Bryan Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I've been looking at the source for OS 5 (1984), and I noticed that it has all the PBI stuff removed and numerous other changes. Was it used in a released machine? The only application I can think of for a OS with no PBI support is the XEGS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmel_andrews Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 (edited) Never heard of OS v5...But I've heard of 1 other revision of the xe o/s, the one that had the mod'd self test that allowed you to test for more then 64k mem. Another couple of possibilities was the unreleased 65xeem or xeme and also the 65xep (but i doubt it) or even possibly the unreleased XL-F o/s There was appparently going to be a version of the XE with 256k memory (perhaps this might have been the fabled o/s rev 5 your'e on about bryan)...There again Atari, being atari (under the tramiels) never got around to releasing it They mentioned the 256k version of the XE in early issues of Atari User (Database Publications/Europress) in their news section Edited July 17, 2008 by carmel_andrews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I have a rom marked 1200XL OS R5 which I dumped from a 1200XL with an unusual logo screen. Only 1200XL I've ever seen like it, so it must not have been widely used. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 I'm talking about the lovely commented source code in this thread: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...127483&st=4 It appears to be straight from Atari and is much too late to be a 1200XL OS. Copyright 1984 ATARI. Unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, * distribution, performance or display of this computer program * or the associated audiovisual work is strictly prohibited. *** OS - Operating System * Revision 5, Version 0 (800XL/800XLF/900XLF/900XLFK) * * Revert to Rev. B device handlers (E:, C:, P:, S:, K:), * (with bug fixes) to eliminate need for Translator. * Remove parallel I/O support. * Fix keyboard display in self-test. * MIKE BARALL & VINCENT WU 09/04/84 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share Posted July 17, 2008 I forgot that the 65XE (aka 900XLF) had no parallel port. That's probably what this was for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.Cade Posted July 17, 2008 Share Posted July 17, 2008 I'm talking about the lovely commented source code in this thread: http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...127483&st=4 It appears to be straight from Atari and is much too late to be a 1200XL OS. Copyright 1984 ATARI. Unauthorized reproduction, adaptation, * distribution, performance or display of this computer program * or the associated audiovisual work is strictly prohibited. *** OS - Operating System * Revision 5, Version 0 (800XL/800XLF/900XLF/900XLFK) * * Revert to Rev. B device handlers (E:, C:, P:, S:, K:), * (with bug fixes) to eliminate need for Translator. * Remove parallel I/O support. * Fix keyboard display in self-test. * MIKE BARALL & VINCENT WU 09/04/84 Is the image of this ROM file available anywhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmel_andrews Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 But later US 65xe's had the ECI port Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Hello guys The US version of the 65XE never had an ECI, the European version always did. The XEGS and later XE's in Europe all had PB-stuff in the OS and the new 128kB RAM test. Greetings Mathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 So, this probably isn't the last iteration. In any case, it's the best documented example of the XL/XE OS I've seen. It's interesting that it says it reverts to rev B (400/800) device handlers. I wonder, was any functionality lost by doing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 For starters they don't have the Gr. mode support for 12-15. No fine-scrolling E: option. K: on the 400/800 does keyclick delay by WSYNC, XL does it by a wait loop on VCOUNT. Key repeat delay/rate are hardcoded into the OS wheras on XL they are RAM based and default values are selected differently for PAL/NTSC S: uses a few different RAM locations for work variables. C: - not 100% here, but I think the timing variables for reading blocks are hard-coded so the ROM is either PAL or NTSC specific. Of course, they might just have meant that the device handlers were relocated in ROM to the locations they were in the 400/800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 According to the comments in the code, it appears that fine-scrolling was deleted. Don't know about the rest of the features you mentioned. So, the OS was expanded to include a bunch of new features for the XL line, and then it began reverting back to a simpler/earlier state at some point in the XE line. -Bry For starters they don't have the Gr. mode support for 12-15. No fine-scrolling E: option. K: on the 400/800 does keyclick delay by WSYNC, XL does it by a wait loop on VCOUNT. Key repeat delay/rate are hardcoded into the OS wheras on XL they are RAM based and default values are selected differently for PAL/NTSC S: uses a few different RAM locations for work variables. C: - not 100% here, but I think the timing variables for reading blocks are hard-coded so the ROM is either PAL or NTSC specific. Of course, they might just have meant that the device handlers were relocated in ROM to the locations they were in the 400/800. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rybags Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I tend to think it was probably never released. Atari weren't exactly on the ball with the OS updates - pretty sure the F-key support was retained through the entire life of the XE. Which is kinda weird, given that if you could produce those keypresses, then it could easily crash the machine since the bits on PORTB for the LEDs were reassigned to memory management. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 Anyone know what a 900XLFK was supposed to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorgle Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I have a rom marked 1200XL OS R5 which I dumped from a 1200XL with an unusual logo screen. Only 1200XL I've ever seen like it, so it must not have been widely used. Steve I'm curious about the logo screen. Could you describe it please. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 I'm curious about the logo screen. Could you describe it please. Thanks. Now that I think about it, I am too. Is this some embryonic version of the 1200 OS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijor Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 (edited) I agree with Rybags. I don't think this version corresponds to any shipped product. This seems to be a development branch that was never released. Seems to be an attempt to make it more compatible with OS/B to avoid the need of translator, at the expense of removing some of the XL OS stuff. My guess that this "development branch" was killed by the Tramiels, and they reverted back to the "classic" 800XL development branch. But as Bryan is saying, this is the only OS version (after OS/B) that surfaced in source form so far. Edited July 18, 2008 by ijor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ijor Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 For starters they don't have the Gr. mode support for 12-15.No fine-scrolling E: option ... Fine scrolling seems to be gone indeed (explicitley, it is mentioned it was removed). But the other features you mention are there (gr.modes 12-15, PAL/NTSC handling, no WSYNC on keyclick). It is also interesting that there is an "attempt" to support high-speed SIO on ROM. It uses a different mechanism, not compatible with anything else I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warriorisabouttodie Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Hello guys The US version of the 65XE never had an ECI, the European version always did. The XEGS and later XE's in Europe all had PB-stuff in the OS and the new 128kB RAM test. Greetings Mathy This isn't 100% true. Later versions of the North American 65xe DID have a ECI, I know this because I had one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Hello Rybags Pretty sure the F-key support was retained through the entire life of the XE. Which is kinda weird, given that if you could produce those keypresses, then it could easily crash the machine since the bits on PORTB for the LEDs were reassigned to memory management. I've seen 800XL's which had the F-keys retro-fitted. And they worked. The later OS version E (the one with the 128kB RAM test) in the XEGS and the latest XE's didn't show the F-keys in the selftest. All others did. Not sure if they were still supported when the selftest didn't show them. Greetings Mathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathy Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Hello Warriorisabouttodie This isn't 100% true. Later versions of the North American 65xe DID have a ECI, I know this because I had one. Didn't know that. Greetings Mathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drac030 Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 My guess that this "development branch" was killed by the Tramiels, and they reverted back to the "classic" 800XL development branch. ... and that's the best thing they could have done, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted July 18, 2008 Author Share Posted July 18, 2008 Another thing, if the original OS's were A and B, why don't we have C, D, E, F, etc...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 (edited) I'm curious about the logo screen. Could you describe it please. Thanks. Now that I think about it, I am too. Is this some embryonic version of the 1200 OS? Here are the screen shots, normal 1200XL and the 'R5' 1200XL rom. Not sure what other differences there might be. Steve Edited July 18, 2008 by classics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorgle Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I'm curious about the logo screen. Could you describe it please. Thanks. Now that I think about it, I am too. Is this some embryonic version of the 1200 OS? Here are the screen shots, normal 1200XL and the 'R5' 1200XL rom. Not sure what other differences there might be. Steve Yeah, that's weird. I've got seven 1200xls and none of them show the ® symbol. Do you still have the 1200xl you pulled the ROM from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sikor Posted July 18, 2008 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Hello guys The US version of the 65XE never had an ECI, the European version always did. The XEGS and later XE's in Europe all had PB-stuff in the OS and the new 128kB RAM test. Greetings Mathy You're wrong. All first series of 65 XEs no had ECI port (motherboard was marked as 65XE, one bit RAM chips). Both, NTSC (US) and PAL (european) version. My computer is from 1987 year. Later version are motherboard from 130XE - it was cheaper to do it with less RAM chips and no MMU for extra memory, then doing two different series of PBI and cover. That comps have "130XE" on pbi. Some later was made Atari 800XE computers - like 65XE with ECI, on 130XE motherboard too, but only for Europe (only in PAL version), made mostly in China. Only one different with 65XE with ECI is name of computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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