Yep I've emailed the sales and support addresses. Will let you know if I hear back.
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Looking for "BASIC/Z - Native Code Compiler" software
- Thread starter nullvalue
- Start date
Yep I've emailed the sales and support addresses. Will let you know if I hear back.
Well I got on the Power BASIC forum, but unfortunately no one there has been able to help yet.
In the meantime, we got the full BASIC/Z manual scanned (Thanks Walt!) and put online. Such an interesting language, I really hope we can find a copy of the software.
In the meantime, we got the full BASIC/Z manual scanned (Thanks Walt!) and put online. Such an interesting language, I really hope we can find a copy of the software.
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granzeier
Experienced Member
Great! Thank you for posting this. It does look nice, I also hope that we can get the software.
Mark0
Member
I think I found it, in the archive of the Society of Eight-Bit Heathkit Computerists:
Here's a ZIP with the 6 disk images in H8D format.
CPM_Basicz130A.H8D
CPM_Basicz130B.H8D
CPM_Basicz130C.H8D
CPM_Basicz130D.H8D
CPM_Basicz130E.H8D
CPM_Basicz130F.H8D
I'm sure there are tools to extract the files from the images, but I don't have the time to try now.
Just searching inside I find "BASIC/Z Native Code Compiler - Rev. #1.11" and "Copyright (c) 1982, 83 by System/z, inc.", so it have to be it!
Here's a ZIP with the 6 disk images in H8D format.
CPM_Basicz130A.H8D
CPM_Basicz130B.H8D
CPM_Basicz130C.H8D
CPM_Basicz130D.H8D
CPM_Basicz130E.H8D
CPM_Basicz130F.H8D
I'm sure there are tools to extract the files from the images, but I don't have the time to try now.
Just searching inside I find "BASIC/Z Native Code Compiler - Rev. #1.11" and "Copyright (c) 1982, 83 by System/z, inc.", so it have to be it!
Mark0
Member
It works! A quick test with CP/M Player:
Here's a ZIP with all the files extracted from the disk images (with H8D Utility):
Here's a ZIP with all the files extracted from the disk images (with H8D Utility):
granzeier
Experienced Member
Thank you, Mark0, much appreciated.
I think I found it, in the archive of the Society of Eight-Bit Heathkit Computerists:
I'm sure there are tools to extract the files from the images, but I don't have the time to try now.
Just searching inside I find "BASIC/Z Native Code Compiler - Rev. #1.11" and "Copyright (c) 1982, 83 by System/z, inc.", so it have to be it!
Oh my god this is amazing!!! Thank you so much! Look at that compiler output, so cool! Can't wait to play with it!
I'm eternally grateful. I'll update all my other posts across the internet to point back here. Thanks again.
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Mark0
Member
I'm always interested in old software because it gives me a chance to maybe add some definitions to my TrID file identifier, so I started looking around. Since searching for "basic/z" didn't come up with anything useful, I looked at the manual in search of some tools/commands names. Searching for "BZ.OVL", "RZ.COM", etc. got me on the SEBHC pages, but the present version was somehow different from the cached one referenced by Google. So I looked into that, got the images name, downloaded all the archive parts, and found they were still there.
BTW, I first noticed your post yesterday on the PowerBASIC forums. And that indeed was entirely by accident, because while I was often there in the past, it has been some years since the last time I even loaded the pages!
BTW, I first noticed your post yesterday on the PowerBASIC forums. And that indeed was entirely by accident, because while I was often there in the past, it has been some years since the last time I even loaded the pages!
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wperko
Experienced Member
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2007
- Messages
- 407
I'm always interested in old software because it gives me a chance to maybe add some definitions to my TrID file identifier, so I started looking around. Since searching for "basic/z" didn't come up with anything useful, I looked at the manual in search of some tools/commands names. Searching for "BZ.OVL", "RZ.COM", etc. got me on the SEBHC pages, but the present version was somehow different from the cached one referenced by Google. So I looked into that, got the images name, downloaded all the archive parts, and found they were still there.
BTW, I first noticed your post yesterday on the PowerBASIC forums. And that indeed was entirely by accident, because while I was often there in the past, it has been some years since the last time I even loaded the pages!
Hi,
Can the TrID program actually see the difference between 8080 code and Z80 code? or ... Does TrID just look at text inside the code for particular identification?
.
Mark0
Member
Sorry wperko for the late reply!
