the small APRIL 1983 Vol. 8, No. 4 $2 95 in USA $3.50 in Canada/£2.10 in U.K. A McGriy^-Hill Publication a' At ^«/v *5 NEW CHIPS Apple Computer Inc., 20525 Mariani Avenue, Cupertino, California 95014 For the authorized Apple dealer nearest you, call 800-538-9696 (800-662-9238 in California.) Fruitful Connections. There are more people in more places making more accessories and peripherals for Apples than for any other personal computer in the world. Thanks to those people — in hundreds of independent companies— you can make the humblest 1978 Apple 1 turn tricks that are still on IBM's Wish List for 1984. But now were coming out with * very own line of peripherals I accessories for Apple" Personal Computers. For two very good reasons- First, compatibility. We've created a totally kluge-free family of products designed to take full advantage of all the advantages built into every Apple. Second, service and support. Now the same kindly dealer who keeps your Apple PC in the pink can do the same competent job for your Apple hard-disk and your Apple daisywheel printer So if you're looking to expand the capabilities of your Apple II or III, remember: Now you can add Apples to Apples. Gutenberg would be proud- Old Faithful Silentype* has now been joined by New Faithfuls, the Apple Dot Matrix Printer and the Apple Letter Quality Printer. So now, whatever your budget and your needs, you can hook your Apple to a printer that's specifically designed to take advan- tage of all the features built into your Apple. With no compromises. The 7x9 Apple Dot Matrix Printer is redefining Correspondence quality'' with exceptional legibility. With 144x160 dots per square inch, it can also create high resolution graphics. The Apple Letter Quality Printer, which gets the words out about 33% faster than other daisywheel printers in its price range, also offers graphics ^M^ > ^^ capabilities. See your authorized \m| g^H*^ Apple dealer for more information and ^k | ^^0f^ demonstrations. Because, unfortunately, all ^^^p^^ the news fit to print simply doesrit fit. A joy to behold- The new Apple Joystick II is the ultimate hand control device for the Apple IL Why is it such a joy to use? With two firing buttons, its the first ambidextrous joystick - just as comfortable for lefties as righties. Of course, it gives you 360° cursor control (not just 8-way like some game-oriented devices) and full X/Y coordinate control And the joystick II contains high-quality components and switches tested to over 1,000,000 life cycles. Which makes it a thing of beauty And a joystick forever. □ ©1983 Apple Computer In wm l the creek 'without paddle? : in space? Or down in ons? ver your games, you'll : happf to know that someone y come out with game iuilt to hold up under fire. Without giving you |g >pt Hand Controller II dies were designed with discovery in mind: laying games get can squeeze very, very So we rugged. V\B to3,000,( them for he the firing bj side for mi Soyoi ide the cases extra ised switches tested life cycles. We shaped [ing hands and placed tton on the right rear imum comfort, never miss a shot. storehouse of knowledge* If you work with so much data or so many programs that you find yourself shuffling diskettes con- stantly, you should take a look at Apples ProFile? the personal mass storage system for the Apple III Personal 1 J Computer. This Winchester-based 5-megabyte hard disk can handle as much data as 35 floppies. Even more important for some, it can access that data about 10-times faster than a standard floppy drive. So now your Apple III can handle jobs once reserved for computers costing thousands more. As for quality and reliability, you need only store one word of wisdom: Apple. Bigs Launching pad for numeric data. Good tidings for crunchers of numerous numbers: Apple now offers a numeric keypad that's electronically and aesthetically compatible with the Apple II Personal Computer < So you can enter numeric data faster than ever before. The Apple Numeric Key- pad II has a standard calculator- style layout. Appropriate, because unlike some other key- pads, it can actually function as a calculator. The four function keys to the left of the numeric pad should be of special interest to people who use VisiCalc? Because they let you zip around your work sheet more easily than ever, adding and deleting entries. With one hand tied be- " hind your back. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp, In Circle 27 on inquiry card. How to buy a computer by the numbers. Introducingthe Cromemco C-10 Per- sonal Computer. Only $1785, including software, and you get more profes- sional features and performance for the price than with any other persona I computer on the market. We've got the numbers to prove it. The C-10 starts with a high-resolu- tion 12" CRT that displays 25 lines with » full 80 characters on each line. Inside ; a high-speed Z-80A microprocessor and 64K bytes of on-board memory. Then there's a detached, easy-to-use keyboard and a b l A" disk drive with an exceptionally large 390K capacity. That's the C-10, and you won't find lother ready-to-use personal com- jter that offers you more. But hardware can't work alone. lat's why every C-10 includes software — word processing, financial spread sheet, investment planningand BASIC. \Hard-working, CP/M R -based software at meets your everyday needs. Soft- ware that could cost over $1000 some- where else. FREE with the C-10. There's really nothing else to buy. But the C-10's numbers tell only part of the story. What they don't say is that Cromemco is already known for some of the most reliable business and scientific computers in the industry. ^^ And now for thefirst ^^ time, this technology is available in a personal computer. One last number. Call 800 538-8157x929 for the name of your nearest Cromemco dealer, or to request literature. In California call 800 672-3470 x929. Or write Cromemco, Inc., 280 Bernardo Avenue, P.O. Box 7400, Mountain View, CA 94039. In Europe, write Cromemco A/S, Vesterbrogade 1C, 1620 Copenhagen, Denmark. CP/M R is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. All Cromemco products are serviced by TRW. Cromemco Tomorrow's computers today Circle 123 on inquiry card. 5f^' rftfi*^ In The Queue CITE Volumes, Number 4 April 1 983 Features 28 Build an RS-232C Breakout Box by Steve Garcia I This diagnostic tool can help you make working serial connections. 53 The National Semiconductor NS 16000 Microprocessor Family by Glenn Leedy / The 1 6000 brings to microcomputers features formerly available only on much larger systems. 70 Design Philosophy Behind Motorola's MC68000, Part I by Thomas W. Starnes / This 16-bit processor with multiple 32-bit registers is considered by many experts to be the most powerful, yet easy-to-program microprocessor available. 96 The CRT 9007 Video Processor and Controller by Brian Cayton and fvlort Herman / Explore the heart of a smart terminal. I 1 New Japanese Microcomputers by Phil Lemmons / A first look at the new wave of advanced computers. 132 Intel's 80186: A 16-Bit Computer on a Chip by Tony Zingale / The 80186 is the first integrated circuit that attacks the cost problem in 1 6-bit microcomputers. 1 54 The Intel 8087 Numerics Processor Extension by R. B. Simington /This chip lets you perform mathematical operations with 18 decimal digits of accuracy. 176 Super Graphics Hardware from NEC by Steve Levine / The NEC 7220 GDC is a new item of sophisticated graphics hardware for microcomputers. 1 90 NAPLPS: A New Standard for Text and Graphics, Part 3: Advanced Features by Jim Fleming / NAPLPS can draw irregular lines, compress repeated code segments, define new text characters, and divide the display screen into separate fields. 210 Virtual Memory for Microcomputers by Stephen Schmitt / A brief review of virtual-memory concepts, including an examination of four new memory- management chips. 242 BYTE West Coast: Hard Choices for Software Houses by Phil Lemmons / Advances in hardware, specifically microprocessors and storage devices, are forcing software houses to make some far-reaching decisions. 258 50 and TOO Years Ago in BYTE / The microcomputer industry has made great strides in the past 100 years. Read about what the industry looked like just a short century ago. 260 The Enhanced VIC-20, Part 3: Interfacing an MX-80 Printer by Joel Swank / How to connect a parallel-port printer to the VIC-20. 304 Building a Hard-Disk Interface for an S-100 Bus System, Part 2: The Hardware by Andrew C. Cruce and Scott A. Alexander / This installment covers choosing the disk drive, the disk controller, and the power supply and building the host computer adapter. 324 User's Column: Terminal Solutions, Manual Madness, BASIC Bits, and Info Helpers by Jerry Pournelle / Terminal concerns for Wordstar users, BASIC comments, and a bunch of useful utilities are reviewed by the lord of Chaos Manor. 360 Build This Memory, Part 2: Constructing the Memory Card by Cameron Spitzer / Take advantage of the low cost of dynamic memory. 385 Modula-2 by Joel McCormack and Richard Gleaves / Niklaus Wirth, creator of Pascal, brings us a general-purpose systems implementation language based on modules. 398 The Design of an Advanced Logic Simulator by Robert M. McDermott / M a croc ire u its and time-saving features make this new simulator easy to use. 442 Information Hiding: A Brief Example by Gregg Williams / Consider this helpful alternative to structured programming and modular design. Review 290 Two Ways to Use CP/M-80 on the IBM PC by Phil Lemmons Nucleus 6 Editorial: The New Generation of Human-Engineered Software 1 2 Letters 457 BYTELINES 461 Clubs and Newsletters 463 Ask BYTE 466 Event Queue 477 Books Received 478 BYTE's Bits 479 Software Received 484 What's New? 541 Unclassified Ads 542 BOMB, BOMB Results 543 Reader Service Page 28 Page 1 1 Page 304 Page 360 m Editor In Chief Lawrence J. Curran Managing Editor Pamela A, Clark Senior Editor Gregg Williams Technical Editors Richard S. Shuford, Curtis P. Feigel, Stanley Wszola, Arthur A. Little, Richard Ma Hoy, Bruce Roberts; Philip Lemmons, West Coast Editor; Steve Ciarcia, Mark Dahmke, Consulting Editors; Jon Swanson, Drafting Editor Copy Editors Beverly Cronin, Chief; Faith Hanson, Warren Williamson, Anthony J. Lockwood, Hilary Selby Polk, Elizabeth Kepner, Nancy Hayes, Cathryn Baskin, Tom McMillan; Margaret Cook, Junior Copy Editor Assistants Faith Kluntz, Beverly Jackson, Lisa Jo Steiner Production David R. Anderson, Assoc. Director; Jan Muller, Virginia Reardon, Michael J. Lonsky; Sherry McCarthy, Chief Typographer; Debi Fredericks, Donna Sweeney, Valerie Horn Advertising Deborah Porter, Supervisor; Marion Carlson, Rob Hannings, Vicki Reynolds, Cathy A. R. Drew, Lisa Wozmak; Patricia Akerley, Reader Service Coordinator; Wai Chiu Li, Advertising/Production Coordinator; Linda J. Sweeney Circulation Gregory Spitzfaden, Manager; Andrew Jackson, Asst. Manager; Agnes E. Perry, Barbara Varnum, Louise Menegus, Jennifer Price, Sheila A. Bam ford; James Bingham, Dealer Sales; Deborah J, Cadwell, Asst; Linda Ryan Marketing Communications Horace T. Howland, Director; Wilbur S. Watson, Coordinator; Timothy W, Taussig, Graphic Arts Manager; Michele P. Verville, Research Manager Controller's Office Kenneth A. King, Asst. Controller; Mary E. Ruhr, Acct. & D/P Mgr.; Karen Burgess, Jeanne Cilley, Linda Fluhr, Vicki Bennett, L. Bradley Browne, Vern Rockwell Business Manager Daniel Rodrigues Traffic N. Scott Gagnon, Manager; Scott Jackson, Kathleen Reckart Receptionist Jeanann Waters Publisher Gene W. Simpson; John E. Hayes, Associate Publisher; Cheryl A. Hurd, Publisher's Assistant Officers of McGraw-Hill Publications Com- pany: John G. Wrede, President; Executive Vice President: Paul F. McPherson; Senior Vice President-Editorial: Ralph R. Schulz; Vice Presidents: Kemp Anderson, Business Systems Development; Shel F. Asen, Manufacturing; Harry L. Brown, Special Markets; James E. Hackett, Controller; Eric B. Herr, Planning and Development; H, John Sweger, Jr., Marketing. Officers of the Corporation: Harold W. McGraw Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Joseph L. Dionne, President and Chief Operating Officer; Robert N. Landes, Senior Vice President and Secretary; Ralph J. Webb, Treasurer. In This Issue Innovations in microprocessor and support chips are closing the gap be- tween the speed and power of minicomputers and that of micros. As Robert Tinney's cover illustrates, the scales are tipped in favor of the 16-bit chips. "The National Semiconductor NS 16000 Microprocessor Family" by Glenn Leedy introduces you to the NS16032 processor and its related chips. "Design Philosophy Behind Motorola's MC68000" by Thomas W. Starnes begins a multi-part study of the heart of machines such as the Lisa and the Radio Shack Model 16. In "Intel's 80186," Tony Zingale describes this new chip that com- bines the functions of the 8086 and several support chips in one device. "The CRT 9007 Video Processor and Controller" by Brian Cayton and Mort Herman discusses a sophisticated chip that greatly simplifies the design of smart ter- minals. Steve Levine looks at "Super Graphics Hardware from NEC." "The In- tel 8087 Numerics Processor Extension" by R. B. Simington describes the theory and use of this coprocessor chip to speed up numeric computations on 8086/8088-based computers. In the first BYTE West Coast report, Phil Lemmons brings us news of the way in which software houses are respond- ing to the new advances in hardware. Steve Garcia tells you how to "Build an RS-232C Breakout Box." Plus our regular features. BYTE is published monthly by McGraw-Hill, Inc., with offices at 70 Main St, Peterborough NH 03458, phone (603) 924-9281 . Office hours: Mon-Thur 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM - Noon, Eastern Time. Address subscriptions, change of address, USPS Form 3579, and fulfillment questions to BYTE Subscriptions, POB 590, Martinsville NJ 08836. Second class postage paid at Peterborough, N.H. 03458 and additional mailing offices. USPS Publication No. 528890 (ISSN 0360-5280). Postage Paid at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Registration number 932 1. Subscriptions are $2 1 for one year, $38 for two years, and S55 for three years in the USA and its possessions. In Canada and Mexico, $23 for one year, $42 for two years, $61 for three years. $53 for one year air delivery to Europe. $37 surface delivery elsewhere. Air delivery to selected areas at additional rates upon request. Single copy price is $2.95 in the USA and its possessions, $3.50 in Canada and Mexico, $4.50 in Europe, and $5.00 elsewhere. Foreign subscriptions and sales should be remitted in United States funds drawn on a US bank. Printed in United States of America. Address all editorial correspondence to the editor at BYTE, POB 372, Hancock NH 03449. Unacceptable manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by sufficient first class postage. Not responsible for lost manuscripts or photos. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of BYTE. Entire contents copyright © 1 983 by BYTE Publications Inc. All rights reserved. Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy any article herein for the base fee of $ 1 .00 per copy of the article or item plus 25 cents per page. Payment should be sent directly to the CCC, 2 1 Congress St, Salem MA 01 970. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the permission of McGraw-Hill is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher. BYTE® is available in microform from University Microfilms International, 300 N Zeeb Rd, Dept PR, Ann Arbor Ml 48106 USA or 18 Bedford Row, Dept PR, London WC1R 4EJ England. Subscription questions or problems should be addressed to: BYTE Subscriber Service P.O. Box 328 Hancock, NH 03449 4 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc WE HAVE THE JUMP ON THE COMPETITION -'■,. Kangaro in QUALITY and PRICE! Kangaroos On Us! Kangaroo-the best disk at any price! • CERTIFIED 100% ERROR FREE • REINFORCED HUB RINGS • ALL KANGAROO DISKS ARE PACKAGED IN A HARD LIBRARY Cr • 10 YEAR WARRANTY Suggested List Price 514 inch Single Sided/Double Density $29.95 I 5!4 inch Double Sided/Double Density $39.95 We are so convinced Kangaroo is the best disk you can buy that we make this offer. Buy a box of Kangaroos, if for any reason you i not satisfied with the quality of Kangaroos, return them within 30 days for a full refund — no questions asked. EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR: NORTH AMERICAN MICROCOMPUTER BUSINESS tHDUSTHIES'- ™"*ftftftTf QTJ ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 1019 ST TELEPHONE: (303) 279-8438 Circle 106 on inquiry card. Circle 140 on inquiry card. COMPILE A BIBLIOGRAPHY AUTOMATICALLY. If you're a professional writer, we've Just made your job easier. BIBLIOGRAPHY™ compares cita- tions in a manuscript with the entries in your own card catalog and constructs a bibliography of all entries cited. Entries are added to the catalog using your text-editor. Each cata- log entry has a keyname (for exam- ple, author and year of publica- tion), followed by bibliographic information such as the author's name, the title and annotations. The entries can be of any length and format. When preparing the manuscript, just type in the keyname for each reference. BIBLIOGRAPHY con- structs a bibliography of all works cited - alphabetized or numbered, with annotations included or excluded. BIBLIOGRAPHY can handle ref- erences to meet the requirements of virtually any professional jour- nal, publisher or style manual. Price is$1 25, For more information, see your computer dealer or con- tact Digital Marketing. BIBLIOGRAPHY requires CP/M® 2.2,CP/M-86 T -orlBMPCDOSand a minimum of 48K RAM. It will work with most word processors including WordStar™ Spellbinder™, PeachText™ and SuperWriter™. SOFTWARE SOFTWARE DIGIL4L/tt>fRKETING DIGITA/VMRKETING' M DIGITAL MARKETING CORPORATION 2670 CHERRY LANE -WALNUT CREEK • CALIFORNIA •94596 (41 5> 938-2860 • Tetex 1 7-1 652 {DIGMKTG WNCK) Deoiet inauines invited Dealers outside California colt (501 ) 442-0664 Inside Colltormo coll (41 5) 938-2683 Trademarks: Bibliography - ProTem Software; CP/M and CP/M- 86 - Digital Research, Inc.: WordStar - MicroPro International; Spellbinder - Lexisoft; PeachText - Peach tree Software; SuperWriter - Sorcim. PROTEM Editorial The New Generation of Human-Engineered Software Gregg Williams, Senior Editor Apple's new Lisa epitomizes the state of the art in computer sophistication and ease of use. Its integrated software and mouse make this machine a har- binger of what's in store for microcomputers. These new advances mean serious business. Software companies, for one, appear to be staking their future on products that feature video windows, which allow various projects to appear on the video screen simultaneously, and the mouse, a hand-held box-shaped device that provides an alternative to the computer keyboard. Many new products announced in the past few months are incarnations of what has become known as integrated software. The microcomputing industry is at the threshold of a new trend in user-friendly, human-engineered software — a trend spurred b new technologies and rising product development costs. New technologies, particularly 16-bit processors and inexpensive computer memory, make more sophisticated software possible. Increased sophistication, however, means higher development costs, which are inevitably passed on to the consumer. Manufacturers, however, see a solution in easy-to-use software. By making such software, they expect to reach a boarder market base; with more potential buyers, the price per unit remains generally affordable. Why Human-Engineered Software? This move toward easy-to-use software is the result of a chain of events and influences. We begin with the 16-bit microprocessors, which have been around for several years. Their main contribution is that they have given the am- bitious programmer some elbow room. Eight-bit processors are inherently limited by their 64K-byte address space and this in turn imposes restrictions on a programmer's creativity. Granted, clever hardware design and programming can often get around this storage problem, but only up to a point. On the other hand, with 16-bit (and larger) microprocessors capable of addressing millions of bytes of data, programmers have ample room in which to do their work. The second link in this chain of events is the decreasing cost of mass storage devices and, in particular, computer memory. Only within the last year has memory become inexpensive enough to be used without manufacturers worry- ing too much about how additional memory will increase the price of the unit. Now that larger memories are affordable and are becoming standard, software companies must decide how they'll use the extra memory to its maximum potential. This brings us to the third link in this chain, which involves a choice to be made by software developers: they can create either computationally more powerful programs or easier-to-use programs. Both options have their advantages, but most companies are going with the latter for one reason: they are courting the average person who is being introduced to computers and their many uses through advertisements on television and in the print media. These people are the new computer users. Why is this new computer user so important? First of all, the general public is just becoming aware of software and how it can make a computer work for them. Thinking that a lucrative software market is 6 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 328 on inquiry card. EfiCOMOATA We've Got More Than A Fond Attachment For Your ATARI We've Got A Disk Drive For $488. Percom Data Corporation believes your Atari* home computer is more than just fun and games. We believe you should be able to get a single-density, ftoppy-disk- system for your Atari 400 or 800 at a price that will take you into the future without knocking you into the next galaxy. Percom Data has been manufacturing disk-drive systems, and other accessories for personal computers since the mid-1970s and is the industry standard to follow when it comes to data separation and system compatibility. The Percom Data AT-88 combines Percom Data quality an6 reliability at a price that is not a budget-buster. The Percom Data AT-88 offers 88 Kbytes (formatted) in single-density, with plug- in ease of attachment to your Atari. The AT-88 has integral power supply, "no- patch" to Atari DOS and critical constant speed regulation. Take advantage of this low introductory price of $488 by calling Percom Data now to get more information, or the name of an authorized dealer nearby. Call toll-free 1-800-527-1222 UTOCM DATA] CORPORATION Expanding Your Peripheral Vision DRIVES • NETWORKS • SOFTWARE Editorial beginning to open, each company understandably wants to get its foot in the door first with these new users. These companies are hoping that once people buy one of their packages, they are likely to consider them for their future soft- ware needs. The far more compelling reason for courting this new user via easy-to-use soft- ware is cost. As the com- plexity of software goes up, so do the costs associated with designing, programming, testing, and documenting it. To keep these added costs from increasing the product's price and decreasing its potential market, software houses have realized that they must expand their market . Programs using current software technol- ogy will sell to only those people who currently use microcomputers. If, on the other hand, software designers use this extra power to make programs that are both powerful and easy to use, they can expect to sell to the potentially huge market of "software-hungry" users, thus vastly increasing the market for their product. The extra production costs would (they hope) be spread over such a large group that the extra cost per program sold would rise only slightly. The Big Question The big question is 'What makes software easy to use?" Microsoft and Visicorp are firmly committed to the mouse and the desktop-manager concept as the Prototype of Visicorp's Visi On integrated applications environ- ment. Note the multiple video windows and mouse. Since this photo was taken, Visicorp has changed to a two-button mouse. answer. Microsoft will in- corporate a mouse and win- dow-management system into advanced versions of its Multitool series of pack- ages (Multiplan is its first such package ) . Visicorp stole some of Apple's thun- der when it previewed Lisa- like features on the IBM Personal Computer at Comdex last fall with a package called Visi On (see photo). Visi On, which is billed as an "integrated ap- plications environment, " has a two-button mouse and can support multiple tasks running in separate windows. Note that these software companies are putting great emphasis on a hardware device (the mouse) that will add be- tween $150 and $250 to the cost of some of their pro- ducts; this fact alone in- dicates the depth of these companies' commitment to the future. However, the real answer to the question posed in the previous paragraph is that nobody knows what will make software easy to use. Apple, Microsoft, and Visi- corp each has its own option. Other companies, of course, have other solutions (for an excellent discussion of some different plans, see Phil Lemmons' BYTE West Coast, "Hard Choices for Software Houses," on page 242). The air is already filled with claims and promises about the merits of each company's products, but nobody knows what makes software easy to use; the final answer will be in what the people buy. ■ C compilers HOST 6809 TARGET PDPllVLSUl* TARGET 8080AZ80) TARGET 8088/8086 TARGET FLEXVUNIFLEX* OS-9* $200.00 * ( ', ? 2£" $350.00 ,?;;;: 500.00 500.00 500.00 RT-11VRSX-11* PDP-11* 500.00 200.00 XllV 350,00 *JS 500.00 500.00 CP/M* 8080/(Z80) 500.00 500.00 200.00 ""SSI ' 350.00 5K5 500.00 PCDOS*/CP/M86* 8088/8086 500.00 500.00 500.00 200.00 *?£$? 350.00 ,££ *PCDOS is a trademark of IBM CORP. MSDOS is a trademark of MICROSOFT. UNIX is a trademark of Bell Labs. RT-11/RSX- 11 /PDP-11 is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation. FLEX/UNIFLEX is a trademark of Technical Systems consultants. CP/M & CP/M86 are trademarks of Digital Research. OS-9 is a trademark of Microware & Motorola. • FULLC • UNIX* Ver. 7 COMPATABUTY • NO ROYALTIES ON GENERATED CODE • GENERATED CODE IS REENTRANT • C AND ASSEMBLY SOURCE MAY BE INTERMIXED • UPGRADES & SUPPORT FOR 1 YEAR C SOURCE AVAILABLE FOR $2500™ 408-275-1659 TELECON SYSTEMS 1155 Meridian Avenue, Suite 218 San Jose, California 95125 8 April 19*3 © BYTE Publications lnc Circle 406 on inquiry card. IllillllillliilUllfllllllll ^/-;*^l T .l v .l 4 :i l .l .l p l T IM"r 1 » '1 ? t; TOUGH TO OUTGROW it's no surprise so many businesses today are using our CompuStar* multi-user microcomputer. All sorts of businesses, those at the top and those on the way, know that only CompuStar can give them the big system performance they'll need as they grow. And they know that only CompuStar can deliver that performance at a fraction of the cost of most other systems. CompuStar' solves the small business computer dilemma. It's ideal for those first time business users who need only single-user capability. But it's also perfect when those small businesses grow into large corporations. That's because CompuStar is truly expandable ... all the way up to 255 workstations, each with its own processor and internal computer memory. And that means fast, fast response, even when many users are on-line at the same time. Whether you're a small business with big plans or a big business with an eye for economy. CompuStar' has the performance and versatility that's tough to outgrow. . . the price/performance ratio that's impossible to beat! STANDARD FEATURES $ 350K/750K/1.5 MB workstation disk capacities # 64K RAM and twin processors in each workstation m An easy-to-read 12-inch non-glare screen # Operator convenience features numeric keypad and visual text highlighting # Microsoft* Basic $ CP/Mt operating software # Truly multi-user and multi-processor STORAGE OPTIONS # 10 MB -compact, low-cost and tabletop # 96 MB -80 fixed and 16 removable megabytes $ 144 MB- reliable, rugged Winchester storage CompuStar' is built and backed by the company that's been in the microcomputer business as long as microcomputers have been in business. Would you trust your business to anything less? CompuStar: Tough to beat. Tough to outgrow! Circle 215 on inquiry card. [I£ll¥4i: J L DATA SjESYSTBvIS, Microstuff's CROSSTALK $119 MICROPRO CALCSTAR $99.00 DATASTAR. 194.00 DATASTAR 1 65.00 MAILMERCE 149.00 SPELLSTAR 174.00 SUPERSORT I 1 74.00 SUPERSORT II 174.00 WORDSTAR 279.00 WORDSTAR/ MAILMERCE 369.00 WORDSTAR TRAINING GUIDE 11.25 MICROSOFT 1 28K RAM FOR IBM PC $599.00 ALDS 105.00 BASIC 80 COMPILER 299.00 BASIC 80 INTERPRETER 279.00 BASIC COMPILER FOR APPLE II . . 31 5.00 1 28K RAMCARD 599.00 1 92K RAMCARD 699.00 256K RAMCARD 799.00 64K RAMCARD 399.00 64K RAMCHIPS 175.00 TIME MANAGER 119.00 TYPING TUTOR 23.00 MICROSOFT Z80 PREMIUM PACK 619.75 MICROSOFT Z80 SOFTCARD 279.00 ITIULISP/ muSTAR 169.00 MULTIPLAN 21 9.00 muSIMP/muMATH 199.00 TASC APPLESOFT COMPILER .... 149.00 MicroPros INFOSTAR ASHTONTATE dBASE II $529.00 BOTTOM LINE STRATEGIST 279.00 C. ITOH PROWRITER PARALLEL $489.00 PROWRITER SERIAL 639.00 F-1055.. 1799.00 F-10 PARALLEL 1399.00 F-1 SERIAL . . . . 1 449.00 GRAPPLER INTERFACE 140.50 PROWRITER II 789.00 TRACTOR FOR F10 229.00 CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS ASYNCHRONOUS INTERFACE ..$129.00 SYNCHRONOUS INTERFACE 149.00 CALENDAR CLOCK 105.00 RS232 INTERFACE 124.00 PROGRAMMABLE TIMER (for apple) 99.00 COMSHARE TARGET MARKETING PLANNER CALC $79.00 TARGET FINANCIAL MODELING . . 249.00 CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE HOME ACCOUNTANT FOR APPLE $69.00 HOME ACCOUNTANT FOR IBM ... 1 29.00 DICTRONICS, INC. RANDOM HS. ELE. THESAURUS. $129.00 PROOF READER. 50.00 NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESS SYSTEMS THE ANSWER $249.00 NEC NEC 3550 LOP $2149.00 OASIS WORDPLUS $149.00 PEACHTREE ACCOUNTS PAYABLE .... $375.00 ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE 375.00 GENERAL LEDGER 375.00 INVENTORY 375.00 PAYROLL . . . . . 187.50 SALES INVOICING 375.00 PERFECT SOFTWARE PERFECT CALC $1 39.00 PERFECT FILER 279.00 PERFECT SPELLER 1 39.00 PERFECT WRITER 239.00 OUADRAM 128K MEMORY EXPANSION. . . . $380.00 192K MEMORY EXPANSION 475.00 64K MEMORY EXPANSION 280.00 64K MEMORY UPGRADE 129.00 DUAL PORT EXPANSION KIT 49.00 MICROFAZERS ALL MODELS CALL! MICROFAZER POWER SUPPLY .... 17.00 OUADBOARD 64K 499.00 OU ADBOARD 1 28 K 649.00 OUADBOARD 1 92K 749.00 OUADBOARD 256K 829.00 RANA CONTROLLER FOR ELITE I $99.00 RANA ELITE 1 379.00 RANA ELITE II 559.00 RANA ELITE III 729.00 SMITH-CORONA SMITH-CORONA TP-1 $599.00 SORCIM PASCAL M $1 31 .25 SUPERCALC BY SORCIM 209.00 SPELLGUARD 189.00 SUPERSOFT ADA $269.00 DIAGNOSTICS I 65.50 DIAGNOSTICS II 84.00 DISK DOCTOR BY SUPERSOFT 84.00 FORTRAN 279.00 PESONAL DATABASE 99.00 SCRATCHPAD 259.00 STACKWORKS FORTH 149.00 STATSGRAPHS 169.00 C COMPILER 175.00 SSS FORTRAN IV. 218.75 SUPER M LIST 65.00 TERM I 1 31 .00 TERM II 1 50.00 TEXT FORMATTING 75.00 UTILITIES I . UTILITIES II 52.50 EAGLE MONEY DECISIONS $119.00 FORCE II MATH* $99.00 FOX&GELLER dUTIL $68.00 OUICKSCREEN FOR dBASE II .... . 129.00 OUICKCODE FOR dBASE II 249.00 INTEGRAL DATA SYSTEMS IDS MICROPRISM 480 PRINTER. $599.00 IDS PRISM 1 32 PRINTER 1 299.00 IDS PRISM 80 PRINTER. 999.00 INTERACTIVE STRUCTURES PKASSO 135.00 INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE, INC. TIM Ml $369.00 GRAPHMACIC 69.00 MATHEMAGIC 79.00 INFORMATION UNLIMITED SYSTEMS EASYFILER $349.00 EASYSPELLER 159.00 EASYWRITER II 279.00 MAXELL FD-1 or FH-1-32 8 SINGLE SIDED. ... $41 .50 FD-2 8" DOUBLE SIDED 48.95 MD-1 orMH-1 5 1 /4" SINGLE SIDED.... 31.25 MD-2 or MH-2 5 1 /4" double sided . . . 47.10 MICROHOUSE CALL TOLL-FREE 1-800-523-9511 1-215-868-8219 SORENTO VALLEY ASSOCIATES 8" FLOPPY SYSTEM (1 MEG) . . $1995.00 8" FLOPPY SYSTEM (2 MEG). . . . 2599.00 1 MEG WINC. FOR APPLE 3399.00 128K RAM BOARD 649.00 1 92K RAM BOARD 845.00 256K RAM BOARD 949.00 T/ MAKER COMPANY T/MAKER III $249.00 VIDEX ENHANCER II $119.00 VIDEX KEYBOARD ENHANCER . . . 105.00 VIDEX VIDEOTERM FOR APPLE II. 299.00 VISICORP DESKTOP PLAN APPLE II $184.00 DESKTOP PLAN IBM 228.00 VISICALC 184.00 VISICALC ADVANCED VERSION . . 339.00 VISICALC BUSINESS FORECASTING 89.00 VISIDEX 184.00 VISIFILE APPLE II 184.00 VISIFILE IBM 228.00 VISIUNK 184.00 VISIPACK 619.00 VISIPLOT FOR APPLE 1 59.00 VISISCHEDULE 228.00 VISITERM 80.00 VISITREND/VISIPLOT 228.00 we want you to know... MICROHOUSE, because we don't just answer phones, we answer questions. we want you to know... microhouse continues to feature great prices and quality softwares and hardware. we want you to know... MICROHOUSE introduces new products: THE ANSWER NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESS SYSTEMS, INC. Now you can truly have information at the touch of a button from the worlds first self- teaching database system, the answer uses "electronic cards" or computerized ver- sions of Index cards. These cards hold all your pertinent Information In the sequence you want It. with the answers report generation feature, you can also do mailings, business reports, math, and high level searching. LIST PRICE: $295.00 MICROHOUSE PRICE $249.00 FAST GRAPHS INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE FAST graphs is a complete graphics and plotting program designed for the IBM-PC with a color or high resolution black and white monitor. Completely menu driven, FAST graphs automatically scales axes, titles, and creates graph legends; using manual data input or direct data Input from Vlsicalc, or most other spread sheet and database programs. Special draw mode with painting and erasing feature allows you to creatively edit your graphs and charts. List Price: $295.00 MICROHOUSE PRICE: $189.00 CALST AR CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS, INC. calstar is a brand new, expandable, single board computer system which is ideally suited to business applications, it combines high priced benefits at a cost any business can afford. Calstar offers 2-8" double slded-double density disc drives (2 meg capacity!). Software Included in every CALSTAR: CP/M, PERFECT WRITER, PERFECT SPELLER, PERFECT CALC, and PERFECT FILER. CALL MICROHOUSE FOR DETAILS! List Price: $2995.00 MICROHOUSE PRICE: $2695.00 PRINTM ASTER F-1 C. ITOH The printmaster Is built on an aluminum base and uses high quality metal parts for reliability and dependability, it streams along at 55 LOcps (letter quality characters per second) with all the qualities of a starwriter. MICROHOUSE Is an authorized C. itoh re- pair center. MICROHOUSE PRICE: $1749.00 we want you to know... MICROHOUSE has a 24 hour computerized order system called microliime which enables you to access specific pro- duct information and place an order if you wish, microline can be reached at 1-215-868-1230 P.O. BOX 499/1444 LINDEN ST., DEPT. 201.. BETHLEHEM, PA 18016 IBM IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES. CP/M IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF DIGITAL RE- SEARCH, INC., APPLE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF APPLE COMPUTERS, INC., PERFECT WRITER, PERFECT SPELLER, PERFECT CALC ARE TRADEMARKS OF PERFECT SOFTWARE, INC, THE ANSWER IS A TRADEMARK OF NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESS SYSTEMS. FAST GRAPH IS A TRADEMARK OF INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE MARKETING, INC. CROSSTALK IS A TRADEMARK OF MICROSTUFF. INFOSTAR IS A TRADEMARK OF MICROPRO. PRICES, SPECIFICATIONS AND AVAILIBILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. NOT ALL PROGRAMS AVAILABLE IN ALL FORMATS. PLEASE CALL FOR ADDITIONAL PRODUCT INFORMATION. DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME. WE WANT YOU TO KNOW... MICROHOUSE Circle 262 on inquiry card YOUf M f C TO* CO ItipU tCT PeOpfe New Chips for Dynamic Memory Fans I enjoyed Rob Belies 's excellent article, "Practical Dynamic Memory System Design" (December 1982 BYTE, page 372). Your readers may like to know about two newer chips that have made dynamic memory much easier to use: the 4164 and the 6883. The 64K- by 1-bit 4164 costs about the same per bit as the 16K- by 1-bit 4116 but requires only a single +5-V supply and uses less power and board space. The single power supply feature eliminates the need, in most systems, for an expensive three-voltage power supply and the chance that chips might be fried by ap- plication of supply voltages in the wrong order. The smaller memory cells make the 4164 more sensitive to alpha-radiation- induced random bit changes, but this hap- pens infrequently enough that it is not much of a problem for most applications. The Motorola 6883 synchronous ad- dress multiplexer makes interfacing dynamic memory to the 6809 micropro- cessor almost as easy as hook ing up static memory. It handles all CAS and RAS timing, address multiplexing, and memory refresh. It can also interface the 6809 to Motorola's 6847 video display generator (as in the Radio Shack Color Computer) and provides all system timing so that dynamic memory refresh and display refresh are transparent. Both the 4164 and the 6883 are well worth knowing about for anyone in- terested in dynamic-memory system design. David Nye 209 West Lowe's Creek Rd. Eau Claire, WI 54701 Turning on the 41 16 I feel I must point out an important omission from Rob Belics's article 'Prac- tical Dynamic-Memory System Design" in regard to power supplies for the 4116 DRAM (dynamic random-access read/ write memory) chip. Mr. Belies briefly describes these as "three separate power- supply voltages that must first be applied in a certain order." I searched the article carefully, and Mr. Belies never tells us in what order these supplies must be turned on and off. In the April 1981 "Ask Byte" column (page 328), Steve Ciarcia states, 'The most important thing to remember when designing any computer that uses 4116s is that the power-supply voltages must be turned on and off in sequence. To keep from blowing the 4116 on power-up, the — 5-V supply must be turned on before the +5-V and +12-V supplies. On power-down, the —5 and +12 are re- moved. . . . the sequence can be ac- complished through the time constants of the power supply itself. ..." Charles Reeves Jr., Physicist Nuclear Division Union Carbide 270 Park Ave. New York, NY 10017 Multfdos Update Once again, the work of a software developer has outstripped the publishing process and an update is needed to my review "Multidos: A New TRS-80 Disk Operating System" (December 1982 BYTE, page 392). The price of Multidos has increased from $79.95 to $99.95. There is also a new, $39.95 version called ZDOS; although not as full-featured as Multidos, it provides double-density support and SUPERBASIC (write to Cosmopolitan Electronics, 5700 Plymouth Rd., Ann Ar- bor, MI 48105, for full details). The addi- tional $20 charge for Multidos buys you a disk sector and file editor or ZAP utility, a disk-drive timer utility, a tape-to-disk conversion utility, and a RAM (random- access read /write memory) test utility. The DOS part of Multidos version 1.6 now includes two-sided drive support, a PATCH command, a RESTOR command to recover a file deleted with the KILL command, a CAT (catalog) command that reads the directory of almost any Model I or III disk, and many additional options for the original commands. Multidos is now claimed to support disk I/O (input/output) at 4.7 MHz, if you have a clock speedup that allows this. SUPERBASIC, the disk BASIC that comes with Multidos, has added com- mands to remove REM statements; pack BASIC program lines together while pre- serving program logic; and save the current BASIC program in memory while work- ing on another program, then return to the original program (or append it to the new one). Vernon Hester, the author of Multidos, has released one newsletter so far and promises to publish patches in 1983 that will enable some popular software to run under Multidos. Let me close by saying that I have found Multidos to stand up very well to over a year's use; it is fast and and reliable and provides a very flexible BASIC develop- ment environment. Rowland Archer Jr. 5420 Loyal Place Durham, NC 27713 MDBS Takes Issue with User's Column In the December 1982 BYTE "User's Column" (page 222), Jerry Pournelle notes that Micro Data Base Systems Inc. is working on enhancing the BDS Compiler, This new C compiler, called C, has been available for several months. Perhaps its most notable traits are its production of extremely compact object code and its relatively fast execution and compilation. I would like to correct several misim- pressions conveyed in Dr. Poumelle's col- umn. First, Micro Data Base Systems Inc. is not a "bunch of Purdue University peo- ple." The company's management and* staff of over 100 persons are not employees of Purdue University. While a number of our employees hold bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees from Pur- due, many others received training at other equally fine institutions. A second error pertains to our database management product, MDBS. Dr. Pour- nelle states that "MDBS and the CODASYL database systems are hierar- chical in structure." This is incorrect. Systems based on the CODASYL ap- proach are not at all limited to hierarchi- cal architectures. Indeed, the flexibility provided by CODASYL-network struc- tures was a major advance over hierarchi- cal systems. Furthermore, MDBS should not be confused with either CODASYL- network systems or hierarchical systems. MDBS is a post-relational system of the extended-network variety, which means that it overcomes many limitations of the old-time hierarchical, relational, and CODASYL-network approaches to data- base management. 12 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 407 on inquiry card. Bored Waiting? Here's The Board You Ve Been Waiting For. p ■ I A hard disk and cartridge tape controller together on one board? Magic? Not really. It's Teletek's HD/CTC. The hard disk and cartridge tape drive control- ler provide the support necessary to interface both rigid-disk drives and a cartridge tape deck to the S-100 bus. A Z-80A CPU (optionally Z-80B) providing intelligent control of the rigid-disk and cartridge tape drives. Support of 5 1 /4 f ' rigid-disk drives with transfer rates of 5 megabits per second. Minor changes of the on-board com- ponents allow the support of other drive types/sizes and transfer rates up to 15 megabits per second. (Interface to disk drive is defined by software/ firmware on-board.) Controller communications with the host processor via 2K FIFO at any speed desirable (limited only by RAM access time) for a data block transfer. Thus the controller does not constrain the host processor in any manner. • Two 28-pin sockets allowing the use of up to 16K bytes of on-board EPROM and up to 8K bytes of on-board RAM. • Individual software reset capability. • Conforms to the proposed IEEE-696 S-100 standard. • Controller can accommodate two rigid-disk drives and one cartridge tape drive. Expansion is made possible with an external card. Teletek's HD/CTC Offers A Hard Disk Controller, Plus Cartridge Tape Controller, All On One Board. TELETEK 9767F Business Park Drive Sacramento, CA 95827 (916) 361-1777 Telex #4991834 Answer back-Teletek © Teletek 1983 UNIX, with change. Idris is a trademark of Whitesmiths, Ltd. /UNIX is a trademark of Bell Laboratories. Put off by the UNIX price tag and licensing restrictions? If you are, take a closer look at Idris. Idris gives you all the power of UNIX at a fraction of the cost— and they're highly compatible— even pin-for-pin in some cases. Upfront expenses are much lower, you only pay for the parts you ship, and the end-user licenses can be transferable. What's more, we wrote Idris ourselves— from the ground up— so you'll have fewer licensing hassles. We wrote it almost entirely in C, for maximum portability across a wide range of processors. And we kept it small. Idris can run comfortably where UNIX can't even fit: On an MC68000 with no memory management hardware, for example. On a bank-switched 8080 or Z80. Or on any LSI-11 or PDP-11 with memory management. Avery big Idris plus. Find out how you can put Idris to work in your favorite con- figuration today Write Whitesmiths, Ltd., 97 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742. Or call (617) 369-8499, TLX 951708 SOFTWARE CNCM. With Idris, you pocket the change. Whitesmiths, Ltd* Crafting ScrftwareTbols for your Trade* Distributors. Australia, Fawnray Pty. Ltd. P.O.B. 224 Hurstville NSW 2220 (612) 570-6100 Japan, Advanced Data Controls, Corp., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (03) 263-0383 United Kingdom, Real Time Systems, Newcastle upon Tyne 0632 733131 14 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 443 on inquiry card. Letters _________ It should also be pointed out that, unlike MDBS, the many microcomputer file handlers that are very loosely referred to as relational databases have little in common with usual, long-established no- tions of what constitutes database man- agement. These file handlers do not even begin to approach systems such as IBM's SQL/DS, the de facto standard for rela- tional systems. The limitations of file management are not overcome merely by referring to files as databases. With respect to MDBS documentation, it must be noted that "A Primer on Data Base Management Systems" by Dr. Clyde Holsapple, cited in the article, is not a component of the MDBS reference manual. It is a separate tutorial that is routinely and quite successfully used in in- troductory university courses on database management systems at the undergrad- uate level. We have distributed thousands of copies of the primer in the last few years, and the feedback has been over- whelmingly favorable. Gary J. Koehler, Ph.D. President and Chief Executive Officer Micro Data Base Systems Inc. POB 248 Lafayette, IN 47902 Video Displays and Elimination of Health Risks The letter in the December 1982 BYTE from John C. Villforth of the U.S. Bureau of Radiological Health attempted to reassure VDT (video display terminal) users that these machines do not emit harmful levels of radiation. In reality, there are very good reasons for suspecting that the current generation of cathode-ray tube VDTs are hazardous and are causing cataracts and other diseases. Fortunately, however, VDTs can be built by several other methods that reduce or eliminate radiation emissions. In cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), a high- speed beam of electrons is abruptly decelerated as it slams into the face of the tube. It is a basic fact of physics that this process produces x-rays and microwave and ultraviolet radiation. Mr. Villforth writes that the government has done studies showing that CRT x-ray emissions under "normal" conditions are not "signi- ficantly above the natural background radiation to which we are all exposed." Just exactly what does this mean? Why Circle 405 on inquiry card. > unplete with mtroller & cartridge FIRST FROM TECMAR NEW REMOVABLE CARTRIDGE WINCHESTER Write for new Tecmar Information Kit. TECMAR Personal Computer Products Division 23600 Mercantile Road Cleveland, Ohio 44122 Phone 216-464-741 0/Te I ex 241735 This is the breakthrough in storage that IBM PC people have been waiting for as Tecmar engineering keeps you moving ahead. , Duest 5 Megabyte removable cartridge Winchester disk drive IBM-compatible Tecmar 1 new lecmarsuperspeed controller 1 Tecmar disk sharing for up tc 4 IBM PCs 1 your best solution for mass storage, and the most sensible back-up system available. We believe this is the future in storage because we have proved its reliability and its advantages. The new removable cartridge gives you unlimited memory at a lower price tag than the basic Winchester at comparable $1795 cc nfroller&cc TECMAR COMPATIBILITY, VERSATILITY, RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, RESPONDABILITY The first and only complete line of fully compatible expansion options for IBM PCs, including every type of disk drive NEW SHARED WINCHESTER PC-MATE PC-MATE 1 FLOPPY Controller Board will disks. Winchesters cc floppy subsystem ca Letters, doesn't he tell us some actual measure- ments, in millirads per hour at a point 1 foot from the screen, so we can make up our own minds about just how dangerous they are? Radiation emissions from CRTs may in- deed be low, but it does not follow that they are not hazardous. With radiation, there is no threshold — all exposures, no matter how low, carry with them some additional risk of cancer and leukemia, genetic damage, and depressed function- ing of the body's immunological system. Radiation to the eye in particular in- creases the likelihood of cataracts and eye damage. Furthermore, the x-rays, micro- waves, and ultraviolet radiation may act together, in synergy, to do many times more damage than each by itself. It is fundamentally unscientific to assert that measurements of radiation emitted from CRTs show that this radiation is safe. The only real way to tell is to analyze carefully controlled, long-term GREAT INNOVATORS Today Vista is developing many high technology computer peripherals for use with IBM 7 ' 1 and Apple Computers. The final evolutionary stage in Apple disk storage, Quartet of- fers you the capacity of 4 Apple Disk Drives in the volume of one. Quartet's low profile styling has been developed to blend in with the profile and style of your Apple II Computer. Quartet uses 2 Double Sided Thinline disk drives to give you over 640 K of storage. With the included Quartet Controller Sf Software, your Computer can handle much larger tasks than before. When using protected software, the Quartet operates just like 2 Apple Disk Drives, and will operate with ALL Apple compatible software. The Quartet system is the COMPLETE, one-stop solution to your storage requirements on the Apple or Apple Compati- ble Computer. No other two-drive package offers as much value at any price. And the Quartet offers all this with a price comparable to single drive, single sided systems, features; • Thinline Drives for low profile • 2 Double Sided Drives for 640K Storage • Quartet Con- troller for Single /Double Sided Operation • Emulates Apple Disk fl under a single sided mode • Boots & Runs All Apple Software bie Sided. 40 track Patch for DOS CP/MV 6r Pas- uH Vista 120 Day Warranty ct Your Local Vista Dealer or Call our Vista Hotiines. Vista COMPUTER COMPANY INC. 1317 t!ast Edinger / Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714)953-0523 / (800)854-8017 Distributors epidemiological studies of the rates of cataracts and radiation-caused diseases in people using CRTs versus the rates of these diseases in people not using CRTs. These studies should be started im- mediately (because cataracts and cancer can take many years to become manifest), and they should be carried out by truly in- dependent scientists. The federal cover- ups of the cancers among GIs and residents of Utah and Nevada caused by fallout from atomic-bomb tests show clearly that no federal agency — including the Bureau of Radiological Health — can be trusted to tell us the truth about radia- tion. Fortunately, video display terminals can be built in a manner that eliminates radiation exposure. Liquid-crystal or light-emitting-diode displays emit no radiation. Another method is to have the operator look through glass at the image from a CRT reflected from a mirror. IBM already makes such terminals. Even the use of a lead-glass shield over the CRT screen should make a big difference. Those of us who must use the ordinary computer CRTs can do several things to minimize the radiation risk. First, don't sit too close to the thing. (Radiation levels decrease with the square of the distance from the screen.) Second, turn the brightness (the voltage through which the electron beam is accelerated) down as low as you can without decreasing readability. Careful adjustment of room lighting to eliminate screen glare will enable the brightness to be turned down even lower, as does the highly visible amber screen, which is mandated by law in several Euro- pean countries. And third, do investigate products such as lead-glass shields, which are claimed to have radiation shielding capabilities. I'm not arguing for a risk-free society. I only point out that in this case we're tak- ing a risk — one that may turn out to be quite severe — for no corresponding benefit. Radiation-free VDTs can easily be built to emit no radiation. But it's up to us, the computer users, to demand that such machines be built. No market, no product. For those interested in further informa- tion, I strongly recommend the book Ra- diation and Human Health by John W. Gofman, M.D. and Ph.D., and one of the world's foremost authorities on the health dangers caused by ionizing radiation (Sierra Club Books, 1981). Another ex- cellent book, which focuses in particular on microwaves, is The Zapping of Ameri- 16 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 430 on inquiry card. YS THE PERSONAL COMPUTER AD OUR COMPETITION DOESN'T WANT YOU TO READ. It's an ad for NEC's APC™ Advanced Personal Computer. A solutions-oriented system that solves business problems in the simplest, most cost-effective way. The APC supports both CP/M-86™ and MS-DOS™ It can store more information than any system in its price range. In short, it's got the best price/performance of any personal computer. That's why our competition would p never see our systc ' We asked sorr men who s mis why t'J ./reason' jSfc. The\ ■Only v llrket r ,6-bit r 3k searching; CASE state OF found : . . . fail : . . . END The three-valued state variable allows us to distinguish normal and abnormal loop termination clearly and explicitly. I have written this letter reluctantly because I find that debates about pro- gramming languages (and operating systems) are usually acrimonious and unhelpful. Most of these debates tend to be over such trivia as where the semicolons go and how many symbols you need to implement your favorite algorithm. We can compare languages meaningfully only if we agree beforehand on the environment in which they will run and the applications for which they will be used. Peter Grogono Metonymy Productions 4125 Beaconsfield Ave. Montreal, Quebec H4A 2H4 Canada Software Boycott Software piracy has been a concern to software vendors for some time. To pro- tect their investment, vendors resort to copy protection and limiting the number of backup copies that can be made. Unfor- tunately, this often precludes the use of hard-disk storage and makes the system fragile. Businesses find it frustrating to have their systems down for a few weeks until the vendor ships a new disk. BYTE and other magazines have presented all sides of the pirating issue in the past. Our business relies on our computer systems. Although we are sympathetic to the problems that vendors have with piracy, we will not tolerate products that jeopardize the reliable operation or the high performance of our computer sys- tems. Micro Development Inc. and its affiliate companies have agreed to boycott all soft- ware products that seriously restrict por- tability, use with hard-disk storage, backup procedures, human factors, etc. We encourage other business computer users to do the same. Ed Sawicki, President Micro Development Inc. Lake Oswego, OR 97054 ■ 24 April 1983 © BYTE Publication! Inc The new COMPAQ Portable Computer. IBM compatibility to go. m I imple, isn't it? The COMPAQ™ Portable Computer can do Iwhat the IBM* Personal Computer does. To go. It runs all the popular pro- grams written for the IBM. It works with the same printers and other peripherals. It even accepts the same optional expansion elec- tronics that give it additional capabilities and functionality. There's really only one big dif- ference. The COMPAQ Computer is designed to travel. Carry the COMPAQ Comput- er from office to office. Carry it home on the weekend. Or take it on business trips. If you're a consultant, take it to your client's office. If you use a portable type- writer, you can use the COMPAQ Computer as a portable word processor instead. If your company already uses the IBM Personal Computer, add the COMPAQ you'd probably need to buy an additional display screen because the built-in screen is too small for certain tasks, like word process- ing. The COMPAQ Computer's display screen is nine inches diag- onally, big enough for any job, and it shows a full 80 characters across. And the built-in display offers high-resolution graphics and text characters on the same screen. The bottom line is this. The COMPAQ Computer is the first uncompromising portable computer. It delivers all the advantages of porta- bility In the standard configuration, the COMPAQ Computer has three open slots for functional expan- sion electronics as your needs and applications grow. It accepts standard network and commu- nications interfaces including ETHERNET™ and OMNINET™. If you're considering a per- sonal computer, there's a new question you need to ask your- self. Why buy a corn- Portable as a mobile unit that can use the same pro- grams, the same data disks, and even the same user manuals. There are more programs available for the COMPAQ Com- puter than for any other portable. More, in fact, than for most non- portables. You can buy them in hundreds of computer stores nationwide, and they run as is, right off the shelf. With most other portables without trad- ing off any com- puting power capability. And what do those advantages cost? Nothing. TheCOMPAQPor- table sells for hundreds less than a compara- bly equipped IBM or APPLE® III. Standard features include 128K bytes of internal memory and a 320K-byte disk drive, both of which are extra-cost options on the IBM. Memory and additional disk drive up grades are available options to double those capacities. puter that isn't portable? For more information on the COMPAQ Portable Computer and the location of the Authorized Dealer nearest you, write us. COMPAQ Computer Corporation, 12330 Perry Road, Houston, Texas 77070. Or call 1-800-231-9966. © 1983 COMPAQ Computer Corporation IBM* is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. ETHERNET'" is a trademark of Xerox Corporation. OMNINET T " is a trademark of Corvus Systems. Apple* is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. COMPAQ™ is a trademark of COMPAQ Computer Corporation. comPAa wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm portable computer The most computer you can carry circle 86 on inquiry cara v • % ^'v/** '^3^ X ;% it % 0..^:.:; ■ ? % % v | m 4 \ :*-lss. : : — -^P- fly- 9 P :: C: : . ' 1? L » r s |1 \ \ t ^fc s£f 1 ;. " \ ^ , \ t : -r':- ■ ■Hk \ ^ ,::::/ fe... X «k \% T 1 % ^F^ «tf^ ^^\\ r4 -\ A* X HB^T . |g^ ^^ ^T^ NWl £ Bl ^dP^^^EtfHi ■# S^ °^^^^^ i& - ^^Mi Hk ^ il^ m 1 ' ^r' -■■*- " : <- '' ^f^p ^ , |n ^\ * ^t^^Tfc^i^jP*^ ^ ■* .'"■■; . ■■'■'■'■;. 1 -'-.." '' '' '^•TV'PI ^^ P YOU Will NEVER AGAIN HAVE TO WASTE TIME WAITING FOR YOUR PRINTER. MICROBUFFER ALLOWS YOU TO PRINT AND PROCESS SIMULTANEOUSLY. Microbuffer will instantly increase your efficiency — and eliminate the frustration of waiting for your slowpoke printer. Now you can simply dump your printing data directly to Microbuffer and continue processing. Microbuffer accepts the data as fast as your computer can send. It stores the data in its own memory buffer, then takes control of your printer. THERE IS A MICROBUFFER FOR ANY COMPUTER/PRINTER COMBINATION. Whatever your system, there is a specific Microbuffer designed to accommodate it. have a power-efficient low- consumption design. Special functions include Basic listing formatter, self-test, buffer zap, and transparent and maintain modes. The 16K model is priced at $259 and the 32K, at $299. FOR APPLE II COMPUTERS, Mircobuffer II features on-board firmware for text formatting and advanced graphics dump routines. Both serial and parallel versions FOR EPSON PRINTERS, Microbuffer/ E comes in two serial versions — 8K or 16K (upgradable to 32K) — and two parallel versions — - 16K or 32K (upgradable to 64K). The serial buffer supports both hard- ware handshaking and XON-XOFF software handshaking at baud rates up to 19,200. Both interfaces are compatible with standard Epson commands, including GRAFTRAX-80 and GRAFTRAX-80 + . Prices range from $159 to $279. ALL OTHER COMPUTER/PRINTER COMBINATIONS are served by the stand-alone Microbuffer In-line. The serial stand-alone will support different input and output baud rates and different hand- shake protocol. Both serial and parallel versions are available in a 32K model at $299 or 64K for $349. Either can be user-upgraded to a total of 256K with 64K add-ons — just $179 each. SIMPLE TO INSTALL Microbuffer II is slot-independent. It slips directly inside the Apple II in any slot except zero. Microbuffer/ E mounts easily inside the existing auxiliary slot directly inside the Epson printer. The stand-alone Microbuffer is installed in-line between virtually any computer and any printer. MICROBUFFER FROM PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS. So what are you waiting for? Write to us for more information or ask your dealer for a demonstration. When you see how much freedom Microbuffer will allow, you'll understand why it's so silly to be without one. PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS, INC.™ 31245 LA BAYA DRIVE WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362 (213)991-8200 Circle 336 on inquiry card. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar Build an RS-232C Breakout Box This diagnostic tool can help you make working serial connections. Steve Ciarcia POB 582 Glastonbury, CT 06033 Hundreds of exhibit-goers swirled around me as I elbowed wearily, yet warily, through the computer-con- vention crowd. Like Frodo Baggins approaching Mount Doom, I had to go to a place I feared to be: the BYTE booth. If I stayed anywhere near it, I was certain to be accosted by some- one asking technical questions. (When your picture is plastered all over books sold at half a dozen booths, it's hard to remain incog- nito.) Just as I started to take refuge be- hind the wall of 6000 boxed maga- zines in the BYTE booth, a voice be- hind me called out, "Steve, Steve! Help! I was going to send you an 'Ask BYTE' letter, but I need an answer right now on how to interface one of your projects to my computer." I turned to respond as a man in his early thirties, carrying a briefcase and two shopping bags, hurriedly ap- proached the counter. Panting a bit, he spoke with overtones of nervous anxiety combined with a note of triumph. I shrugged and responded, "Sure, I'll be glad to help if I can." Most questions of this kind require minimal effort: at worst, digging out a few sheets of scratch paper and scribbling a schematic diagram or two. After all, most computers use similar parallel or serial interfaces. "I have this computer. ..." As Copyright © by Steven A. Ciarcia. All rights reserved. the man started to speak, he cleared about four feet of counter space with one elbow, leaned over to one of his shopping bags, and started pulling out pieces of equipment and cables. "Here, hold this . . . um . . . some- where in here are the monitor, re- corder, and this other junk . . . and, wait, here it is! I want to connect it to this here Microvox of yours. Can you do it for me? I've made some home- brew modifications to my computer, but that shouldn't keep it from work- ing." I've been told that, to be perceived as a good teacher, you have to be able to leave everything as an exercise for the student. Here I was, in the middle of a convention with 50,000 people, and this guy had dragged in his whole computer system. Mind you, I've spent hours talking shop with com- puter hobbyists in public places, and I've designed as much circuitry on the back of napkins as you see in this col- umn each month. This, however, was a new twist. His computer? It was an off-the- shelf budget model that I'd used be- fore but hadn't tried with the Micro- vox speech synthesizer. It had a serial output, so I presumed it would work easily. As we shall see, that assump- tion was a mistake. On the surface, it seemed a simple task. The unit had a four- wire serial interface that was described as con- forming to the RS-232C specification established by the Electronic Indus- tries Association. The connections in the interface were defined for trans- mit, receive, status, and ground lines. The Microvox can be connected in that way or through various other handshaking protocols. Inside the Microvox are jumper connections to reverse the functioning of the trans- mit and receive lines so that the Microvox can be set up as either kind of RS-232C device — data terminal equipment (DTE) or data circuit- terminating equipment (DCE). Given that there were only four wires, it should have been duck soup, right? My first surprise came in finding that my querist's computer used a DIN (Deutsche Industrie-Norm) con- nector rather than the DB-25 connec- tor typically used for RS-232C links. But by referring to his computer's in- struction manual, we were able to at- tach the Microvox, set up as a DCE device, and hard-wire the computer's status input so it would see a "ready" condition all the time. The computer was set up as a DTE device, receiving data on pin 2 and transmitting on pin 3. To our disappointment, when we executed the program to make the synthesizer talk, his computer trans- mitted nothing that could be received by the Microvox. I grumbled, "OK, maybe there's at typo in the Micro- vox manual." We reversed pins 2 and 3, setting the Microvox as a DTE device, and tried again. No luck. Still bending down over the hobbyist's machine, I looked over the top of my 28 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc ■ m U*r*^ mkkl 1m 1 H^fe. ,-,'» \^ i *-y r ... The software system from tomorrow. Beyond DBMS... beyond user-friendly ...true multi-user. The first information management system created from its inception for the multi-user. The first truly professional system created for the program merless environment IN FORMA X™ brings even to the first time user programming capabilities never before thought possible with microcomputers. Worlds beyond in speed, security, capability and flexibility: SPEED. The first information management system for micros that is fast enough to accommodate full operational interactive online computing. SECURITY. The first micro system providing the total security necessary for any business computing situation to function properly. INFORMAX™ provides full transaction recording for audit purposes and individual security to the field level. CAPABILITY: Functions far beyond all current micro systems with its unlimited number of files; multiple screens per record; interactive file sharing of data; extensive calculation and math computations. FLEXIBILITY: INFORMAX™ permits complete modification of any file, record or field previously entered with no damage or loss to existing data; change fields (key or non-key) or change calculations at will; and much, much more. If you have not experienced IN FORMA X™, you are worlds removed from the leading edge of microcomputing's true Information Management capability. ABACUS DATA is totally dedicated to helping your business move into the creative future of software. We welcome your questions and comments. Please call our toll free numbers- available for service, not just sales: 1-800-874-8555. In Florida call collect, 0-904-398-9547. c abacus data, inc.™ 1 920 San Marco Boulevard Jacksonville, Florida 32207 Current Equipment Specifications NOW AVAILABLE for TeleVideo®, BOS®, IBM PC®, MuSYS®, DEC®, NEC®, and others with Z80, 8088, 8086 CPU's using CP/M®, CP/M-86®, MmmOST®, TurboDOS®, dpc/OS®, operating systems. Minimum memory 52 K. Call for others. __ Circle 5 on inquiry card. wire-rimmed glasses and asked as politely as I could, "Are you sure the serial output on this thing works?" The subsequent discussion revealed that one of the modifications he had installed was a 20-mA (milliampere) current-loop output. But a serial printer attached to it had worked just prior to his bringing the computer to the show. Because he had serial data coming out, we decided that it must be the Microvox that wasn't communicat- ing. But how to test it at the show? Hmmm. . . . As I pondered that question, my gaze came to focus 20 feet across the aisle in another exhibit booth, on a computer system demonstrating a printer. As I looked closer, I saw an RS-232C cable connecting the com- puter and printer. Certain ideas came quickly into my mind. Gathering up the Microvox, my inquirer and I squeezed across the aisle and ap- proached the booth's proprietor. Fast footwork and a smooth tongue are necessities in such circumstances. You have to put off saying the phrases "have a problem," "test," and "your computer" as long as possible. So, as I slipped the Microvox onto his serial printer cable, I distracted the exhibitor's attention by saying some- thing like, "Hi, we have a booth over there, and we saw that you were dem- onstrating this neat printer, and we were wondering if we could try some- thing on your system. . . . Can I put this here? . . . Do you mind if I just plug this in your computer ... to test just one little thing?" I had the cable connected before the potential horror of what I was proposing had time to sink in. In fact, the exhibitor was a bit amused as the Microvox started speaking the text that was intended for the printer. A half hour later, after explaining the theory of text-to-speech algo- rithms to the curious exhibitor, we went back to the BYTE booth and the original problem. Finding that the Microvox worked, and while not di- rectly suggesting that my shopping- bag computer hobbyist's RS-232C DAISY WHEEL PRINTER $695 plus shipping FEATURES • Typewriter operation with nothing to disconnect • 10, 12 or 15 characters per inch switch selectable • Portable with carrying case • Entire interface mounted internally in the Olivetti Praxis 30 typewriter • Underlining • Cables available tor most computers • Service from Olivetti dealers • Centronics compatible parallel input • Built in self test • Cartridge ribbon • 2nd keyboard switch selectable ^BYTEWR ITER 125 NORTHVIEW RD., ITHACA, N.Y. 14850 (607) 272-1 132 output did not, I searched for a new strategy to make him happy. Clearly, the problem was not sim- ply one of making the right connec- tions. I needed some way to take a better reading of what was happen- ing. Even a mere bent paper clip and a light-emitting diode (LED) would have helped. Again we went on the prowl for equipment. Three aisles away I found an exhibitor selling certain RS-232C diagnostic tools called breakout boxes who felt that he could trust me enough to lend me one of his less ex- pensive models for a while. We took it back to the BYTE booth and set to work. We attached the breakout box to the serial output connector and watched for activity on the LED in- dicators. The transmit LED flickered as the data went to the Microvox, but I was still suspicious. Back into the throng. Another aisle over I borrowed a DVM (digital volt- meter) and used it to check the voltage levels on the RS-232C output. Serial data appeared to be present, but it ranged from —0.7 to +6.8 V (volts) rather than from +12 to — 12 V, as you typically find. The cheap ($150) breakout box was re- sponding to the +6.8-V level, but it had no way of indicating negative voltage levels or open circuits. Armed with this information, I checked some of the modifications that my comrade in debugging had made. Apparently the 20-mA cur- rent-loop circuit was at fault. It was optically isolated, as it should have been, but the optoisolators and other components were being powered directly from the RS-232C signals. The LEDs and protective shunting diodes were shorting out half the data! I disconnected the current loop, and two hours after the computer was first slipped out of its shopping bag, the Microvox spoke. "Standard" RS-232C Among the most exasperating ex- periences in any computer user's career is connecting two serial de- vices. I don't mean a terminal and a modem — making that connection is a piece of cake — but any other connec- tion can be real trouble. 30 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 66 on inquiry card. 2500 more people like you are going to work withanOsborne personalbusiness computer. Dollar for dollar, no other com- puter comes close. The Osborne is easy to learn, fun to use, and quickly becomes indispensable. A visit to your local authorized Osborne computer retailer will convince you that today, more than ever, how fast you go up depends on which buttons you are pushing. They're moving faster than they were before. Today, the Osborne 1 Personal Business Computer sells for $1795. Complete. Including software. The Osborne is port- able, because your ideas don't always happen at the office. The Osborne is affordable, so there's no reason to wait. The Osborne is complete. $ 1795. Complete. Including Software. For your nearest dealer, call (in California) 800 772-3545 ext. 905; (outside California) call 800 227-1617 » ext. 905. COMPUTER CORPORATION The $1795 suggested retail price for the Osborne 1 (a registered trademark of Osborne Computer Corporation) includes a full business keyboard, built-in CRT display, two buitt-in floppy disk drives, CPU and 64 kilobytes of RAM memory, RS-232 and IEEE 488 interfaces, and the following software packages: WORDSTAR 9 word processing with MAILMERGE* (a trademark and a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation of San Rafael, California); SUPERCALC® electronic spreadsheet system (a trademark of Sorcim Corporation); CBASIC® (a registered trademark of Compiler Systems); M BASIC® (a registered trademark of Microsoft); and CP/M* (a registered trademark of Digital Research). For instance, every time I buy a new piece of equipment, things seem to work this way: I spend five min- utes reading the sales brochure, five minutes executing the financial trans- action, and five hours trying to figure out how to make the new equipment communicate with my computer. If you scan through product adver- tisements and equipment data sheets, frequently you see claims that prod- ucts have "standard RS-232 inter- faces." The people who perpetrate these lies have probably never con- nected two pieces of equipment together in their lives. What this phrase really means is that both ends of the communication line will prob- ably be voltage-compatible and won't incinerate each other. Both will send and receive asynchronous or syn- chronous serial data following a specific timed sequence (bit rate) known by both ends. Beyond that, virtually nothing is reliably standard. The only sure way to connect two serial devices is to examine the documentation for each and deter- mine the proper connections of inputs and outputs, with lines crossing if need be. If the manuals are not avail- able, then voltage-sensing and status- display devices must be used to ex- amine individual lines. Depending on DTE or DCE convention, the same pin number may be either an input or output. And, generally speaking, in a One of the most useful pieces of test equipment is the RS-232C breakout box. fully implemented handshaking con- figuration, single-point signal moni- toring is not enough. Frequently, multiple lines must be monitored to observe dynamic relationships. I don't intend to spend too much time discussing RS-232C handshaking or interfacing. That subject has been covered in numerous other articles in BYTE, most recently by Dr. Ian Wit- ten (reference 7). In my experience, simply knowing the conventions hasn't helped one bit. I always have to study the manuals for each inter- face and often have to verify voltage levels with a meter. When all the handshaking signals are used, it can be a prolonged task. Ultimately, successful serial inter- connection depends more on your ability to measure, cross-connect, and jumper-connect signal lines until some combination works. And some- times you have to deal with a case wherein the lines might be connected properly but, as in the example above, operating at the wrong volt- age levels. The point of this month's article is to describe some of the hardware in- volved in testing the RS-232C connec- tion. We'll look at various circuits that make voltage measurements, in- cluding two kinds of breakout boxes. Finally, to allow dynamic testing of the data communication on the trans- mit and receive lines, we will see how to build a terminal simulator, which Circle 219 on inquiry card. ie Most Rromisi For An Orcfcesf ra. Our duet is perfect for a single user system. The same duet performs even better in a multi-user orchestra. S-100 -100 Single Board Computer Single or multi processor capability Pro- grammable master or slave selection Redundant pro- cessor manipulation 4MHz Z80A or \Hz Z80B CPU ■ IK RAM and 2K EPROAA with monitor 2 serial, 2 parallel, 4 timer sorts Bi-directional inter- >rocessor channel Dual mode serial ports interface m Multi-layer PCB construction DCM • Bm S-100 Disk Controller Module 8" and/or 5VV floppy disk controller SASI (ANSI, SCSI) hard disk host adapter Single and double density, single and double side Software implementation on CP/M 1 2.2 and TurboDOS? ' TM of Digital Research, Inc. 1 TM of Software 2000, Inc. JC SYSTEMS 1075 Hiawatha Ct. Fremont, CA 94538 (415) 657-4215 SAGE TECHNICAL BRIEFING SYSTEM DESIGN, SAGE IV The challenge was to create a computer having room for a megabyte of RAM, a built-in Winchester with floppy backup, and the ability to perform 2,000,000 instructions per second. A small miracle, in other words. And small is exactly what it turned out to be. In fact, the 16-bit Sage IV including all of the above attributes, takes up less than V2 cubic foot What made such a break- through possible? System design. It took the latest in memory and processor technology plus Winchester technology And it took a highly integrated, closely packed, low power, high speed design incorporating a proprietary bus. ©COmDf H /SPRING '83 April 26 to 79. 1983 • Georgia Wortd Congress Center* Atlanta. Geo Now the Sage IV is ready for you. Actually, you can choose from three different Sage IV models to meet your exact needs— configurations with a 5 megabyte Winchester plus 640K floppy right on up to a combina- tion of four fixed or removable Winchesters plus one or two floppies (200 megabytes of disk capacity in all). Because of the Sage IV's no- compromise system design you can load a 16K program in 1/10 second from Winchester disk. What's more, there are over 120 sources for existing popular programs for the Sage IV The incredible p-System operating system, standard on every Sage IV converts software that was originally written for 8-bit com- puters in Pascal, BASIC and Fortran . Optionally CP/M, Modula, and Hyper-Forth are also available. Better yet, our small miracles come with prices to match. So give us a call or write today for more Sage IV information and the name of your nearest dealer. Sage Computer Technology ■35 North Edison Way, #4, Reno, NV 89502 (702) 322-6868. In Europe: TDI LTD, 29 Alma Vale Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8-2HL Tel: (0272) 742796. Circle 117 on inquiry card. Saves Time MicroSpoolers mean an end to waiting. The MicroS pooler stores data and feeds it to your printer as fast as it can handle it. You don't lose valuable computer time waiting for the printer to do its job. Easy to install. Easy to use. Easy on the budget. These stand-alone MicroSpoolers can be installed in- line between virtually any printer and any computer. Features: • 16K memory (user expandable to 32K or 64K) • Status readout • Internal power supply • Vertical mount configuration • Indepen- dently selectable baud rates and handshaking • Satisfaction guaranteed • Priced from $199.00 Send or call toll free for literature on our complete Spooler lines. CONSOLENK CORPORATION Dept. 2-48 1840 Industrial Circle Longmont, CO 8050! (303)651-2014 800-525-6705 Pin EIA CCITT Signal Source 1 AA 101 Protective (Earth) Ground 7 AB 102 Signal Ground 2 BA 103 Transmitted Data (TD) 4 CA 105 Request to Send (RTS) 20 CD 108.2 Data Terminal Ready (DTR) 23 CH 111 Data Signal Rate Selector (DTE source) DTE 24 DA 113 Transmitter Signal Element Timing (DTE source) 14 SBA 118 Secondary Transmitted Data 19 SCA 120 Secondary Request to Send 3 BB 104 Received Data (RD) 5 CB 106 Clear to Send (CTS) 6 CC 107 Data Set Ready (DSR) 22 CE 125 Ring Indicator (Rl) 8 CF 109 Received Line Signal Detector (or Carrier Detect— CD) 21 CG 110 Signal Quality Detector 23 CI 112 Data Signal Rate Selector (DCE source) DCE 15 DB 114 Transmission Signal Element Timing (DCE source) 17 DD 115 Receiver Signal Element Timing (DCE source) 16 SBB 119 Secondary Received Data 13 SCB 121 Secondary Clear to Send 12 SCF 122 Secondary Received Line Signal Detector Table ] L: RS-2 32C signals listed by function and source. sends and receives ASCII (American National Standard Code for Informa- tion Interchange) characters at any standard data rate. The RS-232C Breakout Box One of the most useful pieces of test equipment is the RS-232C break- out box. This device is essentially a 25-line extension cable with appara- tus attached that allows you to per- form experiments on the serial link by inserting cross-connections, jumpers, and open circuits between the various signal lines. The most common use of the breakout box is to switch the Transmitted Data and Received Data lines (pins 2 and 3 in the commonly used connectors, abbreviated TD and RD). Another typical use is to make various combinations of connections between Request to Send (RTS, pin 4), Clear to Send (CTS, pin 5), Data Set Ready (DSR, pin 6), Carrier Detect (CD, pin 8 — its official name is Received Line Signal Detector), and Data Terminal Ready (DTR, pin 20). The more expensive units can also monitor voltage levels or decode serial data. Table 1 identifies the RS- 232C signals by source. A variety of commercial breakout boxes, ranging in price from $100 to $1000, are on the market. The more expensive products include such addi- tional features as bilevel or trilevel signal monitoring, absolute voltage sensing, and signal-injection capabili- ties. Some of these features may or may not be important in your appli- cation. When you are choosing a breakout box, be sure you get your money's worth. In some of the $100 units, it appears that $99 of the cost is for the case. The mechanical features are similar at all price levels, and only the addition of electronic bells and whistles adds to the cost. In any breakout box, you find two 25-pin type-D subminiature (DB-25) connectors, two sets of 25 connection 34 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc (Available Soon) GREAT IDEAS... Down to Earth Products SDS-ZS10/4 4 RS232 Channels Full Duplex Real Time Clock r*% SDS-HARD DISK INTERFACE Mlcropolis 1220 Series or ST-506 Interface Adapter iihmk sg New •SW Hard Disk 6 TPI Floppy • 6 Slot S-100 Mainframe TURB 3 Double Sided Single Density/Double Density SDS-i Three RS232C 1 to 2 Switches Two Seven Segment Status Display (Can be used as a line monitor for data communications link) {route RS232 to one of two devices) TiiiiHt SDS MASTER =/ SIERRA Fresno CA/Markel /Islon 25700 First St., Westfake, OH 44145 (2 1 6) 892-1 800 Telex. 980 1 3 1 WDMR Circle 378 on Inquiry can SDS SLAVE OMPUTERS CPU 64K Bank Switch Memory 2 RS232 Channels 4 Timers IEEE 696 Buss 4 Parallel ports NEC 765 FDC with PLL to all Shugart compatible drives (SDS-Master onf^J *CP/M 2.2 & 3.0 *CP/M Registered trademark of i . Digital Research *TurboDOS Registered trademark of Software 2000 naMe secondary transmitted data transmit clock secondary received data receiver clock unassigned secondary request to send data terminal ready signal quality detect ring detect data rate select transmit clock unassigned O OH (I TT 20 s Ji -= 021 1 1 loo-; TT^ 23 1 no TT TT 024 12 °TT C25 13CH NAME EARTH GROUND TRANSMITTED DATA RECEIVED DATA REQUEST TO SEND CLEAR TO SEND DATA SET READY LOGIC GROUND CARRIER DETECT RESERVED RESERVED UNASSIGNED SECONDARY CARRIER DETECT SECONDARY CLEAR TO SEND Figure 1: Pinout specifications of the RS-232C interface. The popular DB-25 connector is most often used for RS-232C connections, but it is not required by the EIA standard. posts, and 24 or 25 switches. To begin testing, you connect the breakout box in series between the two pieces of equipment. The 25 lines on the first side go to 25 connection posts (often wire-wrap pins are used), and then 24 of the lines go into one side of three 8-pole DIP (dual-inline pin) switches. (Pin 1, the protective ground line, is directly routed to the output connec- tor.) The 24 lines are directed through the DIP switches to another set of connection posts and then to the out- put connector. Figure 1 shows the pinout specification of the connec- tors. To test the connection between two DTE-type RS-232C devices when no handshaking is involved, you merely insert the breakout box in the link; then, with all the switches closed ex- cept the two connected to pins 2 and 3, insert crossed jumpers between the connection posts to interchange the two signals. After you've made sure this works, you can permanently wire a cable to do the same job. While most commercial breakout boxes connect and switch 24 of the 25 lines, most common RS-232C appli- cations involving printers, low- and medium-speed modems, and video- display terminals generally use only connector pins 1 through 8, plus pin 20. For these applications, we can construct a bare-bones breakout box, such as the one shown in the schemat- ic diagram of figure 2 on page 38. This simple construction will give you all the necessary features of a $150 box for about $15. Besides a signal-switching capability, this cir- cuit incorporates passive voltage monitoring. Three components — a blocking diode, a constant-current diode, and an LED — indicate the presence of a potential of +4 V or greater on any signal line. The LED does not light for open circuits or negative voltages. Many low-priced RS-232C monitors use this type of cir- cuit, and some cautions regarding its use are appropriate. Such an in- dicator draws its power from the signal itself (requiring about 4 mA), and in marginal situations it might kill the signal being measured. For the RS-232C status signals, a line potential anywhere between + 3 V and +15 V is logic 1, and a potential from —3 V to —15 V is a logic 0. If these signals are generated from low-power operational amplifi- ers (op amps) rather than RS-232C drivers, there may not be enough oomph to communicate and light LEDs simultaneously. (Op amps are frequently used as a cost-cutting mea- sure in budget equipment.) Finally, this cheap monitor senses only posi- tive voltages (unless the circuit is re- versed in polarity and duplicated everywhere) and gives no indication of negative voltages or ground poten- tial. For example, you couldn't tell the difference between a broken cable lead and a logic-0 (inactive) status signal. Remember that RS-232C is a bipolar signal. As much happens (or doesn't) at negative potentials as at positive. A Functional, Low-Cost Breakout Box The previous point may have seemed minor, but it leads us to a discussion of better voltage sensors and use of active, rather than passive, monitoring techniques. Figure 3 on page 38 is the schematic diagram of a much better indicator circuit for sensing RS-232C voltage levels. Using its own op amp to re- duce signal loading, this bilevel monitor lights up in red for positive voltages and green for negative volt- ages. The feedback and gain-setting resistors are chosen so that the LEDs trigger at approximately +3 V and — 3 V, respectively (internal current- limiting provides a relatively constant light level and protects the LEDs). Voltages between those values or open circuits light neither LED. The indicator-circuit sections, one for every signal line, each use one sec- tion of an LM324 quad op amp. They present a virtually unnoticeable 100- kilohm load to the signal lines, can operate on any voltage with an ab- solute value between 4.5 V and 18 V, and can be powered easily from a bat- tery of 6 AA cells for portability. 