Date   : Tue, 22 Nov 1988 16:05:46 EDT
From   : <SAGE@LL.ARPA>
Subject: Operating System Replacements on the Apple

Gratien D'haese wrote:
 
>> Has anyone out there ever succeeded to install a BDOS replacement, of any
>> kind, for the standard BDOS of Apple CP/M. I'm thinking of e.g. P2DOS,
>> ZRDOS, and maybe many other products available as public domain.
 
I am not an expert on Apple CP/M, but it is my understanding that a great
many people have quite successfully installed all kinds of replacement
operating system components.  I know for a fact that this is true of the
Apple PCPI system.
 
No one has yet informed me of any Apple CP/M board on which our new NZ-COM
(for CP/M-2.2) and Z3PLUS (for CP/M-Plus) versions of Z-System do not run
(and there are a good number of Apple customers).  They install
automatically, so anyone with an Apple CP/M computer should be able to use
them, even if they do not know anything about the intricacies of the
operating system.  There is no need to assemble or patch anything; they run
like an application program.  Most of the NZ-COM configuration is
accomplished with a menu program.  The finer points in NZ-COM and all the
customization (if needed) in Z3PLUS are handled by editing a simple text
file.
 
NZ-COM already includes the ZRDOS replacement disk operating system and the
ZCPR34 command processor replacement.  ZSDOS/ZDDOS, spectacular new DOS
replacements that are about to be released (manuals are at the printer now),
can also be installed into an NZ-COM system (or even a CP/M system).  They
bring the DOS functionality to a level corresponding to ZCPR3.  Features are
run-time configurable.  DateStamping has been designed in.  With ZDDOS it is
handled completely within the DOS; ZSDOS requires a small external module. 
The date stamping can be either Plu*Perfect style or CP/M-Plus (P2DOS) style
OR BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY!  Plu*Perfect style public files are supported, and
ZSDOS even has a DOS search path like the command search path of ZCPR3. 
Access modes (read-only or read/write) to files located indirectly are
controlled dynamically using the utility ZSCONFIG.  Automatic disk logging,
of course!  Excellent error messages that report not only the nature of the
error but the name of the file involved, if any.
 
So, there is no reason for Apple CP/M users not to take advantage of the
advanced CP/M-compatible operating systems.