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Syndicate ZMagazine Issue 082
______________________________________
ZMAGAZINE 82 December 4, 1987
______________________________________
**FINAL REGULAR EDITION OF 1987**
______________________________________
Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs
Circulation Assistant: Ken Kircher and
Susan Perry
______________________________________
Here are a few notes about Zmagazine
and the upcoming issues.
This is our last regular edition of
Zmag till 1988. However there will
still be issues released on schedule
until our return December 30th.
Issues #83 and 84 will contain every
article we published under the
Technical Help and ZMAG Technique
column header. Many readers have
asked me to publish an issue with the
upgrades, technical help, etc columns.
Unlike last year when we took off
a few weeks without an issue, I will
release these issues at the following
schedule.
Issue #83 December 11, 1987
(Technical Help Issue #1)
Issue #84 December 18, 1987
(Technical Help Issue #2)
Issue #85 December 23, 1987
(Technical Help Issue #3)
Issue #86 December 30, 1987
BBS Systems Special Edition #2)
The special end of year issue with be
published 12/30/87. Since there are
many systems carrying Zmag and since
I have not received an adequate number
of system information, the due date
has been extended. Please send your
information in by December 28, 1987.
Oasis SysOps carrying the Best of 1987
poll, please send me your results. I
need the results for a Survey. Info
from local areas around the country
will help produce a survey of balance.
During the time off, I will be sending
a few user group editors a letter and
would appreciate your response. Keep
your eyes glued to your boxes in the
weeks ahead.
AND FINALLY....
I am in the process of restructuring
a few things with both our
publications. I am also considering
changing the name of this magazine.
Since I am not the original or only
user of the ZMAG name, I cannot use
the name for any future endeavor. If
you have a suggestion for a new name,
let me know and perhaps we can set-up
a contest for best new magazine name.
I wish everyone a HAPPY HOLIDAY season
and great NEW YEAR. I will have a
few more updates in the future issues.
______________________________________
Xx ZMAG UPDATE
______________________________________
Since the publication of the the Talk
Box story, a few readers have been
looking for more information. Here is
the address of the author of the
article. Please send them a letter
and mention your reading the article
in ZMagazine.
Gene Strojny
Robert Emerick
1066 A Loring
Columbus, Ohio 43224
______________________________________
Xx CONSOLE KEY PROGRAMMING
...From ATARI8 SIG*...
______________________________________
by Keith Joins
This short file will give you the
basic information needed to use the
OPTION, SELECT, START, and HELP keys
in your programs. The HELP key is of
course only available on the XL/XE
series and not on the older 400/800
machines.
The first three of these keys are
controlled by memory location 53279
($D01F). Peeking this location will
return various values depending on the
key or combination of keys pressed
according to the following table:
KEY(S) VALUE RETURNED
================================
All three 0
OPTION+SELECT 1
OPTION+START 2
OPTION 3
SELECT+START 4
SELECT 5
START 6
No key pressed 7
To test this out RUN the following
short basic program.
10 PRINT PEEK(53279)
20 GOTO 10
While this program is running press
various combinations and see what
value is printed to the screen. Notice
that the value for a given key is
returned only while that key is
depressed. When you release the key,
the value returned goes back to seven.
This is because the Operating System
updates this location every stage two
VBI. You don't have to know what the
VBI procedure does, just realize that
you do not have to clear this location
in order to use it again. When you are
finished with this little program,
just press the BREAK key to stop it.
Another thing to understand is that
pressing the consol keys will never
cause the Operating System to generate
an interrupt as happens when you press
a regular key. You would have to
create and install your own interrupt
to do this. A possible application
for this would be to use these keys to
toggle output between the screen and
the printer. This could be done as
part of the VBI routine or by using
the software timers at memory
locations 536 to 558. Again this
information is not needed to use these
keys in your programs.
