" ASSOCIATION OF COMPUTER USERS

VOLUME 3.1, NUMBER 4, APRIL 1980

"

In This Issue: CROMEMCO's System Two and Z-2H

BENCHMARK REPORT is publishedand distributed by The Association ofComputer Users,a not-for-profituser association, and authoredby the Business Research Division of the UniversityofColorado. ACU'sdistributionofBENCHMARKREPORT is " solelyfor the information and independent evaluationof its members, and does not in anywayconstituteverification of thedata contained, concurrencewith any of the conclusions herein, or endorsementof the productsmentioned. ®Copyright 1980,ACU. No part of this report may be reproducedwithout priorwrittenpermission from theAssociationofComputer Users. Firstclass postage paid at Boulder, Colorado 80301. CROMEMCO MODELS SYSTEM TWO AND Z-2H: BENCHMARK REPORT "

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface 3

Executive Summary 4

Summary of Benchmark Results 5

Benchmarks: The Process: Cromemco Models System Two and Z-2H 6 Overview of Programs and Results 7

Detail Pages Pricing Components 13 Hardware Components 14 Software Components 17 Support Services 20

Summary of User Comments 21

Conclusions 23 "

2 PREFACE

" These two models from the System Two and the Z-2H, are evaluated in this fourth report covering small computing systems. Previously reviewed in this series have been the Texas Instruments 771, the Pertec PCC 2000, and the North Star Horizon. And still to come are eight more systems in the under- sls,ooo price range. The goal of this series is to provide users with compara tive information on a number of small systems, information which will be valuable in selecting from among the many alternatives available.

We have found that many published comparisons of computing systems report only the technical specifications supplied by manufacturers, and such information is difficult to interpret and seldom comparable across different computers. What the potential buyer needs to know is how well the equipment performs in spe- cific applications, and how that performance compares across computing systems, information best provided by running benchmark programs on the systems to be compared.

The heart of these reports is the comparative results of running five benchmark " programs on each of the systems under study, programs which represent capabili- ties needed by users in an operating environment. The results of these bench- mark runs provide comparative information which is simply unavailable from any other independent source. The benchmark programs themselves have been designed to run without change on most small computer systems. Thus, differences in per formance among systems can be attributed to differences in computing capabili- ties.

In addition to the benchmark results, these reports contain information on the alternative configurations which can be assembled, internal and external stor-

age and memory capabilities, languages available, the , availa- bility of applications packages, and general comments on the ease of use of the I system. Finally, a survey of users is conducted, and their comments on ease of use, relationships with hardware and software suppliers, problems encoun- tered, etc. , are included in each report. The experiences of users add a " dimension of reality to the technical details of the system.

3

Cromemco, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

in series, and also com- Compared to the three other systems tested so far this (machines costing $15,000 " pared to the twelve systems reported upon in Series #2 offers the business user to $25,000), Cromemco's System Two computer system Retailing for just over $9,000, impressive capabilities at a competitive price. a 64K central the Z-80 ('s chip) based system contains Terminal. With the memory, dual 5h inch floppy disks, a printer, and a CRT a Z-2H, priced at $15,280 addition of an 11 megabyte hard disk, the unit becomes which, though priced higher The System Two is a based system favorably in per- than other systems evaluated in this series, compared generally better than formance. The performance of the System Two was exception of the North Star that of other systems evaluated (with the Only in Horizon, with its hardware enhanced arithmetic capabilities) . the System Two the CPU intensive test using square roots and squares did on other systems. fail to improve on times we have recorded except for the addition of The Z-2H system is the same as the System Two of the hard disk system in an 11 megabyte hard disk capability. The use dramatically improved execution those benchmark tests requiring I/O capability of the hard time. In addition, the greatly increased storage data bases. Because disk makes it ideal for applications using large technology, where the read/write this disk system uses "Winchester" type are in a sealed chamber, head floats on a cushion of air and the units environment Addi- the unit requires no special handling or operating as opposed to 300- tionally, Cromemco estimates 8,000 hours of operation " 500 for floppy disk media. Z-2H for at most five Though the we contacted have owned their users reputation for months, their experiences to date substantiate Cromemco's producing rugged, reliable computer systems. including offers a variety of programming languages Cromemco The RATFOR (Rational FORTRAN), and a Macro Assembler tests is an extended 32K structured BASIC we used in our benchmark which we found to be version with structured programming capabilities applications. quite suitable for business programming software. This is left to the Cromemco does not offer application of the users we talked to dealer or user. In our survey, most "**_ own applications sott doing their own programming and developing their from a software sup- ware. Starting with a "canned" package purchased to fit their particular plier, these users would customize the programs needs . system a rugged reliable performer. The The System Two should prove to be and capability, and with the addition of a hard possesses a great deal of computing storage capacity with fast access to disk system in the Z-2H, provides a large applications. data, an important consideration in data oriented "

4

BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, "

%

" *The timings shown here are for Cromemco' s floppy based System Two; see pages 9, 11 and 12 for the faster timings with the hard disk model Z-2H.

