[Coco] origins of OS-9

Sun Mar 7 23:17:12 EST 2010

Microware ran a half page ad in every issue of the 68 Micro Journal
starting with it's second issue.  I posted about this ad previously,
it contained several products for the 6800 including RT/68 and was the
same each month.  Besides a letter written to the editor in April
1979, nothing else is found about OS-9 until the April 1980 issue of
68 Micro Journal, when their ad for 6800 software is replaced with the
first advertisement for OS-9/B09.

The ad might give some interesting insights.  They describe level 1
and level 2, with level 1 "supporting Basic09 and all I/O, memory
management and MPU time".  Level 2 adds "inter-process communications
as well as a hierarchical directory system".

I'm fairly sure level 1 for Coco supported a hierarchical file system
and signals.  I wonder if the very early, non Coco versions of level 1
did not, or maybe this changed between this early ad and the actual
release.

>From this ad, I could imagine level 1 being positioned as a support
system for BASIC09, and level 2 as the real operating system.  Looking
at it split this way, the statements about OS-9 as just a way to run
Basic09 might make more sense.

Both products are mentioned together in both this first ad and the
letter sent several months earlier.  I think it is very likely they
were designed at the same time.

Full text of the ad:

6809!

INTRODUCING THE
NEW STATE·OF·THE·ART
IN MICROCOMPUTER
SOFTWARE.

COMING SOON!!!

OS-9 - The most advanced microcomputer
operating system available. Similar to
UNIX (Bell Telephone Labs) with
enhancements for the 6809 hardware
environment. A two level firmware
system. Level one supports BASIC09 and
all I/O, memory management and MPU time.
Level two supports all the above and
inter-process communications as well as
a hierarchical directory system. The
addition of level two (can be done at a
later date) allows full timesharing,
multiprogramming real time operation for
those systems supporting extended memory
mapping and an interrupt-driven disk
system. A minimum of 4K RAM required for
level one.

A new BASIC09 language system embracing
the best of BASIC, PASCAL and other
popular high level languages running
under OS-9 with speed and utility
unmatched by other BASIC or PASCAL
versions. An excellent choice for
business, scientific and/or personal
computer users. We feel this is the
most advanced BASIC available for any
microcomputer.

Call or write today for our
free catalog.

