12 January 1987 Z-NEWS 609 Benchmarking. DT42 single-board computer combined with co-board, The SemiDisk, both from SemiDisk Systems of Beaverton/Aloha, OR, transfers data at peak (burst) rates between 0.8 and 1.6 megabytes per second, for CPU clocks from 6.144 to 12.288 mHz. (Micromint's SB180FX with RAM extension-board provides similar performance.) Such rates are blindingly quick, compared to typical rotary machinery. Transferring from one partition to another, 20 files occupying 400k-bytes, takes from 11 to 22 seconds, depending on clock rate, using ZRDOS AC copy utility. (Using CRC verification about doubles time. Some time is taken outputting messages to screen, setting up extents and other operating system overhead, and then finding next file to copy--real- world situation.) Here, effective transfer rate is 36k to 72k per second, which is 6 to 15 times faster than typical hard disk installations. During multi-file copying, Z80 Ampro hard disk transfers about 5k-bytes per second. Some measurements obtained copying a single 160k-byte file using High Tech K-20, Morrow MD3 with Advanced Concepts Mini-Winnie (Z-News 408-2), Ampro 4mHz Z80 Bookshelf with Seagate 225N SCSI hard disk, and SemiDisk DT42 with 6.144mHz HD64180 and 8-megabyte RAMdisk (Z-News 502) computers: Transfer 160k-byte File, in seconds Storage Devices K-20 Morrow Ampro SemiDisk Floppy disk to floppy disk n/a 76 57 46 Hard disk to floppy disk 58 59 48 n/a Floppy disk to hard disk 48 35 43 n/a RAMdisk to floppy disk n/a n/a n/a 29 Hard disk to hard disk 17 18 25 n/a RAMdisk to RAMdisk n/a n/a n/a 3 DT42, with 6.144 clock, formats (initializes) its 8-megabyte RAMdisk in about 10 seconds. Thanks to Ted Silveira, Santa Cruz, CA, for Morrow computer measurements (he used CP/M PIP, we used AC). Results vary significantly, 3 to 1 range, depending on physical allocation block proximity for either floppy or hard drives. RAMdisks are not affected by where fragments of a file get allocated. Z-News 502 covers advantages of RAMdisk over rotating media, elimination of spindle acoustic noise, smaller physical size, better long-term reliability, and greatly increased access quickness. (We welcome benchmarks from other than our own computers--send them in so we can compare.) -------------------------------------------------------------------- From Our Mail Box. "The Modula-2 software sounds great and, as soon as I can, I plan to order it from you. Your comments about it and the graphics of the Micromint SB180+ has my 'mouth watering.' When my pocketbook catches up with my appetite, I would like to purchase the SB180FX and GT180 with ZCPR 3.3. That ought to be a dynamite system!" Albert Bjorling, Circleville, NY, thinks as we do, and he renews subscription to the newsletter. We forgot to tell (Z-News 607-4)... Konica Technology is located in San Jose, CA, telephone 408/263-8210. Their KT-510 10-megabyte floppy drive is due to be shipped mid-1987. It reads normal 5-1/4" diskettes, as does Kodak's. To our knowledge, Kodak is already shipping theirs, and with SCSI controller (Z-News 404-4, 502-1). "Philosophically I see Echelon at a crossroad," Wil Schuemann, Carson City, NV, writes. "As hardware and software get more sophisticated, you will have to decide to what degree you will support people coming into the 'hobby', whose ability to understand what is happening inside the computer will be increasingly inhibited by the vast gulf between their knowledge level and the level of the hardware and software. If Echelon does not serve these people it will evolve towards serving the group who are substantially only users of computers motivated by the natural attraction to more power and features. This will set the stage and Echelon may repeat the recent history of other firms who evolved into serving groups they really didn't understand. I'm sure you don't intend that to happen." Thanks, Wil, for your perception. Aware- ness is first step towards more understanding. Our attitude, coincidentally, is stated below in The Fit Survive. We do what we can, hopefully learning as we move along the Path, no pun intended. Additionally, Wil