Thread
Not UNIX for 8-bit Apple II
Just throwing out an idea here:
There's always been a lot of discussion about multi-tasking on the Apple II which generally doesn't go very far... I think the reason for that there are very few practical applications for it and the resources of the Apple II are somewhat lacking.
How about instead of multi-tasking, some sort of pause-and-switch scheme? You launch a program in main memory and then (through some clever hacking of ProDOS) you hit a key combo that causes execution to suspend and you can then swap main memory into one of the other banks and launch another program.
Would this avoid the seemingly thorny issue of interrupts? Maybe it could use one of the annunciators as a signal?
There's always been a lot of discussion about multi-tasking on the Apple II which generally doesn't go very far... I think the reason for that there are very few practical applications for it and the resources of the Apple II are somewhat lacking.
How about instead of multi-tasking, some sort of pause-and-switch scheme? You launch a program in main memory and then (through some clever hacking of ProDOS) you hit a key combo that causes execution to suspend and you can then swap main memory into one of the other banks and launch another program.
Would this avoid the seemingly thorny issue of interrupts? Maybe it could use one of the annunciators as a signal?
Here is the one for IIgs: http://www.hypermall.com/companies/procyon/switchit.html'
Here is the one for 8-bit Apples: http://rich12345.tripod.com/split.html
ProSel (most famous, IMO): http://apple2.info/download/21/
There may be one or more implementations around as well.
Here is the one for 8-bit Apples: http://rich12345.tripod.com/split.html
ProSel (most famous, IMO): http://apple2.info/download/21/
There may be one or more implementations around as well.