Personal Computer World magazine: RML 380Z

From: Paul Williams <celigne_at_tinyworld.co.uk>
Date: Fri Aug 3 03:59:12 2001

I've just received some issues of PCW magazine, from 1978 and 1979.
Pages and pages of adverts and articles about machines that I'd
previously only heard about on this list, including the Exidy Sorceror
and the SOL.

I really considered that I'd struck gold when I came across adverts for
the Research Machines 380Z because I had been wanting to know how much
this machine cost for ages. There are several pages on the Web which
quote prices for this machine, but never with any indication of the
source and rarely with details of the configuration. The non-historians
who put these pages up might as well have picked a figure out of the
air!

Does anyone have Vol. 1, No. 2 of this magazine, dated June 1978? They
reviewed the 380Z in that issue. I know this because No. 6 includes the
following update, partially quoted here for the benefit of the other
380Z owners on this list:

--quote--
There have been several changes in the Research Machines 380Z since the
PCW review of it in the June (No. 2) issue.

The standard operating system has been extended so that the following
are standard on all 380Z and 280Z systems. Normal cassette I/O is now at
1200 baud, but the option of 300 baud (standard CUTS) is retained. The
screen output, unless selected otherwise, is scrolled one page at a
time, the next page being called by typing any key. Continuous scrolling
and scrolling one line at a time are also possible and all the different
modes can be selected under program control.

Printer and Serial Interface driving routines are now also included in
the operating system, and direct connection may be made to parallel
interface printers such as the PR40 or Centronics 700 range. Research
Machines themselves are distributing the Centronics 779 and 701 and the
Trend 800.

Several specific criticisms or suggestions in the PCW review have been
acted on: the fast cassette I/O is assumed as the normal rate, when the
page is full in page mode the cursor blinks on and off, and loading can
now be interrupted by a single key stroke at all times. The housing is
completely new; a strong and attractive instrument case is used. There
is the same room for system expansion and the case will fit into a
standard 19" rack.

Further features have been added to the BASIC Interpreters. A version is
available which included the ability to read and write data files on
cassette. It utilises the RML cassette file system and can be used with
one or two cassette recorders. The RML Interactive Text Editor and the
RML Absolute Assembler have been released. The Text Editor is character
oriented and may be used in immediate mode; its uses include source
program or data preparation. The Z80 assembler uses Zilog mnemonics and
produces object code in either the industry standard 'Intel' format or
the RML binary format. It contains its own text editor which uses a
subset of the commands available in RML's full Text Editor.
--end quote--

One of the other issues contains a tiny picture of the 380Z in its
original white case. No piccies of the 280Z though.

I'll put the rest of the 380Z stuff up on my site soon. I won't be doing
much more typing today -- it's up to Olympia to the Great British Beer
Festival for me!

Regards,
Paul
Received on Fri Aug 03 2001 - 03:59:12 BST