VER$

Syntax

VER$ or

VER$ [(n)] with n=1, 0, -1, -2(Minerva and SMS only)

Location

QL ROM

The function VER$, which is the same as VER$(0) returns a short identification code for the version of the current system ROM. Here are most of the possible values (in order of development):

Original ROMs

VER$

Explanation

FB

This is the first ROM sold in April 1984, QDOS version 1.00. It comes with a ‘Dongle’ - a board which needed to be plugged into the QL’s ROM port. It is very unreliable and should be replaced!!

PM
EL
TB

These three ROMs were developed during the following two months. (May, June & July 1984.)

AH

Released as the “definitive” version in June 1984.

JM

British QL, QDOS v1.03, the first version which was exported.

JS

Released in spring 1985, QDOS v1.10. Also found on early Thors and patched in ST/QL and early Amiga Emulators.

JSU

American QL.

The following versions were only sold in their respective countries. All are QDOS v1.03.

MGD
MGE
MGF
MGG
MGI
MGN
MGS
MGB
MGY
MG$
$FP
Danish
Spanish
French
German
Italian
Norwegian
Swedish
Swedish
Finish
Greek
Greek

Patches

VER$

Explanation

MGUK

A version of the MGx ROM produced independently for the UK market.

MG

Another patched version, mainly distributed in Germany.

MGUS

Out of the three patches, this is the only legal one and was produced for the United States.

New developments

VER$

Explanation

CS PT PO

Different ROMs used on the THOR XVI.

JSL1

QL with Minerva ROM, a very much debugged and enhanced version of the JS ROM, available in all languages for all kinds of QLs.

HBA

Either the SMSQ or SMSQ/E replacement operating system for QXLs, Atari ST/STE and TT series computers and the Miracle Gold Card family of add-on cards.

NOTE 1

VER$ can be used to write flexible programs which adapt themselves to specific features of computers and ROM implementations. However, if you intend to test VER$, for example:

IF VER$= 'JM'

to retain compatibility with the different ROM versions, you must first assign the contents of VER$ to a variable:

100 a$=VER$
110 IF a$(1 TO 2)='MG': PRINT 'MG ROM'

NOTE 2

The names of the original ROMs were derived from names of Clive Sinclair’s secretaries, taxi drivers he met and so on. (Just in case you are looking for any sense behind the abbreviations.)

MINERVA NOTES

On Minerva, VER$ accepts a parameter:

  • VER$(0)as per above VER$.

  • VER$(-2) returns the base address of the system variables (normally $28000 = 163840 on a standard QL).

  • VER$(-1)returns the current job identification number.

  • VER$(1)returns the version of QDOS (see also QDOS$).

SMS NOTES

VER$ has been amended to provide the same facilities as on Minerva.

WARNING

If you fail to assign VER$ to a variable before testing its value, then you can crash a JS (or JSU) ROM. This will also happen on Minerva ROMs (pre v1.77) with Minerva’s extended variant VER$(n).

CROSS-REFERENCE

QDOS$ returns the version number of QDOS in the same way as VER$(1). See also MACHINE and PROCESSOR.