80-Bus News

3) Oddities in the handling of REALs far down the Procedure/​Function stack.
4) Faulty handling of ARRAY types in PEEKs. This has been corrected in the later versions of the compiler, but here is the correction anyway.

First of all, load the compiler master tape, and relocate as usual, using an address for the Runtimes routines which is 10 bytes less than normal, and for the compiler which is 35 bytes less than normal (at least, in both cases). Before doing anything else it is advisable to have pencil and paper to hand. You should be familiar with using the A command of the Nas-Sys to calculate hex addresses and the M command to modify memory. COMP will indicate the Compiler address, RUN will indicate the Runtime address. The appropriate hex values should be substituted for these labels.

1) Calculate RUN + 0CA4H. At this address, you should find CD XX XX (using M command). Replace XXXX with RUN + 0FE1H. You are now setting up a jump over the runtimes to a patch at their end. At RUN + 0FE1H enter the following code –

CB 74 C2 XX XX 26 40 E3 E1 C9

where XX XX is RUN + 0DE2H. Remember ALWAYs to enter the low order byte first.

EB 18 01 0C 06 02 F5 79 32 FE 0C AF 32 FF 0C F1 C9

3) At COMP + 1FB2H replace the current three bytes with CD SS SS where SSSS is the address of the byte after the C9 in the previous section.
At that address, add the following code –

DD CB 01 C6 21 TT TT C9 where TTTT = COMP + 1FD5H

4) At COMP + 1EDEH change bytes from CA NN NN to 28 29 23. If they are already in position, then your compiler has had the PEEK bug corrected.

Having done all this, now make a tape of the relocated compiler and runtime support routines. Remember that the compiler requires four parameters on entry, so you can’t write a Generate tape. Make allowance for the increased length of the compiler and runtimes when saving on tape, and remember that any compilers relocated by the master tape will again require the same procedure to be gone through. In all cases, the addresses are entered into memory with the low order byte first.

I am greatful to the authors of this compiler for details of these fixes, and for permission to bring them to you.

Rory O’Farrell, Ireland.

PEN – 1

I run CP/M 2.2 on a Nascom 2 with Gemini DD/DS drives and an IVC. When using PEN I sometimes suffer from not remembering which case the keyboard is in. The differences between “d” and “D” can be somewhat frustrating.

My original idea was to use the cassette LED to indicate the current case, but I found that whenever the keyboard was addressed the LED was put out. Since I have an N2 keyboard I have no need for the Control/​Backspace toggle provided in the BIOS and so I decided to patch the BIOS and use this function to gain positive control of the case lock. With the patch below the Control/​Backspace input always sets the case lock to small letters, the Control/​Enter input remains the same – it flips the case lock each time. The last patch causes the case shift to be locked on capitals whenever the system is booted from cold.