Questions most asked about Z-System (ZCPR3 and ZRDOS):
1. Is ZCPR3 hard to bring up on my computer? What
are my options?
2. How much memory does a Z-System take?
3. Do I have to have a hard disk to run the Z-System?
How much disk space is needed?
4. How can I find out more about the Z-System?
Answers and some basic facts are presented herein.
EI Rev. 1.2 2/20/86
heThe Word on the Z-System
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foQuestion 1: Bringing up ZCPR3 Page #
QUESTION 1: Bringing up ZCPR3
--> 1. Is ZCPR3 hard to bring up on my computer? What
are my options?
ANSWER
If you try to bring up ZCPR3 manually (following the installation
instructions in ZCPR3: The Manual), the answer is yes.
Experience in assembly-language programming is necessary. Source
code to your BIOS is necessary. An understanding of CP/M and Z-
System concepts is necessary.
However, you may not have to bring ZCPR3 manually. There
are options...
ZCPR3 Installation Options
OPTIONS
Your basic options are:
1) Manual Installation
o no cost (download the software)
o complex with many options
o requires knowledge of assembly language
2) Automatic Installation (Auto-Install)
o commercial products:
Z3-DOT-COM (includes all help files and
all utilities in COM file form) $ 99.00
Z3-DOT-COM (without utilities) $ 49.95
Z-COM (full Z3-DOT-COM with ZRDOS) $119.00
ZRDOS (CP/M BDOS Replacement) $ 49.50
ZRDOS+ (ZRDOS with Public Dirs) $ 59.50
o write or call Echelon for current prices
3) Pre-installed for specific systems
o soon to be released
o write or call Echelon for availability/prices
o target installations:
Ampro Kaypro
Eagle Morrow
Epson QX-10 Osborne
Heath/Zenith Micromint SB180
4) User Groups
o major user groups often have complete ZCPR3
o examples:
First Osborne user's Group (FOG)
Tampa Bay Kaypro User's Group
5) Echelon Good-Neighbor Helper Roster
ADDRESSES
General: Echelon, Inc.
885 N. San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022 USA
Telephone: 415-948-3820
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Z-NODES
For interaction on Z-Nodes (Remote Access Systems) and to
ask questions:
po 4
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rm 79
NODE SYSOP CITY STATE ZIP RAS Phone
8 Thomas Hill, Anchorage, AK 99504
24 Barry L. Bowerman, Weaver, AL 36277
22 Thomas R. Bowerman, Anniston, AL 36201 205/238-0012
52 Wells Brimhall, Phoenix, AZ 85028 602/996-8739
20 Richard Driscoll, Phoenix, AZ 85008
44 Robert Gear, Phoenix, AZ 85014, 602/279-2762
35 Norman L. Beeler, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, 408/245-1420
34 Rod L. Blackman, Visalia, CA 93291, 209/739-8303
54 Clinton Cook, Merced, CA 95348, 209/383-6417
21 Robert Finch, Glendale, CA 91205
6 Andrew Hart, Palo Alto, CA 94306, 415/493-4506
2 Al Hawley, Los Angeles, CA 90056, 213/670-9465 *
57 Steve Kitahata, Gardena, CA 90247, 213/532-3336
1 David McCord, Fremont, CA 94536, 415/489-9005
36 Richard Mead, Pasadena, CA 91105, 818/799-1632
18 John Rovner, Union City, CA 94587
25 Douglas Thom, San Jose, CA 95129, 408/253-1309
19 Fred Townsend, San Jose, CA 95132, 408/262-5150
9 Roger Warren, San Diego, CA 92109, 619/270-3148
10 Rea Williams, El Toro, CA 92630, 714/855-0672 *
28 Stanley K. London, Aurora, CO 80013, 303/680-9825
53 Peter Glaskowsky, Miami, FL 33156, 305/235-1645
27 Charlie Hoffman, Tampa, FL 33629, 813/831-7276 *
32 Allan E. Levy, Satellite Beach, FL 32927
17 Robert B. Tate, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, 305/831-6049 *
29 Edward C. Unrein, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, 305/774-2591 *
51 Edward C. Unrein, Orlando, FL 32810, 305/295-0844 *
46 Jim S. Altman Atlanta, GA 30316, 404/627-7127 *
15 Richard Jacobson, Chicago, IL 60606, 312/649-1730 *
15 Richard Jacobson, Chicago, IL 60606, 312/664-1730 *
5 Ron Stone, Lisle, IL 60532, 312/420-1722 *
37 Marvin Eyre, Robards, KY 42452, 502/521-7011
3 Jay P. Sage, Newton Centre, MA 02159, 617/965-7259 *
43 John D'Ausilio, Bladensburg, MD 20710, 301/779-7986 *
41 Larry Mansfield Baltimore, MD 21214, 301/254-6277
30 Ben Ragan, St. Louis, MO 63134, 314/423-7038
48 Brian B. Riley, Indian Mills, NJ 08088, 609/268-9597
11 Michael M. Ward, Voorhees, NJ 08043, 609/428-8864
23 Charles Boghosian, Durham, NC 27712, 919/383-6595
42 Jay Denebeim, Durham, NC 27705, 919/471-6436 *
14 Rich Rodeheaver, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068, 614/864-2673 *
47 Tom R. Keith, Ponca City, OK 74601, 405/762-1651
49 Kevin Dobb, Medford, OR 97504 *
38 Robert L. Paddock, Franklin, PA 16323, 814/437-5647
4 Don Buzzingham, College Station, TX 77843, 409/845-8931
56 Terry Carroll, Bedford, TX 76021, 817/283-9167
33 Mark R. Evans, San Angelo, TX 76904
31 Richard A. Petersen, El Paso, TX 79904, 915/821-3638 *
45 Richard K. Reid, Houston, TX 77088, 713/937-8886
39 Jon Schneider, El Paso, TX 79936, 915/592-4976 *
12 Norm Gregory, Seattle, WA 98122, 206/325-1325 *
7 Tim Linehan, Olympia, WA 98502, 206/357-6757
26 Robert Kuhmann, Belle Etoile, par St. Martin de la Brasque
84760 FRANCE, 011-33-90-77-60-15 (from USA) *
50 Mark Little, Alice Springs, N.T. Australia 5750
011-61 (089) 528 852 (from USA) *
Notes: 1) Asterisk (*) indicates node is a downloader of Echelon
proprietary software. Ask node Sysop for procedure.
