08-12-2023, 08:52 PM
Well, awhile back, I got a wild hair. And well, that hair got me to building an old Z-80 CP/M machine, starting on a second one, and buying an old IBM PS/2 8560. Why you are probably asking... Other than, 'I can', I have no idea. Anyway, the 8560 (80286) is running DOS and I'm setting it up as a file-server via RS-232 to the two Z-80 CP/M machines. I have been writing a bunch of Z-80 assembly code for the CP/M machines to talk to the 8560. I'm writing the file-server code in good 'ol BASIC. Archaic as hell I know, but it is a good challenge....
One thing that does have me sorta stumped is how to have the file-server code 'poll' the open comm ports (old 16bit BASIC only supports two of them), to see if a command has come in. If there is nothing pending, then go to check the next one. Kind of like INKEY$ for a comm port. Of course, I'd love it if there was a 16 bit version of QB64 Phoenix.
Anyway, Michelle
One thing that does have me sorta stumped is how to have the file-server code 'poll' the open comm ports (old 16bit BASIC only supports two of them), to see if a command has come in. If there is nothing pending, then go to check the next one. Kind of like INKEY$ for a comm port. Of course, I'd love it if there was a 16 bit version of QB64 Phoenix.
Anyway, Michelle