1 chose to use integrated two-color LEDs, but two regular LEDs (one red and one green) can be wired anode- to-cathode in parallel. My idea of a reasonably useful breakout box is shown in figure 4. It combines the 24-switch-and-header portion of the commercial breakout boxes with the sensitive bilevel monitoring circuits just described. 36 April 1903 © BYTE Publication* Inc •ergreMififafr While new printers with impressive specifications are introduced on an almost daily basis, only time will tell the true quality of the product. Over the past 2 years our customers have continued to buy the DS180 printer, not only because of its impressive performance and competitive price, but also because of our outstanding track record for product reliability and customer support. We have continually improved on the performance of the DS180 by incorporating such enhancements as dot addressable graphics, 6 user-selectable print sizes and a 2000 character buffer. These features coupled with 180 cps printing, parallel and serial interfaces, adjustable tractor feed and over 40 other programmable features, make the DS180 one of the most versa- tile matrix printers available today. Before you select your next printer, why not take a look at a time-proven performer— the DatasouthDS180. The DS180 printer is available nationwide through our network of sales/service distributors. ~M _^ ■ ^^ ntHirK Gircle 133 on lnqulry card * Uata©©OHUlnl computer corporation P.O. Box 240947 • Charlotte, NC 28224 • 704/523-8500 Telex: 6843018 DASOU UW Jl rO 3# -r »16 >17 >18 | 6«- >19 k 20 7«-r ► 21 >22 8«- 90- 100- )23 HO- >24 120- >25 130- J2 -O- SW1 I -o- I -o- I -o- ! -o- LED 1 LE02 Zl -if Z2 LED3 LED 4 Z3 Z4 LED5 -^ — * Z5 LED6 Z6 Z7 LED7 J3 -O- I -o- I -o- Dl -w- D2 -W- 03 -w- D4 -*- 05 D6 -w- 07 -W- J4 |«U4 2 I* 15 3 I-Q16 4 (-017 (-018 |-019 ► 20 -021 -022 -023 -024 1 -025 IOC 3 11C 12< LED1-LED7: TIL220 OR EQUIVALENT Z1-Z7: MCL1303 01-07; IN914 Figure 2: A simple homebrew breakout box for diagnosing serial RS-232C communication links. The 9 lines connected here are the ones most often used. INPUT Figure 3: A line-state status indicator that incorporates an op amp to keep line loading to a minimum. The dual-LED component will glow red for positive voltages and green for negative. Voltage indicators are hard-wired on the 11 most frequently used signal lines (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 15, 17, 20, 21, and 22), and the twelfth sensor can be connected to any line, A prototype of this circuit is shown in photo I. A Decade Voltage-Level Indicator If you think back to my experience at the convention, you'll see that the problem was eventually detected as being voltage-related. It was unde- tectable with the cheap LED circuit, but it would have been caught by the circuit of figure 4. However, on some occasions even two levels are inade- quate, and more precise measure- ments are necessary. One extra indicator section was 38 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc MDBS III™ Mainframe-quality DBMS from Micro Data Base Systems, Inc. International Software Enterprises— USA (312) 981-9200 ACCOUNTING PLUS™ A comprehensive microcomputer business accounting system. SOFTWARE DIMENSIONS, INC. 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They're shown here together because they're all CP/M compatible, CP/M is the universally accepted operating system created by Digital Research that allows software products like these to run on more than 600 different computer models including the biggest names in hardware. So, to get smart software for your system, call one of the fine Independent Software Vendors listed above or to find out how CP/M iHr*** ini^f^'irf) t-M-rv.1 1 i i~f 11 r*f % r m xjai!*' T*JAr!/i /-rt«"» t ;->/-'l" I " (T tf"£j[ IxPSearCh it DIGITAL RESEARCH The c reators of C P/ M M I Circle 142 on inquiry card. The logo, tagline and CP/M are either trademarks registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc. C 1982 Digital Research Inc. [}m 44 OB-25S DTE — • 1 14 O 02 ISO 03 160 4 17 O 05 18 O 06 190 07 20 O 8 210 09 220 O10 23 O OH 240 Ol2 250 13 NOTE: * TO FIGURE 4b Figure 4: Schematic diagram (4a) of a breakout box that allows constant monitoring of the 11 most used lines, plus another line select- able by a jumper connection. The indicator circuit of figure 4b is reproduced 12 times; three LM324 packages, each containing 4 op- amp sections, are needed. The connections for each section are also shown in figure 4b. provided in the circuit of figure 4 so that it could be attached to any of the 25 input pins. If we expand this con- cept a bit further and replace this bipolar sensor with something having a little more resolution, we could take a better reading of voltage excursion. Granted, a DVM could be used, but such instruments are expensive and are much more elaborate than re- quired. Because of the RS-232C volt- age range o£ -15 V to +15 V (-3 V to +3 V being no-man's-land), the resolution need be only about 3 volts at best. The circuit in figure 5 on page 44 is a single-digit decade voltmeter. Designed for installation in the breakout box in place of the floating sensor, it has a higher resolution than the bilevel monitor, and it can be used in place of a DVM in less critical applications such as RS-232C level sensing. It uses an LM3914 LED dot/bar generator as a 10-step analog indicator. The 30-V (±15-V) input range is divided into 10 incremental 40 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc (4b) FROM 100K FIGURE O WV 4o |lOOK LM324 CONNECTION DIAGRAM 0UTPUT4 INPUT4 14 13 INPUT4 12 L -<£ GND 11 CIRCUIT TYPICAL FOR 12 (ONE EXTRA) * = SEE CONNECTION DIAGRAM BELOW FOR PIN NUMBERS INPUTS INPUT3 OUTPUTS 9 8 $> OUTPUT1 INPUT1 INPUT 1 INPUT2 INPUT2 OUTPUT2 Photo I: Breadboard prototype of the simple breakout box of figure 4. steps of 3 V. Different-color LEDs provide a quick visual indication of relative magnitude and polarity of the line states. A prototype of the circuit is shown in photo 2. The decade-voltmeter circuit uses 2 or 3 integrated circuits. ICla (an LM324 op amp section) scales the in- put voltage range from ± 15 V to ±2.5 V (adjust potentiometer Rl to set the gain for 1/6). Another section, IClb, shifts the resulting ±2.5 V scaled signal to a 0-V to +5-V range at its output (adjust R2 for the proper shift magnitude). IC2, the LM3914 dot /bar generator, is configured to respond to a range of V to +5 V. When —15 V is applied to the cir- cuit's input, LED1 lights; when + 15 V is applied, LED10 lights. For an intermediate active voltage, such as +9 V, LED8 will light up. In the range of from — 3 V to + 3 V, which includes ground or open states, LEDS or LED6 will be lit. Using the same color convention as in figure 4, volt- ages greater than +3 V are shown on red LEDs, those less than —3 V are on green LEDs; in the inactive area between +3 V and —3 V, I used yellow. Any single input signal that swings between a red and green in- dicator is therefore at valid levels. The decade-voltmeter circuit re- quires power at about +7.5 V (or greater) and —5 V (or less) for opera- tion. Two 9-V battery cells (to pro- vide ±9V) work very nicely. Or using a single +7.5-V source and the ICL7660 voltage inverter (IC3) allows the unit to be battery-operated (for some reason, the 7660 didn't seem to like inverting +9 V when I tried it). Build a Terminal Simulator The final thing to check when testing an RS-232C serial link is the existence of properly formatted data bits coming over the wire at the cor- rect data rate. Voltage-level indica- tors make only quantitative measure- ments. It is necessary to take a qual- itative measurement if the integrity of the transmission is in question. Most often the quality of the link can be ascertained with the transmission and reception of a single character. One way of testing a suspect com- munication line is to drag around a April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 41 Number One Add-O Communications Async #1- Printer— ^ Mi r*^ iifiiiiviuii « j j i j 1 1 1 -*i § * ii § Advanced Comm. Cord (CC-232) • Programmable to com- municate in Bisync, SDLC, HDLC, and Async protocols. • Two Ports of RS 232 AST products are available from Computerland, Entre\ ComputerMart and selected dealers worldwide. 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I/O Plus™ Maximum 6 Functions (no \~" memory) • Clock f&_2 Calendar (std.) • IBM Compatible Async Port #1 (std.) ] • IBM Compatible Async Port #1 (opt.) k. • IBM Printer Port I (opt.) • SuperDrive I (disk emulator prog.) • SuperSpool (print spooler prog.) Async #1 - — Printer — Clock — Async #2 ConnectflLl NEW! AST Proprietory Connector Mounting Bracket (does not include cables shown in illustration) Ml • 64K-512K (with MegaPak) • Two IBM Compatible Async Ports (1 std.. 1 opt.) • One IBM Parallel Printer Port (opt.) • One Battery Backed- up Clock Calendar std.) • Idea! for Concurrent CP/M. MBA, circle 2 on inquiry card. VISI Series software packages. _J J\ 2372 Morse Avenue fl/frf-AiiAum^ lrvine > Calif. 92714 Ht^tHHQH INC. (714)540-1333 Dealer Inquiries Welcome Photo 2: Prototype of the decade-voltmeter indicator used for precise diagnosis of the state of an RS-232C line. big video^display terminal. Also the idea of adapting the single-chip ter- minal from the February article did occur to me. However, that was a relatively expensive item for a tester, and it couldn't cover all the data rates in common use, so I did some head- scratching and invented yet another circuit. Figure 6 is the schematic diagram of my single-character terminal simula- tor. The prototype is shown in photo 3 on page 48. Using 5 chips, it can send, receive, and display (in hexa- decimal form) single ASCII charac- ters at any of the 16 commonly used data rates between 50 and 9600 bps (bits per second). By switching pins 2 and 3, you can set it to appear on the line as either a DTE or DCE device. Have you got a suspect device on the line? Set your data rate and desired character code on the DIP switches and then press a button each time you want the character transmitted. Granted, a video-display terminal might be faster, but my simulator cir- cuit is a lot lighter. The terminal simulator uses a UART (universal asynchronous re- +7.5V 10 K OFFSET ADJUST 100K ±15vC>-f— vw y&-+ INPUT GAIN ADJUST -7.5V GREEN >RED + 15V Figure 5: A decade-voltmeter circuit. This more precise indicator may be substituted for the twelfth indicator in the breakout box of figure 4a. It lights up in one of three colors depending on the voltage present on its input 44 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc ~nZL/' OOnn multi-purpose Lr\ C-C\j\J OSCILLOSCOPES THE PERFORMANCE/ PRICE STANDARD Now! A 60 MHz Tektronix scope built for your bench. In 30 years of Tektronix oscil- loscope leadership, no other scopes have recorded the immediate popular appeal of the Tek 2200 Series. The Tek 2213 and 2215 are unapproachable for the performance and reliability they offer at a surprisingly affordable price. There's no compromise with Tektronix quality: The low cost is the result of a new design concept that cut mechanical parts by 65%. Cut cabling by 90%. Virtually eliminated board electrical connectors. And eliminated the need for a cooling fan. Yet performance is written all over the front panels. There's the band- width for digital and analog circuits. The sensitivity for low signal mea- surements. The sweep speeds for fast logic families. And delayed sweep for fast, accurate timing measurements. The cost: $1 200* for the 2213 . $1450* for the dual time base 2215. You can order, or obtain more information, through the Tektronix National Marketing Center, where technical personnel can answer your questions and expedite delivery. Your direct order includes probes, operating manuals, 15- day return policy and full Tektronix warranty. For quantity purchases, please contact your local Tektronix sales representative. Order toll free: 1-800-426-2200 Extension 51 In Oregon call collect: (503) 627-9000 Ext. 51 'Price ROB. Beaverton, OR. Price subject to change. Tektronix COMMTT7HJ TO EXCELLENCE Copyright© 1982. Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. TTA-337 BYTE April 1903 45 TRANSMIT CHARACTER PB1 Figure 6: A terminal-simulator circuit used to test the functioning of an RS-232C communication link. This simple-minded device transmits a single, switch-selected ASCII character on demand or receives a single character for display in hexadecimal form. ceiver/ transmitter), IC2, to generate and accept data on the RS-232C line, (Because I have written elsewhere about the functioning of UARTs, I won't take the time now. See refer- ence 2 for more information.) ICl is a crystal-controlled data-rate genera- tor. Depending on the settings of SW3, the clock rate of the UART will be set for one of the 16 data rates. Both the transmitter and receiver are set to the same rate. The transmitter section is very sim- ple. SW2 sets the status inputs to the UART for parity, word length, and stop bits. The character to be trans- mitted is set on SWl (the most signifi- cant bit is BD8) in hexadecimal or binary format. It is transmitted each time pushbutton switch PBl is pressed. Data reception is just as easy. When a character has been received, the DAV (data available) output line of the UART goes high, and the re- ceived character can be read from the output lines RDl through RD8. The DAV signal is delayed, inverted and used t o reset itself through the RDAV input. This same logic signal is used to latch the 8 data bits onto a 2-digit hexadecimal LED display. Each time a character is received, the display will be updated, although you won't be able to read a continuous data stream. Of course, more sophisticated com- mercial terminal simulators exist that incorporate some processing power, 46 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc %%. ww^v TALLGRASS AND YOUR IBM® PC Tallgrass Technologies is the industry leader in Winchester HardRIe™ and streaming tape subsystems for the IBM® PC. Fortune 500 corporations, banks, governmental agencies, and small businesses throughout the world depend on Tallgrass HardFile subsystems for their mass storage and backup requirements. Tallgrass offers formatted capacities from 6.25 Mb to 70 Mb with integral streaming tape back-up. Our proprietary disk/ tape controller with integral 10K track buffer optimizes read/ write activity and, coupled with our DMA host interface, offers high performance previously unavailable with 5 X A" disk systems. WHAT ABOUT DATA INTEGRITY? Tallgrass offers backup on ANSI standard W tape cartridges, instead of the usual floppies, video cassettes, or low-capacity removable Winchester devices. The Tallgrass 12.5 Mb formatted Hardfile can back itself up on a $39.95 data idge in less than 10 minutes! All Tallgrass Hardfiles are equipped with a dedicated landing zone where the read/ write heads land. This protects against incidental damage and data loss during power-downs and transportation. TALLGRASS IS UNSURPASSED We've done our homework in engineering and building a reliable HardFile subsystem with remarkable performance and convenient backup for the most stringent on-line mass storage and off-line archival requirements. From $3095 including integral tape backup. Available from COMPUTERLAND® and other participating computer dealers. Exclusive European Distributor: CPS Computer Group, Ltd. Birmingham, England B27 613H (021) 7073866 Exclusive Canadian Distributor: Micro-Ware™ 440 Phillip St. Waterloo, Ontario N2L 5R9 (519) 884-4690 Tallgrass Technologies Corporation Circle 400 on inquiry card. 11667 W. 90th, Overland Park, KS 66214, (913) 492-6002 TWX: 215406 TBYT but this one is simple enough to build yourself. Practically speaking, if I need more capability than this, I generally use a video terminal. In Conclusion This has been a rather long solilo- quy on a rather oblique problem. I helped our shopping-bag computer hacker understand a little more about RS-232C, but a similar disaster might happen to him the next time he at- tempts to attach two serial devices. As Dr. Witten has observed, most of the problems we find in using the RS-232C interface result from its be- ing employed in ways never intended when it was invented. For some of us, however, there's a light-emitting diode at the end of the tunnel. We can just whip out our little breakout boxes with all the pretty lights, decipher what's in or out, simulate all the handshaking signals, jumper everything to everything else, and make it communicate by brute force. I'll probably still spend a few hours hooking up the Daisywriter 2000 I just got for my MPX-16. Nonetheless, maybe using some of the circuits I've presented will help cut down your frustration with RS-232C intercon- nections. Next Month: Build an RS-232C code-activated peripheral-device switch. ■ References 1. Ciarcia, Steve. "Build a Handheld LCD Terminal." February 1983 BYTE, page 54. 2. Ciarcia, Steve. Build Your Own Z80 Com- puter. New York: BYTE Books/McGraw- Hill Book Company, 1981. (See page 138). 3. EIA Standard RS-232-C: Interface Bet- ween Data Terminal Equipment and Data Communication Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange. Washington, DC: Electronic Industries Association Engineering Department, 1969. 4. Folts, Harold C. McGraw-Hill's Compila- tion of Data Communications Standards, 2nd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Publications Company, 1982. 5. Leibson, Steve. "The Input/Output Primer, Part 4: The BCD and Serial Interfaces." May 1982 BYTE, page 202. 6. Liming, Gary. "Data Paths." February 1976 BYTE, page 32. 7. Witten, Ian H. "Welcome to the Standards Jungle." February 1983 BYTE, page 146. Editor's Note: Steve often refers to previous Circuit Cellar articles as reference material for each month's current article. Most of these past articles are available in reprint books from BYTE Books, McGraw-Hill Book Company, POB 400, Hightstown, NJ 08520. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume I, covers articles that appeared in BYTE from September 1977 through November 1978. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume II, contains articles from December 1978 through June 1980. Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar, Volume III, contains the articles that were published from July 1980 through December 1981. 48 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc VEDIT-THE CLEAR CHOICE FOR PROGRAMMING PUIS FEATURES FOR FAST, EFFICIENT WORD PROCESSING Increasing your productivity is what a good text editor is all about. VEDIT excels with a unique combination of powerful and easy to use editing features, customizability and complete hardware support Compare VEDIT - you'll find everything you expect in a good editor plus many time saving features which only VEDIT offers. 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INTERFACE. ..159. 00 7742A CALENDAR CLOCK 99.00 7728A CENTRONICS INTERFACE 105.00 VISTA VISION 80-80 COL CARD 259.00 VISTA 8* 1 DISK DRIVE CONTROLLER... 549.00 MONITORS USI AMBER 9" 145.00 USI AMBER 12" 160.00 NEC 12" GREEN MONITOR .169.00 NEC 12" COLOR MONITOR 399.00 BMC GREEN MONITOR 89.00 AMDEK COLOR 1 365.00 AMDEK RGB COLOR II 774.00 AMDEK RGB INTERFACE 169.00 TAXAN RGB 359,00 TAXAN 12" AMBER 125.00 MOUNTAIN HARDWARE CPS MULTIFUNCTION BOARD 154.00 ROMPLUS W/ KEYBOARD FILTER 165.00 ROMPLUS W/0 KEYBOARD FILTER 125.00 KEYBOARD FILTER ROM 49.00 COPYROM 49.00 MUSIC SYSTEM 369.00 ROMWRITER 149.00 EXPANSION CHASSIS 580.00 RAMPLUS 32K 160.00 S-100 HARDWARE CALIFORNIA COMPUTER SYSTEMS 2200A MAINFRAME 459.00 2065C 64K DYNAMIC RAM 539.00 2422 DISK CONT. & CP/M® 359.00 2710 4 SERIAL I/O 279.00 2719 2 SERIAL / 2 PARALLEL I/O 289.00 2720 4 PARLLEL I/O 219.00 2810 Z-80 CPU 259.00 QT PRODUCTS MF + DD8 682.00 MF + DD12 718.00 COMREX "THE TIMEPIECE" S-100 CLOCK 125.00 MODEMS NOVATION J-CAT 125.00 NOVATION SMARTCAT 212 499.00 NOVATION SMARTCAT 209.00 NOVATION D-CAT (1200 Baud) 619. 00 NOVATION APPLE-CAT (300 Baud) 310.00 NOVATION APPLE-CAT (1200 Baud) 605.00 UDS 212 LP (1200 Baud) 429.00 UDS 103 JLP AUTO ANS 209.00 HAYES MICROMODEM II MICROMODEM W/ TERMINAL PKG 309.00 HAYES 100 MODEM (S-100) 325,00 HAYES SMART MODEM (300 Baud).... 227. 00 HAYES SMART MODEM (1200 Baud). .540.00 HAYES CHRONOGRAPH 199.00 SIGNALMAN MODEM W /RS-232C 85.00 TERMINALS HAZELTINE ESPRIT 510.00 VISUAL-50 GREEN 690.00 TELEVIDEO 910 630.00 TRS-80 MOD I HARDWARE PERCOM DATA SEPARATOR 27.00 PERCOM DOUBLER II W /DOS 3.4 159.00 4 DRIVE CONTROLLER P/S 259.00 TANDON 40 TRK DISK DRIVE W/P.S, .289.00 LNW DOUBLER W/DOSPLUS 3.3 138.00 LNW 5/8 DOUBLER W/DOSPLUS 3. 4. ..181. 00 LNW EXPANSION INTERFACE 350.00 IBM HARDWARE SEATTLE 64K RAM + 355.00 QUAD80ARD 64K 430.00 64K MEMORY UPGRADE 80.00 APPARAT COMBO BOARD 175,00 ALPHA BYTE IBM MEMORY EXPANSION BOARDS 256K W /RS-232C 349.00 256K W /RS-232C & SUPERCALC 529.00 512K W/RS-232C 579.00 512K W /RS-232C & SUPERCALC 749.00 IBM DISK DRIVES Alpha Byte's add-on drive kits for the IBM-PC — each kit includes installation instructions. Tandon TM100-1 Single head 40 trk.... 195.00 Tandon TM100-2 Double head 40 trk .262.50 ISOLATORS ISO-1 3-S0CKET 49.95 ISO-2 6-SOCKET 49.95 BARE DRIVES TANDON 5V4 INCH 100-1 SINGLE HEAD 40 TRK 195.00 100-2 DUAL HEAD 40 TRK 262.50 100-3 SINGLE HEAD 80 TRK 250.00 100-4 DUAL HEAD 80 TRK 369.00 TANDON THINLINE 8 INCH 848-1 SINGLE SIDE 379.00 848-2 DUAL SIDE 490.00 MICRO PRO APPLE CP/M® WORDSTARS 279.00 SUPERSORT*t 179.00 MAILMERGE't 174.00 DATASTAR'f 207.00 SPELLSTAR'f 174.00 CALCSTAR't 109.00 CP/M is a reg. trademark of Digital Research. "Requires Z-80 Softcard. 50 BYTE April 1983 tReg. trademark of Micro Pro International Corp. trademark of Practical Peripherals, Inc. 'Trademark of Software Dimensions, Inc. MICROSOFT APPLE FORTRAN* 150.00 BASIC COMPILER* 296.00 COBOL* 550.00 Z-80 SOFTCARD... 249.00 RAMCARD 79.00 TYPING TUTOR II 17.95 OLYMPIC DECATHLON 24.95 TASC APPLESOFT COMPILER 125.00 ALDS 95.00 MULTIPLAN NATIVE OR CP/M 209.00 TIME MANAGER 117.00 PREMIUM PAK 517.00 IBM SOFTWARE HOWARD SOFT TAX PREP 209.00 VOLKSWRITER V 1.2 145.00 WRITE ON 90.00 EASYWRITER II 247.00 EASY SPELLER 149.00 EASY FILE 285.00 HOME ACCOUNTANT+ 105.00 FIRST CLASS MAIL 85.00 SUPERCALC 179.00 WORDSTAR 279.00 MAILMERGE 174.00 DATASTAR 207 . 00 SPELLSTAR 174.00 SUPERSORT 179.00 d BASE II 429.00 SPELLGUARD 145.00 CALCSTAR 199.00 THE WORD PLUS 117.00 T.I.M 379.00 JFORMAT 39.00 MOVE IT .109.00 THE TAX MANAGER 188.00 VISICALC / 256K 189.00 VISITREND / VISIPLOT 235.00 VISIDEX 192.00 VISIFILE 249.00 VISISCHEDULE 229.00 VERSA WRITER GRAPHICS TABLETS... 270.00 CONCURRENT CP/M* 86 315.00 GRAPHICS HARD COPY SYSTEM 19.50 Call for additional IBM software prices. IBM GAME SOFTWARE ZQRK I. II. Ill 28.00 STARCROSS 28.00 DEADLINE 35.00 GALAXY 19.50 MIDWAY CAMPAIGN 17.00 THE WARP FACTOR 31.16 LOST COLONY 23.36 CONQUEST 23 36 GALACTIC ATTACK 25.00 APPLE PANIC 23.61 TEMPLE OF ASPHAI .34.95 CROSSFIRE... 24,95 FROGGER 27.26 M'SOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 38.95 if you don't see the software you want, call. Our software stock is constantly expanding. APPLE SOFTWARE HOWARD SOFT TAX PREP 189.00 MAGIC WINDOW II 117.00 MAGIC WINDOW 79 00 MAGIC WORDS 59.00 MAGIC MAILER 59.00 DB MASTER 169.00 DB MASTER UTILITY PACK I OR II 69.00 DATA CAPTURE 4.0/80 59.95 PFS: GRAPH 89.95 PFS: (NEW) PERSONAL FILING SYSTEM 85.00 PFS: REPORT 79.00 Z-TERM* 89.95 Z-TERM PRO* 129.95 ASCII EXPRESS PRO.. .98.00 EASY WRITER-PRO 136.00 EASY MAILER-PRO 117.00 A-STAT COMP. STATISTICS PKG 99.00 BEAGLE BROTHERS UTILITY CITY 23.00 APPLE MECHANIC 23.00 TIP DESK #1 15.95 BEAGLE BAG 23.00 SUPER TEXT 40/56/77 97.50 LISA 2.5 59.95 TRANSCEND II 115.00 SCREENWRITER II 99.00 DICTIONARY 79.00 GENERAL MANAGER 179.00 CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE G/L 165.00 A/R 165.00 A/P 165.00 PAYROLL 165.00 PROPERTY MGMT 325.00 THE HOME ACCOUNTANT 59.95 F CM. w/form letter 75.00 TAX ADVANTAGE 45.00 ' FORTRAN 239.00 DISK DOCTOR 78.00 MICROPRO WORDSTAR 279.00 SUPERSORT 179.00 MAILMERGE 174.00 DATASTAR 207.00 SPELLSTAR 174.00 CALCSTAR 109.00 MICROSOFT MULTIPLAN 209.00 BASIC 80 249.00 1983 Word Processor Special FRANKLIN ACE 1000 1395.00 FRANKLIN ACE SYSTEM DISK DRIVE W/CONT . 539.00 ACE WRITER WORD PROCESSOR 129.00 EPSON MX-80 645.00 B.M.C. GREEN 285.00 SCOTCH 3M DISKETTES. 44.00 APPLE TO EPSON INTERFACE & CABLE. . 129.00 S2960 Now $1983 * * FRANKLIN 1200 CALL * * This system may be modified to your needs. Call for special price quote. VISICORP DESKTOP PLAN II 189.00 VISIPLOT 158.00 VISITREND/VISIPLOT 229,00 VISIDEX 189.00 VISITERM 79.00 VISICALC 189.00 VISIFILES 189.00 VISISCHEDULE 229.00 TRS-80 GAMES Specify MOD I or III DEADLINE 38.00 STAR CROSS 31.16 FROGGER 16.45 ELITE SIMULATOR 28.31 Call for more TRS-80 games. TRS-80 SOFTWARE NEWDOS/80 2.0 MOD Mil 139.00 LAZY WRITER MOD I, II 165.00 PROSOFT NEWSCRIPT MOD Mil w/labels109.00 SPECIAL DELIVERY MOD UN 119.00 X-TRA SPECIAL DELIVERY MOD I, III.... 199.00 TRACKCESS MOD 1 24,95 OMNITERM SMART TERM, MOD I. Ill 89.95 MICROSOFT BASIC COMP. FOR MOD 1. 165.00 LDOS 5.1 MOD I III 119.00 CP/M® SOFTWARE We carry CP/M-' software in all popular disk formats — Northstar. Televideo. and Heath /Zenith formatted programs in stock! Call for availability and price. Most software also available on IBM. THE WORD PLUS 117.00 d BASE II 429.00 QUICKCODE 230.00 DUTIL 91.00 SUPERCALC 189.00 SPELLGUARD 230.00 P & T CP/M* MOD 2 & 16 TRS-80.. ..175. 00 PASCAL Z 349.00 PASCAL/M Z-80 OR 8080 295.00 DIGITAL RESEARCH MAC 82.00 ZSID 92.00 PASCAL MT + W/ SSP 429.00 PL/ 1-80 439.00 C BASIC 2 109.00 SUPERSOFT DIAGNOSTIC II 89.00 ■C'COMPILER..,. 179.00 RATFOR 89.00 BASIC COMPILER 299.00 FORTRAN 80 359.00 COBOL 80 585.00 MACRO 80 156.00 mu MATH/mu SIMP 200.00 mu LISP/mu STAR 165.00 APPLE & ATARI GAMES ZAXXON 31.16 BRODERBUND APPLE PANIC 23.61 MIDNIGHT MAGIC 27.26 CHOPLIFTER 27.20 AUTOMATED SIMULATIONS INVASION ORION 20.95 STAR WARRIOR 31.35 CRUSH. CRUMBLE AND CHOMP 24.95 TEMPLE OF APSHAI 31.35 HELLFIRE WARRIOR 31.35 RESCUE AT RI6EL 23.36 ON-LINE SYSTEMS WIZARD AND PRINCESS 27.26 SOFT PORN ADVENTURE... 23.36 THRESHOLD 31.16 JAW BREAKER 23.36 CROSSFIRE 24.95 ULYSSES & GOLDEN FLEECE 25.95 FROGGER 24.50 INFOCOM ZORK I, II. Ill 28.00 STARCROSS 28.00 DEADLINE 35.00 EDU-WARE COMPU-READ 24.95 COMPU-MATH FRACTIONS 34.95 COMPU-MATH DECIMALS 34.95 MORE GREAT APPLE GAMES DARK CRYSTAL 31.61 TUBEWAY 27.26 ARCADE MACHINE 44.38 TUES. MORNING QUARTERBACK 25.95 THE SPACE VIKINGS 38.50 COMPUTER QUARTERBACK 31.16 SEA FOX 24.00 THE SHATTERED ALLIANCE ;49.95 POOL 1.5 27.26 ULTIMA 31.16 RASTER BLASTER 23 .36 FLIGHT SIMULATOR 26.61 INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIX 25.95 SARGON II 2895 MASK OF THE SUN 31.16 A.E 23.72 PINBALL SUBLOGIC 24.50 SNACK ATTACK 23.36 BUDGECO PINBALL CONST. SET 31.61 THIEF 24.95 THE WARP FACTOR 31.16 COSMO MISSION 23.36 WIZARDRY 37.95 NIGHT OF DIAMONDS 27.26 STARBLAZER 24.95 CRISIS MOUNTAIN 26.32 EVOLUTION 33.80 SIRIUS SOFTWARE SPACE EGGS 23.36 GORGON 31.16 SNEAKERS 23.36 PHANTOMS FIVE 22.00 BANDITS 25.00 EDU-WARE PERCEPTION PKG 19.95 COMPU-MATH: ARITHMETIC 39.95 COMPU-SPELL (REQ. DATA DISK) 24.95 COMPU-SPELL DATA DISKS 4-8, ea 17.95 RENDEZVOUS 28.50 ON-LINE SYSTEMS ULTIMA II 42.00 MISSILE DEFENSE 27.26 LUNAR LEEPER 23 36 TIME ZONE 77.96 CRANSTON MANOR 25.95 CANNON BALL BLITZ 25.95 MUSE SOFTWARE ROBOT WARS 32.95 THREE MILE ISLAND 31.61 A.B.M 19.46 lb order or for information call InNewMxk: (212)509-1923 In (213)706-0333 In Dallas: (214)744-4251 By Modem: (2I3)991-J60^ f~CALL OUR MODEM LINE I FOR WEEKLY SPECIALS. I ' IPUTER PRODUCTS 31245 LA BAYA DRIVE WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA 91362 We guarantee everything we sell for 30 days — no returns after 30 days. Defective software will be replaced free, but all other software returns are subject to 15% restocking fee and must be accompanied by RMA slip. No returns on game software, unless defective. We accept VISA and MasterCard on all orders; COD orders, up to $300. Shipping charges: $3 for all prepaid orders, actual shipping charges for non- prepaids; $3 for COD orders under 25lbs. ($6 for over) plus a $4 surcharge: add 15% for foreign, FPO and APO orders. Calif, add 6% sales tax, in LA County add 6 1 /2%. Prices quoted are for stock on hand and are subject to change without notice. Circle 19 on Inquiry card. BYTE April 1903 51 r- ^*^ Last Night, CompuServe TurnedThis Computer Into ATravel Agent For Jennie, A Stock Analyst For Ralph, And now, Its Sending Herbie To Another Galaxy. NO MATTER WHICH COMPUTER YOU OWN, WELL HELP YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF IT. If youVe got places to go, CompuServe can save you time and money getting there. Just access the Official Airline Guide Electronic Edition— for current flight schedules and fares. Make reservations through our on-line travel service. Even charter a yacht through "Worldwide Exchange." If your money's in the market, CompuServe offers a wealth of 52 BYTE April 19«3 prestigious financial data bases. Access Value Line, or Standard and Poor's. Get the latest information on 40,000 stocks, bonds or commodities. Then, consult experts like IDS or Heinold Commodities. All on line with CompuServe. Or if, like Herbie, intergalactic gamesmanship is your thing, enjoy the best in fantasy, adventure, and space games. Like MegaWars, the ultimate computer conflict To get all this and more, you'll need a computer, a modem and CompuServe. CompuServe connects with almost any personal computer, terminal, or communicating word processor. To receive an illustrated guide to CompuServe and learn how you can subscribe, contact or call: CompuServe Consumer Information Service 2180 Wilson Road, Columbus, Ohio 43228 800-848-8199 In Ohio, call 614-457-8650 An H&R Block Company Circle 92 on Inquiry card. The National Semiconductor NS16000 Microprocessor Family The NS16000 family offers features formerly available only in much larger systems, but in a combination not available on any one system. The advent of extremely fast VLSI (very-large-scale integration) tech- nology is quickly eradicating the gap between 8-bit small computer systems and 32-bit mini/mainframes. This de- creasing gap means that many users now expect the performance and ca- pacity of a large and costly main- frame to be combined with the flexi- bilities and economies of a micropro- cessor. The National Semiconductor Corporation has developed the NS16000 family of 16-/32-bit micro- processors to meet that expectation. (See table 1.) The NS16000 is the only micropro- cessor with full 32-bit capability in About the Author Glenn Leedy is the marketing manager of ex- ternal software products for the National Semi- conductor NS16000 family. He has worked as a systems-software development engineer at IBM, Sycor, and Digital Equipment Corpora- tion. At DEC he also served on the VAX soft- ware design team and as strategic market plan- ner for low-end and fault-tolerant/ high-avail- ability systems. Glenn Leedy National Semiconductor Microprocessor Systems Division 2900 Semiconductor Drive Santa Clara, CA 95051 Virtual memory is the expansion of the computer's capability to include both physical or main memory and external or secondary memory. the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and internal data paths; the other major microprocessors with 32-bit capabili- ty, those in the MC68000 family, have 32-bit registers but a 16-bit arithmetic logic unit and data path. The NS16000 fully supports de- mand-paged virtual memory address- ing, totally implemented by memory- management hardware. Transparent to both programmer and user, who see just an extension of the micropro- cessor instruction set, the NSl6000's memory-management unit (MMU), the NS16082, is capable of providing a uniform 16 megabytes of virtual memory per user, eliminating the disadvantages of memory segmenta- tion schemes. Virtual memory allows you to combine a minimum of expensive pri- mary storage (main memory) with lower-cost secondary memory. In this way, you can take full advantage of extremely large operating-system software and applications programs (now offered on large mainframes) without worrying about the hard- ware limitations of your system. The "symmetrical" architecture of the NS16000 means that any data type can be used with any instruction (where appropriate), any addressing mode, and any operand source or destination. Because of this, you may be able to accomplish a given task with fewer instructions than you would with a microprocessor that has a less regular instruction set. Additionally, the NS16000 has high-level language architecture, which means that it can execute high- level language instructions at speeds and code densities approaching as- April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 53 (la) System • A total 32-bit high-performance computer system with slaved 32-bit and 64-bit floating- point processing and 16-megabyte uniform virtual-memory management • This family of chips will be offered at 6-MHz and 10-MHz processing rates during 1983, and 12-MHz and 14-MHz in 1984 Hardware Central Processing Unit • True 32-bit instruction (registers, arithmetic logic unit, and data paths) • Symmetrical architecture • High-level language support • Modular programming support • Powerful instruction set: Over 100 instructions Addressing modes optimized for high-level language references General two-address capability Expansion via slave processors • 48-pin package NS16082 Memory-Management Unit • Full hardware support for 16-megabyte uniform demand-paged virtual memory • Dynamic address translation • 32-entry translation cache • Automatic instruction "abort" and "retry" • Program debugging support: Program-flow traceback Two breakpoint registers Break-on-b ranch mode • Security implemented through access-level checking and dual-system and user address-space mapping • 48-pin package NS16081 Floating-Point Unit • Both 32-bit and 64-bit operation • 8 general-purpose 32-bit registers • Direct memory-to-memory operation • High-speed instruction execution: 32 bit 64 bit Add 7.4 pS 7.4 /iS Multiply 4.8 mS 6.2 ftS Divide 8.9 ms 11.8 mS • Conforms to IEEE FPU format • 24-pin package sembly language. [This is an ambi- tious claim that will be verified only after advanced compilers have been written for this microprocessor and benchmarked. . . . G. W.] Tradi- tionally, high-level language pro- grams have taken up to three times longer or more to execute than assembly-language programs and have required substantially larger memory space. Information from users of NSl6000-based systems leads us to believe that code produced by NSl6000-based compilers averages 40 percent longer than that produced by a human assembly-language pro- grammer. We have also found that such code is considerably more com- pact and runs faster than that pro- duced by compilers for the other major microprocessors. Consistent with its high-level lan- guage capability, the NS16000 family supports modular programming tech- niques that allow you to divide com- plex programs into simpler, indepen- dent tasks and routines, each of which you can easily link for maxi- mum efficiency. The NS16000 micro- processors even let you dynamically reconfigure and link together ROM- based software modules meant for any NSl6000-based system. This can be done by using the NS16000 link table facility (to access both external software modules and global vari- ables) along with the "external" ad- dressing mode available to all NS16000 instructions. For more powerful performance in using high-level language programs, (lb) Microprocessor Characteristics NS16008 NS16032 NS16C032 NS32032 NS32132 registers 32 bit 32 bit (low-power 32 bit 32 bit arithmetic logic unit 32 bit 32 bit CMOS 32 bit 32 bit internal data path 32 bit 32 bit version 32 bit 32 bit external data path 8 bit 16 bit of 32 bit 32 bit real memory address 24 bit 24 bit NS16032 24 bit 29 bit virtual memory capabilities none 24 bit address with same 24 bit address 32 bit address (with MMU support) (16 megabytes) characteristics) (16 megabytes) (4 gigabytes) Table 1: An overview of the NS16000 family hardware (table la) and various configurations of the microprocessor (table lb). 54 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 150 NS32132 *> 40 - £ 28 n 20- 2 15 - 4 - 1 THE SOFTWARE -COMPATIBLE NS16000 MICROPROCESSOR FAMILY P NS16C032 V NS16008 (la) 1980 CALENDAR YEAR 1985 SYSTEM COST 100K (DOLLARS) VAX-11/780 VAX-11/750 IBM 4341 U I MAINFRAME j NS32032 NS16032 (lb) )6 0.8 PERFORMANCE ~ (32-bit) and 11.8 microseconds (double-precision 64 bit) at 10 MHz, from 3 to 10 times faster than com- petitive units now on the market. A comparison of the NS16000 family with popular minicomputers and mainframes now on the market shows how you can benefit from the high price /performance ratio of these microcomputers (see figure 1). True Mainframe Performance In order for a small microprocessor system to expand to the full capabili- ty of a mainframe, its architecture — the interface between the computer and its software — must optimize per- formance without compromising user protection. The system must accom- modate the largest of user applica- tions and yet remain cost-effective. Above all, it must be able to use the enormous software inventory now available on mainframes to avoid ob- solescence and minimize cost. At Na- tional Semiconductor, we decided that the most effective way to achieve these design criteria was by imple- menting the following features: a highly symmetrical architecture, high-level language support, modular software support; a powerful instruc- tion set, demand-paged virtual-mem- ory support, and a memory -manage- ment unit. Figure 1; The NS16000 family facts and performance. Figure la shows the performance of various members of the NS16000 family, while figure lb compares the performance of the NS16032 and N532032 with that of several minicomputers and mainframes. the NS16000 features an instruction set with over 100 instructions, each of which is able to operate on up to five operand types. There are nine ad- dressing modes, five of which enhance the use of high-level lan- guages. In addition, all the code pro- duced by the NS16000 instruction set is totally relocatable. The NS 16000 can execute opera- tions (including all shift, logical, and arithmetic instructions) with both values in memory — known as a ''two- address" capability. Combined with such features as multiple-way branch- ing, a check instruction (to see if a value is within given limits), and string instructions, it becomes easy to write compact programs in both high- level and assembly languages. To carry out floating-point pro- cessing, memory management, or any other customized function for that matter, the NS16000 gives these operations to dedicated hardware. Such operations are made even faster by the use of special control and status lines that allow multiplexed inter-processor communication at speeds above normal processor-pe- ripheral data-interchange rates. For example, the NS16081 floating-point unit (FPU) can carry out a divide operation in only 8.9 microseconds Symmetrical Architecture In the context of machine architec- ture, symmetry is the degree to which any data type can be used with any instruction, with any addressing mode, and with any operand source or destination. Symmetry is of para- mount importance when implement- ing space- and time-efficient high- level languages. High-Level Language Support Programming in a high-level lan- guage (C, Pascal, PL/I, BASIC, FOR- TRAN, and COBOL, for example) is far more productive than program- ming in assembly language, which can be extremely tedious and time- consuming. A high-level language programmer often can produce the same number of debugged lines of code per day as an assembly language programmer; however, a line of high- April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 55 level language code usually performs a far more complex operation than a line of assembly-language code. In the past, code generated by high- level languages required larger amounts of memory and took longer to execute. Depending on the com- piler, computer, and applications, a compiled program might be well over three times longer and slower than the best assembly-language program. The basic reason: most contemporary architectures were not designed to support compilers. The NS16000 family, with its sym- metrical architecture, general-pur- pose registers, and other features, has eliminated these architectural defi- ciencies. Designed specifically to sup- port high-level language compilers, the NS 16000 family enables even relatively unsophisticated compilers to produce efficient code. Because they can more efficiently translate high-level languages, com- pilers on the NS16000 can actually generate instruction-code densities approaching those of assembly lan- guage. Another feature of the NS16000 is its expanded addressing capability. In addition to four standard addressing modes common to other micropro- cessors — register, immediate, ab- solute, and register relative — the new NS16000 has an additional five unique addressing modes oriented toward high-level languages: top-of- stack, memory, memory-relative, ex- ternal, and scaled-index. The top-of-staek (TOS) mode is useful for evaluating arithmetic ex- pressions in a high-level language quickly and with a minimum number of instruction bytes. Any operand, or both operands, of an instruction may be referred to by the top-of-stack ad- dressing mode. The operand is pushed onto the current stack, popped from it, or referenced without modifying the stack pointer. Most other microprocessors, which limit top-of-stack addressing to a small number of instructions, require several instructions to achieve the same result as one NS16000 family in- struction. The memory mode is similar to the standard register-relative mode, Move instructions (5 instruction groups, 3 single instructions; total 18 instructions): These instructions move data among memory locations and registers. As with all instruc- tion groups, the instructions that are part of an instruction group have three forms: byte (8 bits), word (16 bits), and double word (32 bits). Here, this means that many move instruc- tions will work on 8-, 16-, or 32-bit quantities. Integer arithmetic instructions (14 instruction groups; total 42 instructions): This group includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, remainder, and modulus operations. Packed decimal instructions (2 instruction groups; total 6 instructions): The two operations are packed addition and packed subtraction. When used with 32-bit operands, this gives addition and subtraction instructions that work on 8-digit decimal numbers. Integer comparison instructions (3 instruction groups; total 9 instructions): One instruction allows a comparison of a value with a 4-bit constant; normally, operands can be 8, 16, or 43 bits wide. Logical and Boolean instructions (7 instruction groups; total 21 instructions): These instructions perform logical and, or, xor (exclusive or), and complement functions. Shift instructions (3 instruction groups; total 9 instructions): This group includes a rotate instruction and both arithmetic and logical shift instructions. Bit-manipulation instructions (7 instruction groups, total 21 instructions): This group includes various test, set, clear, and invert operations. Bit-field instructions (4 instruction groups, 1 single instruction; total 13 instruc- tions): This is a very useful group of instructions that allows you to interpret a series of bytes as a record of bits and manipulate arbitrarily placed subfields within this record. Array instructions (2 instruction groups; total 6 instructions): One instruction checks a value to see if it is within an acceptable range of values; the other is used to help index in- to multidimensional arrays. String instructions (3 instruction groups, 3 single instructions; total 12 instructions): This versatile set of instructions allows you to compare, skip over, or move strings. Various options allow the operations to take place starting at the end of the strings, working backward, and to continue until a match either occurs or doesn't occur. Jump and linkage instructions (2 instruction groups, 16 single instructions; total 20 instructions): This set of instructions includes jumps, subroutine calls, case-like multiway branches, returns, jumps to external routines, and debugging-related instructions. Microprocessor register instructions (5 instruction groups, 3 single instructions; total 18 Instructions): These instructions manipulate the microprocessor's registers. Miscellaneous instructions (3 single instructions): This group includes a wait, a no- operation, and a diagnostic instruction. ,. Floating-point instructions (4 instruction groups of 6 instructions each, 8 instruc- tion groups of 3 instructions each, 4 single instructions; total 52 instructions): This group in- cludes various floating-point arithmetic operations and instructions to convert to other forms. These instructions are available only if the NS16081 floating-point unit is connected. Memory-management instructions (2 instruction groups, 4 single instructions; total 10 instructions): These instructions are available only if the NS 16082 memory- management unit is connected. Custom slave instructions (20 instruction types, most with more than one form): These open-ended instructions allow you to interact with an unspecified "slave" processor connected to the NS16000 family microprocessor. This scheme allows the NS16000 family to interact with performance-enhancing processors yet to be designed. Table 2: An overview of the NS16000 family instruction set. which allows memory to be accessed relative to one of four special-purpose registers. This mode simplifies many constructs needed by high-level lan- guage interpreters and compilers. The memory-relative mode is used to manipulate fields in a record and allows pointers located in memory to be used directly without having to be loaded into registers, as with other microprocessors . The external mode, unique to the NS16000, supports a modular soft- ware concept (to be explained later), allowing modules to be relocated without traditional code modification in linkage editing. The scaled-index mode is used to access elements in byte, word, double-word, or quadruple-word arrays. It computes the operand ad- dress from one of the general-purpose registers and a second addressing mode, which allows automatic index- ing into tables of 1-, 2-, 4-, or 8-byte entries. 56 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc In general, high-level language pro- grams reduce software obsolescence, one of the major problems facing the computer user, because these pro- grams can be used on other systems with different architectures. In con- trast, assembly languages are tailored to a specific computer instruction set and are rarely transportable. Modular Software Support Because the very complexity of large programs is one of the major factors contributing to software unre- liability, decreasing the complexity increases reliability. Modular pro- gramming accomplishes this by divid- ing complex programming tasks into smaller and simpler subtasks, or modules, each of which performs a well-defined portion of the overall task. You can develop each module in- dependently of all other modules, without concern for inter-module ad- dressing or linking. Using this ap- proach, you can significantly reduce both software development costs and programming time. You can also in- crease program flexibility and simpli- fy operating-system design. Until the NS16000, microproces- sors could not easily implement the concept of modular programming in ROM (read-only memory) because program code had to be modified to access specific data blocks and exter- nal procedures in a system. This sig- nificantly limited the use of programs written in ROM, which is unfortu- nate because if modules could be put into ROMs, you could build a very helpful library of ROM-based mod- ules that could be used as needed in various applications. Software modularity is an impor- tant issue because it is included in the structure of many high-level lan- guages. For example, programs in Ada (a new Department of Defense high-level language) are composed of one or more subprograms, packages, or tasks, each of which can be com- piled separately. In Pascal, program modules may refer to variables, func- tions, or procedures contained in another module by the use of exten- sions to the language. Modular programs are more likely to be correct and are easier to under- stand; hence, they are readily modi- fied, maintained, and documented. And because inter-modular com- munication can be accomplished through well-defined interfaces, the inner operations of a module do not have to be known to another module. An important part of modular pro- gramming, especially to the software designer, is the operating system. Na- tional Semiconductor realizes that one operating system, however suc- cessful, is not a sufficient software base for a new microprocessor. Be- cause of this, the NS16000 will be supported by several choices in oper- ating systems. The Pick operating system is a generic system already in use at nearly 20,000 facilities on a variety of computer systems. In the One of the critical decisions made by designers of computer memory organizations concerns the "swapping" of data in and out of main memory. future, the following operating systems will also be available for the NS16000 family: Xenix (Microsoft's extended, licensed version of Bell Laboratories' Unix); Oasis-16 (Phase One Systems); CP/M, Concurrent CP/M, and CP/NET (Digital Re- search Inc.); and the UCSD p-System (Softech Microsystem's version, mod- ified to use the NSl6000's larger ad- dress space). Through these operating systems, you will have available a variety of application programs and programming languages. A Powerful Instruction Set In addition to symmetrical archi- tecture, modular software, and ex- panded addressing, high-level lan- guages on the new National Semicon- ductor microprocessor family are supported by a sophisticated instruc- tion set, which determines computing capability and programming effec- tiveness. In the NS16000, there are over 100 instructions (see table 2), all chosen on the basis of their frequency of use, and each able to operate on up to five operand types. Because the set is sym- metrical, instructions can be used (where appropriate) with any length operand, in any addressing mode, and with any general-purpose register. Demand-Paged Virtual-Memory Support While large-address-space pro- grams and multitask/multiuser en- vironments have always existed, microprocessors have had a hard time servicing them. Developed over a decade ago, the microprocessor was designed as a general-purpose device that was software programmable and therefore an alternative to a pro- hibitively expensive special-purpose chip. In addition, early micropro- cessors were rarely capable of ex- ceeding a memory address of 16K bytes. Even today, many micropro- cessor systems are limited to 64K bytes of total memory or memory segments. Basically, there are three aspects of memory organization: the entire memory structure, which is how the logical memory looks to the user and program; the mapping of logical memory to actual (physical) memory, called address translation; and final- ly, virtual memory, which is the ex- pansion of the computer's capability to include both physical or main memory and external secondary memory such as disk-drive systems, with switching between the two being handled automatically. The NS16000 uses a virtual mem- ory organization. This organization solves two problems: the need for logical address spaces larger than physical memory, and the expense in- curred by adding main memory. With virtual memory, the NS16000 stores only a minimum of logical- address information in physical memory, with the remainder located in low-cost disk memory until that in- formation is needed to carry out a program instruction. The architecture of this memory April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 57 LOGICAL (VIRTUAL) ADDRESS SPACE With demand-paged virtual memory, page swapping with disk storage is carried out with pages of uniform size, using a simple replacement algorithm for efficient memory utilization. . . . PHYSICAL (MAIN) ADDRESS SPACE TOTAL OF 32,768 PAGES FOR 16,777,216 BYTES OF DEMAND-PAGED VIRTUAL MEMORY SEGMENTED LOGICAL ADDRESS SPACE PHYSICAL ADDRESS SPACE . . . With segmented page-swapping systems, however, complicated replacement algo- rithms have to match up incoming segments with available memory space. Invariably, the holes left in memory due to the variable size segments will result in . . . Figure 2: Fragmentation plagues segmented address space schemes. organization is uniform rather than segmented. In a uniform address space, addresses start at location zero and proceed uniformly until the en- tire logical space is filled. A seg- mented address space consists of a collection of smaller uniform address spaces. (See figure 2 for some of the problems with segmented address space schemes.) One of the critical decisions made by designers of com- puter memory organizations concerns the "swapping" of data in and out of main memory. This task must be ac- complished quickly to carry out a program instruction, but additional- ly, the swap should contain as little unusable data as possible. The size of this swap is called a page, and in a uniform memory space, it can be any size the designer wants it to be. In a segmented memory system, the size of the swap is already determined by the size of the segment. The NS16000 has the entire 16-megabyte virtual memory divided into 32,768 pages of 512 bytes each. The NS16082 Memory-Management Unit Successful management of the vir- tual-memory system is the function of the NS16082 memory-management unit. In addition to translating the logical (virtual) addresses generated by the NS16032/NS16C032/NS32032 58 April 1983 © BYTE Publications lnc SEGMENTED PHYSICAL ADDRESS SPACE . . .fragmentation. This occurs when— as page segments are swapped— larger segments begin to be replaced by smaller segments, creating unused free space L5K-BYTE SEGMENT . . .Eventually, as memory begins to fill up and enough smaller segments replace large seg- ments, there will not be enough space to accommodate larger segments. . . . . . .When this happens, the program must stop and wait for memory to be made available by operating-system intervention, or for completion of one or more tasks (which may take some time). 5K-8YTE SEGMENT Figure 2 continued microprocessors into physical ad- dresses, the memory-management unit can abort an instruction during execution by the microprocessor to load a nonmemory resident page and retry the same instruction immediate- ly afterward. This feature is unique to the NS16000 system and is fully im- plemented in hardware. Figures 3a and 3b give the logical and physical interconnections of the microprocessor and its memory-man- agement and floating-point units. Im- portant functions carried out by the memory-management unit are dy- namic address translation using memory-page tables, on-chip cache for most recently used page-table entries, instruction abort and retry, and system debugging. In dynamic address translation, the memory-management unit keeps track of the logical address requested by the microprocessor and its corre- sponding values in physical memory at all times. To do this, it uses page tables containing pointers that indi- cate where to go in physical memory (see figure 4). Surprisingly, both page and pointer tables do not require large amounts of memory. An entire 16-megabyte virtual-memory map will use only one 1024-by te page table to point to 256 pointer tables of 512 bytes each for a total of 132,096 bytes devoted to mapping, or approximate- April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 59 NS16008/16032/32032/32132 MICROPROCESSOR DATA SPECIAL- PURPOSE GENERAL-PURPOSE REGISTERS REGISTERS (24 BIT) (32 BIT) IISl! PROGRAM COUNTER | PC RO f£;e$ STATIC BASE J SB Rl £ 8 ;| FRAME POINTER ~~| FP j USER STACK POINTER | US j R3 M*M INTERRUPT STACK POINTER | IS R4 H?M INTERRUPT BASE | ^ f R5 STATUS ] PSR j R6 MODULE | MOD R7 (16 BIT) <^> VIRTUAL ADDRESS SPECIAL-PURPOSE REGISTER (32 BIT) FLOATING-POINT STATUS | GENERAL-PURPOSE REGISTERS (32 BIT) DEBUG BLOCK (32 BIT) MSR 1 BPRO| BPR1 I BC i PFO PF1 1 MEMORY STATUS BREAKPOINT BREAKPOINT i ; 8"i BREAKPOINT COUNT l : 'e : ] PROGRAM FLOW pe^ PROGRAM FLOW SCO SCI SEQUENTIAL COUNT CONTROL BLOCK | REGISTER 1 FILE BLOCK WORKING REGISTERS | ERROR/ INVALIDATE ADDRESS | EIA m PAGE TABLE BASE ] PTBOj _ _ ___ — _ "-1 PTBl I I I ASSOCIATIVE CACHE VIRTUAL/PHYSICAL ADDRESS PHYSICAL ADDRESS :> (3a) NS16081 FLOATING-POINT UNIT (FPU) NS16082 MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNIT (MMU) Figure 3: Component interconnection in the NS16000 family. Figure 3a shows the logical interconnection of the microprocessor and its memory-management and floating-point units, while figure 3b gives an overview of the physical interconnections. ly 0.8 percent memory overhead. The memory-management unit NS16082 provides an entire 16-megabyte vir- tual address space for each user. The address space itself is divided into fixed pages of 512 bytes each, which enables the NS16000 to trans- fer data into and out of memory quickly. When the microprocessor passes a virtual address to the memory-man- agement unit, the latter first attemps to match it with a special associative cache contained on the chip. This cache contains the 32 most recently accessed virtual addresses, as well as their translated physical addresses. If the address requested by the micro- processor matches one of the 32 cache entries, the microprocessor is allowed access to the physical address im- mediately (see figure 5a). This virtual-to-physical address transla- tion can occur in just one clock cycle, or 100 nanoseconds with a 10-MHz microprocessor clock. However, if the requested address is not present in the cache, the memory-management unit must fetch both page and pointer table entries from memory before ad- dress translation can be performed (see figure 5b). This can take up to 20 clock cycles, or 2 microseconds with a 10-MHz microprocessor clock. The memory-management unit's associative cache, which operates transparently to the user, is an ex- traordinarily powerful tool in en- hancing processing speeds. We have calculated that an address will be pre- sent in the cache about 97 percent of the time. This means that 97 percent of the data can be addressed with a typical virtual delay overhead of only one clock cycle. The memory-management unit's instruction abort and retry features are perhaps its most significant. After fetching and decoding an instruction, the microprocessor sends the virtual addresses of the operand to the mem- 60 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc SYSTEM CONNECTION DIAGRAM XTAL2 XTAL1 RESET interrupts/ DMA{ ROY PHI1 PHI2 ILO HBE RST INT NMl HOLD HLDA NS16032 MICROPROCESSOR ADDR/DATA FLT PFS U/S ADS DDIN ST0-ST3 ART SPC NS 16201 TIMING CONTROL UNIT (TCU) RST I PHI1 PHI2 RSTO CTTL DDIN ROY PER WAITS WATM WAIT 2 WAIT I RD WR ADS DBE PERIPHERAL CYCLE READY WAIT REQUESTS (ADDRESS -DECODED OR STRAPPED) RD — ^ C-D-24 24 $ ADDR/DATA MULTIPLEXED BUS (3b) 71 IV16 DATA SPC ST0-ST1 NS16081 FLOATING-POINT UNIT (FPU) RST CLK c -p) lOMHi PHI1 PHI2 FLT PFS U/S ADS DDIN ST0-ST3 ABT SPC PAV NS16082 MEMORY- MANAGEMENT UNIT (MMU) ADDR/DATA -24 WR ILO HBE PHYSICAL ADDRESS VALID =) ?V DATA RST CLK MULTIPLEXED BUS MEMORY/ PERIPHERALS STROBE ADDRESS LATCH/ BUFFER 24 ADDRESS I BUS DDIN EN DIR DATA BUFFERS STATUS D ory-management unit. If the mem- ory-management unit decides that the information resides in main memory, it translates the virtual address to the physical address directly, allowing the microprocessor to operate direct- ly on the memory. However, if the data does not reside in one of the pages of main memory, the memory-management unit will initiate a page fault and send a signal to the microprocessor to abort its instruction. (A memory- access abort will also occur if the microprocessor tries to access a pro- tected section of memory.) Once the instruction has been stopped, any register that had been altered by the instruction will be returned to its original state. A page fault is a hardware-gener- ated trap that, in essence, tells the operating system to bring in the miss- ing page containing the data from disk memory. (To signal whether a page or pointer-table entry is present in main memory or not, the page en- try contains a "valid bit" for that pur- pose.) Once a page fault is detected and an instruction aborted, the micropro- cessor then calls up the virtual- memory operating system routine, which locates the proper page con- taining the data in peripheral memory and loads it into main memory (see figure 5c). If no room exists in main memory, it is swapped with a page that is determined to be the most ex- pendable (or least likely to be re- called). If the operating system can do multitasking, it is free to do other tasks while pages are being loaded. When the operating system has com- pleted its page swap, it executes a "return from trap" instruction and the aborted instruction resumes. Debugging is handled by the mem- ory-management unit with break- pointing and flow-tracing techniques. Breakpointing is a tool used to test if April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 61 Circle 76 on inquiry card. INDUSTRIAL BUILDING COSTS. 0SSJSS5! rtfiSSB*® Write For Our 1983 Brochure. If your company is actively seeking a rail-served site tor a new manufacturing or ware- housing operation, your best single source for information is the CSX Corporation's railroads. Our rail units, the Chessie System Railroads and the Seaboard System Railroad, serve 22 states across the East, Midwest and Southeast. So we can help you find the site that suits you best, with impartial and in-depth information. We offer you construction costs on a representative cross section of industrial buildings, the facts on more than 5,000 different sites, plus the latest data on transportation, labor, water, taxes, you name it. For your free copy of our 1983 Construction & Cost Data brochure, write: J.R. LeGrand, Vice President Industrial Development, CSX Railroads, Dept. CS-13, 500 Water Street, Jacksonville, Fla. 32202. X CSX Corporation c Chessie System Railroads Seaboard System Railroad Chessie System Railroads and Seaboard System Railroad are units of CSX Corporation. © 1983 CSX Corporation LOGICAL (VIRTUAL) MEMORY 32,768 PAGES •16,777,216 BYTES OFFSET (8 BITS) (7 BITS) (9 BITS) 23 16 15 9 8 PAGE TABLE REGISTER T | PAGE-TABLE i 1 BASE (PTBi) •J PAGE TABLE 2 8 *256 255 254 r 253. r o 'i POINTER TABLE 21 127 2 7 *128 PHYSICAL ADDRESS I LOGICAL (VIRTUAL) ADDRESS 2 9 «512 > AN ENTIRE 16 -MEGABYTE VIRTUAL-MEMORY MAP USES ONLY 132,096 BYTES (0.8% MEMORY OVERHEAD) PAGE PHYSICAL (MAIN) MEMORY Figure 4: Dynamic address translation in the NS16000 family. program execution is proceeding as planned. It can also be used to monitor data access. Often, a pro- gramming error may cause control to pass to a known location for some unknown reason. By using program flow tracing, the memory manage- ment unit follows the chronology of a program so that you can determine what went wrong. And because the memory-management unit's debug- ging facilities use hardware rather than software, they do not add to program execution time; therefore, these facilities can be used in a pro- duction and a development environ- ment. The NS16081 Floating-Point Unit To understand how a floating- point unit can enhance an application area, you must first realize the advan- tages a floating-point unit brings to a microprocessor. First, all floating- point units allow a microprocessor system the flexibility of handling a great numeric range (either large or small) beyond the normal range of a microprocessor's registers. Several factors must be considered 62 April 1903 © BYTE Publications Inc How Dow Jones News/ Retrieval Helps You Take Control Of Your Investments Successful investing takes more than instinct and hard work. To really take control of your investment future, you need fast, accurate information from a reliable source. 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INC. 6150 Canoga Avenue, Suite 100 Woodland Hills, CA 91367-3773 (800)423-5904 (213)716-5500 (In California) PROCESSOR VIRTUAL ADDRESS 32-ENTRY ASSOCIATIVE CACHE MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNIT (MMU) PHYSICAL ADDRESS II CLOCK CYCLE) MAIN MEMORY NS16082 ~7*> (5a) PROCESSOR 7^> VIRTUAL ADDRESS CACHE PAGE-TABLE ] ENTRY FETCH ) MEMORY- MANAGEMENT UNIT (MMU) PHYSICAL ADDRESS (UP TO 20 CLOCK CYCLES MAIN MEMORY y] (5b) PROCESSOR n DATA VIRTUAL ADDRESS CACHE MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNIT (MMU) MAIN MEMORY IT o PAGE SWAP DISK MEMORY (5c) Figure 5: Memory access through the NS16082 memory-management unit. If the page- table entry (PTE) is in the cache memory of the memory-management unit and the pro- gram page is in memory (figure 5a), data addressing is completed in only one clock cycle (100 nanoseconds with a 10 MHz system clock). If the page is resident in main memory but the PTE is not in the cache memory, a page-table entry must be fetched from main memory (figure 5b), normally requiring up to 20 clock cycles (2 microseconds). If the page is resident in disk memory, it must first be swapped into main memory (figure 5c), after which it is treated as in figure 5b. when designing a floating-point unit into a system. These include the method for handling a specific opera- tion or instruction, the permissable length of actual data (operands), the amount of support that the floating- point unit expects from the rest of the system, and the interconnection schemes to enhance data communica- tions to and from the chip. The design of the NS16000 family fully supports 32-bit and 64-bit preci- sion floating-point calculations through its NS16081 floating-point unit (FPU); the unaugmented micro- processor will handle 8-, 16-, and 32-bit fixed-point calculations. The NS16081 contains eight general-pur- pose onboard 32-bit registers, which you may use to provide either a sin- gle-precision (32-bit) or double-preci- sion (64-bit) number (see figure 6). While the eight general-purpose registers are reserved for actual data, a ninth 32-bit status register holds both control and error information. Control options include enabling microprocessor traps and floating- point error conditions and setting the operand rounding mode. Error condi- tions include traps for overflow, underflow, illegal division (division 64 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc TODAY'S PRODUCTIVITY IS TOMORROW'S PROFIT, That's why Quark designs office automation software to increase your productivity. With programs that will dramatically enhance your Apple* W or lie. So you'll' do more work— more efficiently —in less time— for less "money. And all Quark progra are extremely frienc you can devote to using them9|| them. Yet ydull many sophisticated feSTt no other softwais^gan of Find out for yourself bee /our dealer today for a ^mplete < lllpistration of jr j " PM^Kng innovatfli such as oui Qatalyst hard disk boot, '' ' /A '^ >rrow And who mcrnh yesterc Quark Incorpora 2525 West Evans, s f-ado 8021 Quark MMMMMMM INCOR POR ATED Off ice Automation Software :ie 358 on inquiry card. 32-BIT (6a) SIGN EXPONENT FRACTION 1-BIT 8 BITS 23 BITS (BIAS OF 127) 64-BIT SIGN EXPONENT FRACTION 11 BITS (BIAS OF 1023) 52 BITS FPU SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION the proposed IEEE floating-point standard; its instruction set is sum- marized in table 2. The floating-point instructions use the same addressing modes as the other NS16000 instruc- tions. For greater speed, separate pro- cessors in the floating-point unit operate on each of the three principal segments of a number residing in either a 32-bit or 64-bit register— all under control of microcode. The first segment (containing 1 bit) is reserved for the sign, the second segment (8 or 11 bits) for the exponent, and the third segment (23 or 52 bits) for the fraction or mantissa. NS16032 MICROPROCESSOR A/D 0-15 STO ST1 SPC RST c 16-BIT DATA BUS STO ST1 SPC (6b) RST D 0-15 STO ST1 SPC RST CLK NS16081 FLOATING-POINT UNIT (FPU) RST CTTL NS16201 TIMING-CONTROL UNIT (TCU) Figure 6: Floating-point numbers in the NS16000 family. Figure 6a shows the NS16000 format for standard (32-bit) and long (64-bit) floating-point numbers. Figure 6b shows an overview of the physical interconnection between the microprocessor and the floating-point unit. by zero), illegal instructions, inexact results, and undefined operand (for example, all-zero or all-one expo- nents). The programmer can individ- ually enable or disable all the traps. Unlike other microprocessor sys- tems that support floating-point oper- ations, the NS16000 architecture makes available to the floating-point unit all the system addressing modes, which aids efficient data handling. For example, in a scaled-index mode, an entry in a large array of floating- point data elements may be addressed by its logical index rather than by its physical address. This not only facili- tates finding the data, but eliminates wasting time with unnecessary pro- gramming schemes. Used in conjunction with the NS16082 memory management unit to simplify large-memory manage- ment and data retrieval, the NS16081 floating-point unit becomes an even faster and more efficient data crunch- er. For example, not only are a full 16 megabytes of virtual memory avail- able for data storage, but all of the data-retrieval, dynamic-address, and memory-protection capabilities of the memory management unit become part of floating-point routines. The instruction set of the NS16081 floating-point unit is compatible with Conclusions The simplicity and efficiency of some of the concepts discussed here might lead you to believe that popular large computer systems would have integrated these features into their designs long ago. Not so. The IBM 360, 370, 43xx, and 30xx, for example, well known for their number-crunching abilities, do not possess symmetrical architectures, nor do they show much support of high-level languages and modular software. And — despite their high cost — these large systems currently offer no more than 16 megabytes of virtual memory. In these systems, sophisticated functions are carried out by slow, complex software, with lost time being made up by speedy (and costly) parallel-processing hard- ware techniques. Digital Equipment Corporation's VAX minicomputer systems, on the other hand, do have a high degree of symmetrical architecture and support virtual memory. As a result, they offer a full 32-bit, 4-gigabyte virtual memory but at a cost some 20 to 30 times that expected for systems now being developed by manufacturers using National Semiconductor's new 16-/32-bit NS16000 family. In short, the NS16000 family offers features formerly available only in much larger systems but in a combin- ation not available on any one sys- tem. This family of microprocessors promises to be the foundation of a new generation of high-performance, low-cost computers. ■ 66 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Disk Storage Needn't Double The Cost Of Your Apple III*™ Expanding disk storage on your Apple III * ™ can be an expensive proposition. But Micro-Sci has a better proposition for you, because our disk drives for the Apple III give you greater capacity and performance for every dollar spent. And no compatibility problems. 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Circle 276 on inquiry card. Micro-Sci is a Division of Slandun Controls, Inc. 21 58 SOUTH HATHAWAY STREET • SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA 92705 • 714/662-2801 International Dealer Inquiries .... IMC International Markets Corp. Telephone: 71 4/730-0963 • • TELEX: 910-346-6739 Telex: 277782-ROBYUR THE NEW ATARI 1200XL HOME COMPUTER MAKES SOPHISTICATED GRAPHICS AND SOUND SO EASY TO PROGRAM. ONLY the new ATARI 1200XL Home Computer combines cus- tom microchip technology with 64K RAM computing power to de- liver graphics and sound capabilities that are so easy to program. The ATARI 1200XL has 11 graphics modes and 5 text modes. (The Commo- dore 64 and Apple ll-e have only 2 graphics modes and 1 text mode.) Additional text and graphics modes allow users to easily program sophisticated graphics effects with relatively few commands, taking full advantage of the 256 color variations available. The sound capa- bilities of the ATARI 1200X1 are also easy to program. Four distinct "voices" spanning 3Vi octaves are controlled by a separate microchip, leaving the principal microprocessor chips free to perform other tasks. ONLY the ATARI 1200XL offers a keyboard featuring 8 pro- grammable function keys controlling 16 functions in a 64K computer. (That's twice as many as the Commodore 64). Four new function keys enable you to lock and unlock the keyboard electronically disable the screen DMA for faster processing time, generate European lan- guage or graphics characters, turn the keyboard sound on and off or access the one-touch cursor control. The unique user-definable "help" THE NEW © A Warner Communications Company © m3. Atari, inc. ah rights reserved 68 BYTE April 1983 key permits users to self-test ROM, RAM, audio-visual circuitry and keyboard functionality or call up assistance within complex programs. For even more help, Atari gives you a toll-free number to call for product and technical information (800) 538-8543; in California 1-(800) 672-1404. ONLY the ATARI 1200XL offers you a home computer com- patible with virtually all ATARI Computer peripherals and software (compatibility that other new computers like the Commodore 64 don't offer). There are over 2,000 programs and seven programming lan- guages currently available for the ATARI 1200XL New programs like AtariWriter m and languages like ATARI Microsoft BASIC, Assembler Editor, PILOT, Pascal, ATARI BASIC, Forth, and Macro Assembler offer you even greater programming challenges and flexibility ONLY Atari puts so much more in the new 1200XL Home Computer so you get so much more out of it faM&\2QOX!L O >N ■m, ** ^ - > \ r> > c - ** MARI1200XL ##C : CO PUTER mm mm ^Wr m WH* ^SUp ^SBP*' SB mm m¥mW ^mmW Mm tmmmmtmm mm Circle 38 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 6 Design Philosophy Behind Motorola's MC68000 Part 1: A 16-bit processor with multiple 32-bit registers. In the mid 1970s at Motorola, a new idea was taking shape. As more and more demands were being made on the MC6800 family of microproces- sors, the push was on toward develop- ing greater programmability of a 16-bit microprocessor. A project to de- velop the MC68000, known as Motorola's Advanced Computer Sys- tem on Silicon (MACSS), was started. The project team began with the freedom to design this entirely new product to best fit the needs of the microprocessor marketplace. Devel- opers at Motorola explored many possibilities and made many difficult decisions. The result can be seen in the MC68000, viewed by most indus- try experts as the most powerful, yet easy to program, microprocessor available. In this first of four articles, I will discuss many of the philo- sophies behind the design choices that were made on the MC68000. Many criteria can qualify a processor as an 8-, 16-, or 32-bit device. A manufacturer might base its label on the width of the data bus, address bus, data sizes, internal data About the Author Thomas Starnes is an electrical engineer who has spent the last five years helping to plan the direction of the MC68000 family of processor products for Motorola. Thomas W. Starnes Motorola Inc., Microprocessor Division 3501 Ed Bluestein Blvd. Austin, TX 78721 paths, arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), and/or fundamental opera- tion code (op code). Generally, the data-bus size has determined the processor size, though perhaps the best choice would be based on the size of the op code. Ill talk a bit about these features and then show how the MC68000 is both a 16- and 32-bit microprocessor. Shaping a Design Designers must make hundreds of decisions to shape the architecture of a new microprocessor. The needs of the users of the new product must be considered as the most important factors. After all, the users are the ones who really need a functional product, and if they are not happy with the features or performance, they will keep looking for a better alternative. Unfortunately, it may be impossi- ble to meet all of the needs of the users due to certain design limita- tions. The design must be inexpensive enough to produce in mass quantity. Also, current technology will permit only certain types and numbers of circuits to be manufactured on a silicon chip. These are the foremost factors that dictate the upper limits of the capabilities of a microprocessor. In planning the new 16-bit MACSS, designers had to make a decision concerning the general architecture first. What should it look like? A great deal of software written for the MC6800 family already existed. A processor that provides enhance- ments over an older processor, yet can run all of the programs for the older processor, has a real asset: it can capitalize on the existing software base. This may attract users by ensur- ing that they won't have to rewrite at least some of their programs. Unfortunately, architectures, such as the early 8-bit microprocessors, were rather crude. Because they were designed to replace logic circuits, not enough thought was put into the software aspect of the parts. Their instruction set was oriented toward hardware. The designers did not con- sider carefully the future of these products, their expandability and compatibility. To try to design a microprocessor to be compatible with the older 8-bit parts was limiting. Designers at Motorola decided that the new MACSS should be the fast- est, most flexible processor available. They would design it for program- mers, to make their job easier, by providing functions in a way that most programmers could best use them. 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ADDRESS MODE 00- IMMEDIATE 01 -DIRECT 10- INDEXED H-EXTENOEO OPERATION $o- ■SUBTRACT I- ■COMPARE 2- ■SUBTRACT W/CARRY 4- AND 5- BIT 6- LOAD 7- STORE 8- EXCLUSIVE OR 9- ADD W/CARRY A- ■OR B- ADD Figure 1: Op code organization for the MC6800. This processor is limited in its abilities because of its 8-bit size. MC68000 OP CODE 1 1 1 110 1 J 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 10 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 10 110 10 1 1 1 1 1 1 OPERATION V / \ JV J ADD 1 REGISTER D4 (1 OF 8) 1 TO (1 FROM MEMO i ) OR (0) RY \ EFFECTIVE ADDRESS FIELD MEMORY A2 INCREMENT (1 OF 12 MODES PLUS 1 OF 8 REGISTERS) 1 < DPERANI 16 BITS 8, 16, OR D SIZE 32 BITS) Figure 2: The MC68000 ADD instruction op code shows the power available with 16-bit operations. Multiple registers with variable operand sizes and a large address field give a programmer tremendous flexibility in programming. architecture should be used and that earlier designs should be considered as examples rather than as models. This gave the MC68000 designers the freedom to introduce completely new concepts into microprocessors and to optimize the functionality of the new chip. The planners decided there was one area in which ties to the 8-bit product family would be advantageous with- out exception. That area was in pe- ripherals. Motorola decided that this new 16-bit microprocessor would directly interface to the 8-bit collection of MC6800 peripherals. Because so many input /output (I/O) operations are 8-bit oriented, it seemed logical to retain this compatibility even though the 8-bit microprocessor interface would naturally be about half as fast as a comparable 16-bit. Compatability with 8-bit MC6800 peripherals had the added benefit of immediately ensuring support of the new micro- processor with a complete family of peripheral chips, rather than requir- ing a wait of perhaps years for 16-bit versions to become available. Expanded Capabilities A properly designed 16-bit micro- processor has many advantages over the most sophisticated 8-bit micro- processor, especially to the programmer (see figures 1 and 2). The 8 bits of op code for the smaller processor provide only 256 different instruction variations. This may seem to be a lot at first glance, but consider the following. If the microprocessor has two reg- isters from which to move and ma- nipulate data, those two registers require 1 bit for encoding the op code. If four different addressing modes are offered for accessing mem- ory data, these require 2 more bits for encoding. This leaves the micropro- cessor with only 5 bits with which to encode the operation to be per- formed. Only 32 different operations can be performed. Now admittedly this is plenty of operations for most applications, but realize that only two data registers and four memory-addressing modes are not very many to someone doing serious programming. Registers are there for fast data manipulation, and constantly swapping the contents of too few registers is not very fast. A more powerful microprocessor would have many registers, and they would all have to be accessible by the different operations, Additionally, the more addressing modes you have for accessing mem- ory data, the more efficiently you can get values in memory. Obviously, 8 bits of op code cannot give the micro- processor both the variety and the number of operations that a good 16-bit microprocessor can. With 64,000 different instructions possible in a 16-bit op code, you can perform far more complex operations. This, then, is the real advantage of 16-bit over 8-bit microprocessors to the programmer. A 16-bit micropro- cessor will have twice the data-bus width of the 8-bit version. This wider bus allows twice as much information to go in and out of the processor in the same amount of time. This can, with proper internal design, almost double the rate at which operations take place over the rate of a similar 8-bit machine. 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Canada V5G 4M1 604-430-3466 MC68010 Motorola has recently developed an improved version of the MC68000: the MC68010. It is completely compatible with object codes of earlier versions of the 68000 and has added virtual mem- ory support and improved loop in- struction execution. By using virtual memory techniques, the 68010 can appear to access up to 16 megabytes of memory when con- siderably less physical memory is available to a user. The physical mem- ory can be accessed by the micropro- cessor while a much larger "virtual" memory is maintained as an image on a secondary storage device such as a floppy disk. When the microprocessor is instructed to access a location in the virtual memory that is not within the physical memory (referred to as a page fault), the access is suspended while the location and data are retrieved from the floppy disk and placed into physical memory. Then the suspended access is completed. The 68010 provides hardware support for virtual memory with the ability to suspend an instruction when a page fault is detected and then to complete the instruction after physical memory has been updated. ~i The MC68010 uses instruction con tinuation rather than instruction restart to support virtual memory. When a page fault occurs, the micro- processor stores its internal state on the supervisor stack. When the page fault has been repaired, the previous internal state is reloaded into the microprocessor, and it continues with the suspended instruction. Instruction continuation has the additional ad- vantage of handling hardware support for virtual I/O devices. As mentioned in the body of this article, the 68000 uses a prefetch queue to improve the speed of instruction execution. The 68010 goes one step further by making the prefetch queue more intelligent. Detection of a three- word looping instruction will put the microprocessor into a special mode. In this loop mode, the microprocessor will need only to make data transfers on the bus, because it latches up the queue and executes the instruction repeatedly out of the queue. Once the termination condition for the loop is reached, normal operation of the pre fetch queue is resumed. This operation is invisible to the programmer and provides efficient execution of program loops. cessors should give the programmer far greater flexibility in coding and perform similar operations in less than half the time of an 8-bit micro- processor. Memory Accessing Users of the 8-bit microprocessors originally had difficulty imagining what kind of programs could fill up 64K bytes of memory. Many systems had no more than 8K bytes of ROM (read-only memory) and RAM (ran- dom-access read/write memory). But as time went on and the general software base grew, systems with up to 64K bytes of memory became more prevalent. Either code had to become more efficient or ways of fitting more than 64K bytes of memory in a sys- tem had to be developed. Sixteen-bit microprocessors could make code more efficient. In planning MACSS, designers foresaw that the 16-bit, 64K-byte ad- dressing range of popular 8-bit micro- processors would be quickly out- grown by the newly proposed micro- processor. Each additional bit of address could double the addressing range of the processor. Look at the techniques of expand- ing beyond a 16-bit addressing range and analyze the design trade-offs (see figure 3). You could extend the addressing range of early computers and minicomputers simply by ap- pending some additional bits to the most significant of the 16 address bits. These additional bits were usually stored in an additional register, the page register. This method is called paging, because you work out of one page at a time. The page is set manually, and the lowei 16-bits of address are included in th< instruction stream or registers. Paging has the advantage of bein quite simple to implement in tr processor. No real circuit change needed over the straightforwa 16-bit addressing, because all t 74 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc ■ Microsoft SoftCard systems introduce your Apple to thousands of new programs. More powerful Apples. When you plug a SoftCard™ system into the Apple® II, II Plus, or lie, you're adding the ability to run thousands of CP/M®-80-based programs. Word processing, data-base management, analysis and forecast- ing programs— SoftCard gives your Apple access to thousands of software tools for use in your business or home. Premium capabilities. Apple II or II Plus owners who want even more can add the Premium System. In addition to CP/M-80, it provides 80-column upper-and-lower case video and a 16K RAMCard. Apple lie owners can have all this on a single card— the Premium SoftCard lie. 