info-cpm (12/23/82)
>From Steveh@Mit-Mc Thu Dec 23 15:06:21 1982
To: FJW@Mit-Mc, RCONN@Mit-Mc, info-cpm@BRL
Via: Mit-Mc; 23 Dec 82 12:17-EST
Via: Brl; 23 Dec 82 13:04-EST
Via: Brl-Bmd; 23 Dec 82 13:16-EST
I have just picked up a very good book that describes CP/M from
the systems programmer's viewpoint. It is called:
Mastering CP/M
by Alan R. Miller
published by Sybex
ISBN 0-89588-068-7
$15.95 at my local B. Dalton's
I have been looking for a book about CP/M that goes into much
greater detail than " To copy a file, use PIP a:=file.com". I
have sought information about the guts of the operating system,
with hints about writing (or at least modifying) a BIOS, etc.
This book seems to address that problem. Chapters are:
1. CP/M Organization and Operation
2. Duplicating and Altering CP/M Disks
3. Adding Features to BIOS
4. Beginning a Macro Library
5. Using BDOS for Nondisk Operations
6. Reading Disk Files With BDOS
7. Writing Disk Files With BDOS
8. The CP/M Disk Directory
Appendices with the ubiqutous ASCII character set, 64K
memory map, 8080 and Z80 instruction sets, and a very handy,
one-page (albeit printed on two pages) listing of all of the
BDOS calls, with requisite register usage.
This may not be as replete with arcane anecdotes as an IBM
manual, but it is very readable, presents useful projects (like
implementing the IOBYTE) and generally is a good book.info-cpm (12/25/82)
>From GREN.MAZE.MIT-OZ@BRL Fri Dec 24 22:11:28 1982
To: Stephen C Hill <Steveh@Mit-Mc>
Cc: info-cpm@BRL
Reply-To: MAZE at Mit-Mc
In-Reply-To: The message of 23 Dec 1982 12:20-EST from Stephen C Hill <Steveh at Mit-Mc>
Via: Mit-Mc; 24 Dec 82 21:07-EST
Via: Brl; 24 Dec 82 21:32-EST
Via: Brl-Bmd; 24 Dec 82 21:47-EST
Has anyone seen a similar book (similar to Mastering CP/M)
for CP/M-86 or MS-DOS?
/Jamieinfo-cpm (12/26/82)
>From POURNE@Mit-Mc Sun Dec 26 01:53:59 1982
To: MAZE@Mit-Mc
Cc: STEVEH@Mit-Mc, info-cpm@BRL
In-Reply-To: The message of 24 Dec 1982 21:09-EST () from James Mazer <GREN.MAZE.MIT-OZ at BRL>
Via: Mit-Mc; 26 Dec 82 2:09-EST
Via: Brl; 26 Dec 82 2:40-EST
Via: Brl-Bmd; 26 Dec 82 2:31-EST
Good News! As I will say in upcoming BYTE (probably March to
April; the pipeline is long) Digital has reformed! Due
(according to a letter I have from them; you may believe as much
as you want) to my constant hounding of them, they have new
documents staff. They have sent me the new manuals for CB80 and
CBASIC, and they are quite good. Examples,, good organization,
clear English.
Now for the bad news. About six months ago I got a
note from a new (two iterations ago, I think) documents person
at Digital; she sent me (proudly, alas!) some new documents for
CP/M 86; they were worse than the usual Digital Research
standard, in that they conformed to all the "Technical Writing"
university level style manuals: no redundancy, "logical"
organization with levels and sublevels, no "superfluous"
examples... And I have not yet seen what the new team has done
with the CP/M manuals. Possibly, though, they'll reform.
JEP