[comp.sys.apple2] P8

lhaider@pro-beagle.cts.com (Laer Haider) (07/08/90)

In-Reply-To: message from dlyons@Apple.COM

Suggestion Dave...  In your next release of the IIgs System Software, it would
be nice to have a GS specific release of P8.  What I'd like to see is the
ability to access more than two drives per slot.  I know there will be some
compatibility problems with current Prodos 8 software, but I'm sure most of
it can be taken into consideration and worked around.  I'm sure there are a
lot of others out there that can think of other improvements to P8.
Oh yea, like access to >32 megs per volume.  :)

Laer Haider
lhaider@pro-beagle.cts.com

dlyons@Apple.COM (David A. Lyons) (07/09/90)

In article <21307.chatter.infoapple@pro-beagle> lhaider@pro-beagle.cts.com (Laer Haider) writes:
>Suggestion Dave...  In your next release of the IIgs System Software, it would
>be nice to have a GS specific release of P8.  What I'd like to see is the
>ability to access more than two drives per slot.  I know there will be some
>compatibility problems with current Prodos 8 software, but I'm sure most of
>it can be taken into consideration and worked around.

(Of course, I'm not in a position to actually *make* this sort of decision,
but I can always investigate and recommend.)

I wouldn't mind being able to get at all my SmartPort devices under
ProDOS 8...that would be cool.  There would have to be "fake" device
numbers (since the device number format has 1 bit for Drive and 3 bits
for Slot, leaving an absolute maximum of 16, maybe 15).  The trick would
be guaranteeing that no properly written ProDOS 8 application would take
a fake device number and wind up accessing the *wrong* device if it went
directly to the $Cnxx firmware based on the device number (see the ProDOS
8 Technical Notes for the things applications are allowed to do).

This could be quite a trick--I'll have to look at it more carefully sometime.

>I'm sure there are a
>lot of others out there that can think of other improvements to P8.
>Oh yea, like access to >32 megs per volume.  :)

By your ":)" I assume you know this, but for lurkers' benefit note that
the ProDOS volume structure is inherently limited to 32 megabytes.
You *can* access AppleShare volumes across an AppleTalk network, and those
volumes can be bigger than 32 megs--*but* there is no access at the block
level.

>Laer Haider
>lhaider@pro-beagle.cts.com

-- 
David A. Lyons, Apple Computer, Inc.      |   DAL Systems
Apple II Developer Technical Support      |   P.O. Box 875
America Online: Dave Lyons                |   Cupertino, CA 95015-0875
GEnie: D.LYONS2 or DAVE.LYONS         CompuServe: 72177,3233
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My opinions are my own, not Apple's.

daveharv@pro-novapple.cts.com (System Administrator) (07/11/90)

In-Reply-To: message from lhaider@pro-beagle.cts.com

> be nice to have a GS specific release of P8.  What I'd like to see is the
> ability to access more than two drives per slot.  I know there will be some

One recent experience with a CD-ROM disk illustrates the need for this.  At
the last National Apple Users Group Conference, a CD-ROM disk was published
with lots of Apple II material on it.  Many user Groups bought this disk.  One
of the first things our user group did was try and run Glen Bredon's
Information Desk so we could get info and a printout of exactly what was on
the disk.  Unfortunately, Information Desk is an 8-bit program, so we could
only printout what was on the first 2 of the 8 volumes on the CD-ROM disk. 
Only after much work were we able to get the printouts for the other volumes.
 
proline: pro-novapple!daveharv                    |
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P.O. Box 8211, Falls Church, VA 22041             |

crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com (Chris Wicklein) (04/16/91)

   To the guy/gal with a ][+ and ProDOS 1.0.1, you can't run the newest
version of ProDOS. For quite a while now, ProDOS has included 65C02 ops and
requires and enh. //e, //c, IIGS, or compatible.
----
ProLine:  crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex
Internet: crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com
UUCP:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein
ARPA:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein@nosc.mil

daveh@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David H. Huang) (04/16/91)

In article <8614@crash.cts.com> crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com (Chris Wicklein) writes:
>
>   To the guy/gal with a ][+ and ProDOS 1.0.1, you can't run the newest
>version of ProDOS. For quite a while now, ProDOS has included 65C02 ops and
>requires and enh. //e, //c, IIGS, or compatible.

No, you can still run the latest version of Prodos (1.9) on a ][+ as
long as you have 64K. For the "new and improved" quit code in 1.9 to
work, you need 128K and an 80 column card though (how stupid). I think
P8 v1.4 had a 65C02 opcode accidentally slipped in, but that's been
fixed for a while now.

