Re: TI-H: Zunix?

[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: TI-H: Zunix?


Okay, I can see a few things to kill off right now... multiuser should die
ASAP... no need for it.  Next, no emulation.  Ever heard of loadlin?  use a
similar concept as an ASM prog... head to the expander, load up some code,
and run it.  no way to exit other than a shutdown command.  Main issue...
INPUT!!!
Btw, we have networking as it is... but I see no reason to have someone
login to a system that is this small.  Not even ELKS was meant to fit into
this space

Argue later, I'm just adding fuel to this upcoming flame fest :)

CK



Matt Cooper wrote:

> Hello.
>
> I'm not a programmer or a hardware builder, but I am very interested in
> hardware for the TI-8x.  My question is thus:
>
> Can UNIX or some variant be ported to the z80?  More specifically, the
> TI-85?  This is probably wrong, but I had an idea for how it might work:
>
> - It would require a memory expander of some sort.  You first download a
> regular shell, perhaps ZShell or Usgard.  A normal ZShell or Usgard
> program is placed on the calculator, and basically it just takes over
> and never returns control to ZShell or to the system OS.  Basically a
> permanent UNIX emulator, I suppose.  It would of course overwrite the
> old stuff.
>
> It could perhaps use the 28k user memory (and system memory???) as RAM,
> and treat the expander as the /dev/hda.
>
> Then one of two things could happen, either A) the calculator is "UNIX"
> until you do a reset and is worthless as a "calculator", or B) someone
> writes a "protected-mode" interface to the TI-OS.
>
> Linking may not be necessary, because perhaps drivers could be written
> on the PC which send files to the expander through a graphlink or
> homemade link.
>
> The next thing you are going to ask is, Why?  Why do you need a
> multi-user operating system on a single-user device like that?  And why
> UNIX?
>
> My answer: UNIX has been ported to so many different architectures that
> it would be easy to obtain support in the net community, and it might
> pave the way to calculator networking as an inexpensive reality.  Think
> about being able to use one calculator as the server and run the program
> from there, and just use the other, ZShell or Usgard calculators as
> clients or even dumb terminals.
>
> WARNING: I am extremely amateur, having little to no experience with the
> z80, assembly programming in general, building hardware, networking, and
> porting archaic operating systems.
>
> At least I didn't come on here asking ya'll to port DOS to the TI-85.
>
> --Matt Cooper / mnemonicdevice@hotmail.com
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Follow-Ups: References: