TEKALIKE by Mesa Graphics

[AlexTheCat123]

Disk #1 will boot to an environments window, but the mouse cursor is funky and doesn't work (or it's hung).

My guess is that this is because LisaEm fails to detect the OS properly and doesn't select the right mouse scaling for it, given the weird boot configuration on the Twiggy disk. I had the same problem when compiling LOS; my binaries don't perfectly match the originals, so LisaEm won't detect them as LOS and it screws the mouse up. You can patch glue.c to always detect the running OS as LOS and this will probably fix your problem!

[jamesdenton]

Disk #1 will boot to an environments window, but the mouse cursor is funky and doesn't work (or it's hung).

My guess is that this is because LisaEm fails to detect the OS properly and doesn't select the right mouse scaling for it, given the weird boot configuration on the Twiggy disk. I had the same problem when compiling LOS; my binaries don't perfectly match the originals, so LisaEm won't detect them as LOS and it screws the mouse up. You can patch glue.c to always detect the running OS as LOS and this will probably fix your problem!

Ahh, good call! I will take a look at this!

On a side note, because I *do* have Workshop 2.0 installed on a (virtual) ProFile, I was able to copy all files from disk #2 to the ProFile and run TEKALIKE locally off the disk.

To install within Workshop, run: (F)ile->(C)opy

Copy from what existing file(s)? -UPPER-=
Copy to what new file? -PARAPORT-=

All files should be selected, and press (Y) to copy from floppy disk to hard disk.

[ried]

Huzzah! Brilliant work, gents. Glad this software is seeing the light of day after 41 years. So... is it functional? Perhaps even useful in some way?

[jamesdenton]

Huzzah! Brilliant work, gents. Glad this software is seeing the light of day after 41 years. So... is it functional? Perhaps even useful in some way?

Now, that I can't say. The menus were functional but I think it wants a source file to open and subsequently print on the plotter or manipulate somehow. I did not check out the demo but that might provide some guidance. Will give it a go tomorrow.

[jamesdenton]

Looks like the demo disk works, and the files can be opened from within TEKALIKE. It's not bootable. I've attached a few here in all their glory.

[ried]

Thank you, James! That is very cool. If I am following this correctly, TEKALIKE is a graphic terminal application (emulating a Tektronix 4010 or 4014), which can draw shapes and text, and can print using the Apple 410 Color Plotter.

It sounds like the Lisa version was never commercially available (?). The Macintosh version was described in the July, 1986 edition of MacWorld on page 122, along with other terminal emulators:

Emulating Terminals
"Terminal emulation software lets the Mac imitate the features of a given terminal, such as DEC's VT100, one of the most popular terminals of the last ten years. The remote host sends character sequences that give the terminal instructions about such things as how to display and format text on screen. Different terminals respond to different character sequences and have different features. Many so-called smart terminals do more than just display text; for example, they let you edit text and position the cursor.

A more advanced type of terminal, the graphics terminal, uses special character sequences to draw lines, fill shapes, or execute other graphics functions. Because the Macintosh has good graphics capabilities, it can emulate some graphics terminals very well with the help of appropriate software, such as Tekalike or Griffin Terminal."


That commentary on TEKALIKE was supplemented in the September, 1986 edition on page 40 with a letter from Mesa Graphics, which reads:

Terminal Confusion
"Mini and Mainframe Connections" (Macworld, July 1986) reviewed a version of Tekalike that has been obsolete since December, 1985. Most significantly, Macworld printed the wrong phone number. The correct number is 505/672-1998. Tekalike now emulates the VT-100, the VT-640, and the Tektronix 4105 as well as the Tektronix 4010, 4012, 4014, and 4016.

Printing is supported to the resolution of the output device, with direct support for the LaserWriter and high resolution for the ImageWriter. Tekalike generates MacDraw-compatible PICT files from mainframe graphics, for use in PageMaker, MacDraw, or MacDraft. Plotting has been enhanced with multiple plots on a page and additional plotter support: Hewlett-Packard ColorPro and Houston Instrument DMP51/52.