5 THE BENCHMARK PROCESS

The benchmark programs were run in Cromemco 32K Structured BASIC on a Cromemco " Z-2H configured with 64K (64,000) of memory, two 5k inch floppy disk drives (350 kilobytes total), an 11 Megabyte (MB) , and a 180 character per second printer. This system is identical to the System Two with the exception of the added hard disk capability, and Cromemco asked us to run They the tests both with and without the hard disk to observe the differences. shipped the unit to our offices in Boulder, where, with the help of their personnel, we set up the system. Contrary to our experience with the three microcomputers tested in this series, the Z-2H ran problem-free from the time we plugged it in until the time we shipped it back.

in accordance Before running the test programs, it was necessary to modify them in the with Cromemco' s version of BASIC. As has been our experience the past, major area of change was in the Input/Output statements. In implementing the a useful necessary program we discovered the BASIC manual to be document, but not without weaknesses including: (1) It would not be very easy examples of statements in to learn from this manual; (2) there were not enough Despite use; and (3) inadequate cross-referencing between related statements. " with docu- these weaknesses, we've found that as our experience microcomputer to thus easing mentation has grown, we've begun to anticipate what look our search through the manual.

documentation, we noticed After familiarizing ourselves with the system and its these special features of Cromemco's 32K BASIC: compiler and A semi-compiling design that combines the features of a

interpreter in order to increase execution times.

A variety of useful error-checking and debugging features is establishing A KSAM (Keyed Sequential Access Method) that useful in data bases. ELSE Structured programming statements including IF . . . THEN DO . . . WHILE . . . ENDWHILE, and REPEAT . . . UNTIL subsequently CALL A Procedure Library that allows the user to store and procedures as needed. This simplifies the linking of user defined, often used routines, with applications programs. "

6

Colorado,

modifications,

for,

ENDDO, After the operating system and 32K Structured BASIC are loaded into memory, the user is left with approximately 19,000 bytes for user programs. This restric- " tion caused us some difficulty in several of our programs. In order to run some of our programs, we had to change the variable mode from long floating point variables (8 bytes per number, 14 digits of accuracy) to short floating point variables (4 bytes per number, 6 digits of accuracy). For consistency, we ran all programs in the short floating point mode which, in the cases where the program would have run in long floating point mode, decreased execution time by several seconds.

A feature we particularly liked was the user defined function keys. Through an operating system procedure, the user can assign system commands to each of the twenty keys so that by pressing one button, various procedure or utility com- mands can be executed. We felt this capability could save significant typing time and trouble for the user who needs frequent access to certain programs and procedures .

As we entered our benchmark programs, we appreciated the line by line syntax error checking. The BASIC In-Line Editor made corrections quite easy, and we " especially enjoyed the global change capabilities of the Editor.

All programs were run with output to the screen (the default) . A simple com- mand was all that was needed to obtain hard copy output as desired. To run the benchmark tests, the programs were entered and stored on disk. To execute, a program was loaded into memory, the RUN statement was typed in, and the stop- watch was started when a carriage return was entered. Timing was stopped when the output was complete. For those programs that used disk I/O, we first used only the floppy diskettes to facilitate comparisons with other systems, and then ran timings with the hard disk to illustrate the difference in performance

OVERVIEW OF PROGRAMS The benchmark program set consisted of Speed Tests A CPU- intensive job of varying parameters " An 1/0-intensive job of varying parameters

7 "Real Life" Problems A scientific/engineering job A new product planning problem generation, update and report " An accounts receivable

Ease of Use Test A script-based editing test

SPEED TESTS: CPU-Intensive and I/O-Intensive Jobs Both the CPU-Intensive and the I/O-Intensive benchmarks were designed to test the speed of specific computing tasks that used repeated, short, individual operations.

CPU- INTENSIVE JOB This short program executes a variety of calculations including addition, mul- tiplication, division, square root and exponentiation. The program runs through an iterative process N times, with "N" values of 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000. " - 1 Results: N = 500 1 minute 51.1 seconds - 2 N = 1000 3 minutes 41.6 seconds - 3 N = 2000 7 minutes 23.0 seconds - 4 N = 3000 11 minutes 3.6 seconds

Hota-- Tkli> ptiogtuim doeJ> not uA& ciakA, i>o Syitm Two and 1-2H time* cum ALda.nXA.daJi.

Valuation: CPU-Intensive Alternate Runs (A5-A8) This program performs the same number of calculations as the standard CPU- Intensive run but without exponentiationand square root. #

8 - 5 Results: N = 500 13.8 seconds - 6 N = 1000 27.2 seconds " - 7 N = 2000 54.4 seconds - 8 N = 3000 1 minute 21.6 seconds

Notz: Tkli> pnoquam doeJ> not u-6e dUki, i>o Stji>tzm Tm and Z-2H tlme.6 one

I/O-INTENSIVE JOB This run stores numbers from 1 to N on disks and retrieves the first 50 of them in a factorial fashion (for example, a total of 1275 reads following 3000 writes) . Several combinations were run with "N" values of 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000.

- 1 Results: N = 500 14.0 seconds - 2 N = 1000 24.4 seconds - 3 N = 2000 44.7 seconds " - 4 N = 3000 1 minute 5.2 seconds

Uote.: Wke.n the. ka/id cUAk wai> ui>e.d, tkeAe. tXme.fi Xmpnovzd by a factor. o& one. haZi £° 7.S i>e.cond6, 11.9 t>e.condU>, 20.1 t>zo.ondt>, and 28.4 &e.c.ondU>, neA>pe.ctU.veJLy.

"REAL LIFE" PROBLEMS: Scientific/Engineering, New Product Planning, Accounts Receivable Generation The next three benchmarks were designed to test the running time of actual pro- grams that the user might want the computer to perform.

SCIENTIFIC/ENGINEERING This program solves a system of linear equations, using the Gauss-Jordan method of elimination. The program sets up the following system of "N" equations with " "N" unknowns:

9 O.lx 0.1x 0.1x + 0.1x =0.2 + 2 + 3 + . . . N 0.3x + + 0.3x =0.4 O.lx + 0.3x2 + 3 . . . N 0.3 + 0.5x + . . . + 0.5x =0.6 O.lx + x 3 N "

+ 0.5x + . + 9.9x = 10.0 O.lx + 0.3x2 3 . . N

To show that the run has been executed successfully, the values of x^, x^, and x are printed at the end of the execution. 'N

C-l

Mote.: TttvU pnjogium doeA not o6£ di&kA, i>o Syttzm Two and 1-2H time* ojie, ide.ntlc.aJi. 0 VaAliatsLon: C-l Alternate Run (C-1A) This program performs the C-l run with a smaller number of equations and unknowns (35 equations/unknown as compared to 50 in the larger run) .

C - IA

Uote.: Twu> pxognam doeA not oie dit>kA>, &o Sy&tw Two and 1-2H time* ate ide.wtic.aJi.

NEW PRODUCT PLANNING PROBLEM This program models the relationship between product production costs and profitability over the range of the next four years. A base line run is es- tablished and several parameters are varied in a "what-if" mode on subsequent runs. Program output is printed in a standard report format of report line items across column years. The model's display line items are: #

10 Units Sold Distribution Selling Price Gross Profits Revenue Fixed Costs " Raw Material Net Before Taxes Direct Labor Taxes Payable

Packaging Net Income

C - 2 Results: 10.0 seconds

Uote.: TkiA pnogfiam doeA not uAe. diAkA, &o System Two and Z-2H time* aAie. idzntical.

VaJliation: C-2 Using Printer (C-2A) This run reports the timing for the New Product Problem when results are routed to the printer for hard copy output.

C - 2A " Note.: ThiA ptiogmm doeA not ui>e. diAkA, Ao Sy&te.m Two and 1-2H timeA cuie. ide.wtio.aJi.

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE GENERATION In this job, an accounts receivable file of 50 records is created. Each record has 10 fields: customer number, salesman number, year-to-date sales, prior month sales (five fields) , payments and credit limit. The file is up- dated randomly 10 times by customer number for sales amounts and payments. A report is displayed with billing detail, including company, salesman, year-to^ date sales, credit limit, amount outstanding and sales by month.

