Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!ihnp4!qantel!dual!lll-crg!gymble!umcp-cs!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr!jpm@BNL44.ARPA From: jpm@BNL44.ARPA (John McNamee) Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: AMIGA software in RAM instead of ROM? Message-ID: <1305@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Sat, 7-Sep-85 03:59:43 EDT Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.1305 Posted: Sat Sep 7 03:59:43 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 11-Sep-85 05:14:34 EDT Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA Lines: 64 From: rex ballard Subject: Re: AMIGA software in RAM instead of ROM? Date: 7 Sep 85 02:39:22 GMT Both the Amiga and the ST have delayed putting their operating systems in ROM. LET'S HOPE THEY NEVER DO!!! ... Once an operating system is put in ROM, the machine that contains the ROM, starts to become obsolete. I can only comment on the ST since its been a long time since I looked at the technical specs on the Amiga OS. On the ST there is a clear separation between the OS and the windowing interface. I would like to see GEM VDI and AES put in ROM because they are stable and not likely to be upgraded. In addition, they are quite large and even with 512K of RAM there isn't enough space for user programs when all of GEM/GEMDOS is loaded in RAM. GEMDOS still has bugs and will probably be upgraded a few times. GEM Desktop will also be upgraded at least once during the next year, so it shouldn't be put in ROM either. Note that programmers interface to GEM/GEMDOS via two TRAPs, so later releases could patch out ROM code by taking over the appropriate trap vector. Maybe wth a little luck, we will see third party operating systems that will provide transparency between the ST and AMIGA. There is no reason why a third party couldn't licnese GEM/GEMDOS and move it to the Amiga. That will let the Amiga run ST software. Since the Amiga runs its own OS, Amiga software is a dead end just like the Mac. Micro-ware already has OS-9 for the 68000, maybe they'll port it to these machines. (It may not be true UNIX, but it fits in anything). I doubt Microware will port it, but third parties could do it. I know of one company already looking at doing OS9 for the ST.. How many people would buy a UNIX-like OS for $95.00 (the price for the COCO version)? The only way it could be that cheap is if a high volume license was purchased, which is somewhat expensive (I think there is a $100K up-front advance against royalty payment required). $300 is more like what the price would be. Vendors of multi-user systems now have a 'workstation' complete with graphics for the price of a Terminal. If either company "burns-in" their OS, they will have shut the doors to hundreds of new marketing possibilities. I disagree. There is no reason why ROMs prevent alternate operating systems from being loaded. Can anybody clarify the disk formats on these two machines? AMIGA seems to be using 11 secs/track 512 bytes/sec ATARI seems to be using 9 secs/track 512 bytes/sec Are these figures right? Don't know about the Amiga. The ST figure is correct. Also note that if you connect a 5 inch drive to the ST, you can read and write IBM PC disks (GEMDOS uses the same directory structure). -- John McNamee ..!decvax!philabs!sbcs!bnl44!jpm jpm@BNL44.ARPA