3 ms·
This reminds of old ZX Spectrum computers that had 48K RAM of which ~4K was the buffer containing what was actually shown on the screen. Some software was so s
by throw_pm23 3y ago
This reminds of old ZX Spectrum computers that had 48K RAM of which ~4K was the buffer containing what was actually shown on the screen.
Some software was so space-constrained that when loading, it would temporarily have to write into the screen buffer, so when you loaded something it may have filled the screen with images similar to those of this tool. Then as loading completed, it would shuffle things around in memory to be able to use the screen for its intended purpose.
- mschaef 3y agoThis is a screenshot from a COSMAC ELF program that displayed a picture of Enterprise. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iconic_COSMAC_Elf_spaceship_scene.png https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iconic_COSMAC_Elf_space... The machine was short enough on RAM by default that even at runtime, the screen buffer was shared. The random noise at the top of the screen is the program used to display the image on the bottom.
- giamma 3y agoOn the C64 some packers used screen memory to host the code. The first was The Screen Cruncher by 1001 Crew, a Dutch group. It's mentioned in this interview by its original author. https://web.archive.org/web/20040902191610/http://www.c64hq.com/index1152.php https://web.archive.org/web/20040902191610/http://www.c64hq....