Date   : Fri, 25 Oct 1985 15:58:36 EDT
From   : Robert Bloom AMSTE-TEI 3775 <rbloom@apg-1.ARPA>
Subject: Is CP/M Dead (or) Turbo buy fun

                               Is CP/M-80 dead?
                                      or
                  Fun in buying TurboPascal for my NorthStar


     When Adam Osborne was asked if he saw any future in CP/M-80 at a recent
seminar I attended, his answer was short and to the point: "None.  Next
Question?"

     Of course everyone laughed at that and I even kinda aggreed with the
statement.  While I thought that CP/M-80 would never actually die, it probably
would become a secondary option to IBM in small machines.  Then I tried to get
a discount copy of TurboPascal for my NorthStar Horizon running N* CP/M.

     Those that have organic memories going back a couple months remember a
want notice I posted on "Wanna buy TurboPascal for CP/M-80."  To all that
replied, thank you; I was surprised at the response.  Of the thirty or so
replies:

     - about half recommended going directly to Borland and buying it at the
retail of $69,
     - the other half contained various suggestions, some good, some not so
good.  There were two recommendations for "Spite Software" in, I think,
Washington State and two for "The Programmers's Shop" in Maine.
     - I even got several offers for pirate copies.

     All-in-all it took me about four weeks to actually receive a copy.  I
think I tried just about *all* of the 800 numbers in most of the popular
computer magazines.  The results of this informal survey in the basis for the
title of this note:  4/5ths of those called only offered MS-DOS software - the
other 1/5 would order CP/M stuff for a two to four week delay.  Only one had
it in stock and only one copy at that.  The magic words were *IBM*compatible*.
Yes, I knew that most micros sold are Irish Barf Models, but several sales-
people even asked if CP/M-80 was *IBM* *compatible*!  sheesh.
 
     I ended up buying the in-stock copy from the Programmers Shop and got it
10-14 days later.  (The guys there knew what CP/M was - and even asked the
right questions about disk format without prompting.)  A good place to deal
with.

     Through a bit of stupidity on my part, I actually brought and paid for
TWO copies, the other from a local dealer.  When one gets desperate and mad
one makes bad decisions.  (Anyone need a [factory-sealed] of Turbo copy for
CP/M?  And no, Frank, this is not an ad!)  The sum result was that my effort
to get a fast cheaper copy by going through mail-order backfired by being even
slower and more expensive.  My recommendation: buy directly from Borland.

     All-in-all, Osborne's comment kept coming back to me - despite CP/M-plus,
Echelon, ZCPR3, SB180, Richard Conn (sorry Rich), the dedication of thousands
of hackers, and the archives of Simtel20, CP/M *is* dying.  Even Digital
Research is no longer supporting it!  (That might not be a big loss though.)

     Is there anything we can (or should) be doing about that?  I just bought
an new z80 s-100 (N*) box - is it obsolete even before I pay it off?  The cost
to convert it to the magic IBM-compatible cost more than a separate new Irish
Barf Model PC.  Are we all going to go the way of the TI99a people?  And if we
go, aren't the 6502 Apple hackers right behind?  Or in front?

     As the cheerleaders say: 'Lets hear some *NOISE*!'

-bob bloom  (the thoughts above are mine and may not reflect reality as seen
by anyone else but me.  I have no relationship with anyone except my spouse.)