Articles

Last Updated: 07.01.2025

Useful articles about the QL, programming information and so on.

Annotating Diagrams (25K) - How to use the extended CURSOR command to fine position text onto diagrams and graphics (David Denham).
Ascii Codes (4K) - Ascii codes list and BASIC program to display character set.
BEEPs - (9K) Short PDF article documenting how to calculate frequencies and durations for the BEEP command and the relationships to real musical notes. Also available as a Word .doc file (34K).
Bits and Bytes (5K) - article by David Denham explaining some of the terminology we encounter with computers.
Browser 2 (11K) - The missing last installment of the File Browser article from the last QL World. This is the 'lost' final part of the QL World browser program, with file copy, move and delete operations implemented as promised in the last issue of the magazine, printed in April 1994. The accompanying article was either never written or only in draft - it's not on the disc, though there was a paragraph about toolkit dependencies which are noted anyway in the listing.
Catdoc - (2K) Article by Tim Swenson about the Catdoc program, which converts Word .doc files to plain text files on the QL. Catdoc is a Unix program, ported to QL by Jonathan Hudson.
Clocking In (33K) - Articles from QL Today about the QL clock, time calculation, calendars etc - now updated to include parts 4 and 5 of the series.
Config (47K) - An article from QL Today about use of the Config and MenuConfig programs.
Crossword (2K) - Article about Tim Swenson's Crossword utility for QL.
DEV (5K) - using the DEV device
Directories - (21K) two articles by David Denham, originally published in QL Today magazine, about the use of directories on the QL. Directs_doc is the earlier article, from Vol. 12, while directrs_doc and the two BASIC listings are from Vol. 17
Alternatively, here's a PDF prepared by Peter Scott. (218K)
Directory Name Functions (8K) - Article with BASIC routines for directory name handling.
Display Code article(36K) - Machine code extensions with source code showing how to access system display and information functions.
DIY Bugs (49K) - DIY Bugs article, from Simon Goodwin. Looks at common programming mistakes.
Do (8K) - Article about using the DO command to process files of BASIC commands as though they were batch files.
Electronic Publishing (7K) - article by Tim Swenson on the subject of electronic publishing. Includes a comparison of the merits of various file formats available to the QL user.
File Information Functions (8K) - Use of the file information function extensions of Toolkit 2
Filters (8K) - An article about writing filter programs for use with EX commands. Example C and BASIC listings included. (Norman Dunbar)
Fun With Fonts (79K) - An article from QL Today about using fonts, and some special programs for spinning text, enlarged text, angled text, proportional spacing, shadow effects, outline effects and so on.
HERMES.pdf (6K) - Short article reproduced from ql-users list, about distinguishing in software between Hermes and SuperHermes add-ons.
Home thing (7K) - Article about the Home Directory thing by Wolfgang Lenerz
HTML (2K) - Short article by Tim Swenson about use of HTML and QMosaic browser on QL
HTML Machine (3K) - Article from Tim Swenson about Roy Wood's HTML Machine software for the QL, which helps you to create HTML pages in a plain text editor.
Infocom/Inform Text Adventures on QL (4K) - Article from TIm Swenson about using these adventure game formats on the QL.
Internet File Formats (7K) - Article from Tim Swenson about various internet file formats you may come across.
Joysticks (1K) - how to use an Atari style joystick with the QL.
Machine Type (8KB) - Article from QL Today Vol 6 Issue 5 about identifying machine/processor type from SBASIC
Machine Type Q-emuLator. (2K) Notes describing a trap call which identifies and returns information about Q-emuLator
MetaDrivers (14K) - Article by Nasta about Meta Drivers for the QL.
MicroEMACS (7K) - Article by Tim Swenson about the MicroEMACS v4.00 editor for the QL.
Month (7KB) - An article from QL Today about month numbers in date functions and calculations
Mtools (4K) - article by Tim Swenson about the Mtools software, a QDOS port of a Unix tool to read, write and navigate MS-DOS disks.
Music (26K) - Article from QL Today and short basic program to help with the setting of musical note values for musical use of the BEEP command.
Network (33K) - Article from QL Today about the QL network.
SinclairQL_microcomputer_case_study_OpenUniversity_1986_T362_Block_2_Marketing-SQPP.pdf (14MB) - This is a scanned copy of an Open University unit from their Design and Innovation course from 1986. It is a study on why the marketing of the Sinclair QL failed at the time. The Open University granted permission to publish this document online, but alas it contains certain copyright images and diagrams, which they insisted need to be blanked out, which has been done. Quite a large PDF file, note the size before downloading.
Pascal On The QL (1MB) - An unpublished article (it was intended for publication in QL World in 1994 but the magazine closed down before it was published) about use of the Pascal language on the QL. 92 page PDF file by A. F. Wilson.
PGP (6K) - PGP, or PThe QL Pretty Good Privacy, is a public key encryption program. In this article Tim Swenson discusses the QL version of PGP, ported by Jonathan Hudson.
Pointer Environment (326K) - An introduction by Ian Bruntlett.
Printer.dat Information (4K) - Quill printer driver file format explained
Print_Using (5K) - An article about using the PRINT_USING command in Toolkit 2
Q40 cd (11K) - An article by Tim Swenson about using CD-ROMs on a Q40 using the Atapi-IDE software and QCDEZE.
Q40 Sound (4K) - Article by Tim Swenson about sound on the Q40 and using the SOX program to convert audio files for use with the Q40's QSPlayer program.
Qascade - (3K) A review from Tim Swenson of this Start menu style program by Jonathan Hudson
