Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ccivax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!ritcv!ccivax!rb From: rb@ccivax.UUCP (rex ballard) Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga,net.micro.6809,net.micro.68k Subject: Re: Info on OS9 Operating System Message-ID: <272@ccivax.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 00:02:10 EDT Article-I.D.: ccivax.272 Posted: Fri Sep 20 00:02:10 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:22:34 EDT References: <347@wlbr.UUCP> Organization: CCI Telephony Systems Group, Rochester NY Lines: 57 Xref: linus net.micro.amiga:4066 net.micro.6809:477 net.micro.68k:1076 > In response to the request for general info on OS9 ... a MC68xxx O/S ... > A brief discussion of OS-9: > > o Authored by Microware Systems Corp, Des Moines, Iowa > o It's about 5 years old, starting out as a spin-off from a contract > between Microware and Motorola. Mot. was looking for a super-BASIC > and an O/S to exploit the superb architecture of the MC6809. > o OS-9 exists in three flavors: > - Level I for 8-bit sytems using 64K on CPUs having a 6809 > - Level II, same but has bank-switching for up to 1MB on 6809s > - Level I for 680x0 machines with large memories (>=256K?) > Tandy sells it for their ($300) Color Computer ... it's a real ^^^^ the computer, not OS-9 > paradox in that (diminishing) market. Look for its manuals at your > nearby Tandy computer center. > The trouble (with OS9 for the 68000) is that it's not available on > a popular computer so there's never been any good non-system softare > so there's never been any users --- etc, etc, catch-22. Neither was CP/M 68K (re: TOS) until about two weeks ago. Intuition is a real commonly used OS around here? (I guess MS-DOS was a household word before the PC!!!) > I considered going to OS9/68K until I spent a weekend with an AT&T > UNIX-PC. For < $5,000, that machine, with its bit-mapped graphics & Sys 5.2 ^^^^^ > just beats the heck out of any other high-end machine for the serious > hobbiest. $5000 for a hobby machine?!!! (Wouldn't you rather have a buick?) > So in SUMMARY I'll editorialize: > > OS9-6809 is the best small-computer O/S I've seen but > it has never gained popularity to attract software houses. There is an awfull lot of "basic-09" and OS-9 code on radio-shack bulletin boards, much of it source. Since CoCo owners tend to get no software support from RS, OS-9 is the only way to get much of anything for it. (See earlier article about buying ROM to Throw it away (AMIGA DOS NOT IN ROM??)) I even remember seeing one called GKS.OS9 or something like that. This is one of the few systems where you can sell a LIBRARY! There is also some "C" stuff. Porting would involve expanding screen widths (CoCo uses 256x190 graphics or 32x16 text), or you could put them in windows. OS-9 uses a library of graphics commands similar to extended BASIC (GWBASIC to IBM'ers), which can be used from C or BASIC-09. Since I haven't got a GEM guide handy, maybe someone will tell me if there is something BASIC can do that GEM can't? I would guess that GEM could be called instead of a run-time library. If GEM can do more, great!!