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From: steve@wlbr.UUCP (Steve Childress)
Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga,net.micro.6809
Subject: Re: Info on OS9 Operating System
Message-ID: <360@wlbr.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Sep-85 15:55:08 EDT
Article-I.D.: wlbr.360
Posted: Thu Sep 19 15:55:08 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 15:38:10 EDT
Organization: Eaton IMS, Westlake Village, CA
Lines: 36
Xref: linus net.micro.amiga:4031 net.micro.6809:474

..
..
Someone griped that OS9 suffered because Microware does not release
source to OS9 and this inhibits its success. I differ:

OS9 is hyper-modular, eg, the components of OS9 are bound at RUN-TIME,
not link-time or compile-time. This sounds screwey, but I can attest
from 1st-hand experience for several years that it IS practical and
works VERY well.

Because of this modularization, a "port" of OS9 (at least the 6809 version)
requires surgery to only about two of the dozen or so component modules.
For example, the file management system (RBF) is wholly independent of
disk and tape device drivers. Thus, to adapt OS9, one does not touch RBF.
In fact, one does not have the source to RBF. But Microware (used to, and
I assume still does) makes the source to the machine-dependent parts of the
Kernel and I/O drivers available at nominal cost. I recall that they even
offered the source to the mini-shell at low cost.

In summary, OS9's cult status is truth, but not because of restricted source.

And lastly, I doubt the correctness of the statement that Microware doesn't
offer the source to developers ... they no doubt offer it to OEMs. An
applications software developer doesn't need source. And havoc would arise
if source were widely available.

Is Microware's rep still listening to net.micro.6809? Any comment? Re 68K?

		Regards,
			Steve Childress
			Eaton IMS    R&D Group MS 43 
			31717 La Tienda Drive
			Westlake Village,  CA    91360
			(818) 889-2211 X2148
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