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From: rbt@sftig.UUCP (R.Thomas)
Newsgroups: net.games,net.micro.apple
Subject: Re: CP/M, 70 column card and Wordstar for $165?!?!?
Message-ID: <598@sftig.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Oct-85 15:35:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: sftig.598
Posted: Fri Oct  4 15:35:31 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Oct-85 08:03:03 EDT
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Xref: watmath net.games:2220 net.micro.apple:2198

> < this line intentionally left blank >
> 
> A few months ago, I got something in the mail from a company
> in Washington (I think).  They were offering Wordstar for the
> Apple for $165, and "throwing in" a 6MHz CP/M card complete with
> 64K RAM and a 70-column function on the same card.
> 
> It sounded too good to be true, and I was getting an AMIGA anyway,
> so I just filed it (not in the round file).  Now, my mother wants
> a word processor, so I'm loaning her my Apple ][+.  She needs all
> of the above.  So...
> 
> Is this company for real?  I'm sorry I don't have the name at the
> moment, but hopefully someone will recognize this offer.  Anybody
> order this?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Lee Grey

Yes, they are for real.  The company is Micropro International Corp. and
they are in San Rafael, CA.  Not Washington.  Wordstar is a registered
trademark of Micropro International Corp.  The CP/M board is the so
called 'Starcard', which is actually the PCPI Applicard.  I can't validate
the price, but it sounds like it is in the right ballpark.  The 6MHz Z80 is
as fast as the wind.  I run Turbo Pascal on it and I am continually
impressed with the speed.   Wordstar is also quite sprightly.  The
70-column function is implemented in software, and it is *not* useful as a
replacement for an 80 column card.  It is there so you can run wordstar
even if you dont have a real 80 column board.  You still need a hi-res
monocrome monitor to read it, and the characters are displayed in a 4x8
dotmatrix.  (Work it out:  The Apple hi-res screen is 280x192.  280/70=4
and 192/24=8.)  Not the sort of thing you would want to spend all day
reading.  However, if you get an Apple extended 80 column card to go with
it (or a RAMworks from Applied Engineering) you can have a full, quite
readable, 80 column screen, and there is a software package available
(from Applied Engineering) that uses the extra bank of 64K on the
extended 80-col card (or the extra up to a Meg on the ramworks.) as a
RAMdisk.  Now, talk about *FAST*!  

I have one, and I recommend it.

Rick Thomas
ihnp4!attunix!rbt

PS while I am on the subject of RAMdisks, the starcard comes with a
software driver that attaches to DOS3.3 and uses the 64K on the Z80 card as
a ramdisk for the 6502.  For an exorbitant  price (a couple of hundred
dollars) you can get a piggy-back card for the Z80 from PCPI that will
expand the Z80 to a total of 192K, all of which can be used by the
DOS3.3 ramdisk software.   PCPI does not offer a PROdos version of this
software, so I am working on writing one.  If I ever get it finished, it
will probably be available thru PCPI.

PPS.  The package from Micropro includes the hardware and instructions for
installing the 'one-wire shift-key mod' on the II+ in case you haven't
already done so yourself.

Disclaimer -- I have no connection with any of the above companies.
My employer and the owners of this computer undoubtedly have their own
opinions, which may be different from mine.


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