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Both the Paged and the Segmented method give the programmer access to only a small portion of memory. expansion is done simply by append- ing bits to the core. It also has the advantage of having fairly dense code, because only 16 bits of address are carried around in the instructions. However, there are many dis- advantages to paging. The program- mer is limited to accessing only the particular page of memory that happens to be set in the page register. To be assured that the right page is being used requires a check to see what is currently in the page register, possibly saving that page number, and loading the register with the desired page number. This takes time and requires both additional thought by the programmer and additional Text continued on page 80 76 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc Circle 178 on inquiry card. 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One way to get around the single- page limitation of paging is to provide many page registers. Other characteristics that determine which register will be active on a particular bus cycle include instruction fetch, data read/write, and stack access. While these additional registers give the programmer access to more than one page at a time, there is still only one page available for each type of access. Some extensions to paging came out to compensate for some of the losses experienced in paging. Segmentation, for example, follows the same general principles of pagination. The key difference in segmentation is that the page number becomes a segment number and the segment number is essentially added to the core 16-bit address. This allows some relocation of the core address but still forces the programmer to check that the desired segment is loaded, and limits the range of any segment to only 64K bytes of memory. To a programmer, the simplest address technique is a direct address- ing of any memory location. This would be without regard for whether the wanted data is near recently accessed data or whether it is miles away. The programmer wants a linear view of data, that is, the ability to specify a very simple, albeit long, address that will access any data. Now, beyond the processor's mem- ory-addressing method, memory management is sometimes used. With it more sophisticated systems dynam- ically relocate or control the various blocks of memory. This is done for protection purposes in larger systems. The advantage is that you can protect one user's work space from the de- vastating effects of another user's poor programs running amuck. To this end, a separate memory manage- ment unit (MMU), in conjunction with the operating system, performs some addition to or translation of an address. This technique may sound similar to paging and segmenting memory, but this is done to serve a completely different purpose, and in a different way. The application program writer never sees this memory management and writes code as though the entire memory were available. To expand the memory space on the MACSS, the best option, though not the easiest to implement on the chip, is a linear address space. This space is not broken up by paging, segmentation, or banking schemes. It is a very simple addressing technique, requiring the least effort by the programmer, while still allowing more advanced operations such as memory management. A linear address is simply a straightforward 32-bit, for example, address . The address space is not broken up into blocks; and it is contiguous. Accessing such an address merely requires the expression of the 32-bits in the instruction or using a single address register. 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The natural address sizes greater than 16 bits are 24 and 32 bits, which are 3 and 4 bytes long, respectively. For a 16-bit microprocessor, the odd num- ber of bytes becomes slightly un- wieldy. Looking a little further into the future, it seemed that even the 16 megabytes of a 24-bit address might not meet the needs of large systems. While 32 bits of address, reaching 4 gigabytes of memory, seems tremen- dous, once the need for more than 16 bits is established, 32 bits is the next most convenient size. It takes exactly two 16-bit bus transfers to move an address into the processor, and once the second transfer is needed, as it would be even for an 18-bit address, it is just as well to use the whole 16 bits brought in. 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Still, all 32 bits of address are maintained within the processor, and there are simple means of determining the upper 8 bits' values. Multiple Registers With the size of the memory address space determined, it was easier to settle on the register scheme of the new processor. The size and the number of registers had to be de- cided. Designers originally envisioned onboard registers for a processor because operating on memory data requires a time-consuming transfer across the external bus. It just happens that in programming most data is operated on a number of times in succession before a result is ob- tained. Often many combinations with many different data pieces are used . The merging of these two observations leads to onboard or on- chip registers for fast manipulation of frequently used data. It seems that from the day registers were brought into the processor, programmers have wanted more registers for their use. The goal, then, when designing processors, is to provide as many registers as possible for the programmer. In the MC6800, only two registers (A and B) were available for data manipulation, and one index register (X) to point to non- stack data. These few registers are being loaded and saved almost as often as the data within them is ma- nipulated. The loading and saving of registers is usually wasted time. The amount of time spent bringing data into on- chip registers for fast manipulation 82 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc Circle 337 on Inquiry card. Vanquishes The High Cost Of Plotters Small, smart £nd cost effective, the 1DMP-40 single-pen plotter puts big- plotter power at tHe command of the smallr system us&r. With this aitiiable and competent aid ^t your side, you can create colorful Wi x 11" arid 11 x 17" graphics^inaages of professional quality for starid alone use, binding into reports of as overhead trails- parancies for group presentations. Circles, arcs, ellipses and general curves are automatically generated by robust intef rial firmware, freeing you arid your computer from wasteful low-levet busy work . ^ By plotting in increments 0. 005/', you are assured of virtually [ * step-free traces. The result is pre- cisely defined graphics of hl^h accuracy and solid repeatability: Standard RS-232-C interfacing matches the DMPr40 to all current computers; Multicolor plots pn the DMP-40 are a simple matter since built in firmware arid most commercial soft- ware provide 'pause' comriiands for pen changing. These and more big-plotter capa- bilities are yours at small-plotter cost.* For the name and location of your nearest distrainor, call 512-83^-0900 or 1^800-531-5205 outside Texas, \or> write Houston Instrument, 8500 Cameron Rd,, Austin, Texas 78753:InEtirope contact Bausch& LomS NV. Rochesterlaan 6, 8240 Gistel T Belgium, Tel 059-27-74^45, Tix 846-81399. **US retail $995.7 BAUSCHSLOMB Mousfon initrttm^ tit d imwQn: Circle 48 for literature. Circle 49 to have representative call. 4P006 depends upon the exact use of that data. However, the more registers available, the more likely it is that a register will not have to be saved just so that some other data can be operated on in that register. The design of the internal execution of instructions through a micropro- cessor will determine many things about the suitability of the chip for programming. Instructions may operate either on what are called dedicated registers or on a general register set. Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. In a microprocessor that uses dedi- cated registers, an instruction in- cludes the address of the data to be worked on in specific registers. These registers are inherent in the instruc- tion. The ADD instruction, for example, will add only from a mem- ory location to, say, register A — not to register B, and not from register A to memory. If the value to be added to is not already in register A, it must first be placed there. Before it can be placed there, a number in A may have to be saved. All of this can be quite troublesome. This is not very * * WE ARE BYTE MAGAZINE'S THIRD OLDEST ADVERTISER * * COMPLETE SYSTEMS FOR A WIDE RANGE OF APPLICATIONS, FOR VARIED LEVELS OF SOPHISTICATION. 8 & 16 BIT, S-100 AND NON S-100, SINGLE AND/ OR MULTI USER, FLOPPY AND HARD DISK CAPABILITY, SOFTWARE, PE- RIPHERALS, SERVICE AND SUPPORT. MASTER MAX: Z80, S-100 with dual 8" drives (Winchester option). Uses Inter- continental Micro CPZ48000 single card computer, 4 DMA channels & universal interrupt controller give great versatility and speed. $2,540 includes CP/M. OP- TIONS: double sided drives, TURBODOS, ICMS slave cards, 220v/50HZ operation. 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Corrects all the deficiencies of the IBM PC. Beautifully designed. 84 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc different from the situation in which there simply are not enough registers. Contrast this with the example of a processor that uses true general-pur- pose registers. In a general-register machine, the ADD instruction may add data from memory to any of the internal registers. The instruction must contain information on which register it will operate on. This is determined when the instruction is assembled. If there were four registers in the processor, the ADD operation could be performed in register A, B, C, or D, as selected by the programmer. Now if the value to be added to is in register C, the programmer simply designates C as the operand register. There is no need to shuffle registers and no need to save any register contents. The general-register machine, then, is easier to program and typically requires less time to execute an operation. As it always happens, this ease of programming does not come free. You will see later that allowing a selection of registers requires bits in the op code for encoding and, there- fore, more bits of the op code. Also, it is typically more difficult for the microprocessor designer to imple- ment the circuitry that incorporates various registers because it takes time to determine which register is to be used and to activate that register. Streamlining internal operations so that this time is not detectable requires quite a bit of planning. So while fewer registers or dedi- cated registers may be easier for the microprocessor designer to imple- ment, they make programming the new chip more cumbersome and less flexible. But the extra time, effort, and expense of implementing general- register principles pays off by easing the programming of these devices. Therefore, the MC68000 was de- signed with general-purpose registers. Any instruction may select any reg- ister for use as a source or destination operand or as a pointer in any allow- able addressing mode. This tremen- dous flexibility gives programmers the ultimate in data and pointer placement. A close observation of the use of Circle 423 on inquiry card. » the monitor that stands alone manufacturers a complete — line of high quality monochrome (green and amber), as well as medium and high resolution RGB color monitors. Our monitors are in use around the world on IBM and Apple as well as most other personal computers. See your local ®T&XjAI\I dealer, or call us for details. TSK Electronics Corporation 18005 Cortnev Court City of Industry. CA 91748 (213) 810-1291 registers indicates they usually have one of two purposes: they may retain data for manipulation, or they may contain an address that points to a memory location. The use of a register for each of these purposes is quite different. When data is moved into or out of a register or is manipulated within the register, all types of conditional information from the operation are important. Thus, you typically would like all condition codes to be properly set after a data operation. This way these condition codes may be used to branch or with other data operations. On the other hand, an address might be placed in or taken from a register, or modified by incrementing or decrementing. Rarely is it impor- tant whether a carry comes out of the ALU or whether the result is negative (i.e., has a 1 in the most significant bit). In fact, a programmer would prefer manipulation of an address to have no effect on the condition codes. Often in the middle of a complex data operation, you must bring in a new address or increment an address. To have this operation modify the condition codes most of the time will foul up the data operation in progress, and so is undesirable. Therefore, two generic register types emerge: a data register (DO through D7) and an address register (AO through A7). The MC68000 has both types. In a data register, any operation will affect the condition codes of the microprocessor as is appropriate for the operation and the data used. However, in an address- register operation, condition codes will not be changed, but the codes from previous data operations will be retained. This way you can have address and index pointer changes made, without affecting the accuracy of the results, in the middle of a complex data operation that requires many instructions and transfers from memory. What size and how many of each type of register should be included in the microprocessor? The more reg- isters there are, the better it is for the programmer. Unfortunately, the more register and control circuits in the chip, the more expensive it is. A good balance must be attained. Two registers are too few, four are nice, but it is difficult to imagine even a complex routine requiring more than eight different memory pointers. The encoding of eight registers re- quires an even three bits. Because it seemed that eight was a good upper bound, the MC68000 has eight ad- dress registers and also eight data registers. With 16 registers available, divided half and half for data and address, almost any sizable routine will never require the temporary storing of a value in a register just so that the register can be used for something else. And, within the routine, manip- ulations of memory pointers in address registers will not interfere with an ongoing data calculation, PICK A SYSTEM ! OMPLETE We're offering you our SB-80 system in either 5 1/4" or 8" disk drives, your choice. Either way your system comes with a full size (12" diagonal) non-glare tiltable green screen with 24 lines by 80 character format. Its multi- character set offers blinking cursor, underlining, reverse video, and half and zero intensity. The movable, detach- able keyboard has a numeric pad with cursor control and function keys. ■ Single Board Technology ■ CP/M® Operating System ■ 4MHzZ80ACPU ■ 64K 200ns Main Memory ■ 8-Inch Dual Density Floppy Drives ■ 5 1/4-Inch Dual Density Floppy Drives ■ 2-Serial Ports ■ 2-Parallel Ports ■ 4-Counter/Timers ■ Expandable For further information about this limited offer call or write: Nationwide on-site and depot repair service through the professionals at INDESERV. Colonial Data ®CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Colonial Data Services Corp., 1 05 Sanford Street, Hamden, Conn. 0651 4 • (203) 288-2524 • Telex: 95601 4 86 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 80 on Inquiry card. Color for the Price of Black and White • Transtar 315 Color Printer for only $599 suggested retail price • New technology four-hammer print head • Unique diagonal ribbon provides simpler and more reliable operation • Prints 7 colors plus more than 30 shades • All colors and shades are printed in a single pass of the print head • Built by Seikosha, the oldest manufacturing company of the famous Seiko group — providing precision products since 1892 . Transtar • BoxC-96975 Bellevue, Washington 98009 Circle 417 on inquiry card. because of the distinction of how the condition codes work for the different register types. It is easy to see how the MC68000 is easier to program. Earlier I explained that MACSS would handle all of its addresses as 32-bit quantities. Anyone who has ever programmed 8-bit micropro- cessors, which have 8-bit accumula- tors and 16-bit index registers, has seen the difficulty with the two different sizes. Once programmers figure out how to put the 16-bit value in both 8-bit accumulators, things get tougher when they try to get arith- metic carries from the lower half to the upper half of the value. A little of this experience led the MC68000 designers to decide that using data that is the same size as the address register could make some software design significantly easier. In order to handle a linear 32-bit virtual-address space, the MC68000 needed to have 32-bit address regis- ters. How would 32-bit data registers fit into a 16-bit microprocessor? You would expect a 16-bit micro- processor to process 8- and 16-bit data, but does it make sense for it to also process 32-bit data? Obviously, the addresses will have to be handled Commodore 64 Computer over $300 Free Professional Software when you buy a Commodore 64 computer COMMODORE 64 PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE Name List Sale word processing pack $89.00 $69.00 complete Data Base pack (includes Mailmerge) $89.00 $69.00 Electronic spreadsheet pack (like visicalc) $89.00 $69.00 Accounting pack (personal & business) $59.00 $49.00 Programmers Helper $79.00 $59.00 Programming Reference guide $20.95 $18.95 Basic Tutor $24.95 $19.95 Typing Tutor $24.95 $19.95 80 column BOARD 80 characters per line on the screen at one time. In- cludes word processing pack (list $89.00), complete data base pack (list $89.00), Electronic spreadsheet pack (list $89.00). ALL FOR ONLY $275. We have over 300 Programs for the Commodore 64 Computer 10 day free trial • We have the lowest prices One day delivery express mail • Free Catalogs WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS ENTERPRIZES <™ctory.d.rect, BOX 550, BARRINGTON, ILLINOIS 60010 Phone 312/362-5244 to order in that size. Designers recognized that in 8-bit microprocessors the ability to handle 16-bit data came in quite handy for more advanced applica- tions. The 8-bit processors soon had to be upgraded to handle 16-bit operands, and users of 16-bit mini- computers needed 32-bit operations. Once a few 32-bit operations be- come necessary in a microprocessor, you need a whole array of opera- tions. If a multiplication operation generates a 32-bit result, in order to do anything with that result, other 32-bit operations are needed. For consistency, again, Motorola decided that the data registers would be 32 bits wide and operations on all 32 bits could take place with a single instruction. Three Arithmetic Units The exact manner of processing data and addresses through the MC68000 came about later, with careful analysis of the internal architecture and the need for address and data in the sequence of instruc- tions. The chip ended up with three separate arithmetic units, which could work in parallel. I'll describe their purpose to give some insight into how the machine works. The MC68000 has a 16-bit-wide ALU that essentially performs all data calculations and provides single-pass evaluation of the 16-bit data, for which the MC68000 is primarily de- signed. There are also two other inter- nal arithmetic units. Both are 16 bits wide and are generally used in con- junction with each other to perform the various address calculations asso- ciated with operand effective ad- dresses. This makes sense because all addresses are 32 bits wide. An effec- tive address (EA) is the calculated result based on a selected addressing mode of the processor. In the MC6800, for instance, if an "index- register-plus-offset" address mode were used, the EA would be the result of adding the contents of X with the given offset. Because EA evaluation takes time and can be a significant por- tion of the instruction, it is important to perform this quickly. At one time, then, one 32-bit address and one 16-bit data calcula- April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 346 on inquiry card. Circle 247 on Inquiry card. tion can take place within the MC68000. This speeds instruction execution time considerably by pro- cessing addresses and data in parallel. The MC68000 also operates on 32-bit data. This is usually done by taking two passes of 16-bit data, one for the lower word and one for the upper word. This is reflected in the execution time of many 16- and 32 -bit instructions. Prefetch Queue Another way designers made the MACSS faster was to include what is called a prefetch queue. This prefetch queue is more intelligent than other microprocessor queues; its control varies according to the instruction stream contents. The prefetch queue is a very effective means of increasing micro- processor performance; it attempts to have as much instruction information as possible available before a particular instruction begins execu- tion. The microprocessor uses an otherwise idle data bus to prefetch from the instruction stream. This keeps the bus active more of the time, increasing performance because processing of instructions is often limited by the time it takes to get all the relevant information into the processor. The part of memory from which in- structions are fetched, the program space, contains op codes and address- ing information. The prefetch queue can contain enough information to execute one instruction, decode the next instruction, and fetch the following instruction from memory — all at the same time. Exactly what is in the queue is very dependent upon the exact instruction sequences. The queue is intelligent enough to stay fairly full without being too wasteful. For instance, when a conditional branching instruction is detected, the prefetch is ready to either branch or not by the time a decision is made. The queue tries to fetch both the op code following the branch instruction and the op code at the calculated branch location. 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HEATH, APPLE, OSBORNE, NORTHSTAR OUTSiDE USA-Add $10 In N.J. add 6% sales tax the processor can begin immediate decoding of either instruction. The other unnecessary op code is ignored. You can use the prefetch queue in many other special ways as well. One example is in speeding up the re- petitious Move Multiple Registers instruction, where it is used to accelerate successive data transfers. The prefetch queue allows many fre- quently used instructions to execute in exactly the time it takes to fetch the op code (actually, the time to prefetch the next op code). Microcoding One other significant implementa- tion feature from the MACSS project emerged from the choice between a random logic design versus a microcoded design. Both techniques have advantages and disadvantages. Earlier microprocessors were largely of random logic design. Advanced techniques of very large scale inte- gration (VLSI) and the increasing complexity of the chips have made microcoding more attractive. Random logic design of a micro- processor or other logic device is the building of the device from discrete components — gates, buffers, and transistors. This limits the components to those that are essential. There are no unused gates, duplicated circuits, or clever uses of otherwise unused components. The design is usually packed as tightly as possible and is quite fast. The difficulty is that, as the design becomes more and more complex, as VLSI has, the planning and layout of the components and signal traces become exponentially more difficult and often impossibly so. This means that it takes exorbitant amounts of time to design the circuits. Another problem with the use of random logic in very complex circuits occurs in modeling and testing. Before such circuits are finally placed in silicon, they must be modeled and simulated on computers because of the great difficulty in running down April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 89 bugs once the chip is in silicon compared to debugging a wire-wrap board. The entire circuit must be modeled all at once to ensure that one combination of signals affects only the expected section of the device. Similarly, once the circuit is in silicon, the pass/fail testing of the components in a random logic chip is quite difficult. You typically have only a few lines to send sequences of patterns through for testing. Because a particular section of the circuit may be exercised only by a very few given inputs, a normal test may not detect a stuck gate or other error caused by some strange combination of inputs. On the other hand, in much the same way that microprocessors made designing systems with medium-scale integration /large-scale integration (MSI /LSI) easier, microprogramming has come to ease the complications in the design of microprocessors. Micro- programming is to a microprocessor what a microprocessor is to a logic design of a system. A microprocessor has central components that can be considered black boxes with inputs and outputs. For each given opera- tion (instruction, interrupt condition, etc.), the microprocessor can route certain information to these black boxes as inputs, and the outputs can be routed to other components. The control of this routing is performed by a microcontroller or micro- sequencer. Similar to a microprocessor, the microsequencer directs the flow of data through the various components (ALU, registers, condition flags, shifters, buses, etc.) according to microprogrammed instructions. Each instruction has its own microroutine, or sequence of microwords, which routes the associated data to the proper component in the proper order. Conditions and branches may redirect the microroutines. Microcoding a complex circuit simplifies design mostly because it makes the circuit modular. It takes a controller, a block of microprogram, and the components through which data is to flow. Each of these elements INTRODUCING BABY TEX™ THE "PLUG IN" ANSWER TO SOFTWARE FOR THE NEW TI PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE SELECTION: BABY TEX™ upgrades your TI Professional Computer and allows you to run nearly 3000 popular CP/M® software programs. SOFTWARE VERSATILITY: The BABY TEX™ package includes three special "utility" software programs at no additional cost, making your computer more versatile. SOFTWARE SAVINGS: BABY TEX™ is now available bundled with WordStar™, MailMerge™, Personal Pearl™ and WonderCalc ™ for only $995. That's four applica- tions programs plus BABY TEX™ for only $995. 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Another advantage of microcoding is that it allows tremendous flexibility in the exact operation of the circuit. Its microwords allow more combina- tions of the inputs through the components than most random logic would allow. Microcoding's pro- grammability makes it especially attractive to silicon designers because random logic in silicon is not easily changed. Last-Minute Changes Possible You can change the microROM of the microcoded device right up to the minute before the masks for the device are processed. To change a small facet of an operation may mean altering a few bits in the microROM, but this changes only whether or not there is a gate on the bit's transistor — a simple alteration. Similarly, after the silicon is cast, should a change be necessary, it will likely be just a microcode change, which would be much easier than random logic modification in silicon. The disadvantage of a microcoded circuit lies primarily in its generality. Because it is made up of modules and is programmed, the microcoded cir- cuit is more wasteful of transistors and therefore makes a larger circuit. This may add up to 20 percent more board space or chip area than a tight random logic design. But microcod- ing has advantages that make up for this disadvantage, making it the design choice for modern VLSI cir- cuits. There are two types of micropro- gramming, horizontal and vertical (see figure 4). Horizontal microcod- ing is the more direct form. It is unencoded, so that, for instance, 1 bit in each microword would enable each register. For 16 registers, then, 16 bits of microcode must be dedicated. Horizontal microwords tend to be quite long, and because the size of the microcode directly affects chip size, they can quickly increase chip cost. 90 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 452 on inquiry card. .V #■ s^ ^ k. r > ^c ^ TTs new Compact Computer* It takes over your work, not your desk The ordinary personal computer occupies too much of the ordinary desk. Now Texas Instruments brings you a cordless compact computer that solves the same sort of problems as the Apple™ or IBM™ personal computet It has enough memory and power for complex problems in business and science, yet the whole thing is smaller than a magazine page. Sophisticated software is available right now for finance, statistics, production planning, graphics— and spreadsheet and wordprocessing are just around the corner. For most personal computer tasks, its 6K RAM and 34K ROM are ample. The system is easily, economically expanded. The TI Compact Computer 40 has peripherals that make it even more useful: *Based on published manufacturer's suggested retail price. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corp. a 4-color printer/plotter; an RS-232 interface for talking with other computers or mnning a larger printer; and TI Wafertape™ drive for program or data storage. TI Solid State Software™ cartridges offer you a choice of convenient, foolproof programs. Its built-in language is TI Enhanced BASIC, which allows you to write programs in everyday words. The integrated liquid crystal display shows 31 characters, which can be scrolled to show up to 80 per line. It operates on four AA alkaline batteries that give up to 200 hours of service. The TI Compact Computer 40 offers solutions anywhere you go. Yet it retails for less than 1/3* the price of Apple™ or IBM™ personal computers. The TI Compact Computer— compact in price and size, but not in power. See it soon at your Texas Instruments retailer. Creating useful products !•» and services for you. W**im Texas Instruments Copyright © 1983 Texas Instruments Circle 410 on Inquiry card. Circle 37 on Inquiry card. a& Random t>, $50 The best spelling checker at any price - it just happens to cost much less. For any CP/M® 2.2, MS-DOS® or IBM PC-DOS® Word Processor. 32,000 words on 1 sided S%" disks 50,000 words on 2 sided 5 l A" or 8" disks 80,000 words optional For orders or information, call 505-281-3371. VISA, MasterCard accepted. Or write Random House ProofReader, Bo\ H4-B. I ijeras. N.M. 8703W Please enclose $50 and specify your computer model, disk size and memory. Random House and the House designs are registered trademarks of Random House, inc. CP M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. IBM and IBM Personal Computer are registered trademarks of IBM VERTICAL MICROWORD 1 1 1 10 1 1 1 1 ENCODED "REGISTER 4" WITH ENABLE BIT HORIZONTAL MICROWORD 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 10 I I I I I I I -ft- UNENCODED "REGISTER 4" Hh Figure 4: Comparison of horizontal and vertical microcode patterns. A denser but slower form of microcoding is vertical microcoding. Here, control functions are encoded, so that only 4 bits of microcode are required to select one of 16 registers. While it needs a much shorter micro- word, vertical microprogramming is potentially slower than horizontal microprogramming. Vertical micro- programming will take at least one level of logic gates to decode the encoded signals. This level of gates may just throw the total gate propagation delay over the threshold of the clock pickets, forcing an additional clock cycle into the in- struction. In the MACSS project, the MC68000 was selected to be micro- coded. In retrospect this was a very wise decision. The first silicon prototype worked well enough so that the major circuits in the device could be tested, and subsequent ''fixes" were often just microcode corrections. The instruction set was not firm until just before the masks went to wafer fabrication, allowing some late decisions to be made to improve the performance of the chip. A combination of horizontal and vertical microcoding was used on the MC68000 to gain the optimum advantages of both. Essentially, a microcode and a nanocode were developed. The microcode is a series of pointers into assorted microsub- rou tines in the nanocode. The nano- code performs the actual routing and selecting of registers and functions, and directs results. This combination is quite efficient because a great deal of code can share many common routines and yet retain the individuality required of different instructions. Decoding of an instruction's op code generates starting addresses in the microcode for the type of operation and the addressing mode. Completion of an instruction enables interrupts to be accepted or allows access to the prefetch queue for the next op code. The prefetch queue actually keeps bus use at 85 to 95 percent, i.e., the bus is idle only 5 to 15 percent of the time! Conclusion Let's look back now at the MC68000 and see what parts of it might qualify it as a 16-bit device. The internal data ALU is 16 bits. It processes 32-bit addresses, though only 24 bits are brought off chip . The op code that tells the processor what operation to perform is 16 bits wide. The data bus is 16 bits wide. The microprocessor will operate on either 8, 16, or 32 bits of data auto- matically. There are 16 general- purpose 32-bit-wide registers in the chip . The MC68000 is generally con- sidered a 16-bit microprocessor, though it uses 32-bit addresses and contains 32-bit registers. It also can operate on 32 bits of data as easily as 8 and 16. Many users of the MC68000 consider it a 32-bit just as much as a 16-bit processor. Whatever you consider it there is no doubt that the MC68000 is indeed a powerful micro- processor. In coming articles, I will discuss in more detail exactly what operations are available in the MC68000 and will illustrate examples of MC68000 code. ■ 92 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Training Programs Cdex™ Training Programs are available for: Application Programs The VisiCalc® Program — IBM® Personal Computer Version Apple® lie Version Apple® II Plus Version The WordStar™ Program The SuperCalc™ Program The EasyWriter IT" Program Hardware Programs The IBM® Personal Computer The Apple® He Personal Computer The best, most comprehensive pro- grams written and every personal computer made, still take a con- siderable amount of time to learn how to use. That is... until now! 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Cdex Corporation 5050 El Camino Real Los Altos, CA 94022 415 964 7600 How to get the best out of (and into) your computer. You've invested in your computer to get data accurately, intelligibly. The modem is no place to compromise and slip in a weak link. With Novation Cat * modems you don t. Our Cat line is a full one. At one end — our small, handy J-Cat. It purrs along at 300 bps, excellent for home use. At the other end, with all the features and conveniences you want for business — our full blown smart, automatic communication systems that can roar along at 1200 bps. All have one thing in common — unique, highly advanced LSI chips. Our engineers have designed these little marvels, eliminating the complexity and costs of typical modems, and producing instead modems elegantly simple in execution with absolutely state-of-the-art reliability and features. There's nothing quite like working with the latest and the best. Come see. The Cats are at leading computer stores. 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It's an advanced modem with custom micro- processors and LSI circuits that have let us cut parts count and costs drastically — while improving performance in every way. Auto-answer and auto selection of 1200 bps or lower speed. Both synchronous and asynchronous. $695 * APPLE-CAT™ II WITH 212 OPTION Complete communication system for Apple owners. Modular design lets you grow into — not out of — the system. Comes with excellent software — our own Corn-Ware™ is a simple-to-use, menu driven terminal program. Full range of speeds up to 1200 bps. All auto functions — phone directory with auto configuration and auto dial, redial, answer, disconnect. Binary or text modes. VisiCalc™ and CP/M™ compatibility— and the list is growing. Installation can still be just one slot in your Apple II, even with optional 212 card. $389* and up. Novation The recog(\iw& leader m personal a )mmunicatu ms . Novation, Inc. , 18664 Qxnard Street, Tarzana, CA 91356 (800) 423-5419 • In California: (213) 996-5060 Cat is a registered trademark of Novation. VisiCalc is a trademark of Personal Software, Inc. CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research Inc Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer Inc 'Suggested retail C|fc|e ^ „ |nq(jiry card _ The CRT 9007 Video Processor and Controller Explore the heart of a smart terminal. The CRT 9007 VPAC (video pro- cessor and controller) is a powerful new "next-generation" CRT (cathode- ray tube) controller that features advanced memory-addressing tech- niques and flexible video-timing pa- rameters. To better understand the virtues of the VPAC, we should first review the function of the basic CRT controller. Characters are "painted" by the scan of a modulated electron beam across the screen phosphors. All CRT dis- plays demand continual readdressing of a video memory to refresh the screen before the characters fade. This screen addressing must be syn- chronized to the raster scan (via the horizontal and vertical sync pulses) to ensure that the characters are in the same screen position every frame or refresh period. In the most elemen- tary sense, a CRT controller is nothing more than a memory-address generator to refresh and synchronize the video screen. If a CRT controller is to gain accep- tance, users must be able to program its screen parameters and format (i.e., the number of characters per row, the About the Authors Brian Cay ton is the marketing manager (standard products) for Standard Microsys- tems Corporation, Mort Herman is the product marketing manager (display products) for SMC. Brian Cayton and Mort Herman Standard Microsystems Corp. 35 Marcus Blvd. Hauppage, NY 11788 number of rows, the character cell size, sync pulse widths, and so on). Moreover, the controller should offer other characteristics desirable in a display system. These include cursor generation, retrace blank generation, and interlace capability. The first-generation LSI (large- scale integration) controllers all fit this description. Some of them differ architecturally in the techniques of addressing data and so on, but they all provide much the same function. The first-generation CRT controllers revolutionized the terminal market- place by reducing the chip count of earlier CRT terminals built with SSI (small-scale integration) and MSI (medium-scale integration) tech- niques by some 50 to 60 chips. As a result, they substantially reduced both cost and board space and made relatively inexpensive multifeature terminals possible. The CRT con- trollers also removed much of the black magic associated with CRT dis- play design, bringing the design of CRT displays within the reach of most engineers. Although the first-generation CRT controller chips were very successful in reducing hardware costs by re- ducing component counts, they did nothing to improve the actual ter- minal performance. Over the last few years, however, the terminal market- place has changed. Computer manufacturers, wanting to enhance their powerful new mini- and micro- computers with powerful new dis- plays, were forced to surround the first-generation CRT controllers with the discrete circuitry needed to pro- vide smooth scrolling and more trans- parent memory -contention schemes. In addition, they overburdened CRT processors with the software required to provide editing features. A New Generation When Standard Microsystems Cor- poration began on a next -generation CRT controller to replace the first generation CRT 5037 (introduced in 1977), the company decided that a true next-generation CRT controller should not only simplify hardware design decisions but carry out soft- ware tasks previously relegated to the system's processor. The designers also felt that the CRT controller should not dictate the hardware ar- chitecture of the CRT terminal. The controller should be versatile enough to give the terminal designer max- imum freedom in specifying com- ponents. The result was the CRT 9007 VPAC and a family of ancillary cir- cuits. Four LSI circuits resulted from this project: the CRT 9007 VPAC, the CRT 9006 SRB (single-row buffer), 96 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* lnc ^;; - >^ win a free trip to nraraei} from September 23 through October 2 visit the wonderful bavarian city l with Its traditional, but also progressive places. Get the taste of both charming provincial and eccentric cosmopolitan life! What Is Munich, the capital of southern Germany most associated with: Of course not just October Fest, Hofbrauhaus and Beer... but also see the Olympic Stadium, the National Theatre, the Nymphenburger Castle, the Statue of King Lud- wig II. Look at paintings of Kandlnski and Klee. AQFA, BMW, SIEMENS and, and, and... The winner of the special QUIZ will get not only a free roundtrlp ticket from the international airport nearest his home, but also ten paid days in one of Munich's finest hotels, in the most attractive part of town like the "Munchner Frelhelt," surrounded by a lot of nightlife (Jazz clubs, bars, cabaret, dancing). Plus 50 US$ per day to spend as you please during Oc- toberfest. YOU MAY BE THE WINNER!!! Twenty 2nd prizes: magnificent photo collection "Octoberfest," free diskette. CONTEST RULES: Prize winners will be selected at random from successful quiz applicants under the supervi- sion of certified public accountants. This offer is valid sxcept in states where prohibited by law. "THE OCTOBER FEST" A SUPERIOR EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM and a lot of fun DISKETTES for APPLE II 48K DOS 3.3 SVa" US$ 37.50* and compatible equipment IBM PC 64KSS160K5V4" US$ 43.50* and compatible equipment Iboth with lot of hlghres colorgraphics, sound, animation CP/M VERSION SD 256K 8" US$ 32.50* reduced graphics, no sound to participate In the QUIZ (getting a qulzform as self-mailer) order your pre- ferred diskette format now by sending your check or money order to: artel® art & electronics, p.o. box 8280, santa fe, nm 87504 usa VISA or MASTERCARD pse call (505) 988-9296 'foreign orders pse add US$ 7.50 for shipping Entry for QUIZ must be in before August 1, 1983 Munich Is waiting for YOU + + + Circle 32 on Inquiry card. Auxiliary ICs CRT 9006 single-row buffer: contains RAM, an address counter, and data latches. Two versions are available: CRT 9006-135 (up to 135-column display) and CRT 9006-83 (up to 83-column display). Both versions can be cascaded for longer data rows. CRT 9212 double-row buffer: essentially two single-row buffers in one package. One buf- fer fills with character data while the other provides screen refresh. It has separate clocks for reading and writing the buffers to allow for different input and output data rates. CRT 9021 B video attributes controller: controls video attributes (blink, blank, reverse video, underline, and intensity along with double height/double width and programmable cursor) and graphic attributes (wide and thin modes). Contains 28.5-MHz video shift register. Table 1: The three auxiliary ICs developed by Standard Microsystems Inc. to support the CRT 9007 VPAC. ROW START ADDRESS 1000 1080 80 CHARACTERS 2840 ROW END ADDRESS 10 79 1159 ) 24 DATA ROWS 2919 Figure 1: A typical (80 by 24) display employs sequential memory addressing for its 1920 bytes of video memory. the CRT 9212 DRB (double-row buf- fer), and the CRT 9021B VAC (video attributes controller). See table 1. VPAC Design The CRT 9007 contains 30 reg- isters, 12 of which contain the vital screen parameters, the data that determines the screen format. The re- maining registers provide for cursor control, light-pen operation, and the software features that are unique to the VPAC. Traditionally, video memory is ad- dressed sequentially. In sequential ad- dressing, the characters on the display screen are located in suc- cessive memory locations. As each character is read out for display refresh, an internal video-address counter is incremented by one, to point to the next character to be ac- cessed. For example, an 80-character by 24 data-row display will require 1920 sequentially located bytes that represent all character locations on the screen (see figure 1). Intelligent terminals must provide on-screen data manipulation through editing functions. Typically, such designs also include display features such as double-height and double- width characters, bidirectional variable-speed smooth scrolling, and multiple-width screens (83 and 135 columns). With sequential memory address- ing, inserting and deleting single characters within a row are relatively trivial examples of data manipula- tion. However, when whole lines are inserted or deleted, large blocks of data must be moved rapidly to avoid screen flashing, ''garbage" displays, or undesirable blanking of the entire screen. A single-line insertion in an 80-column display requires that every succeeding memory byte be moved forward by 80 address locations. On a 24-row display, this can involve moving up to 2K bytes of data. The microprocessor manipulating this data must also be able to service the various interrupts coming from data- communication ports, the keyboard, and possibly even a magnetic-storage medium. Nonsequential Memory Addressing To take some of the burden off the microprocessor, the VPAC provides not only sequential memory address- ing but two modes of row-table oriented nonsequential memory ad- dressing to assume the duties of mov- ing data from the host processor. The row table, a list of starting ad- dresses for the rows, resides in mem- ory for addressing by the VPAC. Row-table addressing links each data row by pointers, eliminating the need to locate the rows in sequential mem- ory addresses. Instead of manipulat- ing entire data rows, only the pointers need be moved. Two for- mats for the row-table organization are provided — contiguous and linked list. In the contiguous format, a start address register in the VPAC points to the first entry of the row table (see figure 2). In the linked-list format, the start address register points to the be- ginning of the linked list. The first 2 bytes of each data row point to the starting address of the following data row, as shown in figure 3, To insert a data row using a row table, the VPAC modifies the row table by entering the starting address of the new data into the table. To delete a data row, the VPAC deletes the existing entry in the row table. 98 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc TIME SPECTRUM AN INNOVATIVE CONCEPT IN MODULAR EXPANSION Only the new TIME SPECTRUM brings you a galaxy of expansion options for your IBM-PC ...with VERSAPAK VERSAPAK SERIAL EXPANSION MODULE - Adds a second standalone serial asynchronous port with COMPAK VERSAPAK SYNCHRONOUS EXPANSION MODULE - Adds two standalone serial synchronous ports with SYNCPAK. VERSAPAK MEMORY MODULE - Memory expansion from 256KB to 512KB in 64KB increments, with optional second serial asynchronous port with RAMP AK Watch for new VERSAPAK modules to be introduced soon TIME SPECTRUM FOUNDATION MODULE - Contains a Real Time Clock, 64KB RAM (expandable to 256KB), serial asynchronous port, and optional parallel printer port For more information on the revolutionary new TIME SPECTRUM and VERSAPAK expansion modules, see your nearest IBM-PC authorized dealer or contact: 15801 Rockfteld, Ste. A, Irvine, CA 92714 714-859-8871 IBM- PC is a trademark of Internationa! Business Machines Corp. e Copyright Personnel Systems Technology, Inc. 1982 Circle 330 on inquiry card. ROW TABLE / IN \ MEMORY 1st DATA < ROW 2nd DATA ( 3rd DATA { ROW START ADDRESS REGISTER 1st CHARACTER 2nd CHARACTER LAST CHARACTER 1st CHARACTER 2nd CHARACTER LAST CHARACTER 1st CHARACTER 2nd CHARACTER LAST CHARACTER Figure 2: Contiguous row-table format. Each data row (screen line) is stored con- tiguously within memory. The start ad- dress register points to the first row table. Additional Features Another addressing feature of the VPAC is the provision of sequential break and auxiliary address registers. When a break is encountered in the sequential addressing mode, the VPAC begins addressing the memory locations indicated by a starting ad- dress stored in one of two auxiliary address registers. This enables you to scroll a portion of the screen while keeping the rest fixed. The position of the sequential breaks is defined in se- quential break registers 1 and 2 and programmed with the data-row num- ber that starts the particular break. You can combine a row-driven screen for the top portion of the display with a sequential screen for the bottom portion of the screen (i.e., split screen) by specifying a row- driven format in the table start START ADDRESS REGISTER ROW TABLE ADDRESS FOR SECOND DATA ROW r~ BYTE 1 BYTE 2 BYTE 3 BYTE 4 BYTE N CHARACTERS FOR FIRST DATA ROW ROW TABLE ADDRESS FOR THIRD DATA ROW BYTE 1 BYTE 2 BYTE 3 BYTE 4 BYTE N CHARACTERS FOR SECOND DATA ROW ■♦ETC. Figure 3: Linked-list row-table format. The start address register points to the address for the second data row. The first 2 bytes of that data row point to the address of the next data row, and so on. register and then using sequential break register 1. If sequential break register 1 is programmed within the displayable screen parameters, the row address for that data row will be overridden and the remainder of the screen will be addressed sequentially, starting at the address specified in auxiliary address register 1. Combining a row -driven screen with a sequential screen could be useful in some communications ap- plications. A high-priority message to the terminal could be stored sequen- tially. As more of the message came in, sequential break register 1 would be decremented to allow the message to overlay the row-driven screen one data row at a time. By programming sequential break register 1 outside the display range, the original row- driven screen is restored. Display Formatting To allow the terminal designer maximum freedom, nine registers are used to store the horizontal and ver- tical timing parameters that are out- put to the monitor. Horizontal timing is determined by four registers (R0-R3). Both RO and Rl are 8-bit registers that contain, respectively, the number of character time periods per horizontal period (i.e., 1 scan line) and the number of displayable characters per horizontal period (i.e., the active display time). R2 is a 6-bit register that can be pro- grammed for the time between the beginning of horizontal sync and the end of horizontal blanking. R3 is a 7-bit register that defines the horizon- tal sync width. When you program these registers, sync widths can be generated narrow enough for so- called sync monitors or wide enough for drive monitors. The sync pulse can be extended well into the active video portion of the horizontal time or kept within the blank time. Vertical timing capabilities are as broad as the horizontal, with five reg- isters used to store the vertical timing parameters: R4 defines the vertical sync pulse width, R5 the delay be- tween the leading edge of vertical sync and the end of the vertical blank, R7 the number of data rows per frame, R8 the number of scan lines per data row, and R9 (an 11-bit register) the number of scan lines per frame. An 11-bit register enables the designer to program the VPAC for as many as 2048 scan lines per frame so that it can be used in systems ranging from low-cost terminals to high-resolution word-processing and graphics ap- plications. Some Hardware Configurations An intelligent terminal must allow both the CRT controller and the host processor contention-free access to the video memory. Unless the CRT controller has continuous memory access, the display will flicker. The 100 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc A COMPUTER MONITOR SHOULDN'T BE A SITE FOR SORE EYES. g — ^^^^ ome people buy a computer monitor We also make a 14 " color monitor that's i J the same way they buy a TV— for noticeably sharper than any TV screen. Move ^i*_ J the esthetics of it. It looks good. But your game over to our field and enjoy it more. And after looking at its screen for a good half hour, their we're about to introduce our RGB (red-green-blue) eyes begin to wonder— and burn. monitor for business graphics. It will bring you Other people would give the monitor no mind color clarity like you've never experienced: 720 even if they went blind-they're buying a computer lines horizontal resolution and .31mm dot pitch. USI IS DEDICATED TO MONITORS THAT ARE DEDICATED TO COMPUTERS. Use them with Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, Osborne and most others. We make v monitors to ease your workday or please your playnight Or both. Here's a letter we got recently. At USI, we have nothing against computers, we have a lot for them. But we know that the thing you interface with most is the monitor, not the computer. And we design and build monitors as if your computing depends on it. WE'VE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED WHAT HAPPENS TO EYES THAT STARE AT MONITORS. The result: we adopted the same screen colors many European coun- tries recommend for health and safety. We found that the color of the display is not just a matter of preference, it's a matter of visual acuity and comfort. We saw amber (we were the first to see it) as the wave of the future. And the response from the marketplace has made others amber with envy. For people who prefer a green screen, we have it, too, but with higher resolution than any other green monitor. USI makes a full range of 9" and 12 " amber and green monitors for personal and small business computing. All offer 1000 lines at-center resolu- tion, the sharpest you'll see anywhere. All have non-glare screens. And all have an inverse video switch. If your eyes should begin to get fatigued, switch for a while (graphics look great this way). "Dear USI. I just did the ultimate test. I looked at you 24 hours straight. After that, I could still see!" Do you want to look into our monitors more deeply? We've put out a colorful brochure which goes into them in detail, and tells about our other computer accessories. We'll be happy to send it to you; just mail us the coupon. For USI's free guide to computer moni- tors and accessories, mail to: USI Computer Products 71 Park Lane Brisbane, California 94005 Telephone: 415/468-4900 Name. Title _ Company . City State Phone { _Zip_ Circle 428 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 101 MEMORY ADDRESS (TYPICAL) MEMORY DATA (8 BITS* 0D00 ATTRIBUTE ODOl CHARACTER OD02 ATTRIBUTE 1 0D03 CHARACTER 1 2N ATTRIBUTE N 2N+1 CHARACTER N Figure 4: The Attribute Assemble mode lets the programmer create a pseudo 16-bit word that describes both the character and its attributes (see text). processor cannot, however, be denied access to memory. The simplest and most common terminal configurations may be re- ferred to as repetitive memory ad- dressing. In the repetitive addressing configurations, the microprocessor and the VPAC share memory. The VPAC will repeat the sequence of video addresses for every scan line of every data row. To allow the pro- cessor access to the memory, you can use one of several schemes. In one ap- proach, retrace intervention, the pro- cessor is given memory access during the blanked portion of the display and the VPAC has priority during ac- tive video. The retrace-intervention approach, although simple, does reduce micro- processor throughput by denying the host processor access to memory dur- ing active video. An alternate— and more expensive — variety of repetitive memory addressing uses double- speed memory. In double-speed memory addresing, both the pro- cessor and the VPAC are allowed video-memory access during alter- nating time slots within one character time. Single-Row Buffer Operation By using the VPAC's DMA mechanism and SMC's CRT 9006 single-row buffer, efficient sharing of the video memory results in systems that have high throughput. In this system, data is loaded into the single- row buffer during the first scan line of every data row. The CRT 9006 also allows this data to be simultaneously sent to the character generator and the CRT 9021B. During all subse- quent scan lines, the display is driven by the row buffer, which frees up the video memory. In a display with 12 scan lines per data row, the processor will have uncontested access for 11 scan lines, or 92 percent of real time. In a single-row buffer arrangement, the processor must be idle for one en- tire scan line, which could be for 50 to 60 microseconds. This delay means that the processor's ability to respond swiftly to real-time events is compro- mised. A second DMA device within the system, if needed, might create restrictive timing conflicts. The pro- cessor itself might not be able to toler- ate a DMA cycle of 50 to 60 microsec- onds. Double-Row Buffer Operation The use of the VPAC with the CRT 9212 double-row buffer lets the user overcome such restrictions by evenly distributing the DMA requests for each data row throughout all scan lines within the data row. With a double-row buffer, while one buffer is fully loaded and supplying data to the character generator for the data row currently being painted, the other buffer is being loaded with the data for the next data row. In the double-row buffer mode, the user can program the number of DMA cycles for each burst and the delay between each DMA burst. In this way, the processor and other DMA devices can perform their tasks more quickly. Attribute Assemble In addition to the 7 or 8 bits used to provide character or graphic data, 8 bits may be used to provide attributes such as color, reverse-video, blink, blank, underline, and intensity. This will typically result in 16 bits per character. There are, however, many reasons to keep the video memory 8 bits wide while still providing all the advantages of wide-memory ter- minals. First, an 8-bit processor might be all that you need to meet the CRT system's design goal. Second, the most inexpensive memory devices, dynamic RAMs (random-access read/write memories), are all 1 bit wide. An 8-bit-wide video memory requires 8 devices; a device must be added for each bit increase in memory -data width. The Attribute Assemble mode lets the user maintain an 8-bit-wide video memory but "assemble" a 16-bit-wide word for the CRT display. By arrang- ing an 8-bit-wide memory as shown in figure 4, the user can sacrifice time to gain memory-bit width. In other words, for 80 characters per data row, instead of accessing 80 locations of 16 bits each, the VPAC accesses 160 locations of 8 bits each. The VPAC "assembles" the first 8 bits in an internal attribute latch during the first access and outputs these 8 bits while accessing the second 8 bits. At this time the VPAC causes a 16-bit word to be loaded into two double- row buffers every other video-mem- ory fetch. Double-Height Double-Width Display The VPAC will enable double- height /double-width characters to be displayed on a row-by-row basis as a function of the two most significant bits of the particular row-table entry. When a particular scan line is to be painted in double height or double width, the VPAC activates the CURS output during the retrace interval (CBLANK). (See figure 5.) This allows logic external to the VPAC to divide the character and dot clocks to produce the desired visual effect. Proper phasing of the divided character clock with respect to CBLANK is necessary so as not to cut the first visible character on the data row in half. The CRT 9021B video at- tributes controller will automatically perform the division and phasing of the character and dot clock as re- quired to display the double-height or double-width data rows with no addi- tional hardware. Smooth Scrolling When a page is filled in a typical CRT system, the entire display jumps up one row, making room for more data to be entered on the bottom row. When jump scrolling takes place on a frequent basis, the display is hard to 102 April 1983 © BYTE Publicttioni Inc Every Executive Needs an Organizer Like T.LM. Your valuable business information needs to be organized. T.LM. can do it easily and quickly on your IBM-PC. As the executive's data base management system, T.LM. makes it easy for you to assemble all your information so it can be ordered, changed or retrieved and then printed to suit a variety of circumstances. From phone lists through complex sales reports, T.LM. helps you put it all together using plain English commands — no programmerese to confuse you. Plus T.LM. interfaces with all of the most popular word processing systems as well as powerful tools like Visicalc® . . . T.LM. is the executive's solution that's simple to use, easy to learn and pays off in bottom line efficiency for you and your organization. For more information see your local IBM- PC dealer or contact Innovative Software for the name of the T.LM. dealer nearest you. developers of practical businessware for the executive. T.LM. Ill is sold at Computerland® , Sears Business Centers, The Xerox Stores, Computer Marts, Entre' Circle 201 on inquiry card. Telex: 209542 Computer Centers SM , CompuShops® and other independent dealers. 9300 W. 110th St., Suite 380 • Overland Park, KS 66210 USA • 913/383-1089 Figure 5: A block diagram of the CRT 9007 VPAC. 104 April 1983 © BYTE Publication! Inc "I built this 16-bit computer and saved money. Learned a lot, too." Save now by building the Heathkit H-100 yourself. Save later because your computer investment wont become obsolete for many years to come. Save by building it yourself. You can save hundreds of dollars over assembled prices when you choose the new H-100 16- Bit/8-Bit Computer Kit money you can use to buy the peripherals and software of your choice. H-100 SERIES COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS: USER MEMORY: 128K-768K bytes MICROPROCESSORS: 16-bit: 8088 8-bit: 8085 DISK STORAGE: Built-in standard 5.25 disk drive, 320K bytes/disk KEYBOARD: Typewriter-style, 108 keys, 13 function keys, 18-key numeric pad GRAPHICS: Always in graphics mode 640h/225v resolution; up to eight colors are available COMMUNICATIONS: Two RS-232C Serial Interface Ports and one parallel port 128K bytes standard. DIAGNOSTICS: Memory self-test on power-up AVAILABLE SOFTWARE: Z-DOS (MS-DOS) CP/M-85 Z-BASIC Language Microsoft BASIC Multiplan SuperCalc WordStar MailMerge Data Base Manager Most standard 8-bit CP/M Software The H-100 is easy to build the step-by-step Heathkit manual shows you how. And every step of the way, you have our pledge "We wont let you fail." Help is as close as your phone, or the nearest Heathkit Electronic Center.' And what better way to learn state-of-the-art computing techniques than to build the world's only 16-bit/8-bit computer kit? To run todays higher-speed, higher-per- formance 16-bit software, you need an H-100. It makes a big difference by processing more data faster. Dual microprocessors for power and compatibility. The H-100 handles both high-performance 16-bit software and most current Heath/Zenith 8-bit software. Want room to grow'? The H-100's standard 128K byte Random Access Memory complement can be expanded to 768 K bytes compared to a 64 K standard for many desktop computers. And the industry-standard S-100 card slots support memory expansion and additional peripheral devices, increasing future upgradability of the H-100. High-capacity disk storage, too. The H-100s5.25"floppy disk drive can store 320K bytes on a single disk. The computer also supports an optional second 5.25" and external 8" floppy disk drives. And an optional internal Winchester disk drive will be available soon. For more information, circle the reader service number below. Better yet, visit your Heathkit Electronic Center for a demonstration! The H-100 gives me the most for my computer dollar! Heathkit nls of vcntechnology lr let tr gy Electronics Corporation . 186 on Inquiry card. ipany Circle 207 on inquiry card. 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Box 31970 SEATTLE, WA 98 1 03-0070 (206) 527-2918 S l A diskette and manual 125.00 manual only 25.00 (Wash, State residents add sales tax) VISA and Mastercard Accepted 106 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc read. If the increments occur one scan line, rather than one data row, per frame time, the scroll is smoother and easier to read. The CRT 9007 VPAC provides smooth scrolling at variable rates. Furthermore, bidirectional smooth scrolling may take place over any selected portion of the display rather than the whole display. Smooth scrolling adds some inter- esting requirements to system design. You can no longer assume that a par- ticular scan line (usually the first or last one within a data row) has an absence of dots as defined by the character generator. Smooth scrolling can define any scan line as the first one in a data row. In any given frame, fractions of full data rows will be displayed when the display is in the process of scrolling. Thus the data row that is defined to start a smooth scroll interval and the data row one less than the data row defined to end a smooth scroll interval can show fractional data rows. The first and last data row for a partial-page smooth-scrolling operation is defined in the data row start and data row end registers respectively. Because a constant number of scan lines is painted on each frame, as one data row loses scan lines, another must ap- pear to take up the extra scan lines. Because of this, it is necessary to maintain an extra data row within the row table. Once the display is scrolled, a portion of the extra data row must enter the display at the ap- propriate place. If 24 data rows are defined, then for an unscrolled dis- play 24 data-row boundary (DRB) signals are generated, all equally spaced in time as defined by the number of scan lines per data row. In this case, the data-row boundary signals will coincide with scan line count 0. Once the display is scrolled, an extra DRB will appear, and some DRBs will not be equally spaced. A smooth scrolling operation in- volves a data-row insertion at the point defined by the data-row end register when it goes from an un- scrolled frame (no offset) to a scrolled frame. In each successive frame, the offset is updated. If the software up- dates the offset by 1 scan line each frame, the display will scroll smoothly at the rate of 1 scan line per frame. Under software control, it is possible to update the offset register by any number of scan lines to pro- duce a variable-speed smooth scroll. When the offset register is again loaded with 0, it means that the smooth scroll of a single data row has concluded. A smooth scroll-down operation is accomplished by reversing the pro- cess. The offset register is decre- mented and a data row is inserted at the data-row start position when go- ing from an unsrolled to a scrolled display section. A data row can be deleted in a similar fashion. Conclusion The use of LSI circuitry in the CRT 9007 video processor and controller has two major consequences for manufacturers of video terminals. First, because so many functions are integral to the chip, the component count can be substantially reduced — to less than 20 chips in some applica- tions. As the chip count decreases, the costs of design and manufacturing decrease. Second, some of the fea- tures of the VPAC, such as Standard Microsystems' scheme of nonsequen- tial memory addressing, were not previously available on a cost-effec- tive basis. The primary benefit of nonsequential memory addressing is data-row insertion/deletion without moving large blocks of data. There- fore the terminal procesor is not over- worked and the video display is free from flickering and blanking. The other major feature is bidirectional smooth scrolling. For the end user, these improve- ments mean the next generation of smart terminals will contain even more features at a reduced cost — a trend to be encouraged. ■ For Further Information For those who want more information on the VPAC and its support chips, Standard Microsystems Corporation has published a data sheet, two technical notes, and two ap- plication notes covering the VPAC's pro- gramming and use. For copies, contact SMC at 35 Marcus Blvd., Hauppage, NY 11788. Extend your rea . . . make the/ knowledge connection V •l \ it !•«•«■«■•■•■■•. I Use your personal computer to reach Knowledge Index, and you've tapped into a wealth of information on business, personal money management education, consumer prod- ucts, medicine, current affairs, computers. And much more. It's a special service for personal computer users from Dialog, the world's leading online in- formation retrieval service. Now, the same infor- mation used by thousands of corporations, li- braries and professionals is available to you nights and weekends at special low rates- Knowledge Index offers you millions of sum- maries of articles, books, reviews, reports, and news items. Plus unique databases like Micro- computer Index and International Software Data- base. You can even order complete documents and software packages right from your terminal. A one-time initiation fee of only $35 gets you your password, a complete, self-instructional user manual, and two free hours of Knowledge Index— a value of over $50! One low cost— 40quiry card. Photo 1: National Mybrain 3000. Photo 4: NEC PC-9800. Photo 2: Mitsubishi Multil6. Photo 3: Toshiba Pasopia 16, pear by the time the Mybrain 3000 reaches the United States, probably in mid-1983. With two SVi-inch disk drives, a video monitor, an 80-column dot- matrix printer, an operating system, and BASIC, the system lists for 783,500 yen (about $3000' at the ex- change rate of 265 yen per dollar, which I will use throughout). With one 5y4-inch floppy-disk drive and no printer, the cost in Japan is about $2000. Of course, shipping the ma- chines to the United States and mar- keting them here should add to the cost. Mitsubishi Multil6: Since the Multil6 has already been introduced in the United States, I'll be brief. The Multil6 looks like an "all-in-one" microcomputer (all the components in one box), but the combined monitor/disk -drive unit is detachable from the system unit /keyboard com- bination (see photo 2). The Multil6 has an 8088 processor and an op- tional 8087 coprocessor, standard memory of 128K bytes expandable to 576K, 640- by 400-dot video resolu- tion, one or two 300K-byte SVi-inch floppy-disk drives, an RS-232C port with optional GP-IB, a general- purpose parallel bus, and the CP/M-86 operating system. Several different disk drives and several dif- ferent printers are also available. 112 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Photo 5: NEC N5200. If is marketed as the Advanced Personal Computer in the U.S. Photo 6: Hitachi BASIC Master 16000. Microsoft BASIC, Multiplan, and Supercalc-86 are among the available software, as well as a Japanese word processor with the intriguing name Multiword -J. Could this be related to Microsoft's rumored Multiword? Toshiba Pasopia 16: The Toshiba personal computer, sold in the United States as the T100, is called the Pasopia in Japan, and the Pasopia 16 is its big brother. (In the United States, the Pasopia 16 will be called the T300.) A variety of video moni- tors is available with resolution rang- ing from 320 by 200 to 640 by 500 dots. The monitor rests on its own pedestal or on the top of the compact system unit, which contains two thin- line SVi-inch disk drives holding a total of 640K bytes. Photo 3 shows the Pasopia 16 with an optional 80-column dot-matrix printer resting on the system unit. Eight-inch floppy disks are also optional. The slender detached keyboard has a cursor dia- mond, numeric pad, editing keys, and programmable-function keys. The processor is an 8088; an 8087 math coprocessor is optional. Stan- dard memory is 4K bytes of ROM and 192K bytes of RAM expandable to 512K. Users can also add video RAM of 128K or 256K bytes. Stan- dard equipment includes one RS- 232C port and one parallel printer port. MS-DOS is the only operating sys- tem available for the Pasopia 16. Toshiba offers T-BASIC 16 and other Microsoft languages. In addition to the Pasopia 16, Toshiba showed the Tosbac UX-300, based on the Toshiba 88000 pro- cessor, which has segment registers and seems to be very much like an 8086. The UX-300 runs Unix and has a vertically oriented video monitor resting on a pedestal, 512K bytes of RAM, two RS-232C ports, and an 8-inch disk drive holding 1 megabyte and resting horizontally in the sepa- rate system unit. With a 10-megabyte hard disk, the UX-300 costs about $9300. NEC PC-9800 and Advanced Per- sonal Computer: One of the surprises at the Japan Data Show was the NEC (Nippon Electric Company) PC-9800 (see photo 4), a personal computer based on the Intel 8086— the true 16-bit version. The PC-9800 surprised people because NEC introduced its 8086-based Advanced Personal Com- puter (APC) in the United States in mid-1982. In Japan, the APC machine sells under the name N5200 (see photo 5). How many American com- panies make two 16-bit microcom- puters based on the same processor? In Japan, the APC (N5200), with 128K bytes of RAM, two 8-inch floppy disks holding 1 megabyte Photo 7: Hitachi PT-1 Personal Terminal. Photo 8: Sanyo MBC-55. April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 113 ERG/68000 MINI-SYSTEMS D Full IEEE 696/S100 compatibility HARDWARE OPTIONS D 8MHz, 10MHz or 12MHz 68000 CPU □ Memory Management D Multiple Port Intelligent I/O □ 64K or 128K STATIC RAM (70 nsec) D 256K Dynamic RAM, with full parity (150 nsec) D 8" D/D, D/S floppy disk drives D 5MB-40MB hard disk drives □ Full DMA host adaptor D 20MB tape streamer D 10 to 20 slot backplane D 30 amp power supply SOFTWARE OPTIONS □ 68KFORTH 1 systems language with MACRO assembler and META compiler □ Fast Floating Point package D Motorola's MACSBUG D IDRIS 2 operating system with C, PASCAL, FORTRAN 77, 68K-BASIC compilers □ CP/M— 68K 3 O/S with C, i Assembler, 68K-BASIC, + 68K-FORTH Trademark ERG, Inc. "Whitesmiths "Digital Research 130 day delivery with valid Purchase Order OEM prices available For CPU, Integrated Card Sets or Systems. Empirical Research Group, Inc. P.O. Box 1176 Milton, WA 98354 206-631-4855 each, a high-resolution monochrome monitor (640 by 475), a serial port, and a printer port, has a list price equivalent to about $2800. The same system lists in the United States for $3900. With its separate keyboard (cursor keys, programmable keys, numeric pad, and editing keys), system unit, monitor, and disk drives, the PC-9800 looks more like a home ma- chine than the APC does. The stan- dard memory is 128K bytes expand- able to 640K. However, the PC-9800 also has a 96K-byte ROM containing NBASIC-86, and you can get another 96K bytes of video RAM. NEC offers monitors for the PC-9800 with resolu- tion as high as 640 by 400 dots and also an assortment of disk drives. Both MS-DOS and CP/M-86 are available. With two 8-inch drives storing a megabyte each, the key- board, and the system unit containing 128K bytes of RAM, the PC-9800 costs the equivalent of about $2600 in Japan. When the PC-9800 reaches the United States (and the NEC spokes- men would not say whether or when that will happen), the list price will probably be about the same as that of the APC. When I pressed the hosts in the NEC booth about the differences be- tween the APC and the PC-9800, they would say only that the PC-9800 lacks the software power-down that the APC has. There's also the BASIC in ROM, of course, and the PC-9800 system unit is clearly too small to hold the boards that go in the APC's large card cage. (I was not allowed to look inside the PC-9800 or any other machines at the Japanese shows.) The last obvious difference is that the APC has 22 programmable-function keys to the PC-9800 s ten. Both the APC and the PC-9800 are impressive machines. NEC deserves praise for basing both of its top per- sonal computers on the 8086 rather than imitating IBM and choosing the less powerful 8088. Hitachi BASIC Master 16000 and PT-1 Personal Terminal: Like NEC, Hitachi is offering two 16-bit personal computers, the BASIC Master 16000 (photo 6) and the PT-1 Personal Ter- minal (photo 7). The BASIC Master 16000 has an 8088 processor, runs MS-DOS, and has 320K bytes of RAM as standard equipment. Video resolution is 640 by 400. The system unit, unlike most of the other modular Japanese microcomputers, is taller than it is deep. Two SVi-inch floppy disks hold 320K bytes. The Hitachi booth had no brochures about the BASIC Master 16000, and information about it was limited, but the price quoted was 490,000 yen, or about $1850. I was unable to deter- mine for certain whether that in- cluded the video monitor and two disk drives, but it seems hard to believe that it could. The PT-1 also uses the MS-DOS operating system. Video resolution is 720 by 520, and each of the 8-inch floppy disks holds a megabyte of data. The Hitachi exhibits of office automation equipment showed the PT-1 communicating with larger Hitachi systems. Both the PT-1 and the BASIC Master 16000 have detached key- boards. Besides the numeric keypad, cursor keys, and editing keys, the PT-1 has 24 programmable-function keys. The BASIC Master 16000 has 10 programmable-function keys besides editing and cursor keys and a numeric pad. Sanyo MBC-55: Sanyo's top -of -the line personal computer is the 8088-based MBC-55. The compact system unit contains two thin-line 5 x /4-inch floppy disks holding 160K bytes each. Although a Sanyo repre- sentative in the booth at the Electron- ics Show said the disk format used is not the same as the IBM PC's, he also said that the hardware bus is compat- ible. Buyers should, therefore, be able to use boards made for the IBM PC in the Sanyo MBC-55 when it reaches the United States, The MBC-55 runs CP/M-86, Con- current CP/M-86, and MS-DOS. Standard memory is 64K bytes ex- pandable to 256K. A 4K-byte "boot" ROM (which contains instructions for reading the operating system from a floppy disk) is standard. An 8087 coprocessor is optional. The MBC-55 will go on sale in the United States in June or July 1983. Although the exact price in the United States has not been 114 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Do any QUAD function expansion boards measure up This may really be the only board you need to expand your IBM personal computer. We've now added the most wanted feature on a quad function board: two asynchronous ports along with memory, clock/calendar, and parallel printer port. And unlike most big memory boards, you don't have to sacrifice multiple functions to get 51 2k of add-on memory in a single slot. THE BASICS The main board has three functions standard: Parity checked and fully socketed memory up to 256k in 64k increments, clock/calendar with battery back-up, asynchronous communication port (RS232C ser- ial) which can be used as COM1 or COM2, (DCE for a printer, or DTE for a modem). Optional is a 100% IBM compatible parallel printer port, and a second async port for another $50 each. Also included are: SuperDrive™ disk emulation and SuperSpooler™ printer buf- fer software. NO CORNERS CUT We didn't lower the quality to give you all this. The board is a four layer design with solder masking, silk screened locations, and gold plated edge connectors, Compo- nents are premium grade and meet or exceed IBM specifications. Each board is burned in and tested prior to shipment. CLOCK/CALENDAR & CLIP-ON BATTERY Our clock is powered by a simple $4 lithium watch battery available at your corner drug store. It is clipped on, not soldered like some other clock boards. How useful is a battery warranty that requires you to send your board to the manufacturer to replace it? We send you a diskette with a program that sets the time and date when you turn on your computer. Now your programs will always have the correct time and date on them without you ever having to think about it. {Just which version of that program you were writing is the latest one?) MEGAPAK OF MEMORY The picture in the inset shows the optional 256k MegaPak rM board mounted "piggy- back" on the main board. This expandability feature gives those who need it 512k of add-on memory in a single slot. Now you can create disk drives in memory up to 320k, set aside plenty of space for print spooling, and still have plenty of memory for your biggest programs. An exclusive design allows the memory to be split at two memory addresses to take full advantage of the memory disk feature of concurrent CP/M™. FREE SOFTWARE The disk emulation software creates "disk drives" in memory which access your pro- grams at the speed of RAM memory. The print spooler allows the memory to accept data as fast as the computer can send it and frees your computer for more productive work. Some manufacturers sell hardware printer buffers that do only this for hundreds of dollars. SuperSpooler™ eliminates the need for these slot robbing products. CHEAP SOFTWARE TOO What good is great hardware without some great software to use it with? We offer some terrific prices on some of the popular programs you will want to use your board with. How about the cream of the spread- sheet programs, SUPERCALC, for just $1 76. Or maybe dBASE II by Ashton-Tate for just $419. WHY BUY IT FROM US? Because we provide the service and support most companies just talk about. We realize how integral this board is to the use of your computer. What good is a warranty if it takes weeks for repairs to be made? We offer 48 hour turnaround or a replacement board on all warranty repairs. Do you hear anyone else making this promise? If you still are not convinced, and want to compare prices, remember we don't charge extra for credit cards, shipping, or COD fees. If you still want to buy elsewhere, ask them if they will face the acid test. IBM PC to MegaPlus"? THE ACID TEST Qubie say { Q- B -A ) gives you a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on all board pur- chases. If you are not completely satisfied we will refund the entire amount of your purchase. If you can get any of our com- petitors to give you the same guarantee, buy any other board you think compares and return the one you don't like. We know which one you will keep. One year parts and labor warranty included. TO ORDER BY MAIL SEND — Your name and shipping address — Memory size, and options requested — Software and cables needed — Daytime phone number —California residents add 6% sales tax — Company check or credit card number with expiration date (personal checks take 18 days to clear) TO ORDER BY PHONE In California (805) 482-9829 Outside California (800) 821-4479 PRICES: 64k $349 192k $469 128k $409 256k $529 512k $928 (Includes async port, memory, clock/ calendar, SuperDrive™, and Super pooler™ software) OPTIONS: Parallel Printer Port $35 Second Async Port $35 MegaPak™ with 256k of memory $399 Cable to parallel printer $35 Cable to modem or serial printer $25 Memory Diagnostics Program $10 SUPERCALC by SORCIM $176 bBASE II by Ashton-Tate $41 9 SHIPMENT We pay UPS surface charges. UPS 2 day air service $5 extra. Credit card or bank check orders shipped same day. QUBIE' DISTRIBUTING 4809 Cade Alto CamarWo, CA 93010 Circle 450 on inquiry card. Iil^*fw^w Photo 9: Sord M-343. decided, the Sanyo booth attendant said that the MBC-55 with 64K bytes and one floppy will cost about $1000. That does not include the video monitor. As photo 8 shows, the MBC-55 is very compact and seems aimed at the home market. Sanyo did not exhibit the machine at the Data Show, saving it for the more consumer-oriented Electronics Show. Sanyo showed a great deal of video-recording equip- ment, and the MBC-55 looks as if it might be part of the same family of products. The MBC-55's system unit is only 4Y 3 inches (11 cm) thick, just deep enough to accept boards made for the IBM PC. To keep the key- board as small as possible, Sanyo chose to supply only four program- mable-function keys. The numeric keypad, as on the IBM PC, doubles as a cursor-control pad. Although no Sanyo spokesman said so, I would not be surprised to see the MBC-55 sold as part of a home-video system and used to control video storage systems and to mix computer graph- ics with video images. (See the section on the Sharp XI microcomputer later in this article.) The marketing ap- proach would be to say, ''Since you're buying a new color television, why not let us throw in an IBM-com- patible personal computer?" Sord M-343: Sord, one of Japan's few new companies, makes several interesting microcomputers. (See the comments on the M5 home computer and the M23P portable later in this article . ) As photo 9 shows, the M-343's color graphics are im- pressive. The M-343 is the Sord flag- ship and is powerful indeed. The pro- The M-343 s color graphics are Impressive. cessors include an 8086, and 8087, and a Z80A. The M-343's large, all- in-one unit can hold up to 1176K bytes of RAM. The video resolution is 640 by 400. There are four serial I/O ports, and the M-343 can serve as the hub of a network of Sord M23 Z80A-based computers . Standard floppy-disk storage is 1.2 megabytes. The keyboard has 20 programmable- function keys, cursor-control keys, a numeric keypad, editing keys, and another 12 keys that I believe are dedicated to communications and system operations. Finally, the M-343 is the only major Japanese 16-bit microcomputer that has three vacant S-100 bus slots. Sord offers five different operating systems: the Realtime Disk Operating System, the Realtime Multi-job Disk Operating System, MS-DOS, CP/M-86, and the UCSD p-system. Sord has developed an applications system (PIPS) that integrates data- base, spreadsheet, and graphics func- tions. Sord achieved this software in- tegration sooner than its American competitors. Anritsu Packet II Hy Personal Computer: What happened to the 68000 processor chip? The only new 68000-based personal computer that I saw in Japan is the Anritsu Packet II. This powerful machine is an all-in- one computer with two SVi-inch flop- py disks (150K bytes each) horizon- tally mounted to the right of the video monitor. The keyboard has cursor keys, editing keys, 10 pro- grammable keys, 12 keys dedicated to BASIC commands, and a numeric keypad. A printer is built in and sends 40-column paper scrolling out above the monitor. Standard equip- ment includes 256K bytes of RAM. You can add memory in 128K and 256K increments. You can also add various kinds of ports and an analog- to-digital (A/D) converter. One of the best features of the Packet II is the way it accommodates added features. The back has six horizontal metal plates that come off and allow you to slide a board in just as you slide a drawer into a chest. Each board has a metal plate on its back that closes the opening in the back of the machine. Each I/O board has appropriate sockets in its back. Anritsu intends the Packet II for technical users, and the software supports engineering graphics. AI Electronics AI-M16: Another hefty and powerful Japanese micro- computer is the AI-M16 from AI Elec- tronics. Based on the 8086, the M16 also has an 8089 I/O processor and an optional 8087 math coprocessor. The keyboard is detached, but every- thing else comes in one big package with disk drives mounted vertically to the right of the monitor. Standard equipment includes a calendar clock. 