2) Lack of RAS (Remote Access System) telephone number
indicates node presently may not be up but should be
within two months, or we have not yet received number.
3) When updating or correcting ZNODESnn.LST for errors,
please increment list number (nn), change date to current,
and upload to Z-Node Central, 415/489-9005.
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foQuestion 2: How Much Memory is Used? Page #
QUESTION 2: How Much Memory is Taken Up by a Z-System?
--> 2. How much memory does a Z-System take?
ANSWER
A Z-System can take up a lot of memory, but it can also take as
little as 1K, depending on how it's installed.
I have run the following programs in a full-up Z-System
(which takes 5K more than a similar CP/M system), and they have
worked well for my applications:
dBase II BDS C
WordStar C/80
SpellStar Pascal/MT+
MailMerge MultiPlan
StarIndex ASM, MAC, M80, ZAS
MBASIC Z-MSG
CBASIC2
There are some programs which hog so much TPA that they
can't run under my full-up Z-System, but I don't use them or need
them for my applications.
The impact on memory is really not that significant if you
look at a true picture...
% of Memory Occupied by Operating System:
10.9% 12.5% 18.8%
Functionality Enhancements over CP/M:
None Shells Shells
Named Dirs Named Dirs
Public Dirs Public Dirs
Multiple Cmds Multiple Cmds
Terminal Cap Terminal Cap
External FCB External FCB
Messages Messages
Z3 Data Base Z3 Data Base
I/O Package
Flow Cmd Package
Resident Cmd Package
Note: Percentages change if BIOS Sizes vary from 1.5K given above.
Breakdown of BIOS Overhead Growth
BIOS Size Standard CP/M Minimum ZCPR3 Maximum ZCPR3
--------- ------------- ------------- -------------
1.5K 7K = 10.9% 8K = 12.5% 12K = 18.8%
2.5K 8K = 12.5% 9K = 14.1% 13K = 20.3%
3.5K 9K = 14.1% 10K = 15.6% 14K = 21.9%
4.5K 10K = 15.6% 11K = 17.2% 15K = 23.4%
5.5K 11K = 17.2% 12K = 18.8% 16K = 25.0%
Note: nK = p% indicates the size of the system in K (BIOS +
BDOS + CPR) and the percentage of the total memory taken up by
the operating system. In my case, I am running a Maximum ZCPR3
with a 5.5K BIOS overhead, so this leaves a 48K TPA (64K - 16K
System) which expands to 50K if the program overlays ZCPR3. All
my programs, including WordStar and dBASE II continue to run, and
I have full ZCPR3 features.
Even with this argument, people will still ignore the vast
gains in functionality and capability offered by ZCPR3 and Z-
System and concentrate on their single-minded fixation with TPA
(for reasons no one has adequately explained to me). A future
ZCPR3 release, ZCPRB3, will offer a banked memory system with at
least a 60K TPA (now, that should make them happy). Note that I
am not moving to a banked system on their account, but as a step
toward multitasking--something I really want.
foQuestion 3: How Much Disk Space is Used? Page #
QUESTION 3: Must I have a hard disk to run the Z-System?
--> 3. Do I have to have a hard disk to run the Z-System?
How much disk space is needed?
ANSWER
No.
The Z-System runs better on a hard disk...because everything
runs better on a hard disk. Also, a hard disk runs better on a
Z-System because of all the programs and features which support
the hard disk:
Named directories with passwords
Public directories under ZRDOS+
Paths
Shells
Special commands, like CD (Change Directory)
Most Z-System features are practical regardless of the disk
used.
