[Coco] 2MB Memory Upgrade For The Coco 3

[Bill Pierce]

Actually, I run more than 512 quite a bit. I always leave my /Term window free for various reasons, my startup opens 2 extra 80 column text windows, then I start either Ulitmuse (in it's own process) which uses 2x 64k workspaces as well as 2x 32k graphics screens or MV Canvas which uses 64k + 2x 32k graphics screens and a ramdisk. You must remember, graphics screens & get/put buffers are not mapped to the 64k workspace so the more ram, the more graphics screens you can open & more buffers you can use. I usually have at least 1 window with Ed running to edit text files. Ed uses 64k plus a 32k graphics screen. If I'm programming, I have 2 instances of Ed & 1 window for compiling, and if needed, MV Canvas to edit graphics.

It's not that OS9 is running more than 512 for a process, it's that it's fully utilizing the multi-tasking abitlities of OS9. That's when the extra memory shines. BTW, Ultimuse III uses 192k. Even the old ads say "512k required". It would run on 128k up until version 6.4.0. That's when Mike changed to 640 graphics & 32k virtual memory. My "Sound Chaser" program that I'm currently working on runs at 128k and possibly to be expanded to 192k. When it's playing an Ultimuse file, it's using 160k, as it uses Mike's 32k virtual memory system. When I got my first Coco3 in 87, I bought the 512k upgrade within 2 days because of memory crashes. I ordered my memory & Ultimuse on the same day :-) I kinow some programs like Window Writer for one, fares better with 512k or higher.

Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
Bill Pierce
ooogalapasooo at aol.com




-----Original Message-----
From: Aaron Wolfe <aawolfe at gmail.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Sun, Aug 5, 2012 3:12 pm
Subject: Re: [Coco] 2MB Memory Upgrade For The Coco 3


On Sun, Aug 5, 2012 at 12:11 PM, Bill Pierce <ooogalapasooo at aol.com> wrote:
>
> Aaron, Sorry but I have to correct you on the "more than 512k" upgrade. OS-9 
sees it as regular memory and will allocate the 64k workspaces for new processes 
as well as graphics screens from the extra memory. I have a 1 meg system and use 
the extra memory all the time. It's just automatic. NitrOS-9 has full support as 
well as the patches needed for the graphics drivers already in place. And yes... 
it makes for good RamDisks... I run a 720k ramdisk when I'm programming in "C".
> Theoretically... you can have up to 4 meg... or is it 8 meg now? I know Sock 
Master was playing around with this.
>

Notice that I qualified my statement with "practical" :)  Have you
really ever used more than 512k for processes in OS9?
What software can do it?  My system runs out of system map space for
process descriptors long before actual RAM if I try to spawn enough
shells to fill ram.  I've asked about that on the list before, and
noone has brought up actually using it for anything besides a ram
disk.

-Aaron

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