QCat (67K) - An article by Simon Goodwin about how he wrote a program to use the Radio Shack CueCat barcode scannernon QDOS-compatible systems. The CueCat scanner daisy-chains onto an IBM standard PS/2 keyboard port.
QemuLator and SMSQ-E (331K) - getting SMSQ/E to run on QemuLator. PDF file.
QL and the Internet (5K) - early article from Tim Swenson about the various type of internet services and how the QL might access some of them.
QL Midi (9K) - 3 articles about the QL Midi Player system, by Al Boehm
QL Service List (53K) - Robert Klein's QL Service List and QL FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) files. These files are a veryuseful reference source, but slightly dated by now.
QLay - (3K) Tim Swenson takes a look at the QLay QL emulator.
QLcount (2K) - An article by Tim Swenson from the late 1990s where he tries to assess the likely number of QL users worldwide.
QLtools (3K) - Article byTim Swenson about the use of the QLtools file transfer software on Windows and Linux
QMenu Guide (36K) - an introduction to using the Menu Extension from BASIC
QPAC1 and the Extended Environment - (11.3MB) Ian Bruntlett has kindly scanned a five page article he wrote for QL World on the subject of the QPAC1 package and the extended environment, including an intelligent boot program listing.
QuillRTF (2K) - A review of Pedro Reina's Quill to RTF file converter, by Tim Swenson.
Ramdisks (3K) - what they are and how to use them.
Ramdisks (5K) - another article about ramdisks.
Random Access Files (13K) - Article about using random access files on the QL. Here's a PDF version (198K). [small update 07/01/25 from Martyn Hill]
Recursion (40K) - article from QL Today about Recursion on the QL.
Returning to the QL An article elsewhere on this website for those returning to the QL after a period of absence.
Scale (8K) - An article from QL Today about SCALE graphics.
Sdump (4K) - screen dump software built into some systems
Serial Ports (6KB) - Article from QL Today Vol 6 Issue 6 about serial port connections
Serial Links An article elsewhere on this website about serial links between computers.
Solvit-Plus 3 (6K) - Review by Tim Swenson of the Geoff Wicks word games software Solvit-Plus 3.
Sorting Routines(40KB) - Article about the various sorting routines available (now includes follow-up articles).
Sound (7K) - Article about the Sampled Sound System (Per Witte) [21/06/14]
Stack (10K) - article by Norman Dunbar in QReview about use of the Maths Stack.
Stella (147K) - documents from Tony Tebby about his proposed Stella operating system, which never actually made it to market despite being proposed for some systems in development at the time. Written as a series of HTML files.
SuperHermes Lite (7K) - A review of this keyboard interface by Tim Swenson.
System Variables(11K) - article about QL system variables
Thierry Godefroy website (2K) - Tim Swenson takes a look at one of the most popular QL web resources, the website of French QL enthusiast, Thierry Godefroy.
Things article (10KB) by Jochen Merz, from QL Today Volume 4. Consists of parts 1 to 3 as plain text files. Alternatively, you can click here to download them as DOC files for Quill. (13KB)
Timer article (223K) by George Gwilt, from Quanta magazine June/July 2011. Discusses how to set up a 1/50th second timer linked into the polled list. PDF file.
Toolkits (9KB) - Article about various software toolkits available for the QL
TRA (12K) Article by Simon Goodwin about the largely undocumented TRA command in some versions of the QL ROM.
TTos (7MB) An article by Tony Tebby to mark 25 years of Domesdos (the earlier name for QDOS), where he takes a look at the QL oeprating system development and comparisons with other operating systems from before that period. The article is from QL Today magazine.
Turbo (14K) An article by David Denham from QL Today, an introduction to the Turbo basic compiler, which is now freely downloadable from the Scottish QL User Group website.
TurboPTR articles (22K) A set of 4 articles by George Gwilt about his TurboPTR programming utility. The articles were first published in QL Today magazine. Once you have downloaded the artics.zip file, there's a short readme file in it which gives a short list of the articles and subects covered.
Unix-ifying QDOS (5K) - Tim Swenson looks at some of the Unix utilities ported to QDOS and wonders how Unix-like he could make his QL.
Viruses and the QL (2K) - The QL has a reputation for being low-risk when it comes to computer viruses. Tim Swenson discusses the risk.
What Hardware (3KB) - a package by J.D.Mitchell to emulate machine type interrogation functions using standard SuperBASIC or SBASIC, running on all platforms.
What's On The Internet For QLers - (4K) Article from Tim Swenson discussing e-mail, usenet, ftp, web etc for QL users.
When Error (6K) - An article from QL Today about the little documented WHEN ERROR and other error trapping structures available to S*Basic programmers.
WHEN Variable (4K) - an article from QL Today about the little used WHEN CONDITION structure implemented in some QL ROMs.
Wildcards (4K) - A routine showing how to use wilcard characters in your own BASIC programs.
XMON and XTV (2K) - Article about a couple of useful procedures called XMON and XTV, plus the extended forms of the WTV and WMON commands.
Z88 Sourcebook Response (2K) - Tim Swenson's response to a review of his Z88 Sourcebook in QL Today.
Zines on the QL (4K) - Tim Swenson discusses writing a Fan-Zine for the QL. After many years of writing the QLHackers Journal, he should know.
Zip and Unzip (2K) - a short article from QL Today Volume 4 Issue 1 about using the Zip and Unzip programs (note: not the same article as the three below).
Zip and Unzip pt. 1 (166KB) - Part 1 of 2 of an article about using Zip and Unzip and front ends for them.
Zip and Unzip pt. 2 (89KB) - Part 2 of the Zip and Unzip articles.
Zip and Unzip (23K) - Part 3 of the Zip and Unzip articles (Note: This is a zipped Word .doc file)

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