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RomWBW/Source/Doc/Introduction.md
Mark Pruden c5280b3ebd Improvement to Forth documentation, 
and hide NVR Configure app from app list menu
as it is in the main help menu
2025-01-27 13:11:27 +11:00

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$define{doc_title}{Introduction}$
$include{"Book.h"}$
# Overview
RomWBW software provides a complete, commercial quality
implementation of CP/M (and workalike) operating systems and
applications for modern Z80/180/280 retro-computing hardware systems.
A wide variety of platforms are supported including those
produced by these developer communities:
* [RetroBrew Computers](https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org)
(<https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org>)
* [RC2014](https://rc2014.co.uk) (<https://rc2014.co.uk>), \
[RC2014-Z80](https://groups.google.com/g/rc2014-z80)
(<https://groups.google.com/g/rc2014-z80>)
* [Retro Computing](https://groups.google.com/g/retro-comp)
(<https://groups.google.com/g/retro-comp>)
* [Small Computer Central](https://smallcomputercentral.com/)
(<https://smallcomputercentral.com/>)
A complete list of the currently supported platforms is found in
$doc_hardware$ .
`\clearpage`{=latex}
# Description
## Primary Features
By design, RomWBW isolates all of the hardware specific functions in
the ROM chip itself. The ROM provides a hardware abstraction layer
such that all of the operating systems and applications on a disk
will run on any RomWBW-based system. To put it simply, you can take
a disk (or CF/SD/USB Card) and move it between systems transparently.
Supported hardware features of RomWBW include:
* Z80 Family CPUs including Z80, Z180, and Z280
* Banked memory services for several banking designs
* Disk drivers for RAM, ROM, Floppy, IDE ATA/ATAPI, CF, SD, USB, Zip, Iomega
* Serial drivers including UART (16550-like), ASCI, ACIA, SIO
* Video drivers including TMS9918, SY6545, MOS8563, HD6445
* Keyboard (PS/2) drivers via VT8242 or PPI interfaces
* Real time clock drivers including DS1302, BQ4845
* Support for CP/NET networking using Wiznet, MT011 or Serial
* Built-in VT-100 terminal emulation support
A dynamic disk drive letter assignment mechanism allows mapping
operating system drive letters to any available disk media.
Additionally, mass storage devices (IDE Disk, CF Card, SD Card, etc.)
support the use of multiple slices (up to 256 per device). Each slice
contains a complete CP/M filesystem and can be mapped independently to
any drive letter. This overcomes the inherent size limitations in legacy
OSes and allows up to 2GB of addressable storage on a single device,
with up to 128MB accessible at any one time.
## Included Software
Multiple disk images are provided in the distribution. Most disk
images contain a complete, bootable, ready-to-run implementation of a
specific operating system. A "combo" disk image contains multiple
slices, each with a full operating system implementation. If you use
this disk image, you can easily pick whichever operating system you
want to boot without changing media.
Some of the included software:
* Operating Systems (CP/M 2.2, ZSDOS, NZ-COM, CP/M 3, ZPM3, Z3PLUS, QPM )
* Support for other operating systems, p-System, FreeRTOS, and FUZIX.
* Programming Tools (Z80ASM, Turbo Pascal, Forth, Cowgol)
* C Compiler's including Aztec-C, and HI-TECH C
* Microsoft Basic Compiler, and Microsoft Fortran
* Some games such as Colossal Cave, Zork, etc
* Wordstar Word processing software
Some of the provided software can be launched directly from the
ROM firmware itself:
* System Monitor
* Operating Systems (CP/M 2.2, ZSDOS)
* ROM BASIC (Nascom BASIC and Tasty BASIC)
* ROM Forth
A tool is provided that allows you to access a FAT-12/16/32 filesystem.
The FAT filesystem may be coresident on the same disk media as RomWBW
slices or on stand-alone media. This makes exchanging files with modern
OSes such as Windows, MacOS, and Linux very easy.
`\clearpage`{=latex}
## ROM Distribution
The [RomWBW Repository](https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW)
(<https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW>) on GitHub is the official
distribution location for all project source and documentation.
RomWBW is distributed as both source code and pre-built ROM and disk
images.
The pre-built ROM images distributed with RomWBW are based on
the default system configurations as determined by the hardware
provider/designer. The pre-built ROM firmware images are generally
suitable for most users.
The fully-built distribution releases are available on the
[RomWBW Releases Page](https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW/releases)
(<https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW/releases>) of the repository.
On this page, you will normally see a Development Snapshot as well as
recent stable releases. Unless you have a specific reason, I suggest you
stick to the most recent stable release.
The asset named RomWBW-vX.X.X-Package.zip includes all pre-built ROM
and Disk images as well as full source code. The other assets contain
only source code and do not have the pre-built ROM or disk images.
