
        XTender2 - ZX81 emulator - BETA release 13A - June 2006
        (c) 1998-2006 by Carlo Delhez

        Mail:   xtender@delhez.demon.nl
        Site:   http://www.delhez.demon.nl/

        This BETA-release is likely to contain bugs!

        Please read "README.TXT" for more details


FEATURES currently implemented & available in XTender2:

- Full low-level emulation of a ZX81, in particular including its
  complicated video system ('nop-logic') at T-cycle accuracy.

- User-controllable emulation speed (e.g. 100% for real-time).

- Fully User-Defined emulated Hardware via configuration file,
  including:

  . Choice between a ZX81-board (50 Hz) and a TS1000-board (60 Hz)
  . Allocation of physical memory
    Memory blocks can:
     - have any size (512-fold, up to 64k)
     - be at any location (512-fold)
     - be read/write (RAM) or fully write-protected (ROM)
     - be accessed via Z80 or via ULA
  . Active memory shadowing in non-allocated areas
  . Pre-load of data from file(s) into ROM and/or RAM area(s)
  . Maskable PC-M1 ULA memory-access, with programmable address threshold
  . NMI generator may be present or absent
  . Register presets (including PC) before starting emulator

- Supports both SLOW and FAST mode (as well as intermediate modes
  generated by some clever tools). XTender2 really runs faster
  in FAST mode!

- Can handle any ROM-code: for example ZX80, ZX81, Aszmic, Forth, or
  even a user-developed ROM.

- Can SAVE/LOAD ZX80 programs to/from disk (*.O files)
- Can SAVE/LOAD ZX81 programs to/from disk (*.P files)
- QZ command support for auxiliary file handling (ZX81 only)

- Can auto-start ZX81 programs directly from DOS-prompt,
  or by double-clicking P-file in Windows-95/NT files menu.

- Can auto-stop ZX81 programs after loading, e.g. for debugging

- Very realistic video output - not seen on any other ZX81 emulator
  (AFAIK) - because XTender2 includes a TV-emulator: your PC monitor
  responds like a real TV-set when the ZX81 does not provide proper
  video hsync/vsync timing (this happens in FAST-mode, for example).
  XTender2 lets your screen flicker, flash, tremble and roll, very
  similar to what you would see on the real thing! Just try ZX81
  FAST-mode on XTender2 (or use the ZX80 ROM, which is always in FAST
  mode), and you will see what I mean!

- Vertically scrollable screen to view an entire video-frame

- Virtual tape interface: SAVE/LOAD your data to/from a virtual tape
  recorder and see the tape signals being echoed to the screen!!

  The virtual tape interface is the ultimate method to get data
  from and into *any system* (including ZX80, ZX81 and ASZMIC) and
  by *any original tape-saver/loader* that you may wish to use.
  Conversion from virtual tape files to real tapes and vice versa
  is possible (to be implemented soon).

- Significantly improved keyboad handling. The keyboard will never
  lock, multiple keypresses are possible, and even keyboard matrix
  errors are emulated properly!

- Support for QWERTY, AZERTY and QWERTZ keyboards.

- Graphical pinter output.

- Fully invisible and user-defined ROM patches with external handlers.
  ('external' means: separate program code, outside XT2.exe)

  This method of ROM-patching provides a highly flexible interface
  between the emulated system and the 'external world' without having to
  change binary ROM contents. External patch-handlers can be developed
  by users or by 3rd party contributers.

- Capable to run any full hi-res, semi hi-res or mixed resolution
  program (and similar complicated code) correctly.


FEATURES to be implemented soon:

- Many interesting new features planned! Just wait & see!


(end of file)
