os9@cbosgd.att.com (02/09/88)
OS-9 Discussions Tuesday, February 9th 1988 Volume 4 : Issue 5
Today's Topics:
magazines with OS-9 information
about that disk I/O test program...
*NEW* OS9 Users Group Application
Re: 'compress.shar'
[MODERTATOR's NOTE: It was pointed out that the review of the graphing
package was for the RS operating system and not for OS-9. My mistake.
It looked good to me.
Regarding the OS9 Users Group, I received my MOTD (the journal for the
users group) last week. It looks good! (Got to get a typo editor, though!)
I recommend joining if you have an OS9 machine. I'm working on adding
two 5 1/4 quad density (1.2MB) disks to my system since I currently only
have the equivalent 8" disks. The users group only distributes 5 1/4" and
3 1/2" disks, now. -- JDD]
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Date: 31 Jan 88 20:40:53 CST (Sun)
From: <likewise!uunet!mcrware!jejones>
Subject: magazines with OS-9 information
Sad to say, from what I have looked at, it seems that the best OS-9
magazine around is in Japanese! There is a glossy--well, it's thin
enough that "magazine" isn't the best word, but it's somewhere around a
dozen pages--newsletter called "OS-9 NEWS" produced by Seikou Electron-
ics, which appears to cover new software, have columns that include some
source listings, and has a Q/A column. They seem to talk about some
things that I've not seen elsewhere; for example, judgding by the
English-language column headers in one article on Modula-2, it sure
looks like somebody has Modula-2 for OS-9/6809 in Japan. I for one
would like very much to read an English translation of an issue or two.
*RAINBOW* does carry what's probably the longest-running OS-9 column,
Dale Puckett's "KISSable OS-9." It has also carried some articles by
Peter Dibble, and by others on OS-9. (The non-Dibble and Puckett ones,
though, tend to be extremely elementary. I hope that William Barden
Jr. learns much more about OS-9 before he next writes about it, good as
his other articles are.) You will have to decide for yourself whether
the quantity of OS-9 material is worth the price of the magazine.
*68 Micro Journal* once had a regular column on OS-9 by Peter Dibble; Ron
Voigts now writes "Basically OS-9" for them, and there are ads for non-CoCo
OS-9 hardware therein and other articles that mention OS-9 with fair
regularity. Alas, *68MJ* seems now to be largely a catalog of software that
its publisher sells (does *anyone* care about 6809 FLEX any more?), so
again there's a problem with information density.
Dan Robins, who is a regular on the CIS OS-9 SIG, now does a CoCo column
for *Computer Shopper* magazine which has been running far more regularly
that the abortive Michael Wakofski column. He's been mentioning CoCo OS-9
software.
I will probably start reading *CoCo Clipboard* to see whether it's got
much worthwhile OS-9 material; I've yet to see an issue.
I would be interested in hearing from OS-9 users outside the US about any
magazines that might have a regular OS-9 column.
(All opinions herein are solely mine, and do not necessarily have any relation
to sanity, much less the opinions of other people or organizations, if indeed
organizations can be said to have opinions.)
James Jones
Date: 31 Jan 88 20:56:23 CST (Sun)
------------------------------
From: <likewise!uunet!mcrware!jejones>
Subject: about that disk I/O test program...
I posted a sequence of messages to comp.sys.m6809 about said program, or
rather about one I wrote from the initially-posted description. My figures
were about the same as those of the original poster (three minutes to create
and write a 100K file, close it, open it again and read it) using a Sardis
Tech No-Halt floppy controller with 8K of on-board memory, but looking more
closely into it gave the following results:
1. I could cut a minute off the time by setting the file's size at the
beginning (using the SS_SSIZ setstat).
2. Writing the file turned out to take vastly more time than reading it;
breaking the time consumed down showed that reading the file only took
fourteen seconds!
3. The really big overhead in writing, aside from extending the file re-
peatedly (which hits the allocation bitmap and FD sector heavily),
turned out to be write verify. Turning write verify off (which is a
device descriptor option) cut the time to write the file (with SS_SSIZ)
down from 1:45 to 0:24.
Correspondence and talking to friends knowledgeable in hardware (which I'm
not! :-) turned up the following:
1. The consensus seems to be that write verify isn't worth it on hard disks.
2. Some other OSs don't even give you a choice! (Evidently MS-DOS and CP/M
assume write without verify.)
So...I guess you have to decide for yourself how you want to do things on
your floppies. Something tells me that I personally will leave it on when
I back up my hard disk--when I have my hard disk working.
James Jones
(This mail treated, as usual, with Lemon-Freshened DISCLAIMO!)
Date: 1 Feb 88 22:12:16 GMT
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From: pete%wlbr@ETN-WLV.EATON.COM (Pete Lyall)
Subject: *NEW* OS9 Users Group Application
Keywords: OS9 USER GROUP
Organization: Eaton IMSD, Westlake Village, CA
Sorry to be cluttering up the lines with all this UG related traffic,
but I was just mailed a *NEW* copy of the OS9 USERS GROUP APPLICATION.
Lest I be charged with propagating out of date info, here 'tis:
=======================================================================
The OS-9 Users Group is an international non-profit
organization of approximately 800 members (and growing) devoted
to exchanging and distributing information about, and public
domain software for, all available versions of the OS-9 Operating
system. The OS-9 Users Group is the only independent group
officially recognized by Microware (the developers of OS-9) as an
official voice of its users.
