CompuServe Messages

No – I'm not talking about an HD driver in the _DOS_ sense. Let's examine things here for a sec, shall we? First of all, what is the "autoboot" in terms of resources? Well, AmigaDOS isn't up yet – KS is in (ROMs, of course) and the KS has just enuf sense to check for Software on the HD board. If it's there, it get's control, and it starts the system from the HD. Ok. How much software are we talking here? Not much! A floppy has about 11k of data/track. Now, if you leave a floppy in the drive (non-bootable, so the OS won't actually boot from it, and will go off and try the autoboot as per CBM), how does the OS _know_ that it's non-bootable? It _reads_ it, of course. An entire track, too – since that's the ONLY way it can work. (keep this in mind whilst I beat on something else for a 'mo) If you don't leave a disk in the drive, what happens? Click, click, click. YECH! Ok – you don't want to do _that_, obviously. back to the main theme… <grin – I love this> Now, you have this track of data in memory – 11k of "stuff". Is 11k enough to send things over to the HD? Sure it is… unless the programmer is a total klutz. So, it's in memory – it could EASILY be the code to start the HD; (boot blocks can start anything, anyway – look at game disks that take over completely). Remember, this isn't AmigaDOS we're talking about here – it's one track of code, started from the boot block. Now, there is the code that brings in the HD – just like the ROMs would! except: A – no rom change is needed B – Your disk drive won't click C – with a change of the disk, the code can be updated D – And CBM could pay attention to the PROBLEMS that are in the system, instead of wasting their time on situations that 1) aren't problems, and 2) could be solved by any of the HD developers, if CBM would simply tell them to. I refer, of course, to MENUverify (HA!) Mutalexclude on gadgets, the ram handler, the serial device and it's CRASHING bugs, the no-multiple-serial-port-standard problem, the no-run-cli-frm-wb problem(s), they could even (maybe) fix such items as notepad,