116 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc i^EfaM] The Universal Operating Systemt Finally all the tools for your trade. The UCSD p-System* is the first truly universal operating system ever developed. Its capabilities allow you to develop integrated, high quality applications faster and more efficiently with virtually no limit on size. And whether it's an IBM PC or Displaywriter, an Apple, a DEC, an HP, an Osborne, a Philips, a Sage, a Tkndy, or a TI, the p-System is portable across vir- tually any popular micro made anywhere today. Which means you can develop your program, on any micro- computer, then compile to object code, and it's totally transportable. macro assemblers, a debugger and a print spooler. There are also portable graphics utilities and native code generation— where and when you need it. And the p-System provides for dynamic memory manage- ment, as well as automatic linking, multi-tasking, and more. All the tools you'll need. The p-System lets you write your programs using any combination of UCSD Pascal? FORTRAN-77 and BASIC. Each language operating effectively with the others. So you can take advantage of the best features of each— in a single program. And you also get a completely integrated set of software development tools that work together to make your job even simpler. Including a screen editor, f\** f*f± 1 G T^fl i\ll C$ Vl Truly universal, truly efficient. When we set out to develop the p-System, we wanted it to be truly universal, truly portable, truly efficient. And we weren't going to be satisfied with anything less. We didn't think you would be, either. So now you can get all the tools you'll need to develop applications faster. Less expensively More dependably. Fbr a much larger market. All at the same time. All on one micro. Finally, once is enough. T-v . tt For product information or information on H 1 11 21 I I V k° w get a copy °^ ^ e P'System Applica- _ ?*_ * * - tion Catalog, call or write to us at SofTech Microsystems. SofE-ch Microsystems • 16885 West Bernardo Drive • San Diego, Calif. 92127 • (714) 451-1230 "Universal Operating System is a trademark of SofTech Microsystems Inc., UCSD p-System and UCSD Pascal are trademarks of the Regents of the University of California Circle 382 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 117 PURCHASING AGENT is your purchasing agent As our name implies, we shop the wholesale market and negotiate the best price for you. We have access to over 500 manufacturers and purchase millions of dollars of hardware and software each year. Our buying power gives you more for your money. Our fee is 25% of what we save you off list price. By participating in the savings, we share a common goal — to save you money. Call us for your price on any product not listed. Prices shown include our fee. COMPUTERS Alpha Micro 1 000 VW $5,960 Alpha Micro 1030 12,047 Alpha Micro 1051 17,634 AlspaAC1-2/SS 2.320 Altos 8000-10 5,760 Altos 8600-12 9,690 Altos 580-10 4,779 Altos Series 5- 15D 2,100 Altos Series 5-5D 3,999 California Computer Systems 300-1 A 4,414 Columbia Data CALL Compupro GodboutTM 4,350 5,560 7,030 1,398 513 218 807 586 2,990 2,915 COMPUTERS IBM Personal comp, CALL Amdex Color III monitor 429 AST 33% OFF Baby Blue 530 DavongSmeg. H.D. 1,569 Diablo 630 API 1,825 NEC 3550 1,920 Seattle boards CALL & all IBM peripherals CALL Molecular CALL Morrow Micro Decisions CALL NEC 16 bit APC system CALL Northstar Advantage 2.669 North star Ad v, H.D, 5 4,395 Onyx 5001 MU-6 7,350 Onyx 8000 MU- 10 7,900 Sage 3,200 PRINTERS 910 1.300 1.150 990 2,050 1,430 CALL 2,325 2,595 510 1.799 2,180 1.280 Sanyo 1000 w/software 1 ,540 Sys. 816/A* Sys. 816/B* Sys 816/C* M-Drive-H 68K CPU-Z6mhz. Ram 21. 128K DiskllH.D.Contr. Morrow 20 meg H.D Pragmatic 20 meg. H.D. 'Assembled and tested Cromemco System 1 CALL CromemGo System 2 CALL Cromemco 68000 System 1 CALL DEC Rainbow 3,072 Dynabyte 26% OFF Eagle II 2,350 Eagle 1600 5,158 SOFTWARE Call for prices on all your software needs. Mastercard, VISA at 3% handling tee, Prices subject to change without notice. Minimum tee $150. Seattle Gazelle Televideo TS-802 TelevideoTS-802H Televideo TS-806 Televideo TS-1602G Televideo TS-1602GH Vector 4 Victor Zenith ZF-100-21 Zenith ZF- 110-22 Zenith ZF- 120-22 4,920 2,600 4,450 5.200 3,479 5,409 CALL CALL 2.525 3.099 3,176 Brother, parallel, daisy C. ttoh, F-10. daisy Daisywriter 2000 48K Diablo 620, dsy 25cps Diablo 630, daisy IDS Prism 132 all opts. NEC 3510 NEC 7710 R/O NEC/Sellum1,16K,trc. Okidata 92L Gume 9/45 tull panel Qume 9/55 full panel Qume 11/35 Smith Corona TP-1, daisy 545 Tally 160Lw/tractor 790 Texas Instr Tl 810 1.240 Texas Instr. Tl 81 0LQ 1.944 OTHER PERIPHERALS Amdek Color II monitor 694 Amdek Color Ha (ttl) 768 Ventel 212+ modem 765 Corvus 10 meg. H.D. 2,995 Houston Instr DMP-29 1.779 Houston Instr DMP-40 7 75 Houston Instr. DMP-41 2,209 Morrow 20 meg H D 3 650 Qume QVT 102 terminal 537 BARGAIN CORNER - One ot a kind items in stock at wholesale cost (no fee) limited to quantity on hand. Apple Basic Compiler 256 Spellguard (ISA) 8" 112 IBM Wordstar 240 Supercalc-8" 237 Hayes Micromoden 100 279 Supercalc — Apple 177 EXPORT SERVICES AVAILABLE for overseas computer dealers and distributors through AMERICAN BUYING AND EXPORTING SERVICES. INTERNATIONAL T6LEX 470851 or call (415) 376-7600 (export only). THE PURCHASING AGENT 1635 School Street Moraga CA 94556 Call Toll Free 800-227-2288 In California (415) 376-9020 Circle 353 on inquiry card. Standard RAM is 256K bytes expand- able to 1 megabyte. The public bus is an IEEE-796 bus. There are two serial ports and provision for a lightpen. A 16K-byte boot ROM and an 8K-byte character-generator ROM are stan- dard, and a 128K-byte kanji (Japa- nese-character) ROM is optional. Mass storage can be on 8-inch floppy disks or SVi-inch Winchester hard disks. The M16 comes with a wide choice of operating systems: Genix, CP/M-86, Concurrent CP/M-86, MP/M-86, MS-DOS, or the UCSD p- System. Languages mentioned include LISP, PL/I, and C. Seiko 9500 and 8600: The 16-bit Seiko microcomputer shown in Tokyo was the 9500 Super Personal Computer. All the components come in one large package with disk drives mounted horizontally beside the monitor. What makes the 9500 super? It has an 8086 processor, an 8087 math coprocessor, and two 8088s: one to manage I/O and the other to control communications. Standard RAM is 256K bytes, maximum is 512K. The operating system is RMX/86 (from Intel?). The color video is dazzling, with 512 by 480 resolution. But the large package would be awkward in most settings. While I was in Japan, Seiko intro- duced the 8600, based on the 8086 microprocessor, intended for the American market, and decidedly smaller and better looking than the 9500. Slick Consumer Computers Sharp XI: One eight-bit computer made a big impression at the Elec- tronics Show, the Sharp XI. The XI has two primary components, the CZ-800D and the CZ-800C. Shown in photo 10, the XI is a Z80A-based machine but certainly not another Z80A desktop system. Sharp offers the CZ-800D 14-inch color television monitor for 113,00 yen, or about $425. The CZ-800D has one button that other color televisions don't; it turns the television into a color moni- tor. For another 155,000 yen (about $585) you can have the CZ-800C, consisting of an integrated computer and keyboard unit. The computer is 118 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Ine If you stick with timesharing after reading this ad,you haven't read this ad. Typically, financial planning on a timesharing service runs $2,000 a month and more. Month after month after month. And it doesn't take a spread- sheet to figure that as a $24,000- a-year-after-year expense. The incredibly cheap alternative. The Financial Planner™ from Ashton-Tate can stop this cash drain once and for all. You pay $700 — one time — for the Planner. And handle your financial planning quickly, easily and completely on your microcomputer. Without having to share your time or your money with anyone. A forecaster's dream come true. The Financial Planner has enough depth to solve the most complex business problems you can foresee, yet can be used almost intuitively. The Planner automatically performs calcula- tions on individual items, rows, columns and entire models. Understands conditional logic. Solves simultaneous equations. Computes Present Value and Internal Rate of Return. Reads and writes dBASE II™ files. And much, much more. But you use abbreviated names, not mysteri- ous formulas. And you communicate with the computer in the English-like vocabulary of FPL™ (Financial Planning Language), so you can easily set up your budgeting and evaluation models. Editing and report- writing are an integral part of the package, and you can preview results on the screen, then produce presentation-quality financial reports directly. And when you have your models and reports just right, you can automate them so even your President can run them. With the Planner, you produce P & L forecasts and financial consolidations in minutes. Explore Circle 34 on inquiry card. "what if" alternatives. Analyze new business ventures and mergers. Plan real estate acquisition and development. And fine tune operations until you reach the financial objectives you've set. It's one of the most comprehensive business tools available on any computer. All for a frac- tion of what you've been spending on timesharing services to do the same things. For the ardent skeptics. It may sound too good to be true, but you can check out the Financial Planner with no financial risk. Run through a hands-on demo at your nearest computer or software store. Then take a package home and use it for 30 days on your IBM PC or CP/M microcomputer. If it's not everything we said it was, just return it and you'll get your money back. For the name of your nearest dealer, contact Ashton-Tate at 10150 West Jefferson _,■ Boulevard, Culver City, CA 1 he S 3 5 57?,S ryee ' caU (213) Financial 204-5570 today. wj| TM Time's a-wasting. I l3.T\T\QT /SHTON-TATEI CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research ©Ashton-Tate 1983 BYTE April 1983 119 Photo 10: Sharp XL The symbol of the Tokyo Data Show is superimposed on the television broadcast. Photo 11: Aval AVC-777J2. based on a Z80A and has 64K bytes of RAM, 4K bytes of video RAM, and 6K bytes of character RAM. The 80C48 and 80C49 processors supple- ment the Z80A. You can add another 48K bytes of video RAM as an op- tion. The computer unit includes a built- in cassette-tape recorder for data storage. Also standard in the com- puter unit are a Centronics-type printer interface, an interface for two joysticks, a clock with battery back- up, and sound-synthesis output capacity ranging over eight octaves. When the system is being used as a computer, it can display 25 lines of 80 characters on the monitor. Four addi- tional I/O ports are optional, as is a unit containing two very thin, SVi-inch floppy disks. An optional digital Telopper (the CZ-8DT) lets you connect the com- puter to a video camera, video-tape recorder, or videodisc. The keyboard has five separate blocks: character keys, number keys, function keys, television-monitor-control keys, and tape-operation keys. A color BASIC interpreter is standard equipment and includes a function that assigns a priority to each character and color in order to achieve the appearance of perspective. You can enlarge, reduce, or move graphics displays under pro- gram control. You can change each color variable instantly. You can paint and hatch graphic "phrases" (areas that can be manipulated as units) in eight basic colors and neutral colors to achieve the effect of "tile- painting." You can mix five different character styles in the same display. The calendar clock works with a pro- grammable timer and can turn on the television for a broadcast while you are away. The Sharp XI lets you superimpose your computer graphics on video im- ages. You can, in other words, dis- play television signals and computer graphics simultaneously. An RGB (red-green-blue) mix circuit makes the superimpositions possible. Sharp has named the concept visual integration and calls the XI the world's first per- sonal computer/television monitor system. Suggested applications in- clude video editing, art, and games. The most obvious use would be put- ting titles on home videotapes. Sony SMC-70: The SMC-70 is another Z80A-based microcomputer and seems destined for integration in a video system too. Sony revealed at the electronics show that the SMC-70's add-on 8086 unit will run MS-DOS. Sony has sold the SMC-70 in the United States only as a business system and has not sold the system in Japan at all. The system differs from the Sharp XI in several important respects: the SMC-70 has two 3V2-inch disk drives as standard equipment, can be upgraded by add- ing an 8086 microprocessor, has a numeric keypad only as an optional 120 April 19S3 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 285 on inquiry card. Now. ..Supercharged communications software for your high powered i 6 bit PC. The makers of CROSSTALK proudly announce the newest entry into our line of high performance communications software. CROSSTALK XVI — a communications program with the speed and features of a fine racing machine. Shift from status display to incoming communications and back again at full throttle. Drive smoothly through the program with CROSSTALK XVI's integrated help system. Enjoy the full use of function keys. CROSSTALK XVI can be used with most autodial modems, and emulates several of the most used terminals. Test drive CROSSTALK XVI today at your local dealer. ^^ flFTUCRDSTUFl 1645 The Exchange / Suite 140 / Atlanta, Georgia 30339 / (404) 952-0267 CROSSTALK XVI is o trademark of Microstuf. Inc. i *w SB? JCK4 ISI (Data Acquisition and Instrumentation Systems Interfaeet To automate yoyr lab- Exciting new capabilities can blossom in your lab— when you automate it with the DAISI family of data acquisition peripherals for your Apple Computer. DAISI interfaces, from Interactive Structures, turn your econom- ical Apple into a personal electronic lab assistant. DAISI prod- ucts are designed to read instruments and sensors, control temperature and pressure with reliability and precision. Here's a rundown on some DAISI interfaces AM3, 12-Bit Analog Input System-$550 ■ 16 input channels ■ 20 microseconds conversion time. AI02, 8-Bit Analog Input System-$299 ■ 16 input channels ■ 70 microseconds conversion time. AO03, 8-Bit Analog Output System- $195- $437 ■ up to 8 independent channels ■ range and offset adjustable. DI09, Digital Interface with Timers-$330 ■ timing and interrupt capability ■ direct connection to BCD digits, switches, relays. Don't settle for garden variety equipment for your laboratory applications. Get the best— at a great price. Pick a DAISI! «s Call us for the DAISI dealer near you. Interactive Structures Inc. 146 Montgomery Ave. Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 (215)667-1713 All DAISI interfaces come complete with cable, in- structional diskette and comprehensive manual. 122 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 211 on inquiry card. separate unit (strange for an office computer), and costs much more than the XI. Even though the SMC-70 can control videodiscs, Sony's true con- sumer computer has yet to appear. Japanese Portables I expected to find a lot of ne Japanese portable computers at the Tokyo shows but found only four portables of interest, two of them from Aval, one from Sord, and one from Epson. Aval AVC-777J2: This portable all- in-one computer (see photo 11) run- ning CP/M 2.2 might be thought of as Japan's answer to the Otrona At- tache. A Z80A system with 64K bytes of user RAM and 16K bytes of video RAM, The AVC-777J2 has a 5-inch monochrome video monitor, two double-sided thin-line 5VI4nch drives storing 600K bytes each, a built-in 5-inch thermal printer, one parallel port, two RS-232C serial ports, a con- nector for an 8-inch floppy -disk sys- tem, a connector for the system bus, and video output for a larger monitor. The keyboard is detachable and fits into the carrying case along with everything else. The price in Japan is 880,000 yen, or about $3320. The weight is 12.5 kilograms, or about 27.5 pounds. Aval AVC-666: This is billed as a CP/M 2.2 development system, but I find it even more appealing as a port- able. It doesn't have a printer or a monitor and has the two SVi-inch drives mounted horizontally. In many other respects, the AVC-666 is just like the 777J2. The AVC-666 is only as wide as the two SV^-inch flop- py disks, brings a video signal out for connection to a monitor, and weighs much less than the 777J2. It costs the equivalent of about $2500, with an optional 12-inch monochrome moni- tor costing another $152. With one monitor at home and the other in the office, the AVC-666 would serve as an adequate portable by today's stan- dards. Sord M23P: I consider the Sord M23P (see photo 12) a true portable and a good value. The M23P has a Z80A processor, 128K bytes of RAM, and an 8-line by 80-character liquid- crystal display (LCD). That is enough Circle 338 on inquiry card. ^H High Resolution RGB Color Monitor Designed for the IBM Personal Computer FEATURES □ 80 characters x 25 lines □ 690 dots horizontal resolution □ 1 6 colors □ .31 mm dot pitch tube □ non-glare, black matrix □ plugs directly to IBM PC, cable supplied □ FCC Class B Approved Princeton Graphic Systems' new HX-12 high resolution color moni- tor is designed with an NEC.31 mm dot pitch CRT to give you up to 690 dots horizontal resolution. You need not compromise the display quality of your system with monitors rated at less than the 640 horizon- tal dots generated by your IBM PC. The PGS HX-12 delivers 16 super colors, 80 characters x 25 lines. It is the best price/performance PC direct drive monitor in the market today. Get the PGS HX-12 and discover for yourself how well it complements your IBM Personal Computer. phic Sjjstttts eseltttien 88 character H High Resolution 88 character HX-12 RSB Phis Systens High Resolution 18 character HX-12 JO pfcic Systems High Resolution 18 character HX-12 RGB phis Systems High Resolution Ffcic Systens 88 r High Resolution 88 character HX-12 KB Pfeie S*istens Ki5.4 >6,1 3.1 to 3.7 1.9 3.4 1.2 to 1.8 1.2 to 1.8 >3.4 >3.8 1.95 to 2.3 1.2 2.1 1.0 to 1.4 1 .0 to 1 .4 >2.7 >3.0 1 .6 to 1 .8 1.0 1.7 Table 3: Comparison of execution speeds of 8086 microprocessors to those of the 80186. REGISTER BLOCK l" 15 C n _i MEMORY OR I/O MAPPED 15 CONTROL BLOCK | AX a h a l DMA CONTROL 1 BX b h b l cx c h Cl DX d h d l SP CHIP-SELECT CONTROL BP S 1 Dl IP TIMER CONTROL STATUS CS ss DS INTERRUPT CONTROL ES l__ 256 BYTES Figure 2: The 80186 register file. Each of the four segment registers — CS, SS, DS and ES — defines a 64K-byte area of memory. There are four general-purpose registers: AX, BX, CX, and DX. The pointer and index registers are stack pointer (SP), base pointer (BP), source index (SI), and destination index (Dl). IP is the instruction pointer. tions of the on-chip timers, DMA support, interrupt controllers, and chip-select logic (see figure 2). Enhanced CPU Several enhancements have been made to the 80186's CPU to reduce the number of instructions it needs to carry out a task and to increase the overall processing speed. The multi- plier portion has been augmented with additional parallel hardware to provide a fivefold to sixfold improve- ment in executing multiplication and division instructions over the stan- dard 5-MHz 8086. Using its own dedicated hardware adder, the bus-interface unit (BIU) calculates the effective addresses of operands and instructions in parallel with the execution unit (EU). Former- ly, this task was done in microcode using the adder that resides in the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU). 136 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Plug 3,000 new applications into your Apple! THE CP/M Card™ plugs CP/M Plus™ into your Apple. The CP/M Card gives you the option of running your Apple II with the speed and capability of a professional Z-80 system with CP/M®-eompatible software. You plug in the CP/M Card. Then choose CP/M or your standard Apple software at your option. Plug into a big, new world of software. The CP/M Card gives you instant access to the world's largest selection of microcomputer software— more than 3,000 CP/M-compatible applications, languages, and programming utilities. So, you, too can use pro- fessional business programs such as WordStar,® SuperCalc,™ Condor,™ and other high-performance software from Day One. Yet, you still have access to your present library of Apple software. 300% faster than your Apple system! The CP/M Card is the only Apple II performance package that offers the speed and efficiency of CP/M Plus. A plug about quality. The CP/M Card was designed and built by Digital Research, the creators of CP/M, and Advanced Logic Systems, the most respected manufacturer of Apple performance products. So you know the CP/M Card is the most perfectly integrated Apple performance package you can buy. Why just keep plugging along? The CP/M Card , ! provides everything you need— including 64 K of I on-board memory, CP/M Plus, CBASICf GSX™-80 and full documentation— for just $399. Now available through the CP/M library. See your local microcomputer dealer today. Or contact Advanced Logic Systems, 1195 East Plug into incredible performance. Together, the ultra-fast CP/M Card and A . . . . q . Arques Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94086 (800) CP/M Plus run applications up to AaVanCeCI LOglC OySTemS 538-8177. (In California (408) 730-0306.; The CP/M Card for your Apple II. CP/M, CP/M Plus, the CP/M Card and CBASIC are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc. Z-80 is a registered trademark of Zilog, Inc. WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro International Corporation. SuperCalc is a trademark of Sorcim Corporation. Condor is a trademark of Condor Computer Corporation. GSX-80 is a trademark of Graphics Software Svstem, Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. ©1982 Digital Research Inc. Circle 143 on inquiry card. Data-Transfer Instructions GENERAL PURPOSE MOV Move byte or word PUSH Push word onto stack POP Pop word off stack PUSH(X) Push user-specified value PUSHA Push all registers on stack POPA Pop all registers from stack XCHG Exchange byte or word XLAT Translate byte INPUT/OUTPUT IN Input byte or word OUT Output byte or word ADDRESS OBJECT LEA Load effective address LDS Load pointer using DS LES Load pointer using ES FLAG TRANSFER LAHF Load AH register from flags SAHF Store AH register in flags PUSHF Push flags onto stack POPF Pop flags off stack Processor Control Instructions FLAG OPERATIONS STC Set carry flag CLC Clear carry flag CMC Complement carry flag STD Set direction flag CLD Clear direction flag STI Set interrupt enable flag CLI Clear interrupt enable flag EXTERNAL SYNCHRONIZATION HLT Halt until interrupt or reset WAIT Wait for TEST pin active ESC Escape to extension processor LOCK Lock bus during next instruction NO OPERATION NOP No operation String Instructions MOVS Move byte or word string INS Input bytes or word string OUTS Output bytes or word string CM PS Compare byte or word string SCAS Scan byte or word string LODS Load byte or word string STOS Store byte or word string REP Repeat REPE/PREZ Repeat while equal/zero REPNE/REPNZ Repeat while not equal/not zero Arithmetic Instructions ADDITION ADD Add byte or word ADC Add byte or word with carry INC Increment byte or word by 1 AAA ASCII adjust for addition DAA Decimal adjust for addition SUBTRACTION SUB Subtract byte or word SBB Subtract byte or word with borrow DEC Decrement byte or word by 1 NEG Negate byte or word CMP Compare byte or word AAS ASCII adjust for subtraction DAS Decimal adjust for subtraction MULTIPLICATION MUL Multiply byte or word unsigned IMUL Integer multiply byte or word AAM ASCII adjust for multiply DIVISION DIV Divide byte or word unsigned IDIV Integer divide byte or word AAD ASCII adjust for division CBW Convert byte to word CWD Convert word to doubleword Table 4: The 80186 instruction set. The 80186 instructions not found in the 8086 instruction set are highlighted. Table 4 continues on page 139. 138 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Shift/Rotate/Logical Instructions LOGICALS NOT "Not" byte or word AND "And" byte or word OR "Inclusive or" byte or word XOR "Exclusive or" byte or word TEST "Test" byte or word SHIFTS SHUSAL Shift logical/arithmetic left byte or word SHR Shift logical right byte or word SAR Shift arithmetic right byte or word ROTATES ROL Rotate left byte or word ROR Rotate right byte or word RCL Rotate through carry left byte or word RCR Rotate through carry right byte or word High-Level Instructions ENTER Format stack for procedure entry LEAVE Restore stack for procedure text BOUND Detect values outside prescribed range Additional hardware offers the programmer streamlined string- manipulation operations. Previously, the Repeat Prefix to Move instruction on the 8086 caused a delay for each byte that was moved because a microcoded subroutine had to be ex- ecuted to decrement the CX register and check the status flags for "end of move/' The extra hardware on the 80186 eliminates this overhead by performing these operations in parallel. As a result, string-move op- erations occur at nearly bus band- width (2 megabytes per second). Bit-manipulation instructions such as Shift and Rotate have also been en- hanced by means of additional hard- ware. Now both operate at a rate of ; bit per clock. Superset of Instructions The 80186 adds additional instruc- tions to those of the 8086. The Block I/O Move instruction is similar to the existing 8086 string instructions but allows the source or destination to be in the I/O space rather than in memory. If Block I/O Move is used with the repeat prefix, the number of words or bytes specified by the CX register is moved. The result is a very high transfer rate (4 megabytes per Program-Transfer Instructions CONDITIONAL TRANSFERS UNCONDITIONAL TRANSFERS JAJNBE Jump if above not below nor equal CALL Call procedure JA/JNB Jump if above or equal not below RET Return from procedure JB/JNAE Jump if below not above nor equal JMP Jump JBEJNA Jump if below or equal not above JC Jump if carry ITERATION CONTROLS JE/JZ Jump if equal/zero JG/JNLE Jump if greater/not less nor equal LOOP Loop JGE/JNL Jump if greater or equal/not less LOOPE/LOOPZ Loop if equal/zero LOOPNE/LOOPNZ Loop if not equal/not zero JLE/JNG Jump if less or equal/not greater JCXZ Jump if register CX = JNC Jump if not carry JNE/JNZ Jump if not equal/not zero INTERRUPTS JNO Jump if not overflow JNP/JPO Jump if not parity/parity odd INT Interrupt JNS Jump if not sign INTO Interrupt if overflow JO Jump if overflow IRET Interrupt return JP/JPE Jump if parity/parity even JS Jump if sign April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 139 If your printer uses your Apple more than you do, you need The Bufferboard. If your Apple is locked into the "PRINT" mode so much that you've taken up soli- taire to kill the boredom, you need a buffer. And if your computer is the Apple II or III, the only buffer for you is The Bufferboard. Expandable to 64K of stor- age, The Bufferboard stores an instantane- ous bucketful of print data from your computer. Then it feeds the data to your printer at its own printing rate. Your Apple is set free from driving your printer and is ready for more data from you. or expensive power supplies are needed because The Bufferboard fits right into your Apple — and docks onto your existing printer interface. The result is convenient Take your existing interface — and buffer it! Only The Bufferboard has a simple Interface-Docking System. No bulky boxes and economical buffering of most popu- lar printer interfaces, including the Grappler + ™ interface, Epson interface, and Apple printer interface. Thirty sec- onds and a single hook-up are all you need to end the printer waiting game forever. Up to 20 letter-size pages stored at a time. The Bufferboard comes standard with 16K, and is expandable to 32 K or 64K of buffering capacity with the addition of memory chips. This "bucket" will hold up to 20 pages of a print job, allowing you freedom to use your Apple. The Bufferboard— designed exclusively for the Apple Computer. Specifications: • Versions for Grappler + interface, Epson interface, Apple interface, and other popu- lar printer interfaces • 16K buffer standard • Upgradeable to 32K or 64K • Automatic memory configuration • Automatic self test • Includes interface docking cable. The Bufferboard is made by Orange Micro, Inc.; the same people who brought you the popular Grappler + printer inter- face. Both the Grappler + and The Bufferboard are now available at your local Apple dealer. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. Epson is a registered trademark of Epson America, Inc. ^Orange micro ^ inc. 1400 N. Lakeview, Anaheim, CA 92807 U.S.A. (714) 779-2772 TELEX: TX 183511 CSMA -Jhe For Apples and Printers Circle 310 on inquiry card. ©Orange Micro, Inc. 1982 A APTURE COMPLETELY REDESIGNED. NOW, THE GRAPPLER + . The original Grappler was the first graphics interface to give you hi-res screen dumps from your keyboard. The new Grappler + with Dual Hi-Res Graphics adds flexibility with a side-by-side graphics printout of page land page 2. The Grappler + can now be used with the Apple® Dot Matrix, the Okidata 84, and is Apple III compatible* In addition, the IDS Grappler + is currently available with color capability, including color graphics screen dumps. UP TO 64K BUFFER OPTION An optional Bufferboard can now be added to all existing Grappler and Grappler + interfaces. See your Apple Dealer for details. M * Requires additional software driver. * * Requires graphics upgrade. © Orange Micro, Inc. 1982 Circle 311 on inquiry card. ACTUAL APPLE II PRINTOUT USING GRAPPLER AND EPSON MX100. Grappler + Printer Interface CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. THE GRAPPLER + FEATURES: • Dual Hi-Res Graphics • Printer Selector Dip Switch • Apple III Compatible* • Graphics Screen Dump • Inverse Graphics • Emphasized Graphics • Double Size Picture • 90° Rotation • Center Graphics • Chart Recorder Mode • Block Graphics • Bell Control • Skip-over-perf • Left and Right Margins • Variable Line Length • Text Screen Dumps • also works with Pascal and CP/M® THE GRAPPLER + INTERFACES WITH THE FOLLOWING PRINTERS: • Anadex • Apple Dot Matrix • Centronics 122 • C. itoh ProWriter • DMP-85 • Epson Series* * • IDS 460, 560, Prism 80 and 132, Microprism • NEC 8023 • Okidata Series* * • Star Micronics Series • and many other printers ^Orange micro 1400 N. Lakeview Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 U.S.A. (714) 779-2772 Telex: 183511 CSMA Foreign Dealer Inquiries Welcome second) because no op codes are fetched during the operation. To support block-structured, high- level-language programs, Enter Pro- cedure and Leave Procedure instruc- tions are included. The Enter instruc- tion performs the calling sequence for a high-level language, flushes the register set, and sets up the segment pointer registers as well as performs the other necessary "housekeeping" tasks. The Leave instruction, on the other hand, restores the 80186 to its state prior to entering the procedure. Normally, such operations would be done using assembly-language sub- routines. In that case, the operations are performed with microcode for in- creased throughput. Instead of using an internal register to temporarily store constants during a routine, the new Push Immediate instruction lets the user put a signed 8- or 16-bit value directly on top of the stack. Numeric calculations are faster with "immediate" instructions, too. The two Multiply Fast instructions (one for signed 16-bit, the other for extended 8-bit values) work with im- mediate values. These instructions take one operand from the immediate field of the instruction itself and the other from either a memory or a register. In both cases, the values are "latched" by the new streamlined multiplier array for fast processing. These new instructions are very handy and were specifically designed for array index calculations in high- level languages. Array handling is further enhanced by a Bound instruction that checks to see that the bounds of an array index value have not been exceeded. The in- dex to be checked is kept in a register, and the upper and lower bounds are stored in a two-word block that is pointed to by the instruction's effec- tive operand address. If the index is out of bounds, a "trap" is generated that vectors instruction execution to a known memory location. Immediate Shift and Rotate in- structions speed bit manipulations. In addition to the 3-bit field for deter- mining left or right movement, an additional byte specifies the number of bits to be shifted or rotated; this eliminates the need to use a loop to perform that same function. Finally, the contents of the AX, BX, CX, SP, BP, SI, and DI registers can be pushed onto the stack with a single Push All instruction. Similarly, they can be popped off with the Pop All instruction. Again, this instruction eliminates the use of slow assembly- language subroutines when you're servicing interrupts and subroutine calls. Another enhancement in the 80186 is its ability to generate an error interrupt when the 80186 at- tempts to execute an illegal instruc- tion op code. Interrupt Controller The on-chip interrupt controller can handle eight prioritized, vectored interrupt sources. Internal interrupt sources are the counter/ timer unit and the two DMA channels, which can be selectively disabled via bits in Text continued on page 148 INTERSTELLAR DRIVE rh SAVE MONEY! Increase your computer's productivity The INTERSTELLAR DRIVE is a high performance data storage subsystem with independent power supply, battery backup, and error detection. It has 2 5 6KB to 1 Megabyte of solid state memory integrated to perform with your operating system. A SOLID STATE DISK EMULATOR Save valuable time! 5 to 50 times faster performance than floppy disks and Winchester drives PION'S INTERSTELLAR DRIVE is designed for use with a family of interfaces and software packages. Currently avail- able are interfaces for IBM, S100, TRS80, Apple, SS50, and most Z80 uP, and software for most popular operating systems. Additional interfaces are continually being developed for the most popular computers. BaSiC Price for 256KB Unit [Includes Interface and software] $ 1 095 ■ p ^ us tax ( w ^ ere applicable) and shipping Visa and Master Card accepted. PIOIMrlNC. Tel.(6 17)923-8009 1 1 R Walnut St., Watertown, MA 02 1 72 TRS80 trademark of Tandy Corp. Apple trademark of Apple Computers Interstellar Drive trademark of PION, Inc. 142 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 335 on Inquiry card. Printer Interface Family Welcomes the New Apple //e... We work together. PKASO -^-*. ■ ,...;""•'" PKASO fi£ « PKASO Interfaces come complete with Cable, Instructional Diskette and Comprehensive Manual. The PKASO family makes you and your Apple Computer a master of text and graphics. PKASO makes it easy to use the features of your printer— select character sizes, vary line spacing, even print in colors. Simple PKASO commands make these features usable from the keyboard or a program. PKASO also adds features to your system. Press a few keys and get a snapshot "dump" of the image you see on the screen— text or graphics. Add new characters and symbols that you couldn't print before, using our SuperFont™ system. Add our new PipeLine™ printing buffer and your printer can take its time while you and your Apple move on to the next task. The PipeLine is a modular add- on to the standard PKASO board. The PKASO interface is designed for Apple II and Apple /// in all the popular configurations. It prints in full color on the IDS Prism Printer, and in striking black on C. Itoh, Centronics, Epson, IDS, NEC, and Okidata matrix printers. Circle 212 on inquiry card. NEW! The IS Pipeline™ Printing Buffer with Random Access Printing stores paragraphs or pictures for printing in any order— any number of times! ■ Universal— works with any parallel (Centronics style) com- puter/printer combinations. ■ 8K to 128K Bytes of memory with data compression for effi- cient use of memory space. Interactive Structures Inc. 146 Montgomery Avenue Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 Telephone: (215) 667-1713 a^ri ***** Save mone> Your firm name and .dress printed on standardized, continuous checks, invoices, statements, letterheads and labels. Designed to work with programs from over 200 software sources ... or program to our attractive forms yourself with guides provided. Full color catalog also has stock tab paper, envelopes, diskettes, many other supplies and accessories. • Quality products at low prices • No "handling charges" or hidden extras • Available in small quantities • Money-Back Guarantee Fast service . . » buy direct by mail or PHONE TOLL FREE 1+800-225-9550 (Mass, residents 1 + 600-922-8560) 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., FT NAME PHONE COMPANY STREET CITY, STATE and ZIP Required to help US send you correct information: SOFTWARE BRAND PACKAGE* □ Do own programming. COMPUTER MAKE MODEL* □ Have not purchased yet. YOUR LINE OF BUSINESS Number of employees. Nebs. 144 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 11104 'nd, Massachusetts 01469 Business Service, Inc. Circle 296 on inquiry card. The 80286 Today's microcomputer systems are capable of serving many users and simultaneously running a variety of pro- grams. These multiuser, multitasking systems require high- performance processing, a large memory space, efficient ad- dressing, and an effective means to protect system software from inadvertent user mishandling. In addition, each users programs and data must be protected so that another user's program cannot "write" over them. Isolating both system software and user software requires effective hardware- supported protection. Multiuser and multitasking systems are not new concepts; minicomputers have offered both of these features for years. But the demand for such microcomputer systems is a rela- tively recent development, To date, no microprocessor exists that has built-in memory management and protection or the ability to efficiently address a gigabyte (2 30 ) of virtual memory. In that regard alone, the 80286 or iAPX 286 sets a precedent. The capabilities of the 80286 along with its high performance make for a rare combination indeed. Moreover, the 80286 lets users take advantage of a large base of existing software. Underlying several new instruc- tions aimed at streamlining high-level-language coding and operating system execution (see table 1) is the familiar in- struction set of Intel's popular iAPX 86/88 (8086/8088) fami- ly. The 80286 is compatible with the software that exists for these other processors. As a result, users can now achieve an immediate increase in a system's performance simply by making design changes in the new 80286 hardware and using the existing software or the growing base of third-party soft- ware written for the 8086. Later, programs may be moved to run in a memory management and protection environment. Further system enhancements or completely new products can be produced with no hardware changes. Many logic elements, and therefore many active devices such as transistors, are required to handle all the functions that the 80286 includes. The 8086 microprocessor contains approximately 29,000 transistors; the 80286, in comparison, contains 130,000. Organized in Four Pipelined, Functional Units In most microprocessors, a complete sequence of instruc- tion fetching, decoding, and execution must take place before the next instruction can be fetched. In the 80286, these operations are carried out in parallel, resulting in an overall increase in performance without the use of faster memory chips, which would be needed if performance were enhanced simply by speeding up the clock rate. Pipelined architecture permits the CPU to detect invalid op codes well in advance of their execution, another advantage. The 80286, for example, has time to perform the memory- protection functions without degrading the processing per- formance or restricting memory access. Pipelining in the 80286 is separated into four logical units: bus, address, instruction, and execution. The bus unit provides a demultiplexed bus interface be- tween the processor, system memory, and external I/O sub- systems. It monitors bus-cycle requests from other pro- cessors or the chip's own address unit, and when there is a pause, the bus unit's "pref etcher" grabs the next instruction and places it in a "code queue." Here, instructions are available for immediate access by the chip's instruction unit. Text box continued on page 146 HI The VISUAL 100 video display terminal is 100% compatible with the DEC VT 100 terminal from identical software right down to the layout of the keys and the sculpturing of the keyboard. But when it comes to ergonom- ics, the VISUAL 100 is something else! For example, the VISUAL 100 is designed in lightweight plastic that can easily be swiveled and tilted for maximum operator comfort. A detached, low profile keyboard, and 12" or 14" non-glare screen are just a few of the other human engineer- ing advantages of the VISUAL 100. The Advanced Video package and current loop interface that are optional with the DEC terminal are standard with the VISUAL 100. Plus we've added an optional Buffered Printer Interface with independent baud rate, independent parity and printer busy via "XON-XOFF" proto- col. And although the VISUAL 100 is a step up from the DEC VT 100, it is priced a step below. Only $1,345 . Call or write for full details. Service available in principal cities through Sorbus Service, Divi- sion of Management Assistance, Inc. Tilt: 10° forward, 15° backward Swivel: 270° Combines MSUAL'S economic excellence with DECVT 100 performance. $1345 See for yours Visual Technology Incorporated 540 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876 Telephone (617) 851-5000. Telex 951-i Circle 431 on Inquiry card. Text box continued: The instruction unit receives data at a rate of 1 byte per clock cycle, decodes and formats complete instructions, and places them in its "instruction queue" to await action by the execution unit. The execution unit contains the CPU registers, the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), and the microcode firmware for the CPU in read-only memory (ROM). Instructions are executed under the control of the ROM's internal micro- instruction sequence. When it nears completion of the se- quence, the ROM signals the execution unit to take the next instruction out of the instruction queue. This treadmill-like process keeps the execution unit operating very efficiently. Finally, the address unit performs the memory - management and protection function by translating virtual addresses to physical addresses and checking protection rights, all simultaneously. This unit maintains its own ex- plicit cache containing all address mapping and protection information (base address, boundary limit, and the access rights) for the virtual-memory segments currently selected by the executing task. By storing this information in its own on- chip cache, the address unit does not need to retrieve it from memory-based address-translation tables. Therefore it can perform all functions in a single clock cycle. By operating in parallel, these units enable the 80286 to manage virtual memory and protect the memory without degrading system throughput. Memory and User Protection Via Tight Access Control The 80286's memory-management and protection mechanism is an integral part of the architecture. It is physically integrated on the same silicon die as the rest of the CPU, so the protection of system and user code and data does not require extensive system software or add-on memory-management units (MMU). Such an approach has many advantages. It is more reliable, easier to implement, and faster. It also reduces software overhead. The 80286 protects users from one another and the system software from its users. Each user has up to one gigabyte of virtual address space that may be split between shared and private use. Common data, files, and library routines are typically stored in shared space. Each user's private space is accessible only to him. Each user's large virtual address space contains his "view" of the operating system. Because all users share the operating system, it is usually stored in the shared address space. Put- ting the operating system within the direct-address space of each user means that access to operating system routines is simpler and faster. Within each user's virtual-memory space are up to four hierarchical protection levels, so that even within his own space a user's application-program tasks can be guarded from improper access to the operating system. The 80286 s hardware supports this four-level protection hierarchy. Should a task attempt to access an address with- out right of access, the CPU will prevent it and then signal that a fault has occurred. In addition to providing more pro- tection than usual, this architecture is more flexible and effi- cient than the typical two-level schemes minicomputers and other microprocessors use. It offers the user more flexibility, configurability, and reliability for the system software. These features are especially important for reprogrammable business and office systems applications, which will typically have many concurrent users. Software Compatibility Like the 80186, the 80286's instruction set is a superset of the 8086/8088 set, and its software is compatible with them. This provides a real upgrade path from the 8086 and 8088 to the 80286, and users can take advantage of the wealth of existing 8086/8088 software to get a jump on the develop- ment process. Current 8086 users will be able to enhance system performance immediately simply by changing the CPU subsystem hardware for the 80286. They can also modify their software to take advantage of the 80286's new instructions for further performance enhancements. BTA MODEL 953B EPROM PROGRAMMER -$359 BAY TECHNICAL ASSOCIATES, inc. HWY. 603, P.O. BOX 387 BAY ST. LOUIS. MISSISSIPPI 39520 (601)467-8231 Programs 2508, 2758, 2516, 2716, 27C16, 2532, 2732, 2732A, 27C32, 2564, 2764, 27C64, MCM68766, 27128. RS-232, 3 line serial interface, Xon/Xoff format, DB-25 I/O connector. No personality modules • software control EPROM selection. Extended diagnostics. LED warning indicates power applied to EPROM socket. Supports Intel, Motorola, and Intel 8086 data formats as well as HEX data dump. Automatic baud rate selection. Tex too I zero insertion force socket. Available CP/M software. • Model 953 A, programs most 24 pin E PROMS. Price - $269.00 146 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 50 on inquiry card. SPECIALS OF THE MONTH! rs Computers for: Business, Home Applications, Resource Management, Technology & Science NEW: 15-Day Exchange Privilege (See "TERMS" for details) Displayed and sold at our Showroom, 12210 Michigan Ave., Grand Terrace, CA: MICRO-DECISION %JW?S+ by Morrow Designs [%l tL W APC Extremely sophisticated graphics and color display m (1024x1024 pixel) 16-bit (8086!), 128K standard, expandable to 256K. 1-2 8" Floppies 1 MEG each (run any CP/M program avail- able on 8"). Detachable keyboard. Integral monitor (monochrome/color). Extensive software. H01 Monochrome, 1 Floppy List $3298 H02 Monochrome, 2 Floppies List $3998 H03 Color monitor, 2 Floppies List $4998 CALL for appointment Perfect desk-top computer: • Z-80, 1 Floppy standard, 2nd optional, Optional terminal, or use your own. • CP/M with user friendly "shell." • WordStar, SpellChecker, Spreadsheet, Microsoft Basic-80 & BASIC. List $1195 to $1790, Limited Quantity CALL For Availability. NEW: Now with double-sided double-density Flop- pies (800 KB storage), and with Data Base Manage- ment Software CALL For Availability! T 3 GRAPHICS SYSTEMS: SEC P-8800 ^sr SMITH-CORONA TP-1: AT OUR PRICE, NO COMPUTER SHOULD BE WITHOUT ONE! Daisy-wheel, letter-quality, interfaces all com- puters. Serial & parallel models at same low price. No less than 18 print-wheels— only $6.95 each. List $849 ONLY$5«5f SPECIAL, ONLY this month ....$527 NEW: Tractor for TP-1, easy retro-fit $159 GEMINM0 from Star-Micronics All the features of EPSON -FT, plus backspace, con* tinuous underline. List $499... ONLY $ CALL!!! Special: New prices TOO LOW TO ADVERTISE! GEMINI-15 similar but 15" carriage. Even better buy: List $649 ONLY $ CALL!!! Personal Computer System: Just Arrived: All the flexibility one could ask for, in highest perfor- mance system! Z-80 standard, 8086 16-bit pro- cessor optional, ROM Basic (8/16 bit), Graphic RAM, 64 K user RAM standard, supports up to 256K. Both 5 1 /4 and 8" floppies. Most sophisticated graphics in- clude 3 individually-controlled windows; 640x200 pixel resolution, overall text & graphics, RGB or composite display, serial & parallel ports, cassette interface. LIMITED SUPPLY $CALL! „ ^., -,. «., Advanced color graphics under Z-BASIC, 16 bit (8088) & 8-bit (8085) 128K RAM, expand- able to 768K (Expand to 192K for only $180). Runs most IBM-PC software and CP/M. ZF-100 128K RAM 8/16 bit, 1 floppy monochrome graphics LIST $3,249 $CALL ZF-110 Similar to above, but COLOR GRAPHICS, 2 floppies LIST $3,999 $CALL ZF-120 128K RAM, 8/16 bit, 2 floppies, monochrome graphics, integral display LIST $4,099 $CALL ZENITH Hard Disk $CALL TeUMdeo 803 « New, all the features of 802, PLUS: • Larger Screen: Nearly double the standard 12" video displays, Ad- justable positioning standard! • High-resolution graphics under CP/M, (640 x 240 pixels) standard! • 16 programmable function keys standard! • And the best of all: Priced at $1000 under the 802! With all these features, the new TeleVideo computer is an > outstanding buy!!! List $2495 $CAl CALL For Availability!!! IBM/APPLE PRODUCTS: ^S HARD DISKS & MICRODISKS: Your backup worries are over. QCS Hard disk 6 MEG removeable + 6 MEG fixed. List $3,499 ONLY $2,795 CORONA Hard disk 5 MEG, mounts internally ONLY$1,536 10 MEG ONLY $1,919 AMDEK 3" Micro-Floppy System, w/controller, 1 MEG total. List $899 $CALL > MEMORY & I/O BOARDS: QUADBOARD: clock, serial & parallel ports, 128K QUAD512 + 64K + serial port QUAD512 + 256K + serial port QUADSCREEN Super-Monitor (166 col.x66 line) $CALL QUADCOLOR for better color graphics .........$ CALL y $599 $369 $699 MONITORS & PLOTTERS: SMD Monitor: New, intermediate resolution, 8 colors, composite input, audio input and speaker built in superb display quality at price close to a comparable monochrome monitor! List $449 ONLY $339 AMDEK 12" Amber $159 AMDEK COLOR II RGB, hi-resolution, 13" ..$699 AMDEK COLOR III RGB $382 ZENITH RGB high-resolution RGB $524 PRINCETON high-resolution 12' ' RGB $ CALL NEC 12" RGB high resolution $ CALL TYMAC printer-adapter f/APPLE $89 GRAPPLER $129 Mannesmann-Tally MT-1601 No other printer can match all these features: serial AND parallel inputs standard, 160 cps standard, dot graphics standard, front-panel programming standard, heavy- duty construction. TRACTOR INCLUDED $654 MT 160 L: all features of MT-1601 plus LETTER-QUALITY printing at 50 cps. Exceptional buy .....ONLY $744 3-user Decision-1 computer by Morrow Designs: MORROW DESIGNS Z-80 based system allocates each user his own 64 K RAM partition (other multi-user systems support only 48 K partition/user). UNIX-derived operating system also emulates CP/M for broad software compatibility. Includ- ed with system: MICRONIX Operating System, CP/M, WordStar, Spell-Checker, LogiCalc, Microsoft BASIC- 80, BAZIC, Personal Pearl Data Base. Supports up to 15 users! System w/ 256K RAM, 16 MByte Hard Disk, 1 5 1 /4 Floppy (8" optional), Clock, Interrupt Controller & Centronix port. Accounting, Inventory, Data Base Management software optional. List $7395 SCALL < % COMPLETE TELEVIDEO MULTI-USER SYSTEM: Multiple workstations with independent capabilities and tasks: 3 inventory control stations, 2 Accounting Office Stations, 1 Management station {16- bit) with graphics capability. TeleVideo TS-816 CPU with 40 MEG hard disk and tape backup. Complete accounting, inventory control, financial management and business graphics programs, operating under Turbo-Dos w/file & record lockout for uninterrupted multi-user service. 1 high-speed dot-matrix printer and 1 letter-quality printer, receive/auto-dial modem. Complete integration included. List $29,395 CALL FOR INFORMATION IBM- COMPATIBLE COMPUTER: ^75 SYSCOM-2: ^ COLUMBIA 1600 16-bit 8088, accepts all IBM boards, reads & runs all IBM software, but has also additional Z-80 processor to run 8-bit C/PM. So compatible it can even use IBM keyboard! 128K, 1 parallel & serial ports standard, 8 expansion slots! COLUMBIA 1600 package: computer as above + keyboard + CRT controller. List $3,635 SCALL, ► Apple-Compatible Computer Runs most software written for the 6502 (Apple II and the Franklin Ace). Many improvements engineered into this fine machine. Digital analog board is part of CPU rather than a separate compo- nent. High and low resolution graphics, both black and white and color, with video memory and sound, are all part of the computer. 48K, 52 keys, 16 colors. . ^List$869. . JCALlI EAGLE COMPUTERS Highly rated busi- ness computer, con- figured as Word Pro- cessor at V2 price of dedicated w.p. (See Popular Computim .p. (See Popular Computing 12/82). CP/M, CBASIC, SPELLBINDER w.p. & ULTRACALC included free!!! EAGLE II Z80, 64K, 2 Floppies 780K $2349 EAGLE III same but 1 6M $3199 EAGLE IV 10M Hard Disk $4795 Software: Accounting Plus All 8 MOD only $1495!!! EAGLE 1600 SCALL^A^ INTERFACES & MODEMS, ETC. Hayes Modems: SmartModem 300 $214 SmartModem 1200 .$523 MicroModemll $269 MicroModem 100(S-100) $289 VENTEL RS-232 Modem $763 MICROFAZER printer buffer $139 INTERFAZER f/multi-users, up to 8 terminals & 2 printers!.... < DOT-MATRIX PRINTERS NEC-8023A (parallel) $459 AXIOM 80 col. 30cps, graph., p $289 Okidata 82A (ser/paraliel) $CALL Okidata 83A 132 col. (s/p) $649 Okidata 84-P 200 cps. & 50 cps. correspondence mode $994 Okidata 84-S same, but serial $1099 Okidata 92, just released $ CALL IDS Microprism; serial and parallel inputs, two printing speeds and printing grades: Draft/Correspondence $529 Letter-quality printers: NEC 3510 33cps serial $1449 NEC 3530 same, parallel $1599 NEC 7710/30 55 cps, s/p $2194 DIABLO 620 25cps,ser $1094 BROTHER HR-1 $794 DAISYWRITER, 16K Buffer $999 QUME NEW SPRINT II 40 cps LIST $1681 $CALL < NEW: COD 15-Day Exchange Privilege (subject to terms below) ORDERS & INFORMATION: Member, Better Business Bureau Mo.-Fri. 9:00 AM-5:30 PM PST, Sat" 12:00 AM-5:00 PM PST r 1-(800) 845-5555 CA, AK, HI call (714) 783-1363 TELEX: 472-0127 ATTEN: EMD L BANK REFERENCE: BARCLAYS BANK OF CALIFORNIA (213) 892-7244 _ AMERICAN EXPRESS, VISA, MASTERCHARGE W* 5 APO, FPO, INTERNATIONAL ORDERS ACCEPTED inc P.O. Box 3791, Riverside, CA 92519 BHRT TERMS: Prices in this ad apply to prepaid orders only, reflect 5% cash discount off our regular sale prices. Per- sonal checks allow 2 weeks to clear. Fortune-1000 companies, Universities and Government only: 30-day net, based on our regular (non-cash) prices. COD based on non-cash prices and requires payment in full by Cashier's Check or Certified Check upon delivery. California residents add 6% tax. This ad supersedes all prior offers. Prices subject to change and offers may be withdrawn without prior notice. All merchandise new in original factory cartons, carry full manufacturer's warranty, and are covered by full insurance during shipping. Absolutely no return on used or dam- aged items. Software returnable ONLY in UNOPENED original wrapping. We now offer 15-DAY EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE, subject to 10% restocking charge on returned merchandise, and excluding special order items. Add 3% for Handling, Shipping & Insurance ($3.95 minimum). CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Microsoft MultiPlan are trademark of Microsoft Corp. CYMA is trademark of CYMACoro.. TurboDOS is tradema* of Software 2000. Z80A is registered trademark of Zitog Inc. WordStar, SpeUStar, CateSter iJMerge are trademark of MicroPro Company. APPLE is trademark of Apple Computer Inc. Circle 52 on inquiry card. Circle 413 on inquiry card. GET FULL VALUE FROM YOUR VICTOR 9000 with the UCSD p-SYSTEM™ IV.1 Get the most from your VICTOR 9000 as well as from your software development efforts. The power and portability of the UCSD p-System Is available for the VICTOR 9000 from TDI. The Standard Development System Includes: • Full Screen Editor, Filer, ^ Assembler and other Utilities • The UCSD Pascal Compiler Native Code Generator ^ Ram Disk Support Above 128K ' Turtlegraphics-full use of VICTOR screen (800 x 400) - Complete documentation Options: Fortran 77 and Basic compilers Hard disk support ^YpN TDI SYSTEMS, INC JUJEU 620 HUNGERFORD DR TDI SYSTEMS, INC TDI LIMITED 620 HUNGERFORD DR. 29 ALMA VALE RD. ROCKVILLE, MD 20850 BRISTOL, U.K. BS8 2HL (301 ) 340-8700 0272 742 796 NEW HARD DISK SUPPORT VICTOR 9000 Is a trademark of VICTOR TECHNOLOGIES, INC. UCSD p-SYSTEM and UCSD PASCAL are trademarks of the Regents of the University of California Text continued: the interrupt control register. The controller resolves simultaneous re- quests based on predefined priorities. The higher-priority interrupt will cause servicing to cease on a lower one. Interrupt control can be ex- panded externally by cascading 8259A programmable interrupt con- trol chips or 80130s to the 80186 via dual-function interrupt pins provided for that configuration. Five external interrupt input pins — four plus non- maskable interrupt (NMI) input — can be programmed to respond to either levels or edges. Chip-Select and Ready Functions All CPU subsystems must interface with an array of memory and periph- eral chips. In other typical microcom- puter systems, external random logic or VLSI components must be used to translate microprocessor output states into appropriate memory or peripheral chip-select signals. Because the 80186 has built-in chip-select generation circuitry, in many cases no additional external logic is needed to interface with memory I/O sub- systems. Users can program in a selection of wait states (0 to 3 states) to accom- modate memory or peripheral chips with a variety of access-time characteristics. Where the 80186's in- ternal wait-state selections are not sufficiently long, external wait-state generators can be ORed to the inter- nal "read" circuitry. Memory can be divided into three separate sections — upper, middle, and lower. The upper- and lower- memory sections are selected by a single select line. The middle-memory section is selected by four select lines, so it can be further divided into four equally sized subsections. Memory- block sizes may be programmed for 2K, 4K, 8K, 16K, 64K, or 128K bytes. The upper and lower sections can be programmed for those sizes as well as for IK and 256K bytes. Thus if six- teen 64K by 1-bit chips are used in the upper segment, that select line would be programmed for 128K bytes. Peripherals are selected by as many as 7 signal lines. Each line is active for 148 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 419 on inquiry card. Circle 157 on inquiry card. a 128-byte memory segment (the pe- ripheral block). As many as 7 of these segments can be grouped contiguous- ly, and the entire 996-byte set of blocks may be located on any lK-byte boundary. Two control reg- isters, the base address register (PACS) and the mode register (MPCS), govern the function of the peripheral select lines. Users can select 5 or 7 lines. The 5-line mode is convenient for 8-bit pe- ripherals because the remaining 2 lines can be used as latches for the Ai and A 2 address lines. That way, the 80186 can treat the address lines as if they were 16-bit peripherals located on even-address boundaries. Then no external logic or compensatory soft- ware routines are necessary. Direct Memory Access Support When blocks of data are to be moved from one memory location to another, or from memory to an I/O device, or even from one I/O device to another, it is inefficient for the CPU to handle this data 1 byte or word at a time. DMA makes these kinds of transfers much more efficient by limiting the CPU's involvement. The 80186 supports two such DMA channels, each capable of transferring data at a rate of 2 megabytes per sec- ond. Each DMA channel maintains two 20-bit source and destination hard- ware pointers that can be incre- mented or decremented after each data transfer. Each transfer typically consumes only two bus cycles, one to fetch the data and the other to store it in its new location. Each channel is associated with a control register that specifies word or byte transfers and states whether an interrupt must be generated upon completion. The control register also specifies automatic incrementing (or decrementing) of source or destina- tion registers, the channel priority, and the starting and stopping of the transfer itself. Programmable Counter/Timers Many microcomputer applications depend on timing or counting exter- nal events, generating nonrepetitive waveforms, and combinations of A MUST FOR EVERY COMPUTER LIBRARY. The 1982-83 EEM/Electronic Engineers Master is the world's largest electronics catalog. Over 4,500 pages. Two giant volumes filled with detailed technical data and specifications on products from almost 1000 manufacturers. Components. Connectors. Capacitors. Power Supplies. Whatever you need you'll find in EEM. A complete sales directory and handy selection guide make ordering products fast and easy. Over 100,000 copies of EEM are distributed worldwide. To get yours, fill out the order form below. And, for a limited time, save over 50% off the regular price. II you're not totally satisfied, return EEM within 30 days for a full refund. Yes! I want the 1982-83 EEM at over 50% off the regular price. D A check /money order for $29.95 is enclosed. EEM will pay all sales tax and shipping charges (U.S. only). Charge $29.95 to my: □ MasterCard □ Visa Name _ Address „_____________ City „__„ : State Zip Credit Card No. Signature . Exp. Date. Mail to: EEM (Hearst/UTP), 645 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530 Please allow 30 days for delivery. BY43 The language that Is based on the past but looks to the uses of the future. ffts UThank You!! ^^pfl i^l_^^* We have received an overwhelming ^m\ I ^V response to our introductory demo ^■^ I ^F\ package offer and would like to say L^vdHL^tt^H-. thanks to all our satisfied customers. Take a sample ride with our hottest product before you make your choice. Our demo package allows you to experience the power of JAN US /Ada. JAN US /Ada is a subset implementation of Ada that includes many features not found in any other micro- process or programming language. These include true modular programming, full error messages in English, error walk-backs, and re- entrant initialized variables. These and more features are described in greater detail in our informative brochure. llO^ Take up to 30 days to experience the power of JANUS/Ada. Make sure it does what you want. Then if you find it isn't right for you, send it back and we'll return your money, no questions asked. But we're sure you'll want the complete package after experiencing part of the power of JANUS /Ada. Best of all, you still can buy our demo package for $50.00. Information ~~~~~^ Call, write or circle our reader service number to receive our informative brochure. Ordering Please specify your microcomputer, CPU, disk format and operating system. JANUS /Ada Demo Disk and Manual Contains evaluation compiler, linker and example programs. Available on 8" MS-DOS, 8" CP/M,® 'Apple softcard and IBM-PC . . . . , .. $50.00 _I KhM_1_T__HI $50.00 can be applied to full JANUS/Ada package. JANUS /Ada Package Contains complete compiler, linker, assembler/example programs, manual and more Prices from $300 Call for your system price. Available on most disk formats. of Microsoft. Ii OFTWARE spectaists in , ©Copyright 1983 RR Software ie of the art programming P.O. BOX 1512 MADISON, WISCONSIN 53701 (608) 244-6436 Circle 362 on inquiry card. April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 149 counting and timing. To meet these needs, CPU subsystems commonly have one or more timer/counters im- plemented with external circuitry. The 80186's three timer/counters eliminate the need for the external cir- cuits. Two of the 80186's 16-bit timer/ counters are designed to interface to external circuits, and the third is for internal operations. All three have several programmable options that are selected by a set of three 16-bit control registers. In addition, each timer has its own maximum-count register (timers and 1 have two). Each timer/counter can be pro- grammed to halt or continue when it reaches the specified maximum count. Users can program the counter to issue an interrupt upon reaching maximum count and then either con- tinue or reset and then continue. The various functions are programmed via the mode-control register. On-Chip System Clock An on-chip system clock is im- plemented by a crystal oscillator and divide-by-two logic. By connecting a 16-MHz crystal to the external pins, an 8-MHz system clock signal is pro- OKIDATA 2723 W. Windrose Suite 3 Phoenix, Arizona 85029 1-800-528-8960 All Prices Subject To Change COMPUTERS ATARI 1200 - $645 800-48K - $499 410 -$77 810 -$429 830 -$155 850- $159 ALTOS 5-15D-$2l20 5-5D- $4100 NORTHSTAR Advantage-$2600 Horizon 64QD-$2600 TELEVIDEO 802 - $2599 802H - $4450 806 - $4950 800A - $1 250 APPLE-LOOK-A-LIKE CALL APPLE CARDS 16K RAM - $78 Z80 CARD - $245 Videx Card - $227 Smart Term - $279 Microsoft Prem. 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Customer Service 602-863-0759 duced. This signal is used internally to control the synchronous execution of instructions and operations. One of the 80186 pins provides an external clock signal and can be used to syn- chronize external circuits to the inter- nal clock. Interface with Support Chips The 80186 interfaces with Intel's full line of peripheral control com- ponents. Like the 8086, the 80186 communicates with and controls those components via the system bus. The 80186 emits the same local bus handshake signals as the 8086. Memory control, data communica- tion, and display control components as well as VLSI controllers are available for the graphics display, disk drive, and keyboard interface. Controllers for the serial and parallel, asynchronous and synchronous data- communications protocols are also available. Systems integrators can choose from several operating systems, among them iRMX-86, CP/M-86, and MS-DOS. Compatible operating system software for the above is available from Intel for the 8086, 8088, and 80186. Many applications programs have been written for 8086- and 8088-based systems. The list is grow- ing significantly as a result of IBM's introduction of the 8088-based Per- sonal Computer. For users who already have developed software for their 8086- or 8088-based machines, the 80186 of- fers an additional advantage: pro- grams written for the 8086 and 8088 will run on the 80186 without modification. The 10 new instruc- tions can replace longer subroutines, making programs more compact. Conclusion The 80186 replaces as many as 20 chips in an 8/16-bit microcomputer at about half the cost of the 8086/8088 kit of parts. It also has twice the capability of the standard 8086/8088 running at the standard 5-MHz clock rate. The 80186 will pave the way for the next generation of micro- computers to be both less expensive and more powerful. ■ 150 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 168 on inquiry card. "Where can I get a full- featured printer that's fast and letter-perfect every time? I didn't think I could until I got Daisy Systems' M45." "I needed quality printers for my company's IBM systems. Until I found Daisy's M45, I thought we'd spend a fortune." "All of the different com- puters in our offices run with Daisy's M45. Where else could we get that kind of versatility?" "My department is responsible for generating output for five separate divisions. When they need it, I can count on Daisy." "I'm a microcomputer dealer and when I found that Daisy Systems had an inexpensive printer for my personal computer, my customers began ask- ing for it." ONE FOR ALL The World's Most Versatile Daisywheel Printer. There's never been a printer to match the versatility, low-cost, speed and reliability of our new Daisy M45. Its got innovative features that most printer mak- ers talk about but few produce. Take its simple-to-change interface unit that allows the M45 to be easily plugged into literally any computer system. Or its "Long Life" hammer that not only improves print quality but guarantees it for hundreds of million strikes. With 35% fewer parts than conventional printers, Daisy's solid, proven durability gives you unmatched reliability. Talk to a Daisy owner —bet- ter yet see one at your local dealer. We think you'll be duly impressed with Daisy's good looks. And you'll find it surpris- ingly practical to own. Dealer inquiries welcome. A Trademark of Daisy Systems Holland BV "Sip Daisy Introductory Offer □ I am interested in top value letter- quality printers, send info now. □ I am interested in a Daisy dealer- ship, send info now. Name Company _ Address — City/State/Zip. Phone Daisy Systems Holland BV Nieuweweg279, P.O. Box 125 6600 AC Wijchen, The Netherlands Phone011-3H8894)-18170, Telex 48281 An AES Company Manufactured in Holland See us at Comdex/Spring booths 3226-3228. Circle 463 on inquiry card. I i 1 ^rjt^trM The Memory Board: 1KB for $275 to 256KB for $5 ■f II fcv.: ; . • iiiiiiiiinmiiiiitiiiiiiiijti ..ation hoard. Memory up to 265KB < options Include serial tSl hard disk) ami or clock calendar with battery backup- Prices range from $350 lor (hKK with 1 option to $72S for 256KB with 3 options. Five better ideas from IDE for expanding your IBM PC. We think the IBM Personal Computer is the best on the market. That's why we've concentrated our efforts on making add-ons strictly for the IBM PC. We have ideas that can make your IBM PC even better And more affordable. Granted, those are ambitious goals. Goals that take quite a bit of imagination - and nerve - to reach. And at IDE, we think we have the ideas it takes. Better Idea No. 1: Innovative products. We're leaders, not followers. IDE was first with a Combination Board for the IBM PC that includes a Winchester disk drive inter- face. On the board itself. We were the first to let you cable both serial flwrfparallel interfaces from the back of the board. Without any troublesome jury rigging, without wasting expansion slots, and with the unit's protective cover in place. And the innovations don't stop there. Removable Winchester disk drives. Expandable memory boards. Printer spooler software. Disk emulation software. A broad array of products. . .with still more to come. e IIM-A The IDEAdisk: Winchester disk drives, in chassis or self-contained external mount, fixed or removable cartridge. Front $1450 to $1700. Special offer: I OMB ( S+S) external mount from $2700 to $2800. KA I Software Diskette Memorv Diagnostic IDtvAdisk Cfedt&fente ITuiiwipufjier X KAMFLOPPY ■«» I mm wm m IIMiA &p*n WM-Zjm^/F'^U:- MMBM^ \smT<*^ ,-^ ; ;^M ®||^ j IIH-A Software Diskette Memon Diagnostic IDEAdisk i bdc&kKbf PttttrSfcnsIa RAMHDm X IIM-A with all the documentation you need to perform the installation yourself. In minutes. Better Idea No. 5: High value; low price. Since our products are made strictly for the IBM PC, we can concentrate our efforts. Run our company more efficiently And keep costs down. But keeping costs down isn't enough for us. We pursue an aggressive pricing policy, too. Because we believe that by selling more add-ons at lower prices, we will become a leader in the industry. Our ideas will see to that. You'll find all of IDE's better ideas on display at the fine retail- ers shown below. If you don't see one for your area, call us toll-free. The list is growing all the time, and we'll give you the name of a dealer near you. Or take your order directly by phone. And remember: when you think of expanding your IBM PC, think of IDE first. We have five great ideas for you. 1-800-257-5027 (In Massachusetts call 617 272-7360) IDEAssociates Better ideas for personal computers. 44 Mail Road, Burlington, MA 01803 Circle 194 on inquiry card. IDE Dealers: Florida: Suncoast Forms & Systems, Sarasota D Iowa: ComputerLand, Pes Moines □ Kansas: CompuType, Manhattan □ Massachusetts: Arby Corporation, Cambridge o Michigan: BCS Inc., Canton; The Computer Workshop, Houghton; MCS Inc. , Okemos □ Minnesota: Computer Depot/Daytons Computer Centers, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Burnsvtlte Center, Ridgedale, Rosedale, Southdale a Nebraska: ComputerLand, Lincoln; ComputerLand, Omaha □ New Jersey: Peripheral Engineering Co., Marlton □ Oklahoma: Micro-Corn Systems, Tonkawa □ Tennessee: Campus Computer Corp., Nashville Q Wisconsin: LaCrosse Computer Systems, LaCrosse □ IDE Representatives in: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington , D.C. , Atlanta, Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles. Better Idea No. 2 : One year warranty. We believe in the quality of our products. We buy only burnt-in components; we do extensive bum-in ourselves; and we customize final testing to match customers' configurations. That's why we offer a full year warranty with all IDE products. 365 days. Not 90. And we back it up with full software support and diagnostics, including software updates as necessary. Better Idea No. 3: Unique upgrade policy. When you buy any IDE product, you buy only the options you want. So you never have to pay for something you don't need. Then you can add extras as you need them. Take our boards, for example. For one year; you can trade up a board for one with more memory and/or options for the price differential plus $25. In fact, you can trade up any IDE product for anything else in our product line the same way. And that's unique. Better Idea No. 4: Service that really delivers. Our products are available through IDE dealers and repre- sentatives around the country. And our network is growing quickly We offer free installation in the metropolitan areas listed below, and our retailers will install any of our products for you right in the store. If you'd rather do it yourself, we provide every IDE product The Intel 8087 Numerics Processor Extension This chip lets you perform mathematical operations with 18-decimal digits of accuracy. So you have a shiny new 8086/ 8088-based microcomputer and you want to write some accounting soft- ware that will meet the requirements of the fussiest CPA. Or perhaps you want to write some code to control your latest robotics experiment and you need to do some critical number- crunching with very accurate results. Let me introduce you to the Intel 8087 Numerics Processor Extension (NPX). The 8087 NPX is a. chip that will give you, regardless of your mathe- matical skill, the ability to write code that will perform mathematical operations with guaranteed accuracy of 18-decimal digits. To make things even easier, the NPX, known as a co- processor, is easy to interface to a host processor (8086 or 8088). When you add an NPX to one of its host processors, you have a Numeric Data Processor (NDP). Registers The 8087, due to its special status as a coprocessor, combines with the About the Author Bob Simington is a curriculum developer for Intel's customer training department. He is responsible for the development of all microprocessor training curricula. His most re- cent assignment was to develop a course based on 16-bit personal computers. R. B. Simington Intel Corporation 27 Industrial Ave. Chelmsford, MA 01824 architecture of the host processor to produce a processor that contains all the capabilities of an 8086 or 8088 plus a register stack of eight 80-bit registers, as shown in figure 1. The NDP also brings the ability to execute a set of 68 new floating-point-arith- metic instructions in addition to the extensive instruction set of the host alone. These 80-bit registers hold all the operands for the floating-point operations in a format called Tem- porary Real, which is capable of rep- resenting any whole number up to 2 64 exactly. This 80-bit format is accurate enough to guarantee 18-decimal-digit accuracy. You can think of the eight registers of the 8087 as a standard register set or use them as a classical stack. This arrangement allows you a great amount of flexibility in using these storage areas. You can use the registers as a stack, for example, to 8086 OR 8088 15 FILE: AX BX CX OX SI Dl BP SP 8087 DATA FIELD 64 63 TAG FIELD 1 Rl R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 I SIGN EXPONENT SIGNIFICAND I L_. CS DS ES ss CONTROL REGISTER STATUS REGISTER INSTRUCTION POINTER- DATA POINTER Figure 1: The NDP register set of eight 80-bit registers. 154 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc y of "mega- microcomputers" built around this remarkable state-of-the-art processor. The 160; i ly is a 32-bit microprocessor providing unrivalled performance. Systems using the 16032 oui ; t \ the pn era- tion of microcor ./ mini con uto the larger word size, th* . - ■ :tunit ( a st I C's soon-tc > b - i x ' ins ) ' . r ■ , . .< -* : r h>e" ,^h ' ,l h h t e, d* '-w A f t v . » :,< rh I; . ; .. ^ L chip, the NS ] 6032 does 161,000 64-bit ( double pre. g point multiplications per second. But, most importantly, the 16032 is the first micropi r to incorporate hardware virtual memo ry. Virtual memory allows less-expensive off-board memory to appear as fast on- board memory - as a result, each user has a vast amount of fast memory available ( at low cost) and very large programs can be handled with ease (including many that previously could not run economically on micro- computers ). For example, a virtual system allows each user to compute as if he had 16m tes of program space and 16 megabytes or data space even if the hardware cc 'ation has very little "true" RAM. We regard the 16032 as the most important tech nological advance in microcomputing since 16-bit processors first became available over > . Because this adve rti sen lent goes to press early in . nd ( as we have explainer licy of LMC never to claim that a new product has "arrived" or is "ava until we have completely debugged it, fully tested it and have it available for immediate c . we cannot announce full production and current- availability of our .16032 systems, We have, however, tested our first 16032 systems and by the time you read this advertisement, we believe we will have systems available for demonstration and perhaps even for delivery. And, because National made cross-compilers available to systems soft- ware developers over a year ago, many lang . have been developed for the 16032 processor For exai ; X (with B ■ y 4.2 enhanc > s demand-paged virtual memory), C, FORTRAN and PL/1 already are available. Of course, our hig ormance 16-hit microcomputers (built around the Motorola. 68000 and Zilog Z-8000 microprocessors) are available immediately and are ideal for many applications. If you are interested in state-of-the-art microcomputers ( 16 or 32-bit ), .' -. ' a h ," ' ' " *' ,- r - .j-u" * \\ ■'■ -\ Th.e X*ogical .Alternative The logical Microcomputer Company ...-': s 60603 XISA, 312.58; h > : limit/ s ' contracts < . able, aa et faeteea ■ - e - at hourly rate. In t , isee our specie i > :» 1 * x- ~.v« a : ■ i i !i,pa : replacement sysmm anywhere in the free- . world --: ,' 'allure ■■■-(■at oui — for most eii£}iorr k e-"s ae can. gu.aran.tee delivery' of a : or w a te e e to e ele ta;. I ea i nib rm alio j e Circle 237 on inquiry card. HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS FOR SUPERBRAIN, COMPUSTAR, Z-89 & TRS-80 MODEL II. XCEL™ HARDWARE: A retrofit package for graphics display with 512 x 240 resolution. TRS-80 Mod. II, $595. All others, $895. XCEL™ SOFTWARE: Operates under CPMTM and is compatible with Basic, Fortran, Cobol, PL! and Pascal. SYMBOL GENERATOR- $175 Alternate character sets with bold face, 90° rotation, circles, quadi tangles and area fills. rotation, circles, quadrants, vectors, rec- ti! GRAPH PLOTTER- $175 Line, graph, histogram, bar graph and scatter plot with automatic annotation of axes scaling. GRAPHICS TERMINAL- $395 Configures computer as a low cost graphics terminal. "NEW" SCREEN PRINTER-$65 Allows hard copy printout on most dot matrix printers. 3-D GENERATOR- $345 Creating, editing and viewing "wireframe" objects from any angle with scaling zoom and graphics editor. SURFACE PLOTTER- $395 True perspective view with hidden line removal. SAVE UP TO $950 ON PACKAGE PRICE OFFERS! FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL (213) 320-6604 MAXTEKjIIMC. 2908 Oregon Court, Torrance, CA 90503 Available in Europe from Micronex Ltd., Chew Magna, England 3042 (STD 027-589 3042) THS-80-regis!ered irademark Tandy Corp* Superbrain-tradernoi TefOronix-fcgislered trademark Teklronix inc CPM-rP"^ 10 "^ >' Zn\ Data'Sysiem; rademark Digital Researc rf* j&£ AST >* PERSONAL COMPUTER APPLICATIO NS On Your BUB PC FAST FILE is a unique system for use on your IBM PC. FAST FILE meets a variety of user requirements through the application "generator" concept. A simple interactive dialog is used to define data dictionaries for each new application system you require. Using the dictionary FAST RLE automatically generates a completely integrated system of application programs providing: • Full Screen Menus • File Maintenance • Indexed File Inquiry • Password Protection • Report Writer • Easy to Use Documentation FAST FILE runs on the IBM PC with a minimum of two single sided Floppy Disks and at least 128K of memory running DOS. With FAST FILE you can create applications for: • Inventory and Distribution • Financial Planning • Information Tracking I D^SEE-on |7°3] 556-OSSO • Calendar Management 1S4B QALLOWa ROAD • Sales Analysis DHD | INC. VIENNA, VA A product of International Computer Consulting Services IBM PC and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp. (2a) (2c) (0) A (7) ST(0» (1) (1) B A + B (2) C C (2b) ST (01 A (1) A + B (2) C (2d) (7) ST(0) (1) A+B+C Figure 2: The effects of instructions on the register stack. pass operands to a floating-point sub- routine that expects to find its parameters in the 8087 register stack. The instruction set of the 8087 ex- ploits this capability by allowing assembly-language instructions that use the stack top as one of the operands implicitly. You can also treat these registers as a standard register set; the instruction set supports this use of the registers by allowing both operands to be specified explicitly for an operation. Look at the example in figure 2. Your NPX stack contains the values A, B, and C, as shown in figure 2a. You can cause the value in the stack top to be added to the value in the next stack element (ST(1)), as shown in figure 2b, and then have the stack popped, so that the sum is the new stack top, as shown in figure 2c, with the one instruction FADD. This is the classical stack operation where none of the operands are specified. The same instruction could have been specified explicitly with the instruc- tion FADDP ST(1),ST. As another example, you could add the value that is in ST(1) to the value in the stack top and retain both values, as shown in figure 2d, with the instruction FADD ST,ST(1). All registers are addressed with respect to the current stack top. The Status Word of the 8087 contains a field that identifies the current stack-top status at all times. Status Word The Status Word, as its name im- plies, reflects the status of the NDP at 156 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 137 on inquiry card. Host Computer A multi-functional Octopus It's a printer buffer, a printer spooler, frees computer time and enables copying capability. A data protocol translator: parallel to parallel parallel to serial serial to parallel serial to serial A multitask data channel controller: • enables host computer to communicate to multiple peripherals simultaneously. • enables multiple computers to communicate with multiple peripherals simultaneously. • compatible to most interface protocols. All in one for only $197.50. Standard product includes: Z80 CPU One parallel input port [centronic printer and IBM PC compatible), one parallel output port [centronic printer and IBM PC compatible), two Serial RS23S Asynchronous ports, 8KB resident memory Options include: Up to 256KB upgradable memory Graphic enhancements. Modem with Auto Dial capability. Two additional parallel ports Two additional Serial RS232 Asynchronous ports. Customized software enhancements. i in computer peripnerals i 1117 Venice Boulevard Los Rngeies Cfl 90015 call collect 1213) 29B-1297 Telex: 1S45S1 lsp Circle 102 on Inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 157 The inventor of VisiCalc, the world's leading software product, introduces TKSSolver — the revolutionary way to crunch problems on a personal computer. With VisiCalc, Software Arts™ created an entirely new application for personal computers -the electronic spreadsheet. Now Software Arts has developed TKlSolver, another entirely new and differ- ent application for personal computers - the problem solver. Business and financial Droblems. Scientific and engineering prob- ems. Architectural and building design problems. Any kind of problem you can dream up, in any area. What's so revolutionary about that? Simply this: the power of the TKlSolver program comes from the ease with which you can set up problems, vary assumptions, find solutions, and display results. All the facilities needed to solve the problems — simple or complex— are built-in, and need not be developed. Once you have stated your problem, simply enter the known values, then solve the problem with a single keystroke. For even easier problem solving use a TKISolverPack™ in which models for 158 BYTE April 1983 solving common problems in such areas as finance, engi- neering and education have already been formu- lated by professionals in these fields. There is no software prod- uct in existence that solves problems as quickly, flexibly, and easily as TK!Solver-The Problem Cruncher.