[Coco] Coco Digest, Vol 49, Issue 20

[Paul Fitch]

> Message: 11
> Date: Sun, 05 Aug 2007 17:56:00 -0400
> From: Robert Gault <robert.gault at worldnet.att.net>
> Subject: Re: [Coco] NitrOS-9 instant boot CoCo
> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
> Message-ID: <46B64770.6000103 at worldnet.att.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
> 

>   The "problem" with booting from a ROM as Roger asks rather 
> than a hard 
> drive, is that you are locked into at least a specific kernel. That 
> means cobbler and os9gen have lost some of their usefulness. It is 
> important to be able to make changes to the core 
> OS-9/NitrOS-9 modules 
> at will as needed without needing to burn a new EPROM.
>   Using a CF card more easily reloaded with new code should 
> be just as 
> good as booting from hard drive directly.
> 
>   At the moment the size of a typical NitrOS-9 OS9Boot file 
> plus kernel 
> is about 12.5K. It would certainly fit into a ROM. However, 
> if you plan 
> to include the CMDS directory as well, forget it!
>   It is not enough to load just the OS9Boot file to run OS-9. 
> You also 
> need all of the commands and software. Where would they be 
> without some 
> type of drive system unless you use a very large CF card?
>

A large CF card isn't really a problem these days.  I've got a 4-gig CF card
in one of my Pocket PCs.  A 256-MEG CF card can be found with google for
less than $25, and a 128-Meg for under $12.  I'd think the 256-meg version
would be more than sufficient for a COCO OS9 system.