The following shows some disk configurations, from a full-up
hard disk (over 1 megabyte of support files) to a minimum system
(less than 40K-bytes of support files)...
pa
How Much Disk Space Does a Z-System Require?
1. Listing below shows my hard disk, which is extensive:
lh 6
XDIR III, Version 2.0 Vertical Listing by File Type/Name
Disk: C User: 15 Name: BACKROOT, File Attributes: Non-System
Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K
-------- --- ------ -------- --- ------ -------- --- ------
VFILER .CMD 1 LGET .COM 4 VALIAS .COM 7
AC .COM 5 LHELP .COM 4 VERROR .COM 2
CLEANDIR.COM 2 LLF .COM 5 VFILER .COM 13
COMP .COM 3 LX .COM 3 VMENU .COM 8
CPSEL .COM 1 MENU .COM 5 WM .COM 10
CRC .COM 6 PATH .COM 2 XD .COM 4
DEV .COM 2 PRINT .COM 6 ZEX .COM 5
DPROG .COM 3 SAK .COM 1 SYS .ENV 1
ERROR3 .COM 1 SH .COM 4 SYS .FCP 1
ERRORX .COM 1 SHCTRL .COM 1 SYS .IOP 2
GOTO .COM 1 STARTUP .COM 1 SYS .NDR 1
HELP .COM 4 SUB .COM 3 SYS .RCP 2
LDR .COM 3 UNERASE .COM 2
38 Files Using 130K, 38 Files on Disk and 111K Left
4. Finally, two "minimum" systems disks:
XDIR III, Version 2.0 Vertical Listing by File Type/Name
Disk: C User: 15 Name: BACKROOT, File Attributes: Non-System
Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K
-------- --- ------ -------- --- ------ -------- --- ------
VFILER .CMD 1 MENU .COM 5 WM .COM 10
CLEANDIR.COM 2 PRINT .COM 6 XD .COM 4
DEV .COM 2 SAK .COM 1 ZEX .COM 5
DPROG .COM 3 STARTUP .COM 1 SYS .ENV 1
ERROR3 .COM 1 SUB .COM 3 SYS .FCP 1
ERRORX .COM 1 UNERASE .COM 2 SYS .IOP 2
GOTO .COM 1 VALIAS .COM 7 SYS .NDR 1
LDR .COM 3 VERROR .COM 2 SYS .RCP 2
LHELP .COM 4 VFILER .COM 13
26 Files Using 84K, 26 Files on Disk and 157K Left
XDIR III, Version 2.0 Vertical Listing by File Type/Name
Disk: C User: 15 Name: BACKROOT, File Attributes: Non-System
Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K Filename.Typ Size K
-------- --- ------ -------- --- ------ -------- --- ------
VFILER .CMD 1 UNERASE .COM 2 SYS .FCP 1
DEV .COM 2 VERROR .COM 2 SYS .IOP 2
ERRORX .COM 1 VFILER .COM 13 SYS .NDR 1
LDR .COM 3 XD .COM 4 SYS .RCP 2
STARTUP .COM 1 SYS .ENV 1
14 Files Using 36K, 14 Files on Disk and 205K Left
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foQuesiton 4: How Can I Find Out More? Page #
QUESTION 4: How can I find out more about the Z-System?
--> 4. How can I find out more about the Z-System?
ANSWER
There are lots of ways:
o talking to Z-System users
o magazines
o books
o user's groups
o Echelon Newsletters (Z-NEWS)
o Echelon, Inc.
While the first documentation on the Z-System was very
technical, Echelon and its friends are producing more and more
user-oriented documentation which is aimed at the non-technical
user. Many, many magazine articles have also come out with the
intention of aiding the non-technical user in understanding what
the Z-System does for him.
The documentation is abundant...
Z-System Documentation
o Lots of magazine articles (BYTE, Profiles, Remark, etc.)
o Books and Newsletters (Echelon has current prices)
ZCPR3: The Manual (over 300 pages, bound)
$19.95 alone
$24.00 with newsletter for 6-month
data:
over 8,000 sold
now in 2nd printing
ZCPR3 and IOPs (50 pages, loose-leaf)
$ 9.95
available on Z-Nodes for downloading
ZRDOS Programmer's Manual (35 pages, loose-leaf)
$ 8.95
Z-System Newsletter called Z-News (every 2 weeks)
available on Z-Nodes for downloading
printed version free from Echelon for 6 months
with $44.00+ order
subscription $24.00 per year, printed version
Z-System Newsletter Indexed Compendium (no date yet)
summary of first series of newsletters with
extensive index
ZRDOS: The Manual (expected 1 April 86)
ZCPR3: The Libraries (expected 17 Feb 86)
ZCPR3: For the User (expected 1 July 86)
Z-System User's Guide Series (by Bruce Morgan, et al)
Getting Started (expected 1 March 86)
Using ZEX (no date yet)
Using Shells (no date yet)
Using Aliases (no date yet)
...
