Welcome to the Debian Linux OS/8 quickstart.txt
By Vince Mulhollon
Released under the plain GNU FDL 
Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Preface
This document attempts to demonstrate how to use OS/8 in a productive manner.
It is in no way a replacement for real set of manuals...
This document assumes the use of the SIMH pdp8 emulator, although
there is no reason Jones's or Haygood's emulators couldn't be used.


Chapter 1
Starting, stopping, and "reformatting" your OS/8 system

OS/8 startup procedure using the Debian disk images
1) Make a directory for the images (mkdir ~/os8)
2) chdir into that directory (cd ~/os8)
3) execute the os8 script (os8)
You will be deposited at the OS/8 prompt, that being a single period.
This is considerably easier than wrestling with papertape or manually
punching in a bootloader...

To exit the simh pdp8 emulator, at the OS/8 period prompt,  hit control-E 
and type exit and hit enter at the sim> prompt.

To "reformat" your OS/8 images, perhaps after an accidental "ZERO RKA0:" or
whatever, simply delete the disk images, and the os8 script will magically
recreate them, the next time it is run.


Chapter 2
Useful and commands to run in OS/8
HELP
HELP COPY 
Notice that COPY, REN, DEL, LIST and TYPE are all aliases to FOTP.SV
DIR
DIR RKA0:
DIR RKB1:
DIR SYS:
DIR DSK:
Note how by default SYS: is assigned to RKA0: and DSK: is assigned
to the RF: disk.
They can be changed by the ASSIGN command, which is similar in concept
to a "cd". 
DEASSIGN DSK:
ASSIGN RXA0: DSK:
This makes your "current drive" the RF: instead of RKA0:
ZERO RF:
This will format a block device.  Don't zero your SYS: device
(OBVIOUSLY, DO NOT ZERO RF: IF IT CONTAINS VALUABLE FILES)


Chapter 3
The joy of text editing
OS/8 editor is a modal editor rather like "ed" or "vi"
The command mode prints a "#" prompt and the text mode is for text insertion
Control-L changes from text mode to control mode
The command I changes to insert mode at the top of the buffer.
The command A changes to append mode at the bottom of the buffer.
The command E saves changes to the file and exits.
The command L displays the contents of the buffer.
The command V prints the buffer to the line printer (filename lpt.txt)
The commands < and > "single step" thru the file.
The command nD deletes line n
Here's an example session, with blank lines removed:
.CREATE TEST.TX
#I
DEBIAN LINUX IS REALLY COOL.
IT IS THE BEST.
THIS IS LINE 3.
(Enter key, then Control-L)
#L
DEBIAN LINUX IS REALLY COOL.
IT IS THE BEST.
THIS IS LINE 3.

#V (take a look at the lpt.txt file after running this command)
#3D
#L
DEBIAN LINUX IS REALLY COOL.
IT IS THE BEST.
#<IT IS THE BEST.
#E
.DIR
TEST  .TX   1
.TYPE TEST.TX
DEBIAN LINUX IS REALLY COOL.
IT IS THE BEST.
Obviously the symbolic editor can do more than this.  The TECO editor
is also available.


Chapter 4
Assembly language programming.
Here is a simplistic demo, inspired by chapter 5.2.1 of the  OS/8 manual.
Cut and paste can be used with the SIMH editor if you're in a X window 
environment...
.CREATE DEMO.PA
#A
/PAL8 DEMO
        *200
        MONADR=7600
START,  CLA CLL
        TLS
        TAD BUFADR
        DCA PNTR
NEXT,   TSF
        JMP .-1
        TAD I PNTR
        TLS
        ISZ PNTR
        CLA CLL
        TAD I PNTR
        SZA CLA
        JMP NEXT
        JMP I MON
BUFADR, BUFF
PNTR,   BUFF
BUFF,   "D;"E;"B;"I;"A;"N;0
MON,    MONADR
(hit control-L)
#E
.EXECUTE DEMO
ERRORS DETECTED: 0
LINKS GENERATED: 0
DEBIAN
.EXECUTE DEMO-LS
DEBIAN
.LIST DEMO.LS (now look at whats in your lpt.txt file)
.TYPE DEMO.LS (see the listing on the screen)
Cool, eh?


Chapter 4
BASIC, a registered trademark of Dartmouth College
This ain't Visual Basic!
.R BASIC
NEW OR OLD--NEW
FILE NAME--TEST.BA
READY
10 LET A = 0
20 PRINT A
30 A = A + 1
40 IF A < 10 THEN 20
50 END
Type in "RUN" and enjoy the output.
Use the "SAVE" command to save the program in the TEST.BA file
Execute the "BYE" command will return you to the OS/8 prompt.
The basic program is saved as plain ascii test, you can use EDIT, or
you could LIST the TEST.BA file to the printer, etc.


Chapter 5
FORTRAN-4 on OS/8
***  This does not work at this time. ***
Note that line spacing is quite critical.
Fortran expects certain things in certain line columns.
.CREATE COUNT.FT
#I
C     COUNT TO TEN
      WRITE (4,100)
      DO 20 N=1,10
      WRITE (4,101) N
20    CONTINUE
100   FORMAT(1H ,'HELLO')
101   FORMAT(1H ,'NUMBER ',I2)
      STOP
      END

#E
.COMPILE COUNT,TTY:<COUNT.FT
(You could send the compile output to LPT: instead of TTY:)
.LOAD COUNT,TTY:<COUNT.RL
.EXECUTE COUNT.LD


