FTP

• The Oak Software Repository reaches the parts other FTP sites can't reach. If you're looking for a file, be it CP/M or otherwise, the chances are that it's here.

• And if it isn't, it might just be at Demon Internet, especially if you're looking for a PCW specific file.

• EMU is a VT100/ISO 8859-1 emulator that I wrote for the Amstrad PCW. Its VT100 emulation is superior to that of QTERM and COMM+ and features support for bold, underlining and keyboard redefinition. EMU has been tested with QTERM, COMM+ and ZMP. Recommended for users of the text-based WWW browser, Lynx. You can also browse the source if you want.

• If you're using a Fax Link serial interface, you might have been frustrated to discover that the only comms software that will work with it is COMM+ and PCWfax. This is because the hardware deviates from the original Amstrad CPS8256 design, making it incompatible with the Amstrad version of CP/M. COMM+ and PCWfax get around this by communicating the hardware directly. However, FAXPATCH will patch your copy of CP/M so that you can use any standard CP/M comms software with the Fax Link. It will even support the 38,400 bps rate if you need this.

• Older versions of QTERM are unreliable at speeds above 4,800 bps, but thanks to Stephen Younger, you can now use the program at much higher speeds. Applying this patch will allow you to use a CPS8256 (compatible) interface at 9,600 bps. If you have a Fax Link interface, you can now take advantage of V34+ (33,600 bps) modem technology. At long last, the PCW version of QTERM 4.3f itself can now also be obtained over the Internet. You'll need PMEXT to unpack the archive. There's even a handy script making utility available for getting you up and running quickly and a sample QTCHAT script to show you how to automate your tasks.

• If you prefer the Zmodem capability of ZMP, there's also a patch available for that program to enable speeds of up to 9,600 bps with a CPS8256 interface and 38,400 bps with a Fax Link interface. If you haven't used ZMP before, you'll also need a copy of the program itself.

• If you use e-mail a lot, you could do a lot worse than to pick up this little collection of mail utilities. The package includes unique CP/M implementations of Unix compression, ROT13 decoding, BTOA/ATOB, Unix<>CP/M text file conversion, and more. A must for power users of e-mail.

• One thing not included in the above mail package is a Base64 MIME decoder, but at long last there's one available for CP/M. Now you can decode those curious looking messages that are fast becoming the standard on the Internet.

• Feeling adventurous in comms? Why not try running UUCP on your PCW? This is just a patch for the PCW; you'll also need the program itself.

• Tired of editing the HTML tags out of your Web pages retrieved by e-mail? At last, there's a HTML stripper for CP/M.

• At a push, it's even possible to view GIF images on a PCW. There's also a separate GIF89a to GIF87 image converter available.

• Add support for bold, italics, large characters and many other great new features to CP/M on your PCW, using this remarkable terminal driver.

• Pick up a handy screen-saver for CP/M. There have been many over the years, but this is undoubtedly the best. It runs from CP/M, is triggered automatically, and uses no base memory (TPA).

• Using this driver, you can display a permanent clock on your PCW.

• A shiny new beep to replace LocoScript's boring old one.

• The world's one and only LocoScript screen-saver is yours for the downloading.

• John Elliott's clever MSODBALL runs under both DOS and CP/M and can convert a standard 3" inch CP/M (or LocoScript) 720 Kb disc to one of three non-standard DOS formats. Conversely, it can convert a DOS disc from any of these non-standard formats to CP/M 720k format. This one is an absolute must!

• Need some light relief after a hard day's LocoScripting? Get hold of the now legendary arcade game, Head Over Heels.

• Another legendary and very addictive game combines the ability to think quickly with the ability to act quickly. Get Tetris now.

• A game of yet another genre, yet equally legendary is the text adventure The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy. You'll need PMEXT to unpack the archive.

• Or try your luck with the Ultimate Slot Machine.

• Format your discs to capacities you never thought possible, using DISCTOOL. Up to 828 Kb on a B-drive CF2DD disc!

• Replace CP/M's TYPE utility with BIGTYPE, which displays files using enlarged characters. Useful if your eyesight isn't what it used to be.

• Replace the PCW's annoying beep with a blissfully silent FLASH of the screen. Works with both CP/M and LocoScript.

• The original Digital Research BDOS is slow, because it was written in code for the 8080 processor. Simeon Cran rewrote it for the Z80, debugged it, made it compacter and added new features in the regained space. Amongst these is a command line history, similar to that of UNIX shells. This new system is called ZPM3 and breathes new life into CP/M Plus.

• The companion to ZPM3 is ZCCP , a replacement shell for CP/M Plus that adds new features, such as named directories, conditional batch processing, aliasing and error handling. If you've ever used 4DOS on a PC or one of the many UNIX shells, you'll be at home with ZCCP in no time. You must have ZPM3 installed before you can use ZCCP, but the combination is truly brilliant and should have been bundled with PCWs to begin with.