MFX - CP/M Foreign Language Support

[Dave]

I have just supplied a MFX to a user in Germany which has revealed a couple of small issues for some MFX users with foreign language keyboards.

The first issue is due to the limitations of the original FDX 80 column card character set. The character set did not include accented characters such as the German characters that use umlauts. Since the MFX CP/M emulation uses the same character set as the 80 column board, the same same limitation on displayed characters applies. (There are currently no plans to change this.)

The second issue relates to how the different regional keyboard layouts were implemented by Memotech. The MTX language ROMs only provide support for BASIC, they do not provide CP/M support for country specific keyboard layouts such as AZERTY (France) and QWERTZ (Germany), meaning that the keys typed are interpreted by the CP/M keyboard drivers as their UK equivalents.

Martin has taken the key mapping from the German language ROM and created a small program to patch CP/M for the German language keyboard layout. (A similar program could be produced should anyone with a French keyboard layout purchase an MFX).

The German keyboard patch program can be found on this page http://primrosebank.net/computers/mtx/p ... mfx_fw.htm

regards
Dave

[gunrock]

A port of CP/M 3 (CP/M Plus) might also do the trick as it supports mapping of keys to other characters. Though, it'd be a considerable undertaking!

[Dave]

Hi Steve,

let us know when you've finished and we'll distribute it for you

regards
Dave

[gunrock]

I'll get on it right away!

[Dave]

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[gunrock]

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[Dave]

[1024MAK]

Mark