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BBC Schedula: Difference between revisions
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→BBC Micro and Owain's DOS front end: bit more detail
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==BBC Micro and Owain's DOS front end== | ==BBC Micro and Owain's DOS front end== | ||
Owain set about writing a user interface based in C on a DOS platform. He thought he would try and use pointers to store all of the scheduling information. This version soon found itself in the bin after many crashes and he reverted to a static array, there's even a quote to that effect at the start of the source code: | In 1995-96 Owain set about writing a user interface based in C on a DOS platform. He thought he would try and use pointers to store all of the scheduling information. This version soon found itself in the bin after many crashes and he reverted to a static array, there's even a quote to that effect at the start of the source code: | ||
/* Owain experiments with arrays, structures and Alan's Scheduling System */ | /* Owain experiments with arrays, structures and Alan's Scheduling System */ | ||
True to his word, Alan, produced the ammended program for the BBC. First trial, did not go successful at first, until Alan advised to lift the front edge up of the BBC up a couple of centimetres and then drop it. After which, much to Owain's delight - it worked | True to his word, Alan, produced the ammended program for the BBC. First trial, did not go successful at first, until Alan advised to lift the front edge up of the BBC up a couple of centimetres and then drop it. After which, much to Owain's delight - it worked. The new system met with much enthusiasm. At first it ran an Owain's 386SX20, since this also had the compiler on it (Borland Turbo C). After a week or so to bed in, the executable was transferred to a boot floppy and run on a hard diskless 286. Owain spent some time trying to find a bit of code to translate between the Videoplus number system and programme start and finish times and channels. However none could be found, so he stuck with manual time and channel entry. The user interface was designed around the use of the 4 arrow keys, with as much help on the screen as possible. A number of short cuts were added to allow a schedule to be built up quickly. By pressing a key, a program could be repeated the next day or a different key for next week. Subsequent modifications were compiled using Borland C++ for Windows to generate a DOS executable using the recently installed PC's up {unsure|G/145}. | ||
In a split role, the DOS code also included a simple driver for [[Tank Umatic]] which had been modified to include a set of wires in parallel with the front panel play/rewind/stop buttons, in principle allowing tapes to be scheduled out of hours. However, this was never seen to be working and support was later removed, leaving all hardware in control of the BBC Micro. | In a split role, the DOS code also included a simple driver for [[Tank Umatic]] which had been modified to include a set of wires in parallel with the front panel play/rewind/stop buttons, in principle allowing tapes to be scheduled out of hours. However, this was never seen to be working and support was later removed, leaving all hardware in control of the BBC Micro. | ||