[Coco] Does anyone still have the mocha code and could it be ported to Android?

[Bill Pierce]

First, I think you guys took my suggestion wrong to start with. I was not implying to "emulate" the CocoFPGA, but to emulate the FPGA itself in a VM to run the Coco code on a PC. I had done some googling and found that commercial developers run FPGA emulation in VMs (and yes, any code OR hardware "pretending" to be something it's not IS an emulation and/or simulation) to develope new systems. These may be expensive commercial VMs or may be available as open source, I don't know. It was just an observation from things I had seen elsewhere. This would not be "starting from scratch" as the code already exists.

2nd.. as for Mess.... there's waaaay too many fingers in that pie and code you write today may be deleted/changed/obsolete tomorrow by someone else as has been the case with the Coco emulation since it was introduced into Mess. It changes from version to version and for the past several versions (read years), that change has been for the worst (as far as the Coco is concerned).

As for XRaor, I'm all for it, but there would have to be a Coco 3 implementation before I would be seriously interested. I love the Coco 2, but the Coco 3 is my workhorse and the platform I prefer.
I understand Ciaran's implementation of the Coco 2 was an extra due to it being so similar to the Dragon in that much the same code could be used and I know the Coco 3 would be a whole new ballgame.

So, in the end, again, I'll stick with Vcc 1.4.3b until something better comes along.
 

Bill Pierce
"Today is a good day... I woke up" - Ritchie Havens
 

My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
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E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com


 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Wolfe <aawolfe at gmail.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Thu, Jan 15, 2015 1:35 pm
Subject: Re: [Coco] Does anyone still have the mocha code and could it be ported to Android?


On Thu, Jan 15, 2015 at 9:33 AM, tim franklinlabs.com
<tim at franklinlabs.com> wrote:
>      On January 15, 2015 at 7:59 AM Bill Pierce via Coco
>
>      Something I've been wondering.... Since the CocoFPGA is really
>      nothing but an emulator running on dedicated hardware, could this
>      emulation be run in a VIrtual Machine emulating the FPGA?
>      From what I understand, it the most hardware accurate emulation
>      that's been done and that would be the code to make an emulator
>      from.
>
>    I'm not sure I agree with your description of how a FPGA works. A FPGA
>    is a network of gate modules which can be arranged in such a way to
>    emulate other digital chips. It's not an "emulator running on dedicated
>    hardware" as you described. The arrangement of gate modules can act
>    like a simple TTL logic circuit all the way up to a CPU or DSP.
>    Although the code to arrange the gates looks like software, it's not.
>    Code is executed sequentially by a CPU. The FPGA source instructs the
>    compiler how to arrange and connect the gates to achieve the desired
>    digital timing and path of signals.
>
>    If you look at the "code" of a FPGA you have to change your thought
>    process in that the actions of each line is executed simultaneously
>    with others. It's not sequential. It's also not a "program" by
>    definition. So, attempting to emulate a FPGA in software is doesn't
>    really make allot of sense because it's not like emulating one CPU with
>    code built on another CPU.


This is spot on as far as I understand things.  Using CoCo3FPGA as the
basis for a traditional program on a general purpose computer would
not be practical.

We do have 2 open source, cross platform emulators already: XRoar and
MESS.  Is there a reason not to put efforts behind making these
better?  I'm not sure what starting from scratch would gain.

-Aaron

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