Z3 TIPS: Latest updates to programs are on the ZCPR3 BBS: CLEANDIR, DPROG,
DU3, FINDF, HELP, LDR, MCOPY, MENU, MKDIR, MU3, VFILER, VMENU, ZEX. If having
bug troubles with any of these utilities, you may wish to download them from
415/489-9005.
ZCPR3 Super Shell: Those who own Ampro Bookshelf Series of Z80 computers are
using Friendly, a polished file manipulation shell running under ZCPR3.
Friendly is a refined VFILER with extended menu-driven macro command ability.
It comes with a comprehensive User Manual, better than anything you've seen
from Echelon. Those running ZCPR3 on other computers who would like to obtain
the program, please contact Ampro Computers, P.O. Box 390427, Mountain View,
CA 94039, telephone 415/962-0230. Order from them with your check, money
order, Visa or Mastercard. Price is $49.00 plus shipping and handling.
ZRDOS shipping date set! Planned shipments start 14 January 1984. Those who
would like to upgrade to a super BDOS and no longer be dependent upon Digital
Research can now be fully free. ZCPR3 combined with ZRDOS does it all and
with complete development system utilities: super-fast macro assembler,
linker and librarian, with simple or full-screen debuggers, and translators
(Intel/Zilog/TDL/CDL) and disassemblers. Some ZRDOS features:
Downward compatible with CP/M-80, ZCPR3 full-compatibility
Takes advantage of Z80 and Z800 Instruction Sets and Memory Address Space
Uses ZCPR3 Wheel Byte to write-protect selected files from non-Wheel users
Changed Disks automatically logged in
Read/Only Disk status maintained after warm boot
Read Console Buffer Function (10) treats rubout (DEL) same as backspace
File Archive Attribute Bit set by Function 30, compatible with MP/M and CP/M 3
Support Utilities Copy (useful for archiving and backup) plus
Set and Display File Attribute programs included
Enhanced Error Messages with non-cryptic announcements
Extended Functions include set/reset warm boot trap
Z800 version has over 47 non-CP/M Functions added to achieve easy
MS-DOS program migration
Z80 version in hex code to patch existing CP/M system @ $49.50
Z800 version pricing not yet established
Your eyes wet...and bugs of CP/M eliminated, even Function 37.
Documentation is 35 pages of tight, unambiguous language describing each DOS
function. We are only handling ZRDOS on 8" SSSD disks at present; if demand
is high for other formats, we will download. The Z80 software development
system package is $200.00 complete; again, Z800 version pricing not yet
established. Write (please don't call) if you have questions about this
Lasting-Value Software.
No one wants to bring out or hear this kind of news but ZCPR3: The Manual is
scheduled for delivery second week of January 1985. Book-production delays
has caused this greater-than-expected additional delivery delay. More
patience from us indicated here! We need this book badly; and from what we
know, it's worth the waiting.
New-Users-of-SYSLIB3_(S3)_Corner: Our ZCPR3 utility MAC files are excellent
examples of S3 usage. No need to create new wheels when there are so many
there for the rolling (S3 is so inexpensive, on four disks for $29.00, plus
S&H). With S3 you raise your level of programming abstraction, think of user
functionality instead of so much time spent bit fiddling. And produce dense
and fast running code, much faster than similar C language programs. A neat
submit file (M80.SUB) that automates assembly and link processes and works
under both CP/M SUBMIT and ZCPR3 ZEX:
;
; M80.SUB -- Microsoft MACRO-80 Assembler and L80 Linker
;
M80 =$1
ERA $1.BAK
ERA $1.COM
L80 /P:100,$1,A:VLIB/S,A:Z3LIB/S,A:SYSLIB/S,$1/N,/U,/E
ERA $1.REL
;
; Assembly Complete
;