relates his interest in writing CBIOSs and needing more information into operating-system workings. The Programmer's CP/M Handbook, by Andy Johnson-Laird (Z-News 508- 2), published 1983 by Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2600 Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710, 415/548-2805, trade paperback of 500+ pages, contains just about every- thing one needs to create BIOSs for CP/M-compatible computers. And it's our favorite for learning ins-and-outs of CP/M. And our ZRDOS Programmer's Manual, tells about ZRDOS functions and how to use its reentrance. It's Item 85 on our Price List, only $8.95, plus shipping and handling. Be sure, Wil, to let us see your CBIOS creation when you finish. Z-User's Corner. Term3 (TERM III) is communications suite and tool box of Z- System, created by ZCPR3 author Richard Conn. Our amazement never ceases when using its batch (YMODEM) file transfer mode. It's great to use when on a RAS and you wish to download more than one file, especially lots of files. At RAS prompt enter: "xmodem sb fn.ft fn2.ft filn.*" and then after seeing KMD (most KMDs are renamed to traditional name of XMODEM) calculate statistics of transfer, enter "ctrl-\" to place Term3 in command mode. If you are not already in "batch" then type followed by "f" to go to File Transfer menu. There, type "b" for batch, followed by "r" which puts you immediately into Receive mode. Now, enter "*.*" and watch the screen come alive. Screen is File Transfer display. "Function:" starts with "Menu Display" and then indicates "Receive File". "Activity:" goes from "Set Options" to "File Identity" to "Synchronization" to "File Transfer", and finally to "Transfer Done" for each file in batch transfer process. During transfer, a section of screen indicates in which directory file is being received, its name, amount sent, and last packet sent. Also full error reports are maintained throughout transfer for each file. Automatic and dynamic, you don't even type in the filename to be received; the "*.*" entry does it for you. The "b" toggle leaves you in batch mode until you use "b" again, or reload T3FILER, the file transfer module, one of 29 such modules of Term3. Here's the screen: FILE TRANSFER Directory: B7:MAIL Function: Receive File File Name: CRUNCH23.LBR Activity: File Transfer --Transmission Status-- ----Error Report---- Amount Sent: 17K Errors: --None-- Last Packet Sent: 17 Tries Left: N/A Error Count: 3 -------- Protocol Selection ---------------- Transfer Options ---- | -->1 MODEM7 1K Packet 4 XON/XOFF | B MODEM7 Batch On | | 2 MODEM7 Checksum 5 KERMIT | C Completion Alarm On | | 3 MODEM7 CRC | K KERMIT File Mode Txt | | | M Monitor Transfer Off | ---------------------------- Functions --------------------------- | S Send File | Q Quit to Main Menu | | R Receive File | T Terminal Mode X Main Menu | ------------------------------------------------ Over a dozen such displays and menus are part of Term3 communications system, plus five editors for default conditions. Item 61 on our Price List, 6 disks, $99.00 plus S&H. Change of pace. CRC, Version 2.2, has lots of interesting and useful features. Its built-in help screen looks like this: CRC, Version 2.2 CRC dir:afn1,dir:afn2,... o... Options: C -- Comment Mode (Allow user to comment each entry on disk - wheel only) D -- Disk Output (Send Output to Disk in file CRC.CRC - wheel only) I -- Inspect Mode (Give user approval option) L -- Count Lines of Code N -- Do not Number files P -- Printer Output (wheel only) Uses Keith Peterson's original CRCK routine to produce 2-byte number. Useful in determining if two or more files are identical. CRC permits adding a comment to each file, and it counts number of files in list, number of lines in each file, outputs results to screen, and optionally to disk file and printer. Here's screen display we obtained with command crc *.* cdl and by putting file created here: Filename.Typ Size Recs CRC Lines Comment 1 ACMDU11 .LBR 16K 110 684E 482 Alias Editor - Paul Pomerleau 2 ALIAS#1 .LBR 76K 585 DEC7 1090 EI's first library of aliases 3 CRC22 .LBR 16K 117 7224 104 Richard's CRCK and.. 4 FINDF26 .Z80 32K 225 1D97 1238 ..fast file find utilities. 