First, we sense disappointment within the 8-bit CP/M community with Madison
Avenue media jumping on IBM, and now AT & T, bandwagons -- media acting like
Pavlov pooches. You, as a ZCPR3 user, are a Quiet Storm representing those
who want value and a path to efficient computing systems. Echelon, as you
know, is aligned with you 100% with our Lasting-Value Softwaretm offerings.
Second, we started shipping DISCAT during the fortnight. It has distinction
being the first application program written specifically for ZCPR3 and taking
full advantages of the available environment. The program is a series of nine
(9) modules controlled by either MENU or VMENU. A complete and unique disk
catalog system results, easy to change to more or less features. Multiple
catalogs are managed; working catalogs are merged into the master catalog, as
desired. Full file search scans and space remaining on disks are additional
features. New disks are named and disks deleted simply, from the menu. Speed
and database compactness are impressive. Each action occurs from a single
menu keystroke, or each module can be used from the Z3 command line. (Tip for
users: it's recommended that all catalog files be placed in area A8: and this
DIR be named CAT; then global Alias, CAT, as shown in the manual, works.)
DISCAT sells for only $49.00 and comes with a handsome, 67-page, Operator
Manual. In addition to providing complete information on how to use the
catalog system, an excellent demonstration is included showing how menus are
created using ZCPR3 MENU and VMENU Shells. Copies of both these menu programs
are on the catalog program distribution disk. Coincidentally, both program
and manual were written by Richard L. Conn.
We search for applications written to take full advantage of Z3's envir-
onmental power. The next such application program to be out is TERM3tm fol-
lowed by a document change-control manager, being developed by David Lucky,
Crescendo Systems, Pleasant Hill, California. Let's hear from you super
program designers, developers and coders -- become part of Lasting-Value
Software.
New Product Price: Cutdown version of Z3-Dot-Comtm package for those who
don't want to buy the full Z3 collection, or already have it, is priced at
$49.95! That's right. What you get is the auto-install system (created,
designed and coded by Joseph W. Wright), plus the 58 utility object files of
Phase 1 Release, all on one disk; two disks if 5 inch. A user's instruction
sheet is also supplied but utility source code is not. As announced pre-
viously, the full-up Z3-Dot-Com package of 4 disks (5 if 5 inch) sells for
$149.00, including complete help system and source for more important util-
ities. We recommend Z3-Dot-Com for the computer user who wants to install
ZCPR3 but knows little or nothing about programming or CP/M BIOS. If you
grasp some coding, or want to learn, then the manual-install Core starter-kit
with the Utilities package is a better deal for $128.00 (Core, $39.00, plus
Utilities, $89.00). ZCPR3: The Manual is a recommended purchase in all cases.
FLASH: Richard Conn is negotiating a publishing contract to write his second
book. It's to be called
ZCPR3: The Libraries
ZCPR3 Newsletter 005 Z3 TIPS
and covers the three subroutine libraries (most important SYSLIB3, and VLIB
and Z3LIB) used to write ZCPR3 and the System Utilities. A book of this
nature long has been needed to popularize structured Assembly Language pro-
gramming. Some of us have chosen easy, go-with-the-flow, paths using medium
and high-level languages, and some of us produce loose, inefficient Assembly
Language code. But with such a book to teach, all of us can quickly learn to
write super fast and compact code. (Sorry to announce but Rick's first book
ZCPR3: The Manual presently is estimated to come off the press around mid-
October, three to four weeks later than we have been reporting. It's tough to
plan these kind of things down to the week. We sorrow, but what's a few more
weeks in the larger view of things, especially when we are dealing with an
epic like ZCPR3!)
Interesting_Pronouncements: Mr. Frank DeWeeger, President of Zilog, has in-
formed us the Z800 is scheduled for shipping mid-February 1985. Wonder how
many hardware manufacturers are designing to take advantage of this upward
8080/Z80 compatible chip. It has performance comparable to the Intel 80286
and it's only 8-bit! CP/M-80 under Z800 control will have 5 to 10 times
quicker throughput than a 4mHz Z80! In many ways the Zilog Z800 has bells and
whistles of both the Intel 80186 and 80286, but the Z800 is upward compatible
with all that 8-bit software we know and have come to love. We hope you
noticed 2500AD Software Inc. of Aurora, Colorado, in their latest ads, lists
Z800 XASM Cross Assemblers as "coming soon."
Z3 TIPS: The PRINT and PAGE utilities have wordwrap features keyed to printer
and console selected by CPSEL. The line length of each of four printers and
two CRT's is established in the first 128 bytes of your SYSENV.LIB file.
Wordwrap automatically introduces a CR, LF to the machine to avoid truncation
of lines longer than page or screen width. Wrapped lines are indicated with a
pair of left pointing brackets, <<, with paging line-count staying in correct
order. Printing wide spread or data sheets, and the like, on 80 column
printers is possible without running off the page and losing any lines or
characters. Setting screen and printer widths to the various maximum machine
or device column counts avoids untidy viewing or printing.
