5 May 1986 Z-NEWS 409 HD64180-Based Development System. Now offered: a high-performance 8-bit software/hardware development station, plus graphics with Hitachi HD63484 display controller chip (see Z-News 105 and 205). System uses STE P2 bus and cards (IEEE P1000). Graphics firmware within-chip contains easy-to-use high- level command set. RS-170 video interface with horizontal/vertical scrolling, and 0-15 zoom factors. Full bit-mapped characters stored in onboard 128k-word frame buffer, expandable as necessary, with many rotation orientations permitted and totally flexible fonts. Screen refresh rates are up to 2- megapixels per second, full-color and monochrome, at 1,024-by-1,024 pixel res- olution. Quantity one pricing: CPU board is $595; graphics, $995. (Wonder what a good monitor costs.) Plug-in board-based computing machines, from boards to fully packaged development stations, are offered by Performance Interconnect, Inc., 8950 Villa La Jolla, Suite 2144, La Jolla, CA 92037, 619/457-0665. PII has as much enthusiasm for Hitachi chip-pair as Echelon, because chip-pair makes for really low-cost workstations with hi-res graphics. Move over Sun, DEC, and Apollo; your time is up. As bonus, STE computer system is ideal (efficient, economical) for developing ROMable code for process control applications using Quick-Task realtime kernel (Z-News 407, Price List Item 16). You know European-fostered STD and VME busses and American S-100, Multibus, Q-bus, plus others. Now, again from Europe, we get STE bus (STA, STB...STD came earlier); Dean Micro Systems of England supports STE, along with other common-market companies. STE is physically usually one-half VME bus card size, using a DIN 41612 Euroconnector--only one, not two as VME does. One CPU card controlling one graphics card, for this we waited. (Quadram Corporation went another way and missed a huge market. Z-News 204 and 205 tells of their being ready-for-production, but they took not that next step.) Thanks to Mr. Harry White, PII President, and Colin Hirayama, Software Development Chief, for appreciating power of Z-System (ZRDOS combined with ZCPR3) over CP/M, MS-DOS, and Unix. Mr. Brooks Morck, Director of Sales, has more details and some beautiful literature. Write or give him a call. Be sure to tell PII Echelon sent you. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Z TIPS. Release of ZCPR Version 3.3 should end confusion caused by error message flag phasing. ZCPR3: The Manual states phasing, and later versions of the FCPs handle it, correctly. Early FCPs, before 1.2, and Term3 1.0 and 1.1 handle flag incorrectly. In any event, if ER doesn't work in a command line for you, try adding or deleting the negating tilde, "~", in front of the "ER." That should solve the problem. All our programs and utilities have been converted to work way book says they should--well, almost...there are a few errors in the book. ZCPR33 first forms foundation for B3 and S3; then, B3 for M3 (Z-News 401). Echelon pays top royalties (10% to 40% of sales price) to software authors and companies for exclusive rights to market their products taking full advantage of Z-System operating environment. If you have such programs or have some good ideas for one or more, please contact us. We will let you know the prospects. (We seek an assembler-editor combination that "on-error" enters the editor at source code line of first error, that knows assembler syntax!) Dave McCord has finished first Echelon Application Note--"ZCPR3 Shells"-- extends information contained in our other documentation. In addition to explaining what a shell is, it shows how to use them. It's file ZAPN#1.LBR on Z-Nodes. Computers, computers. Benchmarks for many popular computers produced with "Scan," to measure file handling times using an editor or wordprocessor. File is 68k-bytes of ASCII text. Test shows how long, in seconds, it takes to go from top of file to bottom and back, WordStar ^QC followed by ^QR--a real I/O and data block handling test. Hard disk, RAM or floppy disk and quality of BIOS tell here. We consider this test more important than others because text is managed by more people, word workers, than is number crunching. Sieve is standard, ever-popular benchmark here run under GW and MBASIC, from