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OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2014 8:41 pm
by dave
I welcome contributions, especially of
  • software and scanned (or paper) manuals, stories, tips, tricks, hacks, and other info.
  • working and non-working OSI hardware, either photos or the real thing.
If you have some OSI stuff you'd like to share, but don't have the time or resources to scan documents or image floppies, I will do either. I'm willing to cover shipping costs in both directions, and can scan documents of any size. I can make images from 5.25" and 8" floppies.

I am particularly interested in any information on the following:
  • FBASIC by Pegasus Software
  • DOS/65 (the CPM-like OS for 6502, OSI port)
  • the Aardvark BASIC compiler
  • FORTH
  • Documentation or software for the Generic Computer Products Color-Plus card
Also, any information about, or working or non-working specimens of the following:
  • OSI 560Z card - I'd love to hear from anybody who had one of these up and running, even if the card is long gone.
  • OSI 460Z card
  • Any Mittendorf engineering hi-res kits, or similar Aardvark or other video mods for the C2/4 or for the C1/superboard
I'm also very interested in any activities involving softare ports for OSI, such as:
  • PLASMA, an exciting modern self-hosting language with interpreted, threaded, and compiled models, tailored for 6502
  • CC65, a C compiler for 6502 systems. Needs port to OSI systems, with targets for C1, C2, UK101, Disk-systems and non-disk systems.
  • (Once again) DOS/65 (the CPM-like OS for 6502, OSI port)

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 9:44 am
by john
You mentioned you are interested in FBasic. What exactly are you looking for?

I have a copy of the Pegasus FBasic compiler disks. (1982/03/26 -- version 1.1.6)

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 12:03 pm
by dave
Hi John,

That's exactly what I'm looking for! Number one on the wish list, in fact.

Would you be willing to make images of those disks? Of course if you have any documentation, it would be wonderful if you are able to scan it as well :-)

Many thanks,

Dave

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 11:54 am
by john
I will scan the FBasic manuals and send them along. Unfortunately my CP3 is having issues with the disk drives.
I fired it up this week (first time in almost 30 years) and got as far as the H/D/M. But when I select D it
only load the head and nothing else.

I have three of the 8" floppy drives so hopefully one of them will work.

I have quite a bit of OSI stuff here so I will go thru it and see what else I can offer.

john

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 1:31 pm
by dave
john wrote:I will scan the FBasic manuals and send them along.
Awesome, I'm very excited about that. If it's too big to email, or post here, I can send you an ftp login, or a dropbox link.
Unfortunately my CP3 is having issues with the disk drives.
I fired it up this week (first time in almost 30 years) and got as far as the H/D/M. But when I select D it
only load the head and nothing else.

I have three of the 8" floppy drives so hopefully one of them will work.
Hopefully one will work. If not, I have a couple of working 8" drives (but need to get their systems configured properly), and could make a copy. Also, I think there are a couple of hobbyists on this board who do have working 8" drives, who may be able to make a copy, depending on whether you are comfortable loaning out the disk. Where are you located?
I have quite a bit of OSI stuff here so I will go thru it and see what else I can offer.
john
I'm looking forward to it!

Dave

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 3:56 am
by Jeff
Two words: PLOT BASIC. It is a later version of BASIC that supported hi-res graphics.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 5:14 pm
by dave
Jeff wrote:Two words: PLOT BASIC. It is a later version of BASIC that supported hi-res graphics.
Never heard of that one. It's for OSI? Did it work with the 541 board you have? How about third party boards like the Color-Plus?

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sat May 09, 2015 11:37 pm
by MK14HAK
Jeff, Mark Spankus has PLOT BASIC but I have had no contact since Nov 14.
Hope he visits again. Would love to encourage him to release winOSI source . He also has FORTH , DOS65 ,65U, WP2 and WP3 OSI word processors and a bunch of other stuff.
I have asked Dave if he is able to contact him but I dont think he has had any luck to date. Its difficult from down here. I had tried to contact Steve Hendrix in 2013 but failed but thanks to BillO its just shows what can be done.
65U and DOS65 are both on my wish list.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 1:41 am
by bxdanny
Jeff,

Yeah, I'm glad we have someone with a serial OSI system here too. Welcome. I guess you have the version without the hard drive, otherwise you would have mentioned the HD. C3-A is what I think the rack system without the HD was called. It's pretty amazing to think that today, a common flash drive that can be carried in your pocket has over 100 times the data storage capacity of one of those monster CD-74 drives that took two people to lift. What software disks do you have, other than the FBASIC that you mentioned, and (presumably) standard versions of 65D and 65U? What do you use for a terminal? And does your computer have a second serial port (such as on a 550 or 555 board) that can be used to transfer data to and from a PC?

To MK14HAK:

Steve Hendrix is on this forum as SteveHx. I sent him a private message a week ago and he responded. I asked him about whether Hexdos could be posted here, and replied that David xxxxx* was supposed to be handling putting it up. Is that Dave, the moderator, or someone else?

* The last name was given, and I originally had it in this message too. It was indeed that of the administrator of this forum, but he has asked that I remove it.

Re: OSIWeb.org wish list :-)

Posted: Sun May 10, 2015 7:41 pm
by Steve Gray
Jeff wrote:Two words: PLOT BASIC. It is a later version of BASIC that supported hi-res graphics.
I have plot basic, but afaik it only used psuedo block-character graphics. I will be sending plotbasic to phil to archive when i get a chance to pack my disks up.

steve