15 October 1984 ZCPR3 NEWSLETTER 007 Answers to Newsletter 004 Generated Questions: 1) Both President Larry Boucher and New Business Development Manager, Jim Kurinsky, of Adaptec, 580 Cottonwood, Milpitas, CA 95035, 408/946-8600, are happy to send you literature on their company's fast controller boards and on companies that use them. 2) Prices for hard disks were given as less than $3000 for 10 to 40 megabyte packaged units. A 10 megabyte unit goes now for about $900. We're presently looking for 80 megabytes for less than $3000! The up-to-$600 for quarter megabyte of RAM is for a plug-in board, not the price of loose chips! (Thanks to Robert Heckert, Fullerton, California, for highlighting potential misunder- standing caused by our phraseologies.) Our position, restated, is: very useful programs need use no more than 20 or 30 kilobytes of RAM, of Transient Program Area. Using overlays and chaining permit programs of any size to run fast, very fast, if a fast, correctly installed, Winchester is used for program-module storage. Such a philosophy means that BIOS or CP/M-system size is not of much importance. It seems there is some emotionalism involved in setting up ZCPR3 systems with, say only 48K TPA. (We always assume RAM to be full 64K-bytes.) Our experience suggests few CP/M programs need more than a 48K TPA. We have run both T/Maker and WordStar in 44K and, subjectively, can see no chance in operating speed caused by reduced buffer allocation space. Who wants to conduct measurements of time taken to scan files, run spreadsheets, etc., with various sizes of TPA? We'll report your findings here. Additionally, someone (you) should, in our opinion, do an in-depth article comparing the Lasting-Value Softwaretm nature of ZCPR3 to PC-DOS and Unix. Any takers among you writers? We'll supply our experience, our facts to support your trade-study writings; and surely you'll have no trouble getting such an article published. Comparisons of this nature are hard to come by. We'll help, if need be! Important 8-Bit Program: Outline processing is a mind expanding computer aid; KAMAS is just that. The acronym comes from Knowledge And Mind Amplification System, a piece of software destined to mark our 8-bit world: outline processing, wordprocessing, telecommunications, information retrieval, and a Forth-like programming language, all-in-one. The system is somewhat command- line-completion driven. Sounds like an ideal program for control by VFILER, MENU, and VMENU. ZCPR3 could make KAMAS turn-key, from a series of chained (up to 255), custom, easy-to-alter menus. For $175.00 KAMAS sounds like something we would like to push. CP/M-80 software development is alive and well, thank you. But no thanks to many others. KAMAS is produced by Compu- sophic Systems, 2525 SW 224th Street, Aloha, OR 97006. Write, or give them (Adam Trent, President) a call at telephone 503/649-3765. (Ezra Shapiro has a four-page Preview of program in September issue of BYTE, starting page 123.) Some think we don't write (and talk) enough about ZCPR3, but our attitude is: we have a super operating system and it's a tool to be used to solve every day problems. ZCPR3 provides the environment to integrate application programs that work hard, provides a user-interface adaptable (through VMENU, MENU and VFILER) to the experience level of the console operator. We speak and write of those programs and hardware ideal for the ZCPR3 environment, that provide a more-than-competitive, cost effective solution to our problems. But it seems our pronouncements cause a stirring in certain intellectual circles, among those who know the truth of these matters, but are not following through with beliefs. They squirm and turn, sleep comes not...are we tools of commercialism and consumption? Are we part of this syndrome; a mirror is in the bathroom, but only look if you're not a ZCPR3 user. Z3 TIPS: Take a look at what XDIR can do. It's so powerful that most of us never think of using things it can do, because we don't remember all its power. The U trailing option enables displaying all files in all User Areas. The ability to log disk directory files into a file and then compare other directories to that file is extremely useful and a time-saving feature for scanning lots of disks to find differences among them. The negate option permitting display of all but the listed files is novel in the CP/M world. Study of options possible and comparison table below provides information on its features. The table indicates why it is so difficult to describe with mere words all features of directory display programs provided with ZCPR3. Command: XDIR Version 2.0 Syntax: XDIR dir:afn ooo... or XDIR /ooo... Function: XDIR displays a disk directory on the console or printer and is a file name scanner. Options: Aa - Indicate attributes of files to be selected a=A for All Files (System and Non-System) a=N for Non-System Files [default] a=S for System Files D - Send Output to Disk File XDIR.DIR Ff - Enable a File Scanner Function f=L to Log File Names to FNAMES.DIR f=P to Print File Names Stored in FNAMES.DIR f=S to Scan Disk and Compare to FNAMES.DIR I - Inspect Logged Files (use with FL option only) N - Negate Selection of Files Oo - Select Output Features o=A to Disable Display of File Attributes (R, S) o=F to Form Feed Printer when Display Done o=G to Group Files by