8-bitters and multi-whatever

So I was poking around at bitsavers after snagging those TI databooks, and stumbled across some files pertaining to TurboDOS. I'd read about that before, might even have some manual or other on it someplace, but I've never had the pleasure. I do have one box that was supposed to be a multi-user system, that being my TeleVideo 816, which had TurboDOS as an option but the one I have came with something called MMMOST, which I wasn't all that impressed with. A guy was talking about sending me a tape but that never happened. I remember hearing about one or two other packages that were similar (never mind MP/M, which I've also not messed with and don't get the impression I want to bother with really), but have never had the pleasure of running any of them. A while back I *almost* got a hold of one of those "z80 network in a box" systems, it wasn't S-100 but something else I can't recall, I think that's the one I have the book on, but I never did snag it. Unfortunately instead of RS232 Televideo has something else going there (RS422?), not easy to interface too, and they distribute their "network" out amongst what other Televideo boxes you have, which in my case is none. I guess with an S-100-based system you could always add more cards, and somehow or other make it work. And speaking of the networking aspect of it, do any of you guys know how they did it? I recall one time getting a glimpse of some system or other that was S-100 but also had a set of connectors at thet op of each card, which is what they used for their inter-processor linking rather than trying to push it through the bus. The reason for this is not apparent to me. I've also seen some "CP/M networking" stuff referred to that was supposed to work through serial ports, which pretty many machines had, althogh they appeared in at least one case to be using diodes to wire-OR RS232 signals, which doesn't strike me as too terribly robust. And what software support there was for this wasn't real apparent. I dunno, I've just got this fascination for assorted 8-bit parts talking to each other through some smallish number of wires, I guess it's easier to deal with than some of the big iron you guys handle regularly, which I can't afford to go get never mind housing. And I've seen multiple processors used in stuff already, as in some musical equipment that passed "event information" from one chip to the next with only a couple of pins, or the daisywheel printer that had _four_ 804x procesors in it for different functions. TurboDOS is neat, and has some good design aspects in it, but there's too much legacy stuff in there for being able to run CP/M software, stuff I'd leave out if it were me and too much emphasis on the same old Console / Printer / Disk Drives in the system, as opposed to something different or unique. I found the same thing to be the case when I looked at FORTH, too much of the usual stuff, and that was supposed to have been used in some control applications? I must've missed something there... -- Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters" - Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James M Dakin