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~ WELCOME TO GENIELAMP APPLE II! ~
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ FOCUS ON: KansasFest '97
~ REAL WORLD APPLE: Reach Out and Touch Someone (or Something)
~ FILE BANDWAGON: Top Ten Files for May and June
~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
GenieLamp Apple II ~ A T/TalkNET Publication ~ Vol.6, Issue 66
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Editor...................................................Ryan M. Suenaga
Editor Emeritus................................................Doug Cuff
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
~ GenieLamp IBM ~ GenieLamp ST ~ GenieLamp PowerPC ~
~ GenieLamp A2Pro ~ GenieLamp Macintosh ~ GenieLamp TX2 ~
~ GenieLamp Windows ~ GenieLamp A2 ~ LiveWire (ASCII) ~
~ Member Of The Digital Publishing Association ~
GE Mail: GENIELAMP Internet: genielamp@genie.com
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ August 15, 1997 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
FILE BANDWAGON .......... [BAN] REAL WORLD APPLE ........ [RWA]
Top Ten Files For May and June. Reach Out And Touch.
FOCUS ON ................ [FOC] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
The Very Best Of KFest 1997. GenieLamp Information
[IDX]""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GENIELAMP GenieLamp has incorporated a unique indexing system
""""""""""""""""" to help make reading the magazine easier. To utilize
this system, load GenieLamp 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 reprinted
"""""""""""" here in GenieLamp, 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 has pricing plans to fit almost any budget. Genie's
""""""""""" services include email, software downloads, bulletin boards,
chat lines, and an Internet gateway included at a non-prime time connect
rate of $2.75. Some pricing plans include uncharged online connect time.
As always, prices are subject to change without notice. To sign up for
Genie, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369 in the USA or 1-800-387-8330 in
Canada. Upon connection wait for the U#= prompt. Type: JOINGENIE and hit
RETURN. The system will then prompt you for your information. Need more
information? Call Genie's customer service line (voice) at 1-800-638-9636.
GET GENIELAMP ON THE NET! Now you can get your GenieLamp A2 issues from
""""""""""""""""""""""""" the Internet. If you use a web browser,
connect to "http://people.delphi.com/rsuenaga".
*** GET INTO THE LAMP! ***
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
///////////////////////////////////////// Genie_QWIK_QUOTE /////
/ "Just curious...How is Ethernet pronounced? /
/ Long or short first E?" /
/ /
/ "Ethernet is what you use to catch the Ether Bunny, /
/ of course!" /
/////////////////////////////////////// R.REEDY AND CINDY.A ///
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
[A2LAMP]
>>> GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I believe it was in the original "Oh God" movie where George Burns is
asked, if he is indeed God, why he allows people to suffer. His response
is along the lines of, "I could never figure out how to make things with
only one side." If there's a top, there's a bottom. If there's an inside,
there's an outside.
If there's Good News, there's Bad News.
KansasFest 1997 has come and gone, and while there was some Bad News
(the attendance was the lowest it's ever been, and the Avila food was
nothing to write home about), there was some spectacularly Good News as
well. Prolific Australian programmer Richard Bennett shocked the entire
world by unveiling _Marinetti_ at KFest '97. _Marinetti_ is the code name
for an Apple IIgs Control Panel that brings TCP/IP to the Apple IIgs, a
totally separate effort from Derek Taubert's long awaited _GS/TCP_ project.
It will be distributed as freeware. Good News indeed!
KFesters also got to see hardware that never existed, software that no
one ever thought would, and got to meet Apple II fanatics from all over the
world. And while Bad News always exists, Good News is always better.
In any case, while we usually restrict our "Hey Mister Postman"
feature to posts on the Genie A2 BB during the previous month, this issue
we have included quite a few early August posts due to KFest 1997
straddling both months.
KansasFest forever.
[*][*][*]
Sometimes we don't know if something is Good News or Bad News. Take
the current status of Genie, for instance.
Genie management has made clear that there are changes coming to
Genie. What they have not made clear is just what those changes are. What
_is_ known is that all of the Genie offline processors (_Aladdin_, _Online
Servant_, _CoPilot_, _GEM_, and any others) will break. How badly they
will break (and, consequently, how quickly they can be fixed, if, indeed,
they can be) is unknown at this time. It also appears the way Genie users
access Genie will change, but, again, what this will change to is unknown
as well.
This _could_ be a change for the better, after all. If Genie dropped
their prices and allowed a low cost offering such as Delphi does with their
Content Plan, Genie could continue to be the center of the Apple II
universe for many years to come. That's an optimistic view, but it's a
possibility. Again, we just don't know.
What I _do_ know, however, is that the very production of
_GenieLamp A2_ is dependent on Genie offline processors, and if they cannot
be quickly repaired, _GenieLamp A2_, at least in the form it is currently
known, is dead in the water, kaput, finishd.
That would be very Bad News indeed. Stay tuned.
[*][*][*]
What is definitely Good News is that while KansasFest 1997 is over,
the momentum of Apple II enthusiasm KFest generated has not been slowed one
iota. The Delphi A2 Forum has been picking up tremendous amounts of steam
as Apple II user after Apple II user seeks refuge from the storm that is
Usenet, and the proliferation of offline processors (_Crock O' Gold_,
_OLRight!_, and _QuarkNet_) has made life easier for everyone. We are
anxiously awaiting the arrival of _Marinetti_, _GSoft_, and _MUG_, and
hoping that NinjaForce can find the time to finish _Kaboom!_ The Big
Cheese of KFest herself, Cindy Adams, is trying to convince some Apple IIgs
programmer out there to port _Snood_ from the Mac. Those of us involved in
writing about the Apple II have more than our usual share of work cut out
for us with covering KFest, _Marinetti_, Genie, Delphi, and trying to get
the whole Apple II world up to speed on TCP/IP.
Finally, after a brief breather, your hard-working KansasFest
committee has set set the dates for KansasFest 1998 as July 22-26 1998 at
Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri. Mark those calendars now, and
we'll keep our monthly series of KansasFest Blatant Plugs going as long as
possible.
Good News, indeed.
-- Ryan
Genie Mail: A2LAMP Internet: a2lamp@genie.com
__________________________________________________________
| |
| REPRINTING GENIELAMP |
| |
| If you want to reprint any part of GenieLamp, or |
| post it to a bulletin board, please see the very end |
| of this file for instructions and limitations. |
|__________________________________________________________|
ASCII ART BEGINS
_____ _ _ ___ ___
/ ____| (_) | | / _ \|__ \
| | __ ___ _ __ _ ___| | __ _ _ __ ___ _ __ | |_| | ) |
| | |_ |/ _ \ '_ \| |/ _ \ | / _` | '_ ` _ \| '_ \ | _ | / /
| |__| | __/ | | | | __/ |___| (_| | | | | | | |_) | | | | |/ /_
\_____|\___|_| |_|_|\___|______\__,_|_| |_| |_| .__/ |_| |_|____|
| |
|_|
ASCII ART ENDS
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Ryan Suenaga
[A2LAMP]
o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS
o A2 POT-POURRI
o HOT TOPICS
o WHAT'S NEW
o THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT 1, TOP 29 ....... Picking Up the Pieces of the Merger
[*] CAT 2, TOP 1 ....... Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
[*] CAT 2, TOP 45 ....... KFest '97: Live from Avila!
[*] CAT 28, TOP 23 ....... Marinetti--TCP/IP Artistry
>>> A2 POT-POURRI <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""
A2/2PRO MERGER AFTERMATH
""""""""""""""""""""""""
Open Message to all who experienced problems in the merger of A2 and A2Pro:
We understand your frustration and disappointment. However, given the tools
and the time frame work that we had, we did the best we could to merge the
two RoundTables with the fewest number of problems for you.
Here are the facts as I know them.
For some time we had discussed the possibility of merging A2Pro back into
A2 in order to increase discussions in the programming topics. However, the
necessity of this merger was forced upon us when IDT, the owners of Genie,
decided that the A2Pro Roundtable did not have sufficient traffic to
warrant its continued existence. We were essentially given until the end of
June to decide what to do with it.
With less than a month to decide, we feverishly discussed our options and
how we could save A2Pro for you. As soon as we had a plan we began putting
banners and messages in the bulletin boards letting folks know what was
happening. I understand that some of you did not see those messages until
it was too late, but we did the best we could.
It was decided to merge the two bulletin boards all on one day, June 26,
rather than stretch it out over several days. This would mean that some of
you who were unaware of what was happening would experience one day of
horror, but then it would be over and we could all get on with our lives
here in A2.
The next step was to merge the two libraries. That was essentially done
this past weekend, although some changes may still need to be made.
Now you have a new bulletin board with lots of new topics, and a library
that has lots of new files that many of you were unaware even existed. I
hope that you will see this as an opportunity rather than as a problem.
Others have tried to explain the limitations of Genie's bulletin board and
library management utilities and I won't add to it, except to say that we
did the very best that we could to ease the difficulties that you had to
experience. Please accept our apologies for your inconvenience.
Charlie Hartley
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT1, TOP29, MSG:323/M645;1) C
A MESSAGE FROM SEVEN HILLS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I just got off the phone with Seven Hills. I have been asked to post a
request from them, both here and on Delphi.
They would like to update information they have on those of us who use
their products. They would like a preferred email address from us, an
address other than a Genie one (if there is one). That way they can be
sure that they can get update information, etc. out to us.
You can email them at:
SHSS@IX.NETCOM.COM
CHunk -- Apples on my Desk -- Songs in my Heart -- :)
(CHUNK.S, CAT16, TOP2, MSG;166/M645;1)
LAST CALL FOR BULLETIN BOARD ARCHIVES
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
General Announcement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If there are A2 Bulletin Board topics that you would like to have archived
and put in the library please let me know here within the next week. I will
make an attempt to meet all requests within the two weeks that follow.
After that, I'll probably not be doing any more archives.
Charlie
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT1, TOP29, MSG:355/M645;1)
THE NEW A2/A2PRO SOFTWARE LIBRARY LINEUP
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Apple II RoundTable Software Library
1. A2 RoundTable General Files
2. ...Bulletin Board Archives
3. ...Conference Transcripts
4. ...Library Indexes and Tools
5. A2 University
6. Reviews, Press Releases, Ads
7. Apple II Publications
8. FAQs, Digests, Info Files
9. GS/OS System Files & System Disks
10. ...Icons
11. ...Tools, FSTs, Drivers
12. ...System.Setup, Finder.Extras
13. ...Desk.Accs (NDA, CDA)
14. ...CDevs (Control Panels)
15. ...Sounds (System rSounds)
16. ...Fonts - Bitmap
17. ...Fonts - TrueType & PostScript
18. GS/OS General Files
19. ...Games
20. ......Mean 18 Courses
21. ...Graphics (SHR, 3200, Anim, etc.)
