Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!cc.utah.edu!cc.usu.edu!slsw2
From: SLSW2@cc.usu.edu (Roger Ivie)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Developing and Communicating with a Portfolio
Message-ID: <29659@cc.usu.edu>
Date: 6 Aug 90 22:49:06 GMT
References: <1990Jul30.161330.19070@ipsa.reuter.com>
Followup-To: comp.sys.handhelds
Lines: 56

In article <1990Jul30.161330.19070@ipsa.reuter.com>, gchow@ipsa.reuter.com (george chow) writes:
> I have some questions about the Portfolio which my local dealer can't seem to
> answer adequately:
>   o what languages are available for developing applications for the Portfolio?
>     My dealer mentioned Pascal and C but he couldn't name a compiler. I want
>     to hear from someone who's actually done some development work.

I've been using an antique Turbo Pascal (3.01A) on mine. You have to set the
screen to 80x24 External Tracked Refresh Both Fast for it or any programs you
make with it to run, though. Also, it doesn't seem to be able to create
program files; you have to make them first before loading them into the
editor.

I have run some stuff that I did in Turbo C on the Portfolio, but had some
trouble reading the keyboard; in response to a scanf I could only enter as
many characters as fit into the typeahead buffer. After that, the machine
would just beep. I suspect that Turbo C is not reading its characters in
an entirely kosher fashion and the Portfolio therefore gets confused about
how many characters are in the buffer.

I also downloaded a nifty assembler from Simtel20 called A86. It runs just
fine on the Portfolio; it's shareware, though, so you should register and
pay your money.

I've also obtained from someone on the net a tiny basic and tiny forth
that run on the Portfolio. The basic is along the lines of TRS-80 Model I
basic, except that it gets confused very easily; but then what do you
expect for a 3K executable?

>   o To communicate with a desktop requires a parallel or serial port. Is there
>     any cheaper means? And what protocol does the Portfolio use?

The parallel port protocol is apparently very wierd; they seem to serialize
the data and send it over one of the status lines or something so that you
don't have to have a bidirectional parallel port in your host.

The serial port is only compatible at the BIOS level; given how little
software actually uses this level, it's tough to find something that works
on it. KERMIT might, but the executable is huge and the equates that
turn off features seem to just make certain they never get executed rather
than actually trimming the code down (are you listening, Mr. Doupnik?).

>   o how's the compatibility of the Portfolio? Have anyone tried anything
>     like the Norton Utilities or 4DOS on it?

It's not. It's BIOS compatible, which is better than my other DOS machine
(a DEC Rainbow), but very little software actually uses the BIOS. The joys
of the DOS world.

===============================================================================
Roger Ivie

35 S 300 W
Logan, Ut.  84321
(801) 752-8633
===============================================================================