PLM/80 compiler docs

Sorry about using facts. ;) I was really trying to validate MY rusty brain cells. One thing I do claim is a pretty good knowledge of PL/M-80. In the old days I did many projects with PL/M-80 and some with PL/M-51, and I think I still remember it. A couple of years ago I was able to write a small program in PL/M-80 using one of my working MDS's and get it to compile and run without opening the manual. > The one thing that seems to have changed from V3 to V4 is the following > statement: > In V3: DECLARE HELLO DATA ('Hello world.'); > in V4: DECLARE HELLO (*) BYTE DATA ('Hello world.'); > There are other subtle changes I have found. I discovered these as I was > using older PLM source code for CPM as a programming example, and certain > constructs were being rejected by the V4 compiler. > I could also just be screwing something up. I always reserve the right to > do that... I *was* wrong when I said that DATA was used to initialize a variable at run time. The DATA construct puts the variable initialization into ROM and therefore that variable can't be changed at runtime. It is fixed. The "*" in the array length declaration is called "implicit array length" and just means that the array is defined to be the length needed to hold the contents that follow the word DATA in the declaration. That implicit (*) specifier was part of the syntax in the very first version of PL/M-80 that ran on the MDS. It was NOT part of the syntax for the original cross-compiler that was written in Fortran for mainframes. I have found all my PL/M-80 documentation and it is a treasure trove. I have a short document from Intel that tells a programmer what has to be changed in source code in order for a cross-compiler compliant program to compile on the resident compiler. In that document it talks about the implicit specifier. So that construct was in the very first resident compiler (V1.0). In your example above, if the line you label V3 would actually compile correctly in V3, then it was not documented to work that way. It may have passed the compiler syntax check, but the manual never specified it would. If the (*) was required for V4 to be happy, it was a case of the compiler now enforcing what was *always* documented as the correct syntax. >> I have the "ISIS-II PL/M-80 Compiler Operator's Manual", no. 9800300-04, >> dated 3/82. It is the manual that was issued specifically for V4.0 of >> the compiler. There are several "$" commands listed. All those "$" >> commands are also listed in the V3.0/V3.1 version of that manual >> (9800300C). >> > I have this for V3, I figured out the V4 compiler commands by going through $CODE/$NOCODE the > V4 compiler I have, the one with the overlays. $CODE and $NOCODE worked with V3.0 of the compiler. I have that in the documentation and I remember it. It would force 8080 assembly language equivalent to be placed into the listing file generated by the compiler. The $P=1 directive is unfamiliar to me. It is not in the manuals that I have and I don't remember it. Do you have an example of that? What does it do? It must predate the V3 compiler. >> The Programming Manual did not change from V3.0 to V4.0. The language >> was really the same. I programmed a lot in those days and I never had >> to change anything moving from V3 to V4. >> > It would be interesting to look up the DATA syntax above in V3 and V4 and > see what is confusing me. There is no mention of DATA in the operators manual. And, as I said, the syntax manual is the same. It didn't change from V3 to V4. >> I think the main changes from 3 to 4 had to do with newer operating >> system environments. Newer versions of ISIS-II could have more than the >> four or six or seven disk drives by allowing networked drive assignments >> up through :F9:. File names could be longer, as well. I think those >> were some of the differences from V3.x to V4.0. But the language syntax >> was the same. >> >> >>>>> Specifically, I am in need of: >>>>> >>>>> 98-00268B plm 80 programming manual, V4 >>>>> >>>>> Thanks. >>>>> >>>>> Jeff Erwin >>>>> >>>>> >> > Can I offer to pay you for a copy of the two manuals you refer to above? > Jeff Erwin I will work on scanning these manuals. You don't have to pay me. It won't happen right away, but I will do it. Watch for further updates! For now, here are a few interesting documents. http://home.comcast.net/%7Ehp41cx/PLM/V4_letter.jpg http://home.comcast.net/%7Ehp41cx/PLM/V4_dear_PLM_owner.jpg http://home.comcast.net/%7Ehp41cx/PLM/V4_dear_PLM_owner (2).jpg http://home.comcast.net/%7Ehp41cx/PLM/V4_update.jpg Dave ------------------------------ Message: 10 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:05:23 -0500 From: Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com> Subject: Re: Great day at Tek To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <48F89BA3.10803 at gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed Randy Dawson wrote: dumped. Someone contacted me early in the year about an Ardent going surplus in Colorado, then the conversation went quiet on me :( I should do some more digging on that one and see what happened to it. I still want a Tex XD88/30, should you see one at your surplus sales :-) I'll get my XD88/10 shipped here at some point, but I'd still like to mess around with the 24-bit version! cheers Jules ------------------------------ Message: 11 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:15:03 -0400 From: "Granz" <granz_consult at hotmail.com> Subject: Req: Help/Advice on Cromemco System To: <cctech at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <BAY141-DAV10D69972705E072E06CC7A8C320 at phx.gbl> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I have most of the stuff to put together a System 3. I have the card cage with the 21-slot motherboard and a bunch of cards. The manuals I got with the system include the Cromix manual, I have more than 1 64-K RAM card and at least one TPU, so I believe that mine was a multi-user system. I would like to put this back to near-original, but need a case and power supply. Since I have been unable to find any power supplies which provide the +/- 8 and +/- 16 volts, I just thought of an idea the other day of using a PC power supply and shorting out the on-board voltage regulators to allow them to work at the +5V and +12V of the power supply. In order to do that though, I would need a small (3-5 slot) motherboard to test a couple of cards together. If anyone has any of these available, I would be interested in obtaining them. I do not have much money, but do have some other old computer stuff that I can trade: a VAX Station 2000, an old Sun workstation, many, many old PC parts and systems, lots of electronic parts, lots of microcontroller stuff including several Dev Kits. Also if anyone has done this before please let me know how it went. Thanks, Art ------------------------------ Message: 12 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:53:20 +0100 From: "Dan Williams" <williams.dan at gmail.com> Subject: Re: Sparc desktop vs x86 desktop To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <26c11a640810170753r69d1112fnc875f85e88d5644e at mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 2008/10/16 Zane H. Healy <healyzh at aracnet.com>: > At 12:21 PM +0100 10/16/08, Dan Williams wrote: >> >> I have just bought a dual 900mhz Sparc machine with 2gb memory. for >> ?130. I haven't got it yet. But I am quite sure it will be fast enough >> to use as a desktop machine. Also should be fairly quick at compiling >> bits and pieces. > Is it a SunBlade 1000 by any chance? If so you'd better have a good A/C in I > could open the door and let cool air in. > Zane > -- No it's a 2000. It's a lot bigger, noiser and heavier then I was expecting. I was thinking it was just a tower machine. I didn't realise the depth of it. Any idea how well these run with Solaris 10, do you know if it would run any quicker with 8 or 9. Dan > | Zane H. Healy | UNIX Systems Administrator | > | healyzh at aracnet.com (primary) | OpenVMS Enthusiast | > | MONK::HEALYZH (DECnet) | Classic Computer Collector | > +----------------------------------+----------------------------+ > | Empire of the Petal Throne and Traveller Role Playing, | > | PDP-10 Emulation and Zane's Computer Museum. | > | http://www.aracnet.com/~healyzh/<http://www.aracnet.com/%7Ehealyzh/> | ------------------------------ Message: 13 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:21:08 -0400 From: "Curtis H. Wilbar Jr." <rescue at hawkmountain.net> Subject: 2 items for $5 To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <48F8AD64.4060204 at hawkmountain.