[Coco] DECB -> Pi2/3

[Bill Gunshannon]

________________________________________
From: Coco [coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] on behalf of Dave Philipsen [dave at davebiz.com]
Sent: Monday, March 6, 2017 6:36 PM
To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [Coco] DECB -> Pi2/3

Yes, you're probably right.  I don't know that anyone has dis-assembled
OS9000 or has the source.  And I agree with you, it would be a cool
think to another processor.  Although I'm not sure whether another 8-bit
processor exists that has the requirements of position independence and
reentrancy.  And I personally *would* understand why you'd want to port
it to the TAPR!

Somewhere there does exist a document which describes the minimum
hardware required to implement OS9.  Probably the first place to start
would be with Level 1 if that actually exists in the NitrOS9 archives (I
think it does).  That is simpler and wouldn't require an MMU.  I think
Neal Crook has a version of Level 1 running on a Multicomp board which
is an FPGA-based 6809 design but definitely not a CoCo.

Dave
______________________________________

Well, being a commercial product having the source or disassembling it would still
be of no value as it would still be someone elses IP.  Having been written in C I doubt
disassembly is even possible, at least not to any format you could actually make use
of.  I'm surprised anyone still knows what the TAPR TNC-1 was much less be likely
to have any (I have 2 and an aftermarket copy by AEA).  Nicely designed boxes.

Not concerned about the necessary hardware, just need to learn what the minimum
code from NitrOS9 I need to make a system run.  And Level 1 is definitely the way
to start.  I can think of more than one way to do this, at least at first.  The PDP-11
can do PIC and I like that one.  Another way to do this is to make a small P-machine
in assembler and port NitrOS9 to that. :-)

So many projects, so little time.  And I'm retired!!

bill





On 3/6/2017 4:58 PM, Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> ________________________________________
> From: Coco [coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] on behalf of Dave Philipsen [dave at davebiz.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 6, 2017 4:37 PM
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> Subject: Re: [Coco] DECB -> Pi2/3
>
> You know about OS9000, right?  It was an OS9 derivative from Microware
> that was written in C and compiled to run on 80x86, Power PC, and 68000
> platforms.  There's probably no reason that it couldn't also be made to
> work on an ARM machine too.  I wrote some software back in the 90s that
> ran under OS9000 on an 80486 but it was compiled C code, not directly
> written in assembler.  I still have the install disks for OS9000 but I
> don't know if they're good.
>
> _______________________________
>
> Sure, but what good does that do any of us?  It's not free.  It's not available in
> source so it certainly isn't portable.  It runs (or is it ran now?) on a very limited
> hardware set (the PC version did not run on all PC's we tried it at the University.)
> And probably worst of all, it was bloated.  One of OS-9's strengths was the size.
>
> Maybe when I understand the inards better I will try once again at porting it
> to something else.  But right now I am not even sure what would constitute
> a minimal functionaing system.  (I also have another 6809 based box I would
> love to have it on for reasons most people here probably would never understand,
> the original TAPR TNC 1)  :-)
>
> bill
>


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