[comp.sys.atari.st] A prosposal--TOS Replacement Project

pa1132@sdcc15.ucsd.edu (pa1132) (11/11/88)

Here is some of my ideas about the replacement for TOS:

The new OS (STOS) should have the ability to load fonts (i.e., GDOS)
built in.  It should be able to load fonts individually, and can
resize fonts.  The ability to use outline fonts is the best.  Of
course, it should also be able to use the oldGDOS fonts.

The number of windows should not be limited to eight.

The CON: device should be put in a GEM window, instead of taking
over the whole screen.

It should have the ability to load desk accessories at any time (like MultiDesk)
instead of only at boot time.

The new GEM should be able to work after switching resolutions
without reboot.

Routines to support scrolling an area and redrawing windows should
be included in the new OS.

Graphic operations should be made as fast as possible.

If it can multitask, that's the best!

Things I would like to keep:

The printout quality of GDOS.
compatibility with .GEM and .IMG files.
compatibility with existing software, as much as possible.

The above is a short list of ideas I can think of for the STOS.  Hopefully other
people can come out with more ideas, too!

P. S. A windowing system fulfilling the above requirements build
on top of Minix is also great!

maverick@Portia.Stanford.EDU (Steve Whitney) (11/12/88)

In article <713@sdcc15.ucsd.edu>, pa1132@sdcc15.ucsd.edu (pa1132) writes:
...

> The new GEM should be able to work after switching resolutions
> without reboot.
...

One problem with this is that desk accessories probably only check the
resolution they're running at the time they load.  If you changed resolutions
on them, they would probably display their output incorrectly and/or open
windows that are too big/small.  In theory, it would be nice, though.
If this had been implemented from the beginning, desk accessories would
know to check the resolution whenever they opened a window.

				--Steve

stowe@silver.bacs.indiana.edu (holly) (11/15/88)

For those who have considered the replacement TOS idea, you will need to
find another name.  STOS is a product distributed by Joppa in Maryland.
It's a game authoring language.