#: 21055 S12/OS9/68000 (OSK)
    16-Jul-95  13:03:07
Sb: #I'm up on Cumana OSK! :)
Fm: PaulSeniura 76476,464
To: all

Hello, I'm back!  :)  I'm up on OSK v2.3 for Atari STs by Cumana (U.K.) and
Reccoware (Germany)!

My ST hardware itself was upgraded long ago to match a Mega-4 model (16MHz with
instruction cache that can't be turned off, 4meg RAM, ICD's SCSI host adaptor,
etc.).

I wired up a switchable dual flip-flop chip to double the serial port speed --
when it's 'on', it's locked at 38400 bps.

I have a USRobotics 28800 Courier modem with its latest Flash ROM updates (that
I can find).  Yesterday I tested OSK with CompuServe's 14400 dial-up lines here
in Okla. City.  I'm using STerm v1.5.1 with RZ & SZ v3.24, /T1 port set with
type=80 to do RTS/CTS handshaking, my TERM environment variable is set to
'st48' or 'st50' (I love the 80x50 monochrome video mode), I told CompuServe's
host I have a VT52.  Everything is cooking & working fine!

Had to patch /TERM, it has a keyboard translate table hard-coded in the
descriptor's extended area.  Cumana provides 'english' and 'german' /TERM
descriptors & sources, neither one matches my 'u.s.a.' keyboard completely.
There were *no* docs supplied on how this table works, but I studied it &
guessed it was in Atari key-scan-code order.

After I figured out what to zap where in /TERM, I used FIXMOD to get its
Revision upped & checksum corrected so I can LOAD my new version.  The STCon
(ST Console) driver would not use my new copy after I LOADed it, altho it did
get loaded as proved by MDir, so I ended up having to patch OS9Boot directly:
Easiest way was to use BEAV, Binary Editor And Viewer, I found on CompuServe.
I patched the actual /TERM module which was merged into OS9Boot directly,
complete with proper checksums etc.

We're missing some of the tools we have with the CoCo3 Level 2 system such as
EZGen (I bought a legal copy of it some time back) which would make these kinds
of patches much easier to accomplish.

I still have lots to do to get the MAKE stuff working properly, or I would've
simply compiled a new 'term.usa' module, Cumana/Reccoware does provide enough
source code to do this BUT WITH NO DOCS or Comments!  So this patch approach
was probably the only way for me to get the keys fixed at this time.

Now I can type a shift-2 and get an '@' sign as it shows on my keys, rather
than the U.K.'s '"' double-quote.  Several other keys were different, too.  I
can provide complete details how to do the "fix" if needed.

Last year, Reccoware mailed me updates to their STHD (ST SCSI Hard Disk) driver
and other things (PTY & VTerm etc.).  I removed the Seagate ST277N drive that
was "sleeping" on me, if y'all remember. Started using and dedicated a whole
CDC (Seagate) 96meg WORM3 unit for OSK.  It's wired in at SCSI ID0 LUN0.  It's
been partitioned with ICD's latest formatter which can produce AHDI-compatible
part'n tables.  I made a small /H0 boot part'n (5meg) and 3 27meg part'ns (/H1,
/H2, & /H3).  My /DD points to /H3, where I'll have my SYS & C libs etc.  I
think I left an unused cylinder in-between each part'n just in case of bugs if
it runs out of room (seems to happen with any h.d. driver for Ataris!).  Each
part'n needs to be Type 'OS9' (not 'GEM' or 'BGM' or whatever) for Reccoware's
drivers to find 'em.

The Atari OSK booter can find OS9Boot on /H0 just fine!  (I still have to use a
copy of their 3.5" floppy to kick things off; I don't have the ST auto-boot ROM
cartridge Cumana sells.)  But, as it is now, this is perfect anyway: I can pick
what to boot, TOS/GEM/ICD or OSK, and they'll come up in less than 30 seconds.
;)  (Take THAT, OS/two and MSWindoz, put it in your pipe to smoke!!)

I'm still using my (other) Seagate 1-gig drive at SCSI ID0 LUN2 for standard ST
stuff, which TOS/GEM can find automatically.  This second drive has the "first"
GEM partition on it which becomes Drive C:, and TOS 1.04's own booter can find
& load ICDBOOT.SYS and the AUTO folder & ACCs just fine.

(Use even-numbered LUNs for all your drives to get around an older ICD host
adaptor card bug.)

No matter which way I boot, I'll leave Cumana's OSK boot diskette in Drive A:
(not their GEM diskette, but the actual OSK System Master diskette).  TOS & ICD
can find C: no matter what is in the floppy drives.  Once I boot up TOS/GEM,
all I have to do to boot up OSK is double-click on any copy of BOOTFOSK.PRG.

For completely automatic OSK boots, I _could_ put BOOTFOSK.PRG in my AUTO
folder, too.  This way, OSK should come up even if the power goes out & back
on.  Really!  :)

I need some help, tho.  Firstly, (this may be a FAQ but I couldn't find the
answer), some OSK software I've downloaded says it can't install a traphandler
due to my version of CIO, or something like that.  I've also tried downloading
& installing the Ultra-C stuff e.g. 'LOAD CSL FPU' then 'P2INIT FPU' as the
docs say, and I still get the traphandler CIO mismatch problem.  I'd love to
install SCREEN & its PTY stuff so I can have cheap multiple shell tasks on my
screen (in lieu of MGR or G- or K-Windows), but SCREEN is one that gripes about
my CIO.  SPACE and VUE also gripe.

Secondly, I'm back harping again on how I could get one of those GUIs for my
OSK/ST.  I didn't get much help last time I asked. Reccoware wants close to
US$800 for the MGR run-time and Development pkgs, yes I'll need both since I
want to write some new apps.  Their MGR runs in ST monochrome mode only, that'd
be ok for me, but forget it!:  My 1-gig SCSI drive cost less than that, full
retail price! Remember this is just a hobby for me!  Who can I
call/write/e-mail to find out more about MGR/GWin/KWin/other GUIs for my
OSK/ST?

Please do post your answer publicly for the time being -- I'm going to change
Internet providers very very soon, e-mail may bounce.

Thank you in advance for helping.  -- Paul Seniura (in OkC)

(P.S.  Once I get my compiler libs set up, I'll begin hacking on pgms to print
GIFs & JPGs in full dithered color on a Canon BJC-600 in 360dpi!  8-)

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