6 ms·

Nicole gets a real computer – the Microsoft Z80 SoftCard (2020)

144 points by homarp 5y ago

zwieback 5y ago
Wow, learned a lot from this post. I had a generic 80 column and Z80 card and never knew about all the Microsoft involvement in the Z80 stuff. I did always prefer the 6502 but being able to run Turbo Pascal and WordStar on my Apple ][ was a nice addition.
- code_duck 5y ago
  Same here. Captain Zilog is new to me and I haven’t seen that Microsoft logo in 35 years.
  - rbanffy 5y ago
    Microsoft’s hardware was always great. I don’t know why they insist on making terrible operating systems ;-)
    - ipaddr 5y ago
      Where does the zume fit?
      - RyJones 5y ago
        The Zune was the best hardware by far
        rbanffy 5y ago
        It was the software that was awful.
    - code_duck 5y ago
      I think I recognize the logo from Flight Sim ~1983.
techsupporter 5y ago
Only one nit: The "heavy metal" Microsoft logo silkscreened onto that card was introduced in early 1980, not the 70s, and hung around for less than two years before being replaced by the "Blibbet" logo in 1982. Heavy Metal Microsoft will always be my favorite of their logos.
- dr_kiszonka 5y ago
  And it is so strikingly different from the Apple logo! I wonder if it was, ahem, by design.
justanother 5y ago
Worth mentioning, you can buy small-run, newly-manufactured Apple II Z80 cards now in the 16-20MHz range (way faster than the host system), some even have a TMS9918 VDP chip for compatibility with MSX-1/Colecovision/SG1000 stuff.
- rbanffy 5y ago
  Never suspected there are current Z80 cards with a VDP. Need to find one. Here they have an up to 20 MHz z80 card (and other Apple II stuff): https://www.tindie.com/products/gglabs/gz80-turbo-cpm-softcard-z80-for-apple-iie-iigs/ https://www.tindie.com/products/gglabs/gz80-turbo-cpm-softca... This has a VDP: http://www.apple2.net/ http://www.apple2.net/ With an MSX2 VDP, it’d have 80 columns as well.
  - justanother 5y ago
    Yeah, Ian's cards are the ones I was thinking of. There's an APMSX available on eBay, it introduced me to MSX gaming (and some colecovision and SG1000 conversions).
    - rbanffy 5y ago
      I think MSX-DOS can run CP/M binaries natively. Still, an MSX2 card for the Apple II, even if it’d be the über Z80 card, feels like heresy…
fouc 5y ago
Wow, super interesting history here!
jodrellblank 5y ago
> "Now, when is Microsoft going to release a PCI Express card that lets me boot my x64 Windows PC into RISCOS running on ARM?" Can't tell if the author is referencing this or it's a coincidence, but 25 years ago there was a RISCOS machine popular in schools in the UK with a plugin x86 card to boot Windows 3.1 and run other IBM PC compatible software. Acorn Computers, the Archimedes range of desktops, and the card was from Aleph One using a Cyrix 486 chip. When Acorn was broken up, ARM Holdings was one of their subsidiaries which carried on. http://www.riscos.com/the_archive/acorn/products/riscpc/pccard/index.htm http://www.riscos.com/the_archive/acorn/products/riscpc/pcca... and http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PCW/PCW_Dec92_Aleph1PCExpCard.pdf http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PCW/PCW... (PDF) and http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Aleph1/Aleph1_PCCardUG.pdf http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Aleph1/Aleph... (PDF) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Computers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Computers Semi-relatedly (mixed computer architectures in one case) there was a half-PC/half-Sega-Megadrive machine in 1993 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_Mega_PC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_Mega_PC )
- kmeisthax 5y ago
  And to bring this all full-circle, part of the reason why Acorn was broken up was that Apple specifically was interested in using ARM2 as a low-power chip for the Newton. ARM Holdings was originally an Acorn/VLSI/Apple joint venture.
empressplay 5y ago
Related: The PC Transporter, an 8086 card for the Apple II http://ae.applearchives.com/all_apple_iis/pc_transporter/ http://ae.applearchives.com/all_apple_iis/pc_transporter/
- js2 5y ago
  And its converse: http://www.applelogic.org/Trackstar.html http://www.applelogic.org/Trackstar.html https://www.diskman.com/presents/trackstar/ https://www.diskman.com/presents/trackstar/
- tom_ 5y ago
  Crikey. The only 6502/x86 mashup I was hitherto aware of was the curious BBC Master 512: http://www.cowsarenotpurple.co.uk/bbccomputer/master512/index.html http://www.cowsarenotpurple.co.uk/bbccomputer/master512/inde...
  - js2 5y ago
    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27798683 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27798683