BYTE magazine January 1983, pages 283-326. Additionally, we included benchmarks from Micro Cornucopia's three Aztec C programs listed in Issue #29, April-May 1986, pages 32 and 33. Thanks Micro C! Bench 1 concentrates on simple math, Bench 2 on CPU loop-and-compare operations, and most important, Bench 3, character Input/Output to console. Computer Configuration Scan Sieve Bench1 Bench2 Bench3 Deep Thought 42 (12.288mHz 64180) RAM 4.0 504 131.5 72.5 7.7 Symmetric 375 Unix (10mHz 16032) 20.8 11.8 8.3 Micromint SB180 (6.144mHz 64180) RAM 7.4 1008 263.0 135.0 15.1 Macintosh (8mHz 68000) floppy 1214 AT&T Unix PC (8mHz 68000) 49.1 25.1 15.3 Micromint SB180 (one wait state) RAM 9.7 1322 344.7 176.9 19.8 X-16 (8mHz 80186) 11.3 7.2 23.0 Dual Systems S-100 Unix 5 (8mHz 68000) 100.0 70.1 23.5 Slicer (8mHz 80186) 23.1 13.7 23.9 DEC VAX 11/780 (time share/modem) 35.2 15.0 -- Oneac ON! (4mHz Z80) RAM 15.8 478.0 244.5 25.6 Ampro Model 1210 (4mHz Z80) 23.0 480.0 246.0 27.5 Kaypro 286i (8mHz 80286) 11.2 7.4 34.2 Atari ST (8mHz 68000) floppy 28.0 18.0 35.5 Blue Lightin' (9.2mHz Z80) 203.6 104.6 38.0 Kaypro 10 (4mHz Z80) 26.0 478.2 244.6 39.0 CCS S-100 (4mHz Z80) 8" floppy 38.5 1490 498.0 259.0 32.3 RPM2 (6.67mHz V20) 331.1 170.4 63.4 IBM PC (4.77mHz 8088) 1950 54.7 28.7 73.6 Apple IIe (6502) floppy 2806 Analyze meaning of numbers--draw your conclusions. Some numbers come from Z- News 004, 105, 107, and 208. We sorted on Scan and secondarily on Bench 3, believing text processing and screen scrolling more important to most of us than number crunching. We trust you realize you can have-your-way with benchmark results, depending on your perspective and motives. "When in doubt, tell the truth... ", Mark Twain. Except as noted all machines ran hard disks. Blue Lightin' and RPM2 are IBM clones running CP/M-80. Symmetric 375 costs approximately $10,000.00 but comes with 50-megabyte hard drive and 2 megabytes of DRAM. And it's a portable weighing but 20 pounds. Interested? Write or call Symmetric Computer Systems, 1620 Oakland Road, Suite D200, San Jose, CA 95131, 408/279-0700. We used WordStar, Version 3.0, for Scan with Z-System and CP/M machines. Aztec C is used because it is Unix V7 compatible, making comparison easy with non-CP/M machines. BDS-C and C/80 produce quicker executing code (see Z-News 306 for comparison). Our world needs a C compiler to handle 64180 multiply instruction directly--Leor Zolman, you ready? Since 16-bit multiply with 32- bit result is as fast as an 8086 it would show well in Bench 1 results. We are certain Borland's Modula-2 uses MLT. Bench 1, 2, and 3 clearly indicate Aztec C as inefficient compiler for 8-bit machines, far more than BDS-C and C/80 are. When you have resources and time to spare C, Pascal, and BASIC programs are okay for quick-and-dirty tasks--but for high-performance 8-bit programs, let's do our programming using Assembler and SYSLIB3 (The Libraries) and then compare with 16/32-bit machines. If you have hardware to fill blanks in above table we would like receiving your test results. For more IBM PC versus Z80 Kaypro comparisons, read Ted Silveira's "Flea Market: Why Bother with CP/M?" column in Profiles, January 1986 issue. It's eye-opening. As time and circumstances permit, several more important benchmarks, e.g., file save, will be collected. That's where IBM PCs and Apple "raincoats" really seem to fall apart. Finally, thanks to Ivan Strand, Berkeley, and John Forker, Los Altos, for their assistance in developing these comparisons. From Our Mail Box. Yes, Micro Cornucopia magazine moves in many directions at once. Tony Bove of erstwhile User's Guide magazine and defunct TUG publishing "empire" walked same path...we predict--we hope we are wrong--Micro C soon goes "slick" with Madison Avenue style coated-paper pages. Tony couldn't be satisfied with 22,000 paid subscribers, as couldn't Ziff-Davis (Z- News 108 tells what we think Z-D people) with 60,000 to Microsystems and 600,000 to Computers and Electronics...these individuals and companies, it seems, have little or no soul, only want to make money as primary goal, only goal. They promote status quo or they kill Life, take your choice. Each, of course, claimed they patronize leading-edge technology developments. Baloney, they