1.3 Software Configuration
1.3.1 Operating systems
The operating system
of
the PX-S
is
an extended version
of
CP
1M
which
is
one
of
the most popular operating systems for small business computers and
personal computers.
CP
1M
is
an abbreviation for Control Program for
Microprocessors. This operating system was developed by Digital Research and
is
a very popular operating system
on
microcomputers because programs deve-
loped under
CP
1M
can be used with minimum modification
on
any computer
using the
CP
1M
operating system. This makes a vast library
of
application pro-
grams for this system instantly available commercially, whereas with a new oper-
ating system they would have
to
be written specifically for the operating system.
EPSON has added a variety
of
useful functions
to
CP
1M
version 2.2 in de-
veloping the PX-S operating system. Further details
of
the use
of
CP
1M
on
the PX-S are given in Chapter
3.
1.3.2 Utilities
The PX-S has the ability to use programs loaded from the built in microcas-
sette tape or from floppy disk (using the optional disk unit),
but
it has a more
powerful facility
to
use programs which reside in ROMs which can be plugged
into the sockets underneath the computer. This
is
a more convenient method
of
storing programs than either tape or disk, since the programs are available
almost immediately, whereas with disk
and
tape it can take a noticeable time
to load them into memory.
• BASIC
The PX-S
is
equipped with a powerful BASIC interpreter which
is
an extended
version
of
Microsoft BASIC which
is
a language widely used for personal com-
puters. Programs can be written by the user and are also available commercial-
ly. There are also listings
of
such programs printed in books and magazines
which can either be typed in and run directly, or will require a minimum
of
modification. Extra commands have been added to cater for the added features
of
the PX-S.
For details
of
BASIC, refer to the BASIC Reference Manual.
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• Portable W ordStar™
The word processor WordStar™
is
one
of
the most popular wordprocessing
programs available
on
microcomputers. Portable WordStar™
is
an enhanced
version
of
the Micropro WordStar™ which been specially modified to take ac-
count
of
the features
of
the PX-S. Whereas the PX-S can be used directly as
a wordprocessor with the WordStar ROM installed, the files can be transferred
to
other computers using the built in communications
port
of
the PX-S. This
means that the PX-S can retain its portability where necessary and another com-
puter used for the main processing.
• Portable Calc™
Apart from use as wordprocessors, the other main impact
on
the business world
made by microcomputers has been in the area
of
electronic spreadsheet pro-
grams. The Portable Calc™ program
is
a ROM based program in this category.
• Portable SchedulerTM
Because
of
the built in clock facility
of
the PX-S, the computer
is
ideal for keep-
ing a diary. The Portable Scheduler™
is
a program which keeps a diary which
not
only allows a record
of
the users appointments to be kept,
but
also enables
the time
to
be signalled using the ALARM function
of
the PX-S.
These utility programs are available as optional ROM capsules.
For
details
of
their use refer to the reference manual for each utility program. They represent
a small proportion
of
the software available. Please consult your dealer for the
particular application you require.
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