Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!newstop!sun!imagen!atari!apratt
From: apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: TOS
Message-ID: <1550@atari.UUCP>
Date: 12 Jun 89 18:39:05 GMT
References: <8906090105.AA10969@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Reply-To: apratt@atari.UUCP (Allan Pratt)
Organization: Atari (US) Corporation, Sunnyvale, California
Lines: 23

In article <8906090105.AA10969@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> WOODALLP@VAX1.BHAM.AC.UK
writes:
> I have seen mention of TOS 1.0 and TOS 1.2, in Britain I have not seen
> any mention of these numbers [...]

Sversion() only gives the version number for GEMDOS, and that didn't
change between original ROMs and Mega ROMs.  The TOS version number is
available as the second word of the OS header, whose address can be
found at _sysbase, $4f2.  Original RAM TOS and also original ROM TOS
were both 1.0 (regrettably), but since RAM TOS is no longer supported
this isn't a big deal.  Mega TOS was 1.2 (with more changes than you
think), and the new TOS (available now to USA developers -- write J. 
Patton at Atari for info) is 1.4.  By "x.y" I mean the first byte of
that word is x and the second one is y. 

NEVER NEVER NEVER use an absolute address like $FC0000 because if we
ever move the ROM start address (HINT HINT) your program won't work! The
only absolute addresses in any TOS program should refer to published
system variables or hardware things like interrupt vectors. 

============================================
Opinions expressed above do not necessarily	-- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp.
reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else.	  ...ames!atari!apratt