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Step 8Grab some software
There is lots of CPM software out there. Eg
http://www.loomcom.com/cpm/cpm_cdrom/
http://www.gaby.de/ecpmlink.htm
But let's try something simple. Lets get Basic to add a couple of numbers and print the answer.
To do that, we need a copy of Basic.
Lots of copies are out there, but lets go off on a bit of a tangent and talk about the Altair simulator.
This little program is a complete emulation of a CPM machine running on a PC. It has a large software library, conveniently packaged into disk sized portions, and it runs much faster than a real CPM computer which is very handy when compiling. The simulator is here:
http://www.schorn.ch/cpm/intro.php
Download the software, and download at a minimum the CPM2.2 disk image, and about half of the way down the page, the Basic image. Put them all in the same directory. While you are there, check out all the other languages like C Cobal, Fortran, Pascal.
If you run the program AltairZ80.exe you will get a dos window. If you have downloaded the file basic.dsk, then you can run this with the command
Do basic
In the simulator.
Then DIR to list the files (which are on drive A: and B: )
We want MBASIC and it is sitting in the A drive.
To copy this to a PC directory, type W MBASIC.COM and this will save the file to the directory that the altair program sits in. You can do the reverse with the R command which transfers files from the PC into the altair simulator disks. Indeed, if you want to play with CPM, this is a great way to do it without having to build or buy anything.
If you want to save files on the virtual disk, exit out of the altair simulator with a ctrlE (control key and E). This exits and saves. If you don't want to save any changes, just close down the window with the X at the top right corner.
http://www.loomcom.com/cpm/cpm_cdrom/
http://www.gaby.de/ecpmlink.htm
But let's try something simple. Lets get Basic to add a couple of numbers and print the answer.
To do that, we need a copy of Basic.
Lots of copies are out there, but lets go off on a bit of a tangent and talk about the Altair simulator.
This little program is a complete emulation of a CPM machine running on a PC. It has a large software library, conveniently packaged into disk sized portions, and it runs much faster than a real CPM computer which is very handy when compiling. The simulator is here:
http://www.schorn.ch/cpm/intro.php
Download the software, and download at a minimum the CPM2.2 disk image, and about half of the way down the page, the Basic image. Put them all in the same directory. While you are there, check out all the other languages like C Cobal, Fortran, Pascal.
If you run the program AltairZ80.exe you will get a dos window. If you have downloaded the file basic.dsk, then you can run this with the command
Do basic
In the simulator.
Then DIR to list the files (which are on drive A: and B: )
We want MBASIC and it is sitting in the A drive.
To copy this to a PC directory, type W MBASIC.COM and this will save the file to the directory that the altair program sits in. You can do the reverse with the R command which transfers files from the PC into the altair simulator disks. Indeed, if you want to play with CPM, this is a great way to do it without having to build or buy anything.
If you want to save files on the virtual disk, exit out of the altair simulator with a ctrlE (control key and E). This exits and saves. If you don't want to save any changes, just close down the window with the X at the top right corner.
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