maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) (03/16/91)
I'm fansnated. I thought I heard that Tandy coco (6509 motorola) multitasks. Is this true? Could someone here enlighten me with the specifics of this machine? I would like to know how much memory the chip can address, the processor speed, (parallel processing chips?), sound, OS, how does it multitask/multiuser, etc. Please supply any informations you have about this machine. Thank you. -- +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + AAllll tthhoossee mmoommeennttss wwiillll bbee lloosstt iinn ttiimmee,, lliikkee tteeaarrss iinn tthhee rraaiinn.. + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + (**) Maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (**) Billy - IInnnneerrTTaannggeenntt - Human1 +
session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) (03/16/91)
maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) writes: > I'm fansnated. I thought I heard that Tandy coco (6509 motorola) >multitasks. Is this true? > Could someone here enlighten me with the specifics of this machine? > I would like to know how much memory the chip can address, the >processor speed, (parallel processing chips?), sound, OS, how does it >multitask/multiuser, etc. > Please supply any informations you have about this machine. > Thank you. Yes, the CoCo CAN multitask! Mine does all the time! You must have the OS-9 Operating System for it which Tandy sells (was written by Microware) You are little late, however, if you are interested because the CoCo is now offically discontinued by Tandy. (Their offical stock status is SOWG - Sold Out When Gone) The 6809 can only address 64K directly, but with the assistance of a co-processor chip proprietary to Tandy called a GIME. With it the CoCo3 can address up to 1Meg. My system has 512K. The 6809 or more specifically the 68B09E runs at 1Mhz and 2Mhz. OS9 Level 2 on the CoCo3 always runs the 6809 at the 2Mhz speed. In case you weren't aware, due to the more efficient machine language set of instructions and the way a 6809 feteches memory and decodes instructions, a 2 Mhz 6809 is roughly equivalent to a 6-8 Mhz 8088. Sound on the CoCo3 is simply a single analog sound generator, more sophisticated multi-voice sounds can be generated with an optional piece of hardware called an Orchestra-90/CC. Synthesized speech can even be generated with another optional piece of hardware called a Speech Sound Pak. With OS9 Level 2, the CoCo is a true multi-user, multi-tasking computer. OS9 is very similar to UNIX in structure. A system conatins processes, you can pipe the standard data paths or re-direct them just like in UNIX, even push a process into the background. I even have used my CoCo to act as a UUCP site (in fact I personally know of half a dozen CoCos which are active UUCP sites, in the official UUCP map). Anything else you want to know? Zack Sessions session@uncw.UUCP
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) (03/18/91)
In article <1991Mar15.164417.548@ucselx.sdsu.edu> maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) writes: > > I'm fansnated. I thought I heard that Tandy coco (6509 motorola) >multitasks. Is this true? > > Could someone here enlighten me with the specifics of this machine? > Your refering to OS/9 for the coco. Multi-task, yes - Discontinued - Yes. Cheap to buy, yes if you can find it. And 'oh boy' you put a few coco's together in an os/9 network and if you close your eyes you think your running single-user on a Cray! ;-o +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Lehigh Software Systems --- (Medical Industry Software) | | Van Allen and Associates -- (anything for a buck enterprises) | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dave Van Allen - dave@kbvan.com uunet!kbvan!dave CIS 73530,2463 | | Robert Repko - rtr@kbvan.com uunet!kbvan!rsquare!rtr | | | | "You'll never go forward unless you have something to look forward to" | | ~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~ | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) (03/19/91)
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) writes: >In article <1991Mar15.164417.548@ucselx.sdsu.edu> maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) writes: [trimmed] >Your refering to OS/9 for the coco. Multi-task, yes - Discontinued - Yes. >Cheap to buy, yes if you can find it. And 'oh boy' you put a few coco's >together in an os/9 network and if you close your eyes you think your >running single-user on a Cray! ;-o Minor nit, CoCo3s are not exactly dicontinued yet (but they might as well be!). The officla stock status is SOWG. (Sold Out When Gone). And, while it would be neat to have an OS9 CoCo network, Microware (the author of OS-9) never released the OS9 networking software for the 6809 version of OS-9. Zack Sessions session@uncw.UUCP
kim@mcrware.UUCP (Kim Kempf) (03/21/91)
In article <1086@uncw.UUCP> session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) writes: >And, while it would be neat to have an OS9 CoCo network, Microware >(the author of OS-9) never released the OS9 networking software for >the 6809 version of OS-9. > More accurately, nobody ever licensed this software in the U.S. In Japan, Fujitsu used OS-9/Net on their 6809-based FM-11 computers. The hardware was ARCNET based and the software was designed to take advantage of ARCNET's capabilities. This was all back in 1983-84 when the 6809 was king and network hardware was expensive. -- ---------------- Kim Kempf, Microware Systems Corporation {sun,uunet}!mcrware!kim "Opinions! We doan need no stinkink opinions!" kim@microware.com
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) (03/21/91)
