CBASIC 2.0 compiler

[Vitaly Shilo]

Hi,
Has someone managed to make it work on a emulator or virtual machine? I am trying a DOS version but it has the same problem described years ago here https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.cpm/tree/browse_frm/month/2002-01/90242da115e186e0?rnum=21&_done=%2Fgroup%2Fcomp.os.cpm%2Fbrowse_frm%2Fmonth%2F2002-01%3Ffwc%3D1%26
I was unable to find contacts of Mr. Ross Simpson after 2004, I hope he is doing well.
I assume this compiler was still CP/M-specific at its core, so I wrote to this group. It doesn't compile anything, even "Hello world" for me, even on slowed down Dosbox or Vmware with DOS 3.3 (under XP). The most I could make was a screen full of jumpring cursors. I really want to make this compiler work. Do I need a CP/M emulator for that? Or maybe it requires a real 8086 CPU? (I won't be able to find it).
Thanks for reply

[roch...@laposte.net]

Hello, Vitaly!

Well, well, well...

The less that can be said is that your message is pretty confuse (and confusing).

Even after reading it several times, I could not understand what you were talking about.

So, I tried the URL that you gave but, unfortunately, it is "secured", so it took me about 15 minutes to trace the original message(s).

The first thing that I noticed is that everything is confused.

The thread talks of "CBASIC-86" (the 8086 version of the CBASIC pseudo-compiler).

Unfortunately, Freek Heite answers that this is CBASIC Compiler Version 2... (without mentioning the Operating System under which it was running. As far as I know (or remember), Version 2.0 was the CP/M version, while Version 2.1 was the MS-DOS version).

Now that the field has been cleared a little bit, let us go back to your message.

> Has someone managed to make it work on a emulator or virtual machine?

Sorry, I rarely use emulators (and don't even know what is a "virtual machine").

> I am trying a DOS version

A few days ago, one of my correspondent warned me that Windows 7 and all the 64-bit versions of Windows refuse to run MS-DOS programs... After I counseled him to use Windows XP, everything ran as usual.

> it has the same problem described years ago here

Missing CIRCON.BAS ? Just get it from the 8-bit version. CBASIC Compiler was portable. That means, in English, that it was working the same under CP/M, CP/M-86 and MS-DOS.

> I was unable to find contacts of Mr. Ross Simpson after 2004, I hope he is doing well.

As far as I remember, he was a young Australian who had discovered CP/M Plus on the Amstrad micros. He wrote me saying that he was broke, and was going to work in the countryside to earn some money, then disappeared.

> I assume this compiler was still CP/M-specific at its core, so I wrote to this group. It doesn't compile anything, even "Hello world" for me, even on slowed down Dosbox or Vmware with DOS 3.3 (under XP). The most I could make was a screen full of jumpring cursors. I really want to make this compiler work. Do I need a CP/M emulator for that? Or maybe it requires a real 8086 CPU? (I won't be able to find it).

??? I repeat: Digital Research was producing portable programs, contrary to MicroShit. For the last 13 years, I have been using CP/M programs on an IBM Clown. So, the less that can be said is that I doubt, strongly, that they don't work for you. I rather think that you did not even read the manual.

I made a search for "CBASIC Compiler" in the comp.os.cpm Newsgroup, but Google Groups reported so many links that I don't know which one could interest you. What is sure is that this problem was mentioned and corrected a dozen of times already.

So, do your homework, find a copy of the original files, find the manual, read it, and learn how to type a command line.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Emmanuel Roche, France

[Peter Dassow]

On 25.02.2013 20:00, roch...@laposte.net wrote:

> Well, well, well...
>
> The less that can be said is that your message is pretty confuse (and confusing).

That's the only thing I agree with you. But ...

