Most recent revision dated June 11 2007. (c) Herb Johnson
This document is currently on my Web site at http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/cpm_presentation_40.html My S-100's Web site page for CP/M and Digital Research information and history is: http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/d_dri.html That page and linked CP/M & DRI pages will be updated substantially in the near future. Note 6/11/07: This is the portion of an outline used at my "history of CP/M" presentation at VCF-E on June 10th 2007. The links to various images in this document, at this time the pages are not available. I need to work on those, possibly get permissions to post on my site. This will be done in due course, and this page will be updated accordingly. Herb Johnson I. The world of 1970 computing Mainframes: IBM and PL/I. Expensive, rare Timesharing and the PDP-10: FORTRAN and tools. not cheap, rare algol minicomputers: control, data collection. $50K a bargain accountants, engineers, scientists only information technology paper-based: books, magazines, newspapers; punchcards, papertape, index cards II. Digital electronics of early 70's digital logic chips, hundreds per system IMS Associates, MITS in 1973: digital design companies DEC: "flip chip" logical design in hardware microprocessors: Intel's 4004 as logic replacement for mechanical controls III. Kildall, microprocessors, design, and CP/M early 70's: limited function processors 4004 Torode: '72 Ph.D. at Univ of Wash Kehl: '61 Ph.D, joins U of W in late '60's. "mentor" of Torode Kildall as student at Univ of Wash '71: writes XPL compiler for Algol on Burroughs m/f "heathkit" article on modular approach, standard tools May '72: PhD, Algol compilation using XPL value of high level languages 1972: Intel SiM-08 8008 single board tool Kildall as faculty member, Naval School starts MAA for consulting work at Intel sells Intel cross-assembler, PL/M cross-compiler PL/M: via XPL, from Algol and PL/I uses 8008 as logic replacments using PL/M tools for editing files, debugging programs w/ paper tape 1973: Kildall works on (8008?) Computer Cast horoscope machine a test bed for native development tools Intel's 8080 processor in development Kildall wrote Intel's PL/M 08 8008 cross assemblers, cross compiler receives Intel Intellec 8 (8008) Shugart floppy diskette drive, first CP/M coding "to support a resident PL/M compiler" and floppy controller design Nov: Torode & Kehl, logic machine modular design pitched CP/M to Intel: no deal 1974: 8080 announced: kildall gets 8080 upgrade to Intellec 8/80 June: Kildall revises PL/M to 8080, develops 8080 application for divers prj. Aug: Titus and Mark-8 on Radio-Electronics cover NCC '74: floppy controller how-to Nov: Torode and Kehl: "logic machine" modular design Aug: Kehl, Moss, Dunkel: automated digital design fall: Kildall and Torode Torode: floppy controller fix Kildall's disk operating system "completed by 1974" Kildall NCC '75 checkpoint paper: page 1 page 2 CP/M system? MITS: Ed Roberts gets deal on 8080's, designs Altair 8800 Aug: Radio Electronics cover, MITS Altair 8800 by Ed Roberts 1975: Multibus and ISIS from Intel for 8080 ISIS commands: DIR, COPY, DELETE, ATTRIB, DEBUG 8080 assembler "written in PL/M" only runs on Intel system, possibly only Multibus development only, not an application OS DRI adds to OS an editor, assembler, debugger licenses to LLNL, Torode's Digital Systems (for Omron) Jan 75: Popular Electronics, MITS Altair 8800 cover early '75: IMSAI wants Altairs for hypercube, no deal Joe Killian decides to design similar unit advertized summer '75 Pop Tronics