>----
>ProLine:  crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex
>Internet: crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com
>UUCP:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein
>ARPA:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein@nosc.mil
-- 
David Huang                              |
Internet: daveh@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu       |    "How much is that hamster
UUCP: ..!ut-emx!ccwf.cc.utexas.edu!daveh |          in the window?"
America Online: DrWho29                  |

jeffb@world.std.com (Jeffrey T Berntsen) (04/17/91)

crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com (Chris Wicklein) writes:


>   To the guy/gal with a ][+ and ProDOS 1.0.1, you can't run the newest
>version of ProDOS. For quite a while now, ProDOS has included 65C02 ops and
>requires and enh. //e, //c, IIGS, or compatible.
>----

This is COMPLETELY WRONG!!!!  The only version of ProDOS (now known as
ProDOS 8) that used 65c02 opcodes was version 1.3, and that was admitted
to be a bug.  What ProDOS DOES require is 64K of RAM (since version 1.0.2;
1.0.1 and earlier would run in 48K).  This means that for a ][+, you have to
have a language card or equivalent RAM card in slot 0.  I have a ][+ (my only
][) that runs ProDOS 8 Version 1.9 without a problem.
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Jeffrey T. Berntsen                 | Looking for a good .sig
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toddpw@nntp-server.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel) (04/17/91)

crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com (Chris Wicklein) writes:

>   To the guy/gal with a ][+ and ProDOS 1.0.1, you can't run the newest
>version of ProDOS. For quite a while now, ProDOS has included 65C02 ops and
>requires and enh. //e, //c, IIGS, or compatible.

Not true. Version 1.3 had a BRA instruction in it but every other version
will work on a 64K ][+ (you do miss out on the new quit code though, but
I've got a replacement for it that kicks Apple's in the butt and works
just fine on a ][+).

BTW, 1.0.2 was the last version that ran in 48K. (I finally called up the
tech note about P8 revisions.)

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu

ronl@pnet91.cts.com (Ron Lewin) (04/17/91)

crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com (Chris Wicklein) writes:
>
>   To the guy/gal with a ][+ and ProDOS 1.0.1, you can't run the newest
>version of ProDOS. For quite a while now, ProDOS has included 65C02 ops and
>requires and enh. //e, //c, IIGS, or compatible.
>----
>ProLine:  crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex
>Internet: crew.wicklein@pro-midnightex.cts.com
>UUCP:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein
>ARPA:     crash!pro-midnightex!crew.wicklein@nosc.mil

Not true at all.  I'm currently using an unmodified ProDOS 8 V1.9 (the current
version) on my Apple II+ with no programs.  There are no 65C02 opcodes in
ProDOS 8.

Please send all replies to:
INet: zoo.toronto.edu!generic!pnet91!ronl
or
    : ronl@pnet91.cts.com

sysadmin@pnet91.cts.com (Matthew Montano) (04/18/91)

jeffb@world.std.com (Jeffrey T Berntsen) writes:
>to be a bug.  What ProDOS DOES require is 64K of RAM (since version 1.0.2;
>1.0.1 and earlier would run in 48K).  This means that for a ][+, you have to
>have a language card or equivalent RAM card in slot 0.  I have a ][+ (my only
>][) that runs ProDOS 8 Version 1.9 without a problem.

ProDOS has required (from day one) a 64k II+, minimum. I have several copies
of version 1.0 of ProDOS, dated January 24, 1984. It has text inside the
binary image containing a message to the effect that it requires 64k.
 
I'm probably only one of millions who'll respond to this... Oh well.. I
haven't posted in a while.

Matthew
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Jeffrey T. Berntsen                 | Looking for a good .sig
>jeffb@world.std.com                 |
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

---
ventureTech Intelligence - We're trying to make computer easy, SOME HOW!
Email: sysadmin@pnet91.cts.com (most mailers won't barf on that..)
My comments aren't even worth a disclaimer...
And the further I get from the things that I care about...
The less I care about how much further away I get   -   Robert Smith, 1989

jeffb@world.std.com (Jeffrey T Berntsen) (04/19/91)

sysadmin@pnet91.cts.com (Matthew Montano) writes:

>jeffb@world.std.com (Jeffrey T Berntsen) writes:
>>to be a bug.  What ProDOS DOES require is 64K of RAM (since version 1.0.2;
>>1.0.1 and earlier would run in 48K).  This means that for a ][+, you have to
>>have a language card or equivalent RAM card in slot 0.  I have a ][+ (my only
>>][) that runs ProDOS 8 Version 1.9 without a problem.

>ProDOS has required (from day one) a 64k II+, minimum. I have several copies
>of version 1.0 of ProDOS, dated January 24, 1984. It has text inside the
>binary image containing a message to the effect that it requires 64k.
> 
>I'm probably only one of millions who'll respond to this... Oh well.. I
>haven't posted in a while.

That's okay.  Neither have I.  ProDOS has NOT required 64K from day one.
Any version 1.0 would boot and run in a 48K machine.  That's not to say
that you could DO much with it.  BASIC.SYSTEM wouldn't run in 48k, and not
much else would either.  The ProDOS exerciser, Filer, Convert, etc. would
run in a 48K machine, as would the macro assembler (Apple's port of the
DOS tool kit assembler to ProDOS).  You could also WRITE assembly language
programs to run in 48K as long as they respected the bitmap of protected
memory areas (something a lot of programs STILL don't do).
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rhood@pro-gsplus.cts.com (Robert Hood) (04/23/91)

In-Reply-To: message from sysadmin@pnet91.cts.com

Re: ProDOS in 48K
 
I have a very old version of Inside Apple ProDOS that lists a patch to make
ProDOS execute in a 48K machine - apparently there is SOME way of getting
around the 64K "requirement"...at least in the early versions.
----
ProLine:  rhood@pro-gsplus                 | "Wherever you go...there you are."
Internet: rhood@pro-gsplus.cts.com         |     -- Buckaroo Banzai
UUCP:     crash!pro-gsplus!rhood           | Wanted: An unZIPper for a II!
ARPA:     crash!pro-gsplus!rhood@nosc.mil  | If you have one, let's chat!