Microbee System Software

Microbee System Software provides an operating environment and platform on which other General Software can run. This includes ROM based software that is permanently resident within the machine as well as Disk based operating systems.
 

Microworld Basic

Microworld Basic is the Microbee's very own variant of the Basic programming language. It was supplied in both ROM and Disk editions to suit different Microbee models. Most ROM based Microbees automatically boot into Microworld Basic on power up, whereas Disk based machines have it available to run as a CP/M ".COM" file. It was actively developed during the 1980s, with a number of different versions being released for both ROM and Disk based editions.
 

ROM Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
5.00	Feb 1982	Kit			First version available and soon replaced with v5.10. No known copy.
5.10	1982	Kit, 16/32K & 16/32K Plus		MEM, NET, EDASM	Replaced v5.00 for Kit Microbee and came in the first pre-assembled Microbees in the new 2 tone case. MEM, NET and EDASM used to call other roms.
5.21e	1982	IC	LIST in Uppercase or Lowercase.	LISTU & LISTL, COLOUR & COLOR
5.22e	1983	IC, Experimenter, Educator, PC		PAK (replacing MEM), COLOUR, COLOR
5.22d	1983	Danish IC			Known Danish variety.
5.24e	1985	PC85		MENU (replacing EDASM)	Short life and quickly replaced with 5.25e.
5.24s	1985	Swedish PC85			Known Swedish variety.
5.25e	1985	PC85b
5.26e	1985	PC85b and Swedish PC85	Supports the Australian & Swedish keyboard.		Runs on both Australian & Swedish PC85's
5.29e	1986	Prem PC85	No longer runs out of PCG graphics in 64x16 mode.	HIRES2

 

Disk Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
5.21e	1983	64K, 64K Plus			Same as ROM version 5.21e but able to be run from floppy, called TBASICC.COM. Quickly replaced by 5.22e
5.22e	1983	64K, 64K Plus, APC, CIAB			Same as ROM version 5.22e but able to be run from floppy, called TBASICC.COM
5.26e	1985	Prem CIAB			Same as ROM version 5.26e but able to be run from floppy, called TBASICC.COM
6.10	1982	64K, 64K Plus			Same as ROM version 5.10. First version of disk based Basic.
6.21e	1983	64K, 64K Plus			Same as ROM version 5.21e but able to be run from floppy. Quickly replaced by 6.22e
6.22e	1983	64K, 64K Plus, APC, CIAB	Disk commands introduced. SAVE&LOAD now save/load to disk, CSAVE&CLOAD to/from tape.	EOF (replacing PAK), SAVE, LOAD, CSAVE, CLOAD, DIR, GRSAVE, GRLOAD, OPEN, CLOSE, NAME, KILL, AS, SYSTEM, DISKRESET	See Beeline v3#06
6.22z	1988	APC, CIAB, 128k, Prem 128k, 256TC	From Owen Hill - Will enable practically all programs running under Basic to operate on all machines. Catcher v6 #10		Has problems with PJB system.
6.23e - Type1	1983	CIAB	Accepts command line parameter from CP/M to auto load/run program	MENU (replacing EDASM)	CP/M commands such as "BASIC GAME" can now be used to run Basic and then automatically load and run GAME.MWB. Runs okay on CIAB, will not run under Prem128 PJB v1.2 nor Std 128k Microbee system.
6.23e - Type2	1983	128K	Accepts command line parameter from CP/M to auto load/run program	EDASM (replacing MENU)	CP/M commands such as "BASIC GAME" can now be used to run Basic and then automatically load and run GAME.MWB. Runs okay under Prem128k PJB v1.2 and Std 128k Microbee system , will not run under CIAB.
6.23s	1983	Swedish 128k			CP/M commands such as "BASIC GAME" can now be used to run Basic and then automatically load and run GAME.MWB. Runs okay under Prem128k PJB v1.2 and Std 128k Microbee system , will not run under CIAB.
6.26e	1985	Prem 128k	No longer runs out of PCG graphics in 64x16 mode.	HIRES2	GRSAVE files are 20kb in size with HIRES2 on, with HIRES, they are 8kb in size. COLOUR & COLOR commands produce different colours than previous models.
6.28e	1986	Prem 128k			Replaced 6.26e quickly.
6.28n	1986	Prem 128k			Network version.
6.30e	1986	Prem 128k Overdrive(?)			Released to overcome bug found in versions 6.24 to 6.29 where most of the Basic code was out by 1 byte.  Also Swedish and Network versions.
6.30c	1986	Premium CIAB			Specific version for the Premium CIAB but shows ver. 6.30e when run.
6.31e	1987	256TC	Adds programming the function key and program caching.		Mentioned in Catcher v5 #8 p8 - Caches the program, for examle: NEW the program, LIST shows its gone, then LOAD brings it back instanly with no disk activity.
6.32e	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC	Added ability to workout what type of Microbee its running from and load in appropriate form of Basic.		HIRES2 line plotting now uses the faster Bresenham's Algorithm - Catcher v6 #4a p10
6.33e	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC			Network version known to be used for Swedish Premium 128k.
6.34e	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC
6.35e	1988	Prem 128K, 256TC & Matilda			Final released version of Microworld Basic.