>>Your refering to OS/9 for the coco. Multi-task, yes - Discontinued - Yes. >>Cheap to buy, yes if you can find it. And 'oh boy' you put a few coco's >>together in an os/9 network and if you close your eyes you think your >>running single-user on a Cray! ;-o In article <1086@uncw.UUCP> session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) writes: > >Minor nit, CoCo3s are not exactly dicontinued yet (but they might as well >be!). The officla stock status is SOWG. (Sold Out When Gone). OS/9 has been disco for over 2 years, that is what I was refering to. Heck even with the coco's SOWG that doesn't mean they won't be around for a loooooooooong time! They have a _bunch_ of them. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Lehigh Software Systems --- (Medical Industry Software) | | Van Allen and Associates -- (anything for a buck enterprises) | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dave Van Allen - dave@kbvan.com uunet!kbvan!dave CIS 73530,2463 | | Robert Repko - rtr@kbvan.com uunet!kbvan!rsquare!rtr | | | | "You'll never go forward unless you have something to look forward to" | | ~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~ | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) (03/25/91)
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) writes: >OS/9 has been disco for over 2 years, that is what I was refering to. Heck >even with the coco's SOWG that doesn't mean they won't be around for a >loooooooooong time! They have a _bunch_ of them. What I heard was that Microware dropped support for 6809 OS-9 about a year ago. When that happened, Tandy quit manufacturing new kits, but just as there are still CoCo's in some stores, there are some OS-9 kits still left also. And the availability of CoCo3 is purely regional. In my area, most all stores are almost sold out. My favorite store only has ONE left! Zack Sessions session@uncw.UUCP
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) (03/27/91)
In article <1100@uncw.UUCP> session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) writes: > >What I heard was that Microware dropped support for 6809 OS-9 about >a year ago. When that happened, Tandy quit manufacturing new kits, >but just as there are still CoCo's in some stores, there are some >OS-9 kits still left also. And the availability of CoCo3 is purely >regional. In my area, most all stores are almost sold out. My favorite >store only has ONE left! > Jack, any good store manager would not order anything in quantity that didn't sell. The coco's (as a whole, nation wide) have not been strong for over two years. I left the company about 6 months ago after running a RSCC for way toooo long, I have it on good sources that there are more coco3's in the regional warehouses than Carter has little pills. On your point about the availability of OS-9, you right...they are still out there but I belive they are off the deck. So you can get them real cheap. RS will move stock from a heavy regional warehouse to a lighter stocked warehouse when necessary. Then, they will drop ship x number of the over stock items to the stores on purpose, and for good reason RS can't sell anything to you or me from a warehouse?. You may find your favorite store _back_ in stock real soon. ;-) It's a great time to buy coco's and x-ses-or-ee's right now cause of the price. Dave Van Allen +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Lehigh Software Systems --- (Medical Industry Software and Hardware) | | Van Allen and Associates -- (anything for a buck enterprises) | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Dave Van Allen - dave@kbvan.com =internet ------------------------ | | uunet!kbvan!dave =uucp | This SPACE for SALE | | | CIS 73530,2463 =CompuServe ------------------------ | | "You'll never go forward unless you have something to look forward to" | | ~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~ | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) (03/28/91)
dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) writes: >Jack, any good store manager would not order anything in quantity that >didn't sell. The coco's (as a whole, nation wide) have not been strong >for over two years. Umm, the name is Zack, not Jack. The store I mentioned that had one CoCo3 left had a dozen of them a year ago, and he was afraid he waw going to get stuck with some of them. He was obviously wrong! >I left the company about 6 months ago after running >a RSCC for way toooo long, I have it on good sources that there are more >coco3's in the regional warehouses than Carter has little pills. I have heard similar rumours, but this store manager tells me that OUR regional warehouse has few. Zack Sessions session@uncw.UUCP
halkoD@batman.moravian.EDU (David Halko) (04/03/91)
In article <1086@uncw.UUCP>, session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions) writes: > dave@kbvan.com (Dave Van Allen) writes: > > >In article <1991Mar15.164417.548@ucselx.sdsu.edu> maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) writes: > [trimmed] > >Your refering to OS/9 for the coco. Multi-task, yes - Discontinued - Yes. > >Cheap to buy, yes if you can find it. And 'oh boy' you put a few coco's > >together in an os/9 network and if you close your eyes you think your > >running single-user on a Cray! ;-o > > Minor nit, CoCo3s are not exactly dicontinued yet (but they might as well > be!). The officla stock status is SOWG. (Sold Out When Gone). > > And, while it would be neat to have an OS9 CoCo network, Microware > (the author of OS-9) never released the OS9 networking software for > the 6809 version of OS-9. > Doesn't mean that networking will not happen... you have serial port communication which can be automated in script/binary files and a few people playing around with parallel communications via extra PIA ports... Dave Halko -- ___ _____ | ____ |+++| ____ |+++++| |T |++++| |+++______________________ |++++| |+++++| |H I |++++| |++/ /( )\ \ |++++| |+++++| __ |I L N | | |+| |-oo- | \______ |++++| |+++++| |++| |S E T -----(__)--| \__\/ _(__)_ \ ----------------------- | F E o ( oo /_______________________| (oo) \ | __ |S T N | _/\_| | M O O - M O O Vice |__\/\ /| | /oo| - Bleaurgh! |P T |-| \\____ ------ )_ /| /\ |A B I -|_ \_|-_|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 0 _| * \/ * |C L O \ | __________________________________/ |E A N | W| \ \_/ /----------------- \ \_/ / David J. Halko | N L / /\ \ \___/ \___/ Moravian College |W K Y / / \ \ Bethlehem, PA |A ~~~ ~~~ halkoD@moravian.edu |S ______________________________________________________________________|