Hi Derek,
I used ISIS-II extensively in its heyday. Today I have a few Intel MDS
(Microcomputer Development Systems) that run ISIS-II along with the
ICE80 (In-Circuit Emulator...quite a bit more powerful than a
simulator), UPM, PL/M-80, and all the other development
software/hardware that Intel made for the platform. ISIS-II is similar
in concept to CP/M but quite a bit different in structure.
BTW, I'm not sure why you say that diskette formatting was more
complicated. ISIS-II used a different file structure than CP/M, but it
wasn't all that much more complicated, as I recall. The formats for
files was more structured with object module files having identifiers
embedded in them rather than just being a stream of binary that was
assumed to be loaded at 100H and contiguous from there. You see, Intel
made the MDS's capable of developing code that could run under ISIS-II,
but its main purpose in life was to develop code that could run on any
hardware platform as long as it used an Intel processor. Therefore it
was much more flexible in that respect.
There is a huge stack of documentation that was published by Intel on
the MDS's and all their programming tools. If you have some specific
questions, maybe I can help. Also, you have a wealth of other sources
here in Tony Duell and Joe Rigdon, and others I'm sure.
Fire away!!!
Dave
Derek Peschel wrote:
>
> Since I've been curious about ISIS for some time, I was glad to finally
> borrow a copy of the _ISIS-II System User's Guide_. Comparing ISIS to
> CP/M is quite instructive. I already knew that CP/M has a few design
> flaws which ISIS lacks. On the other hand, I was surprised at how much
> memory ISIS takes up. And ISIS has its own design flaws (things are fatal
> errors that might be recoverable in CP/M, disk formatting can be quite
> complicated).
>
> Does anyone have details on the monitor, ICE80 (simulator), UPM (PROM
> programmer), or PLM80? I have seen the System/360 version of PL/M but
> I didn't realize it ran _on_ the 8080. (The manual implies that it does.)
> Having a system that can develop its own software is important, I would say.
>
> (Yes, Tony, we already talked about the front panel and monitor on one of
> the Intellec systems, but I think this hardware/software is different.)
>
> -- Derek
> _______________________________________________
> cctech mailing list
> cctech_at_classiccmp.org
> http://www.classiccmp.org/mailman/listinfo/cctech
--
Dave Mabry dmabry_at_mich.com
Dossin Museum Underwater Research Team
NACD #2093
Received on Mon Jun 24 2002 - 13:59:31 BST