Date   : Sun, 21 Aug 2011 11:10:55 -0500
From   : jules.richardson99@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Tube ROM

Rick Murray wrote:
> On 21/08/2011 01:21, J.G.Harston wrote:
> 
>> Commented source code at http://mdfs.net/tube/6502
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> 
>> The MOS is the firmware, whatever languages you chose
>> to use on your system is down to you.
> 
> Here's a question then - was there ever something non-Beeby (and not 
> FileServer) that ran on a Beeb+CoPro combo? I'd imagine you might be 
> able to run some sort of baby Unix sort of arrangement on it?

Torch did a few systems like that. I had a Torch 725 Unix system which 
contained a beeb, 68000/Z80 dual copro, SCSI controller, bridge board and 
ST412-type hard disk.  I don't recall if I kept it now (if so it's in 
storage back in England) - the hard disk was totally snafu.

Acorn worked with Logica and looked at running Xenix on the Cambridge 
Workstation via its ns32k copro, but by the sounds of it the Tube 
performance was just too slow and they gave up. Of course that particular 
machine still ran PanOS, though (but I don't know if that counts as 'non 
beeby' because it was still coded by Acorn? :-)

Oh, and I have a beeb with a Cumana 68008 copro - that one runs OS-9.

Then there was the Casper 68k copro - there was a version of FLEX for that 
particular combination.

It was also possible to connect a Dragon 64 up to a beeb and run it as a 
copro - covered by one of the computing mags back in the day - and I think 
there was a FLEX offering available for that, too (but I'm not aware of a 
surviving copy of the software)

cheers

Jules