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From: dragon@trwspf.TRW.COM (Roger Vossler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Why doesn't Commodore release Amiga source? (was dv2iff & tcp/ip)
Message-ID: <431@trwspf.TRW.COM>
Date: Tue, 22-Sep-87 19:42:06 EDT
Article-I.D.: trwspf.431
Posted: Tue Sep 22 19:42:06 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 26-Sep-87 00:37:39 EDT
References: <503@louie.udel.EDU> <1929@umd5.umd.edu> <775@sugar.UUCP> <156@splut.UUCP> <3866@zen.berkeley.edu>
Reply-To: dragon@trwspf.UUCP (Roger Vossler)
Organization: TRW - Data Systems Lab., Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 42

In article <3866@zen.berkeley.edu> bryce@hoser.berkeley.edu (Bryce Nesbitt) writes:
*In article <156@splut.UUCP> stu@splut.UUCP (Stewart Cobb) writes:
*>
*>   Why hasn't Commodore released the source to the operating system?
*>
*The worst problem would be the detailed internal knowlege that people
*would have about the OS.  Many of them can't be trusted.  Some things
*are much better off as "Black Boxes" because they can, will, or should
*change.
* [text deleted]
*What Commodore *should* do, in my opinion, is release source to a lot
*of the device-specifc stuff.  Here I mean printer drivers and such.
*
*The source can only be used in an Amiga-specific way, and would promote
*better drivers.

I totally agree: only release source code for device drivers and, perhaps,
some specific handlers. At TRW, we have about 25 Liliths for which we have
all of the Modula-2 source code, including the operating system, MEDOS-2. 
Keeping track of all the changes that we have hacked into our code is a
serious problem for us (and we know how to do it, too), particularly,
since the code is so easy to change and "improve". MEDOS-2 V5.2 is about
10,000 lines of Modula-2 source code which, BTW does some resource
tracking.

Now, my question for some Amiga Wizards, since I don't know too much about
the internals of AmigaDOS (yet): How hard would it be to graft another
operating system onto the AmigaDOS kernel and how would one basically go
about doing it? For example, MINIX-like or something like MEDOS-2? How much of
the stuff in ROMs is required to run the Amiga as opposed to just booting it
up? It seemed that when everything in Kickstart was in WCS, the problem of
grafting on another OS kernel was much simpler (relatively).

It seems to me that hooking in another OS somehow permits the OS People to
work to their hearts content (as in the MINIX world) and yet at the same
time not disrupt a foundation upon which other people are trying to build a
commercial base. Thanks for your time.
-- 
-- Roger Vossler
   TRW, Bldg O2-1395, One Space Park, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
   BIX: rvossler      UseNet: dragon@trwspf.trw.com
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