Subject: question about Z80 code

From: "Terry O." <sandstar.geo@...>
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 18:22:43 -0000

I'm not all that familiar with this whole area but because I have a
Rex 6000 and 2 unused mailstations, I thought I'd ask if source code
for the Rex applications could be reused with the nifty mailbug
software that I see in the files section but haven't tried?  I rarely
use the Rex anymore but do have a bunch of files saved that have the
source code for some small apps and games.  

The mailstations I would love to make into a portable word processor
(for me) and a pre-schooler's "laptop" for my grandsons.  Is that
anywhere feasible yet or even for the near future?  I was just
wondering the other day if I should just put them in the Goodwill
pile.  The kids get bored playing with the keys without any feedback,
so they are useless even for pretend.  Well, especially with the other
computers on and nickjr.com at the top of the bookmarks... :-)  

Thanks,

Terry

p.s. I am a software tech by trade - which means I can usually
recompile source code if it's fairly generic and I have flashed my
pdas and done some work with the Keil emulator software - okay I just
made the lcds blink but it was fun... so my skill level isn't nearly
enough for hardware modding without the "for dummies" documentation.

---

From: "Cyrano Jones" <cyranojones_lalp@...>
Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:33:55 -0000

--- In [email-masked], "Terry O." <sandstar.geo@...> wrote:
> software that I see in the files section but haven't tried? 

Hi,

The short answer is: "no".

A longer answer: Not without a lot of work.
Any input or output, or for that matter any calls
to the OS would have to be mapped to alternative
calls to the mailstations OS.  Unless, by some unlikely
coincidence both the rex 6000 and the mailstation
have the same low level firmware.

> I rarely

Is the source code in C or assembler?

I had never heard of the Rex 6000 before now, but I googled it,
and spent some time reading about the hacking efforts last night.
Seems they are quite a bit further along than us!  (Heck, they were
further in 2001 than we are now!!!)

Although the hardware is quite similar, I imagine there would be
a lot of work involved in porting a rex 6000 app to mailstation,
not the least of would be reversing the existing mailstation OS,
or writing a new one.

At one point there were a few group members who wanted to
completely rewrite the firmware.  I haven't heard much lately
about any efforts in that direction.  My own plan was to reverse
enough of the existing firmware so that we could use the existing OS,
but that isn't moving very fast, either.
 
> anywhere feasible yet or even for the near future?  

Define "feasible"...   :-)  :-)  :-)

-- CJ

---

From: "Anthony Albert" <albert@...>
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 10:13:05 -0400

On 29 Jul 2006 at 2:33, Cyrano Jones wrote:
[SNIP] 
>Define "feasible"...   :-)  :-)  :-)

If you set them up to dial-in and send email, then you can use them as 
a word processor to a certain degree - simply compose your text in an 
email message, and [ save it as a draft | send it as email ] to your 
desktop computer.

Anthony Albert
===========================================================
Anthony J. Albert                     albert@...
Systems and Software Support Specialist          Postmaster
Computer Services - University of Maine, Presque Isle
 "For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened
 lately, that Alice had begun to thing that very few
 things indeed were really impossible."-Alice in Wonderland

---

From: "ppc7447" <ppc7447@...>
Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 11:35:19 -0000

For something like that, you might have more luck with an Apple eMate.  They're cheap 
(about $30 or so) and nearly indestructible (they were initially designed for education...)  
The battery lasts for ages, and the Newton OS is really easy to use.

-R

> email message, and [ save it as a draft | send it as email ] to your 
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