ir320@sdccs6.UUCP (05/30/84)
I already have an Apple, and it already runs CPM, but I have outgrown
it. I have been looking into several different replacements. The
lists contains:
o Kaypro 10
o Intercontinental Micro Systems SBC 48000 w. 2 ds dd 8" drives
o Epson QX10
o Morrow Decision w. Highest capacity storage one can get
I mostly use the system for either programming in either C, Pascal or
Fortran, or for using Wordstar. Disk space would be nice, as well as
fast processing speed. I would, if possible like a system which
didn't reqire half an hour to assemble/dissassemble every time I had
to move it. Please let me know your feelings on these or any other
systems you may know of.
Thanks,
John Antypas
UC San Diego
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arpa sdcsvax!sdccs6!ix255@nosc
sdcsvax!sdccs6!ix255@Berkeleyalex@sdcsvax.UUCP (06/01/84)
The KayPro X is a good buy, with plenty of software. It runs pretty fast, both processing and I/O. It'll never be an IBM PC--the add-on boards for it only make it a "sorta" MS-DOS machine. It ain't as expandable as (say) an S-100/IEE-696 type machine. It is available at many locations. KayPro only acts in its own enlightened self-interest, so its machines aren't always as reliable as they might be. Their hard-disk problems seem to be a thing of the past. The Morrow MD11 (11 meg storage) has a good reputation. It's not as available as the KP10. Its software offerings aren't as popular. It's not designed to be a true portable, though its size lends itself to that. Does anyone know if they use plated-media drives? The MD11's portability is limited upon the terminal you choose. Don't know the 4000, so I won't say anything. The QX-10 still suffers from severe speed problems, enow. This is partially due to the 1/2-high Epson drives, which have a 15 msec track-to-track step rate. This is three times slower than good drives. Valdocs doesn't help this; their CP/M keyboard (there are two) is an "ASCII" layout, like the APPLE II or ASR-33's. Valdocs is infuriatingly slow, despite the Rising Star efforts to speed it up. The QX-10 doesn't come with much software besides this. It's not too bad in the portability department, so long as you have a safe place for the screen--but it takes two carries to move it. I like the Zenith Z-100 (though it's more expensive than the above three in its assembled (and comparable configuration) state). If you can solder at all, the Heath H-100 is a great deal and takes only about 10 hours to build. H/Z offer some good software deals for it. It can take 8" and 5-1/4" drives. (someone offers an 8" disk adapter for the KayPros.) It's not really portable; it's a little heavier than the QX-10. Hard disk option ain't too cheap. It has a 5-slot S-100/IEEE-696 bus in its back for expandability. It'll run CP/M-80, -86, and MS-DOS 1.1 and 2.0. Its user group is very active. Mind you, *my* computer is a CCS Z80 S100 system with dual 8" drives, so I know how hard it can be to move a computer (groan). Alex
pat@symplex.UUCP (06/05/84)
<SACRIFICE TO FIRST-LINE-EATERS> If portability is a major concern I think your best bet will be the Kaypro-10. The only drawback I know of is the screen size. The Morrow MD-11 has more cables (the computer & drives residing in one box & the terminal being an off-the-shelf ASCII RS232 variety), but the screen is full-sized. The hard disk is (obviously) an 11Mbyte model. The present terminal (MDT-60) is a little brain damaged (the cursor arrow keys send capitol letters) but that hopefully will be resolved in the future. Richard Patrick Symplex Communications ..!hpda!fortune!dsd!symplex!pat