SAGE@LL.ARPA (10/22/86)
A number of people have inquired about the various autoinstall versions
of ZCPR3 and Z-System. Here is a matrix of the four products available from
Echelon:
version basic package complete package
---------- ------------- ----------------
Z3-DOT-COM 49.95 99.00
Z-COM 69.95 119.00
What are the differences? Let's start with the two package types,
since that is the easier question. The basic packages have only the
autoinstall material. With the complete packages you are paying Echelon an
extra fee to put nearly a hundred Z-System utility programs on diskette for
you. If you have access to a Z-Node or SIMTEL20, you can get all those
utilities at no cost, but you may prefer to save the time and trouble and
Echelon do it for you.
Now for the differences between the versions. Z3-DOT-COM is an
autoinstall version of ZCPR3 only. It does not include the ZRDOS
replacement for the disk operating system (BDOS). Also, the implementation
of ZCPR3 in this version does not include the IOP (I/O Package). All other
ZCPR3 facilities are implemented.
Z-COM is an autoinstall version of the complete Z-System. It included
ZRDOS, which gives you many nice features including: (1) automatic disk
login after changing floppies; (2) support for the archive file attribute so
that automatic backups are facilitated; and (3) support for I/O package
operations. Z-COM includes an IOP interface so that Echelon's commercial
IOPs can be run. These allow redirection of console or printer output to a
disk file, keyboard macros, and print spooling.
Which should you buy? With only a $20 difference between Z3-DOT-COM
and Z-COM, the latter is the better deal. I can think of only two reasons
why some people would prefer Z3-DOT-COM. First, the IOP support in Z-COM
takes an additional 1.5K away from the TPA (use program memory). Second,
you may prefer to use, for example, P2DOS instead of ZRDOS. On the other
hand, for only $20 extra, why not give ZRDOS a try.
Many people think that if they use one of the autoinstall versions of
ZCPR3 they will lose the flexibility of tailoring the system to their own
preferences. This is not true. I have made extensive customizations to
both autoinstall versions, and I will be publishing an article on this
subject in The Computer Journal in the issue after the next one. Anyone who
would be able to assemble up a custom manual version of ZCPR3 can equally
well modify Z-COM. With a little ingenuity there are no limits. I made
modified versions of Z3-DOT-COM and Z-COM so that I could freely switch
between them at any time. That way I can run Z3-DOT-COM with its larger TPA
normally and switch to Z-COM only when I need IOP support. I even have
aliases that will install Z-COM, load the IOP, turn on redirection, run a
program, and finally reinstall Z3-DOT-COM!! I wish Echelon offered a
combination package with both autoinstall versions together at perhaps $15
more than Z-COM alone. Let me add that the autoinstall versions offer one
advantage over a manually installed Z-System. For people who occasionally
need a larger TPA than is possible under ZCPR3, with a simple command you
can return to your standard CP/M system.
For reference, here again is the information on Echelon:
Echelon, Inc.
885 N. San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA 94022
415-948-3820
Let me repeat my disclaimer. Although my wife is a dealer for Echelon, we
have no financial interest in sales Echelon makes directly. The comments
above are thus made without financial bias. I love the Z-System, and the
autoinstall versions make it easy for (almost) anyone with a CP/M-2.2 system
to have it running in a few minutes.