22. ......Print Shop GS
23. ...Music (MIDI, MOD, SynthLAB, etc.)
24. ...Sound (BIN, HyperStudio, etc.)
25. ...Telecommunications
26. ...Utilities
27. ...HyperStudio
28. ...HyperCard IIgs
29. ProDOS 8 General & System Files
30. ...Games
31. ......Eamon
32. ...Graphics Programs, Sound, Music
33. ......Pictures
34. ......New Print Shop
35. ...Telecommunications
36. ...Utilities
37. DOS 3.3 General & System Files
38. ...Games
39. ...Print Shop
40. AppleWorks
41. ...AppleWorks GS
42. ...NAUG
43. Misc. Graphics (GIF, ASCII, etc.)
44. Education
45. Business
46. Desktop Publishing
47. None of the Above - Misc. Files
48. Adult Oriented (Forbidden Fruits)
49. === A2Pro Libraries ===
50. Tech & Filetype notes, Sample Code
51. Help me! ... Problem source uploads
52. Categorize me! & General Uploads
53. 8-bit development, Applesoft, HyperC
54. Theory and general techniques
55. The Reference Shelf: Specs and Info
56. Resources: REZ, Tools, and Utilities
57. Miscellaneous Programming Utilities
58. Interface files, Macros, & Libraries
59. Debugging Tools (GSBug, Nifty List)
60. Other IIgs Languages (BASIC, FORTH)
61. Shells and Shell Utilities (EXE's)
62. Desk Accessories and Inits
63. Desktop Programs and GUI Code
64. Apple Assembly Lines (EXCLUSIVE!)
65. 8/16 - Central (EXCLUSIVE!)
66. Practice: Putting it all together
67. Seven Hills Beta (Private)
68. Shepherd beta (Private)
69. ...reserved
70. ...reserved
71. ...reserved
72. ALL Libraries
(A2.TOMZ, CAT1, TOP39, MSG:88/M645;1)
THE BIG CHEESE MAKES THE BIG TIME
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I don't know where to put this, but I picked this topic since maybe we
might be seeing some new people.
I subscribe to a bi-monthly publication (disk) called Teacher's Mac that's
published by Schoolhouse Mac. (It's a great publication if you are a
teacher, BTW.) In their last issue, there was an article on Apple II
Resources, but it really didn't have too much in it. So being the Apple II
fanatic that I am, I wrote a letter to let them know about this RT, the
Delphi Forum, and the A2 Web site. Much to my surprise when I looked at
the lastest issue at the Apple II Resource section, it was MY letter.
Kinda cool, I thought to myself.
So if any of you reading this have found your way here because of Teacher's
Mac, WELCOME!!!
Cindy
(CINDY.A, CAT2, TOP2, MSG:93/M645;1)
CHANGE IS GOOD. . . YOU GO FIRST
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I just spotted this announcement elsewhere. I have no further details at
this time, but will post here as soon as I find out more.
===snip===
Genie will be making some exciting new changes this summer and want to
share them with the world. We are asking you to recommend a free one month
trial of Genie to a friend, co-worker, baby-sitter, the person sitting next
to you on your transcontinental flight, anyone at all!
Your "Buddy" will receive a free one month trial of Genie, and full
internet access tailored for their home or office system. Not to mention
access to the best online community in the world.
Now for the best part : You will receive a free month of basic service, if
your "Buddy" stays with Genie for more than a month. Even if they decide
not to stay with Genie, you will receive a complementary gift as a token of
our appreciation, and be among the first Genie members to get Genie's
Internet Access Program with higher speed modem connections.
To sign up for this program - please have your "Buddy" call Genie Customer
Service. Genie Client Services phone number is 1-800-638-9636. The hours
of operation for Genie Client Services are 9:00am to 5:00pm EST Monday thru
Friday.
===snip===
CHunk
(CHUNK.S, CAT2, TOP1, MSG:21/M645;1)
>>>>> I found this survey from Genie mgmt in my email and I'm surprised
""""" it only got a brief mention here in A2. I was wondering if ya'all
thought it was spam and just deleted it. Anyway, I think it is worthy of
re-posting here for all to see and discuss, because if A2 is to survive
here on Genie we need to make it known that most of us who use the ][
exclusively are accessing Genie via an operating system which Genie has
never even heard of. So what's the best way to answer the "what type
operating system do you use to access Genie" question? Apple II? ProDOS?
GS/OS? Other?
------------------------------- snip ----------------------------------
Item 3462747 97/07/04 20:49
From: SURVEY Genie Management
To: LASZLO Laszlo Girhiny
Sub: GENIE CUSTOMER SURVEY (E)
Dear Valued Genie Subscriber,
Genie Online Services is pleased to announce our plan to make Genie even
easier for you to access and use.
In order to effectively accomplish this, we need to know a little about you
and how you use Genie. Your information and opinions are very important to
us.
In addition, we would like to update your records in our database so we can
be sure that you'll receive any update materials and notifications that we
will be sending via regular mail. Please let us know your new address
and/or phone number if you have moved since we contacted you last.
We are also interested in knowing what type of equipment you are using to
access Genie. This information will be used to restructure Genie in ways
that are best suited to your personal needs. In addition, we would like to
update your records in our database so we can be sure that you'll receive
any update materials and notifications that we will be sending via regular
mail. Please let us know your new address and/or phone number if you have
moved since we contacted you last.
We are also interested in knowing what type of equipment you are using to
access Genie. This information will be used to restructure Genie in ways
that are best suited to your personal needs.
With this in mind, please take a moment to fill out the brief survey below.
We appreciate your input as we work hard to make Genie all that you want it
to be.
Thank you,
The Genie Management Team
CONTACT INFORMATION
======================
Last Name :
Address (Line 1) :
Address (Line 2) :
City :
State :
Zip-Code :
Country :
Home Phone :
Work Phone :
Genie E-mail :
Internet E-mail :
COMPUTER SYSTEM INFORMATION
=== ===========================
Type of Computer :
Operating System :
Modem Type :
YOUR COMMENTS
================
--------------------------------- snip ----------------------------------
Ed Staib
Delivered by CoPilot 2.5.5 running Ken Lucke's scripts
via Spectrum 2.1
(E.STAIB, CAT1, TOP29, MSG:324/M645;1)
>>>>> As much as it may look like spam to some people, that survey is
""""" indeed legitimate. How best to answer the Operating System
question? How's this:
Type of Computer : Apple II (IIgs, IIe, IIc) - NOT a Macintosh
Operating System : ProDOS (or GS/OS)
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT1, TOP29, MSG:325/M645;1)
>>>>> There Are Rumors that this survey is the first step in increasing
""""" Genie's access from the Internet. If you value your capability to
access Genie through direct lines rather than via the WWW, be sure to let
them know that when you fill out the survey.
Don't forget to include Tony's suggestion as to what kind of computer you
have (Apple II - NOT A MACINTOSH) so those people won't be confused. <g>
TomZ
(A2.TOMZ, CAT1, TOP29, MSG:327/M645;1)
>>>>> The GEIS phone lines are probably not going to be available under
""""" the new setup. I don't have any specific information about
SprintNet lines.
Now would probably be a good time to investigate Delphi. Most SprintNet
numbers can be used there. For more information, call 1-800-245-8000.
I sincerely hope that the Apple II RoundTable continues on Genie for a long
time to come; but I would not want any of you to find yourself without
access should there no longer be local phone access to Genie for you.
Following the scout motto: "Be Prepared!"
Charlie
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT2, TOP7, MSG:182/M645;1)
>>>>> I received a survey form from Genie Management the other day, which
""""" I filled out and e-returned. In the comments at the bottom, I
enumerated my zmodem download woes, namely the problems I've been having
with Sprintnet not passing control back to Genie thereby hanging, and/or
giving me high ASCII screen garbage, and/or totally crashing my system
where I have to re-boot and then go back in to ProTERM in order to log-off.
Below is today's reply:
|| Nancy, One of the changes planned is to move to a more reliable
|| dialup network I hope that this will resolve your modem upload
|| problems. Look for new access numbers in the next month or so.
||
|| Laszlo Genie Development Team
Hmmmmm. Sounds interesting. Just so they let me know what the new number(s)
are BEFORE they change them!
-- nancy
(N.CRAWFORD, CAT2, TOP9, MSG:215/M645;1)
>>>>> The upcoming Genie change is on a vastly greater scale than
""""" previous changes to the Genie interface. I am not optimistic that
the Genie offline readers will be fixable after the changevoer. Hopefully I
am wrong, but it would be prudent for everyone to start hedging their bets
right now in case the OLR's prove to be difficult or impossible to fix.
With regard to joining Delphi:
The Apple II community there is growing slowly but visibly. With this
change in Genie, it may see a major growth spurt in the near future. My gut
feeling is that, because of the library and OLR situations, six months from
now the current roles and relative ranking of Delphi and Genie will be
reversed.
Right now the Delphi library only has a few hundred files in it, but plans
are afoot to automate a large-scale upload to make it into something to be
proud of like we have here on Genie. Failing that, if A2-Delphi did
something as simple as organize a hundred users into uploading a few of
their favorite files, things could start hopping overnight.
At this time file transfers on Delphi are reliable only if using Delphi's
direct-access membership option. Their "content" membership option gives
you access via your own internet dial-up through a telnet connection. To
say that file transfers via telnet are unreliable vastly understates the
case. Having said that, There Are Rumors that Delphi has something in the
works to greatly improve file transfer capabilities, but I have no word on
what that might be or when it will surface.
In no way am I suggesting that people quit Genie and join Delphi. I myself
will be here on Genie until the bitter end, whenever that might be. But
Genie is becoming a terribly frayed basket to be keeping all of your eggs
in.
TomZ
(A2.TOMZ, CAT2, TOP7, MSG;191/M645;1)
>>>>> When you first logon to Delphi, at the logon name prompt type "Join
""""" Delphi" (without the quotes, of course); and at the password
prompt type "9610SDI". This will give credit to the A2 Forum for signing
you up. Of course, if you prefer, you can type "NEW" as the password. Then
follow the directions to sign up.
