17 May
2000
17 May
'00
10:59 p.m.
On Wed, 17 May 2000 technoid(a)cheta.net wrote:
I have a prototype multitasking operating system in
6502 machine language
for the Atari 8-bit series machines. Might be useful if I get the gist of
what this topic is about. The main purpose was to run several BASIC
programs simultaniously and give each a timeslice. The timeslice for each
task is adjustable.
This is indeed what we are talking about. Sounds cool!
If true timeshareing is not required then I'd look
to Tom Hunt for his
AMAZING program "SNAPSHOT". Snapshot swaps images of ram to disk and
Slow?
produces the effect of multitasking but the tasks on
disk are of course
halted.... It is incredibly compatible. Tom Hunt is a God on 6502. He
mainly wrote in ACTION! - a C-like language unique to the Atari from OSS
(Optimized System Software - they used to be Sheperdson Microsystems and
wrote Atari Basic in addition to many other things in the 8-bit world).
Sounds familiar. Didn't they also write DOS for the Apple ][? I've heard
the names before (Sheperdson and OSS) but can't quite place what products
I associate with them. I know there was a company that developed
primarily for the Atari but also did Apple DOS. I have their website
linked from the VCF links page but am too lazy to go looking.
Action had the benefit of a runtime package for
distribution and very fast
program execution when compared to most other languages for the Atari.
Action! programs ran at near machine code speed.
Interesting!