Apple II processor cards (or co-processor cards ) were special cards that could be used to allow the Apple II to use different processors on the (otherwise) same computer hardware . This allowed other operating systems to run on the Apple II.
15-691: The Z-80 SoftCard is a plug-in Apple II processor card developed by Microsoft to turn the computer into a CP/M system based upon the Zilog Z80 central processing unit (CPU). Becoming the most popular CP/M platform and Microsoft's top revenue source for 1980, it was eventually renamed the Microsoft SoftCard , and was succeeded by Microsoft's Premium Softcard IIe for the Apple IIe. Introduced in 1980 as Microsoft's first hardware product,
30-467: A dozen SoftCard clone manufacturers. Apple II processor card Here are some processors that were available on coprocessor cards for the Apple II: This article about Apple Inc. is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This computer hardware article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lifeboat Associates Lifeboat Associates, Inc. ,
45-456: The CP/M operating system. One of the first was XMODEM , which allowed reliable communication via modem and phone line. In June 1986, Voyager Software Corp acquired Lifeboat Associates. Later in 1986, Programmer's Paradise was started by Voyager Software as a catalog marketer of technical software. In 1988, Voyager acquired Corsoft Inc., a corporate reseller founded in 1983, and combined it with
60-483: The Apple II as well, including Digital Research with Apple CP/M [ de ] and a CP/M card developed by Advanced Logic Systems named "The CP/M Card" (with a 6 MHz Z80 and 64 kB RAM) and Digital Research's CP/M Gold Card for CP/M Pro 3.0 (with 64 or 192 kB RAM). Others independent designs came from Applied Engineering , PCPI (with their 6 MHz Appli-Card), Cirtech, IBS. There were also about
75-747: The SoftCard's debut in March 1980 at the West Coast Computer Faire, calling it "an Apple breakthru". InfoWorld in 1981 called the SoftCard "a fascinating piece of hardware". While criticizing the "computerese" of the CP/M documentation, the magazine wrote "if you need a lightweight, portable Z80 computer, the Apple/SoftCard combination is a perfect pair." BYTE wrote, "Because of the flexibility that it offers Apple users, I consider
90-662: The Softcard an excellent buy .. The price is reasonable, and it works". InfoWorld in 1984 also favorably reviewed the SoftCard IIe, approving of its ability to also replace the Extended 80-Column Text Card. The magazine concluded that it "is a good system among several good systems on the market", especially for those who wanted to run Microsoft BASIC or wanted functionality beyond CP/M. The SoftCard's immediate success surprised Microsoft. Although unprepared to take orders at
105-686: The West Coast Computer Faire, a Microsoft executive accepted 1,000 business cards from interested parties on the first day; Compute! reported that the company was "inundated" with orders. The SoftCard became the company's largest revenue source in 1980, selling 5,000 units in three months at $ 349 each, with high sales continued for several years. For a while, the SoftCard was the single most-popular platform to run CP/M, and Z-80 cards became very popular Apple II peripherals. By 1981 Microsoft, Lifeboat Associates , and Peachtree Software published their CP/M software on Apple-format disks. Following Microsoft's success, several other companies developed Z80 cards for
120-540: The Z-80 SoftCard is an Apple II processor card that enables the Apple II to run CP/M , an operating system from Digital Research . This gives Apple II users access to many more business applications, including compilers and interpreters for several high-level languages . CP/M, one of the earliest cross-platform operating systems, is easily adaptable to a wide range of auxiliary chips and peripheral hardware, but it requires an Intel 8080 -compatible CPU, which
135-636: The Zilog Z80 is, but which the Apple's CPU, the MOS Technology 6502 , is not. The SoftCard has a Zilog Z80 CPU plus some 74LS00 series TTL chips to adapt that processor's bus to the Apple bus . As CP/M requires contiguous freely usable RAM from address zero - which the Apple II doesn't have, since its own 6502 CPU's call stack and zero page and its text mode screen memory cannot be outside
150-770: The card, and California Computer Systems manufactured it for Microsoft. Unsure whether the card would sell, Microsoft first demonstrated it publicly at the West Coast Computer Faire in March 1980. Microsoft also released a version for the Apple IIe , the Premium Softcard IIe. The card has functionality equivalent to the Extended 80-Column Text Card , including its 64 KB RAM, so would save money for users who wanted CP/M capability, additional memory, and 80-column text. Compute! witnessed
165-677: The company had same-name affiliates in England, Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan and Oakland, California . PC Magazine in 1982 wrote that Lifeboat "has published and marketed more CP/M application programs on more 8-bit machines than anyone in the world", and in 1983 InfoWorld said that Lifeboat was the largest publisher of microcomputer software in the world. Lifeboat Associates successfully combined many roles, including publisher and distributor, and actively solicited authors for software products that met its standards. The company distributed T/Maker (written by Peter Roizen ), one of
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#1732772902954180-445: The first spreadsheet programs designed for the personal computer user, which went a step beyond the similar VisiCalc program by offering text-processing capability, and The Boss Financial Accounting System (written by John Burns), a $ 2495 package for CP/M users. It was one of the first accounting programs for micro-computers. In addition Lifeboat Associates started collecting and distributing user-written "free" software, initially for
195-548: The lowest 4 KiB of RAM - addresses are translated in order to move reserved-RAM and non-RAM areas to the top of memory. The card was bundled with CP/M and the Microsoft BASIC programming language. The SoftCard was Paul Allen 's idea. Its original purpose was to simplify porting Microsoft's computer-language products to the Apple II. The SoftCard was developed by Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP). SCP built prototypes, Don Burtis of Burtronix redesigned
210-461: The operations of the Programmer's Paradise catalog and Lifeboat Associates, both of which marketed technical software for microcomputers. In May 1995, Voyager Software Corp. changed its name to "Programmers Paradise, Inc." and consolidated its U.S. catalog and software publishing operations in a new subsidiary, Programmers Paradise Catalogs, Inc. and its wholesale distribution operations in
225-465: Was a New York City company that was one of the largest microcomputer software distributors in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Lifeboat acted as an independent software broker marketing software to major hardware vendors such as Xerox, HP and Altos . As such Lifeboat Associates was instrumental in the founding of Autodesk and also financed the creation of PC Magazine . Lifeboat was founded in 1976 or 1977 by Larry Alkoff and Tony Gold. By mid-1981
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