[Coco] origins of OS-9

Sun Mar 7 22:02:15 EST 2010

On Sun, Mar 7, 2010 at 9:42 PM,  <jdaggett at gate.net> wrote:
> James
>
> I would rather think it clears things up.
>
> Also if you take a hex editor and look at the copyright info within Basic09 and the RUNB
> module you will see Mototola and Microware names in the copyright. Along with the 1980
> year.
>
> One other thing to consider. There is BASIC09 and then there is BASIC09 for the COCO.
> The two may or may not be identical. The Basic 09 for the COCO may have had tweaks in it
> for their wants and marketing.
>
> I would also think that with forks into the OS, the OS had to at least be developed in
> conjunction with or before BASIC09. Otherwise those forks would be useless in BASIC09.
>
> One last note the OS9 for the COCO is a modified OS9 for the COCO. OS9 can be taylored
> to any 6809 system. Just because the COCO version of OS9 was released in 1980 time
> frame does not mean it was the first or only Level 1 OS9 version.
>

Indeed.  I have been reading through each issue of the 68 Micro
Journal.  The first mention of OS-9 or Basic09 occurs in a letter
dated April, 1979.  It is apparently sent from someone at Microware
but no name is given.

The letter describes many features of both OS-9 and Basic09.  It says:

"Motorola contracted Mircoware to produce the finest possible software
for the 6809.  The new software we have prepared for Motorola includes
a new BASIC language plus an operating system.  The software will be
available soon from Motorola and Microware.  Here are a few
highlights:"

It then goes on to describe the Basic09 Language System and the OS-9
Operating System.
It also mentions that they will be introducing a 6809 Macro Assembler,
text editor, and 6809 version of A/BASIC.

The letter recommends that anyone considering a 6809 system make sure
the system is compatible with their software (6809 systems were just
becoming available at this point). There is mention of Percom and
GIMIX systems compatiblility and a note that SWTPC had not yet
released information on their 6809 system.

All of this is prior to any CoCo information.  I believe no one knew
that the CoCo was being created at this point, although Microware may
have known due to the Motorola/Tandy/Microware relationship.

> james
>
> On 7 Mar 2010 at 21:19, James Hrubik wrote:
>
>> It's there.
>>
>> Some more, maybe muddying the waters?? from the BASIC09 Reference
>> Manual, Page 1-2,
>>
>> "THE HISTORY OF BASIC09
>>
>> BASIC09 was conceived in 1978 as a high-performance programming
>> language to demonstrate the capabilities of the 6809 microprocessor
>> to efficiently run high-level languages.  BASIC09 was developed at
>> the same time as the 6809 under the auspices of the architects of the
>> 6809.  The development project covered almost two years and
>> incorporated the results of research in such areas as interactive
>> compilation, fast floating point arithmetic algorithms, storage
>> management, high-level symbolic debugging and structured language
>> design.  These innovations give BASIC09 its speed, power, and unique
>> flavor.
>>
>> BASIC09 was commissioned by Motorola, Inc., Austin Texas, and
>> developed by Microware Systems Corporation, Des Moines, Iowa.
>> Principal designers of BASIC09 were Larry Crane, Robert Doggett, Ken
>> Kapan, and Terry Ritter.  The first release was in February, 1980."
>>
>> I would hazard a guess that the OS came before the language, because
>> the language incorporates system calls.
>>
>>
>> On Mar 7, 2010, at 6:19 PM, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>>
>> > On Sun, Mar 7, 2010 at 9:54 AM,  <jdaggett at gate.net> wrote:
>> >> On 5 Mar 2010 at 1:44, Aaron Wolfe wrote:
>> >>
>> >>> I get that.  What I don't understand is what does this have to do
>> >>> with
>> >>> how OS-9 went from being a support system for Basic09 to a full
>> >>> fledged operating system?  Is there some relevancy that I am
>> >>> missing?
>> >>
>> >> Aaron
>> >>
>> >> I think you have the two flipped. You are putting Basic09 ahead of
>> >> the OS.
>> >>
>> >
>> > I agree that is seems backwards, but there are several seemingly
>> > independent sources that state Basic09 did indeed come prior to the
>> > OS.  If you look in the other messages in this thread I've quoted a
>> > few of them.
>> >
>> >
>> >> from The Complete Rainbow Guide to OS9 page 4, the synopsis is
>> >> that BothMicroware and
>> >> Motorola saw a need to bring multitasking/multiuser power of
>> >> larger UNIX systems to the
>> >> smaller home computers. UNIX writtenin C was far to big for the 8
>> >> bit computers. So it was
>> >> written in asembly.
>> >
>> > Is this book online any where?  I'd like to see that section if
>> > possible.
>> >
>> >
>> >>
>> >> "Motorola layed down some tough criteria. They wanted an operating
>> >> system that would
>> >> exercise every ounce of capability of the 6809. Several 16-bit
>> >> registers and almost every
>> >> memory addressing mode available on a minicomputer made the job
>> >> easier."
>> >>
>> >> The above quote from page 4 suggests that Motorola was the driver
>> >> for the OS and that
>> >> basic and other languages and feature were secondary. Here is
>> >> anothr quote to support that.
>> >>
>> >> "The company's goal was to sell mass-produced "software-on-
>> >> silicon". Motorola wanted to
>> >> distribute their software in ROM ... chips."
>> >>
>> >> I would also suspect that the COCO was driven by Motorola
>> >> considering that all the games
>> >> and applications were interchanged via the expansion port and a
>> >> ROM pack. The driving
>> >> need of the home game market ws behind the COCO. Adding OS9 and
>> >> Basic was to try and
>> >> capture the more sophisiticated hoem user. Motorola was producing
>> >> their Exocrciser and
>> >> EXORcet units for the industrial/commercial and education market.
>> >>
>> >> james
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> --
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>> >>
>> >
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>>
>> Repeal 17 : Restore I-3
>> -------------------------------
>> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-Hrubik/310505111557
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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