The Oldskool PC | The Oldskool PC Q&A #3: Accelerators, the 640K barrier, the best Tandy @TheOldskoolPC | Uploaded June 2020 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
The Oldskool PC answers your questions! If you'd like more clarification on any of these questions, or you'd like a new question answered for the next Q&A video, feel free to leave a comment.
This video is long, so feel free to use the following timestamps to skip questions you don't care about. Also, skip past the timestamps in this description to see video errata.
00:00 Introduction
00:34 Is it possible to create a 13x5 textmode screen in CGA or VGA?
03:28 Can you illustrate branchless code and explain why it is important?
11:19 Why did the 640K barrier exist, and what methods were used to exceed it?
21:37 How many Tandy 1000s do you own, and what are your favorites?
25:43 Do you have any plans to make DOS games in the future?
26:40 What do you think about 386 assembly?
28:06 What's the coolest 8088 clone?
29:55 What do you think about the usage of modern development tools for making DOS programs?
31:22 Was the IBM PC capable of producing polyphonic sound in the background? If so, how come no programs ever did it?
36:34 What's your experience with Microchannel Architecture systems?
39:26 What are the most common or interesting incompatibilities with "mostly compatible" PCs?
45:23 Why are CPU upgrade products so rare and expensive?
47:23 What's your experience with CPU upgrade products?
51:57 If you had to pick only one year to play DOS games and use that year's hardware, which year would you choose and why?
54:47 Was there ever a good reason to run DR-DOS or PC-DOS over MS-DOS?
59:14 What's the future of these Q&A videos? Is Trixter going away?
Errata:
- I didn't notice I confused the segment with offset writing out the smaller BIOS sizes. What I should have written was either F800:0000 or F000:8000 for the 32K size, and FC00:0000 or F000:C000 for the 16KB size.
Links mentioned in the video:
IBM PS/2 info and support websites:
ps-2.kev009.com
http://www.mcamafia.de/mcapage0/mcaindex.htm
Mini Prince:
http://www.miniprince.nl/
An example of how tools can help you create branchless code:
davespace.co.uk/blog/20150131-branchless-sequences.html
VGA Tweak Explorer:
http://files.mpoli.fi//software/programm/general/tweak16b.zip
Timeline of DOS operating systems:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_DOS_operating_systems
Want to support me, and help me make more videos like this? Consider becoming a patron: patreon.com/TheOldskoolPC
Contact info:
Twitter: @MobyGamer
Email: oldskool.org/personal
The Oldskool PC answers your questions! If you'd like more clarification on any of these questions, or you'd like a new question answered for the next Q&A video, feel free to leave a comment.
This video is long, so feel free to use the following timestamps to skip questions you don't care about. Also, skip past the timestamps in this description to see video errata.
00:00 Introduction
00:34 Is it possible to create a 13x5 textmode screen in CGA or VGA?
03:28 Can you illustrate branchless code and explain why it is important?
11:19 Why did the 640K barrier exist, and what methods were used to exceed it?
21:37 How many Tandy 1000s do you own, and what are your favorites?
25:43 Do you have any plans to make DOS games in the future?
26:40 What do you think about 386 assembly?
28:06 What's the coolest 8088 clone?
29:55 What do you think about the usage of modern development tools for making DOS programs?
31:22 Was the IBM PC capable of producing polyphonic sound in the background? If so, how come no programs ever did it?
36:34 What's your experience with Microchannel Architecture systems?
39:26 What are the most common or interesting incompatibilities with "mostly compatible" PCs?
45:23 Why are CPU upgrade products so rare and expensive?
47:23 What's your experience with CPU upgrade products?
51:57 If you had to pick only one year to play DOS games and use that year's hardware, which year would you choose and why?
54:47 Was there ever a good reason to run DR-DOS or PC-DOS over MS-DOS?
59:14 What's the future of these Q&A videos? Is Trixter going away?
Errata:
- I didn't notice I confused the segment with offset writing out the smaller BIOS sizes. What I should have written was either F800:0000 or F000:8000 for the 32K size, and FC00:0000 or F000:C000 for the 16KB size.
Links mentioned in the video:
IBM PS/2 info and support websites:
ps-2.kev009.com
http://www.mcamafia.de/mcapage0/mcaindex.htm
Mini Prince:
http://www.miniprince.nl/
An example of how tools can help you create branchless code:
davespace.co.uk/blog/20150131-branchless-sequences.html
VGA Tweak Explorer:
http://files.mpoli.fi//software/programm/general/tweak16b.zip
Timeline of DOS operating systems:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_DOS_operating_systems
Want to support me, and help me make more videos like this? Consider becoming a patron: patreon.com/TheOldskoolPC
Contact info:
Twitter: @MobyGamer
Email: oldskool.org/personal