They will ask you for personal information (address, phone #, etc.) and a
credit card # to bill. They will also help you find a suitable phone number
to call from your area. If you telnet in, at the unix prompt type "telnet
delphi.com" and then follow the directions above. Of course your shell
access account may have a menu item for telnet, and may even have a menu
item to access Delphi.
If you have other questions, ask 'em here. :)
Charlie
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT2, TOP7, MSG:190/M645;1)
>>>>> We do indeed have the entire library backed up, but as Tom said it
""""" might take quite a while to get it all uploaded elsewhere (ie.
Delphi.)
I think what Tim and Tom were referring to is during Genie's changeover the
files might be lost, here, at least temporarily.
- Tony (wiped out, but home from KFest!)
(A2.TONY, CAT2, TOP7, MSG:194/M645;1)
LOOKING GOOD IN NEWSPRINT I'm amazed and stunned beyond all belief ;-)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Thanks, Ken Gagne, you made my day, my week, and my month!
Ken, who lives in Worcester, MA, sent me the front section of the July 6,
1997 edition of the Worcester "Sunday Telegram" newspaper. The note Ken
included said:
"Check the 'Trivia' on the back page. I thought this a strange find for a
local paper; figured you'd like to see it."
Of course, Ken figured right.
The Trivia column is a Q & A column, written by Rogers Cadenhead, and it
looks to me as if it's a syndicated column that originally appeared in the
Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Here's the item that Ken wanted me to see:
Q: Where can I find programs for an Apple IIc computer, other than
AppleWorks? - J.P.C.
A: A good place to start would be a newsletter devoted to Apple II users,
hardware and software. Yearly subscriptions to Shareware Solutions II are
$25 from Joe Kohn, Shareware Solutions II, 166 Alpine St, San Rafael,
Calif. 94901-1008.
My gosh. I made the news!
Thanks, Ken, for thinking about me; I really appreciate it!!
Joe
(JOE.KOHN, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:116/M645;1)
GOOD DEALS ON REMOVABLE STORAGE Comp USA (1-800-266-7872) is selling
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 6-packs of Sony Zip disks with storage
rack for $69.94. Then there's a $10.00 rebate bringing the cost to $59.94.
That's only $9.99 each, plus a free storage rack (which I can't seem to
find =anywhere=.) Grab 'em while you can.
I don't work for Comp USA, I just read the newspaper. :)
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT11, TOP43, MSG:237/M645;1)
ANSITERM OLR BUG FIX This is to anyone who has had dialing problems with
"""""""""""""""""""" Genie CoPilot for ANSITerm (and OLRight! for
Delphi):
I think I have found a potential problem in the portion of the dial scripts
that detects whether your modem is connected. I have used the same routine
for all of my dialing scripts, and may have been this way when I took over
from PMP in supporting the CoPilot scripts.
I have had a very few users of both CoPilot and OLRight! who have had
problems making connections. Some of these problems have defied all
attempts to fix. What I am about to describe _may_ be part of the problem.
The following is the stock detection script from both applications. The
label names may change, but the same conditionals are used:
#rget
loc 0 0
as s1 "*&*&"
rget s1 40 120 up s1
if s1 "*&*&" #noconn
fi "CONNECT" s1 if su #logon
fi "BUSY" s1 if su #busy
fi "VOICE" s1 if su #noconn
fi "NO CARRIER" s1 if su #noconn
fi "NO DIAL" s1 if su #nodial2
go #rget
#logon
The script assigns a default value to the string variable s1, and then
waits for up to 2 minutes for a line from the modem. If it receives a line
from the modem, it tests against the contents of the line to determine
whether a connection has been made.
The Problem: If the modem returns an empty line (i.e. a carriage return
only) before another string, the script may exit thinking there is no
connection. I have run into situations in some of the commands in which
attempts to put a null value into a variable that already has a value
results in the variable not being changed. I seem to recall that the rget
command is one of these, but it is tough to test that command.
So...
If you are having problems connecting, try changing the script to the
following:
#rget
loc 0 0
as s1 "*&*&"
rget s1 40 120 if fa #noconn
up s1
fi "CONNECT" s1 if su #logon
fi "BUSY" s1 if su #busy
fi "VOICE" s1 if su #noconn
fi "NO CARRIER" s1 if su #noconn
fi "NO DIAL" s1 if su #nodial2
go #rget
#logon
If you compare the script fragments, you can see that I have deleted the
parts relating to detecting the default value of s1, and added a
conditional to the rget command line.
If you are having connect problems and this fixes them, _PLEASE_ let me
know!
If you want to test a small script that demonstrates this 'feature' of the
ANSITerm scripting language, try the following (copy to a new file and run
it with Command-Z):
as s9 "Gotcha!"
get "Press Enter or type a string" s9
note s9 exit
If you simply press Enter when you see the 'get' dialog, you should see
"Gotcha!" in the following 'note' window.
Don V.Zahniser - CoPilot for ANSITerm Support
Delivered by:
CoPilot 2.5.6 and ANSITerm v2.13b
(D.ZAHNISER, CAT21, TOP18, MSG:148/M645;1)
>>> HOT TOPICS <<<
""""""""""""""""""
KFEST BEFORE Help!!! I have too many roommates at KFest.[970723] Some
"""""""""""" time ago, I was on line, asking about a roommate for KFest/
Someone saw my message and volunteered.
Since then I inadvertently cleared all my files on downloads off A2/RT. I
have forgotten who it was that responded to my inquiry. I failed to inform
Cindy that we had made this arrangement.
In the last few days, Russ Alman, knowing that I have had computer
troubles, Contacted Cindy and suggested that he and I room together so that
he can give me help. I think it would be of value to me if I could room
with Russ. Cindy has put us together.
I am concerned that someone else is expecting to room with me. I wish I
could contact him- but I do not know how, since I have lost my information.
I hope he can see this and respond.
I do not want to inconvenience anyone.
Ephraim Wall <c.wall4>
Delivered by:
CoPilot v2.55
Offline GEnie Message Manager
(C.WALL4, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:240/M645;1)
>>>>> This is to hereby award 3rd place of the "Most Requested KFest
""""" Roommate" to Ephraim Wall. He is running a distant 3rd behind
Cindy Crawford and Michelle Pfeiffer. Unfortunately, the 2 others are not
on Genie and won't know about receiving this coveted award.
Congratulations Ephraim!!
Unless I receive strenuous objections from someone else, Russ Alman will be
your lucky roommate this year. I'm sure all of the runner-ups will do
their best to spend as much time with you as possible.
Cindy (KFest Big Cheese)
cindyadams@delphi.com - - - - GO COM POW or GO COM A2
Posted by ProTERM Mac Messenger
(CINDY.A, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:241/M645;1)
>>>>> No sleep last night (pre KFest training) but the ridiculously early
""""" flight got me to KC before 9AM and I've had some time to check
things out, etc.
For a start, K C Masterpiece and Jess & Jim's are still here:) What really
amazed me is the preparations Kansas City and Avila have made for us!
They've put up "Avila College" exit signs on I-435 and have repaved the
road to Jess & Jim's just for KFest!!
When I stopped at Avila they were trimming the bushes - again, most likely
JUST FOR US!! And your KFest Committee is still hard at work. I think I
passed Cindy on Wornall Road - I was running up north and she was going
south. There's nothing we won't do to make this another fabulous year:)
The weather may be a further indication of how great this year's KFest will
be. It's a beautiful day here - better than what I left! If you haven't
noticed, I'm just too excited to get the sleep I should:) EVERYTHING has
been just perfect today and I can't wait for all you lucky people to get
here!!
I even feel good about those that just couldn't arrange to be here. I think
we're gonna have enough impromptu RTCs on Delphi and Genie for you to
almost experience the thrills of being here this year. Enough to keep you
going until you CAN be here next year!
Oh, almost forgot. For those who haven't departed yet, the "emergency"
number at Avila is 816-943-5320. They'll be someone there during normal
hours and you'll get an answering machine (with instructions on how to
contact a real person afterhours). Hope no one will need to use this number
but it IS comforting to know the Avila personnel are there to respond 24
hours a day. PLEASE be just as considerate and only use that number for
actual emergencies.
Hmmm. I've also been too excited to eat. I think I'll take care of that
now:) Later good people!
Godzilla
(MAC.BB, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:266/M645;1)
>>>>> Nope, it wasn't me, but I'm in Kansas City now too!! And Steve is
""""" right, the entire city is getting ready for Kfest! They have
finished the road construction on I-435 too!!
I haven't made it by Avila yet (late flight, long delay getting luggage
with the KFest t-shirts, and long wait to get rental car), but I did stop
at a really cool knitting store. (if any one cares) :)
I'm excited and looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow. Have on your
BBQ colored shirt, and come with a BIG appetite.
Momma Cheese
(in beautiful Overland Park, KS)
(CINDY.A, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:267/M645;1)
KFEST DURING I'm here!
""""""""""""
Steve was right, the gorgeous weather that he found yesterday continues
through today. Not too hot, not too humid.
Keven Thornton is here, as well as Richard Bennett, Jim Blair, Erick
Wagner, Hamish Donaldson (from Winnepeg!), and a few others that are
arriving as I type this on Wednesday afternoon.
I'm hungry!
David K.
(A2.DAD, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:272/M645;1)
>>>>> Registration is over. I sat at the table from 1-4 so that I
""""" wouldn't miss Geoff Weiss this year, and of course he was late. :)
The weather is still beautiful. It's nice to be able to go outside and not
be in a sauna. :) I'm sure the weather will change and provide me a
thunder storm before the week is over.
One thing I forgot to mention is that we have a 25% newbie rate this year.
Not too shabby for an "old" computer.
Momma Cheese
(CINDY.A, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:273/M645;1)
>>>>> Well, I can't believe it, but I'm actually here at KFest! It was a
""""" pretty long drive, especially if one is not used to driving for
long stretches of time, but the weather was beautiful and the driving was
very pleasant. (...well, until I hit the traffic coming into St. Louis! ;)
I know I said that I planned to be online for my RTC tonight, but I've been
so busy finding my way around and meeting people...and I'm just getting
started! <G>
Stan
s.marks3@genie.com stanmarks@delphi.com
Delivered by: CoPilot v2.55 & Spectrum v2.1
(S.MARKS3, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:275/M645;1)
>>>>> > News is suspiciously slim from Kansas this morning. But this?
