So Bill,
How is the inter system disk compatibility of those cp/m systems? I dabbled around with a c64 cartridge enabling it to run cp/m but the disks of other systems could not be read by the 1541. I fared a little better with the c128. What is your experience with that?
Cheers, Mark
========================
Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
========================
The Commodore 128 (or 128D) with 1571 disk drive is able to read/write/convert a variety of CP/M disk formats. It really is a terribly versatile solution. Depending upon the type of disk drive and if the manufacturer included any conversion utilities, many CP/M systems can read/writer/convert between at least a few formats. Obviously, there's also density issues, like single and double, and other factors that must be taken into consideration. Apple II CP/M has a highly incompatible disk format for instance. The Apple II disk drives just don't work like other drives do. Same thing (as you discovered) with the C-64 and its wonky CP/M cartridge solution. 40 column CP/M also presents its own problems, as C-64 CP/M and Coleco Adam CP/M owners discovered. The latter had many more successful conversions though and a better implementation of the OS. While truly a standard, CP/M had enough differences between implementations that it was destined to fail in light of something like an MS-DOS, which rapidly improved compatibility over the first few years of its life.
======================================
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
======================================
*************************** Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
So Bill,
How is the inter system disk compatibility of those cp/m systems? I dabbled around with a c64 cartridge enabling it to run cp/m but the disks of other systems could not be read by the 1541. I fared a little better with the c128. What is your experience with that?
Cheers, Mark
========================
Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
========================
The Commodore 128 (or 128D) with 1571 disk drive is able to read/write/convert a variety of CP/M disk formats. It really is a terribly versatile solution. Depending upon the type of disk drive and if the manufacturer included any conversion utilities, many CP/M systems can read/writer/convert between at least a few formats. Obviously, there's also density issues, like single and double, and other factors that must be taken into consideration. Apple II CP/M has a highly incompatible disk format for instance. The Apple II disk drives just don't work like other drives do. Same thing (as you discovered) with the C-64 and its wonky CP/M cartridge solution. 40 column CP/M also presents its own problems, as C-64 CP/M and Coleco Adam CP/M owners discovered. The latter had many more successful conversions though and a better implementation of the OS. While truly a standard, CP/M had enough differences between implementations that it was destined to fail in light of something like an MS-DOS, which rapidly improved compatibility over the first few years of its life.
======================================
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
(A PC Magazine Top 100 Website)
======================================
***************************
Bill Loguidice, Managing Director
Armchair Arcade, Inc.