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From: shawn%mit-dspg@BRL.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Plea for help
Message-ID: <14863@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 18-Dec-83 08:28:33 EST
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.14863
Posted: Sun Dec 18 08:28:33 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Dec-83 00:27:11 EST
Lines: 49


I am currently running V1.2 of TRS-XENIX, (the tandy V7 port, or should I
say, the MicroSoft port, they both got there hands on it!).

Now, its not as bad as it sounds. It runs ok, as v7 unix goes, and it
seems to run somewhat fast in single user mode. But it has a great many
kernel bugs, along with some support program bugs, and some I have
not even found yet, I'm sure. Amoung all this, and thease programs, is
a program by the name 'z80ctl', now, for you out in the world who don't
know how the 16 is put together, its got 1 68000, which runs with a z80
doing the housekeeping, and x amount of memory, (they would only give
me 512K).

Now, I have reason to beleive that the z80 control program has a serious
bug in how it deals with the modem. However, (and this is why I am
sending this now); MicroSoft Won't even talk to me, cause I'm NOT a
HARDWARE OEM, and If I was, only for > 80K. (to fix a modem, that's
a bit much). Tandy has a different approach, they deny the problem exsists
at all, and tell you "I'm sure if you read the manual". I'v been hacking
V7 unix for > (2 3 4) years now, I don't need the manual! But, as a last
resort, I read theres. I got no more then I thought I woud, (oh, ok,
I got this deep feeling of 'BRAIN DAMAGE!', but other then that, nothing).

Well, they were nice enough NOT to strip the kernel, but, they stripped
*EVERYTHING* else. Right on down to 'cat' for god sakes.

This leads us to my request; to help me debug this problem, or even figure
out where it is comeing from, or get any idea what they are/aren't doing
in the z80 control program: "Does ANYONE have ANYTHING to hack wirh
(with) stripped programs?!".

I know, "You can't work with a stripped binary", but that's NOT TRUE.
And If I have to prove this, I will be working all winter on it,
but the way I see it, if 'UNIX' can read it, so can a simulator of
some type. (gross idea, eh?), a kernel simulator could read it in,
and figure out, each instruction, and print them to the tty as
they are requested, its gross, but the only way I can think of at this
point. But like I said, it would take me forever to write something
like this, and I am sure someone out there is in somewhat of the same
shoes I am, (or had been at one time), can anyone help?

Sorry for the length of this letter, I try not to send them often,
but this thing with no support, no bug input, no help, no NOTHING,
from anyone, has driven me up a wall, and if I have to, I am at the
point of disassembling all of my software just to be able to do my
own support. (ain't dealing with OEM's and tandy fun kiddies?!).

		Yours In Hacking,
		  -- Shawn