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FLEX (operating system)
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{{Short description|Single-tasking operating system for the Motorola 6800}} {{distinguish|FlexOS}} {{Infobox OS | name = FLEX | title = | logo = | screenshot = | caption = | developer = [[Technical Systems Consultants]] | source_model = [[Open-source software|Open source]]<ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/fug7.htm FLEX Copyright Clearance]</ref> | kernel_type = [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]] | supported_platforms = [[Motorola 6800]], [[Motorola 6809]] | ui = [[Command-line interface]] | family = | released = {{Start date and age|1976}} | latest_release_version = 2.0 | latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|1985|10|03}} | latest_test_version = | latest_test_date = | marketing_target = | programmed_in = | prog_language = [[BASIC]], [[Forth (programming language)|FORTH]], [[C (programming language)|C]], [[Fortran|FORTRAN]], [[Pascal (programming language)|PASCAL]] | language = [[English language|English]] | updatemodel = | package_manager = | working_state = Discontinued | license = | website = }} [[Image:Verbatim 5.25 minidisk tracks 1978.jpg|thumb|Edit 1.2]] '''FLEX''' is a discontinued single-tasking [[operating system]] developed by [[Technical Systems Consultants]] (TSC) of [[West Lafayette, Indiana]], for the [[Motorola 6800]] in 1976.<ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/fug3.htm History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100128035444/http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/fug3.htm |date=2010-01-28 }}, FLEX User Group</ref> ==Overview== The original version was distributed on [[list of floppy disk formats|8-inch floppy disks]]; the (smaller) version for 5.25-inch floppies is called mini-Flex. It was also later ported to the [[Motorola 6809]]; that version is called Flex09.<ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/fug10.htm FAQs], FLEX User Group</ref> All versions are text-based and intended for use on display devices ranging from printing terminals like the [[Teletype Model 33]] ASR to smart terminals. While no graphic displays are supported by TSC software, some hardware supports elementary graphics and pointing devices. FLEX is a disk-based operating system, using 256-byte sectors on soft-sectored floppies; the disk structure uses linkage bytes in each sector to indicate the next sector in a file or free list. The directory structure is simplified as a result. TSC (and others) provide several programming languages including [[BASIC]] in two flavors (standard and extended) and a tokenizing version of extended BASIC called Pre-compiled BASIC, [[Forth (programming language)|FORTH]], [[C (programming language)|C]], [[Fortran|FORTRAN]], and [[Pascal (programming language)|PASCAL]]. TSC also wrote a version of FLEX, ''Smoke Signal DOS'', for the California hardware manufacturer [[Smoke Signal Broadcasting]]; this version uses forward and reverse linkage bytes in each sector which increase disk reliability at the expense of compatibility and speed. Later, TSC introduced the [[computer multitasking|multitasking]], [[multi-user]], [[Unix-like]] [[UniFLEX]] operating system, which requires [[Direct memory access|DMA]] disk controllers, 8" disk, and sold in small numbers. Several of the TSC computer languages were ported to UniFLEX. During the early 1980s, FLEX was offered by [[Compusense Ltd]] as an operating system for the 6809-based [[Dragon 32/64|Dragon 64]] [[home computer]]. ===Commands=== The following [[command (computing)|commands]] are supported by different versions of the FLEX operating system.<ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/pdfs/miniflex.pdf FLEX User’s Manual (miniFLEX)]</ref><ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/pdfs/flex2um.pdf FLEX 2.0 User's Manual]</ref><ref>[http://www.flexusergroup.com/flexusergroup/pdfs/swflexum.pdf FLEX 9.0 User’s Manual]</ref> {{Div col|colwidth=9em}} * APPEND * ASN * [[Backup|BACKUP]] * BUILD * CAT * [[copy (command)|COPY]] * COPYNEW * C4MAT * CLEAN * [[date (command)|DATE]] * DELETE * [[echo (command)|ECHO]] * EXEC * FIX * GET * I * JUMP * LINK * LIST * MEMTEST1 * MON * N * NEWDISK * O * P * P.COR * PO * [[print (command)|PRINT]] * PROT * PSP * Q * QCHECK * READPROM * [[ren (command)|RENAME]] * RM * S * SAVE * SAVE.LOW * SBOX * SP * STARTUP * [[touch (command)|TOUCH]] * TTYSET * UCAL * USEMF * [[ver (command)|VER]] * VERIFY * VERSION * WRITPROM * XOUT * Y {{Div col end}} ==See also== *[[Microsoft BASIC-68 for FLEX]] *[[Microsoft BASIC-69 for FLEX]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.flexusergroup.com/ FLEX User Group] * [http://www.evenson-consulting.com/flexusergroup/fug1.htm FLEX User Group] * [http://www.swtpcemu.com SWTPC 6800 FLEX 2 and 6809 FLEX 9 / UniFLEX / OS9 Level 1 emulator] * [http://www.datapipe-blackbeltsystems.com/windows.html Windows-based 6809 Emulator + Flex09 and 6809 applications] * [http://www.datapipe-blackbeltsystems.com/windows.html AmigaDOS-based 6809 Emulator + Flex09 and 6809 applications] * [https://archive.today/20121208212520/http://www.rtmx.com/UniFLEX The Missing 6809 UniFLEX Archive] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20120321113455/http://www.dragonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Flex DragonWiki] * [http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/index.html SWTPC documentation collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927025105/http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/index.html |date=2011-09-27 }} * [https://www.simonwynn.com/flex FLEX Software Archive] {{Disk operating systems}} [[Category:Discontinued operating systems]] [[Category:Disk operating systems]] [[Category:TRS-80 Color Computer]] [[Category:1976 software]]
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