artful at rogers.com
artful at rogers.com
Sun Mar 18 07:26:15 CDT 2007
I think that you are mostly correct. Here is the precise definition of a CMD file.
A CMD file has a 128-byte header, followed by 1-8 groups of code or data. Each group can be up to 1 megabyte in size. In later versions of the format, CMD files can also contain relocation information and Resident System Extensions.
The start of the header lists the groups present in the file, and their types. Each type can be used at most once; they are:
Code
Data
Extra
Stack
User 1
User 2
User 3
User 4
Shared Code (Code and Shared Code cannot be present in the same file).
The first 256 bytes of the data group must be zero; they will be populated by CP/M-86 with the zero page (comparable to the Program Segment Prefix in MS-DOS). If there is no data group, then the first 256 bytes of the code group will be used instead.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMD_file_%28CP/M%29"
As regards the deep-yogurt issue, maybe, maybe not. There are several CP/M emulators available for Linux, and I have successfully run one and then run dbaseII inside it. Amusing, and it brought back fond memories. Only two data files open at once. My then partner Peter and I wrote a dbase equivalent of a stack so that we could push and pop files, because we needed about 20 open at once and had to fake it.
I guess that it all depends on which OS you want to use as your CP/M platform. Here is a link to a DOS one: http://www.cpm.z80.de/emulate.html, which I like. Here is a link to the comprehensive list: http://www.z80.info/z80emu.htm.
Ah, it's a fine Sunday morning and you've twinkled my nostalgia gene. Back then programming was sheer fun. Now it's more work than play. Perhaps my mistake was thinking I was good enough at it to turn pro.
A.
----- Original Message ----
From: Rocky Smolin at Beach Access Software <rockysmolin at bchacc.com>
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues <dba-tech at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 9:03:53 PM
Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Old, Old Software
It appears that .CMD files are executables in the CP/M-86 operating system.
I think these folks may have a problem.
Rocky
-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin at
Beach Access Software
Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2007 5:37 PM
To: List
Subject: [dba-Tech] Old, Old Software
Dear List:
I'm trying to help a company that uses a product called COMPACT II, an N/C
programming language that runs on a TI-8000 Professional, I think. An old
8-bit box, anyway. (BTW, I remember this language from my UNDERGRADUATE
days - like when computers were still steam powered.)
Anyway, this old box is starting to get shaky and so they are, too. If it
goes out on them, they're in deep yogurt.
So they sent me the disks to see if it could be loaded onto a more moderne
machine (i.e., Pentium class). What I see on those disks is no .EXE files
but a lot of .CMD files, which I *think* are the executables.
If those are the program files, is there an 8-bit emulator out there that
could run this stuff out of a DOS window maybe? OR are they SOL?
MTIA,
Rocky
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