Date   : Thu, 31 May 1984 18:55:01-PDT (Thu)
From   : hplabs!sdcrdcf!sdcsvax!alex@Ucb-Vax.arpa
Subject: Re: Wnat is a good CP/M computer to buy?

The KayPro X is a good buy, with plenty of software.  It runs pretty
fast, both processing and I/O.  It'll never be an IBM PC--the add-on
boards for it only make it a "sorta" MS-DOS machine.  It ain't
as expandable as (say) an S-100/IEE-696 type machine.  It is available
at many locations.  KayPro only acts in its own enlightened
self-interest, so its machines aren't always as reliable as they might
be.  Their hard-disk problems seem to be a thing of the past.


The Morrow MD11 (11 meg storage) has a good reputation.  It's not as
available as the KP10.  Its software offerings aren't as popular.  It's
not designed to be a true portable, though its size lends itself to
that.  Does anyone know if they use plated-media drives?  The MD11's
portability is limited upon the terminal you choose.

Don't know the 4000, so I won't say anything.

The QX-10 still suffers from severe speed problems, enow.  This is
partially due to the 1/2-high Epson drives, which have a 15 msec
track-to-track step rate.  This is three times slower than good drives.
Valdocs doesn't help this; their CP/M keyboard (there are two) is an
"ASCII" layout, like the APPLE II or ASR-33's.  Valdocs is infuriatingly
slow, despite the Rising Star efforts to speed it up.  The QX-10 doesn't
come with much software besides this.  It's not too bad in the
portability department, so long as you have a safe place for the
screen--but it takes two carries to move it.

I like the Zenith Z-100 (though it's more expensive than the above three
in its assembled (and comparable configuration) state).  If you can
solder at all, the Heath H-100 is a great deal and takes only about 10
hours to build.  H/Z offer some good software deals for it.  It can take
8" and 5-1/4" drives.  (someone offers an 8" disk adapter for the
KayPros.)  It's not really portable; it's a little heavier than the
QX-10.  Hard disk option ain't too cheap.  It has a 5-slot
S-100/IEEE-696 bus in its back for expandability.  It'll run CP/M-80,
-86, and MS-DOS 1.1 and 2.0.  Its user group is very active.

Mind you, *my* computer is a CCS Z80 S100 system with dual 8" drives, so
I know how hard it can be to move a computer (groan).

Alex