[Coco] OS-9 price

[Gene Heskett]

On Saturday 17 May 2014 15:11:25 CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts 
did opine
And Gene did reply:
> I'm a belgian member of the Coco community and I'd like
> to ask if someone knows the price for one OS-9 licence ?
> 
> I've browsed the Microware website and didn't find it.
> 
> I knows that NitrOS is free and just would like to know
> how much I may save by using it ...
> 
> Thierry

Welcome to the list.

Nitros9 was developed from OS9, starting around 20 years ago when it was 
found that the 6309 was a considerable enhanced 6809.

Along the lines of that, quite a few bugs were squashed, and it is now 
even faster by quite a few percent than OS9.

There of course is no cost for Nitros9.

You can browse the site, and download various versions of it, to match 
your hardware, in the form of .dsk files.

These .dsk files can then be written to a floppy, on linux systems with 
the use of dd, but format the disk on the coco first.  Some modern floppy 
chips do NOT support a 256 byte sector anymore, I have one of those 
myself.  In that event, I am in a chicken vs egg situation and if I didn't 
already had OS9 from day 1, I would be looking for some sort of a skyhook 
to get that first bootstrap.  If your "PC" can't do the 256 byte sectors 
without upchucking all over the front lawn, then I suspect someone is 
going to have to mail you the first "get started" floppy, or 2 maybe, one 
to boot it initially, and a second one with the goodies to make a new boot 
disk that fits your hardware better.

Once you get going, drivewire can mount those files, even from out on the 
network, and use them as if they were local disks!  But you won't do that 
the first day as its initial setup takes some understanding.  You will 
also need java's jre on the PC, and a special cable that Cloud9tech sells.

Any questions, just ask them here, I am not the only one who can answer 
them by a long shot.

Cheers, Gene Heskett
-- 
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Genes Web page <http://geneslinuxbox.net:6309/gene>
US V Castleman, SCOTUS, Mar 2014 is grounds for Impeaching SCOTUS