144 points by homarp 5y ago

Wow, learned a lot from this post. I had a generic 80 column and Z80 card and never knew about all the Microsoft involvement in the Z80 stuff. I did always prefer the 6502 but being able to run Turbo Pascal and WordStar on my Apple ][ was a nice addition.

code_duck 5y ago
Same here. Captain Zilog is new to me and I haven’t seen that Microsoft logo in 35 years.
- rbanffy 5y ago
  Microsoft’s hardware was always great. I don’t know why they insist on making terrible operating systems ;-)
  - ipaddr 5y ago
    Where does the zume fit?
    - RyJones 5y ago
      The Zune was the best hardware by far
      - rbanffy 5y ago
        It was the software that was awful.
  - code_duck 5y ago
    I think I recognize the logo from Flight Sim ~1983.

techsupporter 5y ago

Only one nit: The "heavy metal" Microsoft logo silkscreened onto that card was introduced in early 1980, not the 70s, and hung around for less than two years before being replaced by the "Blibbet" logo in 1982. Heavy Metal Microsoft will always be my favorite of their logos.

dr_kiszonka 5y ago
And it is so strikingly different from the Apple logo! I wonder if it was, ahem, by design.

justanother 5y ago

Worth mentioning, you can buy small-run, newly-manufactured Apple II Z80 cards now in the 16-20MHz range (way faster than the host system), some even have a TMS9918 VDP chip for compatibility with MSX-1/Colecovision/SG1000 stuff.

rbanffy 5y ago
Never suspected there are current Z80 cards with a VDP. Need to find one. Here they have an up to 20 MHz z80 card (and other Apple II stuff): https://www.tindie.com/products/gglabs/gz80-turbo-cpm-softcard-z80-for-apple-iie-iigs/ https://www.tindie.com/products/gglabs/gz80-turbo-cpm-softca... This has a VDP: http://www.apple2.net/ http://www.apple2.net/ With an MSX2 VDP, it’d have 80 columns as well.
- justanother 5y ago
  Yeah, Ian's cards are the ones I was thinking of. There's an APMSX available on eBay, it introduced me to MSX gaming (and some colecovision and SG1000 conversions).
  - rbanffy 5y ago
    I think MSX-DOS can run CP/M binaries natively. Still, an MSX2 card for the Apple II, even if it’d be the über Z80 card, feels like heresy…

fouc 5y ago

Wow, super interesting history here!

jodrellblank 5y ago

> "Now, when is Microsoft going to release a PCI Express card that lets me boot my x64 Windows PC into RISCOS running on ARM?" Can't tell if the author is referencing this or it's a coincidence, but 25 years ago there was a RISCOS machine popular in schools in the UK with a plugin x86 card to boot Windows 3.1 and run other IBM PC compatible software. Acorn Computers, the Archimedes range of desktops, and the card was from Aleph One using a Cyrix 486 chip. When Acorn was broken up, ARM Holdings was one of their subsidiaries which carried on. http://www.riscos.com/the_archive/acorn/products/riscpc/pccard/index.htm http://www.riscos.com/the_archive/acorn/products/riscpc/pcca... and http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PCW/PCW_Dec92_Aleph1PCExpCard.pdf http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Mags/PCW/PCW... (PDF) and http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Aleph1/Aleph1_PCCardUG.pdf http://chrisacorns.computinghistory.org.uk/docs/Aleph1/Aleph... (PDF) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Computers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Computers Semi-relatedly (mixed computer architectures in one case) there was a half-PC/half-Sega-Megadrive machine in 1993 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_Mega_PC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amstrad_Mega_PC )

kmeisthax 5y ago
And to bring this all full-circle, part of the reason why Acorn was broken up was that Apple specifically was interested in using ARM2 as a low-power chip for the Newton. ARM Holdings was originally an Acorn/VLSI/Apple joint venture.

empressplay 5y ago

Related: The PC Transporter, an 8086 card for the Apple II http://ae.applearchives.com/all_apple_iis/pc_transporter/ http://ae.applearchives.com/all_apple_iis/pc_transporter/

js2 5y ago
And its converse: http://www.applelogic.org/Trackstar.html http://www.applelogic.org/Trackstar.html https://www.diskman.com/presents/trackstar/ https://www.diskman.com/presents/trackstar/
tom_ 5y ago
Crikey. The only 6502/x86 mashup I was hitherto aware of was the curious BBC Master 512: http://www.cowsarenotpurple.co.uk/bbccomputer/master512/index.html http://www.cowsarenotpurple.co.uk/bbccomputer/master512/inde...
- js2 5y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27798683 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27798683