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~ Lunatic's Finder Hints ~
~ Apple II Online Awards ~
~ Apple II News and Views ~
~ DRACO Says Goodbye To An Old Friend ~
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GEnie Lamp A2 ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol. 1, Issue 2
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Publisher............................................Kent Fillmore
Senior Editor........................................John Peters
Co-Editor (A2).....................................Tom Schmitz
GEnie Lamp ST ~ GEnie Lamp MAC ~ GEnie Lamp IBM ~ GEnie Lamp Apple ][
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMPUTER ROUNDTABLES ON GEnie? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ May 1, 1992 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] APPLE_BITS .............. [BIT]
Notes From The Editors. A2 News & Views.
HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HUM] HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
Is That A Letter For Me? Shareware? How About...
TELETALK ONLINE ......... [TEL] F.Y.I. .................. [FYI]
Good Bye, Old Friend. Getting Started With 6.0.
THINK ABOUT IT .......... [THI] ONLINE FUNNIES .......... [FUN]
Food For Thought. CowTOONS!
ASK ME! ................. [ASK] APPLE II AWARD WINNERS .. [AWA]
Go Ahead, Ask Me! Pass The Envelope Please...
FOCUS ON ................ [FOC] SOFTVIEW ................ [SOF]
So What Is It? Part II. Lunatic's Finder Hints.
ONLINE ELSEWHERE ........ [ELS] AT THE FAIR ............. [FAI]
Modem USA Book Review. Hi_Tech_Woodstock?
HARDWARE VIEWPOINT ...... [HAR] ONLINE LIBRARY .......... [LIB]
Back It Up. Yours For The Asking.
LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
GEnie Lamp Information.
[IDX] """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing
"""""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier.
To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any ASCII word processor
or text editor. In the index you will find the following example:
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
[*]GEnie Fun & Games.
To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If
you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take
you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index.
MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed
"""""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you
need immediately following the message. For example:
(SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number|
In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page
475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1.
A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this
message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two
or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58}.
ABOUT GEnie GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and
""""""""""" weekend access to more than 100 services including
electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment,
single-player games, multi-player chess and bulletin boards on leisure
and professional subjects. With many other services, including the
largest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
only $6 per hour (non-prime-time/2400 baud). To sign up for GEnie
service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH.
Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99368,GENIE and hit RETURN. The system
will then prompt you for your information.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Keep your eyes on some Florida Apple II developers, such as /
/ Seven Hills and Econ Technologies. You may see some surprises /
/ coming from there too. The Apple II is far from dead." /
///////////////////////////////////////////////// A2.TYLER ////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
TOP OF THE PAGE Welcome to the second multi-platform issue of GEnie
""""""""""""""" Lamp Online E-Magazine, (and for the ST readers, our
35th issue). All-in-all, we've had a pretty good month. Considering
the scope of the task of getting four 100+K issues online, things went
rather smoothly for our first issue. We did experience a couple of
major glitches, however. My apologies to the ST and MAC readers for the
repeating text problem. I think I have a handle on the infamous
"dreaded GEnie Text Editor," and I'm confident that it won't happen
again. Also, the IBM, MAC and ST version ran an article on the
GEnie Flight/war simulator, Air Warrior. Somewhere along the line, I
got the idea that AIR.WOLF was the author when it really was Robert C.
Bingham. [R.BINGHAM2]. Sorry, Robert!
Soon after the premier issue went online, I received GEmail from
Patrick Boyle asking if it would be possible to insert codes into the
issues that would allow vision impaired people who use text-to-braille
and text-to-speech devices to be able to skip over the "ascii-art." I
thought that this was a great idea, so I set up a bulletin board topic
in the disABILITIES RoundTable to get some feedback on it. It appears
that we are breaking new ground here as there are no standards set for
these readers. If you would like to get in on the conversation, you
will find us in Category 9, TOPic 42 in the disABILITIES RT.
GEnieLamp Is Looking For... We need help! If you think you have what
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" it takes to be part of the GEnieLamp
staff, we want to hear from you! We are especially in need of help in
the IBM, Macintosh and Apple ][ areas. Send your brief resume to
GENIELAMP now. Let's talk!
GEnieLamp RoundTable The GEnieLamp RoundTable got off to a slow start
"""""""""""""""""""" - at least as far as content goes. The actual
setting up, testing and going "live" was all done in less then 48 hours
(a new GEnie record!). We do have lots of plans for the RoundTable in
the near future, so keep an eye on page 515.
ED-NET Comes To GEnie! What is ED-NET? One of the major headaches
"""""""""""""""""""""" many user group newsletter editors have is
getting articles for his or her publication. ED-NET provides an answer
for that. ED-NET is a place where you can trade pd or shareware
articles with other editors from around the world for use in your own
publication. You will find ED-NET in the GEnieLamp RoundTable on page
515.
GEnieLamp Keeps On Growing GEnieLamp is now available in the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" following RoundTables:
RoundTable Version Available Page #
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
GENIELAMP ~ ALL VERSIONS ~ Page 515
ATARI ST GEnie Lamp ST Page 475
IBM GEnie Lamp IBM Page 615
MACINTOSH GEnie Lamp MAC Page 605
APPLE ][ GEnie Lamp A2 Page 645
UNIX RT GEnie Lamp IBM Page 160
MACPRO RT GEnie Lamp MAC Page 480
A2PRO RT GEnie Lamp A2 Page 530
GEOWORKS RT GEnie Lamp IBM Page 1050
GEnieLamp Via Cross-Net! GEnieLamp is now available on Cross-Net,
"""""""""""""""""""""""" via Node #602 on the Cartoon Haven BBS. For
more details, you can reach the Sysop, Bruce Faulkner on his BBS at
719-574-7406, 8/N/24hr/1200-9600 (US Robotics Courier 9600 HST) or leave
GEmail to [R.FAULKNER4].
