Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!hplabs!pesnta!greipa!decwrl!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!lll-crg!seismo!brl-tgr!tgr!rbloom@apg-1.ARPA From: rbloom@apg-1.ARPA (Robert Bloom AMSTE-TEI 3775) Newsgroups: net.micro.cpm Subject: Is CP/M Dead (or) Turbo buy fun Message-ID: <2443@brl-tgr.ARPA> Date: Fri, 25-Oct-85 18:15:08 EST Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.2443 Posted: Fri Oct 25 18:15:08 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 05:14:19 EST Sender: news@brl-tgr.ARPA Lines: 63 Is CP/M-80 dead? or Fun in buying TurboPascal for my NorthStar When Adam Osborne was asked if he saw any future in CP/M-80 at a recent seminar I attended, his answer was short and to the point: "None. Next Question?" Of course everyone laughed at that and I even kinda aggreed with the statement. While I thought that CP/M-80 would never actually die, it probably would become a secondary option to IBM in small machines. Then I tried to get a discount copy of TurboPascal for my NorthStar Horizon running N* CP/M. Those that have organic memories going back a couple months remember a want notice I posted on "Wanna buy TurboPascal for CP/M-80." To all that replied, thank you; I was surprised at the response. Of the thirty or so replies: - about half recommended going directly to Borland and buying it at the retail of $69, - the other half contained various suggestions, some good, some not so good. There were two recommendations for "Spite Software" in, I think, Washington State and two for "The Programmers's Shop" in Maine. - I even got several offers for pirate copies. All-in-all it took me about four weeks to actually receive a copy. I think I tried just about *all* of the 800 numbers in most of the popular computer magazines. The results of this informal survey in the basis for the title of this note: 4/5ths of those called only offered MS-DOS software - the other 1/5 would order CP/M stuff for a two to four week delay. Only one had it in stock and only one copy at that. The magic words were *IBM*compatible*. Yes, I knew that most micros sold are Irish Barf Models, but several sales- people even asked if CP/M-80 was *IBM* *compatible*! sheesh. I ended up buying the in-stock copy from the Programmers Shop and got it 10-14 days later. (The guys there knew what CP/M was - and even asked the right questions about disk format without prompting.) A good place to deal with. Through a bit of stupidity on my part, I actually brought and paid for TWO copies, the other from a local dealer. When one gets desperate and mad one makes bad decisions. (Anyone need a [factory-sealed] of Turbo copy for CP/M? And no, Frank, this is not an ad!) The sum result was that my effort to get a fast cheaper copy by going through mail-order backfired by being even slower and more expensive. My recommendation: buy directly from Borland. All-in-all, Osborne's comment kept coming back to me - despite CP/M-plus, Echelon, ZCPR3, SB180, Richard Conn (sorry Rich), the dedication of thousands of hackers, and the archives of Simtel20, CP/M *is* dying. Even Digital Research is no longer supporting it! (That might not be a big loss though.) Is there anything we can (or should) be doing about that? I just bought an new z80 s-100 (N*) box - is it obsolete even before I pay it off? The cost to convert it to the magic IBM-compatible cost more than a separate new Irish Barf Model PC. Are we all going to go the way of the TI99a people? And if we go, aren't the 6502 Apple hackers right behind? Or in front? As the cheerleaders say: 'Lets hear some *NOISE*!' -bob bloom (the thoughts above are mine and may not reflect reality as seen by anyone else but me. I have no relationship with anyone except my spouse.)