"""""
Seriously, here's the real news:
On Thursday night of KFest, in a session on the Apple II and the Internet,
our own Richard Bennett shocked the entire Apple II world by announcing a
TCP/IP stack for the Apple IIgs. This is an entirely separate effort from
Derek Taubert's ongoing GS/TCP project that has kept Apple II faithful in
suspense for several years.
There is no official name for the product as of yet. It is a Control Panel
and currently supports SLIP connections, although PPP is also in the works.
There also are no currently available programs that will work with this.
However, Richard showed a quick and dirty hack of a telnet application that
took him about half a day to get together and allowed as many as =20=
concurrent telnet sessions!
It is meant to be distributed as freeware and has no requirement for GNO/Me
or any other environment.
The TCP/IP Control Panel, code named "Marinetti", should be available in
less than a month. Programming and user documentation should also be
available at that point. Already, our A2Pro Geek Gang present here at
KFest (Todd Whitsel and Just Dave Miller) have spent several hours late
last night/early this morning working on applications for it. A whole new
world is awakening. . .
Ryan
Editor, GenieLamp A2
Reporting Live from KFest!
(EDITOR.A2, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:282/M645;1)
>>>>> Hmmm. Well, how about this for news .... :)
"""""
Richard Bennett, Australian programmer and loyal member of Genie A2-A2Pro,
shook the Apple II world Thursday evening when he announced -- and demoed
-- a TCP/IP stack for the Apple IIGS!!!!!!!
The ramifications will be, in a word, "dramatic".
Richard also demoed a Telnet client application that runs on his TCP/IP
stack, and connected to several ISPs in the area.
Needless to say, Kfest '97 is buzzing with excitement. And I suspect the
rest of our world will be as well -- once the word spreads near and far.
If you want to read more about the TCP/IP demo and other Kfest happenings,
visit A2-Web (http://www.syndicomm.com/a2web). Webmaster David Kerwood was
up late last night updating the page and posting the latest news.
More later ....
Max
(M.JONES145, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:284/M645;1)
>>>>> >TCP/IP stack for the Apple IIGS!!!!!!!
"""""
!!!!! :)
(WMD, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:285/M645;1)
>>>>> At the moment, the only thing that uses TCP/IP is MiniTalk and some
""""" tester apps.
Of course it's possible for apps such as SIS or Spectrum to be modified to
use it, but that's really up to Geoff, Ewen and Seven Hills. We'll see. :-)
Regards,
Richard
(RICHARD.B, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:290/M645;1)
>>>>> Geoff Weiss seems truly enthusiastic about the possibility of
""""" making SIS work with a TCP/IP connection, but no official
commitment has been made. Nor has any timetable been discussed. First
priority for Richard and those programmers jumping on the bandwagon (and
there seem to be several at this point) is to get the TCP/IP stack in final
form so developers can begin writing new applications (Telnet client,
e-mail program) for it.
Max
(M.JONES145, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:291/M645;1)
KFEST AFTER KFest '97 was GREAT!!! I'd like for everyone to get there at
""""""""""" least once but have to admit that everyone you attend just
gets better. This was THE best Fest I've attended - and will be until KFest
'98, the 10th Anniversary! I have NO doubt '98 will be the one you just
can't miss so start planning NOW!
There is one important thing I have to mention. The KFest '97 Committee
received a lot of compliments (and they deserved it - what a pleasure to
work with such outstanding people). But the real reason for the success of
KFest goes WAY beyond the committee.
I don't need to mention them by name, they know who they are and take pride
in their extraordinary contributions. They do it because they love the
Apple II community, a VERY special community.
There is one thing that many of you may not be aware of though. Everyone
that attends KFest adds something special! You just have to be there to be
a very special contributor and I'd like to thank everyone that made it to
KFest this year for adding to the glory that IS KFest!
I was especially impressed with our "rookies":) Virgin KFesters but very
experienced Apple II users that "made the pilgrimage" and added so much to
KFest!
No matter what level user, everyone attending shared the "family" tradition
that we have - contributing and receiving as needed. Is there any wonder
WHY I want everyone to experience KFest at least once?
If you haven't attended it's difficult to explain the magic of KFest.
Please make plans to attend in '98 so I don't have to keep struggling to
explain the magic:)
Thanks to all attendees that again made KFest so very special!
"Godzilla"
(MAC.BB, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:292/M645;1)
>>>>> RE: KFest (Everyone)
"""""
I guess I'm probably the last Kfester to leave Kansas City, so I thought
I'd work on a KFest report while I'm waiting on my plane. Just to let
everyone know, the temperature and humidty are much higher today (Monday)
than they were during Kfest.
I just want to say that I hope everyone learned lots, made new friends, got
re-aquainted with old friends, didn't sleep enough, ate too much, and
generally had a good time. I know that I certainly did!!
Wednesday was check-in. I had fun sitting at the table waiting for
familiar faces to show up, trying to guess who the new people were, and
making sure I was sitting there when Geoff showed up. :) Then it was on to
an already packed K C Masterpiece, but we all eventually made it in. Good
food, good fun, and a great way to start off KFest '97.
Thursday morning stared bright and early with breakfast at 7:00 and that
was followed by the Keynote Address by David Kerwood. The text of his
speech can be found on the A2web page. Then the wonderful sessions were
started. After a busy day of sessions, grabbing a 10 minute nap, and Avila
cafeteria food, we were all treated to the unveiling of Richard Bennett's
TCP/IP for the GS!! What a wonderful thing to see! Following the world
premier of TCP/IP for the IIgs, the annual Bite the Bag competition began.
After a very exciting competition, the crown was awarded to Paul Zaleski
and Scott Johnson. Both men were previous winners so they graciously
agreed to share this year's title.
On Friday everyone got to sleep in an extra few minutes because the Apple
representative canceled. I have to say that having breakfast an hour later
brought out more programmers than I've ever seen at that meal before. :)
Once again, it was a day full of sessions that Steve "Godzilla" had to
change around. And for dinner, we roasted Richard Bennett. Oh wait, we
had a banquet and then Joe Kohn MC'd the roast after dinner. Max Jones,
Goeff Weiss, and Ryan Suenaga did their best to help Joe. Andrew Roughan,
another Australian at Kfest (actually we had 3 there), provided the visuals
for the roast. (Richard was such a cute little boy!!) After Richard had
his say, we all moved out to the patio to teach Richard about s'mores.
After a short night, and the obligatory run to Denny's, Saturday was filled
up with demos and the vendor fair. I know I spent plenty of money, and I'm
now the proud owner of a very stylish Juiced.GS T-shirt. DINNER!! We all
piled in the cars and headed down Wornall to Jess & Jim's for a wonderful
steak dinner. They were expecting us, so we got in fairly quickly and were
able to sit near each other. Joe Kohn received an extra glass of water,
just in case. The weather was clear, so I didn't need to go outside to see
rain. (as I did last year)
As we came back into the dorm, we saw Godzilla's final schedule change for
this year. He was apologizing for being unable to find anything to change
on Sunday. (Thanks to Steve for being such a fantastic and flexible
schedule-meister!!)
Sunday morning was a sad time as we all left Avila, and went back to the
real world. I think the first load left at 5:00 am, and there were about 6
of us that finally drove out of the parking lot about noon. I have to tell
everyone that the staff of Avila said we were the first group all summer
that turned in all of the keys. (Heck, thanks to a certain A2Pro
librarian, they got an extra key left from four years ago - thanks Todd.)
They were even impressed with the cleanliness of the rooms.
Over the years, it seems like each Kfest is the "year of" something. I
would vote that 1997 was a tie, just like Bite the Bag. 1997 was the year
of the Australian (thanks to Richard Bennett), and the year of Snood. (Now
if some wonderful GS programmer will port Snood to the GS!)
Well, it's about time for my flight, so I will soon be returning to my real
life too. KFest '97 is just about over. ::sob:: (This is being written in
KC, but will be posted after I'm back in Phoenix.)
But one bright spot on the horizon is that plans for KFest 1998 have
already started. As soon as I get the date finalized with Avila, I will
tell the world! BTW, KFest 1998 will be the 10th anniversary of KFest, so
start making plans to attend and it will be the biggest and best ever!!
Cindy
(aka Momma Cheese)
cindyadams@delphi.com - - - - GO COM POW or GO COM A2
Posted by ProTERM Mac Messenger
(CINDY.A, CAT2, TOP45, MSG:296/M645;1)
WAITING FOR GUS Is GUS available now? If so what Mac would you buy to be
""""""""""""""" able to retire my tired IIGS and still use all the
programs that I have accumulated over the last 10 years on HD, CD, 3.5 and
5.25?
R.Randall13
(R.RANDALL13, CAT5, TOP14, MSG:291/M645;1)
>>>>> Nope, not yet. . . . otoh, Bernie II the Rescue is getting closer
""""" and closer to prime time.
> If so what Mac would you buy to be able to retire my tired IIGS and still
> use all the programs that I have accumulated over the last 10 years on
> HD, CD, 3.5 and 5.25?
Unless/until one of the Apple IIgs emulators supports serial ports as well
as a real IIgs does, I wouldn't buy any Mac to replace a IIgs (and this is
said by a guy who has four Macs between home, the road, and the office).
Ryan
http://www.keystroke.net/~rsuenaga
"There's no shortage of windmills to tilt at."--Logan
ANSITerm and CoPilot v2.55
(A2LAMP, CAT5, TOP14, MSG:292/M645;1)
HIERARCHIC STEPS UP I downloaded Hierarchic v1.6.3 last night, and am
""""""""""""""""""" using it with SuperMenuPack. I found that I had to
sort the directory order so that Hierarchic loaded before SMP. Works
great.
OTOH, When I installed Kangaroo from the original disk (copied, not using
Installer so I would not install the old Hierarchic), my system blew up
rather spectacularly :^( This should be taken with a grain of salt,
because I have a long history of difficulty keeping Kangaroo stable on my
system.
