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What are your favorite CP/M tools or utilities?

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alank2

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What are your favorite CP/M tools or utilities?

I've found that UNZIP.COM works fine as long as I use PKZIP 1.1 to compress files.

I'm a fan of Zap or SuperZap.

I've just started using COPY that comes with ROMWBW and it is handy.

Survey is always handy.
 
du-v89.lbr
nswp207.lbr
nulu152a.lbr
unarc16.lbr
uncr28.lbr

~/DOS_Utils/Convert/convert.exe, convert.usr, & convert.doc

Larry
 
Last edited:
The one I still use all the time is SID (under emulation in a command window) whenever I want to do hexadecimal arithmetic. But under CP/M itself, my faves were:
ZDE for text editing
DU89/DU90: sector editor
Z8E: debugger
Dazzlestar: interactive disassembler
 
Other than my HP-16C for arithmetic, I use (gasp) google. Just key in, say,
0x23 * 1234
And it replies
0xA8B6
(note the mixed radius in the equation)
 
techtinkering.com has some good comparative reviews and advice on various classes of CP/M utilities.
Very informative. Choose your own favorites.
E.g.:
techtinkering.com

DIR Alternatives on CP/M

There are lots of great alternatives to the standard CP/M DIR command, which add extra functionality and combine features that normally have to be accessed throu
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Image Viewers on CP/M

CP/M is by default a text-only affair. However, many of the machines that can run CP/M have hardware that would allow them to display graphics. As BBSing start
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Interactive File Managers on CP/M

CP/M has a number of interactive file managers that can be used to make it easier to handle common file operations rather than using the command line driven comm
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Compression and Archiving on CP/M

CP/M has the ability to handle lots of different compression and archive formats which was important due to the limited capacity of floppy disks and the cost of
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Working with .LBR files on CP/M

The .LBR (Library) file format was the most common form of multi-file archive on personal computers at one time. It was created by Gary P. Novosielski in 1982 f
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Advanced Use of .LBR files on CP/M

Lots of utilities make use of .LBR (Library) files to provide extra facilities such as the ability to run commands from archives or mount them as if they were dr
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com

Installing ZDE 1.6, a programmers editor for CP/M

To do any serious programming under CP/M, the first thing you need is a good programmers editor. There aren't many in the archives, but I have tried most of the
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com

(not affiliated with the techtinkering site in any way)
-- Tom S
 
QL is probably my favourite utility. It's a text viewer that displays a directory of files and then you can easily look at each, even if they are squeezed or crunched and held in a .LBR file. It also contains a hex viewer. For a 10k utility it really is very good. Like Chuck, I'm also a big fan of ED.
I am affiliated with TechTinkering in every way ;)
 
shirsch said:
The entire Z-System environment.
Click to expand...
To wit you now come down to I think a core question.

When does CP/M stop being CP/M.

Is CP/M just the BIOS and BDOS, or is it more of the stack (CCP, PIP, the other CP/M utilities).
 
Wordstar... Might seem a strange choice, but I used it as the editor when coding for a few years, and really began to appreciate it.

Wordstar is the reason my High School computing teacher told me I would never have a career in technology.

Wordstar is the reason the University I attended kicked me out of my course.

Wordstar is the reason I lost my student support and had to get a job.

And the first job I got was in a R&D lab writing z80 asm files in..... Wordstar.

After that, I started to like Wordstar.
 
whartung said:
To wit you now come down to I think a core question.

When does CP/M stop being CP/M.

Is CP/M just the BIOS and BDOS, or is it more of the stack (CCP, PIP, the other CP/M utilities).
Click to expand...

One could quibble all day about this question, but in my view it comes down to: "Does the environment support most/all of the applications developed for CP/M".
 
TROBO said:
techtinkering.com has some good comparative reviews and advice on various classes of CP/M utilities.
Very informative. Choose your own favorites.
E.g.:
techtinkering.com

DIR Alternatives on CP/M

There are lots of great alternatives to the standard CP/M DIR command, which add extra functionality and combine features that normally have to be accessed throu
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Image Viewers on CP/M

CP/M is by default a text-only affair. However, many of the machines that can run CP/M have hardware that would allow them to display graphics. As BBSing start
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Interactive File Managers on CP/M

CP/M has a number of interactive file managers that can be used to make it easier to handle common file operations rather than using the command line driven comm
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Compression and Archiving on CP/M

CP/M has the ability to handle lots of different compression and archive formats which was important due to the limited capacity of floppy disks and the cost of
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Working with .LBR files on CP/M

The .LBR (Library) file format was the most common form of multi-file archive on personal computers at one time. It was created by Gary P. Novosielski in 1982 f
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com
techtinkering.com

Advanced Use of .LBR files on CP/M

Lots of utilities make use of .LBR (Library) files to provide extra facilities such as the ability to run commands from archives or mount them as if they were dr
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com

Installing ZDE 1.6, a programmers editor for CP/M

To do any serious programming under CP/M, the first thing you need is a good programmers editor. There aren't many in the archives, but I have tried most of the
techtinkering.com techtinkering.com

(not affiliated with the techtinkering site in any way)
-- Tom S
Click to expand...
Nice articles! Unfortunate, though, that there are no links in the article on where to download those utilities.
 
MeneerJansen said:
Nice articles! Unfortunate, though, that there are no links in the article on where to download those utilities.
Click to expand...

As mloewen says they are available in the *Humongous* CP/M Software Archive, specifically on the Walnut Creek CD - although there are lots of different versions of these tools available on it. If you look again at the article you will see a link near the start of each tool section which links to the best version of each that I could find.
 
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