>>> GEnie ELSEWHERE! <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ RoundTable News & Announcements ~
The GEnie Faire Hits Town! On Saturday, May 30 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM EST,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" GEnie will be sponsoring its first ever GEnie
Faire. It will be an event that Saturday afternoon in the National
Real-Time Conference during which many GEnie products will be manning a
booth to introduce you to their product and to have some fun. The entire
GEnie Faire will be free, so it will be a chance for you to find out what
is out there on the system while having some fun.
The SFRT will man a booth during the entire Faire. They will be
presenting a series of events based on the broad spectrum of subjects
covered in the SFRT. You will be able to find anything from discussions
about comics and Star Trek to a meeting with an published author to a
writer's workshop, and much more!
The Radio RT will be sponsoring a live shortwave listening RTC at its
booth. They occur every Saturday in the Radio RT, but this way people
without radios or new to the hobby can stop by for pointers and to see what
others are hearing. This is your chance to eavesdrop on what is happening
in the world as it occurs! Stop by for a few minutes or for the entire
GEnie Faire.
The Writers RT will also be manning a booth for the entire GEnie
Faire. They will be sponsoring a series of meetings about the craft and
industry of writing. An hour will be devoted to a discussion with the
romance writers on the topic "So You Think This Is Easy? What DOES it Take
to Write a Romance Novel?" Special guests will include several published
romance authors along with several Romance Exchange participants.
The Games RT by Scorpia has come up with fun and games for everyone!
They will be sponsoring a booth which will include the following:
6 - 6:30 : Games RT Open House (all staff online for intros etc).
6:30 - 7 : War Games with Pete Szymonik
7 - 7:30 : Ask Scorpia
7:30 - 8 : Video Games with Danny Han
8 - 8:30 : Neat Library Stuff with Capt. Cook
8:30 - 9 : Ultima Contest (win a copy of Ultima Underworlds, PC ver).
GENIEus will be sponsoring a booth which will go beyond the basic
questions of how to use GEnie. They will be talking about a range of
subjects including how to put together your own GEnie user group and much
more!
The Genealogy RT will be hosting a time where you can learn how you
can go about the process of digging for your ancestors on GEnie. It's fun!
It's clean! It's you!
The *StarShip* Amiga RT will be demonstrating one of its new
features, the 5-MINUTE News Network. This feature gives you the news from
the world of Amiga in a concise, fun way.
The Home and Real Estate RT will be hosting an hour's worth of
popular "Parlor Games" for you. These games are geared towards subjects
about the home, so anyone with a home should stop by for some fun and
relaxation!
Star Fleet Battles will be hosting a booth where you will have a
chance to talk directly to the developers of this game! They will be
discussing Star Fleet Battles and their other games including Star Fleet
Missions and Federation & Empire. They will accept proposals for new rules
and debate their merits. If you want to participate in discussing
important issues that will impact the games, then this will be your chance.
The Germany RT will be hosting discussion about Germany followed by
thirty minutes of trivia where you will have the chance to win a German
prize. Come meet people from another continent and find out about a place
where many Americans can find their roots.
The Aladdin RTs will each host a booth where you can find out about a
variety of subjects. Do you want to know how Aladdin can help you? Are
you interested in knowing ways Aladdin can cut down on your time online?
Here's your chance to ask the experts. Look for three Aladdin booths
brought to you by the PC Aladdin, Ami Aladdin, and ST Aladdin RoundTables.
-Laura Staley [L.STALEY]
LAPTOPS ROUNDTABLE Some vital files whose names never change, though
"""""""""""""""""" their file number will change as they are updated:
STREET.$$ - Quarterly report on street prices of popular laptops
DEALERS.RAM - Quarterly listing of RAM module/chip dealers
COMPANY.DIR - Quarterly listing of laptop/notebook manufacturers
3RDPARTY.ZIP - Listing of peripheral vendors and their products;
prepared by Toshiba America, the information can be
of great value to all laptop users. Current: 4/25/92
TOSHIBA.$$ - Models & list prices of Toshiba computers. 4/92
Also, check out "RoundTable News" (Page 655;5) regularly for the
latest pointers about the WordPerfect RoundTable and WPCorp announcements.
-Dave Thomas, Laptops SYSOP
GeoWorks RT Anniversary! The GeoWorks RoundTable is celebrating it's
"""""""""""""""""""""""" 1st anniversary. The RoundTable features
support for GeoWorks Ensemble 1.0 to 1.2 to GeoWorks Pro, the GeoWorks
Font Packs and a Clip Art library. They have also released the three
Personal Office Series products. (They now have over 100 clip art
volumes in our library and we're quickly approaching the 100 mark in the
PD/Shareware font library!)
POSTSCRIPT HAPPENINGS... COMPUTER SHOPPER has unilaterally, formally,
"""""""""""""""""""""""" and completely discontinued the ASK THE GURU
and LASERWRITER CORNER columns, citing "lack of space".
We do have ALL of the Guru columns available as our Book-on-Demand
published ASK THE GURU I, II, and III. The full original texts,
including all of the "lost" columns. Many of the later columns are (and
will remain) on GEnie PSRT.
I've also just upgraded and improved our LASERWRITER SECRETS book
and disk package, again picking up the latest and best (mostly
unprinted) stuff. Just about all of these are (and will remain) on GEnie
PSRT.
Any and all of these can be ordered through [SYNERGETICS] email, or
by calling me at (602) 428-4073. I've also got a pair of free INSIDER
SECRET RESOURCES brochures waiting for you, but I must have your
snailmail address to send them to you. (GEnie keeps your address
private, even from sysops with no-strings-attached free stuff to give
away.)
I've just started a major new RESOURCE BIN column in NUTS & VOLTS
(714) 632-7721. This is mostly on unusual sources of supply for
electronic and computer projects. My HARDWARE HACKER columns in
RADIO-ELECTRONICS (516) 293-3000 and my BLATANT OPPORTUNIST columns in
MIDNIGHT ENGINEERING (303) 491-9092 are continuing as usual, with full
reprints available.
And I seem to be backing into a minor column in THE FLASH, a great
free Desktop publishing newsletter from Walt Jeffries and his BLACK
LIGHTNING at (800) BLACK-99.
But I would very much like to find new and suitable high profile
homes for a PostScript/LaserWriter column and for a Desktop-
publishing-for-real-end-users column. If you can suggest anyone, have
them give me a call at (602) 428-4073.
I guess I need your help on this. Thanks.
-- Don Lancaster
SYNERGETICS
(602) 428-4073
UNIX ROUNDTABLE NEWS It is now April 1992 and spring has arrived.
"""""""""""""""""""" Spring cleaning is happening in the Unix
bulletin board. New events are occurring, and ongoing happenings
continue.
Two key items are coming up in the near future; the Unix RT hopes
to be your center for information about these products.
* GEnie is implementing an Internet Gateway with
X.400 mail services scheduled later on
* A Unix Help Desk is being established in both the
Unix RT Conference area and the GEnie Chat Lines.
What does internet mail mean for you? GEnie responds to the
widespread request of its members to have some kind of gateway for mail
to the "Net." It means now you can distribute to persons outside the
GEnie mail system your internet address. It means that you will be
able to send mail to just about anyone on the Net. It means greater
connectivity with the world. It may even mean world peace. We can
always hope.
X.400 mail is an international mail standard used for addressing
mail across disparate mail systems. It has a very long method of
addressing which some folks find cumbersome to type. In addition,
there are current limitations in the GE Mail product limiting addresses
to 35 characters. These limitations are being removed by the GE Mail
programmers to allow a better integration of X.400 with the GE Mail
system. GEnie has elected to delay the release of X.400 connectivity
until this integration is available.
(As of this writing no information about domain name or pricing is
available. Stay tuned. Some information and discussion about the
internet gateway status is available in the GEnie Users' RoundTable on
page 150;1 or 8001;1, category 5, topic 35.)
And beginning April 16, 1992 every Tuesday night in the Unix
Roundtable Conference area (page 160;2 keywork UNIX) and every Thursday
night in the GEnie Chat Lines (page 400;4 keyword CHAT) a Unix Help Desk
will be made available for anyone to ask Unix-related questions. Once
you have entered the chat lines, choose channel 4 or type /CHA 4 after
entering to get to the Help Desk. Hope to see you there!
In addition to help desks, Chat Lines offers many enticing
features: multi-player games such as Trivia and word games, interesting
conversation and socializing, role playing games with the Electronic
Adventures University, and a full schedule of events every day. Check
out the weekly schedule on page 400, item 3.
(Side note: your Sysop, Andy, has written several of the games
used in Chat Lines.) Until next month, it is good to be alive!
- Andrew Finkenstadt/Chief Sysop
_ _ _ _ _ _
// // //| // // \// N E W S
//_// // |// // /\\ Vol 3, Issue 4 - April 1992
R o u n d T a b l e (tm)
[*][*][*]
That's about it for this month....
Take care!
John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
//////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Dorothy, You'll be hearing from our law firm (Dewey, Cheatem, /
/ & Howe) in the morning. This is no laughing matter." /
/ - Charles @ CodeSoft HeadWear" /
/ /
/ "Hehehehehe...Everybody knows lawyers don't work in the /
/ morning. ;-)" -D.A.BRUMLEVE /
/////////////////////////////////// C.F.JOHNSON/D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
[EOA]
[BIT]//////////////////////////////
APPLE_BITS /
/////////////////////////////////
News & Views
""""""""""""
By Tom Schmitz
[TOM.SCHMITZ]
Marketplace Changes Big changes are afoot in the Apple II marketplace
""""""""""""""""""" and it is difficult to say who actually has the
biggest news to tell. What we at GEnie Lamp are sure of is that these
changes are for the good and will strengthen the Apple II community.
Readers of A2-Central can tell you Apple Inc. has licensed the
Apple Programers and Developers Association catalog to Resource Central.
According to the March Resource Central Catalog, "Adding Apple's tools
to our already large catalog of Apple II developer books and tools from
third party sources, such as Addison-Wesley and The Byte Works, makes us
the world's central source for these materials."
It is well known Apple Inc. has been looking to tighten ship so
they can concentrate on more recent projects. With this news from
Resource Central, what had been a cause for concern to Apple II users
resulted in a positive action where everybody wins -- this time.
But Resource Central is not the only mail order giant with
exciting news. As Mark Munz from Beagle Bros explains, "Quality
Computers has been contracted to be the exclusive distributor of our
(Apple II) product and to handle all sales and support of our product."