5 HSH15 .LBR 32K 234 0F46 160 Michael's command shell Number of "Lines" has no significance except for straight text files. Comments can be as long as you wish, wrapping CRT screen. During checking, ^C safely cancels process. CRC22.LBR is on Z-Nodes and on SUS #9. Of course, with I/O Package installed and I/O Recorder loaded, we handle displays you see in the newsletters without much effort. Output going to CRT screen can always be sent, verbatim, appending as we go, to default file CONSOLE.FIL. This file is then read into our text by Newword to show, edited- to-please, displays. We use RC, Record Console, alias script (RECORDER.IOP loaded at cold boot) to reduce keystrokes to minimum. if $1=//;echo rc ;else;record on;$*;record off;fi Command for help display above was rc crc //, putting CRC's built-in help text into file CONSOLE.FIL. Read into Newword newsletter file, edited a little, you see result above. Whole process took less than a minute. You take it from here. More on NUKey and B/Printer in upcoming issues. The three IOPs are offered for $89.00, Item 45 on Price List; see Z-Catalog, pages 17 and 18, Input/Output Packages, for tutorial on the trio and on spectacular BP, Background Printer, alias. Also see Z-News 602-3 for more on BP. Z-Node Activity. Ron McCallister, Seattle, WA, becomes Z-Node #75 Sysop. RAS called "The Widow Maker," Ron runs full Z-System like other Z-Nodes and gets into Turbo Modula-2 programming. Give him a call, 206/588-0643. "Time Taker" Node (Ben Grey, Z-News 602-4, 503-644-4621) must be related to TWM Node. What do you think? Z-Node #65, managed by Sysop Barron McIntire, gets new telephone number, 307-638-1917. Computer is now Kaypro 2X with Advent TurboROM, 20-megabyte Seagate hard drive, and Advent 1-megabyte RAMdisk. Message center and bulletins run from the RAMdisk--sounds like a fast system. Give Byron a call to see if it is. Good Points. John H. Adams's first installment of four for "An HD64180 System" appears in Computer Smyth magazine, Vol.2 No.4, as reported in Z-News 605-5. Before series is over, John will show us how to use material, data and text, from other computers, e.g. IBM PCs, on his Hitachi Euro-card computer board. In same Computer Smyth magazine issue, a short article by Cortney Smith, Tuba City, AZ, discusses how to drive an Apple Imagewriter printer from a Micromint SB180 computer. Shows how to build a cable that works. Interested in either? Subscribe to CS magazine by calling 603/924-9464. Only $15.00 per year, four issues. Now For Something Completely Different. We notice many getting into publishing using desktop computers. From our several previous comments you know we are usually more interested in content than form, words being more important than decorative graphics. Though cosmetics are important, we emphasize content, substance. Feelings and much information about what it takes to be in "publishing" can be obtained by reading Small Press, the magazine for independent, in-house, and desktop publishing. Small Press magazine is so eloquently produced we think of the good life, a life of art, music, literature, beauty, and grace, as we read it. We are inspired by the magazine. Here we see meaning of content and style, learn of techniques working for "small presses." Alan Meckler, Publisher, has pulled together a staff to cover quality of presentation, history of low-volume printing, computer usage, and details of getting the work out. If interested call 203/226-6967, or write Eleven Ferry Lane West, Westport, CT 06880. Subscript- ion is $23.95 per year, six issues. The good life--will you participate? 