>
> The thread talks of "CBASIC-86" (the 8086 version of the CBASIC pseudo-compiler).
>

In fact, it was always a CP/M version, see
ftp://ftp.mayn.de/pub/really_old_stuff/cpm/languages/INDEX.txt
for the files (e.g. cbasic86.zip)

> [many unnecessary stuff deleted]

>
> Sorry, I rarely use emulators (and don't even know what is a "virtual machine").
>
>> I am trying a DOS version

He could not used a DOS version of the compiler.
He just tried to start a .COM file, but it was a .COM file for CP/M-86
... he didn't realized that he needs a different OS (not DOS!).

By the way, a virtual machine is a very adequate solution to run old DOS
software with Windows 7, in VMWare with installed DOS, or with DOSBox
(which is not really a virtual machine, but similar).

To run the content of CBASIC86.ZIP, he needs VMWare and CP/M-86.
He could visit my blog entry about using VMWare and VirtualBox to run
CP/M-86:
http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry120807-180000
CP/M-86 still runs with modern hardware, for a proof, visit:
http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry120818-190000

I am totally unsure why someone needs to use CBASIC, also because there
are so many better BASIC compiler existing, that you do not need to
resurrect such a bizarre piece of software...

Regards
Peter

[Mr. Emmanuel Roche, France]

> roch...@laposte.net wrote:

??? Google Groups now displays my public e-mail address?

Anybody knows how to set up the "new interface" so that it displays "Mr. Emmanuel Roche, France" instead, like it did for years?

> > The thread talks of "CBASIC-86" (the 8086 version of the CBASIC pseudo-compiler).
>
> In fact, it was always a CP/M version,

? Did I say the contrary?

> see
> ftp://ftp.mayn.de/pub/really_old_stuff/cpm/languages/INDEX.txt
> for the files (e.g. cbasic86.zip)

cb68.zip - Here is Digital Research's CBASIC for 68000 CPU
cb80v13.zip - CB80 v1.3.
cb80v20.zip - CB80 v2.0.
cbasic2.zip - CBASIC v2 in postscript format. This manual
cbasic80.zip - Cbasic v2.8 for CP/M 2.2 or CP/M 3.0.
cbasic86.zip - CBASIC for CP/M 86.

80 = 8 bits. 86 = 16 bits. All for CP/M.

> He could not use a DOS version of the compiler.

Why?

> He just tried to start a .COM file, but it was a .COM file for CP/M-86

Hum... I don't remember him saying this. And I did not know that COMmand files existed for CP/M-86, either...

> ... he didn't realized that he needs a different OS (not DOS!).

Why?

> CP/M-86 still runs with modern hardware, for a proof, visit:
>
> http://www.z80.eu/blog/index.php?entry=entry120818-190000

Hum... Maybe a better Web site would be:

http://www.nostalgia8.nl/mirrors/cpm86/index.html

[Bill Leary]

"Mr. Emmanuel Roche, France" wrote in message
news:aa47dba9-9498-413f...@googlegroups.com...

>> He just tried to start a .COM file, but it was a .COM file for CP/M-86
>
> Hum... I don't remember him saying this. And I did not know that COMmand
> files existed for CP/M-86, either...

I don't think they did/do. My recollection was CP/M-80 used .COM files for
8080/Z80 executables. CP/M-86 used .CMD files for 80x86 executables.
MS-DOS also used .COM for non-re-locatable 80x86 executables.

- Bill

[Vitaly Shilo]

вторник, 26 февраля 2013 г., 1:00:11 UTC+6 пользователь roch...@laposte.net написал:

