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From: session@uncw.UUCP (Zack C. Sessions)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy
Subject: Re: Radio Shake's coco multitasking?
Message-ID: <1083@uncw.UUCP>
Date: 16 Mar 91 05:08:40 GMT
References: <1991Mar15.164417.548@ucselx.sdsu.edu>
Organization: Univ. of North Carolina at Wilmington
Lines: 49

maxc1553@ucselx.sdsu.edu (InnerTangent - human1) writes:


>	I'm fansnated.  I thought I heard that Tandy coco (6509 motorola)
>multitasks.  Is this true?

>	Could someone here enlighten me with the specifics of this machine?

>	I would like to know how much memory the chip can address, the
>processor speed, (parallel processing chips?), sound, OS, how does it 
>multitask/multiuser, etc.

>	Please supply any informations you have about this machine.  
>	Thank you.

Yes, the CoCo CAN multitask! Mine does all the time! You must have the
OS-9 Operating System for it which Tandy sells (was written by Microware)
You are little late, however, if you are interested because the CoCo
is now offically discontinued by Tandy. (Their offical stock status is
SOWG - Sold Out When Gone)

The 6809 can only address 64K directly, but with the assistance of
a co-processor chip proprietary to Tandy called a GIME. With it
the CoCo3 can address up to 1Meg. My system has 512K. The 6809
or more specifically the 68B09E runs at 1Mhz and 2Mhz. OS9 Level 2
on the CoCo3 always runs the 6809 at the 2Mhz speed. In case you
weren't aware, due to the more efficient machine language set of
instructions and the way a 6809 feteches memory and decodes
instructions, a 2 Mhz 6809 is roughly equivalent to a 6-8 Mhz
8088.

Sound on the CoCo3 is simply a single analog sound generator, more
sophisticated multi-voice sounds can be generated with an optional
piece of hardware called an Orchestra-90/CC. Synthesized speech
can even be generated with another optional piece of hardware
called a Speech Sound Pak.

With OS9 Level 2, the CoCo is a true multi-user, multi-tasking 
computer. OS9 is very similar to UNIX in structure. A system conatins
processes, you can pipe the standard data paths or re-direct them
just like in UNIX, even push a process into the background. I
even have used my CoCo to act as a UUCP site (in fact I personally
know of half a dozen CoCos which are active UUCP sites, in the
official UUCP map).

Anything else you want to know?

Zack Sessions
session@uncw.UUCP