Mac or MAC, that is Macro-Assembler. This repo is a place to contain a bit of 6502/65c02/65816 Assembly Language, some macro assembly and some simpler assembly. There will also be s a little bit of interpreted BASIC code here, primarily in the dialects of ATOM BASIC, BBC BASIC (never cared much for interpreted MS-BASIC because of the slow down design of the interpreter). A couple of things specifically for compiled BASIC may also come to pass.
Getting back to the core, and what is likely the best long term path as well. 8-bit is great in the ways to go, to design usable desktop computers for extreme long term usage. As I continue into this path it is likely that other 8-bit Systems will revieve repos here as well.
There will be a heavy focus on using BBC BASIC (both a BASIC Interpreter and Macro Assembler in one) on the BBC Micro, Apple II, and Commodore 64/128 machines. Also Atom BASIC (the precursor to BBC BASIC) on the Atom, with a look at porting Atom BASIC to newer systems.
The BBC Micro is fairly new to me, so I am still learning this computer. I do like the fact it does not have any real textmode (other than the non-native teletext mode that is not very useful at all), and uses graphics bitmapped display output even for drawing text. There are some other very nice features of the design of the BBC MICRO that make it stand out above most other 65xxx based computers, including the designed ability to use second processor devices, thus simplifying the use of accellerators and even forign CPU's.
At this time I have yet to ever have the chance to use a physical BBC MICRO, do to the only one I have ever had being DOA. It also does not help that NTSC USA models seem to be fairly rare, way more rare than Archimedes computers.
This repo covers a number of computers of my usage. These include the CBM Computers (mainly the VIC, C64, and C128), the COSMAC systems, and now I finaly am able to learn a bit of the BBC Micro (a computer I never had in the 1980's, in fact never knew anything about until the mid 1990's).
BBC MICRO: It seems this is one of the better thought out computers of the 8-bit generation, having things like a bitmapped screen without a text mode (excepting MODE 7 hack). The output text stream can also define graphics, cursor movement and more, kind of like a subset of the RISC OS VDU stream in a lot of ways. The MOS Operating System of the BBC MICRO is also a well thought out OS that is quite simple and easy to understand in full, increasing the probability of a version that can stand the test of time.
Apple II Series: The Apple II, II+, IIe, IIe+, IIc, and IIc+ are a great line of computers, and one that has shown it longevity well. These are very capable systems that were designed by Woz himself.
Apple IIgs: The only 16 bit system in this catagory, a very good computer that evolved on the Apple II in a very good way, and was way more powerful than the 68000 based computers of the time. This is an example of a design that bridges the gap very well, giving something very good above the purely 8-bit while not yet a RISC 32-bit system.
Commodore VIC 20: The Commodore VIC 20 has a lot going for it. Among other things many of these are still functioning in good condition more than 40 years after they were purchased, with most failures do to abuse of the computer by its owner. Of course it also has its place in the evolution of the CBM HW.
Commodore 64/128: Very capable system, with very few failures. Most that have been kept togather continue to work without issues, with the most common HW failure in normal usage being the SID (at least in NTSC regions). The abilities of these computers has proven to be greater than the designers ever anticipated.
Mostly 65xxx: Of course most of what is to be here will be for computers based on the 6502, 6510, 8510, 65C02, 65C816, and 65C816S CPU's. While I have spent a lot of time with the CBM computers in the past it is likely that I will be focusing a bit more on the Apple II series and BBC Micro in the future.
This and my RISC OS Stuff repos are my ongoing focus. The goal is to enjoy coding, and promote the design and use of extreme long term usage Desktop Computers (Desktop Systems designed to be used for 5 decades or more without replacement, both software and hardware). We have had Desktop Personal Computers for about 50 years now, so we now are in a place to look at what has been reliable for these things and what has not been so reliable.
Long term computing is needed moving forward. We need to reduce the energy and material usage of replacing our computing devices too often, we need to reduce the energy usage of sending them through tech recyclers after we are done with them. Ideally we should have computers that will be in continous use for as long as possible. This also means STOP pushing for people to use more powerful CPU's when it is not needed (like internet based applications, video viewing/editing, 3D-Modeling). Many tasks can be done easily and well in real time with a lot lower end HW that is pushed, if the programmers give thought to these things, and use file formats that do not need to strain the CPU or other processors in our computers.
While I focus on the issue of long term computing from the view of Desktop Computing (including laptops), the issue also applies to other computing applications. For long term computing we also need to prolong the life of handheld computers ('Smart' Cell Phones, Digital Music players, GPS mapping systems, etc), as well as embeded devices (thermastats, lighting control systems, engine control and monitoring systems, etc). These are areas that others are looking into as well. My area is primarily the Desktop Comuting view of things.