> Hello, Vitaly!
>
>
>
> > Has someone managed to make it work on a emulator or virtual machine? I am trying a DOS version but it has the same problem described years ago here https://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.cpm/tree/browse_frm/month/2002-01/90242da115e186e0?rnum=21&_done=%2Fgroup%2Fcomp.os.cpm%2Fbrowse_frm%2Fmonth%2F2002-01%3Ffwc%3D1%26
>
> >
>
> > I was unable to find contacts of Mr. Ross Simpson after 2004, I hope he is doing well.
>
> >
>
> > I assume this compiler was still CP/M-specific at its core, so I wrote to this group. It doesn't compile anything, even "Hello world" for me, even on slowed down Dosbox or Vmware with DOS 3.3 (under XP). The most I could make was a screen full of jumpring cursors. I really want to make this compiler work. Do I need a CP/M emulator for that? Or maybe it requires a real 8086 CPU? (I won't be able to find it).
>
> >
>
> > Thanks for reply
>
>
>
> Well, well, well...
>
>
>
> The less that can be said is that your message is pretty confuse (and confusing).
>
>
>
> Even after reading it several times, I could not understand what you were talking about.
>
>
>
> So, I tried the URL that you gave but, unfortunately, it is "secured", so it took me about 15 minutes to trace the original message(s).
>
>
>
> The first thing that I noticed is that everything is confused.
>
>
>
> The thread talks of "CBASIC-86" (the 8086 version of the CBASIC pseudo-compiler).
>
>
>
> Unfortunately, Freek Heite answers that this is CBASIC Compiler Version 2... (without mentioning the Operating System under which it was running. As far as I know (or remember), Version 2.0 was the CP/M version, while Version 2.1 was the MS-DOS version).
>
>
>
> Now that the field has been cleared a little bit, let us go back to your message.
>
>
>
> > Has someone managed to make it work on a emulator or virtual machine?
>
>
>
> Sorry, I rarely use emulators (and don't even know what is a "virtual machine").
>
>
>
> > I am trying a DOS version
>
>
>
> A few days ago, one of my correspondent warned me that Windows 7 and all the 64-bit versions of Windows refuse to run MS-DOS programs... After I counseled him to use Windows XP, everything ran as usual.
>
>
>
> > it has the same problem described years ago here
>
>
>



>
>
>

> > I was unable to find contacts of Mr. Ross Simpson after 2004, I hope he is doing well.
>
>
>
> As far as I remember, he was a young Australian who had discovered CP/M Plus on the Amstrad micros. He wrote me saying that he was broke, and was going to work in the countryside to earn some money, then disappeared.
>
>
>
> > I assume this compiler was still CP/M-specific at its core, so I wrote to this group. It doesn't compile anything, even "Hello world" for me, even on slowed down Dosbox or Vmware with DOS 3.3 (under XP). The most I could make was a screen full of jumpring cursors. I really want to make this compiler work. Do I need a CP/M emulator for that? Or maybe it requires a real 8086 CPU? (I won't be able to find it).
>
>
>
> ??? I repeat: Digital Research was producing portable programs, contrary to MicroShit. For the last 13 years, I have been using CP/M programs on an IBM Clown. So, the less that can be said is that I doubt, strongly, that they don't work for you. I rather think that you did not even read the manual.
>
>
>
> I made a search for "CBASIC Compiler" in the comp.os.cpm Newsgroup, but Google Groups reported so many links that I don't know which one could interest you. What is sure is that this problem was mentioned and corrected a dozen of times already.
>
>
>
> So, do your homework, find a copy of the original files, find the manual, read it, and learn how to type a command line.
>
>
>
> Yours Sincerely,
>
> Mr. Emmanuel Roche, France

Hi!

I am using various virtual machines under Windows XP 32 bit (not 64 bit). I do it simply because I cannot compile anything under XP DOS mode. So I started to locate various ways to run this software

It's signature is

CB86 Basic Compiler Version 2.0
Serial No. 3120-0000-000763
All Rights Reserved Copyright (C) 1982 Digital Research INC.
CB86.EXE, which is the compiler, about 8K size

It's a MS-DOS Version

There is a READ.ME message

***** CBASIC Compiler (CB86) ***** for the IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (June 1983) | |

> Missing CIRCON.BAS ? Just get it from the 8-bit version. CBASIC Compiler was portable. That means, in English, that it was working the same under CP/M, CP/M-86 and MS-DOS.

No, I have a problem here: the only program from this set I can compile (others simply freeze, even simple programs consisting of 1 BASIC line either don't compile, the compiler often behaves very erratically) is TSTCIR.EXE. However it always prints "ERROR DZ AT IP 0887H". It's the same message that Mr. Ross Simpson got in 2002, except that he was trying to run file compiled frpm the same source under CP/M 86

Simplest configuration I tried this TSTCIR.EXE is MS-DOS 3.3 in virtual machine and also virtual 80286 CPU.

[Vitaly Shilo]

понедельник, 25 февраля 2013 г., 23:54:06 UTC+6 пользователь Vitaly Shilo написал:

The version of this compiler which I use can be gotten here http://old-dos.ru/index.php?page=files&mode=files&do=show&id=2292#download

[Vitaly Shilo]

вторник, 26 февраля 2013 г., 8:29:03 UTC+6 пользователь Bill Leary написал:

You are right of course. CP/M 2.2 used .COM files, I used this system in early 90s (on ZX Spectrum with a special BIOS of all machines), so I remember

CP/M 86 does use .CMD. For example an image copy of CP/M 86 which I can run on MWare contains ASM86.CMD. DDT86.CMD etc

The main difficulty with this virtual CP/M for me is an extreme difficulty to put files into disk images. It seems to have a different tracks configuration than early MS-DOS. So most virtual image managers can't read them, and so any virtual DOS cannot see files on a CP/M86 image

I downloaded the CPMTOOLS set, it works for me, however whenever I copy a file to CP/M image, it becomes invisible. I can see it inside the image with a binary editor, however it's invisible to CP/M.

My goal with using this compiler was writing simple applications which would work under Win XP 32. I did so with Turbo Pascal 1.0, however this CBASIC seems to be a really hard nut.

[Steve Nickolas]

On Mon, 25 Feb 2013, Vitaly Shilo wrote:

> The main difficulty with this virtual CP/M for me is an extreme
> difficulty to put files into disk images. It seems to have a different
> tracks configuration than early MS-DOS. So most virtual image managers
> can't read them, and so any virtual DOS cannot see files on a CP/M86
> image
>
> I downloaded the CPMTOOLS set, it works for me, however whenever I copy
> a file to CP/M image, it becomes invisible. I can see it inside the
> image with a binary editor, however it's invisible to CP/M.
>
> My goal with using this compiler was writing simple applications which
> would work under Win XP 32. I did so with Turbo Pascal 1.0, however this
> CBASIC seems to be a really hard nut.

Depending on how good the emulator is you could try DOSPLUS instead. It's
CP/M-86 4.1 (or 5.0) under the hood, but has a DOS emulator and can use
FAT-formatted disks.

-uso.

[Vitaly Shilo]

вторник, 26 февраля 2013 г., 11:43:18 UTC+6 пользователь Steve Nickolas написал:

Well, thanks a lot for this nice suggestion! I found dosplus and it works just fine under VmWare. But when I transferred to the virtual disk this CB86.EXE with all accesory files and some sources ... It doesn't compile, even doesn't pass the OBJ creation stage. All I get is a message "Cannot open CB86.EXE" - not in the beginning, but straight after the compiler runs and tries to do something.
So I guess that either this compiler is broken or relies on some very old hardware (8086 only??)
I should try the CPM version of CBASIC now.

[Peter Dassow]

On 26.02.2013 03:51, Vitaly Shilo wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I am using various virtual machines under Windows XP 32 bit (not 64 bit). I do it simply because I cannot compile anything under XP DOS mode. So I started to locate various ways to run this software
>
> It's signature is
>
> CB86 Basic Compiler Version 2.0
> Serial No. 3120-0000-000763
> All Rights Reserved Copyright (C) 1982 Digital Research INC.
> CB86.EXE, which is the compiler, about 8K size
>
> It's a MS-DOS Version
>
> There is a READ.ME message
>
> ***** CBASIC Compiler (CB86) ***** for the IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (June 1983) | |

So why did you referenced a newsgroup entry which was related with CP/M ??
Your download-link old-dos.ru is indeed related ONLY with DOS (IBM DOS,
but this doesn't matter).
You should get success with DOSBOX (it emulates a DOS 5.0 API) if you're
using Windows 7 (and not XP).
It was really confusing posting it here in comp.os.cpm, but you have to
post it in comp.os.msdos(.programmer) !

Regards
Peter

[Peter Dassow]

You're right, .CMD was related with CP/M-86. Unfortunately many
"experts" often tries to rename files for running it with CP/M-Emulators
like Z80MU or similar.
Because Vitali posted it here (not in comp.os.msdos), I tried to explain
what can happened. Wrong guess indeed.

Regards
Peter

[Vitaly Shilo]

понедельник, 25 февраля 2013 г., 23:54:06 UTC+6 пользователь Vitaly Shilo написал:

Actually, I already tried the CP/M-86 of this CBASIC and it doesn't work under VmWare either - it creates faulty .OBJ files, or something like that. Somebody told me that it might have to do with that "virtual machine" or p-code, whatever this program creates - it simply doesn't work in emulated environment.
I have no idea if that's right but a couple of years ago I couldn't make UCSD Pascal (Apple II, I think) work under emulator, which might have similar grounds.

[roch...@laposte.net]

Hello, Vitaly!

A few days ago, I got a Windows XP machine. Among the programs, there is a "C:\ Command Prompt". When I click on it, I get "Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600], etc". After some searches, I found how to make a RAMdisk. So, I type "M:" and find myself on this "disk". (This way, all my work is automatically erased when I shut down, rather than keeping garbage on the hard disk.)

I suspect that your version of CBASIC Compiler is corrupt. The main CP/M Web site is "Gaby". Among all the stuff, there is a MS-DOS version of the CBASIC Compiler.

So, using my browser, I click on

http://www.cpm.z80.de/download/cb86toys.zip

which can be found in the "CP/M-86" paragraph of the "Digital Research Binary Files"

http://www.cpm.z80.de/binary.html

under the name "CP/M-86 programming languages and utilities"...

(Yes, this is an error: this ZIP file contains EXE files, not CMD files...)

So, I got several EXE files. I will now start them, using a non-existing filename, thus producing an error.

M:\rasm86 try
--------------------------------------------------
RASM-86 Relocating Assembler Version 1.3
Serial No. 3156-0000-000937 All Rights Reserved
Copyright (C) 1982-1984 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------

NO FILE: TRY.A86

(There is a later version available, 1.4a.)

m:\cb86 try
--------------------------------------------------
CB-86 CBASIC Compiler Version 2.1
Serial No. 3120-0000-002832 All rights reserved
Copyright (c) 1984 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------
could not open file: TRY

M:\link86 try
--------------------------------------------------
LINK-86 Linkage Editor Version 1.3
Serial No. 3120-0000-002832 All Rights Reserved
Copyright (C) 1982-1984 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------

NO FILE
FILE: TRY.OBJ

So, as you can see, all 3 EXE programs run without any problem in the "DOS Box" of Windows XP.

Now, let us see how you usually use CBASIC Compiler.

Because of all the options of both the compiler and the linker, I find it easier to put all the commands in a file (this is explained at lenght in the manual). Here is an example file:

RASM86 BDOS
CB86 DMA[BN]
LINK86 DMA,BDOS[S]

and here is what appears on the screen, when you type the name of the above BAT file:

M:\>RASM86 BDOS
--------------------------------------------------
RASM-86 Relocating Assembler Version 1.3
Serial No. 3156-0000-000937 All Rights Reserved
Copyright (C) 1982-1984 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------

END OF PASS 1
END OF PASS 2

CODE 0000A

END OF ASSEMBLY. NUMBER OF ERRORS: 0. USE FACTOR: 0%

M:\>CB86 DMA[BN]
--------------------------------------------------
CB-86 CBASIC Compiler Version 2.1
Serial No. 3120-3000-000061 All rights reserved
Copyright (c) 1984 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------
create error: DMA
M:\>LINK86 DMA,BDOS[S]
--------------------------------------------------
LINK-86 Linkage Editor Version 1.0
Serial No. 3120-0000-000262 All Rights Reserved
Copyright (C) 1982,1983 Digital Research, Inc.
--------------------------------------------------

CODE 03C19
DATA 008EA

USE FACTOR: 09%

M:\That's All, Folks!