20/20 Hindsight. It is not a perfect world! We goofed with telephone number of Z-System distributor Dean Microsystems. Correct number in Great Britain is 07357 5155. Hope this correction causes Gary Maguire to get more calls, to remain busy. The Fit Survive We take this space to review briefly our "situation." Hopefully, our message is received in same spirit as it is sent. If Echelon does not do things in a manner that warrants your continued support, we will go out of business. We are a small company with limited resources, resources that must be used to create revenues. We support customers with all our might, but still in many cases it is not enough. So many want something for nothing, want us to educate them from their non- technical base. And then there are those, some few, who want everything free. These are the people who use our Z-Nodes to obtain latest-release files, Z- News, and documentation, but who never buy anything from us. We are on a knife edge financially. Our products are low-priced, high-value. However, to support many in the style they require or desire, we should charge many times over what we do. Using hindsight, did we make a mistake initially in our product pricing? We don't think so. But what we do need is for more to understand the business end of what we are doing. We offer an attractive alternative within the microcomputing arena, one coming from the public domain of yesteryear, one existing before present mainstream existed, one that created market now completely dominated by corporate America. Echelon's overhead is such that every minute of a staff member's time costs us an average of $1.00. Such cost is made up of office rental, postal, telephone and Telex charges, advertising, brochure and sales-aid printing, support for Z-Team members, and staff salaries--all these declared as overhead. Direct costs consist of diskettes, media copying labor, envelopes, labels, manuals and books, shipping containers, and royalties to authors. When dealing with us, either in writing or over the telephone, please keep cost-of-time in mind. We intend to survive, but only through your conscious help; we are fit but we live not in a vacuum. Without you and your understanding we are as beach sand. Finally, please observe we are a mail-order company, not store-front or walk-in. Our new catalog is so detailed, written to educate, few should have questions about what we offer. Now, let us all get on with primary task of learning. Thank you... "The vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply."--Charles Darwin, 1809-1882, English naturalist. Lunch Break. Price reduction announced for Micromint's SB180 makes original HD64180 board even more attractive. Board alone is only $299, full package is now $399. FX version is about $100 more. SB180 drives GT180 color graphics co-board. Both support 40-pin XBUS expansion. XBUS should, must become a standard, mainly because it provides access to high-resolution color graphics of GT180 and allows use of Graphix Toolbox written in Turbo Modula-2. If not overly concerned with ultimate speed, original SB180 is a cost-effective way to obtain beyond-conventional, beyond IBM, Atari, Apple, Commodore, graphics. Else, SB180FX with GT180 is ticket to warp drive and hyper-space. Fi. Vrooman Chan Communications (VCC) of Toronto offers single-board computer, VCC180, using Hitachi HD64180 integrated chip. Board is 6.5" by 4.0" and fits on side of soon-to-be-popular 3.5" microfloppy drives. Features include 512k-bytes of DRAM, Western Digital 1773 floppy controller, two serial RS-232 channels, two 28-pin sockets for EPROMs, and 10-pin connector for their PennyLAN 500k-baud local area network. EPROMs can be used to operate system. Expansion bus, 50-pins, allows adding hard disk controllers, RAM disks, modems, graphics cards, analog interfaces, voice synthesizers, and more. Here, another platform for ROMable Z-System and Quick-Task. If interested in more information and pricing, call or write VCC, POB 5822, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, M5W 1P2, Canada, 416/531-2656. LMS International announces 600-megabyte 1/2 height, 5-1/4" CD ROM drive. Model 210 has embedded SCSI controller to handle standard 4.7" digital Compact Diskettes. Call 212/578-9400 for more information. Cubit, 190 S. Whisman Road, Mountain View, CA 94041-1577, telephone 415/962-8237, produces all CMOS STD-bus CPU board using HD64180. "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less. The question is, which is to be master--that's all." --Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass. Helping