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'''FutureOS''' is an application starter/and shell for the Amstrad CPC6128 and 6128plus developed by [[TFM]]. Its development continues from 1990 up to now. The applications of FutureOS can be up to 512 KB in one piece. FutureOS has a memory management system, which divides RAM into 16 KB blocks. Further the file-system works allows accessing files with 24 Bit, files can be a size of up to 16 MB long512KB. FutureOS provides some standard utilities (like copy or format a disc; copy / rename / erase / type / and print a file etc.)utilities. Further applications are delivered for disc or hard-disc. FutureOS is written in machine codeassembler like most serious 8bit software.

The core of the OS needs 64 KB ROM. Compatible products are EPROM-cards, the ROM-RAM-BOX, [[SYMBiFACE II]], RAMcard or similar products. If you don’t don't own such a card, you can take a look at FutureOS by using a very precise compatible CPC Emulator (WinCPC, Caprice, WinApe).

The core of the OS itself is executed directly in (EP)ROM or EPROM where it is divided in four 16 KB blocks. It jumps between the ROMs with the help of a little common area. So all Depending on the RAM number of your CPC is saved buffered directories it requires between 24KB and 48KB of RAM. The remaining memory can be used for applications and data. Furthermore it contains memory management and file-handling. From AmsDOS/Basic you can start FutureOS with the RSX commands |OS or |FDESK. If you use |FDESK you can leave FutureOS and get back to BASIC where you have stopped before – - the first 64KB have been preserved.

The Desktop of FutureOS is divided in two sections. First a an icon-section, where you can choose your functions. Second there is a section below, where you can browse through directories of discs and hard-disc partitions.

Applications can call the GUI as an a subroutine. FutureOS is said to be easy to handle, after learning how to work with it. The icons are fixed, so you will always work with the same desktop.

FutureOS is compatible with the CPCs native data-, file- and format structures (f. e. File-header, Disc-formats). But it It is not compatible with native AmsDOS [[Amsdos]] or [[CP/M ]] programs. FutureOS and compatible applications can be downloaded at: [http://www.FutureOS.de www.FutureOS.de].

Filenames can use all 256 different characters and user numbers from 0 to 254 (except for &E5, which marks a deleted file). Different to Amsdos, a file that is erased under FutureOS will not be shifted to user &E5, but it will be physically removed from the directory. Files can be viewed on-screen (scroll up and down) or printed. You can also view the file-header. When typing a text-file it is possible to set the number of columns and lines of the window the text is displayed in. File-headers are displayed as AmsDOS file or the icon-like file-header of a FutureOS program. An AmsDOS file-header has 128 bytes of which some bytes are unused. FutureOS makes use of those unused bytes so that files have a 24 Bit length definition of 24bit and can have a physical RAM select. Therefore a file can be defined to be loaded everywhere in the external RAM. Also a FutureOS file-header can contain a graphical icon, a textual icon or a short description of the file. FutureOS work with old AmsDOS file-headers.

The OS supports many of the hardware available for the CPC, including the Vortex disc drives , several mices and the Dobbertin HD20.

One idea of FutureOS was to support any hardware available. For example there are 3.5” 5" B-drives, Vortex F1-D-drives, hard-discs, real-time-clocks, serial interfaces etc. Hardware expansion usually need their own drivers (DOS on Eprom), which can be flexible added to an OS. One In contrast to this one of the future goals of FutureOS is to provide access to different expansions under one roof. FutureOS is planned to work with all known hardware expansions for the CPC. It should be possible to use a 3.5” B-drive, external Vortex F1-S or F1-Dmonolithik architecture, where all drivers are implemented in a serial interface (or two!), different RAM expansions and maybe a hard-disc (Dobbertin HD20)hardcoded way.

FutureOS supports up to eight drives and up to four hard-disc partitions. FutureOS It buffers the directories read from any mass storage device in the expansion RAM.

If you connect a hardware expansion to a CPC, FutureOS will automatically detect that expansion, initialise it and make it accessible. The architecture of the OS allows you to add and remove hardware on purpose. An example: You add a trackball, you use it, then you connect and use a joystick and then you use a proportional mouse for example. You can turn external hardware in the configuration-bytes on or off, if you are able to rewrite the ROM.

Tools like copy, format, verify or refresh a disc exist. You can copy files from different discs and partitions to different other discs and partitions at once.

Example: You can copy files from drive A (User 0, 90 and 240) and hard-disc partition K (user 0, 12 and 180) to on one or more different target drives or hard-disc partitions, a feature, what many users need all the time.

=== CBM – - a menu system for FutureOS ===

An idea of FutureOS was to develop an OS which is able to deal with big files and applications while being easy to program. Most of the low level system hardware resources can must be accessed freelyby the application itself, eas FutureOS doesn't provide support for them. E.g . FutureOS doesn't include interrupt handling, which means, that you have to write your own handler at #38 or can use switch to interrupt mode 1 or 2 (standard under FutureOS). Using IM 2 is mandatory when designing , if you own a special hardware expansion hardware. A programmer can use almost all Z80-CPU registers. In contrast to the regular case, FutureOS which allows to freely use both set of registers (the only exception is the I register, which is used when IM 2 is active)this mode. Further you can use Depending on the RST vectors existance and the Interrupt-Entry at &0038 (IM 1) for type of your own programsinterrupt handler you may use the second Z80 register set when interrupts are enabled.

You can use a normal C program compile it, assemble it, link the object-code with FIOLIB (an all other needed libraries) and add an a header to the *.COM file with COMFU.COM. To start such an C-program under FutureOS you have to start the RUNC-environment. RUNC expands the features of FIOLIB. With RUNC it is possible to store functions in E-RAM, leaving more main memory free for applications.

FutureOS was designed as a library with some fast routines, while the application has to be able to make free use access and manage most of the resources of the machineby itself. The OS It has specialised file-handling and memory-management that support programs up to 512 KB. The idea is that development of word processors, scientific mathematics, graphics, sound (especially MP3), spreadsheet, management of big amounts of data, bigger games and programming languages should be possible in this environment, though, apart from a MP3 player, none of the examples were written so farduring the last 16 years.

FutureOS is also meant to be used as a tool for copying discs & files disc and to manage things that would normally require several separate programs (any examples here?)file copy tool including a machine monitor.