Quality Computers is not only a respected seller but also operates
various development companies such as Q Labs. In a separate deal, QC
recently acquired Roger Coats mail order company as well.
Munz went on to say, "I think the move to have Quality support our
A2 products is a great one in which everybody wins. Beagle Bros can
concentrate most of its efforts on other platforms (ie. Macintosh and
the like) and Beagle Customers get a great level of support. Beagle
Software Dealers will see that Beagle Bros products will be more
visible, making them happier."
As for continued support Munz said, "I believe Quality Computers
will be able to give the customer the same kind of support that Beagle
Bros has always given its customers. This was an important
consideration when we decided to do this with our Apple II line.
Quality Computers has many exciting things planned for these products
and as you may have heard, they planning on releasing a new TimeOut
application in the very near future which is sure to be a hit."
In other news, Seven Hills took advantage of Apple Inc.'s System
Software 6.0 introduction to release QuickLaunch.(File #18232)
QuickLaunch, a must for your system software collection, is a finder
extra that allows GS users to run applications without tunneling through
endless folders. While QuickLaunch far surpasses all similar programs,
Seven Hills decided to enter QuickLaunch onto the freeware market for
open distribution.
Why would anyone release such a strong package without charge? As
explained in the program's help file, Seven Hills wants to hear from
every Apple IIGS owner so they can mail out a catalog full of products
for the GS. GEnie members can e-mail their address to Seven Hills at
SEVENHILLS. (Where else?)
Dave Hecker of Seven Hills recently told GEnie Lamp how he feels
about Apple II users. "The Apple II community will continue to thrive
because they use great computers, great software, and have formed one of
the strongest user networks in the world. Seven Hills plans to support
Apple II users by its continued development of software for the Apple
IIGS."
Seven Hills has developed everything from utilities to games
including their recent release Express. Express is a printer
buffer/spooler which allows GS users to continue working while documents
are being printed. Under ordinary circumstances one has to wait for
printing to finish before moving on.
Hecker also told GEnie Lamp about some upcoming releases. "Of
particular interest to GEnie customers will be "Spectrum," a
IIGS-specific telecommunications program! Spectrum supports several
screen emulations, all common file transfer protocols, and full
scripting capabilities to automate frequent tasks. Spectrum should be
available in June or July." Other titles include a utility package
titled Kangaroo that allows the user to quickly hop from one folder to
another and a major update to their popular "Disk Access" NDA.
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Did I miss something? That _could_ be right (you _can_ zap a /
/ chip with static, though it's also possible you won't). My /
/ favorite story was from my wife; one of her office cohorts /
/ ordered some chips and the included installation instructions /
/ warned about static generation from certain types of clothing./
/ So he changed his chips in the nude. :)" /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// A2-CENTRAL ////
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Tom Schmitz
[T.SCHMITZ]
o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS
o WHAT'S NEW WITH APPLE II
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] Category 5, Topic 2..........Confirmed News
[*] Category 5, Topic 3..........Rumor mill and basic Apple chit-chat
[*] Category 9, Topic 3..........Finder
[*] Category 9, Topic 6..........System 6.0--Questions & Comments
[*] Category 9, Topic 8..........System 6.0--Installation
[*] Category 17, Topic 17.........AWGS general questions (all modules)
[*] Category 23, Topic 3..........A2-Central (Ask Uncle-DOS)
[*] Category 24, Topic 2..........Proterm 3.0
[*] Category 26, Topic 2..........Apple IIgs
[*] Category 28, Topic 2..........Letters to the editors
[*] Category 30, Topic 2..........ProSel-16
[*] Category 32, Topic 2..........HyperStudio
[*] Category 37, Topic 4..........Pointless - GS outline fonts (TrueType)
[*] Category 41, Topic 2..........Feedback to Quality Computers
>>> WHAT'S NEW WITH APPLE II! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
DID YOU HAVE IT YET? In case it passed you by, the BIG news for April
"""""""""""""""""""" was the physical release of System Software 6.0
for the Apple IIGS and Prodos 8, 2.0.1. System 6.0 started as an update
for 5.0.4 and was going to be called 5.1. But with all the new items
being placed in the system the folks at Apple soon decided to call it
6.0.
Now that 6.0 is out, the big question is will there be future
versions of the system software or is it time to put the Apple II to
rest? There has been much speculation about this, but as Lunatic found
out from Finder author Andy Nicholas, Apple is committed to keeping the
current system updated:
(LUNATIC, CAT9. TOP6, MSG:42/M645)
MORE FINDER NEWS \/\/ell, here's something a little more reliable
"""""""""""""""" than A+/inCider, from Andy Nicholas on
comp.sys.apple2:
Article 31036 (17 more) in comp.sys.apple2:
From: shrinkit@Apple.COM (Andrew Nicholas)
Subject: Re: Whooshing Rectangles
Date: 11 Mar 92 00:42:57 GMT
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
In article <1992Mar04.141652.8064@crash.cts.com>
andy@pro-palmtree.cts.com (Andy Stein) writes:
> "Broadcasting a finderSaysBeforeOpen before opening a folder could
> probably be arranged for a future Finder."
>
> So, there will be a future Finder? :)
(As an aside, I was very tempted to say something very sarcastic
here...)
Yes. I have already said many times that we anticipate doing
System Software beyond System 6.0 for the IIGS. Don't get your hopes up
for System Software of the caliber that would require us to change the
version number to 7.0. At this point we don't foresee doing another
System disk that major.
andy
(Void where prohibited, subject to change without notice).
