_______________________ _____________________________ / ___________________ \ / Esquimalt Digital Logic Inc \ | / \ | | 820 Dunsmuir Road | | | OMEn Herald | | | Victoria, BC | | | Volume 1 Number 1 | | | Canada V9A 5B7 | | | Dec 1993 | | | Phone: (604) 384 0499 | | \___________________/ | | Fax: (604) 384 0575 | \_______________________/ \_____________________________/ For all who have shown interest in the OMEn operating system, this newsletter will bring you up to date with OMEn developments. Other readers should call, write or fax to be placed on the regular mailing list. ___________________________________________________________________ / What Is OMEn? \ | | | The Open Multitasking Environment (OMEn) is an open architecture, | | true preemptive multitasking operating system based on the 680x0 | | processor family. It is also a graphical environment where the | | user has free access to all commands and features, even while | | running multiple programs simultaneously. | | | | OMEn is a modular system in which I/O function files are created | | and configured without reference to the system core. It can thus | | be interfaced with ease to any type of hardware and to any type of| | software protocol, existing or new. This includes printers, disk | | drives and file systems, networks, input devices, displays, GPIB | | devices, industrial controls, MIDI, multi-media and so on. | | | | OMEn is intended to run on most current 680x0 based computers | | (Macintosh, Atari, Amiga) including older low end models, as well | | as PC (via a 680x0 card) and new machines such as Power PC, DEC | | Alpha and Pentium by 68000 emulation and other techniques. | | Implementation progress for individual machines will be detailed | | in the OMEn Herald starting with this issue. | | | | The OMEn interface is nearer to UNIX X-Windows than to any other | | interface, but OMEn's size is a fraction of UNIX, and the generic | | object oriented drag-&-drop interface is unique. In addition, | | since a single version of an application program or I/O protocol | | interface will run on all computers, OMEn, in critical areas, is a| | much more open system than UNIX. | \___________________________________________________________________/ Feedback We invite your comments and suggestions so that we can improve usability for programmers and users. OMEn General Progress Conceptually, the basic OMEn system is now completely implemented except for font dictionary implementation and configurable bootup. Current targets also include the addition of more display/print commands, printer protocols, and file manipulation features. Network file client protocols for Appletalk servers are also under consideration. In addition, much of the documentation is just now being prepared for release. Development Tools A structured 68000 assembler and FORTH language run in OMEn. Atari-GEM based compilers may also be used. The next issue will include more coverage on this subject. OMEn for Atari Atari is the original OMEn development system, so OMEn for Atari is currently the most advanced, making use of a number of special Atari hardware features, such as a scrolling display giving more room for windows. ST, STe and TT features are fully supported and digitized audio works on ALL models. Special Atari disk formats such as 800K and 900K are covered as well as DOS standard 720K. Falcon video modes will be supported before release. An OMEn release for Atari (with development tools) is planned for 2nd quarter '94. Please reply to receive your copy! OMEn for Macintosh OMEn for Macintosh is now running on 68000 based machines: 512K & Plus, SE and Classic. The current version works only with monochrome displays. No 68030 Mac has been tested yet. OMEn programs that ran on the Atari ran unchanged on the Mac. Software protocol files also worked unchanged. For example, the DOS disk file protocol used DOS disks properly on Macs capable of reading them. Thus one of OMEn's key features, complete software portability except for the core and I/O ports, is finally demonstrable. (A Mac disk file protocol has yet to be created... Here we have Macs that will read DOS disks, but not Mac disks!) Does anybody know if it would be physically possible to read 720K DOS disks on a Mac Plus if the appropriate software was written to go straight to the hardware? These are the ONLY machines for which OMEn software couldn't be distributed on a 720K DOS disk. OMEn for Power PC If Apple's 680x0 emulation is flawless, OMEn for Mac should run on the Power PC without any changes. It is more likely that there will have to be some amount of adaptation. OMEn for Amiga Well... we've got Amigas! (500, 2000 & 1200) What would help now is if some Amiga hacker fanatic in the Victoria BC area would like a bit of contract work sitting in and spelling out Amiga details to assist in adapting the OMEn core to run on Amiga. It took four days to get OMEn running on the Mac, so Amiga should take two, right? Marketing Strategies On 680x0 based computers such as Mac, Atari and Amiga, OMEn is simply software on a disk. The shareware marketing method will be employed with the versions of OMEn for these computers, and also for our software development tools. Contrary to popular belief, people have made their million(s) with shareware with a good product and careful business planning. For software publishers, the wide availability of OMEn as shareware will guarantee its accessibility to their customers. A growing list of OMEn features and computer compatibility will result in steadily expanding markets for OMEn software. OMEn for PC requires a circuit card, so it cannot be distributed as shareware. It will be marketed at first by direct mail for developers and early users, with distribution through regular marketing channels to follow as volumes increase. The 68331-ISA card with OMEn-PC will be about $199 plus the price of two SIMM memories required for the card. (Volume sales should reduce the price significantly.) System Tidbits Topic This Issue: System Calls, I/O Calls and I/O Commands With OMEn, internal system calls (for you hackers: 680x0 line-A traps, starting at $AFFF and working downward) are distinct from I/O calls (trap #4-11 instructions), which are handled externally. A system call is dispatched inside the OMEn core, while an I/O call is dispatched through an I/O channel to separate files loaded into memory at startup: a Protocol Translator (software I/O interface layer) and an I/O Port (hardware I/O interface layer). In special cases (display, inter-task mail...) the two layers may be combined. When an I/O CALL is made, the application passes an I/O COMMAND (in D0.word. Any further parameters are in other registers) that tells the Protocol Translator (or the I/O port directly) what operation is to be performed. For example, passing "A" (hex code $0041) means "output the letter 'A'". passing -1 (hex code $FFFF) means "scan for input and return it if any" (else return "NoInputData" error). Code $141D is "Draw Line"; $1805 is "GetFile", and so on to cover every implemented I/O function. (Additional parameters are passed in other registers by commands which require them.) Next Issue OMEn for PC is underway, and it has some unique hardware features afforded by the 68331-ISA card. "System Tidbits" will feature the dynamic memory management system that allows practical true multi- tasking without memory management hardware. Software development tools for OMEn will be given the once-over. Please call, write or fax all your comments to: Craig Carmichael Phone: (604) 384 0499 Esquimalt Digital Fax: (604) 384 0575 820 Dunsmuir Road Victoria, BC, Canada V9A 5B7 Canada l Letters 2. Read (List) GE Mail 3. Read (List) All Letters in your Mailbox 4. Read (List) Letters From