If you miss your old CP/M system but don’t want the hassle of trying to get an original, vintage computer setup working, there’s still a way to get your fix! The Neotron Pico kit is a full microATX motherboard for the Pico, running Neotron OS, a CP/M-like clone written in Rust. The kit has all surface-mount parts loaded, you just need to solder the through-hole components like the VGA connector, audio ports, CR2032 battery holder, etc.
The motherboard offers features similar to those that were offered on computers during CP/M’s heyday — real-time clock with battery backup, video output with terminal emulation, serial connections, keyboard and mouse connections, and expansion ports galore! Okay, CP/M never supported mice, but the rest of the setup shows how much can be done with a fairly simple setup and some creative software hacking.
The only major difference you’ll find as a developer is that instead of writing assembly language programs that interact directly with a BDOS/BIOS system, you’ll be writing programs in Rust. It’s certainly a new domain for Rust, and might provide the motivation you’ve been looking for to learn this new language that has exploded in popularity over the last few years. Check out the Neotron OS website if you want to learn more!
All you need to provide is a Pico, a keyboard and monitor, a 12V power supply, and your soldering skills. Also, the CR2032 isn’t included, but I’m sure like me you’ve got a drawerful of miscellaneous batteries. So if you’ve ever wanted to build a kit computer and play around with a low-level operating system, here’s the modern version with reliable, new semiconductors and easily available parts and expansions!
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