Andy Nicholas GEnie & America-Online: shrinkit
Apple Computer, Inc. InterNET: shrinkit@apple.com
- Lunatic (:
DO IT NOW! If you have not gotten 6.0 yet, get it! This system
"""""""""" software is a must for all new 16 bit applications. If
you have to have it right now you can download it from GEnie. (Details
are in this issue. Keep reading!) But if you want to save some money,
contact your local Apple dealer or user group. You can often get the
system software by just bringing in six blank disks with you.
6.0 packages are available commercially too. Some of the dealers
carrying 6.0 are Resource Central, Quality Computers and Roger Wagner
Publishing, all of whom can be found actively participating in Genies
Apple II round table.
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ A behind the scene look at why the Apple Bowl game is on 6.0 ~
>>> A2-CENTRAL [Dennis]
>>> (But is Apple Bowl really "System Software"? And was Greg Really Bored
>>> or Jolt influenced when he did it? <g>)
Neither, actually. I've been playing Apple Bowl for about ten
years or so, or at least until it became inconvenient to have to boot
DOS 3.3 from a 5.25 floppy just to load Integer BASIC into the "language
card" just to play a damn game.
I had been toying around with the idea of translating the program
into C so I could run it under GS/OS, but just never seemed to find the
time or the energy to do it. (Always seemed to have more important
stuff to work on, like GS/OS, P8, development tools, etc.) Then last
summer, Mike released his ORCA Integer BASIC compiler at KansasFest. I
immediately jumped on it, brought it home, and got the game running. In
addition to compiling the main program, I also had to update the
necessary Programmer's Aid ROM routines to run in the 16-bit environment
as well.
Once done, I looked on the System 6 disks to see if there was
enough room to include it as a "goody". There was, I lobbied, and I
snuck it on. I figured that computers were getting too serious, and it
was time to inject a little fun back into the experience. Hope y'all
enjoy it! -Greg (G.BRANCHE1, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:120/M645)
[*][*][*]
While on GEnie, do you spend most of your time downloading files?
If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin
Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of
what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area.
If you are serious about your Apple II,the GEnie Lamp staff strongly
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
world.
/////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Lou, All my files act the same way. /
/ I could Fmail you the blank page.:-)" /
//////////////////////////// REALM ////
[EOA]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Shareware? How About...
""""""""""""""""""""""""
Compiled by Terry Quinn
[TQUINN]
>>> REGISTRATION INCENTIVES THAT DON'T WORK <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Part 1 in a Series ~
SCAREWARE After 45 days, if you haven't registered, it threatens to
""""""""" format your hard disk.
SNAREWARE Like SCAREWARE, but it merely threatens to hold one of your
""""""""" data files hostage.
GLAREWARE If you don't register, it burns the word "CHEAPSKATE" into your
""""""""" monitor.
SPAREWARE If you register, the author sends you another copy of the
""""""""" program, complete with the "Please Register Me" message.
PRAY'RWARE If you register, the author agrees to ask God to be nice
"""""""""" to you for being so honest.
FAREWARE Every five days you have to send the author another $5.
""""""""
CAREWARE If you don't register after 45 days, the program starts
"""""""" writing cutesy-pie poems on your output until you get sick to
your stomach.
MAYERWARE When you register, you get a nice thank-you note from the
""""""""" President of the ASP.
STAREWARE After the 75th day, two bloodshot eyes appear in the upper
""""""""" right hand corner of the screen. They watch you accusingly
until you feel guilty and pay up.
TEARWARE Runs your printer paper back and forth until it jams.
""""""""
BLAREWARE If you don't register in time, the program still works. With
""""""""" the added entertainment of a loud tone coming from the
speaker.
DEBONAIRWARE As long as the program is within the legal evaluation
"""""""""""" period, it enthusiastically compliments you on your
appearance. Afterwards, though...
AIRWARE If you haven't registered by the 60th day, the program simply
""""""" disappears off your hard disk, vanishing into thin ... etc.
(T.CAMPBELL11, CAT15, TOP16, MSG:15/M370)
//////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "<can I make money on it?> <I haven't a clue> /
/ Damn, you just stole my whole autobiography!" /
//////////////////////////////// N.WEINRESS ////
[EOA]
[TEL]//////////////////////////////
TELETALK ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Good Bye, Old Friend
""""""""""""""""""""
By Kent Fillmore
[DRACO]
>>> EPITAPH FOR AN OLD FRIEND <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
There are a lot of hard things you must do throughout the course of
your life; difficult decisions, hard choices, and, of course, good-byes
are always a part of growing. Good byes to friends, acquaintances, and
loved ones - even pets are one of the hardest things with which you
will ever have to deal, but a BBS?
When I bought my first computer (lo, those many years ago), the
choices were very few. I made my selection of computer based upon
experience and ease of use. I had learned on an Apple II (not even a
Plus) computer; had gone through both the instruction manual, and the
Reference Guide (who remembers the green & white Apple II Reference
Guide?) in about a month. I was hooked! After I had made my purchase
(which is a whole story in itself) I closeted myself in my little
"computer room" and from that day to this, my wife has seen more of the
back of my head than she has the front. She was VERY surprised to learn
that my hair line had receded as much as it has (but then it was about a
four year period since she had last seen my face).
