[net.micro] Z-100 Termcap

bruce@ssc-vax.UUCP (Bruce Stock) (08/17/84)

There seem to be a number of Z-100 termcaps floating about the net lately, and
a number of folks complaining about the termcaps they are using.  I 
suspect that some of the trouble could be traced to the terminal S/W that is
being used.  Obviously anything that gets between the internal ROM screen
routines and the incoming ascii has the potential of making things worse.
More specifically, termcaps with extra delays may just be compensating for
particularly slow terminal S/W implementations.  If your terminal package runs 
on the CPM-85 side, or does emulation, or does not make use of the serial 
input que, then your termcap will have to compensate for the extra delays thus 
introduced.

This is not to say the Z-100 is without fault. As we all know, the screen update
speed is the main limitation on any terminal S/W written for it.  But my point
is that your favorite termcap may not be "for the Z-100" so much as "for the 
Z-100 (running some specific terminal package) (at some specific max baud 
rate)".  My experience is that I could use the "plain vanilla" VT-52 termcap
at 1200 baud with vi with no difficulty, using either a terminal package which
I wrote or YAM.
				Bruce Stock
				Boeing Aerospace