> The H/Z-100's also ran CP/M-85. As some of you know it was a dual
> processor machine (8085/8088). Served well as a transition machine for
> those who had lots of CP/M applications and were moving into the then-new
> MessDos world. I've got two low-profile models (Z-110's, the model
Reminiscent of the DEC Rainbow. ISTR that the CP/M on that would quite
happily execute both .COM files, which it scheduled on the Z80, and .CMD
files, which ran on the 8088. I'm not sure what it did if you
accidentally tried to run a Messydos prog under CP/M, though... perhaps
I should try it someday.
Philip.
In a message dated 98-08-24 19:06:08 EDT, you write:
<>< > Well, it'll fit into the landfill better anyway...
> > Here's a question: what _obsolete_ computer would you choose for this
> > miracle machine, assuming you have unlimited power?
> > My choice would have to be an IBM PC just to vent..
>Which IBM PC? I would most likely choose a garden variety C64. >>
nah, C64 isnt good enough. IBM machines are much heavier and will do more
damage.
I have had a look at the TEK 4052 instruction set against that of the
Motorola 6800. Most of the 6800 instructions are present - the one
exception is DAA.
Tek also introduce 43 new instructions, but I don't know what any of
them do except NOP2 which presumably doesn't do anything at all.
More reading required on my part, but I guess a port of FLEX wouldn't be
too hard provided it could cope with the BIOS, which on a storage tube
machine is bound to be weird.
That said, the Tek 4052 has a far better line editor than many
non-storage environments I've met...
BTW, I've had one request to provide a write-up of my VCF talk for those
who can't get to the VCF itself. Is there any demand for this? Sam, do
you want this for imclusion in a "conference proceedings" sort of
document? It will be difficult, though, to include all the demo program
outputs (must get my plotter working again!), manual pages, etc.
Philip.
At 05:19 PM 8/24/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Does anyone still have that classic cover from an early issue of
>Interface Age? The one where the programmer has just buried a fire axe
>in an ASR-33 teletype.
Speaking of which, anyone else remember the series of ads from (iirc)
SmartTerm that said "Now that you have SmartTerm, what are you going to do
with your terminal?" and featured pictures of converted terminals being
used as a Fishbowl, a Mailbox, and a Dollhouse. There might have been
others, too. I always wanted to do the mailbox bit. Anyone still have
copies of these (or better still, scanned versions?) Maybe I'll see if
SmartTerm is still in business...
--------------------------------------------------------------------- O-
Uncle Roger "There is pleasure pure in being mad
roger(a)sinasohn.com that none but madmen know."
Roger Louis Sinasohn & Associates
San Francisco, California http://www.sinasohn.com/
At 05:15 PM 8/26/98 -0500, you wrote:
>> < Someone posted saying that there in fact was a 2.11 which I've not been
>> < able to find reference to. By any chance was that what came with a PCjr
>
>> I've seen it on PC xts, DEC VAXmates and S100 8086 boxen.
>
>S100 8086 boxes ?
>Are there still some left ?
>I never thought they had shown up in a big mass.
You know, one of the truly cool S-100 8086 boxes that was available
for a long time was the H/Z-100. You could get the all-in-one or
separate monitor configuration, color, 8', 5.25" floppies, etc. etc.
It ran Mess-DOS as well as H-dos (dual processors).
I lusted for one when I was a kid. The other day I found a pair of
them smashed to bits at a local surplus dealer.
It was truly depressing. Timing is definitely everything in this
game.
Jeff
>
>Gruss
>H.
>
>--
>Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
>HRK
>
> Okay, everyone with a spare IMSAI, let's all get together and have a few
> "auctions" on e-bay. How about a reserve of $50K, starting bid at $15K,
> $1K increments. That's just for a box, cards are extra.
> Jack Peacock
I think I should realy try to evaluate the value of
one of my Pascal Micro Engines (btw: Has anyone out
there one ? ).
