PLATOTerm Version 1.3 for Commodore 64
New in This Release
- Limited color support for text in standard PLATO system colors (removed because up2400 crashes, argh!)
- Fully debugged character set processing routines
What is PLATOTerm?
PLATOTerm is a terminal emulator to access CYBIS services now available
on the Internet utilizing a WIFI Modem, or (soon!) an Ethernet device
supported by a Crynwr Packet Driver.
For the purposes of this documentation. PLATO and CYBIS are interchangeable
names for the same platform.
What services are currently available to access via PLATOTerm?
As of writing this preliminary documentation (October 2018), there are
two major CYBIS systems running. CYBER1.ORG and IRATA.ONLINE.
WHAT IS PLATO? (aka CYBIS?)
(from the PLATO wikipedia page:)
PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations), was the first
generalized computer-asisted instruction system. Starting in 1960, it ran
on the University of Illinois ILLIAC I computer. By the late 1970s, it
supported several thousand graphics terminals distributed worldwide, running
on nearly a dozen different networked mainframe computers. Many modern
concepts in multi-user computing were originally developed on PLATO, including
forums, message boards, online testing, e-mail, chat rooms, picture languages,
instant messaging, remote screen sharing, and multi-player games.
What is CYBER1.ORG?
CYBER1.ORG is a CYBIS system initially set up in 2004, as a haven for
ex-PLATO users to experience a classic PLATO author experience.
CYBER1.ORG is home to many thousands of classic PLATO lessons and
notesfiles which have been restored from various sources, and have
been made available in the interests of preserving PLATO.
What is IRATA.ONLINE?
IRATA.ONLINE is a CYBIS system that has been set up for the benefit of
the greater vintage computing community, in the interest to provide
a unique experience that can be accessed on a wide variety of
vintage computers with a bitmapped graphics display. To this end,
IRATA.ONLINE develops PLATOTerm for dozens of platforms, so that they
can access CYBIS systems, as well as provide a community and learning
infrastructure for vintage computing users of all types, in the hopes
that as a cohesive community, something unique can hopefully
emerge.
What is the connection between IRATA.ONLINE and CYBER1.ORG?
CYBER1.ORG and IRATA.ONLINE are independent of one another. With that said,
the reason IRATA.ONLINE and PLATOTerm exist, are because of the efforts of
CYBER1.ORG to not only preserve a running PLATO system, and provide the
necessary information for interested parties to write terminal software
to access CYBIS systems, but also in their effort to produce a publically
available distribution of CYBIS that others who are interested may also
run their own CYBIS installation. IRATA.ONLINE is a direct result of the
public release of this distribution.
Connecting to IRATA.ONLINE
Once PLATOTerm is started, you can connect to CYBER1.ORG using your WIFI modem,
using a command such as:
ATDTIRATA.ONLINE:8005
Connecting to CYBER1.ORG
Once PLATOTerm is started, you can connect to CYBER1.ORG using your WIFI modem,
using a command such as:
ATDTCYBERSERV.ORG:8005
Files on the Disk:
- PLATOTERM - The main program.
- GPL-3.0 - A runnable viewable copy of the GPL 3.0 license.
- MOU-1351 - The Commodore 1351 mouse driver
- MOU-INKWELL - The Inkwell light pen mouse driver
- MOU-JOY - The joystick (or commodore 1350) mouse driver
- MOU-POT - The paddle (or Koala Pad) mouse driver
- SER-SWLINK - The CMD Swiftlink-232 Serial Driver
- SER-UP2400 - The User-Port 2400 Baud Serial Driver (C64 Only)
Loading PLATOTerm
PLATOTerm can be loaded in the usual way:
LOAD"*",8,1
PLATO Keyboard
The PLATO keyboard is mapped to the Commodore keys, like so:
| PLATO KEY | C= Key |
|---|---|
| ANS | COMMODORE-A |
| BACK | COMMODORE-B |
| SHIFT-BACK | COMMODORE-SHIFT-B |
| COPY | COMMODORE-C |
| SHIFT-COPY | COMMODORE-SHIFT-C |
| DATA | COMMODORE-D |
| SHIFT-DATA | SHIFT-COMMODORE-D |
| EDIT | COMMODORE-E |
| SHIFT-EDIT | SHIFT-COMMODORE-E |
| FONT | COMMODORE-F |
| ÷ | COMMODORE-G |
| HELP | COMMODORE-I |
| SHIFT-HELP | SHIFT COMMODORE-H |
| LAB | COMMODORE-L |
| SHIFT-LAB | SHIFT-COMMODORE-L |
| SUPER | COMMODORE-P |
| SHIFT-SUPER | SHIFT COMMODORE-P |
| SQUARE | COMMODORE-Q |
| ACCESS | SHIFT COMMODORE-Q |
| STOP | COMMODORE-S |
| SHIFT-STOP | SHIFT COMMODORE-S |
| TERM | COMMODORE-T |
| × | COMMODORE-X |
| SUB | COMMODORE-Y |
| SHIFT-SUB | SHIFT COMMODORE-Y |
- Background Color - F1
- Border Color - COMMODORE-F1
- Text Color - F2
- Setup - F3
A note about colors
Your desired background color, text color, and border color can be selected, and subsequently saved by selecting S)AVE in the setup menu.
Pressing the function keys will cycle through all possible color values.
Credits
- '''Thomas Cherryhomes''' - Terminal coding, sleepless nights.
- '''Steve Peltz''' - original PAD protocol decoder from MacPAD.
- '''Michael Sternberg''' - Apple2 testing, showing off at Kansasfest 2018
- '''John Buell''' - Testing
- '''John Manterola''' - Testing
- '''Jasmaz''' - Commodore 64 testing
- '''Paul Rickards''' - Commodore 64 testing
- '''Glenn Wiorek''' - Commodore 64 testing.