lvw@rama.UUCP (Lyndon VanWagner) (03/27/91)
I know that this question probably won't be answered, simply because there
are only a few of us left. Back in 1985 I was foolish enough to buy
into non-clone hardware, because the machine was functionally superior
to the IBM PC. I have a Tandy 2000 with 720KB memory, MSDOS 2.11,
640x400 graphics, and non-standard bus (EuroCard format). Its BIOS and
graphics memory are repositioned, so the OS and applications have access
to 720KB instead of the usual 640KB.
Now my laughable question. Is there another poor, foolish, but honest
citizen out there who has ported minix to their Tandy 2000? What tools
are necessary to rewrite the terminal and disk drivers and such?
--
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Lyndon C. VanWagner Internet:lvw@rama.sc.harris.com
Software Engineer -or- rama!lvw@uu.psi.com
Framework Development Group UUCP: ...!{uupsi,tropix}!rama!lvw
Harris Corporation PHONE: (716) 924-9303 ext. 226
Scientific Calculations Division, Fishers, NY 14453
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Cornfield's Law (paraphrased):
Before anything can change, everyone must agree.
By the time that happens its a different problem.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------demarem@clutx.clarkson.edu (Michael J. de Mare,222 Hamlin,,2684041) (03/28/91)
I tried to send this via e-mail, but it failed, so anyone who does not care about the Tandy 2000 hit n now :-) lvw@rama.UUCP (Lyndon VanWagner): > I know that this question probably won't be answered, simply because there > are only a few of us left. Back in 1985 I was foolish enough to buy > into non-clone hardware, because the machine was functionally superior > to the IBM PC. I have a Tandy 2000 with 720KB memory, MSDOS 2.11, > 640x400 graphics, and non-standard bus (EuroCard format). Its BIOS and > graphics memory are repositioned, so the OS and applications have access > to 720KB instead of the usual 640KB. Yeah, I have one too. Don't worry, t won't last enough longer to make it worth porting Minix to it...you ever hear of "planned obselecnce"?...first the video card goes crazy causing it to crash about every five minutes...then the hard disk goes..before you know it you have a very very expensive paper weight. > > Now my laughable question. Is there another poor, foolish, but honest > citizen out there who has ported minix to their Tandy 2000? What tools > are necessary to rewrite the terminal and disk drivers and such? > Well, I have the Tandy 2000 Technical Reference Manual..and it looks to me like porting it would be a major job. All the interupts and I/O ports are at the wrong addresses...the controllers act in a nonstandard way...basically, it is not worth the effort. Also note that the 2000 is a 186 system, so there is no protected mode, you aren't really any better running Minix on there then on an ordinary PC. > -- > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Lyndon C. VanWagner Internet:lvw@rama.sc.harris.com > Software Engineer -or- rama!lvw@uu.psi.com > Framework Development Group UUCP: ...!{uupsi,tropix}!rama!lvw > Harris Corporation PHONE: (716) 924-9303 ext. 226 > Scientific Calculations Division, Fishers, NY 14453 > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Cornfield's Law (paraphrased): > Before anything can change, everyone must agree. > By the time that happens its a different problem. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike de Mare Professional Student Crime does not pay ... as well as politics. -- A. E. Newman
paradis@acestes.UUCP (Jim Paradis) (03/29/91)
In article <10943@rama.UUCP> lvw@rama.UUCP (Lyndon VanWagner) writes: >Now my laughable question. Is there another poor, foolish, but honest >citizen out there who has ported minix to their Tandy 2000? What tools >are necessary to rewrite the terminal and disk drivers and such? Well, I never ported MINIX to the 2000, but I did used to own one. Basically, after fighting with Radio Shack and with the machine for several years and having it be a crap shoot as to whether Brand X software would run on it, I finally gave it up and bought a PClone. In the process of trying to get stuff to run on it, though, I have learned a thing or two 8-). Although it's completely hardware-incompatible with the PeeCee, it's largely BIOS-compatible. MINIX already comes with a BIOS disk driver, so all you really need is to write a BIOS console driver. My suggestion would be to find a friend who has a PC-type machine, de-brain the existing console and keyboard drivers, and plug in BIOS calls in their place. Oh yeah; also make sure you remove the existing re-mapping of the keyboard interrupt vector... The other possibility would be to find a C compiler that works on the 2000 and use the recent NYUMINIX postings to run MINIX under MS-DOS 8-) 8-) 8-) I used to have a copy of the Tandy 2000 Technical reference manual, but I can't seem to find it... I don't remember whether I gave it to some other net.person or tossed it... -- Jim Paradis UUCP: harvard!m2c!jjmhome!acestes!paradis 9 Carlstad St. AT&T: (508) 792-3810 Worcester, MA 01607-1569 ICBM: 42deg 13' 52", 71deg 47' 51"