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This page is a personal collection of notes. For authoritative documentation, refer to http://www.ethoberon.ethz.ch/ and to http://www.oberon.ethz.ch/. Project Oberon by Wirth and Gutnecht and the Ph.D. thesis of P. J. Muller are available via the bibliography page.
Mouse usage in this system is unusual but efficient. Definitely worth the small effort to learn. A mouse with three buttons or two buttons and a wheel is essential. If a wrong mouse button is pressed, press all mouse keys before releasing any. All mouse keys together have no effect.
Inadvertent selection of a frame can be disconcerting. Press F2 on the keyboard to clear all selections.
Manifold.Vinci is an example of a simple engineering drawing written in Vinci.
HyperDocTools.Fetch
"http://easthope.ca/Manifold.Vinci" => Manifold.Vinci ~
A few of the source files for the Oberon System, PC Native 05.01.2003, with small adjustments, modifications and "repairs" follow. These files reside entirely under the copyright and license of the ETH Zurich.
ftp://ftp.ethoberon.ethz.ch/ETHOberon/license.txt
ETH Oberon Copyright (c) 1990-2003, Computer Systems Institute, ETH Zurich All rights reserved.
Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
o Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
o Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
o Neither the name of the ETH Zurich nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.
THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ETH OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
Before compiling any modified file, compare with the file in your SYS volume using Diff.Do. The modifications are described below. Use AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Assuming you are at an Oberon workstation with a network connection and want to retrieve the modified files, middle click here
vvvvvvvv.
HyperDocTools.Fetch
"http://easthope.ca/pe.ATADisks.Mod" => pe.ATADisks.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.Dialer.Mod" => pe.Dialer.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.FTP.Mod" => pe.FTP.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.FTPDocs.Mod" => pe.FTPDocs.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.HTML.Mod" => pe.HTML.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.HTMLDocs.Mod" => pe.HTMLDocs.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.Mail.Mod" => pe.Mail.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.Native.Tool" => pe.Native.Tool
"http://easthope.ca/pe.NetSystem.Mod" => pe.NetSystem.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PSPrinter.Mod" => pe.PSPrinter.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPFSM.Mod" => pe.PPPFSM.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPHDLC.Mod" => pe.PPPHDLC.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPIPCP.Mod" => pe.PPPIPCP.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPLCP.Mod" => pe.PPPLCP.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPMain.Mod" => pe.PPPMain.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.PPPTools.Mod" => pe.PPPTools.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.URI.Mod" => pe.URI.Mod
"http://easthope.ca/pe.RingbackDialScript" => pe.RingbackDialScript
"http://easthope.ca/pe.SSHTransport.Mod" => pe.SSHTransport.Mod
~
In PC Native Oberon, the modifications can be displayed by clicking here
vvvvvvvv.
Diff.Do pe.ATADisks.Mod SYS:ATADisks.Mod
Diff.Do pe.Dialer.Mod SYS:Dialer.Mod
Diff.Do pe.FTP.Mod SYS:FTP.Mod
Diff.Do pe.FTPDocs.Mod SYS:FTPDocs.Mod
Diff.Do pe.HTML.Mod SYS:HTML.Mod
Diff.Do pe.HTMLDocs.Mod SYS:HTMLDocs.Mod
Diff.Do pe.Mail.Mod SYS:Mail.Mod
Diff.Do pe.NetSystem.Mod SYS:NetSystem.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PSPrinter.Mod SYS:PSPrinter.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPFSM.Mod SYS:PPPFSM.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPHDLC.Mod SYS:PPPHDLC.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPIPCP.Mod SYS:PPPIPCP.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPLCP.Mod SYS:PPPLCP.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPMain.Mod SYS:PPPMain.Mod
Diff.Do pe.PPPTools.Mod SYS:PPPTools.Mod
Diff.Do pe.SSHTransport.Mod SYS:SSHTransport.Mod
In PC Native Oberon, compile the modifications into the working volume by clicking here
vvvvvvvv.
