TOS 2.08?

[AndresPlazaR]

Hello!

I'm wondering if any of you have information about "TOS 2.08"... Supposedly, that's the version used for the STBook.

I'm asking because all the TOS I have seen for the STBook, actually, are 2.06. Of course, they are special 2.06, but they are marked with that version in the code.

So, maybe the "2.08" is just a myth?

Andres.

[sporniket]

No idea at all, I did not know about it to start with.

[frank.lukas]

There is a spezial TOS 2.06 ST-BOOK patch package ...
https://www.markusheiden.de/atari/tospatch.html


C302365-003GER= TOS 2.06 ROM/EPROM Germany, Typ 27C4096 (U102)
C302362-003USA= TOS 2.06 ROM/EPROM USA vom 3/12/92, Typ 27C4096 (U102)

[SteveBagley]

From the TOS source code:

Code: Select all

* Revision 2.94  1992/03/11  01:26:14  apratt
* CHanged version number back to x.06; was commented as changed to x.08,
* but was really x.07.  Back to .06 for STPAD ROMs of this date.
*

And

Code: Select all

* Revision 2.89  1992/02/28  01:22:40  apratt
* The rev 2.88 log should have looked like this:
*
* Changed version number to 2.08/3.08. (Maintain even version numbers for
* compatibility with nasty old stuff.)
*
* Added tons of Sparrow stuff: initalize memory, video, etc. New MCH, VDO.
*
* Changed the dma boot code to cycle through a table of device numbers to
* attempt, rather than the stupid stuff that was there before.
*
* Here's the log message for revision 2.89:
*
* Vector nasty exceptions during boot to coldboot. Also backed out
* sparrow-special in MicroWire handling, because that HW bug is fixed.
*
* Revision 2.88  1992/02/12  01:31:40  apratt
* ci -u startup.s <slog
* ci -u '-mMuch Sparrow stuff. Also fixed a bug in slow ACSI devices.' dmaread.s
* ci -u '-mAdded SPARROW, removed STPLUS.' mkswitch.e
* ci -u '-mAdded loops .if SPARROW to check the SDMA status bit.' flop.s
* ci -u '-mFixed an RTS/CTS bug in SCC code. See scc_sender.' bios.s
*

So it looks like Atari did use 2.08 at one point for STPAD at least, although it's not exactly clear what exactly is meant by STPAD (since they also use STBOOK and STylus to refer to things :))

The revision history for the TOS source is quite fascinating reading :)

Steve

[sporniket]

So it looks like Atari did use 2.08 at one point for STPAD at least, although it's not exactly clear what exactly is meant by STPAD (since they also use STBOOK and STylus to refer to things :))

I remember that a tablet was presented at some time with a special version of GEM/VDI to support input through a stylus and some kind of writing recognition.

[AndresPlazaR]

From the TOS source code:
...
So it looks like Atari did use 2.08 at one point for STPAD at least, although it's not exactly clear what exactly is meant by STPAD (since they also use STBOOK and STylus to refer to things :))

Thanks for that info, Steve! Where did you get the code? I was looking around and I found this: https://github.com/th-otto/tos3x, but I cannot find any file with those comments.

So, I think this confirm my suspicion: in reality, "2.08" does not exist, it was always been 2.06.

Andres.

[SteveBagley]

Thanks for that info, Steve! Where did you get the code? I was looking around and I found this: https://github.com/th-otto/tos3x, but I cannot find any file with those comments.

It’s either from the Atari HQ CD image floating about or from 'Atari Source code: AES, VDI, AHDI, CPXs, XControl, NEOchrome, and more' on dev-docs… I can’t remember exactly where I got it from now, but I’d start with the latter :) In either case, it’s buried in the archives somewhere. It’s a mix of stuff from the Falcon TOS dev source I think, but with all the RCS history intact.

The GitHub link you found is Thorsten Otto's (excellent) version of the source in a form that recompiles TOS in a binary exact form, so if you want to build a non-existent variant of the ST Book TOS you can quite easily.

So, I think this confirm my suspicion: in reality, "2.08" does not exist, it was always been 2.06.

Not in a released form at least, unless Curt Vendel's ST Pad has it running.

[SteveBagley]

I remember that a tablet was presented at some time with a special version of GEM/VDI to support input through a stylus and some kind of writing recognition.

Yes, I meant what STPAD meant within the source because they seem to use STPAD, STylus and STbook interchangeably so it wasn’t clear whether those comments were referring to TOS for just the ST pad (tablet) device, or for both the STPad and ST Book.

Certainly, the ST Book TOS images available online contain (code that is only necessary on the ST pad in the startup routines.

Steve