C - 3 Results: 2 minutes 48.0 seconds % Uote.: Lining the. nasid diAk option, the. time. waA 1 minute, %.% bzcondA.

11 \loAiMXAtion-. C-3 Using Printer (C-3A) This run reports the timing for the accounts receivable problem when results are routed to the printer for hard copy output. " C - 3A Results: 3 minutes 56.9 seconds

Note.: Again the. haxd diAk option o£ the. I-2H reduced time, to 2 minwteA, 7 5.3 Ae.condt>.

EASE OF USE TEST The Ease of Use test is a script-based benchmark specifically designed to com- pare all editors with respect to ease of use. This comparison is accomplished by starting with a 9-line file, changing it to an interim form (in editing in all the errors) and then changing the file back to its initial form These changes test the editing capabilities when making the errors as well as when correcting them.

The editing tasks are: Line deletion " Line insertion Line appendage Change/Addition/Deletion of unique words in a line/string Change/Addition/Deletion of non-unique words in a line/string Change/Addition/Deletion of unique characters (including spaces embedded in and not embedded in words) in a line/string Change/Addition/Deletion of non-unique characters (including spaces) in a line/string

E - 1 Results: Approximately 192 keystrokes were required to edit a nine record test file according to the script.

Commznt: We &ound the. BASIC editor to be. quite, good and e.aAy to uAz. Global changeA ate made, simple, with the. CHANGE and TINY commandA. #

12

effect, " mm Invaluable comparative data for intelligent computer selection If you are involved in computer selection decisions, you probably already know how difficult it is to obtain unbiased comparative information about the many models available to you. That's exactly the type of information you'll find in the ACU BENCHMARK REPORT ... and its cost is Deluxe Binders just a fraction of the thousands of dollars provided which choosing the wrong computer with each m system may cause you to spend BENCHMARK " needlessly. REPORT series

SERIES #1 Test results on popular computers under $15,000 Twelve small systems will be covered in this series, all single-user dedicated systems with floppy disk storage, keyboard, CRT screen and printer. This series will be issued one per month during 1980, with a six issue summary and a twelve issue summary. Scheduled to be included are machines offered by Texas Instruments, Pertec, Northstar, Cromenco, Vector Graphic, Digital Micro Systems, Radio Shack, Apple, Ohio Scientific, Data General, Alpha Micro and Digital Equipment Corp

SERIES #2 Evaluation of single-user systems in the $15,000 - $25,000 range Already published by ACU, this series covers the IBM 5110, Datapoint 1170, Wang 2200VP, Hewlett-Packard System 45, Texas Instruments FS 990/10, Digital DEC PDPIIVO3, Randal RDSIOO, Sperry Univac BC/7Model 610, Ql LITE Microcomputer System, Sycor 405, Texas Instruments DS 990 Model 2, andthe Hewlett-Packard HP2SO. Also includes a six issue summary and a twelve issue summary.

SERIES #3 For the first time, a penetrating analysis of multiple user systems This is our most ambitious series, covering the most popular small systems capable of handling multiple users simultaneously. Twelve medium-sized minicomputer business systems in the $25,000 to $50,000 price range will " be covered, selected according to subscribers' preferences. These benchmark tests not only demonstrate single jobstream performance but also the effect on multiple userperformance when batch jobsarerun simultaneously with multiple users. This series will begin in early 1980, with a six issue summary and a twelve issue summary. "The BENCHMARK REPORT allows you to make your next buying decision on the basis offacts, testing and logic." "

Dear Decision Maker: If you're like me, you're frustrated because it is so hard to get reliable, user-oriented information about the computer systems which are available today. Which are most cost- effective? Which have a history of good service (or poor service)? And which are really as easy to use as the manufacturers claim? These are the kinds of questions which computer sales people simply cannot (or will not) answer adequately, and we are making such questions the prime focus of the Association of Computer Users. As a first step, for the past year we have published our first series of BENCHMARK REPORTS — each month on another small computer system. We have established a "first" in the industry. No one has ever attempted such a project before and we have been overwhelmed with the positive response from users. Surprisingly, even the vendors have been very complimentary, even though every effort has been made to keep the reports totally unbiased and objective. With encouragement from all quarters, we are now gearing up to publish two additional series, one covering lower priced single user systems (Series #1), and a second covering more expensive multiple user systems (Series #3). We've assembled a highly respected group of authors to do the research and prepare the reports for our members. They # include: Business Research Division of the University of Colorado, a business research group located here in Boulder, Colorado (Series #1 and #3), and Real Decisions Corporation of Stamford, Connecticut, an independent consulting firm that has also prepared a number of excellent reports for the Association (Series #2).