 

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Boot/Monitor ROM

This ROM is installed into Disk based machines to provide a bootstrap BIOS with the ability to then load CP/M from disk. A machine language monitor is also included which provides an alternative low-level operating environment. The monitor can be invoked by holding down the "M" key during power up or reset. or from the Menu selection on later models.
 


 

Boot ROM Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	Disk Type	Features and Notes
?	1982	64K	SS40S, SS40, DS40S & DS40	A 4kb boot rom with Monitor. Allows booting via the 50way expansion port to an External S100 system. This rom has not been seen or maybe the 56K rom.
56K	1983	64K Plus	SS40S, SS40, DS40S & DS40	A 4kb boot rom with Monitor. Allows booting via the 50way expansion port to an External WD based floppy controller.
BN54	1984	128K and CIAB	DS40 or SS80	An 8kb boot rom with Monitor. Allows booting via its internal floppy controller on the Coreboard.
BN54 Swedish		Swedish CIAB	DS40 or SS80	As above but also handles the changed keyboard.
BN55		128K and CIAB	DS40 or SS80	Allows booting via its internal floppy controller on the Coreboard.
BN56	1986	Prem 128K & Prem CIAB	DS40 or SS80 & DS80	Allows booting via its internal floppy controller on the Coreboard.
BN57/58/2.01	-	None	-	Never officially released. Known bugs were 1. In self test mode MEMORY BLOCK TEST does not test banks 1 and 3. 2. Does not test the RAM BANK switching. 3. The letter "E" on the keyboard not tested. 4. Some functions in the MONITOR leave bytes on the stack causing a crash. 5. The word KERNEL is spelt wrong on the self test menu. 6. Problems when typing in glass typewriter mode.
BN59/2.02	-	None	-	As above but has problem number 1 fixed.
BN60/2.03	Dec 1987	128K Overdrive	SS80 & DS80	All above bugs fixed. Menu comes to screen if no floppy in drive to allow selecting Boot Floppy, Monitor or Self Test. The network facility has been removed so cannot work on a Starnet.
HD18	1985	128k & Prem 128K Hard Drive models	DS40 and 10MB & 20MB Hard Drive	For Hard Drive models only for use with WD Hard Drive/Floppy external controller.
256TC 1.11	1987	256TC	SS80 & DS80	A 16kb rom. Featured in the 256TC manuals but no copy actually seen. Allows booting via its internal floppy controller. Menu on screen if no floppy in drive, allows selection of Boot Disk, Network, Set Time & Set Test. Boots single or double sided 3.5" disks only.
256TC 1.15	1987	256TC	SS80 & DS80	Menu as above.
256TC 1.20	1987	256TC	SS80 & DS80	Menu on screen if no floppy in drive, allows selection of Boot Disk, Monitor, Self Test & Set Time. Monitor Icon changed.
Matilda 1.31	1990	Matilda	SS80 & DS80	Works in Matilda to emulate the 256TC. Menu on screen if no floppy in drive, allows selection of only Boot Disk, Self Test & Set Time.

