Re: ProDOS 8

[limtc <thyechean@gmail.com>]

For ProDOS after 1.9, the tech note is:
http://www.apple2world.jp/apple2/LIB/PORT/ATN/technotes/pdos/TechNote-pdos-023.html

The person writing this note has a sense of humor.

--
PRODOS 8 V2.0.1

   o   ProDOS 8 now supports more than two SmartPort devices per slot
by
       remapping the third device and beyond to different slots.
There's
       still a limit of 14 devices altogether, though.
   o   ProDOS 8 version 2.0.1 and later require a 65C02 microprocessor
or
       equivalent; you get RELOCATION/CONFIGURATION ERROR if you don't
have
       one.  ProDOS 8 tests for a 65C02 by setting binary-coded
decimal (BCD)
       mode and adding $01 to $99, which is the largest negative BCD
value
       representable in an 8-bit register.  65C02 microprocessors
correctly
       clear the N flag when the addition wraps to zero; 6502
microprocessors
       do not.

       Since all of Apple's 65C02 or greater computers also have lower-
case
       capability, the ProDOS 8 splash screen now uses lower-case
letters.
       After only nine years, too.

   o   The file's been rearranged again, so if you have a program that
       patches the P8 file, it probably breaks now.  Please learn your
lesson
       and write a .SYSTEM program that patches ProDOS 8 in memory and
not on
       disk.
   o   The prefix is now set correctly when launching Applesoft
programs.
   o   Old never-used code to handle call $42 is now gone.
   o   Removed some RAM-disk code that was not used.
   o   ProDOS 8 now sets the prefix to empty when you try to set the
prefix
       to "/".
   o   The Apple IIgs clock driver inside ProDOS 8 now limits the year
to the
       range 00 through 99.
   o   Sparse seedling files are now truncated properly.
   o   When filling up a volume with a WRITE call, ProDOS 8 used to
return
       the disk full error but leave the file's mark set past the
file's EOF.
       This is now fixed.
   o   If you try to mount a new volume but all eight VCB slots are
filled,
       ProDOS 8 now tries to kick out the first volume in the table
with no
       open files.  If all volumes have open files, you'll still get
error
       $55.
   o   The new quit code (introduced with 1.9) now beeps and lets the
user
       try another subdirectory if the one they chose can't be opened.
       Previously it went forward to the next volume.
   o   The new quit code also now closes a directory if it gets a
ProDOS
       error in the directory read loop.
   o   When synthesizing a directory entry for a volume, ProDOS 8
always used
       to assume the directory was four blocks long (for 51 files).
The /RAM
       disk's directory is shorter than this (one block), and ProDOS 8
no
       longer returns funky errors when trying to read past the end of
this
       shortened directory.  The EOF and blocks used are now returned
as $200
       and 1, respectively.
   o   The system death messages are now displayed in the center of
the
       40-column screen, bordered by inverse spaces.  This is an
improvement
       over the line of garbage showing at the bottom of the screen
since
       approximately version 1.5.
   o   The new quit code was rearranged to clear the screen prior to
loading
       the selected application.  This insures that MSLOT ($07F8)
points to
       the "boot" slot prior to starting the application.  In this
way, you
       can launch the ProDOS file from GS/OS to start up GS/OS.  (Note
that
       MSLOT must be set properly for this to work.)
   o   If the device search code at start time finds a SCSI SmartPort,
a
       SmartPort status call is issued to device #2.  This lets the
Apple II
       High-Speed SCSI card build its device tables and return the
true
       number of devices connected.  Without this, it always returns
"4" for
       slot 5 or "2" for any other slot.
   o   KVERSION is now $21.


KNOWN PRODOS 8 V2.0.1 BUGS

   o   ProDOS 8 still doesn't behave perfectly when 14 or more devices
are
       present.  Specifically, the /RAM driver tends to install itself
       without checking to see whether or not there's room in the
device
       table.

CAUTION : ProDOS 8's remapping of SmartPort devices may interfere with
          intelligent SmartPort peripherals that were already doing
          their own remapping.  ProDOS 8 remaps additional SmartPort
          devices, even if the SmartPort firmware already did this on
          its own, and this can cause problems.  We never said this
          would work, but we never said it wouldn't--ProDOS 8 has no
way
          to determine what remapping has already been done.  If you
          make such a card and your customers have problems, tell them
          to disable your SmartPort remapping and let ProDOS 8 do it
          all.