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From: steve@wlbr.UUCP (Steve Childress)
Newsgroups: net.micro.6809
Subject: Re: OS9
Message-ID: <374@wlbr.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Oct-85 13:16:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: wlbr.374
Posted: Tue Oct  8 13:16:45 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Oct-85 13:31:21 EDT
References: <288@sask.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Eaton IMS, Westlake Village, CA
Lines: 46
Summary: OS9 on homebrew is not too painful

In article <288@sask.UUCP>, clay@sask.UUCP (Clay Cederstrand) writes:
> As a long time FLEX user on a homebrew SS50C system I have always been
> intrigued by OS9. I would be interested in finding out how to bring up
> OS9 on homebrew system without having to rob the US mint in order to
> finance it. I have never seen a "general purpose OS9", as exists with
> FLEX, with all the necessary documentation to install machine specific
> device drivers.
> 
> Any hints, pointers, or information gratefully accepted.
> 

1. You can (but not legally) run the CoCo OS9 application progs on an
    SS50 machine. The price differences seem to be a marketing issue.

2. I ran FLEX-9 in 1979-81 but abandoned it for OS9. When I run FLEX now,
    it reminds me of CP/M-80 circa 1977.

3. On getting OS9 up on your homebrew: I did this, sort of. Microware
   supplied an OS9 version which expected the floppy disk controller to
   be the ancient SWTPC DC-3 which is merely a WD-1771 chip hung on
   a particular SS-30 card slot. That version also expected a MC6850
   UART in SS-30 slot 0. The boot code is in EPROM which took up precious
   memory space.

   With this synergy, I was able to boot the standard OS9. From there,
   I was able to reconfigure it for my machine's real-time-clock interrupt,
   non-standard printer port, etc.

   If your machine is vastly different than any standard configuration
   offered by Microware, you should be able to use a CoCo to write disk
   and console drivers, build a boot disk, and write your own disk boot.
   That's similar to what I did to achieve an APPLE II OS9, except the
   development machine was an SS50 machine. 

		Regards,
			Steve Childress
			Eaton IMS    R&D Group MS 43 
			31717 La Tienda Drive
			Westlake Village,  CA    91360
			(818) 889-2211 X2148
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