champion majority mediocrity...think of weeping and gnashing of teeth caused by Z-D and Tug. We pray Micro C strikes a proper balance. Now The Computer Journal and its publisher, Art Carlson (mentioned in Z-News 401), seem substance for Life--Art thinks long thoughts--and we like that. Z-News 007 declared support for several magazines; only one remain of that early group. Presently, we encourage The Computer Journal, Micro/Systems Journal, and BYTE magazines. Dr. Dobb's Journal, because of Lisa Boudreau, soon should return to our list. All you silent CP/Mers and high-performance 8-bit micro- computer users, speak up! Let these and other publishers know your feelings about what they do. Potpourri. Z-News 403 reviews V-Spell spelling checker and corrector program from CompuView Products, Inc., 1955 Pauline Blvd., Suite 300, Ann Arbor, MI, 48103, 313/996-1299. We say we like it but give no price. It's $79.00 and overall the best, presently. (CommpView is famous for Vedit Plus, " systems." writes Dreas Nielsen, Bellevue, WA. Vedit Plus is pricey, sells for $225.00 but comes bundled with V-Print, a super text formatter which recently sold for $120.00.) Much quality 8-bit software on and for sale! Incidentally, Newstar Software, Inc., moves to 3351 Vincent Road, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We reviewed their wordprocessor in Z-News 402 and 403. They offer, to those buying Newword (price is only $125.00), competitive spelling checker for $49.00, The WORD Plus from Oasis Systems, Wayne Holder's company. Both sure bargains! Remember, Newword controls laser printers. Call Newstar, 415/932-2278. Toshiba shipping 1-megabit dynamic CMOS DRAM chips (1Mb x 1) with access speeds of either 100 or 120 nanoseconds. Also shipping 256k-bit static CMOS (32Kb x 8) at same access speeds. Next generation of memory densities firmly established--Wow!. Thanks to SCSI supporter, streaming tape drive people, especially Danny Lamb, of Cipher Data Products, San Diego, CA, for signing up for Z-System site license. We appreciate your business. Hope you like our ZCPR3/S3 when it comes out. And ZRDOS, Version 1.4, is released. Version eliminates drive select and data allocation problems that occur with some computer BIOS implementations. Also adds hard disk feature of not logging in directory on warm boot--quickens transition from application programs that re-boot on exit, return to menu or to Z-System prompt. Several other small enhancements have been incorporated. Thanks go to Dennis Wright for improvements. Anyone wishing upgrade, please send your original ZRDOS program disk, Version 1.0, 1.1, or 1.2, and $20.00, plus applicable tax (if California) and shipping and handling fees. Those with 1.3 receive update for only shipping and handling fee. -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Of Cabbages and Kings. Some of us, noticeably those with advanced college degrees, seem to think we know-it-all. Let it be asked: why are we discontent with our lives if we know? Some people live and die happy; others are happy to die! Let's face it--we know little of Value. We know not one thing with absolute certainty. We make not friends; we know not ourselves as friends. We, of all, are in-the-bind because we spent time and energy "learning" and know so little. Result: as product of system, we are part of problem (we believe we know), not a solution. Think--yesterday caused today and tomorrow is nothing more than today psychologically re-played, unless... Face it! See you down the lines... Echelon, Inc. 885 N. San Antonio Road Los Altos, CA 94022 USA Telephone: 415/948-3820 Z-Node Central (RAS): 415/489-9005 Trademarks: SB180, COMM180, TKBBS, Micromint; PRO-180, MDC-1, Magnum Digital; XL-M180, Intelligent Computer Designs; HD64180/63484, Hitachi; Z-System, ZCPR3, ZRDOS, Z-Tools, Zas, Zlink, Z-Msg, Term3, Lasting-Value Software, Echelon; CP/M, Digital Research; GW/MBASIC, MS-DOS, Microsoft; Unix, AT&T; IBM, IBM; ON!, ONFILE, Oneac; V-Spell, Vedit Plus, CompuView; WordStar, MicroPro; Newword, Newstar; MOSART, Xecom; SCSI/Plus, Little Board, Bookshelf, AMPRO Computers. eagle * here Z sets you FREE! * * Z-News 409 is Copyright 1986 Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source credit is given to Echelon.