™ In fact, no TKISolver, TKISolverPbck and TKISolver Software Arts, Inc. and Software Arts Products other software product even works the way TKISolver does. It is a necessity for personal computer owners. See for yourself. Visit your nearest computer store for a demonstration and find out how much you can do with a personal computer when it thinks 27 Mica Lane, Wellesley, MA 02181 OS flexibly OS you do. -The Problem Cruncher, are trademarks of Software Arts, Inc. Software Arts is a trademark of Corp. VisiCalc is a trademark of VisiCorp. Copyright© 1983. Software Arts, Inc. All rights reserved. Software Arts Circle 383 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 159 B C 3 TOP C 2 Cj C IR PE UE OE ZE DE IE EXCEPTION FLAGS 11= EXCEPTION HAS OCCURRED) INVALID OPERATION DENORMALIZED OPERAND ZERO DIVIDE OVERFLOW UNDERFLOW PRECISION (RESERVED) INTERRUPT REQUEST <1> CONDITION CODE (2) TOP OF STACK POINTER* 3 * NEU BUSY (1) IR IS SET IF ANY UNMASKED EXCEPTION BIT IS SET, CLEARED OTHERWISE. 12) SEE TABLE 3 FOR CONDITION CODE INTERPRETATION. (3) TOP VALUES; 000 « REGISTER IS TOP OF STACK. 001 ■ REGISTER 1 IS TOP OF STACK. Ill ■ REGISTER 7 IS TOP OF STACK. Figure 3: The various fields of the Status Word. all times. The various fields of the Status Word are shown in figure 3. The Busy bit indicates whether the 8087 is in the process of performing an operation at any given time. The 4 condition bits (C3 through CO) denote the result of a previous opera- tion, and the host processor can ex- amine them to determine if a branch should take place in the program. This is accomplished by storing the 8087's Status Word in memory and then causing the host processor to fetch and examine the condition codes. Three of the bits of the Status Word, ST2 through STO, specify which register is the current top of the stack. Notice that if the ST field con- tains 000, for example, and a value is pushed onto the NDP's stack, the ST field would decrement to 111, By the same token, if the ST field contains 000 and a value is popped from the stack, the ST field would increment to 001. As it turns out, you really don't need to know which register is the current stack top, but this gives you some idea of what the bits mean. You do need to know the relative position of your various data elements on the stack, however, and keeping track of them is one of the jobs of the pro- grammer. All the remaining bits in the Status Word apply to exceptions (errors) and the way to handle them. Bits through 5 signify whether the NDP detects an exception condition. Table 1 indicates the significance of these exceptions. Bit 7 is set to indicate whether the 8087 requests the host central processing unit to execute an interrupt-service routine in response to one of the exception conditions. It is possible for an exception condition to take place without an interrupt re- quest if the programmer masks a par- ticular exception (or group of excep- tions). Generally, however, the NDP uses a collection of built-in default routines to handle most exceptions. If you really want to avoid the messy error-condition-handling business, you can leave those prob- lems to the nice people who wrote the Super 5 has the following advantages compared to the normal floppy disk drive: Characteristics Super 5 Normal Type Servo motor/Spindle connection Direct shaft drive Belt drive Head positioning mechanism Metal band positioner Plastic CAM positioner Track to track time Approx. 3-6 msec. Approx. 40 msec. Write-protected sensor Photo coupler Mechanciai switch No. of tracks 40 tracks 35 tracks Super 5-T40 single side, Super 5-T80 {super 5w) double side, The Finest Quality Disk Drive for Apple ® The Sape^5 stands alone in fine quality and workmanship. The above facts are self evident . . . EI-EN ENT, JAPAN TLX: J23325 LOS ANGELES BRANCH Mitsubci Corporation 642 S. Second Ave., Covina, CA 91 723 • {21 3) 331-8434. CANADIAN INFOCOM SERVICES Tel.: (604) 738-1285 DEALERS INVITED • Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 160 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 289 on inquiry card. Working with the wrong software is like eating a taco with chopsticks. Frustrating. But now there's DigiSoft. We help you choose the micro- software that's right for you. You can't go wrong with DigiSoft. We've taken all the surprises out of buying software. No guesswork. No regrets. We give you all the information you need to make the right choice. But we don't stop there. You get plenty of professional support after the sale. And we guarantee your full satisfaction. Call Toil-Free 800/328-2777 You'll get lots of help from our well- trained software consultants. They'll answer your questions, offer solutions and present several alternatives. DigiSoft has a comprehensive software inventory, tested and evaluated for top quality and performance. We've labeled our programs I, II and III,, so you can select the features best -suited to your needs and budget. Limited Introductory Offer*: 20% Off Asset III™ Asset III is a complete, easy- to -learn series of accounting systems, consisting of Accounts Receivable and Payable, General Ledger and Inventory Control. Each program can function on its own or interface with others in the series. Asset III systems also interface with DMS, DigiSoft 's relational database management Series, and DCalc, our financial planning system, giving you almost unlimited possibilities for management information. If you're interested in Asset III or any of its programs, be sure to take advantage of this special DigiSoft price. 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee Try our software in your own office, on your own computer for thirty days. If you're not completely satisfied, you're welcome to return it. You have nothing at all to lose. To order, or request more information, call or send in the coupon today. Visa and Master Card accepted. *Offer expires 5/15/83. □ Please rush Asset III™ @ $1320 (reg. $1650) D Check enclosed. Charge to D VISA □ MASTER CARD Exp. Date Signature Send more information about these DigiSoft programs: □ DMS I □ DMS II □ DMS III □ Asset III □ GL III □ A/P III □ A/R III □ I/C III □ DCalc II □ DCalc III □ Medical III D Optimizer I, II, III Other: Name Circle 138 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 161 Circle 440 on inquiry card. SUPERBRAIN n PRICE BREAKTHROUGH intertec Data Systems' new SuperBrain II has all the features of the former SuperBrain, plus: •Below-the-line descenders and reverse video •Faster, enhanced disk operating system •Battery operated real-time clock •Microsoft Basic at no extra charge SUPERBRAIN II Jr. $1,849 350 K Disk— 64 K RAM SUPERBRAIN II QD $2,209 700 K Disk— 64 K RAM SUPERBRAIN II SD $2,619 1.5 MB Disk— 64 K RAM 10 MB HARD DISK... $2,880 (Includes Interface) IBM PC ^ Includes JXm FREE $650 Zj** Dot Matrix *2* 100 CPS Printer ^ or PC Software 2 COMPLETE SYSTEMS AVAILABLE System includes: keyboard, monochrome display, dual SD/DD (1 megabyte), disk drives, 64 K RAM, parallel printer adapter and DOS 1.2 & manual Call for Price and Availability SANYO MBC 1000 $1,399 64 K RAM— 320 K Disk SANYO MBC 2000 $2,345 64 K RAM— (2) 320 K Disk — Printers — AnadexDP-9501A(150cps) $1,359 Anadex DP-9620A (200cps) 1,459 Anadex WP-6000 (180/330 cps) 2,759 Comrex CR-1-C (17 cps Daisy) 772 ComrexCR-1-S(17cps Daisy) 799 Daisywriter— 16 (17 cps Daisy) ....1,237 Epson MX80 FT x/Graftrax 555 Epson MX100 FT w/Graftrax 725 NEC 8023 A Matrix (100 cps) 499 NEC3510(RS232)(35cps) 1,480 NEC 3550 (35 cps) IBM PC 1,949 NEC 7710 (RS232) (55 cps) ....2,367 NEC Trimliner— 300 Lpm 4,585 Okidata ML80 (80 cps) 325 OkidataML82A(120cps) 470 Okidata ML83A (120 cps) 719 Okidata ML84 (200 cps) 1,175 Smith-Corona TP-1 (12 cps Daisy) 625 Gemini 10(100 cps - 10"). 368 Gemini 15(100 cps - 15") 485 Tl 810-Full Package 1,535 — Free hardware-software catalog- Call or Write (214)931-9069 stStar Micro 16990 Dallas Parkway • Suite 151 Dallas, Texas 75248 Ordering Information: Money Orders, cashier checks or bank wires welcome. Personal or company checks, allow 15 days to clear. Surface freight standard F.O.B. origin. Include your telephone number. No COD's please. Prices are sub- ject to change without notice. Hours are 9 to 5 CST. 90 Day Money Back Guarantee* 120 Day Extended Warranty** 72 Hour Burn In Available tmmxec D«f jWe will assume that these CONTROL 87 DW 033EH jvariables are initialized by janother program. This is the default control word which masks all exception except INVALID OP, leaves the INTERRUPTS UNMASKED, ROUNDS TO NEAREST OR EVEN, and sets the INFINITY CONTROL to PROJECTIVE. DATA ENDS STACK SEGMENT STACK 'STACK' DW 100 DUP(?) 170 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Application The following application of the 8087 uses an Intellec Series III Microcomputer Development System and Intel's 8087 software emulator (see listing 1). The program takes the base and altitude of a right triangle, which are stored in memory as two fields of a structure called TRIANGLE, and uses this data to calculate the area of the triangle and the length of its hypotenuse. Notice that I define the fields of the structure as double words (DD). This allows me to define the variables in the Short Real format. I will discuss the pro- gram using both the listing and a chart in figure 6 that tracks the status of the NPX's stack as references. When I refer to the chart, I use lower- case letters in parentheses. The procedure INIT87, which I reference on line 42, is in the 8087 emulator and prepares the environ- ment. The FLDCW instruction on line 46 causes the Control Word, which is stored in memory at a location sym- bolically called CONTROL-87, to be loaded into the 8087. The function of the Control Word is explained begin- ning with line 21. Notice that all the floating-point in- structions are preceded by a hexadeci- mal 9B op code. This is the WAIT op code that is inserted automatically by the assembler. The first thing that I must do is set up the stack so that I can perform my calculations. The in- structions on lines 50 through 53 per- form this. FLD1 puts the number 1.0 on the top of my stack (figure 6a). FADD ST,ST(0) causes the value at ST(0), which is my stack top, to be added to the stack top. The result of this instruction is to multiply the stack top by 2 (figure 6b). The FLD instructions cause the 8087 to load the contents of the specified memory locations, which are considered to be in the Real for- mat, on the stack (figure 6c). In the process of loading these values, they are transformed into the Temporary Real format. Notice that because the host processor calculates all the operand addresses, I can use any of the addressing modes of the host. The 8086 and 8088 processors are capable of 24 powerful addressing modes. In this case, I am accessing a field of a structure. Next, I calculate the area of the triangle. The instructions that do this are on lines 57 through 60. The FLD ST(1) instruction causes the contents of the current ST(1) register to be duplicated on the top of my stack (figure 6d), and the FMUL ST,ST(1) instruction puts the BASE X ALT in the stack top (figure 6e). FDIV ST,ST(3) divides the stack top by the 2.0 that I have saved on the stack (figure 6f), and the FSTP causes the result, which is equal to the area of the triangle, to be popped into the ap- Listing 1 continued: 00C8 0000 9A0O00- 0005 9BD92E1000 000A 9BD9E8 000D 9BDCC0 0010 9BD9060000 0015 9BD906O400 001A 9BD9C1 001D 9BD8C9 0020 9BD8F3 0023 9BD91E0C0O 0028 9BDCC8 002B 9BD9C9 002E 9BDCC8 0031 9BDEC1 0034 9BD9FA 0037 9BD91E0800 003C F4 32 33 34 35 36 +1 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 T_0_S STACK $EJECT CODE LABEL ENDS WORD SEGMENT PUBLIC 'CODE' ASSUME CS : CODE , DS : DATA , SS : STACK ; INITIALIZE 8087 INIT: CALL INIT87 FLDCW C0NTR0L_87 ; SET UP 8086 REGS AND CONSTANT STACK IN 8087 SETUP: This routine is in a library. It sets up the environment for the 8087. ; Load control word from memory. FLD1 FADD FLD FLD ST,ST(0) RIGHT. BASE RIGHT. ALT PUT 1 .0 IN STACK TOP (ST) ST=ST X 2 ST <-- BASE ST <-- ALT CALCULATE AREA=(BASE X ALT)/2 AND STORE IN MEMORY CALC: FLD FMUL FDIV FSTP STC1) ST , ST ( 1 ) ST,ST(3) RIGHT. AREA Duplicate BASE in ST ST <-- BASE X ALT' ST <-- ST/2 Store ST in AREA and discard CALCULATE HYPOTENUSE = C ( BASE**2 ) + ( ALT**2 ) ) ** 1/2 HALT: CODE FMUL FXCH FMUL FADD FSQRT FSTP HLT ENDS END ST,ST(0) ST ( 1 ) ST,ST(0) RIGHT. HYP Square ALT Exchange ALT**2 and BASE Square BASE ST <-- BASE**2 + ALT**2 ST <-- ST** 1/2 Store ST in HYP and discard INIT,DS:DATA,SS:STACK:T. S April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 171 (6a) ST<0) (6b) (6c) STtO) (1) (2) (6d) (6e) ST(O) (1) (2) I 3 I (6f) 1.0 ALT BASE 2.0 STtO) BASE (1) ALT (2) BASE (3) 2.0 BASE X ALT ALT STtO) BASE x ALT 2.0 (1) ALT (2) BASE (3) 2.0 (6g) <6h) (6i) (6j) (6k) (61); STtO) ALT (1) BASE (2) 2.0 sTioi (ALT) 2 (1) BASE (2) 2.0 STtO) BASE* (1) (ALT) 2 <2) 2.0 STtO) (BASE) 2 (1) (ALT) 2 (2) 2.0 STtO) (BASE) 2 +(ALT) 2 (1) 2.0 STtO) ^(BASE) 2 +(ALT) 2 tl) 2.0 Figure 6: The status of the NPX stack during operation of the program in listing 1. propriate memory location in the Short Real format (figure 6g). My next task is to calculate the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle. The instructions to do this are on lines 64 through 69. First, I multiply the element on the top of the stack by itself (figure 6h), Next, I ex- change this element with the element below it (figure 6i), and once again I square the stack top by multiplying it by itself (figure 6j). All that remains is to add the stack top to the register below it, pop the old stack top (figure 6k), and find the square root of the stack top (figure 6l). The value in the stack top now equals the length of the hypotenuse, I next pop this value into the appropriate location in memory and I am finished. This concludes the example. I have just performed calculations that in- volve transcendental functions and that use operands that are very ac- curate with no concern for either the complexity of the algorithm or the ac- curacy of the result. If I had at- tempted to perform the same calcula- tion in software, I would have had to write some very complicated algo- rithms and the code necessary to trap any errors that may have occurred. Instead, I let the 8087 and the stan- dard to which it complies worry about such things. It puts the world of accurate, high-level mathematics in the realm of every assembly-lan- guage programmer. ■ ENHANCE YOUR COLOR COMPUTER WITH THESE GREAT PRODUCTS! 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The concept of exception handling was expanded and standardized so that all machines (and software) that complied with the stan- dard would monitor their own activity and be capable of signifying when the result of their calculations was suspected of being in error. The 8087 implements this standard fully, Data Formats One of the most important aspects of the IEEE standard was the definition and standardization of the seven data formats that would be used in floating- point calculations. These formats belong to three basic types: Integer, Decimal, and Real The Integer type should be familiar because it is a standard data type used quite generally. The Integer formats are capable of representing signed whole numbers. The most significant bit denotes the sign (where a indicates a positive number and a 1 indicates a negative number that is represented in standard twos-complement notation). The three Integer formats differ in length. The shortest format, Word In- teger, is 16 bits in length and identical to the Integer format used by the host pro- cessor in its own instruction set (IMUL, IDIV). The Short Integer is 32 bits in length, Most 8086 assemblers allow you to allocate space for this type of variable using the Define Doubleword (DD) operator. Appropriately, the longest format is the Long Integer, which is 64 bits in length, Most assem- blers allow you to allocate space for this type of variable with the Define Quad- word (DQ) operator. The Packed Decimal format, 80 bits Ilong, is similar to the Integer format in The similarity ends there, however, because the data is stored in Packed Decimal format where the 18 least significant nybbles (bits through 72) each represent a decimal digit. This means that each group of 4 bits must be equal to a value between (0000) and 9 (1001), If this looks like a lot of data, remember that this processor is capable of delivering results that use all 18 nybbles of this format with no round- off error! You can use the Define Ten- byte (DT) operator to allocate space for this variable. Up until now I have described only data formats that represent whole numbers. While it would be nice if everything always worked out neat and clean without any fractions, in the real world we have to deal with all types of numbers. The next data type, Real, was created to handle these types of numbers. The Real data type contains three formats. They are very similar to the scientific notation that represents large decimal numbers. A number repre- sented in scientific notation has three components—sign, mantissa, and ex- ponent. In scientific notation, I would represent the decimal number -547,390 as -5.4739 X 10 5 . In other words, I denote the sign of the number in the normal manner. Then I display its value or mantissa as a value be- tween and 10. I do this by moving the decimal point to either the right or the left. Whenever I move the decimal point to the left to normalize the number (make it equal to a value be- tween and 10), the exponent in- creases. When I move the decimal point to the right to normalize the number, the exponent decreases. For example, 0.0075 becomes 7.5 X 10" 3 . The Real formats also have a sign, mantissa or significand, and an expo- nent, but they are binary values that are calculated a little differently. As an example, I'll convert the decimal number 66 to the Short Real format. The Short Real format uses the 23 least significant bits to denote the mantissa of the number, the next 8 most significant bits to denote the ex- ponent, and the most significant bit to denote the sign of the number. The first thing I must do is to convert the number to binary: decimal 66 ■■ = ■ binary 1000010. Because this is a whole number, I have no fractional part to worry about. Now I must normalize the number by moving the decimal point over so that the value has a "1" in the most significant digit. As in scien- tific notation, I increase the exponent whenever I move the decimal point to the left and decrease the exponent whenever I move the decimal point to the right. In this case, because I move the decimal point to the left, the expo- nent is positive: 1000010 = 1.000010 E 110. Now I am just about to finish the conversion, but you must know two things. In the Short and Long Real for- mats I save a bit by dropping the leading "1" bit of the significand. This allows me to denote 24 or 53 digits in the space required for 23 or 52 in the Short or Long fornmts, respectively. For some reason, this is not done in the Temporary Real format. The second thing is that the standard format re- quires that a bias be added to the expo- nent so that negative exponents appear as positive values. The bias is different for each format and is shown in figure 7. The bias for the Short format is 7F hexadecimal (01111111). This means that the exponent becomes 110 + 01111111 « 10000101. Putting it all together, I get sign biased exponent 10000101 significand OOOOlOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOi 0100 0010 1000 0100 0000 0000 0000 0000 With a number with a fractional part, the conversion looks like that shown in table 2. Table 3 is useful in understand- ing the power of the various data types. Guaranteed Accuracy The key to the 8087 s ability to pro- duce results with such a high degree of accuracy lies in the fact that the 8087 performs all its calculations in the Temporary Real data format. Regard- less of the format in which an operand is stored in memory, any piece of data 174 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc that is loaded into the 8087 is trans- formed into this highly accurate, 80-bit~long format. The benefit derived by using this format for all internal calculations can be best illustrated by the following analogy. I have a calculator with a range of 3 decimal digits and I want to use it to solve the equation F = A X B ■/ C. I got a calculator with 3~digit accuracy because I determined that A, B, and C would never be greater than 3 digits in length. If A**100, B^IO, and C~10, you can see that I will have trouble : solving this problem using my calcula- tor because A X B is outside of its range. Even though the final result may be well within the range of my calculator, I may have trouble with the intermediate results. Although changing the order of operations may help in this particular situation, it should be obvious that this solution will not resolve the problem in all cases, for instance, if A = 100; B*=10, and C^O.l, In this case, I would have a problem if I were to calculate A/C. sign 1 1100 -178.125D= -10110010. 001 B 10110010.001 =5 1.0110010001 E 1 1 1 111 + 01111111 = 10000110 biased exponent significand 1 00001 10 01 1 001 0001 0000000000000 001 1 001 1 0010 0010 0000 0000 0000 Table 2: The conversion of a number with a fractional part. Data Significant Approximate Type Bits Digits Range Word Integer 16 4-5 - 32768 < x < 32767 Short Integer 32 9 -2E9 < X < 2E9 Long Integer 64 18 -9E18 < X < 9E18 Packed Decimal 80 18 -99. ..9 < X < 99. ..9 (18 digits) Short Real 32 6-7 0, 1.2E-38 < X < 3.4E38 Long Real 64 15-16 0, 2.3E-308 < X < 1.7E308 Temporary Real 80 19-20 0, 3.4E-4932 < X < 1.1E4932 Table 3: The various data types. Now, if I got a new calculator that had a range of 4 or 5 digits, even though I expected all my results to be 3 digits or less, I could solve my problem. Regardless of the order in which I did my calculations, the intermediate results would probably not overflow the range of the new calculator. This is precisely how the 8087 can guarantee such accurate results. By using the Temporary Real format for all its calculations, it avoids errors that may appear in the calculation of its in- termediate results. The Temporary Real format, as you can see from table 3, has a range so large that we would probably never overflow it in our calculations. Also, because it uses 64 bits for the mantissa, it can provide results that are accurate to 18 significant digits with no round-off errors. Ease of Use Another way in which the 8087 can guarantee accurate and standard results is by providing default exception handlers that ensure results even though an error may have occurred during one of the intermediate calculations. For ex- ample, if for some reason during the operation of one of my calculations 1 somehow manage to attempt to divide a number by 0, the 8087, rather than aborting the operation, executes a default response to the zerodivide ex- ception and replaces the quotient with the most reasonable value— infinity. In this manner, the 8087 provides standard results. DATA FORMATS PRECISION MOST SIGNIFICANT BYTE 7 BYTE INTEGER WORD INTEGER SHORT INTEGER LONG INTEGER PACKED BCD SHORT REAL l 7 l TWO S COMPLEMENT l fi TWOS COMPLEMENT 32 BITS Iq] TWO'S COMPLEMENT 10 1 64 BITS Iq TWO'S COMPLEMENT 10 * 18 DIGITS IE !°i °ol 24 BITS S|E? EqIFx" ] F LONG REAL 10±3Q8 53 BITS S[E10 E |F! F 52 ] F IMPLICIT TEMPORARY REAL 10 ±4932 64 BITS S|Ei4 EqIfq HD INTEGER: I PACKED BCD; (-1) S (D] 7 ,,.D ) REAL; (-1) S (2 E - BIAS )(F -Fj...) BIAS= 127 FOR SHORT REAL 1023 FOR LONG REAL 16383 FOR TEMPORARY REAL Figure 7: The seven data formats contained in the three basic types. April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 175 Super Graphics Hardware from NEC The NEC 7220 GDC is a new item of sophisticated graphics hardware for microcomputers. Graphics capability is rapidly be- coming a common feature of personal computers, partially because of con- sumer demand. The latest item of sophisticated graphics hardware for personal computers is the NEC (Nip- pon Electric Company) 7220 GDC (graphics-display controller), already found in the NEC Advanced Personal Computer, Epson's QX-10, and the Corvus Concept. Before explaining what this con- troller does, I'll make a distinction be- tween video displays and graphics. A video controller generally deals with displaying alphanumeric information such as ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Inter- change) characters. Primarily, it con- verts ASCII data into a dot pattern that a video monitor displays. You can read a good basic discussion of this subject in The TV Typewriter Cookbook by Don Lancaster (Howard W. Sams, 1976). By contrast, a graphics-display controller converts graphics-image About the Author Steve Levine is currently programming computer-graphics simulations and voice I/O for the U.S. Navy. He is employed by Informa- tion Network Systems in Warminster, Pennsyl- vania. Steve is also one of the cochairmen of The Personal Computer Arts Group, which is responsible for five annual Symposia on Small Computers in the Arts held in Philadelphia. He is also involved in the research of a new digital music synthesizer. Steve Levine c/o Personal Computer Arts Group POB 1954 Philadelphia, PA 19105 data into pixel (picture-element) data, and then stores them into or fetches them from display memory. The pixel data represents some arbitrary num- ber of different shades or colors (in- cluding white or black) for each ele- ment of the picture. A graphics con- troller shares the display memory with a host computer. This arrange- ment permits both the host and the controller to read from or write to the display memory. In many cases, this arrangement uses a dual-port mem- ory or interlaced DMA (direct mem- ory access). Thus, data written into display memory can be manipulated by the GDC while the processor is off doing something else. The most time-consuming part of getting a computer to draw a shape is calculating the next display-memory address to access. In fact, you must repeat this part of the process to change any dot on the screen. If you use the host processor to perform the calculations, the display often ex- hibits flicker and jerkiness because of the calculation time required. Despite this drawback, however, most small- computer manufacturers leave graph- ics control to the microprocessor, trading quality for lower cost. Pres- ently, special graphics computers use external hardware dedicated to vector generation, as well as shape functions (such as rectangles, squares, and circles) prestored in ROM (read-only memory). With these systems cost is usually secondary, as performance is of most importance to the user. Parts of the 7220 GDC The 7220 GDC has several parts. The microprocessor-interface module serves as an 8-bit bidirectional inter- face to the host processor. Data trans- fers into and out of the device are done by monitoring status-register bit flags, which reflect the state of a FIFO (first-in/first-out) buffer. These trans- fers do not interfere with internal ongoing operations, and the FIFO buffer can store up to nine 16-bit words. The command processor de- codes commands, interprets the con- tents of the FIFO buffer, and passes parameters to the proper blocks within the GDC. The DMA control gives you an easy interface to Intel's 8257 and 8237 DMA controller devices. You can also interface other DMA controllers. Display data can be directly loaded into or out of the GDC display mem- ory over the host microprocessor's bus. Sixteen bytes of internal param- eter RAM (random-access read /write memory) hold the display parameters used by the GDC when drawing. The programmable video-sync generator 176 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Microsoft languages connect your software to more 16-bit systems. The largest market for 16-bit software. Over 95% of all 16-bit microcomputers run Microsoft® operating systems, languages, or both. That means your programs written in Microsoft languages find their market in the largest installed base of 16-bit systems. The IBM® PC, and systems from Wang, Zenith, DEC, Victor, Altos, Texas Instruments and Radio Shack, to name just a few. And, if you're working with Microsoft operating systems and languages, you'll find that it's far easier to trans- port software between systems. A full range of languages. The versatile MS- BASIC interpreter and the fast MS-BASIC compiler, Microsoft Business BASIC and MS-COBOL for business use. MS-FORTRAN for scientific and engi- neering applications. Microsoft C, a complete C, that provides a productive alternative to assembly language. And MS-Pascal, a high-level language compiler specifically designed for microprocessor system software implementation. All these lan- guages are compatible with ANSI or ISO standards. A total programming environment. Compatible languages. Operating systems. Utilities. Plus complete support. All the tools you need to write software that sells Leadership in micros. Microsoft wrote the first BASIC for the first production microcomputer. Since then, we've added a full range of 8-bit and 16-bit languages, plus the MStm-DOS and XENIX™ operating systems. What's more, we are constantly enhancing both languages and operating systems. And we make those enhancements available to our customers. That means Microsoft programming languages are state-of-the-art programming tools. Tools that allow your applications programs to reach more systems. More effectively. More information? See your Microsoft dealer for complete information on Microsoft's 16-bit lan- guages and operating systems. Or, write for our booklet, "The MS-DOS Language Family." A family of tools that give your programs access to the largest installed base of 16-bit systems. 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Do not confuse us with mail order dealers. We are a full service distributor serving the data processing & installation needs of business & industry from micros to mainframes. System houses, educational institutions & governmental agencies given special consideration. Leasing available. N.Y State agencies, municipali- ties, and schools — call us for information on our O.G.S. term contracts on hardware & software. DEALER and INTERNATIONAL INQUIRIES WELCOME For fast delivery, send certified check, money order or can to arrange direct bank wire transfer. Personal or company checks require two to three weeks to clear. Prices subject to change without notice: call for latest prices. Prices include 3% cash discount. N.Y. residents add sales tax. Qantex is a trademark of North Atlantic Industries. Inc. CP/W is a trademark of Digital Research. All sales subject to our standard safe conditions (available on request). Call for shipping charges. Above prices do not include customization or installation. DBase II is a trademark of AshtonTate. P. 0,'s accepted upon our credit ap- proval; call for prices and terms. See other ad on page 483. cessive video fields. When this oc- curs, its signals change a status bit to show that the address contained in the light-pen register is valid. Display Modes You can select three basic display modes with the 7220: graphics, char- acter, or mixed. The graphics mode lets you use bit- mapped graphics at the pixel level. This mode allows a display to be up to 4096 pixels square (allowing 1 bit per pixel for intensity information) or 1024 pixels square (allowing 4 bits for color or intensity-level information). Other combinations can be set up as well — the circuit used in this article produces a 512- by 240-pixel window, 1 bit deep, on a 1024-pixel-square, 1-bit-deep world. Character mode allows up to 8K bytes of display memory for char- acter codes and attributes. The mixed character and graphics mode allows 64K bytes of display memory. Displaying Memory A basic read /modify /write cycle takes place in less than 800 nanosec- onds (ns). This interval is the mini- mum for writing totally new pixels into memory, one at a time. The GDC provides the memory control, refresh, and handshake with DMA controllers. The benefits are obvious. The hardware designer does not have to design circuitry to produce refresh signals, because the 7220 generates them. Additionally, because the 7220 controls the data-modification and video-display functions, you get a clean display without visi-burps. You control several display parameters, including the horizontal width, ver- tical size, and the world size (total amount of display memory). You can also select zoom factors and inter- laced or noninterlaced synchroniza- tion. To display a complete frame of video information, an image must be kept in display memory. Because memory organization is a linear- address space, an image of a single horizontal line is actually stored as a number of widely separated dots. If you divide the number of dots per 178 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 438 on inquiry card. (a) Pitch (P) P a (XMAX +1)/ 16 (b) Line-Base Address (LBA) LBA = P * Y (c) Execute Address {EAD) EAD = LBA + INT(X/16) (d) DAD (dot address) DAD = remainder (from EAD calculation) * 16 Figure 1: Four equations to locate an in- dividual dot address. ** 5 V. AO Read Write S/R Parameters into FIFO 1 FIFO Command into FIFO Figure 2: A direction map for controlling Figure 3: GDC addressing, pixel-drawing direction. Data FIFO FIFO DWG in DMA V-sync H-blank L-pen Ready Full Empty Progress Execute Active Active Detect B7 B6 B5 B4 B3 B2 B1 BO Figure 4: The status register. line by 16 you get a value called pitch, or the number of 16-bit mem- ory words per line. To move the cur- sor down one dot on the screen, you add the pitch to the 18-bit value in the word address and use a 4-bit dot address to access the individual pixel within that word. To move the cursor forward or backward on a line, all you need are simple increments and decrements. You obtain diagonal movement with some combination of these two methods. When a new pixel is to be written into display memory, its position within a 16-bit word is loaded into the mask register. Then you specify the absolute cursor position, the modification pattern, and the type of modification (replacement, comple- ment, set, or reset). The GDC auto- matically changes only the bit you want to update. The host processor continues to do other things while the display processor performs this leg- work. You will notice the real power of this approach when you try to create complex shapes made up of many fundamental shapes and scale, and then move or redraw them. Pixel Addressing There can be up to 2 22 pixels organized as 2 18 sixteen-bit words, and you need a two-part address to select an individual pixel. First, the EAD (execute address) selects a par- ticular 16-bit word out of the 256K bytes; then the DAD (dot address) selects which bit or pixel from the 16 to operate on. Consider an x-y vector-list scheme where we would like to find the in- dividual dot address (see figure 1). You simply derive the P or pitch from equation a, find the line-base address (LBA) using equation b, and get the EAD from equation c. Next you ob- tain the dot address from equation d, and you now point to the exact pixel in the x,y matrix. We structure the memory as a power of 2 in order to avoid real arithmetic for these calculations. We send these numbers to the GDC (in binary) to set the cur- sor position. An important parameter in deriv- ing consecutive pixel addresses is the DIR, which controls pixel-drawing direction. This is best illustrated by the direction map in figure 2. Draw- ing direction is divided into eight movements about the center. By specifying a direction, you get a resulting dot movement according to the figure. Talking to the 7220 The GDC appears as two con- secutive addresses to the host, which selects between the two by using ad- dress bit (see figure 3). The first ad- dress is status register on read and parameter into FIFO buffer on write. The second address serves as read /write FIFO buffer, with write pertaining only to command into FIFO buffer. In order to get com- mands and data into the FIFO buffer, you handshake with a FIFO ready bit in the status register. You first send a command byte followed by several parameter bytes that make up the command. After initial loading, an internal command processor decodes the commands, sets the appropriate registers to the passed values, and starts the specified process. A simple software or hardware handshake is necessary when loading data into the GDC FIFO buffer. The status register has FIFO FULL, EMP- TY as well as other flags of interest to the programmer (see figure 4). Summary of Commands The FIFO buffer holds both com- mands and parameters. By writing data to the second, or command, ad- dress, you apply a special tag to the data that identifies it as a command when it is put into the FIFO buffer. This tag helps the command pro- cessor to tell the difference between parameters and commands. When the command processor receives a new command byte, it terminates previous commands. Commands for the GDC are shown in table 1. Figure Drawing The digital differential analyzer (DDA) forms the workhorse section of the figure-drawing logic. It per- April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 179 mm mmmmm mm mm sku*e& i M lid* H s M i$w $$"*f& I Ml At* *MMl#ll N^WP* i **i &*#«£.*** i m«t§?t lie »*. 12 i NritarH «rt ****** i **tr**fJUt** At $1790, this computer was selling like hotcakes. So we dropped the price. Crazy? No, not really. You see in order to meet the demand for the Micro Decision™ we increased our production. When we did that our costs dropped. We're passing our savings on to you, because that's our philosophy. More for less. So now it only takes $1590 to buy a Micro Decision with 64K of memory a 200K double density floppy drive and a full-size Morrow smart terminal with detachable key- board. Not bad. But there's more. The Micro Decision also includes a package of business and professional software worth well over $2000. The WordStar® word processor. A 36,000 word spelling checker. The LogiCalc™ electronic spreadsheet. And both Microsoft BASIC-80® and North Star- compatible BAZIC® Plus, the CP/M® 2.2 Operating System that gives you access to thousands of other software programs. And, we take the mystery out of CP/M with plain English commands and single-key operation. If you have your own terminal, you can buy the complete computer and software package for $995. That's the Micro Decision MD1™ The MD2™ includes another double-density disk drive, plus Personal PEARL™ the relational data base manager. Price? Only $1395. More memory? No problem. The Micro Decision MD3™ gives you two double-sided, double-density disk drives with 768K of storage and Personal PEARL for only $2290. Without the terminal, $1695. Come in for a complete demonstration at your nearest Morrow Designs dealer. If you don't know who that is, call us toll-free at (800) 521-3793. In California, call (415) 430-1970. At $1790, the Micro Decision sold like hotcakes. At $1590, we've just sweetened the deal. More computer, for less. MORROW OESIGN5 MORROW DESIGNS 600 MeCormick Street D San Leandro, CA 94577 (800} 521-3793 □ (415) 430-1970 In California n Circle 290 on inquiry card. Micro Decision, MD1, MD2, and MD3are trademarks of Morrow Designs WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro, Inc. LogiCalc is a trademark of Software Products International BASIC-80 is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation BAZIC is a registered trademark of Micro Mikes, Inc. Personal PEARL is a trademark of Relational Systems, Inc. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. O Video Control A RESET: B SYNC: C VSYNC: D CCHAR: Display Control A START: B ZOOM: C CURS: D PRAM: E PITCH: Drawing Control A WDAT: MASK: FIGS: FIGD; GCHRD: B C D E Data Read A RDAT: B CURD: C LPRD: DMA Control A DMAR: B DMAW: Set 7220 to idle, set video-display format Set video-display format Master or slave video-sync mode Cursor and character row heights Begin scanning Specify zoom factors Specify cursor position in display memory Set display area's start and length. Also set 8 bytes for the graphics character Display-memory X-dimension width Write data into display memory Specify mask-register contents Figure specify of drawing parameters Draw the above specified figure Graphics character draw Read data from display memory Read cursor position Light-pen address read Request a DMA read transfer Request a DMA write transfer Table 1: The GDC command summary. ! SL I R I A ! GO ! L 1 D1R Bits • i ! i t « « * • • i i * i i i i i i i i i i i > Dir > Line > Graphics Character > Arc/Circle » Rectangle Y slant Figure 5: The layout of the FIGS (figure specify) command. forms the necessary adds, shifts, and counts that allow you to draw a 100-pixel figure in only 80 microsec- onds (fis), using differential equations to specify the delta x f y information. (See Principles of Interactive Com- puter Graphics by William M. Newman and Robert F. Sproul [McGraw-Hill, 1979, pp. 22-28].) To perform the differential opera- tions on vectors, you specify values for the DDA parameters. The four DDA parameters for vector opera- tions are DC (dot count), an unsigned integer from to 16,383 calculated by the host to be the total number of pixels to move; Dl, the same type of number, but used for slope-encoding terms; D, a 16-bit integer, also used as a slope term; and D2, another 16-bit integer used as a slope term. These four parameters are derived from equations that represent initial and ending vectors of a line, arc, or rectangle. In addition to specifying values for these four parameters, you must load the EAD of the beginning pixel, the DAD, and the DIR values before you issue the FIGD (figure draw) command. With a minimum of instructions, you can make the GDC draw funda- mental shapes. The DDA, which is on-chip hardware, does the time-con- suming calculation to produce the next pixel address for the shape. This circuit and the memory-modification hardware (read /modify /write) com- bine to produce a rapid update of new pixels. When you want to begin figure drawing, you load a figure type, drawing direction, drawing parame- ters, cursor starting address, and the pattern into the FIFO buffer. Then you issue a FIGD command. A FIGS (figure specify) command alerts the GDC to the necessary drawing pa- rameters, which are either computed by the host processor or stored in a table (see figure 5). A Line-Drawing Example The GDC drawing technique uses independent and dependent axes. The host processor determines which axis is independent and which is depen dent for the particular drawing direc- tion or octant of that vector. To draw a line from XY Start to XY End, you first move the cursor to XY Start with the CURS command, then calculate the Deltas (Delta X - X End - X Start, Delta = same), and find the direction by locating the quadrant and the octant (see table 2). If ABS Delta_X = ABS Delta_Y, the vec- tor is on octant boundary within that quadrant and you choose the higher- numbered odd octant. You then determine the indepen dent and dependent axes with the fol lowing equation: If Delta_X > Delta_Y Then I -. X, D - Y If Delta_X < - Delta_Y Then I = Y, D = X 182 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc IF MetaCard DOESN'T IMPROVE YOUR WORKING CONDITIONS WE'LL GIVE YOU YOUR MONEY BACK. It's almost three in the morning. You knew just one more line of code and your program would be finished, That was seven hours ago. It's hard work developing good software. Writing it on the Apple II is no exception. Although we can't promise to get you to bed by eleven o'clock, we can make your job a lot easier. When we developed MetaCard, a co-processor system for the Apple II, we designed in 128K bytes of on-board memory with parity. Enough memory to run the most powerful development tools available. We included memory expansion capabilities beyond 128K. And we made sure it could run all three operating systems for the IBM PC. MetaCard does more than make your job easier, it opens up new development areas. If you want to create or run more powerful applications software for the Apple, or for the IBM PC or other 8086/88-based systems, you should have a MetaCard in your Apple. MetaCard supports the most popular development languages available for MS-DOS, CP/M-86 and UCSD p-System Version IV Languages like Pascal, C, COBOL, flflK \ \ \ : ' FORTRAN, BASIC and almost all others operate at peak performance. MetaCard enables you to continue to use most of the popular peripherals for your Apple II, plus all of your existing software. And with many best selling applications for the IBM PC available soon, you can use your Apple in new and developing areas. MetaCard uses the Intel 8088 processor and operates at a full 5 Mhz. And MetaCard's real-time clock, external power supply, parity checking RAM, and power-up ROM diagnostics give you the features and reliability you demand. Satisfaction Guaranteed We know you'll still work through the night. But if MetaCard doesn't improve your working conditions, return it within 30 days, and we'll send your money back. No questions asked. MetaCard, complete with r documentation, MS-DOS and UCSD f p-System (CP/M-86 optional) and power J supply is available in both 64 and 128K ' configurations, priced at $980 and $1,150 r respectively. The MetaCard System Operating Manual is available for only $25. For more information write us today, Metamorphic Systems, Inc., 8950 Villa La Jolla Drive, Suite 1200, La Jolla, CA 92037. Or call us today to order yours at 800/228-8088 In California call 619/457-3870. MetaCard is a trademark of Metamorphic Systems, Inc., Apple — Apple Computer Inc., Intel 8088 — Intel Corporation, CP/M-86— Digital Research Corporation, MS-DOS — Microsoft, UCSD p-System — University of California, IBM PC — IBM. Circle 464 on inquiry card. MetaCard Quadrant Delta X sign Delta_Y sign Quadrant + + + + Octant 1 2 3 4 ABS Delta_X > ABS Delta_Y If Quadrant Then Octant 1 2 3 4 2 5 6 1 ABS Delta_X < ABS Delta_Y If Quadrant Then Octant 1 2 3 4 3 4 7 Table 2: Information for locating the quadrant and octant for line drawing. Now you compute the line-drawing DDA parameters: DC = ABS(Delta_I) D - [ 2 * ABS (DeIta_D) ] - ABS (Delta_I) D2 - 2 * [ABS (DeIta_D) - ABS (Delta_I) ] Dl = 2 * ABS (Delta_D) You can make these operations fairly efficient by using a table for octant and axis determination. Once these parameters are cal- culated, you load them into the GDC FIFO buffer with a FIGS command. Then you load a pattern into parameter RAM with a PRAM com- mand. The pattern corresponds to the type of line— broken, dashed, or solid. A WDAT (write data) com- mand with bit modifier and a FIGD command complete the figure-draw- ing process (see photos 1 through 4). Drawing a circle of arbitrary radius at a specified point on the display re- quires that you prepare most of the parameters discussed above with the i TEAR AND GOMPARE TO525b THE PCI 51, AN AM II SOU m< >\ THAT'S KEYSTROKE FOR KEYSTROKE 5251-11 KEYBOARD COMPATIBLE. SYSTEM M *8 5251 EMULATION WITH PGI's 1051. Name Company Name Address City State Zip Phone D Send me more information on the PCI 51 and PCI 1051 □ Send me information on all PCI products 6150 Canoga Ave. Suite KM). Woodland Hills. CA 91367-3" ^/PROTOCOL (800) 423-5904 (213) 716-5500 (In Califoi Edix + Wordix has word processing features that our competitors are still dreaming about . . . $390 buys the whole dream. Edix Editing Features Up to 4 screen windows Up to 12 file buffers Top -to- bottom and side-to-side scrolling. Regular expression searching and translating Intra- and inter-buffer moving and copying Online help Online tutorial 2031 Broadway TECHNOLOGY Boulder, Colorado 80302 Wordix Formatting Features Auto footnotes Auto table of contents Auto hyphenation Multi-line headers and footers Multi-column layout Powerful macros Data file access Requires 128KIBMPC Edix alone: $195 303 447-9495 For more information, or to place an order, call toll-free 800-782-4896. TM Trademark of Emerging technology Consultant?.. Inc. 184 April 19$3 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 350 on inquiry card. Circle 161 on inquiry card. Dear Ma: Racal-Vadic has the Ultimate 212 A. It's like getting a Porsche at Volkswagen prices! TheAuto-DiaIVA212... For Those Who Want Everything Racal-Vadic has the ultimate 212A-compatible modem. It operates at 1200 and to 300 bps and has a built-in automatic dialer with a non-volatile memory that can store as many as 15 phone numbers, up to 31 digits each. Non-volatile means the memory is retained even if you lose power. This remarkable modem "talks" to the terminal operator using English words and phrases to indicate call progress, option status, and telephone numbers in memory. Calls can be originated or answered from the terminal keyboard or the modem front panel. The front panel is really something, Ma. It has a 16-key tactile-touch keyboard and an eight character liquid crystal display. Twenty-six user programmable options are stored in the modem's memory, and can be keyed in from the front panel... eliminating the need to open the modem to change options. The VA212LC... For The Economy Minded For those who don t want auto-dial, Racal- Vadic has the perfect modem. It's called the VA212LC. LC means low cost... just $550 in single quantity. This is not a stripped down model. The VA212LC is a full-featured 212A-compatible modem with manual originate and automatic answer.lt operates at 1200 and to 300 bps full-duplex. The VA212LCs extensive diagnostics include remote digital loopback and self test. Remote loopback allows end- to-end testing over the tele- phone from any of Racal-Vadics regional diagnostic centers. The carrier indicator shows when you've established connection. Now there is a real choice in the 212A market... A Porsche at a Volkswagen price... or the Volks itself at an even lower price. Phone or write Racal-Vadic today! Your Independent Thinking Son, PHONE: 800-543-3000, Operator 507 Circle 363 on inquiry card. Racal- Member 1DCMA 222 Caspian Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Tel: (408) 744-0810 • TWX: 910-339-9297 EEEEB "See us at NCC Booth W6248" 4 "vx&vz&smitiiB&Z ■- - mm r*-^ + 8Sfe85ft«M':W S^S^l : * •;:.. >? *T»3ffl m mwm m mm ?5ffi* v *- s ^* ^^- :*»:•: i-^-r # > 5 • ' i*+l Photos 1-4: Examples of the GDC figure -drawing process. exception of the DDA drawing parameters. The following informa- tion draws a circle as eight arcs, with two per quadrant; The starting points might be radius, 0, radius — radius, 0, —radius Rectangle drawing is similar, but simpler: DC D D2 DC = Radius * Sin (Theta) D = Radius - 1 Dl D2 = 2 * (Radius -1) Dl = -1 DM = Radius * Sin (Phi) DM = 3 (fixed for circles or arcs) = (Total number of pixels in initially specified direction) -1 = (Total number of pixels in perpendicular direction) —1 = -1 = Same as D Applications The 7220 GDC is not a simple device. While many of you have probably written a BIOS (basic in- put/output system) or CRTC (cathode-ray tube controller) han- dler, developing a decent assembly- language driver for this chip is non- trivial. The driver I am currently using was written by Frank Caparello under the auspices of Roger Amidon and others, the developers of the new Epson QX-10. The S-100 board I used to draw the demonstration screens was also developed by them. The Ep- son QX-10 uses a 7220 as a display chip but has operating-system calls to do all the fancy stuff. The GDC design manual that NEC provides is very well written and of- fers you a basic tutorial on computer graphics. It includes numerous ex- amples of parameter derivation as well as hardware-interface informa- tion. I highly recommend it. I believe the 7220 GDC will be a standard for microcomputer displays for the next few years. If the price falls, you may even find it in arcade games and low-end terminals. ■ 186 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc SOFTWARE •- * New items ASHTONTATE dBASE II. call for price ($4??) 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Acct Rec/Acct Pay $ 59 Payroll w/Cost $ 59 All 3 $129 All 3 + CBASIC-2 $199 Enhanced Osborne (vandatta) (Includes CBasic) $269 PEACHTREE® General Ledger $399 Acct Receivable $399 Acct Payable $399 Payroll $399 Inventory $399 Surveyor $399 Property Mgt $799 CPA Client Write-up $799 P8 Version Add $234 MagiCalc $269 Other less 10% STAR COMPUTER SYSTEMS • G/L, A/R, A/R Pay $ 349 All 4 $1129 Legal Time Billing $ 849 Property Mngmt $ 849 STRUCTURED SYSTEMS* Business Packages, Call for Price SORCIM® • SuperCalc $249 Trans 86 $115 Act $157 SUPERSOFT* Ada $270 Diagnostic I $ 49 Diagnostic II $ 84 Disk Doctor $ 89 Forth (8080 or Z80) $149 Fortran $219 Fortran w/Ratfor $289 C Compiler $225 Star Edit $189 Scratch Pad $266 StatsGraph $174 Anaiiza I! $ 45 Dataview $174 Disk Edit $ 89 Encode/Decode II $ 84 Optimizer $174 Super M List 68 Term II $179 Zap Z-8000 $450 Utilities! $ 54 Utilities II $ 54 ACCOUNTING PLUS 1 Module $385 4 Modules $1255 All 8 $4500 UNICORN* Mince $149 Scribble $149 Both $249 The Final Word $270 WHITESMITHS® "C" Compiler $600 Pascal (incl "C") $850 PASCAL • Pascal/MT+ Pkg $429 Compiler $315 Sp Prog $175 Pascai/Z $349 Pascal/UCSD 4.0 $670 Pascal/M $355 Tiny Pascal $ 76 DATA BASE FMS-80 $894 dBASE II $595 • Condor I $275 Condor II $535 FMS-81 $445 WORD PROCESSING WordSearch $179 ^SpellGuard $199 Peachtext $289 Magic Spell $269 Spell Binder $349 Select $495 The Word $ 65 The Word Plus. . . $145 Palantier-I (WP) $385 COMMUNICATIONS Ascom $149 BSTAM $149 BSTMS $149 Crosstalk $139 Move-it $ 89 OTHER GOODIES Micro Plan $419 Plan 80 $269 Target (Interchange) $125 Target (Planner) $189 Target (Task) $299 Plannercalc $ 50 Tiny C" $ 89 Tiny "C" Compiler $229 Nevada Cobol $1 79 MicroStat $224 Vedit $130 MiniModel $449 StatPak $449 Micro B+ $229 Raid $224 String/80 $ 84 String/80 (source) $279 ISIS CP/M Utility $199 Lynx $199 Supervyz $ 95 ATI Power $ 75 Mathe Magic $ 95 CIS COBOL $765 ZIPMBASIC, CBASIC $129 Real Estate Analysis $ 1 1 6 BRODERBUND G/L (with A/P) $444 Payroll $355 INFO UNLIMITED* EasyWriter (Prof) $155 Datadex $129 EasyMailer (Prof) $134 Other less 15% MICROSOFT • Softcard (Z-80 CP/M) $239 Fortran $179 Cobol $499 Tasc $139 • Premium Package $549 • RAM Card $129 MICROPRO* ^Wordstar $199 MailMerge $ 99 Wordstar/Mail Merge $349 SuperSort I $159 Spellstar $129 CalcStar $175 DataStar $265 VI SI CORP* • Visicalc3.3 $189 Desktop/Plan II $219 Visiterm $ 90 Visidex $219 Visiplot $180 Visitrend/Visiplot $259 Visifile $219 Visischedule $259 PEACHTREE® G/L, A/R, A/R Pay or Inventory (each ) $224 Peach PackP40 $795 SOFTWARE DIMENSIONS, INC. Accounting Plus II, G/L,AR,ARor Inventory (each) $385 (Needs G/L to run) OTHER GOODIES Super-Text II $127 Data Factory $134 DB Master $184 Versaform VS1 $350 VH1 $445 16- BIT SOFTWARE WORD PROCESSING IBM PC ^Wordstar $279 • Spellstar $175 Mailmerge $109 Easywnter $314 Easyspeller $159 Select/Superspell $535 Write On $116 Spellguard (also available for 8" 8086 systems) $229 SP Law (for Spellguard). .. $115 Textwriter III $189 Spellbinder $349 Final Word $270 LANGUAGE UTILITIES IBM PC Crosstalk $174 BSTAM $149 BSTMS $149 8" 16-BIT SYSTEMS • Pascal MT+/86, SSP. CBasic 86 Pascal M/86 . . Act 86 Trans 86 XLT 86 $679 $294 $445 $157 $115 $135 16-BIT 8" AND DISPLAYWRITER CP/M 86 .'. . ..... $294 MP/M86 .$585 OTHERS IBM PC SuperCalc $269 VisiCalc $219 Easyfiler $359 Mathemagic $ 89 CP/M Power $ 65 Condor 21 $265 Condor 22 $535 Condor 23 $895 Condor 20Q $175 Condor 20R $265 Statpak $449 Optimizer $174 Desktop Plan II $219 Desktop Plan III $259 Visidex $219 Visitrend $259 Many others available for use with the "Baby Blue Board®" 8" 16-BIT SOFTWARE SuperCalc $269 CP/M Power $ 65 FORMATS AVAILABLE: 8" single density 8" OS I Superbrain Micropolis/Vector Graphic NorthStar Horizon NorthStar Advantage Osborne Heath/Zenith Cromemco Televideo Xerox 820 Dynabyte Hewlett-Packard 125 NEC Eagle Apple I l/l 1 1 Otrona TRS-80 Model l/ll/lll DEC VT-180 Altos CP/M-86 IBM PC LOWER PRICES, COME HELL OR HIGH WATER. ORDERS ONLY • CALL TOLL FREE • VISA • MASTERCHARGE U.S. 1-800-421-4003 • CALIF. 1-800-252-4092 Outside Continental U.S.— add $10 plus Air Parcel Post • Add $3.50 postage and handling per each item • California residents add 6Y 2 % sales tax* Allow 2 weeks on checks. CO. D. $3.00 extra- Prices subjectto change without notice. All items subject to availability • ® — Mfgs. Trademark, Blue Label $3.00 additional per item. CP/M is a registered trademark of DIGITAL RESEARCH, INC. THE DISCOUNT SOFTWARE GROUP 6520 Selma Ave. Suite 309 • Los Angeles, Ca. 90028 • (213) 837-5141 Inf I TELEX 499-0446 DISCSOFT LSA - USA TELEX 194-634 (Attn: 499-0446) TWX 910-321-3597 (Attn: 499-0446] Circle 146 on inquiry card. liliWltfMHdHiff AND SAME-DAY SHIPPING MAKE US COMPETITIVE. Red Baron. Home of the Nation's NEC 8023 TEC NI-8510/DMP-85 Outstanding Graphics, Print Quality & Performance 144 x 160 dots/inch • Proportional spacing • Lower case descenders * N x 9 dot matrix • 8 character sizes • 5 unique alphabets • Greek character set ■ Graphic symbols • 100 CPS print speed • Bi-directional, logic-seeking • Adjustable tractors ■ Single-sheet friction feed • Vertical & horizontal tabbing ^ -^ .. SCall IDS Prism 80/132 Affordable Color, Speed 200 CPS • Bi-directional, logic-seeking • 24 x 9 dot matrix • Lowercase descenders • 8 character sizes • 80-132 columns • Proportional spacing * Text justification • Optional color and dot resolu- tion graphics Prism 80 ..... . .Base List $1 ,299 £f*#»|| Prism 132 Base List $1 ,499 plsdll The Epson Series High-Quality Printers at a Low Price. 160 CPS • Dot graphics • Proportional spacing • Downloadable character sets* 10and12CPI * Super/subscripting • Underlining • Reverse line feed Epson FX series ^f*2|| I Full Line of Epson Accessories Smith-Corona TP-1 Daisy Wheel Printer For Under $900 Brothers HR-1 Daisy Wheel Perfect for quality, quiet word processing. Star Micronics Gemini 10/15 Letter quality • Standard serial or parallel data interface • Drop-in ribbon • 144 WPM • Various fonts available * Loads paper like typewriter • Handles single sheets for forms Smith-Corona TP-1 List $895 pU3ll • 16 CPS • Prints up to 6 copies • Bi-directional • Cloth or carbon quick-change cassette ribbon • Quiet, efficient operation for word processing Brothers HR-1 Parallel List S1, 100 CfVill Serial List $1 ,200 QUdll 120 x 144 dot graphics • 100 CPS • 2.3K buffer * 2K User programmable ROM • h.k.A^ Underlining * Super/subscripts • Friction feed and adjustable , tractors Gemini 10 Gemini 15 Lowest Priced Dot Matrix Anadex Silent Scribe The Quiet Serial Matrix Impact Printer Televideo CRT's Price, Performance & Reliability Monitors Crisp, Clear, Compatible Up to 500 CPS • Dot addressable graphics • Parallel and serial interfaces standard • Switch selectable protocol ■ Cartridge ribbon ■ Foreign character sets • Underlining • 1 .5k to 12k buffer • Correspondence quality print List Discount Anadex DP-9501A $1,725 $1,325 Anadex DP-9620A .$1 ,845 $1 ,475 Anadex WP-6000 $3,250 $2,800 List 910 $ 699 925 $ 995 950 $1195 970 ....$1495 Discount $575 $730 $945 SCall Amdek Video 300, green List $249 £f**||| for low prices Colorl List $499 OUR PEOPLE MAKE US EXPERTS Largest Computer Printer Inventory. The Grappler +™ Apple® Graphics interface • Graphic and text screen dumps * Dual Hi-Res Graphics • Printer sefector dip switch * Apple III compatible * Inverse graphics • Emphasized graphics * Double size picture * 90° Rotation • Center graphics ■ Works with Pascal and CPM® ■ Optional bufferboard available £ ^ «-g- Grappler + ..y If 3 * Requires software driver Apple is a registered Trademark of Apple, Inc. The Bufferboard™ For Apples and Printers Take your existing printer interface— and buffer it! • Versions for Grappler + , Apple interface, Epson interface, and others • Comes standard with 16K buffer • Expandable to 32K and 64K • Includes interface docking cable The Bufferboard §1 f IDS Microprism 480 Prints like a daisy, priced like a matrix! • Correspondence quality in a single pass • Dual speed 75, 110CPS • Proportional spacing • Bi-directional, logic-seeking • Platen Pin or pressure feed • 24 x 9 dot matrix • 10, 12, 16.8 characters per inch • Double width characters IDS Microprism 480 List $799 SCaii # 2** N The Okidata Series Microline92&93 Customer Benefit Package 1. Free Expert Consultation. 2. Tech- nical Staff. Even your most involved questions get quick, helpful answers from our staff of printer technicians. 3. Free Catalog. Get your inform- ative catalog with printer compari- son chart and print samples today. 4. Warranty. The manufacturer's war- ranty where applicable. 5. Same-Day Shipping. 6. Free MasterCard and Visa. 7. We Stock What We Sell. We make every effort to keep a large stock of our advertised products. 8. APO/FPO Orders Welcome. 160/200CPS • Correspondence quality • Proportional spacing • Enhanced, emphasized and expanded characters • 10, 12 and 17 pitch • Super/subscripts • Underlining • Okigraph dot graphics • Alternate downline loadable charac- ter set Okidata 92 List$ 699 Okidata 93 GOULO Electronics & Electrical Products Circle 182 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 195 b7 bS b5 b4 b3 b2 bl bO X 1 1 1 1 X 1 1 1 1 1 • X 1 | 1 1 1 dx dy X 1 A] 1 Li 1 1 : X 1 1 1 1 INCREMENTAL LINE -**STEP-SIZE PARAMETERS -MOVE INSTRUCTIONS Figure 2: Structure of the Incremental-Line instructions. The first byte indicates that a series of Incremental-Line instructions will follow. The next series of bytes indicates the size of the relative coordinates dx and dy to whatever resolution is desired. The last series of bytes is composed of the actual 2- and 4-bit drawing instructions. DEFINE CHARACTER 15 POSITION (0,.2) LINE (0,,3) LINE (.15,0) LINE 10.-.3) ARC (.05,-.05H.05,.05) LINE (0,.3) END \J Figure 3: Using the Dynamically Rede finable Character Set (DRCS) capability of NAPLPS, we can define our own characters. WELCOME TO QDmnp CORPC ATION El V DRCS f TEMPLATES DISPLAY SCREEN Figure 4: Once a DRCS set has been defined, its characters can be mapped just like text characters onto the display screen. formation can be stored as one macro. In addition, other text and graphics can be intermixed with macros. In applications like adventure games, each time a new room is entered, a macro can be defined with the picture of the room. If the room is reentered later in the game, the long graphics-and-text description does not have to be retransmitted. The host computer simply has to refer to the macro name and the entire room is drawn. If the host computer is really smart, it can send down macros for all the rooms that are near the current room you are in. This can be done while you are deciding your next move. The screen will not be changed as these macros are defined. When you finally move to a new room, the host refers to the proper macro that was previously defined, and the user sees an almost instant response. Macros can also be applied in con- junction with the Incremental-Line op code described earlier. Nothing prevents you from storing just the en- coded data as a macro. If this is done, an Incremental-Line op code (3/10) can be sent followed by a {dx f dy) coordinate value followed by the macro reference. In the previous ex- ample (Indiana), the 87 bytes of en- coded data would be retrieved and processed as if they had been sent after the {dx, dy) value. Thus, the size of the shape could be changed almost instantaneously. Part 1 of this series includes an ex- ample of macro definition and refer- ence. A NAPLPS code segment for that example is shown in listing 1. As you may recall, a macro (Macro 26) was defined that cleared the screen to blue and put the string ''READY:" on the screen in white. Whenever Macro 26 is later referenced, the screen will be cleared and "READY:" will ap- pear. The amount of storage allocated to macros has been left open as a terminal- and application-dependent parameter. With 96 macro names and the ability to store long variable- length strings, the macro storage re- quired could exceed the internal memory capacity of most personal 196 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc ichR The Ultimate Spreadsheet for CP/M-86, IBM PC DOS, and CP/M The Ultimate Spreadsheet? YOU BET! Packed with more important features and performance than any other spreadsheet, Scratchpad is perfect for "what if" analyses and financial modeling of all kinds. The features tell the story: Flexible Spreadsheet A Scratchpad innovation. Now you can design the spreadsheet to fit your application, rather than redesigning your application to fit the spreadsheet. For example, if you need a worksheet that is extremely wide but not very deep, Scratchpad can do it. The matrix dimensions are up to you. Virtual Memory Another Scratchpad innovation. When your computer runs out of memory in RAM, your disk drives act as a backup memory for additional spreadsheet data. (This is something other spreadsheet people don't talk about in their ads. They can still run out of memory!) Scratchpad with a hard disk on the IBM PC, for example, allows in excess of 20,000 entries! NEVER see those disastrous OUT of MEMORY messages again. Consolidation This lets you combine several spreadsheets, adding or averaging the numeric data. It is especially useful to businesses that want to combine data from several departments, or add or average spreadsheets from different months of the years. Just another reason why Scratchpad is the ultimate spreadsheet. These features and many others make Scratchpad the most powerful spreadsheet available! So, find out why we call Scratchpad the Ultimate Spreadsheet. Write: Scratchpad Information, SuperSoft, Box 1628, Champaign, IL 61820. This is what others are saying: Small Business Computers, July/August '82 in our opinion Scratchpad is an excellent business-oriented spreadsheet program, easy to learn, easy to use, and well documented." InfoWorld, Sept. 6, 82 "Scratchpad ...:,. . [is designed] for users who want entry simplicity and fast answers." Business Computer Systems, Sept. 82 ". . . a new memory innovation from SuperSoft . . . Scratch Pad['s] virtual memory can accommodate an essentially unlimited number of entries by tapping the disk drive for secondary memory." Available for IBM PC DOS, CP/M-86® and CP/M® Scratchpad: $295.00 (Requires 96K* with PC or MS DOS, 64K* with CP/M-86® and 56K with CP/M®) Now available for OASIS: call 802-658-5600. Japanese Distributor: ASR Corporation International, 3-23-8, Nishi-Shimbashi, Minato-Ku, Tokyo 105, Japan. Tel. (03)-4375371 Telex; 0242-2723. European Distributor: Micro Technology Ltd., 51 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England TN2 5TH. TEL. 0892-45433. Telex: 95441 Micro-G. *Additional memory recommended for optimal performance of all features. CP/M and CP/M-86 are registered trademarks of Digital Research. Circle 397 on inquiry card. FIRST IN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY P.O.Box1628 Champaign, IL61820 (217)359-2112 Telex 270365 Listing 1: A short segment of NAPLPS code (in octal form) showing how a macro can computers. There is absolutely no be defined and refi irenced. The contents of Macro 26 will he bytes 4 to 21 inclusive. reason why disk storage cannot be used to store macros. When disks are used, a crude form of file transfer begins to emerge. Macros thus provide a powerful BYTE 1 OCTAL FORM SYMBOLIC DESCRIPTION FORM capability of code reduction when using NAPLPS. The important thing to remember about macros is that a . • simple string replacement is per- ***** Define Macro 26 ***** formed. The resulting stream of code (after the macro expansion) is pro- 1 033 ESC Define Macro 26 cessed as if it had been sent from the 2 100 DFM host. No special scaling, rotation, or 3 072 M26 attributes are applied to the macro part of the resulting stream. In fact, in most systems, once the macro is ex- 4 016 SO Select G1 (Graphics) panded all knowledge is lost that a macro was used. 5 074 SET Set color to Blue Dynamically Redefinable 6 111 BLU Character Sets The Dynamically Redefinable Character Set (DRCS) capability in NAPLPS is similar to the Macro fea- 7 040 RES Clear Screen to in-use color 8 120 ture. The DRCS facility allows ar- bitrary streams of NAPLPS code to be associated with one of 96 names. The 96 DRCS names, however, are 9 10 074 177 SET Set color to white completely different from the macro names. The primary difference between macros and DRCS characters is that 11 12 13 044 101 110 SPA Set Point Absolute when the DRCS image is referenced, i } - (x f y) = (.05078125, .25) => (13,64) it is scaled, rotated, and mapped to 14 150 } the current character field, just like a text character. In other words, a sim- ple code replacement is not per- 15 017 SI Select GO (Text) formed. Instead, the current environ- ment of attributes and character-field size is used when the DRCS charac- ter is requested. Figures 3 and 4 show 16 17 18 122 105 101 R E A an application of the DRCS capability. One of the primary functions of the 19 104 D DRCS is to define new text charac- 20 131 Y ters, because all TEXT command at- 21 072 tributes (scaling, rotation, spacing, etc.) are applied when the DRCS is re- quested. Because of this text-char- 22 033 ESC End Macro Definition acter orientation, only two colors can 23 105 END be used when the DRCS is drawn. In other words, the drawing of the DRCS is done with a "spray-paint" ***** p Referencing the ; Macro ***** technique, as with other characters. . The DRCS thus acts only as a stencil. • The DRCS can also be viewed as a ?? 035 SS3 Assume 7 Bit Mode with Macros in G3 simplified form of the computer- ?? 072 M26 Macro 26 graphics idea of a window and a viewport. When using a DRCS, the Text continued on page 202 198 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Your guide to the world of microprocessors. The Micro-Professor™ -a low cost tool for learning, teaching and prototyping. Here in one attractive package and at a price of only $149.00 is a Z80* based microcomputer to lead you step by step to a thorough knowledge of the world of microprocessors. The Micro-Professor is a complete hardware and software system whose extensive teaching manual gives you detailed schematics and examples of pro- gram code. A superb learning tool for students, hobbyists and microprocessor enthusiasts, as well as an excellent teaching aid for instructors of electrical engi- neering and computer science courses. But the Micro-Professor is much more than a teaching device. With it you can do bread- boarding and prototyping, de- signing your own custom hard- ware and software applications with Z80, 8080 and 8085 compati- ble code. The standard 2K bytes of RAM is expandable to 4K, and the standard 2K bytes of ROM can be increased to 8K. All this plus a built-in speaker, a cassette interface, and sockets to accept optional CTC/PIO. Bus is extendable. As well as being an exciting learning tool, the Micro-Professor is a great low-cost board for OEM's. Call for details SSB-MPF Speech Synthesizer Board $129 A vocabulary of up to 400 words based on the TMS 5200 chip. EPB-MPF EPROM Programming Board $169 For all +5V 1 KB/2 KB/ 4KB EPROMs. Read / Copy/ Li st/ Verify Capability. BASIC-MPF Tiny Basic $19 2KB BASIC interpreter with hardware control capability. Machine-code subroutine accessible. PRT-MPF Printer $99 A thermal printer with built-in alphanumeric character patterns "^^ and Z80 disassembler. 20 characters per line, 0.8 line per second. * Z80 is a trademark of Zilog Inc. Multitech Electronics Inc. 30 day trial period with full refund. 90 day warranty. Circle 294 on inquiry card. M b ^ s> ' I'm ready to enter the * world of microprocessing Call toll free to order, r^ D Check or money ^ order enclosed □ Visa D Mastercharge MPF-I Micro- Professor SSB-MPF Speech Synthesizer Board 1149.00 $129.00 EPB-MPF EPROM Programming Board _S1Mp0 PRT-MPF Printer [ J 99.00 BASIC-MPF Shipping and Handling t 18.00 $ 4.96 Card No. California residents add sales tax. TOTAL 4.95 Name (Please Print) City State Zip In U.S. and Canada mall to: Multitech Electronics Inc. 195 West El Camino Real Sunnyvale, CA 94086 California Tel. (408) 773-8400 Elsewhere (800) 538-1542 Outside of North America mail to: Multitech Industrial Corporation 977 Min Shen E Road 105 Taipei, Taiwan, ROC Tel. 02-769-1225 TWX 19162 MULTIIC. 23756 MULTIIC Computer Exchange .— The Supply Center for the IBM-PC SOFTWARE for the IBM PC BUSINESS NEW f NEW! NEW! FASHION -TATE. dBase II with User's Guide by Software Banc dBase if, requires CP/M-86 & 128K dBase J!, requires PC-DOS * 128K APPLtEO SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY, Versaform DATAMOST. Real Estate 'investment Program Write-On EAGLE SOFTWARE, Money Decisions > #A><'- '. •'• ' ■- IN FORM ATI OK UNLIMITED, Easy writer I! (a WPS) Easyspeiler (88K Words) Easy filer fa DBMS} INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE. T I N ill {a DBMS} ¥ INSOFT, Data Design (a powerful easy Jo use DBMS) NEW* ISM, MatheMaitc: LOTUS. 12 3 # MICROCRAFT, Requires CP/M 86 Legal Billing & Time Keeping — Vefdict Professional Silling & T*me Keeping-— Bsllkeeper *M I CRO LAB. the Tax Manager <|r MICROPRO, WordStar* plus free WordStar Training Manual :/' ..M»*M»|e. rM: SpelfSfar 1 w 3 Pak. Word & Mail & Spell, above 3 SnfoSiar ReportStar MICROSOFT H .rghl ; Sub-logtc) NORTH AMERICAN BUS, SYSTEM, Trie Answer P8L CORPORATION, Personal Investor <* PEACHTREE, Peach Pak 4 (GL, AR & AP) PERFECT SOFTWARE, Perfect Writer IW Perfect Speller f u SELECT INFO. Select (a WPS) SORCIM/ISA. SuperCalc StiperWrfter Speilguard STC, The Creator SYNERGISTIC; Data Reporter *>» ORP V256K VfsrDes or VrsrScrteduie, each VisiTrend/Plol ■-■-: VisjM* & Desktop Plant, each NEW NEW! NEW! NEW NEW! NEW LIST OUR PRICE PRICE $ 730 $439 $ 700 $449 $ 389 $265 $ 130 $ 89 $ 130 $ 89 $ 150 $129 $ 250 $189 J 350 $259 $ 175 $129 $ 400 $299 $ 495 $369 $ 225 $169 $ 90 $ 69 $ 495 $329 $ 750 $395 $ 750 $395 $ 250 $189 $ 495 $249 $ 250 Call $ 250 Call $ 845 : Call $ 495 $335 $ -356 $235 $ 50 $ 35 $ 250 $169 $ 145 $ 99 $595 $395 $ 389 $239 $ 189 $139 $ 595 $339 $ 295 $199 $ 395 $269 $ 195 $129 $ 300 $195 $ 259 $169 $ 250 $179 $ 250 $199 $300 $219 $ 300 $239 UTILITY 1983 CE SOFTWARE AWARD: "Copy II PC by Central Point Software is The best CE software buy of 1983 it will copy more copy protected software and faster than any other backup system Uniike other opiers it makes an exact dupt ale >! your original and it does 100"-.. verification of copy E CENTRAL POINT I ■'!.■'. i PI Backup snd Utility -NEW- $ 40 $ 35 *ComX, faJ ak RAM * er «!at i program Works on any PC DOS version or RAM Card. Menu driven. $ JOG $ 49 DIGITAL RESEARCH, Concurrent CCP/M-86 $ 350 $235 C8ASIC86 $ 200 $225 NORELL DATA. Sy:.ter»! Backup , . % 50 $39 NORTON, Norton Utslte powerful programs, 3 disks- $ 80 $ 65 HOME & EDUCATIONAL AUTOMATED SIMULATIONS, Temple of Apshat $ 40 Oil Barons NEW* $100 BR0DER8DN0. Apple PantE $ 30 41 CONTINENTAL, The Home Accountant Plus $ 150 DATAMOST. Pig Pen or Space Strike, each $ 30 DAVIDSON, The Speed Reader $ 75 iNFOCOM; Deadline $ 50 Zork Tor Zork li or Zork III, each $ 40 * INSOFT, WordTm NEW $ 35 QyoTrix NEW $ 35 ON-LINE. Golf Cfcaneoge, NEW! $ 25 Ulysses & The Golden fleece $ 35 PB1 CORP., Personal investor $145 SENTIENT, Cyborg NEW' $ 35 SIR! US. Conquest or Call to Arms, each $ 30 SPINNAKER, Snooper Troops, #1 or #2, each $ 45 Story Machine or Face Maker, each $ 35 STRATEGIC. The Warp Factor $ 40 $ 29 $ 75 $ 22 $112 % 22 $ 55 $ 39 $ 29 $ 29 $ 29 $ 19 $ 25 $ 99 $ 25 $ 23 $ 35 $ 25 $ 30 DISKETTES Control Data Corporation 12 for 10 Special. Limited Time! CDC, 120 each, 5 : /i. with ring, SS, SD (Apple, IBM, etc.) $ 450 $195 12 each, 5'*. with ring, SS, SD (Apple, IBM, etc) $ 40 $ 22 12 each, Stt, with ring, DS, DD, (IBM. H/P. etc.) $ 55 $ 35 12 each, 8", SS, SD $ 45 $ 24 10 each, 9k, with ring, DS, DD, (IBM) $ 50 $ 39 IBM. 10 each, 5'A, SS, SD (Apple, IBM, etc.) $ 60 $ 45 10 each, 5* SS, DD (H/P, IBM, etc.) $ 65 $ 49 VERBATIM, 10 each 5x with ring, SS, SD or SS, DD $ 50 $ 28 MAXELL. 10 each, 5»i, SS, DD or SS, SD $ 55 $ 35 DYSAN, 10 each, 5 '4, SS, SD $ 55 S 39 10 each, 5, DS. DD $ 65 $ 49 • Means a BEST buy. Ad #963 64K IBM-PC $2850 System Includes Two 32 OK Disk Drives 12" Green Amdek Monitor SO Day Warranty Call For Details And Other Configurations IBM is a trademark of IBM Corporation HARDWARE for the IBM PC MEMORY CHIP K.T$,64Kaddontey< 2Q0NS, tested and burned -in. 90 day war ran Combo Pius. 64K with async. port Combo Plus. 64*. with parallel port ;■■ Combo Pius. 64R w/async & para '.." Combo Plus. 64 K w/async para & clock- For above Combo Plus of 128K add $85,.! 256K add $256 CURTIS, PC Pedestal 7 » toi D.ispiay on PC 9 foot Cable for IBM Keyboard (extends 3' So ' Mono Extensmn Cables. Power 3«d Signal r\A\ft*XKli~± DS 1-501 Hard Disk, 5 Meg L/K¥V/I>IV^ DS 1-501. 6 MB Hard Disk OS 1-51 2. 12 MB Hard Disk OS 1-51 9, 19 MB Hard Disk MAYNARD. Floppy Drive Control Board, for up to 4 drives : Wtth Sena! Port add $40 : For Parade! Port add $70. 64K RAM Card w/Parrty 128K RAM Card w/Parit'y LIST PRICE OUR PRICE r memory cards 9 chips. arranty J i 50 $ 59 $ 495 $359 $ 495 $359 $ 555 $395 i! $ 595 $429 I92K add $192. for 256K RAM Card w/Par-ity MICROSOFT NXV. J. Big Blue, Z80 CPU plus five functions QPADRAM co,«»«,on Quadhoarti. 64 K expandable to 256K, 4 function board Quadboard I28K expandable to 256K. '4 function board Quad board. L92K expandable io 256K. 4 function board . 4f Quadboard, 256K 'our (unction board Mcrofazei, w/Copy, Par/Par. 8K, f*MP8 Mtcrota/er, w-'Copy. Par/Par; 64K, 3MP64 Mtcrofa^er. */Copy Par/Pat, 128K. #MP128 Microfazer, Snap-on 8H, Par/Par, Epson. #ME8 w/PSl Micr-ofaier, Snap on, 64K. Par /Par, Epson, #M£64, w/PSl All Microfazers are expandable (w/copy to 512K) (Snap-on $ 80 $ 50 $ 55 $1995 $1995 $2495 $2995 $ 195 $ 350 $ 525 $ 595 $ 7/5 $ 895 $ 995 $ 159 $ 299 $ 445 $ 159 $ 299 o64K) $ 65 $ 35 $ 45 $1495 $1495 $1895 $2295 $165 $259 $395 $659 $435 $565 $635 $670 $119 $235 $345 $145 $235 TG PRODUCTS, Joystick Control Data or landon DISK DRIVES, Double Sided 320K. Same as now supplied with IBM— PC Tested, bumed^n and wtth I each installation instructions 90 day warranty by us 2 or: more $650 $249 $ 650 $239 PRINTERS AND ACCESSORIES EPSON PRINTERS NEC. Dot Matrix. 8023 Printer F/T STAR MICRONICS, 9x9 Dot Matrix, lOOcps, 2 3K, Gemini 10" 9x9 Dot Matrix, 100cps.2 3K, Gemini 15" ANADEX, DP8000 Dot Matrix, 120cps, Serial & Cent Para. I/F IBM-PC to Epson or Star Micronics Cable Apple Interface and Cable for Epson or Gemini Grappler* by Orange Micro, specify printer Apple Graphics Dump Program MICRO TEK. Apple Dumpling GX, Graphics Printer Interface with Cable Apple Dumpling 64. Buffered 64K Spooler with Cable LETTER QUALITY - DAISY WHEEL PRINTERS: OLYMPIA, ES100, Printer/Typewriter, complete with serial interfacing to the Apple II or IBM-PC * COMREX, Comnter CR-1. RS232 Serial l/F, 200 wpm Comnter Tractor Feed for CR-1 SMITH-CORONA, TPI Printer /Typewriter, specify serial or parallel TPI Tractor Feed CALL $ 695 $ 499 $ 649 $ 995 $ 60 $ 95 $ 165 $ 15 $1735 $1199 $ 118 CALL $525 $385 $495 $495 $ 45 $ 59 $119 S 9 $1295 $845 $ 99 $579 $129 SUPPLIES: Tractor Feed Paper, Ribbons, Heads, Qume Daisy Wheels & Ribbons. $ 899 $ 149 8" CP/M-80 BUSINESS* SYSTEM SOFTWARE LIST * PRICE ASHTON-TATE, dBase II with User's Guide by Software Banc $ 730 COMSHARE TARGET. Target PlannerCalc $ 99 INFOCOM, Deadline $ 60 Zork I or Zork II or Zork III or Starcross, each $ 50 ISM, MatheMagic $ 100 MICROCRAFT, Legal Billing & Time Keeping $ 750 Prof. Billing & Time Keeping — Billkeeper $ 750 w MICROPRO. WordStar® plus free WordStar Training Manual $ 495 MailMerge 7 ' SpeliStar 1 < 3 Pak, Word & Mail & Spell, 3 above InfoStar ReportStar MICROSOFT"" 011 " NEW! NEW Fortran 80 BASIC Compiler COBOL-80 BASIC-80 muLisp/muStar-80 M-Sort-80 Edit 80 Macro-80 OASIS. The Word Plus (45.000 word verification) PEACHTREE. Magic Wand Series 4 GL, AR, AP or Inventory, each Series 8 GL, AR, AP. Inv or Pay. each Series 9 Peach Text Series 9 Spelling Proofreader Series 9 Cafe Mail List or Telecomm., each $ 250 $ 250 $ 845 $ 495 $ 350 $ 275 $ 500 $ 395 $ 750 $ 350 $ 200 $ 195 $ 120 $ 200 $ 150 $ 500 $ 600 $ 750 $ 500 $ 300 $ 375 OUR PRICE $439 $ 39 $ 45 $ 39 $ 75 $395 $395 $249 $159 Call Call $335 $235 $199 $325 $295 $545 $275 $145 $145 $ 80 $145 Call $195 $395 $495 $330 $195 S24 r MONITORS NEC, 12" Green, Model JB1201M 12" Color. Composite, Model JC1212M TAXAN, RGB vision SANYO, 9" B&W, Model VM4509 9" Green. Model DM5109 12" Green, Model DM81 12CX 13" Color, Composite, Model DM6013 ZENITH. 12" Green, Model ZVM121 AMDEK. 12" Green #300 13" Color I, Composite 13" Color II. RGB, Hi Res (Ap. II. Ill & IBM-PC) 13" Color III, RGB, Commercial. (Ap, II, III) DVM, Color I! or 111 to Apple II Interface Note: Color II and III come with cable tor IBM-PC $ 249 $ 450 $ 399 $ 190 $ 200 $ 260 $ 470 $ 150 $ 200 $ 449 $ 899 $ 569 $ 199 $159 $349 $339 $149 $139 $199 $349 $11° $159 $359 $799 $469 $175 MODEMS AND TELE COMMUNICATIONS TERMINAL HAYES, Micromodem II (for the Apple II) $ 379 $275 Apple Terminal Program for Micromodem II $ 99 $ 69 MICR0C0M, Micro Courier for Apple II $ 250 $125 Micro Telegram for Apple II $ 250 $125 SSM, Transcend 1 for Apple II Data Comm. $ 89 $ 69 NOVATION. Applecat II Modem $ 389 $269 212 Apple Cat $ 725 $599 HAYES. Stock Chronograph [RS-232J $ 249 $189 Stock Smartmodem (RS-232) $ 289 $225 Smartmodem 1200 (RS-232) $ 699 $535 Micromodem 100 (S 100 bus) $ 399 $275 SIGNALMAN. Modem MKI (RS-232) $ 99 $ 79 IBM-PC to Modem Cable $ 39 $ 29 AXLON.Datalmk 1000 Hand Held CommunicationsTerminal $ 399 $325 * XORVCIS SYSTEMS + 6 Meg Hard Disk, w/o interface $2395 $1895 . # 11 Meg Hard Disk, w/o interface $3195 $2695 * 20 Meg Hard Disk, w/o interface $4195 $3495 IBM PC Interface (IBM DOS). Manual & Cable 5 $ 300 $239 Mirror built in for easy backup $ 790 $595 Apple Interface. Manual & Cable 5 $ 300 $239 Omni Disk Server for Apple II (Special) $ 990 $495 Omni Transporter Card Apple II (Special) $ 495 $275 Omni Junction Box Set (Special) $ 39 $ 25 Other Interfaces. Omni-Net Constellation. Mirror. All in Stock. tVJ H/P 75C Portable Computer, 48K, load to 168K Call for H/P 75 Portable Computer Software & Peripherals. H/P 7470A Graphics Plotter H/P 4 1C Calculator H/P 41CV Calculator with 2 2K Memory Full 41 accessory and software in stock. Call. $ 995 $795 $1550 $1195 $ 195 $149 $ 275 $219 Portland. OR Cash 8 Carry Outlet, 11507 D SW Pacific Hwy.. Terrace Shop- ping Center, Portland. OR. Over-the-counter sales only. On 99W between Rte, 217 and Interstate 5. Open Mon.-Sat. 10-6. Call 245-1020. Annrni i,A mrnniiJiTinii Aim rrnilP. All Mail: P.O. Box 23068, Portland, OR 97005 OR DERI Mb INrUKMAIlUN ANU ItKMb. AH items usually in stock We immediately honor Cashiers Checks, rVloney Orders. Fortune 1000 Checks and Government Checks. Personal or Company Checks allow 20 days to clear. No C.O.D. Add 3% for VISA or MC. Include telephone number. Add 3' : v- for shipping. insurance and handling (S l&H) with $5 minimum. UPS ground is standard so add 3& more for UPS Blue with $10 minimum Add 12% total torS.I&H for US Postal, APO or FPO with $15 minimum For Hawaii. Alaska and Canada, UPS is in someare3S only, all others are Postal so call, write, or specify PO Foreign orders except Canada for S l&H add 18% or $25 minimum except for monitors add 30-> or $50 minimum. Prices subject to change and typo errors, so call to verify Ail goods are new, include factory warranty and are guaranteed to work Due to our low prices, all sales are final. Call before returning goods for repair or replacement Orders received with insufficent S l&H charges will be refunded. ORDER DESK HOURS 8 to 6 PST. M-f and 10 to 4 Sat. 1 PM here is 4 PM in NY Ann nrrrnrnorr We have been a computer dealer since 1978 and in mailorder since 1980 Banks: First Interstate Bank, (503) 776-5620 and Jefferson OUR RErERtNUto: State Bank. (503) 773-5333. We belong to the Chamber of Commerce, (503) 772-6293, or call Dun & Bradstreet if you are a subscriber Computer Exchange is a division of O'Tech Group. Inc 200 BYTE April 1983 Professional LOW PR ICES TO PROFESSIONALS WHO KNOW WHAT THEY WANT AND KNOW HOW cippkz ii ii supply center Apple lie, 128K. 80 col. Call for prices. HARDWARE for Apple II SOFTWARE on disk for Apple ll/ll +/IIE DISK DRIVES for APPLE HVIIe EE3 «. 5 1 *". 143K Disk Drive $ 479 $299 Controller Card for A2 Drive $ 100 $ 79 MKIRO-SCr A40, 5V. 160K Disk Drive $ 449 $339 A?0, 514". 286K Disk Drive $ 599 $459 Controller for A40 or A 70 $ 100 $ 79 Frier, Disk Utility Software $ 20 $ 15 VISTA Sold, 5". 143K Disk Drive, Std. Height $ 300 $249 Duet, 5". Double Sided. 320K. Half Height $ 420 $329 Quartet 5", 2 Duets Side by Side or Standard Cabinet $ 715 $575 Controller Card for above, fully Apple Compatible J 89 $ 75 VlOOODualS", Std Format w/Controtler, Complete $2195 $1495 V1200. 5". 