I started with my Apple II trying to teach myself programming:
BASIC, PASCAL, and 6502 Assembler. I also learned a lot about the
operating system (or DOS 3.2 and DOS 3.3, remember those?) through
various publications. One such publication became the early focus of my
attention. A magazine devoted solely to the Apple II family, SoftTalk. I
was an avid fan of the monthly Uncle-Dos column (and still read
A2-CENTRAL every month). I bought anything and everything that Beagle
Brothers published, and I carried the manual for "Bag Of Tricks" around
with me like a Bible ("Have you heard the Word of DOS today?"). In spite
of all that, I knew that my computer was deaf, dumb, and blind to any
information that I did not put into it myself. I wanted to communicate!
So... I made the second biggest (best?) mistake in my life, I bought a
modem. Now in those days, there weren't a lot of modems to choose from,
and most were external (which required the additional purchase of an
interface, or serial card). I wanted an INTERNAL modem, and that limited
my choices even more. I ended up buying a Novation Apple Cat, 300 BPS
modem. I had the computer... I had the modem!... I had the phone line
and the manual! I even had the SOFTWARE!!!!! But - I didn't have any
phone numbers. In desperation, I called Novation, and a young
tech-weenie (now a near-famous Apple tech-weenie, and good friend;
Willie Collier) gave me a few numbers in my area code. I found a BBS
across the San Francisco Bay from me, and spent WEEKS reading, posting,
inter-acting, and chatting with the sysop. BUT! (and I hope you're all
sitting down) when the phone bill came in - - $252.00 for a TWO WEEK
PERIOD IN THE SAME AREA CODE! I honestly came as close to passing out as
I think I ever have been. Naturally I had to curb my calling out to
BBSs. But... I was hooked! I had to get that "BBS Fix"! The only
alternative open to me was to start my OWN BBS. So I called back down to
Novation, spoke with my friend Willie again, and he recommended a BBS
software program that worked with my computer and modem. It was called
T-Net at that time, and was written by a young student in Warren,
Michigan, named Dean Drako. I bought a copy, and started my own BBS. I
advertised on a few other BBSs, and soon found that, because I had one
of the very few Apple II systems in the area, that I attracted a lot of
Apple II users. Many were from the local user group (San Francisco Apple
Core) and told me that the group no longer had a BBS, so I went to the
group leaders (of which I would become one in later days) and asked if
they wanted a BBS. They said "How much will it cost us?". "Not a
thing!", I replied, and we were in business! This all came about within
about the first nine months of operation. In that time I had seen a
number of other BBSs open and close quickly. Usually run by a seventeen
year old, and called "The Dragon's Sphincter" or something like that. I
learned two valuable lessons from those days: be consistent; and provide
substantial information regularly.
As time went on I took up support for two other user groups: The
Apple II Users of Northern California (ATUNC), and the Peninsula Apple
Users Group. Then I got ambitious. I was aware that a number of large
user groups had BBSs, but the largest, International Apple Core did not.
I got on the phone, talked with the president, Karen Zinsmeister, and
asked if she wanted a BBS. She said "How much will it cost us?". "Not a
thing!", I replied, and we were in business! So now I was running the
BBS for IAC! It was about this time that I decided to upgrade the
software and changed to another system called Alpha-III (by a company
called ProTree). The author, Bob Garth, later created a multi-user BBS
called ELITE, and I ran that for about 2 years (it required an Apple II+
for each modem and an Apple IIe for a file server).
Then I got ambitious again... Softalk had folded shop some years
ago (and I still have all those back issues), and I had become an avid
reader of A+ Magazine (Maggie Canon, Fred Davis, Chip Carmen, Gary
Little, and Michael Fischer)! So... I got on the phone to Maggie and
asked... and she said ... and so we were in business! By this time I had
two 60 Mb drives on the system, and was getting about 90 calls a day. I
needed three other sysops to help with answers ('cause I don't know much
myself), and a software librarian!
It was about this time I saw an ad in a magazine for a new network
just about to open (you know how you get a magazine for the next month,
7-10 days before the end of the month?). The new network was called
"GEnie", and there was a demo number you could call for a free "tour".
Being a solid "modem junkie" by now, I dialed in and immediately went to
the Apple II section. Naturally I couldn't read messages or download
files, but the way the system functioned was pretty easy to understand
and... WHAT'S THIS??? THEY ARE LOOKING FOR AN APPLE II SYSOP??? Quick -
where is "GEnie" located... 301 area code? Where the hell is that?
Maryland? Ok... [DIALING SOUNDS] "Hello, I'd like the number for GEnie
in Rockville" ... "I don't know, it has something to do with General
Electric!" ... "General Electric Information Services? Yeah, sounds
close enough to me!". I called and spoke to a gentleman named Bill
Louden. "Hey, I see you're looking for an Apple II sysop? I run a BBS
system out here on the west coast, and I think we might have something
of mutual interest to talk about.". And so it came about that I started
working for GEnie as the first Apple II sysop. It consumed a lot of time
and energy. My wife saw even less of my face, and the users of my BBS
saw even less of my messages (probably many of them were greatly
relieved). I got another sysop to run the entire BBS, and I devoted most
of my time to running the "American Apple RoundTable" on GEnie. What
followed is history...
In all this time the BBS remained running in my office (no matter
where I moved), and the regular users kept calling in. However the
number was dwindling, the user groups had either folded or faded, A+ was
absorbed by InCider, and I was tremendously occupied with what had now
become a time and a half job! In it's last incarnation, the BBS (now
called "Draco Apple Information Service") was moved over to a Macintosh
computer (oh, the indignity of it all), and served no more than 50
regular callers with about 60 Mb of storage and two phone lines.