[Steve Nickolas]

On Mon, 25 Feb 2013, Vitaly Shilo wrote:

> I have no idea if that's right but a couple of years ago I couldn't make
> UCSD Pascal (Apple II, I think) work under emulator, which might have
> similar grounds.

That's funny, I've run Apple Pascal on ApplePC and AppleWin just fine for
years.

-uso.

[Vitaly Shilo]

среда, 27 февраля 2013 г., 4:07:32 UTC+6 пользователь Steve Nickolas написал:

That's nice, I should try to run in again. BTW Do I remember right that there are 2 versions of Pascal for Apple II? Because I vaguely remember that the other version worked for me,too. And dBAse II for Apple II worked just fine.

[Vitaly Shilo]

Regarding DosPlus ...

I find it quite amazing how generously Digital Research added features into their systems, which MS never ever cared to add into their "DOS", so, in this regard, all DOS versions look like children of very careless parents - especially since mid 80s, DOS never really developed in the way DR-DOS and some other systems did, new versions were mostly very modest adaptations for newer hardware with additions of bought (or stolen) third-party software.

[Steve Nickolas]

I think there were 4 releases, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, with the last being
the most common.

-uso.

[David Schmidt]

On 2/27/2013 2:10 PM, Steve Nickolas wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Feb 2013, Vitaly Shilo wrote:
>> среда, 27 февраля 2013 г., 4:07:32 UTC+6 пользователь Steve Nickolas
>> написал:

>>> That's funny, I've run Apple Pascal on ApplePC and AppleWin just fine
>>> for years.
>>>
>>> -uso.
>>
>> That's nice, I should try to run in again. BTW Do I remember right
>> that there are 2 versions of Pascal for Apple II? Because I vaguely
>> remember that the other version worked for me,too. And dBAse II for
>> Apple II worked just fine.
>
> I think there were 4 releases, 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3, with the last
> being the most common.

(Getting a little off course for CP/M, sorry all...) There was also
Kyan, Complete, Lazer, and Instant Pascal (to name a few) on the Apple II.

[Vitaly Shilo]

четверг, 28 февраля 2013 г., 2:14:22 UTC+6 пользователь David Schmidt написал:

Thanks.

[ozzn...@gmail.com]

Could someone send me over 2.1 CB86.L86? My copy stopped making the OBJs correctly, instead I am seeing $DB, $PA, $QC files and cannot link anything, getting LINK86: SYNTAX ERROR ? (which I assume means my CB86.EXE is not longer producing the binary OBJ correctly)...

THANKS!
Ozz -- send ZIP to ozznixon @ gmail.com

[ozzn...@gmail.com]

Okay, that issue is related to vDOS - under DOSBox, everything compiles, but, the linker still returns "OBJECT FILE ERROR 09" FILE: C:CB86.L86

Any ideas?
Ozz

[ozzn...@gmail.com]

FYI... Ended up having to boot a Windows XP VM, set FCBS=32, reboot, then I could compile my product again.

DOSBox nor vDOS support controlling FCBS. I did find a FCBS.COM band-aid someone wrote, but, this still required XP to compile it.

[Chris "xc8"]

On Tuesday, 17 October 2017 04:12:01 UTC+1, ozzn...@gmail.com wrote:
> FYI... Ended up having to boot a Windows XP VM, set FCBS=32, reboot, then I could compile my product again.
>
> DOSBox nor vDOS support controlling FCBS. I did find a FCBS.COM band-aid someone wrote, but, this still required XP to compile it.

there is also an another MSDOS 'emulator'

http://takeda-toshiya.my.coocan.jp/msdos/index.html