Name and Type o=H to Display Files in Horizontal Format P - Send Display to Printer PF - Send Display to Printer with Trailing Form Feed U - Select All User Areas A hardcopy printout (assuming you have a printer) of all characteristics and features of DIRS (as well as any other help HLP file) can be obtained using the HELPPR program. Enter: HELPPR Options for HELPPR are obtained by entering the customary double-slash after the command name: HELPPR // Not to slight other ZCPR3 directory display programs, let's compare them to XDIR using a matrix table of features and functions. Z3 DIR is the intrinsic assembled in the CP, RCP DIR is in the Resident Command Package, and DIR, XD and XDIR are transient COM programs. Directory Display Comparison Table Attribute Z3_DIR RCP_DIR DIR XD XDIR Program Size N/A N/A 2K 4K 8K Sort File Names No Yes Yes Yes Yes Select Sort Order N/A No Yes Yes Yes Select SYS Files Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Select All Files Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Negate File Select No No No No Yes Display Attributes No No No Yes Yes Horiz/Vert Format No No No Yes Yes Printer Output ^P ^P No Yes Yes Form Feed No No No Yes Yes Select All Users No No No No Yes Disk Output No No No No Yes File Scanner No No No No Yes And now to an equally important program: PRINT. Convenient printer fomatting and extreme flexibility are main features. (PAGE, for output to console, has similar features; remember PAGE and PRINT can replace intrinsic built-ins, TYPE and LIST.) Command: PRINT Version 2.0 Syntax: PRINT dir:afn1,dir:afn2,... o... Function: Prints a file on the LST: device, like LIST does, but offers many more options. Prints a heading, pages file, numbers pages, numbers lines, places date/time stamp on output, puts file name on output, and more. Options: E - Exact Print (Expand Tabs, Form Feed, No Line or Page Numbers, No Heading) F - Toggle default of file name display on page header (default is ON, so F turns off name display) Htext - Define Heading text to appear at the top of each page (delim = @, for example) I - Inspect Files (user selects files before printing begins) L - Enable numbering of each line M - Disable Multiple Run Flag (if multiple run is ON, then no "Set Top of Form" message appears for each file and PRINT moves from one file to another unattended) default is with Multiple Run ON N - Disable numbering of each page On - Offset from left each line n-spaces to the right Sn - Start printing on page n T - Toggle date/time stamp in the header of each page (a TIME subroutine must be assembled into PRINT to enable stamp) GLOSSARY and ZCPR3 COMMANDS reference cards, presently shipped with our software, have been sent complementary to all Echelon customers. We care about your well being and believe these two items assist every day use of ZCPR3 8-bit CP/M software, both during initial learning and for promoting fuller retention. These cards at computer-side permit quick operator assist to forgotten commands and word meanings. Z3_Bug_Report: Two more come from Peter Lyman of Pasadena, California. FINDF and UNERASE both will not do their jobs if the files searched for are the first four in the directory on track two of the floppy disk. Also from Peter, HELP doesn't expand tabs because of direct use of BIOS calls, instead of using BDOS calls. So text HLP files using TAB for indent and big spaces don't look too good! Quick solution is to not use TAB in HELP text files, but five (or eight) spaces instead. We're looking for a satisfactory long-term solution. Magazine Articles: Page 396 of BYTE, September 1984, gives a little history of ZCPR3 and points to where it's going; stated at article's end, "to be continued." InfoWorld, 17 September, 1984, starting page 59, carries an excellent review piece by Allen Mehr about Ampro Bookshelftm Series 100 Computers, as well as kind words describing ZCPR3 and Shell Friendlytm. The machine received highest ratings in categories Setup, Ease of Use, and, most important, Performance. (Please don't miss Echelon's full page ads in Issue #10 of User's Guide and October Computer Language magazines.) Part One of a ZCPR3 article by Richard Conn appears as keystone piece in October Computer Language, November for the second part. An in-depth, independent review of ZCPR3 also appears in the November '84 issue. The Dr. Dobb's Journal article on SYSLIB3 by Robert Blum appears in the November 1984 issue. That same issue of DDJ has an interesting write-up on about making files public (global, from any directory, access of both command and text files) using a licensed DISK7tm program for special displaying and copying of PUBlictm files, as well as normal files. Bridger Mitchell of Plu*Perfect Systems, Box 1494, Idyllwild, CA 92349, 714/659-4432, has a thoroughly developed approach to public files under CP/M. We are considering implementing a feature like public files under ZCPR3 if we can preserve directory password security. IBM versus AT&T: Microsoft wins over Digital Research, we must report. Xenix (Unix System 3) wins over AT&T System 5. System 3 is the standard now, and IBM has taken Unix development away from the erstwhile monopoly, bureaucracy- infested AT&T. IBM is competition-tough. The PC-AT (Advanced Technology) with Local Area Network (LAN) from Sytek, Mountain View, California, is the product big-business