The Association also publishes the REMOTE COMPUTING DIRECTORY and COMPUTER TERMINALS DIRECTORY, both the most comprehensive such guides available, in addition to our eight bimonthly newsletters: "Interactive Computing" plus a separate newsletter for each of ACU's seven sections. Our intention is simply to provide an unbiased source of information about the many choices available to computer users today. As a part of that commitment, our publications are designed so that your next buying decision may be based on facts, testing and logic . not advertising. We cordially invite you to join the thousands who are now enjoying the benefits of membership in ACU.

Sincerely, lidUbjp. # Hillel Segal, President Association of Computer Users An Independent Non-Prolit Corporation ACU Membership Join 4,000 other decision makers in the U.S., Canada and overseas who have become members SEVEN SECTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM The 1980calendar year membership fee of only $25 entitles you to membership in any one of the following: Small Computer Section (Systems up to $50,000) Midi Computer" Section (Systems between $50,000 and $250,000) " "Large Computer Section (Systems over $250,000) Word Processing Section " Time-Sharing Section " Home & Hobbyist Section" " Distributed Processing Section A nominal fee of $5 is added for each additional section in which you wish membership. Each section has its own newsletter, issued bimonthly, and new members receive all materials issued since Jan. 1, 1980. SPECIAL MEMBER PRICES ON BENCHMARK REPORTS ACU membership entitles you to a special $40 discount on each of the three series of reports . . . You Save $120 If You Subscribe to All Three. Even if you subscribe to just one of the series of reports, the savings more than covers the cost of your membership fee.

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Computer Terminals Directory The most complete and up-to-date directory of its kind, the ACU Computer Terminals Directory contains photos, pricing and full-page descriptions of 115 models. Types included: Impact Printing Terminals — Thermal Printing Terminals — Video Display Terminals — Printers — Graphics Terminals —Remote Batch Terminals — Intelligent Terminals. Available to members with loose-leaf binder; updated bi-monthly. To order,please fill in appropriateblanks, tear off flap and mail to address shown below. D Check or Purchase Order enclosed □ Bill me, adding $3handling (Order will be processed immediately upon receipt ofremittance.) NON-MEMBER PLAN " BENCHMARK REPORTS ONLY

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$5/ea. $

BOULDER, CROMEMCO Z-2H: PRICING COMPONENTS

% COSTS System Two $ 9,275 Z-2H $15 , 280 System Two Includes: . 64K Main Memory . 2 Floppy Disk Drives . Cromemco Model 3102 CRT . Centronics Model 3703 Printer . Cromemco DSO and 32K Structured BASIC Z-2H Includes: . All System Two items . 11 Megabyte Hard Disk Drive

Components Processor , Dual Floppies (System Two) $ 3 , 990 " Processor, Dual Floppies, Hard Disk (Z-2H) $ 9,995 Pointers " Centronics Model 3779 Dot-Matrix Printer $ 1,495 Centronics Model 3703 Dot-Matrix Printer $ 2,995 Centronics Model 3355AFull Letter Printer 3,195 Disk Drives " Model HDD- 11 Hard Disk Drive (11 MB) 6,995 Model HDD- 22 Hard Disk Drive (22 MB) $11,995 Model WFD 5" Floppy Disk Drive 495 Model PFD-W 8" Dual Floppy Disk Drive 2 > 495 1,995 " Model 3102 CRT Terminal

OUR OBSERVATIONS

In addition to the Z-2H and System Two tested, Cromemco offers a number of other systems in a variety of configurations. Based on the ZBO microcom- puter chip and the S-100 bus, many options are available from independent manufacturers as well as from Cromemco. Their computers can be purchased through dealers or directly from Cromemco.

USER COMMENTS . It'i, guzat in my baAineAi. I'd zvzn buy onz ion. my homz . . . ii I could aiion.d it. . Ton. 6mall buAineA* uAZ, it' 6 wzll wonth thz co&t. . I paid mon.z ion. Cn.omzmco n.zliability . "I . 1

13

$

$

$ $ $ CROMEMCO Z-2H: HARDWARE COMPONENTS

CENTRAL UNIT The Cromemco Z-2D System Two computer is a small unit (12-1/4" x 19" x 20-3/4", 49 pounds) in a rugged, all- metal case. Contained within the unit is the card cage and processor, the dual floppy disk drives, and the power to in an " supply. The unit is designed fit attractive desk offered by Cromemco which could also accommodate the CRT and printer. The same case is used for the Z-2H with hard disk, and weighs 90 pounds.

