Date   : Mon, 14 Aug 1989 15:23:04 EST
From   : SAGE@LL.LL.MIT.EDU
Subject: Amstrad CP/M Software

   There are several types of Amstrad computer running CP/M.  They are very
popular in England, and in Europe in general.  For a while Sears Roebuck was
promoting them here in the US, and so there are actually quite a few around.
The LocoScipt wordprocessor is actually rather nice, especially for
beginners, and both of my children (9 and 13) have been happily using it for
the past year.

   Ours is a PCW8256 that had an extra 256K or RAM chips added to convert it
into what I think is called the PCW8512 (or, perhaps, it is PCW9512).  In
any case, the PCW series of machines runs CP/M-Plus and emulates one of the
common terminals (H19, I believe, but I would have to look it up at home to
be sure).  This machine should run any public-domain or commercial software
that is designed for CP/M-Plus, and that includes almost all CP/M software.
The hardest thing is getting software onto the machine's unique 3" -- not
the standard 3.5" -- diskettes.

   My wife bought the Amstrad specifically for production of the Z-System
and other CP/M products that her company sells.  I expected the machine to
be nothing more than a toy but was most delightfully surprised to find that
it is a very solid CP/M machine and, with its substantial RAM disk, an
excellent platform for the Z-System.

   There is another series of Amstrad computers called CPC (464, 664, and
6128).  They apparently run CP/M-2.2.  I do not know very much about these
machines, but I have a contact in Germany who runs a computer club, many of
whose members have them.  I gather from what he told me that they emulate a
rather strange terminal that is not found on most software installation
programs.  Generally, however, there is little trouble in patching in the
terminal codes, and I do have a list of them.

   I would recommend that you pick up either or both of the following files
from the SIMTEL20 archives or from most CP/M remote access systems (commonly
called BBSs): CPMSVL-D.LBR (CP/M Software Vendor List), CPMSRC-H.LZT (CP/M
SouRCes).  These files have lists of sources of commercial and free CP/M
software.  If you have access to the SIMTEL20 archives, then you can get
thousands of files there that will run on your Amstrad.

   My wife has an excess of those ghastly expensive 3" Amstrad diskettes and
will sell boxes of 10 for $45 plus $3 shipping per order.  If you have no
other way to get software, I would be willing to put a few files on the
diskettes at no extra charge.  For a small copying fee, I would be willing
to convert any material you want from my Z-Node remote access sytem or from
the Boston Computer Society ZI/TEL system (which supports MS-DOS and CP/M
and also runs from my house).

-- Jay Sage