8TML pages are meant for every networked 8-bit computer. The machines differ a lot, and the language is built to survive all of them.
| Machine | Text screen | Colors | Characters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commodore 64 | 40×25 | 16 per character | PETSCII, two sets |
| Commodore 128 | 40×25 or 80×25 | 16 | PETSCII |
| VIC-20 | 22×23 | 8 text colors | PETSCII |
| Plus/4 | 40×25 | 121 | PETSCII |
| ZX Spectrum | 32×24 | 8, with a bright level, per 8×8 cell | ASCII-like (` = £) |
| Amstrad CPC | 20, 40 or 80 x25 | 16, 4 or 2 | ASCII and graphics |
| MSX | 40×24 (80 on MSX2) | 16 | ASCII and graphics |
| Atari 8-bit | 40×24 | one hue, two brightness levels | ATASCII |
| Apple II | 40×24 (80 with a card) | none | ASCII |
| BBC Micro | 40×25 teletext | 8 | teletext / ASCII |
| PC (DOS) | 80×25 or 40×25 | 16 | code page 437 |
These are the usual stock text modes.
What this means for pages
- Width runs from 22 to 80 columns. Flowing text is wrapped by the client; preformatted text is cut or scrolled.
- Colors run from none to 16. Pages say what things are; stylesheets and color tags are hints, mapped to the nearest color.
- Characters: only 7-bit ASCII is shared, and not all of it (see Files and characters).
- Case: a C64 in its standard character set shows no lowercase. Pages are uppercase unless they ask for
case: mixed, and clients that can show lowercase then do.
One page, six machines
Preview: Commodore 64, 40 columns
Hello!
A short page with a list:
● one item
● a link
Preview: ZX Spectrum, 32 columns
Hello!
A short page with a list:
* one item
* a link
Preview: VIC-20, 22 columns
Hello!
A short page with a
list:
● one item
● a link
Preview: Amstrad CPC, 40 columns
Hello!
A short page with a list:
* one item
* a link
Preview: Atari 8-bit, 40 columns
Hello!
A short page with a list:
* one item
* a link
Preview: PC, 80 columns
Hello!
A short page with a list:
• one item
• a link
Getting online
The common ground on every machine is a TCP connection to a host and port, and plain HTTP over it:
| Machine | Ways online |
|---|---|
| Commodore 64 / 128 | Swiftlink-compatible modems (also the C64 Ultimate’s modem emulation), user port WiFi modems, the Ultimate’s network interface, RR-Net / ETH64 Ethernet, FujiNet |
| ZX Spectrum | Spectranet (Ethernet), ZX Next WiFi, serial WiFi modems |
| Amstrad CPC | M4 board (WiFi), serial |
| MSX | GR8NET, ObsoNET, FujiNet |
| Atari 8-bit | FujiNet, 850 interface and modem |
| Apple II | Uthernet II, FujiNet, Super Serial Card |
| PC (DOS) | packet driver with mTCP or WATTCP, serial modem, FujiNet |