==============================================================================
[ THE KAY*FOG RBBS | CPM-CC15.ART | posted 01/18/86 | 183 lines 11k ]
The CP/M Connection Originally published in
by Computer Currents
Ted Silveira 2550 9th Street
(copyright and all rights reserved) Berkeley, CA 94710
November 19, 1985
ANY SIGNS OF LIFE?
How healthy is CP/M? If you look at the major magazines or listen to
people like Adam Osborne, the answer is simple. CP/M is dead. Embalmed.
Headstone overthrown, graveyard choked with weeds.
And hearing that, you can be forgiven for thinking of turning to IBM.
We all want to get the most out of our computers, to keep doing more and
more with them, but how much time and money is it worth pouring into a
machine that has been written off? Shouldn't you switch your efforts to a
computer that has a future?
Rather than organizing a wake, or, alternatively, jumping up and down
screaming "CP/M is _not_ dead" ("Is too." "Is not."), let's see if we can
figure out what's really going on.
[HOW MANY USERS?]
Everyone assumes, without getting specific, that CP/M machines hold an
insignificant share of the "installed base" of computers compared to that
held by IBM and IBM-compatible machines. But InfoCorp quoted in _Profiles_
magazine (September 1985) estimates that at the end of 1984, 1.7 million
CP/M computers had been sold versus 2.85 million IBM and IBM-compatibles.
What's more, the CP/M numbers don't include Apple computers running CP/M,
generally acknowledged to be a larger share of the CP/M market than any
other single machine.
These figures are now almost a year out of date, so considering all
the CP/M Apples and the CP/M computers sold in the last year, it's not out
of hand to suggest that the CP/M user base may be 2.25 million. The IBM
and IBM-compatible computers have outstripped this, of course, and will do
so at an increasing rate (until they're run over by something newer). All
the same, at a time when hardware and software companies are searching for
"niche markets" in order to survive, a base of 2.25 million CP/M users is a
substantial niche.
[HOW MUCH PERFORMANCE?]
The IBM and its clones have two major advantages over CP/M in
performance. The first is graphics--I don't expect to see much in the way
of graphics on CP/M computers because they have no standard hardware. The
second advantage is memory space. IBMs can use up to 640K of RAM (random
access memory), or even more with the new Lotus/Intel memory management
scheme, for running massive programs like Framework or building monster
spreadsheets. CP/M computers can only use 64K (except through bank-
switching, which has never caught on).
In basic, workaday computing, however, CP/M not only holds its own
against IBM but often comes out ahead. Consider the Kaypro--not the
fastest CP/M computer by any means. If you use WordStar on a Kaypro and
then on an IBM, you'll find that it runs much better on the CP/M machine.
On the IBM, it feels sluggish, especially when rewriting or scrolling the
screen.
And don't let anyone tell you that it's because the IBM WordStar is a
dog. In their August 20 issue, _PC_ magazine ran all the major IBM word
processors through nine word-processing tasks. They remarked, "On the nine
benchmark tasks, WordStar Professional gave perhaps the smoothest
performance of any program except XyWrite II-Plus and Textra, consistently
taking less time and fewer keystrokes than most of the other programs."
Or try comparing dBase II on a Kaypro and an IBM. In his _Advanced
dBase II User's guide_, Adam Green ran four dBase II tests involving
sorting, indexing, and displaying mailing lists of various sizes. On the
average, the Kaypro completed these tests in half the time it took the IBM.
(Yes, I was a bit taken aback, too, but go look it up yourself. Better
yet, try it yourself.)
[HOW MUCH ACTION?]
Along with user base and performance, a third measure of health is the
number hardware and software products available. It's hard to judge this
activity in the case of CP/M, because CP/M products get little (if any)
editorial or ad space outside of a few magazines like _Profiles_ or _Micro
Cornucopia_. How many CP/M reviews have there been in _InfoWorld_ in the
last year? And how many CP/M-oriented ads in _Byte_?
Without such ads and reviews, it's almost impossible for the average
CP/M user to know what's available or even what _might_ be available. All
the same, there's some interesting stuff going on. Though the industry
heavyweights have abandoned CP/M, their places are being taken by small but
active companies like Spectre Technologies, Westwind Computer, and Xpert
Software. More than anything, it reminds me of the mini-industry that
developed around the VW bug after Volkswagen stopped manufacturing it.