developed, shipped in Dec - $400 NCC '75: Kildall "microprocs as logic elements" under PL/M late 75: Torode's Digital Systems floppy controller w/ "CP/M" for Altair 1976: things advance more disk OS's and floppy controllers: ICOM, Sykes June: Kehl, Dunkel; simplified floppy contrl design CDOS for Cromemco when no CP/M help given more cross compilers for PL/I-like languages Feb; Motorola's MP/L for 6800 June: signetics PL/M+ for 2650 National PL/M+ for PACE, IMP-16 (1975) more 8080 systems Intel's ISIS and Multibus Digital Group, others more Altair/IMSAI compatible products other processors: Mos Tech IMSAI popular, prices rise CP/M V1.3 for IMSAI by Kildall and Glen Ewing 1st gen IFM/FIB floppy cntrl w/8080 proc seperate BIOS emerges April DDJ: DR CP/M already a year old ED, PIP, CCP commands by name Aug DDJ: Torode's DS floppy controller w/CP/M "available" Personal Computing '76 and the S-100 name Dec BYTE: DRI's CP/M for sale 1977: Jan BYTE: Altair/IMSAI floppy controller w/CP/M $1595 third CP/M license sold to IMSAI for IMDOS & 2nd gen cntrl DIO/PDS MITS sold to Pertec, expands product line 1978: IMDOS 2.02, IMDOS 2.05 CP/M 1.4 for Cromemco and others 1979: Kildall's DDJ "viewpoint" article (pub. Jan 1980) major revision CP/M 2.0 available, 1980: DRI's MP/M introduced. 1981: Kildall's BYTE June 1981 article CP/M, MP/M CP/NET, native PL/I - all 8080 CP/M-86 MP/M-86 mentioned in passing 16-bit processors "already outmoded" 1981: IBM PC (byte??) IV. What is CP/M and how did it evolve? fundamentals: OS of BDOS, CCP, BIOS, tools of assembler, editor, debugger CP/M 1.4 as it was: intro to features & facilities" cover CCP and tools interface covers programming from PL/M (interface contents) ASM, DDT, ED books CP/M 2.2 as it became: "intro" not greatly changed "interface" expanded BDOS call descriptions new "Users Guide": enhancements, BIOS descriptions, diskdef's new Alteration Guide to build new BIOS, gen it, BIOS source NO PL/M CODE, all assembler later products: CP/M 3.0, MP/M, 8080, 8086 versions GSX (graphics), CP/NET (networking & slave procs) C and PL/I languages 80's: task switching and windowed products, 286/386 support VII. Where are they today? Kildall & CP/M DRI sold to Novell, Caldera (SCO), etc. CP/M properties eventually to DrDOS Inc. Kildall died in 1994 Torode & Kehl Digital Microsystems in 1979 co-founded IC designs with Kehl, merged with Cypress Semi distinguished alum of UofW Shugart Shugart Associates, Seagate hard drives. w/ Seagate until 1999, Al Shugart died Dec 2006 MITS: Dr. Ed Roberts M.D., retired MITS bought by Pertec in 1977; last production mid-78 Pertec may have lasted through early 90's? originals, replicas, emulators available IMSAI: Bill Millard founded Computerland, strange tales ensue 1979 bankrupcy sale: inventory to Fulcrum, WW Component; products to Fischer-Freitas since 2001 imsai.net by Todd Fischer originals, emulators and major revision available Intel: ended support for ISIS, MDS in 1993? (Hitex) sold Multibus to Radisys in 1999, to UST in 2001 ownership of s/w not clear iRMX supported by Tenasys emulation for ISIS, MDS support from Hitex Ltd. ISIS emulator for MS-DOS as somethingware hard to get software, original h/w not in demand a decade of CP/M: 1990's: Caldera CEO Brian Sparks licenses Tim Olmstead Sept 01: Olmstead developes archive. Died 9/11/01 Oct 01; Lineo CEO Brian Sparks licenses Gaby Chaudry "unofficial CP/M Web site" maintains archive, adds more 2006-07: Udo Munk revives CP/M emulator Z80PACK, verifies CP/M sources wraps early CP/M, 1.4, 2.0 with ISIS tools, PL/M
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Copyright © 2007 Herb Johnson