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ubee512 Launcher - MikeCornflake - 04-01-2024

G'day,

Firstly: Hat's off to @ubee over on MSPP with his ubee512 emulator. It's brilliant, with a significant number of options, resulting in highly configurable product.

I've started a new project, really to help me understand everything ubee512 is capable of. I'm also more of UI person than command line.

I've a lot I want to achieve, but for now, the app loads ubee512rc, scans through the system macros, and allows the user to select which emulated Bee they want - either through dropdowns on the main form, or by clicking ... and being presented with a macro explorer.

https://github.com/mikecornflake/uBee512Launcher

Built using Lazarus / fpc. Which is unbelievably relevant as Microbee & Turbo Pascal started me on my development career that ended with 5 years of Lazarus / fpc development before I jumped tracks career wise.

If you don't want to build from source (and are interested in playing along at home), then there's some precompiled executables/binaries in the bin folder.
- If you're on windows, just drop the exe into the ubee512 folder
- If you're on linux, just run the binary (ubee512's deb install ensures ubee512 is on the PATH, so my app easily finds it)

Next I'll be working on validators
- I've a simple "only allow bootable DSKs in A" check in place (testing to date has demonstrated a DSK isn't bootable if character immediately after 512byte header is E5, suspect that's not robust)
- Highlight system macros with missing SRAM, ROM, DSK or PAK
- Only allow folders to be mounted via rcpmfs that meet strict requirements (no files with invalid characters, no subfolders, err, total size <720kb, err, # of files < cpm max - look I've got a whole sledge of learning to go through)
- Don't allow user to mount to a drive is the system macro already has that drive defined
- that sort of thing [Image: icon_e_smile.gif]

Have fun, and many thanks again @ubee

Oh, expect bugs. I only started this a few days back. New Years resolution to spend less time on Facebook...

Cheers

Mike

PS: There's a whole slew of things I've already learned pouring through the rc. Did you know you can emulate a FDD on your physical Bee using ubee512? I didn't!


RE: ubee512 Launcher - ChickenMan - 04-01-2024

Thanks for that Mike, I had a bit of a play with it today, found a few issues, but works fine for most disks. Keep up the good work, I thinks it can be a good addition to running ubee512 easier than a command line.