The OS-9 Users Group periodically publishes a newsletter
entitled "MOTD" which contains many useful articles, software
listings, and other information helpful in keeping OS-9 computing
enjoyable and rewarding. Other membership benefits include free
technical help referrals (by mail or electronic BBS) and
significant discounts on the purchase of individual volumes of
the OS-9 Users Group Public Domain Software Library. One year
memberships in the group cost $25.00 for individuals and $150 for
companies (corporate membership) and includes a subscription to
the MOTD newsletter, one free disk of public domain software
(archive set of entire Library for corporate members), and the
right to purchase additional disks of software at a very
reasonable cost. The group's public domain software library
currently has over 56 individual volumes of software comprised of
almost 300 individual programs. The library is constantly growing
due to the group's policy of sending one volume (disk) from the
library free for each individual program donated by a member. For
more complete information on the OS-9 Users Group, including a
complete catalog listing of (and ordering information for) all
currently available volumes in the Group's public domain software
library, visit the OS-9 Forums on either the CompuServe or Delphi
electronic networks.
To join the OS-9 Users Group, fill out the application form
reproduced below (or facsimile thereof) and send to the address
at the bottom of the form.
Visa and Master Card are accepted.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
OS-9 Users Group
(A non-profit organization)
Application for New or Renewal Membership
Are you applying for a NEW or RENEWAL membership? _______________
Name: ___________________________________________________________
Company Name (for Corporate memberships only):___________________
_________________________________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: _______________________________________________
Country: ________________________________________________________
Telephone Number(s): ____________________________________________
Type of Computer System you are running OS-9 on: ________________
_________________________________________________________________
Format of OS-9 floppy disks you can read:
5.25" _______ 8" _______ 3.5" _______
Single-Sided _______ Double-Sided _______
Single-Density _______ Double-Density _______
Microware Format _______ TRS-80 Color Computer Format _______
Atari ST Format _______ Other OS-9 Format ___________________
CompuServe ID Number: _______________ Delphi ID: _______________
BIX address: _______________ UseNet address: ___________________
GENIE address: ______________ Other BBS address: _______________
Would you be willing to volunteer your time and effort to work on
one of the OS-9 Users Group's committees or run for an office? If
so, please describe the capacity in which you would like to get
involved:
_______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
[ ] Check here if you DO NOT want your name and address printed
in a member directory.
Number of years membership you are enclosing payment for: _______
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS IN THE OS-9 USERS GROUP ARE $25.00 PER YEAR
CORPORATE (COMPANY) MEMBERSHIPS ARE $150 PER YEAR
Type of membership applied for: [ ] Corporate [ ] Individual
(As the OS-9 Users Group is a registered non-profit organization,
any other charitable donations will also be gladly accepted.)
Total Payment enclosed: ___________________
Method of payment: Check Number _____________________
Master Card Number ____________________ Expiration Date _________
Visa Card Number ______________________ Expiration Date _________
Signature: _______________________________________ Date _________
Make all checks payable to "OS-9 Users Group"
Send application to: OS-9 Users Group
ATTN: MEMBERSHIP
1715 East Fowler Ave., Suite R237
Tampa, FL 33612
Please allow 4 to 6 weeks before inquiring about your application.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Shortly after acceptance of your application for new
membership, you will receive a copy of the current issue of the
OS-9 Users Group newsletter ("MOTD"), and soon after that, the
"starter" diskette, UG Library Volume #0, with software of the
type useful in getting you started with both OS9 and the Users
Group. Additional volumes in the OS-9 Users Group Library may be
purchased at a very reasonable cost at any time after your
membership is processed.
Current members who renew their membership will receive a UG
"donation credit" post card, which may be redeemed for most UG
products and services at any time during your membership.
If you have any further questions regarding the OS-9 Users
Group, you should stop in at the "OS-9 Forum" here on CompuServe
by typing "GO OS9" at any prompt; there are a number of
information files in the DL1 section of that forum that will give
you ordering information about the individual volumes of software
available in the Users Group's library. Alternately, you may
contact David Kaleita at CompuServe ID #70150,521 or Delphi ID
"OS9UGPRES", or write to the address given above on the
membership application form.
--
Pete Lyall (OS9 Users Group VP)| DELPHI: OS9UGVP | Eaton Corp.(818)-706-5693
Compuserve: 76703,4230 (OS9 Sysop) OS9 (home): (805)-985-0632 (24hr./1200 baud)
Internet: pete@wlbr.eaton.com UUCP: {ihnp4,scgvax,jplgodo,voder}!wlbr!pete
Date: 4 Feb 88 22:28:28 GMT
------------------------------
From: pete@wlbr.EATON.COM (Pete Lyall)
Subject: Re: 'compress.shar'
Organization: Eaton IMS, Westlake Village, CA
Speaking of tools, that copy of 'SHAR' that came through comp.os.os9 the other
day has caused me some grief - crashes. I altered the makefile a
little bit (I use a 'cc' instead of 'cc1', etc..) and it seemed to
'make' alright. I started to test it by invoking it on its own source
directory... I got about four lines ("#This is a Shell Archive" ...
etc.) before it just hammered the daylight out of the Gimix.
Thoughts??
--
Pete Lyall (OS9 Users Group VP)| DELPHI: OS9UGVP | Eaton Corp.(818)-706-5693
Compuserve: 76703,4230 (OS9 Sysop) OS9 (home): (805)-985-0632 (24hr./1200 baud)
Internet: pete@wlbr.eaton.com UUCP: {ihnp4,scgvax,jplgodo,voder}!wlbr!pete
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The views expressed in OS-9 Discussions are those of the individual authors
only. Copies of digests are available by mail request.
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Moderator: John Daleske cbosgd!cbdkc1!daleske daleske@cbdkc1.ATT.COM
Submissions should go to: cbosgd!os9 os9@cbosgd.ATT.COM
Comments to the moderator cbosgd!os9-request os9-request@cbosgd.ATT.COM
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End of OS-9 Discussions
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