PAGE has many desirable features: scrolling delay speed, skip to specif-
ied page, toggle paging, suspend output, skip to next page. PRINT is really a
formatter with: optional headers, page and line numbering, inspect and select
files to be printed first, sequential multiple file printing, skip to next
file in list, etc. Both of these utilities provide complete online help using
the customary double forward slash, //, after a space and the command name.
Some users rename PAGE and PRINT to TYPE and LIST, respectively, and
don't use the more limited intrinsics or residents. Most use transients DIR,
XD and XDIR in place of intrinsic or resident DIR. These are ways, but you
decide.
SHOW is a utility of extreme usefulness. After Z3 is installed, this
command shows complete status of operating system environment from a menu with
eleven (11) sub-screens of information. Additionally, SHOW can be installed
as an error recovery handler. The base addresses of each installed buffer,
resident and flow control commands available, console and printer presently
selected, shells active, and system file names are but a few of the things
instantly available to refresh fallible console operator memory. SHOW has but
one trailing attribute: E. SHOW E installs the utility as an error handler
and commands unable to be executed by the operating system are trapped and
shown as an error message to the operator. (If SHOW indicates your system
accurately, you know ZCPR3 is correctly installed.)
Page 2
ZCPR3 Newsletter 005 Z3 TIPS
Z3_Bug_Report: LDR.COM, as initially distributed, has a bug in it. However,
source file LDR.MAC, if assembled and loaded, produces the intended COM file.
We inadvertently included in our release a wrong version as the COM code. (We
are handling over 2 megabytes of source code and we seem to make mistakes,
here and there!) Thanks to all users, especially Robert Camner of Silver
Spring, Maryland, who have highlighted this LDR bug and its Catch-22 aspect.
The BBS has the intended LDR object file on it. Present and future disk
distributions also have the correct object code.
Keystrokes From Z3 Users: "Thank you for your promptness... keep up the good
work in supporting us ZCPR fans." -- Art Welsh, Anchorage, Alaska. "This
software promotes learning computers so quickly; how can I become a beta
tester for Phase 2 and beyond? -- Jack Minns, Sunnyvale, California. "Rick
has done it again; ZCPR3 is fantastic!" -- John Christensen, Sumner, Washing-
ton. "ZCPR3 appears to be more than competitive with PC-DOS 2.2." -- John
Gliedman, New York City. "More people should know of SYSLIB3... " -- Robert
Blum, Norcross, Georgia. "I don't know how you can make a profit with the
prices you charge for all those disks." -- John Marler, San Jose, California.
"Tell me, how do you install it!" -- Edward Kirkham, Brookfield, Wisconsin.
"I must say, this is what I've been waiting for." -- Charles Sanborn, Cypress,
Texas.
From Dr. Neal Koss of Torrance, California comes this comment re DRI's
MAC assembler:
"There is an interesting problem with MAC, which you might
wish to tuck away somewhere in the Newsletter. Suppose you
have a statement somewhere in your program X EQU Y, and then
somewhere after this statement you have an IF followed by some
conditional, followed by some code and then an ENDIF, which is
not an uncommon thing to do. If the Y were actually some
address located further along in the program, and you at some
point in the program also had a jump statement to X, then the
assembler gives a P [phasing] error, on the EQU, although it
actually assigns the correct value. In addition, the jump
statement assembles a zero value for X. This implies that you
better put the EQU after the actual address Y."
Last, we're developing a Z3 good-neighbor Helper list. Those interested in
assisting others, in similar geographical locations, with ZCPR3 installation
or modification, please make known your expertise, e.g., Kaypro 2, Osborne, S-
100, Apple with Z80 Softcard, etc. Additionally, we need your mailing address
and telephone number(s). Our biggest lack, presently, is help in areas other
than S-100 and 8-inch disk drive machines. Thanks to Dr. Koss for the helper
idea. And thanks to the others who have sent or called in useful suggestions.
Keep it up! ZCPR3 and The System is living and forever improving; you assist
in making this so. We don't want to operate in a vacuum -- your letters are
greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
See you down the lines...
Echelon, Inc.
101 First Street
Los Altos, CA 94022
Telephone: 415/948-3820
Modem: 408/258-8128
Page 3
ZCPR3 Newsletter 005
Trademarks: CP/M, Digital Research; Z3-Dot-Com, Alpha Systems Corp.;
Z80, Z800, Zilog; ZCPR3, SYSLIB3, TERM3, Richard L. Conn; DISCAT, Lasting-
Value Software, Echelon; PC-DOS, IBM, International Business Machines.
Newsletter 005 is Copyright 1984 Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permis-
sion to reprint automatically granted if source credit is given to Echelon.
Echelon, Inc.
101 First Street
Los Altos, CA 94022