#### Distribution Directory Layout
The RomWBW distribution is a compressed zip archive file organized in
a set of directories. Each of these directories has its own
ReadMe.txt file describing the contents in detail. In summary, these
directories are:
| **Directory** | **Description** |
|--------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Binary** | The final output files of the build process are placed here. Most importantly, the ROM images with the file names ending in ".rom" and disk images ending in .img. |
| **Doc** | Contains various detailed documentation, both RomWBW specifically as well as the operating systems and applications. |
| **Source** | Contains the source code files used to build the software and ROM images. |
| **Tools** | Contains the programs that are used by the build process or that may be useful in setting up your system. |
`\clearpage`{=latex}
#### Building from Source
It is also very easy to modify and build custom ROM
images that fully tailor the firmware to your specific preferences.
All tools required to build custom ROM firmware under Windows are
included -- no need to install assemblers, etc. The firmware can also
be built using Linux or MacOS after confirming a few standard tools
have been installed.
## Installation & Operation
In general, installation of RomWBW on your platform is very simple. You
just need to program your ROM with the correct ROM image from the RomWBW
distribution. Subsequently, you can write disk images on your disk
drives (IDE disk, CF Card, SD Card, etc.) which then provides even more
functionality.
Complete instructions for installation and operation of RomWBW are found
in the $doc_user$. It is also a good idea to review the [Release
Notes](https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW/blob/master/RELEASE_NOTES.md)
for helpful release-specific information.
## Documentation
There are several documents that form the core of the RomWBW documentation:
* $doc_user$ is the main user guide for RomWBW, it covers the major topics
of how to install, manage and use RomWBW, and includes additional guidance
to the use of some of the operating systems supported by RomWBW
* $doc_hardware$ contains a description of all the hardware platforms,
and devices supported by RomWBW.
* $doc_apps$ is a reference for the ROM-hosted and OS-hosted applications
created or customized to enhance the operation of RomWBW.
* $doc_catalog$ is a reference for the contents of the disk images
provided with RomWBW, with a description of many of the files on each image
* $doc_sys$ discusses much of the internal design and construction
of RomWBW. It includes a reference for the RomWBW HBIOS API
functions.
Each of the operating systems and ROM applications included with RomWBW
are sophisticated tools in their own right. It is not reasonable to
fully document their usage. However, you will find complete manuals
in PDF format in the Doc directory of the distribution. The intention
of this documentation is to describe the operation of RomWBW and the ways in
which it enhances the operation of the included applications and
operating systems.
Since RomWBW is purely a software product for many different platforms,
the documentation does **not** cover hardware construction,
configuration, or troubleshooting -- please see your hardware provider
for this information.
# Support
## Getting Assistance
The best way to get assistance with RomWBW or any aspect of the
RetroBrew Computers projects is via one of the community forums:
* [RetroBrew Computers Forum](https://www.retrobrewcomputers.org/forum/)
* [RC2014 Google Group](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/rc2014-z80)
* [retro-comp Google Group](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/retro-comp)
Submission of issues and bugs are welcome at the
[RomWBW GitHub Repository](https://github.com/wwarthen/RomWBW).
Also feel free to email $doc_author$ at [$doc_authmail$](mailto:$doc_authmail$).
I am happy to provide support adapting RomWBW to new or modified systems
# Contributions
All source code and distributions are maintained on GitHub.
Contributions of all kinds to RomWBW are very welcome.
## Acknowledgments
I want to acknowledge that a great deal of the code and inspiration
for RomWBW has been provided by or derived from the work of others
in the RetroBrew Computers Community. I sincerely appreciate all of
their contributions. The list below is probably missing many names --
please let me know if I missed you!
* Andrew Lynch started it all when he created the N8VEM Z80 SBC
which became the first platform RomWBW supported. Some of his
original code can still be found in RomWBW.
* Dan Werner wrote much of the code from which RomWBW was originally
derived and he has always been a great source of knowledge and
advice.
* Douglas Goodall contributed code, time, testing, and advice in "the
early days". He created an entire suite of application programs to
enhance the use of RomWBW. Unfortunately, they have become unusable
due to internal changes within RomWBW. As of RomWBW 2.6, these
applications are no longer provided.
* Sergey Kiselev created several hardware platforms for RomWBW
including the very popular Zeta.
* David Giles created support for the Z180 CSIO which is now included
SD Card driver.
* Phil Summers contributed the Forth and BASIC adaptations in ROM, the
AY-3-8910 sound driver, DMA support, and a long list of general code
and documentation enhancements.
* Ed Brindley contributed some of the code that supports the RCBus
platform.
* Spencer Owen created the RC2014 series of hobbyist kit computers
which has exponentially increased RomWBW usage. Some of his kits
include RomWBW.
* Stephen Cousins has likewise created a series of hobbyist kit
computers at Small Computer Central and is distributing RomWBW
with many of them.
