🚀 go-pugleaf

*** Sorry, Mike, but my mail to you bounced.  Here's a response...

Mike:

Congratulations on becoming a Z100 owner!  There are a few tricks, but
you've joined an avid group of diehards, now.  One of my first 
recommendations is to spend the $30 or so to join the H/Z User's Group
and get REMark magazine.  There are still Z100 programming and general
use articles published there, along with a new monthly column just for
the Z100.

Use your internet access to FTP files from the PD1:<HZ100> directory on
SIMTEL20.  There are 70 or so ARC files there with Z100-specific PD or
shareware packages.  Check out RHM (RightHandMan) for a nifty SideKick
clone that works on Z100's as well as PC's.  You can also FTP the most
recent version (yes, someone is actually working on it currently, with
improvements!) of Z100 Kermit directly from Columbia University.  I have
the Internet addresses if you need them.

Your questions...

1) No, the Z100 is not truly PC-compatible.  Screen displays are handled
differently in that the Z100 is always in graphics mode: there is no
"text" mode.  Full-screen displays are not compatible between the two
types of machines without extra hardware like Gemini boards or the
UCI PC emulator.  But is *is* a true MSDOS machine that supports a 768K
memory space instead of 640 K!

2) I have dBase II on my machine, but I don't know if there's a Z-100
version of dBIII.

3) I have Lotus 123 Version 1A on my machine; again, I assume a Z-100
version is required, and maybe that's the problem.

4) Is it useful?? YES!!  I use WatchWord as my word processor and 
programming editor, Microsoft Fortran, Turbo Pascal Version 3, and Kermit
for 9600 baud communications with the mainframes (like this one) I use
for large programming tasks and Internet access <grin!>.

5) I have 768K memory, and use around 300-400K for a RAM disk, depending
on my needs.  You can add a lot more, but I'm not sure how much.  I would
check with Paul Herman, Inc. at 3620 Amazon Drive, New Port Richey, FL
34655 (813-376-5457) for information about prices and availability.  Chips
used are standard RAM DIP chips...no SIMM availability that I know of.

6) Well, we built mine from a HeathKit in 1983 and nothing has been replaced
yet.  Of the three machines I'm resposible for, we've only lost a single
5.25-inch drive (an old fullheight Tandon) and a single no-name (not H/Z)
8-inch drive.  I expect these things to last forever.  And why not?

Best of luck to you with your machine.  Questions?  Keep asking!!

-- 

"Moby" Dick O'Connor
Washington Department of Fisheries
Olympia, Washington  98504
Internet Mail: djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu
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DISCLAIMER:  I speak only for myself, not for the Department.  Here, anyway!
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               So long, and thanks from all the fish...