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From: belmonte@svax.cs.cornell.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
Newsgroups: net.micro.6809
Subject: Re: Coco-III sighted and captured!
Message-ID: <599@svax.cs.cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 14-Oct-86 15:51:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: svax.599
Posted: Tue Oct 14 15:51:12 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 15-Oct-86 21:37:51 EDT
References: <547@sdcc7.ucsd.EDU>
Distribution: net
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept.
Lines: 36
Summary: OS9 & the CoCo

In article <547@sdcc7.ucsd.EDU>, ln63fhl@sdcc7.ucsd.EDU (David Cook) writes:
> I am very interested in the CoCo & os9 (multitasking!) but
> 	 would like to know a few things first:
> 	 *	How slow is CoCo + os9 (don't be coy, please)
OS9 is a very nice operating system.  The problem w/ running it on the CoCo is
that the CoCo just wasn't designed for multitasking.  In particular, disk
accesses are slow.  They slow down the whole system, because there is no DMA.
The disk controller plays w/ the HALT* line to the 6809, so nothing can get
any work done.
Any type of disk access will make the serial port (the original bit-banger, but
not the fancy, expensive RS232 add-on card) drop characters.  The serial port's
RD line is just 1 bit of a PIA (a parallel i/o chip).  it's read in a delay
loop, so every time you need something from the serial port, the whole machine
gets hogged for a fraction of a second.
> 	 *      Where do you get os9 and how much?
It depends what you mean by "os9."  I've forgotten R/S's prices, but you'll
need software -- languages or applications or whatever.
which brings us to the next topic...
>          *	How much software is out there?
there is alot of PD OS9 software floating around on bbs's.  there's also alot
on CompuServe's OS9 SIG (Go OS9).  Perhaps people could be more specific about
it if you specify a particular application or group of applications.  There's
a CoCo bbs list published every now & then in the _Rainbow_, and there's also
a column by Dale Puckett called "KISSable OS9" which helps when you're first
trying to find your way around OS9.
If I were you, I'd get an Amiga or ST and run OSK (if you have the funds).
OSK, from what I've seen of it, seems much more polished than 6809 OS9.
...& on those machines, you don't run into memory limitations (as much) & don't
end up cursing the hardware you're stuck w/ (as much).
-- 
"Logic dictated that logic did not apply."
	-- Spock, "The Galileo Seven"
Matthew Belmonte
ARPA:  <belmonte@rocky.cs.cornell.edu> <belmonte@svax.cs.cornell.edu>
BITNET:  <d25y@cornella> <d25y@crnlvax5>
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