68k/OS utilities

[dex]

68k/OS is the original operating system (windowing, multitasking) made by GST for the QL.
Throughout the QL finalize, it was replaced by QDOS by Tony Tebby.
68k/OS is public domain now.
Pity, there was only the 32k EPROM image available, not the programs and utilities residing on microdrive capsules (their format is incompatible with QDOS mdv_ cartridge format).

This is the first time, you can download files from the "Utilities" capsule.
Rescued and archived for the digital age.
For description of the utilities, see 68k/OS user manual.

(Pity, I'm not able to read the "Assembler" capsule now. The assembler will be possibly transfered later.)

[M68008]

That's great!

Did you transfer through the SER port?

[dex]

Did you transfer through the SER port?

Exactly.
I hope, as the 68k/OS supports the ROM disk (additional upto 32 kB ROM), in the future we will be able to place the most necessary utilities (format, baud, copy) into ROM.

[vanpeebles]

Sounds exciting, what does 68k/OS look like? Any screenshots?

[dex]

Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99zUXd3n0A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99zUXd3n0A[/youtube]
And nice screenshots by Urs König: https://sites.google.com/site/ql68kos/

Overall, the main environment (ADAM) is a mixture of command line and GUI.
Itself only mounts and unmounts media (ROMdisk, microdrives, ...), runs and kills programs, manages windows (positioning, shrinking, expanding).
Nothing else.

It contains (invisible) core similar to RTX or UNiX system services, and pretty good multitasking (you can even enter text to an input field while microdrives are loading).

Everything elese is done throughout external utilities, loadable from MD:, ROM: or other devices (ADAM itself resides on the ROM disk in the lower 32 kB part of the possible ROM space).

I.e., to copy a file from RS-232 to MD:, you need
1) FORMAT.PROG to format the capsule
2) BAUD.PROG to set baudrate
3) COPY:PROG to copy the file (TX: and RX: drivers for RS-232 are part of the system core; thanks to expandability, new device drivers can be added).

System itself is expandable by procedures, e.g. CLOCK.PROC adds clock, ERRMSGS.PROC replaces error numbers with textual messages.

Each program has its window, which can be moved, shringed or expanded.

[Dave]

Phew! That was a lucky escape!

[dex]

Phew! That was a lucky escape!

GST were professionals, and very realistic about what is possible to archieve with just 32 kB of ROM.

Tony Tebby was a bit like crazy maniac - as if he didn't know, that it is impossible to shrink whole operating system and Basic interpreter into such limited space - so he did.
(Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.)

[QLvsJAGUAR]

For those who ever wanted an original GST Sinclair QL EPROM expansion card with their 68K/OS Z570V218 and the associated Microdrive Cartridges 68K/OS and 68K/ASM, there's currently a set on ebay (ending 2024-04-24):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/305516991319

BTW: This auction also includes HiSoft DevpacQL and CP/MULATOR. I'm not the seller nor related to him.

It would be great if someone of the QL community would take good care of it and - after refelting the Microdrive Cartridges - make backup copies of those Microdrive Cartridges. Maybe one day, someone adds 68K/OS Microdrive support/emulation in a Q-Emulator or even on hardware Microdrive substitutes.