SymbOS - Revision history

Phi2x: /* Web links */

2025-04-11T22:14:18Z

‎Web links

Phi2x: /* Web links */

2025-04-11T22:13:47Z

‎Web links

Phi2x: /* Web links */

2025-04-11T22:11:54Z

‎Web links

Nich: /* Events */ Added release date for version 4.0

2025-02-14T23:16:38Z

‎Events: Added release date for version 4.0

Prevtenet: hardware, development tools

2025-01-30T23:31:20Z

hardware, development tools

RockRiver at 12:04, 6 August 2024

2024-08-06T12:04:08Z

Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /mnt/cpcwiki-httpdocs/includes/diff/DairikiDiff.php on line 434

Prodatron: /* Events */

2023-10-26T09:43:34Z

‎Events

Cwiiis: Small spelling/grammar fixes.

2019-12-01T19:22:59Z

Small spelling/grammar fixes.

Prodatron at 19:05, 12 October 2017

2017-10-12T19:05:03Z

Prodatron: /* Porting and cross platform ability */

2017-10-12T16:05:02Z

‎Porting and cross platform ability

Deprecated: The each() function is deprecated. This message will be suppressed on further calls in /mnt/cpcwiki-httpdocs/includes/diff/DairikiDiff.php on line 434

@@ Line 204: / Line 204: @@
 *[http://www.symbos.de SymbOS homepage]
-*[http://www.symbos.de/download/20250131-V40/SymbOS-40-Manual.pdf SymbOS installation and user manual (PDF)]
+*[http://www.symbos.de/download/20250131-V40/SymbOS-40-Manual.pdf SymbOS installation manual (PDF)]
 *[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/symbos8bit SymbOS mailing list (new)]
 *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SymbOS english Wikipedia article]

@@ Line 204: / Line 204: @@
 *[http://www.symbos.de SymbOS homepage]
-*[https://www.symbos.org/download/20170830-V30/symbos-manual.pdf SymbOS installation and user manual (PDF)]
+*[http://www.symbos.de/download/20250131-V40/SymbOS-40-Manual.pdf SymbOS installation and user manual (PDF)]
 *[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/symbos8bit SymbOS mailing list (new)]
 *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SymbOS english Wikipedia article]

@@ Line 204: / Line 204: @@
 *[http://www.symbos.de SymbOS homepage]
-*[http://members.home.nl/evanzanten/msxorg/SymbOS%203%20install%20user%20and%20install%20guide.pdf SymbOS installation configuration manual (PDF)]
+*[https://www.symbos.org/download/20170830-V30/symbos-manual.pdf SymbOS installation and user manual (PDF)]
 *[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/symbos8bit SymbOS mailing list (new)]
 *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SymbOS english Wikipedia article]

@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 *''08/2017'': SymbOS release 3.0 is out
 *''12/2021'': SymbOS release 3.1 is out
 <br>

