MSX essential tools and (free) games

Expert (112)

14-08-2018, 10:30

Hi,

I've started developing a new application to be able to install software directly to the MSX from the Internet using an UNAPI compatible network card in MSX-DOS2. The idea is kind of similar to the linux tools apt and yum or the mac homebrew.

Even though it's starting to show progress, the client app is still not ready to be released. Anyway, I'd like to start preparing a repository of useful software to have it ready when the time comes.

What (free) applications/games would you consider essential to any MSX user? What's the most useful app you always install in your MSX?

By wolf_

Ambassador_ (10135)

14-08-2018, 10:57

That last question may not be all that relevant for everyone these days, as many developers use crossdev tools. It's quite common to compose, draw, map and code a game on PC's, test it in openMSX, and only now and then test whether it works as intended on a real MSX. For that group, traditional MSX tools/utils have little value these days.

By meits

Scribe (6571)

14-08-2018, 11:12

@wolf_: I guess you're thinking the wrong way a bit here. He probably wants to know which .com files should be in the utils directory. Things to make your MSX work okay. Not so much to create a game.
I got these:

11-04-1996  17:22            12.800 -MIDI.COM
04-04-2013  22:59               512 ADAPT.COM
28-08-1995  00:32            24.576 AKID.COM
20-03-1994  15:45               512 BASKOM.COM
09-02-1994  13:41            12.160 BLS.COM
30-03-1991  03:03               128 CHGCPU.COM
04-04-2013  22:59             7.680 CHKDSK.COM
17-01-2013  16:54             2.304 CHKSPD.COM
17-04-1997  17:18            16.128 CHRIS.COM
29-10-2030  02:44            23.935 COMMAND2.COM
09-05-1995  07:38             3.456 D2F.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.431 DELALL.COM
01-01-2032  23:06             1.297 DELTREE.COM
12-01-2034  10:18             1.976 DEVINFO.COM
03-04-2016  11:38               322 DISPLAY.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.419 DRIVERS.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.458 DRVINFO.COM
28-01-2013  21:50             1.425 DSPEED.COM
28-01-2013  21:50             1.537 DSPEEDW.COM
20-07-2013  07:20               222 DUALVDP.COM
04-08-2011  22:23            30.739 EDIT.COM
12-12-2013  13:15             2.932 EVASD.COM
09-05-1995  08:00             2.560 F2D.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.287 FASTOUT.COM
08-10-1995  00:00               769 FDLOAD.COM
08-10-1995  00:00               851 FDSAVE.COM
04-04-2013  22:59               768 FIXDISK.COM
08-06-1996  16:36             2.944 FUPDATE.COM
04-04-2013  22:59               640 GETDISK.COM
09-11-2015  19:31            11.520 gunzip.com
27-08-2006  09:42             1.528 IPS4MSX.COM
21-06-1996  16:19            11.776 JPD.COM
28-08-1995  00:31            28.928 KID.COM
04-04-2013  22:59             1.024 KMODE.COM
24-05-2003  16:15            10.326 KSSPLAY.COM
12-08-2011  15:39            18.304 LHEXT.COM
12-08-2011  15:39            15.228 LHPACK.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.738 LOCK.COM
12-07-2013  08:44             3.328 MANBOW.COM
18-09-1992  12:06             5.423 MANBOW1.COM
27-01-1993  15:38               256 MAP.COM
25-03-2014  15:49             3.699 MAPDRV.COM
10-09-1997  01:38             5.376 MBMPLAY.COM
22-11-1998  12:54             6.528 MCDRV.COM
06-09-2000  14:58             6.677 MEGAMU.COM
18-08-1994  05:26               896 MEM.COM
30-10-1995  00:00             2.045 MGSAVE.COM
07-06-1996  12:59             7.680 MGSC.COM
11-01-2013  16:54             8.220 MGSDRV.COM
07-06-1996  12:59            21.248 MGSEL.COM
07-06-1996  12:59             3.328 MGSF.COM
12-04-2017  19:00            15.574 MIDIPLAY.COM
27-03-1997  17:09            12.928 MIODRV.COM
21-06-1996  12:29            15.488 MMP.COM
26-10-2015  17:03             1.502 moontest.com
11-11-2010  02:44               238 MORE.COM
27-03-1997  17:09             2.048 MP.COM
06-02-1998  17:01            13.952 MPX.COM
03-07-1996  01:09             4.480 MSA.COM
25-03-1997  23:33            30.080 MUPLAY_P.COM
01-06-1997  01:00             2.304 MV.COM
10-06-2017  16:28            18.965 MWMPLAY.COM
20-02-1999  12:40             2.285 NDIC.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.700 NSYSVER.COM
05-04-2013  23:50             9.804 OPF.COM
13-04-2016  14:10            12.434 OPFXSD.COM
06-01-2006  02:49            24.320 PCMPLAY.COM
08-06-1996  00:56             7.808 PI.COM
25-03-1997  23:33             1.280 PLAYER.COM
27-07-1993  08:08            10.368 PMARC.COM
06-12-1995  22:35             7.808 PMARC2.COM
12-08-2011  15:39            12.928 PMEXT.COM
06-12-1995  22:35             3.968 POPCOM.COM
19-01-2015  10:01               466 PSQLOAD.COM
19-01-2015  10:01               469 PSQSAVE.COM
27-10-2013  13:43             3.147 PSQSET.COM
18-02-2005  19:27             4.061 PT3PLAY.COM
24-07-1993  15:13               640 PUTDISK.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             1.707 RALLOC.COM
24-07-2013  19:00            17.664 RDDSK.COM
23-08-2017  23:23             4.934 READ-DMK.COM
31-01-2011  14:40             2.492 READIT.COM
20-10-2011  17:14             2.898 ROBOMIDI.COM
22-02-2001  19:33             1.024 ROXYPLAY.COM
11-11-2010  02:44             2.493 RRAMDISK.COM
31-01-2011  18:07             3.563 RUNIT.COM
09-11-2013  22:01             1.828 SETOPL4.COM
21-08-1993  09:11             9.600 SHEM.COM
18-04-2010  01:19             5.511 sidplay.com
01-03-2015  15:00             2.221 SMSLOAD.COM
29-01-2015  12:52               768 SMSSAVE.COM
19-12-2012  22:36                90 SPEEDOFF.COM
19-12-2012  22:36                88 SPEEDON.COM
18-08-1994  05:26             1.664 SPEEDTST.COM
10-05-2009  21:24             1.404 SPLITIT.COM
04-04-2013  22:59               512 START.COM
29-03-1995  00:00            12.800 TALKIE.COM
04-08-2011  22:23            30.739 TED.COM
24-01-1993  12:54            19.328 TESTCPU.COM
11-11-2010  02:44             3.681 TO.COM
11-11-2010  02:44             1.928 TREE.COM
05-10-1994  03:57             5.760 TV.COM
11-11-2010  02:44               484 TYPEWW.COM
26-05-1993  23:10            10.880 UNARJ.COM
04-04-2013  22:59             3.968 UNDEL.COM
10-08-2000  16:40             5.888 VGIF.COM
30-12-2015  00:02            32.512 vgmplay.com
24-07-2013  19:00            20.608 WRDSK.COM
04-04-2013  22:59            10.112 XCOPY.COM
04-04-2013  22:59             7.168 XDIR.COM
11-11-2010  02:44               624 YENSLASH.COM
20-05-2033  19:23             2.008 Z80MODE.COM

