Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!decvax!decwrl!aim.dec.com!goldstein
From: goldstein@aim.dec.com (fred, k1io@FN42jk, +1 617 486 7388)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: RTX, MT-C shell, TOS compatibility?
Message-ID: <8802051700.AA01475@decwrl.dec.com>
Date: 5 Feb 88 18:23:00 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 33

Dave Beckemeyer's comments recently have been interesting.  Before I
even bought my ST in 1986, I had asked around about multi-tasking
options, and saw MT-C shell.  But not having a hard disk and not being
a "unuch", I didn't really have much use for it.

Now he generously suggests making Micro-RTX, the multitasking back
end, free.  This would allow software developers to write to a "standard"
method of multitasking (where "standard" means "the one that's free so
everybody can use it").  And, I suppose, he could still _sell_ both
the developer's kits and MT-C shell.  I sense a nice business plan 
here:  Give away the back end and get enough volume to sell the rest.
If I were in his shoes I'd probably figure it's worth a try.

But that gets down to my real question:  How much of TOS is really
replaced by RTX or by the other BDT products?  It sounds as if they
really rewrote TOS into a multi-tasking OS.  If that's true, and if
it really will run existing software (my 40-odd floppies of applications;
I'm not a developer), then it may be worth paying for.  Just to get the
original's bugs out!

So, will MTC-shell and/or Micro-RTX do the following?

                        MTC                          RTX

Run existing non-GEM programs, like MicroEmacs?
	In the background?
Run exisitng GEM programs, like Uniterm?
	With others in the background?
	Switch between GEM programs?
	Switch between non-GEM and GEM programs?

What limitations are there?  Thankx.
          fred