CPU Memory: 64K Bytes (expandable to 512K Bytes)

Keyboard: Detached Standard typewriter layout Separate numeric pad 20 software assignable function keys

Screen: Grey phosphor, 12" diagonal screen 24 lines of 80 characters Upper and lower case, graphics character set

OUR OBSERVATIONS

designed and quite suitable for business " We found the keyboard to be well applications. Being a "smart" terminal (for instance, it has its own than we time of day clock) , it has many more special modes and features could investigate. One feature we especially enjoyed was the user- defined function keys. These keys give the user the capability of de- fining frequently used functions so that for instance, by pressing one payroll pro- button the user could load and begin execution of say, his status gram. Other features include a local editing mode and an optional line on the 25th line.

USER COMMENTS I iound the. keyboard to be. intimidating. While, the. iunction ke.y* t,zzmcd to be. a guzat aAi>et at the beginning, thzy'fiz n.zally not oa uiziul oa iinAt thought. We iound the. deAk Cfiomzmco oiieAA ion. the. Z-2H to be. awkward and un- comiontable. to wonk at ion. any Izngth oi time.. "

14 CROMEMCO Z-2H: HARDWARE COMPONENTS

STORAGE

The Z-2D System Two uses two 5-1/4" double-sided floppy disk drives, with each drive storing up to 173K bytes on a diskette (350 kilobyte total). " The Z-2H system includes an 11 Megabyte hard disk drive that has an average access time of 50 milliseconds (this is 6 to 10 times faster than speeds commonly seen for floppy disk drives). Also, the Cromemco disk operating system allows up to seven hard disks to be used in one system. This provides the user with the potential for over 70 million bytes of storage.

Detail on Diskettes

The floppy disks use an IBM soft-sectored format (sector size is de- termined by record length specified) . They are recorded in single density and are double-sided (the drive can record on both sides of the diskette) . The format used by Cromemco for the hard disk allows approxi mately 10.5 megabytes of user storage in the 11 MB hard disk.

OUR OBSERVATIONS

The Cromemco hard disk system uses "Winchester" technology—that is, the disk has what are called "crashless" heads. The heads actually ride on a cushion of air above the disk surface and are designed not to damage the " disk surface if a shock should cause them to hit the surface. This tech- nology, combined with the totally restricted environment in which the drive is contained, provides for a durable drive that is rugged and requires little special treatment. This was our first experience with (and this type of drive and we were quite impressed with its performance price) . The combination of hard disk and floppy disks can prove to be quite beneficial. The hard disk can provide the working media while the floppy disks are used to "back-up" important files contained within the fixed disk system.

USER COMMENTS Thz i>pzzd and fiztiability oi Cn.omzmco' & hoJid diAk itonagz fizally i>old me on thz &y&tem. Thz combination han.d dUkl iloppy diAk i>yt>tzm iA gn.zat\ Though initially thexz' i> mon.z Atonagz than wz nzzd, oa oyJi buiineAA mon.z. % gn.ow*, wz' ll havz thz i,tonjxgz availablz without punchaAing

15 CROMEMCO Z-2H: HARDWARE COMPONENTS

OTHER DEVICES

Printers:

Model 3779 Centronics Matrix Printer " 60 eps, 132 characters/line Tractor feed

Model 3703 Centronics Matrix Printer 180 eps, 132 characters/line Bidirectional, logic seeking printing Tractor feed

Model 3355A Centronics Full-Letter Impact Printer 55 eps Quality impression suited to camera copy Tractor feed

Computer Cards including Z-80 processor cards RAM and PROM memory boards Graphics interface Parallel port interface cards " OUR OBSERVATIONS

We found the printer to be quite suitable for business applications. The users we contacted indicated satisfaction with the printer and reported few problems.

