Re: Past Blast - "Wonder Woman 1984" - Corp Guy Using PET

On 4/4/25 10:53 AM, John Ames wrote:

On 4 Apr 2025 00:50:26 GMT
rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
 

The version I bought was for CP/M. TBH I wasn't all that interested
in Pascal but I wanted to see what you could possibly get for $49.95.

 That was the key: fast, usable, and *way* cheaper than anything else
on the market. (Microsoft C - really just a re-branded Lattice C - cost
*ten times as much,* the same year TP rolled out.) Whether Pascal was
your favorite programming language or not, that made a *big* difference
to scrappy independent developers and prospective enterpreneurs.

   Oh, I remember ... those "big name" compilers were
   gawdawfully EXPENSIVE. Most people, even small biz,
   just couldn't AFFORD them .
   TP was cheap and fast and almost infinitely capable.
   Was also intrigued by the ads, price and just HAD to
   buy a copy. Was NEVER disappointed. Still use Pascal
   a fair bit to this day - my favorite lang actually.
   For Linux ... FPC+Lazarus is a killer combo.
   The boss DID buy MS/IBM Pascal - the multi-pass
   compiler. That's where I fell in love with Dr.
   Nick's vision. Still HAVE that, in a VM, and DO
   write little things in it from time to time
   just for fun.
   BUT ... cannot remember if the early TPs supported
   CP/M-86 or real Z80 CP/M ......
   As noted, you CAN still buy Z80 compatible units,
   most little larger than a PI. They're still good,
   usable, systems and CP/M is crude, but yet again
   very usable. With something like TP, such things
   would be MUCH more usable.
   I think the Z80 is one of those "unkillable"
   platforms - expect to see the Z80 paradigm
   around for another 50 years. "Just Enough".
   As for the original subject ... alas the 6502
   stuff DOES seem to have died. It was also a
   pretty good chip fam, widely used, but for some
   reason didn't have the lifeforce of the Z80.
   The competing 6809, kinda also dead - not even
   sure MicroWare OS-9 actually supports the 6809
   anymore. DO hate to see good chips die ... but
   not ALL can survive the ages.
   As for OS-9, would LOVE to see it developed into
   a Linux/Unix competitor ... has much of the same
   look&feel, but more efficient.