[Coco] Using MAME to run DECB file automagically?

[Richard Goedeken]

Andrew,

What you've described is pretty much exactly my development process under
Gentoo linux.  You just gotta get everything set up.  You can check out the
makefiles in my DynoSprite engine:

https://github.com/richard42/dynosprite

The README file has instructions for setting all this up.  You need to
configure MESS, put your ROM images in the right place, etc.

Richard


On 06/05/2016 01:56 AM, Andrew wrote:
> All,
> 
> Maybe this has been asked here before (heck, maybe I asked it once!)...
> 
> I want to do the following, and I am hoping maybe someone here has already
> done it (otherwise, I will look into inventing the wheel myself). I am
> specifically running MAME on an Ubuntu 14.04 LTS system, but I want to hear of
> any solution, regardless of platform - I can adapt as needed:
> 
> 1. I fantasize (about getting the time...) to create some software to run on
> the CoCo (maybe a game or such) - but I want to do it on a modern system for
> ease of use (I have actual hardware for later testing).
> 
> 2. So - I think about something like running an editor on my *nix box, maybe
> IntelliJ (or something simpler), then having a build process that would take
> the code, save it somewhere, compile it (as/if needed), then kick off MAME to
> read and run the code/binary.
> 
> 3. The first few steps are doable, I think - a 6809 cross-compiler for
> assembler, maybe something else for C (or maybe not?) - but then the difficult
> (?) part is getting MAME to work.
> 
> 4. I have considered the possibility of (somehow) creating -on the fly- a DECB
> floppy image - or a ROM image - that could be loaded and executed in some
> manner - does that sound crazy?
> 
> 5. Could something like that be done to allow the external writing of a DECB
> (BASIC) code and having it executed externally in MAME?
> 
> I guess in a way I would want something akin to the Rainbow IDE, but running
> under *nix - and composed of available open-source (on the *nix side)
> components. If on the emulated CoCo side there were one or more emulated
> floppy images (for compilers or such) that would be kicked off when MAME is
> launched to compile and run the resulting code sent over from the *nix editor
> - that would be what I am considering.
> 
> Ideally, it would be a one-step process - write the code, hit build (or type
> "make build" or something at the command line), and then "magically" via the
> power of a ton of shell scripts MAME would open and run the result (or compile
> and then run the result) in another window or screen (if fullscreen). Of
> course, on each build the old instance of MAME would be killed and re-started.
> 
> I guess in a way (?) the Rainbow IDE does this in some manner on Windows, so I
> am thinking it should be possible, and maybe someone would be willing to share
> the solution. I'm just looking for that existing solution, to use as-is or
> build off of - instead of starting from scratch (which, if I have to do so, at
> least I will know that it won't be a wasted effort).
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Andrew L. Ayers
> Glendale, Arizona
>