Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!purdue!haven!adm!smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: GS blues
Message-ID: <14045@smoke.BRL.MIL>
Date: 7 Oct 90 08:26:43 GMT
References: <9010060500.aa13481@generic.UUCP>
Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD.
Lines: 42

In article <9010060500.aa13481@generic.UUCP> ericmcg@pnet91.UUCP (Eric Mcgillicuddy) writes:
>GSOS is a 32- bit OS  the likes of which Mac users will not see until
>Jan. '91.  Unfortunately it sits on top of an 8-bit FST. 

??  Operating systems are not measured in such terms.  (If you think they
are, then tell me how many bits UNIX "is".)  The main problem with the
ProDOS FST, whish is the only one that GS/OS supports at present that is
suitable for general disk file storage, is that it has a limit of 32MB
per volume (logical filesystem).  That is due to the data format used in
representing the filesystem on disk, but has essentially nothing to do
with "8 bits" or "32 bits".  Early UNIX filesystems had similar limits
that were raised substantially in later versions; in fact the size of a
single file used to be limited in practice to 32MB, and the system calls
for positioning an open file descriptor (file pointer) within a file
required two separate invocations, one to position to a 512-byte block
within +- 32KB and the second to fine-tune the offset to the desired
byte within the selected block neighborhood.  This was later replaced by
a system call capable of directly positioning at any byte within a 4GB
file.  Even later, UNIX was generalized to simultaneously support
multiple types of filesystems, much as GS/OS now does.  This in theory
permits addition of new filesystems with larger limits than the ProDOS
filesystem has, without breaking existing applications.  For some reason,
Apple has not released an HFS or similar FST that would actually achieve
this.  (AppleShare does not count.  Few individuals can afford to set up
a second computer, in fact a Macintosh, to act as a "file server".)

>The GS is the finest personal computer on the market today. It makes me
>angry to see it ignored for no reason.

The Apple IIGS was certainly the most capable personal computer that I
could afford in 1986 (I think it was), and it had the tremendous
advantage of being able to utilize the majority of the Apple II software
that I had already accumulated by then.  With addition of homebrew hard
disks, accelerators, etc. it is still a very capable competitor to any
other affordable home system.  Its biggest lack has been in software
development support.  We're just now starting to see a usable C
compilation system, for example, and it's still not up to par.  Since
any system that is REALLY going to "empower the individual" needs to
support effective programming, this has been a serious problem.  Apple's
solution seems to be to assume that you have to be developing software
for sale, so that you can afford to buy a separate Macintosh system to
develop your IIGS applications on.  That is really dumb..