[Coco] early OS-9 ads/articles compilation

[Joel Ewy]

Aaron Wolfe wrote:
> I added everything that seemed interesting all the way through the
> announcement of OS-9 for the CoCo.  There was a huge amount of
> activity in the OS-9 world prior to it becoming an option for us
> coconuts.
>
>   

A few observations:

1.  Whether or not BASIC09 was commissioned, specified, or begun before 
OS-9, it appears that OS-9 was actually available before BASIC09.  The 
August 1980 Microware ad doesn't list a price for BASIC09, though it 
does for OS-9 and even the Microsoft BASIC (elsewhere referred to as 
"Disk Extended BASIC"...).  It could be an oversight in the ad.  It 
could mean "if you have to ask how much it is, you can't afford it..."  
But since BASIC09 does have a price listed in the December ad, I take it 
to mean something more like "we expect BASIC09 to be shipping any time 
now... certainly within a few months of your seeing this ad."
2.  In the "Q/A" list from October 1980, it mentions that most of 
Microware's programs (presumably, though not explicitly including 
BASIC09) will not be ported to other operating systems and will only run 
under OS-9.  So it looks as if the decision not to make BASIC09 a 
standalone product would have been made by that time (if there was ever 
any question.)
3.  I always knew that OS-9 was designed to be "ROMable" but the the 
earliest OS-9 ads, describing a ROM-based system that even supported KC 
tape systems makes me wonder anew why OS-9 on the CoCo wasn't available 
as a ROM PAK with cassette support, at least as one optional 
configuration.  This was Motorola's big idea, and Tandy certainly took 
to it for games, and even applications.  It was certainly technically 
feasible.  Think how many more CoCo users might have gotten into OS-9 if 
it was available on e.g. a $79.99 cartridge that could save programs and 
files on cassette.
4.  I have some disk images of OS-9 LI for the SWTPC (a long term 
project of mine that's swapped out at the moment.)  I could fire it up 
in the SWTPC emulator and we could do a little comparison between SWTPC 
BASIC09 (presuming it's actually there... it may not be on the available 
disk images) and the CoCo version.

JCE

> On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 2:01 AM, Aaron Wolfe <aawolfe at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> I've put together a timeline and images of the various advertisements
>> and articles I have found in 68 Micro Journal.
>> I think they tell the story of the early days in an interesting way.
>>
>> http://aaronwolfe.com/coco/earlyos9/
>>
>> -Aaron
>>
>>     
>
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