Free, Open Source OS For TI Calculators

nicklaszlo writes "TICalc.org announced yesterday that Patrick Pelisier has released a new beta OS, called PedroM, for the TI-89 and TI-92+ under the General Public License. Here is the source and binary. This is the first time a TI calculator has been free of proprietary software. The OS has 32 commands and backward compatibility for assembly programs. You can get a Windows/PC emulator of both calculators, for those who don't have either calculator, or don't want to risk their real system."

Comments

Nifty

[General Sherman]

I'll probably get modded down for this, but honestly, what's the point?

Sure the OS on TI calculators is proprietary, but it does what it does quite well and I've never had issues with it.

I think making OSS just for the sake of having OSS is stupid. Do something useful with your time. If you have such a great understanding, contribute packages to Linux or something.

Re:Nifty

[itsari]

An open source alternative can help keep the heat on TI to make a better product. Also, in the future, this OSS can even become a better alternative than the TI software. It also gives an oportunity for developers to enhance the O/S they use when the please.

Re:Nifty

[LocoSpitz]

The pressure won't be there until the OSS alternative actually is better than the TI software.

Re:Nifty

[xpl_the_myst]

Could someone please mod parent up?

Seems like any one can get a good /. rating these days by saying "what's the point?" .. wonder what it would have done when people were first starting to write Linux. What's the point. no one uses those weird computer things anyway?

Though, I'd admit, all this does sound a bit over the board when applied to TI calcs .... that doesn't mean you've to criticise the guy who's done it and opened up the source for anyone interested.

Re:Nifty

[theefer]

What's the point of OSS ? Making better software ?
No.

Having a free OS can ensure that you have full access to the system, and that you know how to interface your program with it, or maybe improve it somehow.

Even if it is (were, actually, since I have not tested it yet) not as featureful as the original proprietary OS, it does not mean it is completely inferior. Have you ever worked on a TI-92+ ? I have. It sucks.

The pseudo-shell is really more pseudo than shell, the programming language is a joke, etc. Sure, it works. Sure, there are cool (proprietary) apps with it. But it does not mean it cannot be improved (possibly keeping the compatibility to still access those cool closed apps). Examples of improvements would be a better shell (the screenshots seem to show one), a more powerful filesystem (allow directories into directories, w00t), completion (available through a wrapper, but it's not that good), etc.

There is room for improvement. So them'em play with the system and release it Freely, it can only get better !

Re:Nifty

[windows]

With a lot of the new releases of the AMS (TI's operating system), TI has added new restrictions to what developers can do. For example, in AMS 2.03, assembly language programs are limited to 8k. In more recent versions, the limitation is 24k. There is no legitimate reason for this except trying to force developers to write Flash applications. This is significant because you have to pay TI to sign any applications you write if you expect them to run on any calculator. There are many other things that Flash applications can do that assembly language programs can't. These include support for language localization and adding commands to TI-BASIC. Another thing is assembly language programs cannot return values like ordinary functions can.

While many of these restrictions have been fixed through nasty hacks found by developers, some of them cannot be easily fixed if at all.

What's so bad about Flash applications? Because you have to pay TI to sign apps for the TI-89/TI-92+/V200. Most of us developers release our software for free. We don't have the money to pay TI to sign our software.

As of now, these are the biggest advantages of the new OS, besides the fact that you have much more archive memory.

Already, this new OS can make a game programmer's job a lot easier.

Re:Nifty

[Anonymous Coward]

One of the stupidiest remark I've read for a long time. Don't you understand the *HOBBY* part in the "Hobby OS" ?

It's like telling a young kid or a beginner painter doing some drawing "You're stupid and lose your time. If you're not going to do something as good as Picasso, then quit and do something useful !".

Idiot. If you're not interested by the news, just ignore it instead of pulling down someone having fun tinkering around.

Re:Nifty

[Wateshay]

Why? What does TI care? They don't make a cent off of their software by itself. All of their money is made off of the hardware, and if there's OSS that's better than their offering, it just means they may sell more calculators.

Re:Nifty

[charlesparks]

Sure, School Districts have been using TI for years. I've owned two TI calculators (86 and 83+) because it was what the school always recommended. The average joe high school student isn't going to buy the more expensive 89 or HP 49g+ because the 83+ is good enough for high school math.

