Date : Thu, 09 Jul 1992 19:57:50 GMT
From : taurus!hp850.mbari.org!hebo@lll-winken.llnl.gov (Bob Herlien)
Subject: Re: CP/M 68K Info wanted.
In article <1992Jul08.011641.23964@blkbox> jdb8042@blkbox (John D. Baker)
writes:
>Could anyone give me some info on CP/M 68K.
>
>Anyone know where I might find a copy?
>
Digital Research hasn't distributed it for years. I'm pretty sure that
they sold distribution rights to this, as well as to CP/M itself, to a
small distribution firm in Carmel Valley (Monterey Peninsula) called
Alexander and Lord. That was about about 8 years ago, so things may have
changed. My local phone directory lists A&L at (408) 659-2203.
I also may still have a copy on 8" disk. At least, I believe I still
have the documentation.
>What are the general system requirements?
>CBIOS Required? (I'd think so.)
>Documentation for installation?
>
68K compatible CPU, very modest memory requirements (I'm sure it would
work in 256K, for example), at least one floppy disk. I wrote the BDOS
and was project manager for it for DRI when employed there in the early 80's.
I was under pressure to get _something_ out quick, so I wrote it to be as
similar to CP/M 2.2 as possible (quickest way to produce a product).
The first system I wrote a BIOS for was for an S100 system that included
a 68K CPU on an S100 board and a Tarbell floppy disk controller. It took
me a day to translate the 8080 CBIOS for the Tarbell into 68000 assembly,
and it worked first time. So if you're familiar with CP/M, it should be
fairly easy.
>Sounds like an interesting project to try installing
>CP/M 68K on my Amiga 500.
>
Yes. Repost and let us know how it turned out.
Interesting factoid: CP/M-68K was the only version of CP/M written in
a high-level language. It was written in C. All other CP/Ms were in
assembly, although the utilities were in PL/M. We compiled the utilities
for CP/M-68K using a compiler we acquired from Hitachi called "Super PL/H".
Truly a monstrous thing, a 12-pass compiler for PL/M for 68Ks, that took
forever to produce anything.