Steve Nickolas
2024-01-23 01:57:07 UTC
Several years ago I was dinking with a Laser 128, and later with the
SimSystem IIe emulator which had a similar - it seems, string-hacked -
firmware. I got to thinking about the occasional programs I'd try with
the 128 or SimSystem IIe that would blow up.
Sometimes, these were old file-cracked single-load games, which I was able
to get to work by using the old System Master to load an Apple ][ ROM, and
then run them. That didn't always work.
From what I understand, the hardware isn't quite enough like the Apple //e
or //c, that a //e or //c ROM could be used unmodified to drive a Laser,
or a Laser ROM to drive a //e or //c - but I suspect there isn't much
difference. I came up with the idea that perhaps, since most if not all
of the source to the parts of at least some versions of the //e and //c
firmwares DO have the source published (excluding FPBASIC, which isn't
really relevant to this apart of having to be brought in from a //e or //c
ROM), a new ROM could be developed which is, for all intents and purposes
as far as any program can tell, an Apple //e or //c ROM and should be able
to run on a Laser 128 even those programs which usually crash.
That said - it's a matter of implementation, of course: it would need to
be tweaked to get around those hardware (ROM-banking) differences. And
I'm not really sure what-all those differences actually are.
I'd try to do even more if I were sure it wouldn't break other stuff (such
as the ProDOS-8 clone check)...
-uso.
SimSystem IIe emulator which had a similar - it seems, string-hacked -
firmware. I got to thinking about the occasional programs I'd try with
the 128 or SimSystem IIe that would blow up.
Sometimes, these were old file-cracked single-load games, which I was able
to get to work by using the old System Master to load an Apple ][ ROM, and
then run them. That didn't always work.
From what I understand, the hardware isn't quite enough like the Apple //e
or //c, that a //e or //c ROM could be used unmodified to drive a Laser,
or a Laser ROM to drive a //e or //c - but I suspect there isn't much
difference. I came up with the idea that perhaps, since most if not all
of the source to the parts of at least some versions of the //e and //c
firmwares DO have the source published (excluding FPBASIC, which isn't
really relevant to this apart of having to be brought in from a //e or //c
ROM), a new ROM could be developed which is, for all intents and purposes
as far as any program can tell, an Apple //e or //c ROM and should be able
to run on a Laser 128 even those programs which usually crash.
That said - it's a matter of implementation, of course: it would need to
be tweaked to get around those hardware (ROM-banking) differences. And
I'm not really sure what-all those differences actually are.
I'd try to do even more if I were sure it wouldn't break other stuff (such
as the ProDOS-8 clone check)...
-uso.