to manage and master documents of many words, we use MicroPro's StarIndex ($89.00 from Central Computer Products) for Table of Contents and Index generation. We list three other such programs you might find interest- ing and useful. Only professional indexers are likely to appreciate the two high priced ones. IN>SORT - $79.95 INDEXER'S ASSISTANT - $295.00 MACREX - $325.00 Kensa Software Omega Electronics Bayside Indexing Service POB 49, Cathedral Stn P.O. Box 294 265 Arlington Avenue New York, NY 10025 Oswego, NY 13126 Kensington, CA 94707 212/222-6735 315/342-1741 415/524-4195 CP/M-compatible software comes out of the woodwork! With color bit-mapped graphics and speed, our computers are to be used for a long, long time to come--they never die! Fortnight Flash. MicroPro decides to update CP/M version of WordStar with Newword features, and beyond. Hurray! Hundreds-of-thousands of users rejoice. Thanks go out to you who helped bring this about. We will pass along details of upgrade as we get them. ==================================================================== Of Angels and Eagles. South Korea, a country one-quarter California's size but with nearly twice the population (1070 people per square mile), is a debtor nation. (Japan has 140 million people in an area about the size of California, 954 people per square mile versus California's 151, USA's 60.) South Korea's Gross National Product is about twice its debt. They have always been timely with installment payments covering their debt. Many other nations have not and is reason some big USA banks are in financial trouble. Well, we see their industry by imports from Hyundai, Samsung, Daewoo, Gold Star, and others. The people have found a market for their wares. Overnight, it happened not. They study us for 20 years. They understand what we perceive as value. We are known as totally materialistic, no matter what we say, because of our actions. Driven by the "Joneses," Catch-22 flat-spiral style--this they know. South Korea is example of modern people doing what must be done, each at their level, to improve "quality" of their living. General Motors slowly reacts to import-automobile plight and its increasing loss of market share, by getting rid of H. Ross Perot, only dissenting member of huge Board of Directors. We say: truly, GM needs new leadership not coming from within their own ranks. We have found the enemy-- it is us! It is not manufacturing labor unions, it is not engineering, it is not top management. It is all these elements combined. "Now to break-fast on...Zydeco tacos and... ." You ask, "What the heck is a Zydeco taco?" Well, as far as we know, recipe was created by Queen Ida (aka Ida Guillory) of Zydeco music fame (Z-News 306-5). Goes something like this: 1) deep-fry a corn tortilla formed into a taco shell, 2) place ten boiled-and-shelled medium crawfish at bottom of shell, 3) splash crawfish with Louisiana hot sauce, 4) fill shell to overflowing with shredded lettuce, diced near-green tomatoes, and grated cheese, and then 5) top with Sauce Piquant. Goes good with white Zinfandel or banquet beer, either at a sit-down fancy or drive-in. See you down the lines... Echelon, Inc. 885 North San Antonio Road Los Altos, CA 94022 USA Telephone: 415/948-3820 Telex: 4931646 Z-Node Central (RAS): 415/489-9005 Trademarks: Little Board, Bookshelf, Ampro Computers; SB180, SB180FX, GT180, Micromint; PRO-180, Magnum Digital; ON!, Oneac; DT42, The SemiDisk, Deep Thought 42, SemiDisk Systems; VCC180, PennyLAN, Vrooman Chan Communications; HD64180, Hitachi; Z-System, ZCPR3, ZRDOS, Z-Tools, Zas, Zlink, Z-Msg, Term3, LZED, Quick-Task, Lasting-Value Software, Echelon and authors; CP/M, Digital Research; Unix, AT&T Bell Laboratories; TurboROM, Advent; Graphix Toolbox, Turbo Modula-2, Borland Int'l; Express, TCI; LZED, Zivio; WordStar, Newword, MicroPro Int'l; JetFind, Bridger Mitchell. * * Z--the high flier! * * Z-News 609 is Copyright MCMLXXXVII Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Permission to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source credit is given to Echelon.