WIP: 16C firmware hack for more memory

[Garry Lancaster]

(04-25-2023 04:42 PM)brouhaha Wrote:  Maybe once the instruction code expansion is in place, I should actually assign new codes for all of the new FLOAT functions, and display them in a program line as e.g. "FL 42 A" for the FLOAT f-shift of the A key, rather than just "42 A". If I did that, then "42 A" would always be SL, and be a NOP in FLOAT mode, while "FL 42 A" would always be the FLOAT mode function, and be a NOP in integer mode. I think this would probably be better, but it's a fair bit more work, so I'm not entirely sure that I'll do it. Opinions on that are welcomed.

I can't really see how that would work in practice. If you were entering a program which switches between integer and float modes you'd have to keep exiting program mode, changing the current integer/float mode and then re-entering program mode in order to enter the correct code. That would be really irritating.

I suppose the program mode could try and keep track of the last int/float mode switch instruction, but it would be messy and pretty much impossible to get right in all circumstances (eg after a label).

So I think it would be better to keep the same codes regardless of which mode you are in. It's not as if stepping through a program on the 16C gives you particularly readable code anyway - the keycodes are more just to check against actual source, written on paper or whatever, or for debugging with singlestep. IMO there's little benefit in having "FL" to remind you whether 42 A refers to SL or (say) SIN, when your source is going to tell you anyway.