[Coco] followup on nitros9/disto errors

[Robert Gault]

Mike Pepe wrote:
> Just to followup:
> 
> I've yet to get my new nitros9 boot disk with the disto SCII driver 
> working.
> 
> When I edit the standard.bl file, the mb script won't run.
> 
> Output looks like this (verbatim):
> 
> * Step 3: Create the bootfile and boot track
> sterisk (*) is the
> * first character of the line
> *
> ********************************
> * Kernel/System Section
> *
> * These modules are mandatory
> ../MODULES/KERNEL/krnp2
> *../MODULES/KERNEL/krnp3_perr
> *../MODULES/KERNEL/krnp4_regdump
> ../MODULES/SYSMODS/iERROR #216
> *
> * Step 4: Populate the disk with essential files
> copying shell to /d1/CMDS/shell
> copying grfdrv to /d1/CMDS/grfdrv
> *
> * We're done
> 
> To quote NASA: "Obviously a major malfunction." It appears that the 
> standard.bl file is corrupted either by the editor on linux or the 
> toolshed utility that puts the file back on the disk. If I read the disk 
> back into an image and copy out the standard.bl (on the linux box) and 
> open it, the file appears normal. They compare identically. So, that's 
> not the issue.
> 
> What would cause the script to dump the contents of the file like that? 
> I like the "sterisk is the first character" thing, what's up with that?
> 
> help!
> 
> -Mike
> 

  As I see it you have several alternatives but the main problem may be 
that you are doing your editing with a Linux program rather than an OS-9 
program. Let's try to separate transliteration problems from NitrOS-9 
problems.

  On my Windows system, I admit to editing large source files with 
Microsoft Word but here is the sequence needed to make it work. Edit a 
large NitrOS-9 source file (just worked on Level2 grfdrv.asm 278KB from 
the project) in Word, converted all $0D0A line endings to $0D with 
WinVI32, used the MESS wimgtool.exe to place the file on an OS-9 .os9 
image, booted 6309 Level2 NitrOS-9 in MESS, copied the source file into 
my scr/asm directory on a .vhd image, and finally assembled it with asm.
  Now that may seem like a pain in the you-know-where, but it is 
necessary because such large files can't be easily handled with Coco 
software. Standard.bl is not such a file and it makes no sense at all 
not to use an OS-9 editor to make changes in the file.

  Edit is part of the NitrOS-9 distribution. It can be used but it is a 
line editor not a full screen editor. There are reasonable full screen 
editors for OS-9 (dynastar, scred, sled, tsedit, ved, etc.) some of 
which can be found with some searching on RTSI or other user sites.
  Use one of these to make changes in standard.bl, List the file so you 
know it is intact, and then run mb. That will isolate any OS-9 problems 
you may be having from Linux problems.

  Don't worry that the distribution disk uses the stock WD1773 driver 
rather than a no-halt driver because the SC-II won't care. Once you 
prove you can edit the script file and run mb, you can create a boot 
with a no-halt driver.