The Rainbow Vol. 09 No. 01 - August 1989 - TRS-80 Color ...

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74 For the CoCo user, there are really only a few choices when it comes to OS-9, and some of these choices depend on your hardware setu p; that is, the type of CoCo and peri pheral equipment you have. In fact, if you have a CoCo I or 2, and have 64K of memory, you are limited to OS-9 Level I. There are several versions of OS-9 Level l. The most widely-known and -u sed by CoCoists are releases 1.00.0 I and 2. 00.0 I. (See Figure I below for minimum system requirements.) The diffe rences between these versions include upgraded graphics capabil ity, hard drive support, and some " bell s and whistles" that make 0Sr9 Levell a little easier and more convenient to li ve with. In earl y OS-9 clays, Level I was the only version avail able anywhere for any _computer. L evel II users must have 128K of RAM to run OS-9, and as you may surmise, this is where the CoCo 3 comes in . The CoCo 3 comes with 128K RAM standard, just enough to support important elements like windows, extended graphics and the M ulti-Vue operating environment. OS-9 Level II is really "shoe-horned" into the 128K machines, and if you are at all considering becoming a seri ous user, it is strongly suggested that yo u upgrade to 5 12K. While it is poss ible to operate OS-9 from a single di sk drive, at least one more d ri ve is strongly suggested for any real use of OS-9 - the bigger the drive the better. If you are making a hobby of OS-9, you will probably need a hard dri ve before you know it. See Figure I. Level I Level II Level I Level II --- Requires 64K RAM YES NOI Confi guration Menu N0 4 YES Requires 128K RAM NO ,y Es Enhanced Command Set NO YES Requires CoCo 3 NO YES Self-Booting With DOS Command YES YES Supports 7 Windows NO YES Hi gher Processing Speed NO YES Utilizes 512K N0 2 YES Supports 2 Modem Ports N0 4 YES Advanced Graphics N0 3 YES Prints at 9600 Baud N0 9 YES Runs Multi-Vue NO YES Supports Multiple One Disk Drive Required YES 8 YES 8 Hi-Res Displays NO YES Supports Hard Disk N0 4 YES Easy-to-understand Manuals NO' YES 6 Supports Double- Sided Disk N0 4 YES Supports Analog RGB Monitors NO YES 7 Supports 40-Track Disks N0 4 YES Supports Composite Supports 80-Track Drives N0 4 YES Monitors N0 7 YES Footnotes : I . OS -9 Level II requires 128K minimum to opera te. 5. Most users wo uld argue that th ese manuals are unders!anclable on ly to a soft ware engineer with a degree in programmin g. Some might disagree th at 2. Hard ware is available to upg rade to 5 12K. which might then be utili zed the manuals are user-hostile. by OS-9 in 64K bloc ks. 6. Most use rs agree th at the OS-9 Le ve l l I manuals, while still q ui 1e rigorous, 3. There is some support for advanced graph ics in later versions of OS-9 parti cularl y to the nov ice, are usab le and understandab le to the user, mak ing Levell such as Levell version 2.00.0 1. T his is limited by th e hard ware or th e manuals to Level II user- understandable, not qui te use r- fri endly. the CoCo i!Se lf. no1 specifically by OS-9. 7. Hard ware limitati on of CoCo I and 2. 4. Software is available such as SDisk by D.P. Johnson and o1her u1ili1ies from third pa rt y vendors to suppo rt device dri vers to use other th an sing le- 8. You can run OS-9 on one disk dri ve. but a minimum of two is strongly sided double-dens i1y 35-lrack dri ves. and other devices such as hard drives. suggested. More serious users will like ly need a hard d ri ve as well. modem packs, speec h synthesizers. etc. There is some li mited suppon for more !h an s1anctard support 111 OS-9 Level I Version 2.00.0 I. 9. OS -9 Leve l I Ve rs ion 1.00.0 I prints a1 a maxim um rate of 2400 baud. 0 THE RAINBOW August 1989 Figure 1: OS-9 Level I vs. OS-9 Level II
Tandy has ensured this place for the Color Computer. They are throwing in all their support to it, and we know the CoCo will be around for a long time to come. Of course, OS-9 users can relax and breathe easier, because long after the CoCos are gone (if they ever go), OS-9 wi ll still be there. A Rainbow of Colorful Applications OS-9 is exciting, new, and on the forefront of what is to come. But what good is any of that if you can 't get the computer to work for you? What is needed is the right tool forthe right job, and with OS-9 you can be assured of finding exactly what you need. Word processors, spreadsheets, communications, databases and high-level lan guages are all there for the asking. One of the things that makes OS-9 so powerful is its ability to use available tools. That is to say, if someone has already written a program that plays "The Star Spangled Banner," you do not have to reinvent the wheel by writing it again for incorporation into your own patriotic program. You may be able to utilize the program like taking a book out of a library. Another powerful feature ofOS-9 is that with in a relatively short period of time, a user can learn how to make his or her own ideas work with a minimum of programming effort. For new users, this is not as important as finding software to get the job done for you now, not when you have learned enough to do it yourself. The following is an extensive list of software applications available to the CoCo user. The list is comprised entirely of products and companies advertised in THE RAIN BOW. (Products highly recommended for new users are