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GEnieLamp Apple II - Vol.2, Issue 19
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~ WELCOME TO GEnieLamp APPLE II! ~
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ BEGINNER'S CORNER: Polishing Green Apples ~
~ PD_QUICKVIEW: Computer Keyboarding v5.0 ~
~ ACROSS THE WIRES: The Apple IIgs in Germany ~
~ APPLE II HISTORY: Languages ~
~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
GEnieLamp Apple II ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol.2, Issue 19
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Editor....................................................Douglas Cuff
Publisher.............................................John F. Peters
Copy-Editor...........................................Bruce Maples
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
~ GEnieLamp IBM ~ GEnieLamp ST ~ GEnieLamp [PR] ~ GEnieLamp TX2 ~
~ GEnieLamp A2Pro ~ GEnieLamp Macintosh ~ LiveWire Online ~
~ Member Of The Digital Publishing Association ~
GE Mail: GENIELAMP Internet: genielamp@genie.geis.com FTP: sosi.com
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ October 1, 1993 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] REFLECTIONS ............. [REF]
Fun & Games On GEnie. Online Communications.
BEGINNER'S CORNER ....... [BEG] PD_QUICKVIEW ............ [PDQ]
Polishing Green Apples. Computer Keyboarding (v5.0).
CowTOONS! ............... [MOO] ACROSS THE WIRES ........ [ATW]
More Mootations. GEnie Worldwide!
COMMUNICATION ........... [COM] APPLE II ................ [AII]
Making Contact. Apple II History, Part 16.
LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
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/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's monthly fee is $8.95 for 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, are allowed without charge. GEnie's
non-prime time connect rate is $3.00. To sign up for GEnie service, call
(with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH. Wait for the U#=
prompt. Type: XTX99014,DIGIPUB 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.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "This is what is so great about Apple II people on GEnie! /
/ I asked a question one night, and the very next night I /
/ get what I need!" /
///////////////////////////////////////////// K.LESSING ////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By Douglas Cuff
[EDITOR.A2]
THERE'LL BE SOME CHANGES MADE Up until now, one man has assembled all the
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" issues of GEnieLamp (A2, A2Pro, IBM,
Macintosh, [PR], ST, and TX2)... our senior editor and publisher, John
Peters. This month, each editor is assembling his own issue.
All of a sudden, I find myself with more to say about what appears in
the magazine. Will GEnieLamp A2 have CowToons? Will it have Search_ME?
Will it have more articles? More commentaries? More reviews?
Well, I'd like you to tell me. Last month, I pleaded for feedback. I
got two replies -- thank you both! -- which is certainly better than no
replies, but doesn't exactly put me in the position of needing a telecom
agent. (What's a telecom agent? See Phil Shapiro's "Reflections" column.)
One of my correspondents suggested that silence indicated assent, possibly
even wholesale approval. If so, it's a great relief, but it doesn't help
me learn what the readers want me to keep now that I have more say over
what goes into an issue.
Unfortunately, this changeover, like the last one, means that a few
features -- the Who's Who in Apple II profile [WHO], and Online Library
[LIB] -- had to be dropped due to lack of time. They'll be back, never
fear. In the meantime, this month you'll find a sort of mini-profile of
shareware author Charles Hartley in Mel Fowler's PD_Quickview [PDQ].
NEW COLUMN New this issue is a brand-new column for GEnie users
"""""""""" outside the U.S. First up, Udo Huth from Germany shares his
experiences of computing and telecommunicating. The line forms directly
behind him.
Of course, if you have an idea for an article on another subject, I'd
love to hear from you. You don't have to be a polished writer, just have
something to say! It doesn't have to be long and it doesn't have to be
earth-shattering.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR WANTED We need help! There aren't enough hands to do
""""""""""""""""""""""" all the work. For that reason, there is no Who's
Who profile this month. Phil Shapiro, who used to handle the interviews
and much else besides, in his capacity as co-editor, is busy running his
own newsletter. GEnieLamp A2 needs a new associate editor. Here's your
chance to hob-nob with famous Apple II personalities.
THE SECOND CHANCE I once worked on a specialized quarterly magazine with
""""""""""""""""" a small but constant subscriber base. The problem was,
the readers were either mired in apathy or lethargy... I never figured out
which. Virtually everyone renewed their subscriptions, but not until the
day issues stopped arriving and they realized they had been cut off.
One day, the printing firm that owned the magazine was sold, and the
buyers didn't care tuppence about the magazine. The letters poured in.
The magazine had to be saved. There was not another one like it... no
close competitor to absorb the subscriber base. (Just think about THAT for
a minute, former _inCider/A+_ and _Nibble_ subscribers.)
