Roy Wood wrote:

> >> The -command- is there, but is the actual code to create the
> >>directories actually part of the TK2 ROM section of the O/S.
> >>
> >> It might well be, but what you did doesn't -prove- it.
> >> It might rely on specific hardware/firmware.
> >> That actually is an issue. It seems very possible that the TK2
> >> code in an interface is hardware specific.
> >>
> That is hard to tell I agree but surely one of the users of the
> emulators or QDOS Classic should be able to tell us. I dug the QL
> out again and created a sub-directory copied files to it and then
> read it back on QPC2 so it does do the actual creation. Could be
> that the code accesses the Gold Card ROM but I think it is self
> contained. The reason we wanted the TKII code to be available was
> that users of UQLX and other non_SMSQ/E systems wanted the ability
> to create sub-directories (and other bits of TKII like LRESPR)

Hmm... methinks I should have been less cryptic :-)

Unlike the ROM cartridge TK2, the GC ROM consists of several software
elements. TK2 is one, the Level 2 RAM device driver is another and, of
course, the Level 2 FLP device driver is a third.

TK2 does not implement sub-directories, it merely provides some SB
extensions that know how to talk to Level 2 drivers.

The only way one could use a disk interface ROM to give an emulator
the ability to work with sub-directories is if the disk interface
hardware memory map and chip (e.g. WD1770) were emulated or if the ROM
code was patched to intercept/redirect the low-level
read/write/position calls that the higher-level "file system" routines
use to access the disk/drive.

Of course, the "clean" way to achieve the desired result would be for
the producer of the emulator to provide a Level 2 driver (e.g. the
QPC2 DOS device) that an up-to-date standalone TK2 (in the form of a
resident extension file or ROM image) could talk to...

John


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