Compiler.Compile
pe.ATADisks.Mod
pe.Dialer.Mod
pe.FTP.Mod
pe.FTPDocs.Mod
pe.HTML.Mod
pe.HTMLDocs.Mod
pe.PSPrinter.Mod
pe.PPPFSM.Mod
pe.PPPHDLC.Mod
pe.PPPIPCP.Mod
pe.PPPLCP.Mod
pe.PPPMain.Mod
pe.PPPTools.Mod
pe.URI.Mod
pe.SSHTransport.Mod ~
Also,
Compiler.Compile pe.URI.Mod ~
Compiler.Compile pe.NetSystem.Mod ~
Compiler.Compile pe.Mail.Mod ~
In the Oberon subsystem of UnixAos the Fox compiler is used. One way is Files > Files > Module Sources, click twice in the file name to open with PET and click on "Compile".
Compilation must respect import order; an imported module must be compiled before the module which imports it. For example, NetSystem imports URI and Mail imports NetSystem and the modules must be compiled in the order listed. If the \OSYS: parameter is added to the Compile command, the new object files will be written over files in SYS. Without the parameter the new files will be in the volume with first precedence; usually the working volume.
A more comprehensive integration of CF support is to use Native.Tool from Build.zip to incorporate the revision into System.zip, Source1.zip and Oberon0. Then a revised installation diskette can be created. Additional information is in http://www.ethoberon.ethz.ch/native/WebBoot.html .
The encoding specified in the header of a Web document
should match the encoding specified in the HTTP header. Some
users maintain documents for more than one http server. Specification
of the encoding at the top of the parameter text for HTML.Compile would
be more efficient than recompiling HTML each time the encoding
is changed.
The constant DTD was added to specify Document Type Declaration. In HTML5 BGCOLOR is not allowed in the body element.
Dialer.Dial can be used to establish a modem connection from "home" to
"office" for PPP.
The office computer runs mgetty in Linux and answers the connection according
to the ringback protocol. For Dialer to support ringback, the syntax of the Dial
script was extended so that an empty string will invoke a pause; 11 "" is the
11 s pause in this script. Refer to pe.Dialer.Mod above for the syntax extension.
This extension would be unneccesary if the
pause could be invoked with modem commands but I've never found
a way to achieve it. The script belongs in the SYS:Oberon.Text
configuration file.
{* This is for a USR Sportster modem on an Oberon system
calling a USR Sportster on a Linux system. *}
Ringback = {
Init = { COM1 19200 } {* modem port and speed *}
Dial = {
"ATZS0=0&F1&B1&C1"
10 "OK"
"ATDT16041234567,,;H0"
10 "OK"
11 ""
"ATDT16041234567"
40 "LAPM)"
CALL "PPPMain.StartInst Ringback peter"
}
}
{* This is for the USR Sportster modem. *}
NuvoSomeone = {
Init = { COM1 19200 } {* modem port and speed *}
Dial = {
"ATZS0=0&F1&B1&C1"
2 "OK"
"ATDT<CardAccessNumber>,,;DT<LanguageSelector>,,,;"
20 "OK"
"ATDT<CardPINNumber>,,,,,,;"
20 "OK"
"ATDT<DestinationNumber>,,,,,,,;H0"
20 "OK"
}
}
A frequently used sequence of codes should be stored in a file which is conveniently sent to the printer by Miscellaneous.PrintFiles. For example, a file named EpsonCourier12 can contain the nine characters "1B 6B 32 1B 4D 0D 0A". The first 3 characters, ESC k 2, select the Courier font. The next two characters, ESC M, select 12 characters per inch. The last two characters, 0D 0A, are carriage return and line feed. The file can be created and modified with Hex.Open EpsonCourier12 ~. To apply these settings, Miscellaneous.PrintFiles LPT1 EpsonCourier12 ~.
Similarly, a file named EpsonCourier17 can contain the nine characters "1B 6B 32 1B 78 30 0F 0D 0A". Again, ESC k 2 selects the Courier font. The four characters, ESC x 0 0F, select 17 characters per inch.
For more convenient use, a command version of URI.ESC is needed.
A simple way to include the hidden files, such as .config, in the result from FTP.Dir is to set an option on the server. In /etc/vsftpd.conf for example, include the line "force_dot_files=YES". A more involved solution is to add the capability of the -a option for the LIST command to Oberon. Not yet tackled.
