One can upgrade to Version 3 by ordering a new EPROM for the LKDOS. When it arrives it is just a matter of prying up the old EPROM and installing the new V-3 EPROM in its place. WARNING: Before removing the old one, note the placement of the end that has the little “U”, and be sure to line up the new one with its “U” at the same end of the IC socket. Murphy’s Law sez, “If there is a 50% chance for getting it right, the results will be 100% wrong”.
Larry Kenny (Larken Electronics), released the Version 3 EPROM in November 88. As of this writing not many have it. It provides a raft of GREAT improvements to the LKDOS. Among the improvements are:
- Sequenntial File handling.
- Rename Command.
- IMPROVED PRINTER DRIVER.
- Improved NMI SAVE.
- Improved Print and Lprint Command.
- Peek routine for the Cartridge EPROM.
- User Defined command.
- RAMDISK COMMANDS.
- Faster start up initialization.
- many other smaller improvements.
I have done some intensive work with Version 3 and find that it provides substantial improvements. In particular, the PRINTER control is outstanding. All of the extensive printer driver code except 50 bytes are stored in the EPROM. The other 50 bytes are initialized automatically in RAM. So, one need not load any code from either disk or cassette to have complete control of the printer. New features include LEFT MARGIN set, Line feed or no line feed, Line Length set, Simple set up for any type of Parallel interface. A single POKE sets up for interfaces by Aerco, Oliger, Tasman, A & J, or a “user defined interface”. Also, the printer control system allows either separate use of a Parallel printer or the TS-2040, or for simultaneous printing with both. This is likely the most versatile printer driver available today. I am very impressed with it and say, “Well Done Larry!”.
But Larry is most proud of the new SEQUENTIAL FILES feature. One may send data from the keyboard to disk in the same manner as is done to the screen or printer.
Then data may be read back from disk “either by lines”, or by entire files. A ‘read back’ can be to screen, to printer, to a modem for telecom out. The ramifications of this are great. Imagine, sending a 100K file directly out of disk, and not worrying about the limitations of FREE memory!
Version 3 also includes a “detoken” feature that allows all 255 characters to be sent to disk.
Another feature has been added to the NMI SAVE. Now we have the choice of saving a Screen along with all memory. Or, we can Save all Memory without the screen, or we can shorten the SAVE by reducing RAM TOP and save just the program for auto run.