When I tried Kangaroo, I was unable to set preferences (Unknown Error
$1101), several .prefs files for other inits/CDevs got changed, and it
appears that the Phantasm init also got changed. At least those were the
ones that showed date/time changes about the time I tried Kangaroo, and
that I hadn't accessed yesterday. I removed Kangaroo, and found this
morning that something (Phantasm?) got changed in my system that interfered
with ANSITerm - zillions of dropped characters even on a 9600 baud Genie
node. Booting into p8 and also from a shift-boot cured the problem.
Fortunately, I had a 3-day old backup of my boot partition :^)
After scraping the carbon off the toast that was my bootable partition, I
am now ready to try Kangy again. Wish me luck.
BTW - the hierarchic menus in Kangy worked, I just had a few other minor
problems to deal with.
- Don
(D.ZAHNISER, CAT16, TOP2, MSG;140/M645;1)
>>>>> Richard,
"""""
I saw the v1.7 on CompuServe without your name anywhere in the docs, and
meant to ask you if it's legit. What makes it so great that it has to be
unofficial?
Will Spectrum know when it's run how to load the CDev instead of the init,
if it's not already?
Time to go update my Shifty List, ah, list.
-Ken
(KEN.GAGNE, CAT16, TOP2, MSG:143/M645;1)
>>>>> Regarding Hierarchic and Spectrum:
"""""
>> Will Spectrum know when it's run how to load the CDev instead of the
init, if it's not already?
If you do a normal system boot, the new Hierarchic CDev will be loaded in
memory and seen by Spectrum just like the original Hierarchic. Spectrum
will be happy...
If you shift-boot to run Spectrum, then you need to move your old
Hierarchic into the Spectrum folder so when Spectrum asks, it can find it
there and use it instead of the CDev.
Any future versions of Spectrum will know how to load the new Hierarchic
CDev...
Or alternatively you can use Sheppy's Shifty-List if you like shift-booting
Spectrum...
Ewen (Speccie)
Delivered by: CoPilot v2.5.5 and Spectrum 2.1
(E.WANNOP, CAT16, TOP2, MSG;144/M645;1)
<<<<< An update on my experience with the new Hierarchic:
"""""
Since my initial problem with Kangaroo blowing up my system, solved by
putting Kangaroo first in the System.Setup folder, my system has been
rock-solid. I was the first one besides the librarian to download
Hierarchic 1.6.3, and installed it right away. This is the longest that I
have been able to keep Kangaroo active on my system without it blowing up
on me (and I don't mean Kangy fixer :^). I am attributing this to the new
Hierarchic.
Thanks, Richard!
Now, if there was only a way to get Kangy to show the nice icons in the
Sys.Icons init, I would _really_ be happy ;^)
(D.ZAHNISER, CAT16, TOP2, MSG:148/M645;1)
>>>>> My experience with the new Hierarchic:
"""""
Unpacked it, hid the old one, dropped the new one on my System Folder,
rebooted.
Kangy worked fine, Spectrum had no trouble finding it.
I'm happy.
Uncle Duck .........
(VACC.DAVE, CAT16, TOP2, MSG:149/M645;1)
EARLY MARINETTI QUERIES What knowledge is required to program for
""""""""""""""""""""""" Marinetti? C, Pascal, assembly...? GSoft? :)
-Ken
(KEN.GAGNE, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:6/M645;1)
>>>>> Marinetti is called via IPC, so any language which uses the
""""" toolbox, and supports records, pointers and handles (ie. all the
ones you mentioned, C, Pascal, assembly, GSoft) will work with it.
Regards,
Richard
(RICHARD.B, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:7/M645;1)
>>>>> Mike Westerfield came up with a fifteen line GSoft BASIC program at
""""" KFest that almost was successful in being a telnet client for
Marinetti. This is the kind of thing that could only have happened at
KFest: one programmer from New Mexico, one from Australia, up late hacking
one night and trying to get the Apple IIgs directly connected to the
Internet. It's called, to borrow the phrase of David Kerwood, "Critical
mass." Think about it: No KFest '96, no SIS, no Marinetti. No KFest '97,
no hook from Marinetti to GSoft, which could make all kinds of things
possible. . .
Ryan
Support KFest '98!
(A2LAMP, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:8/M645;1)
>>>>> Technical information will be available in the libs (once I've
""""" uploaded it :-) on Genie and Delphi, and on the Marinetti home
page:
http://www.zip.com.au/~kashum/marinetti
There's going to be a listserv for programmers as well.
At this stage I don't really have any more details. Stay tuned.
Regards,
Richard
(RICHARD.B, CAT28, TOP46, MSG:3/M645;1)
>>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
""""""""""""""""""
SPECIAL OFFER FROM TOM Z'S EAG
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
*********** SPECIAL OFFER SPECIAL OFFER SPECIAL OFFER ************
I will send a FREE sample of the Eamon Adventurer's Guild" newsletter to
anyone who might wish to see what the Eamon club and newsletter is all
about. There are no restrictions on who is eligible for this offer.
To get your FREE newsletter sample, just drop me an email with your surface
mail address!
TomZ
*********** SPECIAL OFFER SPECIAL OFFER SPECIAL OFFER ************
(A2.TOMZ, CAT3, TOP2, MSG:62/M645;1)
FREE DELPHI ON THE WEB
""""""""""""""""""""""
THE COVERS ARE OFF! DELPHI INTERNET FORUMS GO FREE ON THE WEB
Cambridge, MA (July 15, 1997) -- For the first time in its 14 years of
service, Delphi Internet's acclaimed communities are now available for free
on the Web (http://www.delphi.com). Delphi, one of the early pioneers in
building communities, features more than 100 rich and welcoming
special-interest forums where members discuss everything from Apple
computers to the Zodiac.
With all the fanfare about "communities" on the Web, Delphi expects to set
a new benchmark for quality. Its message boards and chat areas are hosted
by energetic experts in their fields, so Delphi forums generally hone to
stated topics and avoid the ambient "clutter" of most Web offerings. "It's
all about the user experience--people sharing their intelligence,
information and emotions with each other--that we think the rest of the Web
will come around to," says Dan Bruns, Delphi Chief Executive Officer.
Delphi forums integrate bulletin board-style message boards and chat rooms
featuring live guests, as well as articles, tutorials, contests and other
content selected by forum hosts specially for their members. The
combination creates a meaningful and bonding experience for community
members across nine "channels" of forums, including Arts & Entertainment,
Business & Finance, Computing & the Net, Current Affairs, Games, Hobbies &
Crafts, Home & Family, Relationships & Support, and Travel & Cultures.
Formerly dependent only on subscriptions from loyal users, Delphi will now
accelerate advertising and transactional sales on the website. It has
recently struck syndication alliances with a number of other websites such
as SupportHelp.com, Planet Direct, Citibank and Nynex Big Yellow, and is
available in customized formats to other websites. Delphi also offers a
Premium package of services, such as a full-service email account, 10
megabytes of personal Web space and four hours of multiplayer game play,
for as little as $2.90 per month.
Delphi Internet, formerly owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., was
repurchased by Bruns and other Delphi managers in April 1996, and made its
Web debut in October 1996. In February 1997, Delphi launched Custom Forums,
a related service that allows families, businesses and other web sites to
use Delphi software to run their own communities
(http://www.customforum.com). Delphi can be found on the Web at
http://www.delphi.com.
Contacts at Delphi Internet:
Bill Louden or Jon Levine Senior Vice President
Vice President/Editorial Director (617) 441-4545
(617)
441-4547 Email: blouden@delphi.com Email: jonlevine@delphi.com
---
Dean Esmay -- http://www.syndicomm.com/esmay
(SYNDICOMM, CAT28, TOP23, MSG:2/M645;1)
BUT YOU CAN'T SIGN UP FOR FREE DELPHI WITH LYNX That's great news about
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Delphi! However, there
are a few things an Apple II user needs to know.
First of all, you'll need a web browser that can handle cookies. The latest
version of Lynx will work fine, but older versions (noticeably the one used
here on Genie) will not work. Unfortunately, SIS doesn't handle cookies so
it will not work either.
Second, you need a web browser that supports secure HTML (shtml) in order
to sign up for the free service. I don't know why shtml was needed since
you're not (I haven't tried it, but I hope not!) giving out credit card
information for a free service. I would guess you give them your name and
email address so they can track spammers and other weasels. Unfortunately
Lynx does not support shtml as shipped due to the munitions export laws
governing encryption. SIS does not do shtml either.
What this means is that you'll probably have to use a PC or Mac to do the
initial sign up, but an Apple II can be used to access Delphi as long as
you're using the most recent version of Lynx.
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT28, TOP23, MSG:3/M645;1)
>>>>> Since LYNX does not support .shtml (Secure HTML) documents, you
""""" won't be able to log in for the free access using LYNX. This is
very unfortunate. I'm not sure if it's fixable.
As for the floodgates: nah, we've handled traffic in the past that's much
higher than what comp.sys.apple2 has these days, and have been dealing with
online jerks for years. We aren't going to have a problem there. We are
going to have a problem if people can't get on through LYNX though. Argh.
---
Dean Esmay -- http://www.syndicomm.com/esmay
(SYNDICOMM, CAT28, TOP23, MSG:11/M645;1)
OR CAN YOU? I couldn't decide whether to post this here or down in topic
""""""""""" 42 (Security Programming on the 'net.) Actually, I did
decide. Here it is. :)
After mentioning last week that Lynx does not ship with the ability to
handle https (secure) URLs, I decided to find out what was involved in
getting the extra "stuff" Lynx needs to do it. Well, after a 4 hour jam
session on my ISP's UNIX shell I have finally compiled a version of Lynx
that =can= do https URLs. As a bonus, I compiled in the color ANSI (slang)
stuff (which my ISP already did for tin) and it looks great.
What this means is that it =is= possible to get a secure connection with
Lynx so you can safely transmit personal information across the web. One
specific example is that you can now signup for Delphi from their secure
server. Pretty cool.
I was going to post some simple (sic) instructions on how you can do it
yourself, but after what I went through I'm not sure that's such a good
idea. I would probably end up confusing more people than I help. If you are
handy with your ISP's compiler, here's basically what you need:
Read this! http://www.flora.org/lynx-dev/html/month0497/msg00263.html
Then grab all this source code:
Lynx 2.7.1: http://www.slcc.edu/lynx/fote/ [NO OTHER VERSION]
Fote's patches: http://www.slcc.edu/lynx/fote/patches/
SSL hook replacements: email to tzeruch@ceddec.com [*See below]
SSLeay: ftp://ftp.psy.uq.oz.au/pub/Crypto/SSL
(That's a LOT of code. This is not for the feint of heart.)
