Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: $Revision: 1.6.2.16 $; site datacube.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!datacube!berger From: berger@datacube.UUCP Newsgroups: net.micro.68k Subject: Re: Re: Info on OS9 Operating System Message-ID: <9500001@datacube.UUCP> Date: Thu, 19-Sep-85 22:14:00 EDT Article-I.D.: datacube.9500001 Posted: Thu Sep 19 22:14:00 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 06:19:59 EDT References: <347@wlbr.UUCP> Lines: 65 Nf-ID: #R:wlbr:-34700:datacube:9500001:000:2919 Nf-From: datacube!berger Sep 19 22:14:00 1985 We use OS9/68k as a real time kernel / executive as opposed to a development system. I would never want to use it as a development system though since I think unix is such a nice development environment. My feeling is this is where Microware is making a BIG mistake. They should be promoting it against VRTX and MTOS. Not against UNIX and MS/DOS. (I'd rather develop under OS9 than MS/DOS though! At least Microware got the slashes to go in the right direction!). We do all our development on a nice Pyramid 90x that runs both SYSTEM V and Berkley 4.2 (We hardly ever use SYSTEM V). We cross compile using the Microware C Cross compiler to prom based OS9 68000 on the VME and Multibus. We have a binary downloader and make extensive use of OS9 trap libraries to minimize download time. OS9 has some great features over the other prom executives: - Price - Flexiblity - Unix likeness (Not as much as it should though...) - I/O system and file managers, heirarchical file system. - Data Module / Trap library concept (This is the best thing about it!) - You could use it as a disk based development system if you had to. - Plus all the other things mentioned in the previous note. We have added more unix likeness to it. Especially the ability to write unix style device drivers in C, and System V style ioctls and other system calls for easy source code portability. We have also developed a tool for automatically building trap libraries from object modules. This technique still needs some work to make it completly general, in particular handling memory allocation. We payed Microware to port the Cross Compiler to the Pyramid. I would like to see them make it a regular product. Officially they only support the VAX (running unix or vms), PDP-11 (running unix) and OS9 disk systems as cross hosts. (I'd like to see them support SUN as well). Overall I am pretty happy with OS9 as a target system. We will be getting an upgrade any day now that will hopefully fix most of our C compiler complaints. OS9 is significantly less expensive than other routes. About half of what it would cost to get something like VRTX and the Greenhills compiler. And VRTX does not have as much functionality. Of course VRTX might have better real-time context switching, etc and Green Hills is probably a better compiler... Its all trade offs. Also I think Microware WILL sell source for OS9 and the C compiler. They just charge outragous amounts for source. They charge very reasonable amounts for port-paks (everything you need to port to new hardware including source for key things). Their licensing fees are also significantly less than VRTX. Bob Berger Datacube Inc. 4 Dearborn Rd. Peabody, Ma 01960 617-535-6644 ihnp4!datacube!berger decvax!cca!mirror!datacube!berger {mit-eddie,cyb0vax}!mirror!datacube!berger