APPLICATIONSDIVERS ★ BANKCAT - SCREENCOPY ★

Rsx - Bankcat - Screencopy (The Amstrad User)Applications Divers
★ Ce texte vous est présenté dans sa version originale ★ 
 ★ This text is presented to you in its original version ★ 
 ★ Este texto se presenta en su versión original ★ 
 ★ Dieser Text wird in seiner Originalfassung präsentiert ★ 

Since one of the major differences between the CPC6128 and its predecessors is the Operating System (which is called CP/M Plus), I think that it would be sensible to break this first article into two sections, looking firstly at the 6128 itself with a demonstration program then the operating system supplied with the machine. Elsewhere in this magazine (Page 5) is a new series on CP/M, so I will be making the assumption that the reader has some prior knowledge and is familiar with such things as Drives and Transient Programs.

The CPC6128

This machine is basically a CPC664 with the exception of having 128k of memory with the added ability of running CP/M Plus as its second Operating System (OS for short). The first, or native operating system is AMSDOS. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) being a Z80A can only access 64k of memory addresses at a time, so the second 64k (making up the total 128k) is Bank Switched, a Bank referring to the second 64k block as a whole unit. So with the use of a small program supplied on your master disc, you can access the second Bank from your programs and Basic giving you 64k extra storage. The program that allows you to do this is called BANKMAN.BAS which loads a special binary file and enables the use of extra commands from Basic through RSX's (Resident System Extensions), but more on these later.

The program that follows will give a demonstration of Bank switching 16k blocks of memory (one complete screen) and provides an on-screen catalogue of both sides of two discs. This function is not available on the 464 or 664. It is full of REM statements and I hope will be of some use to owners. You'll find that because it uses the |SCREENCOPY ,n,n command which copies the 16k block to the current screen' 16k block rather than swap, you will always have a copy of the CAT in memory even after typing NEW! Don't forget that before running your debugged and saved program, run BANKMAN.BAS.

CP/M Plus

The big plus (excuse the pun) with this OS is the fact thai it has a 61k Transient Program area (TPA) compared with only 38k on the 464 or 664. So running CP/M Pins should give you access to a larger amount of CP/M software. CP/M Plus is compatible with CP/M 2.2 discs - in other words, if you load/boot CP/M Plus it can read discs formatted and written to by CP/M 2.2 Which is better - CP/M 2 2 or CP/M Plus? Well. it's not really fair to compare the two even though there is a CP/M Plus version that runs on a 64k machine. Is normal operating environment is 128k or bigger and CP/M 2.2 is already well proven on the 464 and 664. However, ore problem with CP/M 22 on die 64k machines occurred while switching to B: drive when your configuration was not currently a two drive system. It forced an error message to be displayed advising that B: drive was missing. This problem is not present with CP/M Plus. When you switch to R a scrolling message on the status line at the bottom of the screen states INSERT B: DRIVE DISC AND PRESS ANY KEY.

On the master disc is a program called DISCKIT3.COM which provides a menu-driven utility for formatting, copying and verifying discs. There is also one available for CP/M 2.2 but is slower because it uses less memory. These programs allow you to format a disc while copying, detecting the type of format on the original and adjusting the format on the copy accordingly.

CP/M Plus uses the whole 128k as such, and AMSDOS has been designed to interface directly to its standards. But, as mentioned in the manual, PASSWORD, DISC LABELLING and DATE stamping are not supported by CP/M 2.2 or AMSDOS.

There are a lot of extra utilities supplied with CP/M Plus and I will take a look at these next month. As we progress I will endeavour to explain the differences and advantages between CP/M Plus and CP/M 2.2. But for now. be aware that CP/M Plus is not another OS to learn, rather it is a logical progression from 2.2 that Amstrad have taken advantage of in the release of the 6128.

Trivia

There isn't any wi:h this first article, but the idea is to answer questions and to point out any problems (and their possible solutions) in running software on the 6128. Readers are welcome to divulge their discoveries HAPPY COMPUTING !!

TAU

★ PUBLISHER: The Amstrad User (Australia)
★ YEAR: 1987
★ CONFIG: 128K + AMSDOS + BANKMAN
★ LANGUAGE:
★ AUTHOR: Mark GODDEN
 

★ AMSTRAD CPC ★ DOWNLOAD ★

Type-in/Listing:
» RSX-Screencopy    (CPC  Amstrad  International)    GERMANDATE: 2021-08-10
DL: 195
TYPE: ZIP
SiZE: 4Ko
NOTE: 40 Cyls
.HFE: Χ

Je participe au site:
» Pour ce titre nous ne disposons de fichier executable sur CPC (Dump, Saisie du listing) , alors si vous avez ça dans vos cartons ou vous désirez usé vos petit doigts boudinés sur votre clavier faites le nous savoir.
» Vous avez des infos personnel ?
» Vous avez remarqué une erreur dans ce texte ?
» Aidez-nous à améliorer cette page : en nous contactant via le forum ou par email.

CPCrulez[Content Management System] v8.7-desktop/c
Page créée en 768 millisecondes et consultée 1857 fois

L'Amstrad CPC est une machine 8 bits à base d'un Z80 à 4MHz. Le premier de la gamme fut le CPC 464 en 1984, équipé d'un lecteur de cassettes intégré il se plaçait en concurrent  du Commodore C64 beaucoup plus compliqué à utiliser et plus cher. Ce fut un réel succès et sorti cette même années le CPC 664 équipé d'un lecteur de disquettes trois pouces intégré. Sa vie fut de courte durée puisqu'en 1985 il fut remplacé par le CPC 6128 qui était plus compact, plus soigné et surtout qui avait 128Ko de RAM au lieu de 64Ko.