 

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Z80 Editor/Assembler (EDASM)

The Microbee Z80 Editor/Assembler package (EDASM) was first released for ROM-based machines as an optional 8KB ROM (actually 2x 4KB ROMs in early machines). This ROM occupies the PAK location in the memory map (ie C000h-DFFFh). Later, a CP/M disk edition (EDASM.COM) was released for disk-based machines. The functionality of the ROM and disk editions is virtually identical, except that the ROM edition loads and saves Assembler programs from/to cassette tape, whereas the disk edition uses the same commands to read and write disk files instead.
The EDASM package contains 3 main parts:

• Editor - This is a line-oriented text editor used for writing and editing Assembler programs. Multiple programs can be storage in memory at any one time and the editor can be easily switched between them or used to copy code from one program file to another.
• Assembler - A 3 pass Z80 Assembler used to produce machine language code from Assembler programs. The generated code is written directly to RAM where it can be immediately executed, or potentially examined and manipulated by the Monitor. 
• Monitor (ROM edition only) - A machine language monitor allowing direct interaction with the memory map, including examining or altering individual memory locations, comparing and moving blocks of content etc. The monitor also includes commands for loading and saving memory contents, including generated machine language programs, from/to cassette tape. The same Monitor, or variations of it, can also be found packaged with some WordBee, Telcom and Boot/Monitor ROMs.

 


 

ROM Editions

 

Disk Editions

 

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WordBee

Wordbee was the Microbee's first Word Processor. It was supplied in both ROM and Disk editions.
 

ROM Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
Wordbee 1.0	1982	16/32K Plus	Serial printer set as default.		First version available. See Wordbee Instructions Manual for full operation.
Wordbee 1.2	1983	IC & PC	Allows you to change the keyboard and printer devices directly from the Menu.	I and O	See Wordbee Users Manual for full operation.
Wordbee 1.2 Swedish	1983	Swedish IC & PC	Menu now in Swedish.
Wordbee 1.3	1985	PC85	Parallel printer set as default. Status of the key is shown on the status line at the top of the screen. Printing italics mode has been added. Cursor movement in the Wordbee Monitor changed to Ctrl E, S, D, X.		See the PC85 Users Manual for full list of changes, page 7-1.
Wordbee 1.3 Release 3	1985	PC85
Wordbee 2.0 Swedish	1985	Swedish PC85	Menu now in Swedish.

 

Disk Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
Wordbee 3.2	1982	64K, 64K Plus and 128K	Same as ROM 1.2 but now disk support. E Exits to CP/M and not Basic.	L & S Loads and Saves to Disk, C Change Disk, D Disk Directory, A Append to file
Wordbee 3.3	1984	CIAB and 128K	Auto-loads a file called WBEE.WBF
Graphics Wordbee 4.1	1985	Prem CIAB and Prem 128K	Graphics addition and change of Font now included. Came complete with Font & Graphic Editors.	G to load Graphics font file.	Replaced by Simply Write wordprocessor on later Prem 128k. See Graphics Wordbee Users Manual for full operation.

 

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Telcom

Telcom, and its predecessor the Terminal/Network ROM, are communications/terminal emulator programs for the Microbee IC and later models. The original Terminal/Network ROM was released with the Microbee IC but was soon replaced with the enhanced Telcom utility. Later, Telcom also became available as a CP/M program for Disk based machines. All versions of Telcom and its predecessor require a 3.375MHz CPU clock in order to produce the 80*24 character display used for terminal emulation and to operate at correct software generated (ie, bit banged) baud rates.

ROM Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
Terminal/Network v1.00	1983	IC	A simple ADM3A terminal emulator that operates at 110, 300, 600, 1200, 2400 or 4800 baud (with parity selection) in either half or full duplex mode. In addition, file handling functionality is provided that enables Basic, Machine Language or WordBee files to be transferred to/from the Microbee using the Christensen protocol. Also includes a Self Test function and Machine Language Monitor. This 4KB ROM occupies the "NET" ROM position in the Microbee memory map. Documentation for this ROM can be found in the Microbee IC Technical Notes manual.		The ROM code requires Basic v5.22e to be present.
Terminal/Network (type 2)	1983	IC	A variation of the original release with an unknown version number. There are significant code differences between this version and the original but functionality differences are not known.
Telcom 1.0	1983	IC	Monitor and Test routines removed. Baud rate from 50 to 19k. Clock and Alarm included. Screen Text can be saved to Wordbee. Screen print works from BASIC or Wordbee.		First version with Telcom name. See the Telcom I Users Manual for full operation and capabilities.
Telcom 1.1	1983	IC	Bug fix release.		Telcom Clock was causing problems loading tapes via Worbee Monitor.
Dinamicro 1.1	1983	Swedish IC	Swedish version. Has SCREEN 40/80 option.	SCREEN	Called Dinamicro ApS - Communications
Telcom 1.2	1983	IC	Bug fix release.		Reliable tape loads with the Wordee monitor has been fixed in this version. Telcom Clock was interfering with tape loads.
Telcom 3.00	1984	PC	Monitor and Test routines re-appear with a calculator and format option.	MON, TEST, CALC and FORMAT	Now an 8kb ROM. See the Microbee Series III and Telcom III User Manual for full operation.
Telcom 3.10	1984	PC
Telcom 3.21 Standard	1985	PC85	Parallel printer set as default printer. Self test updated. Screen print facility accessed by ^P has been removed from Telcom and the screen prints are now sent to the shell ROM.		See the PC85 Users Manual for full list of changes, page 8-1.
Telcom 3.21 Premium	1985	Premium PC85			See the Premium PC85 Users Manual for full operation and changes, page 12-1.
Telcom 3.21 Swedish	1985	Swedish PC85
Telcom 4.07	1986	Teleterm	Compete re-design. Uses drop down Menus. Self Test now includes the handpiece.		See the Teleterm Reference Manual for full features, page 2-1.

