Scott Baker’s RC2014 system featuring the Z80, CompactFlash, floppy, VFD, ACIA, and speech synthesizer. (Image Credit: Scott Baker)
We all know the Z80 system has a long list of operating systems available, and now, there’s another one. Scott Baker developed the open-source NostOS, the most recent OS for the RC2014 and similar Z80 and 8080-based systems. According to Baker, the NostOS is designed for nostalgia (think CP/M or HDOS) and retro computer fanatics in mind. He says that NostOS isn’t compatible with CP/M binaries or disks, and intentionally designed it that way. However, it still boasts some impressive features and functionality.
NostOS runs entirely on ROM and can generate multiple ROM images. Each one is tailored to a specific UART, storage device, and memory configuration. It’s also compatible with 32 KB RAM/32 KB EPROM and 512 KB ROM/RAM banked memory, similar to RC2014, Zeta2, and other classic SBC builds, to surpass the 16-bit limit.
In addition, NostOS includes native support for serial devices, such as ACIA, SIO/2, SCC, and Z180-ASCI, as well as the WD37C65 floppy disk controller. Alternatively, if floppy drivers aren’t available, storage can come from the Intel Bubble Memory or CompactFlash devices.
It even features driver support that loads at runtime for VFD and LCD displays. Along with that, the operating system supports the SP0256A-AL2 speech synthesizer with built-in text-to-speech capabilities. Baker didn’t leave the retro gamers hanging, either. He added classics like Pac-Man, Zork, Tetris, and Star Trek. Other notable games include Chess, Life, Eliza, and Maze. Though he warned us that the computer in the Chess game isn’t very good, so don’t expect grandmaster-level play.
As for ported 3rd-party applications, he added Nascom Basic, Fig-Forth, and Zealasm (8-bit assembler). Baker also included native applications like APPEND, DEBUG, ED, HEAD, XSEND, XRECV, and FORMAT. User programs can also be loaded by the NostOS, and they carry built-in relocation data. This allows them to move effortlessly between 32 KB and 512 KB NostOS systems while adjusting to memory shifts caused by TSRs.
Baker included every technical specification in the GitHub documentation. He mentions that the NostOS should run on other CPUs like the 8080 or 8085. “Only Z80 is tested at the moment, but the code is written to be compliant with the 8080 instruction set only,” he wrote.
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