Ersatz-11 V7.0 is done. This is the 20th anniversary release (development began on 31-Oct-1993), and it's got a bunch of new goodies. The free demo versions (for DOS, Linux, OS/2, Stand-alone, and Windows) can be downloaded from www.dbit.com. There's a *lot* of new code. If that means there's going to have to be a quick update it's going to be hard to resist calling it "V7.0-07". There's no one huge new feature, but lots of little ones: - CR11/CD11 punched card readers - DMR11/DMC11 network ports (speaks real DDCMP to DECnet/RSX's software DDCMP) - DN11 autodialer - KG11A CRC boards - DU11/DUV11 sync SLUs proof-of-concept (but Z85230 driver needs finishing) - SCC: driver for Sealevel sync boards (see above -- at least async works) - Ridiculously improved VT100 emulation. Smooth-scroll and blink on OS/2 and Windows. Also SET-UP mode. Try pressing SET-UP (default = Shift/Esc) and then 0 on OS/2 or Windows for a good laugh, if you remember the real thing. VT100 w/o AVO, VT101, and VT102 emulations are now included (the autowrap behavior differs on all three -- thank you Will Kranz for the VT102 for testing). This was motivated by finding that the VT100 emulation was failing the VTTEST suite, but further investigation showed that a real DEC VT100 "fails" too, in a fairly similar way (virtually identical now). - ASSIGN ... /TTSYNC switch adds driver-level XON/XOFF flow control for output to most serial device types (and is enabled temporarily during all commands -- you really need it if smooth-scroll is turned on). - Scrollback buffer in VT100 sessions -- finally - HAYES: filter driver for data-leads-only modems with Hayes AT command set (turns commands/responses into modem control/status leads, and connects to the DN11 emulation) -- yes this would have been more useful in 1993 - OSPRINT: driver (emulates dumb line printer using OS-supplied printer drivers in OS/2 and Windows). Optionally adds green-bar-paper underlay, which seems silly until you see how nice it looks in CutePDF. OK it's silly. - Unit number ranges in ASSIGN/DEASSIGN, MOUNT/DISMOUNT, and SHOW -- Tries to be clever about incrementing unit numbers for the PC device: ASSIGN YZ0-3: COM1: (or /dev/ttyS0) gives you 4 DZ lines using 4 COM ports MOUNT DU0-1: rsx0.dsk gives you two disks using rsx0.dsk and rsx1.dsk *But* if there's nothing to increment then you get identical devices: ASSIGN YV0-15: TELNET: gives you 16 DHU lines on the same Telnet server MOUNT DC0-3: RAM: gives you a fully fleshed out RC11 (four RAM disks) - Generic host-OS-independent names for several kinds of ports that can be autodetected. SHOW ASYNCPORTS, SHOW PRINTERPORTS, SHOW SYNCPORTS, SHOW DIGPORTS, SHOW GPIBPORTS gives you a list of what ASYNCn: etc. will get you right now. This is supposed to make E11.INI files a little more portable (so you don't have to change COM1: to /dev/ttyS0 etc.). - Host-OS-independent NULL: devices for most device types. - IEU11/IEQ11 dual GPIB port bare framework (proof of concept: works only with NULL: device, does no actual I/O, but accepts many commands and LOGs their behavior) - RAMdisks now take their default size from the drive type (which may itself be defaulted) - "Short" disk images have the missing part emulated as a null area (so it's OK if the bad-block track wasn't included in the image -- you don't get errors if you touch it anyway) - DB:/DR: (Massbus moving-head disks) now enabled in Demo version; also OA:/XA: (DR11C/DR11W), used as Ethernet IPL, internal mP IPL, or simple LPT port interface - Raw floppies (PC formats, for now) on Linux, OS/2, and Windows - /CYL/HEAD/SECTORS switches work on all C/H/S disks - Disk logs now calculate the starting block number on C/H/S disks; LOG /PC includes PC in log files - SET ddcu: READONLY / READWRITE can write-lock or write-enable most disks and tapes w/o re-mounting them - SET IDLE DELAY=n adds a n-millisecond delay during WAITs - More use of helper threads (keeps long searches in .TAP files from interfering with PDP-11 execution -- and incidentally means that more of the PC devices are mP-safe even on the DOS and Stand-alone versions, since in that case "helper threads" means migrating DOS calls to CPA where it's safe -- not that mP is officially supported of course) - LoadModule, GetSymbol, and UnloadModule DLL calls (OS/2 and Windows) - Many, many, many bug fixes -- hopefully more than were introduced by the new code - The update disks will be CDs this time -- yes finally entering the 1990s John Wilson D Bit