preceded by an asterisk.) Tandy Corporation OS-9 Levell and OS-9 Level II operating systems: Tandy has li censed OS-9 from the original manufacturer, Microware Systems Corporation. OS-9 runs on 6809 computers like the CoCo 1, 2 and 3, and a globespanning array of other computers, including the 68000 series computers. Mufli-Vue: This is an excellent windowing system designed to take advantage of the capabilities of OS-9 Level II windows and the CoCo 3. It has a major shortfall when used on a 128K system, in that you can keep only one Lo-Res window open at a time. If you are serious about Multi-Vue and OS-9, you must have 5 l2K to get good use of the program. With a combination of 5 12K RAM and multiple drives or a hard disk, this is a great way to use the CoCo to its full poten- tial, by running a number of different programs si multaneously in separate windows · (see photo below). OS-9 Development System: This is a series of software tools, bundled together and sold as a package called development tools from Tandy. They are neither the best, fastest, strongest, nor fullest-featured, but they can get the job done. The system includes an interactive debugger for testing programs and accessing the CoCo's memory; a screen editor (SC RED) for editing text, but this has too few formatting commands for use as a serious word processor; and a Relocating Macro Assembler (RMA), which functions as a macro assembler and linkage editor. RMA lets you write, test and then assemble separate parts of the program. Utili ties include Mak e, which helps keep track of programs and files that need to be updated because of system changes; Touc h, which updates the modification date of files; and a virtual disk or RAM disk driver for high-speed storage in RAM - just don 't forget to save the information on the RAM disk before shutting off the system. Lastly, there is a set of 12 commands for OS-9 that make life a little easier when programming. OS-9 Pascal Version 2.0: This high-level, structured computer language was originally written to provide simple solutions to complex problems, and to actually teach programming. The OS-9 version is very faithful to industry standard, and has a native source code translator that can run programs at four to five times the speed of the compiler using P-code methods. This version cannot teach you Pascal, but does include references for learning it. Pascal is not as popular as C, or some of the other languages that now make code (programs) easier to transfer and translate between computer systems of different types. OS-9 C Compiler: This is a programmer's language. It is one of the most popular and powerful programming languages available today. It produces programs that are very easy to move to computer systems of different types. C works in terrific combination with the 6809 (CoCo) and OS-9 (like UNIX), since all three were essentially made for each other. It is not an instruction manual, but a reference manual (not for beginners). TIS Word, TIS Edit, TIS Spell: This versatile set of three programs makes a good, solid word processing trio for everyday use. The heart ofthese three separately sold programs is TIS Edit (also available under RS-DOS), which is a screen-editor type program. Don't expect miracles from this package, but it can handle the basics well. Tl S Word is a formatting system that works on any OS-9 text fi le, a,lthough it is specifically geared for TIS Edit files. It is a graphically-oriented program, which shows you what your printed pages will look like, and then allows you to print or edit them. It is interesting, very easy to use, and sophisticated enough for general purpose everyday use. TIS Spell also works with any OS-9 text file, and spell-checks it for you. TIS Spell has a full-featured correction capability against a 100,000-word master dictionary and a quick dictionary of more commonly used words. The combination makes for a relatively fast, effective spell checker. This program requires a little knowledge about OS-9 pathnames and command formats. * DeskMate: This integrated set of programs for the CoCo 1, 2 or 3 was what all the rage was about four years ago, when it was introduced for the CoCo. It was an instant hit running under OS-9, and turned the attentions of many users towards OS-9 for the first time. DeskMate is versatile and easy to learn and use with a mouse and icons. It has calculator, filer, telecom, text, paint and spreadsheet programs to work with. They are all bare bones as far as programs are concerned, but can make a good introduction to OS-9, or if your needs are very simple and straightforward make for a very easy-to-use little package. Don't count on any serious text or number crunching or graphics masterpieces. It does include an excellent manual, one of the best for OS-9 applications. * DeskMate 3: This is a rewrite of Desk Mate to take advantage of the CoCo 3's upgraded capabilities. * Phantomgraph: This package allows the graphing of data, either input from the keyboard or from a spreadsheet file (like DynaCalc). It provides good graphing capabilities for the CoCo 3, and a good demonstration of OS-9. DynaCalc: This is the be all, do all and end all of OS-9 spreadsheets. Watch out, Lotus August1989 THE RAINBOW 75
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The Rainbow Vol. 09 No. 01 - August 1989 - TRS-80 Color ...

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