[HARDWARE] One of the biggest pieces of news is the release of a new
high performance 8-bit CPU chip, the Hitachi HD64180. This chip is "upward
compatible" with the Z80 chip usually used in CP/M machines, meaning it can
run all Z80 instructions plus some of its own. The HD64180 runs at 6MHz
(9MHz before long, they say), contains a memory-management unit to handle
512K of address space instead of CP/M's usual 64K, and includes other on-
chip functions such as DMA and serial communication.
The HD64180 superchip has already made some waves. _Byte_ magazine
has featured it in Steve Ciarcia's SB180 project, a powerful single-board
computer (_Byte_, September and October, 1985). Ciarcia will also be using
the HD64180/SB180 combination in his TurnKey Bulletin Board System project,
scheduled for the December _Byte_.
In addition, Southern Pacific Computer Products U.S.A. is advertising
a single board computer using the HD64180. This company is even offering a
version (the LAT1-K) that completely replaces the main board in a Kaypro
and comes with a hard disk interface and CP/M Plus. (See their ad in
_Byte_, October 1985.)
Another interesting hardware note is the presence of three laptop
computers running CP/M. The Epson Geneva, NEC Starlet, and Bondwell 2 all
run standard CP/M 2.2 and come with a good set of CP/M software (WordStar
and friends). While most laptop makers are going after the IBM-compatible
market (and not making much headway at $2000-3000), these three are
offering full-featured CP/M machines for $1000. A laptop, if you've never
used one, is the ultimate peripheral for your desktop computer.
[SOFTWARE] There are also some interesting things going on in CP/M
software. An increasing number of "pop-up" or desk accessory programs are
available for CP/M machines. I reviewed one of these, Write Hand Man,
several issues ago, and now there are several others being advertised also:
Presto, for Kaypro and Osborne (Spectre Technologies); Extra Desk, for
Kaypro (Point Data Products); Handyman, a hardware board for Kaypro (Flo
Systems); SKEYS, for Osborne Executive (INOVA); and others.
And WestWind Computer now bundles a special version of SuperCalc2 with
their RAM disk and RAM disk/hard disk combinations. They claim that their
SuperSize SuperCalc2, in conjunction with their hardware, can handle truly
immense spreadsheets (up to the 2 megabyte limit of SuperCalc2) and that it
includes several new features such as local recalculation (to keep from
having to recalculate all of a massive spreadsheet). And they are now
making this combination available on various computers, including Osborne,
Kaypro, and Morrow.
Other interesting new software includes ModemMail (AutoSoft), a
programmable electronic mail and bulletin board system that includes
automatic routing and forwarding of messages to other systems (similar to
FIDO), and an auto-install version of ZCPR3 and the Z-System (a high
performance operating system that replaces CP/M) that should help make the
wonders of the Z-System available to everyone. Due out soon from the Z-
System people (Echelon, Inc.) is Term3, a programmable communications
package.
That's not all, but it's enough for now. I plan to be taking a look
at this and other interesting new software in coming issues, starting next
time with SmartBrain, another CP/M idea processor. In the meantime, I'd
say things look pretty lively.
Companies mentioned:
AutoSoft, Inc. Point Data Products
166 Santa Clara Avenue 6065 Mission Gorge Road, Suite 403
Oakland, CA 94610 San Diego, CA 92120
Echelon, Inc. Southern Pacific Computer Products U.S.A
101 First Street P.O. Box 4427
Los Altos, CA 94022 Berkeley, CA 94704-0427
Flo Systems, Inc. Spectre Technologies, Inc.
3010 Floyd Street 22458 Ventura Blvd., Suite E
Burbank, CA 91504 Woodland Hills, CA 91364
INOVA available through Westwind Computer
Microtech Computer Services 1690 65th Street
1633 Old Bayshore, Suite 265 Emeryville, CA 94608
Burlingame, CA 94010
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ted Silveira is a freelance writer and contributing editor to several
computer-oriented publications. He appreciates suggestions or feedback
and can be reached through the KAY*FOG RBBS (415)285-2687 and CompuServe
(72135,1447) or by mail to 2756 Mattison Lane, Santa Cruz, CA 95065.
------------------------- End of CPM-CC15.ART Text -------------------------