[Coco] CoCoNet beta release

[Roger Taylor]

At 04:53 PM 1/1/2010, you wrote:
>Roger Taylor wrote:
>>>
>>>No ROM is needed. With just and 2 POKEs and 2 EXECs, I can make a 
>>>CoCo 3 DLOAD a program from a DLOAD server. The thing is, most of 
>>>the DLOAD code is still there. Only the first few bytes are 
>>>missing, and they are not that essential.
>>
>>I realize this since I've already fiddled with this stuff years 
>>ago, but it's too much work to ask someone to poke around to get 
>>something to work.  People will forget how to do it, especially the 
>>older we get.  :)
>Well, this is your opinion, but I disagree with you. 2 POKEs and 2 
>EXECs are just a few more characters to type in than DLOAD plus a 
>filename. One could put a sticker on his CoCo with the 40 some 
>characters he needs to type in. I do believe a lot of people will 
>never order a new ROM for their disk controller, a ROMPak or 
>whatever extra hardware is needed to get them started with DriveWire 
>or CoCoNet. Some people don't even own a disk controller with drives.

Perhaps you can find an entry point to where somebody can just type 
EXEC $$$$ to initiate the DLOAD "" command.  I found a bug in DLOAD 
years ago so I never tried to push the idea much further than putting 
a little bit of support in my Rainbow IDE.


>My opinion is that if you chose to buy and install a custom ROM, then
>you don't really need DLOAD at all. I mean, if your custom ROM 
>contains DriveWire or CoCoNet, you already have access to virtual 
>disk drives served by the PC. Why would you need DLOAD on top of that?


My opinion is that Mark Hawkins and his gang really screwed up the 
CoCo 3 but I understand it was due to unrealistic deadline 
pressure.  This sounds exactly like the company I work for... set 
unrealistic goals and if they achieve 75% of that, it's like 
achieving 99% of the actual possible goal.
I wish they would have left DLOAD alone, but they didn't.  The 
process the ROM code goes through before the cursor appears is 
abolutely terrible and embarassing, if you ask me.  Try to follow it 
and you're going to need a bottle of Advil.

-- 
~ Roger Taylor