[Coco] splitting the screen

[Frank Swygert]

For those interested, here is a copy of the "read me" file from the download archive 
(spelling errors and all -- I should have proofed that a bit better before filing!).

MASTERING OS-9
On the Color Computer 3

This book was first published by Paul K. Ward. Paul wanted to make it as easy as possible
for people to start using OS-9. The main reason was that he and a group of other OS-9 
enthusiasts were working on a 68000 based computer that would be running OS-9. This was 
intended to be a low cost machine that woud be a natural upgrade for CoCo OS-9 users. 
It was called the "MM/1" for Multi-Media (model) 1. It was built around a 68000 based 
controller chip rahter than a straight CPU as the controller had some built in functions 
that reduced circuit board size and cost. The drawback was that you couldn't upgrade the 
machine later with a CPU change as is common in the PC world now. The macine was designed 
"by committee" -- to many cooks led to a lot of compromises and a long development time, 
both of which hurt the machines sales. Only a few hundred of the machines were built. 
Frank Hogg Labs built a more robust machine, the TC1 (Tom Cat 1), but it was a bit more 
expensive and probably sold fewer copies than the MM/1. There just wasn't a lot of high 
quality, inexpensive software for OS-9/68000. What was out there was for the industrial 
community and rather costly. OS-9's main claim to fame was in industrial control 
applications, such as robotics and automated machinery.

I approached Paul about reprinting the book about six years after his two printing runs 
had been sold. He didn't mind at all as long as it was updated and he was given proper 
credit. I was only a very light user of OS-9, no programming at all, so I enlisted the 
help of Rick Ulland, and avid OS-9 enthusiast and columnist for "the world of 68' micros". 
I updated the Appendices while Rick went over all the commands. When Rick finished, I 
read them and gave them a try. If I couldn't understand something, he and I went over it 
until I did. If I could understand it, the average CoCo user should be able to! This 
seems to have worked well, as it was a great seller at CoCoFests for a couple years plus 
there were quite a few mail order sales. I think I sold just over 200 copies over a three 
year period. Rick received a master copy for his efforts and sold another 75-100 copies. 

If you're still using OS-9 on a CoCo 3, or want to learn,  this is probably the best text 
on the subject ever written. It goes along in an easy lesson by lesson (day by day) format
and was written with the novice OS-9 user in mind. It's also indexed enough to be a big 
help even to experienced users, especially with those rarely used commands. 

Francis (Frank) Swygert

-- 
Frank Swygert
Publisher, "American Motors Cars" 
Magazine (AMC)
For all AMC enthusiasts
http://farna.home.att.net/AMC.html
(free download available!)