[Coco] SideKick 1.05 update

[Brian Blake]

You might well be right - I might be confusing things with DriveWire...
Like I said, I haven't spent enough time with these lately...

On 11/20/2012 5:13 PM, Luis Antoniosi wrote:
> hmm AFAIK superIDE can have up 2 IDE drives, and only IDE0 is used as
> HDB-DOS virtual disks. The IDE1 would be accessible only through OS-9
> using superdriver. Well this is what i guess I don't have a second
> drive to plug in.
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 5:06 PM, Brian Blake <random.rodder at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Some thoughts on adapting SideKick to the DrivePak... (yes, I'm thinking out
>> loud again...)
>>
>> To expand on Luis' answer, Mark, if you're asking about Roger's creation (if
>> not I'm going to waste a lot of words...), the DrivePak O.S., CoCoNet, is
>> really a hacked version of RS-DOS and doesn't handle changing drives the
>> same way as HDB-DOS/RGB-DOS. Luis (and other smarter than I am) could
>> probably confirm, or not, my fear that adapting SideKick to the DrivePak
>> would not be trivial. While you can assign any of the DrivePak's virtual
>> disks using the DRIVE x,xxx format, CoCoNet doesn't handle those drives the
>> same way HDB-DOS/RGB-DOS does. Using DRIVE 0, 125 will assign one virtual
>> disk (125 in this case) to a logical device number (0-3). That gives you
>> direct access to that image.
>>
>> The command structure works the same way with CoCoNet and disk images hosted
>> on the PC as well - but the commands to mount a disk image on a PC is about
>> as friendly as a pissed off rattlesnake. Something like DRIVE
>> 0,!"C:\COCOIMAGES\GAMES\DONKEYKONG" would mount the Donkey Kong image on my
>> PC to DRIVE 0 in CoCoNet. Right now, if it's going to continue in
>> development, what CoCoNet needs more than anything is a DW4 like GUI on  the
>> PC.
>>
>> Below is some more out-loud thinking, trying to make sure I grasp
>> everything. (it's a clear indication I haven't spent NEARLY enough time with
>> my SuperIDE... ;-)   )
>>
>> If I'm not mistaken, in HDB-DOS for the SuperIDE, you can have 4 drives (is
>> partition a better word?), and each drive can host 256 images. Issuing a
>> DRIVE ON turns on the physical floppy equipment (0-3) but you still have
>> access to the disk numbers 5-255 on the SuperIDE. DRIVE OFF puts you back to
>> all drives accessed thru the SuperIDE. DRIVE # n switches to another drive
>> number on the SuperIDE that hosts a different set of 256 disk images. The
>> offset calculation during the SuperIDE/HDB-DOS set up also allows you to
>> have drives (partitions?) set up for NitrOS-9/OS-9 on the same storage
>> media. Guru's out there, have I missed anything?
>>
>> I'm hoping to try out Luis' utility over the holiday - it looks very helpful
>> in managing images on the hard disk. I see a definite benefit for SideKick's
>> use on the SuperIDE , but, I can't see it being useful for the
>> DrivePak/CoCoNet in their current state of development. And unless it's just
>> the skeptic in me, I don't think it'd be easy to adapt.
>>
>> There's supposed to be a new owner/developer for the DrivePak and CoCoNet;
>> supposedly they're working on past order fulfillment of the DrivePak before
>> taking new orders. At least, that's the answer I received when I asked about
>> it. I also asked about the possibility of future development of CoCoNet - I
>> have yet to hear anything on that at all. It would be great if the people
>> who were waiting for a DrivePak would start reporting back when they start
>> getting them. Or IF they start getting them...
>>
>>
>> Later,
>>
>> Brian
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/20/2012 2:25 PM, Luis Antoniosi wrote:
>>> looking to the drive pak commands it works different than hdb-dos.
>>>
>>> Instead of DRIVE 0-255, you should do DRIVE 0-3,0-255
>>>
>>> In this way only 4 drives will be visible and you cannot mount other
>>> images when in sidekick.
>>>
>>> Since I cannot emulate them in MESS or VCC, I won't be able to do it.
>>>
>>> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 2:14 PM, Luis Antoniosi <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> Don't have one but AFAIK it will show only 4 drives as a regular FDC
>>>> right ? Or can you access any of the drives from basic like DRIVE 255
>>>> ? Dunno about the speed also.
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Nov 20, 2012 at 2:03 PM, Mark Ormond <markormond at mtxsystems.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>> Any chance of a version that will run with the drivepak?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>> later,
>>>>> dabone
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Luis Antoniosi <retrocanada76 at gmail.com>
>>>>> To: CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>>>>> Sent: Tue, Nov 20, 2012 1:52 pm
>>>>> Subject: [Coco] SideKick 1.05 update
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Just a  minor update, now you can use SHIFT+UP/DOWN to page up/down in
>>>>> drive or directory lists.
>>>>>
>>>>> Also, added a CLEAR 200 in basic launcher to clean up space for some
>>>>> hungry games.
>>>>>
>>>>> Been testing a while with hundreds of games and if it doesn't run from
>>>>> sidekick means it doesn't run from basic too.
>>>>>
>>>>> Enjoy as much I like it, I can't launch the games in the old way any
>>>>> more. I'm addicted to my own software :)
>>>>>
>>>>> Felipe
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
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>
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