DECUS 12 BIT NEWS - NUMBER 46 (MAY 1984)

This issue of the DECUS 12 Bit News announces significant developments for 12-bit systems, particularly the DECmate II.

The primary announcement is the release of OS/278 Version 2.0 for the DECmate II to the DECUS Program Library (DM-101). Developed by DEC but not commercially marketed, OS/278 is described as an exceptional value, offering a complete OS/8 family operating system, including utilities, FORTRAN IV, an upgraded compiled BASIC, a new full-screen editor, and Winchester disk support, all for a nominal reproduction charge. Key features include support for lower-case input, an improved WPFLOP utility for WPS file conversion, and a new BASIC line renumbering tool (RENUM.BA). The EDIT.SV is a new "Virtual" text editor, similar to modern full-screen editors.

Another major highlight is the release of Pascal-OS/8 by John Easton and James Miner into the public domain and its submission to the DECUS Library. This full implementation of Pascal, distinct from PASCAL-S, offers extensive OS/8 interfacing, supports program segmentation to manage memory, comes with a comprehensive 136-page manual, and can utilize extra memory and FPP-12/FPP-8A hardware. It's noted for its portability across various PDP-8/PDP-12 machines.

The newsletter also includes a detailed history of the OS/8 software family, tracing its evolution from PS/8 (1970) through OS/8 versions 1-3D, OS/78 versions 1-4, and finally to OS/278, clarifying the naming conventions and key feature additions (like BASIC, BATCH, TECO, CCL, and date problem fixes). This section highlights the long-standing compatibility and design longevity of the OS/8 system.

Robert Hassinger, the 12 Bit Librarian, details his efforts to convert popular OS/8 programs (like WVU Sort/Merge/Extract, RUNOFF, DIRECT V7, and PDP-8 Cookbook) for OS/278 and the RX50 floppy format, making them available through DECUS. He also discusses the general ease of converting OS/8 family programs to OS/278, primarily involving media transfer.

Practical "HINTS AND KINKS FOR OS/278" are provided, covering topics such as copying disks without the DUPLICATE program, device naming conventions, issues with the LPT: and COMM: device drivers, a bug in the SET command that corrupts the system disk, and a PIP utility limitation.

Other articles discuss a promising new, transparent debugging package for assembly language development on the DECmate II (intended for DECUS submission) and user inquiries and frustrations regarding the availability and requirements (e.g., CP/M option, Winchester disk) of spelling checkers for WPS on DECmate systems.

Finally, a separate announcement from September 1983 details the release of the PRO-350 Developer's Kit (PRO-101) by DECUS, providing an advanced text editor (TECO), directory utility (SRD), disk copy utility, and a command line interface (MCR) for software development under the P/OS operating system.