Poke to hide "Program:, Bytes:" tape loading prompts

[TakuikaNinja]

Maybe someone should come up with a text compression scheme which solely relies on the keywords...

[ParadigmShifter]

I'm deducting internet points from you for not loading

Character array: RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE RANDOMIZE

[TakuikaNinja]

Too bad I had the variable as a simple string... a classic ROM bug:

[equinox]

I know most loaders would crash if you tried to break into them, that must be a code that replaces the error handler (or output stream for the lower screen area) I guess, you can probably override that one too do do some funky stuff? (e.g. printing "don't press break you muppet rewind the tape and try again" or something)

Yeah, reducing the lower two lines (see other ongoing thread!) to zero lines with POKE 23659,0 will prevent break, because it has nowhere to put the break error message and thus crashes.

ON ERROR is a bit of a sad omission in Speccy BASIC (among many!). I have seen small machine-code routines to achieve it though.

[spider]

I've always just used 23739 , 111 too.

A CLS or RUN maybe after will fix it or you can set it back as said. I mean if its code afterwards I try to use a RUN USR instead of RANDOMIZE USR

There's not quite enough character space to overwrite it neatly, although I do sometimes put a name over the 'bytes' part.

[PQR]

If my memory serves correctly I used different values:

POKE 23739,82: POKE 23740,0

This ensured that the effect was gone after a CLS or RUN command.

[Lee P]

There was a CSSCGC entry with an all keywords name at least once, something about a CAT if I recall correctly

How soon we forget!

[equinox]

How soon we forget!

Wasn't there a sub-compo about using the keywords cleverly? I seem to remember something like "POKE CAT IN BIN THEN CONTINUE TO READ PAPER"...

[TheMartian]

Actually the POKE is:

POKE 5+PEEK 23631+256*PEEK23632,111

The value of 5+PEEK 23631+256*PEEK 23632 is usually 23739. Unless you've got a Microdrive.

[TakuikaNinja]

Okay but who actually needs to use a microdrive...?

[equinox]

Okay but who actually needs to use a microdrive...?

You aren't allowed to say this with 25 posts.
Microdrive is classic tech classic bad tech...

(Going way off topic, ignore, but I miss my Alphacom 32 printer too. It was weird and non-standard but it worked so well and was just small and cute and efficient. The only downside was having to regularly go out to the toolshed and silverize the toilet tissue.)

Also, to TakuikaNinja: a guy in NZ North Island told me (something something) about Speccy usage in NZ, but I could never find any info about anyone, in the entire history of New Zealand, who ever had a Speccy (and I had a fairly comprehensive pen-pal list in the 90s). And my correspondent was born in Arizona and just moved to Australasia to get away from America. Problem is I can't remember what the damn question was now, what we were arguing about. If you have mysterious old sheepy tapes then upload them.

[Lee P]

Wasn't there a sub-compo about using the keywords cleverly? I seem to remember something like "POKE CAT IN BIN THEN CONTINUE TO READ PAPER"...

PLOT TO GO TO AND RUN OVER THE CAT probably. But I like your one.

(MatGubbins was the king of keyword challenge games, mostly involving cats)

[TakuikaNinja]

Also, to TakuikaNinja: a guy in NZ North Island told me (something something) about Speccy usage in NZ, but I could never find any info about anyone, in the entire history of New Zealand, who ever had a Speccy (and I had a fairly comprehensive pen-pal list in the 90s). And my correspondent was born in Arizona and just moved to Australasia to get away from America. Problem is I can't remember what the damn question was now, what we were arguing about. If you have mysterious old sheepy tapes then upload them.

I'm probably the last person you should be asking regarding the kiwi Speccy scene (or grotty old tapes in the attic/basement) since I'm in my 20's with a second-hand 48K (broken atm, mind you). I guess that puts me in the New-Skool? I dunno.

From what little I've read online, NZ's computing history is pretty much "one brand dominating the country until another industry titan arrives, while local efforts all go to waste"
Apparently the popular computer here used to be Sega's SG-3000 followed by some Amstrad/Sinclair systems back then, until the C64 took over in the 80's. There were some locally-made computers like the Poly-1 and Aamber Pegasus but we ultimately lost out to Apple and IBM, then Microsoft.
If anyone wants to discuss the NZ computing scene, it'll probably be best to do so in another thread.

[Stefan]

Also, to TakuikaNinja: a guy in NZ North Island told me (something something) about Speccy usage in NZ, but I could never find any info about anyone, in the entire history of New Zealand, who ever had a Speccy (and I had a fairly comprehensive pen-pal list in the 90s). And my correspondent was born in Arizona and just moved to Australasia to get away from America. Problem is I can't remember what the damn question was now, what we were arguing about. If you have mysterious old sheepy tapes then upload them.

I lived in (West) Auckland from 1978 to 1988 and had a 48K Speccy from 1983 or so on (bought by my dad at Dick Smith's). I was in intermediate (form 2) at the time. A few of my mates had Spectrums too. There was a tape lending service based out near either Lake Taupo or Mount Egmont which was ideal for expanding your collection. I won some christmas raffle for $100 credit, only to have them go broke a few months later.

A friend's dad was distributor for software for New Generation, JK Greye and various others, he went around the retailers with a briefcase full of wares. This was also ideal for any birthday / christmas presents.

There was a shop at the top of Queen Street, Soft City I think it was called which had a reasonable collection of Speccy games after the bookstores ran dry.

There was a Sinclair club out in Manukau (I think) where I went a few times.