[Coco] Brother Jeremy's OS-9 Level 3 (are you out there, Jeremy?)

[Joel Ewy]

coco at yourdvd.net wrote:
> I vaguely remember mention of OS-9 L3 but had forgotten about it. A
> quick search turned up this:
>   
Actually, IIUC, what Br. Jeremy has is an unreleased upgrade to OS-9
Level II for the CoCo 3. Traditionally, the OS-9 kernel was contained in
a module named OS9 (or OS9P1? I'd have to check to be sure.) OS-9 Level
II, which added support for a memory management unit, was supplied in a
module called OS9P2. Other extensions to the operating system could
likewise be chained on the end, so an OS9P3 module could be added which
provides yet more kernel-level system calls. This, presumably, would be
a "Level 3". I don't know if Microware ever provided an OS9P3. But
NitrOS-9 does have a Level 3.

My understanding of the proposed Level II upgrade is that it mostly
improved the window system and fixed bugs, and that many (though perhaps
not all?) of those improvements have made their way into NitrOS-9 in one
form or another. I haven't seen the resizable, movable windows yet
though. I'm sure somebody else can provide better details for what
features were in the abandoned Level II upgrade.

I believe I've found disk images purporting to be the LII upgrade on one
of the extant FTP sites recently. I think I tried one out and couldn't
get it to boot. But maybe I can try it again.

> Q. How do I know which version of NitrOS-9 is for which Color Computer?
> A. NitrOS-9 supports three "levels" and two processors, yielding six
> potential distributions:
> • NitrOS-9/6809 Level 1 for the Color Computer
> • NitrOS-9/6309 Level 1 for the Color Computer with a 6309
> • NitrOS-9/6809 Level 2 for the Color Computer 3
> • NitrOS-9/6309 Level 2 for the Color Computer 3 with a 6309
> • NitrOS-9/6809 Level 3 for the Color Computer 3
> • NitrOS-9/6309 Level 3 for the Color Computer 3 with a 6309
> In short, Level 2 and Level 3 are exclusively for the Color Computer 3.
> Level 2 is compatible with
> OS-9 Level Two, and Level 3 contains additional features to manage
> system memory more
> efficiently.
> Currently, NitrOS-9/6809 Level 1, NitrOS-9/6809 Level 2, and
> NitrOS-9/6309 Level 2 are
> available. The other distributions are still under development
>
> nitros9.org no longer seems to work but it is still registered to A.D.
> the above is from a google cache of the site.
>
> Is L3 still being developed? I want it too....
>
>   
Boisy announced on this list a little while back that the NitrOS-9
project has been moved to Sourceforge. One thing I haven't found is the
current home of the Toolshed software.

JCE
> -r
>
>   
>> -------- Original Message --------
>> Subject: [Coco] Brother Jeremy's OS-9 Level 3 (are you out there,
>> Jeremy?)
>> From: Leon Howell <puritan_2076 at yahoo.com>
>> Date: Thu, April 12, 2007 9:39 am
>> To: coco at maltedmedia.com
>>
>> Does anyone know Brother Jeremy's real email address? I have emailed
>> hin 
>> many times about his OS-9 level 3 upgrade and never heard from him.
>>
>>   What is OS-9 Level 3?
>>
>>   According to the 1996 CoCoFest issue of CoCo-123, he showed a
>> version of OS-
>> 9 at that year's CoCoFest that had "Resizeable Windows that could be
>> moved 
>> anywhere on the screen and shrunk down to an icon". Is that OS-9 Level
>> 3? 
>> Whatever it is, I want a copy.
>>
>>   If I can't contact Jeremy, is there some one else I can get it from?
>>
>>
>> --
>> 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
>