I just uploaded my TI-68k starter OS, named "ScratchOS", to the archives. You can download it from the archives.

ScratchOS is a simple OS which does almost nothing. I made it so other people could write their own OS more easily. It includes the calculator start-up code and some other OS routines that I think will be useful for a variety of operating systems, such as a VT100 terminal emulator, a memory allocator, and even a link port driver. Most of this code is in C, too, which should make it easier to customize.

As it is, I know of only a small handful of alternate operating systems for TI-68k: Punix (from which I derived ScratchOS) and PedroM (parts of which I use in Punix). I'm somewhat disheartened that TI discontinued the TI-9x series, but maybe, just maybe, we can breathe new life into these orphaned calculators by writing new OS's for them.

EDIT: added link to download page

Good
Does your OS contain Flash memory manipulation routines such as sector erase and block write ?


There remain several persons trying to do it, but can anything can breathe non-insignificant new life into these calculators TI would rather people forget and embrace the closed Nspire family instead ?

It contains FlashWrite and FlashErase which I stole^Wborrowed and modified from PedroM. I haven't really tested my versions yet, so it might be better to grab the working versions from PedroM.


I see the TI-9x calculators in the same light as other obsolete machines, such as the Commodore 64 or BBC Micro: no longer produced or supported, but still useful and fun to hack. If we can create a more useful and hacker-friendly OS for them, I think we can give them a new life.

so, can the original 92 run this? I don't have a 92+, or any special modules, but I do have one lying around not doing much just need to dig up my silverlink.....

This OS starter kit is for building a full operating system (TI calls it the "base code") to completely replace TI-AMS, not just a shell that runs under TI-AMS. The original TI-92 (without the Plus) doesn't have any FlashROM, so its OS can't be upgraded. Sorry.

Still, you could use some of the code in a regular TI-AMS program, but it's going to be very limited. For example, you could use the VT100 terminal emulator since it doesn't require any supervisor privileges, write to FlashROM, or use any memory outside of the screen and its own variables. You would just have to use one of TI-AMS's ROM calls to get keyboard input instead of using scankb() (which might conflict with TI-AMS's own keyboard reading routines).

Noooo.....

And yes, I understood that it needs to replace AMS, but I wasn't aware that the 92 has no flash. Pity, really.

Maybe I should figure out how the modules work That could give me some room for flash.

Unfortunately, modules have been very hard to find on the marketplace for a number of years...

Well, I wonder if I could try to figure it out without one. I do have a 92, just no modules. bring on the female pin headers hooked to scope leads, I guess