SAGE@LL.LL.MIT.EDU (08/15/89)
There are several types of Amstrad computer running CP/M. They are very popular in England, and in Europe in general. For a while Sears Roebuck was promoting them here in the US, and so there are actually quite a few around. The LocoScipt wordprocessor is actually rather nice, especially for beginners, and both of my children (9 and 13) have been happily using it for the past year. Ours is a PCW8256 that had an extra 256K or RAM chips added to convert it into what I think is called the PCW8512 (or, perhaps, it is PCW9512). In any case, the PCW series of machines runs CP/M-Plus and emulates one of the common terminals (H19, I believe, but I would have to look it up at home to be sure). This machine should run any public-domain or commercial software that is designed for CP/M-Plus, and that includes almost all CP/M software. The hardest thing is getting software onto the machine's unique 3" -- not the standard 3.5" -- diskettes. My wife bought the Amstrad specifically for production of the Z-System and other CP/M products that her company sells. I expected the machine to be nothing more than a toy but was most delightfully surprised to find that it is a very solid CP/M machine and, with its substantial RAM disk, an excellent platform for the Z-System. There is another series of Amstrad computers called CPC (464, 664, and 6128). They apparently run CP/M-2.2. I do not know very much about these machines, but I have a contact in Germany who runs a computer club, many of whose members have them. I gather from what he told me that they emulate a rather strange terminal that is not found on most software installation programs. Generally, however, there is little trouble in patching in the terminal codes, and I do have a list of them. I would recommend that you pick up either or both of the following files from the SIMTEL20 archives or from most CP/M remote access systems (commonly called BBSs): CPMSVL-D.LBR (CP/M Software Vendor List), CPMSRC-H.LZT (CP/M SouRCes). These files have lists of sources of commercial and free CP/M software. If you have access to the SIMTEL20 archives, then you can get thousands of files there that will run on your Amstrad. My wife has an excess of those ghastly expensive 3" Amstrad diskettes and will sell boxes of 10 for $45 plus $3 shipping per order. If you have no other way to get software, I would be willing to put a few files on the diskettes at no extra charge. For a small copying fee, I would be willing to convert any material you want from my Z-Node remote access sytem or from the Boston Computer Society ZI/TEL system (which supports MS-DOS and CP/M and also runs from my house). -- Jay Sage