[net.micro.6809] 6809/Coco info wanted

jim@umcp-cs.UUCP (Jim Williams) (11/19/84)

	I have become interested in the 6809 and OS-9.  I went to
look at a Radio Shack color computer last weekend and boy what a
dissapointment! How do you do anything with that keyboard? I didn't
see any control keys or any other way to access the large number
of characters missing from the keyboard. I can program in C on THIS??
Have I missed something obvious?
	What of other 6809 machines? Digital Research Computers of Texas
has a Single Board Computer kit that they offer OS-9 for. Anybody 
know anything about it?
	Thanks.

Jim Williams 
seismo!umcp-cs!jim
ihnp4!netword!jim
jim@maryland.ARPA
-- 
Time Lord

scott@uwvax.UUCP (Scott Aschenbach) (11/20/84)

> 
> 	I have become interested in the 6809 and OS-9.  I went to
> look at a Radio Shack color computer last weekend and boy what a
> dissapointment! How do you do anything with that keyboard? I didn't
> see any control keys or any other way to access the large number
> of characters missing from the keyboard. I can program in C on THIS??
> Have I missed something obvious?
> 	What of other 6809 machines? Digital Research Computers of Texas
> has a Single Board Computer kit that they offer OS-9 for. Anybody 
> know anything about it?
> 	Thanks.
> 
> Jim Williams 
> seismo!umcp-cs!jim
> ihnp4!netword!jim
> jim@maryland.ARPA
> -- 
> Time Lord

With OS-9, the clear key is used to generate the rest of the characters.
clear-1 becomes "|", clear-( becomes "[", and clear A through Z
generate control A through control Z.  Most of the alternates are
related, so they'r easy to remember.  Sure you can program in C with
this.  Microware's C (sold through Radio Shack and elsewhere) is
great.  I still have a tiny C, but one day...

The Radio Shack Color Computer (coco) is a great buy for the price.
For $600 and your TV you should get a working OS-9 system (sans
printer).  If you can afford something more expensive, great.
-- 
W. Scott Aschenbach @ wisconsin
...!{allegra,heurikon,ihnp4,seismo,ucbvax,uwm-evax}!uwvax!scott
scott@wisc-rsch.arpa

sdyer@bbncca.ARPA (Steve Dyer) (11/21/84)

I wouldn't think that anyone would complain about the CoCo keyboard
anymore, now that RS provides one with a standard-touch.  There have
been three CoCo keyboards: "chiclet", semi-acceptable low-profile keys,
and their latest, a full-travel square-key keyboard.  Granted, it still
isn't a full-ASCII standard (no ESC, control keys) but you can generate
the entire ASCII character set under OS-9, with very little trouble.
Given Radio Shack OS-9, Frank Hogg Labs' "O-Pak" for hi-res 51 column
characters, a screen editor like "DynaStar" and the Microware C compiler,
you can have a VERY reasonable C development system for less than $800.
-- 
/Steve Dyer
{decvax,linus,ima,ihnp4}!bbncca!sdyer
sdyer@bbncca.ARPA