I don't think it can. TrID rely on a library of definitions with recurring patterns & strings. So it can for example recognize some MS-DOS COMs or other executables with some structure.
I don't think it can. TrID rely on a library of definitions with recurring patterns & strings. So it can for example recognize some MS-DOS COMs or other executables with some structure.
GeoffB17
Veteran Member
Fascinating.
Got the manual and the software downloaded. The manual seems somewhat of size. 262 pages. Take some checking through.
Got the progs unpacked. I note one oddity. There's a file MNxxxxx.DEF showing, where the xxxxx shows as two spaces and then three strange chars. I've looked at these bytes in the original .zip file and I see chars for Hef, Hbf and Hbd. Are these what the filename OUGHT to be, or is there some corruption somewhere? I'm sure I can just rename the file to a valid filename if need be. Would MN.DEF work? File may not be immed important, whatever it's called?
I'm going to transfer the system to my Amstrad PCW (CP/M 3) and see if I cat get it running?
Gepff
Got the manual and the software downloaded. The manual seems somewhat of size. 262 pages. Take some checking through.
Got the progs unpacked. I note one oddity. There's a file MNxxxxx.DEF showing, where the xxxxx shows as two spaces and then three strange chars. I've looked at these bytes in the original .zip file and I see chars for Hef, Hbf and Hbd. Are these what the filename OUGHT to be, or is there some corruption somewhere? I'm sure I can just rename the file to a valid filename if need be. Would MN.DEF work? File may not be immed important, whatever it's called?
I'm going to transfer the system to my Amstrad PCW (CP/M 3) and see if I cat get it running?
Gepff
Mark0
Member
I noticed that some text files (like some BASIC sources) seems to be truncated before the end. Maybe is a byproduct of how the images where obtained in the first place. But the compiler and all the "main" files are working right.
guidol
Member
I did try to use it in RunCPM but did get mostly a BDOS-Error or "FILE NOT FOUND"
So I did try to extract the Files with antoher Utility names H8DCPM for 100K H8D-CPM-images.
I had to extract file-by-file because it doesnt support *.*
In the end it seems to have no other effect
If I start some of the apps I do get a BDOS-error and RunCPM has problems after that to reconize the SDCard.
I will attach the result of that what I did extract (and a copy of MN.DEF from the original extract, because H8DCPM cant handle the special sign in the filename).
GeoffB17
Veteran Member
Hmm?
Not sure if this is a useful comparison, but.
For my PCW, some time ago, I used Hisoft C to create a CLS equivalent prog. Just like the DOS command.
Prog contains nothing more than create the Terminal $ (for the PCW this is Esc + "E" + esc + "H".
The C version is 8k. Seems fast enough, but still, 8k. OK, I understand why, but still.
Just done the same thing for BASIC/z. Compile and Bind goes OK. But resultant .COM is now 24k.
This must be incl the complete library - is there an option to use ONLY the bits you need?
Must dig more on this??
Geoff
Not sure if this is a useful comparison, but.
For my PCW, some time ago, I used Hisoft C to create a CLS equivalent prog. Just like the DOS command.
Prog contains nothing more than create the Terminal $ (for the PCW this is Esc + "E" + esc + "H".
The C version is 8k. Seems fast enough, but still, 8k. OK, I understand why, but still.
Just done the same thing for BASIC/z. Compile and Bind goes OK. But resultant .COM is now 24k.
This must be incl the complete library - is there an option to use ONLY the bits you need?
Must dig more on this??
Geoff
ChickenMan
Experienced Member
Compile and Bind work okay on my Microbee but the resultant .COM is also 24k. But RZ INSTALL results in File not found as others have found.
There are three other disk images in the SEBHC archive that contain .BZO files.
CPM_BACKUP_4C.H8D
INSTALL BZO 11 -- N/A --
INSTALL1 BZO 11 -- N/A --
INSTALL2 BZO 14 -- N/A --
INSTALL3 BZO 13 -- N/A --
CPM_BACKUP_4D.H8D
PATCH BZO 6 -- N/A --
CPM_BACKUP_4E.H8D
TR-MDOS BZO 8 -- N/A --
PATCH is interesting as as it allows changes to BASIC/Z using their supplied instructions. I recall a similar feature with PowerBasic.
