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From: michael@stb.UUCP (Michael)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.tandy
Subject: Re: Ldos vs. NeWDOS
Message-ID: <132@stb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Sep-87 02:57:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: stb.132
Posted: Mon Sep  7 02:57:33 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 9-Sep-87 05:36:16 EDT
References: <52@nancy.UUCP> <18@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> <7863@shemp.UCLA.EDU> <19@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> <94@stb.UUCP> <24@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU>
Reply-To: michael@stb.UUCP (Michael)
Organization: STB BBS, LA, CA, USA, 90402, (213) 459-7231
Lines: 54
Keywords: Dos War

In article <24@umn-d-ub.D.UMN.EDU> rhealey@ub.d.umn.edu (Rob Healey) writes:
>>Ah, but the point of minidos is: Any dos command, except copy, format, and
>>append, load into the sys file overlay area, so a program can load at
>>5200H (or X'5200') and still use dos. (You can copy files with 'mdcopy').
>>
>	LDOS's library commands use 5200h to 5fffh for their load addresses
>	so NewDos get's points in that dept. System calls don't use any
>	area outside of the DOS area tho. How big is the NewDos "Kernal"?
>	The minidos commands must be larger than 256 bytes and the code
>	has to go somewhere. What programs do you use minidos in? For
>	the most part all the model 4 programs allow you to execute a
>	system command from within them. Model 3 Ldos basic does allow
>	use of system library commands via cmd"command".

Kernel is 2.75K, overlay area is 1.25K BASIC uses two overlay areas, the system
one and its own 1.25K overlay, plus a fair amount of "space reuse" to keep
free space large.
So, minidos commands are restricted to fitting within a one gran sys file,
and can be called from any program that either leaves interrupts enabled
or uses the standard key scan code.


>>Well, lets say I wanted 222 files on a disk, but my track size
>>wasn't big enough for that many.
>>NeWDOS lets you chose the directory size from 10 sectors to 30 sectors on
>>any size disk, even if you only have 18 sectors per cylinder.
>>
>	Hmmm, does it hog two tracks for let's say 22 sectors or does it only
>	use the number of sectors that it has to?

Only the number of sectors you tell it to use. Limit is 30 sectors.

>>And yes, when you do raw I/O to the disk you do I/O to a sector number,
>>not a track and sector within track.
>
>	Looks like they made the sector the key unit on NewDos, one could
>	code a sector to cylinder/sector routine fairly easy but I usually
>	operate with files rather than raw sectors. Interesting concept 
>	with the logical sectors and lumps and such. Do they make a model 4
>	version on NewDos? Might be interesting to play with. I basically
>	bought utilitys that compensate for the DOS, zshell for redirection
>	and pipes is the main one. I tend to use programs I wrote myself
>	with C or assembly so that, combined with zshell, I very rarely
>	need to use any system commands beyond dir, format, and backup.

Well, yea, when you use files you just worry about the sector within the file.
But a disk is treated more like a large file.

And no, there is no M4 version. In fact, they made NeWDOS80/V3, but canned
it when R/S announced the 4.
				Michael
-- 
: Michael Gersten		seismo!scgvaxd!stb!michael
: Copy protection? Just say "Off site backup"