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Parity check live

Posted: Wed Jul 26, 2017 9:53 pm
by Symoon
Hi,
Currently working on a little tool, that does what the Oric tape loading routines don't: loads a program from tape and tells you on screen, while loading, the parity errors encountered (with RAM location, and value) as the program is loading.

128 bytes long, currently located at #A000 (Hires screen), has to be modified a bit if placed somewhere else in RAM. It has to be run in TEXT mode, loads a single program, in FAST mode, on ROM 1.1, at its original loading addresses, and prevents auto-execution.

I'm not really willing to make it "user friendly" (choosing RAM loaction, loading at specified addresses, ...) as it would mean a longer program, thus less RAM to CLOAD big programs. Unless some really feels the need for it...

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2017 10:36 pm
by coco.oric
Like

Bonne idée, Didier

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:15 pm
by Symoon
I'm still working on a decent version of the tool. Should be released in two versions: one loacted in #400, the other located in the alternate char definition zone => both being at each end of the RAM, one should be able to check/load any file.

Now, I need your help on the name. It's curently called SPARITY (for Show Parity), but I had other ideas and I'd like to know if you like some of them better. Here's the list of names candidates (some crappy, some I like), up to you now! :D
  • Show Me Baby: show me bad bytes
    Babyonta: Bad Bytes On Tape
    WTF? : Where Tapes Fail?
    Sad Bits
    Error Locator
    Spartiy
    Tape Doctor
    Parity Zone
    Parity Party
    Damnit! (DAMage Noticed In Tape)
    Wrong bits
    ROTEN: Read On Tape Error Notifications
    Load Vader: Load Verified And Displayed ERrors
    Damage Report
    Err Loc (Errors Locator)
    ELF: Errors Location Finder
    ExpLoadEr: Explain Load Errors
    All To Get Err Now
    The Long And Winding Load
    Errors Hound
    Errors Found Found
    Find Errors Found
    Loading Horror Show
    House of Errors
    Errbay
    Err BnB
    I will always load you
    Diagnostape
    Load story
    Data yoyo
    Never Surrender
    Search/Heal
    The Spy Who Loads Me
    Terror on tape
    Know Your Enemy

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:54 pm
by Chema
Error Locator, Tape Doctor, Err Loc, EFL and Wrong Bits are amongst my favourite.

Just kidding :)

Load Vader is cool... XD

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 12:44 am
by iss
My vote goes to "WTF?"
(I recall it was working name for your 'TAP Control Center' too :))

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Sat Aug 12, 2017 1:59 pm
by Symoon
Ha ha thanks, kinda love Load Vader too... And ISS, very good memory ;) I had a bit of regret not having used "WTF?", but what refrained me from using it was the fact that it would give no good results in a search engine... Assuming someone would search for it ;)

"I will always load you" makes me laugh, but it's really too long.

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 11:06 am
by sam
"Data yoyo" makes laugh french litterates (well... people that lived in France in the 70's).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcD5twysKkw

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Sun Aug 13, 2017 1:38 pm
by Symoon
Well spotted, Sam 8) In France and Belgium!
In French, saying (for instance) that your health "fait le yoyo" means it's going "up and down", so it could apply to the data quality on tape.

Right now, I tend to prefer Load Vader (sorry ISS), compared to a re-loaded WTF? (which remains "wrong tape file?" in my mind). I also like the fact that Vader sees and controls (almost) everything...
But WTF? clearly states it's about tapes, when Load Vader doesn't. Grrrr ;)

Any more voters?
I'm about to begin a demo/instructions program, hurry up ;)

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 1:18 pm
by Symoon
Please welcome LOAD VADER !
:D

Tried to make the program a bit more user-friendly, and wrote a small instructions program.
Have fun (or not) with errors!
Load_Vader.zip
Load Vader
(11.27 KiB) Downloaded 521 times

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:04 pm
by Symoon
Discovered a problem: loading a Hires screen will scramble the results. Maybe I should have an option to avoid actually loading the file - just checking, but I want the utility to remain less than 256 bytes long, and I think there's only about 8 bytes left...

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:09 pm
by Chema
Loading a hires scream will it be a problem if the program loads from $400 upwards (your code is located in $400 in one version, isn't it?).

You can also have your code in page 1 if you have enough room for the stack space needed by the loading routines.

It is worth trying..

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2017 11:12 pm
by Symoon
It's actually not a code location problem, but a screen location problem ;)
What happens is exactly this: loading a Hires screen while in Text mode... Everything gets scrambled, there's no escape!
BTW loading a TEXT screen would also crush some of the display...

From there I have several options: not loading the file at all, just checking and reporting problems; or loading the file at pre-chosen memory zones... But none of them allow then the user to simply CSAVE back the file that just loaded...

Or maybe I have to think about a bigger, 3rd version that would load files to specific locations avoiding the TEXT screen, and including a save command, just like any other copy program... But on the other hand, loading problems on Hires or Text screens are directly visible and don't really need Load Vader ;)

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 8:39 am
by Chema
Oh, yes of course. I misunderstood the problem.

I remember a copy program on the speccy that was stored on screen memory and it prevented overwriting on that area only.

The copied program had some rubbish on the loading screen, but it was a minor issue.

Not the same case here, though.

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 12:12 am
by iss
@Symoon: I just realized that the noise in the 'Load Vader Intro' has special meaning... cool! :lol:

Re: Parity check live

Posted: Thu Nov 16, 2017 4:56 pm
by Symoon
Lol, I was right writing that I'm not good with Oric sound design ;)