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Path: utzoo!utcsri!ubc-vision!alberta!sask!long
From: long@sask.UUCP (Warren Long)
Newsgroups: net.micro.atari
Subject: Re: --- 16/32k Action! cart. ---
Message-ID: <317@sask.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 12:38:36 EST
Article-I.D.: sask.317
Posted: Mon Jan 13 12:38:36 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 13-Jan-86 17:48:33 EST
References: <8601110127.AA06457@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Organization: University of Saskatchewan, CANADA
Lines: 32

> Someone filled in the blank on my comment about the bank selection
> abilities of Action!.  I suggested it might be 32k (there was a 
> question mark after that estimate) and Ray supplied the proper 8k
> figure.  He added that only 8k is in memory at once.  This might
> not be true.  According to the documentation, if used in conjunction
> with the DOS-XL (the advancement from OS/A+, also by OSS), there is
> the possibility that you can access 4 of the 8k that the Action!
> cart seems to occupy, reducing the total occupancy to a minimum
> of 4k!  (NOTE: I havn't TRIED this, just reporting the possibility...)
> 
> Does anyone know if DOS-XL is really required to do this trick?
> 
> 			-Richard Hartman
> 			max.hartman@ames-vmsb
> ------


This is  just off the top of my head....

The ACTION (and BASIC XL) cartridgesare what OSS calls 
'Supercartridges'.  They bank-select different segments of ROM
into the memory map.  I believe they are 16K carts.

The reason that DOS XL (and the new SPARTA DOS) use less memory when
used with a supercartridge is that they load part of DOS.SYS in the
ram that is 'under' the cartridge.  This can only be done with
supercartridges because they contain the hardware necessary to
'switch' themselves out of the memory.

			       Warren Long
			       University of Saskatchewan
			       CANADA