L Break Into Program
@breakintoprogram.co.uk
Blog: http://www.breakintoprogram.co.uk YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/BreakIntoProgram Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/breakintoprogram Software developer & electronics dabbler. Restoring & programming vintage computers from Acorn Atom to ZX81.
Okay so it's a bit ugly at the moment, mainly concentrating on getting the interface working between the JavaScript and C++ code. Can now select a tape image off the preloaded file system. Not live yet., still testing. Gap under speccy screen will eventually be filled with a virtual keyboard.
I’ve got this book and have only just made the connection. John Harris did the excellent Sinclair manual covers.
Scifi Art@scifiart.bsky.social · 23h agoArt by John Harris for Strength of Stones by Greg Bear (1981)
Just had the weirdest thing happen. Was finishing some admin on my Macbook and my hearing aids suddenly started playing a Spectrum loading noise. For a brief moment I considered that the madness had finally overtaken me. Turns out I must have tripped Apple Music accidentally with this classic...
Having worked on a sound driver for the MegaDrive/Genesis with Tim and Geoff Follin, I'm firmly of the opinion that its audio rocked.
Sega Megadrive Music Driver: Introduction - L Break Into Program, 0:1
My second job after Software Creations was as a games developer for Malibu Interactive. Long story short, I was part of a group of friends working at Software Creations that fancied a change: Tim, Mik...
breakintoprogram.co.uk
Robb from 8/16/32bit@81632bitretro.com · 15h agoI think that the audio of the 16bit consoles is really an interesting area to examine. The Mega Drive/Genesis and SNES had such totally different sounds. One FM based, one sample based. Yet each was capable of producing masterpieces of in game audio. People will say that the MD audio was weak, /1
Apropos and vis-à-vis emulation, I don't suppose anyone knows of a free image of the Spectrum 48K keyboard layout I could use for Speculation?
Bit of sneaky coding last night. Figured out how to call C++ functions from JavaScript in Emscripten. Again, very straightforward. So should be able to add some basic controls to the emulator. Like selecting tape image, reset, and so on.
Tweaked the repo for Speculation - the emulator page has been moved to the repo, so I can deploy it quicker. I'll be adding more features, such as being able to select emulator files, in the near future. The new link is here: breakintoprogram.github.io/emulator-z80/
GitHub - breakintoprogram/emulator-z80: Speculation is my Sinclair Spectrum Z80 emulator written mostly as an exercise in C/C++
Speculation is my Sinclair Spectrum Z80 emulator written mostly as an exercise in C/C++ - breakintoprogram/emulator-z80
github.com
I hope they do improve memory efficiency - it feels like the OS and 'essential' apps like OneDrive take best part of 8GB.
Microsoft says 8GB of RAM should be enough for anyone running Windows 11
Redmond adds new items to its make-Windows-better list
theregister.com
Aha! Github Pages to the rescue! breakintoprogram.github.io/pages/ To load Stop The Express In BASIC, type LOAD "" then enter - Press J for LOAD - Press right-shift P for " Press F10 to start the virtual tape
Speculation Emulator
breakintoprogram.github.io
L Break Into Program@breakintoprogram.co.uk · 3d agoOkay, you win some and you lose some. I was hoping to get the emulator online this evening but for some reason my hosting service is failing to serve up .data file types (the filesystem package) despite me adding it as a mime type. Too tired now to start debugging remote web servers.
Okay, you win some and you lose some. I was hoping to get the emulator online this evening but for some reason my hosting service is failing to serve up .data file types (the filesystem package) despite me adding it as a mime type. Too tired now to start debugging remote web servers.
The morning is still young yet coffee cup is empty, crossword has been solved, chores are done, cat is snuggling and code has been merged. Some refactoring ahead of the next merge that will include Emscripten support.
GitHub - breakintoprogram/emulator-z80: Speculation is my Sinclair Spectrum Z80 emulator written mostly as an exercise in C/C++
Speculation is my Sinclair Spectrum Z80 emulator written mostly as an exercise in C/C++ - breakintoprogram/emulator-z80
github.com
This is an incredible piece of work. The original on the Spectrum was written in Z80. Must dig out my Elk at some point and try it on real hardware.
0xC0DE@0xc0de.bsky.social · 4d ago🔊 Release v1.0 of Pyjamarama for Acorn Electron 48K (converted from ZX Spectrum 48K). Best experience is on a real Electron (with 16K SWRAM) or in my Electroniq emulator. ☕ Buy me a coffee if you like my work ko-fi.com/0xc0de 🕹️ More info and tape/disk images on github.com/0xC0DE6502/p...
Watching The Martian with the cat and drinking beer. One of my comfort movies.
The Martian Matt Damon
Alt: The Martian Matt Damon with the caption I’m gonna have to science the shit out of this.
static.klipy.com
Had the pleasure of driving through London today. Only one thing for it. A selection of excellent 80s tunes on a USB stick.
Muppets: Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear Driving
Alt: Muppets: Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear Driving
static.klipy.com
I heartily agree with this, though mine isn't improving my wealth.
Hobbies can improve your health – here are four tips for choosing one
From sea swimming to painting, doctors are ‘prescribing’ hobbies – but you don’t need a doctor’s note to get started
theguardian.com
Still totally gobsmacked by how straightforward it was porting a C++/SDL2 app to Emscripten. It's definitely in the category "sufficiently advanced technology that is indistinguishable from magic".
Magic
Alt: Magic
static.klipy.com
Had to pop out last night, yet managed to get Speculation running online using Emscripten before I went to bed. Was an additional half-dozen lines of code and took me about 10 minutes. Emscripten is nothing short of witchcraft.
L Break Into Program@breakintoprogram.co.uk · last wk.Further to my experiments using Emscripten, my proof-of-concept worked just fine, using the same SDL2 rendering methods that Speculation uses. Had a couple of false starts; was accidentally including the headers for SDL not SDL2 and was getting a weird error about YUV textures.
I 'switched' to the classic plan. The instructions were in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard'. And even then, the page to switch to classic was the darkest of dark patterns.
Microsoft faces competition probe over Copilot subscription price hike
Watchdog asks whether customers were clearly told how to avoid the costlier AI-equipped plans
theregister.com
Further to my experiments using Emscripten, my proof-of-concept worked just fine, using the same SDL2 rendering methods that Speculation uses. Had a couple of false starts; was accidentally including the headers for SDL not SDL2 and was getting a weird error about YUV textures.
Random thought as I drifted off to sleep last night. Display technology would be very different if we didn’t have persistence of vision.
Me eating frozen yogurt and getting brain freeze whilst watching Mythbusters blow things up.
Pedro Pascal as Smiling Javi Gutierrez
Alt: Pedro Pascal as Smiling Javi Gutierrez
static.klipy.com
Speaking as an ex games dev and current commercial programmer, I’ve never understood this. The positives outweigh the negatives considerably. Most of the commercial devs I’ve worked alongside have had a sideline hobby. I’ve always encouraged it, good for wellbeing and self-improvement…
Chris Kerr@kerrblimey.bsky.social · last wk.NEW: I spoke with multiple video game developers and a U.S. employment lawyer to learn more about restrictive side clauses that often prevent employees at major companies from pursuing hobbyist work or personal projects. In an industry renowned for creativity, why are we stifling it?
