Re: Apple II 60K CP/M disk image?

[Roy Miller <millers@inebraska.com>]

Paul Schlyter wrote:

> In article <tmkepf1r6dus97@corp.supernews.com>,
> Kevin Durflinger <kjd@mdbs.com> wrote:
> > Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> wrote in message
> > 3B3ACFB6.D7CD9C8C@swbell.net">news:3B3ACFB6.D7CD9C8C@swbell.net...
> >> Linards Ticmanis writes ...
> >>
> >>  ....
> >>> Where would I get an Apple II "Microsoft Softcard" 60K CP/M boot disk,
> >>> preferably as a downloadable disk image of some sort (.dsk,.sdk,.nib
> >>> or whatever).
> >>
> >>      A good listing of A2 and generic CP/M links is in the Csa2p FAQs at
> >> http://home.swbell.net/rubywand/csa2pfaq.html#013 . Tarnover has a very
> >> good A2 CP/M info/software collection ( http://tarnover.dyndns.org/CPM/ ).
> >>
> >>
> >>> So far I have only found a 56K version and some sort of
> >>> "63K" hack. However I have a tendency to distrust hacks, sorry about
> >>> that...
> >>>
> >>> Also, is there documentation for the Apple specific commands anywhere
> >>> on the Web?
> >>  ....
> >>
> >> Paul Schlyter posted quite a bit of documentation to Csa2. You can
> >> find it on Tarnover and GSWV ( http://www.apple2.org.za/gswv/a2zine/Docs/ ).
> >> Look for the file CPM_ProgrammersReferenceGuide.txt.
> >>
> >> Rubywand
> >
> > The original bootable disk that came with my MS Softcard was a 44K CP/M
> > (worked on a 48K A2+) and if you had a language card or some other memory
> > card to provide the additional 16K you could convert a disk from 44K to 60K
> > CP/M by running a utility called "CPM60" that was provided.  Sorry, I don't
> > recall anything about a 56K version.
>
> The original version of the MS Softcard offered a 44K and a 56K CPM/M
> version.  The 56K version used only one of the two 4K memory banks of
> the Language Card.  Later, MS modified the BDOS, putting parts of it
> into that unused 4K memory bank - by doing so, the (apparent) CP/M
> memory could grow from 56K to 60K.  However, 60K Softcard CP/M did
> not have an original CP/M BDOS like the 44K and 56K Softcard CP/M had...
>
> There were other Z80 cards (e.g. the AppliCard), with their own 64K
> RAM, which enabled you to run a 64K CP/M system on the Apple II.

And, with the Applicard, you were running the Z-80 at 6 mhz instead of 2, AND, if
you had the proper add-ons, you had an on card serial port, much faster than the
SSC, and could add another 64K of RAM.

Except for the skimpy floppy disk space, an Applicard was about the best CP/M
machine you could buy.

Roy

>
>
> --
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Paul Schlyter,  Swedish Amateur Astronomer's Society (SAAF)
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