Software development for the Z88 has never been so easy or well-supported! As well as Interlogic's excellent assembly language tools that have been around for a few years, we now also have high-level languages in the form of Small C+ and Forth.
Dominic Morris has recently released the first public version of his Z88 Development Kit which consists of Small C+ pre-processor, compiler, optimizer, libraries, examples and more. This system is regularly updated with new features, the latest being the ability to produce programs accessing packages, and even create your own packages in C!
For the latest release, point your browser to http://z88dk.sourceforge.net/
An alternative high-level development environment is Z88 CamelForth by Garry Lancaster. This also allows for full application development (WhatNow? was written entirely in CamelForth).
Also updated regularly, you can find the latest version here.
Interlogic, as well as providing the excellent Assembler Workbench suite, have released several development tools into the public domain.
All the programs come complete with ANSI C source and so it should be possible to compile them on just about any system available, from QL to PC to RiscOS.
Z80Asm is a module assembler that works in exactly the same way as the assembler application provided on the Workbench ROM. If you want to do any development work for the Z88, do yourself a favour - dump your current Z80 cross-assembler and switch to this one.
From version 1.0.13, z80asm supports the new Packages system introduced with Installer v2.02.
This assembler has been successfully compiled on DOS, QDOS, Linux and AmigaOS - only the Linux one is fully up-to-date here, so please let me have compiled versions for other machines!
The following files are also provided, containing a standard library of useful routines (with full source), OZ definition files and a library for programming the new Flash EPROM cards.
The current version of the OZ definition files and standard library is v1.14; the standard library now also includes the Flash EPROM and EPROM libraries.
This toolkit contains all you need to create your own RAM-installable applications for use with Installer v1.07 and higher, available on the Z88 Forever! compilation ROM.
It also includes a BASIC program that interprets the results of the Trace feature of Installer v2.02 and higher.
This tool is unfinished and has some rough edges, but is still extremely useful as it stands. It produces Z80Asm source files from binary files, picking out OZ calls correctly (unlike a generic disassembly tool).
There are facilities to define particular areas as messages and data, producing defm & defb directives instead of a "disassembly".
Zlab and Interlogic have now released the sources of all their applications and popdowns. Files can be downloaded from here; you will need Z80Asm if you want to assemble them. If you just want to get the binary images of the applications or the documentation, try the Applications ROM page.
These sources are well worth studying if you want to create your own Z88 applications.
These new tools allow you to generate DORs for your applications with the greatest of ease! Follow this link for full details.