[Coco] Re: OS-9 as Replacement for DECB.

[Mark Marlette]

You want a diskless system then use the SuperIDE with FLASH to allow
HDB-DOS to be placed in one of the four available cartridge memory
spaces. Then use a compact flash device for your drive. Totally solid
state and fast! Just as fast as a RAM disk plus no battery is needed.

Plus it has already been done for a couple of years now.

Mark
Cloud-9

Quoting Robert Gault <robert.gault at worldnet.att.net>:


> Stephen H. Fischer wrote:

> > Hi,

> >

> > I have been thinking about this a little more.

> >

> > The first Target:

> >

> > A new rom that is installed into a "normal CoCo 3" in place of the

> > original.

>

> Possible but problematic as the Coco3 ROM is not socketed while the

> disk

> cart ROM is. Removal of the Coco3 ROM and replacement with a socketed

> EPROM is not a job for the untrained or timid user. Complete

> destruction

> of the Coco3 is a likely outcome. Who is going to program your EPROM

> and

> do the soldering?

>

> If you are referring only to the disk ROM, there is nowhere near

> enough

> room for a self contained OS-9.

>

> >

> > Plug the CoCo into the Wall and connect a monitor.

> >

> > Turning power on the exact same messages are displayed and it is

> not

> > possible to determine that anything has changed, but OS-9 is

> running.

>

> You want Extended Color Basic displayed even though it no longer

> exists

> on the Coco? That does not make any sense unless you want to confuse

> the

> user.

>

> >

> > Plug in a game and it runs just as before. Remember, the rom is

> available

> > and will get control after the 3 wise men are displayed so control

> can be

> > given to a game completely.

>

> If by this you mean a game cart. for a Basic or ml. game, it might

> work

> but only if the game is completely self contained and does not expect

> the presence of the Coco3 ROM.

>

> >

> > No learning of OS-9 is necessary.

>

> Please explain how the exchange of a ROM will teach you OS-9. Do you

> mean that it is no longer needed to learn how to create a bootable

> OS-9

> disk? The latter is true but you would lose the ability to customize

> OS-9 disks with individualized os9boot files, unless only the

> contents

> of track 34 are ROMed.

>

> >

> > Now this is a goal that may not be reached, but it is the starting

> target.

>

> Some of it unrealistic as requested.

>

> >

> > I have not played with RGBdos and I do not know if it can be turned

> into a

> > OS-9 Shell.

>

> As stated in another thread, both RGBDOS and HDBDOS will

> automatically

> run an AUTOEXEC.BAS file from a hard drive on power up or a hard

> RESET.

> If the AUTOEXEC.BAS is programmed to use the DOS command on a Disk

> Basic

> partition of the hard drive containing an OS-9 boot disk, then the

> net

> result will be exactly what you want from changing the ROM. However,

> there would be much more flexibility, no os9boot size constraint, and

> Disk Basic would still be present for 100% compatibility with any

> program requiring it.

>

> >

> > Can someone knowledgeable tell me more and think about what is

> needed in

> > OS-9 to run on a diskless system. I consider 2 Meg Memory as a

> requirement

> > so a ram disk can be used.

>

> Not good enough because the RAM will be wiped clean at power off. You

> will need something like a flash card that would be semi-permanent or

> a

> hard drive. You still need a method of populating the semi-permanent

> memory which means a disk somewhere.

>

> >

> > Stephen H. Fischer

>

> Why this burning desire for a disk less system? There are no

> advantages

> and many disadvantages to such a system. If you hate floppies, use a

> hard drive system with an RS-232 pak.

>

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