Date   : Tue, 22 Mar 1988 16:21:00 CST
From   : OPTON@uhvax1.uh.edu
Subject: C128 advice

I have seen a few questions posted asking for opinions on C128 CPM.
We have several C128 machines in the building.  I find them CPM mode
extemely frustrating.  They are agonizingly slow.  The screen updating
is agonizingly slow, and the display itself is very difficult to read.
Forget programming on it.  Forget doing any sort of hardware interfacing.
Support from Commodore?...Heh, heh, tell me another one...
The disk accesses are serial at 19,200 (I think), and so are sloooow.
It used to break frequently.  Try finding a warranty center locally.
A place may advertise Commodore authorized service center, but all that
means is they fix Amigas.  They will be happy to take your money to
TRY to fix the C128. Parts availability?  Forget it.  As I said, a very
frustrating machine.  I refuse to use them personally, and, on my 
recommendation, my office does not support them anymore, and strongly
discourages their use, and will not approve their purchase.  Oh, and we were
staunch supporters of the Vic20 and C64.

My recommendations for CPM machines are as follows:

1. Find a dedicated CPM machine, Kaypros, Ampros, and the like.  Visual
Technology made a model 1050 that can be had inexpensively; a couple of
hundred 
dollars less than the C128 system, and it is a far better machine.  (Email
me if you are interested in the VT1050.  I know where a couple are available).

2.  If you have enough money allocated for a C128 system, forget the C128 and 
buy an SB180FX from Steve Ciarcia's company, I forget the name.  
He writes for Byte.

3.  There are some software emulators in the public domain for MS-DOS
machines.  They are slow, but obviously the price is a lot cheaper than than a
C128, and they can't be much slower than a C128. 

Hope this helps.  If I can be of further help Email me.

Lee Thomison
BITNET: OPTON@UHVAX1
landline: (713) 749-3127