[Coco] This_looks_cool_-_Apparently_RUNs_FLEX_but_uses...

[jdaggett at gate.net]

On 8 May 2007 at 15:15, Willard Goosey wrote:

> >From: Leon Howell <puritan_2076 at yahoo.com>
> >Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 16:07:07 +0000 (UTC)
> >
> >> You know, it's a real shame how hostile the FLEX community is to
> >> the CoCo. 
> >
> >Why?
> 
> 6809 Hackers of the World, Unite!!!!  CoCo people want an FPGA 6809? I
> believe the FLEX people have one.  On the other hand, CoCo people are
> still producing (a little) new hardware, which has been a real
> stumbling block for the FLEX people.  
> 
**************

There is an FPGA 6809. Just take the CPU09 part of John Kent's SYS09 for flex 
and you have the CPU portion ready to plop into any XILINX fpga.  Now what you 
do with it is another story. 

The Coco with its limited expansion port does create some issues in developing 
products while maintaining some backward compatibilty. The SWTPC and GIMIX 
were more flexible in that cards were easier pluged in and out. The Coco's MPI 
and it limited functionality really is not conducive to real expansion of peripherals. 

 
> I've never used FLEX.  Never seen it running.  Certainly never
> programmed under it.  So I'm curious.  Many moons ago I downloaded the
> FLEX mailing list archive, but I've only read it once.  They certainly
> had an attitude of "Don't tell me about your CoCo.  Don't even mention
> OS-9."
> 
**************
I have used Flex and have seen it work. It is not a bad OS and now that most of 
the software has been released to public domain, there is far more usable 
software than  with the Coco. Without going into OS9 you have a basic compiler, 
C-compilers, a Fortran Compiler, a Pascal Compiler and if your heart is fancy to 
Cobol then you can build a Cobol compiler. There is a relocatable macro 
assembler and linker. All this is available.  VED is available. 


> Admittedly it would have been interesting if Frank Hogg had ported
> UniFLEX to the CoCo3...
> 
********************

The TSC Flex source files are available on the net. They are PD now and anyone 
can modify them and port them to what ever they wish. I have a copy. I used to 
have Flex on 8 in Floppies but I no longer have 8 in drives and the system I had 
is no lobger functional.  

james