Now a brief explanation is due... in all the years I've been
sysoping, and producing or doing whatever it is I do online, I've
developed some operating principles that I know are true; they are
simple, basic, and they work. Some of these principles involve the
running, management, and ultimate success of a small BBS (others are
more applicable to national information services like GEnie). One of
these principles requires that who ever runs and manages the BBS must
(repeat MUST) also provide an engaging personality (either pleasant or
controversial, but it must cause people to want to come back for more).
Since I had more or less abandoned the BBS to the care and
ministrations of others, it lost something. They were there to learn.
The BBS had become a training ground for sysops, and had declined in the
service it was providing to the Apple II users in the community. (Note,
almost ALL of the sysops who have worked on the system have gone on to
become sysops on national services: Leonard Reed, (AOL, GENie); Bob
Mulligan, (GEnie, AOL); Rick Mulligan, (GEnie, AOL, GEnie); Rod Whitten,
(AOL); Tom Carlton, (AOL); Kent Fillmore, (GEnie, AOL, GEnie)). It would
also be unfair to mention the BBS without mentioning that these people
were largely responsible for its success, with their diligence and hard
work. They didn't get to where they are now, on the national systems, by
mistake. On the other hand, the number of Apple II users who were
calling in also declined. I tried focusing on Mac information as well to
supplement the messaging, but that didn't help either (there are a
number of GOOD Mac BBSs in the San Francisco Bay Area).
It becomes a very sad point when you realize that something you've
started, something that has become a tradition, and a benchmark in its
time, has outlived its usefulness. This was the situation I faced.
Finally, on Sunday, December 22nd, 1991, after some ten years of
continuous, non-stop service, I turned off the power to the computer,
parked and powered down the hard drives, and let it rest. It had been a
constant companion, a good friend, and a virtual help mate. It had seen
many Apple II users through insoluble problems, and had lightened many
dark evenings with a little chuckle ('cause I don't believe ANY
information is worth spit if it doesn't have something entertaining to
go with it). For me, it had been a point of pride, frustration, honor,
and anger. It had helped me realize that there IS truth in Apple's
promise "The power to be your best" even though they may not have seen
the full potential of that promise, and had always been a refuge where
I could communicate with those who knew me best. I think it may have
been that to others as well. Ultimately it was fun, and really when you
get right down to it, isn't that what makes it all worth doing?
Good bye, old friend - you've earned your rest. Sleep well.
-Kent Fillmore
GEnie: DRACO
AppleLink: DRACO
The Well: draco
AOL: Draco
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Thanks for all of the support, gang. A couple of you /
/ responded in GEmail, even including attached files to /
/ show me how to use @DAVG, etc. I don't know what I /
/ would do with GEnie and all of the friendly, helpful /
/ folks here!" /
////////////////////////////////////// K.VANDELLEN ////
[EOA]
[FYI]//////////////////////////////
F.Y.I. /
/////////////////////////////////
Getting Started With 6.0
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Tom Schmitz
[TOM.SCHMITZ]
>>> SYSTEM SOFTWARE 6.0 <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Getting Started ~
WHY SYSTEM 6.0? The first thing most folks notice is that System
""""""""""""""" Software 6.0 comes on six disk. Yes, people have asked
me if that is why Apple calls it System 6. Don't let this scare you though.
Included in these disks is a volume called SYSTEM.DISK. If you do not have
a hard drive or a large ram disk, the SYSTEM.DISK will allow you to use 6.0
to the same extent as earlier versions, but with several modifications.
The reason for so many disks is all the new technology which has
been added. If you want to use more than a few of these extra options
you need more than a single 800k disk drive. Dennis Doms from Resource
Central said it best, "If you're using your system that hard, you
probably should have extra hardware anyway." You are going to want at
least two megabytes of RAM and a hard drive to use 6.0 with applications
effectively.
As mentioned, there are six 800k disks in the System Software 6.0
set:
GEnie File # Disk Name Description
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
18140 /Install A bootable instalation volume.
18141 /SystemTools1 Tools and other features.
18142 /SystemTools2 More tools and features.
18143 /Fonts Fonts and the Apple Bowl game.
18144 /synthLAB Apples MIDI music software.
18145 /System.Disk A standalone boot volume.
If you are downloading 6.0 from GEnie or another service, you can
skip the System.Disk should you have a hard drive or boot from a large,
permanent RAM disk. It was included since the installer takes over 90
disk swaps to create an 800k System.Disk.
To install 6.0 you will first need to decide if your main booting
directory requires a customized driver. If so, place it in the drivers
folder of the /Install disk. Since there is only 1 byte free on this
disk, delete a few scripts which you will not be using. This will make
room for your driver. Do not delete drivers or other devices as the
installer program will be looking for them even if they are not used.
Now all you have to do is insert the /Install disk and boot your
IIGS from the 800k drive. When the option window appears, choose Easy
Install. This will update your existing system software to 6.0. After
Easy Install is finished working its magic, you can use the Customize
option and install extra features as you see fit. It is a good idea to
boot the finder and take a look at your machine to see what Easy Install
has placed and what remains to be installed before customizing.
When you boot 6.0, the first change you will notice is that the
version number is now clearly displayed on the thermometer screen. The
second thing is the Finder. Be warned, finder icons are used in a whole
new way with 6.0. If you are using customized icons rename FINDER.ICONS
and FINDERx.ICONS to xxxx.ICONS before you install 6.0. (xxxx being
anything but FINDER. Try STANDARD.ICONS and STANDARDx.ICONS) If you do
not rename these files the Install program will delete them and the
finder will use Apple's plain icon package.
Once you get the finder started you can take off on your own.