MICROWARE
5835 Grand Ave . • P.O. Box 4865
Des Moines, IA 50304 • 5 1 5/279-8844

On Sun, Mar 7, 2010 at 10:02 PM, Aaron Wolfe <aawolfe at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 7, 2010 at 9:42 PM,  <jdaggett at gate.net> wrote:
>> James
>>
>> I would rather think it clears things up.
>>
>> Also if you take a hex editor and look at the copyright info within Basic09 and the RUNB
>> module you will see Mototola and Microware names in the copyright. Along with the 1980
>> year.
>>
>> One other thing to consider. There is BASIC09 and then there is BASIC09 for the COCO.
>> The two may or may not be identical. The Basic 09 for the COCO may have had tweaks in it
>> for their wants and marketing.
>>
>> I would also think that with forks into the OS, the OS had to at least be developed in
>> conjunction with or before BASIC09. Otherwise those forks would be useless in BASIC09.
>>
>> One last note the OS9 for the COCO is a modified OS9 for the COCO. OS9 can be taylored
>> to any 6809 system. Just because the COCO version of OS9 was released in 1980 time
>> frame does not mean it was the first or only Level 1 OS9 version.
>>
>
> Indeed.  I have been reading through each issue of the 68 Micro
> Journal.  The first mention of OS-9 or Basic09 occurs in a letter
> dated April, 1979.  It is apparently sent from someone at Microware
> but no name is given.
>
> The letter describes many features of both OS-9 and Basic09.  It says:
>
> "Motorola contracted Mircoware to produce the finest possible software
> for the 6809.  The new software we have prepared for Motorola includes
> a new BASIC language plus an operating system.  The software will be
> available soon from Motorola and Microware.  Here are a few
> highlights:"
>
> It then goes on to describe the Basic09 Language System and the OS-9
> Operating System.
> It also mentions that they will be introducing a 6809 Macro Assembler,
> text editor, and 6809 version of A/BASIC.
>
> The letter recommends that anyone considering a 6809 system make sure
> the system is compatible with their software (6809 systems were just
> becoming available at this point). There is mention of Percom and
> GIMIX systems compatiblility and a note that SWTPC had not yet
> released information on their 6809 system.
>
> All of this is prior to any CoCo information.  I believe no one knew
> that the CoCo was being created at this point, although Microware may
> have known due to the Motorola/Tandy/Microware relationship.
>
>> james
>>
>> On 7 Mar 2010 at 21:19, James Hrubik wrote:
>>
>>> It's there.
>>>
>>> Some more, maybe muddying the waters?? from the BASIC09 Reference
>>> Manual, Page 1-2,
>>>
>>> "THE HISTORY OF BASIC09
>>>
>>> BASIC09 was conceived in 1978 as a high-performance programming
>>> language to demonstrate the capabilities of the 6809 microprocessor
>>> to efficiently run high-level languages.  BASIC09 was developed at
>>> the same time as the 6809 under the auspices of the architects of the
>>> 6809.  The development project covered almost two years and
>>> incorporated the results of research in such areas as interactive
>>> compilation, fast floating point arithmetic algorithms, storage
>>> management, high-level symbolic debugging and structured language
>>> design.  These innovations give BASIC09 its speed, power, and unique
>>> flavor.
>>>
>>> BASIC09 was commissioned by Motorola, Inc., Austin Texas, and
>>> developed by Microware Systems Corporation, Des Moines, Iowa.
>>> Principal designers of BASIC09 were Larry Crane, Robert Doggett, Ken
>>> Kapan, and Terry Ritter.  The first release was in February, 1980."
>>>
>>> I would hazard a guess that the OS came before the language, because
>>> the language incorporates system calls.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mar 7, 2010, at 6:19 PM, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>>>
>>> > On Sun, Mar 7, 2010 at 9:54 AM,  <jdaggett at gate.net> wrote:
>>> >> On 5 Mar 2010 at 1:44, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >>> I get that.  What I don't understand is what does this have to do
>>> >>> with
>>> >>> how OS-9 went from being a support system for Basic09 to a full
>>> >>> fledged operating system?  Is there some relevancy that I am
>>> >>> missing?
>>> >>
>>> >> Aaron
>>> >>
>>> >> I think you have the two flipped. You are putting Basic09 ahead of
>>> >> the OS.
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > I agree that is seems backwards, but there are several seemingly
>>> > independent sources that state Basic09 did indeed come prior to the
>>> > OS.  If you look in the other messages in this thread I've quoted a
>>> > few of them.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >> from The Complete Rainbow Guide to OS9 page 4, the synopsis is
>>> >> that BothMicroware and
>>> >> Motorola saw a need to bring multitasking/multiuser power of
>>> >> larger UNIX systems to the
>>> >> smaller home computers. UNIX writtenin C was far to big for the 8
>>> >> bit computers. So it was
>>> >> written in asembly.
>>> >
>>> > Is this book online any where?  I'd like to see that section if
>>> > possible.
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >>
>>> >> "Motorola layed down some tough criteria. They wanted an operating
>>> >> system that would
>>> >> exercise every ounce of capability of the 6809. Several 16-bit
>>> >> registers and almost every
>>> >> memory addressing mode available on a minicomputer made the job
>>> >> easier."
>>> >>
>>> >> The above quote from page 4 suggests that Motorola was the driver
>>> >> for the OS and that
>>> >> basic and other languages and feature were secondary. Here is
>>> >> anothr quote to support that.
>>> >>
>>> >> "The company's goal was to sell mass-produced "software-on-
>>> >> silicon". Motorola wanted to
>>> >> distribute their software in ROM ... chips."
>>> >>
>>> >> I would also suspect that the COCO was driven by Motorola
>>> >> considering that all the games
>>> >> and applications were interchanged via the expansion port and a
>>> >> ROM pack. The driving
>>> >> need of the home game market ws behind the COCO. Adding OS9 and
>>> >> Basic was to try and
>>> >> capture the more sophisiticated hoem user. Motorola was producing
>>> >> their Exocrciser and
>>> >> EXORcet units for the industrial/commercial and education market.
>>> >>
>>> >> james
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> >> Coco mailing list
>>> >> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> >> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>> >>
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Coco mailing list
>>> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>>
>>> Repeal 17 : Restore I-3
>>> -------------------------------
>>> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Hrubik/310505111557
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Coco mailing list
>>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Coco mailing list
>> Coco at maltedmedia.com
>> http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
>>
>