Neither Santa nor the postman brought me a new copy of SMSQ for Christmas; and so, I’m still plugging away with the same version of SMSQ (v2.57) that I received during the Summer. That should not be considered bad; but obviously, the same limitations exist as before with the video display being less than 80% of the “available” VGA display and the TURBO compiler still not fully compatible with SBASIC.
It may be noted that Jochen Merz’s SMSQ/E always appears to be a version release ahead of the “standard” SMSQ that is provided to QXL users; so, SMSQ users may eventually have the keyword DISP_SIZE available to the QXL with a future upgrade. Whether DISP_SIZE will remedy my complaint about the QXL’s diminished display is unknown.
A PORTABLE QXL
Although the QL itself is relatively light (about 3 pounds), after you add a monitor and other sundries, it generally becomes quite cumbersome to transport. For many QL users, a (trans-)portable QL has been high on the wish list — perhaps, the “holy grail” of QL hardware.
The fact that the QXL uses a PC as its host means that if one can find an AT-class portable with an ISA expansion slot then one should be able to have a portable QXL as well.
Laptop PCs with ISA slots are a rare breed because they arrived just prior to the advent of the stripped-down, sub-ten pound notebook class of computer with which they briefly coexisted. Most of the laptop-class of portables with the ISA slots were very high end as one may note by the Gas Plasma displays which many had. The contrast provided by Gas Plasma displays was superior to that of the pre-VGA LCD screens of the time.
The CARDSTAR 486 and the PCIII 4X CD [PC Portable Manufacturer, Inc.] are two contemporary laptops with ISA expansion slots. The former does not appear to be available, but the latter still is (price varies depending on screen, processor, memory, etc.; starting at about $1800). The former had a monochrome VGA display, while the latter is available with either monochrome or color (passive or active). I am not sure what the keyboard layout is for the CARDSTAR; but, I can report that the PCIII’s non-ASCII layout looks awkward.
The following list of older laptops and portables are PCs which should be usable with a QXL card; but, what should be may not be. The COMPAQ Portable III and the DataWorld PortaComp III have “lunchbox” configurations. The information is believed to be accurate; but, actual specifications may be better-or-worse than I have indicated.
COMPAQ Portable III 16 BIT (2 - Full length) EPSON LT286e 16 BIT (1 - Three-quarter length) EPSON LT386SX 16 BIT (1 - Three-quarter length) MYODA LT5200 16 BIT (2 - Full length) TANDON LT 386SX 16 BIT (1 - Full) DataWorld Data LP/320 16 or 8 BIT (1 - Half length) DataWorld Portacomp III 16 or 8 BIT (2 - Half length) DELL 316LT 8 BIT (1 - HALF length) DELL 320LT 8 BIT (1 - Half length) TOSHIBA T3100e 8 BIT (1 - Half length) TOSHIBA T3200SX 8 BIT (1 - Full, 1 - half length)
The original generation of laptops with ISA expansion slots appear to weigh between 14.5 and 18 pounds. If you are ordering by mail/phone then ask about all of the specs; particularly, you should confirm whether the slots are 16 BIT or 8 BIT. Do not confuse the TOSHIBA T3100SX (for example) with the TOSHIBA T3100e or T3200SX.
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
I recently had the opportunity to try my QXL card in a refurbished EPSON LT286e. The EPSON is probably a compromise between the best and the worst from which one might choose. From what I am able to glean, the EPSON may be the only ISA-portable with a 286 processor and EGA output (“three” shades of “grey”). With the exception of the two, contemporary laptops, the rest appear to use an 80386 (generally SX) with VGA output (generally 16 shades of “grey”).
I should note, before getting too far along, that I returned the EPSON I had bought because the screen’s back-lighting did not always come on. I had been promised a “new” replacement screen, and waited three weeks for it before calling to find that it had never been sent! Consequently, I am still waiting for a “credit memo” from the vendor — until then, I will reserve the name of the vendor.
My first impression of the EPSON LT286e was that it not only felt heavy, it was heavy. The outer case looked as though it had seen much better days. The EPSON’s 640×480 LCD display (11″) can be considered an adequate (not measured) QXL display — the screen was supposed to be “clean”; but, I’ve seen better. While the display in “inverse” mode appeared cleaner, recollection is that it only provided two shades; and, this could result in critical drop-out as RED is translated to BLACK, etc.
Because there appear to be only “three” shades of GREY (I think there are actually “four” shades), whatever was RED on your QL is GREY on the EPSON’s monochrome, LCD screen and whatever was GREEN on your QL is translated as WHITE — or, invisible! I think BLUE is translated as a paler grey. If you are familiar with SKYGLOBE, I will mention that the EPSON ran the program (configured for a VGA monitor) without any apparent problems.
The EPSON has an external MDA/CGA/EGA hookup plus an external keyboard port. The 40 meg. hard-drive is removable, and I would suspect that almost any 2.5″ or 3.5″ IDE drive could be substituted if you wanted a larger capacity.
The keyboard felt crisp and looked “new”; but, the layout of the non-ASCII keys is a bit odd (but, I think the layout of the original AT keyboards is odd, too; so, you have to be the judge of what is acceptable for you).
The AC/DC transformer plugs onto the back of the humongous battery pack which must weight four-to-five pounds. Since I did not receive a manual, I can only suppose that the transformer can be attached directly to the computer. I’m not sure how long it takes to charge the battery, but I am sure that based on the battery technology available that each charge only “lasts” for about two hours. Details are hopefully available from EPSON.
The EPSON LT286e could be a lot worse; and, it is certainly very usable as is. There are limitations, and whether or not those limitations would preclude your using it as the host for your QXL depend on your own sensibilities. Because aging eyesight is forcing me to prefer a “good” (easy to view) screen, I don’t recommend the EPSON LT286e; but, the EPSON LT386SX may (should?) have a VGA screen with at least 16 shades of grey; and, this “upgrade” would be worth looking for.
The bottom line is that despite the fact that the EPSON LT286e worked with the QXL card, if it weren’t for the flaky screen, I might still have it; but, all things considered, I guess I’m still looking for a portable ISA host for my QXL card.
HAPPY TRAILS,
AND COMPUTING, TO YOU …