There are more than enough tools here of which I have no clue what they're for.

By fr3nd

Expert (112)

14-08-2018, 11:50

Exactly, I'm not only interested in tools intended for developers, but for any user.. For example, text editors, compressors/uncompressors, music software (players, editors), utilities and even games.

The only requirement is that it needs to be free software with a license allowing it to be redistributed.

By meits

Scribe (6571)

14-08-2018, 12:17

All the .com files I mentioned all come from free download pages, except for TED.COM and COMMAND2.COM.
There are compressors, uncompressors, music players, picture viewers, hardware testers and other small utilities in the list.

By sd_snatcher

Prophet (3675)

14-08-2018, 15:18

Great initiative, fr3nd! It will be of special help to novice users, who don't know what's the best software and where to get it.

Here goes some suggestions for applications, utilities and games:

1) Applications

XTORE
VI
BLS
DMAG
DBMP
GIFI
JLD
JPD
KEY
LOADROM
EXECROM
SofaRun
FL2048
FLLOAD
MGLOCM
MG1 (image viewer)
MGVI (image viewer)
MIDRY
ROBOSID
MSX-DOS Tools
GAMEBOOT
PMarc/Pmext
Gunzip

2) Utilities

MAP.COM
FDLOAD
FDSAVE
JoyTest
MAP.COM
OPLLOFF
PACS (PAC saver)
READ-DMK
ROMBOOT
SaveROM
TCAV (Anti-virus)
KDU (Kanji Driver Uninstaller)
MSX Turbo Changer
EsTERM
Benchmark/DSPEED.COM
Benchmark/DSPEEDW.COM
Benchmark/CHKSPD
Benchmark/POWER.COM
Benchmark/VDPSPED2.BAS
openMSX reverse engineering utilities
VGMplay
MuPlay
MuE (Music Editor)
OPXdrv
Moondriver
SCMD
Philips Video Graphics

3) Development/debugging

Super-X
MegaAssembler
Turbo Pascal
Hitech-C
M80/L80

4) Free Games

All MSXdev entries
All MSXdev Compo entries
Abadia del Crimen MSX2
Alien-8 MSX2
Knight Lore MSX2
Sword of Ianna
The fantastic Kralizek games
Imanok's free games
Bombaman
The Tenor

5) Demos

Unknown Reality
Raytrace demo

Note: I probably skipped a lot of important things.

By fr3nd

Expert (112)

15-08-2018, 12:43

Thank you guys, those are really good lists where to start from. I'm worried about the legal status of some of those apps though. Although they are commonly distributed without any problems, I'm not so sure about how legal would that be...

By Alexandre_Taito

Champion (325)

15-08-2018, 16:36

What about a packet with all these files?

By Grauw

Ascended (10819)

15-08-2018, 17:59

Figuring out the legal status may be the bulk of the work...

VGMPlay is Simplified BSD, so that one's easy .

By meits

Scribe (6571)

15-08-2018, 18:22

As long as you're not earning a penny of the service, I highly doubt you'll run into any trouble. Most of the programs were already spread free in the 90s be it in BBSes or on diskettes that came with official magazines.

By sergio max

Rookie (24)

16-08-2018, 17:20

I want to know how to code in assembly and witch tool you use to do it ?