redman@dalcsug.UUCP (REDMAN) (09/20/88)
HP 150 microcomputers are not IBM compatible. They do, however, run
MS-DOS 2.xx. Most Terminate-and-Stay-Resident programs for the
IBM PC use the low-level BIOS routines for activation. But these aren't
well known for the HP 150. Does anyone have any ideas about the internals
of the 150?
The Programmer's Reference Manual doesn't help. Is this information
available anywhere?
p.s. Doesn't Microsoft require some sort of common interface between its
BDOS and the manufacturer's BIOS? What do other PC-INcompatibles use?
redman@dalcsug.uucp {uunet|utai|watmath}|dalcs|dalcsug|redmanbturner@hpcvlx.HP.COM (Bill Turner) (09/24/88)
There is a Technical Reference for the 150 (the exact name or part number I don't know) that describes this sort of information. I'd suggest contacting your local HP sales rep for more information. Hopefully, if you say "150 Tech. Ref." they'll have some direction to start searching from. (Course, as I say this, someone else will probably come up with the correct information about the manual(s)...) --Bill Turner
mbk@hpsemc.HP.COM (Miles Kehoe) (09/24/88)
The 150 is, in it's spare time, an MS-DOS computer. As you know, they ROM BIOS is not IBM compatible. Sadly, because the TERMINAL portion of the 150 is the boss, it is not possible to write keyboard-interruptable TSRs for the 150. (well... possible, but not very easy at all). 40% of the system's time is spent as a terminal. The first thing terminal code does when it gets its time slice is to set all the 'important' interupts back to known states. This means that all the KB interupts, the kb controller, the screen memory buffers, etc are all taken care of (as well as setting the datacomm ports back to the state defined in the terminal configuration menu).. This means that, if your MS DOS application sets a few pointers somewhere else (ie, set the datacommm chip to a different setting) for your program... the terminal will set it back in less than 600 milliseconds to the terminal defined values. Wish I had better news: it's jiust the way it is. By the way, do you know about the IBM PC emulator for the 150? It is available in soucre code, and gives you many of the BIOS video capabilities (ie, INT 10). It lets many ibm compatible programs which do not write directly to diplay memory run fine on the 150. It also runs much faster because it turns off the terminal. Good luck, Miles
agrusow@exunido.uucp (Michail Agrusow) (09/26/88)
In article <1250023@hpsemc.HP.COM> mbk@hpsemc.HP.COM (Miles Kehoe) writes: >The 150 is, in it's spare time, an MS-DOS computer. As you know, >they ROM BIOS is not IBM compatible. [deleted] >By the way, do you know about the IBM PC emulator for the ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >150? It is available in soucre code, and gives you many of >the BIOS video capabilities (ie, INT 10). It lets many ibm >compatible programs which do not write directly to diplay >memory run fine on the 150. It also runs much faster because >it turns off the terminal. Can anybody tell me where I can get this emulator ? Any experience ? >Good luck, > >Miles Thanks.