From:	"Jeremy \"Bolthy\" Zimmerman" <jeremy@***********.COM>
Subject:	Re: ASIST assistance?
Date:	Sun, 3 May 1998 17:16:01 -0700

On Sat, 2 May 1998, Joshuwa Jenkins wrote:

> >Michael Broadwater wrote:
>
> >The bios doesn't deal with direct I/O. That's the keyboard and monitor,
> >as was already said. BIOS may do some I/O control, but that's as far
> >as it goes. ASIST just does input/output. It's not software that dictates
> >how memory is allocated, drive access, runs software, etc. You would, most
> >likely, need an OS to _run_ ASIST.
>
> I always figured MPCP was the OS in SR.
>

Really? I always figured that the MPCP was sort of the processor chip,
kinda like a pentium today... However, I just grabbed my copy of SRII, and
it shows that MPCP stands for "Master Persona Control Program", and it
"contains the master operating system that integrates the deck's
programs". Guess I was wrong. =) It also does a bunch of stuff that
todays OSes don't do, though it seems kinda like what they are trying to
do with Windows, in that it not only is an OS, but it gives you a tie in
to cyberspace.

> Or would ASIST take care of the CMOS job along with the basic BIOS tasks?
>

I'd think ASIST wouldn't, since it's just the "simsense" adapter... It
allows you to see and experience stuff in the VR sense. I'd say the MPCP
does the BIOS stuff, too, given the basic description in SRII.