Commstar was a ROM based communication software written by HoneySoft that came with the Pace RS232 interface. It had a terminal named HoneyTerm for general RS232 communication and software for accessing Viewdata systems such as Prestel named HoneyView.
Commstar was originally available for the BBC Micro before it was ported to the Z80 for the CPC.
RSX Commands: |COMMSTAR, |CS,|HONEYTERM, |HONEYVIEW, |HT,|HV,|COPEN,|CCLOSE,|CSTATUS,|CGET,|CPUT, |CS.ID, |CERROR, |CREPORT, |CTIMEOUT,|CBREAK,|CPRINT
Alternative software
The limitations of the Commstar software, and the desire to use more recently developed file transfer protocols (such as XModem-1k, YModem and ZModem) meant that many users chose to use their Amstrad serial interface with third-party software. This included:
- Ansiterm - a fast AMSDOS utility (also known as ANSI.ARC)
- Charley's Comms ROM - sideways ROM capable of 4800 baud terminal emulation
- ZMP - ZModem file transfer under CP/M
A vast range of comms software was available for CP/M, including bulletin board hosts, offline readers (notably CRR - CP/M Read and Reply), and many terminals.