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AGTxT069 AGATE MANUAL Tony Marques
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LEGALITIES
AGATE is copyright 1991 by Tony Marques, and is released as ShareWare to be
freely transfered and copied for the purpose of distribution. However, as
ShareWare there is an expectation that users register the software with the
author, and offer whatever they may feel the software is worth. Registered
users shall be entitled to any future updates. AGATE bears no warrentees or
guarantees and it shall not be libal for any damage or loss inccured during
it's use or possession.
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Tony Marques 2602 Molitor Street, Terrace, B.C., V8G-3A2, Canada
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AGATE was archived as AGATE069.SHK and contains the following members:
AGATE.SYSTEM - system file - essential component
AGATE.SCREEN - title screen - not necessary for execution
AGATE.URDATA - user data - essential component
AGATE.PIECES - AGATE pieces - essential component
AGATE.FONTS8 - graphic fonts - not necessary for text operation
AGATE.MANUAL - 'documentation' - not necessary for execution
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REQUIREMENTS
AGATE requires an enhanced Apple II computer with 128k. AGATE will disconnect
the 64k ProDOS /RAM disk located in Slot 3, Drive 2 on 128k machines. AGATE
does not support disk swapping so source and destination paths have to be
on-line when performing select disk functions. Consequently, multiple drives
are recommended. It is also recommended that AGATE be placed on a /RAM or
/HARD disk when used.
WARNING: To ensure that AGATE is compatible with your /RAM disks, it is
recommended that the first time you use AGATE check the validity of your /RAM
disk before and after use. It has no problems with AE /RAM or GS /RAM disks
and most others.
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ON-LINE
AGATE has not been provided with dialing facilities and acts as a dumb
terminal. Consequently, dialing and other modem commands must be issued by
users using the basic 'AT' commands. Refer to your modem manual to learn about
the 'AT' command set and how to use them.
Basic commands include:
ATE1 - 'AT'tention, 'E'cho on ('1') - turn on echo while in command mode.
ATD911 - 'AT', 'D'ial '911' - 'T'one or 'P'ulse may prefix the
number to determine dialing mode.
+++ - three '+' with brief pauses - enter command mode after connected
ATH - 'AT', 'H'ang up - after '+++'
ATO - 'AT', 'O'n-line again - after '+++'
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EMULATION
AGATE's ANSI (DEC VT100) emulation has been further refined and now also
supports ANSI Music (which may someday be tuned for all computers).
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OMEN (OA-A)
The option menu allows you to configure some stuff. The left and right arrow
keys shift menus while up and down select settings. Pressing OA-S saves
whatever you have chosen to disk.
Of the several options two need to be explained.
SAY -o This option allows you to tell AGATE the system speed of your
SPEED computer. AGATE is incapable of setting or reading the system speed
and so it relies on you to SAY what the system speed is. The value of
the system speed controls the cursor blinking rate, the length of the
tones, and most crucially timing during file transfers. This is a
MOST important setting.
KEY -o This option re-interprets keystrokes. Naturally, keys pressed in
MAPPING conjunction with the solid apple key have their most significant bit
set and so they are interpreted as an IBM characters.
o KEYPAD allows those users without SA-Q W E --> 7 8 9
keypads to more easily emulate them. A S D --> 4 5 6
Uppercase is important. Z X C --> 1 2 3
o ARROW causes the arrow keys to send the ANSI sequences as opposed to
the true arrow control codes. To allow you to send the actual arrow
control codes while this option is active, solid apple combinations
will send the arrows.
NOTE: LFT and CTRL-H, RGT and CTRL-U, DWN and CTRL-J, UP and CTRL-K
are all synomous on Apple computers.
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FILE UTILITIES
Generally, AGATE ignores all file errors. AGATE is also incapable of handling
volumes which are off-line so it is necessary to keep the SOURCE and DESTIN
paths in the drives at the same time -- no disk swapping is supported.
PIZZA AGATE supports unZIPing and is capable of unSTOREing, unSHRINKing,
EXPLODING members of .ZIP archives. AGATE is currently unable to
unREDUCE members, but because of it's GREAT rareity no one should
miss it's presence. AGATE recognizes ZIP files by their .ZIP
extensions. PKZIP and ZIP are rigistered trademarks of PKWARE.
.ALZ Before writing PIZZA, I gained some practical experience in the field of
data compression by writing my own shrinker. The 12bit LZW algorithm
is capable of producing compressed files smaller than either LZW/1 from
SHKiT or LZW/2 from GSHKiT, and this is taking into account the overhead
produced by NuFX archives. It is not as effective as SHRINKing as
implemented within PKZIP, but not because I am not capable.
o To prevent it from becoming used as a compression utility, this
implementation intentionally lacks any means of preserving file
attributes including filename or filetype, and it also is devoid support
for multiple members, disk archival, or other any other features
o Compressed files are named 'FILE.ALZ', but they may be renamed and any
file may be decompressed which has the '.ALZ' suffix. Decompressed
files create or replace 'FILE.UNC'.
VIEW The view option may be slowed with the Open Apple or stopped with the
Solid Apple. The space bar pauses while ESC abort the viewing.
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TRANSFER PROTOCOLS
Currently, only YMODEM and ZMODEM downloading has been implemented.
Those of you who feel that the user interface is lacking, I must agree.
YMDMR This YMODEM implementation, by default, supports YMODEM-4k as proposed
by Morgan Davis, but will also fall back supporting XMODEM-1k or -CRC,
and even plain XMODEM. Optionally, you may select to use 4MODEM by
responding 'Y' to the initial prompt. This variety of YMODEM has been
implemented within METAL and ACOS, but it is also called YMODEM-4k.
Files downloaded without BATCH (i.e. with any of the XMODEMs) will be
downloaded under the name 'DOWNLOAD'. Finally, all downloads will be
placed within the current DESTIN path and will replace existing files.
o ESC - Abort
ZMDMR The ZMODEM implementation will again download to the DESTIN path, but
it will not replace existing files. Instead, it will attempt to resume
the file transfer from the end of the file, and allow you to resume
incomplete, interrupted, or aborted transfers.
o ESC - Abort TAB - Skip file
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Tony Marques 2602 Molitor Street, Terrace, B.C., V8G-3A2, Canada
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