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From: toddpw@tybalt.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: How is GS/OS related to ProDos 8 or 16?
Message-ID: <1990Aug28.014507.20308@laguna.ccsf.caltech.edu>
Date: 28 Aug 90 01:45:07 GMT
References: <498@tci.UUCP>
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Organization: California Institute of Technology
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mitchell@tci.UUCP (Rob Mitchell) writes:

>	What does ProDos 8 or 16 do?  Are these just file systems of
>different block sizes or what?

Both Prodos 8 and 16 use the same, .5K block filesystem. Prodos 8 is designed
to run on the older 8-bit Apple //'s, from the ][+ to the //c+, as well as on
the GS in its 'emulation mode' which means it is pretending that it is an
enhanced Apple //e. Prodos is really just a 'disk operating system', meaning
that it manages disks (and clocks, incidentally) but by and large leaves
everything else to the application.

Prodos 16 is simply a GS native version of Prodos, and does not include all the
graphics things normally associated with the finder et al. either -- it showed
some inklings of real O/S'ness and was defined fairly well, but it really does
not deliver because you are still on your own when it comes to anything the
toolbox can't handle. (Which is quite a lot, but only the foundations of a real
O/S are provided along with the desktop, sound, and system tools.)

GS/OS is the _real_ O/S. It provides file-system-independent O/S functions,
full character and block device driver support, and probably a few other
goodies that I don't know about, because I haven't got my hands on GS/OS ref 1
yet.

>GS/OS have the Finder, Desktop, System, etc. files located in it?

GS/OS is more the equivalent of System. Finder is a GS/OS application like any
other, and the Desktop file is implemented in a totally different manner than
the Mac. (If anybody at Apple is listening: does the Finder or the FST handle
the desktop data implementation? If it's Finder, than naughty naughty, it
should be the FST!!)

> I don't have a copy of GS/OS, ie. it didn't come with my new
>Apple IIGS; I've been looking at some game s/w that can boot from the
>floppy drive.

Blech! Do you have FTP?

>	What's a good source of overall GS descriptions and explanations?
>I didn't get any manuals from the Computer Store, either.

Double Blech. What kind of Computer Store is this? Maybe you should shell out
the $45 to order GS/OS new -- you get two really nice manuals telling you how
to use the system, although most of it will be old hat from the mac. It will
probably help, though, because certain things are implemented differently
(improved, I could say, but that's my opinion) than the mac.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ tybalt.caltech.edu