[Coco] Old Coco Info

[jdaggett at gate.net]

Tim

The Basic09 compiler used in OS9 is licensed from: 

BASIC09  RS VERSION 01.00.01
COPYRIGHT 1980 BY MOTOROLA INC.  AND MICROWARE 
SYSTEMS CORP.  
REPRODUCED UNDER LICENSE TO TANDY CORP.    
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Straight out of the Basic09 cmd module for OS9. 

Originally MS' version of basic were interperter basics. GW Basic 
was a piece of garbage. QBasic is much better and then finally ther 
ewas Quick Basic, MS' first compiler basic. 

If I remember correctly, Motorola contracted with Microware to do 
OS9 and Basic09 for the 6809. Motorola intended to compete with 
an all in one box somewhat like the Tandy Model IV. It was to be 
called the SAT-96. The motherboard was about 12" x 20" and had 
64K of DRAM, with an expansion board to 128K. 6809 based wi th 
6845 CRTC, NEC765 Floppy disk controller, two serial ports a 
parallel port, a GPIB port,  built in modem and 32K of video ram. 
One big box with every thing you could want in a computer that 
nobody wanted.  

I have one board that I never completed assembling and I have all 
the IC's to put on it. I used to have the 8 in floppies with a Basic09 
compiler and TSC Flex operating system. Not sure if they now have 
suffered from bit rot as I got them about 1982 time frame. There 
was a  version of OS9 available then but I never obtained it. 

Sadly enough Motorola canceled the project just before anouncing it 
to the world. 

Oh were those the days?

james


On 5 Aug 2004 at 20:23, tim lindner wrote:

To:             	coco at maltedmedia.com (CoCoList for Color 
Computer Enthusiasts)
Subject:        	Re: [Coco] Old Coco Info
From:           	tlindner at ix.netcom.com (tim lindner)
Date sent:      	Thu, 5 Aug 2004 20:23:50 -0700
Organization:   	Computers Suck!, Inc.
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> <KnudsenMJ at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> > FWIW, much as I love Motorola, I think Microsoft was the better
> > contractor to write a BASIC.  OTOH, neither would I want a car radio
> > or walkie-talkie built by Microsoft :-)
> 
> But if Motorola had won the contract wouldn't we have had Basic09 in
> ROM? I beleive Basic09 started either as a project in Motorola, or a
> co-project with Microware.
> 
> Isn't Basic09 generally regarded higher than Microsoft's BASIC?
> 
> -- 
> tim lindner
> tlindner at ix.netcom.com
> 
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