Now a short example of the use of
these keys in a Basic program:
100 OPTION=3:SELECT=5:START=6
110 PRINT -PRESS START TO BEGIN-
120 PRINT -PRESS SELECT TO RERUN-
130 PRINT -PRESS OPTION TO GOTO DOS-
140 CHOICE=PEEK(53279)
150 IF CHOICE=START THEN GOTO 200
160 IF CHOICE=SELECT THEN RUN
170 IF CHOICE=OPTION THEN DOS
180 GOTO 140
200 Your program
Line 180 is needed to in order to
force the program to repeat the choice
selection process until a consol key
is pressed. Any other key press is
ignored except that if you sould press
another key it will be echoed to the
screen when a consol key is finally
pressed. To prevent this you could
add the following:
175 POKE 764,255
This will clear the register that the
keyboard handler gets it data from and
prevent the errant key stroke from
being echoed to the screen Memory
location 732 ($2DC), a spare byte in
the 400/800 series, is used in the
XL/XE series to store the status of
the HELP key. A PEEK(732) will return
the following values:
KEY COMBINATION VALUE
===================================
HELP alone 17
HELP+SHIFT 81
HELP+CONTROL 145
The default value of this register is
zero. Unlike the consol key register,
this one will retain the value stored
in it until the user clears it with a
POKE 732,0. The operating system
pretty much ignores this location
except when directed to it under
program control. Again no interrupt
is generated by this key except a user
written one.
The above information should give you
enough to use these keys in you own
programs. Experiment with their use
and soon they will be second nature to
you. It is the best way to learn. If
you have any further questions, feel
free to ask.
Keith Joins
72347,75
______________________________________
Xx GARBAGE ON THE LINE
...From ST-Report #13...
______________________________________
by Calamity Jane -=-CJ-=-
...Life On The Frontier...
or
--Roughing-It-Easy--
I am Calamity Jane, OpSys of The
Prairie Chip BBS in Wyoming. All of
that is just a coincidence... really!!
Do you think I planned that? That my
life is THAT organized... hardly. Ever
heard of Wyoming (Wi-O-ming)?? Where
the sidewalks end and the West begins
and the trail cuts across the lonely
prairie. The fierce hositlities of the
Araphoe, Sioux, Shoshone, Cheyenne,
and some Ute, have kept our population
down, but yes, real people do live
here in our many thousands of acres of
rolling plains. And we -DO- own
computers...
This article has been inspired by my
BBS friends in New York City. <hi!
guys> I had a message very typical...
-So YOU are the one who lives in
Wyoming!- very funny... I seem to get
a 'hard-time' for being from Wyoming
where ever I go... and I have come up
with several defense mechanisms... I
proceeded to hint on how I run my BBS
in such a remote frontier without the
usual luxuries of electricity. -How
do you read? or watch TV?- I was
asked. I mentioned I don't watch much
TV, and read by the glow of the
monitor. They were intriged... Thus
the reason for this article.
There is such a combination of the old
ways and the new in my life, and they
are combined in such a way that makes
my life quite tolerable, _pure and I
don't have millions of people around
me. Oh, give me a home where the
buffalo roam... Yes, the millions of
buffalo are gone, but there are a few,
and I can count on a small <but rather
exciting> STampede on the average of
every couple of weeks. They do,
however, continually knock the pole
over and pound the open wire <that is
the telephone line> into the ground in
a cloud of duST. No optic fiber here.
I live in a log cabin. The dictionary
calls it a 'small house... rudely
constructed. Nothin' rude here, we're
friendly folk. It has all the comforts
of home. I purify my own water, I use
an outhouse, I cook on a woodstove. It
supplies warmth and gives me something
to constantly be doing. <NO, not the
outhouse, the stove !!> Cutting the
trees, chopping the wood, hauling the
wood, loading the stove, emptying the
stove... you get my idea. I burned
off my eyebrows and eyelashes once
when I poured a dab of kerosene on
what I THOUGHT was a dead fire.
However, they grew back. I have a
beautiful brand-new washing machine
that never needs repair. It's a stick.
The motion of the water in combination
with soap carries the dirt away. I
don't have to listen to the hounding
of my clothes either. I have a rare
refrigerator that runs on kerosene,
few exist though. I have learned to
live without the need for everything
electric. -Less Power to You !- I
not only know how many Desk
Accessories you can have per disk, or
to forget extended format, but that a
kerosene lantern with a 1- wick will
burn apx. 45 hours on 1 quart of
kerosene at the rate of 5 hours each
day <12 gal. a year>. I use tallow
rather than wax candles as they burn
longer, are brighter, and fairly smoke
free. I get 48 hours out of a 1- by
9-. They are also free, if you make
them. I do not use Coleman lanterns
as they hiss, clank & blind me, just
like civilization. As you can see,
electricity is the least of my
concerns. Till I bought the
computers. Then it became a major
concern. But the power lines just
ain't reached way-out-here yet !! The
wind does blow, mighty hard too; thus
the source of power that keeps me in
CHAT. I am ala natural, on the great
treeless stretches, which roll away as
far as the eye can see.
The wind-generator, heck I still call
it the windmill, is a noisy, clanky,
cus and if the wind doesn't blow
(hah!) the batteries won't charge. My
first concern is the wind will blow
too hard and blow it up. How do I
surge protect THAT ?? Still it does
keep me up and running and in enough
power to keep The Chip waiting for you
at 2400 bps. I have considered many
ways to gain access to the power to
run my computers. I am considering
and finding out about high output
silicon solar cells and other such
solar devices, but right now I'll
stick with the good ol wind, and the
slow-revving, big fly wheel, last
forever, donkey engine. The storage
of this energy is a constant pain. It
is known as Wind Generator System
Storage Problems. The batteries are
still a bit of a black art even in
this high tech age. The batteries are
the common lead acid type used in cars
and will last several years. About
the only thing I must do to them is
check them daily and feed them rain
water if needed.
I got tired of traveling 13.2 miles to
the nearest neighboor to 'chat', so I
talked long and hard... Smooth taklin'
Joe finally ambled into town to see if
they had any more of -those damn ST
machines-. Now we chat in comfort
without the worry of seeing the
elephant, Indian attacks, fierce
storms or snakes. I never know when I
will hear the war cry and a cloud of
arrows. molossi tellim piduuwi. It can
be on the average of once a week. The
phone lines require regular
maintainence between the Indians and
the buffalo. The Indians love the
colored glass from the insulators, so
I build boxes to cover them, & paint
owls on them <owls are bad luck to an
Indian>. Quite often I must pour a
bucket of water on the ground rod,
this makes for a better connection...
you know, less line noise. It's hell
running a 24 hour BBS on an eight
member party line. It ain't too easy
on them either!! Eight of the beST
callers any SysOp could want.
I can still see the ruts on the land
from the conestoga wagon's. There is
something about the wide open spaces,
spacious skies and more than 50 miles
to anything !! Try that, in NYC,
Detroit, or D.C. Winter is a
challenge in itself, something coming
on here quite rapidly to stay. The
geese are flying south, the beaver
lodges have more logs in them, the
squirrels tails are bushier than
usual, the bark on the trees is
thicker, animals gathering their food
supply early, and FoReM SysOps all
over are getting their DOORS up and
secured. Must gonna be a long hard
winter. I can finally learn EMACS. I
must get to the wood supply... <I find
the one-woman cross cut saw nice.>
It's quiet, keeps me realistic about
being a wood hog, keeps my canoe arm
in shape, but can be someone hard to
start in the cold weather...hahaha.
Because things tend to cool off in the
cabin at night, I have specially built
insulated covers for the equipment and
the disks... Got tired of icicles
forming on the SC1224. The Inside-Out
Room for the BBS was built in a
different way as to prevent such a
drastic change in temperature.
Completely climate-controled.
Solar-heated, as wood ash is hell on
computer equipment !! I'll bet The
Chip is one of the most comfortable
BBSs in the land.
Well... the night is late, the fire is
low, time to hit the hay <no really I
have a waterbed... I use the heat from
the manure pile to heat it>. The cat
wants out <he's a 85 pound cougar> and
the wolf wants in. Brave the
hardships and dangers of the unknown
wilderness. Call The Prairie Chip
BBS. -Where Men are Men and Women
are.....- 3/12/2400 bps, 30-45 mph
wind, 307-635-0148. ST FoReM 2.0...
Wrap your feet around your power
supply, and stay warm beside your
modem.
You may not come back alive!!
--Happy Trails--
Ifins you want... permission granted
to reprint... -=-CJ-=-
______________________________________
Xx FCC LETTER
______________________________________
The following is a copy of a letter
provided courtesy of Representative
Jim Slattery (D-Kansas). His office
has granted permission for this to be
reproduced and circulated.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Telecommunications and
Finance
Washington, D.C. 20515
October 30, 1987
The Honorable Dennis R. Patrick,
Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
1919 M Street, N. W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
Dear Chairman Patrick:
We are writing with regard to the
Federal Communications Commissions's
(FCC) plan, Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking No. 87-215, to expand the
existing access charge to include
enhanced service providers (ESPs).
After reviewing the record of the
recent Subcommittee on
Telecommunications and Finance hearing
and many of the comments filed with
the Commission, we oppose the
imposition of an access charge on ESPs
for the following reasons.
First, the dramatic increase in cost,
up to 450%, would stifle development
of this still emerging industry and
adversely affect the U.S. economy.
Residential and non-profit users would
be especially hard hit by this
proposal. University officials,
health professionals, and librarians,
among others, have all stated that the
increase in costs would significantly
impair their access to educational,
health, and other on line data bases.
This proposal would significantly
postpone widespread use of this
exciting technology.
Second, the access charge will be
difficult or impossible to implement
at this time. Local exchange carriers
indicate the mix of intra- and
inter-state data traffic will impede
the correct imposition and measurement
of the access charge on ESPs.
Third, ESPs are unique users of the
network. The FCC recognized this in
its Computer III ruling by holding
that ESPs are not to be regulated as
common carriers. Further, the NPRM
fails to recognize that ESPs only make
use of the less expensive line side of
the network.
Fourth, the expansion of access
charges to include ESPs is contrary
[to] U.S. trade interests. The
National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), the
Reagan administration's communications
policy arm, recognizes this in its
filing in opposition to the FCC
proposal. NTIA contends that this FCC
proposal would send out a signal
contrary to its policy urging foreign
governments to open their information
services markets to foreign providers.
Fifth, the Commission has yet to
determine the additional contribution
the access charge would make to the
non-traffic sensitive pool.
Regardless, the Commission has said
that any funds collected would not be
used to reduce local phone rates or
subscriber line charges. Further,
many contend it will result in ESP
bypass.
It is clear, at the time, that the FCC
access charge proposal is
inappropriate. It could destroy
growth in a vital industry, force
non-profit users out of the market,
hurt U.S. trade relations, and would
be virtually impossible to implement.
We urge the Commission not to expand
access charges to include ESPs.
Sincerely,
/s/
Edward J. Markey
Al Swift
Mike Synar
Billy Tauzin
Jim Slattery
John Bryant
Ralph M. Hill
Dennis E. Eckart
Bill Richardson
Rick Boucher
Jim Cooper
Mickey Leland
Cardiss Collins
cc:
Commissioner Mimi Weyforth Dawson
Commissioner James H. Quello
Commissioner Patricia Diaz Dennis
______________________________________
ZMAGAZINE 82 December 4, 1987
(c)1987 Syndicate Services/Rovac
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