Post AykDD4FVgS4VceGGa8 by andrewault@twit.social
 (DIR) More posts by andrewault@twit.social
 (DIR) Post #Ayk6tZDoDf7SAJmfUe by tomjennings@tldr.nettime.org
       2025-09-30T20:22:48Z
       
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       Though I'm having an occasional disturbing bug that may be in the Z80 emulator (but hopefully, more likely, my code) I've got MP/M comfortably usable, in a near-modern mode of use. I needed a spreadsheet to do CP/M and MP/M disk block vs allocation vector visualization (just tables of numbers) so I did in in SuperCalc2 (1982). This of course uncovered some errors in escape sequence implementation, tiny annoying ones, those solved, and install notes made for the future. SC2 is shockingly usable.I've got SC2 set up to use a big 36 line 100 column window, 2/3rds of the physical screen. It pushes the other three windows over. So to edit the changes-made README.TXT, switched to console 2 (one keystroke), sized it up (one keystroke), launched WordStar, non-document mode, edited, saved, exit. SuperCalc comes with an program thgat's supposed to import .CSV files but (lol) .CSVs saved from LibreOffice error out. I haven't look at at it at all. So I'm taking ontes on writing this up, which isn't about the antique technology, but about use cases, what computers do for us, and how we've lost so much to ruinous corporate manipulations.We're not gonna switch back to ancient code; but the nest of this code reveals what we've lost. In 1982 these things really were revelations; they turned writing into a thing of fluidity and ease; spreadsheets let us do things no one had imagined. That they suck at so many things didn't and doesn't matter; the gain was tremendous. We can see these things now, with some effort. We need to.We've been fucked over by corporations for long enough. Too long.
       
 (DIR) Post #AykDD4FVgS4VceGGa8 by andrewault@twit.social
       2025-09-30T21:33:31Z
       
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       @tomjennings I completely agree that we have lived in times of wonder. I very much miss the early days with Byte, Dr. Dobbs, 8 bits of fury and Okidata printers. I loved writing in assembly and Tiny C. I loved reading about new innovations and coding or soldering stuff to make things.I'm a developer now, and use AI and my amazing Macbook Pro with gazzillions of everything.But I miss the Z80 in my Kaypro 10 that David Kay gave me out of the trunk of his car. Turbo Pascal was amazing!