by Stephen L. Childress

from the July 1983 issue of Micro magazine

(Note: The figures are not available for this article because they are impossible to read on my source.)

The modularization of the I/O system allows OS-9 to enhance the standard I/O at run time, not assembly or patch time. Device names and addresses are not fixed by the operating system but, rather, the program may attempt I/O to any device name. Of course, an appropriate module of that name must be loaded and ready to go at that time. Device names, driver procedures, register addresses, peripheral idiosyncracies, etc., are stated outside the core of the operating system and may be extended with ease. A device driver and descriptor for any data acquisition device may be loaded and accessed by programs using these techniques. In fact, should RBF and SCF fail to meet the needs of some device, an entirely new manager may be loaded and used alongside RBF and SCF. An example of this might be a 9-track tape drive that is not random-block oriented but is more than a character-oriented device. Perhaps an SBF (sequential block manager) module would be best:

by Stephen L. Childress

from the June 1983 issue of Micro magazine

Unless you’ve been on sabbatical to Siberia of late you will have noticed the swell of interest in the Unix operating system software. Most new and all the old popular 16-bit computers are supporting Unix or one of the numerous look-alikes. Why all the furor? It seems at last we’ve begun to rethink computer programming and usage. Recognizing that software development is expensive and timeconsuming, we must exploit the falling cost of today’s hardware. In this article, I explain how a new operating system software philosphy is being applied to small microcomputers capable of supporting a MC6809 processor. This software is called “OS-9” and is a good example of the rewards of rethinking system software.

By Stephen J . Shaw

from the November 1983 issue of Mini-Micro Systems magazine

Slowly but earnestly, companies in the artificial intelligence (AI) field are bringing out the tools to build the heralded Fifth Generation computer systems. It’s likely to take several years for any AI-based products to have a major impact in the commercial market. But 1983 could be the year AI emerges from its R&D cocoon.

Many significant product developments are coming from recently formed companies devoted exclusively to AI. More than 20 new enterprises have appeared during the past two years, notes Louis Robinson, editor of AI Reports and former executive director of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). Those 20 enterprises form the vanguard of the nascent AI industry. That industry is devoted to revamping the relationship between humans and computers by developing systems that can perform logical inferences, draw on the knowledge of experts in specific applications and be accessed in “natural” languages- that is, in terms familiar to human operators.

by Phil Daley

from the June 1983 issue of Micro magazine

The operating systems that I have seen available for the Apple use essentially the same read/write routines, but they have been modified or changed. All the disks created by any one system can be read by any other system if you know the procedure. Modifying disks to make them copyprotected (unreadable) is a different technique and a different topic. The Operating Systems covered in this article all use standard DOS 3.3 format disks. The list is as follws: DOS 3.3® , Pascal®, ORCA/M®, Flex® , OS-9® and CP/M® . There are also many varieties and colors of patches and fixes for DOS 3.3 on the market, ranging from Craig Peterson’s and the Floeters’ articles in Nibble to ‘DIVERSI DOS’ and ‘MASTER DOS’.

by Dixon P. Otto

from the April 1983 issue of TODAY magazine

“I had no intention of doing anything with computers again,” says Neale Bartter of Wooster, Ohio, reflecting on the time in 1974 when he gave up a computer career for farming.

“Now I spend most of my time in here with the computer,” he says from the office of his turn-of-the-century home. He nodded towards the micro sitting on the desk next to him. Another sets on the dining room table in the next room, looking a bit incongruous amid the early American furniture. Others now run the farm while he concentrates on a new business: Creating computers systems and software for farmers.

by David A. Bright

from the July 1983 issue of Mini-Micro Systems magazine

Franklin Computer Corp., once considered just another Apple Computer Inc. clone, is being closely monitored by the personal computer industry as it begins to move away from Apple’s shadow. With the hiring last spring of several key research and development personnel, Franklin has indicated that it intends to become a major independent personal computer supplier.

Franklin’s first big move was hiring Avram Miller, former manager of Digital Equipment Corp.’s Professional computer program, as executive vice president of manufacturing and engineering. A month after Miller arrived, he lured William L. Sydnes away from his position as development manager for the Personal Computer at IBM Corp. Sydnes was rumored to be working on the low-end Peanut model. He assumes the post of vice president of engineering at Franklin. Miller is confident that Sydnes will build an engineering organization at Franklin that will be “second to none." He says Sydnes has a proven track record in developing superior products on tight schedules.

An Optimistic Approach to Software Piracy

By Charles Bowen and J. Stewart Schneider

from the January/February 1983 issue of TODAY magazine

Fellow man.

It’s the kind of faith that, if contagious, could spawn a whole new kind of marketing in the microcomputer community.

At a time when major software houses are spending tens of thousands of dollars in what some say is a futile effort to protect their programs against pirates, a man named Andrew Fluegelman gives his programs away.

by Mark G. Boyd

from the June 1983 issue of Micro magazine

When something new comes along most of us tend to be conservative about giving up the familiar. A good example of this behavior is the use of structured programming languages on microcomputers. Languages like Pascal have been available to us for a couple of years; they are easier to program in and more efficient than BASIC. However, only a relative minority of microcomputer users have switched to a structured language, and none of the major manufacturers offer anything other than BASIC as standard equipment.

by Francine Sevel

from the July 1983 issue of TODAY magazine

Just the right touch of entertainment is often as much a part of a restaurant’s charm as that secret recipe handed down from generation to generation. And, as time and technology have revolutionized every aspect of society, restaurants have had to keep pace. Even pizza parlors have not escaped the wheels of motion.

Today’s number one pizza chain not only has a full array of pizza selections: double cheese, thick vs. thin crust, anchovies vs. olives, salad bar, deli sandwiches, beer and wine, but also the state-of-the-art equipment for high-technology entertainment.

The Nearly Man

by Nigel Holder

from the January 1983 issue of Personal Computer World

Charles Babbage is remembered as the man who nearly invented the digital computer. Working in a pre-electronic age he nevertheless discovered principles which were not put into practice until Von Neumamin in the 1940’s. His mechanical computer was defeated by the lack of precise enough manufacturing techniques. Nigel Holder tells the story.

This is an account of the work of the pioneer of automatic calculating machines, Charles Babbage. His Difference Engine and Analytical Engine will be discussed. The emphasis is mainly historical, and as such there will be no detailed descriptions of how the machines work. A general over view of the calculating machines is given, as well as a description of the problems that Babbage faced.