Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!cbmvax!daveh
From: daveh@cbmvax.UUCP (Dave Haynie)
Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm
Subject: Re: C128
Message-ID: <3558@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 31 Mar 88 15:33:58 GMT
References: <8803281907.AA08437@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 47

in article <8803281907.AA08437@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>, rcarter@WSMR02.ARPA (Raymond Carter  STEWS-NR-AS 678-3348) says:

> First, I don't believe anyone ever claimed it was the world's best and
> fastest CP/M machine, 

Absolutely correct!  The C128 was designed primarily as a followup to the
C64, pretty much in the traditional Commdore computer mold going all the
way back to the PET 2001.  At that, I believe we succeeded, as even 
discounting the Z-80 operation, the C128 is the most powerful machine in
that lineage.

The CP/M option was seen as a very low cost way to add a very big pile of
software that'd run on the C128.  Business and 80 column stuff in particular,
since when it was introduced, there was no native mode software to take 
advantage of the 80 column display, other than the built-in BASIC.

> Also, by using the CONF utility it is possible to speed
> up system operations by about 35% - puts the effective Z80 rate at
> about 2.3 MHZ.

What that does is shut off the VIC display, which eats into the system
bandwidth a bit.

> It also does some pretty reasonable graphics.  The builtin software
> supports 320 by 200 color graphics.  I have recently seen a package
> called BASIC 8 which does really nice 3D 640x200 graphics.

A few commerical packages also drive it in the 640x400 interlaced text
mode, and a few people have recently found a way to get bitmapped graphics
working in the 640x400 interlaced mode.

> To sum up - it may not be the ultimate CP/M computer, but is an extremely
> versatile computer, with MUCH good software available.

For a CP/M user who's expecting to run at speeds comparable with today's
AT style MS-DOS machines, the C128's CP/M will probably be too slow.  You'd
be better off buying some machine with a hot Z-80 (6Mhz-8MHz) and a fast
hard disk drive.  However, for CP/M compatiblity along with the ability to
run all those C64 games and educational programs, much faster C128 native
mode 80 column software (a 2.04MHz 8502 is roughly equivalent to a 6-8MHz
Z-80), than I think a C128 is an excellent computer.

And I'm not just saying that because I helped design it.

-- 
Dave Haynie  "The B2000 Guy"     Commodore-Amiga  "The Crew That Never Rests"
   {ihnp4|uunet|rutgers}!cbmvax!daveh      PLINK: D-DAVE H     BIX: hazy
		"I can't relax, 'cause I'm a Boinger!"