CPM_BACKUP_4C.H8D
INSTALL BZO 11 -- N/A --
INSTALL1 BZO 11 -- N/A --
INSTALL2 BZO 14 -- N/A --
INSTALL3 BZO 13 -- N/A --
CPM_BACKUP_4D.H8D
PATCH BZO 6 -- N/A --
CPM_BACKUP_4E.H8D
TR-MDOS BZO 8 -- N/A --
PATCH is interesting as as it allows changes to BASIC/Z using their supplied instructions. I recall a similar feature with PowerBasic.
GeoffB17
Veteran Member
REgarding the Install process, it seems to work here, although I've not run it right through (more about that later).
The files for Install are the .BZO files, which I take it are sort of .OBJ files, part compiled. There are two ways to 'run' these, either direct from the A: or C: prompt using RZ (which invokes the Run Time system (RZ/X <command>) or from within the command env (BZ) when you use EXEC <command>. I did the second, and started getting the questions re the install process.
BUT, I had to abort out. One of the questions was asking about file locations, and I wasn't sure what filename it was asking about, also I was trying to run the process using F5 (user area) and the process did not seem to be allowing for user areas, so I need to check those things. I've got an uIDE system, so I'm using user areas a lot now on the 8 Mb virtual drives.
Yes, missing those steps gives you 'File Not Found' error. Prob looking for a .COM or a BZS file rather than the BZO.
By the way, there are a lot of warnings regarding protecting your original system, I assume all this relates to the expected floppy disk setup, whereas if you've still got your downloaded copy on your web-connected machine then there's no worry?
Geoff
The files for Install are the .BZO files, which I take it are sort of .OBJ files, part compiled. There are two ways to 'run' these, either direct from the A: or C: prompt using RZ (which invokes the Run Time system (RZ/X <command>) or from within the command env (BZ) when you use EXEC <command>. I did the second, and started getting the questions re the install process.
BUT, I had to abort out. One of the questions was asking about file locations, and I wasn't sure what filename it was asking about, also I was trying to run the process using F5 (user area) and the process did not seem to be allowing for user areas, so I need to check those things. I've got an uIDE system, so I'm using user areas a lot now on the 8 Mb virtual drives.
Yes, missing those steps gives you 'File Not Found' error. Prob looking for a .COM or a BZS file rather than the BZO.
By the way, there are a lot of warnings regarding protecting your original system, I assume all this relates to the expected floppy disk setup, whereas if you've still got your downloaded copy on your web-connected machine then there's no worry?
Geoff
GeoffB17
Veteran Member
Oh, while I was investigating the above, I looked at the MN?????.DEF file. This has been causing various problems - it stopped a bulk copy for me as well.
As far as I can see, this is part of a MENU system. I suspect that the files we have are from an installed version, i.e. 'used', and whoever has been using it has left some loose ends from things they've been playing with.
There is a file MENU.BZS which is a tokenised version of a basic prog for a menu, there is also a M.BZS which may be an alt version, and a M.BZO which will be a part compiled version. MN?????.DEF seems to be data connected with another (fairly specialised ?) version of a menu.
I suspect that all of these are superfluous to the main system.
Going back to my post about the size of the .COM, this system in effect has a runtime process, and I note that the .BZO for my .CLS prog was just 4k, and prob a LOT less as 4k is the minimum alloc size. If the 20k+ overhead on every .COM file will be a prpblem, you can leave the files as .BZO and run these directly via RZ - not sure how this would effect performance?
Just used DUMP on the CLS.BZO file, and I note that the actual loadable file is H300 bytes, i.e. less than 1k. And there's a LOT of 'waste' space in that!
Geoff
As far as I can see, this is part of a MENU system. I suspect that the files we have are from an installed version, i.e. 'used', and whoever has been using it has left some loose ends from things they've been playing with.
There is a file MENU.BZS which is a tokenised version of a basic prog for a menu, there is also a M.BZS which may be an alt version, and a M.BZO which will be a part compiled version. MN?????.DEF seems to be data connected with another (fairly specialised ?) version of a menu.
I suspect that all of these are superfluous to the main system.
Going back to my post about the size of the .COM, this system in effect has a runtime process, and I note that the .BZO for my .CLS prog was just 4k, and prob a LOT less as 4k is the minimum alloc size. If the 20k+ overhead on every .COM file will be a prpblem, you can leave the files as .BZO and run these directly via RZ - not sure how this would effect performance?
Just used DUMP on the CLS.BZO file, and I note that the actual loadable file is H300 bytes, i.e. less than 1k. And there's a LOT of 'waste' space in that!
Geoff
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