Let's act!!!

Hello fk0 I re-read the entire thread again. We started for health, and ended for peace. That is, a healthy discussion began, which, alas, came to nothing. It's a pity. It is quite obvious that if a new OS is written, no one will rush support it programmatically, even if we assume that an ideal one will be created a system that will use 100% all capabilities and resources Spectrum. So one way or another, the new system will most likely be for its own sake systems. Well, let it be! I personally will be interested in taking part in its development. I want to express my thoughts on how I personally see the new software software that could possibly be called an operating system. I don't I am familiar with the theory of operating systems and can judge the OS only with user positions. Lately I have tried to get acquainted with operating systems of other rare computers - they look very similar to each other and bear little resemblance to Windows. And this is what I came to. So, multitasking. The speed of the Z80 processor is unlikely to be enough to provide parallel operation of several simultaneously running tasks. For Spectrum One running program at a time is quite enough (as in modern PalmOS!). You need to make sure that the next running program freezes in memory previous program. That is, create preemptive multitasking, likeMagOS program on Scorpio. Something similar was created for Pantagon with cache. Switch between programs that know nothing about the new one The operating system will probably only have to use the NMI button. What it looks like: Load the operating system, click on the icon with CD-ROM Tom, we sort through the folders and find the one we need with the SNA header, there we find file Exolon.SNA and run it. The Exolon game starts. After playing a little, press NMI button and Exolon immediately disappears, and the same desktop appears on the screen our operating system with all the windows we open, on which we see a new icon that tells us what's in memory (or in the swap file on hard drive) we have the running Exolon program stored. Free pointer memory tells us that we have enough space to run another program. We leave the SNA folder and move to the Z80 folder, from where we launch the file Batty.Z80. After playing Batty, we click on NMI again and again find ourselves on our desktop. This time we see that in addition to the Exolon program, another running program C Batty. We click on the Exolon signal icon and we find ourselves in the game exactly at the moment when the button was pressed for the first time NMI. Etc. Any running and minimized program can be closed using methods our operating system.The same programs that may be written for our operating system should will be able to switch without NMI. For example, like this: At work A window with a calculator and a window with Tetris are simultaneously running on the table. In the present moment the window with Tetris is active and the figures are falling. Move the mouse pointer to the window with a calculator and click we activate it. The figures in Tetris freeze, but Now you can make the necessary calculations on the calculator. Activate with the mouse the window with Tetris and the figures come to life again. The operating system should not be tied to the standard Spectrum screen like IS-DOS, should not be tied to the Beta Disk Interface or anything more. The system must be stored and run from anything, just to give it push, like the ROM in Kay has an option to boot from HDD. Drivers must be on absolutely any device, from memory to screen. For example, someone is developing a new, super-cool video mode, but is afraid that this regime, no one will ever write anything, but the author himself will have enough write a driver for our system, after which they can easily use the new mode Tetris with calculator mentioned above. But it’s already on the Spectrum video modes other than standard 256x192@16. Remember 512x192@2, advanced AlCo modes, ATM modes, Pro modes, etc. Only one is enoughdrivers and everything! The same goes for memory, the same goes for the mouse and joystick, the same concerns sound and everything else. It's clear that games for this kind of thing are not if you write C everything will be too slow. But! Remember the beloved Amiga. Very, very many toys on it are launched only from a floppy disk, and they don’t care wanted to use Workbench, preferring to directly access the hardware. And to write down them on the HDD you have to use all sorts of tricks and load the disk image entirely in memory. That is a very similar situation. As is already clear from my description, the system simply must have a GUI. Already in advance it is known that it will not be possible to fit everything into one frame and that everything will be slow down However, I'm sure it will work faster than GEOS on Commodore 64. And even on older versions of PalmOS under MC68000, the authors were not shy redraw icons right in front of users. Also GUI like me It seems like it should be customizable and be able to change skin. Like I already wrote in another thread, we need to give up color and reference to familiar places, both horizontally and vertically. For amateurs and to save memory, you need to provide a console. Preferably make sure that the console can live without a loaded GUI, like in Linux. The main purposes of the system for the first time: 1. Support for the entire variety of hardware and Spectrum improvements.2. Comfortable work with files on different file systems and on any available media, be it a hard drive or a flash drive connected via non-standard scheme. Programs that can be written for this warm-up system: 1. Simple toys like Tetris, Minesweeper, Arkanoid, etc. 2. Calculator. 3. Notepad. I suggest you start writing something. It won't work the first time anyway An ideal thing will still have to be rewritten from scratch several times. But we need to start, even if not scientifically, but start! There are literate people on the forum, those who know the theory, there are also practitioners, for example Breeze has already rewritten it several times your system. Let's take action! After all, even the project coordinator is almost was found. The main thing is desire, but there will be mistakes, we will correct them together. It's not Only those who do nothing make mistakes. Unfortunately, I have practically no free time - I can only do a little cut it out on weekends. But I undertake to take part in this venture. I can write some procedures, work on the interface, submit some ideas and etc. The main thing would be what to work on and with whom.