History
When the Z88 came out there was no internet or standard for communicating between different computers.
Making a good computer link for the Z88 need to address the following:-
- Faster Serial Port - OZ v3.0 slow implementation of the Serial Port - this is limited to 1200 baud.
- Protocol - it needs to be able to send binary and ascii files.
- File conversion software - PipeDream file structure is unique.
PC
Wordmongers wrote Tx, - File Transfer System for over 100 different micros which included the Z88. It included PipeDream to WordStar conversion.
Cambridge Computer bought out 2 versions for the PC. PC Link used the Imp-Exp protocol. PC Link II ran as an application supplied on a 32K EPROM card and as a DOS program on the PC. It introduced new commands that enabled all commands to be controlled from the PC. PipeDream to WordStar and PipeDream to Lotus 1-2-3 file conversion was supplied.
Ranger came up with a different approach. They had already produced Ranger Disk and had written the software to run on the Z88. Just a few tweaks were needed on the Z88 and a small DOS program to make the PC look like a Ranger disk and they were off. As their program ran outside of OZ, they controlled the serial port directly, enabling faster transfer speeds to be realised.
There was no reason why this small program was not developed for other computers i.e. Apple Mac, but this was not to be.
How do they all stack up?
| Manufacturer | Program | Faster S-Port | Protocol | File Conversion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| File Transfer System |  |  | | ||
| PC Link | | | | ||
| PC Link II | | | | ||
| Ranger Link | | | | ||
Bluetooth
PC Link