[Coco] Nitros9 users: How big are your OS9BOOTS ?

[Gene Heskett]

On Tuesday 10 September 2013 15:59:00 Brett Gordon did opine:

> Once I get CoCoBoot a bit further along, it should help you in this
> endeavor.  CoCoBoot is going to forget all about a OS9BOOT file
> entirely, and load up the boot modules, one-at-a-time directly from a
> RBF file system.

Because of the way os9 allocates memory, each such separately loaded module 
will be loaded into its own 8k, or bigger if needed, block of memory.  The 
os9boot file, by being a merged file, stuffs it all into the initial 
nominally 63 kilobyte base allocation map. Your way will exhaust both 
normal ram in smaller machines, and possibly sysram at a higher rate of 
speed, Not to mention the gimes registers will be to be saved, modified to 
bring that module into the system space, the modules function called, the 
data from kits running stored someplace, and the gimes registers restored, 
all for one keyboard scan.

System DP is fixed, as is the top 256 bytes, dedicated mostly to IRQ 
handling. DP is in system ram for the system.  It _can_ be separated by the 
users program, but then he loses the references contained in DP, like the 
system time, or the Gime's ghosted data, so its a dangerous minefield.

> There will be a simple "rc" text file with a list of
> module names somewhere in the RBF files system, so changing the Nitros9
> booting will entail just changing the RC file and rebooting (with
> CoCoBoot).  No more making OS9BOOT files and installing it. (Also gone
> will be REL and BOOT and KRN saving some sysmem too )

Half of the os9 system calls are in krn, some of which belong at absolute 
addresses as setup by rel.  That is why all 3 of those modules are padded 
to be the exact length that they are.

The only one that could "go away" somewhat like sysgo after the boot, is 
boot itself, but its presence accelerates the reboot process unless you 
actually do a cold boot, either with the power switch or the reboot 
command.

> On Tue, Sep 10, 2013 at 3:38 AM, Kip Koon <computerdoc at sc.rr.com> wrote:
> > Hi Brett!
> > As I have yet to successfully create a custom bootable NitrOS-9 real
> > floppy disk or virtual disk for that matter all my os9boot files are
> > on backup disks of the NitrOS-9 distribution versions.  I can backup
> > to real 3.5" floppies just fine and they boot just fine, but whenever
> > I modify the scripts to create a custom OS9boot file and run that
> > script to create my own
> > OS9boot files, the run has all kinds of errors, and the disks are not
> > bootable.  In fact one run left the OS9boot file with a temporary
> > filename and never renamed it OS9boot!  I'm trying to create a floppy
> > boot disk that can access the CF cards using the /i0 and /i1 device
> > descriptors without actually booting from one, so I can recobbler the
> > os9boot file I somehow messed up from a floppy disk backup I made. 
> > Maybe I need to run one of the built in scripts to see if it is
> > successful first.  I'll try that one night and see what happens. 
> > I'll let you know if I am ever successful.  Take care
> > my friend.
> > Kip
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com
> > [mailto:coco-bounces at maltedmedia.com] On
> > Behalf Of Brett Gordon
> > Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 10:17 AM
> > To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts
> > Subject: [Coco] Nitros9 users: How big are your OS9BOOTS ?
> > 
> > Hey Nitros users:  I wanted to do a quick suvey to find out how big
> > your OS9BOOT files are.   I see the stock Nitros9 builds are max 27k.
> >   My new-new cocoboot will be loading Nitros9 modules one-at-a-time
> > but will only allow bootfiles that are 32k-ish in size.
> > 
> > https://sites.google.com/site/cocoboot2/home/nitros9booting
> > 
> > for more info
> > 
> > thanks in advance,
> > 
> > --
> > Brett M. Gordon,
> > beretta42 at gmail.com
> > 
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco
> > 
> > 
> > --
> > Coco mailing list
> > Coco at maltedmedia.com
> > http://five.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/coco


Cheers, Gene
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