Apple has provided two help packages to get you going. The first and
most important is part of the menu bar. Just click the Apple logo and
drag it down to HELP. This HELP box has a whole index of useful
information. Just use you mouse to choose your subject.
The other help Apple has provided is a Teach Text file called
Shortcuts. Teach is a simple word processor that Apple included with
6.0 that can read several different file formats. To read Shortcuts,
just open up your boot drive and double click the Shortcuts file. Teach
will come-up with Shortcuts already loaded.
Also, included in this issue of the Apple II GEnie Lamp are
several message excerpts containing useful information about running
6.0, including the first 14 of Lunatic's 6.0 hints.
[EOA]
[THI]//////////////////////////////
THINK ABOUT IT! /
/////////////////////////////////
Food For Thought
""""""""""""""""
By Phil Shapiro
[P.SHAPIRO1]
>>> FUTUREPHONES <<<
""""""""""""""""""""
REACH OUT AND... Anyone who has ever used a modem knows how fast data
"""""""""""""""" can be accurately transferred along a telephone
line. Yet business phone calls across this country continue to exchange
vital data via voice, which takes place at an effective rate of about 10
baud, using an error detection protocol that's inherently susceptible to
mistakes. "Mistakes?" "That's: M for Mary, I for Igloo, S for Sam, T
for Tuesday, A for Apple, K for Kangaroo, E for Elizabeth, and S for
Slow, Silly, and Stupid."
Take, for example, the exchange of names and addresses by two
potential business persons. If either of the two person's names is
uncommon, they'll have to spell it out letter by letter to the other
person. Usually the street address doesn't present too many problems,
but you better double check the suite number twice.
Cities and zip codes typically aren't that difficult to exchange,
except you have to pay attention to subtle differences, such as Newark,
New Jersey, and New York, New York. "That's Newark: N for Nancy, E for
Elizabeth, W for Window, A for Apple, R for Radio, and K for Kangaroo."
You never want to make a mistake on the zip code, so better check it
over at least twice.
Exchange of data by voice would simply be slow and inefficient under
the best of circumstances. But throw in background noises (traffic and
printers being the chief villains), regional accents, and sundry
distractions, and the result can be a real headache. "Headache?"
"That's H for Henry, E for Elizabeth, A for Apple, D for David, A for
Apple, C for Charlie, H for Henry, E for Elizabeth."
The simple exchange of name and address can take up to two minutes
for each person's name and address. For a mutual exchange of names and
addresses, we're talking four to five minutes. How much time would such
an exchange take using a data transfer of 2400 baud? About two seconds,
maximum. The 150 times improvement in speed being only incidentally
important to the improved accuracy in data transfer. "Transfer?"
"That's: T as in Tom, ..."
Now, the neat thing is that the data transfer need not be on a
separate phone line from the voice communication. Just last week I
called a friend who runs her own little desktop publishing business.
While we were chatting, her fax machine cut in, and started
transmitting. I chatted with her fax machine for a while, but continued
to hear her voice in the background. After she switched off her fax, I
remarked, "Gee, do you think it's possible to transmit both voice and
data along the same phone line, at the same time?"
Even if you couldn't transmit voice and data simultaneously, it
wouldn't be too difficult for both sides to coordinate a few quick
pulses of data exchange at a certain point in the conversation. Both
phone systems would have to be equipped with modem capability. Low end
systems could have a capture buffer, to capture the incoming data. High
end systems could have a direct link to a person's desktop computer, so
that incoming data could be automatically dumped into a database (or
temporary clipboard, where appropriate.)
The absolute ideal set up would be to have two phone lines for every
call: one for voice, and one for data. The voice line would serve to
coordinate which types of data to be sent on the data line. Data
exchanges could be ASCII exchanges, using a modem, or graphics
exchanges, using a fax machine.
All "routine exchange data" could be available for quick transfer.
Routine exchange data would include:
1) The names, positions, and phone numbers of key employees at each
company
2) Product lists and price sheets
3) Written records of standard operating procedures of each company
The process of data exchange would be further enhanced if each
futurephone had a mini-printer attached. The mini-printer would serve
solely to print mailing labels. These labels could then be printed at
the touch of a key, rather than having the information manually
transferred from a slip of paper into a computer, and then out to a
printer.
The process of exchanging vital data over the phone has changed very
little since Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone about a hundred
years ago. It's high time we used the new electronic tools to
streamline the way modern business is conducted. The savings in time
and energy are in the order of ten and twenty times as fast and
efficient. Some procedures could speed up vital data exchange by as
much as 5000 percent.
Everybody benefits by such streamlined efficiencies. And the wheels
of business and industry will be able to spin that much more smoothly.
Sure beats having to spell out long names over the phone. "That's: S
for Sam, L for Lucy, O for October, and W for Walrus."
[*][*][*]
Phil Shapiro (The author is the founder of Balloons
Software, a new Apple II educational software
company. Phil Shapiro is a resident of Washington
D.C., uses GEMail to communicate with friends and
business colleagues in Honolulu, Hawaii;
British Columbia, Canada; and Moscow (via Finland).
He can be reached at 5201 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW,
Washington, DC 20015-1747. Or via electronic mail
on GEnie: P.Shapiro1
[EOA]#20
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
ONLINE FUNNIES /
/////////////////////////////////
CowTOONS!
"""""""""
By "Hawk"
(__) (__) (__) (__)
(oo) (oo) (oo) (oo)
/-------\/-* /-------\/ /-------\/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ | || \ )*)(\/* / * / | ||