can, of course, provide the structure of the file descriptor, but is it necessary to do this?
The only thing I can say is that if it were only about the descriptor, I wouldn't be suffering over the keyboard. Everything lies much deeper. And Is-DOS is a system that is an order of magnitude higher than other DOS in EVERYTHING!!!
EVERYTHING!!! Draw your own conclusions!!!
In conclusion, to be fair, about compatibility, Kirill...
I note that neither Profi nor Scorp are devoid of glitches. In Profi, for example, the CMOS clock hanging on the Kempston mouse ports is worth something, and in Scorpion, the Kempston joystick turns out (!) to be implemented not "FULLY", but is harshly tied to the TR-DOS. By the way, I can say what the initial testing introduced in Scorpion in the second versions of SSM was for (you'll laugh for a long time).
As one little-known programmer from the city on the Neva (MY BEST REGARDS, SLAVA :-)) answered to an even lesser-known magazine SPECTROFON, "... praise your own, but do not criticize someone else's." In this, I agree with him, although it is not clear from the article.
I myself, and all the best programmers in Samara (is it immodest?) have long been focusing on creating programs for Scorpion, ATM, Pentagon 512, Profi with their resources.
So, Kirill, "I will tell you one smart thing, just don't take offense." It's good that you don't live in Petersburg, otherwise it would have been hard for you. But in general, call, come, there is much to talk about. We have great beer and the most beautiful girls in Samara.
P.S. Yes, the Oberon editorial office has its own Fido address (see title text), then we will definitely chat (if you are not too sensitive and vengeful).
P.P.S. I can already feel how another fool takes the editor in hand and starts pounding the keyboard to respond to me, saying that the list of hangs on Scorp is larger, the CDOS modem is genius in itself, ZON is a fool, Kondor rules.... Understand, young man, this was just a response from one person to another.
Sincerely yours, NOUMEN.
Contents of the publication: Oberon #03
- From the Authors
The editorial of the third issue of Oberon reflects on its wide distribution across Russia and nearby countries, overcoming production challenges, and its aim to cater to various readers, including gamers, programmers, and hackers.
- How to Write in Oberon - M.M.A
Guide on submitting articles to Oberon using ZX-WINWORD. Detailed format and process explanations for text, graphics, and music. Insight into editorial practices and preferences.
- Scroll - M.M.A
A historical overview of the game THE EIDOLON on ZX Spectrum, covering its restoration process and gameplay mechanics, including level challenges and story background.
- Scroll
Dark Star is a space shooter game where players pilot a ship against a tyrannical alien race. Players customize settings, navigate space, and combat enemy forces on various difficulty levels. Strategic planning and skill are vital for successful gameplay.
- Scroll - M.M.A
Detailed gameplay mechanics for the game with Mechnotech klp2. Strategy involves disarming reactors and managing droid transformations. Insight into different droid types and weapons available.
- About Everything - M.M.A
Discussion of reader interactions with the 'Oberon' editorial team, including feedback on previous issues and commentary on game compatibility and magazine content improvements.
- About Everything - M.M.A
The autobiographical article explores the author's role in Samara's ZX Spectrum scene, detailing his contributions and aspirations. M.M.A positions himself as a leader and innovator in the community. It highlights the importance of local distribution and cultural impact.
- Amiga rulez? - M.M.A
Critical essay on contemporary computer culture, contrasting IBM and Amiga platforms. Discusses societal impact of IBM standardization and advocates Amiga as a symbol of creativity and individuality. Reflects on the evolution of computer usage and preferences since the ZX Spectrum era.
- What Should 'Boot' Be - Unbeliever
The article explores the evolution of boot programs for ZX Spectrum, discussing early developments and key innovations over time. It highlights significant breakthroughs in automation and design, including fully assembler-written boots and the introduction of modern features. The text concludes with reflections on ideal boot characteristics from a contemporary user's perspective.
- Letter from Queen Software
An open letter from Queen Software criticizes ZX-WINWORD's design and Russian keyboard layout, denounces 'Mortal Compot' and the degradation of games, and shares views on demoscene events and computer emulation.
- Review - Unbeliever
The review provides insights into various 128K exclusive games for the ZX Spectrum, highlighting titles like 'Space Gun', 'World Championship Soccer', and 'Night Breed'. Special attention is given to their graphical prowess and gameplay mechanics. Furthermore, the article addresses the acquisition of Spectrum software via the Internet.
- Review of Assemblers - Maxsoft
Review of various assemblers for ZX Spectrum, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. Focus on EDAS 3.3, AFS, XAS, ZX-ASM, ALASM, MASM, and TASM 4.1. Each assembler is evaluated on performance, features, and usability.
- Our Answer - M.M.A
Critical analysis of the electronic journal FAULTLESS, highlighting plagiarism issues and content quality. Discussion on the comparison with OBERON and other journals. Suggestions for improving FAULTLESS are provided.
- Our Response - Alex Noman
Debate over the compatibility and capabilities of Scorpion and Profi computers with the ZX Spectrum. Critique of programming claims by Chung Software regarding outdated languages and methods. Discussion on operating systems like CP/M and iS-DOS in the context of their utility in modern computing.
- Our Response
Exploring the varied interpretations of the term 'hacker' in Russian, highlighting distinctions and misconceptions.
- Hardware - Dr.Death
Connection instructions for AY-3-8910 on Spectrum-compatible machines. Solutions for common audio issues in Russian computers. Advice for improving digital sound compatibility.
- Hardware - Dr.Death
Discussion on modifying SCORPION ZS 256 for better performance, focusing on timing issues and TURBO mode. Explanation of improvements and potential problems with multicolors. Suggestions for further upgrades.
- Hardware - Poltergeist Corp.
Analysis of hardware issues with Profi, a ZX Spectrum clone, focusing on INT signal problems causing graphic flickering. A solution is proposed involving a simple hardware modification. The author shares their success and the widespread adoption in Samara.
- Let's Gurm
A microdrama illustrating the chaotic interaction between computer components during a printing task.
- Let's Feast
Satirical story depicting an alternate reality where American culture and symbols are humorously twisted by Soviet influences.
- Let's Feast
The story humorously describes Popov's efforts to help Papuans progress, amid desert struggles, political intrigue, and personal challenges.
- Let's Discuss
Overview of military jargon known as 'Army Absurdities' collected by students, highlighting unique language and instructions used in military training and communications.
- Let's Feast
Satirical article describing military humor and fictional military equipment.
- Literacy Campaign - Paul Atrides
Analysis of hacker misconceptions and societal attitudes, exploring hacker culture's roots and ethical dilemmas.
- Primer - Paul Atrides
Article discusses the role and activities of Russian hackers in the late 1990s, highlighting notable cases and categorizing different types of hackers. It covers the operations, risks, and impacts of hacking on international and local levels. The text also examines the societal perception of hackers and their portrayal in media.
- Contest - M.M.A
A contest involving identifying songs from poorly translated lyrics, inspired by a radio segment. Participants guess the song and artist. No specific prize yet, but a free journal issue is promised.
- Contest
A poetic reflection on personal struggle, misunderstood communication, and the burden of saving the world.
- Contest
A poetic reflection on isolation and inner dreams, contrasting with harsh reality.
- Contest
The article presents a poetic tribute to the community, emphasizing themes of unity, immortality, and strength through metal music.
- Advertisement
Advertisement in Oberon magazine offers free publication and discusses available software, hardware, and stores related to ZX Spectrum.
- Advertisement
Advertisement of computer repair and upgrades with pricing for various services. Options include drive connection, signal normalization, and memory upgrades. Specific services for different computer models like Pentagon and ATM.