wants, and probably needs and deserves. (IBM has rights to purchase 5% of Sytek, which in turn is 51% owned by General Instrument!) IBM appears to not be going the time-share approach of mainframes and minis using Unix. LAN is efficient, we said this in several ways before. ESD (Entry Systems Division) wins over other divisions; Florida leads the struggle against other parts of the IBM world. AT&T should have established System 5 as the standard before it came out with computer hardware. Apple is dead in this market, good night Lisa, or is it Irene? DRI Concurrent DOS is still- born, nary a movement detected! Who needs sales to Fortune 500 companies anyway? A huge, savvy marketing staff cuts the mustard. That's our musings. Digital Research, if any single company can be given such credit, caused the microprocessor to become popular with its virtual-machine operating system for 8-bit 8080 cpu's. But just when the going got competitive, got rough, its leadership was found wanting. New leadership of late has done no better. Johnny-come-recentlies know little of what they need to know. They miss the boat--see not the patch for the code! We sorrow, again and again. Blood comes from our pores but, as we all know, we reap what we sow; natural law cannot be circumvented. Another IBM move having profound industry consequences is their endorse- ment of Graphic Systems Software, Wilsonville, Oregon, graphics operating system. This move, similar to the way IBM adopted Microsoft's MS-DOS, means good-bye GSX from DRI! Mindset Corporation, Sunnyvale, California, saw the wisdom of GSS when taking it on for their super PC clone. (But we wonder how long such clones can be around with the PC-AT priced the way it is.) Wyse Technology, our favorite terminal manufacturer, located in San Jose, California, has done so well (last year's sales of over $17 million) they are going public with an offering of 1.8 million shares of stock at approximately $8.00 per share. A success in Silicon Valley, coming from customer-insight, courage and simple hard work; westcoast good news! And now for... Bad News: Sadness darkens our faces with the knowledge that Ziff-Davis is cancelling publication of Microsystems magazine. We are charter subscribers, remember the first issue produced with a Diablo daisywheel. The magazine's demise signals another bow-wave in the microcomputer industry--publishing power moving from East to West. Computer Language and Dr. Dobb's more than fills the gap vacated by Microsystems, and User's Guide, so unique in our industry, continues as the journal of new computer users, and of those who desire an in-depth understanding of popular computer programs. Weekly Info- World completes the quadrangle with timely micro-news and product reviews. Four influential--thus powerful--journals westcoast produced! (Let's not forget both Unix magazines, UnixWorld and Unix Review, are from this same coast.) Also, Microcomputing magazine is finished after much twisting and churning. BYTE more than covers whatever small void created by one less such publication. And furthermore, BYTE, seeing the handwriting on the wall, is covering CP/M-80 activity with renewed vigor. Gee, that's good news! About two years ago we proclaimed, while many seemed not to know what we we were talking about, "There's something sick with an industry that requires so much money spent in advertising products. Company managers funneling stockholder (or vc) equity capital to pay for ads before products succeed, or much less make money--such paths lead to Chapter Eleven." Comes time now to pay for short term views, for so little soul exhibited. We need more constructive ideas from people, less copy-cats. Too many clone-magazines, too few impressed and inspired readers, too many ads with mind-numbing and language-altering wordings! The industry yields to natural karmic retribution. (Maybe magazine subscription prices are too low, ad prices too high, management decisions lack insight; something certainly has been and is far less than whole.) We presently favor four magazines and their editors: 1. User's Guide 2. Dr. Dobb's Journal POB 5245 2464 Embarcadero Way Redwood City, CA 94063 Palo Alto, CA 94303 3. Computer Language 4. BYTE 131 Townsend Street 70 Main Street San Francisco, CA 94107 Peterborough, NH 03458 Please support them by making known your feelings, your likes and dislikes, and subscribing. Echelon has ads in two of them now and will have in them all, if business justifies. Our attitudes could change if their editorial policies ever promote other than a healthy climate in which we can learn and in which we can grow--learning, growing, that's what we call living! See you down the lines... Echelon, Inc. 101 First Street Los Altos, CA 94022 Telephone: 415/948-3820 RCP/M & BBS Modem: 408/258-8128 Trademarks: CP/M, Digital Research; Z3-Dot-Com, Alpha Systems; Bookshelf, Friendly, Ampro Computers; Lisa, Apple Computer; Z80, Zilog; Unix, AT&T Bell Laboratories; ZCPR3, SYSLIB3, TERM3, EMSG, Richard L. Conn; DISCAT, Lasting- Value Software, DISK7, Echelon; PC-DOS, IBM, Int'l Business Machines; WY-50, Wyseword, Wyse Technology; KAMAS, Compusophic Systems; PUBlic, Plu*Perfect Systems. Newsletter 007 is Copyright 1984 Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permis- sion to reprint granted automatically if source credit is given to Echelon.