 

Disk Editions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	New Commands	Notes
Telcom 2.0	1984	APC, CIAB & 128K	Half duplex with ECHO supported.		See the Telcom II Users Manual for full operation.
Telcom 2.1	1984	APC, CIAB & 128K
Telcom 2.2	1985	APC, CIAB, 128K,  Prem CIAB & Prem 128K	Max Baud rate increased to 38k.	38K	See the Telcom II ver 2.2 Users Manual for full operation.
Telcom 2.3	1986	128k & Prem 128K	Supports the SCC by selecting Port 2 on the Telcom menu.		See Beeline v7 #4
Telcom 2.4	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC	The REAL logged disk drive (and user number) now display on the screen.		See the 256TC Telcom Manual for full operation.
Telcom 2.41	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC
Telcom 3.00	1987	Prem 128k & 256TC	Support for Hayes Modems included.	BEE/HAYES	Opening screen still shows Telcom II.

 

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Monitor

The Microbee Machine Language Monitor is a low level utility used for viewing and manipulating the content and operation of the system. There are many versions of the Monitor that were released over the life of the Microbee but all stem from a program that was originally written by David Griffiths for the DGZ80 S100 CPU card. The Monitor can be used for viewing, searching and comparing the contents of RAM or ROM, modifying RAM contents and interacting with Z80 ports. It can also be used to read and write tape files and floppy disk content as well as a number of other functions that evolved over time.
 


More details of the various Monitor versions and the commands and functionality that each version provides can be found here:

Monitor Commands

• Monitor Commands

 

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CP/M

Disk based Microbees run the CP/M Operating System.
More details to be added here in future...
 

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CIAB Menu

The Microbee Computer in a Book (CIAB) features a graphical menu system that resembles an open book. The menu can be run automatically at boot time and provides user friendly access to the main system software components.
 

Menu Versions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	Notes
sh	1984	64k & CIAB	Heading reads Computer-In-A-Book. Monochrome.	Simple graphical menu to look like an open book.
sh-prem	1985	Prem CIAB	Heading reads microbee 64k SHELL. Option R - ROM Basic replaced with V - VIATEL. Now in Colour.

 

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Microbee Shell

An innovative CP/M Shell was available for Disk based Microbees. The Shell evolved over time both for compatibility with new models and also to introduce changes and new features.
 

Shell Versions

Version	Release Date	Microbee Model	New Features and Changes	Notes
Early 1	?	128k	Icon 1- WS, 2- MP, 3- Basic	COM files and others not separated. Ctrl SDEX used for movement, Icon + number, monochrome.
Early 2	?	128k	Icon 1- WS, 2- DB, 3- VTEX	COM files and others are separated, Ctrl SDEX or Arrow keys used for movement, Icon+Name+number.
Early 3	?	128k	Icon 1-WS, 2-MP, 3 - DB
2.34	1985	Prem 128k	Icon 1-WP, 2-Calc, 3 - VTEX, 0 - Backup (originally CCP) and now in Colour.
2.36	?	Prem 128k	Time & Date displayed at right hand side in line above Icons. Icon 0 - CCP.	Only if a clock is fitted.
3.00	1987	256TC	Top bar introduced and includes Shell version & Copyright. Time & Date displayed in this bar. Icon 0 - Backup.
3.01 t1	1987	Prem 128k	As above.	A HEX compare shows code is very different to ver 3.00.
3.01 t2	1987	256TC	Top bar has Shell version, no copyright, time & date and mouse control icons included for File, Disk & User area.	Mouse needed to operate mouse control.
3.01	1988	640TC/Matilda	As above.	Works on the Matilda in Microbee CP/M mode.