PDS is an acronym for "Programmers Development System" and is a development system made by Andy Glaister. The system comprised an "Apricot PC" (an early PC), assembler, debugger, editor, profile, graphics tool and hardware to connect to a target computer. A company called "Programmers Development Systems Ltd" or "PD Systems" sold it.
The system made it easy to develop for computers like the Amstrad, C64 and Spectrum. The code was written on the PC and transferred through the hardware interface to the target computer.
The target computer ran a program which waited for PDS to send it instructions.
Technical
Uses port FBEC-FBEF.
FBED input is used to signal data is ready for CPC to read FBEC is used to transfer 8-bit data. FBED output is used to signal back to host that data has been received.
Not known what the interface contained.
Info from Andy Glaister
"During the rest of the 1980's I started working on a development system as typing in hex using a two line basic program was becoming more and more difficult. This was developed on one of the first IBM PC clones from England - the 'Apricot PC'. This was an extremely well designed machine and actually had some advantages over the early IBM PC's - namely a 960K memory limit, a separate LCD in the keyboard and great hardware and software manuals. The assembler, editor, debugger, profiler, graphics tool and hardware card to connect to C64's, ZX Spectrums, Amstrads, C16's etc... became really popular with first my friends and then more and more developers. I formed a company called 'Programmers Development Systems Ltd.' or PD Systems with Jacqui Lyons (of Marjacq) and Fouad Katan (of Bits) and for the remainder of the 1980's and early 90's we sold about 500 systems to pretty much all the game development companies in England. Many of the people who bought these systems would never have used the PC for anything else, so it was quite a large investment at the time. It's difficult to find information on PDS these days, I have found a couple of links to companies and individuals who mention PDS: http://tacgr.emuunlim.com/interviews/interviews.php?interview=1, http://www.blitzgames.com/olivertwins/earlyyearsp2.htm"