[Coco] Nicks Survey results

[Robert Gault]

ostro011 wrote:

> On 5 Dec 2003, Gene Heskett wrote:
> 
> 
>>all sorts of neat things like Jake Commanders Chrmakey editor.  I was 
>>also using os9 exclusively by then.
>>
> 
> 
> Gene (and others), please take this question in the spirit it is being
> asked.  This is something I've often wondered about.
> 
> My involvement with the Coco for the past 24 years has been in programming
> it in BASIC and ML.  I purchased OS9 soon after it was available but could
> never get my arms around it, and there just was no driving force in my
> small world that would make learning and using OS9 beneficial to me.  The
> Tandy package was not very user friendly, at least in my eyes.
> 
> I think the majority of you on this list uses OS9 either most of the time
> or all the time, as Gene stated above.  I respect that and am a little bit
> in awe of that.  I consider Mark and Boisy as good friends, and they are
> into OS9 in a huge way.  We all owe both of them a big debt of gratitude,
> as we owe many of the rest of you as well.
> 
> OK, enough pre-amble.
> 
> The combination of the 6809 and OS9, with all its multitasking abilities
> and the like, really showed off how the Coco was much more than the game
> machine Tandy sold it as.  I would love to tackle OS9 again, but I need to
> know what the rest of you find in OS9 that makes it so useful to you.  Is
> it mostly academic and a fun hobby, or will I be able to find it useful or
> at least a lot of fun and worth the time.  Keep in mind that my love is
> programming this 6809 machine, as time permits, especially in ML, otherwise
> my Coco's are just a fun toy for the kids to play when they are feeling
> retro or want a lesson in programming.  I'm not asking if OS9 will solve
> any of my computer problems.  I'm chained to a PC all day at work in my
> research lab.  But where will I find OS9 the most interesting to use?  What
> do you, the OS9 experts on this list, use OS9 for the most?
> 
> I really appreciate your help in this, and I hope you don't take any of my
> comments the wrong way.
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> -- Steve --
> 
> 
> 
If you don't need to do disk I/O, you may prefer ml programming under 
Disk Basic where you can do whatever you want with the system. However, 
if I/O is important, OS-9/NitrOS-9 greatly simplifies the task of file 
manipulation through a well defined set of system calls.

Attempting to interface with most of the Basic ROM routines is difficult 
to nightmare. Attempting the same things in OS-9 is simple.

I have found only one area where ml programming from Basic is easier 
than from OS-9, graphics. If that is what your into, then don't bother 
with OS-9.