The reason Lynx does not ship with SSL built-in is because of the lame
munitions laws governing encryption. In order to get the SSL hooks you have
to write to the above address and say something like, "I am a US citizen, I
can legally use it, I won't illegally export it." There's more about this
in the first "Read me" URL above.
Stir it all together, pray, and voila! If anyone really wants some more
specific instructions, I'll see what I can do.
- Tony
(A2.TONY, CAT28, TOP14, MSG:138/M645;1)
NEW STUFF FROM THE SLIX ONE
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-*-*-*-*-*-> S l i x t e r p r o u d l y p r e s e n t s <-*-*-*-*-*-
___ ___
//__ //__ The latest in our fine line of quality,
___// LIX ___// ECURITY... high-performance Apple IIgs software.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
So, you've got a problem. Your problem is that you love your Apple IIgs
and you love your four-year-old kid. But you don't love how your kid tries
to launch his "Math Munchers" game by selecting your hard drive and
choosing "Format". Or how he cleans up your desktop by filing the
"Unbelievably.Important.Documents" folder under "Trash". Oh, how often you
thought about filing your entire IIgs under "Trash" and buying a Mac, along
with some cheesy "At Ease"-ish security software to prevent the unwanted
intrusions by your progeny. But you held on, in the hope that Slixter,
after already ripping off every other software idea in the known universe
and porting it to the IIgs, would eventually get around to this one. Well,
he did. And here it is -- SlixSecurity.
HOW'S IT WORK?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SlixSecurity is a desk accessory/Finder extension that password
protects your computer. If the correct password is not entered, the user
gets only limited access to your files. That means, little Johnny can only
touch files that are in his own special folder, and he can't trash, format,
open, or otherwise manipulate anything you don't want him to. You can
decide whether he gets access to desk accessories or Finder extras. And
the best part is that SlixSecurity works directly from within the Finder,
so you don't have to learn how to set things up. If you know how to use
the Finder, then you can use SlixSecurity already!
HOW DO I GET IT?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SlixSecurity is already in the Genie A2 file library as file #30596:
30596 SLXSECURITY.BXY X B.VICTOR1 970725 16572 13
Desc: SlixSecurity child-protection NDA
SlixSecurity is shareware, and this is a fully functional version of the
program. Download it today! When you install it, a message pops up every
minute or so reminding you to send in your shareware fee. The shareware
fee is $10, and when I receive it from you, I will send you a password to
disable the message.
--> SlixSecurity is (c) 1997 Bret Victor. Apple IIgs forever! <--
(B.VICTOR1, CAT13, TOP3, MSG:141/M645;1)
NEW HIERARCHIC FROM DOWN UNDER
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SEVEN HILLS SOLUTION SPECIALISTS ANNOUNCES:
HIERARCHIC v1.6.3 - HIERARCHICAL MENUS FOR THE APPLE IIGS
Just a quick note to announce Hierarchic 1.6.3, which many folks may have
missed in the earthquake that was 2000 odd A2Pro files being added to the
A2 library.
I recently found some time to consolidate some of our pending projects, and
complete Hierarchic 1.6.3, which includes a number of bug fixes, some menu
drawing/handling speed improvements, Gus support and some new developer
functions. Oh, and it's now a CDev instead of an INIT.
It has just been cleared by the A2 library goblins, and is file # 28883.
Owners of Spectrum, Transprog III, Kangaroo and other miscellaneous Seven
Hills products which use Hierarchical menus, may like to take a look at
this new version. While not mandatory, it is a newer, less buggy version of
Hierarchic.
Please note that there is an UNOFFICIAL French version 1.7 floating around,
which includes only some of the features in this OFFICIAL U.S. version
1.6.3.
Regards,
Richard Bennett
(RICHARD.B, CAT16, TOP2, MSG:139/M645;1)
FINALLY. . . TCP/IP FOR THE IIGS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
MARINETTI ANNOUNCED AT KFEST '97
Marinetti is a freeware standalone TCP/IP stack for the Apple IIGS.
Currently, there are no big time applications which support
Marinetti,however, a very simple desktop GUI Telnet application will be
included, closely followed by the release of MiniTalk 1.8, which also
supports Telnet.
AVAILABILITY
The first release of Marinetti will be what the 'net clique refer to as
beta software. It will be available online, for a short period of time, but
in a "not yet complete" form. Technical support will not be directly
available, except that provided via the various Apple II online
communities.
The software will only be available from the following locations:
Delphi A2 - go com a2
Delphi A2Pro - go com a2pro
Genie A2 - m645
Marinetti Home Page - http://www.zip.com.au/~kashum/marinetti/
The public release will contain a very annoying dialog which pops up all
the time, reminding you to register your copy. Registering is free, and
gives us a way to find out how many people are using their Apple IIs to
access the Internet. Details will be included with the package. Only KFest
'97 attendees will be able to register before 1st September 1997.
TECHNICAL
Marinetti supports TCP, ICMP, UDP, IP, custom datagrams, plug-in link
layers, SLIP (includes scripting and up to 57600 serial speed) and an easy
to use IPC interface.
A developers' kit will be available shortly after the initial version, and
will include sample source code, a bloated Marinetti which includes
debugging utilities, and various articles on TCP and code porting for the
Marinetti environment.
Interested developers should send email to kashum@ozemail.com.au
MISCELLANEOUS
Marinetti is a single CDev, requiring System 6.0.1, 50K of boot volume disk
space, and at least 30K of free RAM.
Because of the expected message traffic, email will not be responded to.
All official Marinetti discussion may be found on Delphi A2 or Genie A2.
All official announcements and the latest release can be found on Delphi
A2, Genie A2, and the Marinetti Home Page.
** Early and recent beta testers are now released from their relevant
NDAs.
Marinetti is copyright (c) 1996-1997 by Richard Bennett
This announcement may only be reproduced in its entirety.
(RICHARD.B, CAT28, TOP27, MSG:3/M645;1)
>>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SSII: THE APPLE II BIBLE
""""""""""""""""""""""""
>> But, returning to the subject of The Bible...if anyone does know of
>> other electronic forms of The Bible that can be read/used/studied on an
>> Apple II, please let me know.
Ohmigosh. Based on the e-mail I've received in the past 24 to 48 hours, it
most definitely looks like there will be a follow up item in the next issue
of the newsletter about The Bible.
Several people have written in with info on sources for other electronic
versions of The Bible (unfortunately, with no real details provided about
price or availability) and one person wrote to me and even described a
TimeOut application that he'd developed to help him find certain passages.
So, in addition to collecting information about The Bible on disk, I'd be
pleased to collect together any custom Biblical related programs that
anyone has developed.
In addition, I have a number of public domain disks here that would be of
great interest to those who have an interest in The Bible. Had I realized
that there would be such a great interest, I would have made those disks
available years ago.
Oh well; better late than never.
Joe
(JOE.KOHN, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:80/M645;1)
<<<<< I imagine that most people know that Will Nelken and I are
""""" neighbors and good friends, but I don't know if you're also aware
that Will, when he's not sitting in front of his Apple II, is the Pastor of
the Trinity Community Church here in San Rafael, CA.
As I said before, that short item in the latest issue of the newsletter
about The Bible generated more mail than any previous 5 articles combined,
and so it was quite clear to me that a follow up article would be
appreciated by many, many SSII subscribers.
I may know a lot about the Apple II computer, but Will knows a lot about
the Apple II computer AND The Bible. So, we plan to get together to discuss
an article about Biblical resources available to those who use Apple II
computers.
And, in the best "kill two birds with one stone" traditions, Will also just
happens to have a number of different CD-ROMs that contain various versions
of the Bible. So, those can used as part of my research about accessing and
using info on Mac and/or PC CD-ROMs.
Will also said that he has The Bible on 3.5" disk in AppleWorks format that
he'd be happy to donate to the SSII Library.
I just thought you'd want to know that...
Joe
(JOE.KOHN, CAT19, TOP4, MSG:164/M645;1)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Category 19, Topic 4
Message 166 Mon Aug 04, 1997
JOE.KOHN [SSII] at 18:30 EDT
I averaged 3-4 hours of sleep each night during KansasFest, and I'm
completely exhausted at the moment, but I honestly think I can say that
this past weekend was the best weekend I've _ever_ had. Kfest '97 was
nothing short of phenomenal. Thank you Cindy and Godzilla and all the
others on the Kfest organizing committee. You sure know how to throw a
great party!
And, a very special thank you goes out to the true hero of Kfest 97:
Richard Bennett! Thanks, Richard, for your friendship, your sense of humor,
and for your vision of the future of the Apple II.
My voice is hoarse from carrying on until 3AM every night, but let me tell
you....I just loved Kfest 97. It was truly magical. I love the Apple II and
the people who comprise our community. Although completely exhausted, I'm
almost shaking with excitement.
For those who are curious about my "bomb-shell," I demo'ed how to format an
MS-DOS disk from the IIGS Finder. And, I really enjoyed showing people how
to do something that's impossible ;-)
Of course, I couldn't have done it without Peter Watson's MUG!
That soon-to-be released shareware NDA is the promised update to Peter's
MS-DOS Utilities. It works, and it works well, but an update (which I'm too
exhausted to download today) to the Kfest version I demo'ed is waiting in
my e-mailbox for some additional testing.
I'd like to go on and on, but I just can't; I need some more sleep...much
more sleep.
But, it was just a wonderful, wonderful Kfest, and I really, really enjoyed
myself. It was a joy to meet so many new friends, and it was splendid to be
able to spend time with so many old friends.
On the plane going home, I got really stoked up thinking about how I can't
wait for GSoft to be released, as I want to learn how to use it, and then
use it create a two player version of Pong that can be played over the
Internet in real time ;-)
I've never been this excited before about the Apple II. I'm just ecstatic.
Thanks everyone for such a good time. And, it goes without saying, but I'll
say it anyway...thanks for the incredible outpouring of support for
Shareware Solutions II.
And, to think...people thought I was kidding when I talked about all the
guys named Joe at SSII. But, as Kfest attendees can tell you...the SSII
PR-Joe doesn't even look like me ;-)
Joe
[*][*][*]
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 GenieLamp 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.