Your assembly command line would be: SUBMIT M80 <filename><cr>. The
filename is passed to the command processor through $1 variable. VLIB and
Z3LIB is included in case you use their features; no harm is done if you
don't. Understanding M80/L80 command-line syntax comes from Microsoft MACRO-
80 User's Manual.
A similar, but extended for ZEX, file (M80.ZEX using FINDERR, on ZCPR3
BBS) that is more console operator interactive:
;
; M80.ZEX -- MACRO-80 Assembler and Linker
; with M80 Error Checking
;
; ^& Suppress FALSE IF Printout
;
if nul $1 ;note Print Error Message
echo ^G**** No Parameter Specified ****
else ;note Perform Assembly
if ~exist $1.MAC ;note Print File Not Found
echo **** File Not Found ****
else
M80 =$1
FINDERR
if 0 ;note No errors found, link file
ERA $1.BAK
ERA $1.COM
L80 /P:100,$1,A:VLIB/S,A:Z3LIB/S,A:SYSLIB/S,$1/N,/U,/E
else
if 0 2 ;note see if the errors are warnings
echo ^G***WARNING ERROR***
if input Type T to Continue or F to Abort (Warning Errors)
ERA $1.BAK
ERA $1.COM
L80 /P:100,$1,A:VLIB/S,A:Z3LIB/S,A:SYSLIB/S,$1/N,/U,/E
fi ;note on IF INPUT
else ;note error is fatal
echo ^G***FATAL ERROR IN ASSEMBLY***
fi;fi ;note IF REG 0 and IF REG 0 2
ERA $1.REL
fi;fi ;note on IF NUL and IF ~EXIST
;
; Assembly Complete
;
Richard Conn is presently finishing up a draft of ZCPR3: The Libraries
and we intend to make it available (all 300 to 400 pages) to those interested.
Price should be about $40.00. We are self-publishing it as loose-leaf. Buy
yourself a three-ring binder and be ready to read. Or use same binder holding
SAMPLER and Discat manual.
Term3 is going into beta testing this week. Won't be long now before this
program is shipping. Some bells and whistles are: 1) Auto-answering your
phone allowing the caller to access your computer files, no BYE needed; 2)
dual windows for simultaneous sending and receiving in the Conversation Mode,
without interference; 3) main-frame protocol, KERMIT, plus TERM, CompuServe
CIS and XMODEM; 4) ZCPR3 menu control; 5) four online editors to create and
alter multiple telephone-number tables, communication sets, translation
tables, macro text and command generation with Z3-type IF-ELSE-FI conditional
testing, wild-card sequential telephone number dialings; 6) hooks to EMSG, a
new message and electronic mail system; 7) and more!
Operations and procedures are truly fantastic! Even if you presently use
Modem7, Mdm7, MEX or a commercial program, you'll want to own Term3--a truly
elegant communications package from brilliant, thoughtful mind of Richard
Conn. So those of you who have placed orders, on faith, will have your
desires fully satisfied soon. We thank you for patience!
Staying abreast of the fast moving hardware field is no easy task, especially
if interested in high-resolution graphics and the like. (We notice advances
in the S-100 bus microcomputer field are impressive. Dual processor cards,
dense RAM, high clock rates.) One interesting card produced by Illuminated
Technologies (P.O. Box 83348, Oklahoma City, OK 73148, telephone 405/943-8086)
provides 3 million pixel display at a rate of 1.3 million pixels per second!
Complete re-writing of console screen in less than 3 seconds; that's really
good for only an 8-bit bus computer! The S-100 board sells for from $895 to
$1195, monochrome/single plane to 8 color/3 plane, respectively. If you're
interested in single-board graphics, contact them.
Industry Brief: Dealers of IBM PC's, XT's and PCjr's are discounting so
deeply, it's hard to project how smaller companies can stay in the hunt.
Tandy has taken up the search with their Model 1100. Apple will have to do
even more to advance in business circles. The new year will see many
companies going belly-up. We encourage extreme energy expenditure to stay
alive...little companies' activities are life-blood to commerce muscle and
tissue.
Something about the Season (Winter Solstice): The planet Earth and its
biological life universally acknowledge this season above the other three.
New beginnings are possible; time to eliminate undesirable habit patterns in
our lives; time to sense the moment for potential change and make change part
of our life. Will it to happen...there's only a few moments in any earthly
cycle for our will to truly express itself, or to even have one!
To each season its will; give me no roses in winter or snow in summer,
each season has its place, power, and influence. But believe, know
opportunity for useful change is now! Consistency is the last refuge of the
unimaginative. Please use imagination! (Next newsletter is dated 14 January
1985, missing a fortnight, a beat, our window for change.)
See you down the lines...
Echelon, Inc.
101 First Street
Los Altos, CA 94022
Telephone: 415/948-3820
ZCPR3 BBS & RCP/M: 415/489-9005
Trademarks: CP/M, MP/M, MAC, RMAC, Digital Research; Z3-Dot-Com, Alpha
Systems; Friendly, Bookshelf, Ampro Computers; Z80, Zilog; Unix, AT&T Bell
Laboratories; ZCPR3, Syslib3, Term3, Richard L. Conn; Discat, Lasting-Value
Software, Disk7, Echelon; PC-DOS, IBM, Int'l Business Machines; MS-DOS, MACRO-
80, Xenix, Microsoft; WY-50, Wyseword, Wyse Technology; ZRDOS, Dennis L.
Wright; Metal, Delphi Data Systems.
