Date   : Sat, 27 Jun 1992 04:06:17 GMT
From   : portal!cup.portal.com!Chris_F_Chiesa@uunet.uu.net
Subject: Extremely basic newbie questions

Hi.  I've been programming and using a variety of computers for at least
the last twelve years, but have never had occasion to become involved with
CP/M, until very recently the stars and planets aligned and, well, here I
am.  To wit, a friend's Commodore 128 has a "Z-80 side" that can run CP/M.  
I have a CP/M emulator for my Amiga.  We share a Z80 Microprocessor Reference 
Manual that I've had since 1982 and have used exactly once.  So we've both
got CP/M and a rudiment of Z80 programming reference, and we're curious what 
can be done with CP/M and how we might write programs for it.   Neither of us
currently know ANYTHING WHATSOEVER about CP/M except for its name and that 
"it's an operating system."

My questions, then, are these:

1) How does a person typically develop programs for CP/M?  What languages,
   makes/versions of text editors, compilers, and assemblers are there, and 
   is there any that's considered a "standard?"  Anything PD?
   
2) How would I go about placing any of these tools onto my Amiga CP/M emu-
   lator or my friend's C=128 "Z80 side"?  Again, are there any "standards?"
   Is everyone still using XMODEM, which I understand was developed under
   CP/M as a "standard" file transfer protocol, way back when.

3) What does the CP/M programming interface consist of?  I presume since
   "CP/M is an operating system," one makes calls to standard routines to
   perform I/O, set/get system/device/etc. information, and so on.  What 
   operations, and what kinds of operations, exist, and how does one access 
   them?

I don't really know enough to ask any more questions than these, but this 
is obviously just the tip of an iceberg.  I've already subscribed to
comp.os.cpm here, but Portal imposes a delay of a day or so before I can
actually use the newsreader on a new newsgroup, so if you reply to this be-
fore about June 28 I might not see it; please e-mail even if you also post.

 Thanks in advance,

    Chris Chiesa
      Chris_F_Chiesa@cup.portal.com