[EOA]
[BAN]//////////////////////////////
FILE BANDWAGON /
/////////////////////////////////
Top 10 Files for May and June
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Douglas Cuff
[D.CUFF]
Normally, this feature lists the ten most popular files for the month.
This month, it looks at the ten most popular files over two months--because
this column didn't appear last month. This month, we look at the files
uploaded 1 May-30 June 1997.
Even though it's now August, we're still looking at files from May and
June. We're not looking at the July files yet because we like to give
files at least a month to seek their own levels. (Just think what would
happen if I started writing about the July files on August 1! Files
uploaded on July 31 would only have been downloaded a few times.)
This isn't the Academy Awards ceremony, folks; it's more like the
People's Choice Awards (both of which are trademarked, by the way). The
Top 10 doesn't necessarily tell you what's new and interesting--what files
_you_ might find interesting--it simply tells you what files have been
downloaded a lot--what other people found interesting!
This month, the two issues of GenieLamp A2 occupies four spots on the
list, but we're counting that as two--it really doesn't make sense to count
the AppleWorks and text file editions separately. We hope this explains
why there are 12 files on the Top 10 list.
File # Filename Bytes DLs Short description
------ --------------- ------ --- -------------------------------------
28541 DESKSETS2.BXY 38156 64 Update to Desktop2. Change desktops.
28554 SISBK1B1.BXY 22144 63 SIS Bookmarks Editor
28586 COG.BXY 189824 55 Crock O' Gold - Delphi Messenger
28585 ALMP9706AWP.BXY 41216 47 GenieLamp A2, June 1997 (AppleWorks)
28550 ALMP9705AWP.BXY 40320 40 GenieLamp A2, May 1997 (AppleWorks)
28536 DEBASED.BXY 10752 37 textfiles of base64 data => binary
28546 FF101.BXY 11456 36 Finder Flipper V1.0.1
28551 ALMP9705TXT.BXY 36352 35 GenieLamp A2, May 1997 (text)
28584 ALMP9706TXT.BXY 37120 34 GenieLamp A2, June 1997 (text)
28545 WS101.BXY 10840 32 WorkSets V1.0.1
28596 A2NDX9707TX.BXY 27620 31 A2 BB Index 07/97 ASCII ver rev
28558 DICT.V1.BXY 7680 29 HONEYBEE'S GOOFY DICTIONARY
DESKSETS2.BXY DeskSets v2.0 by Larry Badten is a utility that lets you
""""""""""""" change the background of your IIgs desktop environment from
a standard periwinkle blue to any pattern or picture you can imagine.
DeskSets goes beyond that to automatically change the pattern every time
you boot (or every second time, or third time, et cetera) or change the
pattern every day. JesusAware (similar to freeware).
SISBK1B1.BXY Bookmark Editor 1.0b1 by Geoff Weiss allows you to edit the
"""""""""""" bookmark file maintained by Spectrum Internet Suite. (Note
that this is a beta version, which means that it hasn't been fully tested.)
Bookmark Editor allows to create new bookmarks, edit existing ones, sort
your bookmarks, and even import Lynx or Netscape bookmarks! It also allows
you to cut, copy, and paste, so you can order your list of bookmarks
however you like. Freeware.
COG.BXY Crock O' Gold by Ewen Wannop (based on scripts by Kit Graham) is
""""""" an offline reader for Spectrum v2.1 for Delphi. Using only
Spectrum scripts and external commands (XCMDs), COG log you on to Delphi
and quickly collect messages from however many forums you like. COG then
hangs up and lets you read the messages without your connect time clock
racking up the expenses. You can write replies as you read the messages,
and COG will post them next time you log on. You can mark files for
download, and COG will grab them too, next time you tell it to connect to
Delphi. (Note: This file contains v1.0; v1.3 was the most recent version
at press time.) Freeware.
ALMP9706AWP.BXY Two editions of the June issue of GenieLamp A2 (edited by
""""""""""""""" Ryan Suenaga) grace our Top 10 list this
month--AppleWorks word processor and text file. Both editions feature the
same articles--an article about getting permission for web page material,
my own File Bandwagon column, and all the regular goodies. Freeware.
ALMP9705AWP.BXY Two editions of the May issue of GenieLamp A2 (edited by
""""""""""""""" Ryan Suenaga) grace our Top 10 list this
month--AppleWorks word processor and text file. Both editions feature the
same great articles--Peter Brickell's "Real World Apple" column, my own
File Bandwagon column, and all the regular goodies. Freeware.
DEBASED.BXY DEBASED by R. Hardman is a base64 decoder for 8-bit Apple
""""""""""" II's like the IIe and IIc. It runs under ProBASIC (available
separately in the Genie A2 library). Freeware.
FF101.BXY Finder Flipper v1.0.1 by Chris Vavruska is a Finder extension
""""""""" that lets you use the keyboard to select the active window,
useful for those times when your desktop is cluttered with windows. (These
metaphors don't mix very well, do they? I've never had framed panes of
glass cluttering the top of my desk!) With Finder Flipper, you don't have
to move windows aside to uncover the one you want, nor move the mouse to
the "Windows" menu. Freeware.
WS101.BXY WorkSets v1.0.1, also by Chris Vavruska, is a Finder extension
""""""""" that lets you record a list of the folders open on the desktop.
Needless to say, it also lets you retrieve the list of open folders.
Shareware ($10).
A2NDX9707TX.BXY This file is an index of topics and categories in the
""""""""""""""" bulletin board of the Genie A2 RoundTable. It's always a
good idea to get the most recent index, but this index was particularly
popular because of the recent merging of A2Pro with A2. Freeware.
DICT.V1.BXY This file from J. "Honeybee" Shaver has over 200 humorous
""""""""""" one-line definitions ("All new: the software is not
compatible with previous versions.") and explanations of acronyms ("IBM:
I'll buy Macintosh."), compiled from various sources.
[EOA]
[RWA]//////////////////////////////
THE REAL WORLD APPLE /
/////////////////////////////////
Reach Out and Touch Someone (or Something)
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
by Peter C. Brickell
[P.BRICKELL]
>>> PART 5: THE ANNUNCIATORS - ACT 1 <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Up until now I have shown you how to make your Apple listen to the
real world and tell you what is going on. We have looked at measuring
time, temperatures, whether a button has been pressed, and how quickly.
Other than beeping its speaker, your Apple has been doing a lot of
listening but no talking. In this installment we will take a look at the
basic feature of most Apple II models that allows them to actually do
things in the outside world.
This feature consists of the annunciator output lines from the 16 pin
game I/O port. Unfortunately for //c and //c+ users, these models have
only the 9-pin game port which does not have these lines. As I have
mentioned before, if you have one of these models and are serious about
interfacing, it is worth looking around for an old II+ which can be had for
a song these days and has a complete set of game port I/O lines.
Today's lesson is a simple introduction to the annunciators with a
description of what they are and how they are controlled. In a subsequent
installment we will look at how to wire them up to do useful work.
There are 4 annunciator lines on the Apple II named AN0, AN1, AN2,
AN3. These lines are TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic) output signal
lines, for those who are familiar with such things. Since they are
digital signals, they can have only one of two states - high or low (on or
off). In strict electronics terms this means that when they are high (on)
an annunciator line has a voltage of 3 volts DC or higher present on it.
When the line is low (off) the voltage is less than 1 volt DC. In actual
use, you will typically see a voltage of +5 volts when it is turned on and
almost zero volts when turned off.
The annunciators can be turned on and off by means of Applesoft or
machine language. Each annunciator has two memory locations associated
with it. To turn the annunciator on, store a number (any number from 0 to
255) in the "on" memory location. To turn that annunciator off, you store
a number of your choice in that annunciator's "off" memory location. For
those of you familiar with machine language and the inner workings of the
Apple II, these are soft switches which are set by either a read or write
operation to the appropriate memory location.
Here are the memory locations associated with the annunciators on the
Apple II:
ON OFF
AN0 decimal -16295 -16296
hex $C059 $C058
AN1 decimal -16293 -16294
hex $C05B $C05A
AN2 decimal -16291 -16292
hex $C05D $C05C
AN3 decimal -16289 -16290
hex $C05F $C05E
I have used the negative decimal numbering system for the addresses.
You can, of course, use the positive notation in Applesoft if you wish.
The negative addresses are however, compatible with both Applesoft and
Integer Basic. The hexadecimal version of these addresses will be useful
for machine language programmers.
Let's look at how to use these addresses. As an example, to turn on
annunciator 0 and then turn it off again you could use the following basic
program:
10 HOME
20 PRINT "PRESS '1' TO TURN ON ANNUNCIATOR 0"
30 PRINT "PRESS '0' TO TURN OFF ANNUNCIATOR 0"
40 PRINT: GET A$
50 IF A$ = "0" THEN GOTO 100
60 IF A$ = "1" THEN GOTO 200
70 GOTO 10
100 POKE -16296,0: REM TURNS AN0 OFF
110 GOTO 10
200 POKE -16295,0: REM TURNS AN0 ON
210 GOTO 10
Lines 20-40 ask you for an operation to perform, lines 50 and 60
direct the program flow depending on the operation selected, and lines
100-210 do the actual switching of the annunciator. To switch the other
annunciators only the addresses in lines 100 and 200 need to be changed.
One peculiarity to be aware of when using the annunciators is how the
annunciators are set when the Apple II is turned or reset by a CTRL-RESET
key press. During the reset cycle on an Apple II Plus annunciators 0 and 1
are turned ON and annunciators 2 and 3 are turned OFF. This is important
to know if you are using AN0 and AN1 to operate equipment when the computer
is unattended. If a power failure occurs, you don't want to create a
hazardous condition by turning on certain equipment (such as heaters)
indefinitely. For such safety-sensitive applications it is wise to select
the annunciators which default to the off state on a power up. Users of
other Apple II models should consult their technical reference manuals to
find out which annunciators, if any, are set on at power up.
So what can you do with all this new found information? Perhaps I
should tell you what you can _not_ do with it first! You can not use the
+5 volts from the annunciator lines to operate any real-world device
directly. The TTL logic chips which turn these lines on and off are very
low power devices. They are not designed to operate electrical or
electronic equipment. Trying to use the current from the annunciator lines
to run something directly will certainly result in damage to your Apple.
The only truly safe use for the annunciator lines is as a signal to trigger
a circuit which can provide a higher power level which can do useful work.
