Elektor and OSI's OS-65D (was OHIO-DOS)

Hello Robert and Bob, OHIO-DOS was first used with the Junior in 1983. The Junior is a KIM like SBC, witch became very popular in Holland/Belgium/Germany Later on in 1985/1986 Elektor (Elektuur is the dutch name for the publisher who resides in Holland) published the Octopus. It was a very clever (PC)system based also on the same OHIO-DOS. They used version 3.2 or 3.3 (OS-65D V3.3/V3.2) and patched it a bit (that's why I want the original sources to compare) for the Octopus. You could buy a 5 or 10 disk version. Disk 1: "System LOYS" Track 0-1 OS-65D V3.3 Track 2-5 Basic V3.3 Track 7-9 Micro-Ware-assembler & editor & DOS-link Track 10-11 OD 65D V3.2 Disk 2: "OSI tutorial disk II Disk 3: "OSI tutorial disk III Disk 4: "OSI tutorial disk IV Disk 5: "OSI tutorial disk V Disk 2 and 5 are patched for the Octopus 65 system On disk 5 there's also the MOS-Technology assembler Disk 6: Source for Video/debugger/Stenobasic/NewDos/disassembler/Disk loader etc. Disk 7: Source SamSam (editor)/BTLOYS/BTDSK2/BTOSI/MERBAS/MERASM/ERASE/EDIASM Disk 8: Source for wordprocessor EDARI / EDSUB Disk 9: Source Wordprocessor part 2 / EDSUB Disk 10: Fig-Forth I have also a lot of other disks with software: TP Pascal/WP/DBASE etc. etc. The articles where published in the so called Computer Special. Eventually this became five magazines (each over 100 pages). They where published in the language Dutch, German and English (which I don't have). In Germany there where published even six magazines. The german magazines contain also more information. For example a FDC based on the WD 2797 was also published with sources for OHIO-DOS. After first magazine the name of the Octopus system was changed in EC65 and later when an 65816 card was edit to the system it became EC65-K. In Germany the system was first called SAMSON. Because of property threats of the firm SAMSON AG the name was (I think) changed to EC65. I have PDF's of the sources for the Junior (1983) and the EC65 (1985). if you want to I can mail them to you (about 2.5 MB each). I have also a copy of the OHIO Scientific Assembler editor and extended monitor reference manual. I you want to I can make a scan of it and send it also to you (It's a copy of a copy....) Also a copy of the OSI gazette with an article about the Disk Routines is available. Right now we have two working systems and we are redrawing the schematics in Eagle. Our first objective is to rescue the software and transfer them to a saver environment (=CDROM). Then we want to develop a better 65816 card and port the OHIO-DOS to that platform. If we succeed we want to add fancy stuff to the system like IDE support, maybe Ethernet etc. What I'm looking for is as much as possible background info on the OHIO-DOS system, so that I can write an article about it. When the firm began, who were in charge, why was this developed and in such a "cruel" way (track 12 and BEXEC*.....!!) If you could provide me with this kind of info or point to me some sources it would be great!! In Holland there where a least three spin offs of this OS! (just to make things easy for use...) To where made in the so called 6502 Kenners. A famous group (worldwide 500 members at its high) of 6502 fanatics with there roots in the KIM environment. I have also a lot of there magazines (early years only dutch, later a lot of articles are in English) Before I forget: The system had also a Z80 card so that you could use CP/M software. I have also a lot of software (sources included) for this "side step". You could start form out the OHIO-DOS system CP/M. Incredible isn't it! Plans for a 6809 (also an project in the Computer Special series) flex system where never realised although remarks are made in several articles. (I have this flex system, with sources etc.) Best Regards, Edzard -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: Robert Maxwell [mailto:RMaxwell@atlantissi.com] Verzonden: maandag 1 maart 2004 16:34 Aan: 'cctech(a)classiccmp.org' CC: 'wh.sudbrink(a)verizon.net'net'; 'Edzard(a)kolks.nl' Onderwerp: Elektor and OSI's OS-65D (was OHIO-DOS) As the owner of a modified and still-working OSI Superboard 2 running under OS-65D 3.3, I may have a few insights about the Elektor link to OS-65D: - I had owned my machine for around 5 years (that would make it 1985) when a friend showed me the two-part Elektor article of a floppy-disk interface for the ongoing "Junior Computer" series. Using the schematics, I hand-wired (anyone else remember Vector's "Pencil Wiring" with solder-through insulation?) a disk interface for my Superboard. - The Elektor article "adopted" OS-65D because OSI sold the DOS as a stand-alone product, complete with utilities for customizing disks, developing code in BASIC and Assembler, and capable of running serial or memory-mapped user I/O with the change of a byte in DOS. It sounds like the Elektor authors went forward and used OD-65D for later projects. - By 1985, MA/COM had renamed OSI to ISOTRON during the slow- and shut-down of manufacturing - they stopped buying masked ROMs, and made Superboards and C1Ps patched to use 2716 EPROMs instead - but were still selling the Disk OS. When I telephone-ordered a copy and asked for "OS-65D V. 3.3 for a C1P", a fellow worker figured I was some sort of spy speaking code! Fortunately, the folks at the factory knew what I was talking about. The documentation binder bears the name ISOTRON on its cover. - Like the Elektor authors, I patched my OS-65D, for an 80x24 video card in my system. I had written extensions into a copy of the OSI Monitor ROM: I was a little peeved when OS-65D loaded, ignored the redirected video, and brought in its own drivers for the original 24x24 screen... I was sooo glad I maintained back-compatibility. I still have the original OSI disks and docs: there are 5 disks with all sorts of utilities (mostly in BASIC), the binder for the OS and separate manuals for the "Assembler/Editor and Extended Monitor" and disk BASIC. The handiest thing (and most well-worn!) is the little fold-out card listing DOS commands, memory locations and error code descriptions. I'm a little puzzled at the reference to OS-65D V3.2... Version 3.3 was the "full" version, and the single-floppy reduced version was 3.1: perhaps someone patched a version 3.1 disk for their own project, and just incremented the number? Bob Maxwell --- Original Message ---