28 Feb
2013
28 Feb
'13
1:09 p.m.
------------------------------
On Thu, Feb 28, 2013 12:13 PM PST Fred Cisin wrote:
On Thu, 28 Feb 2013, Chris Tofu wrote:
So why didn't you use a terminal? You can run a video card and a terminal
simultaneously, no?
It seems what you're saying is the pc will
startup w/o video (usually
returns an error, but you can use a pc w/a terminal off the rs232 port,
just don't ask me the particulars). Then initialize the video card as
dos is starting. Seems possible, would be interesting to see someone do
it.
Yeah, we used to.
It is nice, however, to have boot video! 
28 Feb
28 Feb
3:06 p.m.
>It is nice, however, to have boot video!
On
Thu, 28 Feb 2013, Chris Tofu wrote:
So why didn't you use a terminal? You can run a
video card and a
terminal simultaneously, no?
Because the stock serial port is not active until initialized.
You would NOT have boot video on the terminal. You would not have the
terminal AT ALL until DOS had finished booting.
That is with STOCK hardware.
Fischer's diagnostic ROM was usable with a non-standard serial card
with hardwired configuration, that did not require software initialization.
. . . also, Steve Ciarcia's Micromint PC clone had a live serial port,
and was designed to work from a terminal! But, he later recanted, and
provided an ISA card for people who wanted to use PC keyboard and video.
BUT, in general, 5150 on a terminal, instead of CGA/MDA was a nice idea
IN THEORY, but could not run "ANY" of the common software, since, due
to performance issues, "everybody" wrote directly to the video RAM.
You could therefore, run MASM and DeSmet C ("Personal C Compiler"),
but NOT Turbo-C nor Quick-C
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com
6:56 p.m.
On 02/28/2013 03:06 PM, Fred Cisin wrote:
That is with STOCK hardware.
Fischer's diagnostic ROM was usable with a non-standard serial card
with hardwired configuration, that did not require software initialization.
A friend and I marketed a replacement for the MDA card on a 5150/5160
that used a Z80 and a bunch of parts to allow the PC user to replace
their display card and hook up a VT-100/220 style terminal--and switch
or split-screen the PC data with other serial data (say, from a
minicomputer) on the terminal. It also took the terminal keyboard codes
and translated them to 5150 scan codes. It had a certain appeal, but
wasn't fast enough to work effectively with a 5170 and would not do
graphics.
I still have the board (and a few abandoned prototypes).
--Chuck
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