achilles@unixland.uucp (David Holland) (05/18/91)
*** FORWARDED MESSAGE -- REPLY TO AUTHOR *** Date: 91May11 8:02 am From: GatewayNJ!Willi_Kusche@mast.moundst.mn.org Organization: Backups? What are they? Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit X-Citadel-Gateway: moonsweep.UUCP (Portcullis 0.5) Message-id: <91May118:02_am@GatewayNJ.citadel> Subject: [none] The fact that the Atari 8 bitters were the forerunners of the Amiga had recently come to my attention. As a result, I've been messing with the 800 that I acquired quite some time ago but never used much. I found the posts about the various variations of the 400/600/800/1200 to be very interesting. If someone would post the same kind of info about the various versions of DOS available for the 8 bitters, I'd appreciate it. --- END OF MESSAGE ---
achilles@unixland.uucp (David Holland) (05/18/91)
*** FORWARDED MESSAGE -- REPLY TO AUTHOR ***
Date: 91May12 9:52 am
From: Winston_Smith@blade.mind.org
Organization: Beantown 617/891-7338
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
X-Citadel-Gateway: moonsweep.UUCP (Portcullis 0.5)
Message-id: <91May129:52_am@Blade.citadel>
Subject: [none]
Comment on message posted by "Robert S. Ely@Atlantis_NJ" on 91May11:
DOS 1.0 -- A very early DOS distributed by ATARI.
DOS 2.0 -- This is the UNIVERSAL, generic ATARI DOS. If you are
distributing programs through uploading or downloading, make sure
they use the DOS 2.0 or DOS 2.5 binary load address. --EVERYONE--
owns a copy of DOS 2.0 no matter what drive or equipment they have.
DOS 3.0 -- A troubled, nasty ATARI DOS, quickly abandoned by all
of the userbase.
DOS 2.5 -- The new GENERIC, UNIVERSAL ATARI DOS. DOS 2.5 is
essentially DOS 2.0 with a fix to run ATARI --ENHANCED DENSITY-- for
the 1050. ATARI DOS 2.5 was the first DOS released by ATARI to come
with utilities programs to UNDELETE deleted files, check floppy disk
directory integrity, and configure drives. Basically DOS 2.5 was
still a single sided, single density DOS, with the addition of ATARI
special --ENHANCED-- density to stretch out the single sector file
density to expand your floppies from 707 sectors to around 1200
sectors on a floppy. (Sometimes ATARI ENHANCED DENSITY was
affectionately referred to as "single density and a half". There
had been patches for "enhanced" density floating around before ATARI
officially incorporated it into their DOS.) DOS 2.5 works very
well. Any files that are past the 707 sector limit show up in angle
brackets. "<tictacto.bin>". These files are unreadable on the "very
old" ATARI drives, which is why programmers use DOS 2.0 to create
working software under, and is why DOS 2.0 has the widest
circulation, i.e. they know beforehand that it will work on --
EVERYTHING--.
DOS XE -- DOS XE is the latest, and probably the last,
officially released ATARI DOS. It is a double sided, double density
DOS, that was finally pushed late out the door, for use with the new
ATARI XF551 disk drive. Unfortunately, as the name implies, for DOS
XE to work correctly, it really needs to be run on an ATARI 130XE
machine (grey case with slanty function keys across the top.) It
only works correctly on the ATARI XF551 disk drive if you have an
ATARI 130XE connected to it. DOS XE is the first DOS released by
ATARI to support the concept of subdirectories and date stamping.
Unfortunately, when using DOS XE with any other combination besides
an ATARI 130XE and an ATARI XF551 disk drive, you seem to end up
with a single sided, single density DOS with all of the overhead of
subdirectories and date stamping thrown in. If I remember
correctly, DOS XE was also divided into a three level tree of DOS
menus: a directory menu, a utilities menu, and a file menu. DOS XE
has the reputation of being an overly complicated dog of a DOS. I
would tell you more about what DOS XE can do except I think I
through the manual away (which came in the form of a paperback
book). On the otherhand, I keep the ATARI DOS 2.5 and the MYDOS
manuals close at hand. ATARI DOS XE was written as a collaboration
between ATARI INC., and Bill Wilkinson founder of O.S.S., programmer
of ATARI BASIC and the ACTION! computer language. I have always
wondered to this day what the heck was going on at ATARI that
created DOS XE. Suffice it to say, not many people find DOS XE
useful. I think I have met maybe one programmer in fifty who uses
it.
Well, that's about it for all of the officially released ATARI
DOSes. Suprisingly enough, although the naming convetion for the
XF551, like the designation for the 520STFM, implies that the disk
drive unit is an XE Floppy Disk Drive 551 Unit, you do not need an
ATARI 130XE to use a XF551 floppy disk drive in double sided (i.e.
front and back), double density (double 128 or 256 bytes per disk
sector) mode. Several non-ATARI DOSes will do this. For example, I
am using an XF551 floppy disk drive in double sided, double density
mode from a stock, unexpanded ATARI 800XL under MYDOS 4.5... but
more on that at another time.
P.S. There is a RAM-disk driver built into ATARI DOS 2.5. If you
own an unexpanded ATARI 800XL and have the DOS 2.5 RAM-disk program
for the 800XL, you can create a single density RAM-disk of 105
SECTORS for use with text editors and terminal programs. (Even
without this program it is possible to use the 800XL DOS 2.5 RAM-
disk, but it is much harder to do so.)
--- END OF MESSAGE ---achilles@unixland.uucp (David Holland) (05/18/91)
*** FORWARDED MESSAGE -- REPLY TO AUTHOR ***
Date: 91May11 9:55 pm
From: Atlantis_NJ!Robert_S._Ely@mast.moundst.mn.org
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
X-Citadel-Gateway: moonsweep.UUCP (Portcullis 0.5)
Message-id: <91May119:55_pm@Atlantis_NJ.citadel>
Subject: [none]
Most of the Atari DOS's will be listed here:
Atari DOS 1.0 ---Similar to 2.0 but not as fancy. Disappeared early.
2.0 ---Still a strong standard in the Atari world. Can't
seem to shake this one.
3.0 ---Died a nasty death. If you have it, get rid of it!
2.5 ---Enhanced version of 2.0 with many added features
and extended storage capabilities with the 1050 and
XF551 drives.
XE ---DSDD dis for the XF551 drives. supports up to 360k.
MyDOS 5.x ---A very enhxnced version and offshoot of AtariDOS
2.0. Somewhat mass compatible with other DOS's.
SpartaDOS disc---MS-DOS type DOS. Probably the MOST all around
compatible of all Atari 8-bit DOS's except for SDX
CART---This has to be the best Atari 8-bit DOS available.
TopDOS ---Don't know much about this one except that it is
still available and supports up to 360k disc. There
are others, but they are not very popular or wide
spread.
BTW MyDOS, AtariDOS XE and SpartaDOS all support multi-level
directories. Unfortunately they don't all do it the same way.
[RSE]
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