Depending upon the voltage and power requirements of the device that you
wish to run, several successive stages of power step-up (amplification) and
electrical isolation may be required.
The issue of electrical isolation is a very important one for your
personal safety and the for the reliability of your Apple. Many electronic
components that are used in amplifying circuits (such as transistors) can
allow current from the high power circuit to feed back into the low power
circuit (i.e. your Apple) if they fail for some reason. This can be
dangerous and fatal (at least to your computer). For this reason circuits
which provide total electrical separation (isolation), between your
computer and the high power device are essential in the design of systems
for using the annunciators for real-world operations. These circuits will
be discussed in the next installment of this series. In the meantime don't
plug your blender into your Apple's game port ;-)
To summarize this installment, we have seen that many models of Apple
II have electrical signal lines called annunciators with can be made to
change from +5 to 0 volts and back again under software control. These
lines are very weak signals which can not be used to operate anything
directly, but must be amplified by an external circuit first. In addition
to this, it is crucial to isolate them electrically from the final device
which is controlled by the amplifying circuit. This protects both the
computer and more importantly, its human operator. We will look at these
external amplifying and isolating circuits next time.
I hope that for now you can begin to appreciate how your Apple may be
useful in controlling things in the outside world using the four on/off
signals which can be generated in the computer with Applesoft or machine
language commands. Your assignment for next time: think about what
devices in your environment you might wish to have your computer control.
You will have to figure out how they might be operated by a few on/off
switches and what kind of information your Apple might need to know for
operating its switches (time, temperature, etc.)
NOTE:
In the next article of this series I will be referring to a specific
Vernier Software project on operating real world devices with the
annunciator signals. I recommend that you get your Vernier books out, or
beg, borrow or buy a copy if you want to actually build such a project.
Either "How to Build a Better Mousetrap" or "Chaos in the Laboratory" will
do as both have a version of this project (Optically Isolated Switches).
See one of my early installments for Vernier's address and phone number.
In the meantime, happy dreaming!
[EOA]
[FOC]//////////////////////////////
FOCUS ON... /
/////////////////////////////////
KansasFest 1997
"""""""""""""""
by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W.
[A2LAMP]
>>> THE BEST OF KANSASFEST 1997 <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
This is not your ordinary KansasFest review. As you've seen in this
month's _HEY MISTER POSTMAN_ column just a few lines above, there's news
galore emanating from Avila College, and much of it has already been
covered by the faithful in the A2 RoundTable Bulletin Board. So instead of
your typical rundown of the happenings of KansasFest, we here at _GenieLamp
A2_ would instead like to recognize the best that the Apple II Community
has to offer: the best of KansasFest 1997.
BEST DEBUT Steve Cavanaugh, publisher of _The Apple Blossom_ and _Hyper
"""""""""" Quarterly_, had for years said he wanted to come to
KansasFest, yet nothing came of it until this year, when some of his fellow
Apple II newsletter editors, in combination with his lovely wife Laurie,
bugged him incessantly until he submitted. He ended up doing a session on
HyperCard IIgs, a demonstration of _Hyper Quarterly_, and making friends
everywhere he went with his disarming smile and New England accent.
BEST COMEBACK Not only did A2Pro's Todd Whitsel make it back to Kfest
""""""""""""" after four years of absence, so did a lost room key from
his last trip to Avila.
BEST DOOR SIGN While there were many entrants, David Kerwood's Rhode
"""""""""""""" Island Apple Group banner, the size of a Ridgway dorm room
door, was certainly an impressive site. More impressive was the fact that
the club made it up special for his keynote address at Kfest '97!
Runner-up: Cindy Adams, The Big Cheese of Kfest, who wasn't able to bring
her Cheesehead hat but did manage to post a new Momma Cheese sign on her
door.
BEST DEALS AT KANSASFEST 1997 Mike Westerfield of The Byteworks had some
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" wildly exciting pricing on most of his
products--so good I bought backups to some books I thought irreplaceable.
Honorable mention: Max Jones of _Juiced.GS_ had arranged with well-known
Apple IIgs programmer Eric Shepherd, a.k.a. Sheppy, to sell ten copies of
the ultimate Apple IIgs power users tool; within an hour, he had sold out
of all the copies of Shifty List 2.0 he had.
BEST ROOMMATE IF YOU WANTED TO SLEEP The hero of Kfest '97, Richard
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Bennett, was definitely the best guy
to share a room with if you wanted to sleep--he might've spent a total of
an hour in his room all Kfest. Despite all of this, his roomie, Tony Ward,
a.k.a. Conan the Librarian, was as wiped out as anyone at the end of Kfest.
BEST ROOMMATE IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO SLEEP The schedulemeister himself,
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Steve "Godzilla" Gozdziewski,
who didn't want to, either.
BEST USE OF EMAIL Non-KFest attendee Loreen Miller, wife of A2Pro's Just
""""""""""""""""" Dave Miller, who mailed some of the Kfest attendees to
let them know that Dave was coming in on an earlier flight than expected.
The KFesters managed to get Carl Knobloch dispatched to the airport in time
to get Dave before his baggage got through.
BEST COLLABORATION Mike Westerfield of The Byteworks and Richard Bennett,
"""""""""""""""""" author of Marinetti. A late night hack session on
Friday came within a few lines of source code back in Sydney of resulting
in a fifteen line telnet program written in _Gsoft_ BASIC.
BEST BIT OF TELECOMM HACKING FROM AN AIRPORT Your _GenieLamp A2_ editor,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Ryan Suenaga, managing to
get onto the Internet from a public phone in the Kansas City International
Airport with his Powerbook but without a quarter. This allowed the prompt
pickup of Michael Hackett, Tony Ward, and Jerry Cline, who had sent email
with their arrival information.
BEST IMITATION OF A DENTIST The Mad Hacker, Tony Diaz of Alltech
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Electronics, and his able assistant, Dremel,
creating both a mess and another production run of one portable Apple IIgs,
this time in a DynaMac case, using a Mark Twain motherboard.
BEST DAY OF SCHEDULING Every day, thanks to the tireless effort of Steve
"""""""""""""""""""""" Gozdziewski, who posted notes everywhere every
night to keep the entire congregation updated. Steve either dazzled or
disappointed everyone with his apology note on Saturday night due to his
not being able to find a single thing to change on the Sunday schedule.
BEST SHOW OF SPORTSMANSHIP Scott Johnson and Paul Zaleski, both past
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" winners of Bite The Bag, who agreed to a tie
after they found themselves facing each other in the ultimate test of
KansasFest fitness.
BEST JOB OF NAVIGATION The team of Steve Cavanaugh, Steve Gozdziewski,
"""""""""""""""""""""" Richard Bennett, Joe Kohn, Tony Ward, David
Kerwood, Michael Hackett, and Jerry Cline, who kept your editor from
getting lost all of KansasFest, through trips to the UPS terminal, Kansas
City International Airport, CompUSA, K.C. Masterpiece, and Jess & Jim's
Steakhouse.
BEST BLATANT PLUG Max Jones, publisher of _Juiced.GS_, who was revealed
""""""""""""""""" to actually be Joe the Promotions Manager at _Shareware
Solutions II_.
BEST SHOWING BY A COUNTRY NOT NAMED THE UNITED STATES Australia, with
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" three KFesters
(Brian Pinch, Andrew Roughan, and Richard Bennett), just beat out Canada
(Hamish Davidson and Michael Hackett).
BEST LICENSE PLATE Russ Alman of Missouri, who drove his car to KFest
"""""""""""""""""" with the vanity plate reading: APL-2GS.
BEST REAL-TIME COVERAGE The tireless David Kerwood went from making
""""""""""""""""""""""" history with his keynote address to making pages
with his constant updates of the A2-Web World Wide Web page at
http://www.syndicomm.com/a2web. Regular updates of KFest events kept the
online world up-to-date with the big bash. For an encore, David went up to
MacWorld days later and continued his real-time reports from there.
BEST REASONS TO MISS KFEST, BUT DIDN'T USE THEM Stan Marks, who had a
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" wedding anniversary just
after KFest, had his first grandchild born just before KFest, but he still
drove over from Mississippi to make the 1997 celebration. Runner up: Carl
Knobloch, who had a grandchild born around the same time Stan did.
Congratulations, guys.
BEST FOOD The Avila Cafeteria. NOT! Jess & Jim's Steakhouse had some of
""""""""" the world's largest baked potatoes and such great steak you'd
think you went to cattle heaven.
BEST SESSION THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN Apple Computer, Inc., canceled their
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" yearly KFest presentation for early
Friday morning, which allowed everyone to get a little more sleep and let
breakfast start a little later. This lent to a record turnout for a KFest
breakfast.
And finally. . .
BEST APPLE II SHOW OF THE YEAR KansasFest 1997, of course. Thanks to
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Cindy Adams, Jerry Cline, and Steve
Gozdziewski for heading up the planning of the best Apple II event ever.
Apple II Forever!
//////////////////////////////////////// Genie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ " Few women admit their age. Few men act theirs." /
//////////////////////////////////////////// J.SHAVER ////////
[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
GenieLamp Information
"""""""""""""""""""""
o COMMENTS: Contacting GenieLamp
o GenieLamp STAFF: Who Are We?
GenieLamp Information GenieLamp A2 is published on the first of every
""""""""""""""""""""" month in library 55 of Genie's A2 RoundTable (page
45;3). GenieLamp is also distributed on CrossNet and commercial BBS
systems worldwide.
o To reach GenieLamp on Internet send mail to genielamp@genie.com or to
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o Back issues of GenieLamp A2 are available in the A2 RoundTable
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o We welcome and respond to all E-mail. To leave comments, suggestions
or just to say hi, you can contact me in the A2 RoundTable (Category
3, Topic 3) or send GenieMail to Ryan Suenaga at [A2LAMP] on page 200.
>>> GENIELAMP STAFF <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""
GenieLamp o John Peters [GENIELAMP] Publisher
""""""""" o Mike White [MWHITE] Managing Editor
APPLE II o Ryan M. Suenaga [A2LAMP] Editor
"""""""" o Doug Cuff [D.CUFF] Editor Emeritus
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A2Pro o Tim Buchheim [A2PRO.GELAMP] Editor
"""""
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"""""
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"""
MACINTOSH o Richard Vega [GELAMP.MAC] Editor
"""""""""
POWER PC o Ben Soulon [BEN.GELAMP] Editor
""""""""
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