os9@cbosgd.att.com (04/04/87)
OS-9 Discussions Friday, April 3rd 1987 Volume 2 : Issue 15
Today's Topics:
comments on latest mod.os.os9 digest
Multi-tasking O.S.
language-compatibility
netnews
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Date: 12 Mar 1987 1450-CST (Thursday)
From: sun!mcrware!jejones (James Jones)
Subject: comments on latest mod.os.os9 digest
(Just as a foreward--I, and I'm sure many other people, appreciate your
moderatorial work on mod--er, comp.os.os9 considerably. I take it that
it's still moderated, despite the name change, right?)
[ Thankyou! Yes, it will remain moderated for now. - John]
>From: mcvax!CZHRZU1A.bitnet!K538911
....
>2.Environment Variables: How can I set them from within a SHELL
> PROCEDURE File? (Typically a startup file)
Under the OS-9/68000 2.0 shell, your .login file is read and directly
executed without forking a subshell, so that setenv commands therein
affect your login shell. Aside from that, I know of no way to do it,
there being no equivalent of "export" (for Bourne shell types).
>Ben Segal, CERN-DD, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland.
>(ben@cernvax.uucp via mcvax, seismo, etc. or: ben@cernvax.bitnet)
>Is anyone aware of any TCP/IP implementations for OS9 systems? Even better,
>something that includes Sun NFS (client-only would do). Either software-only
>or using a smart board like Excelan, CMC, Interlan... We are using 68K's in
>VME as hardware.
There are several people who have started looking at Phil Karn's PD TCP/IP
package--I'll be one of them, once I get a tape from a friend. I'll let you
know what happens; there are some amateur radio operators who use OS-9 and
are interested also.
>From: XGRUMAHR@DDATHD21.BITNET (Christian Mahr)
>Subject: RE: OS-9 Discussions, V2 #3
>has anyone made the effort to port a full blown C-Kermit to OS9 ?
Yes, someone has--in fact, I recall that the fellow who did it is in
Germany! Unfortunately, it's been long enough ago that I don't recall
his name or how to reach him electronically. I hope that Bob Larson,
who is probably the best fellow to talk to about Kermit on OS-9, will
read your query and have more info.
Date: 30 Mar 87 17:16:16 GMT
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From: src@xanth.cs.odu.edu (Scott R. Chilcote)
Subject: Multi-tasking O.S.
Keywords: OS9,joy
Organization: Old Dominion University, Norfolk Va.
Summary: Multitasking ST O.S.
In article <995@imagen.UUCP> turner@imagen.UUCP (D'arc Angel) writes:
>in article <664@atari.UUCP>, leavens@atari.UUCP (Alex Leavens) says:
>+---------------------------------------------------------
>+
>+ in article <395@laurel.wiley.UUCP>, bob@wiley.UUCP (Bob Amstadt) says:
>++ 1. Has Atari upgraded their OS to include some form
>++ of multitasking? If not does someone else supply a multitasking
>++ OS? What about MINIX?
>+
>+ No, our OS is not multi-tasking. There are a couple of multi-
>+ tasking OS's available:
>+ MT-Cshell, from Beckemeyer Development tools
>+ OS-9 from MicroWare
I have been impatient for a multi-tasking O.S. myself, having reached computer
maturity on a multi-tasking, multi user system. I broke down and called
Microware in Iowa and asked them, point blank, about OS9 for the ST. Here's
the scoop:
The previous announced OS9 release was by TMM systems, a company that was in
financial trouble at the time and no longer has their version of the OS avail-
able. Microware is releasing a completely new version of OS9, and it should be
ready for distribution in mid to late April. This will be a level 1, V 2.0
system, and will allow many of the features found in UN*X on the ST, with a few
more that are, in the opinion of this writer, -better- for a smaller system (as
compared to a VAX mini...)
OS9 differs from UN*X in that it is modular, in that it is composed of the
kernel surrounded by device drivers and descriptors, any or all of which can be
customized, linked or unlinked, or present in some configurations of your sys-
tem but not in others. UN*X, on the other hand, is more of a congealed mass of
code patched to order for your system. A very NICE congealed mass, but much
harder to make work on smaller computers, as many of us have noted firsthand.
OS9 allows multi-tasking and multi-user operations with a high degree of
efficiency and minimal conflict. Processes can be run as background tasks with
user adjusted priority. Modules for homebrew and third-party devices are very
easy to write and customize; just as with UN*X, be prepared for skads of
"enhancements" to start appearing on a daily basis. This has been proven on
other systems running OS9, like the GIMIX from Frank Hogg Labs. and of course,
the Tandy CoCos.
The new release of OS9 will be bundled with which anyone who has seen GFA
Basic is already familiar: Basic 09 by Microware (or just Microware Basic).
Before anyone cries "foul!" take note: Basic 09 was being sold back in '82 and
was doing just about everything that makes GFA popular at-the-time! Indention,
interpretive cross-checking, no line numbers, Modula-2 like looping constructs,
and best of all, SPEED, like the sphagetti sauce, it's in there!
The price, knock on wood, will be under $150 for BOTH the operating system,
AND the evolved Basic language.
I'm hoping like a big dog that they meet their deadline or someplace close;
while the ST is fine, there's nothing like what amounts to having a second
powerful programming machine sitting pretty on your desk. All for less than
the cost of some C compilers!
One last, but IMPORTANT, note. The sales rep I spoke to at Microware said
that they were actually interested in finding out who might be interested in OS9
for the ST, as a way of determining public interest. If you can afford the
call, and would like to see an extremely nifty operating system at a good price,
by all means give them a call!
Microware Systems Corporation
Des Moines, IA
(515) 224-1929
Scott Chilcote
INTERNET: src%xanth.cs.odu.edu@RELAY.CS.NET
USENET: src@xanth.UUCP
outdated: !harvard!xanth!src
Date: 3 Apr 87 16:02:13 GMT
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From: mcvax!nlgvax!hansj (Hans Janson)
Subject: language-compatibility
Reply-To: hansj@nlgvax.UUCP (Hans Janson)
Organization: Philips Research Geldrop
To whom it concerns
Our application, which runs under th OS-9 operating system, is being developed
using both PASCAL and C as programming languages.
It is our experience that the resulting code cannot be joined into one program,
because of different register occupation and stack handling.
Is there, to your knowledge, any supplier who can deliver a compatible
combination of compilers (PASCAL + C) running under OS-9.
Kind regards H. Janson
Date: 1 Apr 87 21:51:50 GMT
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From: ingoldsby@calgary.UUCP (Terry Ingoldsby)
Subject: netnews
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m6809
Organization: U. of Calgary, Calgary, Ab.
Keywords: Looking for netnews OS9 Software
In a short while I will be leaving the university which provides me with
access to the net. Does anyone know of any OS9 software that can be used
to access the net (the local system manager could be persuaded to give me
a feed if software existed to do this automatically). I frankly don't
know what is involved in doing this, so if anyone can enlighten me I'd
appreciate it. Alternatively, is there another way (via a commercial net)
onto readnews?
Terry Ingoldsby
...!ihnp4!alberta!calgary!ingoldsby
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