Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!usc!rutgers!att!pacbell.com!pacbell!sactoh0!ijpc!ianj From: ianj@ijpc.UUCP (Ian Justman) Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm Subject: Re: ZCPR. Keywords: zcpr cpm Message-ID: Date: 14 Feb 91 12:11:47 GMT References: <91363@unix.cis.pitt.edu> Organization: Ian Justman's IBM-PC Lines: 110 fmgst@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Filip Gieszczykiewicz) writes: > > Greetings. Even though I have been running ZCPR (3.3) for > only a few days, I can say that I will never go back - even > if you pay me. :-) Amen, brother! I run Z33 plus NovaDOS on my Dynabyte DB8/1 and my Ampro Little Board. Great software!!! Plus you have source code if you want to extend its capabilities which are already great. > YOU NEED A K10 PLUS A HARD DISK (the more the better) I'm running it on an S100 box with 20 megs, and it works like a champ. Ran it with 10 before but didn't have many problems. Had to be a little conscientious with my management... > > Advantages? Nothing but!!! > > 1) path works much better - even if I'm on C0: I can still > run anything like FLPYFMT.COM without having to first > go to A0:.... With the Alias program, you can run anything > you wish. Yes, paths are probably the most notable feature of ZCPR33. And since you have source code, you can make it as big or small as you need (I believe it's all in the ENVironment discriptor file). However, if you plan to have a LARGE number of aliases, don't bother with ALIAS. Use ARUNZ. ALIAS creates small .COM executable files for each alias, and with my hard disk using questionably large allocation units, 8K, they can add up fast. You have all your aliases in one file that you locate at the end of your path called ALIAS.CMD, which is nothing more than a text file with prototypes for your command lines you wish to execute. Regardez: poll a5:ccico -x66 -s$1 -f$2 -l which tells my system to do a UUCP poll (I'll explain about UUCP for CP/M later) using the first and second arguments as 3-letter system name and a letter for its script (which can be blank or a letter from A to Z). Plus it has other neat capabilities whereby you can get at information in the environment discriptor, like the CPR location, BDOS location, whatever. Plus it can parse named or DU: type drive addressing. With a little bit of ingenuity, I have made PIP, a typical non-ZCPR system utility, to work with ZCPR33 (and you have to have at LEAST ZCPR33 in order to use ARUNZ). It's available at SIMTEL20. I _EXTREMELY_ highly recommend it. Yet I still think ALIAS has its place. You can use an alias to tell the system to use a customized startup sequence if you didn't hardcode it (which is one thing I'm going to change because I hardcoded the startup sequence, like a dolt...). And if you tell it to run a program call "STARTUP", you can create a specialized alias that suits your needs, and you can easily change it if your needs change and you don't need to re-hardcode your command line. > 2) No need for NSWEEP. ZCPR 3.3 comes with Zfiler which is a > superior program. It also allows macros and such. For example, > I can point at a file and run WordStar on it without exiting! > (Had to write an alias but what the heck :-) Another great program. Get it as well. I have used it zillions of times and cannot complain at all!!!! > 3) you can name your "users". For example, A0: is called "A0:BASE" > So, I can type "dir base:" or "dir A0:" and get the same thing. Plus you can have several different named directories on your disk. And, like the path, it can be as small or big as you need. My sytem has 28 entries. I upgraded from 14 when I was running a 10, and 14 was too SMALL, if you can believe that! Now, I have room to expand if need be. Same went with the path, only I upgraded to 10 elements from 5. > 4) built in copy (cp) command. Same format as PIP but don't have > to run it as a com file That's optional. It's a great facility to have available. You don't need to reload PIP every time you want to do this. > > 5) let me explore it more and download more utilities from my > UNIX account to my K10.... then I'll let you know. Have at it! You won't regret it!!!! I speak from experience. > I think that it will be better if I post ZCPR 3.3, uuencoded, > on this newsgroup. I don't think it's a good idea if a lot of > people start logging into Simtel when it's alrady so loaded. > (Besides, most of the time you can't anyways so many might just > give up.... and have to suffer with CP/M 2.2 ;-) ;-) ;-) Word of caution: It is EXTREMELY huge. Something like 130K total. It's available at a BBS I call locally (uploaded it myself). It's at Omni BBS, (916) 386-2521, in the room CP/M ZCPR3/ZCPR33, I think (it's a Citadel-type system). My handle there is IJ if you want to shmooze with me there. > > Take care. > > P.S. Will keep you all up to date. Would appreciate that. (grinsmilegrin)