Revival #04 20 октября 1997

Софт

News - A new OS for the ZX Spectrum: a mini interview with Pavel Fedin.

                        New OS



   For a long time Fido wander rumors of some new
operating system, allegedly being prepared by Pavel Fedin (API
SOFT) from Moscow. I decided just to clarify for themselves.



Sergey: You're, like, busy creating a new OS? Could not
you tell us more about it (for the Revival)? About everything
features, capabilities, and an approximate term exit.

Paul: Yes, there is such a thing. The very idea was a year ago,
Then I just sat down and started coding. But then we found that
I do not really know what I want to get in the end. I put
assembler, and began to study what is already there at that
time, so as not to repeat the mistakes of others. Gradually a 
picture to clarify - the OS should be in the 16 KB ROM, on-site

BASIC-128. More precisely, not the whole OS, and only the 
kernel - the most basic subroutine. This low-level drivers, 
file system and starter. The envelope must be in RAM - so it's 
easier improve and change. But from the beginning, I realized 
that not to blindly peredirat system, say with a PC. After 
Speccy - this is, after all, Speccy, and not the PC. But 
specifically I almost did so and did not know.



   So first I decided that the core of the system will be in
ROM, but it can be improved by the fact that
the first 512 bytes of RAM will be a table of transitions -
kernal - addresses will be standardized. So
so would create a ROM version for different models:
Profi, Scorpion, ATM ... I am in no way would not be repeated
IS-DOS, so it was stipulated minimum amount of memory - 128 KB.
File System - MS-DOS. Drivers are also expected to put
in the ROM - so they are easier to bind to a specific machine 
model. If same device is unique, his driver was supposed to 
upload in the RAM in your AUTOEXEC.BAT, as on a PC.



   Like, it was decided that the time to work was not -
is having problems with their studies, I have not worked 
machine. For this time I had the Amiga-1200. On it I saw 
something I will bring to life on the Speccy. Its operating

system offers extreme flexibility, and programs under its
able to work on a variety of configurations for
observing some simple rules. The rules were: no
using absolute addresses and not to go to ports directly.


   The system has the kernel itself, it is all composed of
huge, no limited number of libraries. Each
Library is a set of routines
grouped by destination. For example, intuition.library - it
GUI, dos.library - all work with files and drives,
exec.library - memory allocation and resources ... It was
exactly what you want, because at Speccy has several video and
audio systems that are completely unlike each other out for no
ports, either in memory addressing. In the old concept of 
running this problem was not solved - these supplements are not 
used because that it is impossible for them to do any generic 
driver, because the screen can display graphics in a thousand 
ways. And here - No problem. Need you work with sprites - write 
a few Version SPRITES.LIB; need windowing system - GUI.LIB ... 
System fully expandable, can support even of those devices,

not yet have.


   With standard devices - myshoy, printer, etc.
AmigaOS also manages several of its own way. There is no 
completely resident drivers. If I need some device, I ask

system to provide it to me, and it loads in memory of his
driver. When the device is not needed, I simply
written off, and the driver is erased from memory. Example for 
ZX: all know the editor ZX-Word, with its overlays drivers, 
fonts, and keymap'ami (so-called Amiga file describing the 
layout keyboard). Reviews of this I have heard only positive. 
And new concept of its OS, I decided to leave the ROM drivers 
only additional memory and hard drive - without them you will 
not be exercise start and load the shell. It is these two 
components will be tied to the type of machine. Thus no need to 
even autodetection, which is so badly works on Speccy due

instability ports. ROM only need the following
options:


   1) Profi v5 - with its own controller HDD.


   2) ATM Turbo 2 + - its own controller HDD.


   3) ATM-1 - SMUC.


   4) Scorpion and consistent - the standard and, in my opinion,
the best option. Profi below v5 get there too - the port
memory expansion coincides with the GMX profishnym.


   5) 128 kbps or higher with 512 KB of VMG - SMUC.


   Although, I think that in one ROM can be done support
simultaneously two controllers HDD - Profi and SMUC. They
differ only in the ports.


   Now the second part - the organization of memory. The 
programs will be workable without any support from the RAM - 
the system kernel located in ROM. Page memory will be spent in

systemic view from the top down. At the top is stowed
shell. When memory is low it can be unloaded. Ibid
Residents will be located. Drivers and libraries will be
loaded on-demand programs or in the top of free memory
or wherever will tell the program itself. System variables as
those will not be - they will be built on the principle of 
IS-DOS - I itself will determine their whereabouts and asking a 
basic IY address (this register will be freed from the heavy 
burden of always contain # 5C3A).



   Here is a brief and all about the new system. Unfortunately, 
no time I can not name, because of the complex was able to sit 
only after Enlight, and there most of the time will select the 
study. Yes, and on I imagine people terribly lazy. ;-)



   You can imagine - extremely difficult to conduct such a 
project alone. On the moment I have already written the drivers 
of the lower level, which will be located in ROM, a friend from 
Fido wrote filesystem (I lost his address :-() Only now it will 
be necessary routines to build upon the organization of the 
libraries - My sources rather old. And the hard disk driver

finish hampered by the fact that the Amiga I died HDD, and had
sorokovnik put there with my Profi. :-( (


   Frankly, I would be very glad of any support. Contact
with me at:



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