Tekalike is hard disk compatible and supports the Macintosh File System, the Hierarchical File System, and Switcher."

James E. George
President, Mesa Graphics
Los Alamos, New Mexico


Here's a naive question: In addition to its drawing capabilities, does the software support text-based terminal sessions? Like LisaTerminal allows one to connect to a BBS, for example?

[jamesdenton]

Here's a naive question: In addition to its drawing capabilities, does the software support text-based terminal sessions? Like LisaTerminal allows one to connect to a BBS, for example?

I have not played around with it enough to know how one is expected to interface with it. I'm wondering if there was an additional input device, as there is mention of multiple sources, including UPPER,LOWER,PARAPORT,SLOT2CHAN1,SLOT2CHAN2 (see pictured). There is an extensive setup panel where you can define plotter and modem parameters, but nothing like you'd expect from a traditional 'character-based' terminal emulator like LisaTerminal. I haven't tried adding an emulated profile to Slot 2 to see if that's what it's expecting on a parallel card.

While you can open files from the demo disk, there does not really appear to be any way to create new files. There are no input tools (like a MacPaint/LisaDraw). It could be that one was expected to create things within LisaDraw in LOS, then open them from Tekalike to print on the plotter? Maybe nothing more sophisticated came out of it, given the state of the Lisa (and Mac) at the time. Purely speculation on my part.

What is REALLY neat, however, is mention of the Lisa and Mac in this document at CERN (https://cds.cern.ch/record/2626738/files/delphi-85-12_ocr.pdf) that also mentions Tekalike along with pricing and other versions of Tekalike 2.0 and 3.0 for Lisa (3.5"). The document was clearly created on a Macintosh, which is always fun to see

[patrick]

Here's a naive question: In addition to its drawing capabilities, does the software support text-based terminal sessions? Like LisaTerminal allows one to connect to a BBS, for example?

Yes, there seems to be a built-in character set. But the host has to select the drawing position by sending appropriate vector commands. Therefore text-only input would not work. You would connect to a CAD system, not to a BBS. 4014 can forward the vector commands to a pen plotter for hardcopy.

The 4k series has been superseded by the raster-based X terminals. X11 is still known today as the graphics interface standard for Linux.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tektronix_4010

This is a modern Tek Emulator:https://github.com/rricharz/Tek4010?tab=readme-ov-file

[stepleton]

I have an affinity for old Tek vector graphics terminals and computers --- that's why I have four of the things at home! They are mesmerising to watch: they use vector storage CRTs that TEKALIKE must emulate with pixels, but very little can replicate seeing the bright green dot searing the image into the display like an electronic Etch-a-Sketch. (This said, I have not tried the emulator Patrick linked.)

A couple years ago I set up a holiday season livestream of my 4006-1 terminal rendering vector graphics that I scrounged from the internet:

https://www.youtube.com/live/3Gm0Cl54dZY

If you can make HPGL vector files (and many drawing programs like Inkscape can), then you can use some tools I wrote to convert them to the vector drawing codes that Tek terminals and computers understand:

https://github.com/stepleton/hpgl2tek

I even gave a talk about how vector storage tube CRTs work at a festival last year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ind_2eMzsbM

Note that if you have a Unix handy, you may find that a Tek vector graphics terminal emulator is in very close reach: just type `xterm -t`, or better yet `xterm -t -fg green`. Remember that the display is a storage tube: you can't erase individual parts of the screen, just the entire screen all at once. Backspace does not clear a letter off the display!

[ried]

Brilliant, Tom! Those are gorgeous displays and, somehow, I did not know about them before today. Thank you for sharing.

[compu_85]

I have the Mac version of this software - the box is shaped like a Mac128k I wonder if the Lisa version was so stylish?

EDIT: I mis-remembered. The Mac Daisy Wheel Connection has the fancy box..

https://www.macintoshrepository.org/54553-tekalike-plot-it-2-0

-J