From - Mon Dec 6 10:52:29 1999 Path: netnews.hinet.net!spring.edu.tw!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!newsfeed.direct.ca!newsfeed.axxsys.net!remarQ-easT!rQdQ!supernews.com!remarQ.com!news.supernews.com!not-for-mail From: bobstek@ix.netcom.com Newsgroups: comp.os.cpm Subject: Re: CP/M Connections Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1999 10:29:26 -0500 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Lines: 48 Message-ID: <4NQuOEOyBBIHLK2Q+5me9cWmb9uL@4ax.com> References: <80lgjl$2t2$0@216.39.151.86> X-Complaints-To: newsabuse@supernews.com X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.6/32.525 X-No-Archive: yes MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit On 14 Nov 1999 05:16:36 GMT, Dave Brockman wrote: >All of this discussion of the early days of MS-DOS and its putative >connections to CP/M has been interesting but what about CP/M itself? >Where did it come from? I recently came across the article, "CP/M: A Family of 8- and 16-Bit Operating Systems," by Gary Kildall in the June, 1981 issue of BYTE. To quote at length: In 1972, MAA (Microcomputer Applications Associates), the predecessor of Digital Research, consulted with the small, aspiring microprocessor division of a semiconductor memory company called Intel Corporation. MAA defined and implemented a new systems-programing language, called PL/M (Programming Language for Microcomputers), to replace assembly-language programming for Intel's 8-bit microprocessor. PL/M is a refinement of the XPL compiler-writing language which is, in turn, a language with elements from Burroughs Corporation ALGOL and the full set of PL/I. The first substantial program written by MAA using PL/M was a paper-tape editor for the 8008 microprocessor, which later became the CP/M program editor, called ED. PL/M is a commercial success for Intel Corporation and, although licensing policies have limited its general accessibility, it has become the standard language of the Intel microprocessor world, with implementations for the 8080, 8085, and 8086 families. MAA also proposed a companion operating system, called CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers), which would form the basis for resident PL/M programming. The need for CP/M was obvious: 8080-based computers with 16K bytes of main memory could be combined with Shugarts's new (at that time) floppy-disk drives to serve as development systems. For the first time it was feasible to dedicate a reasonably powerful computer to the support of a single engineer. But the use of PL/M on larger timesharing computers was considered sufficient, and the CP/M idea was rejected. CP/M was, however, completed in 1974. ...... I'm sure this quote will answers your question completely, but at least it appears to have come from a reliable source! AND... for $64,000 who made the decision at Intel to reject CP/M? Bob Stek