IBM ROM BASIC or lack thereof

From: Glen Goodwin <acme_ent_at_bellsouth.net>
Date: Tue Oct 2 23:03:42 2001

> > "No ROM BASIC" does not tell the user what happened. "No bootable
device
> > found" would be more helpful.
>
> Yes it does tell the user what happened. The system attempted to enter
> ROM BASIC, there is no ROM BASIC and thus the system was halted. As Hans
> said, INT 18h can be called from anywere, not just the bootstrap. Would
> 'No bootable device found' make sense if another program tried to call
> ROM BASIC, not as part of booting the system?

Tony, have you dealt with any typical personal computer users lately? I do
every day, and I can tell you that none of the ones I deal with -- and I
mean *none* -- know what a ROM is, or what BASIC is. "No ROM BASIC" tells
you, Tony Duell, what happened, but for the vast majority of users, it
doesn't mean a thing.
 
Glen
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Received on Tue Oct 02 2001 - 23:03:42 BST