OPTON@uhvax1.uh.EDU (03/23/88)
I have seen a few questions posted asking for opinions on C128 CPM. We have several C128 machines in the building. I find them CPM mode extemely frustrating. They are agonizingly slow. The screen updating is agonizingly slow, and the display itself is very difficult to read. Forget programming on it. Forget doing any sort of hardware interfacing. Support from Commodore?...Heh, heh, tell me another one... The disk accesses are serial at 19,200 (I think), and so are sloooow. It used to break frequently. Try finding a warranty center locally. A place may advertise Commodore authorized service center, but all that means is they fix Amigas. They will be happy to take your money to TRY to fix the C128. Parts availability? Forget it. As I said, a very frustrating machine. I refuse to use them personally, and, on my recommendation, my office does not support them anymore, and strongly discourages their use, and will not approve their purchase. Oh, and we were staunch supporters of the Vic20 and C64. My recommendations for CPM machines are as follows: 1. Find a dedicated CPM machine, Kaypros, Ampros, and the like. Visual Technology made a model 1050 that can be had inexpensively; a couple of hundred dollars less than the C128 system, and it is a far better machine. (Email me if you are interested in the VT1050. I know where a couple are available). 2. If you have enough money allocated for a C128 system, forget the C128 and buy an SB180FX from Steve Ciarcia's company, I forget the name. He writes for Byte. 3. There are some software emulators in the public domain for MS-DOS machines. They are slow, but obviously the price is a lot cheaper than than a C128, and they can't be much slower than a C128. Hope this helps. If I can be of further help Email me. Lee Thomison BITNET: OPTON@UHVAX1 landline: (713) 749-3127
pjh@mccc.UUCP (Peter J. Holsberg) (03/24/88)
In article <8803230132.AA01947@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> OPTON@uhvax1.uh.EDU writes: | |3. There are some software emulators in the public domain for MS-DOS |machines. They are slow, but obviously the price is a lot cheaper than than a |C128, and they can't be much slower than a C128. | There are also some Z-80 64K boards for MSDOS computers for around $250 up. These run CP/M 2.2 at Z-80 clock speeds of 5 MHz and faster. -- Peter Holsberg UUCP: {rutgers!}princeton!mccc!pjh Technology Division CompuServe: 70240,334 Mercer College GEnie: PJHOLSBERG Trenton, NJ 08690 Voice: 1-609-586-4800
dennisf@marque.mu.edu (Dennis Flaherty) (03/24/88)
In article <8803230132.AA01947@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> OPTON@uhvax1.uh.EDU writes a very emotional article: > I have seen a few questions posted asking for opinions on C128 CPM. I have a C128. I run both native and CPM+ mode frequently. > We have several C128 machines in the building. I find them CPM mode > extemely frustrating. They are agonizingly slow. For $20 I received a 2"-thick manual and two more disks. The system is complete and well documented. Do you have this manual? > The screen updating > is agonizingly slow, and the display itself is very difficult to read. Yes, I'll admit the screen is slow, but agonizingly? I wish there were a way to speed it up. Maybe the Z80A can be substituted by a faster Z80? As for the letter quality, I don't find the 8x8 dot matrix all that bad. Try adjusting the color or intensity. > Forget programming on it. Forget doing any sort of hardware interfacing. Excuse me, I've had no problems programming a CPM system with complete BIOS-- I run VDE and MAC just like anybody else. SID is available with lots of doc. Higher languages are available from SIMTEL20 or RPICICGE. > Support from Commodore?...Heh, heh, tell me another one... No problems here either. I get help from comp.sys.cbm (mostly Frank Prindle). Commodore has helped me when I've needed it... > The disk accesses are serial at 19,200 (I think), and so are sloooow. Actually the speed is closer to 5 to 6 times that. If you really want a fast system, the 512k RAM expansion is about $160. Use it as the system drive M: and SETDEF M:,*. The 1581 3.5" drive is available for a little more, and is of course faster than a 1571. > It used to break frequently. Try finding a warranty center locally. I have had a C64 since Jan '84 and a C128 since Oct '86. ONCE I had to have my 1541 repaired. I had no trouble finding help in Milwaukee. Mayfair Computers even does warranty repairs! > Parts availability? Forget it. Try writing to comp.sys.cbm, will ya? I've read articles advertizing for video expansion RAMs, C128 and 1571 bugfix ROMs. In any issue of Commodore's or Compute!'s magazines for C128/64s, there are more ads for hardware. > As I said, a very > frustrating machine. I refuse to use them personally, and, on my > recommendation, my office does not support them anymore, and strongly > discourages their use, and will not approve their purchase. Oh, and we were > staunch supporters of the Vic20 and C64. Every once in a while I hear someone take a personal vendetta against Commodore, ragging about everything they do. At least TRY to be objective. These people hang out in dealer stores and ravage about everything Commodore does. I swear some of these people must secretly work for Atari...:-) > My recommendations for CPM machines are as follows: > 1. Find a dedicated CPM machine, Kaypros, Ampros, and the like. I would have missed out on C128 native mode and C64-mode (for games ;-)) if I did that. That's a lot of software. > Hope this helps. If I can be of further help Email me. Thanx a lot! Dennis Flaherty dennisf%marque@csd1.milw.wisc.edu Marquette University 3790FLAH@MUCSD.BITNET USNail: 826 N. 20th St. dennisf@marque.mu.edu Milwaukee, WI 53233 {uunet|uwvax}!marque!dennisf "Two wrongs don't make a right, but three left turns do!"