USER COMMENTS The pntntzn. (3703) iA kind oi noi&y . . . eApzcially in a quiet oiiicz. Oun. pntntzn. (3703) haA bzzn n.zliablz, though i>omztimeA wz wiAh it woa icu>tzn. "

16 CROMEMCO Z-2H: SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

OPERATING SYSTEM. LANGUAGES, UTILITIES

Operating System: Cromemco Disk Operating System (CDOS) " Language: Cromemco 32K Structured BASIC Access Methods: Sequential or Random Utilities: BATCH - allows user to execute a file of commands from CDOS DUMP - displays contents of a file in hexa- decimal with ASCII translation of the dump INITIALIZE - used to format disks STATUS - displays disk and system status WRITE SYSTEM - used to transfer boot file TRANSFER - used to transfer disk filefiles SCREEN EDITOR - a screen-oriented text editor TEXT EDITOR - a character-oriented text cdieditor

OUR OBSERVATIONS

All Cromemco computers come with CDOS only, so it is up to the user to choose the programming language(s) . In addition to the 32K Structured BASIC we tested, Cromemco offers these languages:

COBOL - An enhanced version of LEVEL 1 ANSI COBOL ($95) FORTRAN IV - ANSI stnadard FORTRAN with the exception of complex data " types ($95) RATFOR - Rational FORTRAN package designed particularly to take ad vantage of structured programming techniques 16K BASIC - An enhanced, semicompiled BASIC ($95) Multi-User BASIC - Allows up to 7 users to run BASIC programs. Addi- tional hardware is required for over two users plus hardware) Z-80 Macro Assembler - Allows user to program in assembly language

USER COMMENTS Thz only othzn. languagz wz wiAh Cn.omzmco would oiizn. iA PASCAL.

Thz 32K Stfm.ctuA.zd BASIC iA iupexb it'ii zaAy to Izann and uaz. "

17

($195)

($BOO

($95) CROMEMCO Z-2H: SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

CROMEMCO-SUPPLIED PACKAGES

Cromemco does not supply application packages. This function is left to their dealers and software houses. Cromemco does supply a word- " processing system and a data base management system for a multi-user DBMS) .

OUR OBSERVATIONS

Applications packages are available from Cromemco dealers and software houses. The types of packages available include: General Accounting Packages—such as Payroll, Receivables, Payables Financial Reporting and Planning Packages

Inventory Control Packages

Word Processing Packages

Most of the users we contacted bought one or more of these packages " and modified them to meet their own individual needs. These modifica- tions were generally done by the users themselves. When problems occurred, users reported that they would call the vendors for advice and information, but corrected the programs themselves.

Those users who did not do their own programming reported they were happy with the packages they purchased from their dealer.

USER COMMENTS

We uAzd thz package wz bought in.om a vzndon. aA thz baAz ion. oun. own t>yi>tzm. "

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($95) ($95; $195 CROMEMCO Z-2H: SOFTWARE COMPONENTS

EDITOR

Program editing is accomplished with Cromemco's Basic In Line Editor. " This interactive editor provides line by line or global change capabi- lities.

OUR OBSERVATIONS

To create BASIC programs, lines of code are entered, each beginning with a line number (automatic line numbering is available). Syntax error checking is done on a line by line basis as they are entered. If an error is found, a message is displayed and a is placed under the line at the point in which the error was detected. To make corrections, the Editor allows the programmer to perform the following functions on one or more program lines:

FIND all occurrences of a string,

CHANGE all or selected occurrences of a specified string, and

EDIT selected lines by inserting or deleting characters

" Other features we enjoyed included RENUMBER (renumbers program lines) , DELETE (to delete one or several lines) , and especially the automatic "sprucing up" of the program through automatic spacing, automatic in- denting of FOR-NEXT loops, and more.

We found this editor to be quite useful and easy to use, but wish that Cromemco could find a way to avoid the user having to type out the com- plete word EDIT, or and so on, any time editing had to be done.

USER COMMENTS

Thz BASIC zditon. iA zxczllznt and zaAy to uAz without waAting timz We likz thz BASIC zditon., but thz ScAzzn zditon. iA zvzn bzttzn. "

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CHANGE, CROMEMCO Z-2H: SUPPORT SERVICES

DOCUMENTATION

Manuals supplied by Cromemco and used by our analyst included:

CDOS " User's Manual Z-2H Hard Disk Storage Instruction Manual 32K Structured BASIC Instruction Manual Screen Editor Instruction Manual

MAINTENANCE

Cromemco encourages dealer on-site service for Cromemco users, but will service anything they sell at the factory (both warranty and non- warranty work) . Most dealers offer maintenance contracts that typically cost from 1 to 3 percent of the price of the system.

TRAINING

Customer training is typically handled by Cromemco dealers and not by Cromemco itself. Cromemco does offer training seminars for their dealers to keep them up to date on the systems. "

DOCUMENTATION

Though Cromemco has tried to orient their manuals toward the beginner, most users felt they were difficult to use. However, we found the manuals to be as well written as others we have used.

