EI Z-NEWS 808 29 February 1988
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Of Significance. Joe Wright, San Jose, CA, has produced (with help from Jay
Sage and Bridger Mitchell) one of the most significant developments ever to
come along in the microcomputing world. His new Z-Com offers flexibility
never seen before, or thought possible, for Operating Systems. Z-Team comes
through! Z-Com, Version 2.0, does what we have wished for for so long: an
Operating System for all seasons!
Now for some details...using a relocatable segment technique (named
COMMONs and REL files) controlled from an install and create menu, memory
space allocated to RCP, FCP, NDR, and IOP is selected by user. Then a system
definition file is automatically generated on exit from menu. File can be
given name desired, e.g., MIN, STD, MAX, etc., indicating relative size of Z-
System, i.e., Transient Program Area (TPA, where in memory an application
program runs) available. Using Joe's new universal loader--yes, it loads
regular Z-System segments like NDRs and ENVs in addition to REL-type files--
system selected is loaded from command line or from menus and aliases.
Thus...
We now have ability to, on-the-fly from aliases, adjust OS size and
functionality to get the job done most effectively. Here is solution to
finite TPAs associated with Zilog Z80 computers. Start with smallest system
your BIOS will permit, add segment space as you require for function and task
automation. Three or four systems should do it for most of us: 1) no external
buffers, smallest system, same size as a vanilla CP/M system, 2) minimum Z-
System as supplied with Ampro Z80 computers, paths, environmental descriptor,
multiple command lines, shells, external stacks, etc., 3) full Z-System but
except for IOP, and 4) full Z-System with IOP. Use each depending on funct-
ions desired and TPA required. We witness history in the making.
We offer new Z-Com, i.e., Z-Com v2.0, in two versions so you can select
the one best for your particular situation:
Starter System - Includes REL files for ZCPR v3.4 and ZRDOS v1.9 and a
minor selection of Z3 utilities, all on one diskette. Multi-level User's
Guide and new in-depth-coverage ZRDOS manual included. Package provides
everything needed both for new users and those with previous Z-Com and manual-
ly installed Z-System environments. Price: same as Z-Com v1.0, $69.95 plus
shipping and handling.
Full System - Includes above plus most Z3 utilities, for those who are
ready to become fully committed to Z-System leaving CP/M behind forever. Yes,
all the above plus the source to Jay Sage's new ZCPR v3.4--3.4 version avail-
able only for Z-Com v2.n use--and source to the system segments permitting new
ones to be created. For customizing each system created, for programmers and
for those who wish to learn to program. Price not established.
Other Packages - Likely more variations of full to satisfy need.
See The Computer Journal, Issue #32, for Jay's article on both Z-Com v2.0
and ZCPR v3.4. (Now's the time to subscribe to Art Carlson's TCJ. We urge
you to participate in the building of the greatest learning community to be
experienced in our time. Get knowledge by reading, studying, experimenting.
Call or write TCJ, 406/257-9119, 190 Sullivan Crossroad, Columbia Falls, MT
59912.)
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From The Mail Box. Thanks to anonymous sender from Washington state for mag-
azine article on wine. Written by Anthony Dias Blue, Bon Appetit, February
1981, piece details history (for more on "history," see Z-News 708-5) of the
Zinfandel grape. Conclusion, Zinfandel is identical with Italian Primitrivo
di Gioia grape, but in select areas of California, because of soil and cli-
mate, a "superior" wine can be produced. In Italy, only a "coarse and thor-
oughly undistinguished" wine has ever been made from di Gioia grapes.
Joe Wright, Z-Com author and Good-Neighbor Helper, passes on a bug fix
obtained from Peter Mireau of MicroPro for WordStar v4.0. If a Z3NDIR buffer
has not been installed on your Z-System, WS doesn't work as it should. Patch
WS.COM (using ZPATCH or a debugger) at location 1251H from 9AH to 96H. Word-
Star then works without a named directory allocated for Z-System. Thanks, Joe
and Peter, for the helpful information.
Software Update Service. Earlier Z-News told of most of the SUS programs on
#14. At shipping time it looked like:
Z3LOC13 is Bruce Morgen and Howard Goldstein's greatly enhanced system and
segment address displayer. Shows more than early versions did, and without
bugs. And it works with straight CP/M. Try command "Z3LOC Z<cr>" and see
your important Z-System segment locations. And version numbers of the CCP and
DOS show, very important in these days of many CCPs and DOSs to try.
Z-Node News. Good-Neighbor Helper Paul Harmon, Minneapolis (Z-News 807-3),
becomes Z-Node #80 Sysop, and first we know of with Term3 RAS. His number is
612/560-9122 with Kaypro 10 machine in Brooklyn Park, MN 55443. Paul's pre-
sent operational hours are 10pm to 6am, local time, but soon he goes to 24
hours. Call, give him a friendly welcome for his efforts.
Dave Vanhorn, Costa Mesa, CA, Z-Node #66, has upgraded RAS up and running
at 714/961-1135 with 80 megabytes of hard disk storage. RAS is for North
Orange Country Computer Club and runs beta version (v1.60) of Tim Gary's Z-
Msg...club is comparing RAS to two BBSs they run on IBM PC-DOS machines. Need
we say more...
Z-User's Corner. Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of out-
rageously expert 8-year-olds and yet remain a techno-phobe, or to take arms
against a sea of unfamiliar concepts and strange devices, and by studying,
master them all?--that is the question.
Inconsistency diverts your attention from what you are doing to the tools
you do it with; tools, the utilities you use to control your computer. Format
for Z-System utilities log-on banners, syntax, and built-in help messages are
consistent and transparent to you the user, to make your life a little easier.
(We do our best to keep our system visually consistent. When we fail it is
because our egos get in the way: we think we make an improvement on the stand-
ard at the expense of breaking the standard. Alas! Oh! How we so often fail
to impress or to communicate!)
Type 4 utilities under Z-Com v2.0 SP(ace remaining on disk), ERA, REN,
and SAVE transients permit using less local memory, that devoted to the
operating system (OS), leaving larger TPA for your application programs. No
need to use in-short-supply local memory (RAM) space in either the CCP module
or an RCP segment for these functions. Logic here is: whenever a function
requires going to disk to get a file the utility used might just as well be
disk-based, instead of from in-memory. In such cases, speed difference is not
significant. So, to be logical, we set-up our CCP and RCP to include funct-
ions to do work for tasks already in memory, like WHL, R, P, POKE, QUIET, etc.
Continuing...what price a transient over a resident or intrinsic? Using
three files of 16k-bytes length, intrinsic ERA (in the CCP) took 7.8 seconds
to erase them, one at a time; disk-based Type 4 ERA took 3.7 seconds. Erasing
these three files using a wildcard filename took 3.9 seconds versus 1.5,
respectively; and, a single 64k-byte file, 2.9 versus 1.5. A small advantage
in each case for the CCP intrinsic, but is the time saved worth the TPA we
gave up? We think not! On the other hand it's still up to you as to how you
set-up your system. (Interestingly, Type 4 transient ERA deleted a 600k-byte
file in 2.4 seconds.) SP, ERA, REN, and SAVE become disk-based with our use
of ZCPR v3.4. All are Type 4 utilities, ones that load under the CCP result-
ing in maximum buffer space allocated for applications and their data, but
they run under ZCPR v3.4 only. You use Type 1 or 3 utilities with v3.0 and
3.3, respectively. (Type 2 with internal environment was intended for vanilla
CP/M use only.) Using Terry Hazen's Type 1 ERAZ v1.0 or Morgen's ERASE51A.COM
transient--either, from SUS #14 and Z-Nodes everywhere renamed to ERASE.COM--
compare multiple command below with using CCP-based ERA for speed:
ERASE fn.ft;GO fn2.ft2;GO *.bak
For you with adventure in your hearts, use JUMP instead of GO with a Type
4 (or Type 3) transient to avoid having to re-load during multiple use. First
determine where the ERA loads. Can you do that? Then use that address for
the JUMP load parameter. Remember when using Z-Com v2.0 each system you
create is likely to have a different size, so base address of your CCP changes
depending on system size.
Hardware/Software Beat. High-Tech Research, Redding, CA, nears completion of
their Z280 board for Kaypro computers. We understand board is about to go
into beta (outside) testing.
Next subject...if you use WordStar v4.0, it's time to get your wish list
into MicroPro, formally. They presently fix reported bugs; who knows, they
may even have a Release 5.0 out one of these days! But do get your
recommendations in now, to make sure your views are considered for the next
update. Thanks...
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Of Angels and Eagles. Since time beyond memory, analogy technique has been
used to address humanity's barrier to progress, i.e., true progress and not
illusion. We bring a particular analogy into 20th Century imagery, hopefully:
a surfer skillfully rides waves and all applaud loudly his brilliance. An
elected official shows poor leadership and we cry for his removal. We explain
our point. Here, the politician is the surfer and we (the people) are the
waves. To get better leadership (politicians) we must change the quality of
the waves (us), for from waves come surfers. Here, an ancient analogy is
appropriately applied to us and our leaders: for them to get better we must
get better. They are us, we are them. See! Such wave/surfer analogy can and
should be used at all levels of human association, seen and unseen, felt and
implied. Our conclusion: progress depends on you, you depend on All. See,
see you down the lines...
Echelon, Inc. P.O. Box 705001-800 South Lake Tahoe, CA 95705 USA
Telephone: 916/577-1105 Telex: 4931646 Z-Node Central (RAS): 408/432-0821
Z-News 808 is Copyright MCMLXXXVIII Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Permission to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source
credit is given to Echelon.
