[Coco] Ownership of NitOS-9

Thu Nov 6 01:34:40 EST 2014

Nick, I have such a project about half done... but needed to get the MShell interface finished first. I was originally doing it on my old DW4Man interface, but needed the virtual memory, point-n-click, and multi-panel screens my MShell project offers, so I stopped to finish MShell (which is VERY close to being released). The utility will be using that interface (also callable by MShell), so I needed it stable.
So... "BootMajik" is one of the next projects. It will be a 3(4?)-panel screen with an "intelligent" selection list in which all available choices will be displayed. It will take the user step-by-step through the process to create a perfect boot evey time. When you select a device, any "dependant" modules are auto-selected. It's kind of hard to explain how it will work, but it will be point and click with absolutely no user input other than selecting (mouse or keys) your hardware from a list. You will be able to build a bootdisk for any model Coco with any options available in the current repo.
If it works like I expect, I may even include being able to build "vanilla" OS9 as well.
The program will have to run on a 512k Coco 3, but will build boots for Coco 1, 2, & 3 for Level 1 & 2.
I hope to get back on this after Christmas or the first of the year. It depends on how quich I can get finishedwith (or get bored with) working MShell.

Bill Pierce
"Today is a good day... I woke up" - Ritchie Havens

My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
Co-Webmaster of The TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/
Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for CocoPedia
http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com

-----Original Message-----
From: nickma2 <nickma2 at optusnet.com.au>
To: Bill Pierce <ooogalapasooo at aol.com>; CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
Sent: Thu, Nov 6, 2014 12:26 am
Subject: Re: [Coco] Ownership of NitOS-9

I agree with what you say. Everyone's machine is different. That's why OS-9 needs an easy to use way for each user to create a system that suits their hardware setup.

Something anyone can use comfortably without needing to be a seasoned OS-9 veteran.

Can you see what I'm saying?

If a newbie struggles to even be able to setup his OS, what impression does that leave after hours of frustration?

If that newbie could simply run OSCONFIG (or whatever) and be presented with some menu system where he picks his hardware components and it does all the work of fetching the drivers from a repository on another disk, leaving him with a finished OS at the end, wouldn't he walk away feeling impressed with the system? That's the true power of an OS, it being able to act intelligently on your behalf and allowing the user to "get on with the job".

Because there is so much diversity in hardware, all the more reason for the need for this sort of "polish".

Nick

----- Original Message -----

From:
 "Bill Pierce" <ooogalapasooo at aol.com> "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>

To:
<coco at maltedmedia.com>

Cc:

Sent:
Wed, 5 Nov 2014 17:21:14 -0500

Subject:
Re: [Coco] Ownership of NitOS-9

Nick... what you have to realize and remember about Nitros9... is that my system is NOT like yours, and yours is NOT like Gene's and Gene's is NOT like Robert's....
I doubt any given system by any two people one this list are the same. There's different drivers for different hardware, and different hardware for different needs.
To say something is wrong with Nitros9 because you were trying to use the wrong access method is the very reason OS9 got a bad name in the beginning. In the past 30 years of working in OS9, I have found that 99.99% of the complaints I've seen/heard/solved were user's mistakes.
There is no way in a distribution of a product like Nitros9 that you can anticipate the user's hardware and build "one system" that will work for everybody... your SDC boot would crash badly on my Dw4 or B&B systems.
That has been the boon of OS9 from the beginning... not a lack of proper drivers.... but a lack of "standard" hardware. Nitros9 as it stands today, with someone with the knowledge to set their system up correctly, is the most stable build of OS9 i've ever run.... BAR NONE. Polish??? Personally, I think it's damned shiney already...
First... know your hardware... research the drivers for that harware... they're all in the repo... then set up a system using the proper drivers for YOUR system. That is really the hardest step in OS9... getting the boot right for your system.
The SDC (from what I understand) was meant to replace the floppy disk... and maybe even the hard drive. I've no real knowledge of how it works until I have one which will not be anytime soon as I cannot afford it. But again.... the word "Documentation" comes in. I've seen the SDC website, but I don't believe the product has any docs..... A product with this much power should have RSDOS and OS9 docs explaining exactly how to set it up and run it. I may be wrong and Darren may have provided documentation... if so, sorry for mentioning it. But it's common at this time for everyone creating all this great hardware/software and no Docs.... then the questions come... and the vague answers... and more questions.... Pretty soon, people just give up.
As I said before... I've been doing this 30 years and I still learn something new every day :-)

Bill Pierce
"Today is a good day... I woke up" - Ritchie Havens

My Music from the Tandy/Radio Shack Color Computer 2 & 3
https://sites.google.com/site/dabarnstudio/
Co-Webmaster of The TRS-80 Color Computer Archive
http://www.colorcomputerarchive.com/
Co-Contributor, Co-Editor for CocoPedia
http://www.cocopedia.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
E-Mail: ooogalapasooo at aol.com

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