USER COMMENTS Thz BASIC manual iA not ion. amatzunA. Onz thing I will i>ay, Cn.omzmco' & manualA an.z getting bettzn. with timz. We get iaAt, pnampt Aesivicz morn oun. dzalzn.. "

20 SUMMARY OF USER COMMENTS

Supplied with names by Cromemco and the Association of Computer Users, we " 12 interviewed Z-2H users. The Z-2H has only been offered since September of 1979, so at the time of our survey, our users had no more than 5 months experi- ence with the system.

Our survey sample consisted almost completely of users with moderate to ex- tensive programming experience. For this reason, many of the users did their own application programming and software maintenance. Nearly all of the users contacted had previous experience with computer systems. In fact, many of these users reported their prior experience was with other Cromemco systems.

All our respondents reported using their Z-2H system for business applications. Their uses included accounting, inventory control, financial control, word processing, data base management, sales scheduling, and mailing list genera- tion.

In almost every instance, utilization of the Z-2H was quite high. Daily usage " was generally reported to be at least 8 hours per day including one person who reported using his system 24 hours per day. Given these high levels of utili- zation, users reported very little down time. They characterized their Z-2H as "hard-working," "dependable," and "reliable." The little service that was required by some users was always quite fast and efficient. In fact, the only complaint about the hardware voiced by our respondents was a delay in their delivery dates to initially receive the system (a few weeks) . Most users also reported using at least one other computer system in their firm.

As stated earlier in this report, we liked the design and layout of the key- board. The users we contacted, though, were much less enthusiastic. They felt the keyboard had "a nice touch," but were otherwise neutral in their feelings about it. One user even found the keyboard, with all its extra keys and func- tion keys, to be "intimidating."

The data storage system, with the dual 53,-inch floppies and the hard disk, re- " ceived an "outstanding" rating by the users. Users felt the system was

21 "adequate, reliable, and speedy." Many users indicated that initially the storage capacity exceeds their needs. However, they felt that anyone, like themselves, who feels that their business is expanding, would find the storage " capacity to be a large selling point.

When asked about programming languages, Cromemco's 32K Structured BASIC emerged as the most widely used (although the other languages offered by Cromemco were used by a few of the users) . Users were generally satisfied with both the languages themselves and the variety available, though several indicated a desire to see PASCAL offered in the future.

The BASIC editor received wide-spread approval. Users found it easy to use and easy to learn. Many suggested the Screen editor was even superior to any others they had used.

Regarding documentation, most users were satisfied though several criticized the manuals for being too technical. New users felt "more examples would sure be helpful." The users with prior experience in the Cromemco line indicated that "Cromemco's manuals are getting better." " Before purchasing their Z-2H, other systems examined by the users included Wang, Apple, IBM, Data North Pertec, and Alpha-Micro. Their reasons for deciding on the Z-2H are summarized by this user who said, "The Z- -2H is more expensive than many of the other systems I looked at, but given its reliability, ease of use, competent service, and storage capacity, it was my best choice."

user's impressions of the Z-2H were extremely favorable. Most re- spondents found it to be "a very good, reliable tool" for their business.

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DEC, General, Star,

Overall, CONCLUSIONS " A relative "old-timer" in the Silicon Valley family of microcomputer manu- facturers (they've been making computer systems since 1976) , Cromemco has developed a fine addition to their already impressive line of small business computer systems. Released just last September, Cromemco's Z-2H computer system has already hit the 1,000 mark in sales.

Our survey revealed totally satisfied business users, many of whom moved up to the Z-2H from other Cromemco systems. Though all of these people had only used the Z-2H for a few months, they held high expectations for the Z-2H's ability to serve as a useful business tool.

Nearly all of the users we contacted were programmers and all were quite happy with Cromemco's 32K Structured BASIC. In addition, the users' experiences seemed to support Cromemco's reputation for producing reliable, durable and well-designed systems.

The performance of the Z-2D System Two was good. With the addition of the " hard disk, the capabilities of the Z-2H are excellent. The hard disk storage system, offering 10 times the capacity of most dual floppy disk systems, and access times 6 to 10 times faster, produces outstanding I/O performance. We feel this is important for business systems due to the high I/O requirements of many business applications.

In conclusion, we found the Cromemco Z-2H to be a well-designed, well-thought out business system. Though more expensive than the other systems we've tested, Z-2H users feel "it's darn well worth it."

" NEXT ISSUE: Vector Graphic System B

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