[Coco] Virtual Memory - was Interrupts

[Bill Pierce]

Actually, not many programmers ever used the virtual memory capabilities for the Coco 3. In the beginning, there was not much info on how to go about it "legally" in OS9. That was why some come up with the idea to use the get/put buffers and hidden graphics screens. It gave 32k on each graphics screen used or as many get/put buffers as your memory could hold. And if I am remembering correctly, the new enhancements to grfdrv allow the get/put buffers to be used on text screens as well. That would make a good, fast copy/cut/paste function for a word processor as well as the ability to use the Vmem and a 128k buffer would be a monster word processor in Coco standards.
I have a 1 meg board in my Coco and can set up quite a few banks of 32k. If someone would expand the the memory mapping routine for grfdrv for a VCC version, it can use up to 8 meg. That's 256 32k banks or 128 64k workspaces, however you want to split it up :-)  As of now it seems to only go to 2 meg, but I know I've read somewhere that there's enough room in the map for up to 8 meg. I think that's why Joe put that feature into VCC.

Bill P

Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
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Bill Pierce
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-----Original Message-----
From: rcrislip <rcrislip at neo.rr.com>
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Tue, Dec 4, 2012 12:24 am
Subject: Re: [Coco] Interrupts

Hi Bill and Willard

Thanks for the explanation. The idea of using virual memory on the CoCo is so 
cool. I realize it really is nothing new, but to hear some folks in the M$ 
world talk about it you'd think it was. 8-)

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