[Coco] Re: [Color Computer] From virtual disk to real disk

[Roger Taylor]

At 06:48 PM 11/4/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>Roger,
>  IIRC, I read somewhere a long long time ago, where you could either use 
> C or Assmbly to make
>Basic09 modules. Is it possible to do so with your new system.

Okay.... let me see:

The IDE is not yet OS-9 friendly, but I can add within a few minutes the 
option to port your project files onto an OS-9 virtual disk.  This covers 
assembled source and files not meant to be "assembled", like data, text, or 
whatever you want.

I suppose if you knew the OS-9 calls and could import some of the OS-9 
equates to .asm files, you could definately build OS-9 modules.

There are 4 ways the IDE can assemble a source code file:

1) multi-record (LOADMable from DOS)
2) single-record (LOADMable, but no jumping around while loading)
*3) no records (almost like a ROM, but variable size)
4) ROM image (8k-256k), useable on any machine

I am not sure how the BASIC-09 system works on a low-level, so I can't 
answer that yet.  I used B09 off and on in the past but never dealt with 
the guts of the modules.  My guess is that you'll need to use the 
single-record format for the output files.

Starting up M.E.S.S. and mounting an OS-9 disk might have to be handled 
differently, since you need the OS-9 boot disk in Drive 0.  Testing would 
be slower since you'd have to wait for bootup then you'd access Drive 1 to 
see your work.  Under Disk BASIC emulation, you just type 'DIR' and voila.

What I'm doing tonight is building ROM Paks in a few seconds and watching 
them run, and building the entire Projector-3 system disk in one click, so 
I have come a LONG way in the 2 weeks I have been working hard on this IDE 
project.  It can only get better from here.

I welcome any and all questions.