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Date   : Sat, 23 Apr 1988 19:23:05 GMT
From   : portal!cup.portal.com!dick_a_wotiz@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Fail to install P2DOS on Apple

> I promised Don Kirkpatrick a full report of what I did. Here it comes:
> - my configuration is an Apple ][+ with 64 K of RAM, for running CP/M
>   I have a Softcard 60K with a Z80 processor.
>  .
>  .
>   addresses in image file          addresses in high memory
>   =======================          =======================
>   CCP:  F00h - 17FFh               CCP:  D300h
>   BDOS: 1800h - 26FFh              BDOS: DC00h
>   BIOS: 2700h - 2CFFh              BIOS: FA03h
>
>   P.S.: This are the addresses which I think the CCP, BDOS and BIOS
>         probably begin ? If NOT correct please let me know, because
>         the whole installation procedure falls or stands with it !

A while back I disassembled and analyzed CPM60.COM for CP/M 2.23 on my
Apple II, and this is the memory map that it appears to use:

      CPM60.COM address            memory address
      -----------------            --------------
 BIOS 500h - AFFh                  B000h - B5FFh (in Language Card Bank #2)
 CCP  F00h - 17FFh                 D300h - DBFFh
 BDOS 1800h - 1BFFh                DC00h - DFFFh
 BDOS 1C00h - 26FFh                B5C0h - BFBFh (in Language Card Bank #2)
 BIOS 2700h - 2CFFh                FA00h - FFFFh

Since the Apple only has contiguous memory from 0000h - DFFFh, it is
necessary to split the BDOS into two parts; one is in high memory at
DC00-DFFFh, where you would expect it to be, but the other half is
in bank-switched memory, accessible only if the appropriate bank-switching
routines are inserted into the DC00-DFFFh section of the BDOS.
Likewise, the BIOS is split in two pieces in memory.

I don't think there is any easy way of installing a different BDOS
without very extensive modification/customization for the memory
configuration that Apple uses.

By the way, someone reminded me that this 'warped' implementation of
CP/M is not Apple's fault, as I had implied in a previous posting.
It was developed for them by Microsoft for the Softcard.
(Hmmm.... aren't they one of Digital Research's competitors, anyway? :-) )

Dick Wotiz                                  dick@portal.com
                                            dick@cup.portal.com
                                            ...!{uunet|sun|atari}!portal!dick

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