WIZARD: A String-Oriented Microprocessor Operating System.
Abstract
A string-oriented operating system for Intel-8080-based microcomputers is described. The system consists of a hierarchy of virtual machines. The lowest level virtual machines extend the instruction set of the 8080 to include additional 16-bit arithmetic and logical instructions, new data types, and operators. The data types include strings and string operators derived from the SNOBOL programming language. A table data type is constructed from strings, and table-manipulation operators are provided. A bit-map data type and associated operators are also included. An Input/Output Control System (IOCS) support device-independent IO to multiple devices and diskette files. File name aliases permit many logical IO streams to be dynamically mapped onto a restricted set of physical IO units. Pseudo device handlers expand the capabilities of IO devices and are transparent to application programs. Distributed command decoders interpret IO command strings. Once communication is established with a logical device, a low-overhead IO Vector mechanism may be used for further access. A keyboard monitor provides interactive debugging facilities to application programmers. System resource allocation is implementation dependent and is not embedded in the system nucleus. Multiple implementations over a range of system sizes have demonstrated the utility and adaptability of WIZARD. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA074704
Entities
People
- M. Edward Womble
- Michael L. Tworek
- Shelburne D. Wilson
Organizations
- United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine