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~ WELCOME TO GENIELAMP A2Pro! ~
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Ready for Summer? ~ Mystery Vectors ~
~ Deciphering Sound Settings ~ 8-Bit ORCA/M Questions ~
~ Commanding the Command Line ~ SFO Redundancy? ~
~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
GEnieLamp A2Pro ~ A T/TalkNET Publication ~ Vol.5, Issue 27
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Publisher.................................................John F. Peters
Editor....................................................Tim Buchheim
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
~ GEnieLamp IBM ~ GEnieLamp Atari ~ 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 A2Pro ROUNDTABLE? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ June 1, 1995 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
A2PRO ROUNDTABLE STAFF .. [DIR] DEVELOPERS CORNER ....... [DEV]
Directory of A2Pro Staff. News From Online Developers.
LIBRARY BIT BONANZA ..... [LIB] RTC WATCH ............... [RTC]
HOT Files You Can Download. Real Time Information.
LOG OFF ................. [PUB]
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 re-printed
"""""""""""" here in GEnieLamp, you will find all the information you
need immediately following the message. For example:
(SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M530)
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg. Page number|
In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page
530 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's monthly fee is $8.95 which gives you up to four hours
""""""""""" of non-prime time access to most GEnie services, such as
software downloads, bulletin boards, GE Mail, an Internet gateway,
multi-player games and chat lines. GEnie's non-prime time connect rate is
$3.00 an hour. To sign up for GEnie, just follow these simple steps.
1. Set your communications software to half duplex (local echo) 8 bits, no
parity and 1 stop bit, at 300, 1200, 2400 or 9600 baud.
2. Call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369.
3. Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: JOINGENIE and hit RETURN. When you
get the prompt asking for the signup/offer code, type: DSD524 and hit
RETURN.
4. Have a major credit card ready, as the system will prompt you for your
information. If you need more information, call GEnie's Customer Service
department at 1-800-638-9636.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From My Desktop
"""""""""""""""""""""
by Tim Buchheim
[A2PRO.GELAMP]
o TOP OF THE PAGE
o A FEW CORRECTIONS
>>> TOP OF THE PAGE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""
READY FOR SUMMER? June 1st. June 1st. JUNE 1ST!!!!!
"""""""""""""""""
Can you tell I'm happy? :)
I don't actually get out of school until June 21st, but I'm already in a
good mood. As soon as school gets out, I'll have time to go to the beach,
visit friends, stay up all night programming, go to Disneyland (and that
new Indiana Jones ride that looks so cool:), and KansasFest!!
Or, at least I hope I get to go to KansasFest. As I write this, I'm not
sure yet, but I should know in a few days. Last year's 'fest was my first,
and I loved it! Hopefully this year I'll be able to sleep at night, rather
than crash at 3:00 am and sleep through all the sessions. :) (Last year I
only saw about half of them.. one of the days I slept in until 2:00 pm!)
This year's Kfest is just another example of how the Apple II community can
keep the spirit alive. Even though ICON (the International Computer Owners
Network -- a non-profit organization which published A2-Central, Studio
City, and other) is no longer around to organize the event, several
individuals have spend hours of their own time to make sure this year's
KansasFest lives up to its reputation as the most exciting Apple II event
of the year.
That's not the only great news to hit the Apple II community, however. The
Byte Works has released the second product in its Quick Click series -- the
first was Quick Click Calc which was very popular at last year's KansasFest
-- Quick Click Morph. QC Morph is the second new Apple IIgs animation
program to be released this year. The first, Animasia 3-D, has received
much use on my system, providing me with several megabytes of cool 3D
animations which I will hopefully use someday in a program. But now we
have a new program, one which will allow us to "morph" images, just like
all those TV and movie special effects! This is one program I'm going to
buy!
This editor has also heard rumors of several other products which are
supposedly in development. Paul Parkhurst is writing fax software to
compete with Faxination, and it is apparently nearing completion, with
test faxes looking good. I've also heard that other companies, such as
Seven Hills Software, may have updates to programs. Hopefully my sources
are right... if so we could soon have a great selection of new software to
choose from!
One program which I have seen is the new Apple IIgs front end for GEnie.
It is in beta testing, and is just about done, with only a few features to
be added and a couple of user interface issues to resolve. When it is
finally released, it will make using GEnie much easier for the new GEnie
member. Current GEnie users may or may not want to switch to this new
way of using GEnie, as offline navigators like CoPilot and GEM help save
money and time, but the new program is by far the easiest way to use GEnie,
providing a simple user interface which is consistent with Apple's human
interface guidelines for the GS. (All you GS programmers have read those
guidelines, right? Nothing annoys me more than to have an otherwise great
program not use a standard user interface :)
Another great piece of news concerning GEnie is more price reductions. A
few months ago GEnie reduced its prime time surcharge to $2/hour, and
this summer GEnie will further reduce its rates. One of the most frequent
complaints about GEnie (and I've heard this a lot recently on the usenet
newsgroup comp.sys.apple2) is that it has a surcharge for 9600 baud
access on GEnie nodes and for any speed (300 through 14,400) on SprintNet
nodes. Well, starting August 1, 1995, GEnie will no longer have any
surcharges for high speed access or SprintNet access. That means that
you'll be able to access GEnie at 14.4k on a SprintNet node at the same
$3/hour as you would with 2400 baud access on a GEnie node! Note that
the $2/hour primetime surcharge will remain in effect, as will the
surcharge for using the 800#.
I hope all of you have a great summer, and I'll see you again next month!
-- Tim Buchheim
Editor, GEnieLamp A2Pro
(a2pro.gelamp@genie.com)
>>> A FEW CORRECTIONS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
An annoying typo managed to slip its way into last month's issue, just as
bugs love to find their way into my programs. :(
I incorrectly referred to the Apple II programmers' newsgroup as
"comp.sys.apple2.programmers" instead of "comp.sys.apple2.programmer"
Sorry about that! Thanks to all of you who wrote to inform me of my error.
I hope I didn't cause anyone any frustration by causing them to get errors
from their newsreaders because they typed in the wrong name!
The second mistake is a bit more embarrassing. (yes, that IS possible!)
Last month's issue was labeled "Volume 4 Issue 26." Several people have
asked me how the numbering system works; after all GEnieLamp is a monthly
publication and there are only 12 months in an earth year. In the past,
I was unable to answer this, as I didn't know!! When I took this job,
I didn't receive an explanation of how volume/issue numbers work. I just
incremented the issue number, ignoring the volume number, because I didn't
know of anything better to do.
Well, it turns out that I'm not the only one. One of the other GEnieLamp
editors (I won't name names) recently realized that he didn't know what to
do with volume/issue numbers, either. Unlike me, however, he had the nerve
to ask the publisher. It turns out that the volume number is incremented
every January, and the issue number is incremented every issue (but is
never set back at one.) Well, the A2Pro edition didn't have a January
issue, so I guess it's okay in a way that the volume number didn't go up.
But it really should have, so this is volume 5 issue 27, rather than
volume 4 issue 27. Of course, that doesn't work out right (unless there
are only 5 months in a year) but I think a few months were skipped back
near the beginning so the issue number isn't as high as it seems like it
should be.
In any case, just apply the rules Apple uses for version numbers: It's
okay to skip numbers, as long as it always goes up and never goes down.
And if you want to find a certain issue, just look at the publication date.
That's how the files are named, anyway.
[Wow, this is embarrassing...two corrections in one month! This is not
a column which I want to have to type EVERY month. <G>]
[*][*][*]
Do you have something to say about GEnieLamp A2Pro? Please
post any questions or comments you may have in Category 1,
Topic 15 in A2Pro's BB (m530;1). Or, feel free to talk to me
(A2PRO.GELAMP) anytime you see me in a Real Time Conference.
Readers out there on the Internet: feel free to email me at
a2pro.gelamp@genie.com When writing, please tell me where
you got your copy of GEnieLamp, if it wasn't on GEnie. I'm
always interested to see how many places GEnieLamp ends up :)
By the way, the current issue and most back issues are
available online in several gophers and ftp sties. If you
want to find an issue, then check library #2 in the DigiPub
software libraries at GEnie page 1395 if you are a GEnie user
or if you aren't, then use gopher to access gopher.genie.com
[*][*][*]
[EOA]
[DIR]//////////////////////////////
A2PRO ROUNDTABLE STAFF /
/////////////////////////////////
______________________________________________
APPLE II PROGRAMMERS & DEVELOPERS ROUNDTABLE
_____ ______ ______________________________________________
/_____|/______\
/__/|__| ___|__| Head Sysop: Hangtime (HANGTIME)
/__/_|__| /_____/ Your Sysops: Greg Da Costa (A2PRO.GREG)
/________|/__/ __ __ __ Todd P. Whitesel (A2PRO.TODDPW)
/__/ |__|__/______ /_//_// / Nathaniel Sloan (A2PRO.HELP)
/__/ |__|________// / \/_/ Tim Buchheim (A2PRO.GELAMP)
[*][*][*]
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Tim Buchheim
[A2PRO.GELAMP]
o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS
o WHAT'S NEW
o PROGRAMMER'S TIPS
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT1, TOP25, MSG{6}...........Important GEnie Announcements
[*] CAT1, TOP26, MSG{5}...........The Apple IIgs Front End
[*] CAT1, TOP28, MSG{1}...........other basics
[*] CAT7, TOP8, MSG{98}..........General 8-bit programming
[*] CAT13, TOP4, MSG{90}..........Looking for...
[*] CAT15, TOP22, MSG{18}..........Scrap Manager
[*] CAT16, TOP31, MSG{1}...........KansasFest '95 -- It's Happening!!
[*] CAT15, TOP23, MSG{40}..........Standard File Operations Tool Set
[*] CAT20, TOP15, MSG{8}...........Writing Permanent Inits (PIFs)
>>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
""""""""""""""""""
REDUECED GENIE RATES!! GEnie is happy to announce effective August 1,
"""""""""""""""""""""" 1995, GEnie's 9600 baud and SprintNet surcharges
will be eliminated. Along with the elimination of high speed surcharges
for both U.S. and Canada, we'll also offer 14.4 baud access through
SprintNet and reduce Canada's Datapac surcharge to CAN $5.00/hour.
(JUST.DAVE, CAT1, TOP25, MSG:6/M530)
>>>>> Dear GEnie Subcriber,
"""""
Have high-speed access surcharges got you down? Have they kept you from
downloading those feature files or from finding that perfect vacation in
our travel areas?
Well, as of August 1st, those pesky on-line surcharges will disappear from
GEnie! That's right, GEnie will eliminate Communications Surcharges for
SprintNet and GEnie 9600 baud access for both U.S. and Canada. Along with
the elimination of high speed surcharges, GEnie announces the availability
of 14.4 baud access through SprintNet and the reduction of Canada's Datapac
surcharges to CAN $5.00/hour. You'll save time and money, and have a
greater opportunity to explore more of the award winning offerings in our
on-line community.
You asked us to find better and more efficient ways for you to access
GEnie's roundtables and services. The new GEnie for Windows was the
first step. This pricing change is the second, and in the coming weeks,
you'll see announcements about some blockbuster content, including games
from two of the worlds most innovative game developers - Interplay &
Microprose. Stay tuned, and enjoy your time on-line.
Doug Perkins Vice President of GEnie Services
(A2PRO.HELP, CAT1, TOP25, MSG:7/M530)
NAMING THE GENIE FRONT END Well, the final results of the "Name the Apple
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" IIgs Front End" poll are here! After the votes
were tabulated, the winners were easy to find... unfortunately, however, we
cannot yet release them. :) After a long discussion with the GEnie for
the Apple IIgs Product Manager, Syndicomm and A2Pro management came to the
realization that the front end simply couldn't be ready on time if we
included the recommendations of the beta testers, who have been a marvelous
help as we've moved towards a truly polished product.
Therefore, we are extending the beta test, as well as re-opening the
field to anyone else who would like to be a tester. We will not reject
anyone, so even if you were informed earlier that we were full, we have a
place for you. If you'd rather not use pre-release software, well... it
looks like we can offer you August 1st as a release date. We're very sorry
that it couldn't be sooner.
PLEASE! If there's anything you'd like to have included in the front
end, let us know ASAP. Your suggestions may not be prepared in time for
version 1.0, but they will certainly be given most careful consideration.
Also, it has come to my attention that some users are not sure exactly what
this entire "Front End" thing is all about. Thus, I have created a topic
in A2's Category 3 where you can ask any questions you like. No, this is
_not_ a new version of CoPilot (although we hope to release a new CoPilot
version at some point in the future). No, you do _not_ need any other
program to use this. Topic 37 is now available in A2's bulletin board to
help answer these and other questions.
The remainder of the voting results (with the top three scores hidden for
the suspense :) follow. Thank you for your patience.
Rank # Name Points
1. XX. YYYYYYYYYYYYYY ZZ
2. XX. YYYYYYYYYYYYYY ZZ
3. XX. YYYYYYYYYYYYYY ZZ
4. 32. Jasmine GS 40
5. 26. IIgs Cruiser 33
6. 24. GS Up Front 22
7. 19. GEnieNav 18
8. 1. A2 View 13
9. 46. The GANTRI 13
10. 33. LampLighter 12
11. 18. GEnieMate 11
12. 31. Isaac Newton? 10
13. 21. GenieuS Access 9
14. 27. II-GeniuS 9
15. 8. Gandalf 8
16. 7. Fly II High 6
17. 12. GEnie Servant 6
18. 16. GEnieBot 6
19. 23. GS to the MAXX 6
20. 9. GaS.n.GO 5
21. 35. Mean Gene 5
22. 41. SideKick 5
23. 49. WozAware 5
24. Write-In: Gus-GS 5
25. 17. GEnieFront 4
26. 48. The Wizard 4
27. 2. Apple Apply 3
28. 30. In The Bottle 3
29. 29. II-Nav 2
30. 10. Gee.Slick 1
31. 28. IIGEnie-uS 1
32. 3. Apple Snapple 0
33. 5. Barramundi 0
34. 6. Browser 0
35. 13. GEnie Servitor 0
36. 14. GEnie Supporter 0
37. 15. GEnie Sustainer 0
38. 22. GS Grillwork 0
39. 25. GSus 0
40. 34. Let's Do It 0
41. 36. Newton 0
42. 37. Pathfinder 0
43. 38. ROM Roam 0
44. 39. ROMper Room 0
45. 40. Searcher 0
46. 42. Sorcerer 0
47. 43. SpellBinder 0
48. 44. StickyBeak 0
49. 45. The Apple Corps 0
50. 47. The Spiced Apple 0
...Sloanie, A2Pro
(A2PRO.HELP, CAT1, TOP26, MSG:5/M530)
THIS SUMMER'S MOST EXCITING EVENT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
______ _____
( ) ( ) ________________________________________________
| | / / ( _________________________________'95____)
| | / / | |
| |/ / | | II Infinitum!!
| / | |______
| |\ \ | _______) __________ ________ ________
| | \ \ | | ( _____) ( ___) (__ __)
| | \ \ | | | |__ \ \ | |
| | \ \ | | | __) \ \ | |
| | \ \ | | | |_____ ___\ \ | |
(______) (________) (_______) (__________) (_________) |___|
KFest is back again this summer better than ever!
For many years Resource Central, and then ICON, sponsored a popular
festival for Apple II computer users called ICONference. Last year the
festival was expanded to include users of Macintosh computers. Although
RC/ICON went away, KFest will continue under new sponsorship!
This summer, in Kansas City, Missouri, you can once again:
- meet friends old and new
- learn about how to get the most out of your computer and peripherals
- see demonstrations of new products
- meet the celebrities of our little world <grin>
- experience the InterNet and all that it has to offer to us and
our computers
- take advantage of special KFest '95 offers from Apple II and
Macintosh vendors
- and, of course, stay up all night if you want to :)
There will be speakers and presentations on a wide variety of topics.
Presentations scheduled thus far include:
* Joe Kohn - Shareware Solutions II
* Erick Wagner
* Michael Lutynski - Animasia
* Mike Westerfield - Byteworks
* Tony Diaz - Alltech
* Roger Wagner
KFest '95 will again be held on the campus of Avila College in Kansas City,
Missouri. It will take place from July 27-29, 1995. The cost will be only
$200, which _includes_ use of a double room in the Avila College dorms
_and_ meals! (If you wish to stay at one of the many hotels or motels near
the college then the cost is $150, but you would, of course, have to find
and pay for your own room).
***
SPECIAL OFFER: If you register by May 20, 1995, then you can save up to
$25. Registrations received before that date will cost only $175 or $130
for no room and board.
***
KFest this year is being sponsored by Parkhurst Micro Products, makers of\
the award-winning ANSITerm telecommunications software, as well as the soon
to be released PMPFax. You can send your registration form and fee to:
KFest '95
c/o Parkhurst Micro Products
2491 San Ramon Valley Blvd. Suite 1-317
San Ramon, CA 94583
* Please make checks payable to Parkhurst Micro Products.
***
They will also take credit card registrations. Just call PMP with your
VISA or MasterCard number at (510) 837-9098 .
***
If you have questions about KFest, or wish to make suggestions, you can
find answers via the InterNet. Just send email to: kfest.info$@genie.com
-** PowerGS and A.RAHIMZADEH are no longer involved with KFest **-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
KFest '95 Registration Form
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone (w): (h):
Email address:
Roommate preference (if any):
Do you prefer a smoker or non-smoker?
Send this completed registration form and fee to:
KFest '95
c/o Parkhurst Micro Products
2491 San Ramon Valley Blvd. Suite 1-317
San Ramon, CA 94583
* Please make checks payable to Parkhurst Micro Products.
They will also take credit card registrations. Just call PMP with your
VISA or MasterCard number at (510) 837-9098 .
(SARAH.P, CAT16, TOP31, MSG:1/M530)
>>>>> A message to all you folks who belong to user groups and logon to
""""" local BBSes in your area!
KFest is going to be one of the highpoints of the year! There are going to
be lots of Apple gurus that will be teaching us all sorts of neat stuff,
demonstrating new programs, and showing us new tricks in old standbys!
Of course, the speakers and classes are only the tip of the iceberg!
Meeting folks in person that you've been talking with online, partying, the
annual roast, and the famous "bite the bag" contest (oh, and Roger Wagner's
famous ties) are also to be looked forward to!
If you think this sounds like fun, and would like to spread the
word...please post the ad in this topic on your local BBS(s) and run off
a few copies to take to your local user groups!
Note: for information, they can write to one of the two email addresses
below:
kfest.info$@genie.com
kfest@galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu
And, we even have a Home Page set up on the World Wide Web!
http://galadriel.ecaetc.ohio-state.edu/kfest.html
Thanks...hope to see you all there!
(A2.GENA, CAT16, TOP31, MSG:2/M530)
>>> PROGRAMMERS' TIPS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
APPLE IIGS BASIC? Hi!
"""""""""""""""""
I have an Apple IIGS and a number of programs in Applesoft which I would
like to move over so that they work as system programs in the IIGS. One
obvious way to do that is to translate them (if they make special calls,
that might not be so obvious, but it would still be a start). I'm not so
interested in Basic for itwself but in the ease of translation: sure, I
could set to work and translate them into C or Pascal, but that would be
much more than I'd like to do right now (I'm happy with C, its the
translation that would be a chorsee).
Is Zbasic still available? , for instance? If one of these basics is for
sale, of course I'd like to know the procice. Can anyone on A2PRO give me
some answers here?
Thanks for any help,
Thomas Donaldson
(T.DONALDSON2, CAT1, TOP28, MSG:1/M530)
>>>>> How about the Beagle Compiler? It uses Applesoft BASIC as a base,
""""" and doesn't it create P8 System files? Of course, it may be hard
to find a copy nowadays....
Dave
(JUST.DAVE, CAT1, TOP28, MSG:2/M530)
INKJET PRINTING FROM BASIC I suppose this is the right place for this...
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I need to figure out how to direct output to the Deskjet 500 from within an
Applesoft BASIC program. The output from the program to an Imagewriter II
is no problem. Can anyone help?
Charlie
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:98/M530)
>>>>> To my knowledge, you can't. The Deskjet is a graphics based
""""" printer and requires you to send graphics images, not text.
Converting text to the proper graphics images takes a little doing without
the appropriate driver, which isn't available unless you're in GS/OS. I
have heard that some HP printers have an "Epson Emulator" for them... if
you have such an emulator enabled, then printing to it from Applesoft should
be no different than printing to the ImageWriter.
Dave
(JUST.DAVE, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:99/M530)
>>>>> Charlie,
"""""
Should be no problem. Just like to the IW. The following works on my
DeskJet 540:
10 D$ = CHR$(4)
20 PRINT D$; "PR#1"
30 PRINT "Print this please..."
40 PRINT CHR$(12) : REM a form feed is needed to eject page
50 PRINT D$; "PR#3"
60 END
Mark Wade
(M.WADE7, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:100/M530)
<<<<< > To my knowledge, you can't. The Deskjet is a graphics based
""""" > printer and requires you to send graphics images, not text.
Then how does AppleWorks do it?
Charlie
(A2.CHARLIE, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:101/M530)
>>>>> I thought that was the DeskWriter. The DeskJet ought to work like
""""" any other printer in a standard font.
Ryan
If you think that was bad just wait a few minutes. . .
(And delivered by Copilot and PT 3.1 :)
(R.SUENAGA1, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:102/M530)
>>>>> Now if I could only figure out how to get my "wonderful" gift --
""""" EPSON Action Printer 5000 -- to do Mouse Text, I would be ecstatic!
LOL! --- Mission Impossible?????
CHunk -- Two Apples on my Desk ... a Song in my Heart -- :)
(C.STITES, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:103/M530)
>>>>> Oops... you're right! :) I always get those two confused... :(
"""""
(JUST.DAVE, CAT7, TOP8, MSG:104/M530)
MULTIPLE SCRAPS OF ONE TYPE I have a few questions about using the Scrap
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Manager. First, in my app, I am going to
be exchanging some data, namely rSounds, with the system. Am I right in
assuming that you should call ZeroScrap before you put anything onto the
clipboard, so as to get rid of any previous cut/copy operations? Next,
when pasting rSounds into my app, am I right in assuming that only one
rSound will be on the clipboard at any one time?
Using repeated calls to PutScrap, it seems possible that any number of
scraps of a given type could be put onto the clipboard, but there is no
means of figuring out the length of these individual pieces of data--you
can only get the entire combined size of a given scrap type.
Now, supposing that only one rSound should be cut/copied at a time, and it
is assumed that only one rSound can be pasted in at one time, I need
help with this. I will have a list of rSounds that the user can pick
from. This list allows multiple selections. One operation the user may
choose to do is save the selected rSounds to a resource file on disk. What
should I do when cut/copy is chosen if more than one item in the list is
selected, and only one item should be placed on the clipboard?
Tony Morales AKA. Hexman
(HEXMAN, CAT15, TOP22, MSG:16/M530)
>>>>> You could disable your cut/copy menu items when more than one (and
""""" also less than one) item(s) are selected in your list. That would
be the best way to do it, I think.
You are correct in that only one rSound should be on the clipboard at a
time. When you copy a sound from the sound control panel, the sound and its
name get placed on the clipboard. The sound in the sound scrap type, and
the name in the text scrap type.
Other scrap types can be defined differently. For example, you can have
multiple icons on the clipboard at a time because the scrap structure
lets you find where one ends and the next starts.
And oh yes, call ZeroScrap before putting new stuff in the clipboard.
(Boy, was this post completely backwards in order? :-)
(WANKERL, CAT15, TOP22, MSG:19/M530)
>>>>> If you want to copy one rSound at a time, call ZeroScrap before you
""""" call PutScrap. If you don't you will be adding an rSound to the
one already in the scrap.
When you make repeated calls to PutScrap, you are appending new information
to the end of the current scrap. IOW, if you call PutScrap on "rSound1"
and call it again on "rSound2", you have placed "rSound1rSound2" in the
scrap. When you call GetScrapSize, you get the combined size of your
repeated calls to PutScrap for a given scrap type. (You could get around
this by using a new type for every PutScrap. :( )
1) You could use different scrap types for each rSound. I don't like this
method, but it would probably work if you limited the number of selections
to 65000+ (i.e., the total number of available private scrap types).
2) You could prepend the rSound with a length long word. Then call
PutScrap. When you retrieve the scrap, you will have to manually chop out
all the rSounds.
David W. (Brought to you from ByteWork's "Toolbox Programming in C".)
(D.WALLIS2, CAT15, TOP22, MSG:20/M530)
>>>>> >(Boy, was this post completely backwards in order? :-)
"""""
Must've been a stack-based operation, LIFO.
-G.T. Barnabas
(BARNABAS, CAT15, TOP22, MSG:21/M530)
>>>>> Tony, if you really want to store more than one thing of a given
""""" type in the scrap, you need to define your own new scrap type to
do it.
Mike Westerfield
(BYTEWORKS, CAT15, TOP22, MSG:23/M530)
SFO REDUNDANCY? Got a question about Standard File, and the new style
""""""""""""""" Type List format.
On page 48-10 of TBR3, the following is stated for bit 13 of the flags
field in each entry of the Type List:
bit 13 Disable selection.
0 = Make all displayed files selectable
1 = Display as dimmed, and thus unselectable, any files matching
criteria specified in bits 14 and 15
(Note that the files will not be passed to the Filter Procedure for the
tool call.)
This description almost makes sense but not quite. As I understand it,
SF examines bits 14 and 15 first, then if the file type information in
the given record matches the file type information it is examining, SF
checks bit 13. If it is set to 1, SF auto-dims files of this type, and
doesn't bother calling the Filter Procedure.
If bit 13 is set to 0, and if the file type information matches, the Filter
Procedure is called. So, I am just wondering. A Filter Procedure could
just as easily return noSelect to SF for files passed to it after being
tested for in the Type List. So bit 13 is mainly for convenience?
Last question. In the flags word, setting both bits 15 and 14 causes SF to
match any file type and aux type. So no matter how few or how many entries
exist in a Type List, if one with both bits exist, all possible types
will be matched. Is this correct?
Tony Morales AKA. Hexman
(HEXMAN, CAT15, TOP23, MSG:40/M530)
>>>>> Tony,
"""""
>So bit 13 is mainly for convenience?
Yep, but then, Type Lists themselves are maily for convenience (you
could, after all, do all the same work in your filter proc). Also, a filter
proc isn't required; so the bit 13 functionality allows you to accomplish
dimming without using one.
-Greg Templeman
(BARNABAS, CAT15, TOP23, MSG:41/M530)
DECIPHERING SOUND.SETTINGS I was wondering if anyone could describe the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" format of the Sound.Settings file for GS/OS?
I've been casually looking at it with thoughts of doing a neat little
program to change the sounds in a psuedo-random manner upon startup.
Perhaps someone's already done such a program, if so, please point me in
the right direction. If not, here's what I've found so far. The first
byte in the file appears to be a hex representing the total number of
sounds specified. The names of sound files are then listed (preceeded by a
length byte and followed by a byte that appears to specify in a not (yet)
so obvious way which sound it represents. I guess I'll need to know
something about the structure of Init files. Actually I haven't decided
what will be the best way to do this, perhaps an NDA or control panel. Any
suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill Patterson
(B.PATTERSO11, CAT20, TOP15, MSG:8/M530)
>>>>> Bill,
"""""
Yep, such a program already exists. It's called Rooster, and it was
published by Softdisk G-S.
-G.T. Barnabas
(BARNABAS, CAT20, TOP15, MSG:9/M530)
>>>>> Also, if you'd like to look into writing your own anyway, the
""""" information on the Sound.Settings format is in the A2Pro library;
it's in the filetype note for $5A/$0000.
(A2PRO.HELP, CAT20, TOP15, MSG:10/M530)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
WHERE DO THESE VECTORS POINT? Hopefully this is the right place to post
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" this...
I'm hoping that some folks here can come up with some reasonably accurate
and meaningful names for the following undocumented GS/OS System Service
vectors. (undocumented in this case means that I can not find these
documented in the GS/OS refrence, GS/OS device drivers refrence, and
"goodies" such as NiftyList don't list them either) If you know of any
publicly released documentation for any of these, please point me to it.
These system service vectors are used by the v4.01 and v4.02 releases of
the ProDos FST. (they might be used by other FST's as well, but I haven't
snOOped for any such usage as of yet)
$01FC24 $01FC28 $01FC2C $01FC30
$01FC40 $01FC44 $01FC48 $01FC58
$01FC60 $01FC64 $01FC94 $01FC98
$01FCAC $01FCB0 $01FCC4
I have come up with documented labels for all the other System Service
vectors that this FST uses, as well documentation on them (call
specifications, etc) While I should be able to emperically determine
calling information for these unknown vectors (based on how this FST calls
them) if you happen to have any of this documented already I'd appreciate
getting that info as well.
If you feel that, for whatever reason, you can't publicly share this
information but would be willing to share it privately, please email me.
I will maintain the public anonymity of any such sources who choose to
assist. (eg: I'll open my mouth about what these vectors are / do, but I
won't ever say who provided me with this info)
-Harold
(HAROLD.H, CAT13, TOP4, MSG:90/M530)
[*][*][*]
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]
[DEV]//////////////////////////////
DEVELOPER'S CORNER /
/////////////////////////////////
News From The A2Pro Online Developers
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Tim Buchheim
[A2PRO.GELAMP]
o GNO LIBRARY HELP
o STANDARD UNIX UTILITIES IN GNO?
o X-WINDOWS IN GNO?
o SOLUTION FOR A COMMON PROBLEM
o BYTEWORKS ANNOUNCEMENT
o 8-BIT ORCA/M QUESTIONS
o A SUGGESTION CONCERNING THE LINKER
>>> ONLINE SUPPORT IN A2PRO <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CAT TOP COMPANY
=== === =======
29 INDEPENDENT DEVELOPERS ONLINE
2 DYA/DigiSoft Innovations Online
8 Simplexity Software Online
14 Quality Computers Q-LABS Online
20 DreamWorld Software Online
26 METAL/FV Software Online
32 Kitchen Sink Software Online
38 EdIt-16 (Bill Tudor)
30 PROCYON, INC.
31 SOFTDISK PUBLISHING
33 GS+ MAGAZINE
34 JEM SOFTWARE
35 PRODEV, INC.
36 THE BYTE WORKS
Each month this column feature highlights and news from various
developers who provide support via A2Pro.
>>> GNO LIBRARY HELP <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
TAKING COMMAND OF THE COMMAND LINE I'm using a few of the command line
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" option library routines from the GNO
libraries in a program that's able to accept a command line, but isn't in
an environment where stdout, stdin, and stderr are available. I notice in
the specs for getopt() that it prints error messages to stderr if it
encounters problems... is there any way to turn that off? Otherwise I may
have to rewrite this thing to NOT use getopt, and I figured it would be
easier to leave it (converting some source from something that was intended
to run under gsh originally).
Dave
(JUST.DAVE, CAT30, TOP2, MSG:181/M530)
>>>>> Set the variable opterr to zero before you call getopt() and it
""""" won't write to stderr.
(S.REEVES2, CAT30, TOP2, MSG:182/M530)
<<<<< Kewl! Thanks. :)
"""""
Dave
(JUST.DAVE, CAT30, TOP2, MSG:183/M530)
>>> STANDARD UNIX UTILITIES IN GNO? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
DECODE THIS! Hi!
""""""""""""
Last night I put a message in the wish list and I've decided that this
matter is much more important than that. "encode" and "decode" mentioned in
my last message are shorthands for uuencode and uudecode, essential
utilities for any attempt to use Unix on the net. Last night I looked
through your version of GNO 2.0, not just my installed vrersion but the
original disks, and could not find either utility.
So when can we expect it? I did find source code and anm looking to port
it over, but that doesn't really seem satisfactory.
Best
Thomas Donaldson
(T.DONALDSON2, CAT30, TOP3, MSG:166/M530)
>>>>> FWIW, the GScii+ NDA handles uuencode as well as binscii.
"""""
- Tony Ward
(A2.TONY, CAT30, TOP3, MSG:167/M530)
<<<<< Hi!
"""""
I recently got on this BBS (this morning) to ask for uuencode and uudecode.
Basically I needed them badly at that time. I have gotten the code for both
and cleaned it up. I now have a working uudecode (no bells or whistles). At
some time I expect to need the uuencode too, since I'm involved in
something which requires communication with those people on their big Unix
workstations. But not yet.
Question: should I upload the uudecode now? Or should I wait? I make no
claims that it is fancy software: it was hacked together because I needed
it.
Best
Thomas Donaldson
(T.DONALDSON2, CAT30, TOP3, MSG:168/M530)
>>>>> Regarding UUencode/UUDecode, the shell utility 'sscii' will do both
""""" operations. Since it was a all-in-one utility, we didn't bother to
port the actual uuencode/decode.
Jawaid
(PROCYON, CAT30, TOP3, MSG:170/M530)
>>> X-WINDOWS IN GNO? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
A DAUNTING TASK HI!
"""""""""""""""
This is just a question, and I understand the amount of programming which
would probably be involved. HOWEVER has Procyon (or anyone) given any
thought to porting X-Windows to GNO? Doing so would of course raise lots
of interesting issues ... besides giving IIGS users the benefit of TWO
windowing interfaces rather than just one.
It's just a thought, perhaps not even a good one, but I decided to raise
the possibility here.
Best
Thomas Donaldson
(T.DONALDSON2, CAT30, TOP6, MSG:34/M530)
>>>>> Oh boy... Well, first, are you talking about the "client" part of
""""" X, that is what an X-Terminal would need, or the full X server
software? Note that I'm not an expert (by any stretch of the imagination)
in this, but I know that the full source is MASSIVE. I'm not even sure
whether there's any freely available source for the finding to port from.
It would certainly be nice to have, though :)
Bob Claney
Delivered by CoPilot 2.55 and Spectrum 2.0
(CLANEY, CAT30, TOP6, MSG:35/M530)
>>> SOLUTION FOR A COMMON PROBLEM <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
SORTING OUT THOSE LIBRARIES Hi Jawaid!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
This is probably not the place for this message, but I wanted to reach YOU,
and it seems your email address has changed --- at least, my message was
sent right back to me when I sent you one.
I posted some messages about uuencode and uudecode recently. At that time
I really needed uudecode, and managed to get the source code and port it
fairly easily. That led me to look at uuencode also --- which also started
out easily but ran into a problem. The problem is eitehrher a bug or a
problem with my own installation. Briefly, when I tried to link the program
uuencode, the Orca linker reported an error: it could not find two
expressions: SYSARGOUT and SYSARGOUTERR. I did not use either of these in
my program text itself, nor were they present in any of the include files
I used (stdio.h, sys/types.h, sys/stat.h). I have searched ALL the Orca
include files and the newer files which GNO provides without finding any
reference to these two expressions. The linker basically told me that they
were somehow associated with fputc and fgetc, and putc and getc.
The problem may lie with my installation of GNO, in that somehow I may have
changed the order of the libraries (I remember well when I got the earlier
version, 1.0 I think, in which the docs told me to put the libraries in a
particular order). Unfortunately the 2.0 docs don't explain the order in
which those libraries should be placed.
Can you help me with this? first, what is the order required? And if you're
sure that it's not a matter of order, then there may be a bug ... or
alternatively my disks for 2.0 somehow lacked one or more of the required
.h files. The linker did produce a program, which simply hung my machine
(needing a reset to start again). It is difficult to debug a program on a
hung machine.
Naturally I can try various things if you suggest them and perhaps tell
you more than I have just said.
Best wishes,
Thomas Donaldson
(T.DONALDSON2, CAT30, TOP10, MSG:16/M530)
>>>>> Thomas,
"""""
I had similar problems of library routines not showing up. It was
especially frustrating, since they were things that I wasn't calling.:(
This is my current order of libraries and works for me:
LCrypt LIB
LibC LIB
LibGno LIB
LRegExp LIB
LString LIB
ToolLib LIB
LTermcap LIB
BASICLib LIB
M2Lib LIB
MiscLib LIB
ORCALib LIB
PasLib LIB
SysFloat LIB
SysLib LIB
ORCACDefs DIR
ORCAInclude DIR
AInclude DIR
ORCAPascalDefs DIR
RInclude DIR
M2Defs DIR
I am not sure what some of the libraries do! Having a list of what the
order for all these libraries should be would be nice. Unfortunatly, I
spend most of my programming time chasing down problems like this, when
the answer is sitting somewhere.
- James - [IMAGE]
(J.GRAY38, CAT30, TOP10, MSG:18/M530)
>>>>> Thomas: definitely looks like the typical "Libraries out of order"
""""" problem.
Jawaid
(PROCYON, CAT30x, TOP10, MSG:22/M530)
>>> BYTEWORKS ANNOUNCEMENT <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
IT'S SUMMER!! Summer Vacation Time...
"""""""""""""
It's here, and those of us at Byte Works are no exception. From 24 May
until 6 June I will be out of the office, as will Patty.
During that time, there will still be someone to answer your phone calls,
but in most cases either Patty or I will have to call you back. I will
also be answering e-mail and online posts.
No orders will be shipped during those dates, though! So, if you want
something and just can't wait, ORDER NOW! We'll try to get any orders we
receive over the next few days shipped before our vacation starts.
Thanks,
Mike Westerfield
(BYTEWORKS, CAT36, TOP3, MSG:362/M530)
>>> 8-BIT ORCA/M QUESTIONS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
A NEGATIVE NUMBER OF BLOCKS?? I just installed ORCA/M v4.1 (8-bit
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" environment) on my SmartPort harddrive
(which I plan to use with either my IIe or IIc+). After using ORCA/M for
the IIgs, I didn't realize how spoiled I had been ;) Everything on the
IIgs is bigger and better...
After playing with ORCA/M v4.1 for an hour or so, I came up with one
question and I believe I found a bug with the CATALOG command.
First, my question...
(1) For the language type of ASM6502, the ProDOS file type
is $B0 (SRC) and the auxtype is $0002. The index to
the Apple II File Type Notes, does not acknowledge this
auxtype and it seems to skip some other auxtypes
($0004, $0007, etc.); my index is a little old
(May 1992) but I doubt that these have been added since
this this index was created. For sake of completeness,
should someone like Lunatic (or the appropriate person
in A2Pro) add entries for these missing filetypes and
auxtypes? If so, could you help out by formally
indicating what file types and auxtypes were used by
_all_ Byte Works products?
Now for the bug I found with the CATALOG command...
It seems as if the block quantity (total blocks, free blocks, used blocks)
is being displayed as a signed value, rather than an unsigned value. For
example, one of the volumes on my harddrive has a capacity of 41118 blocks.
When I issued the CATALOG command, it reported that the "Total Blocks:" for
the volume was -24418, rather than 41118. The "Blocks Free:" value was
-27580, rather than 37956. I suspect the value for "Blocks Used:" would
also display incorrectly, but I'm not using more than 32767 blocks, just
yet ;)
Is there any chance that this problem could be corrected? I realize that
the number of 8-bit ORCA/M users is probably rather small but this
particular "feature" is annoying.
Erick
(E.WAGNER10, CAT36, TOP6, MSG:5/M530)
>>>>> Take a look at the FTN for filetype $B0. It lists all the language
""""" numbers. (or at least the June 1992 edition, the last one Apple
released, does.)
(A2PRO.GELAMP, CAT36, TOP6, MSG:6/M530)
<<<<< Right you are, Tim!
"""""
I even have an older version of File Type Note $B0 (all) dated July 1990
and it also lists a value of $02 as being associated with ASM6502. Funny
thing is, the "index" to the Apple II File Type Notes that I have is
dated May 1992,so you'd think that it would match the File Type Note.
(E.WAGNER10, CAT36, TOP6, MSG:7/M530)
>>>>> well, the latest version of that particular FTN may be July 1990..
""""" with the current lanuage numbering system, each and every new
language doesn't really need to be listed, only new language developers.
(A2PRO.GELAMP, CAT36, TOP6, MSG:8/M530)
<<<<< That became obvious after I looked at the $B0 File Type Note :)
"""""
However, when I'm referencing file types and aux types, I always go the
"index" first because it results in less page flipping and usually tells
me everything I need to know (file type, aux type, description). Only when
I need more information (like the file layout, etc.) do I look at the
actual File Type Note.
It appears in this case that the File Type Note for $B0 is perfectly fine,
but the "index" was not properly updated.
(E.WAGNER10, CAT36x, TOP6, MSG:9/M530)
>>>>> <Shrug> Guess Apple didn't notice the last time they made that
""""" index.
(A2PRO.GELAMP, CAT36, TOP6, MSG:10/M530)
>>> A SUGGESTION CONCERNING THE LINKER <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
BETTER LINKER DISPLAY I have an item I want in a future version of the
""""""""""""""""""""" linker...
When I link without any switches, I get the dots across the screen and a
message saying "x segments linked for $xxxx bytes" (not exact wording, but
close enough to get the point across, I think). When I link with +L or +S,
I get verbose link information and at the end of the link, I get a summary
of all the segments and their sizes. What I want is a dots across the
screen link with a segment summary at the end so I don't have to do +L and
get my screen filled with link names and such.
(WANKERL, CAT36, TOP17, MSG:166/M530)
[*][*][*]
[LIB]//////////////////////////////
LIBRARY BIT BONANZA /
/////////////////////////////////
HOT Files You Can Download
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Tim Buchheim
[T.BUCHHEIM]
o SOURCE CODE
o MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS
o MISCELLANEOUS TEXT FILES
>>> SOURCE CODE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
File # 4741 ASCIIHELP.S.BXY V1.00 (GS)
Uploaded on 5/25/95 by C.JUNIEL
About 20K (d/l time approx. 2 minutes @ 2400 baud)
ASCII Helper is a New Desk Accesory (NDA) that modifies ascii text files.
It can strip line feeds, carriage returns, and control characters.
It can also swap line feed and carriage returns.
Included with this is the Merlin 16+ source code for this NDA.
This program is shareware.
Written by Clayburn W. Juniel, III of
Effective Software Solutions
File # 4728 UUCODING.BXY (GS)
Uploaded on 5/8/95 by T.DONALDSON2
About 28K (d/l time approx. 3 minutes @ 2400 baud)
The source for this file was the Unix Forum right here on GENIE.
I am uploading it not to be in competition, but because when I
ported it I needed it and knew of no other possibility. The
preceding BINASCII.SHK from Procyon did not from its description
have facilities to take files the other direction.
This was just a quick hack. Others may still find it useful;
the main coding issue wasn't the difficulty of the code but the
exact coding/decoding format used.
>>> MISCELLANEOUS PROGRAMS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
File # 4737 MEI.BXY (GS)
Uploaded on 5/23/95 by HEXMAN
About 5K (d/l time approx. 30 seconds @ 2400 baud)
This archive contains a small ProDOS 8 application that allows you to
listen to the Ensoniq's analog to digital converter in real time.
Merlin 16+ source code is included. Note, this program is a very quick
hack, and is provided, as is. It does work, and works quite nicely.
Definitely check it out if you have an IIgs and a digitizing card of some
sort. See the 'read.me' file for more information. Packed with ShrinkIt
3.4.
File # 4735 NEXUS.1.1.BXY (GS)
Uploaded on 5/20/95 by HEXMAN
About 12K (d/l time approx. 1 minutes @ 2400 baud)
This archive contains an updated version of Nexus, the Nifty EXtra
Utilities Suite for NiftyList, version 3.0 or later. This version of
Nexus fixes some bugs, and introduces 10 new commands that make NiftyList
even more powerful. Docs are included. Nexus is FreeWare! This archive
is packed with GSHK 1.1.
>>> MISCELLANEOUS TEXT FILES <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
File # 4740 MIDISPEC.TXT (ALL)
Uploaded on 5/24/95 by A2PRO
About 23K (d/l time approx. 2 minutes @ 2400 baud)
This is the text of MIDI specification version 1.0, which describes the
various MIDI commands and data formats.
File # 4729 FT.REQ.TXT (ALL)
Uploaded on 5/12/95 by A2PRO
About 6K (d/l time approx. 30 seconds @ 2400 baud)
Included in this ASCII file are an e-mail File Type Request form, a regular
paper form for you to print out and mail, and a quick over view of the
new request process. Please read the contents thoroughly before submitting
a request. Requests can be sent to A2PRO here on GEnie (A2PRO@genie.com),
or to:
A2Pro Technical Support
Attn: Apple II File Type Requests
P.O. Box 4641
Redondo Beach, CA 90278-8841
Thanks for continuing your support of the Apple II!
[*][*][*]
[EOA]
[RTC]//////////////////////////
RTC WATCH /
/////////////////////////////
Bits and Pieces from A2Pro Real Time Conferences
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Russ Nielson
[R.NIELSON1]
o COMPILER BLUES
o REAL TIME RAMBLINGS
>>> A2Pro WEEKLY RTC SCHEDULE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
_______ __________ _________
/_______| /_________/ /________/ SEVEN days a week!!
/__/__/__/ /__/ /__/
/________/ EAL /__/ IME /__/ ONFERENCES in A2Pro!!
/__/ /__| /__/ /__/_____
/__/ /__/ /__/ |________/ WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Stop in and say "Hi!" at one of these conferences. We've been giving
away quite a few GEnie usage credits (free time) at these conferences,
and you may just win the next one! :)
Day Time Event Host
--- --------------- ----------------------------------- -----------
Sun 8:30pm-11:00pm Weekly Programmers' RTC Sloanie
Mon 9:30pm-11:00pm GS/OS and Toolbox Calls Dave Miller
Tue 9:30pm-11:00pm 8-bit Programming Russ Nielson
Wed 9:30pm-11:00pm HangTime's HyperBar & Grill HangTime
Thu 9:30pm-??:?? Informal - Q&A, chat, whatever A2Pro Staff
Fri 9:30pm-11:00pm Getting Started with Programming Tim Buchheim
Sat 8:30pm-10:00pm Assembly Language Programming Brian Wells
NOTE: All times are in Eastern Daylight Time.
>>> COMPILER BLUES <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""
<Scott> Hello
<Russell> What brings you to A2Pro? :)
<Scott> I have a question of the programing type.
<Russell> Go ahead.. :)
<Scott> I have a DOS 3.3 disk with a program called compiler on it.
It compiles BAS to BIN. The disk boots and runs an intro, but
when I try to run the compiler nothing happens
<Russell> is the compiler a BIN file?
<Erick> would this be Microsoft's TASC compiler?
<Scott> I used copy 2+ to copy all the files to a DOS disk and try it
from the ProDOS version of Basic. Every file but the compiler
copied. Yes it is BIN and I BRUN it
<Scott> No Eric it is not.
The compiler is 74 blocks and when copied shows only 1, is it
copy protected?
<Russell> nothing.. does that mean that the compiler loads.. then
returns to DOS?
yes, it probably is copyprotected.
<Erick> did you receive any errors during the copy of "compiler"?
<Russell> You cannot run it from the original source/disk?
<Erick> the file could be damaged and trying to read (copy) it fails
or ends prematurely
<Scott> The disk loads with an introductory, ands says, now to compile
something load the file, into basic, then brun compiler. The
intro then quits. After this I can not load a file (it looks
like basic, but nothing works ie. load, cat, run)
<Russell> I have a feeling that the compiler is NOT getting loaded.
instead it is _trying_ to load and clobbering DOS (ie. you lose
CAT, RUN, etc)
<Erick> try booting a known working DOS 3.3 disk and then insert your
compiler disk
<Scott> After I boot the Dos. 3.3 disk and the intro runs I can not get
the compiler or any of the other files on the disk to load
<Erick> the compiler disk you have, may be damaged in some way
<Russell> Scott, have you gotten the compiler to run ever before?
<Scott> No.
<Russell> is this an original disk?
<Scott> Original
<Russell> hmmm.. I think the disk got corrupted...
<Scott> I like this idea, of compiling basic, the examples run much
faster. Is there a shareware one around?
<Russell> There is a ProDOS one that compiles BAS files to SYStem :)
<Scott> will they run faster that way?
<Russell> yeah!
[Editor's note: I was not present at this RTC, but my best guess
is that Scott was typing his DOS commands in lowercase. This, of
course, does not work, as DOS 3.3 was released long before Apple II
computers had lowercase characters. I'm going to send email to
Scott suggesting that he try using uppercase.]
>>> REAL TIME RAMBLINGS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
<Airship> It's just hard to get motivated for a big project, and it seems
all my projects are big these days.
<Russell> You have to take those BIG projects and break them down into
little projects :)
<Erick> a IIgs project?
<Airship> Ahah! Work stuff is fun. Hacking Apple IIGS workstation
programs at work as part of my research.
<Airship> Erick, not yet, which is why my problem is pending :)
<Erick> what do you do at work?
<Airship> I want to write a more general Science Toolkit-type program.
It'll be executed in ZBasic first, them ported to the GS.
<Erick> science toolkit?
<Erick> all software or part hardware?
<Russell> Physics and such?
<Airship> I do a lot of different chemical engineering-type projects and
we use Apple IIs heavily to control equipement and take data.
<Russell> cool
<Erick> I/O interfacing?
<Airship> Yep, lots of ADC, parallel, and serial I/O stuff, depending
on what we're doing.
<Erick> if so, by what means (peripheral slots, game port, serial
port, etc.)?
<Erick> all with Apple II's?
what is your background (EE)?
<Airship> Yep, the Apple II is our prefered platform. Rugged, simple,
and easy to program.
<Erick> kewl
you've just made my list :)
<Airship> heh, heh, noooo, I'm a chemical engineer who was an Applesoft
hacker from way back :)
<Erick> what about the interfacing stuff, do you know this or does
someone else handle it?
do you also handle the electrical connections?
This is beginning to sound like 20 questions! :)
<Airship> For ADC work we either use ADC cards (AI-13s), or ADCs that
work over a serial line. We also use a lot of systems that use
RS-232 communications.
<Russell> 17 more questions to go Erick! :)
<Airship> :)
<Airship> We've also done some parallel I/O stuff, but not as much as
other stuff.
<Erick> so are up writing code that deals with the serial port
"control" lines (DTR, etc.)
<Airship> As for wiring, I do a little, but we've got another Apple II
hacker from way back who's pretty handy with a soldering iron.
<Erick> I know how to use the std serial port firmware to read/write
bytes
I have a project I'm working on and very soon I'll be sending
out a note to several folks that I think might be able to help
me continue
I think you and your buddies made the list :)
where do you work (a university)?
<Airship> This friend of mine's pretty imaginative when it comes to I/O
(he does a lot with Applesoft and even TimeOut Telecomm). I use
ZBasic and AC/BASIC myself.
<Erick> I use 6502 assembly :)
<Airship> Yep, we're at the University of Dayton Research Institute.
<Erick> I like that name! "Research Institute" :)
<Airship> heh, heh, I used to! Wrote a real fancy auto-ranging ADC
program in 6502 a LONG time ago, I've gotten lazy since then.
<Erick> well, I wouldn't enjoy writing such a pgm in 6502 but it would
be a challenge
<Russell> oh, but 6502 is so much fun!
<Airship> 6502 is a lot of fun, but there's that time factor :\
<Russell> I know.. :)
<Erick> I hear you about time :)
<Erick> actually once I get over the hurdle of this project, I'll end
up writing an ampersand routine to use from Applesoft
I'm attempting to use Vernier's SerialBox Interface device on
an Apple II
<Airship> That's one reason I've held on to my Apple II stuff all these
years. I figure I'll eventually have time to explore it :)
<Erick> it continually reads two input ports (analog signals in the
range of 0 to +5) and digitizes the values into 12 bits values
and sends them as 16-bit values at 2400 bps
<Airship> Ahah! We're doing more and more ADC work using serial ADCs.
They're handy little gadgets.
<Erick> I have a serial ADC project from Vernier for the 16pin game
port I demo'd it at last year's KFest
<Airship> That'd be interesting.
We've been using Super Serial cards and the built-in serial
ports.
<Erick> Do you have an CCS 7720 parallel card lying around?
<Airship> We've even used IIc+'s to test stuff. heh, heh, my secret
weapon is a IIc+ with a flat screen.
<Erick> I just bought a IIc+
are you using Apple's LCD or something else
<Airship> Hmmmm, possibly. We may even be set up to build one. We used
to use a lot of CCS stuff and ended up making our own when they
went under.
CVue's LCD.
<Erick> do you know of anyone that has interfaced those surplus PC
laptop LCD's to an Apple IIc?
<Airship> One of my systems has a pair of CCS parallel cards.
I've heard stories off'n on, but nothing concrete.
<Erick> I can probably wirewrap a CCS board if I needed to, I'm just
being lazy :)
<Airship> I kinda like the CVue, but then again our labs are well lit :)
<Erick> I'm not familar with CVue are they still made? I thought Apple
was the only manufacturer of IIc LCDs
<Airship> For really high speed stuff we've even interfaced Apple IIs to
SRS Boxcar integrator averagers. Now that's a nice system.
<Erick> <---- don't know what an SRS Boxcar integrator averager is :)
<Russell> Boxcar integrator averagers.. say that 3 times fast! :)
<Airship> Nahh, CVue was a little better screen than Apple's. You seen
them once'n a while on comp.sys.apple2.marketplace.
<Airship> Ahhh, a boxcar is essentiall an analog computer used to acquire
_fast_ signals, usually from pulsed lasers (which is ahat we
use them for).
<Erick> do you do laser light shows with an Apple II? :)
<Airship> The CVue was just a little better contrast, was back'n silver,
and had a wider viewing angle.
<Airship> We've been accused of that :) Particularly when we had the
liquid nitrogen flowing :)
<Russell> ha!
<Erick> do you play Pink Floyd while doing it? :) and get comfortably
numb?
<Russell> LOL!
<Airship> They won't let me :\ So we play The Wall when we're at home (my
wife's a Pink Floyd fan too).
<Erick> after I experiment a bit more different types of motors, I may
give an Apple II laser light show a try. it could be done for
less than $300
<Russell> cool.. that sounds like a neat project! :)
<Erick> you just need a laser tube, HV power supply, mirrors and motors
I'm making it sound easy :)
<Airship> Anywho, my upcoming project is a general purpose data
acquisition package for the game port. My problem is reading
the port on the GS. AC/BASIC doesn;t have commands for it.
Sooo... it sounds like a fun Orca Pascal project :)
<Airship> I keep getting put off with SANE's ssllooww FP math. AC/BASIC
FP math is _fast!_
<Erick> before I forget to ask, does anyone here have the development
kit for 8-bit SANE? I'm looking for it
<Sean> Has anyone heard any more about a FP engine for the GS?
Jawaid mentioned it over on Usenet a while back...
<Airship> Have you tried the ByteWorks?
<Erick> yes, I've asked Mike W about 8-bit SANE, nada
<Airship> I think it's on Jawaids to-do list.
The Number Cruncher from Germany looks pretty fair though.
<Sean> Whuzzat? I vaguely remember reading about it...
<Airship> The Number Cruncher is suppoed to be a pretty good 68881 FPE
card for the GS. Better than the Innovative Systems card.
<Sean> Is it generally available?
<Airship> I thought it was available from the BlueDisk folks.
<Sean> Who're they? (pardon my ignorance)
<Airship> SHH Systeme in Stockdorf, Germany. They make a couple of
Apple II... disk controller cards for connecting IDE drives
(MS-DOS type drives).I _think_ they make the number cruncher
too.
<Sean> I'm surprised I haven't heard more about it, considering all
the folks who complain about the GS's slow floating-point...
<Airship> I think they've got some press releases in the A@ library.
<Airship> Yeah, and what drive me nuts is it's the toolset that's doing
it. The IIGS IS capable of fast FP operations.
<Sean> What would it take to actually DO the fast FP? Patching the
SANE toolset?
<Airship> Something like that.
I'd kill for a fastmath toolset.
Anywho, AC/BASIC FP math runs 10-20 times faster than SANE,
which saved my neck many years ago.
[*][*][*]
Join us any night of the week for quick and friendly
programming help! The staff of A2Pro is always available to
answer your questions, or to sit and chat about whatever is
on your mind! In addition to our regular conferences listed
above, join Ken Lucke, the Spectrum 2.0 scripting expert, for
the Apple II University (A2U) Spectrum 2.0 scripting course!
The class is currently writing a complete BBS system in the
Spectrum scripting language. Sign up for the class in the
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and listen in. See you there!!
[*][*][*]
[EOA]
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