CP/M clones & compatible OSes

On 25 August 2012 15:29, Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> wrote: That's a really interesting question, actually, I would say. [Does a bit of Googling] There were, it seems, various Torch Z80 addons for the BBC Micro. The only one I saw or used was a Disk Pack: http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/docs/Torch/Torch_Z80DiscPack.pdf There was a time, when I was about 13 or 14, when I thought that this was about *the* most powerful and desirable computer setup I'd ever seen or heard of. ;?) What I had not appreciated until now was that Torch's version of CP/M was a special one, which ran from ROM. That is apparently why they called it CPN instead. There was also a standalone 2nd processor, no disk drives: http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/8bit_Upgrades/Torch_Z802ndproc.html There's a user manual for a CPN system here: http://acorn.chriswhy.co.uk/docs/Torch/Torch_ZDPUG.pdf It contains a little non-technical info: ? the TORCH CPN operating system, (a 16K ROM containing a CP/M compatible "look alike") ? ? INTRODUCTION The TORCH CPN operating system which is a CP/M "look alike" has much more flexibility than conventional CP/M. It has more "built in" commands and is easier to use. The most significant advantage of the TORCH CPN operating system, is that it is stored in ROM (Read Only Memory) rather than on disc. This means that on "power up" the TORCH disc pack and BBC micro are automatically ready to accept instructions typed in at the keyboard. ? Another CP/M compatible OS I was aware of was Pro-DOS for the MGT SAM Coup?: http://www.samcoupe-pro-dos.co.uk/whatisprodos.html ? What is Pro-DOS? Pro-DOS could be thought of as a Disk Operating System (DOS), However, it is more than this, it is a full Operating System that Provides compatibility with CP/M 2.2. In simple terms this means that a whole world of software that was designed to run under CP/M 2.2. will now run on the SAM Coup?. Pro-DOS uses the same Disk format as the Amstrad PCW 8256 and, as a result, it can read disks from this machine direct, this also Means that there is a vast range of software already available from sources such as Public Domain libraries. ? I hadn't realised it was by virus writer Chris "The Black Baron" Pile, who was imprisoned for writing Queeg, SMEG and Pathogen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Pile_(programmer) It is an admitted reverse-engineered effort as you can find from this interesting review, complete with an account of nostalgia-destroying 8-bit compatibility problems: http://www.samcoupe-pro-dos.co.uk/pdreview.html As for the Tatung, I've found very little info on XTal DOS, apart from something calling it " a compatible but beefed-up version of CP/M called Xtal DOS." http://www.tuicool.com/articles/myEBvq Anyone got more? Any more CP/M-compatible Z80 OSs? -- Liam Proven ? Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lproven at cix.co.uk ? GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lproven at hotmail.com ? Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 ? Cell: +44 7939-087884