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed pick any two items and they are just $5 + actual shipping costs. let me know ASAP if you want anything here, as this stuff will be going to the trash by Sunday. If you are local to me, you can pick up anything on this list for free.... but let me know ASAP so I can put it aside for you. PCI RAID card, SCSI HVD (differential), for Alpha (so I'm told) Sun 501-1720 SLC mainboard w/o NVRAM Sun 501-1720 SLC mainboard (w (dead?) NVRAM) 501-1840 Sbus expansion sbus card Coleco ADAM setup manual Artecon SmartBox adapter board (Artecon's version of sbus expansion) Global Villiage teleport Platinum Fax Modem model A812 (for Mac) Maxtor RXT-800S Magneto Optical drive (not tested (no media)) Syquest SparQ 1.0GB internal drive (not tested (no media)) Corporate Systems Center PCI DIFF SCSI card (HVD), for sparc ? Compaq drive 'sled' for Pentium II (and III ?) generation -- has the two purple tabs/levers on the left/right ediges LaCie FM radio tuner for Macs (ADB) Performance Technology PT-PCI450 SCSI 3 Ultra Wide Fast Diff (HVD) (Sun?) 2 PCI FDDI cards Olicom OC-3161 16 serial port ISA card (just ISA card) 2 x 5G + 1 x 4G laptop hard drives (password locked?) SyQuest EZ Drive 135M EZ135EXT,P/PORT parallel port drive untested SyQuest SQ555 40M drive Sun 501-1861 ELC board untested Apple QuickTake Battery Charger KB-39PA (4xAA charger) Sparcstation 20 hard drive 'carrier' 1G SCA scsi drives HP Deskjet 600Cse (needs new ink cartridge) Compaq PS4000 Power supply compaq part number 270371-001 HP C2490A 2G differential SCSI drives 3.5" HH (6 available) Compaq LCD front panel for Proliant 6000 and others Sealed Copy of PC Anywhere 9.0 Sealed copy of McAfee VirusScan Security Suite (from the 90s) -- Curt ------------------------------ Message: 14 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 11:34:13 -0400 From: "Curtis H. Wilbar Jr." <rescue at hawkmountain.net> Subject: FS: $5 + $10 items To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Message-ID: <48F8B075.7030702 at hawkmountain.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed $5 Items (plus actual ship, or you pick up in Sharon or Cambridge, MA) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- APEX Outlook EL-84DT (with the DT crossed out and SP handwritten) - 8 port serial concentrator Indigo 2 audio module - 2 available 4 x 8M 72 pin SIMMS for SGI with gold fingers - 2 sets available DEC Turbo Channel PMAG A card HP Printer PAL (turns LJ III, III/D/P, 4, 4P/L/PLUS, 5P) into laser fax machine - new sealed in box 2G SCA SCSI drive - multiple available 4G SCA SCSI drive - multiple available Maxtor MXT1240S 50 pin 1.2 G SCSI drive (3.5" HH) - these drives somtimes don't spin up on first power on SGI PM3 Indigo 2 CPU (200MHz 1M cache) $10 Items (plus actual ship, or you pick up in Sharon or Cambridge, MA) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9G SCA SCSI drive - multiple available SPARCClassic, no HD, 6 x 501-1991 SIMMs Ultra 10 with 333MHz 2M cache CPU, no ram, no HD Mouse Systems PC Jr Mouse (optical, no pad (could use pad from Sun)) 3Com 3C597TX Fast Ethernet EISA (use on Indigo 2 for 100baseTX !) Let me know if there is anything here you want.... before I scrap some of it, ebay other bits, etc... -- Curt ------------------------------ Message: 15 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:23:42 -0700 (PDT) From: "Zane H. Healy" <healyzh at aracnet.com> Subject: Re: Sparc desktop vs x86 desktop To: cctalk at classiccmp.org Message-ID: <200810171623.m9HGNgAU030912 at onyx.spiritone.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii A/C in when I > > could open the door and let cool air in. > > > Zane > > > > -- > No it's a 2000. It's a lot bigger, noiser and heavier then I was > expecting. I was thinking it was just a tower machine. I didn't > realise the depth of it. > Any idea how well these run with Solaris 10, do you know if it would > run any quicker with 8 or 9. OK, I'm not sure but I think the 2000 is probably about as hot as the 1000, as it is basically the same system, and I believe the 900Mhz CPU's are the same part (I have dual 750Mhz CPU's in my 1000). I don't consider my 1000 to be noisy, but it is BIG and HEAVY! In some ways I regret retiring my dual 450Mhz Ultra 60, but the dual 750's with 4GB RAM make for a nicer machine. I run mine with Solaris 10, but I tend to run CDE rather than the Gnome based desktop as the Gnome desktop seems sluggish. The sad thing is, since it runs so hot, the main thing I've used my system for is to low-level format SCA SCSI HD's (in an external JBOD) prior to installing the drives in my OpenVMS system. I'd really like to upgrade to a nice Sun Ultra 24 system, but can't justify the expense (a Mac Pro would make more sense for me). Zane End of cctech Digest, Vol 62, Issue 38 **************************************