Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!cmcmanis From: cmcmanis@sun.uucp (Chuck McManis) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: Disk Device Driver & Cross Development System Message-ID: <49671@sun.uucp> Date: 15 Apr 88 10:49:01 GMT References: <347@midway.ece.scarolina.EDU> <455@sas.UUCP> <49209@sun.UUCP> <348@midway.ece.scarolina.EDU> Reply-To: cmcmanis@sun.UUCP (Chuck McManis) Distribution: na Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View Lines: 57 Keywords: device driver cross development In article <348@midway.ece.scarolina.EDU> (Stuart Anderson) writes: ->In article <455@sas.UUCP> walker@sas.UUCP (Doug Walker) writes: ->>I assume you want something below the level of trackdisk.device? If not, [ Actually I wrote that ...] ->Correct, I would like to have to be able to implement my own device driver ->and not use trackdisk.device. I not only want to "take over the machine", ->but I would like to expell everything that is there. If this does turn ->out to be too much of a problem, I will look into letting the ->trackdisk.device stay around and use it as long as it doesn't depend too ->heavily on other parts of the 'ROM' which may not be there anymore (especially ->interupt service routines). Can anyone say XINU?? I can say XINU, but expelling the ROM (where trackdisk.device lives) would mean that you couldn't run Amiga programs even if you wanted to. And I assume you will be burning the XINU kernel into ROM to replace it ? My guess is that if you rewrite the software, including replacing all of Kickstart you have a 10 manyear project on your hands (if you do it in under two years I can guaruntee you a job a Sun :-)). I think you can say "maybe not worth it" ? Still, the answer is get the hardware manual from CATS and the developers conference notes. Everything you need is in there. ->But will it run on an NCR Tower? Let me clarify my idea some. -> ->I have the SOURCE for the pdc and the assembler and compiled them under UN*X. ->What I was thinking was to find the source to a linker that could compile ->under UN*X (or dos or whatever). This would provide a PD cross developement ->system that can run on (almost) any machine. In <49209@sun.UUCP> the problem ->was brought up about the standard library. One solution (depending on ->legalities ) would be to use the one that came with the C compiler you ->normally use (assuming you have one) since it has been stated that the ->amiga.lib would work so would lc.lib. Another solution would be to ->develope a PD library. I have seem a couple of PD libraries (tiny.lib, etc.) ->but don't remember there contents. ARP is PD so maybe we could start with it. Several points. Amiga.lib just calls routines in the ROM, if you blow it away (the ROM) none of the libraries for the Amiga will be of any use. That means you will need source to the libraries you use. Both Manx and Lattice will sell those sources but they aren't cheap. Second point ARP IS NOT PD! It is freely distributable but it is COPYRIGHTED. You could use it but you can't sell it. As I have said before, the Amiga makes an excellent O/S development platform, primarily because you don't have to blow away the existing O/S to develop a new one. Replace it a piece at a time until it is all working. I don't want to discourage you, doing is the best way to learn, but my feeling is that you haven't grasped how much you can do without driving around with a bull dozer. It sounds like trying to design a new car by machining new parts out of a block of steel. -- --Chuck McManis uucp: {anywhere}!sun!cmcmanis BIX: cmcmanis ARPAnet: cmcmanis@sun.com These opinions are my own and no one elses. But you knew that, didn't you.