Astrum for the Spectrum Next (Astrum Next)

A long time ago I wrote Astrum+ an editor and assembler for the 48K Spectrum with an Interface 1 and Microdrives. I was frustrated at only being able to use small source files, after all the Spectrum only had just over 32kB of usable memory once the screen and system areas have been accounted for. I wanted to write big! Astrum was heavily influenced by OCP's Assembler It sold quite a lot of copies and I did versions for the Opus Discovery hard disk system and the Disciple/Plus D. The extra money certainly helped me through my degree course.

Time passes. Actually, quite a lot of time passes, I moved onto other machines and jobs as a professional software developer. In 2003 I was contacted by Andrea Vavassori in Italy asking if I was Astrum's author and if I had produced any other versions - I hadn't. All I had was an original manual and some microdrive cartridges which I had and no way of accessing (or knew what was on them). Andrea kindly read them for me and on there was the source code for the original microdrive version -- or at least 'a' microdrive version.

More time passes and then a few years ago I heard (via Andrea) about the Spectrum Next. I subscribed for a KS2 which arrived in December 2023. I had an idea to get Astrum working on the Spectrum Next ny making a few changes maybe via calling into BASIC to do the I/O... It went from that small idea to the current version. I like to think it still has some of the original Astrum soul in it. Quite a lot of the assembler is the original code.

My objective was to make it possible to write Z80 on the Spectrum Next in an environment that is productive. I think it achieves that and will achieve more as it is developed further. It currently can:

• Edit and assemble files up to 64K lines
• Has support for include files
• Full screen menu driven 80 column editor
• Conditional compilation
• Simple macros with arguments and local loops
• Full constant expression evaluator (written on the Spectrum Next to test Astrum!)
• Update service over the internet
• Push source code back to PC for GIT or whatever
• Symbolic debugger
• Full Z80N support
• Light and dark modes

Downloading Astrum Next

There is a GitHub site that contains the current release: Current release. Once you have a release you can load and run AstrumUpdater.bas, that will download the latest version, which may well be newer than the current release on GitHub.

Moving Forward

Astrum Next has only been run on one physical Spectrum Next and only with its own source code plus a few examples. If something doesn't work or can be improved then report it either on the GitHub website or via email -- the contact address is in the about box.

Acknowledgements

Andrea Vavassori without his help none of this would have happened
CSpect Spectrum Next emulator
sjasmplus a Z80 'cross-compiler of assembly language'
NextSync a lifeline for getting files to the Next
MonsterASP for providing this hosting