The LOS Programmers’ Manual

M18 Mk3 (Original Edition October 1977)

A reconstruction of the first edition of the LOS Programmers’ Manual, with some later additions from LOS Bulletins as dated.

Contents

1. GENERAL
2. UTILITIES
3. COMMAND FUNCTIONS
4. LIBRARY ROUTINES
5. INPUT/OUTPUT ROUTINES
6. DISC HANDLING (DATA RECORDS)
7. DISC HANDLING (SPOOLING)
8. MISCELLANEOUS

Optional Extras

On-line Security (Immediate back-up of all disc updates)

Sort Utility (available from 1987)

• The LOS Archive
• LOS Overview at Dec 1978
  • Operation
  • Supervision
  • Programming
• M18 Hardware Overview
  • Control Panel
  • Words
  • Addresses
  • Registers and Flags
  • Instruction steps
  • Privileged Instructions
  • Register Instructions
  • Input/Output Instructions
  • Memory Reference Instructions
  • M18 Serial Interface Board
  • Disc Contamination
• LOS Software Insights
  • Software Development Kit
    • Remote LOGON
  • System Software
  • Memory layout
    • Getmain
    • Resident Overlays
    • Shared Buffers
  • File Handling Schema
  • LOADQ & the Transfer Vector
  • I/O Device Code Table
  • Interrupts
    • Interrupt Priority
    • Interrupt Service
    • Channel Programs
    • Mains Fail
• LOS Programmers’ Manual
  • 1 General
    • Tasks
    • Inter-Task Communication
    • Partition Map
    • Programs and Overlay Modules
    • Direct Access
    • The Bootstrap
    • System Halts
    • Processor Halts and Loops
    • LOS 24-Line VDU
    • LOS Disc Layout
    • Configuration Table
    • Offset Addressing
    • Byte Addressing
    • Core Map
    • Standard Core Locations
    • DRI Printer Vertical Format Tapes
  • 2 Utilities
    • ACT (Amend Configuration Table)
    • BOOT (Bootstrap Utility)
    • CALC (Octal Calculator)
    • CDL (Check Digit List)
    • COPY (Copy Discs)
    • DATE (Advance System Date)
    • DAY (Day of Week)
    • DLU (Disc Labelling Utility)
    • DSnn (Disc Security)
    • FLAG (Switch Program Inhibit Flags)
    • LIST (Module/Core Dump Print Program)
    • MOVE (Move Overlay Module)
    • OP (On-Line Program Amendment)
    • PLM (Program Library Maintenance)
    • PMAP (Print Program Map)
    • R (Restart Task)
    • READ (Disc Read Utility)
    • RP (Reprint Utility)
    • S (Send Message)
    • SE (System Enquiry)
    • ZERO (Zeroise Sectors)
  • 3 Command Functions
    • n (Check Digit)
    • Q (Queue List)
    • D (Set System Date)
    • U (Use Plain Paper Queue)
    • Kn (Control Printer n)
    • Fn (File Table n)
    • Pn (Print Queue n)
    • S (Suspend/Single shot
    • R (Run)
    • Rn (Run restricted)
    • K (Cancel)
  • 4 Library Routines
    • Add
    • Add to Double Word
    • Calculate Check Digit
    • Clear Block of Core
    • Complement Double Word
    • Compute
    • Conversion: ASCII to Binary
    • Conversion: ASCII to Metacode
    • Conversion: Binary to ASCII
    • Conversion: Binary to Octal Characters
    • Conversion: Metacode to ASCII
    • Convert Input to Binary and test Limits
    • Convert to Negative if Positive
    • Convert to Positive if Negative
    • Divide with Remainder
    • Divide and Round
    • Divide by 10 with Remainder
    • Divide by 10 Rounded
    • Duplicate Block of Core
    • Left Shift Block of Core
    • Load A from Offset
    • Move and Pad Character String
    • Multiply
    • Multiply by 10
    • Name and Address Processor
    • Pack Date
    • Resolve Offset Address
    • Resolve Block of Offset Addresses
    • Right Shift Block of Core
    • Skip if Blocks Equal
    • Skip if Block not Zero
    • Space Fill Block of Core
    • Store A at Offset
    • Store Byte
    • Subtract
    • Subtract from Double Word
    • Swap Blocks of Core
    • Unpack Date
  • 5 Input/Output Routines
    • Flash
    • Flash Single Station
    • Get
    • Get (Character Mode)
    • Get (Binary Mode)
    • Get (Fetch Mode)
    • Get Password
    • Inhibit
    • Print Line
    • Put
    • Split
    • Specify I/O Station Escape Point
  • 6 Disc Handling (Data Records)
    • Copy Sectors
    • Extract from File Control Block or File Status Block
    • Fetch (Direct Access File)
    • Fetch (Overlay Module)
    • Fetch (Program)
    • Rewrite
    • Overwrite
    • Stow System Control Record
    • Extended File Identifiers
    • Indexed Sequential Files
    • System Catalogue
  • 7 Disc Handling (Spooling)
    • Assign Print Queue
    • Post to Print Queue
    • Skip if Original
    • Specify I/O Station Print Queue
    • Specify I/O Station Print Queue with Reprint Option
    • Spool
    • Spool and Post
    • Unspool
  • 8 Miscellaneous
    • Halt
    • Suspend
    • Transfers - I/O Stations only
      • End I/O Program
      • Error Handler
    • Transfers - Printers only
      • End Printer Program
      • Specify Re-entry Point
      • Specify Termination Routine
  • On-line Security
    • Drive or Cartridge failure
    • Operator action pending repairs
    • Regeneration of On-line Security after repairs
  • Sort Utility
    • SCAN
    • SORT
    • PRINT
    • Exclusivity
    • Timing Guide
    • Installation
• LOS Pocket Reference
• LOS Origins
  • Business Computers Ltd
  • Comments
  • Maggie arrives
  • Maggie and Denis in 1990
  • Postscript
• LOS Source Code Extracts