6MB Disk Pack System $1549 $1199 TEAC Super- 5, 1 43 K Disk Drive, Half Height Call Ctll Super-5, Controller Card, Fully Apple Compatible 1 89 $ 75 ComX RAM Card I6K ALS, ADDRarn 16K Microsoft. RAMCard 16K Saturn Systems, RAM Card 32K RAM Card 64K Anion. RAM Card 128K RAM Disk System 320K 80 COLUMN VIDEO CARDS ALS, Smarterm II $ 179 $131 Dirt Cheap Video $ 89 $ 69 Videx, Videoterm $ 345 $229 Vista, Vision 80 $ 395 |jj| MISCELLANEOUS * ALS. The CP/M Card $ 399 $299 Z-Card $ 169 S129 16K ADDRarn Special $ 149 S 79 Synergizer w/S'caic ♦ Condor $ 749 $529 Color II $ 179 $139 Ailon, 320K RAM Disk System $1395 $995 ASTAR, RF Modulator $ 35 $ 25 CCS. Serial Interface 7710A $ 150 $129 Other CCS Cards in stock Call Call Dan Paymar, Lower Case Chips $ 50 $ 39 Don't Ask, DA0-003 S.A. Mouth $ 125 $ 85 4f Eastside. Wild Card, copier $ 130 S 99 Kensington, System Saver $ 90 $ 69 Kraft. Joystick $ 65 $ 49 Paddle $ 50 $ 39 w M&R. Sup R fan $ 50 S 39 * Microsoft. Z80 Sottcard $ 345 $245 *f Softcard Premium Pacli$ 695 $495 Z80 Sottcard Plus $ 645 $459 16K RAMCard $ 100 $ 89 Micro T«k, Dumpling GX. Graphics Printer l/F $ 249 $169 DumDltng 64, Buffered 64K Spooler $ 349 $239 Mountain, CPS Multifunction Card $ 239 $199 Orange Micro. Grappler Plus $ 165 $119 Practical Peripherals, 'MBS 8K Serial {Epson] $ 159 $129 MBP 16K Para (Epson) $ 159 $129 Microbuffer II 16K. (specify) $ 259 $209 Microbufter II 32K. (specify) $ 299 $229 PCPI, Apph-Card, 14 features. * 6 Mhz $ 595 $435 RH Electronics. Super Fan II $ 75 $ 59 SSM. A10-1 1 .Senal/Para Interfaces 225 $169 T6 Products. Game Paddles $ 40 S 29 Joystick $ 60 $ 45 Select APort $ 60 $ 45 Trak Ball $ 65 $ 44 * Videx. Videoterm 80 col, $ 345 $229 Soft Video Switch $ 35 S 25 Enhancer II $ 149 $ 99 Function Strip $ 79 $ 59 PSI0, Para/Ser Interface $ 229 $169 Full Videx Line, Call, Up to 35% off. WICO. Trackball $ 80 $ 55 LIST PRICE Apple Computer. Inc. The Controller GL, AR. AP $.625 Apple Fortran $ 200 How to! (Educational) $ 50 Apple Logo $ 175 50 % off other Apple Inc software Applied Soft Tech.. VersaForm $ 389 Artsci. MagicWindow II New' $ 150 Ashton-Tate. dBase II (CP/M) with User's Guide by Software Banc $ 730 Continental. GL. AR. AP or PR ea. $ 250 1st Class Mail $ 75 Home Accountant $ 75 Hayden. Pie Writer (Specify brd) $ 170 + High Tech.. Job Cost System Info Master Howard Soft, Real Estate Analyzer II Tax Preparer Info. Unlim., Easywnter (PRO) L j K. L ett er Perfect w /Mail Merge $ 150 Micro Craft, (CP/M) if Professional Billkeeper Legal Billing & Timekeeping * Verdict, (Legal Billing) Micro Lab. Tax Manager $ 750 S 189 $ 195 $ 150 S 175 $ 750 $ 750 $ 750 Call Micro Pro, (all CP/M) InfoStar $ 495 ReportStar $ 350 WordStar* + Training Manual $495 MailMerge™ $ 250 SpellStar™ $ 250 SPECIAL! All 3 above $ 895 Data Star ™ $ 295 Microsoft, Multi-Plan (CP/M) $ 275 Multi-Plan (DOS 3 3) New! $ 275 Muse. Super Text 40/80 $ 175 Super Text 40/56/70 New! $ 125 a> On-Line, Screenwriter i, $130 The Dictionary New! $ 100 General Manager II New! $ 230 Osborne/C.P. Soft. (Disk and Book) af Some Common Basic Programs 75 Business, Statistics and Math programs for the Apple II $ 100 *> Practical Basic Programs 40 more very valuable programs beyond "Some Com BasicProg" $ 100 Peachtree. Requires CP/M and M8ASIC Specify Videoterm or 40 columns Series 40 GL & AR & AP, all 3 $ 595 Series 40 Inv. or Pay., ea $ 400 Series 9 Text 4 Spell & Mail. all3 $ 595 Series 80 GL & AR & AP, Videx $ 595 OUR PRICE $299 $159 $ 25 $149 Call $265 $ 99 $439 $169 $ 49 $ 49 $ 99 $350 $119 $129 $ 99 $119 $ 99 $395 $395 $395 Call $329 $229 $199 Call Call Call Call $175 $175 $129 $ 95 $ 89 $ 69 $155 $ 49 $ 49 $395 $275 $395 $395 LIST PRICE Perfect, Perfect Writer $ 389 Perfect Speller $ 189 Perfect Filer $ 289 Quality. GBS w/3 gen (a DBMS) $ 650 Sensible. Sens Speller, specify $ 125 + Silcon Valley, Word Handler $ 250 Sof./Sys.. Executive Secretary $ 250 Executive Speller $ 75 * Solidus, Stockfile $ 600 Software Dimensions/System Plus, Acctg. Plus, Genera! Ledger $ 425 Acctg Plus, GL AP and A/A $ 995 Acctg Plus, above + Inventory $1395 Software Publishing, PFS II $ 125 Report $ 95 GraDh $ 125 Southeastern Data Capture, call to specify STC. The Creator NEW 1 * Stoneware, DB Master DB Utility I or II Videx. 4JL Applewnter II preboot disk Visicalc to 64K preboot disk Viscalcto 176K preboot disk VisiCorp/Personal Software, ** Visicalc 3.3 VisiDex Special* VisiFile $ 200 $ 229 $ 99 S 250 $ 250 $ 250 OUR PRICE $239 $139 $179 $475 $ 85 $139 $169 $ 55 $350 $295 $595 $775 t 85 $ 65 $ 85 $139 $155 $ 69 $ 15 $ 39 $ 69 $179 $150 $179 UTILITY & DEVELOPMENT Beagle. Utility City $ 30 S 22 DOS Boss $ 24 $ 18 Apple Mechanic New 1 $ 30 $ 22 Central Point Software * Filer, DOS Utility $ 20 $ 15 *> Copy H Plus (bit copier) $ 40 $ 35 Epson, Graphics Dump $ 15 $ 9 Insoft. GraFORTH by Paul Lutus $ 75 $ 59 TransFORTH II by Paul Lutus S 125 $ 99 Microsoft, AIDS $ 125 $ 75 BASIC Compiler S 395 $299 Cobol 80 S 750 $559 Fortran 80 $ 195 $149 TASC Compiler $ 175 $159 4>. Omega, Locksmith (bit copier) $ 100 $ 75 Penguin, Comp.GraphicsSys. New! $ 70 $ 53 Graphics Magician New 1 $ 60 $ 41 Phoenix, Zoom Grafi* $ 40 $ 29 Quality. Bag of Tricks New! $ 40 $ 29 Saturn Systems, VC Expand S 100 $ 49 VC- Expand 80 S 125 $ 69 Sensible. Back It Up, (bit copier) $ 60 $ 49 Ad #963 THE WORLD'S LARGEST COMPUTER MAIL ORDER FIRM Computer Exchange ALL MAIL: P.O. Box 23068, Portland, OR 97005 SHOWROOM AT 11507D SW PACIFIC HWY., PORTLAND, OR, OPEN M-F 10-6 Circle 96 for IBM Peripherals, Circle 97 for Apple, Circle 98 for all others ■pat WHILE THEY LAST^ • OVERSTOCK SPECIALS • FOR APPLE 11/11+ ComX 16K RAM Card, 2 Vr Warranty $ 1 79 Kicrosoft 16K RAMCard $ 195 Saturn Systems. 32K RAM Card $ 249 Anion. 128K RAM Card w/preboot $ 475 Videx Videoterm, 80 column card $ 345 CCS, Serial Interface 7710A $ 150 Centronics Interface 7728 Calender Clock 7424A Centronics Interface 7720B Mtcro-Sci. A40, 5W\ 160K Disk Drive A70, 5 ! 4 ". 286K Disk Drive Controller Card for A40 or A 70 Micro Pro. WordStar* (CP/M) Below for ALS Smarterm CP/M. Includes 5"x8" manuals: Condor. Condor Jr for ALS Smarterm (CP/M) $ 195 Soreim. Supercalc for ALS Smarterm (CP/M) $ 295 $ 110 $ 120 S 120 $ 449 $ 599 $ 100 S 495 $49 $ 89 $169 $375 $229 $129 $ 85 $ 95 $ 95 S339 $459 $ 79 $199 $ 59 $ 99 7 to Month Dll /O Urr WMle They Last VIC 20 Hardware and Software ATARI, 400 and 800 Peripherals and Software KIC, 8001 Hardware and Software XC80X 820 Computer System, with Drives Monitor and CP/M, was $3,695. now $1,495 ANADEX. DP8000, Dot Matrix Printer, $495 HOME & EDUCATION LIST OUR PRICE PRICE Broderbund, Apple Panic $ 30 $ 21 Arcade Machine $ 45 $ 40 Cnopltfter New! $ 35 $ 26 Many others Call Budgeco, Raster Blaster $ 29 $ 22 Continental, Home Accountant $ 75 $ 49 Datamost. Snack Attack $ 30 $24 Datasoft, Canyon Climber New! $ 30 $ 23 Edu-Ware. Several in stock Call Call Auto. Simulations, Introductory 3-Pack $ 50 $35 Hayden. Saigon II (Chess) $ 35 $ 29 Infocom. Deadline $ 50 $ 38 Insoft. Electric Duet by Lutus $ 30 $ 25 * Zargs New! $ 35 $27 Spider Raid New! $ 30 $ 24 Lightning. Mastertype $ 40 $ 29 Microsoft, Olympic Decathlon $ 30 $ 24 Typing Tutor II $ 25 $ 15 Muse, Robot War $ 40 $ 29 Castle Wolfenstein $30 $ 23 On-line, Frogger New! $ 35 $25 * Ultima II $ 55 $ 40 Softporn (X Rated) $ 30 $ 22 Piccadilly. Warp Destroyer $ 30 $23 Sirius, Gorgon $ 40 $ 29 Sir-Tec. Wizardry $ 50 $ 39 Knight of Diamonds. New! $ 35 $ 26 Sub Logic. Flight Simulator $ 34 $ 25 Pinball $ 30 $ 23 Strategic, Southern Command $ 60 $ 45 OTHER BRANDS IN STOCK. CALL. • Means a BEST buy. M A LU IM The Leader in Atari Add-on's ARampower 128K System (tor the Atari 800) $ 475 $350 Rampower 48K Module ,.* .... (for 400) $ 185 $135 ATARI Rampower 32K - (for the Atari 400 or 8.00) $ 120 $ 89 free with arjavre 3: Ram scan. Diagnostic Diskette. ORDER DESK TOLL FREE (800) 547-1289 All Other Orders Including Oregon: 245-6200 Hot Lines For Information On Your Order (503) 245-1030 or 245-7404 BYTE April 1983 201 THE INFORMATION AROUND THE OUTSIDE DOES NOT SCROLL Figure 5; In NAPLPS, some fields of the display screen can be scrolled; others remain stationary. window is completely mapped to the viewport, which is mapped to the character field on the screen. Figure 4 illustrates this mapping. Because the character field can cover an area from one pixel (picture element) to the entire screen, a scaling effect is achieved. The DRCS capability is another method for reducing the transmission time of data sent from the host. In ap- plications that require many special symbols, the symbols can be defined, given a name, and referenced with only 1 byte— even for a symbol that may require hundreds of bytes of definition. By replacing the hundreds of bytes with a single one, the transmission is compressed to the point that the users think they are connected to the host by a high-speed link. Two popular methods of handling DRCS in terminals are available. The first method cuts the template as soon as the DRCS is defined. When the DRCS is requested, the previously cut template is retrieved and handled like any other character-definition template. The templates are usually stored on 8 by 8 or 16 by 16 grids in- ternally in the terminal. The second method for handling DRCS is to store the graphics com- mands themselves. No template is cut. When a DRCS is requested, the template is cut in a size appropriate for the current character field. The template may be 32 by 32, or even 256 by 256 for full-screen DRCS. Once this template is cut, it is mapped to the display screen using the spray- paint concept. The primary difference between these two methods appears in the areas of speed and resolution. The first method is good when DRCS characters must be displayed very fast and with minimum resolution. If the DRCS is scaled to a much larger size, however, a crude image results from the precut template. The crude image results from the fact that some of the information may be lost when the cutting is performed, especially if the template is very small. The second method preserves all the information by maintaining the DRCS definition in its original form. If a large DRCS is requested (i.e., the character field is large), all the original information can be used to draw the character. The disadvantage of this method is that the original definition has to be decoded each time the DRCS is requested. This can be quite time consuming for a DRCS that contains several hundred bytes of definition. These two methods are not the only ways of handling DRCS. As with most features of NAPLPS, no restriction is placed on the method of implementation. The cleverness of the implementation will determine how much of the original information is transferred to the user. The appro- priate time, space, and cost trade-offs have to be made in choosing imple- mentation strategies. These decisions, of course, will help differentiate various companies' products. It would be an extremely boring world if NAPLPS were so restrictive that every terminal looked and performed exactly the same. Fields The last advanced feature to be dis- cussed here is Fields. Fields are logical rectangular areas defined on the unit screen by the Field command (3/8). These areas are not visible to the user. Only one active field exists although, as will be seen, multiple fields can be defined as long as they do not overlap. Fields are used in a variety of ways in NAPLPS. A common use of the Field capabil- ity is for setting margins. The Field command is used to establish the cur- rent active field, which is normally the entire screen. Each time a text character is placed on the screen, an internal cursor position is updated. If the boundaries of the field are ex- ceeded, the cursor is moved to the other edge of the field in a manner compatible with most data terminals. If the cursor moves beyond the top or bottom of the field, a feature called partial screen scrolling comes into play. If scrolling is enabled, only the information inside the field is scrolled. The information around the field is not changed. Figure 5 attempts to show this concept. Fields are also used to establish an area for high-resolution image dis- play. The Incremental-Point com- mand (3/9) can be used to specify the color information for each point in- side a given field. In applications like real-estate listings, these features can be used to combine a photographic- like picture of a house with textual in- formation concerning the same. Figure 6 illustrates a result that can be obtained. But the most important use of the Field capability is for user input in systems such as videotex. As de- scribed in part 1, users are given one or more blank "sheets of paper'' on their screen. The Field command is used to define where these sheets are placed. When these so-called unprotected fields are placed on the screen, the 202 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc ICRO, INC. HIGH TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS & SERVICE FROM THE HIGH COUNTRY •••* MILE-HIGH SAVER •*•* TEAC half-height 320K DISK DRIVE * IBM-PC HARDWARE PRINCETON GRAPHICS SYSTEM PGS HX12 RGB Color Monitor THE High resolution Monitor for your IBM -PC 100% IBM Compatible, includes cable 690 Dots Horizontal Resolution CALL QUARDRAM CORPORATION Quadboard Multifunction Board Full expandability from 64K to 256K Parallel Printer Port Asynchronous RS232 Serial Modem Port Programmable clock /calendar Ram Disk Drive (software) 64K starts at $429.00 Microfazer Printer Spooler Print Buffering from 8K to 64K One Model goes to 51 2K 1 Any printer /computer combo Why wait on your printer? (All prices include power supply) 8K Epson Snap-On . . $13900 8K par to par w/copy . . . $149 00 8K ser to par w/copy . . . $169.00 8K ser to ser w/copy . . . $1 79.00 8K par to ser w/copy ... . $169 00 DAVONG SYSTEMS Hard Disk Drive / Can be interna! Complete package includes: Drive, controller , power supply, software and documentation. 5, 1 0, or 1 5 meg 5 meg . . , , $1 594.00 THE XEDEX FAMILY Baby Blue" CPU Plus Get CP/M + 64K of main memory TANDON TMtOO-2 industry Standard 320K Drive Fully IBM Compatible ONLY $259.00 MAYNARD ELECTRONICS Floppy Disk Controller Card Parallel or Serial Port w/parallel S229.0C w/senat $259 0C CORONA DATA SYSTEMS Hard Disk — 5 or 1 meg Seagate Technology w/Data Guard Comes Initialized! ROS networking available 16 operating systems in dynamic partitions. Includes CP/M and Pascal extensions 5 meg ... $1539.00 10 meg . . $1969 0C COLUMBIA DATA SYSTEMS IBM compatibility in a Multi-User 16 bit computer 128K, two serial ports, parallel port and 8 exp slots. Runs MS-DOS, CP/M 86 or MP/M 86. OASIS 16 CALL IBM COMPATIBLE PUT TWO IN ONE SLOT! HIGH RELIABILITY 5V«" FD55B ONLY DS/DD « LOW POWER DRAIN ^ QUIET *^r***^** $279.00 ***^n^**;^r- HIGH TECH OF THE MONTH STB SYSTEMS, INC. "Super-RIO" T " Card THE TRULY ULTIMATE IBM PERIPHERAL EIGHT FUNCTIONS ON ONE BOARD • 64-256K • Add 64-51 2K w/ -Super RiO Piggyback ' • (Optional — Fits on Super RIO - Up to 768K) • Two RS232 ports • One parallel port • Game port (Apple or IBM joysticks) • Up to 64 K printer spooler • RAM disk drive • clock/calendar TRULY A WINNER! Calf tor Price Simply Th€ B«*t! IBM-PC SOFTWARE BUSINESS & PERSONAL Applied Software Tech., Ve rsa f orm $319 00 A»hton Tele. D BASE n. Requires PC-DOS & 1 28K $469.00 Continental, Home Accountant Plus $109.00 Denver Software, EASy™ $549 00 Eagle Software, Money Decisions . . $145.00 Howard SOFT, FED. TAX Preparer . $120 00 Easy Writer II .... $245 00 Easy Planner ,. . $143.00 Easy Speller .... $128 00 Easy Filer $295 00 Micro Lab, The Tax Manager $189.00 Micro Pro, WordStar . CALL Peachtree, GL. AR. AP $372.00 Sordm, Supercalc $220.00 Superwrifer . . $294.00 Vlaicorp, Visicaic 256K $1 99.00 Visidex $19900 Visitrend/Visiplot $232 00 Visifiles $232 00 GAME SOFTWARE/HARDWARE Auto. Simulations, Oil Barons $74 00 i emple of Apshai $29.00 Curse of Ra $15.00 Avalon Hill, Galaxy $1 9.00 Midway Campaign $1 6.00 Funtaattc, Snack Attack II $29.00 Infocom, Deadline $37.00 Starcross $29 00 Zork I, II, III, each $29.00 Innovative Designs, Pool 1.5 $25.00 Microsoft, Flight Simulator $39 00 Slerra-On Une, Ulysses $29.00 Crossfire $22 00 Sirfus, Gorgon $29.00 Spinnaker, Snooper Troops, 1 or 2, ea $35.00 Story Machine or Face Maker $25 00 MAR Enterprises, Super Mod $55.00 TAG, Joysticks $45.00 TrakBall $47.00 Tech, Adam & Eve Paddles $29 0C APPLE/FRANKLIN HARDWARE • * * * FOURTH DIMENSION SYSTEMS • • • • DISK-DRIVE PRICE BREAKTHROUGH SUPER DRIVE — Plug-In Apple Compatible Add-On PLUS one box of Elephant Diskettes SS/DD $269.00 WITH CONTROLLER, ADD $55 00 WITH CONTROLLER. DOS & MANUAL, ADD $90.00 RANA SYSTEMS Elite Series 300% faster than Disc II Advanced write -protect features Exclusive centering cone-gentler, more accurate Elite I (up to 1 63K) $289.00 Elite II (326K) $469.00 Elite III (652K) $609.00 Four Drive Controller $99.00 MICROSCI: A2 — 1 00% Apple Compatible Proven performance Add-On Drive CALL Drive w/controller CALL VISTA COMPUTER CO., INC. PRESENTS THE V1200: Removable mass storage for your Apple 1 6 meg (formatted) per cartridge Comes complete w/dnve, cable, controller. software and one 6 meg Vistapak cartridge. All for only $11 95.00 FRANKLIN ACE — THE APPLE II+/IIE ALTERNATIVE ACE 1000 Upper and Lower Case Automatic Repeat Numeric Keypad Larger power supply with fan 64K on mother board CALL for Special package price ACE 1200 Move over HE 128K RAM on Board 80 columns Z80 Chip for CP/M Built-in drive, built-in color Serial and parallel interface CALL for price w,' monitor' CALL FOR LOW APPLE SOFTWARE PRICES PRINTERS DOT MATRIX C. ITOH Prownter I - par CALL Prownter II - par $699.00 EPSON FX 80 : CALL IDS, Prism & Mtcroprism , CALL OKIDATA 82A $419 00 83A $689.00 84 par $1 055.00 92 par CALL 93 par CALL STAR MICRONICS Gemini 10 , CALL Quantex 7030 . , $1 695.00 LETTER QUALITY BROTHER HR-I $884.00 BYTEWRITER $599 00 C.ITOH Star writer F ■ 1 par 51 389 00 NEC 7710/7730 $229100 3550 IBM plug-in $1 899.00 MONITORS AMDEK, 300 Amber $159.00 300 Green $1 55 .00 310. A, G IBM including cable $179.00 Color I, composite $344.00 Color El RGB (IBM compatible) $744.00 BMC, Green $88.00 NEC, 1201 Hi-Res. Green $169,00 1201 Color composite $329 00 1 202 RGB (IBM compatible) $759.00 TAXAN, Amber $129 00 Green $119 00 RGB III (IBM compatible) $560.00 USI, Pi 3. Amber $155 00 ZENITH, Green Med -Res $118.00 DISKETTES & STORAGE ELEPHANT, 1 each 5% SS/DD $23.95 10 each 5'a DS/DD $34.95 VERBATIM, 1 each 5" 4 SS/DD $26 95 10 each 5'4 DS/DD $39 95 LIBRARY CASE, 5% $2 50 DISK BANK, 5Vx, interiockmg swivel $5.50 DISK FILE, 5 V Elephant The Trunk' '. . $21 .95 APPLE EXTRAS 16K RAM EXPANSION Microsoft $75 00 Microtek $72. 00 SO COLUMN CARDS Videx $249 00 Vista $225.00 Wesper Wizard 80 $169 00 PRINTER INTERFACES Microtek. RV61 1 C par $63 00 Dumpling GX w, graphics $105.00 Dumpling w, 16K Buffer $16000 Grappler + $1 1900 MODEMS HAYES Smartmodem 300 $21 1 00 Smartmodem 1 200 $535 00 Micromodem II $275 00 NOVATION CAT (Acoustic) $1 53 00 D-CAT $1 68 00 Auto Cat $219 00 Apple Cat II $273.00 21 2 module ( 1 200 baud for Apple Cat II) $354 00 212 Apple Cat il , $626 00 Rocky Mountain Micro, Inc. orde°r nal 1 «ftnfi-ftfi9-7ai Q MAIL ORDERS: 10890 E. 47th Ave. desk: ■ OUU OO^ # O I V Denver, Colorado 80239 IN COLORADO CALL: 303-371-2430 TERMS AND CONDITIONS: • Personal checks (allow 10 days to clear). VISA, MasterCard, wire transfers, include telephone number • COD orders accepted — $300 maximum — $10 surcharge • All products factory sealed with manufacturer's warranty. • PCs accepted from qualified customers. • Approval needed on all returns. * 10% restocking charge unless defective. • plus shipping * All Colorado residents add 3"?% sales tax. City and County of Denver residents additional 3% sales tax • Shipping Costs 2% UPS Ground: UPS Blue Label — rate quoted at time of order. • No foreign orders. • AH prices subject to change without notice. • tease/financing available • Telephone Order Desk Hours: 8 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday; 10 AM to 4 PM. Saturday, Mountain Standard Time CIRCLE 368 ON INQUIRY CARD FOR COMPLETE 'LINE CARD' YOUR SATISFACTION IS OUR BEST ADVERTISING WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL Circle 368 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 203 NO. 1356-82 $115,000 1234 Shady Lane 4 bdrm, 2 1/2 Bath, 2 Story Brick /Cedar Fireplace, Large Fenced Yard Figure 6: The Incremental-Point command can be used to specify the color information for each point inside a field. In an application such as real-estate listings, a photographic-quality picture of a house can be included with textual information. Figure 7: Input from a bit pad can be translated into a series of Incremental-Line in- structions and placed into an unprotected (user) field. user is allowed to enter information. The user can also edit the information with any local capabilities provided by the terminal. Once the informa- tion is entered, the user sends the con- tents of the field to the host. Any legal NAPLPS stream can be placed in a field. In the example shown in figure 7, a person has used a bit pad to put a signature in the field. When the field is eventually sent to the host, the contents of the field would be an Incremental-Line com- mand followed by a stream of data for the signature. If, on the other hand, the user had typed information into the field, the information would be sent to the host as characters from the Primary Char- acter Set. The information that is sent to the host is identified with the location and dimensions of the field. If multi- ple fields are set up, the host is sent data only from the fields that are modified by the user. The Field capability provided in NAPLPS is extremely versatile. In comparing this capability with the fields commonly found on data-pro- cessing terminals, you should note two items. First, the fields described here are true two-dimensional areas on the screen. This is quite different from the typical one-and-one-half- dimensional fields found on most ter- minals. Figure 8 illustrates this dif- ference. The other item of note is that NAPLPS places no restrictions on the user in regard to what type of infor- mation can be placed into a field. The DATA TRANSFER PROBLEMS? Your Simple Solution is REFORMATTer Diskette Conversion Software Avoids serial communication protocols. Needs only one system to transfer data- Converts source code and data files. * Allows 2-way transfer. •Quick, reliable , and inexpensive. VERSIONS Runs On Reads/Writes CP/M -* *-IBM3740 CP/M -m »-DECRT-11 CP/M-86* ^f>^ IBM 3740 TRSDOS II-* *-CP/M TRSDOS n^m »-DEC RT-1 1 DEC RT-1 1*-* *-CP/M CROMIX — »~DEC RT-1 1 PRICE: $249 *$350 , Requires 8" floppy drive. (415)324-9114 TWX : 9 1 0-370-7457 467 Hamilton Avenue, Suite 2. Palo Alto, Calif. 94301 204 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 286 on inquiry card. CP/M APPLE WordStar $269 WordStar MailMerge $369 dBASE II" $489 WordStar' dBASE II $749 SuperCalc $189 VisiCalc® $189 Multiplan $199 SuperWriter $249 Perfect Writer $289 InfoStar $299 A.L.S.™ Z-80 Card $129 CP/M Card $359 ASPEN SOFTWARE™ Grammatfk $ 60 Random House Proofreader $ 39 Random House Thesaurus $119 ASHTONTATE 1 " dBase II $489 COMPUTING'" Power $119 CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE'" Home Accountant CALL DIGITAL RESEARCH"* CBASIC $109 CB-80 Compiler $379 PASCAL/MT+ $259 Access Manager $225 CBASIC 86 $149 PASCAL/MT+ 86 $299 Concurrent CP/M 86 $259 FOX AND GELLER" Quickcode dUtil dGraph $229 $ 69 $229 HOWARDSOFT T " Tax Preparer (Apple) Tax Preparer {IBM) $179 $189 IUS™ tasywnter II Easyspeller II Easyfiler Financial Management Series $239 $139 $269 CALL LEX 1 SOFT'" Spellbinder $259 LIFETREE SYSTEMS™ Volkswriter $145 METASOFT™ Benchmark $379 MICROLAB™ Tax Manager $179 MICROPRO" Wordstar $269 Wordstar/MailMerge Wordstar/MailMerge/ Wordstar/lnfoStar InfoStar CalcStar DataStar Super Sort SpellStar ReportStar DataStar Update MICROSOFT™ Softcard Ram Card Videoterm (Videx™) All Three Above Multiplan Enhancer II (Videx'") BASIC 80 BASIC Compiler COBOL Compiler FORTRAN 80 Flight Simulator MfCROSTUF™ Crosstalk $369 SpellStar $509 $549 $299 $ 89 $179 $149 $149 $229 CALL $259 $ 89 $269 $509 $199 $119 $275 $295 $549 $349 $ 45 $135 OASIS™ The Word Plus Punctuation and Style ORGANIC™ Milestone PEACHTREE™ Series 4 PeachPak (GL, AR & AP) PERFECT SOFTWARE™ Perfect Writer Perfect Speller Perfect Writer/Speller Perfect Calc Perfect Filer All Four Perfect Products PICKLES AND TROUT™ CP/M for TRS Model II CP/M for TRS Model 16 Hard Disk SILICON VALLEY SYSTEMS'* Word Handler List Handler $129 $109 $269 $369 $289 $169 $389 $169 $279 $749 $169 $189 CALL $149 $129 SORCIM™ SuperCalc SuperWriter SpellGuard TCS ACCOUNTING™ Accounting Package (4 Modules) GL, AR, AP. PR or lnv..Mgmt, VISICORP" VisiCalc VisiTerm VisiDex VisiFile VisiSchedule VisiTrend/Plot Business Forecaster Desktop Planner FLOPPY DISKETTES (Boxes of Ten) $189 $249 $129 $289 $ 99 ea. $189 $ 85 $189 $249 $249 $249 $100 $249 (SS) (DS) $ 25 $ 25 $ 35 NOW, PAY LESS, AND GET GREAT SERVICE, TOO! If you're looking for rock- bottom prices and fast, personal service, take a close look at 800- SO FT WARE. Because we buy in volume, we're able to sell the products you want at prices that finally make some sense. But don't take our word for it. Compare prices and see for yourself! OUR SERVICE CANT BE BEAT. We take care of you like our business depends on it. Because it does. When you call 800-SOFTWARE, you get the fastest delivery available anywhere. Which means that every order is filled the day we get it. And that our unique Order Tracking System™ is on the job, keeping tabs on your order, every step of the way. Our giant inventory one of the largest in the United States also assures you of the fastest possible service. Everything's in stock so you don't have to wait. Technical support? Business software expertise? We've got it and it's the best you'll find anywhere. But, put us to the test. Let us prove what we've proven to satisfied customers around the world. That our prices are lower. That our service is better. That there really and truly is a difference. We look forward to your call. TO ORDER, CALL TOLL-FREE: 800-227-4587 In California, 800-622-0678 or 415-644-3611 CA residents add sales tax. OR WRITE: 800-SOFTWARE, INC. 3120 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705 Circle 1 on inquiry card. ^800-SOFTWARE) □ Purchase orders accepted. D Prompt UPS 3 day Blue Label. □ Call for shipping charges, free catalog, and other low software prices. □ Now open Mon. Sat. □ International and national dealer requests welcome. □ Quantity discounts available. □ Prices may change. ■=.'( '(ip\ri|>hl KOO-Sollwuri: MH.l BYTE April 1983 205 NAME J. SMITH ■*> ADDRESS | 122 MAPLE \ ~y YE. ^ £ NAME J. SMITH ADDRESS 122 MAPLE ST 1 1/2 DIMENSIONAL FIELDS 2 DIMENSIONAL FIELDS Figure 8: An example of the one-and-one-half-dimensional fields found in most ter- minal systems and the true two-dimensional fields possible with NAPLPS. NAPLPS has many other powerful features. It is impossible to cover all the features in the context of this series of articles. As I have indicated in the past, anyone who wants more information about NAPLPS, or who is interested in doing serious work with NAPLPS, should obtain a copy of the specification, Copies are available for $18 from X3 Secretariat CBEMA 311 First St., NW Washington, DC 20001 (202) 737-8888 options available to the user for entering information into fields become merely terminal-dependent features. Terminal manufacturers are thus able to provide unique input and editing facilities to distinguish their products. No facilities are available in NAPLPS to specify the type of data that can be entered into a field. Many data-processing terminals now forbid you to enter, for example, alphabetic information into a numeric field. In contrast; the spirit of NAPLPS is to allow free-form user input. Someday host computers may be- come smart enough to know that "100," "One hundred/' and "1 hun- dred" all mean the same thing. NAPLPS will be ready to accommo- date this capability when it becomes available. Next Month NAPLPS offers us a powerful new communications medium, one that should have a significant impact on the amount and the type of informa- tion we can exchange among our- selves. Next month, I will describe some of the advanced color capabil- ities and speculate on the ways in which NAPLPS will affect the personal-computer user.B 12 B&W MONITOR VI DEO 1 00 by AMDEK FACTORY 7fl35 WARRANTY *79» for APPLE 16K RAM CARD Language Transparent COEX FACTORY WARRANTY >69 95 5 1 /»"Floppy DISKETTES All Certified-100% Guaranteed BOX of 100. 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Edinger • Santa Ana, Calif. 92705 • 714/558-3972 Terms of Sale: Cash, Checks, Credit Cards, M.O., C.O.D. Calif, residents add 6% sales tax. 206 April 1983 © BYTE Publications lnc Circle 87 on inquiry card. All you dBASE II hotshots are about to get what you deserve. You've written all those slick dBASE II programs. Business and personal programs. Scientific and educational applications. Packages for just about every conceivable informa- tion handling need. And everybody who sees them loves them because they're so powerful, friendly and easy to use. But that's just not good enough. Uh-uh. Because now you can get the gold and the glory that you really deserve. Here's how. We've just released our dBASE II RunTime™ application development module. And it can turn you into an instant software publisher. The RunTime module condenses and encodes your source files, protecting your special insights and techniques, so you can sell your code without giving the show away. RunTime also protects your margins and improves your price position in the marketplace. If your client has dBASE II, all he needs is your encoded application. If not, all you need to install your application is the much less expensive RunTime module. We'll tell the world With your license for the dBASE II RunTime module, we provide labels that identify your program as a dBASE II applica- tion, and you get the benefit of all the dBASE II marketing efforts. We'll also provide additional "how to" information to get you off and running as a software publisher sooner. And we'll make your products part of our Marketing Referral Service. Besides put- ting you on our referral hotline, we'll publish your program descriptions and contact information in dBASE II Applied, a directory now in computer stores world-wide. Go for it. But we can't do any of this until we hear from you. For details, write RunTime Applications Development, AshtonTate, 10150 West Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230, Or better yet, just call (213) dBASE 204-5570. And get what you deserve today. ASHTON -WE Circle 485 on inquiry card. ©Ashton-Tate 1983. Monte Carlo Card THE DISTINGUISHABLE CARD FOR THE DISCERNING USER. FIVE FUNCTIONS ON A SINGLE BOARD • 64K to 1 Megabyte RAM Memory • ONE IBM Compatible Centronics Parallel Port • ONE IBM Compatible RS-232 Serial Port • Clock/Calendar (Perpetual Time Keeper) • Dual-Port Joystick Interface • Future Upgrade Option: Plug-On Direct Connect Modem • The Clock/Calendar has full alarm features and 1/100th second timing. This card is the Ultimate IBM Peripheral. See Your Local Dealer. Available NOW The Monte Carlo Card was ingeniously engineered to ensure that the maximum possible variety of the most sought-after features demanded by PC users was amassed upon a solitary board. 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Printer Hardcopy/ from Screen to Dot Matrix spooling at your fingertips Echo Printer, Full Screen or • Save processor time • Full input/output buffering Sub-Section SAVE • Background terminal • Rotation, Color Hue MONEY features Selection • Buffers all text • Easy for user • Shift PrtSc Graphic and graphics customization Dumps • Color on Prism 132/80 • Operates on EPSON/NEC/C-ITOH PRISM OKIDATA FOR YOUR IBM PC J IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Corp MBI and l-C-Magic are trademarks of Microcomputer Business Industries, Corp MinRnnnMPiiTFR B U S INE SS i.Mi]ik*i:i ac ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES: 1019 8TH STREET, GOLDEN, COLORADO 80401 (U.S_A TELEPHONE: (303) 279-8438 Circle 280 on inquiry card. TWX: 910-934-0191 » •-* ^V, : -^ Li jili =£ H ~E 03 (£> C Q_ O o > s O Q_ >,CQ 7>E(I ■• i II >,C0 CO ! o>^2 W- 1 ^SV LULU U cdOOOQLlQ Virtual Memory for Microcomputers Four New Memory-Management Chips Pave the Way Not too long ago, a microcomputer system with 32K bytes of memory was considered a luxury. Because memory was very expensive, you took great pains to squeeze, pack, and cram programs into the small amount of memory that you could af- ford. Today, however, you can buy 256K bytes for less than $500. And new 16- and 32-bit microcomputers feature directly addressable storage spaces that are 100 to 10,000 times larger than those found in 8-bit archi- tectures. Like the pauper who just became rich, how do you handle this vast wealth? Another drastic change in the microcomputer world deals with soft- ware. Multitasking operating sys- tems, high-level languages, and flexi- ble business software have become popular. The problem is now more complex: How do we take advantage of both the increased hardware power and the new complex software? Virtual-memory techniques offer About the Author Stephen Schmitt has worked for Hewlett- Packard and also taught at Michigan Techno- logical University, He is now doing a review of a version of the Ada programming language for microcomputers. Stephen Schmitt 2890 Sandhill Rd. Mason, MI 48854 one answer. Virtual memory is an automatic system for controlling very big memories. But special hardware functions are essential for building such a system. And now, single-chip memory-management units (MMUs) have been developed to provide these capabilities for microcomputers. In the first part of this article, I will introduce some of the basic concepts Virtual memory is a powerful concept. It allows you to consider main memory to be very large— much larger than its actual physical size. of virtual memory. Next, I'll compare and evaluate four MMU chips that have recently become available: Intel's iAPX 286, Motorola's MC68451, and Zilog's Z8010 and Z8015. [This survey does not include the National Semiconductor NS16082 MMU for the NS16032 microproces- sor. Because of its fairly recent in- troduction, the part was not evaluated for the review. The NS16082 is another interesting MMU that merits analysis.] Finally, I will discuss some implications and ap- plications of virtual memory in microcomputer systems. Program Folding Almost every computer system has several types of memory devices that differ in speed and storage capacity. A fundamental tenet of computer technology states that memory price is directly related to its speed. Storage hierarchies thus usually represent an effective compromise between a large, slow, inexpensive memory and a small, expensive one with high ac- cess speed. Familiar examples of this are systems with relatively small amounts of fast RAM (random-access read/write memory) and larger, slower, and cheaper disk-storage devices. Although the cost benefit of such a configuration is substantial, the effi- cient management of this structure presents a challenge. The movement of data between these two hierarchy levels should be minimal; otherwise, the access time for the slow memory will predominate over the speed of the fast memory. In a typical two- level system, main memory (MM) is 210 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc ~w I f C7 ea Specify Apple. IBM, or 8" CP/M for- mat. Popular Software dBASE tl by Ashton-Tate 449" SuperCalc by Sorcim 229" The Home Accountant IBM ...119" 1-2-3 Lotus - Pleas© call for details. Personal Investor IBM 129" The Tax Manager 1983 IBM 179" Flight Simulator IBM 35" Veraform for IBM 269" COMPJJ TER PRODUCTS COMMODORE 64 95 $429 Special Price COMMODORE 1541 Disk Drive .289" Datasette program recorder 65°° DATA 20 Z-80 & 80 column pac . . 229" CARDCO Centronics interface. . .79" Totl. Text Processor 35" Spritemaster 35" MicroSystem RS-232 interface . , .59" We carry a complete line of ac- cessories and software for the Com- modore. Please call ATARI 1200XL ,$679 95 Only ' ATARI 800 with 48K 519" ATARI 810 DISK DRIVE 429" ATARI LIGHT PEN by Symtec .129" Alien Voice Box 129''- File Manager Plus data base .... 79" We carry much more for Atari . Call Defender — Dig Dug Donkey Kong — Galaxian Pac Man — Centipede Qix — Star Raiders Missile Command — Miner 2049 YOUR CHOICE Only $39" ea. COLECOVlSIOn State-ofthe Art video game $187 50 Only ' Donkey Kong game included Expansion Mod I allows use of ATARI 2600 VCS games on ColecoVision: 75.00 Modems HAYES Smartmodem 300 219" HAYES Smart modem 1200 519" NOVATION J-CAT 0-300 baud . . 125°° ANCHOR Mark I 300 baud 94" ANCHOR Mark VIII 300/1200 ...339" 1? 4 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED We will accept the return of most items within 15 days ^^ of your receipt of the merchandise. At your request we c^ will repair, exchange, or issue a prompt refund. <=^S Understandably, software is not returnable. Please call I "^^ for more details. £§==■ To order please send money order or cashier's check. Personal checks 3 weeks to clear. Prices reflect 2% cash discount We accept VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Carte Blanche. Shipping, handling & insurance charges: add 3% of merchandise total (mm. $5.00). California residents add 6% sales tax. Foreign customers please call or write. Prices and availability subject to change without notice. All equipment is new and warranted by the manufacturer. 160 cps, 10" can EPSON MX-100 GEMINI 10 GEMINI 15 C. ITOH 8510 C. ITOH 1550 iage, 2K buffer Please call for prices Apple lie Please call for prices on Apple He system packages and other ac- cessories Call for Lowest Price. OKI DATA ML92 160 cps. 10 inch carriage, 80 columns Only$499 95 Tractor for ML 92 59" OKIDATA93 869" OKIDATA 82A with tractor 459" OKI DATA 84A par. w/tractor 999" Apple Disk Drives c \a\ Franklin Ace 100 S9 o\ drive w/cont roller $359 95 only < Forth Dimension MicroSci A2 MicroSci A2 with controller RanaElitel Rana Elite I w/controiler . . . Corona 5 megabyte hard disl .265" .299" ..369" .289" .389" .1895 00 TRANSTAR 315 Color Printer Prints 7 colors plus more than 30 shades, all in a single pass of the print head. And it's built by Seiko. Only $549 95 Letter Quality Printers C. ITOH F-10Starwriter40cps .1359" C. ITOH F-10 Printmaster55cps 1649" Daisywrtter 40 cps w/16 buffer .1249" NEC 3510 33 cps RS-232 serial .1449" NEC 3530 33 cps parallel 1589" FRANKLIN ACE 1000 & 1200 Apple II compatible computer — 64K, upper/lower case, and more! PLEASE CALL FOR DETAILS System packages at special prices. Apple II Accessories ALF 9 voice music card 159 s5 CCS 7710 Serial card 139" 16K Ram Card 59" GrapplerPius .129" PKASO interface 135 o<0 Wizard 80 column card 189" GDHayes MicroModem II by Hayes 269" NEC 3550 Spinwriter for IBM PC 00 Only $1995 It's Here! MICROSOFT MICROSOFT PREMIUM SYSTEM Includes: Z-80 SoftCard, 16K Ram- Card, Videx Videoterm, Softswitch, & CP/M User Guide by Adam Osborne. List 755.00 ■ . ° n, y Special _ . —»*,- Price $459 95 Z-80 SoftCard by Microsoft . 16KRamCard by Microsoft . 239" IBM Personal Computer Includes 64K, 2 DD/DS 320K drives, keyboard, color video card, & MS- DOS. PLEASE CALL FOR SYSTEM PRICES. Columbia MPC IBM PC compatible system Includes 128K, 2 DS/DD 320K drives keyboard, video card, MS-DOS & ■CP/M 86 software. Monitor not includ- ed. COMPLETE SYSTEM Only $3199.00 # corona IBM PC COMPATIBLE DESKTOP COMPUTER 128K 320K disk drives, 9" display, serial & parallel ports, and MS-DOS Under $2400 Please call for more details. # corona IBM PC COMPATIBLE PORTABLE 128K, 320K disk drives, 9" display, serial & parallel ports, and MS-DOS. Under $2300 Please call for more details IBM PC Accessories QUADRAM64K. .399" 128K..499" QuadBoard 192K .599" 256K .699" MICROSOFT 64K RamCard ... 249" New! MICROSOFT ComboCard CALL DAVONG 5MB plug-in hard disk .1595" AST ComboPlus with 64K 469" Joystick for i BM PC 59" TOLL FREE ORDERING National Computers Spring 1983 collection of State-of- the-Art computer merchandise is available now. You'll find hundreds of products, including computers, printers, video monitors, modems, and accessories for the Apple II, IBM PC, and CP/M systems, ail at the great prices you expect from us. It includes dozens of illustra- tions and some very informative comparison charts. For your copy send $1.00, which we will credit to your next order. Circle 118 on inquiry card. 800- 854- 6654 V/S4- master charge 1 NATIONAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS 8338 Center Drive, La Mesa, CA 92041-3791 ad #B4U ntonnotton on products, and order Inquiries can (619) 460-6502 Calif., Alaska, ft Hawaii Call (619) 698-8088 1000 to 5000 times faster than the magnetic disks used for secondary storage. Thus, disk accesses should be as infrequent as possible if we are to take advantage of the high speed of the main memory. Another problem is that the relatively small size of the main memory in most systems limits pro- gram size. An excessively large pro- gram must be broken into parts; each piece is loaded into main memory prior to its processing turn and returned to disk after execution. This technique is called folding or overlay- ing, and the task of folding programs is usually a job for the programmer. The problem is that the mechanics of defining separate program parts and adding code to control data transfer between main and secondary mem- ory are usually cumbersome tasks. Also, the additional folding code clouds program logic. Compilers and linkers can simplify the task, but you must still design the overlay frame- work. Despite these difficulties, however, folding operations are common. In fact, the word processor I'm using to write this article applies the concept twice. First, the program is too big to fit completely into memory and is divided into three overlays. Second, only a portion of my large text file resides in memory at a given time — the rest is stored on disk. As you can imagine, manual fold- ing consumes considerable time and effort (as much as 25 to 40 percent of programming costs). But there is a way we can take advantage of the benefits of large, sophisticated pro- grams without spending a tremen- dous amount of time manually fold- ing them to fit into small memory spaces. Virtual Memory: Definition Computer facilities that automati- cally fold programs and data between two or more memory levels are called virtual-memory systems. Virtual memory is a powerful concept. With it, you can consider main memory to be very large, much larger than its ac- tual physical size. Intermediate files, overlays, and many file-access proce- dures are no longer necessary. Pro- gram logic is simpler and is focused on problem solutions, not critical resource management. The objective of virtual memory is straightforward: to permit programs with very large address spaces to run at MM speeds. In virtual systems, main memory serves as a window (or group of windows) onto the entire ad- dress space held in secondary mem- ory. If the window is big enough, and if it accurately reflects the active part of total memory, the technique works extremely well. The reason for this is that programs tend to access small portions of mem- ory over fairly long periods of com- puter time. This is called clustering or locality of reference. Code loops and manipulations of a data structure are examples of clusters or programs with good locality. A virtual system must detect and maintain in main memory only the working set of a program, Address space in a typical virtual system ranges from 1 6 megabytes to 64 gigabytes, enough to handle very ambitious programming projects. that is, those locations with high ac- tivity. As activity gradually shifts to other memory regions, these areas of secondary storage are automatically accessed and brought into main mem- ory. As you might imagine, a high rate of secondary-storage access will severely degrade performance. This is known as thrashing. Benefits Let's examine the benefits of virtual-memory management. Fore- most, it removes the limit on program size imposed by main-memory size. Address space in a typical virtual system ranges from 16 megabytes to 64 gigabytes— large enough, I dare say, to handle even the most am- bitious programming project! And virtual systems offer other advan- tages: • Main memory is allocated automat- ically according to the demands made by a program. The user does not have to estimate memory allocation prior to execution. • Manual folding is eliminated and replaced, in part, by high-speed hard- ware. Thus, programming costs tend to be lower. • Programs execute correctly regard- less of actual main-memory size. But note that the execution speed may be affected if the fast store is too small to meet average memory requirements. • Relocation and task switching are enhanced indirectly. • Multiprogramming environments have greater flexibility. The problem of deciding the optimal placement of programs in a fixed-size memory is reduced. More programs can execute concurrently because only the active portion of each occupies main mem- ory. While this may induce less effi- cient use of the total addressable space, more effective use of the main memory is achieved. Having outlined the motivation for virtual storage, we are ready to ex- plore basic components of system design. The memory -control process must be transparent to normal opera- tion and relatively efficient. On face value, you might doubt if reasonable performance is possible, but research into virtual-memory behavior clearly demonstrates the concept's potential (see reference 2). I hope to show that some practical systems can also have a remarkably simple design. Virtual-Memory Design: Basic Concepts Virtual storage systems require a mixture of specialized hardware- and software-control policies. I will focus on architectural features that in- fluence virtual-memory operation. An understanding of intended ap- plications should aid our analysis of MMU products later, A computer's address space (AS) is the legal range of addresses that can be generated by its instruction set. The maximum size of this is deter- mined by the number of bits in the processor's address register. A logical address is a memory specification used by the central processor. Physi- cal addresses, on the other hand, 212 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc ::y ^p^ Speedy Hardware puts you out front. Our Enhancer Hardware series is designed to dramatically improve the overall response and throughput of your Data General systems. Designed to look like an incredibly fast disk drive to your operating system, it accesses its 1 MB of data in 2.5 microseconds and transfers it at 2 megabytes/second. Make ICOS (CS/COBOL), RDOS and INFOS streak with a 30-day trial run. AOS/Enhancer available soon! Productive Software wins the race! in the race for productivity, Wild Hare gives you that extra edge by multiplying the capabilities of your Data General sys- tem. Wild Hare's TSS operating system enhance- ments give Data General NOVA and ECLIPSE users the most from their system. TSS allows you to trans- form RDOS, ICOS (CS/COBOL) and INFOS into true multilingual, multi-user Time Sharing Systems. This state-of-the-art system accommodates up to 26 users. Each user can independently edit, compile and execute programs using the language of his choice, like FORTRAN, ALGOL, BASIC, COBOL, Pascal, Assembler and more. TSS combines RDOS, INFOS and ICOS compatibilities with AOS capabilities at a mere fraction of the cost. Try a 30- day trial run and get an even greater run for your money. Wild Hare wins the marathon. Wild Hare has a new hardware/software scheme. It allows you to take advantage of the latest hardware and software tech- nology, yet lets you preserve your valuable Data General user software investment. Our new "Hare Brain Scheme" is on the starting line, so watch for the latest solutions from Wild Hare. Our good ideas keep multiplying. wildlhare COMPUTER SYSTEMS INC. P.O. Box 3581 Boulder, CO 80307 303-494-0221 TWX:9 10-940-25 1 8 Circle 445 on inquiry card. NOVA®. ECLIPSE® and INFOS® are registered trademarks of Data General Corporation. BYTE April 1983 213 COM-STAR F/T Tractor Friction Printer only $299 P O COMSTAR F T • Lowest price quality tractor friction printer in the U.S.A. • Fast 80 characters per second 40, 46, 66, 80, 96, or 132 characters per line spacing • Prints labels, letters, graphs, and tables • List your programs • Print out data from modem services Deluxe COMSTAR F/T PRINTER — $299.00 The Comstar is an excellent addition to any micro-computer system. (Interfaces are available for Apple, VIC-20, Commodore-64, Pet, Atari 400 and 800, and Hewlett Packard) At only $299. the Comstar gives you print quality and features found only on printers costing twice as much. Compare these features. • BIDIRECTIONAL PRINTING with a LOGIC SEEKING CARRIAGE CONTROL for higher through-put in actual text printing. 80 characters per second. • PRINTING VERSATILITY: standard 96 ASCII character set plus block graphics and interna- tional scripts. 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This warran- ty applies to all products we sell because WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMERS ! 15 DAY FREE TRIAL OTHER OPTIONS Extra Ribbons . . $ 5.95 Roll Paper Holder 32.95 Roll Paper 4.95 5000 Labels 19.95 1100 Sheets Fan Fold Paper 13.95 Add $20.00 shipping, handling and insurance. Illinois residents please add 6% tax. Add $40.00 for CANADA, PUERTO RICO, HAWAII, ALASKA orders. WE DO NOT EXPORT TO OTHER COUNTRIES. Enclose cashiers check, money order or personal check. Allow 14 days for delivery, 2 to 7 days for phone orders, 1 day express mail available!! Canada orders must be In U.S. dollars. ENTERPRIZES track (dual sided 40 track) SCALL 1 160 track (dual sided 80 track) SCALL inch Slimline sgl/dbl sided SCALL IWinchester Hard Drives 5-30 Meg SCALL Smith-Corona® XP-I Parallel/Serial S535 TEXAS COMPUTER SYSTEMS P.O. Box 1327 Arlington, Texas 76004-1327 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 817/274-9221 ORDER STATUS 817/277-1913 TELEX/TWX/Eaaylink ELN 62100790 800 433-5184 No tax out of ttata. Taxana add 5%. Price* aubjact to chanoa at any tima. Circle 409 on inquiry card. LOGICAL ADDRESS PAGE OFFSET MAIN MEMORY MAP UNIT ADDRESS r MAP REGISTERS PHYSICAL- ADDRESS BASE 1 v 7 1 1 1 p PHYSICAL ADDRESS PAGE SECONDARY STORAGE ADDRESS PAGE PAGING I /O I PAGE | FAULT I (TO MICROPROCESSOR) Figure 2: The mapping-by-address (or mapping-by-register, MBR) scheme for virtual- memory systems. This is similar to associative mapping except that each map cell is a register that refers to a page in secondary storage. In this simple example, the page field in the logical address refers to register 7, which in turn refers to page in main memory. If register 1 had been accessed instead, a page fault would have occurred (P = 0). Page 1 would then be placed into main memory, probably in the space now occupied by page 7, because page 7 has not been accessed recently (U = 0). divided into either pages or segments. A paged policy divides memory (both AS and MM) into equal-size blocks. The rationale for pages relates to the clustering principle. Memory activity occurs in scattered parts or clusters of the AS. By organizing storage into pages, you can "break out" the busy sections and place them in main mem- ory. Paging, like disk blocking, also implies a smaller number of data transfers between disk and main memory. Segments are merely pages of variable size. Segments can closely model program units because code modules and data structures vary in size (as do clusters). Trade-offs exist between page and segment organiza- tions. I'll discuss these later. For now, you can ignore the distinction and call both pages. Several mapping schemes exist for virtual systems. Figures 1 through 3 illustrate three common techniques. In the examples, logical-address fields are composed of two parts: a page field and an offset field. The logical page number is translated into a physical location by the map unit. Adding the offset field to this location forms the complete physical address. A simplistic memory model will be used to show the basic operations of each technique. Associative mapping is shown in figure 1 . The logical-address page field is compared, in parallel, to all page entries in the map table. If an en- try matches, its corresponding physi- cal-page address is combined with the offset value to form the complete physical address. A page-fault condi- tion is raised when no match occurs. The problem with associative maps is that they are expensive. High-speed register memory with integrated com- parative logic is needed; translation has to be fast and transparent. The associated map has to be as large as Circle 298 on Inquiry card . I Read the fine print. Improve the output of your present system with a dot-matrix printer from NEC. For good-looking copy in a hurry it's hard to beat NEC's hard-working PC-8023A.This is a bi-directional TOO CPS, 80-column printer that can operate in a compressed-print mode to yield 132 columns. Special 2K buffer holds a page of data, so the unit can print while you re typing in something else. Compatible with a wide range of computers, from Apple to Zenith *. Compare these features with your present printer: Tractor and friction feed Complete ASCII characters plus Greek, math, and graphic characters Elite, pica, compressed print, proportional spacing, subscript and superscript Standard parallel Centronics interface, serial optional Prints clear original and up to three copies simultaneously * Special cables may be necessary. Contact your local NEC Home Electronics dealer Productivity at your fingertips \FC NEC Home Electronics (U.S.A. J, Inc. Personal Computer Division 1401 Estes Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 {312)228-5900 Nippon Electric Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan LOGICAL ADDRESS SEGMENT OFFSET 1 MAP UNIT MAIN MEMORY ADDRESS PRT BASE .-£ PHYSICAL ADDRESS I J OPTIONAL CACHE COMPARE SEGMENT 1 SEGMENT PRT PRT CELL PHYSICAL- ADDRESS BASE SIZE SIZE ERROR | (TO MICROPROCESSOR) | PAGE FAULT I (TO MICROPROCESSOR) | U SK Figure 3: The segment map table scheme for segmented virtual-memory systems. In this mapping scheme, information on each segment of a program in secondary storage is kept in a program reference table (PRT) in main memory. The location of the PRT is stored in a PRT Base register. In this simple example, the segment field in the logical ad- dress is added to the contents of the PRT Base register (N). This refers to a map cell at location N + 1. In this map cell is a physical-address base that is added to the offset to obtain the desired address in main memory. Note that bounds-checking can easily be done by comparing the offset with the size field. Also, note that things can be speeded up by placing the most active map cells in a small associative cache memory. The at- tribute field SK indicates a stack segment (i.e., the offset orientation is reversed). the number of MM page frames. If you change the size of main memory, you have to change the map size ac- cordingly. Associative mapping works best for systems with a large number of AS pages and a moderate- sized, fixed main store. Figure 2 illustrates mapping by ad- dress or mapping by register (MBR). In this technique, the logical-address page field refers to an array of high- speed registers. These registers hold status and physical-address informa- tion. Mapping by address is analo- gous to indirect memory addressing except that the registers permit very high processing speeds. Page faults are detected when the addressed register's ''present" bit is clear. The problem is that every page in the AS requires a corresponding map reg- ister. Fortunately, the economy of conventional registers offsets the mapping array size. Note that the mapping hardware is unaffected by changes in MM size. For relatively small address spaces, mapping by ad- dress is quite attractive. The last technique I'll present ap- plies to segmented systems. Figure 3 defines the operational details. This design is based on the Burroughs Cor- poration B5500 mainframe. This ap- proach gives you more flexibility, but is slightly more complex and neces- sitates additional hardware (for the Johnny's Function Keys Can't Read Or write. Or move a paragraph. Johnny is not a programmer, so his function keys are nonfunctional. For Johnny, and everyone else who wants the convenience of function keys, help is here. Keychanger™ replaces cumbersome multi-stroke control characters with individual function keys, thus saving keystrokes and time. 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COD's minimum $250 00 with $25.00 deposit. All equipment is in factory cartons with manufac- turer warranty. Opened products not returnable. Restocking fee for returned merchandise. Equipment subject to price change and availability Retail prices differfrom mail order prices. $40.00 mm. purchase *With prepaid cash orders •Exclude certain printers & monitors & foreign orders. Calif, residents add 6% State Tax ForAPOandF PO-add 10% ($25.00 mm. foroostaqe. Calif. residents add 6% SalesTax) Inciudephone number.credit cards not accepted Foreign Orders - include 3% handling, shipped air freight collect credit cards not accepted. cs COMPUTER SPECIALTIES (619) 579-0330 MAIL TO:i25i broadway] EL CAJON, CA. 92021 Memory Field Structure Size (Segment Field Abbreviation Description (bits) vs Page) Present P Indicates if page is present in main memory 1 Both Used U Indicates if page has been recently accessed 1 Both Dirty D Indicates if page has been modified 1 Fixed-page Type Various page properties 1-4 RP Read-protected Both WP Write-protected Both EX Executable code Both SH Shared Segment SK Stack memory Segment OW Overflow warning Both Size SZ Size of segment 16-32 Segment Priority PR Indicates task priority or sys- 1-8 Both or mode tem context to permit access Virtual LREF Time of last access to page 12-32 Both time Task ID TID Identifies task(s) that owns the segment 8-16 Segment Fix F Indicates that page is not to be replaced 1 Both I/O 10 Protect or hold page for 1 Both access input/output Enable EN Indicates valid pages for access (when main memory is not full) 1 Both Table 1: A summary of the control and status informationmsed by virtual-memory mapping units. Most mapping schemes use a subset of these different attribute fields. Figure 4: A graph showing how the page-fault rate (i.e., the rate of accesses to pages not present in main memory) is related to the size of main memory. The operating point is the memory size sufficient to hold a program's most frequently accessed routines — its working set. Adding memory past this point has little effect on the page- fault rate. Of course, as the needs of a program change, the operating point will shift. segment-size field and the program reference table or PRT). A segment field replaces the logical-address page field. You can have any number of system segments; MM and AS sizes do not constrain the choice. Transla- tion is similar to mapping by address. The program reference table contains the size and location for each seg- ment. It resides in main memory for two reasons: (1) to allow a large number of segments, and (2) to avoid the high cost of registers that would be wide enough to hold extra map- ping data. The table acts like map- ping registers, with the segment field — not the page field— providing the index address. At first glance, it looks as if the scheme is twice as slow as the others because every reference needs two memory accesses (one for the PRT and one for the actual data). But this problem can be handled by putting a small buffer-register set in the MMU. Keeping copies of the most active PRT entries in this high-speed buffer greatly increases mapping speed. Besides translating addresses, map- ping units also provide other func- tions. They hold information to aid memory management and data pro- tection. Table 1 is a list of informa- tion found in various mapping sys- tems. Each virtual system uses a subset of these items, determined by the particular mapping scheme used and the memory-control functions. Up to now, attention has centered on the hardware aspects of virtual systems. Now, let's consider the memory-management and software requirements for virtual systems. Paging Policies As mentioned previously, a mini- mal amount of secondary-storage ac- cess is central to a virtual system's viability. Figure 4 shows a graph of disk activity versus main-memory size allocated to a program. From the graph, we see that given enough main memory, disk access approaches zero. However, a primary aim of vir- tual memory is to provide a huge ad- dress space while minimizing expen- sive main memory. To satisfy both conditions, you must operate at a point just below the "knee" of the 220 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Keep your bottom line on the up and up andui The future never comes with any guarantees. 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It runs on 8-bit and 16-bit micro- computers (IBM PC, Apple II, CP/M, etc.) If you don't like it, return it and you'll get your money back. For the name of your nearest dealer, contact Ashton-Tate at 10150 West Jefferson Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90230. Better yet, call (213) 204-5570 today. Because if time is money, the Bottom Line The m^nefS 15 Bottom Line money in C*«.*i.^«S-%i.™ the bank. strategist ASHTON-TATE Circle 35 on inquiry card. CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research, ©Ashton-Tate 1983. Circle 334 on inquiry card. P&T CP/M®2 is GROWING a MOO^ pof MIOO^ c*uo< o "i« .' •... 'i "^Je""*" .'»-, !*" v » ° n. ■:\ £ii iC ^^"'tnl", t:, $|3SKl ";;„<„ -p». « "* " •** ° '«°f"r„ 9 , ";; ";:';. "'.. !80 h 1 ***5hJmI° V, '. ''*■• a-frfe " °Jo',7 "■"'-^J' •* ^" T plug compatible to your micro. In short, the MT 160 is the epitome of engineering excel- lence. And it should be. Afterail, Mannesmann tally is the technol- ogy leader in matrix printing. 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CDC Star-100 and the Multics drum-to-disk control. Micro- computer MMU parts lack the hard- ware mechanisms needed for a "pure" LRU policy. The Clock Algorithm This algorithm is a variation of the LRU algorithm. Main-memory pages are logically ordered in a circular list. You can envision each page as a unit marking of a clock face. A pointer or hand always points to the last page replaced. On a page fault, you ad- vance the pointer clockwise to the succeeding page. Then you check and clear that page's used bit. If the bit was set (i.e., the page was used recently), scanning continues; other- wise, the frame is not recently used and replaceable. If the replaceable page has been changed (or dirty), you must schedule it for transfer back to secondary memory. Scanning stops when a clean, not recently used page is found, and the pointer is left at the chosen page. A replaceable page is not processed if accessed before the disk transfer. Studies indicate that the Clock al- gorithm closely simulates LRU re- placement, and the hardware needed is inexpensive. As implied above, only 2 flag bits per cell are required (changed and used). Software com- plexity and overhead are small. Cal- culations are trivial and the average number of scans per page fault is a fraction of total map size. Many suc- cessful mainframe systems, including the IBM 370 and Multics, use Clock algorithms. However, you should note that deficiencies of LRU apply equally to Clock. The technique of- fers a simple mechanism and good ef- ficiency; but, as you shall see, other paging algorithms exhibit even better performance characteristics. The WS Algorithm This page-replacement algorithm represents the most practical policy We Wrote IkE Book On^o-WlyRadiq And Irs Free. Read all about it. How Two-Way Radio can help just about any business lower costs and increase profits via more efficient use of people and vehicles. Plus, how to choose the right radio from Johnson's complete line of mobile communications equip- ment. All American made by the two-way pioneer not only chal- lenging but pacing the industry. All backed by a full year's 100% warranty on all parts and labor. Phone toll-free 800-328-5727 Ext. 122. (In Minnesota, 800-742-5685 Ext. 122.) Or write Johnson Radio Products Division, Waseca, MN 56093, for your free copy. (31) JOHNSON $ 'as? J OttA»i 'SOfl, ' ® Radio Products Division THeChallenger according to empirical studies. WS is so named because it approximates the working-set locality model. In WS, any page referenced within a specified time (designated as 0) is regarded as a member of the working set. Real working sets of course have variable durations, but if the WS time-control value (0) is properly chosen, a real working-set model can be closely ap- proximated. I will briefly highlight WS opera- tion (see reference 1 for details). The WS policy defines a working set (W) to be those pages of the AS that have been referenced within the previous time units. In order to determine when a page (p) in main memory is no longer in W, and thus is replace- able, we need two things: (1) a pro- cedure to calculate a time value (L) equal to the owning task's current execution time (ET) minus the last ref- erence time for every AS page, LREF(p), and (2) a scan mechanism to check for values of L greater than or equal to 0. Calculating L can be done with page-frame counter registers. When the page is accessed, its counter register is cleared. Then, at fixed in- tervals, a global broadcast pulse in- crements all the counters. The scan operation can run at various times (e.g., at fixed intervals or when a page fault occurs). Pages marked as replaceable become part of the avail- able pool (AP). The page-replace- ment algorithm merely selects some page from the AP and replaces it. If the AP is empty, the system must sus- pend a task to free pages. Although WS accurately models dynamic-memory demands, the com- putational overhead and extra hard- ware support it requires diminish the algorithm's viability. Space for the LREF(p) field can effectively double page-table size. Moreover, the counter mechanism is relatively ex- pensive. Scanning requires inspection of each map cell at regular intervals, and AP maintenance adds more con- trol functions. On the plus side, the local scope of WS enforces more con- sistent multitasking management. And pure WS simulations perform better than other policies. Research systems have implemented practical WS schemes and observed substantial 224 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 461 on inquiry card. Fl I 111/ 1 1*1 1 OOT^t £*r1 ■ Mil w III tV Wl itl Vvl Hardware and Software Systems For Apple II • ■ ■ NBh ,""'V, * |||§ mmih* .in ii ■■■-.' 1 •■•••' '-fliiiiMiS VO EXPAND™ rvnpf ham ioaudi VC/80' •AT mmmh» T* RJ ****** ***^ ,»<» * n "««'!ur** v, *' c " i— i — — WPBM THE SATURN FAMILY OF APPLE PRODUCTS P.O. Box 8050 Ann Arbor, Ml 48107 (313) 973-8422 Circle 376 on inquiry card. In Europe, Contact: Pete & Pam Computers New Hall Hey Road Rossendale Lancashire UK BB4 6jG improvements over Clock tech- niques. The parameter allows you to ''tune" a virtual system for dif- ferent applications. Also, investiga- tions have found that use of the con- stant value 9 deviates less than 10 percent from an optimal WS. WS is technically appealing, but design difficulties detract from its ad- vantages. Like LRU, classical WS is impractical for microcomputer ap- plication. But the next technique surveyed approaches WS perfor- mance and is feasible for microcom- puters. The WS-Clock Algorithm WS-Clock combines the best prop- erties of Clock and WS. Additionally, the new strengths offset some prob- lems of the separate procedures: • the extra scanning required by WS is replaced by a simple Clock mech- anism • WS-Clock is a local policy • LREF(p) registers are needed only for main-memory pages, not for every AS page • the available eliminated pool (AP) is This algorithm organizes page frames in a circular list like Clock. The clock pointer identifies the page replaced during the last scan. When a page fault occurs, the scan advances clock- wise to the next page. The used bit is checked and cleared. If the bit was set, you reset the page's LREF(p) to the owning task's accumulated execu- tion time (ET). Otherwise, if the used bit is clear and if L = ET - LREF(p) > — ©, you remove the page from W. If dirty, a replaceable page is scheduled for disk transfer and not replaced. Scanning halts when you encounter a clean, replaceable page. WS-Clock approximates WS re- placement, and W for the two policies becomes equivalent when the task ex- ecutes for 9 units of time. Perfor- mance differences appear negligible and can be ignored. Thus, WS-Clock approaches WS behavior with a sig- nificantly simpler mechanism. The average number of frames examined per page fault compares favorably with WS. And to implement WS- Clock, you need minimal map hard- ware: a used bit, a dirty bit, an LREF field, and a task ID descriptor. Multitasking and Load Control In a multitasking system, virtual- memory management must coincide with general resource-sharing policies. The problem is that in a dynamic multiprocessing environ- ment, wide variations in program- ming level and memory demand oc- cur. Every active task consumes a portion of total memory (in both MM and AS). At some point, adding another task will push MM demand past the ideal operating point in figure 4 and trigger the onset of thrashing. Left unchecked, through- put diminishes rapidly. Accordingly, you must either prevent the "over- commitment" of memory or recognize the condition and make corrective adjustments. This is done by a load-control policy. NEW! M-68000 SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER FEATURES: 16 bit Motorola 68000 CPU operating at 5 MHz or 10 MHz. 20K of on board fast static RAM, 16K bytes of on board EPROM space, 7 autovectored interrupts, 3 memory /device expansion buses, 2 serial communication ports (RS-232 C), 16 bit bidirectional parallel port, 5-16 bit counter /timers with vectored interrupt and time of the day clock. On board monitor allows to download and debug programs generated on APPLE II, TRS-80 and CP/M using our M68000 Cross Assembler, PRICE: M68K Bare board with documentation $ 99.95 M68MON monitor & mapping PROM's $135.00 M68000-6 CPU. $ 95.00 M68K Parts Kit $249.00 M68000 Cross Assembler $125.00 M68K Documentation only.... $ 15.00 Shipping & handling (Domestic).... $ 3.50 (foreign) $ 15.00 CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ADD 6 % TAX ^C^ ^bV^bT uCr Educational Mf. WW 3% Microcomputer P° BOX 16115. IRVINE. CA 92713-0115 •■■■»'*▼«■* ^iW Syitem* (714)553-0133 226 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 251 on inquiry card. Circle 156 on inquiry card. F6rZX81orTS1000 software savings, rip off this ad. THE STAMP COLLECTOR (#31) inventory and store up to 600 SCOTT numbers in a single session show- ing quantity on hand, by major classifica- tion, and provide full want list support. VU-CALC (#11) This program con- structs, generates, and calculates large tables for financial analysis, budget sheets, and projections. An immensely powerful analysis chart. SUPERMAZE (#34) Navigate your way through a three-dimensional maze, with trapdoors, gold bars, marker stones, and compass. Ten separate mazes. Three- dimensional graphics. PERSONAL FINANCE PLAN- NER (#28) Perform calculations, finance a house, a car, keep savings accounts, repay loans and calculate an am- ortization schedule which can be generated for any of the financial programs. SUPER MATH (#14) Drill yourself on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with five levels of difficulty. Each problem graphically depicted. THE HOME IMPROVEMENT PLANNER (#29) Store up to 20 room measurements (length, width, height), compute total area in each (wall, floor), estimate costs of painting, wall papering and carpets and draw house blueprints. STATES AND CAPITOLS (#32) Test yourself on the fifty states and their capitols. Three options of review are availa- ble. (1) States, you provide capitols. (2) Capitols, provide states. (3) A mix of states and capitols. THE FLIGHT SIMULATOR (#6) Take contra! of highly maneuverabte light aircraft. With full controls, instrumentation and navigational aids to avoid hazards in i 1 ! 1 -II ■V ffV • i.i "I I i i" II ofl»l B 1 1 B IB CHESS AND CHESS CLOCK (#7) Six levels. All the legal moves includ- ing castling and enpassant. Keeps a sepa- rate record of plays made for easy reference. Play another opponent or match wits with the computer. BACKGAMMON AND DICE (#8) A perfect blend of chance and skill. Uses machine code to choose its moves. Full game including graphics board, roiling dice, and double cube. Play the computer or another opponent. THE CUBE GAME (#9) The cube can be displayed in three views: (t) Solid; (2) Two-Dimensional (unfolded); and (3) See-thru cube (3-D). You start with the cube solved, set it up any way you tike, or pick up from a previous session. REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT ANALYSIS (#30) Two different invest- ment strategies. The first selection allows the user to choose between renting or buy- ing. The second selection consists of a detailed analysis of the rental investment property. PINBALL (#35) Plays like real pinball complete with flippers, bumpers, "nudge," bonus points and more. Uses fast, efficient machine code to choose its moves. STOCK MARKET GAME (#27) Bull or bear? This realistic simulation lets you analyze information, buy and sell stocks, take out and pay off loans ... and win, if you can accumulate $50,000 in "The Market." FORTRESS OF ZORLAC (#36) A super fast game in which you are the commander of a fleet of spaceships. Your mission is to rid the galaxy of the dreaded alien, ZORLAC. ATOR THE ABC GATOR (#33) Designed to teach recognition and sequence of the alphabet. Combines computer instruction, music and video games. SPACE RAIDERS, BOMBER (#5) Timex/Sinclair version of the popular arcade games full of bombs and rockets and collisions with skyscrapers. FROGGER (#37) Plays like the arcade game. Hop the frog over traffic, snakes, crocodiles, and treacherous diving turtles before time runs out. Sinclair? the company that invented the world's most affordable computer, has invented a way for you to order die most affordable software—right from your home! You've never had this wide a selection before. You can play games that challenge you, instead of bore you. You can learn new household applica- tions and business programs that reduce work dramatically. Only Sinclair offers this special software savings. Only ZX81 or Timex TS1000 owners are eligible. The more you buy, the more you save. A serious Sinclair software offer. The first cassette you buy, you buy at normal cost: $15.00. But every cassette thereafter, you get at a savings. The list below explains how much you save, based on how much you buy. It couldn't be easier. You were smart to buy the ZX81 or the TS1000. You'll be even smarter to take us up on this software offer. All cassettes listed at left work on both the ZX81 and the TS1000. All cassettes are 16K, which means you need the 16K Memory Module. (If you want more information on this component, please write Sinclair at the address listed below.) But don't delay. This is a limited time software offer while supplies last. How to order today! Just call our toll-free number and use your MasterCard or VISA. Or send this ad with a check or money order. It's as easy as that Call toll-free: 800-543-3000. Ask for operator 509. In Canada call 513-7294300, operator 509. Have your MasterCard or VISA ready when call- ing. Phones open 24 hours a day, 7 daysa week. These numbers are for orders only. If you simply want information, please don't call, write Sinclair Research, Ltd., 2 Sinclair Plaza, Nashua, NH 03061. (Sorry, no refunds on software. Defective cassettes will be replaced.) Call toll free 800-543-3000 (operator SOS) Ad. code: B4BY Mail to: Sinclair Research, Ltd. One Sinclair Plaza, Nashua, NH 03061 Check the boxes of aU cassettes you want at left. D Check or money order enclosed. Fill in the space beside total for your total payment □ 1 cassette; $15.00 D 2 cassettes: $25.00 (save $5.00) D 3 cassettes: $35.00 (save $10.00) □ 4 cassettes: $45.00 (save $15.00) □ 5 cassettes: $50.00 (save $25.00) □ 6 cassettes or more: $10.00 each $ Plus Shipping/Handling $5.00 Total: U.S. Dollars I t l I •Sinclair technology is the heart of both the ZX81 and the Timex/Sinclair 1000. Function or Characteristic Flexibility Segments Memory Structure Fixed Pages + Can model pages, has more design options, promotes protection, data sharing, and so on Lessens "tuning" options, trade-off exists between efficient I/O blocking and memory waste Hardware requirements — Cost and complexity fairly high + Lower cost, simpler hardwar VS(1) systems + Better security + Simpler design VS(n) systems + Segments are mandatory for VS(n) designs Not applicable Mapping unit Map-register size - More space needed for size fields + Minimal Table size + Fewer frames needed if segments are large Larger pages result in memory waste Memory management overhead - Extra logic needed to close "holes" and to manage extra attributes + Placement simple Allocation policy + Make segments the desired size More complex, but no main- memory waste Protection + Superior — facilitated by extra attribute fields — Pages do not correspond to program "objects" Sharing + Direct support - Much harder I/O efficiency Depends on segment size + Facilitated by relating page Memory usage Internal + None fragmentation External Can reclaim with "garbage fragmentation collection" Page-fault rate + Lower rate size to disk block size - Some main memory wasted + None Depends on page size Table 2: A comparison of the relative strengths and weaknesses of segmented and fixed-page memory organizations. The + / — column indicates approximate merit: (+) good; (—) poor; (0) okay or does not apply. Load control is sensitive to page-re- placement strategy. Local strategies estimate each task's independent memory needs and allocate sufficient main storage to hold the locality set. Global page-replacement strategies discriminate in favor of the most re- cent task's memory set and can lead to thrashing. System Design: Issues and Options Virtual memory reflects a com- posite of hardware, resource manage- ment, and programming processes. We now turn our attention to alterna- tives that can affect overall micro- computer system design. VS(1) A fundamental system decision is whether you treat the large virtual address space as a shared resource divided among the several active jobs or whether each process is provided a separate AS. The first class, termed VS(1), extends the idea of a conven- tional operating system where super- visor, system resources, and user tasks occupy one large address space. Software compatibility with non- virtual systems is a major benefit of this system. System complexity is minimized and a single mapping table can define AS structure. VS(n) VS(n) systems give each executing task a unique AS. To support this fea- ture, every job has its own mapping table. Typically, a mapping-table origin register (MTOR) points to the mapping table of a running task. When switching tasks, you change the MTOR and reload the mapping hardware. A VS(n) system gives you, in effect, several virtual machines, each using the same physical re- sources, running concurrently. VS(n) systems also give you improved system integrity and data protection. Page Size An important design consideration is block memory structure. If you select a fixed-page structure, you must determine the number and size of page frames. Secondary storage transfers data in fixed-size units. Hence, for efficient paging memory frames should be an integer multiple of a disk block. Big pages reduce disk overhead and map hardware. On the other side of the coin, however, a large number of small pages lowers page-fault rates and increases the number of locality sets. Some com- promise is in order. My research in- dicates that IK- to 4K-byte pages are considered optimal. A segmented address space reflects programming features such as scope rules, data encapsulation, modulari- ty, and so on. Pages, being constant in size, usually waste some memory, a condition termed internal fragmen- tation (e.g., a 5K-byte program takes two pages in a system with 4K-byte pages — 3K bytes are unused). Al- though segments avoid this problem, they are prey to a form of waste called external fragmentation. Because variable-size units are allocated, program termination leaves holes of unused space. You must close up these areas periodically to provide sufficient space for large segments. Consequently, the pro- cedures to reclaim these holes add to operating overhead. In general, segmented schemes offer more flexi- ble designs while page organizations make for easier memory manage- ment. Table 2 summarizes trade-offs between page and segment organiza- tions. Many other topics related to vir- tual memory have not been covered: operating-system interaction, I/O considerations, page locking for non- swappable memory, disk-access properties, and more — the subject is rather deep. However, the topics 223 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc SANYO PLUS $1995 ® SANYO PLUS 4; A $2000 computer, with $2000 of software, for $1995. The Sanyo Plus consists of o Sanyo MBC-1000 computer with a built-in 12" high-res, green phospher 25x80 display. The detached keyboard features 5 special function keys and a 1 0-key pad. The Sanyo Plus comes complete with a parallel printer port, a serial communications port and room for three additional cards. Plus you receive a second drive for a total formatted disk capacity of 624K. Plus we now include over $2000 worth of software including CP/M® 2.2, Sanyo Basic, WordStar 3.0 with training guide, Mailmerge, SpellStar CalcSfar, InfoStor and a games disk. We thoroughly integrate and test each system, and generate work copies of your software. Plus you get a 300 baud direct connect modem, with cable free modem software and a one-month subscription to The Source.TM Extended warranty available. Five module business software pack: $99. Sanyo Minus: One drive system $1649. 10 MB. Drive system $3695. TELEVIDEO ALTOS Now backed locally by T.R.W. Duilr-in CRT, detachable keyboard, dual floppys w/750K formatted capacity. 64K. CP/M ond more. Special: Telesolufions — Wordstar TM and ColcStor TM w/system S279. 802 w/CP/M® $2669 803w/CP/M® $1696 606 (20 Mb) $5149 TS1602G $3495 616 (23 Mb) $6298 800A's $1299 TERMINALS Wyse 100 $699 ADDS Viewpoint 3A+ . $479 Televideo9l0 $579 Teievideo925 $735 Televideo950 $927 Televideo 970 $1044 Zenith Z-19 $689 Zenith ZT-1 $459 Hazelrine Espirit $499 Hazeltine Espirit II $549 Hazeltine Espirit III $750 Qume call HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS DMP-29 $1796 DMP-40 $745 DT-11 $677 Our techs favorite systems. From the lowest priced 3-user systems with either 2 or 6 MG. storage, to 40MG. 8-user 16 bit systems. Add terminals, printers, and software ond we can fully rest and configure your system at low prices. Dock nationwide by Moore Systems Service. Series 5-15D ..... $2195 Series 5-5D $3995 8000-10 $5575 8600-12 $9465 5eries 5, 8000, systems include MP/M DIGITAL IMORTHSTAR New from DEC - microcomputers designed for rhe professional. Nationwide DEC service and reliability ore standard. Free spreadsheet software with each system. Bridge the 8 bit/ 1 6 bit gulf with a system which runs both. Rainbow 100 system coll Professional 325 system call Professional 350 system call Zenith. Morrow Micro Decisions v is m: / \ Scottsdale Systems** 61 7 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite D, Scottsdale, Arizona 65257 3 (602) 941-5856 Call 6-5 Mon.-Fri. SERVICE/ORDERING INTEGRATION : Prices listed are for new equipment in factory sealed boxes with manufacturer's warranty. We will pretest your equipment, integrate your system, configure your software, provide special cables, etc., for on additional charge. Call for prices. ORDERING: MAIL ORDER ONLY. Prices listed are for cash. No CO.D's. We sell on a net 20 basts to Fortune 500 companies and Universities Charge cards odd 2%. Prices subject to change, product subject to availability. A2. residents add 5%. Personal checks take 3 weeks to clear. 0-20% restocking fee for returned merchandise. Shipping extra - products are F.O.0. point of shipment. CP/M and MP/M are registered trademarks of Digital Research. SOFTWARE: We sell all popular CP/M® programs at discount. Software sold only with systems not warranted for suitability. ^«*£* f Prices now include free burn and test. We warranty each unit for 90 days from the day you receive it (not 90 days from the day we receive it). Call for prices on compatible software and hardware. Advantage 64KQuad $2769 Horizon 64K Quad $2695 Advantage w/5Mb $3795 PRINTERS GEMINI % Okidata 82A $309 Okidata 63A $635 Okidata 84 $969 Okidata92 $489 Okidata 93 $835 Tally 160L $739 Microprism 460 $525 Epson, FX, 100 call HIGH SPEED Prism 80 loaded" $1369 Prism 132 loaded" .... $1469 Anodex950lA $1369 DataSouthDS-180 $1249 TI-810 Basic ,.. $1285 LETTER QUALITY Diablo 620 call NEC 3510 $1495 NEC 7710 $2149 DAISY WRITER 2000 The new best selling dot matrix printers. 100 c.p.s., friction, tractor and roll feed. Graphics, 180 day warranry, 2.3K std. buffer and much more. Gemini 15 $460 Gemini 10 $354 The best price/thru put in letter quality printers. 46k buffer, 8 protocols, graphics mode, A interfaces std., Sub ond Superscript, Proportional Spacing, and much more. Uses std. ribbons. $1014 MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNITS FUNCTIONAL Intel Motorola Zilog Zilog CHARACTERISTICS iAPX 286 MC68451 Z8010 Z8015/PMMU Address-translation 0-1.5 fiS 100 ns 60 ns 70 ns delay (10 MHz) Supports multiple No Yes Yes Yes MMUs? No. of MMUs needed to 1 1 2 Depends on map address space MM size No. of unique address Unlimited 256 8 8 spaces possible (no. of users) VS(n) support? Yes Partial No No Priority levels 4 User/supervisor No, uses Yes Yes Yes modes available? priority levels Data sharing? Yes Yes Limited No MMU control method Special I/O I/O I/O instructions program program program Fault restart data None Limited Moderate Extensive Control and status attribute names (dash indicates not supported) Present P — CPUI Used A U Ref Ref Dirty — M Chg Chg Write-protected W WP RD RD Read-protected R — — — Executable code E — Exc Exc Shared — AST — — Stacked memory ED — DIRW DIRW I/O access — — — DMAI Overflow warning — — DIRW DIRW Virtual time LREF — — — Task ID (Yes) (Yes) (Yes) (Yes) Fix F — — Enable — E — Valid Table 3: A comparison of the functional characteristics of the four surveyed memory-management units. covered should give you the perspec- tive to analyze the capabilities of the new memory-management units for microcomputer virtual-memory systems. Memory Management The need for a memory-manage- ment unit (MMU) derives from two concerns: efficient control of large memories and support for multipro- cessing environments. We can sum- marize the major goals of memory management as follows: • Memory allocation — Allocation policies determine what portions of memory are committed to particular tasks. Address translation allows you to treat physically separate blocks as logically contiguous. Dynamic allocation, which adds memory dur- ing execution, is a valuable feature. A 230 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc virtual system's large address space makes allocation less of a concern. • Program relocation— Relocation hardware permits a program to load anywhere in physical memory with- out changing the logical addresses. Systems that swap tasks to disk may need to relocate a program when it's reloaded. • Protection— This prevents inadver- tent or unauthorized destruction of data. Also, one task cannot interfere with another's operation. • Data sharing— Controlled access to common data or code. • Multitasking — Several tasks can logically occupy main memory dur- ing a given time frame. Virtual memory is just one of several approaches to memory man- agement. Another approach is dynamic mapping, a technique used to extend the address space of limited- address machines (e.g., the HP-1000 or DEC PDP-11 minicomputers). A Survey of MMU Chips The main thing we'll look for when examining these MMU products is how well they implement virtual- memory concepts. We'll review four products: Zilog's 28010 and Z8015, the Motorola MC68451, and Intel's iAPX 286 processor/MMU. The Zilog chips are to be used primarily with the Z8003 16-bit microprocessor for virtual storage. The MC68451 MMU is designed to work with the soon-to-be-released MC68010 pro- cessor. Finally, the iAPX 286 rep- resents a combination of both an 8086-compatible processor and an in- tegral memory -management unit. The Z8010, MC68451, and iAPX 286 feature segmented-memory archi- tectures. The Z8015, however, is de- signed specifically for a fixed-page virtual-memory system. All four units support a 16-megabyte physical-address space. Logical- address spaces range from 8 mega- bytes for the Zilog chips to a whop- ping 1 gigabyte in the iAPX 286. Tables 3 and 4 compare the basic properties of these chips on a point- by-point basis. As the tables show, there's quite a bit of diversity. For each MMU, I'll point out its unique characteristics, operation, and pro- gramming details. Later I'll describe some applications for virtual memory. The Zilog Z8010 The Z8010 was one of the first single-chip MMU devices on the market. As a consequence, it has a few flaws that have been corrected on newer products. In fact, virtual mem- ory appears to have been an after- thought for this chip because you will need extra hardware to handle the Z8000 microprocessor's page-fault procedure. Still, the product does have good protection features, and it directly supports a supervisor mode for operating-system functions. Another virtue is its fast translation time. The Z8000 architecture defines logical addresses for 128 segments, Text continued on page 234 LET THE "ANGEL? DO THE WAITING Two RS-232C Connectors for serial in put and output 6 Leds to indicate power, transmission and reception status, buffer activities, page number, etc. SKIP and REPRINT provide independant page controls to reprint portions of documentation. 