#xtxt — Public Fediverse posts

One of the yet-unexplored features of XTXT is its potential to multiplex multiple HTTP connections over a single serial link—without relying on TCP/IP.

In the past, we had solutions like PPP (and later PPPoE), which allowed network-layer communication over point-to-point connections. But those were fundamentally data link layer protocols, operating at a lower level in the OSI model.

XTXT, on the other hand, can be thought of as an application-layer alternative for achieving similar multiplexing, but with much lighter networking demands. It’s designed to work seamlessly on smaller systems by simply exchanging text streams—no need for OSI compliance or the overhead of traditional networking stacks.

With XTXT, all you need is the ability to send and receive structured text. And most computers, even very old ones can do that. The simplicity is the beauty.

#xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext

XTXT update: fixes minor ROM and RAM problems with bank handling in ZX Spectrum +3

https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/code/asm/zxspectrum

#xtxt #retrocomputing #ZXSpectrum #Spectrum #Speccy #plus3 #hypermedia #hypertext

Anyone familiar with ESXDOS enough who can generously give me a few tips on how to port or abstract the ZX Spectrum +3 file handling api (+3DOS) so that programs work on both Spectrum OSes?

At this time I only have one real Spectrum +3 to test on real hardware, no idea how to use ESXDOS on an emulator.

count frames
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/zxspectrum/count-frames-zxspectrumplus3.z80.asm

count streams (WIP)
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/zxspectrum/count-streams.zxspectrumplus3.z80.asm

#retrocomputing #esxdos #plus3 #ZXSpectrum #Speccy #Spectrum #xtxt

XTXT: count-frames: A very simple routine that counts the number of frames in a multiplexed text file.
Implemented for:

ZX Spectrum +3 - Zilog Z80
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/count-frames-zxspectrumplus3.z80.asm

Commodore Amiga - Motorola 68000
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/count-frames.amiga.68k.asm

IBM PC/MS-DOS - Intel 8086
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/count-frames.ibmpc.8086.asm

Atari 800XL - MOS 6502
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/count-frames.atari800xl.6502.asm

Atari ST/TOS - Motorola 68000
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/asm/count-frames.atarist.68k.asm

#xtxt #hypertext #hypermedia #asm #assembler #retrocomputing

XTXT slides that show the basic elements of it visually:
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/slides

#xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext #retrocomputing

I also started work on muxcat.c but it doesn't really work yet and it's buggy as hell.
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/c/muxcat.c

#retrocomputing #xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext

XTXT Update: I added the utility muxcat (like unix 'cat', but for multiplexed, extended text files)
Three different implementations (Ruby, Python, Go). Still very much work in progress, they almost work.

ruby
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/rb/muxcat.rb

python
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/py/muxcat.py

go
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/code/go/muxcat.go

#xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext #retrocomputing

Another XTXT update: I added some initial support for various retro platforms. Let me know if you find any errors in the code for your platform of choice! I'm mostly testing against a couple of emulators and the hardware I have.
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/code/asm

#xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext #retrocomputing

I did more work on XTXT, adding some very simple code examples in other languages: C, Assembler (Z80 and 8086), Pascal, Go, Python, Ruby, Swift.
https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/code
(the old and dirty Ruby samples are still available under the ruby.old directory, until we have newer and better ones)

Notably, the Z80 Assembler version of the most basic example compiles to a binary of just under 70 bytes. I used PASMO to assemble it. (if you need to compile Pasmo itself from source like I did on Apple M1/arm64, ensure that you add -std=c++17 to the CXXFLAGS variable in the generated Makefile)

#xtxt #hypermedia #hypertext

XTXT update: Added a new article explaining the benefits of using it.

https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/blob/main/intro/xtxt-why-use-it.md

#retrocomputing #xtxt #w3c #hypermedia #hypertext

For the first time in several years I've updated the XTXT project. Hopefully more will follow sometime soon.

https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/intro

XTXT is a simple yet powerful format that addresses many challenges in modern data representation. Its ability to separate content, metadata, and structure into independent streams makes it a strong candidate for diverse applications, from hypertext systems to programming tools and cloud workflows.

#xtxt #txt #hypertext #hypermedia #internet #ietf #w3c

For the first time in several years I've updated the XTXT project. Hopefully more will follow sometime soon.

https://github.com/ha1tch/xtxt/tree/main/intro

XTXT is a simple yet powerful format that addresses many challenges in modern data representation. Its ability to separate content, metadata, and structure into independent streams makes it a strong candidate for diverse applications, from hypertext systems to programming tools and cloud workflows.

#xtxt #txt #hypertext #hypermedia #internet #ietf #w3c