@@ Line 87: / Line 87: @@
 **[[SYMBiFACE II|SYMBiFACE II]] (realtime clock; PS/2 mouse; IDE interface, Ram/Rom expansion) and compatibles (X-MASS)
 **M4Board (ESP8266-based Wifi, SD card reader, Rom expansion)
 **HxC direct SD card access (FAT32)
 **Albireo (USB mouse)
@@ Line 105: / Line 106: @@
 === Task management  ===
-For the task management a combination of pre-emptive and cooperative multitasking has been choosed, which makes different task priorities possible. Pre-emptive means that tasks are interrupted after a certain amount of time by the operating system, in order to share the CPU time with other tasks. Cooperatively means, that a task stops using CPU time by itself. It does it, if it finished its current job or is waiting for a certain event. Because of this combination it is possible to assign priorities. Tasks with a low priority receive CPU time only if all tasks with higher priorities are not currently working.
+For the task management a combination of pre-emptive and cooperative multitasking has been chosen, which makes different task priorities possible. Pre-emptive means that tasks are interrupted after a certain amount of time by the operating system, in order to share the CPU time with other tasks. Cooperatively means, that a task stops using CPU time by itself. It does it, if it finished its current job or is waiting for a certain event. Because of this combination it is possible to assign priorities. Tasks with a low priority receive CPU time only if all tasks with higher priorities are not currently working.
 === Memory and banking management  ===
@@ Line 116: / Line 117: @@
 The communication between different tasks and the operating system usually does not take place via "Calls", but is done via "Messages". This is necessarily inside a multitasking environment to avoid organisation problems with the stack, global variables and shared system resources.
 == Graphical user interface  ==
@@ Line 133: / Line 136: @@
 == Applications and executables  ==
-There are several standard applications available for SymbOS, which have beend designed as clones of well known Windows and Macintosh programs. As an example these are applications similar to the Norton Commander (SymCommander), QuickTime (SymPlay), WinAmp (SymAmp) or Minesweeper.
+There are several standard applications available for SymbOS, which have been designed as clones of well known Windows and Macintosh programs. As an example these are applications similar to the Norton Commander (SymCommander), QuickTime (SymPlay), WinAmp (SymAmp) or Minesweeper.
 *'''Applications'''
@@ Line 163: / Line 166: @@
 **[[SymShell|SymShell]] (command line interface)
-<br>
+== Development tools ==
-=== SymStudio  ===
+The [https://github.com/danielgaskell/scc SymbOS C Compiler] (SCC) is a full C compiler suite for SymbOS. A comprehensive system library is available for interfacing with the SymbOS desktop, but it is also possible to compile many existing C programs into SymShell console apps without modification. SCC runs on Windows, but it can also compile itself to run natively on SymbOS itself, so it is technically possible to develop applications in C (or assembly) entirely from within SymbOS.
-[[SymStudio|SymStudio]] is a Windows-based IDE (integrated development environment) by [[Trebmint|Trebmint]] for SymbOS similiar to MS Visual Studio. SymStudio makes it possible to develop SymbOS applications in Assembler or Basic ("SymBasic"). It is also possible to convert PC graphics and videos into the SymbOS format ([[Format:SGX (SymbOS graphic files)|SGX]], [[Format:VID (SymbOS video files)|VID]]). Have a look at [[SymStudio|its article]] for more information. Currently there is only a beta version available.
+An older C SDK for [[SDCC]] by Nerlaska is also available; a patched version of this can be found in the [https://github.com/danielgaskell/cpvm CPvM source repository].
 <br>

@@ Line 175: / Line 175: @@
 SymbOS has been developed originally for the Amstrad CPC. Because of the modular structure with the strict separation of general and hardware components the porting to other Z80-based systems is quite easy.
-The MSX computers starting with the MSX2 standard are supported since summer 2006. The Amstrad [[PCW|PCW]] port is available since August 2007. Since end of 2014 the port for the [[Enterprise]] 64/128 has been done as well. Versions for Amstrad NC100/150/200 and PCW16, Spectrum Next and others are possible, too, as they fulfill the requirements for SymbOS.
+The MSX computers starting with the MSX2 standard are supported since summer 2006. The Amstrad [[PCW|PCW]] port is available since August 2007. Since end of 2014 the port for the [[Enterprise]] 64/128 has been done as well. Versions for Amstrad NC100/150/200 and Spectrum Next exist nowadays. And others, Z88 ... are possible, too, as they fulfill the requirements for SymbOS.
 By keeping a basic condition for an operating system, the strict separation of hardware and application software by the supply of an intermediate layer, SymbOS applications run platform-independently on each computer and do not have to be adapted for a special system. Exceptions are applications, which access directly the hardware.

