Tripos on the PDP-11

From: John Foust <jfoust_at_threedee.com>
Date: Mon Dec 13 08:26:01 1999

At 06:01 PM 12/12/99 -0800, Zane H. Healy wrote:
>Well, let's just say you confirmed that my memory isn't as faulty as I
>often suspect. Though I seem to remember that they were supposed to be
>using a VAX, I don't remember ever hearing about a PDP-11. However,
>overall, I don't know that I know much about it, just heard that it has
>something to do with the developement of the AmigaOS.

My memory may be faulty, too, in the details. I remember that
Carl Sassenrath wrote the Exec (by using the recommendations of a
textbook, because he hadn't written an OS core before) but they
needed more OS structure above that. They recognized they didn't
have the time to do it themselves, so they bought Tripos and
grafted the two together. This is the explanation for the BCPL
pointers in the low-level Amiga OS, the file system, etc.

I'd guess Martin Richards is asked about this all the time, more
often than people actually ask about Tripos itself. Carl Sassenrath
could fill in other details.

- John
Received on Mon Dec 13 1999 - 08:26:01 GMT