* Alan Cox has contributed some driver code and has provided a great
deal of advice.
* The CP/NET client files were developed by Douglas Miller.
* Phillip Stevens contributed support for FreeRTOS.
* Curt Mayer contributed the original Linux / MacOS build process.
* UNA BIOS and FDISK80 are the products of John Coffman.
* FLASH4 is a product of Will Sowerbutts.
* CLRDIR is a product of Max Scane.
* Tasty Basic is a product of Dimitri Theulings.
* Dean Netherton contributed eZ80 CPU support, the sound driver
interface, and the SN76489 sound driver.
* The RomWBW Disk Catalog document was produced by Mykl Orders.
* Rob Prouse has created many of the supplemental disk images
including Aztec C, HiTech C, SLR Z80ASM, Turbo Pascal, Microsoft
BASIC Compiler, Microsoft Fortran Compiler, and a Games
compendium.
* Martin R has provided substantial help reviewing and improving the
User Guide and Applications documents.
* Mark Pruden has made a wide variety of contributions including:
- significant content in the Disk Catalog and User Guide
- creation of the Introduction and Hardware documents
- Z3PLUS operating system disk image
- COPYSL utility
- a feature for RomWBW configuration by NVRAM
- the /B bulk mode of disk assignment to the ASSIGN utility
* Jacques Pelletier has contributed the DS1501 RTC driver code.
* Jose Collado has contributed enhancements to the TMS driver
including compatibility with standard TMS register configuration.
* Kevin Boone has contributed a generic HBIOS date/time utility (WDATE).
* Matt Carroll has contributed a fix to XM.COM that corrects the
port specification when doing a send.
* Dean Jenkins enhanced the build process to accommodate the
Raspberry Pi 4.
* Tom Plano has contributed a new utility (HTALK) to allow talking
directly to HBIOS COM ports.
* Lars Nelson has contributed several generic utilities such as
a universal (OS agnostic) UNARC application.
* Dylan Hall added support for specifying a secondary console.
* Bill Shen has contributed boot loaders for several of his
systems.
* Laszlo Szolnoki has contributed an EF9345 video display
controller driver.
* Ladislau Szilagyi has contributed an enhanced version of
CP/M Cowgol that leverages RomWBW memory banking.
* Les Bird has contributed support for the NABU w/ Option Board
`\clearpage`{=latex}
## Related Projects
Outside of the hardware platforms adapted to RomWBW, there are a variety
of projects that either target RomWBW specifically or provide
a RomWBW-specific variation. These efforts are greatly appreciated
and are listed below. Please contact the author if there are any other
such projects that are not listed.
#### Z88DK
Z88DK is a software powerful development kit for Z80 computers
supporting both C and assembly language. This kit now provides
specific library support for RomWBW HBIOS. The Z88DK project is
hosted at <https://github.com/z88dk/z88dk>.
#### Paleo Editor
Steve Garcia has created a Windows-hosted IDE that is tailored to
development of RomWBW. The project can be found at
<https://github.com/alloidian/PaleoEditor>.
#### Z80 fig-FORTH
Dimitri Theulings' implementation of fig-FORTH for the Z80 has a
RomWBW-specific variant. The project is hosted at
<https://github.com/dimitrit/figforth>.
#### Assembly Language Programming for the RC2014 Zed
Bruce Hall has written a very nice document that describes how to
develop assembly language applications on RomWBW. It begins with the
setup and configuration of a new RC2014 Zed system running RomWBW.
It describes not only generic CP/M application development, but also
RomWBW HBIOS programming and bare metal programming. The latest copy
of this document is hosted at
[http://w8bh.net/Assembly for RC2014Z.pdf](http://w8bh.net/Assembly%20for%20RC2014Z.pdf).
# Licensing
## License Terms
RomWBW is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
RomWBW is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with RomWBW. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
Portions of RomWBW were created by, contributed by, or derived from
the work of others. It is believed that these works are being used
in accordance with the intentions and/or licensing of their creators.
If anyone feels their work is being used outside of its intended
licensing, please notify:
> $doc_author$ \
> [$doc_authmail$](mailto:$doc_authmail$)
RomWBW is an aggregate work. It is composed of many individual,
standalone programs that are distributed as a whole to function as
a cohesive system. Each program may have its own licensing which
may be different from other programs within the aggregate.
In some cases, a single program (e.g., CP/M Operating System) is
composed of multiple components with different licenses. It is
believed that in all such cases the licenses are compatible with
GPL version 3.
RomWBW encourages code contributions from others. Contributors
may assert their own copyright in their contributions by
annotating the contributed source code appropriately. Contributors
are further encouraged to submit their contributions via the RomWBW
source code control system to ensure their contributions are clearly
documented.
All contributions to RomWBW are subject to this license.
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