CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers)

D
Dwd Habra
5 min read3 views
CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers)

🧩 1. Basic Information

Field β€”>Description
OS Name β€”>CP/M (Control Program for Microcomputers)
Developer β€”>Digital Research, Inc. (Gary Kildall)
First Released β€”>1974 (initial internal), 1976 (commercial)
Latest Version β€”>CP/M-86 (1982+), CP/M-Plus (3.0)
License Type β€”>Originally proprietary, later open-sourced as historic software
Supported Platforms β€”>Intel 8080 / Zilog Z80 (8-bit), later Intel 8086 (16-bit)
Still Active? β€”>❌ No (historic; preserved by hobbyists & emulators)

βš™οΈ 2. Kernel & Architecture

Kernel Type: Simple monolithic command monitor & BIOS layer

Based On: Designed for Intel 8080 & compatible 8-bit microcomputers

Architecture Support:

Original: 8-bit systems (8080, 8085, Z80)

Later: CP/M-86 for 16-bit Intel 8086/8088

Memory Model: Flat address space, typically ~64 KB maximum

BIOS/BDOS split: BDOS handles disk & file I/O, BIOS handles hardware-specific routines

🌟 3. Key Features

Provided a standard OS interface across wildly different microcomputers

Command-line driven interface (A>, B>)

Standardized file system (8.3 filenames, flat directory)

Portable applications across CP/M machines (WordStar, dBase II, SuperCalc)

Modular BIOS layer allowed hardware makers to adapt CP/M to new machines

πŸ“ˆ 4. Version History & Important Milestones βœ…

Version / Milestone β€”>Year β€”>Description
CP/M 1.0 β€”>1974 β€”>First internal version, ran on Intel 8080
CP/M 2.2 β€”>1979 β€”>Most popular version, mass adoption on S-100 & home computers
CP/M-86 β€”>1981 β€”>Port to Intel 8086/8088, competed with MS-DOS
CP/M-Plus (3.0) β€”>Early 80s β€”>Added bank switching, better memory handling
Lost IBM PC deal β€”>~1980 β€”>Missed chance to become default PC OS; IBM chose MS-DOS
Source released historic β€”>2001Β± –>Gary Kildall’s family & Caldera released CP/M source for public preservation

🎯 5. Target Audience & Use Cases

Hobbyists & early computer enthusiasts: Build-your-own S-100 bus machines

Small businesses: Running word processors, spreadsheets, databases

Developers: Writing portable assembly & C programs across multiple vendors

Educational use: Teaching early microprocessor programming & OS concepts

βœ… 6. Pros & Cons

Pros β€”>Cons
Created first real standard OS for microcomputers β€”>Limited to simple single-task workflows
Portable across dozens of hardware types β€”>No built-in multitasking or memory protection
Huge software library for its time β€”>Needed manual disk swaps, low-level error handling
Simple architecture easy to learn β€”>Quickly outpaced by MS-DOS on PCs

🎨 7. UI Demo & Visuals

Typical CP/M command prompt:
css
CopyEdit
A>_

Commands like DIR, PIP, STAT, ED

Running WordStar word processor or SuperCalc spreadsheet

Disk change prompts: β€œInsert Disk B and press RETURN”

Emulator demos (like MYZ80 or SIMH) showing old software running on CP/M

πŸ“¦ 8. Ecosystem & App Support

Popular applications:

WordStar (word processing)

dBase II (database)

SuperCalc (spreadsheet)

Turbo Pascal compiler

Thousands of utilities & tools β€” the first true microcomputer software ecosystem

CP/M format disks became a standard for file exchange

πŸ” 9. Security & Updates

No concept of multi-user security or file permissions β€” trusted single-user environments

System updates typically distributed on floppy disks by vendors

Reliability depended on careful use & manually backing up floppy disks

🌍 10. Community, License & Development

License: Originally proprietary by Digital Research, now released for preservation

Massive hobbyist communities in the 70s–80s β€” local computer clubs, BBS sharing CP/M software

Today kept alive via emulators like CP/M-86 under DOSBox, SIMH, MYZ80

Important piece of computing history β€” directly influenced MS-DOS (similar commands, file systems)

Tags

Share: