[Coco] two other things..

[Frank Swygert]

The problem at least *was* that all CoCo/OS-9 related software was on floppy disks. With ethernet support floppies become less necessary, just download the software! Same with USB or CF cards -- download it onto a PC then transfer to a card/USB drive if nothing else. When you discover a hidden trove of old floppy disks you'll be up the creek, or have to find someone who can transfer them. 

Realistically, however, I don't think not having a floppy will be a big problem. A two channel IDE controller fixes that -- one channel for a HD, one for a CF card adapter -- or two CF adapters... who needs 80 GB or more with OS-9? A couple big CF cards should supply all the storage necessary. 

Why not an emulator? If you make a small single board computer it can be used for both development and actual applications. A lot of people have done that with the CoCo. There's also the ease of interfacing to the CoCo buss even if you build in all the most desired peripherals and just have a single slot -- there's always the option of a "Y" cable if that single slot is properly buffered. That would keep costs down too. 

That's what makes the terminal design you mentioned most attractive. The system will run just fine with no monitor or terminal plugged in. The serial port (at least one of them) needs to be buffered so that a terminal can be plugged in/out while the thing is running without interfering with operation though. Might have to tweak the driver for that also. Just put the thing in a small plastic box, then I can connect that old 486 laptop to it and have a nice portable system! 

If you make it and I get one, I might just mount it in a flat box that could be strapped to the bottom of the laptop, making it an inch or so thicker. The one good thing about the old 486 is it has a real serial port! Might even be able to tap into the power supply for a true portable, though the battery in it went a long time ago. What with playing with old cars so much now, I don't really have a lot of time for computer work, and I've just about forgot what little C programming I knew... I'd even have a hard time hacking something out in DECB!!

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Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:49:15 -0400
From: jdaggett at gate.net

For me I think floppy disk system is archaic. Darn I have on eon my PC and 
I have hardly used it in the last three years. SUpport for USB drives would 
be more useful in my opinion than a floppy disk system. One could interface 
the Vinculum chip into an 8 bit system like a COco3 with little difficulty.

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
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