In the POP3 protocol, RFC 1939, Section 3 states "Keywords and arguments are each[sic] separated by a single SPACE character." The extra blank appended to the front of the argument by Mail.NrToArg when converting a single digit is erroneous. Worse, the Zimbra POP3 server reports "-ERR unable to parse msg" and refuses to cooperate. The extra blank is not present in pe.Mail.NrToArg.
In System.Directory, change the line
Texts.WriteLn(W); Texts.WriteInt(W, count, 1); Texts.WriteString(W, " files");
to
Texts.WriteString(W, "~"); Texts.WriteLn(W); Texts.WriteInt(W, count, 1); Texts.WriteString(W, " files");
and recompile; Compiler.Compile * ~ .
CLIXes, serial, 3-button, Model: Jx Mouse, FCC ID: FSUGMZB6. Works correctly as MS1.
MS Intellimouse 1.2A, PS/2 Compatible. PN X04-72176, Product ID 63618-OEM-2170103-7. As MSI, there is no cursor movement. As PS/2 it appears OK but can freeze when opening a document. Press <Scroll Lock> and use the arrow keys to reboot.
MS Wheel Mouse, Serial and PS/2 compatible. PN X03-53717, Product ID 83351-577-4049495-00000. Works as PS/2. Occasionally the cursor jumps downwards for a few milliseconds; freezes rarely.
In three old model Toshiba laptops, the pointing stick has worked as PS/2 with no failure ever.
Conclusion: for some mice the PS/2 driver might be improved.
Q. My computer lacks a diskette drive. Can the display driver be adjusted?
A. Restart and hold down the shift key. The boot loader will
allow config strings to be set. Make these settings to restore the
VGA display as used by Oberon0.
Display=VGA.
Init=b81200cd10
DRefresh=""
DWidth=640
DHeight=480
DDepth=4
Press "w" to write the configuration to the part and "c" to continue booting.
Another configuration can be set similarly using a string found in Config.Mod
or in OberonDrivers.Text.
Q. Can a Toshiba 205CDS be configured to use the full screen rather than just the VGA subset of pixels?
A. Yes. The specifications at http://www.toshiba.com/ mention that the internal
resolution is 800 x 600 x 64K/64K colors. 64K = 2^16. According to OberonDrivers.Text
this is VESA mode 276(9) = 114H. Configure with the Oberon0 diskette or set these
config strings at startup.
Display=Displays.
DDriver=DisplayLinear
Init=b8024fbb1441cd10b8014fb91401cd10268b4d28268b552a
DWidth=800
DHeight=600
DDepth=16
To use Toshiba Virtual Display Mode 1024 x 768 x 64K properly, DisplayLinear needs work.
Q. I am interested to understand the cryptic Init config strings. Is there any alternative to being an expert in Intel machine code and video programming?
A. When the system is installed with Oberon0, the Init string is provided by Config.Mod. The long VESA string above is built up in sections.
To understand a specific string, apply a disassembler. Then google the Web to understand what is done with the video processor.
For example, the VGA string is the five hex bytes b81200cd10.
We want a file Init.o containing these bytes. An obvious if not
efficient method is to use Edit or ET to put any 5 characters in Init.o.
Then Hex.Open Init.o, replace the characters with B8 12 00 CD 10 and
Store. Move Init.o to a Linux system. There apply objdump.
objdump -b binary -m i8086 -D Init.o
Init.o: file format binary
Disassembly of section .data:
0000000000000000 <.data>: 0: b8 12 00 mov $0x12,%ax 3: cd 10 int $0x10
Kees C. prefers libdisasm's x86dis tool.
$ echo -e '\xb8\x12\x00\xcd\x10' | x86dis -r 0 5 -s att 00000000 B8 12 00 mov $0x0012, %ax 00000003 CD 10 int $0x10
Violation: The last argument of a command can be ignored if end-of-text
is reached rather than a ~ character.
Example: If ImportantArchive.Zip is created with "ZipTool.Add ImportantArchive.Zip
blah1 blah2 blah3 <end-of-text>", blah3 is absent from the archive.
Solution: handle arguments with procedures which are used system wide.
Allow end-of-text to produce the same effect as "~".