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
< Now *that's* historic! Western Digitals first (and last) CPU effort, th
< first HLL ever implemented as an instruction set on a chip (afaik, anywa
< rare as hen's teeth (I'll bet it's scarcity is on the order of the Apple
< not to mention that it was a *very* early 16-bit system that was actuall
< available to mere mortals.
BZZT!!! first the PDP-11/03 is the WD chipset, the alpha microsystems
s100 crate used the same WD chipset. The WD chip set alloed you to create
your own microcode based cpu. It was the only whole computer WD marketed.
The chipset had a basic cpu/datapath and microms that contained the
microcode. So the basic chips with differing microcode could be literally
be different systems. Even DEC had both a WCS and EIS/FIS microm
extensions for the 11/03.
It didn't run pascal it ran the compiled result P-code which was a stack
machine.
Scarce, they did make a few. They were expensive though.
< It was a good idea; but as is so common in this business, the old axiom
< held true:
< No good deed goes unpunished.
<
< I think WD lost their shirt on this one . . .
About right. It's was not cheap and hard to expand. However the sales
of the chipsets to outside producers (DEC and AMS) made them a bundle.
I'd love to see a manual for the chipset and microcode information.
Allison
< > I've seen it on PC xts, DEC VAXmates and S100 8086 boxen.
<
< S100 8086 boxes ?
< Are there still some left ?
< I never thought they had shown up in a big mass.
define big mass. Compupro did a bunch of card all the way to 386s for
s100 as did macrotech and others.
I even have a compupro 8085/8088 box that runs at 10mhz, built at a time
when the xt was still 4.77 or maybe the clones at 8mhz.
It runs CPM80, CPM86, Turbodos, MSdos, CCPM.
Allison
> < Someone posted saying that there in fact was a 2.11 which I've not been
> < able to find reference to. By any chance was that what came with a PCjr
> I've seen it on PC xts, DEC VAXmates and S100 8086 boxen.
S100 8086 boxes ?
Are there still some left ?
I never thought they had shown up in a big mass.
Gruss
H.
--
Ich denke, also bin ich, also gut
HRK
IMHO, the Sol is the next most important early commercial microcomputer
after the Altair and IMSAI. Although it had 5 S-100 slots, it really was a
single-board computer with built-in 64x16 video, serial and parallel ports,
keyboard, cassette tape interface, and ROM monitor which supported its use
as a serial terminal supporting VDT escape sequences as well as being usable
as a true computer. Cassette-based software included 5k BASIC, 16k Extended
BASIC, FOCAL, PILOT, ALS-8 (Assembly Language System), arcade style "real
time" games (Target, Trek80) as well as BASIC games and 8080 Chess. Its 8"
Helios disk system was expensive and the PerSci drives finicky - which is
why so many SOL users opted for a NorthStar controller and 5.25" drives.
Contact jordan_ruderman(a)supermac.com - he has been compiling an audio CD-ROM
of all the cassette software. You can substitute a portable CD player in
place of the SOL's cassette player, or just dub copies onto cassette (to
capture that ol' time flavor!). Also, if your keyboard is acting flakey, it
may be because the little foam pads inside have deteriorated over the years.
Contact Jim Willing at the Computer Garage http://www.rdrop.com/~jimw for
DIY replacements or he will do it for you. Jim is very knowledgable about
SOLs.
Bob Stek
Saver of lost SOLs
On 25 Aug 1998 22:29:33 GMT, george(a)agora.rdrop.com (George Rachor) wrote:
>I've got a SOL Terminal computer dug out from a pile of stuff I obtained
>from a
>Goodwill several years ago. Unfortunatly there is no disk drive with it.
Ie:
>I don't want to part with it but surely I can do something with it besides
>displaying it. Is there anything I can do with this critter without a disk
>this creature usuable for anything?
>
>George Rachor
>
>george(a)racsys.rt.rain.com
