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From: cmm1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Christopher M Mauritz)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: TT TOS (and operating systems in general
Keywords: TOS OSs carts???
Message-ID: <1991Jan7.000443.22225@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
Date: 7 Jan 91 00:04:43 GMT
References: <3203@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>
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In article <3203@gmuvax2.gmu.edu> scoile@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Steve Coile) writes:
>
>   Regarding the disk-based TOS, why not put TOS on cartridge???  For
>that matter, why not just base all operating systems in cartridge?
>Think about the advantages!!  Upgrades would be a simple matter of
>bringing the old cart in and exchanging it for the new (plus a small fee
>I suppose).  Changing operating systems would just be a matter of
>changing cartridges.  A cartridge based OS wouldn't take up an RAM (as
>would a disk based), nor would it take any time to load (again, as would
>a disk based OS).  From what I understand, carts can hold a LOT.  The
>Lynx cards (for those who have seen them) hold upwards of 2 MEG!!!!!!
>If they can hold that much, just think how much of an OS you could put
>in one cartridge!!!  By way of price, the physical aspect of the cart
>doesn't cost THAT much (carts for most game machines cost between $30
>and $40, and SOME of that has to be for the software).  Can anyone tell
>me why this ISN'T a good idea???

I'm not sure, but I seem to remember that the cartidge port could
only address 128K.  (I could very well be mistaken, I'm not really
a techie.)

As for the OS updates, I think the best policy I've seen so far is
at Apple.  You can anonymous FTP over to Apple.Com and get the latest
version.  Now THAT'S what I call service.

>
>-Steve "Stevers!" Coile   SCOILE@GMUVAX.BITNET  scoile@gmuvax2.gmu.edu

Cheers,

Chris

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Chris Mauritz                 |D{r det finns en |l, finns
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