40 Pin Expansion Bus available for future expansion COPY provides convenient one key opera- tion for single copy or multi-copy of text 3 externally accessible Dip Switches for baudrate, device type, and parallel and serial selections. Selections can be made without losing buffer Connect an "ANGEL" between your com- puter and your printer, and let the "ANGEL" do the waiting .... Your valuable computer spends 95% of its time waiting for the printer to catch up... and while the computer waits, the payroll con- tinues. The computer sends data to the "ANGEL" at speeds up to 19.2K baud. The "ANGEL" stores data and sends it to the printer at a speed the printer can handle, and your com- puter is free to continue working without in- terruption, A USER WRITES: "I tried the "ANGEL" with my Altos system connected to an Epson MX- 100, both set at 9600 baud. Without the "ANGEL" it takes 30 minutes to print 210 doctors' requisition forms, with the "ANGEL" installed, my computer is free after 90 seconds." With "ANGEL'S" self diagnostics and memory test, the entire system thoroughly checks itself every time you power up. PAGE REPRINT is another unique feature. EXAMPLE: You are printing a 32 page report, and the paper jams at page 1 1 . Reset the printer to the top of the form, press PAGE REPRINT, and resume printing at the top of page 1 1 , Want to restart two pages back? Press PAGE REPRINT twice, and you resume at page 10. Function keys extend the useful com- mands to more than 10, including: hex- dump, memory test, remote loading, etc, Independant PAUSE and HOLD con trols to suspend transmission and recep tion. 8 easy-to-operate membrane key switches. Two 20 Pin Edge Connectors for parallel input and output "ANGEL" is compatible with almost all Micro-Computers, including IBM, Apple, TRS-80, Vector Graphic, NorthStar, Altos, Xerox, Heath, Zenith, NEC, DEC, etc, with RS-232 serial, Hardware Handshaking, or Centronics compatible parallel interface. The manufacturer reserves the right to change the product specification. ...And think of these other possibilities: HEX DUMP. Display or printout every bit of data your computer sends out to the printer in an easy-to-read Hexidecimal and ASCII format. A must for your programmer. Pause and Hold for real time programs. Page skip for selective printing. What a waste to print the entire documentation if you only need part of it. Simple external switch settings, let the "ANGEL" accept either RS-232 serial or Centronics parallel data and can output either/or in any combination, (S-S,S-P,P-S,P-P). The "ANGEL" is com- patible with almost all Micro-Computers, and can be installed by anyone in minutes. Switches are clearly marked for ease of operation, and a concise, USER FRIENDLY operator reference card is included with each unit. The "ANGEL" has a full one year limited warranty. THE -ANGEL" WILL NEVER KEEP YOU WATTING! The chart shown here illustrates the features of the "ANGEL" compared to other buffer devices. When compared with the "ANGEL", the others just don't measure up. Sorry guys. Feature ANGEL HICRO FAZF.R** SPOOL/64 MICRO- BUFFER IN-LINE SPOOLER SERIAL * * Price 295.00 330.00 319.00 w/o serial 349.00 603.00 Memory Size 64K 64K 64 K 64 K 62K Max Baud Rate 192K " ">"' N/A 19 2K Serial-Parattel Yes * No * Parallel-Serial Yes * No * * Parallel-Parallel Yes * Yes * * Serial-Serial Yes No Yes Copy Yes No Yeb No Reset/Clear Yes •■■■■ No Yes Yes Pause/Hold Yet, No No Yes No Page Skip Yes No No No No Page Reprint Yes No No No No Continuous Copy Yes ? No ? No Self -Diagnostics ■ *.■'■ ? ? ? ? Hex-Dump No No No No * Can only be configurated for one of the four Modes: •♦Information based on available specifications manufacturer's advertisement as of December, 1 982 Micro- Fazer TM of Quad ram Corp. Sooper Spooler TM of Compulink Corp. r PAGE REPRINT HEX DUMP LigO Research, Inc. • 396 E. 159th St. • Harvey. !L 60426 • 1-312-331-8797 • In Canada 1-416-6590370 Circle 232 on inquiry card. TO ORDER: CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-323-3304 OR SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO LIGO RESEARCH Please rush me ( ) "ANGELAS)" @ $295.00 each Sub total il oml y IS Add 6% US. sales tax Delivery charge $4.00 TOTAL Charge my ( ) VISA ( ) MASTERCARD MY ACCT. # IS EXPIRATION DATE BYTE April 1983 231 Draw attention toyourself. (Write a program for the IBM Personal Computer.) Let your imagination take wing. Think charts. Graphs. Shapes. Images. Use originality, creativity and color in programs that entertain. Educate. Organize. Analyze. And programs that get down to business. Maybe you Ve written software like that. Or perhaps you're thinking about it. If so, consider this. \bu could draw attention to yourself by writing programsy&r the IBM Personal Computer on the IBM Personal Computer. Because all our advanced features (see the box at right) make it faster and easier to do so. Enhanced BASIC already in ROM, for example, has graphics commands already built in. And if you write a program using our Advanced BASIC, you'll find the DRAW command particularly appealing. It's virtually a separate graphics language within a larger language. Put your visual together with any of the 128 characters and symbols in ROM for a simultaneous, text-and-graphics mix. Have musical accompaniment as well. It's easy, because BASIC controls the built-in speaker with a single command. Utilize the ten, programmable function keys. Try F3 to paint. F4 for lines. F5 for circles. Or F6 for boxes. n IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER SPECIFICATIONS User Memory 64K-640K bytes* Microprocessor l6-bit,8088* Auxiliary Memory 2 optional internal diskette drives, 5!4' 160K bytes or 320K bytes per diskette Keyboard 83 keys, 6 ft. cord attaches to system unit* 10 function keys* 10-key numeric pad Tactile feedback* Diagnostics Power-on self testing* Parity checking* * ADVANCED Display Screens Color or monochrome High -resolution* 80 characters x 25 lines Upper and lower case Operating Systems DOS, UCSD p-Svstem, CP/M-86t Languages BASIC, Pascal, FORTRAN, MACRO Assembler, COBOL Printer Al 1-poi nts-addressable graphics capability Bidirectional * 80 characters/second 18 character styles 9x9 character matrix* Permanent Memory (ROM) 40K bytes* Color/Graphics Ttoct mode: 16 colors* 256 characters and symbols in ROM* Graphics mode-. 4-color resolution: 320hx200v* Black & white resolution: 640hx200v* Simultaneous graphics & text capability* Communications RS-232-C interface SDLC, Asynchronous, Bisynchronous protocols Up to 9600 bits per second FEATURES FOR PERSONAL COMPUTERS _J Remember that these function keys make your program more "friendly" to the user and, therefore, more appealing to us. In fact, if you're interested in licensing your software, we could be interested in publishing it. We could also be interested even if it runs on another computer. If we select your software, we'll ask you to adapt it to our system. So if you think your software is close to picture perfect, consider sending it in. For information on how to submit your completed program, write: IBM Personal Computer, External Submissions, Dept. 765 PC, Armonk, New York 10504. ==^^® The IBM Personal Computer A tool for modern times For more information on where to buy the IBM Personal Computer, call 800-447-4700. In Alaska or Hawaii, 800-447-0890. tUCSD p-System is a trademark of the Regents of the University of California. CP/M-86 is a trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Circle 193 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 233 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS No. of pins Integrated processor? Dimensions (mm) IC process Power (W) Compatible processors Model Clock rates (MHz) Cost per unit (10 MHz) Logical addresses Virtual size Address width (bits) Memory structure Segment or page? Size field (bits) Size range Resolution Page boundary Map organization (mapping scheme) Maximum no. of pages or segments per MMU Map cell width (bits) Physical-address base field width (bits) Attribute field (bits) No. of high-speed registers MMU address- generation unit Global control-register set Global status-register set MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNITS Intel Motorola Zilog IAPX286 MC68451 Z8010 68 Yes (8086) 24 by 24 HMOS 3 Integral 8, 10 $237 1 gigabyte 32 Segment 16 limit 1 byte - 64K bytes 1 byte 1 byte Segment map table 16,384 64 24 4 24-bit adder 1 byte (7 bits) (status pushed on stack for faults) 64 No 22 by 81 HMOS 1 MC68010 4, 6, 8, 10 $111 48 No 15 by 51 NMOS 1.5 Z8001/3 4,6, 10 $383 Zilog Z8015/PMMU 48 No 15 by 51 NMOS 1.5 Z8003/4 4, 6, 10 $137 16 megabytes 8 megabytes 8 megabytes 24 23 23 Segment 16 mask 256 bytes - 16 megabytes Power of 2 256 bytes Associative lookup 32 72 16 8 32 16-bit logical 4 bytes 1 8 bytes Segment 8 limit 256 bytes - 64K bytes 256 blocks 256 bytes Mapped by address 64 32 16 8 64 16-bit adder 3 bytes 6 bytes Page NA 2K bytes Adjustable 2K bytes Associative lookup 64 32 13 7 64 13-bit concatenation 3 bytes 9 bytes Table 4: A comparison of the physical characteristics of the four surveyed memory- management units. All four have the same physical-memory limit: 16 megabytes. and the Z8010 has 64 map registers. If you use the mapping-by-address tech- nique, you will need two MMUs to map AS. The user/supervisor flag can be used as an extra addressing bit to increase memory size to the full 16 megabytes. With this type of organization, four MMU chips are necessary (i.e., 128 segments in two separate address spaces). You can assign four protection at- tributes: read-only, data/code, sys- tem reserved, and I/O enable. If you do sophisticated I/O processing, you'll appreciate the I/O flag. An- other feature, the direction and warn- ing (DIRW) attribute, indicates the orientation for a stack segment. When set, offsets can be negative. DIRW also provides a warning if you are accessing the last 256 bytes of the segment. The warning allows the sys- tem to dynamically extend segments during execution, making allocation procedures easier to implement. Programming the MMU is accom- plished through 22 special I/O in- structions. By placing the MMU into command mode, you can manipulate map cells and global status registers in a manner similar to programming DMA or peripheral controllers. Z8000 instructions permit you to send a block of commands and data to speed up the process. Provisions for virtual memory are marginal at best. Only three attribute flags aid paging policies: present, ac- cessed, and changed. Up to eight separate users are possible, but this requires additional MMUs and exter- nal hardware. The Z8010's limited number of segments has two major drawbacks. First, it discourages small segment size. The segment-size resolution may not reflect program modularity (studies indicate that me- dian module size is about 50 words). More important, the number of pages it can handle may be insufficient for working-set purposes. Although you can share data, utility is minimal. Many of the benefits of a segmented design are not fully realized. The Clock page-replacement policy would probably work well with the Z8010. Without an LREF field and strong multiuser support, WS-Clock is likely to be inefficient. Poor sharing and task switching make a VS(n) design impractical. Time required for MMU programming and the page- fault recovery procedure is partially offset by translation speed. I can't see the Z8010 finding much use outside of systems with few users or nonvirtual environments. The Zilog Z8015 The Z8015 is most notable for its paged-memory strategy. Although markedly different in mapping and logical block structure, most of its features borrow heavily from the Z8010 design. Protection, program- ming, and multiprocessing com- ponents are virtually identical. This MMU's main selling point is the simplified allocation and storage mechanism inherent in a paged system. Also, several mistakes found in the Z8010 are corrected in the Z8015. The Z8015 employs an associative lookup mapping scheme. Each Z8015 MMU chip can map 64 pages, each 2K bytes in length. Thus, each unit directly maps 128K bytes. Up to 64 units can be grouped together, giving you a total of 4096 page frames (8 megabytes) — ample room for system expansion. If you don't like 2K-byte pages, simple wiring alterations allow dif- ferent size options. Page attributes are the same as a Z8010's except that I/O enable is omitted— too bad, it's a handy feature. Translation time is about 15 percent slower. As with the Z8010, you should stick to the Clock replacement algo- rithm and a VS(1) design. The MMU supplies all the information necessary 234 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc to recover from a page fault; extra hardware is not required. The in- creased number of page frames is noteworthy: you can achieve a higher degree of multitasking, and it is easier to expand storage. But with the Z8015's fixed-page policy, you sacrifice some degree of flexibility. Adequate support for virtual memory and system security yield the com- ponents of a virtual microcomputer. On top of all this, you can use the Z8015 to implement dynamic map- ping for the Z8004, the 16-bit-address version of the Z8000 processor. The Motorola MC68451 Motorola has come up with an ex- cellent memory -control product. The MC68451 furnishes the horsepower to construct a serious virtual com- puter system. In combination with the MC68000, which I think is the best 16-bit microprocessor around, the MC68451 is quite impressive. Before getting too worked up, how- ever, I should mention that I do have a few reservations about the device. Despite this, the MMU uses some in- triguing methods to build the func- tions that constitute a virtual- memory scheme. Like the Z8015, the MC68451 relies on associative mapping. Address translation takes place in two stages consisting of an address range and user-space comparison. A clever tech- nique accomplishes both lookup and segment bounds-checking in one fell Motorola's excellent MC68451 furnishes the horsepower to construct a serious virtual computer system. swoop. Normally, logical page numbers and each map cell's page number are compared bit-wise for a match. Instead, the MC68451 employs a mask field that selects which address bits to check against a map cell's page number. The mask ef- fectively turns some of these bits into "don't cares." The end result is that several logical-address page values can map to a single cell entry. Each map cell contains a user-space number and associated mask. A valid memory reference must match the ac- tive processor user number. The masking function allows a range of user numbers (or just one) to use the same segment; sharing among users becomes almost a trivial task. One worrisome point is the map- table size. You get merely 32 map cells per MMU, and physical limita- tions restrict you to a total of eight MMU devices (or 256 cells). You need more than that. Also, the MMU design is complex; it has too many in- ternal registers and multiple MMU coordination is complicated. You have your work cut out for you pro- gramming this hardware. Status registers contain used and changed bits to aid virtual paging routines. But there's no provision for an LREF attribute. Curiously, some bits cause an interrupt to be generated whenever reference is made to the segment. The purpose of this feature eludes me — maybe it's for debugging. FLIP FLOP 4W Stop Wasting j& 5V«" ONE-STEP Stop Wasting Half Your MEMORY/MONEY QUALITY COMPUTER FORMS AT PRICES YOU CAN AFFORD 5V«" TWO-STEP & sf FLIP FLOP A Daring, Quick, & Precise way to allow you to use both sides of your single-sided disk- ettes. Flip Flops are not temperamental. 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The MC68451's multiuser facilities and fast context switching make WS- Clock a possible paging strategy. But you must build an extra data struc- ture to hold reference times to sup- port this approach. Though the MC68451 is short on facilities to fully protect data resources, you are com- pensated by more features for virtual memory. Also, its architecture delivers functions conducive to VS(n) designs. The Intel iAPX 286 The Intel iAPX 286 constitutes a complete virtual-memory processor that 1 believe supplies the best fea- tures available in the microcomputer world today. What I consider most amazing is the fact that the memory- control unit is practically identical to a Burroughs B5500 mainframe sys- tem—a highly touted segmented ar- chitecture. Benefits are numerous and problems sparse. To summarize, I'll list the principal advantages: • it has an integrated processor/ MMU design using the 8086 micro- processor, one of the most popular 16-bit processors, making it compati- ble with existing software • it has a gigantic (1-gigabyte) ad- dress space • memory segments can be sized with a resolution of 1 byte, making it ideal for program modules • it features advanced data-protec- tion measures: four priority levels and several data attributes • it can completely support WS- Clock and VS(n) designs The iAPX 286's local data table (LDT) register points to a map table residing in MM. There's also a global equivalent of this (GDT) for shared segments. You can define up to 16,384 active segments per user. The number of users is almost boundless. Four fast internal processor registers hold the most recently accessed seg- ment descriptors (called a cache). If you reference a map cell held in one of these registers, there's no translation-time penalty. Because the iAPX 286, like the 8086, uses segment registers, your program must load these registers prior to memory access. Only branching instructions allow you to specify a full 32-bit virtual address. Segment-register management has two negative aspects: segment- control code clutters a program and net translation time grows. Compilers normally solve the first problem. The time problem is more of a nuisance. The iAPX 286 features excellent virtual-memory support. Map cells have 16 undefined bits that you can use for several purposes. For in- stance, 12 to 14 bits would be suffi- cient for an LREF field. You could also allocate a fix bit to lock special pages into MM (e.g., a supervisor kernel program or an LDT table). Used and segment present bits are supplied, but a changed bit is notice- ably absent. The Intel product represents a superb tool for building virtual mem- ory. Drawbacks are minor: small cache size, the need for segment- register management, and no changed bit. And the device is easy to pro- gram. Instead of an I/O program to operate a separate MMU, you do sim- ple loads and stores of memory. The iAPX 286's integrated approach, its numerous features, and its regular design comprise an impressive com- puting engine. Evaluation Which MMU should you choose? The answer depends on various fac- tors. Above all else, the companion microprocessor sways this decision. Get a system with a processor you like — it influences your software and operating-system selections. Perfor- mance requirements and intended ap- plications are important. Is the multitasking level a factor? Do you want the flexibility of segmentation or the simplicity of paging? What software policies or peripheral com- ponents fit your needs? Table 5 com- pares the MMU products. The evaluation offers a yardstick for 236 April 1983 © BYTE Publications lnc Fox & Geller asks dBASE II™ users: Which would you prefer? Annual Report, J 982 Unit Sales and Dollar Volume PRODUCTA, Quarterly Unit Sales, 539.95/unit net 1981 1982 1st 821 1037 2nd 510 600 3rd 385 530 4th 1020 1298 2736 3465 TOTAL UNITS $\09,303.20 $138,426.75 TOTALSALES »ec «> it— OR tWl PRODUCT B, Quarterly Unit Sales, $24.95/unit net: 1981 1982 1 st 1 1 96 1240 2nd 624 803 3rd 590 752 4th 1365 1810 3775 4605 TOTAL UNITS $94,186.25 $114,894.75 TOTALSALES PRODUCT C, Quarterly Unit Sales, $49.95/unit net. 198) 1982 1st 745 697 2nd 485 401 3rd 380 365 4th 85 1 812 2461 2275 TOTAL UNITS $122,803.90 $1 13,636.25 QUARTERS PRODUCTS! 19R] THRU I »Ct a 3 itct OOBRTtRf 1?BI OUftRTERS !*•( OUBBTERS (M.L. PRODUCTS On the left, you have numbers which are important, but can be a bore to read. And it's easy to miss important trends embedded in those numbers. On the right are graphic aspects of the same numbers. Graphics that are quickly understand- able, visually dynamic, and all available from one package, dGRAPH™ by Fox & Geller. That's right. dGRAPH gives you the flexibility to produce bar charts, pie charts, line graphs, and combination piebar charts. All of them are easy to do, as easy as naming the kind of graph you want and what kind of data you want to graph. That's it. dGRAPH's unique AUTOGRAPH™ fea- ture takes care of the rest in seconds. That includes loading data, computing scales, drawing grid lines, shading, overlay graphs [if any), and labelling. And the results are transferable to EPSON, OKIDATA, and a growing list of other popular printers so as to enhance your meetings and reports. You get all of the above capabilities plus powerful data manipulation features so you can graph various fields— all this for just $295.00. So, dBASE l\ users, which would you prefer? We think dGRAPH is the obvious answer. Don't you? Ask for dGRAPH by name at your local computer dealer. And while you're there, see Fox & Geller 's full line of quality software. Software that's practical, reliable, and reasonably priced. Software that's created by Jeff Fox and Jacob Geller, individuals who stand behind every product that bears their names. Use the Reader Service Card for more information. Or contact: dGRAPH is also available for non-dBASE II users! dBASE II is a trademark of Ashton-Tate. dGRAPH and AUTOGRAPH are trademarks of Fox & Geller. Fox & Geller, Inc. 604 Market Street Elm wood Park, NJ 07407 (201)794-8883 Circle 172 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 237 OVERALL RATINGS Virtual-memory features Support for the Clock page-replacement algorithm Support for the WS-Clock algorithm" VS(n) architecture Device features and performance Translation speed Address space Block resolution Mapping strategy Companion processor Popularity Architectural design Multiuser capability Design flexibility Expansion potential Protection features Ease of programming Hardware requirements Complexity (board level) Page-fault overhead MEMORY-MANAGEMENT UNITS Intel Motorola Zilog IAPX286 MC68451 Z8010 Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Excellent Average Excellent Good NA Excellent Excellent Excellent Excellent Good Good Excellent Good Good Poor Good Good Excellent Good Excellent Excellent Good Good Average Average Good Good Excellent Poor Good Poor Poor Good Poor Average Average Average Good Average Average Average Good Good Poor Poor Poor Zllog Z8015/PMMU Average Excellent Poor NA Average Average NA Excellent Average Good Average Poor Good Good Good Good Average Poor Table 5: An overall comparison of the four memory-management units surveyed in this article. This evaluation highlights the differences between each MMU and gives you an idea of the application possibilities. analyzing potential applications. You can draw your own conclusions on how well each device addresses virtual-memory concepts. New Horizons Virtual memory opens up a whole new world for microcomputer sys- tems. The expanded address space ac- commodates traditional large-scale software applications: database-man- agement systems, sophisticated oper- ating systems, and complex high- level-language translators. Moreover, some unique applications of virtual memory exist for microcomputer systems. Virtual storage streamlines data- base operations. For example, you don't have to use complex file-access techniques to locate data. A 1-giga- byte address space defines an enor- mous amount of information. Ap- plications can be much bigger and retrieval time much faster. A VS(n) design has very exciting implications for microcomputers. You may have observed the trend among microcomputer vendors to of- fer a choice of several of the leading operating systems with their hard- ware. With a VS(n) organization, several different operating systems could run in the separate logical- address spaces concurrently. Think of it, CP/M for one user, Xenix for an- other, Oasis-16 over there. The IBM 370/VM (virtual machine) applies this approach with good success. Virtual microcomputers give you many other unique software avenues. Consider the memory needs of a 1K- by lK-byte color graphics system. With various shades and colors, you will quickly consume 1 megabyte of memory. And how about the trend toward integrated business environ- ments? Word processing, report gen- eration, spreadsheet analysis, elec- tronic filing, etc., collectively take a sizable amount of storage. When will virtual microcomputers be available? They are right now. Altos Computer Systems, Integrated Business Computers (IBC), and Plexus all feature virtual systems de- signed around the Motorola MC68000 processor. IBM has been looking at the iAPX 286 with some in- terest, and its future microcomputer systems should prove interesting. The trend is just beginning. Conclusion Virtual memory will play a vital role in the evolution of microproces- sor-based computer systems. The memory-management units I've re- viewed here lay the foundation by supplying the essential hardware components. Some people claim that virtual memory fails to provide good perfor- mance. I disagree. A carefully de- signed unit, properly tuned (e.g., with the proper 9 parameter for the WS-Clock algorithm), should actual- ly improve a system's operation. MMUs, sophisticated microproces- sors, and simple management policies collectively supply the elements that make virtual systems viable and in- evitable. A wider range of advanced applications becomes feasible. Which MMU is the best is not total- ly clear. Obviously, the iAPX 286 of- fers some outstanding features. How- ever, your intended applications and software considerations should figure prominently when you make your determination. A big memory space presents a new software frontier. With these new MMU devices, it will soon be possible to have the processing power of a mainframe in the size of a desktop. ■ References 1. Carr, R. and J. Hennessy. "WSCLOCK— A Simple and Effective Algorithm for Virtual Memory Manage- ment." Proceedings of the 8th Sym- posium on Operating Systems Prin- ciples, ACM, Vol. 15, No. 5, December 1981, pp. 87-95. 2. Denning, P. "Working Sets Past and Present." IEEE Transactions on Soft- ware Engineering, Vol. SE-6, No. 1, January 1980, pp. 64-84. 3. Easton, M. and P. Franaszek. "Use Bit Scanning in Replacement Decisions." IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Vol. C-28, No. 2, February 1979, pp. 133-141. 4. Hellerman, H. and T. Conroy. Computer System Performance. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. 5. Intei iAPX 286 Preliminary Users Manual. Santa Clara, CA: Intel Corpora- tion, 1981. 6. Motorola MC68451, Advance informa- tion. Austin, TX: Motorola Inc., 1981. 7. Z8015 Paged Memory Management Unit, Product Specification. Campbell, CA: Zilog Inc., 1981. 8. Zilog 1982/83 Data Book. Campbell, CA: Zilog Inc., 1982. 238 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 195 on inquiry card. The Most Versatile Integrated System Available! — Without Compromise. From the crystal clear monitor with a true typist keyboard to the high performance switching power supply— an engineered solution-the 5000IS system is designed to be an economical single-user system (basic system price is $3,295) which is easily field expandable to be the master of a four-user system. 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The results: more performance, more quality, more reliability, and higher speed for greater throughput than ever before. CPU 286 and CPU 16032 can upgrade present systems to state-of-the-art operation, or serve as powerful foundations for new systems. CPU 68K, aside from being a superb CPU board, is also the core of our System 816/68K . As always, CompuPro kept one eye on the future in designing these CPU's. With a CompuPro, you don't shudder at fast-changing technology — you welcome it. We give you brawn and brains in one box, and that's beautiful. CPU 286 No more fighting to get on the bus, multi-users. CPU 286 is based on Intel's ultra-high perfor- mance 16-bit iAPX 286/10; it includes sockets for both the 80287 math co-processor and up to 16K bytes of on-board EPROM. 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OPERATING SYSTEMS CP/M-80™, CP/M-86*, MP/M-816™, FORTH, CP/M-68K™, CP/M-816™, OASIS-8™and OAS1S-16™. MEMORY BOARDS RAM 16, RAM 17-48, RAM 17-64, RAM 21, RAM 22 and512KM-Drive/H™. DISK CONTROLLERS and SUBSYSTEMS DISK 1, 2, 3 controllers, Dual Floppy Disk Subsys- tem, Add-On Hard Disk Drives. INTERFACERS Interfacer 1 , 2, 3-5, 3-8 and 4. — CPUs CPUz, CPU 8085/88, CPU 86/87 and CPU 85/88. MOTHERBOARDS and ENCLOSURES 6-, 12- or 20-slot motherboards, Enclosure 2 (desktop or rack mount). STD BUS BOARDS CPU Z, RAM-16,. M0-8..MB-16, RAM 32, and RAM 64. 'Software bonus! Alt CompuPro 816 systems include the following prepackaged software: Sorcim's powerful SuperCalc -86 for business and financial planning, Ashton-Tate's dBase II for data base management, and now, Lorand Andahazy's Field Companion {$295 value) for increased administrative productivity. **Optional high-speed math processor chip or co-processor board available through CompuPro. These high-technology products require skilled installation. They are intended for OEMs, system integrators and experimental researchers only, CP/M-86 is a registered trademark of Digital Research; M-Drive/H is a trademark of CompuPro: OASIS is a trademark of Phase 1 ..■'■■■ Circle 91 on inquiry card. BYTE West Coast Hard Choices for Software Houses Phil Lemmons West Coast Editor The memory-addressing range of the 16-bit microprocessors presents a grand vista to programmers, but an empty one, like the Grand Canyon. The addressing range of these pro- cessors extends from 1 to 16 megabytes and up— far enough to hold an applications programmer's grandest dreams: to increase speed of execution, to integrate functions previously done by separate applica- tions programs, to make software easier to use, to design whole new software architectures that revolu- tionize the way people use com- puters. But the actual memory in most of today's 16-bit microcomputers is usually 64K bytes, or sometimes 128K bytes. The present contrast be- tween addressing range and actual memory places software houses in a dilemma. Not to use more than 64K bytes of memory is to waste the greatest asset that the 16-bit microprocessors offer. But if software houses do decide to use more than 64K byes, how much memory should they require? Answering this question is not a simple matter of surveying the installed base of 16-bit systems to determine the average amount of memory owned. Software houses can use additional memory to make soft- ware more attractive. If the software is attractive enough, people will order the amount of memory necessary to run it at acceptable speed. In other words, software can not only exploit memory but also sell it. Nevertheless, there is a limit to the amount of memory that most microcomputer users can afford to buy. Software houses must somehow divine that limit to determine how much memory they will have to work with. Whether the amount of memory is 128K bytes, 192K, 256K, or even 512K, software houses will still have to set priorities for its use. How much memory should they devote to increasing speed, how much to integrating functions, and how much to increasing ease of use? Has the time yet come for software that revolutionizes the "user interface" at affordable prices? Increasing the speed of execution is the easiest and most obvious way to use additional memory, and it is also an important way. In systems with 64K bytes of memory — the most that an 8-bit processor can ad- dress—complex programs had to be divided into modules kept on disk. As the user called for specific functions, the program would go to the disk and bring the necessary module of code into RAM (random-access read/write memory), overwriting another module. Users of the program had to wait for these modules, called "overlays," to be read in. In most cases, 128K bytes of RAM is enough to hold an entire applications pro- gram at one time and to eliminate the delays caused by overlays. In addi- tion to eliminating overlays, memory in excess of 64K bytes will also pro- vide room for more of the user's data. Text-editing programs will therefore be able to edit more text more quick- ly, databases to sort more data more quickly, and so on. Depending on their priorities, soft- ware designers may continue to use overlays, choosing to integrate func- tions rather than increase speed. Using virtual memory is another strategy for integrating more func- tions than system memory can hold at one time. In this case, the operating system rather than the applications program swaps modules of software from disk to semiconductor memory and back again. While techniques ex- ist to minimize the delays caused by the use of virtual memory (see "Vir- tual Memory for an Object-Oriented 242 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc You've Cot TOTAL ACCESS TM Rose TO YOUR COMPUTER HARDWARE & SOFTWARE NEEDS. CALL ROSE TODAY! TM * DISK DRIVES Total Access 40 Track $239 Aerocomp 40T Flippy $019 Aerocomp 80T S399 Aerocomp 80T Flippy $409 Aerocomp 40TDuot Head $409 Aerocomp 80T Dual Head $399 For TRS80 Mod I. Mod. ill 6 I0M PC external & Tl 99/4 A Incl. power supply & enclosure. ^Apple Compatible Drive $279 ^ Apple Comp. Disk Conrroller Board. . $89 * BARE DRIVES Toral Access 40T $199 Aerocomp 40T Flippy $269 Aerocomp 80T $329 Aerocomp 80T Flippy $359 Aerocomp 40T Duoi Head $329 Aerocomp 80T Dual Head $469 * DRIVE CABLES 2-dnve $24 4 drive $34 Exrender cable $ 1 3 * OPERATING SYSTEMS TR5DOS 2.3 Disk & Manual $20 LDOS(lor!ll) $119 DOSPLUS34 $129 NEWDOS/80 (I or III) $129 * DISK CONTROLLERS/SEPARATORS Aerocomp "DDC" double dens disk ODD STUFF Single drive power supply $44 Drive enclosure (silver) . $24 Diskettes (box of 10) $24 AAX80 colons $9 12C3 Ooy warranty on drives. Add io per drive shipping in Conr. US. UPS COD charge $1 .50. There is a 15 day FREE TRIAL ON DRIVES If nor complerek satisfied I'll refund your money (less shipping) I'll r ake excepnon ro improper use or mishandling. *TRS-80 SPECIAL EQUIPMENT 4/5 Mhz Speedup mod for Mod l/lll .... 89 48K CP/M for Mod III includes all hardware and CP/M 2.2 275 64K CP/M for Mod III wirh 80 x 24 video and CP/M 2.2 399 Alcor PASCAL Model I or III 169 16K Memory, 200nsec Guar 1 yr. ... 8/$ 12 64K Memory, 200nsec, Guar 1 yr. . . . 8/S46 12" Green Phospher Monitor $99 KAYPRO II C^uer 64K CP/M Centronics and Serial Parrs Perfect Writer 6 Speller Perfect Cole & Filer 9" Green Video 80 x 24 2 DblDen(200K) Drives Your Choice $1699 Morrow MICRO DECISION 64K CP/M, 2 serial Ports MDASIC, WordStar, Logicalc, Correct- IT, DaZic 1 T Green Video 80x25 DoubieDen(200K) Drive ""^ACEIOOO Uses APPLE Software Features v/// HR-1 Daisy Wheel Printer EM- 1 Electronic Typewrire r Either One $799 COEX 80 F/T 80cps Friction Tracror 10, 12, 16.5cpi + DblWid 6,8, 12 Ipi 2K Duffer $299 * TRS80 6 Radio ShocK ore Trademarks of Tandy Corp. G NOTICE Mod II, Mod III, Mod IV, Mod 12, Mod 16 Color Computer, Pocket Computer . . , Please call us TOLL FREE for up-to-date prices on the above computers. Many are now SALE PRICED at HUGE SAVINGS ♦SOFTWARE All Radio Shack $oftware*****20°/o*****off Super Utility Plus 3.0 by Kim Wart 65 P&T CP/M for rhe Mod II $159 P&T CP/M for rhe Mod 16 $189 P&T CP/M for rhe Hard Disk $199 All SNAPPWARE ***10%****aff I have lots of orher software Coll me now for your needs All at discount ♦MEDIA & SUPPUES 8" disks SS DblDen, Guar. Forever 29 8" disks DS DblDen, Some Guarantee. ... 39 5" Flipsorr, holds 50 disks 23 8" Flipsorr, same deal 29 5" Library boxes $2.50 8" Library boxes $3.50 5" or 8" Head cleaning kit 9 Tracror paper, letter size 2900 sheets. ... 25 *LNW COMPUTERS 1 28K LNW-80 Mod II, NTSC/RGD, RS232, CP/M 2.2 and5/8 conrroller. FREE 1 Z Green Screen Monitor and Cable 1995 ♦PRINTERS & OTHER ACCESSORIES 26-1 158 Daisy Wheel II, 43 cps 1599 26-1447 l\S Tracror Assembly 208 26-1448 RS Sheer Feeder 999 26-1455 Acoustic Cover 339 26-1250 DWP-410, 25 cps 1275 26-1459 RS Tractor Assembly 199 26-1251 DMP-400, 140 cps 969 26-1252 DMP-500, 220 cps 1499 26-1253 DMP-100, 50 cps 309 26-1254 DMP-200, 120 cps 599 26-1256 DMP-2100, 184 cps 1649 26-1441 RS Tractor Assemb^ 139 26-1 192 CGP-1 15 Color Printer 199 26-1 193 Flatbed Plotter 769 26-1 196 GT-1 16 XPAD" 295 26-1 195 Digitizer wirh software 395 ANADEX DP-9620A 200 cps 1449 ANADEX WP-6000, 284 cps, NLQ 2695 PROMOTER 120 cps, 10" Fnc/Trac 449 bpyrighr 1982 TOTAL ACCESS PROWRITER 2, 120 cps, 15" Fnc/Trac. . . 669 STARWRITER F- 1 0, 40 cps, Daisy Wheel . . 1 399 PRINTAAASTER F-10, 55 cps, Daisy 1599 ♦PERIPHER1ALS - Models l/ll/lll, 16, CC 32K LNW Expansion Interface w/RS232. . 349 LNDoubler 5/8 with DOSPLUS 169 26-1 145 Mod I RS232 fits RS. E/l 85 Mod III RS232 79 26-1 172 DC Modem I 125 26-1173 DC Modem II 199 26-1208 CCR-81 Recorder 51 26-1 130 Hard Disk 5Mb, primary 1899 26-1 131 Hard Disk 5Mb, secondary. . . 1499 26-1 162 Mill 1st Drive Kir, Pure RS 599 26-3022 CC 1st Drive w/conrroller 399 26-3023 CC 2nd Disk Drive 259 26-4152 Hard Disk 12Mb, primary. . . . 2795 26-41 53 Hard Disk 1 2Mb, secondary ... 1 999 26-4167 Thinline add-on drive 535 ORDER NOW! TOLL FREE 800-527-3582 Wnre or call. Toll free lines ore for orders only Texas residents call 214/458-1966 and deduct $2.00 from your order. If you need Technical information or service use rhe Texas number. Prices are subject to change without notice and are mail order only. I accept VISA or MASTERCARD, you can send a check or money order (allow a couple of weeks for personal or company checks to clear) or order COD (cash, certified check or money order only). Shipping is nor included unless otherwise indicared. Please add $5 handling , charge ro oil orders under $24. Texas orders add 5% rax No rax added on shipments outside Texas Order up - I need rhe money! TOTAL ACCESS P.O. BOX 3002 RICHARDSON, TX 75080 214-458-1966 NEXT DAY SHIPMENT on all in stock Merchandise r TM Circle 415 on inquiry card. BYTE April 19B3 243 Language" by Ted Kaehler, August 1981 BYTE, page 378), some delays are inevitable. Integrating functions can make programs so big as to cause delays in managing memory, yet integration can also eliminate delays of another kind. By integrating a number of functions that formerly had to exist in separate programs, software can spare users the inconvenience of exiting one program and loading another and of transferring data from one program to another. Integrating functions can also make software easier to use. The more the combined functions have the same user interface, the more the user will find the integrated program easier to work with than a set of equally powerful programs that call for dif- ferent function keys, control codes, and overall methods to perform similar functions. In an 8-bit program running in 64K bytes of memory, the use of menus, mnemonics, and online textual help is the highest degree of friendliness available. But 16-bit processors can address enough memory to transform the user interface into something never seen in the 8-bit world. Graphics-based guidance and selec- tion by pointing let the user perform a function without learning special ter- minology. Moving a pointer or cur- sor onto the symbol of a function is easier than remembering and typing the name of the function or the number or letter that represents the function. Be- All and End- All To illustrate the sort of hard deci- sions software houses face, let's con- sider a hypothetical integrated soft- ware package called Be-All and End- Ail. The entire package will fit in system memory at one time, leaving at least 64K bytes free for data. Overlays and virtual memory are un- necessary, and there are no delays for disk accesses except as needed for the user's data. Be-All and End-All includes a word processor (which incorporates a CPU'S & SUPPORT chips S? 53 8039 6.95 8253 5.9 8080A 2.75 8255 4.5 8085A 5.75 8259 5.9 8088 29.95 8257(AM9517I 7.9 AMD 2901 8 95 6502 8212 8214 8216 8155 8156 8237 3242 19.95 Z80ACPU 1.80 Z80B 360 Z80A S10 1.75 Z80AP10 2.25 Z80CTCA 1.80 TMS9927NI 3.50 8275 3.50 6845 8.95 6810 14.00 6850 6.00 8355 ROM'S 82S123 2708 2.95 (6331) 2716 i 5V 3.95 82S129 2732 2532 2764 5 95 82S130 7 95 3628A-3 3.00 9 95 AM9214C 2.95 MCS764 19 95 8256-5 82S23 82S100 82S115 (74188A! 1.25 2 95 74S387 1.75 4 00 74S474 3.95 LINEAR CIRCUITS RAM's 21L02-3 C/MOS ;o 93L422 2101-1 2111AL 2114 -4 2114 3 2147-3 TMS3409 MK4008P MK4027-3 TMS4050NL 2.95 MK4096 11 1.95 41163 1.10 5.95 1.65 1.95 4 95 1.95 4116 15 5101 E 2610*4 61163 8264(4164-2 5.75 58725 1 MK 4802! 8,96 150 2.95 2.50 5.50 DISC Controllers 1771 . 16.50 1791. 1793. 1795. 1797. 25.00 35.00 45.00 45.00 CRYSTALS 2.000 6 144 3.000 8.000 3 579 10.000 4.000 18.000 5.000 18 432 6.000 20 000 2 95ea. 4007 4008 4009 4010 4011 4012 4013 4014 - 4015 4016 4017 4018 4019 4020 4021 4022 4023 4024 4025 4026 4027 4029 4030 4034 4046 .80 4047 - .96 4049 35 4050 - 35 4061 80 4052 - P:, 4063 75 406C- 80 4066 39 4068 35 4069 25 4070 36 4071 25 4072 ts 4076 m 4077 X 4081 .25 4082 a 4093 49 4099 ] n 4501 95 4510 m 4511 65 4514 1 a 4515 1 m 4516 75 4518 M 4520 70 4528 i DC 4585 74C00 74C02 74C04 74C08 74C10 74C14 74C20 74C32 74C42 74C74 74C76 74C85 74C86 74C90 74C93 74C154 74C157 74C160 74C161 74C163 74C173 74C174 74C175 74C192 74C901 74C902 74C914 74C921 74C83 FLAT RIBBON CABLE RS232 GRAY 28 gauge CONNECTORS Jo:. ot*i BR ti DB25Pmale . $2.75 AC) ranti 30 ti DB25S female 3.75 HOODS ... 1.25 74LS SERIES 4539 1 25 DAQ08EQ TL062CP TL064 CN 1 TL084 - 1.50 LM201 - 75 LM301/748 - LM307 30 LM308 LM310 LM311 LM318 LM319 LM324 LM339 LM348 LF351 LF353 LF355 1 10 LF356 1.00 LM3S8 - 50 LM361 - 1 75 LM370 1.60 LM377 1.60 LM380 LM383 LM386 LM387 LM393 LM555 LM556 564B - 2.25 H 1.90 1.25 747 CA75B 1.75 LM1310 160 1456 .80 1458 .50 LM1808 175 LM2901 95 CA3018 1 95 CA30788 - 1 50 CA3086 .75 AD2700LD - 4.95 CA3140 1.00 3300 .46 4136 85 N5596A 1.50 D6303B 1.75 8038CC 3.90 REGULATORS LM337T SI. 95 323KILA140SI , SI 75 LM305G S .75 340T-5. 6. 8. 9, 12, 15, 18or24V .. S 85 LAS1412 ■ 12V3AS3.95 TANTALUM .22UF35V 5/$ 1.00 .47UF35V .68UF 35V 1UF20V 2.2UF20V 3.3UF20V 4.7UF35V 6.8UF20V 10UF20V 22UF10V 5/ $1.00 5 $1.00 5- $1.00 5,' $1.00 4/$1.00 4/$1.00 4/$1.00 $ .40 - $ .30 CAPACITORS 15UF16V 3/$1.00 30UF6V 33UF 10V 47UF20V 68UF-16V 120UF6V 200UF20V 150UF16V 330UF 10V 5 $1.00 $ .40 $ .85 $1.00 $ .75 $1.75 $1.30 $1.75 74LS00 20 74LS109 *> 74LS01 20 74LS112 .38 74LS02 n /4LS113 .45 74LS03 23 74LS114 •v, 74LS04 23 74LS123 eo 74LS05 23 74LS125 45 74LS06 ■:•■ 74LS126 4a 74LS09 25 74LST32 55 74LS10 23 MLS136 45 74LS11 25 74LS137 95 74LS12 a 74LS138 50 74LS13 45 74LS139 52 74LS14 40 74LS147 1.96 74LS15 35 74LS151 .38 74LS20 23 74L5153 40 74LS21 25 MLS 154 1.90 74LS22 25 74LS155 .60 74LS26 ft 74LS156 80 74LS27 23 74LS157 *8 74LS28 45 74LS15B « 74LS30 22 74LS160 K 74LS32 .27 74LS161 70 74LS37 30 74LS162 .80 74LS38 30 74LS163 86 74LS40 40 74LS164 80 74LS42 44 74LS165 80 74LS47 65 741 S 166 .80 74LS51 ;,- 74LS169 i % 74LS54 25 74LS170 1.50 74LS73 35 74LS173 .70 74LS74 36 74LS174 45 74LS75 m 74LS175 40 74LS76 45 74LS181 1.95 74LS83 68 74LS190 80 74LS85 80 74LS191 .80 74LS86 40 74LS132 66 74LS90 39 74LS193 65 74LS92 id 74LSW m 74LS93 eg 74LS195 -». 74LS96 70 74LS196 85 74LS10 36 74LS197 K 74LS221 .75 74LS240 .90 74LS241 i ee 74LS242 1.20 74LS243 74LS244 » 74LS245 ! 'V: 74LS247 n 74LS248 1 10 74LS251 68 74LS253 .68 74LS257 66 74LS258 66 74LS259 1 40 74LS266 «5 74LS273 1.15 74LS279 .48 741S280 1 80 74LS283 85 74LS290 75 74LS293 96 74LS298 1.00 74LS320 2.00 74LS323 350 74LS365 .80 74LS366 80 74LS367 58 74LS368 66 74LS373 1.25 74LS374 1.25 74LS377 1 25 74LS386 .65 74LS390 1.30 74LS393 1.30 74LS398 2 50 74LS670 1 66 POSTAGE RATES ADD 10% FOR ORDERS UNDER $25.00 ADD 5% FOR ORDERS BETWEEN $25.00 AND $50.00 ADD 3% FOR ORDERS ABOVE $50 00 TERMS: FOB CAMBRIDGE. MASS SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER MINIMUM TELEPHONE. COO PURCHASE ORDER OR CHARGE $20 00 MINIMUM MAIL ORDER $5 00. SEND $25 FOR OUR CATALOG FEATURING TRANSISTORS & RECTIFIERS 145 HAMPSHIRE ST CAMBRIDGE, MASS 02133 SOLID STATE SALES P.O. BOX 74 B SOMERVILLE, MASS. 02143 TEL (617) 547-7053 TOLL FREE 1-800-343-5230 mailing-list program, a spelling checker, a thesaurus, and other writers' aids to spot cliches' and other flaws of style); a financial spread- sheet, which has all the functions in- cluded in Visicalc, Multiplan, or Supercalc; a graphics program that can take figures marked in the spread- sheet or the databases and generate bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs; a fully relational database manager that has all the functions of dBASE II; a communications package that permits asynchronous file transfers and conversations with other computers; and a datebook that keeps track of appointments, deadlines, and expenses and generates reminders automatically and reports on demand. The user interface of Be-All and End-All is organized on the same principles throughout. It permits the user to see, point, and do. All the programs it incorporates can run simultaneously, and the user can view the different processes through adjustable windows on each. "Cut- and-paste" procedures make data transfer between programs as easy and quick as moving a block of text in a simple word processor. Be-All and End-All may integrate more functions than any one person is ever likely to need, but no matter; it will someday be available for only $500. Suppose you are the programmer and you receive one added specifica- tion for Be-All and End-All: it must run at an acceptable speed in 128K bytes of memory. "Impossible!" you say. 'Well, get as much of it in as possible," your boss says. "Take all the time you need, as long as it isn't more than six months." What do you include? What do you leave out? What if you could argue for having 192K bytes of memory— would things be any better? What about 256K? Half a megabyte? What if you are told that Be-All and End-All's speed must be sensational rather than acceptable? How many more possible improvements must you then leave out? Bright people at software houses across the land have been facing similar questions and coming up with different answers. Not surprisingly, 244 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc GET THE BULL FREE WHEN YOU BUY FROM BISON!!! PERIPHERALS Here are some of the products BISON carries for Apple Computers. If you don't see what you want here, give us a call. Microtek 16K RAM Card for Apple II $65.00 Microsoft Premium Pack 479.50 BISON Add-on Disk Drive 260.00 (100% Apple Compatible) Apple Joystick 49.50 Parallel Printer Card with Cable 71.00 Kensington System Saver 75.00 D.C. Hayes Micromodem II 270.00 Microtek Apple Dumpling GX 118.00 (also available with buffer) Microtek Magnum 80 249.00 Microsoft Z80 Softcard with CP/M 259.00 Videx Enhancer 119.00 Videx Function Strip 59.00 Practical Peripherals Microbuffer II, 16K, Parallel 209.00 Microbuffer II, 32K, Parallel 239.00 Microbuffer II, 16K, Serial 209.00 Microbuffer II, 32K, Serial 259.00 Microbuffer 8K, Serial 125.00 Microbuffer I6K, Parallel .125.00 Atari Joysticks & Software in stock! For more information, circle reader service 55 PRINTERS BISON carries all of the major brands of printers. If you need help choosing the proper printer for your needs, call and talk to one of our support technicians. NEC PC-8023A Frio & Trac w/Graph. . . $485.00 Okidata Microline 82A 80 Col. w/Trac 439.00 Okidata Microline 83A w/Trac, 132 Col 639.00 Okidata Microline 84P, Parallel 925.00 Okidata Microline 84S, 200 cps/S 999.00 Okidata Microline 92 599.00 Okidata Microline 93 839.00 Star Micronics Gemini 10 Printer 399.00 Star Micronics Gemini 15 Printer 575.00 C. Itoh Prowriter I, Parallel 485.00 C. Itoh Prowriter II, Parallel 625.00 C. Itoh Prowriter II, Parallel/Serial 685.00 C. Itoh F-IO Starwriter, P. or S., 40 cps . . . 1225.00 C. Itoh F-10Printmaster, P./S., 55 cps. .. 1495.00 Comrex Daisy Wheel Printer, Parallel 735.00 Comrex Daisy Wheel Printer, Serial . . 785.00 Comrex Tractor Feed 235.00 Toshiba PI350 Printer 1695.00 Toshiba Tractor Feed 235.00 Diablo 630 Daisy Wheel Printer 1675.00 For more information, circle reader service 56 MONITORS SANYO 12" Green Monitor Model DM2112 89.00 DMC 6013 13" Color Monitor 375.00 VMC 7013 13" RGB Color Monitor 375.00 AMDEK Monitors AMDEK Video 300 1 2" Green Phospher Non-Glare 145.00 AMDEK Color II 13" Color Monitor RGB IBM/NEC/Apple ..685.00 AMDEK Color I 12" Color Monitor 299.00 NEC 12" Green Monitor 159.00 13" Color Monitor 325.00 13" RGB Color Monitor 755.00 COMREX 6500 13" Color Monitor 289.00 For more information, circle reader service 57 TELEVIDEO PRODUCTS TeleVideo computer terminals and desktop computer system — high price features at low prices. TeleVideo TS-802 Computer System 64K, 4 Mhz Z-80A, CP/M™ Dual Floppies, 720K Total Same CRT and Keyboard as Televideo 950 Terminal Network Expansion Capabilities TeleVideo TS-802 2695.00 TeleVideo TVI-925 Terminal 695.00 TeleVideo TVI-950 Term.— Top-of-Line . . .875.00 For more information, circle reader service 58 MICROPRO SOFTWARE Call for tremendous savings on MicroPro Software. S-IOO PRODUCTS Sierra Data Sciences S-IOO Master/Slave Single Board Computers Master — 4 Mhz, Z80A 690.00 Slave — 4 Mhz, Z80A. 625.00 Sierra Data CP/M T " w/Sierra Data BIOS ... 225.00 Sierra Manual Sierra Data-Winchester Adaptor . . Sierra Data Turbo DOS OT Products QT 6-Slot, Dual 8" Drives QT 8-Slot, Dual 8" Drives . . 25.00 .159.00 .750.00 . 530 00 . 560.00 QT 12-Slot, Dual 8" Drives 620.00 DISK DRIVES Qume #842 (Replaces Data-Trak 8) 490.00 Tandon Thin 8" Sngl-Side, Dbl-Density . . . 545.00 Tandon Thin 8" Dbl-Side, Dbl-Density 475.00 Mitsubishi Dbl-Side, Dbl-Density 399.00 For more information, circle reader service 59 SPECIAL ON FLOPPY DISKETTES WABASH Single-Sided, Single-Density Box of 10, 8" or 5 1 / 4 " $19.00 SPECIAL OFFER: Buy a Case of Wabash 5 1 / 4 " Diskettes (100 diskettes to a case) and you pay only $170.00 (Save $2.00 a box) TDK 5y 4 " Single-Sided, Single-Density 20.00 8" Single-Sided, Single-Density 30.00 5%" Double-Sided, Double Density 25.00 8" Double-Sided, Double-Density 35.00 Head Cleaning Kit 5%" 19.95 THE BULL DISKETTE AND INFORM A TION HOLDER FREE with $100 purchase. (Normally retails for $9.95) "we accept Cash, Certified Checks, VISA and MasterCard" ADD 3% FOR CREDIT CARD PURCHASES All merchandise new in factory cartons with manufacturer's warranty Corporate and School District P.O.'s accepted subject to credit approval Enclose financial statement with order California residents add Sales Tax. Shipping charges added to all orders. "No refunds without prior approval" — Bison credit only on returned merchandise QUANTITIES LIMITED ON SOME ITEMS - PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE Send Mall Orders To: P.O. Box 9078-184 • Van Nuys, California 91409 For Questions or Phone Orders Call: (213) 994-2533 BYTE April 1983 245 Circle 150 on inquiry card. THE ULTIMATE IEEE/S-100 MEMORY WOULD. . . BE NONVOLATILE, ■ RUN AT6MHZ withe ml v stales. ■ HAVE EXTENDED 24-BIT ADDRESSING .mil kinks- ■ HAVE DYNAMIC ALLY MOVABLE WRITE I k( )ll GENERATE l>OWER-FAlL CMEM AVAILABLE NOW FROM DUAL SYSTEMS, the CMEM memory boards combine high-speed CMOS memories with a new 5-8 year lithium battery. The CMEM offers the nonvolatility of an EPROM board while retain- ing the instant writability of a high-speed read/write RAM. These industrial grade boards are subjected to a 168-hour burn-in and a 1000-cycle power interruption test to insure data retention and the highest degree of reliability possible. CMEM-32K, 32K Bytes $695 CMEM-16K, 16K Bytes $595 CMEM- 8K, 8K Bytes $495 DUAL. DUAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION 2530 San Pablo Avenue • Berkeley CA94702 • (415)549-3854 • 172029SPX few of these software houses have targeted their software for the same amount of memory, and even those who agree about the amount of memory available disagree on how to use it. To date, the software houses that have placed the greatest emphasis on enhancing the user interface have been understandably slower in bring- ing their products to market. They seem to be centering their new user interfaces on the object/verb "desktop manager" approach de- veloped at Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center). The screen becomes a metaphor for a desktop, and users select first what they want to work on (the object) and then the action that is to be performed on the object (the verb). (For a fuller descrip- tion of a desktop manager, see "The Smalltalk Environment" by Larry Tesler, August 1981 BYTE, page 90, and "The Lisa Computer System" by Gregg Williams, February 1982 BYTE, page 33). To select both object and verb, you usually point at them with a mouse or a similar device. Software houses are responding to the issues of integration and ease of use in several different ways. Three general approaches prevail: the all-in- one approach, which combines all major applications in a single pro- gram; the separate-but-compatible approach, which provides fully func- tional independent programs with some mechanism for data interchange among them; and the desktop- manager approach described above, which gives the user access to all ap- plications, entirely hiding from him the problem of data interchange. The products described in the pages that follow are among the most im- portant ones under development now. All-in-One Context Management's MBA: If the question is "Which integrated program currently incorporates the most functions?" the answer can only be MBA. Written in Pascal for easy portability to different processors, MBA is a full-featured spreadsheet, a business graphics program that lets you choose one of nine different kinds of graphs for a set of data, a database that permits sorting data on as many as eight keys, a word pro- cessor that takes advantage of func- tion keys to implement its 13 com- mands, and a communications pro- gram that takes data from big com- puters and automatically loads it into an MBA spreadsheet. The database is relational and lets you add, delete, and rearrange fields at any time. Moreover, you can query the data- base by typing an example of the sort of thing you want to search for. It can also support databases as large as 16 megabytes, if disk capacity permits. Although the early version of MBA ran rather slowly on the IBM Per- sonal Computer, it was faster than loading and unloading several dif- ferent programs to get a job done. The more recent version of MBA shown at last November's Comdex in Las Vegas ran much faster on the IBM PC and faster still on the new Hewlett-Packard Series 200 Model 16, a 68000-based system. Aside from integrating the user in- terface for its constituent programs, MBA is not especially innovative. Most commands are invoked by typ- ing a mnemonic preceded by the "/" that Visicalc uses. The program pro- vides online help. MBA organizes data as "folders" containing up to 28 files each— somewhat like the desk- top-manager file concept. MBA uses virtual memory to permit documents to refer to data in other documents. When it's in the spreadsheet "context," MBA will divide the dis- play into as many as four windows, any of which may be text, data, a model, or graphics. MBA auto- matically redraws graphics after changes in data. Jim Peterson, director of develop- ment at Context Management, says that integrating functions was the highest priority in creating MBA partly because integration itself is the main issue in achieving both ease of use and speed. "You have to look at overall speed including telecommuni- cations and the time required to com- plete an overall task such as pro- ducing a report," he notes. Peterson adds that Context has made MBA run faster by reducing the number of 246 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc overlays and keeping some memory free for user workspace. Peterson distinguishes MBA from Lotus Development's 1-2-3 (see below) by saying that "having graphics and numbers and text all on the screen at the same time is impor- tant. 1-2-3 doesn't do that. MBA uses more function keys and works in a window while other things are on the screen. The time required to go into and out of a word processor is another drawback for 1-2-3." As for Visicorp's forthcoming Visi On, Pe- terson expects that its use of a desk- top manager will significantly slow execution speeds. He also observes that, while mice are useful when you are just looking at data, you still have to use the keyboard when you're entering data. Mice are expensive, too, he adds. Lotus Development's 1-2-3: Gregg Williams has already fully described this program (see December 1982 BYTE, page 182), so I will cover it only briefly here. Lotus Develop- ment's 1-2-3 runs in 128K bytes and runs fast because it is written entirely iri assembly language. The program incorporates three general functions: spreadsheet, graphics, and database management, but the database is quite limited. Lotus plans to add a word processor later. For the most part, the user interface of 1-2-3 is a good implementation of the com- mand-line-plus-online-help strategy familiar from the 8-bit world, but highlighting and selection by cursor do simplify some aspects of the pro- gram. The program has some delays while it goes to disk for help text, which also takes up a lot of disk space. As a result, you can't run 1-2-3 on single-sided drives in the IBM PC. For the present, 1-2-3 is best classified as an enhanced spreadsheet. Separate but Compatible Micropro's Star Series: Micropro International Corp. introduced Info- star, a relational database manager, at Comdex. Infostar is now available only for 8-bit systems. Seymour Rub- instein, Micropro's president, is proud of the company's achievement in producing a series of compatible programs that let users program ap- plications without knowing a pro- gramming language. Users must understand what they want to do but need to know nothing about the grammar, syntax, or command struc- tures that overwhelm many computer users. The user interface of all the Micro- pro application programs seems to be based on the enormously successful Wordstar word processor. All ver- sions of Wordstar to date use the same control-code-based user inter- face Wordstar first introduced some years ago. The most common control codes are shown in on-screen help menus that can be suppressed once the user learns the codes. Like other programs that require the user to enter control codes to execute com- mands, Wordstar is difficult to learn. Once learned, however, it is power- ful. Micropro's strategy for in- tegrating software seems to be to make data movable between applica- tions but to keep each application program independent. This seems to result in a powerful set of programs. Curiously, the 16-bit version of Wordstar uses as many overlays as the 8-bit version regardless of how much memory is present in the 16-bit machine. The current 16-bit version of Wordstar runs in 64K bytes, but Sey- mour Rubinstein believes that 256K bytes of RAM will become standard because "the standard memory size [of a system] has always been deter- mined by the size of the standard memory chip." Most recently, the standard chip has been 64K bits (8 chips make 64K bytes of memory). Next year the standard chip will be 256K bits. "Memory has two big ap- plications," Rubinstein says. "Graph- ics and networking." Rubinstein also anticipates con- tinual improvements in the user inter- face. To the extent that these im- provements use graphics, they will demand memory. Rubinstein adds, "There will be breakthroughs in input beyond the keyboard." Whether Micropro is preparing such a break- through remains mysterious, but Rubinstein does point out that Micropro owns a Xerox Star, the first commercial computer system with a mouse-driven desktop manager. Fur- thermore, rumors abound that Micropro will make major announce- ments at the National Computer Con- ference in May. When the 16-bit ver- sion of Infostar becomes available, however, using the Micropro pro- grams under Concurrent CP/M-86 XEROX SPECIAL • 8088 CO-PROCESSOR $699 FOR 820 82011 (64K RAM INCLUDED ■ UPGRADABLE TO 256K) 820-11 FEATURES: 4MHz, 280A, CP/M BASED, 64K RAM, 12" HI RES SCREEN (24 x 80), DD DISK CONTROLLER, THIN LINE GRAPHICS, ENHANCED SCREEN FEATURES (H/L INTENSITY, REVERSE VIDEO, FLASHING CHARACTERS), TONE GENERATOR, 2 RS-232 PORTS, ONE PARALLEL PORT, ALSO BOOTS AS INTELLIGENT TERMINAL. 820/820 II OPTION PKG. I Save $46! • 280B CPU SPEEDUP - to 5MHi for 820 • Z80C CPU SPEEDUP - to 8MHz for 820 II • DISPLAY RISER ■ Elevates 5", Steel Construction • ACRYLIC GREEN SCREEN ■ Molded to (ft CRT • ANTI-GLARE SCREEN - Nylon, stretches over CRT • SYSTEM DUST COVERS -(3) (8" slightly higher) $199 for 820, $239 for 820-11 OPTION PACKAGE II Save $79! $1 49 • INCLUDES ALL THE OPT. PKG. I PLUS - $1 89 • 10 Diskettes (DS & 8" slightly higher) $ 25 $29 t Surge-Protected Multiple Outlet Strip $29 $ 1 9 • Enter Key for Numeric Keypad $ 19 $ 19 • Cooling Fan - frts in display/processor, $ 35 $ 29 • Disk Drive Head Cleaning Krt- 5" Of 8" $ 25 $299 tor 820, $339 for 820-41 8088 Co-Processor/64k $ 699 820 Double Density Kit $249 5 MB Hard Disk - exp. to 20 MB $1 995 128k Version $799 820II Extended DD (670k/side) $99 32k Printer Buffer $250 256k Version $1050 Amber or Green CRT replacement $89 Hayes Smartmodem $239 256k Version + CP/M-86 $1250 Parallel Printer Cable $49 Anti-Static Floor Mat $ 25 Xerox 25 cps Daisy $1195 Xewx«rt«aa*y $3395 Qum Sprint 11 +40 $1395 CP4- $349 *ttt CJTOH Prowritw $ 479 F-10 Daisy %\m r $ m DEALER INQUIRIES XEROX W* 11 SYSTEttS : im ■ 8«Lf : 5VSS/DD $3295 $19 5W OS/DO $3895 : 8* SS 'DD $4095 i 8" DS,TJD $46& iOMB/Fioppy $7695 $4995 'with Tandon S22-565l 9-5 MSI, W-F VESA MC.CK.MO. COB MJS%*»VSSAoryC AM9% ^SNpMndin^VliUP&llRlMitttUO mm aavsso » m<,*MSmM*». Circle 278 on inquiry card. April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 247 might result in the highest degree of integration of the Micropro product line. Sorcim's Superware: Sorcim's Supercalc is an excellent electronic spreadsheet that provides good tex- tual online help on demand. Sorcim has recently expanded its product line (called Superware) by introducing Superwriter, a word processor; Superdata-File Manager, a database management system; Superchart, a business graphics program; and Superdata Interchange, a program that permits data interchange among the Sorcim programs. Superdata In- terchange converts Superware files into either a common BASIC file for- mat or a Superware format. Super- calc can manipulate data stored by Superdata , Superwriter can include Supercalc data in a text file, and Superchart can generate graphics from Supercalc data. Each of the Superware programs uses conditional overlays. If memory is scarce, overlays are read in from disk when needed; if memory is abun- dant, overlays reside in memory rather than on disk. This approach takes advantage of the additional memory that 16-bit machines may Tune up your LA36 1 m The DS120 Terminal Controller makes your LA36 perform like a DECwriter® III. The Datasouth DS120 gives your DECwriter® II the high speed printing and versatile performance features of the DECwriter® III at only a frac- tion of the cost. The DS120 is a plug compatible replacement for your LA36 logic board which can be installed in minutes. Standard features include: • 165 cps bidirectional printing • Horizontal & Vertical Tabs • Page Length Selection • 1104800 baud operation • 1000 character print buffer • X-on, X-off protocol • Self Test • RS232 interface • 20 mA Current Loop interface • Top of Form • Adjustable Margins • Double wide characters • Parity selection • Optional APL character set Over 5,000 DS120 units are now being used by customers ranging from the Fortune 500 to personal computing enthusiasts. In numerous instal- lations, entire networks of terminals have been upgraded to take advan- tage of today's higher speed data communications services. LSI microprocessor electronics and strict quality control en- sure dependable performance for years to come. When ser- vice is required, we will respond promptly and effec- j tively. Best of all, we can de- liver immediately through our nationwide network of distributors. Just give us a call for all the details. data©©!* computer corporation 4216 Stuart Andrew Blvd. • Charlotte, North Carolina 28210 • 704/523-8500 have but does not require it. Each Sorcim application program is powerful. Superwriter, for ex- ample, incorporates an excellent spelling checker and a mailing-list feature for producing form letters, Superdata File Manager can sort on 16 fields at once and can manage files of up to 32,000 records each and 1023 bytes per record. In addition, Super- data permits the linking of files to form larger files and the creation of new file formats from old ones. All the Superware programs have user in- terfaces much like Supercalc's. The Superware series will run under Con- current CP/M-86, which means that you can have multiple Superware programs running simultaneously and switch at will among them. Richard Frank of Sorcim sees three main problems in achieving the next step toward greater ease of use and integration: creating an underlying data structure, providing sufficiently powerful applications programs, and writing good drivers for I/O (in- put/output). He says that Sorcim is now at work in all three of these areas, and he argues that neither CP/M-86 nor Unix will support the solution of all three problems. Because Visi On works atop MS- DOS and CP/M-86, Frank believes that the new Visicorp software can- not properly address the problem of the underlying data structure; it deals only with the I/O process. Sorcim will be developing its future software for machines running MS-DOS but will create its own data structure. It will be interesting to see how much of Sorcim's "data structure 7 ' resembles traditional operating systems. If the I/O drivers are done well, Frank says, they will handle key- boards, mice, touch panels, and other types of I/O devices. Frank believes that the design of the software should not require a mouse. 'The hardware people are trying to make the machines' 'footprints' [the amount of desk space an object occupies] smaller," Frank observes, "while soft- ware people are trying to make foot- prints bigger by requiring space for a mouse to roam." He notes that people have enough trouble just managing the keyboard, and adding a mouse 248 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 134 on inquiry card. IS THIS LEVEL OF RELIABILITY REALLY NECESSARY? ACCUTRACK at*' tJ*> BH £*- ^v «^ «P s^ ^2 If you've ever lost data due to a faulty disk, you know how impor- tant reliability can be. That's why Accutrack disks are critically certified at 2-3 times the error threshold of your system. Why they're precision fabricated for higher signal quality longer life and less head wear. And why we take such extra steps as testing single- density mini disks at double-density levels. So you don't have to worry about the reliability of your media. Accutrack disks. OEMs have specified them for years. You can trust them for your data. Call toll- free (800 225-8715) for your nearest dealer. ACCUTRACK Dennison KYBE Corporation 82 Calvary Street, Waltham, Mass. 02254 Tel. (617) 899-0012; Telex 94-0179 Outside Mass. call toll free (800) 225-8715 Offices & representatives worldwide Circle 136 on inquiry card. K V fi £ Dealers: Give your customers a choice— Accutrack' s OEM perform- ance as well as your heavily adver- tised brand. We have the industry's only complete line of disks, cas- settes and mag cards, including virtually all special formats. If you want a quality line, small minim urns , the ability to mix and match, private labeling, fast delivery and great price, call today. Find out how responsive a media supplier can be. Only TWA has First Class Sleeper-Scats SM on every widebody. For First Class comfort. First and foremost, there are our First Class Sleeper-Seats. They are available on every 747, every L-1011, and every 767, everywhere we fly in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. So you can rest easy every time you fly TWA. Just settle into a Sleeper-Seat, and you'll be impressed with its in- credible comfort and legroom. Then set- tle back— the seat stretches out with you. Royal Ambassador Service. First Class service in a class by itself. TWAs Royal Ambassador Service is available on every transatlantic and trans- continental route we fly, as well as selected shorter domestic flights. We offer a gourmet menu with a choice of entrees like Chateaubriand. Vintage wines from California and France. A selection of fine liqueurs and cognac. All cordially offered to you in a warm, personal manner. We even cater to your needs before you take off. In major airports, you 11 find a special r First Class desk to speed you through check-in. And a spe- cial lounge for transatlantic passengers to relax in before flight time. So call your travel agent, corporate travel department, or TWA. Because for First Class service that's second to none, there's only one choice. TWA. You're going to like us with its own buttons won't make matters easier. As for concurrency, Frank argues — as does Microsoft's Bill Gates— that simultaneously running more than one application program on a single microprocessor is neither necessary nor desirable. What he be- lieves users really need is interrupt- ability— the ability to switch quickly from one application to the next. Frank also discounts the usefulness of splitting the screen among four ap- plications. There is no need, he says, to run a spreadsheet while running a word processor; the real need is to run one after the other in rapid suc- cession. That is the end toward which Sorcim is working. Concurrency for Separate-but- Compatible Programs Digital Research: Digital Research's Concurrent CP/M-86 provides a mechanism that can help integrate separate application programs. Under Concurrent CP/M-86, you can run several independent application pro- grams (or other kinds of software) at one time. Instead of having windows on each application, Concurrent CP/M-86 permits easy switching from one "virtual terminal" to another. Each virtual terminal is the whole-screen display of one of the ap- plication programs that is running. You can get information from one program while running another by switching briefly from one virtual ter- minal to the next. More direct in- tegration of data from one program into another depends on their data structures. By choosing application programs from a single vendor who has created a common data structure and a common user interface for all the programs, you should be able to achieve a high degree of integration under Concurrent CP/M-86. Digital Research has often ex- pressed a commitment to making computers accessible to more people, and president Gary Kildall suggests visual aids as one means to that end. There is a lot of speculation about Digital Research's plans for making computers easy to use, but the com- pany has not announced any plans that extend beyond creating tools to increase the productivity of program- mers working for independent soft- ware vendors. Desktop Managers Microsoft's Multi-Tools Series: Microsoft chairman Bill Gates says, "You can do a lot in 192K." While he offers few details about the company's forthcoming Multi-Tools series of integrated applications pro- grams, Gates notes that Charles Sim- onyi, formerly of Xerox PARC, is Microsoft's manager of end-user soft- ware. Simony i and Larry Tesler, who was instrumental in the development of Apple's Lisa applications software, spent some time together at Xerox PARC disputing the number of but- tons that a mouse should have. Tesler said one, and Lisa has a one-button mouse. Look for Microsoft to use a two-button mouse. The Multi-Tools series will be available in two versions: one will run on all machines, and one will run on advanced hardware. The Multi- plan that runs now on the IBM Per- sonal Computer probably shows what the run-on-anything series will be like. Even without a mouse, the program lets users select functions by cursor movement. For those who pre- fer words to formulas, Multiplan's ability to let users refer to cells by English labels rather than alphanu- meric coordinates (i.e., "Sales ♦Unit- price" instead of "C15*C16") is an im- portant convenience. The advanced-hardware version of the Multi-Tools series requires a non- keyboard input device (such as a mouse), high-resolution graphics, and a 16-bit processor. This version will provide a desktop manager and windows on more than one applica- tion at a time. Each application will have a separate window and its own verbs (as opposed to all applications sharing the same window and verbs). Gates remarks that software shown to date has "ignored the metaphor of how you see data. In a spreadsheet, remembering formulas in cells is a problem. Popping graphs out of win- dows is also unsatisfactOiy. You need Petro-Lewis PETRoil LEWIS Oil and Natural Gas Income Program XIII A series of limited partnerships formed to acquire producing oil and natural gas properties — including two major specified acquisitions that generate immediate distributions. No exploratory or development drilling Minimum subscription — $2,500 ($2,000 for Qualified IRA Plans) This announcement is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities. The offering is made only by the Prospectus, copies of which may be obtained in any State only from dealers or brokers who may lawfully offer these securities in such State, Please see that I receive the latest information on this offering including a current Prospectus. Mail To: Kay G rover Petro-Lewis Securities Corporation P.O. Box 2250, Dept. H Denver, CO 80201 Name i i Telephone Number Firm i Street Address I i i City State Zip WKKt/KKKKKKKtK^^ Circle 331 on Inquiry card. April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc 251 r CALL "THE COMPUTER-LINE" In Colorado. "Committed to bringing computers within the reach of all Americans"™ The Computer-Line believes that it is important to be competitive by offering low prices; however, we regard service as the most important aspect of a mail-order organiza- tion. All our lines are available so that you, the customer, are able to talk to fully qualified computer specialists trained to answer all your questions pertaining to our line of microcomputers. We are renowned for our excellent after-sales support and our promptness for delivery. Peace of mind and excellence in service is our pledge to all our products for the IBM® PERSONAL COMPUTER The Ultimate IBM® Peripheral MONTE CARLO™ CARD Five Functions — Memory/Serial/Parallel/Clock/Joystick • Up to 1 Megabyte Expandable Memory • One IBM Compatible Centronics Parallel Port • One IBM Compatible Asynchronous Communication Port • Clock/Calendar (Battery-backed) with Alarm • Dual Port Joystick Interface • Future Upgrade Options: Direct Connect Modem SCALL And The Sensational l-C — MAGIC Prom Chip Programmable Graphics Screen Dump Print Spooling up to 64K -,«-,. Terminal Emulation SCALL SOFTWARE Hard Disk System for the IBM® Personal Computer The Davong System's Hard Disk Drive fits conveni- ently inside or outside of the second floppy disk drive location of the IBM® Personal Computei chassis, pro- viding more than 30 times the capacity of a floppy diskette, plus greater speed & reliability. Available for internal or external installation. Please specify. Ashton-Tate: D. Base II $475.00 Continental: Home Accountant Plus $99.00 Denver Software: Easy Effective Accounting $595.00 Rose Data Base $259.00 Service Manager $1395.00 MicroPro Wordstar $329.00 Mailmerge $159.00 Sorcim Software: Supercalc $199.00 Superwriter $299.00 Spellguard $149.00 Lifetree Systems: Volkswriter $149.00 Visicorp: 256K Visicalc $185.00 Visidex $185.00 Peachtree Peachpak SCALL QUADRAM CORPORATION Quadboard: The memory board for the IBM featuring: • Fully Expandable from 64K - 256 K • Parallel Port • Asynchronous (RS232) Serial Port • Clock/Calendar • RAM Disk Drive SCALL Microfazer: • Buffering from 8K - 64K (4 - 32 pages of text) • Printer & Computer Independent • Parallel/Parallel; Parallel/Serial; Serial/Serial available • Compute while you print! SCALL Peripherals for all Computers PRINTERS TEC / C-.TOH Printers Prowriter I Parallel $379 00 Prowriter I Parallel/Serial $499°° Prowriter II Parallel $849°° Prowriter II Parallel/Serial $699°° F10 Printmaster 55 CPS $CALL Okidata Microline 92: 1 60 CPS bidirectional with 40 CPS correspondence. 80 column $575°° Microline 93: 160 CPS bidirectional with 40 CPS correspondence. 132 column Pacemark 2350: 350 CPS bidirectional/2 color printing/136 column. Parallel $2195°° Serial $2295°° Pacemark 2410: 350 CPS bidirectional/2 color printing/85 CPS correspondence. Parallel $2495°° Serial $2595°° (CALL FOR PRICES ON ALL ^ 0KI0ATA PRINT ERSI Star Micronics Gemini 10 & 15 Price is Too Low To Publish! IDS Prism 132 Color $1495°° Smith Corona TP-I Parallel or Serial $569 00 Call for prices on Epson's New FX Series F10 Starwriter Letter Quality 40 CPS Printer, Diablo Standard Daisywneel ...$1195°° DISKETTES "Kangaroo: The disks with the 'jump' on the competition. Outstanding value with library case and a ten year warranty, 5%" SS/DD (Box of 10) $19 95 5V*" DS/DD (Box of 10) $28 95 Verbatim Diskettes 5%" SS/DD (Box of 10) $23 85 5W DS/DD (Box of 10). $43 M 8" SS/DD (Box of 10) $39 95 8" DS/DD (Box of 10) $44 95 Elephant Diskettes 5%" SS/DD (Box of 10) $22 95 5V*" DS/DD {Box of 10) $29 95 Amdek BMC NEC Zenith Taxan Monitors Color I Color II . 300G Green 300A Amber 310G Green 310A Amber 15MHZ Green 20MHZ Green 1201 Green 1212 Color Composite ... 1203 RGB Hi-Res Color. ZVM-121 15MHZ Amber $299 M $699" $154 00 $159 M $179°° $179°° $85 00 ..$149" ..$159°° $299°° $679 Q0 $109°° $145°° DC. Hayes: M0DEMS Micromodem II (Apple) w/ Terminal Program Micromodem II (Apple) w/o Terminal Program Smartmodem 300 Baud Smartmodem 1200 Baud Novation: J-Cat RS232 Direct Connect . Cat Smart Cat 1200 Baud Applecat II (Apple) $259°° $209 00 $525°° $119 M $149°° $455°° $289°° a i i. A l£ Special *1|* dam +111 TANDON *| ~ ~ |^ Apple I e® {nSBSlI J * JA, * ? OWE $ CD/\GIC \J Apple lie® Provides these standard features: • Typewriter-style, full ASCII keyboard, upper and lowercase, and auto-repeat feature • 6502 A microprocessor (8-bit CPU) • 64K bytes RAM memory • 16K bytes ROM, which includes built-in Apple- soft BASIC language *PRII ♦GRAPHICS * SYSTEMS . 690 Dots Hoc • 16 Colon • Non-Glare Screen • Color at its lined »*»» SCALL RAM SPECIAL 4164 Dynamic Rim 200NS $5.00 ea. U S. made by Texas Instruments, We can supply the quantity & price Dealers & Manf need Call or write for volume pricing. $ DRIVE | * Special * Double Side/ Double Density 320K Bytes of Storage. TM-100-2 $24500 • color graphics and sound capabilities • seven I/O expansion slots • back panel designed for quick connect/ disconnect, using D-style connectors IBM® Personal Computer Features: • 64K Memory . 2 Tandon TM-100-2 320K Byte Drives • 1 floppy disk controller • 1 color graphics card SlimLine drives and hard disk drives configurations are available upon request Call for pricing on all IBM" Systems. JTANOON * ifwuun 1 * Thin-Line * TIW-50 *239 00 *************** ZENITH Z100 COMPUTERS Z1 10-22 (Low Profile) S3099 00 Z120-22 (All in one) $3175 00 *************** j CALL / ■■ \ J 111 _a minim 1 M L ■ - ;i > Wi^ssssy.v fe4% a I \ WORD PROCESSING SPECIALS On Line Screenwriter $85 Pro $149 Silicon Valley Word Handler $119 >dtk NEC's APC™ Offers: • 128K or 256K bytes of user memory ST m T.^ monochrome and color displays two-million bytes of floppy disk storage 5W' hard disk hi-res symbol and line drawing graphics user-definable character set user-definable function keys CP/M -86™ operating system $CALL INCORPORATED Basis 108 Summarized: • Single-board computer . Serial RS-232C interface • Parallel printer interface • 6502 and Z80 microprocessors built in • 64K RAM, expandable to 128K (4164 dynamic RAM, 200 ns) • 2K system Monitor ROM • 10K address space for ROM or EPROM (type 2716) • 6 system expansion slots • Detachable ANSI standard keyboard with numeric keypad, 15 programmable function keys, and cursor control block • 2 page text display; 40/80 characters, 24 lines • Five character sets • 3 graphics modes with up to 16 colors; 40 x 48 blocks, 80 X blocks, and 280 x 192 dots SCALL Franklin Ace 1000 Offers: • 64K Memory • 40 column upper/lower case display • Apple Me compatibility • more space between expansion slots and internal fan aid cooling $CALL Call for prices on Franklin Ace 1200! PRODUCTS for the APPLE COMPUTER We are smashing the prices on Apple Compatible Disk Drivesl FOURTH DIMENSION Drives Plus a box of Kangaroo Diskettes $289°° FOURTH DIMENSION Drive with Controller Plus a box of Kangaroo Diskettes $379°° We also carry: Microsci A2 Rana Elite I A35 Elite II A 40 Elite III Generic SCALL COMPUTER-LINE Is Now Open 7 DAYS A WEEK!! Product Information & Ordering Lines Mon, - Fri.. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat. & Sun., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. {Mountain Standard Time) MBI APPLETIME CARD Works with DB Master and Visidex Mountain Computer mode. Basic and pascal operation complete with datebook software $ 89°° MBI VIP CARD (Half Height Drives) Dual Port Parallel/Serial Graphics Card $129°° Use ASCII Express The Professional 4.0 to simultaneously transfer data from modem to printer using the VIP Card. APPLE SOFTWARE 1 ASCII EXPRESS (The Professional) $99 fl Continental: The Home Accountant $ 54 00 Silicon Valley Systems. Word Handler $11 Q 00 List Handler $ 59 00 Stoneware: DB Master S159 00 DB Utility 1, 2. 3 $69°° ea. Visicorp: Visicalc 3.3 ...$185 00 Visifiles $185 00 Visidex $185°° Visitrend/Plot $229 00 Denver Software: Financial Partner $149 00 Pascal Tutor $ 89 00 Pascal Programmer $199 00 RAM CARDS Microsoft 16K $79 00 CP/M FOR APPLE Microsoft Z80 Card $269 00 Advanced Logic $CALL Kensington System Saver $69°° T&G: Joysticks $44 00 Select A Port $44 00 Game Paddles $29 00 Kraft Joysticks $49 00 Game Paddles $33 00 80 Column Cards Videx with Softswitch $279 00 Circle 105 on Inquiry card. We have leasing terms available on all our equipment. Write or Call for Our Comprehensive Catalog. Call "THE COMPUTER-LINE 5 Product Information & Order Lines: (303) 279-2848 or (800) 525-7877 xom^-LiIi^stores Customer Service & Order Inquiry Line: (303) 278-8321 opening throughout the U.S. ORDER DEPARTMENT: COMPUTER-LINE, Inc. • 1019 8th Street • Golden, CO 80401 w r jte for our Franchise Package COMPUTER-LINE of Denver . 1136 So. Colorado Blvd. • Denver, CO 80222 TERMS: All prices reflect a 2 9% cash discount All goods acknowledged faulty on receipt by the customr. will be repaired or replaceo at our discretion Customers must call for a RMA number before returning any goods This facilitates our quick attendance to faulty goods We reserve the right to repair or return to the manufacturer for repair all goods becoming faulty within the specified warranty period Any goods (hardware or software) returned for restocking are subject to a 15% restocking fee at our discretion The charge for cancellation of orders is 10% No returns on software We accept no responsibility for any false claims made by manufacturers Prices quoted for stock on hand and subject to change without notice Specialists m APO and international deliveries Please add 2% (minimum $3 00) for shipping APO and add to all prices 5% for shipping (minimum 55 00) Please allow 10 working days plus mail time (if an order is mailed) in for receipt of all UPS delivered goods All goods (othe r than APO or in ternat ional) delive red UPS g round ALL BRANDS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS Circle 208 on inquiry card. Main/Frames • 30 Models ol Enclosures • Assembled and tested • Guasi-Coax Motherboards • Power Supply • Card cage and guides • Fan, line, cord, tuse, power & reset switches B" Floppy Main/Frame $482 8" Disc Enclosure Phase /80 8" Floppy Mainframe Phase /80 Desk + Mainframe Write or call for our brochure which includes our application note: "Building Computers — A Recipe" INTEGB4ND 8620 Roosevelt Ave.»Visaha.CA 93291 209651-1203 We accept BankAmericard/Visa and MasterCharge a more substantial metaphor." His comments suggest that Microsoft conceives of the window on each ap- plication not just as a means of gain- ing access to data but also as a way to provide user aids uniquely suited to the particular application. The idea is to integrate the user interface as much as possible for different applications without sacrificing coherence or in- tuitive appeal. Gates also argues that true concur- rency is not really desirable. Instead of needing to run more than one ap- plication program on the same microprocessor at the same time, Gates says, users need to be able to switch rapidly from one application to the next. "You need interruptabili- ty," Gates says, "but not simultan- eity." The argument is that timeshar- ing a single microprocessor is less effi- cient than having the microprocessor run only one application program at a time and switch from one to the next quickly as the user requests. [In many cases, users would have trouble perceiving any difference between in- terruptability and simultaneity (con- currency).] Nevertheless, Microsoft's MS-DOS will support true concur- rency in a future release. Visi On from Visicorp: When Dave Clough, project manager at Visicorp, was asked how much memory a system would need to resolve the con- flict between ease of use and added functionality, he said, 'That conflict will never go away." Clough also said that when forced to choose between ease of use and additional functions, Visicorp would choose ease of use. The prototype of Visi On shown at Comdex was a desktop manager that appeared to integrate substantial functionality and great ease of use. While the Visi On desktop manager lacks the Lisa's pictorial detail, it still allows the user to choose from items shown on the desktop by using a mouse to point at one item. The mouse used with Visi On has two but- tons. Visi On's windows let the user view different applications in progress simultaneously. Nine verbs will be common to all applications under Visi On, and other verbs are specific to each application. The word processor shown with Visi On, presumably a relative of Visi Word, resembles Multiplan in that it enables the user to select a function by pointing at an item in a list. Visicorp has a whole new series of ap- plications, not yet shown or de- scribed, that will run under Visi On. Visi On will permit users to install applications modules as needed. If you need a database and a word pro- cessor but not a spreadsheet, you can buy only what you want. If your needs change, you can install an addi- tional module yourself. Visi On, described as an "operating environment, " occupies an interesting territory between conventional oper- ating systems and application pro- grams. It runs on top of either CP/M-86 or MS-DOS and provides concurrency independently of the un- derlying operating system. Because Visicorp will make technical details about Visi On available to applica- tions programmers, software written outside Visicorp should be available to run in the Visi On environment. Visi On will be portable to different machines, and different application programs can be written to be por- table under Visi On. Apple Computer's Lisa: It's easy to see that a company like Apple Com- puter Inc., which produces both its new Lisa computer and the Large- scale Integrated Software Architec- ture to run on it, has an advantage over software houses in producing new-generation software. (For full descriptions of Apple's Lisa and its software, see the February 1982 BYTE.) Apple can change the soft- ware and the hardware to suit each other. Knowing that Lisa will have a megabyte of memory has enabled Apple to succeed in a remarkably am- bitious project. For combined integra- tion of function and ease of use, Lisa is the leader by far. Lisa's drawback is its high price — not high in relation to function or value, but in absolute terms. While a toolkit will permit programmers to write application programs that run on the Lisa, the Lisa's software cannot be transferred to MS-DOS and CP/M-86 systems. Apple has plans to implement fuller database functions on the Lisa but ad- 254 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Lnc The MultiMode Printer with The Magnificent Fonts Mmm BBBQ^aBl MultiMode Printer Offers Flexibility The"Beautiful"Font \# \0> s te**iJ«w ^ ratil ... At a Sensible Price "Flexibility" means instantaneous call up of any of this trend- setting machine's many features whether for word processing, data processing, graphics or forms generation. Using either of the two built in interfaces, an external keyboard or downloading from your computer, you can program the Qantex Model 7030 to do more. Compare the "Beauty" of our printed letters for the word process- ing fonts which include Cubic, Trend, Spokesman, Courier, Italics, Script, OCR-A, APL, Scientific plus downloaded fonts from your computer. Draft copy modes include 8 resident fonts — U.S., U.K., German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian and Danish. Other features include high resolution graphics — 144 x 144, single pass and double pass word processing, and 180 cps data processing modes and user defined formats. Operator initiated, the MultiMode printer provides a complete printed status report of operating parameters and diagnostics. For more information, or a demo, call us about the new Qantex Model 7030 MultiMode Printer. H north iitmntic Qantex 60 Plant Avenue, Hauppauge, NY 11788 (516)582-6060 (800)645-5292 „,_ x ' Circle 354 on inquiry card. mits that the present database mana- ger is somewhat limited. For ease of use, however, Lisa's database manager is unrivaled. Summing Up Most of today's software falls far short of our hypothetical Be-All and End-All package. Such a large and friendly software package is likely to remain hypothetical for some time. But inexpensive memory and 16-bit processors may make many of today's hypotheses real surprisingly soon. For those who have spent years struggling to coordinate unrelated ap- plication programs in the past, any of the approaches to integrating soft- ware represents real progress and welcome relief. As for deciding what software to buy now, the choice is difficult. The revolutionary graphics-based soft- ware has great appeal as long as it doesn't sacrifice one of the specific functions that you happen to need, decrease the operating speed of the program beyond your tolerance, or increase the price of a system beyond your means. When specific products meet your needs, you will buy one of the new software packages whether it has been announced today or not. If none of the revolutionary prod- ucts meets your specific requirements in function, speed, and cost, you must choose between the separate- but-compatible approach to applica- tion software (as in Sorcim's Super- ware) and the all-in-one approach (as in Context Management's MBA). In making this choice, the most impor- tant factor will probably be whether the all-in-one program offers all the features and all the power that you happen to need. If you do buy separate application programs, the best course is probably to buy from one software house and hope for in- creased integration in subsequent releases. If an all-in-one program has almost but not quite everything you need, you might ask its publisher whether future versions will include what you need. Advances in hardware technology How to make dBase II" work magic. It's a snap with Autocode: Finally, the first practical application of artificial intelligence in personal computer software. Autocode 1 is a powerful program generator for dBASE II. No prior knowledge of programming required. oootoeme n • Automatic menus & sub menus • Automatic data entry screens • Automatic data entry routines • String, numeric, date & calculated fields >^ • Automatic muftipie reports • Automa 1 s i n dBASE 1 1 code wi active screens ^# No prior knowledge of dBASE I! required • CP/M & MS DOS operating systems # Handy pocket size manual # Average learning time only 4 hours STEMMOS LTD. 666 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Just send the following to address above today. • Your diskette format & hardware % • Your name & complete address • How many Autocodes you want at $200 each * • A check or money order. ORDER TOLL FREE 800-227-1617 (Ext. 417] IN CA CALL 800-772-3545 (Ext 417] CfOdft card buyers may substitute their card number and expiration date for the check. Or call us toll free and save the trip to the mail box. U. S. Address: 666 Howard St. San Francisco CA 94105/ U. K. Address: 344 Kensington High Street, London W14 Tel: [415] 777-3800 dBASE II* AshtonTate Dealer Inquiries invited "In California add 6% sales tax Tel: 01 602 6242 Autocode 1 ™ Stemmos Ltd. may hasten the triumph of the revolu- tionary software by reducing the price of very fast mass storage and thus reducing the penalty paid for using overlays and virtual memory. But no revolution is perfect or final or above criticism. A small skeptical voice inside me keeps raising three questions: •Should all software be written so that it's easy for a novice to learn, or so that it is most useful and produc- tive in the long term? •Will the metaphor of the desktop re- main a good one? It seems ap- propriate for the transition from paper work to computer work, but once we grow accustomed to working with computers, why should we want our computers to emulate desks? •Can the mouse compete with the ef- ficiency of programmed function keys in all fundamental operations like deleting characters? To delete characters with the Delete key, you just put the cursor on the characters to be deleted and press the key. Auto repeat makes swift deletion of more words and sentences easy: you just hold the Delete key and watch the cursor swallow the characters to its right. To delete characters with the mouse-driven systems that I have seen, you put the mouse's pointer on the character you want, press a but- ton on the mouse to select the character, and press a button on the mouse to choose the verb Delete. That seems to add a step. Selecting larger blocks of text may require you to press more buttons (or the same button more times) on the mouse. To date, ingenious software design- ers have debated these and the other issues of integrated and friendly soft- ware. All their conclusions remain as hypothetical as Be-All and End-Ail. Only the marketplace can say which hypotheses are true. The decision of the marketplace is uncertain because the people who will constitute most of the market have never touched a computer. Technology will determine, how these people will first touch com- puters, but from then on they as new users will decide everything on non- technical grounds. ■ 256 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc The new TEAC half height disk drive gives you everything you expect from a top quality disk drive, and one more thing, space. Now you can have up to 3.2 megabytes of floppy storage for the IBM PC without adding an expansion cabinet. Choose four 40 track double sided drives and get 1.2 Mb. Or four 80s for 3.2 Mb. Mix two 40's and two 80's for 2.2 Mb. The TEAC drives operate under PC DOS 1.1 (80 track drives come with JFORMAX providing electronic disk, print spooling and ten sector formats). How you can have both increased storage and space. The TEAC double sided 40 track and 80 track drives are priced at just $299 and $365 respectively. Save on our line of other IBM compatible products. DRIVES • Single and Double sided 40 track drives. Fully supported by PC DOS version 1. 1. Drives are easily installed in minutes. Tandon single sided (160K) — $225, Double sided (320K) - $299. • Double sided 80 track (650K) Tandon drive. Available with JFORMAT for PC DOS 1.1 - $435. • 5 megabyte Winchester internal or external disk drive — $1695. BOARDS • RAM Card - uses 64K dynamic RAM chips, with parity. 64K card - $149, additional 64K increments {expandable up to 256K) available for $79. • Combo Card. Adds parallel printer, RS 232 async comm and clock calendar functions. Uses only one slot — $199. RS 232 Cable - $24.95. Parallel Printer Cable - $29.95. • Clock Calendar Card. Features seconds, minutes, hours, day of week, date, month and year. Battery backup maintains time and date even when system is turned off — $99. • Prom Blaster. Programs most 4K to 64K bit 24 PIN EPROMs. Complete with personality modules and read/write software - $129. • Prototype Card. 3.5 by 8 inch wire-wrap area holds over 85-14 pin dips - $29.95. • 48K Additional Ram. 27 chips plug easily into master PC board — $75. HARDWARE • 64K Byte Hardware Print Spoolers. Internal spooler comes with parallel printer adapter. External version connects easily between computer and printer. Both buffer 32 pages of print output and are user programmable — $319. SOFTWARE • Home Finance. Easy to use checkbook & budget manager — $34.95. • Apparat Game Diskette. Includes blackjack, othello, matches and spiralgraph — $24.95. MONITORS • Your choice of high quality and reliable Amdek 12" green or amber screens. Choose the V300 Q/A for the color graphics card priced at just $170, or the V310 Q for the monochrome card at just $199. Both monitors are 18 Mhz BW and are anti-glare. • Princeton graphics HX-12 RGB color monitor $695. Other Amdek and NEC monitors also available at big savings. Call for prices. PRINTERS • A variety of the newest Epson, C. Itoh, Okidata and NEC printers available. Call for prices. To order any of the above products, write Apparat, Inc., 4401 S, Tamarac Parkway, Denver, Colorado 80257, 303/741-1778. Or to speed up your order, call us toll free at 800/525-7674. *eh Apparat, Inc. Circle 26 on inquiry card. 50 and 100 Years Ago in BITE Edited by Rich Malloy As staff members of one of the world's oldest microcomputer magazines, we sometimes enjoy look- ing back at the Interesting articles we've published in the past. For example, here are some items that ap- peared in our pages 50 and 100 years ago this month. BYTE APRIL, 1933s The International Business Machines Company of Elmira, New York, announced last month that, although it will continue to manufacture type- writers and adding machines, most of its resources will be devoted to the development and sale of fire alarm systems. "We figure that the most important device in a busi- ness office is the fire alarm," said Thomas Watson, the president of the company. " After all, if there's a fire, who cares whether you have a typewriter or not. In fact, in future years, when you think of International Business Machines, the first thing that 11 come to your mind will be fire alarms." In a related item, film star Charlie Chaplin turned down a request by International Business Machines to appear in its promotional literature. "It's a great com- pany," said the mustachioed comic, "but frankly the idea of having me promote business machines is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard." Things continue to heat up in the adding-machine market. Following the introduction last year of the mini- adding machine, rumors have reached us that the Japanese are ready to market a "micro-adding machine." This new invention, said to employ VLSS (very large- scale smallness) technology, has an incredibly light weight of only 47 pounds. To combat the threat of this new small machine, American adding-machine manufac- turers are said to be at work incorporating deluxe fea- tures into their new models. One rumor has it that work is almost complete on a machine that can multiply. * * * The Acme Calculating Company of Piscataway, New Jersey, has just announced a machine which it calls a "Disk Storage Device." The machine consists of a disk- drive mechanism called a "turntable" and a series of interchangeable data disks, or "records." The disk is read by placing it on a rotating platform located on top of the disk drive. A pin, called a stylus, is inserted into one of dozens of grooves etched on the disk. Under proper con- ditions, a voice-like sound can be heard. This voice can be used to encode all types of data and can even be used to portray music-like sounds. The Acme Calculating Company will market the Disk Storage Device as part of an "Office System," which will include a typewriter, an adding machine, a typist, and someone to crank up the turntable. Also included will be software by Al Jolson and Rudy Vallee and His Connect- icut Yankees. ?€£^^^^^^i^£^^^£^ APRIL, 1883: Professor Eaton Zweiback of Slippery Rock University recently announced the discovery of a new number system called the "Binary System." This system uses only two numerals, and 1, as opposed to the decimal system which uses ten. Professor Zweiback claims that the binary system will have absolutely no practical value and will be used mostly as a mathematical novelty. Harvard anthropologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Arabian city just 75 miles north of where ancient Babylon once stood. Little is known about the in- habitants of this city except for the fact that for some unknown reason they wrote the numeral zero with a slash through it. The anthropologists are completely puzzled as to why these people used such a strange symbol. Agricultural experts have abandoned efforts to develop farm land in the valley south of San Francisco, California. The experts claim that is difficult to grow crops in the soil because there is too much silicon. There is so much silicon present that some residents of the valley have started gathering it together and melting it into "chips," which they then plan to dump somewhere near Boston, Massachusetts. Missionaries near Peking have discovered a very small abacus, which the Chinese call "Mei Kro." This extreme- ly small device, about the size of a postage stamp, is said to be extremely fast for computations. One of its draw- backs, however, is that the operator must use a pair of tweezers to manipulate the beads. 258 April 1963 © BYTE Publications Inc The UniFLEX Operating System extracts /"" j y S8O0 from the 8 bit 6809 microprocessor allowing it to outperform many 16 bit systems With the ie UniFLEX™ Operating System, the 8 bit 6809 microprocessor can perform as well as larger CPUs in a multi- iser, multi-tasking environment. I dependency developed from the ground up, UniFLEX™ closely models the features found in the UNIX™ Operating System. And in two years of use, UniFLEX™ has proven the abilities of the 6809 to perform large system functions when incorporated into a properly designed mainframe. Some of the features supported include: • full multi-user, multi-tasking capabilities • hierarchical file systems • device independent I/O • four Gigabyte disk capacities • full file protection • inter-task communication via pipes • I/O redirection • taskswappingforefficientmemory usage • full random-access files • comprehensive shell command language • foreground-background jobs • electronic mail and printer spooling • system accounting facilities The support software currently available for use under UniFLEX™ is extensive. A sampling of the programs available includes: • native C compiler (full implementation) • native Pascal compiler • FORTRAN 77 ANSI Subset compiler • COBOL compiler with ISAM files, Report Writer 8t Sort/Merge • Extended BASIC interpreter • Extended BASIC precompiler • text editing and processing software • enhanced printer spooler • variety of absoluteand relocatable assemblers • debug and diagnostic packages Technical Systems Consultants, Inc. also offers a line of single user FLEX™ software products for 6800 and 6809 processors. Forthose having an absolute need for a \ 6 bit processor, UniFLEX™ will be avail- able through OEM licensing arrange- ments forthe 68000 microprocessor. Please call orwrite for additional information on individual products or OEM licensing arrangements. UNIX™ is a trademark of Bed Laboratories. FLEX™ and UniFLEX™ are trademarks of Technical Systems Consultants, Inc. technical vy/ternr con/ultont/. inc. 111 Providence Road Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27514 (919)493-1451 The Enhanced VIC-20 Part 3: Interfacing an MX-80 Printer Joel Swank 12550 SW Colony #3 Beaverton, OR 97005 To do any serious programming with the Commodore VIC-20, you need a printer. Commodore markets two that plug directly into the VIC serial port: the VIC-1515 and the VIC-1525 graphics printers. Both form characters with a 6 by 7 dot matrix and operate at 30 characters per second. For most uses these printers are satisfactory. But if you look closely at a VIC character on the screen, you can see that it is composed of an 8 by 8 matrix of dots. Neither Commodore printer can print true VIC characters or graphics. And because the VIC has only a serial printer port that uses a DIN (Deutsche Industrie Norm) connec- tor, you can't interface printers that have standard Centronics-style parallel ports with the VIC. This article will show you how to select an alternative printer for use with the VIC and how to interface it with the computer to get true VIC characters and graphics. Selecting a Printer The first consideration is which printer to buy. A large number of low-cost dot-matrix printers offering a wide range of features and capabilities are now available. Two features in particular are necessary to adapt the printer to the VIC. First, the printer must have graphics capability so that the VIC character patterns can be formed in memory and then sent to the printer. Second, the printer Editor's Note: The VIC-20 is one of the new breed of low-cost com- puters that offer a surprising amount of computing power for the money. But its low cost also means that it lacks some of the features we've come to take for granted. In this series of articles, author Joel Swank will "enhance" the VIC-20 and in so doing increase the utility of this very interesting computer. . . S. J. W. must have 8 or more wires in its print head if it is to print the VICs 8 by 8 characters efficiently. Many printers use a 7-wire print head and normally print a character that is only 7 dots high. These printers can print only 7 dots vertically on each pass of the print head across the paper. Because the VIC character is 8 dots high, the print head would have to make two complete passes to print the entire VIC character, slowing the effec- tive printing speed by one-half. Making two passes can also distort the VIC character because horizontal align- ment is not always perfect on some printers. The Epson MX-80 is one of the more popular printers. It has a 9-wire print head, and with the Graftrax op- tion, it can do graphics. The MX-80 also offers italics, several print sizes, and proportionally spaced characters. To give you an idea of some of its features, I have includ- ed a summary of its escape sequences and control codes in table 1. These are the commands that the computer uses to tell the printer the desired print format. The MX-80 meets the requirements for use with the VIC and is moderately priced. Interfacing the Printer The next consideration is how to connect the printer to the VIC. The most obvious way is through the user I/O (input/output) port, which is the opening at the left rear of the VIC case. The logic assignments of each pin on this port are given in table 2 (see figure 1 on page 288 for user port I/O connections). Some of the pins are already assigned to other uses, but a full 8-bit parallel I/O port that is capable of driving a printer does exist. This is ac- tually the B port of a 6522 VIA (versatile interface 260 April 1983 © BYTE Publication* Inc Lyco Computer Marketing & Consultants TO ORDER CALL US TOLL FREE 800-233-8760 In PA 1-717-398-4079 DUST COVER with Purchase of ATARI 800 48K .... $489.00 ATARI 400 64K .... $349.00 81 DISK DRIVE $41 9 .00 ATAR1 1 200 64 K RAM.. .$ call $ MONITORS ATARI HARDW, 81 DISK DRIVE ARE ..$419.00 - ..$75.00 J 410 RECORDER 1010 RECORDER ...$75.00 I 850 INTERFACE ..$164.00 j ..$119.00 I ...$54.00 PACKAGES CX482 EDUCATOR CX 483 PROGRAMMER CX488 COMMUNICATOR . . . CX41 9 BOOKEEPER $2 19.00 I ..$189.00 I ...$69.0O :S I $99.00 KX71 04 ENTERTAINER NEW RELEASE 400 KEYBOARD MINER 2049er FROGGER PREPPIE SEA DRAGON ..$32.75 ] ..$25.75 | ..$19.75 j ...$24.75 I STRATOS DISKY ...$24.75 ] ...$39.95 j MONKEY WRENCH 2 ..$52.75 MODEMS NEC JB1 260 $1 25.00 NEC JB1 201 $1 55.00 NECTC1201 $315.00 AMDEK 300G $1 59.00 AMDEK COLOR I . $329. 00 ANCHOR MARK I ...$79.00 ANCHOR MARK II $79.00 HAYES SMART $239.00 HAYES MICRO II $309.00 CAT $144.00 J-CAT $CALL$ PERCOM DISK DRIVES SINGLE DRIVE AT88 $389.00 ADD ON $289.00 SINGLE DRIVE 40S1 $529.00 ADD ON $329.00 DUAL DRIVE 40S2 $845.00 DUALHEADSINGLE DRIVE 44S1 ...$649.00 DUAL HEAD DUAL DRIVE 44S2 .... $789.00 SAVE -PRINTERS PROWRITER $375.00] IM EC 8023A $439.00 SMITH CORONATP1 ...$569.00 STARWRITER... PRINTMASTER . . $1475.00 ., $1675.00 PRINTER CABLES , for Atari CITOH ..$35.00 EPSON ..$35.00 i NEC ..$35.00 OKIDATA ..$35.00 | SMITH CORONA ... ..$35.00 ] OKIDATA 82A .... $419.00 OKIDATA 83A .... $639.00 OKIDATA 84 $1029.00 OKIDATA TRACTOR. $63. OO DISKETTES : In BASF Stock ...$19.00 I ELEPHANT ...$21.00 MAXELL MDI ...$34.00 | MAXELL MDII . .$44.00 BUSINESS SOI VISICALC LETTER PERFECT. LETTER PERFECT DATA PERFECT FTWAR E ..$159.75 .$115.75 ..$159.75 . ..$75.75 . . . ROM . TEXT WI2ZARD ...$79.75 SPELL WIZZARD .. FILE MANAGER 80< ATARI WORD PRO. ...$64.75 D^ ...$69.75 .$109.75 POLICY DURING APRIL I In-Stock items shipped within 24 hours of order. Personal checks require four weeks clearance before shipping. No deposit for COD orders. PA residentsadd salestax. All products subject to availability and price change. Advertised prices show 4% discount offered for cash. Add 4% for Mastercard and Visa. TO ORDER CALL TOLL FREE 800-233-8760 In PA 1-71 7 398 4079 or send order to Lyco Computer P.O. Box 5088 Jersey Shore. PA 1 7740 tr- RACET computes LT D-^ E- RACET computes l TD -^ C— Integrity in Software _J ^— Integrity in Software _J FIELD PROVEN HARD DRIVES 5 to 240 MEGABYTES ON LINE for the TRS-80* Mod II/XVI Winchester and Cartridge Disk Drives available for immediate delivery!! 5 MEGABYTE FOR Mod I, II, and Ml CALL FOR PRICING I 262 14+ Megabyte (formatted) ARM Winchester Disk Drive CALL for Pricing Includes ECC error detection and correction. FAST. Service Contract Avail- able ($30/month/drive). Multiplexor available. SHARE hard drive between four Model li's!! 20 Megabyte Cll Honeywell Bull Cartridge Drive $7995 jfl 10 Megabytes fixed, 10 removable for the professional installation requiring = Removable Media for BACKUP. 60 and 120 Megabyte add-on drives available. I Up to 240 MEGABYTES! ! Four port multiplexor available to SHARE hard drives. HARD/SOFT DISKS SYSTEM (HSDS) SOFTWARE Radio Shack 2.0 Compatible Operating System for Hard Drive Operation. Run your 2.0 software on hard drives without conversion (except drive des- ignation). Compatible with most machine language programs that use the standard calling sequence. Supports ARM, Cameo, Cynthia Bull, Corvus, Data Peripherals, QCS, Radio Shack, and certain other hard drives. Access BOTH your floppy disk drives and hard drive files INTERCHANGEABLY!! Complete utilities include HZAP (Hard Disk SUPERZAP), Directory Catalog Sys- tem, Parameterized FORMAT, HPURGE (Bulk Copy/Purge Utility) and others. The Hard/Soft Disk System (HSDS) Software has almost two years FIELD experience. Version 5.0 adds several enhancements including maintenance of system files on the hard drive, files as large as the disk, the ability to seg- ment the disk as logical drives, and definable directory size. Floppy backup (close to a Megabyte per minute) is provided for Winchester drives. HSDS for Radio Shack $500 HSDS for Other Drives $400 EF- RACET computes ltdt L. Integrity in Software _J 1330 N. Glassell, Suite M, Orange, CA 92667 (714) 997-4950 CALL FOR COMPETITIVE PRICING ON HARD DRIVE SUBSYSTEMS — BUY WHERE YOU CAN GET SOFTWARE SUPPORT!! DEALER AND SYSTEM HOUSES — WE HAVE DEALER PRICING!! CIRCLE READER RESPONSE FOR FREE TRS AND NEC CATALOG. *TRS-80 is a trademark of tartdy corporation April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc C i re le 364 on i nq u i ry card. ESCO ESC 1 ESC 2 ESC 3 n ESC 4 ESC 5 ESC 8 ESC 9 ESC: ESC; ESC < ESC = ESC > ESC ? n1 ■ ESC @ ESC An ESC B n1 : 255 ESCCn ESC D n1 : 255 ESCE ESCF ESCG ESC H ESC J n1 ESC K n1 ESC L n1 ESCP ESCQ ESCS ESCT CTRLG CTRL H CTRL I CTRL J CTRLK CTRLL CTRLM CTRL N CTRLO CTRLQ CTRLR CTRLS CTRLT Epson MX-80 Escape Sequences Sets line spacing to 8 lines per inch (LPI) Sets line spacing to 7/72 inch per line Sets line spacing to 6 LPI Sets line spacing to n/216 inch per line Selects italics character set Selects standard character set Enables paper transfer even if out of paper Cancels paper out function Sets Radio Shack mode Cancels Radio Shack mode Moves print head to left end of carriage Clears the M.S.B. function Sets the M.S.B. in the printer - n37 Redefines all escape codes Resets the printer Sets line spacing to n/72 inch per line n2...null n2...null Sets vertical tabs Sets form length to n lines Sets horizontal tabs Selects emphasized printing mode Cancels emphasized printing mode Selects double strike printing mode Cancels double strike printing mode n2 Bit image graphics— 960 DPL mode, 480 speed n2 Bit image graphics — 480 DPL mode n2 Bit image graphics — 960 DPL mode Selects compressed-character print mode Cancels compressed-character print mode Selects expanded-character print mode Cancels expanded-character print mode Epson MX-80 Control Codes Bell character Backspace character Horizontal tab character Linefeed character Vertical tab character Formfeed character Carriage-return character Selects expanded-character print mode Selects compressed-character print mode Selects the printer Cancels compressed-character print mode Deselects the printer Cancels expanded-character print mode Table 1: The Epson MX-80 printer escape sequences and con- trol codes. By having the VIC-20 send these escape and con- trol codes to the MX-80, you can control the output from the printer. Pin # Type 1 GND 2 +5V 3 RESET 4 JOYO 5 JOY1 6 JOY2 7 LIGHT PEN 8 CASSETTE SWITCH 9 SERIAL ATN IN 10 +9V 11 GND 12 GND Note 100mA max. Pin# Type 100mA max. B C D E F H J K L M N GND CB1 PB0 PB1 PB2 PB3 PB4 PB5 PB6 PB7 CB2 GND Table 2: VIC-20 user port I/O pin designations. Printer out- put is taken from pins A through M by means of the VICEPS program. Plot your next meeting yourself. Read how 2 pens can become your best presentation tools. Introducing the New Personal Computer Plotter from Hewlett-Packard. Now you can use your personal computer to generate your own presen- tation charts, graphs, and pie charts. How? Simply add on the new high quality, low cost HP 7470A Personal Computer Plotter. x The 7470A helps you save time and save money, and lets you communicate quickly, accu rately and effectively. Quicker understanding. Data, when visualized graphically, becomes information fast. Charts and bar graphs can make any presentation clearer and more readily understood. But asking your staff to produce the graphics man- ually for your next presenta- tion doesn't ensure accuracy or artistic talent. And going to outside graphics suppliers can be costly. Combined with your personal computer, the new HP 7470A plotter does the communicating for you. Quickly. Logically. And with off-the-shelf software avail- able from most HP dealers. Fast and pretty. The 7470A gives you high plotting speed with excellent line quality ... faster than any competitive small plotter. On top of all that, it comes in an attractive design package that looks nice on your desk. And it does it for only $1,575. (U.S.A. domestic suggested retail price.) Count on it. The 7470A is built the Hewlett- Packard way. To last. Designed and engineered with only a few parts, none of which require adjustment. And with customized integrated circuits that ensure reliability. Pen pals. The HP 7470A has two single-pen stables. Simple pen changes give you multi-color plots in your choice of ten coordinated colors. Pens are automatic- ally capped and stored. An option you'll want, too. For only $95, you can also get a 17057 Overhead Transparency Kit that turns your plots into transpar- encies for overhead projectors. For "I need it tomorrow at 9:00 A.M.!" meetings, it's a necessity. Start plotting your next presentation today. Clip and mail the coupon below. Now. Mail the coupon below and we'll send you — absolutely free — a sample plot, a more detailed brochure, and a sample overhead transparency. Then... stop in at your nearest Hewlett-Packard Dealer. See the HP 7470A in action. Once you see it demonstrated you'll find a hundred ways to make your own applause-winning presentations. When performance must be measured by results m HEWLETT PACKARD I Seeing is believing. Send me a sample plot, an overhead transparency, and more detailed information. I Name . Company . Title . i i Address . I ] City, State & Zip ■ Phone Number ( ) ___ __ * Send to: Hewlett-Packard, 16399 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127- Attn: Nancy Carter 11203 BT4 VIC to Epson Connections VIC Via Pin # VIC User Port CB1 PBO PB1 PB2 PB3 PB4 PBS PB6 PB7 CB2 A B C D E F H J K L M Signal GND Acknowledge DO D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 Data Strobe Epson 36-Pin Connector 19 10 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 Table 3: VIC-20 to Epson MX-80 connections. This illustrates the output pins from the VIC versatile interface adapter (VIA) chip, the connections from the VIC user port, the signals involved, and the corresponding pins on the MX-80. adapter) chip, a very powerful I/O device that is used on many computers that have the 6502 microprocessor. The VIC programmer's reference manual gives a complete description of it starting on page 229. Most printers, including the MX-80, come equipped with an 'Industry -standard parallel interface." This inter- face is not actually a standard, but all versions are similar, and all of those I've seen can be driven with a 6522 VIA. Table 3 shows the physical connections you need to connect the MX-80 to the VIC via the user port. Eleven wires must go from the VIC to the printer; one to ground it, 8 for the 8 bits of data, and 2 for handshaking. Handshaking lines are used to keep the printer and the VIC synchronized. The VIC uses the DATA STROBE line to tell the printer when a character is ready. The printer uses the ACKNOWLEDGE line to tell the VIC when it has accepted the character. The 6522 VIA, when used in the handshake output mode, takes care of these signals. The least expensive way to connect the VIC and the MX-80 is with a ribbon cable. To do so, keep the length of the wire as short as possible. I have used an 8-foot cable with no problems. The VIC end of the cable must be a 24-pin card-edge connector that has contacts on 0.156-inch centers. The MX-80 end must be a 36-pin Centronics-style male printer connector. I have a stan- dard printer cable with a male connector on each end. To use this cable, I wired a short ribbon cable from the VIC connector to a female 36-pin connector. My VIC can now be connected to the standard printer cable. These connec- tors are available at many electronics stores and from mail-order companies. The interface as shown in table 3 does not take full ad- vantage of all of the features of the MX-80. Seven other signals on its connector are not used. These provide, among other things, an out-of -paper signal and a busy General Software Mailing Address: 1454 S. 25th St. Terre Haute, IN 47803 WE HONOR VISA and MASTERCHARGE TOLL FREE - Outside Indiana ORDER DESKS ONLY 1-800-457-0517 For Information or Questions (812)234-9421 Not to be confused with Software General Outside US add $10 plus Air Parcel Postage. Add $3.50 postage and handling per each item. Indiana residents add 5% sales tax. Allow 2 weeks on checks. COD add $3.00 per item. Prices subject to change without notice. All items subject to availability. Disk with Manual Manual Only ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Dental (PAS-3) $775 Medical (PAS-3) $849/40 Programable $875 ASHTON-TATE -dBASEII $525 BALCONES The Boss Fin. Ace, System $1 750 BYROM SOFTWARE "BSTAM $149 •BSTMS $149 CAXTON Cardbox $225 COMPUTER CONTROL 'Fabs(B-Tree) $140/35 Ultrasoft $140/35 CONDOR COMPUTER Condor I $255/50 Condor II $515/55 Condor II $795/55 DIGITAL RESEARCH CP/M 2,2 Intel MDS-800 $149 Northstar (Horizon) $149 Micropolis $169 TRS Model II $159 CB-80 $429/45 PL1-80 $429/50 CBasic2 $98 BT-80 $190 8" only RMAC, Linklib, XREF $190 Display Manager $350 Access Manager $279 DJR ASSOCIATES, IWC FMS80 $775 FMS80-1 $400 FMS80-2 $400 ECOSOFT Microstat $275 EPIC COMPUTER 'Super vyz $115/25 FAIRCOM * Micro B + (Specify language) $229/30 FINANCIAL PLANNING 'Mini Model $429/50 FOX & GELLER ASSOCIATES, INC. Quickscreen $140 Quickcode $225 FRONTIER SOFTWARE Professional Time Accounting $499/50 General Subroutine $269/50 Application Utilities $439/50 FYI, INC. Superfile $155 PASCAL LANGUAGE Pascal Z $349/40 Pascal MT+ V5.5 $429/40 Compiler $316/25 SPPOnly $165/15 KEY BITS Wordsearch $179/50 String 80 $ 84 String 80 (Source) $279 LEXISOFT "Spellbinder $349/55 MARK OF THE UNICORN Final Word $255 MICRO AP Selector IV $249 Selector V $449/50 MICRO TAX "Level I $195 "Level II $995 "Level III $995 Microsoft 5.3 49 Run time module MICROSOFT Basic-80 $279 Basic Compiler $319 Fortran-80 $379 Cobol-80 $579 M-Sort $180 Macro-80 $1 54 MuSimp/muMath $224 MuLisp-80 $174 Multiplan $245 NORTHWEST ANALYTICAL "Statpak. $409/45 OASIS ""The Word" $ 75 The Word Plus $140 PEACHTREE® SOFTWARE General Ledger $399 Accounts Receivable $399 Accounts Payable $399 Inventory 399 Mailing Address $399 for P8 Version add $119 Series 6-Peachtree CPA $799 Passive Payroll $449 Series 7-Peachtree Sales Tracker $3049 AR -Sales Analysis $1299 Inventory , $799 Order Entry $699 REDDING GROUP * Lynx $1 99 RYAN-McFARLAND CO. RM/Cobol $650 SORCIM *Pascal/M Z80 $349/40 Pascal/M 86/88 $449/40 *Act65,68,69,86,88 $149 "Trans 86. . . . $119/25 "Supercalc $229 SOUTHERN COMPUTERS Call for our unbeatably low prices. STRUCTURED SYSTEMS GROUP GL, AR, AP, PR, OE $849/50 SUPERSOFT "Diagnostic II $ 84/20 "Forth $149/30 "SSS Fortran $219/30 "Fortran w/RATFOR $289/35 *C Compiler $175/20 "Tiny Pascal $ 80/25 "Disk Doctor $ 84/20 'Term I , , $129/25 Term II $169/25 Scratchpad $210 Dataview $165 Stats Graph $165 Combination of above 3 $495 Z8000 Xassembler $449/35 WHITESMITHS C Compiler $700/40 Pascal (incIC) $900/45 IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER Wordstar 3,2 $295/60 Mailmerge $1 50/25 Supercalc $229/NA Visicalc (256K) $229/NA Optimizer $200/NA SupersoftC -CP/M86 $500/NA Peachtree3PakGL,AP,AR $595 Final Word $265 Condor I, II, III CALL Statpak $439 BSTAM $149 Move-It $129 Easy Writer II $315 Easy Speller $155 Easy Filer (dBase mgr.) _ . . .$335 Spellbinder $355/49 Concurrent CPM 86 $335 Pascal MT & 86 $360 SPP86 .$180 AM Cobol $800 APPLE II DOS Word Handler II $155 Listhandler $ 85 Broderbund Software General Ledger (w/A/P) $435 Payroll $325 Professional Easywriter . , $155 * Available for Apple with Softcard 264 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 176 on inquiry card. f • II You can't buy an S- hard disk system for less. 5 MEGABYTES. 5 MEGABYTES, PLUS. $3,995 $4,400 That's the full price for the complete Decision I™ computer. IncludinganS-lOQ (IEEE-696) 14-siot motherboard, 54K of RAM, DMA floppy and hard disk con- trollers, a 5 Megabyte hard disk, a 200K floppy disk drive, one parallel and three serial ports. Plus, CP/M® 2.2 and Microsoft® BASIC-80. For another $405, you double your floppy capacity to 400K. And, you get over $1,200 worth of applications software: WordStar,® Correct-It™ spelling checker, the LogiCalc™ spreadsheet, and the Personal PEARL™ relational data base manager. NOW, MULTI-USER. For an addi- tional $1,995, you get a package that allows you to add two more users to your system. Which makes the Decision I the lowest priced multi-user, multi-tasking system you can buy. The package adds an additional 192 K of RAM, plus Micronix,™ Morrow's UNIX™-like operating system. The OS includes a CP/M emulator which allows you to use CP/M software in a multi-user environment. BUY IT YOUR WAY Single user or multi-user/multi-tasking. Or, buy a single user system now and expand it later No matter how you buy it, you can't buy more performance for less. MORROW DE5IGN5 f| MORROW DESIGNS □ 600 McCormick St. □ San Leandro, CA 94577 D (415) 430-1970 WordStar is a registered trademark of MicroPro, Inc., CP/M is a Personal PEARL is a trademark of Relational Systems, Inc. registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc. Decision I, Micronix, and Correct-It, are trademarks of Morrow Designs UNIX is a trademark of Bell Laboratories, Inc. LogiCalc is a trademark of Software Products International Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation Circle 291 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 265 \bu'll newer have a better reason to begin shopping by mail: IBM RAM BOARDS 256K WITH AN RS-232C INTERFACE $349 $529 WITH SUPERCALC 512K WITH AN RS-232C INTERFACE $579 $749 WITH SUPERCALC Our fully-populated memory boards include parity checking and a standard RS-232C interface. They are compatible with all IBM software. This is a rare opportunity to save a great deal of money without sacrificing quality. These boards meet the highest standards of design, materials and manufac- turing available — at any price. They are completely guaranteed for two years. ^vIPUTER PRODUCTS 31245 LA BAYA DRIVE WESTLAKE VILLAGE. CA 91362 lb order or for information call InNewYxk: (212)509-1923 In Los Angetes: (213)706-0333 In Dallas: (214)744-4251 By Modem: (2I3)99M§0^ i SrNneekly SPECIALS' I VICEPS Commands and Open Options SYS(7168) OPEN printer for graphic output of VIC characters. Select the following options before calling: Select 8 lines per inch (LPI). Select graphic LP! (no space between lines). POKE 780,1 POKE 780,2 POKE 780, (anything else) POKE 781,1 POKE 781, (anything else) SYS(7188) SYS(7202) Select 6 LPI. Select double horizontal density. Uses 960 graphics mode. Slows printer 1/16 ASCII mode. Good for work to be photocopied. Select single density. Uses 480 mode graphics. Slows printer 1/4 over ASCII mode. OPEN printer for ASCII output. All printer escape sequences and control codes are under user control. Some standard VIC characters are also Epson control codes. CLOSE the printer and restore the output vec- tor. If in graphics mode the end of the last line must be sent to the printer. Table 4: VICEPS program commands. The SYS commands open and close the VIC user port for output to the printer. The POKE commands select various printer options. signal. You don't need to use these signals to get the MX-80 to work. Because the VIC has no more user I/O pins available, the extra signals are ignored. Software Interface Listing 1 is the VICEPS program, which allows the VIC to communicate with the MX-80. Written in 6502 assembly language, it occupies about 400 bytes of memory. It is accessed with a BASIC SYS command. To use the program, you must first enter the command SYS (7168) to start the OPEN routine (see line 36). This routine initializes the VIA and the printer and inserts the address of the printer output routine into the VIC's dis- play vector as well. The display vector is the pointer to the VIC's program to display a character on the screen. All screen output comes through this vector. It was pro- vided by the designers of the VIC for just such an applica- tion as this. After the initialization routine has been started, all characters that are displayed on the screen will also be sent to the printer. Before entering the SYS command you can also give some information to the OPEN routine. This information is passed via the SYS register area at memory locations 780 and 781. Table 4 lists a summary of the VICEPS pro- gram options. Location 780 is used to select the vertical print density — how much space is left between lines of print. Entering 1 into location 780 produces a vertical density of 8 lines per inch (LPI). This leaves one blank row of dots between lines. Entering a 2 into location 780 results in graphic density. This leaves no space between lines so that graphic characters will connect, as they do on the VIC screen. Entering any other number into loca- tion 780 produces the default print density of 6 LPI, which makes for the most readable program listings and text. Text continued on page 280 We accept VISA, MasterCard or C.O.D. (add $3 for C.O.D.). Add a $3 shipping charge to prepaid orders; actual shipping charges will be added to non-prepaids. California residents, add appropriate sales tax. Circle 20 on inquiry card. for a complete selection of microcomputer hardware, software and accessories. Apple/Franklin Hayes Smartmodem, Serial Card, Dow Jones Analyzer — or — Micromodem & Dow Jones Analyzer Reg. 779 NOW $619 BRODERBUND Apple Panic $ 25 Choplifter 26 Serpentine 26 CONTINENTAL SOFTWARE Home Accountant . . .$ 58 CHARLES MANN Basic Teacher $ 30 Teacher Plus ...... 32 Medical II . . 879 CDEX *Visicalc Training . . . .$ 45 DENVER SOFTWARE * Easy (Exec. Att'g) .... $ 535 Financial Partner .... 188 Pascal Tutor 97 Pascal Programmer . . 220 HOWARD SOFTWARE Real Estate Analyzer . . $ 145 Tax Preparer '83 .... 175 Tax Preparer state: CA, NY, NJ, IL .... $Call KRELL CO. Logo $ 75 LINK SYSTEMS Datafax .$159 Datalink 79 MICROPRO Wordstar (Reg. CP/M) . $ 295 Mailmerge 149 CalcStar 99 SpellStar 149 SuperSort 149 Data Pak (Special) ... 480 MICROSOFT Basic Compiler $295 Cobol-80 550 Fortran-80 . 155 Time Manager 125 TASC Compiler 135 A.L.D.S. . 99 Multiplan(DOS) 215 OMEGA Locksmith $ 79 Inspector 47 Watson 44 PEACHTREE Peachpak 40 G/L + A/R + A/P (Special) . . .$359 Series 40 G/L, A/R, A/Pea. ... 225 Inventory 225 Series 9 Peachcalc 279 Telecommunications . 279 PENGUIN SOFTWARE Complete Graphics ..$57 Graphics Magician ... 48 TERRAPIN Logo $135 VISICORP Visicalc $185 Visischedule 219 GAMES Hayden Sargon II .... $ 25 Infocom Zork I, II or III . 35 Infocom Deadline ... 42 L & S Crossword Magic 38 Sirtech Wizardry .... 39 Sirtech Night of Diamonds 29 Ultima II 47 MISC. ISM Mathemagic .... $ 80 ISASpellguard ..... 199 LJK Edit 6502 ...... 82 On-Line Screen Writer II 95 PFS: Filing, Report or Graph 112 ASHTONTATE •dBase II $450 COMPUVIEW V-Edit 8080 Z80, IBM PC$ 130 V-Edit CP/M86, MS DOS 165 DIGITAL RESEARCH Pascal Mt + W/SSP. . .$389 MAC 85 SID (8080 Debugger) . . 65 ZSID(Z80 Debugger) . . 90 CP/M 2.2 -DO 170 C Baste 2 97 PU1-80 439 FOX AND GELLER Quick Screen $125 Quick Code 237 D-Util 89 MARK OF UNICORN •Final Word. ...... .$245 MICROPRO 'WordStar (Special) . . .$250 *MailMerge 149 'CalcStar 99 'SpellStar 149 'SuperSort I 99 'InfoStar 250 3-Pack 399 Wordstar/ Mat I merge . . 299 MICROSOFT Basic 80 $ 275 Basic Compiler 289 Fortran 80 345 CobolSO 550 Macro 80 150 MuMath/MuSimp .... 199 Multiplan 215 OASIS 'The Word Plus $120 * Punctuation and Style . 99 PEACHTREE * Peackpak 4 (G/L, A/R, AP) (Special) .... .$359 General Ledger Series 4 399 Accounts Receivable Series 4 399 Accounts Payable Series 4 399 Inventory Series 4 . . . 399 CPA Client Write-up . . 799 Series 8 Modules each 485 Peachtext 350 PRO/TEM SOFTWARE 'Footnote $105 SORCIM Supercalc $ 225 Trans 86 115 Act 155 STAR COMPUTER SYSTEM G/L, A/R, A/P or Pay . . $ 350 Legal Time, Billing . . . 845 Property Management . 845 SUPERSOFT Diagnostic II . $ 83 Disk Doctor 78 Fortran 4 299 Basic-8086 225 Lisp 120 Z8000 Assembler .... 400 C Cross Assembler . . 400 Fortran 8086 . 340 'Scratchpad 219 GAMES Infocom Zork I, II or III .$ 35 Deadline 42 Supersoft Nemesis . . 37 Dungeon Master .... 34 Analyza II 39 IBM PC * Please see CP/M listing for products with a "*". All pro- grams with a "*" will run on PCDOS. Peackpak 4 $359 lUSEasiWriterll .... 299 IUS EasiSpeller 149 IUS Accounting Module 460 Alpha DataBase Manager 190 Alpha Mailing List ... 85 Data Most Write-on . . 110 Woolf Move It 125 ISASpellguard . . . . . 247 Lifetree Volkswriter . . 145 Special Peachpak (GL, AR & AP) .... 359 Ecosoft Microsfat . . . 257 Northwest Statpak ... 397 Howard Software Tax Preparer '83 195 Organic Software Milestone 269 Datebookll 269 'Microstuf Crosstalk . . 139 Copy tl Plus 32 GAMES Temple of Apshai . ... 33 Galaxy 22 Midway Campaign ... 20 Frogger 30 Accessories/ Hardware BOARDS APPLE/FRANKLIN Coprocessors 88 card . $ 795 Softcard (Z80 CP/M) . . 245 Applescope (your Apple as an Oscilloscope) . 595 Videx 80 Col. Board . . 247 Microsoft Premium Pak 599 Videx Enhancer I .... 149 K&D Enhancer 115 ALSSmarterm 379 ALS Z-card 269 Versacard 160 Bit3DualComm-plus . 209 16K RAM WIZARD ... 79 Microsoft 16K RAM . . 89 Echo II Speech Synthesizer. 159 IBM PC BYAD DS-1 (64K, Z80, CP/M) . . . $ 599 Datamac64K ...... 399 Zedex Baby Blue .... 495 Quadram Quad Board . 445 Quadram 128KRam . . 495 AST Combo + 64K w/Par. Port 350 Hercules Graphics Board 555 Orchid Monochrome Grahic Adptr 432 QuCeS Big Blue .... 499 Vista Maxicard 64K . . 325 MISCELLANEOUS Percom Doubler II ... $ 167 Symtec Light Pen (IBM PC) 140 Symtec Light Pen (APII/III) 200 Microfazer BK Printer Buffer 135 Maynard Floppy Drive Controller w/Par. Port (ICMPC) 229 PROMETHEUS Apple Surance $120 COMPUTERS Franklin/Televideo Nee/Xerox — Call for Price Information MONITORS & TERMINALS Amdek Video 300 . . . .$160 Amdek RGB Color ... 699 NEC 12" Hires Green . 159 Sanyo 12" Hires Green 199 USI HI-RLS 12" Amber . 199 Zenith ZVM 12" Green . 115 PGS RGB Color 599 MODEMS Novation Apple-Cat II . $ 269 Novation 212 Auto Cat 585 Hayes Smartmodem . . 225 Hayes Smart Modem 1200 520 Micromodem II 319 Hayes Chronograph . . 189 US Robotics: Auto-Dial (Full Auto300/1200) .... 459 Auto-Line (Auto Answer300/1000) . . 399 PRINTERS Epson FX-80 $650 C. Itoh Starwriter .... 1450 C. ttoh Prowriter .... 485 Generic Prowriter . . . 425 NEC 3530 1850 NEC8123A 489 Okidata Microline 82A . 460 Oktdata Microline 83A . 685 Prism 80 (w/4 options) color 1399 Prism 132 (w/4 options) 1547 Smith-Corona TP-1 ... 625 DISK DRIVES Rana Elite I (AP II) (Special) $ 299 Rana Elite II 420 Rana Elite III 550 Rana Controller (AP II) . 90 Micro SciA35(AP II) . . 399 Tandon 100-2 260 . . . and many more! ORDER TOLL FREE - Outside Wl - 1-800-826-1589 • Wisconsin residents — add 5% for sales tax. • Add $3.50 for shipping per software and small items. Call regarding others. • Foreign — add 15% handling & shipping for small items & software. • Prices subject to change We welcome: • Visa, Mastercharge — (Add 4%) • Checks (Allow 1-2 weeks for clearing) • COD (Add $1.50 per shipment) Working Hours: Mon.-Th, 8:30 -5:30 » Fri. 8:30 -6:30 • Sat. 10:00-2:00 For technical information & in Wisconsin: 715-848-2322 Store prices differ from mail order. OryX Software • 205 Scott St. • P.O. Box 1961 • Wausau, Wl 54401 $ Circle 316 on Inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 267 Listing 1: The VICEPS program ■ is a software interface between the VIC-20 and the MX-80. It controls output to the printer. LINE* ! LOC CODE LINE 0001 0002 0003 0000 0000 0000 ; MICEPS ; UIC-20 ; UIR THE THE EPSi INTERFACE TO THE EPSON MX-80 PRINTER UIC PARALLEL USER PORT m MUST HAUE GRRFTRAX 0004 oooo ; ZERO PAGE LOACTIONS 0005 0006 000? 0000 oooo oooo RUSMOD QUOTMO UICPRT =$C? =$D4 =*FB ;REUERSE MODE FLAG .: QUOTE MODE FLAG TEMPORARY ZERO PAGE POINTER 0008 0009 0010 0011 0012 0013 oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo UIC PIfl LOCATIONS IORB1 =$9110 ;I.'0 REG B DDRB1 =$9112 ;DflTfl DIRECTION REG B PCR1 =$91 1C PERIPHERAL CONTROL REG IFR1 =$91 ID ;INTERUPT FLAG REG IER1 =$91 IE ; INTERRUPT ENABLE REG 0014 oooo ; TU CONTROLLER LOCAT I OHS 0015 oooo TUCTL5 =$9005 CHARACTER SET^SCREEN BUFFER PORT 0016 oooo ; UIC SUBROUTINES 001? oooo UICOUT =*F2?A ; ROUT I HE TO SEND CHAR TO SCREEN 0018 oooo ; UIC RAM 0019 0020 0021 nofin oooo oooo SYSfi SYSX DISUEC =*30C =*30D =$326 ;A REG STORAGE FOR SYS COMMAND ;X REX STORAGE FOR SYS COMMAND ;UECTOR TO SCREEN DISPLAY ROUTINE 0022 oooo .: EQUATES 0023 0024 0025 0026 002? 0028 0029 0030 oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo oooo CR INSDEL ESC LF LINLIM LPIGRF LP 1 8 LP 1 6 =$0D =$14 =*1B =*A =60 =9 = 12 ; RETURN CHAR ; INSERT-DELETE CHARACTER ; ESCAPE CHARACTER ;LINE FEED CHARACTER ;MRX CHRRRCTERS PER LINE ; PR INTER GRRFIC DENSITY CODE ;8 LINES PER INCH CODE ;6 LINES PER INCH CODE 0031 oooo *=$1C00 0032 0033 0034 0035 1C00 1C00 1C00 1CO0 ;** ; *** ;** OPENG : ENTRY POINT TO TURN ON ROUTINE TO ECHO CHARACTERS TO THE PRINTER IN IN FULL UIC GRAPHICS 0036 0037 0038 0039 0040 0041 0042 0043 1C00 1C03 1C05 1C03 ICOfi 1C0D 1C10 1C13 20 Fi9 8D H9 8D 20 20 60 26 30 26 1C £- i 6R 40 ID 03 03 ID ID OPENG JSR INITOT LDA #GRFOUT ST A DISUEC+1 JSP INITPR JSR INILIN RTS ;INIT THE PIP FOR OUTPUT ;MOUE OUTPUT ROUTINE ADDRESS INITIALIZE THE PRINTER INITIALIZE FOR FIRST LINE 0044 0045 0046 1C14 1C14 1C14 OPENA : ENTRY TO TURN ON ROUTINE TO ECHO CHARACTERS TO PRINTER IN ASCII 004? 0048 0049 1C14 1C1? 1C19 20 R9 8D 26 16 26 ID 03 OPENA JSR INITOT LDA #ASCOUT 0051 1 C1E 8D 03 STR DISUFC+1 0052 1 C21 60 RTS 0053 1 C22 :+* 0054 1 C22 ; *** CLOS IE ; ENTRY TO TURN OFF EITHER ECHO ROUTINE 0055 1 C22 ; ** 0056 1 C22 R9 7R CLOSE LDR #VICOUT 0059 1 C29 80 03 STR DISUEC+1 0060 1 C2C 20 R9 1C JSR FILLIN ! FINISH CURRENT LINE 0061 1 IC2F 6 RTS 0062 : LC30 . :+: + :+: GRFOUT ; ROUTINE TO GENERATE UIC GRAPHICS 0063 ! ■£30 ON THE F 1 INTER 0064 ] IC30 3D 9D ID GPFOUT STR ASRVE SAVE CHPPfiCTER 0065 IC33 48 PHR 0066 IC34 8R TXA SRUE ALL REGS 0067 ' IC35 48 PHR ON STACK 0068 .C36 9R TVR 0069 1 LC37 48 PHR 0070 1 LC38 FfD 9D ID LDR RSAUE GET CHRP BPCK 0071 IC3B 20 7R F2 JSR UICOUT SEND TO UICS SCREEN 0072 1 LC3E ; NOW CONVERT THE RSCII CHARACTER INTO R UIC 0073 1 LC3E ; POKE CODE KEY ON CR TIE 3 END LINE, 0074 1 LC3E RR TAX HI BIT ON? 0075 LC3F 10 1C BPL B I TOFF NO 0076 LC41 29 7F AND #$7F YES. TURN IT OFF 0077 ! LC43 C9 7F CMP #$7F CONCEPT $7F TO $5E 0078 IC45 DO 02 BNE N0T7F 0079 ■ LC47 R9 5E LDP #$5E 0080 1 , r 49 T:9 20 N0T7F CMP #$20 CONTROL CHAR? 0081 LC4B BO oc BCS NOTCTL NO 0082 ] LC4D f:9 00 CMP #CR RETURN'' 0087; ] LC4F FO 4E BEQ FTNLIN • YES 0084 LC51 R2 D4 LDK #OUOTMO IN QUOTE MODE* 0085 1 LC53 F0 4D BEQ GRFBPK NO. THEN IGNORE IT 0086 1 LC55 09 CO OPR #*C0 ON 2 HI BITS 0087 LC57 DO 26 BNE SRUPOK TO MAKE POKE CODE 0083 IC59 09 40 NOTCTL OPR #*40 TURN ON BIT 6 0089 ] LC5B DO 1C BNE CKRUS RND GO CHECK PEUERSE 0090 IC5D C9 00 B I TOFF CMP #PR RETURN CHAR? 0091 IC5F F0 3B BEO F I HL IN YES. END OF LINE 0092 LC61 r:9 O Q CMP #$20 CONTROL CHARACTER? 0093 LC63 BO OP BCS NOCTL NOPE 0094 L C65 C9 14 CMP #INSDEL YES.. IS IT DELETE? 0095 IC67 FO 39 BEQ GRFBRK ■YES. IGNORE IT 0096 IC6-3 R6 04 LOX QUOTMO ;NO. IS QUOTE MODE ON? 0097 LC6B DO 10 BNE HIBIT YES, THEN PRINT IT 0098 LC6D FO •J O BEQ GRFBPK :NO. IGNORE IT 0099 IC6F C9 60 HOCTL CMP #$6 .OL iFR $6fi'' 0100 IC71 9 04 BCC I OWER . NO 0101 l C73 29 OF RND #$0F •YES. OFF BIT 5 0102 LC75 DO 02 BNE CKRUS 0103 LC77 29 3F LOWER RND #$3F TORN OFF BITS 6 £ 7 0104 IC79 R6 C7 CKRUS LDX RU8M0D PEUERSE MODE ON? 0105 LC7B FO 02 BEQ SRUPOK • NO 0106 1C7D 09 80 HIBIT ORfi #$80 •ON BIT 7 TO REVERSE CHARACTER 0107 LC7F 8D 9D 10 SAURO* STR RSRUE SAVE POKE CODE 0108 LC82 CHE CK FOR FULL LINE 0109 IC82 RD 9E ID LDP L.COUNT .CHECK CHARACTER COUNT 0110 1C85 C9 3C CMP #LINLIM ■RT LIMIT? 0111 1 pe>"? DO 08 BNE NOTFUL ■HO, SKIP 0112 IC89 R9 OR LDP #LF .SEND LINE FEED TO PRINTER 0113 ICSB 20 19 10 JSR PUTCHR Listing 1 continued on page 274 270 April 1903 © BYTE Publications Inc HARD DISK PACKAGE DEAL: 8 MEGABYTES WITH CONTROLLER 16 MEGABYTES WITH CONTROLLER ^- THE DEAL: l ift:, I $980. The ily $1280. You Her and an 8 or 16MB Mini- your choice: The 8MB or the 16MB Both are scribe Drive. Optional equipment \r~* Hard Disk specials that indeed offer more Software. Cable set, Adaptet and I More Storage. More Value. More Support Enclosure (pictured). and More Speed. ..r u . n »*n o». No sense in shopping around. Y With the 8MB or the 16MB Package Deal you -package Deal like this anywhere get a formatted drive and controller. Choose Next StpiP from 2 models: 1) The ST/S for S100 Computet s CaN us M and the 2) The ST/R General Purpose Controller with simple 8-bit micro interface for single board ^rx computers. There is an optional Z-80 Adapter for the GP Computer that allows you to just "plug ei in . Nothing to build! PICK A COMPUTER. obably be abl or a Turnkey \)x< ^~ Fast S XCOMPs super Hard Disk 8MB or 16MB "Package Deal both have a complete one-year warranty on parts and workmanship! 7566 Trade Street/San Diego, CA 92121 Phone (619) 271-8730/TLX 182786 XCOMP to fulfill voi Fast becoming the leader YES! I'm interested in your ( ) 8MB "Package Deal' I have a (type of computer} _ , Your { } 16MB "Package Deal I am also interested in: ( ) "Turnkey Hard Disk Subsystems, f J S 100 Hard Disk Subsystem. ( {General Purpose Subsystem. ( ) SG/R Controller for SA1Q0O Interface. ( ) SM/R General Purpose Controller for Storage Module Drives. { ) AN/R Controller for ANSI Interface Disk and Tape. { J SG/S, SM/S and kUi$ same as others for the S100 bus. Name __ . , L ,, ., „,;■■„■; - ,,„■„, , „ _ — Company Name Title __ __ — — Phone . _ . Address _^_ __ * City __ State Zip CPf$ is a tegistereti trademark of Digital Research Circle 451 on inquiry card. 2KS2K?S& I £ M ! WERE MAK,NG LIFE EASIER F0R 0EIV,S CALL N0W,(619) 271-8730. above shows the available enclosure. ' Fnd users can take ndvantauoof XCOMP quality and low uncos bvconlactinn theii localdealers THE FIRST AND ONLY BOARD YOUR IBM PC MAY EVER NEED Your IBM personal computer is a very versatile piece ot equipment. Perhaps more versatile than you realize. New applications and tunctions are being developed every day. Now with Quadboard by Quadram you can keep your options open for tomorrow's technology. Following in the tradition of Quadram Quality, four of Quadram's best selling IBM boards have been combined into one board. Your remaining slots will be left free and available to accommodate future expan- sion needs and uses which you may not even be able to contemplate today. C* U38 74LSCTCM tes^-folN* 4 *? 1 -^liFr a j * *, " _ :.fe. :-.= = - HI «3S3"] : * HiiK PROVEN DESIGN. Quadram has been shipping IBM boards with each of the Quadboard functions on separate boards since December, 1981 They are still available as separates (including a Dual Port Async Board) for those who desire a quality board but do not need to keep slots open for future expansion. And they all come with a one year warranty from the leader in technology applications. LSftSfilW ^i* I! «x»l* •> 256K MEMORY EXPANSION. Socketed and expandable in 64K increments to 256K, full parity generation and checking are standard. A Quad- board exclusive feature allows parity to be switch disabled to avoid lock-up upon error detection. The dip switches also allow it to be addressed starting on any 64K block so that it takes up only as much as it has memory installed. Memory access and cycle time naturally meet all IBM specifications. CLOCK/CALENDAR. Quadboard eliminates the hassle of manually inputting the date on system boot-up by providing for the clock and all software routines necessary for inserting the appropriate programs on your diskettes. The internal computer clock is automatically set for compati- bility with most software routines which utilize clock functions. Onboard battery keeps the clock running when the computer is off. SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 78 ALL ON ONE BOARD Now you can utilize all the PC's capacity with Quadram's extremely flexible con- figurations. And it's totally compatible with IBM hardware, operating systems, and high level languages. It's a full-size board that can be inserted into any free system slot and it even includes a card edge guide for securely mounting the card in place. SOFTWARE TOO! With Quadboard you receive not only hardware but extensive software at no extra cost. Diagnostics, utilities, and Quad-RAM drive software for simulating a floppy drive in memory (a super-fast SOLID STATE DISK!) are all part of the Quadboard package. $595 j6i 8^er3T? (W R 7 "'• J*R M%?Z with64K Installed ill I |Wvv>; HiitrtiniiilUrffffirf? •" iiiiiiMiiiiiiiiniii iimiiii PARALLEL PRINTER I/O. A 16 pin header on Quadboard is used for inserting a short cable containing a standard DB25 connector. The connector is then mounted in the knock-out hole located in the center of the PC back- plane. The parallel port can be switch disabled or addressed as Printer 1 or 2. No conflict exists with the standard parallel port on the Monochrome board. The internal cable, connector and hardware are all included. ASYNCHRONOUS (RS232) COMMUNICATION ADAPTER. Using the same chip as that on the IBM ASYNC board, the device is software programmable for baud rate, character, stop, and parity bits. A male DB25 connector located on the back connector is identical to that on the IBM Async Adapter. The adapter is used for connecting modems, printers (many letter quality printers require RS232), and other serial devices, Switches allow the port to be configured as COM1 or COM2 and the board fully supports IBM Communications Software INCREDIBLE PRICE! Priced at $595 with 64K installed, $775 with 128K, $895 with 192K and $995 with 256K. ASK YOUR DEALER. All products are sold through local personal computer dealers. If yours does not stock Quadra m, please ask him to call us at (404) 923 6666. /T^TK QUADRAM Circle 357 on inquiry card. Listing 1 continued 0114 1C8E 20 40 ID JSR INILIN ; SETUP FOR NEW LINE 0115 1C91 RD 9D ID HOTFUL LDR ASAUE ;RETRIEUE POKE CODE 0116 1C94 20 BF 1C JSR SEND ;SEND CHAR TO PRINTER Oil? 1C9? EE 9E ID IHC LCOUHT ; COUNT IT 0118 1C9R DO 06 BNE GRFBRK jSKIP TO END 0119 ln^rf: .- r ±Y\ x O ■\ LINE 0120 lC^C 20 R9 1C FINLIH JSR FILLIN ;FILL LINE WITH BLANKS 0121 1C9F 20 4 ID JSR INILIN ; INITIALIZE NEW LINE 0122 1CR2 68 GRFBRK PLR .■RESTORE ALL REGS 0123 1CR3 R8 TRY 0124 1CA4 68 PLR 0125 1CA5 RR TAX 0126 1CR6 68 PLR 0127 1CR? 18 CLC 0128 lCflS 60 RTS ;RND RETURN 0129 1CA9 . :+::+:+ FILLIN : FILL REMAINDER OF LINE WITH BLANKS 0130 1CA9 RE 9E ID FILLIN LDX LCOUNT ;GET CHAR COUNT 0131 1CRC EO 3C CPX ttLINLIH ;RT LIMIT? 0132 1CAE BO OR BCS NXTLIN ;YES, QUIT 0133 1CB0 R9 20 LDR #32 ;NO, SEND fl BLANK 0134 1CB2 20 BF 1C JSR SEND 0135 1CB5 EE 9E ID IHC LCOUNT ; COUNT IT 0136 1CB8 DO EF BNE FILLIN ; REPEAT 013? lCBfl R9 OR NXTLIN LDR #LF ;SEND LINE FEED TO PRINTER 0138 1CBC 4C 19 ID JMP PUTCHR 0139 1CBF : *«* SEND ; ROUTINE . TO USE UIC POKE CODE TO FIND 0140 1CBF THE CHRRRCTER PRTTERN, CONUERT IT TO 0141 1CBF , .- THE PRI NTERS FORMAT AND SEND TO PRINTER 0142 1CBF FI RST C ;RLC THE ADDRESS OF THE CHARACTER 0143 1CBF 85 FB SEHD STfl UICPAT ;SAUE POKE CODE 0144 1CC1 R9 00 LDR #0 ; IN PATTERN POINTER 0145 1CC3 85 FC STfl UICPAT+1 0146 1CC5 RO 02 LDY #2 ;LOOP TO MULTIPLY THE POKE CODE 0147 1CC7 18 MULT8 CLC ;BY 8 TO GET OFFSET INTO CURRENT 0148 1CC8 26 FB ROL UICPAT ; CHARACTER SET 0149 1CCR 26 FC ROL UICPAT+1 0150 HXC 88 DEY 0151 1CCD 10 FS BPL MULT8 ; THREE TIMES THRU 0152 1CCF R2 80 LDX #$80 0153 1CD1 RD 05 90 LDfl TUCTL5 ;USE DATA FROM TU CHIP TO 0154 1CD4 29 OC RHD 4t$C ; DETERMINE LOCATION OF 0155 1CD6 FO 02 BEQ NORLT ;OF CURRENT CHARACTER SET 0156 1CD8 R2 10 LDX #*10 0157 1CDR 8R HORLT TKA ;ADD IN HI NYBBLE 0158 1CDB 18 CLC ;OF CHARCACTER SET ADDRESS 0159 1CDC 65 FC ADC UICPRT+1 0160 1CDE 85 FC STfl UICPftT+1 0161 1CE0 RD 05 90 LDfl TUCTL5 ;CALC SECOND NYBBLE UALUE 0162 1CE3 29 03 AND #$3 0163 1CE5 18 CLC 0164 1CE6 OR ASL fl 0165 ICE? OR ASL R 0166 1CE8 65 FC ADC UICPRT+1 ;AHD ADD IT IN 016? 1CER B5 FC STA UICPRT+1 0168 1CEC .: CONUERT UIC PRTTERN TO PRINTER PATTERN 0169 1CEC RO 07 LDY #7 0170 1CEE Bl FB BYTLUP LDA ■:. UICPAT >,Y ;GET fl UIC PATTERN ROW 0171 1CF0 R2 00 LDK #0 0172 1CF2 OR BITUJP ASL A ;SHIFT EACH BIT INTO R 0173 1CF3 7E 95 ID ROR PRTPAT..X ; COLUMN OF THE PRINTER PATTERN 0174 1CF6 E8 I NX 0175 1CF? EO 08 CPX #8 ;GOT ALL 8? 0176 1CF9 90 F7 BCC BITUJP ;NO, DO ANOTHER 01?? 1CFB 88 DEY ;YES BUMP Y TO NEXT ROW OF UIC PATTERN 0178 1CFC 10 FO BPL BYTLUP ;DO ALL 8 0179 1CFE ; SEND COHUERTED PATTERN TO PRINTER Listing 1 continued on page 276 274 April 1983 © BYTE Publications Inc DATA STORAGE FROM 1 TO LDP S100 Bus Systems: Designed for high reliability, flexibility and upgradeability. Lomas Data Products offers a variety of pre- packaged computer systems, and options, allowing a user to quickly configure a system for his individual requirements. With disk storage from 1 to 33.2 Megabytes of formatted data, LDP systems are ideal for any business or scientific application. LDP systems offer the following advanced features: ■ 10 MHz 8086 CPU ■ IEEE 696 (SI 00) standard expansion ■ Up to 1 MegaByte of main memory ■ Battery backed up clock calendar ■ Supports CP/M-86* MP/M-86* CONCURRENT* CP/M* and MS-DOS** ■ Supports up to 8 users under MP/M-86 ■ Runs CP/M programs under either software simulation or on our slave Z80 processor board ■ Floppy disk or streaming tape backup of Winchester drives Call LDP for a full line of quality SI 00 bus products . . . systems, software and "no-nonsense" boards. Dealer and OEM inquiries invited. LOMAS DATA PRODUCTS, INC. □ 66 Hopkinton Road, Westboro, Mass. 01581 □ Tel: (617) 366-6434 * Trademark of Digital Research ** Trademark of Microsoft Circle 238 on inquiry card. BYTE April 1983 275 Listing 1 continued 0180 1CFE R2 00 LDX #0 0181 ID 00 BD 95 ID OUTLUP LDfl PRTPRT,X ;GET A DOT COLUMN 0182 ID 03 20 19 ID JSR PUTCHR ;SEHD TO PRINTER 0183 ID 06 RC 9F ID LDY DOTFLG ; DOUBLE DOT MODE? 0184 ID 09 CO 01 CPY #1 0185 ID OB DO 03 BNE NOZDOT ;N0, SKIP 0186 1D0D 20 19 ID JSR PUTCHR ;YES.. SEND IT RGRIN 0187 1D10 E8 NOZDOT I NX 0188 1DU EO 08 CPX #8 ;DOHE ALL? 0189 1D13 90 EB BCC OUTLUP ;HO, REPEAT 0190 1D15 60 RTS 0191 1D16 ^ ijCittJiC RSCOUT : ROUTINE TO SEND ASCII CHARACTER TO PRINTER 0192 1D16 20 ?R F2 RSCOUT JSR U I GOUT ;SEND TO SCREEN 0193 1D19 SEND BYTE TO PRINTER 0194 1D19 48 PUTCHR PHfl ;SRUE CHRRflCTER 0195 ID 1ft R9 10 LDfl #$10 ;TEST INTERRUPT BIT 0196 1D1C 2C ID 91 WRITO BIT IFR.1 ;IN FLAG REG 0197 1D1F FO FB BEG WfllTC ;WRIT UNTIL IT TURNS ON 0198 1D21 68 PLA 0199 1D22 8D 10 91 STR I0RB1 ;THEN SEND CHRRflCTER 0200 1D25 60 RTS 0201 1D26 : *** INITOT : INITIAL IZE FT A FOR OUTPUT 0202 1D26 RD 1C 91 INITOT LDfl PCR1 ;6ET PCR 0203 1D29 29 OF AND ##0F ; CLEAR B PORT BITS 0204 1D2B 09 RO ORfl ##flO ;SET IT TO RUTO PULSE MODE 0205 1D2D 8D 1C 91 ST A PCR1 ;AND STORE IN PCR 0206 1D30 R9 10 LDA ##10 ; DISABLE INTERRUPT 0207 1D32 8D IE 91 ST A IER1 0208 1D35 R9 FF LDA ##FF ;SET ALL BITS TO OUTPUT 0209 1D37 8D 12 91 ST A DDRB1 0210 1D3R R9 00 LDA #0 ; START WITH R NULL 0211 1D3C 8D 10 91 STA I0RE1 0212 1D3F 60 RTS 0213 1D4G ■ *** INILIH : PREPARE ! FOR SENDING fl LINE 0214 1D40 R9 00 INILIN LDA #0 ; CLEAR LCOUNT 0215 1D42 8D 9E ID STA LCOUNT 0216 1D45 R9 IB LDfl #ESC ; START ESCAPE SEQ 0217 1D47 20 19 ID JSR PUTCHR 0218 1D4R RD 9F ID LDfl DOTFLG ; DOUBLE DOT MODE REQUESTED? 0219 1D4D C9 01 CMP #1 0220 1D4F DO 08 BNE ONEDOT ;NOPE 0221 1D51 R9 4C LDfl #'L-' ;YES, 960 MODE 0222 1D53 RO CO LDY #<960 ;LOAD 960 INTO X AND Y 0223 1D55 R2 03 LDX #>960 0224 1D57 DO 06 BNE PUTREG ;GO SEND 0225 1D59 R9 4B ONEDOT LDfl # / K / ;480 MODE 0226 1D5B RO EO LDY #<480 ;480 INTO X & Y 0227 1D5D R2 01 LDX #>480 0228 1D5F 20 19 ID PUTREG JSR PUTCHR .:SEND CODE 0229 1D62 98 TYfl 0230 1D63 20 19 ID JSR PUTCHR ;RND THEN COUNT 0231 1D66 8fl TXA 0232 1D67 4C 19 ID JMP PUTCHR 0233 1D6R ;*** INITPR : STARTUP ' INITIALIZATION FOR. PRINTER 0234 1D6R R2 00 INITPR LDX #0 0235 1D6C BD 92 ID IPRLUP LDfl PRTAB..X ;GET R BYTE 0236 1D6F FO 06 BEQ IPDUN ;QUIT IF 0237 1D?1 20 19 ID JSR PUTCHR ;SEND IT 0238 1D74 E8 I NX 0239 1D75 DO F5 BNE IPRLUP 0240 1D77 RE OC 03 IPDUN LDX SYSA ;GET fl REG 0241 1D7R R9 09 LDfl #LPI8 ;GET 8 LP I CODE 0242 1D7C EO 01 CPX #1 ;1=8LPI 0243 1D7E FO 08 BEQ PUTDEN ;YES, 8LPI 0244 1D80 R9 08 LDA #LPIGRF ;LOflD GRAPHIC DENSITY CODE 0245 1D82 EO 02 CPX #2 ;2=GRRPHIC DENSITY Listing 1 continued on page 278 276 April 19*3 © BYTE Publications Inc Designed for 8 bit and 16 bit personal computers. i co — for the best and most current software. Your order is shipped at once, and expert tech- N clans are always on hand to pro- de assistance and advice. When >u need the finest software avail- able, call Westlco. Among the 300 quality programs in stock: MicroGANTT — Sophisticated proj- ect planning system which uses Criti- cal Path Method analysis. Interactively defines tasks which comprise a proj- ect and displays a Gantt chart of the resulting plan. Budget costs and work hours are also calculated and dis- played automatically. An entire proj- ect can be included in a more global project as a single task. All data is easy to modify and can be displayed or printed. $395/$25. T/MAKER III — Powerful yet easy to use data processing tool with inte- grated full-feature word processor. Can be used to maintain and process data for complex financial projec- tions. Allows user to define equations to automatically process data in tables. Sorts data, tallies frequency distributions, executes cross-tabula- tions. Repositions columns of data, prepares tables for printing in reports, and makes bar charts. Advanced vis- ually oriented word processing fea- ture does multi-line headers and footers and footnotes. $275/$70. STATPAK — Statistics software library in Microsoft BASIC, Performs probabil- ity calculations, one independent variable statistics, discrete distribution functions, continuous distribution func- tions, regression analysis, means test- ing, survey data/contingency tables, non-parametric statistics and analysis of variance. Includes plotting and file management modules. $500/$40. PRIORITIES — Easy to learn system for efficient time management. Schedules and prioritizes daily and recurring tasks and appointments for individuals or entire staff. Tasks not accom- plished on schedule automatically appear on the next day's agenda, which can be updated and printed at any time. Saves valuable time be- cause necessary data such as names and phone numbers are included on the agenda. $195/$35. WONDERCALC — Spreadsheet that collects data and prepares financial reports and projections. Handles up to 99 columns and 998 rows of data. Can consolidate multiple spread- sheets into an overall report (3D cal- culation). Produces graphic reports. Includes sort program for data manipulation. $395/ — . Inhibited ver- sion for use by branch offices or secre- taries. $195/— . PROPERTY MANAGEMENT — Man- ages real estate accounting from sin- gle family homes to office complexes. Reports include operating state- ments, G/L accounts, A/P accounts, late rents, tenant/vendor lists, etc. $695/$35. MINIMODEL™— Financial planning tool. Does big financial planning jobs at micro prices for cash flow projec- tions, financial forecasting, venture analysis, project planning and risk analysis. Models limited only by disk space. Report content and format totally under user control. $495/$50. The Westico 24-Hour Computer Hotline for 300 or 1200 baud modems (203)853-0816 for detailed information and quick access ordering. GRAFTALK — Easily mastered graph- ics business tool capable of produc- ing bar, pie, line and symbol charts. Compatible with numerous graphic CRTs and plotters. Can use letter- quality and dot matrix printers for hi£ resolution graphics. $450/$40. VERDICT — For law offices with up t 25 attorneys and a total of 35 time- keepers (including paralegals, secre- taries, etc.). All time and expenses are distributed to client accounts or other designated overhead accounts. Pro- duces monthly client review sheets and ready-to-mail itemized bills. $995/$50. BILLKEEPER — For professional office — architects, accountants, engineers, consultants, ad agencies. All the fea- tures of VERDICT including analysis of each professional's billings, aging of receivables, analysis of the work effort of each timekeeper. $995/$50. • Westico has more than 300 programs that work on a wide variety of microcom- puters including ADDS Multivision, Altos, Apple, Canon, CPT, Cromemco, DEC, Dynabyte, Eagle, Exxon, Facit, Hewlett- Packard, IBM, Intersystems, Intertec, Kay- pro, Monroe, NEC, North Star, Northern Telecom, Ohio Scientific, Otrona Attache, Radio Shack, Rainbow 100, Syntrex, Televi- deo, Vector Graphic, Victor, Xerox, Zenith. We're working hard to be your software company. Send for FREE 1983 catalog 4 Ways to order • Write Westico, Inc., 25 Van Zant Street,| Norwalk,CT 06855, • Call (203) 853-6880. • Telex 64-3788. • Dial-up our 24-hour computer (300 or 1200 baud) (203) 853-0816. COD, MasterCard and VISA accepted. Prices do not include shipping and are subject to change. In CT add 7 1 /2% sales tax. All sales final. Manual price may be credited toward purchase of software. Dealer inquiries invited. Copyright © 1983 Westico, Inc. WES-59 WESTICO The Software Express Service 25 Van Zant Street • Norwalk, Connecticut 06855 ) 853-6880 • Telex 64-3788 Listing 1 continued: 0246 1D84 FO 02 BEQ PUTDEN ;YES 024? 1086 fl9 OC LDfl #LPI6 ;ELSE DEFAULT TO 6 LP I 0248 1D88 20 19 ID PUTDEN JSP PUTCHR 0249 1D8B RD OD 03 LDfl SYSX ;SflUE DOT MODE FLAG 0250 1D8E 8D 9F ID STfl DOTFLG 0251 1D91 60 RTS 0252 1D92 ; PRINTER PftRM TABLES 0253 1D92 IB PRTflB .BYT ESC,'ft',0 0254 1D93 41 0255 1D94 00 0256 1D95 ; DATA AREAS 0257 1D95 PRTPAT *=*+8 ; PR INTER PATTERN AREA 0258 1D9D flSflUE +=++1 ; CHARACTER TEMPORARY 0259 1D9E LCOUNT *=*+l ; CHARACTER IN LINE COUNTER 0260 1D9F DOTFLG *=++l ;DOT MODE FLAG 0261 lDflO LAST ,END 0262 1DR0 ERRORS- 0000 SYMBOL CROSS REF FOR : UIC TO EPSON MX-80 INTERFACE PAGE 05 SYMBOL DEFINED REFERENCES fl 0000 0172 0165 0164 flSflUE 025S 0115 0107 0070 0064 RSCOUT 0192 0050 0048 BITLUP 0172 0176 B1TOFF 0090 0075 BYTLUP 0170 0178 CKRUS 0104 0102 0089 CLOSE 0056 CR 0023 0090 0082 DDRB1 0010 0209 DISUEC 0021 0059 005? 0051 0049 8040 0038 DOTFLG 0260 0250 0218 0183 ESC 0025 0253 0216 FILLIN 0130 0136 0120 0060 FINLIN 01 20 0091 0083 GRFBAK 0122 011S 0098 0095 0085 GRFOUT 0064 0039 0037 MBIT 0106 0097 IER1 0013 0207 IFR1 0012 0196 INILIN 0214 0121 0114 0042 INITOT 0202 0047 0036 INITPR 0234 0041 INSDEL 0024 0094 IORB1 0009 0211 0199 IPDUN 0240 0236 IPRLUP 0235 0239 LaST 0261 LCOUNT 0259 0215 0135 0130 0117 0109 LF 0026 0137 0112 LINLIM 002? 0131 0110 LOWER 0103 0100 LPI6 0030 0247 LPI8 0029 0241 LPIGRF 0028 0244 MULT8 0147 0151 NOflLT 0157 0155 HOCTL 0099 0093 NOT7F 0080 0078 NOTCTL 0088 0081 NOTFUL 0115 0111 N02D0T 0187 0185 NXTLIN 013? 0132 ONEDOT 0225 0220 OPENfl 004? OPENG 0036 OUTLUP 0181 0189 PCR1 0011 0205 0202 PRTRB 0253 0235 Listing 1 continued on page 280 278 April 19W © BYTE Publications Inc Expand your possibilities with Concurrent CP/M.™ If you have to wait impatiently for your personal computer to finish a job before moving on to another task, you need Concurrent CP/M. This new software tech- nology from Digital Research increases the productivity of your IBM PC by allowing you to do more with it. Using Concurrent CP/M, you can run several programs simultaneously switching instantly from one program to another. For the first time you can write a letter while you do your financial planning. For the first time you can write text while printing other documents. For the first time you can edit programs while your program compiles. Concurrent CP/M is the best investment you can make in microcomputing because it multiplies the value of your hardware and lets you use all the CP/M compatible programs. And if you're developing software, it ensures that you're on the crest of the hottest new wave in the business. So quadruple the effectiveness of your IBM Per- sonal Computer with Concurrent CP/M. See your local microcomputer dealer. r Circle 144 on inquiry card. Now your IBM PC can do more than one thing at a time 13. m •Milll Cm* H-toto Mil 9RHHRHHH : «.» 11. SI. ». 7S. m ferny*!* H fmi S Um H taMnntr U Hmm m t+uw m «•» m Atf»i«M twwt m kiMr II TftMtar ttotorta m V ». 42. «. tfjmU* «IU tktnti to 1 1 1 [..mill I t 1 • M 1 DIGITAL RESEARCH The creators of CP//VT Listing 1 continued: PRTPRT 025? 0131 0173 PUTCHR 0194 0248 0237 0232 0230 0228 021? 0186 0182 0138 PUTDEN 0248 0246 0243 PUTREG 0223 0224 QUOTMO 0006 0096 0034 j RUSMOD 0005 0104 SflUPOK 0107 0105 0037 SEND 0143 0134 0116 SYSR 0019 0240 SYSX 0020 0249 TUCTL5 0015 0161 0153 UICOUT 0017 0192 0071 0058 0056 UICPflT 0007 0170 0167 0166 0160 0159 0149 0148 0145 0143 WRITO 01% 0197 X 00 00 0235 0131 0173 Y 0000 0170 Text continued from page 266: Location 781 passes the horizontal density to the OPEN routine. The MX-80 offers two horizontal den- sities in graphic mode: 480 dots per line (DPL) and 960 DPL. Entering a 1 into location 781 produces the 960 DPL mode, and entering anything else in 781 produces the 480 DPL mode. In both modes 60 VIC characters are printed on a line. In 960 DPL mode, each dot of a VIC character is printed twice, resulting in a very black, dense printout. In 480 DPL mode each dot is printed only once, resulting in lighter print. Printing in graphics mode slows the speed of the MX-80 considerably. It cannot print bidirectionally in graphics mode, thus halving the normal printer speed. It takes two passes to print a line in 480 DPL mode, slowing printer speed to one-fourth the normal rate. In 960 DPL mode the printing speed is reduced by one-half and it takes four passes to print each line, resulting in one-six- teenth of normal printing speed. Once the OPEN routine has been executed, any char- acter that is displayed on the screen will also go to the printer. Characters that are entered directly into the screen buffer with a POKE command will not be printed. When you have finished printing, you can turn off the printer by entering the command SYS (7202) to execute the CLOSE routine, which restores the display vector. No PROGRAMMERS FLIGHT SIMULATOR Apple 11 Plus DOS 3.3 48K ^vlf! This total IFR System disk features gobs of menu selectable flight programs each with breath taking realistic picture graphics, moving scenery, airport approaches, holding patterns and much much more. $50.00 At your Computer Store or direct from Visa Mastercard Programmers Software 2110 N. 2nd Street Cabot, Arkansas 72023 (501) 843-2988 5-INCH HARD DISK SUBSYSTEMS WITH LOW COST PER MEGABYTE. TARBEU Q Tarbel! 5-inch hard disk subsystems with amazingly low cost per megabyte are available in 5, 10 or 16 megabyte formatted configurations. Subsystem includes 5-inch hard disk drive, 8-inch metal frame with 5-volt and 12-volt regulators or optional cabinet with power supply, hard disk controller and cable, CP/M 2.2 for Tarbell floppy and hard disk, and documentation. Data transfer rate is 5 megabits per second and average seek time 120 milliseconds. LESS COST PER MBYTE 5 Mbyte $2095 10 Mbyte $2265 16 Mbyte $2375 Cabinet with power supply $200 950 Dovlen Place, Suite B Carson, California 90746 (213)538-4251 CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research 280 April 1W3 © BYTE Publications Inc Circle 344 on inquiry card. Circle 401 on inquiry card. EXTRA S-100 World News YIACROTECH International Corporation 22133 Cohasset Street, Canoga Park, California 91303 • 213-887-5737 ^^ w^Sw l^^.' ft &", ^m^J^^B 0>; - ■ ™ m^CT'M F^ &•' ^T~*^H !^fc^ frnage achieved by DGS' CAT 1600 Series color video graphic workstation. Picture courtesy of Digital Graphic Systems, Inc. See story below. GRAPHICS: NOW MAX IMIZED CANOGA PARK-March 30, 1983-The decreasing costs and increasing density of nemory made possible the present boom in iigital graphics. Graphic systems designers ire now able to take another major step with :he introduction of MAX-M, a one megabyte nemory board for $1983. As large size sys- em memory and multi-megabyte Virtual Disk, MAX-M opens up major new low cost mplementations. t Wayne Maw, Director of R&D for RGB Dynam- ics, Salt Lake City, Utah, reports, "My application is dependent on speed. With the Macrotech dy- namic board, I have the needed speed'/ The RGB system is a Z80-based, ligh resolution color directory system for mopping malls, due for April release. Empirical Research Group of Kent, Washi- ngton, creates a state-of-the-art high -esolution color video graphics system by ntegrating their fast 68000 computer, Macro- ech system memory, and the color video mage processor from Digital Graphic Sys- ems, Inc., Palo Alto, California. Radcliffe 3oddard of Digital Graphics states, k 'High jpeed image processing requires large system nemory to provide instantaneous display : rame paging'.' The demand for MAX-M by the graphics ndustry was nearly instantaneous following :he initial Macrotech announcement. M MAX-256K to 1M S-100 Memory CANOGA PARK-March 30, 1983-Mike Pelkey, Macrotech International president, to- day released details of the revolutionary MAX line of S-100 memory boards. Pelkey stated: 'TEEE-696 now has a new standard for dynamic memory. The MAX product line offers 256K to 1M, at a price that ranges down to less than $0.00023 per bit'.' Pelkey contin- ued, 'The MI product line now includes our ultra fast (70 ns) 128K static memory, with battery backup capability, plus the 150 ns dynamic memories— in every 128K step from 256K through 1M (1024K) bytes, and add-on kits to permit field upgrade of sizes'.' The extreme density of the MAX family is made possible through the use of proprietary PALs (programmable array logic). Also stated as available for add-on to any size MAX is PRICE INDEX SIZE P/N PRICE Static Memory 128K 128-ST $1232 Dynamic Memory 256K MAX-256 $1108 24-bit 384K MAX-384 1292 Addressing 51 2K MAX-512 1647 768K MAX-768 1815 896K MAX-896 1899 1M MAX-M 1983 With 16-bit M 3 Addressing option, add $91 FROM /TO P/N PRICE Upgrade Kits 256K/384K MKT-2/3 $ 192 256K/512K MKT-2/5 692 256K/768K MKT-2/7 876 256K/896K MKT-2/8 967 256K/1M MKT-2/M 1060 384K/512K MKT-3/5 600 384K/768K MKT-3/7 784 384K/896K MKT-3/8 876 384K/1M MKT-3/M 968 512K/768K MKT-5/7 284 512K/896K MKT-5/8 376 512K/1M MKT-5/M 468 768K/896K MKT-7/8 192 768K/1M MKT-7/M 284 896K/1M MKT-8/M 192 M 3 option MKT-M3 121 Software (provided on 8" disk) Virtual Disk for MP/M II* and CP/M 2.2 CP/M 3.0* Bios modules, CP/M memory tests $ 25 Manuals (sold separately) 128/ST $ 15 MAX Technical Manual 15 Macrotech's popular M 3 memory mapping architecture. M 3 permits the 16-bit address space of an 8-bit processor to be dynamically mapped in 4K pages into as much as 16 mega- bytes of physical memory. Parity error detection and 8/16 bit data transfer capabilities are provided as standard on the MAX series memory board. M Software for M? Available BURBANK- March 30, 1983- 4k M 3 bank switch- ing for 8-bit processors is much more useful with the new creative systems programs',' states Dan West of Westcom Sys- tems Inc. MP/M II* disk intensive applications are greatly improved with the new Virtual Disk routines now available through Macro- tech OEM's and dealers for their M 3 mem- ory boards. Westcom Systems, as the software consult- ing firm for Macrotech, has also provided sub- routine listings to easily incorporate M 3 mapping into the new CP/M 3.0* (CP/M Plus*) Bios module. The advantages of CP/M 3.0* with disk buffering, hashed directories, and user program expansion go hand in hand with Macrotech's flexible "bank switched" memory capabilities. All Macrotech software and manuals are available through Dan Wests CompuServe account #70250,102. Leave comments/questions as E-Mail. These new techniques can combine the above features with custom needs of the future, such as printer buffering, multi-page display and memory-intensive graphics dis- plays. The software listings are included in the Macrotech memory board manuals and are optionally available on 8" diskettes. M "CP/M 3.0, CP/M Plus, and MP/M II are registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc. Circle 242 on inquiry card. MuSYS gives S-100 the best in networks. . . withTurboDOS* With CP/M®* compatible TurboDOS and MuSYS net- work stave boards you can turn any Z80-based, S-100 system into a superior multi-processor, multi-user network. TurboDOS is faster than CP/M® for system functions. TurboDOS supports larger files (134 MB) and disks (1048 MB) and, unlike CP/NET*, it's compatible with nearly all 2.2 applications software. Many features which are optional, extra cost or not available at all in CP/M® are standard with TurboDOS. Add a MuSYS NET/82* and you've got a complete, hardware isolated network slave including Z80A CPU, two serial ports and many other advanced features. For special applications an additional bank of 64K memory is available. Expand your S-100 system economically with MuSYS now? Ask for all the facts on TurboDOS and our expanding line of network slave boards. (Generous quantity/dealer discounts available,) 'TurboDOS is a trademark of Software 2000, inc. CP/M and GP'NET are trademarks of Digita) Research, inc. NET ''82 b a trademark of MuSYS Corp, 1752 BLangley Irvine, CA 9271 4 (714)662-7387 TWX: 910-595-1967 CABLE: MUSYS1RIN Circle 295 on inquiry card. GQRP Specialists in Multi-user Microsystems more characters will be printed until the OPEN routine is executed again. A second OPEN routine, called by the command SYS (7188), is provided to allow the VIC to communicate with the MX-80 directly in ASCII (American National Stan- dard Code for Information Interchange) instead of VIC character patterns. This enables the VIC to take complete control of all of the MX-80's features. If you want com- plete control, remember to initialize the printer as neces- sary for your application. Notice that some of the VIC control characters for color change and cursor movement are also command codes to the printer (see table 1). If you aren't careful, you could get some strange results. Listing 2 is the CHARACTER SET program that prints the entire VIC character set in the various modes. A sample of its output follows the program listing. The en- tire listing was printed with an MX-80 by the VIC. The main routine in the VICEPS program is a subroutine called GRFOUT (see line 64). It is executed each time a character is sent to the VIC screen. It must convert the ASCII code into a VIC screen POKE code so that it can find the VIC character pattern in memory. A routine in the VIC KERNAL ROM at location E756 hexa- decimal converts ASCII to VIC screen codes. Unfor- tunately, this routine is part of the display routine and cannot be called externally. GRFOUT is based on the logic in this routine. After converting ASCII to screen code, GRFOUT calls the subroutine SEND to convert the screen code to a graphic image and send it to the printer. SEND finds the character pattern the same way that the VIC TV controller chip finds the pattern; as a result, any character that can be displayed on the screen can be printed. If you've designed your own characters for the VIC, this routine will find them and print them. After the appropriate character pattern is found, it must be converted into printer format. The VIC stores its character patterns in memory as rows of dots. Each of the 8 bytes of the pattern represents one row of dots of the character. The printer requires that the character be sent a column at a time. Row patterns must be converted into column patterns. Next, each column must be sent to the printer, which requires sending 8 bytes in the 480 DPL mode and sending 16 bytes in the 960 DPL mode. VICEPS should be fairly easy to convert for use with another printer whose print head has 8 or more wires. Any changes required will be in the subroutines INILIN and INITPR (see lines 214 and 234). These routines send to the printer the commands to set the LPI and initialize the graphics mode. These commands will be different for another printer. Some printers may represent a column of dots dif- ferently from the MX-80. The MX-80 uses the high-order bit of the byte to represent the top dot in the column and the low-order bit to represent the bottom dot. Other printers might do the reverse, which would make all characters come out upside-down. You can correct the situation by reversing the direction of the Y register-loop index in the pattern-conversion routine in the subroutine SEND. 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