But when it comes to College and math in the field it is necessary to put encourage companies to progress to a better product. This is what this Open Source application has the potential to do and this is also what HP's comeback in the calculator industry will do.

This should create something of a trickle down effect to the school districts. Suddenly students are using this OS or the HP because this would be the product or brand used in the industry.

Re:Nifty

[Kokeshi Harinezumi]

This poster may be a slight bit intense, but I think he has a valid point.
It's very much a fact that the majority of open source software begins as "useless", due to its inherent pre-release tendency.
Therefore, it may be slightly premature to label it as "useless" in its relative infancy.

Harinezumi

Re:Nifty

[Anonymous Coward]

>>> I'll probably get modded down for this, but honestly, what's the point?

What's the point? The point is this os takes much less RAM than original. Why does one need that much RAM? Well, I use my TI-89 calculator for cheating on exams. I ported PNG reader so I can run it on my TI. I can store ~50 b&w pictures (up to 64k pixels - 800*800 each). Now I'll be able to store almost 150 pictures! That means I won't have to select only important pages, but everything!!!!
I can't wait for my next exam!!!! :-D

Real use of calculator...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the true "caclulating" functions of the calculator have been lost to the geek crowd. I, for one, bought my 89 solely to do integrals for calculus. There is no way that I tricked my mom into buying it for me so I could play first person shooters, sweet greyscale games, run non-proprietary OS's, and make some awesome assembly progs. No way at all. Come on guys, really. Do some math...

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Not much use

[jqcaducifer]

The only benefits I can see here is more memory for games. On the other hand, it kills all math functionality, which kinda defeats the purpose of the calculator. A person who got this calculator to play games missed the point. Besides the simple idea of loading a new non-TI OS onto the calc, there doesn't seem to be a reason for this OS. On the other hand, once they improve this to include math and such, that would be nice.

This could be how an ingenious person starts

[Anonymous Coward]

I am deeply disappointed in your attitude.

As a 15-18 year-old, coding asm applications (this was before anyone had put together adequate C compilers for these calculator platforms) for my TI calculators was what introduced me to programming, gave me a creative outlet, and drove me to pursue and complete a CS degree.

My high school didn't offer any CS or programming classes, and I didn't have any friends - much less any friends who would take the time from drinking and partying to learn to code z80 and m68k assembler. My interests in coding were how I defined and measured myself as a worthwhile human being, despite what anyone else thought about me.

If someone like you would have come down all high and mighty and mocked my creative outlet, trivialized my many long hours working on what absolutely fascinated me, and told me I was wasting my time, I might not be where I am today. And judging by your tone, you could only dream of being in my shoes today.

You know, I have a more interesting question:

What have YOU done? What gives you the RIGHT to come in here and mock this young man's work?

Get a life, really.

Re:Nifty tsarkon reports

[YOU LIKEWISE FAIL IT]

That same kind of heat that Linux put on apple and microsoft that is going to be its own undoing. You show up the big boys and they place the bar beyond your reach.

It might be bad for Open Source, but its definitely good for the consumer. I'm all for Apple and Microsoft raising the bar - I use their products every day. If that means I have to hack together the occasional bit of 'user experience' on Linux or whatever, sounds like an excellent deal.

Your argument basically says, "Don't be good at anything, or the big guys will turn around and be even better." I think that sounds like a very desirable state of affairs instead of just persisting in mediocrity.

YLFI

Re:What does this really mean?

[ameoba]

WTF are you doing with a TI-89/92 in Algebra class?

Re:You won't believe this

[Drantin]

Actually, these TIs have motorola 68K processors in them, the sub-89 TIs have the z80.

Re:What does this really mean?

[NeoSkandranon]

Means you went ahead and bought one now instead of getting an -86 and having to get ANOTHER hundred dollar calculator when you get to the properly advanced stuff. I got a TI-89 in preparation for Pre-calc in highschool, and loved it. Its menu system being what it is, I could do most anything faster than the other students, once I learned how.

Calculators - slowest evolving gadgets ever?

[clv101]

I've had my Ti85 for over 7 years now and the latest and greatest Ti calculator (in the same form factor) doesn't seem to have progressed much in the all the time. Next to phones, computers, MP3 players etc... the pocket calculator that started it all off hasn't changed at all! Are PDA's the new calculators? Are the any hardcore graphing calculator applications for PocketPC?