PRO-DOS PAGE by Phil Glover Welcome to a new feature to the disk magazine. As you may have heard already, PRO-DOS is a new Sam utility which allows CP/M 2.2 software to run on Sam. The main point of interest for adventurers is that there may be many adventure games which can now be played on Sam under PRO-DOS. These adventures are text-only, often using the full 80 column text. This PRO-DOS page will try to cover in detail any such games, and perhaps help people out with general PRO-DOS matters. As you may see from the questionnaire accompanying this issue, we'd like to find out how many of us have PRO-DOS. I may not be able to run this page myself, so any help would be appreciated. Most of us will be complete newcomers to CP/M 2.2, so don't MORE >>>> think that we're only after people who already understand this 'new' subject. In fact, anyone could run this page, as we can then all learn about it together. Any ideas, suggestions and thoughts on the subject are, as usual, most welcome. For the time being, please send any material concerning PRO-DOS to me, and we'll see how things progress. Right then, to kick off this first PRO-DOS page, we'll feature a review of it by Terry Filby, who is, as are many other Sam owners, impressed with the PRO-DOS package (and rightly so!) - - - - - - - REVIEW of PRO-DOS by Terry Filby Pro-Dos is an emulation of CP/M 2.2 for the Sam Coupe by Digital Reality (Chris Pile), obtainable from: MORE >>>> B.G. Services, 64 Roebuck Road, Chessington, Surrey KT9 1JX. Tel: (081) 397 0763. The system, utilities and a 68-page Manual, is priced at `30, including post and packing, with a PD sample disk available for an extra pound which includes a version of Colossal Cave Adventure and Island Adventure Firstly, a quick history of CP/M itself (Control Program and Monitor). Created by Dr Gary Kildall; who founded Digital Research Incorporated; in 1976. At one time CP\M was used by around 100 computer manufacturers and was an industry standard because it is a software bus, not machine-specific, and can be adapted to run with most Z80 type chips. It has now been superceded, leaving behind an enormous CP\M PD Library with programs of all types available. The system comes on 2 disks, Pro-Dos itself and the system files disk. The boot disk cannot be backed up but the utilities disk can. MORE >>>> There are 12 built-in commands: Dir, Dirs, Dirn, Dirns, Sam, Cls, Feeds, Ren, Save, Era, User and Type. 11 external commands are available on the second disk: Format, Palette, Dump, Copy, Crc, Samread, Hide, Unhide, Protect, Uprotect, Batch. The manual is excellent, it gives the beginner or expert in CP\M all the relevant details to get into Pro-Dos in an easy-to-understand way. As is said in the manual, if you wish to know more about CP\M 2.2, a lot of good books have been written, though I doubt if many are still in print, you just have to look around. On booting up the system you get the start-up screen automatically configured to whatever size of Sam you have, 256k or 512k, one or two disk drives. The RAM disk size is 124k on a 256k and 380k on a 512k. Most of the built-in commands are self-explanatory. Of the others, SAM is the reset button, FEEDS toggles the line feeds MORE >>>> sent to the printer, USER allows you to change the current user area and TYPE lets you view files on the screen - remember to press CTRL-S before you view otherwise it will all flash before your eyes! Personally I have always preferred the Newsweep program (on the PD disk) to read text files (and much else). Amongst the external commands, PALETTE allows your own 2 preferred colours if you don't like the default colours, which are Bright White on Medium Blue, CRC calculates a program checksum and SAMREAD allows you to use a Sam editor\assembler or Word Processor if you don't find the several CP\M assemblers and text editors suitable. Apart from the Adventures on the PD Disk, you can obtain several CP\M Adventures from Advantage, 56 Bath Road, Cheltenham GL53 7HJ. Tel: (0242) 224340. There's another version of Colossal Cave and an adventure on the same disk called Bestiary, which uses a RAM disk. There is also a disk called PCW Challenge which includes Arnold Goes To Somewhere Else, Trial of Arnold Blackwood, Wise and Fool of Arnold Blackwood, etc. All these MORE >>>> adventures are in the Advantage PCW Catalogue. I have played them all on my Spectrum +3, which I no longer have, under CP\M+, but haven't tried them under 2.2, but they should run. Incidentally, I have a complete solution to Colossal Cave, it isn't for the same version that is on the PD disk but it's still useful! Should you need 'Cave' tips, write to me with an S.A.E. and I will do my best! Address: 98 St George's Road, Beccles, Suffolk NR34 9YA. But, back to Pro-Dos! In his preface in the manual, Chris Pile says '. ..it proves to be a useful addition to your software collection. ' It's a very hackneyed expression but, in my view, Chris understates it, Pro-Dos really is ESSENTIAL, whatever your favourite type of software may be. Games reviews seem to delight in giving a percentage, it's not really relevant for Pro-Dos, it's unique, but if it was possible I would give it 100%. It's a must! - - - - - - - MORE >>>> PRO-DOS is available from: B.G.Services, 64, Roebuck Road, Chessington, SURREY. KT9 1JX *** --- ***