[Coco] What does it mean to be a member of the CoCo community?

[Francis Swygert]

> On Apr 4, 2017, at 10:05 AM, Steve Strowbridge <ogsteviestrow at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>  - Is there an actual "Great divide" between OS9 and RS-DOS?================================================
Yes, there is still a divide there. There are many who never dabbled with OS-9, just DECB (or some call it "RSDOS"... though in reality it's just extensions of BASIC to allow disc access and not really a DOS at all). Some never even programmed in DECB, other than typing in listings back in the day (and on occasion now). OS-9 requires quite a learning curve, whereas DECB is very simple in comparison. The biggest division point is that you there wasn't a lot of software for OS-9, and what there was (with the exception of some games) was much more expensive than anything you could get for DECB. Near the end someone at Tandy saw that the CoCo couldn't compete or survive with just DECB though and mandated that any disc based games had to be in OS-9. While OS-9 does make the little machine more powerful in so many ways, having to reboot to play a game (all games come with OS-9 setup with the required modules just for the game) when you didn't under DECB (unless playing a cartridge game... then it was turn it off, plug in cartridge, turn on and ready to play immediately) was... inconvenient. No two OS-9 setups are alike, and due to memory constraints you may have to make a different boot disc to handle different tasks. Making a boot disc takes some thought and preparation, and there was a "boot list order bug" (I think it was squashed in NitrOS-9) and other caveats. You just have to know the system a lot more when working under OS-9, and many just wanted to enjoy playing with the computer, not fighting to get the OS under control (as it can appear to someone not versed in OS-9). 

I guess I'm an old timer. I dabbled in OS-9 enough t o have a good understanding of it, but not enough to be good with it. Haven't touched a CoCo or emulator in years, but still enjoy keeping up with the crowd here and chiming in on occasion. was a member of Delphi until it played out, have been on here since I found the list quite a few years ago -- no idea when I started, but I was never on the bit-serve list. Started Delphi and going to the Chicago CoCoFests since returning from Japan (USAF -- 26 months over there!) in late 1989. Haven't been to Chicago since the late 90s (97 or so?) when I stopped publishing "the world of '68 micros".  Want to get up there again (I'm in South Carolina) but seems there is always too much else going on toe break away...

Frank Swygert
 Fix-It-Frank Handyman Service
 803-604-6548