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 *''03/2015'': Development of network support started
 *''08/2017'': SymbOS release 3.0 is out
 <br>

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 Even the Z80 8-bit CPU is able to run a pre-emptive multitasking environment. Missing mechanisms like memory protection, which are often called as a condition for multitasking, are system stability issues only. The MP/M operating system already proved, that multitasking on Z80 computers is possible.
-While the MOS Technology 6502 can not move the stack, the Z80 can freely replace it to any position in the memory, which is more or less a condition for pre-emptive multitasking. The existance of an alternative register set accelerates the content switching between the tasks dramatically. The restriction of Z80 systems to a 64 kB address space can be solved with bank switching. In this way computers like the Amstrad CPC and PCW, MSX, Enterprise or SAM Coupé are able to access hundred or thousand of kilobytes of memory.
+While the MOS Technology 6502 can not move the stack, the Z80 can freely replace it to any position in the memory, which is more or less a condition for pre-emptive multitasking. The existence of an alternative register set accelerates context switching between tasks dramatically. The restriction of Z80 systems to a 64 kB address space can be solved with bank switching. In this way computers like the Amstrad CPC and PCW, MSX, Enterprise or SAM Coupé are able to access hundreds or thousands of kilobytes of memory.
 <br>

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 ''Parts of this article have been copied from the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SymbOS english Wikipedia article].''
-'''SymbOS''' is a free multitasking operating system for Z80 based 8-bit computer systems written by [[Prodatron|Prodatron]]. At present it is available for the computers of the Amstrad CPC as well as for all [[MSX]] models starting from the MSX2 standard, all Amstrad [[PCW|PCW]] (Joyce) models until the PcW10 and the [[Enterprise]] 64/128. Contrary to early 8-bit operating systems it is based on a microkernel, which provides pre-emptive and priority oriented multitasking and manages RAM memory with a size of up to 1024 kB. SymbOS contains a MS-Windows like GUI, supports hard discs with a capacity of up to 128 GB and can already be booted on an unexpanded Amstrad CPC-6128, a PCW, an MSX2 or an Enterprise 128 with floppy disc drive.
+'''SymbOS''' is a free multitasking operating system for Z80 based 8-bit computer systems written by [[Prodatron|Prodatron]]. At present it is available for the computers of the Amstrad CPC as well as for all [[MSX]] models starting from the MSX2 standard, all Amstrad [[PCW|PCW]] (Joyce) models until the PcW10 and the [[Enterprise]] 64/128. Contrary to early 8-bit operating systems it is based on a microkernel, which provides pre-emptive and priority oriented multitasking and manages RAM memory with a size of up to 1024 kB for the executed applications. SymbOS contains an MS-Windows like GUI, supports hard discs with a capacity of up to 2 TB and can already be booted on an unexpanded Amstrad CPC-6128, a PCW, an MSX2 or an Enterprise 128 with floppy disc drive.
 <br>
@@ Line 69: / Line 69: @@
 **Maximum possible screen resolution: 16.000 × 16.000 pixel
 *'''File manager'''
-**Maximum hard disc size: 128 GB
+**Maximum hard disc size: 2 TB
 **Maximum file size: 2 GB
 **Maximum number of devices: 8
@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 **[[Enterprise]] 64/128
 *'''Supported external hardware'''
-**[[Dk'tronics|dk'tronics]] memory expansion 64K-512K and compatibles ([[Dobbertin|Dobbertin]], [[SYMBiFACE II|SYMBiFACE II]])
+**[[Dk'tronics|dk'tronics]] memory expansion 64K-512K and compatibles ([[Dobbertin|Dobbertin]], [[SYMBiFACE II|SYMBiFACE II]], X-MEM)
-**[[SYMBiFACE II|SYMBiFACE II]] (realtime clock; PS/2 mouse; IDE interface, Ram/Rom expansion)
+**[[SYMBiFACE II|SYMBiFACE II]] (realtime clock; PS/2 mouse; IDE interface, Ram/Rom expansion) and compatibles (X-MASS)
 **[[AMX Mouse|AMX]] and [[Kempston Mouse|Kempston mouse]] (PCW)
 **Sunrise IDE interface (MSX)
 **MegaSD card interface for OCM, MegaflashRomSCC+SD (MSX)
 **MP3MSX (MSX)
 == Kernel  ==