[Coco] Bug in DW4Man

[Bill Pierce]

Nick,
I had though of using a graphics window and using alternate fonts, but the modules really hog a lot of memory and is why I chose to use the hardware text screen. Right now, it will not run in it's entirity on a 128k machine and needs 512k. 1 & 2 meg machines would have no problems. It may run on one of the Burke & Burke Quarter Meg systems (256k) but I know of no one who has one.
I intend to eventually make a special boot disk that has all the features of my standard boot disk which basically includes everything :-)   I am currently trying to put together some quick boot VHDs for Vcc that have everything you would need in a session. I alsop want to do 6809 & 6309 versions of these.
The only problem is that so many people have different configurations. One has a scsi drive another an IDE, one uses dw4 the other uses Drivepak. then there's those using the SuperIDE. All of which need different booting systems. When I get this stable on Vcc, I'll have a nice standfard boot for everyone that has a system that will quickly make a boot like you need for the real Coco. Again... another problem. This leaves out all the Linux and Mac users who really seem to be the majority.
As for making a shell type interface, I would really need to move the code to assembly without the overhead of C. It could be done as the modules could still be in C but the main GUI would need to be fast.
I have really been looking into all the possibilities as my templet for the menuing system is really fairly simple. Using the graphics windows for such a task would really just eat up memory and inhibit functionality due to this. To make it come up in the boot, all that would have to be done is to rename the file to Autoex as OS9 will run that on boot if present. That's how Multivue use to star up automatically.

As I said before... there's a lot more coming, I just had to get my initial interface like I want it then ANY module could be written and set up as a menu choice. I'm also looking into a way for the main menu to find any file in the cmds dir with a certain extension and consider it as a module and add it's own menu on startup. A self modifying code of sorts but within the program without actually modifying anything. Then when I write a new module, the menu would see by it's filname that it's a certain class of util and add it to the proper menu dynamically. The possibilities are endless, that's why I love OS9. I saw all this back in the 80s and just couldn't afford the resources or the software to do the programming. Now with everything online, I can do anything. Gotta love the Coco.....

Bill Pierce
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-----Original Message-----
From: Nick Marentes <nickma at optusnet.com.au>
To: CoCoList <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Sat, May 4, 2013 10:10 pm
Subject: [Coco] Bug in DW4Man


DW4Man certainly seems to be a useful utility.

I don't know much about OS-9 so I haven't been able to see the program 
running yet.

The famous "great wall" of OS-9  barrier for novices I guess.

And this raises an intreresting suggestion.

What OS-9 needs is a program like your DW4Man to startup as an alternate 
shell to OS-9.

The aim would be to allow novices in to OS-9 with an easy to use 
interface. Not a GUI but something that presents itself with the basic 
options used at the command line. Sort of a menu driven interface.

An option to drop down to the OS-9 command prompt should be available.

This would make the OS-9 experience a lot more friendly to a first timer.


Oh, one suggestion to improve DW4Man:

Is there any way to make it look less "texty"? It looks so... 70's 
teletype. Surely there are at least graphic text characters with lines 
that can be used to create nicer screens like the early IBM text screens 
had in the early 80's.

Don't take this negatively.

You've created the engine, all it needs is better paneling and a slick 
paint job.  :)

Nick





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