** 2 page review / 1393 words **

TOSBOX v1.01

Martin Milner looks at yet another Atari emulator...

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TOSBOX running Geneva and Thing v1.20 - mulitasking under emulation
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TOSBOX, programmed by Mark Slagell in the US, is an Atari ST emulator which provides an environment to run TOS and GEM applications using DOS via Windows (3.1 or 95). In common with most other emulators, TOSBOX requires a TOS image (copy of the Atari operating system) on disk. This can be saved to disk from your real Atari machine using the utility provided.

Design objectives

TOSBOX is unusual because, as Mark explains "TOSBOX works from the system down rather than from the hardware up. The idea was not to make a PC behave as exactly as possible like an ST, but to run Atari applications as smoothly as possible on a PC." Mark goes on say "TOSBOX is not a complete hardware-level emulation of an Atari ST and isn't designed to run games and graphics demos". If you want to play games the PaCifiST Atari emulator, programmed by Frederic Gidouin in France, is a better bet.

Wherever possible, TOSBOX redirects and translates system calls or, if this led to problems, the hardware itself was emulated instead. TOSBOX currently emulates the Blitter and serial port, and includes support for hardware flow control, the DTR and DCD lines. The method used to handle the keyboard is unique and seems free from the glitches and lockups that plague more than a few other emulators.

The 68000 processor emulation is written in assembly language, which implies more bang for your buck - especially taking into account Mark's design philosophy. TOSBOX certainly feels smooth and appears to run faster than raw benchmarks suggest. Mark has no plans to emulate the MIDI ports, a 68030 processor, or any machine-specific hardware.

Requirements

TOSBOX runs in 32-bit protected mode, which requires a 386 processor or newer is required. A VESA v1.2 (or higher) VGA/SVGA graphics card is recommended along with a mouse and driver software, at least 2Mb of memory, and a hard drive. This pretty much means any PC bought over the last few years will be more than adequate! TOSBOX should work with all TOS versions up to and including 2.06.

Choices

It's sensible to keep all your Atari related files in a folder away from the root of drive C: where they become hopelessly mixed with native PC files (been there done that, got the T-shirt!) and it minimises the risk of file loss and corruption. I also run PaCifiST so keeping everything in folders means I can point both emulators pointing at the same folder to share programs.

If TOSBOX is started in an ST compatible resolution it's possible to change resolution from the desktop just like a real ST. If you're running one of the custom resolutions this doesn't work, because the AES gets confused - but you can save alternative INI files and select between them.

If you encounter a program which fails in a particular resolution it's easy to create a custom INI file and use it for that particular program.

Thunderbirds are Go!

After editing TOSBOX.INI run TB.EXE and you arrive swiftly at the Atari desktop, if you don't re-check your INI file settings carefully. To exit emulation at any time press the [Control]+[Pause/Break] keys (or an alternative pre-defined combination) which brings up the DOS screen with options to reboot ST mode or quit.

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Like any real Atari machine TOSBOX runs all the AUTO folder programs then starts any active desktop accessories and it's well worth adding a boot manager to help manage all the extra working environments.
Unlike real Atari machines, Auto folder programs appear to be executed in date/time order. This makes it easy to shuffle the running order by renaming files instead of physically moving them into and out of folders. A software screen accelerator is worthwhile. NVDI v3.x or later is recommended if you intend to use the extended screen resolutions.

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TOSBOX can address the PC CD-ROM like any other drive. Here Imagecopy displays an image from the StraTOS CD-ROM
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Gone are the days when magazines posted lists of compatible software, most GEM applications will work perfectly. If you encounter any programs which fail repeatedly take the time to report them to both Mark and the author of the program, that way the emulator will get even better.

Like most other emulators any software which hits the hardware directly (games), requires a maths co-processor, the DSP (Apex) or a 68030 processor (Falcon only software) won't run. Since there's no MIDI support and nowhere to plug in cartridge port dongles most musicians will be better off sticking with real Atari machines.

How fast?

A Pentium 75 runs around twice the speed of a standard ST, depending on the actual tasks being performed. Most PCs on sale today are appreciably faster so fasten your seat belts!

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Faster than a speeding bird - allegedly!
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Serial Port Emulation

The Atari serial port is emulated at the hardware level can be mapped to any of the four PC COM ports at speeds up to 115200 baud - real Atari ST machines top out at 19200 baud!
Because the TOS serial routines are buggy you still need to use a patch program such as SERIALFX.PRG or HSMODEM.PRG in your AUTO folder.
There's a problem with XYZ.TTP which makes an unsupported system call. Mark is planning to work-around this in a future release. In the meantime your mileage may vary - I experienced problems getting STiK and STiNG working with CAB yet other people have reported trouble-free working set-ups.

Parallel port

I experienced some problems printing via Papyrus which I solved by setting Papyrus to "Via TOS" option in the Options > Compatibility dialog - look for similar options in other applications.

Conclusions

Bearing in mind this is an early release TOSBOX shows great promise. The keyboard handling is rock solid and you get a taste of the colour resolutions normally only enjoyed by Falcon owners.
The ability to reboot between resolutions and switch INI files is very flexible and as soon as Mark has sorted out the remaining glitches in the serial port handling I will press some comms applications into regular service - my registration fee is on its way!

** boxout **
TOSBOX configuration

Before launching TOSBOX you need to edit the supplied TB.INI file to suit your system and requirements using the Windows Notepad, DOS EDIT command or any ASCII text editor. The main options you need to set to get a working setup are:

** BL on **
* system: Make sure the path points to the location of your TOS image file.
* memory: Real Atari machines cannot easily be upgraded beyond 4Mb. TOSBOX allows up to 14Mb memory to be allocated.
* video mode: refer to the table to select the desired screen mode. You'll need TOS 1.04 or later to access the extended resolutions.
* extend Getrez: Enable this option to use the extended 16 colour resolutions otherwise you may find text appears squashed to half normal height.
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The INI file is fully commented and reasonably self-explanatory
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Speed versus resolution

** BL on **
* The higher the screen resolution and number of colours you decide to run the slower Atari emulation will be.
* The higher the specification of your PC the faster Atari emulation runs.
** BL off **

The 640x480x16 colour resolution (video mode 5) is a good choice for any Pentium level PCs, striking a good balance between extra functionality and speed. If you've previously only used the standard ST resolutions on real Atari machines you're in for a real treat - go on, have some fun rediscovering your favourite software!

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** product boxout **
TOSBOX v1.01

Author
Mark Slagell
3716 Ross Road, Ames IA 50014, USA
Email: sluggo@ames.net
URL: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/4448/

European support
InterActive
Telephone: +44 (0)1206 852602
Email: support@inactive.cix.co.uk
URL: http://www.cix.co.uk/~inactive/

Status
Shareware, $15 direct with author or œ12 via InterActive.

System
386/486 or Pentium equipped PC with VESA v1.2 (or higher) VGA/SVGA graphics card, mouse driver software, 2Mb memory minimum, a hard drive and a TOS image on disk.

Pros
Cheap, fast, reliable keyboard handling, reliable, runs Geneva

Cons
No Help or Undo keys, not the best choice for gamers, doesn't run MagiC

87%
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