[Coco] Why DECB is important to OS-9 folk.

[Stephen H. Fischer]

Hi,

Willard Goosey wrote:
>> From: jdaggett at gate.net
>> Date: Fri, 09 Sep 2005 13:03:32 -0400
>>
>> Roy
>>
>> Something good could be said of both approaches. I do prefer the
>> instant on of DECB. It lends itself better for embedded porojects.
>
> And it does tend to have the best games, and the most advanced-looking
> application programs (Color Max 3, Max 10, etc).  It's big advantage
> is that you can take over the entire machine.

Why take over the whole machine when that will prevent you from some real
advantages.

Why reload (Color Max 3, Max 10, etc) when you can switch from one program
to another on OS-9 without having to reload the program and the data for it.
See my other posting on full screen editing for basic09. And you can have
more windows for other tasks.

My solution under OS-9 would allow for a DECB runner, a full screen text
editor and an online Manual which could be switched to by using the "clear"
key. No huge delay like the switching of programs on DECB.

You could even have the screen divided up into 2, 3 or 4 windows. Not
resizable or moveable but still very useful. Switch between them with the
"clear" key.

I set this up many years ago and used it quite often, The OS-9 Level-II
system from Tandy had some funny and not useful windows defined that would
not work together. I designed and built a set of windows that did.

I also made sure that "Colorful SLED ED6" worked great with the smaller
windows.

>> While OS9 and Niros9 requires a learning curve and some
>> familiarity with Unix would not hurt. I can't complain to much as
>
> I think the learning curve for OS-9 wouldn't be so high if the first
> thing everybody has to do wasn't to build a customized boot disk that
> actually matches your hardware.

Another of my points that is being ignored. Why not build a system that has
the basic parts and floppy software so that all that would be necessary for
the user to answer questions about their disks and then save that
information. If they had an HD then that support would be loaded into OS-9
dynamically. No need to build a new boot disk by old timers or new OS-9
people.

>> learning OS9 and Basic09 made learning Fortran 77 real easy.  You
>> cannot believe the similarities between Basic09 and Fortran 77.
>
> BASIC in general tends to look like Fortran.  I believe that was part
> of the original goal of BASIC.
>
> IMHO, BASIC-09 looks more like Ratfor, or perhaps Fortran 90, rather
> than F77.
>
> Willard
> --
> Willard Goosey  goosey at sdc.org
> Socorro, New Mexico, USA
> "I've never been to Contempt!  Isn't that somewhere in New Mexico?"
>
   --- Yacko


Stephen H. Fischer