Fortunately, the staff of the magazine persuaded the local university
to become the publisher, and the magazine was given a second chance. Over
ten years later, it's still going strong. The last I heard, the readers
aren't quite so apathetic. They knew it had been a near thing.
The Apple II is a long way from being finished yet. I sure hope
you'll help me keep it alive as long as possible by becoming involved in
GEnieLamp A2.
KEEPING HOPE ALIVE Two months ago, in my first editorial, I spoke about
"""""""""""""""""" corporate births, deaths, and marriages in the
Apple II world. This month, we had a genuine death. On September 7,
Kathryn Beth Willig passed away. She had cancer of the colon.
I'm not about to deliver a eulogy. I didn't really know her well
enough to do that. I knew her in her role as a Seven Hills Software
partner, and came to recognize her messages quickly, look forward to them,
and looked for excuses to chat with her. In the end, she dispensed her
knowledge while logging on to CompuServe from her hospital bed, via her Mac
Powerbook.
She probably wouldn't have been best pleased at my mentioning her in a
GEnieLamp editorial like this. She didn't like it when people --
particularly people she didn't know -- tried to style her a hero because
she had cancer. She certainly wouldn't have cared for becoming well-known
because she had died.
It's not her death I want to talk about. What she did when she was
alive is far more important.
Kathryn Willig had the capacity to answer the same question fifty
times, and be as cheerful and helpful to the fiftieth person as with the
first. The knowledge she had was usually helpful, but her attitude was
always so. She cared... and she hoped. She actually dared to hope. Every
one of many times when it seemed as though Apple were abandoning us, that
all was lost, and that we had devoted years of our lives to computers that
were obsolete, she dared to hope. She dared to be cheerful, and managed to
do it without being insensitive to others' fears and dreads.
Let's see if we can't do the same. Personally, I think we can.
-- Doug Cuff
GEnie Mail: EDITOR.A2 Internet: editor.a2@genie.geis.com
>>> NOTES FROM THE PUBLISHER <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ By John Peters [GENIELAMP] ~
FINALLY, FULL INTERNET ACCESS My latest online adventure started when I
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" spotted an ad in a local computer zine for
low cost access to Internet via an online system called Spectrum. Hmmmm...
Full access to Internet for only $12.95 a month? That's certainly worth a
phone call. So I logged on, had a look around, liked what I saw and signed
up. Since Internet access was the reason I signed on in the first place, I
immediately went to the Internet area. FTP? Telnet? UUCP? It quickly
became obvious that for this online adventure I was first going to have to
do some serious homework.
So, my first step was to add the Internet RoundTable to my Aladdin
auto-pass. Second, I raided their file areas looking for anything and
everything I could find on Internet. (For an excellent primer on Internet,
download Zen and the Art of the Internet, file #40. To get there type:
M1045;3).
Armed with this newly learned knowledge, I once again logged into the
Internet system. My first destination was the Cleveland FreeNet, a popular
system that I used to log onto in my old PC Pursuit days. Within seconds I
had logged on and was searching their file bases for interesting tidbits.
It felt like old times again...
So, what does all of this have to do with GEnieLamp?
I am happy to announce that the nice folks at Spectrum have decided to
offer GEnieLamp to their subscribers and will now also offer GEnieLamp to
Internet members via FTP anonymous access. The address is: sosi.com and
the Lamps are available in the ~/pub/GEnieLamp directory. My personal
address on Spectrum Online Systems is: jpeters.sosi.com
If you do get GEnieLamp via Internet, take a moment to go to our local
conference area, local.genielamp and tell me about you and your Internet
adventure. Who knows? Working together maybe we'll both be able to figure
out this wonderful thing called Internet!
Until next month...
John Peters
GEnieLamp/DigiPub RoundTable
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Douglas Cuff
[EDITOR.A2]
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 <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT5, TOP3 .............. Apple Computer and Power PC
[*] CAT9, TOP6 & TOP17 ...... Liberty card for MS-DOS drives
[*] CAT9, TOP15 ............. Altering 5.25 inch driver
[*] CAT15, TOP14 ............ Barcode scanner for IIgs
[*] CAT42, TOP29 ............ Quality buys AppleWorks from Claris
[*] CAT42, TOP32 ............ Suggestions for new AppleWorks GS
>>> A2 POT-POURRI <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""
...BUT TRENDY! > Actually, a green and purple plaid screen I think often
"""""""""""""" > indicates a weak CPU chip.
Green and Purple PLaid? Your GS has gone Grunge. Watch out that it
doesn't move to Seattle.
(D.JOHNSON106, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:233/M645;1)
MAINTENANCE TIPS I am starting a project on a book and disk designed to
"""""""""""""""" keep those Apples running and welcome your suggestions,
questions and recommendations. Perhaps the most important, easy to do and
quick, suggestion I can make to keep your Apple II runing is to unplug it,
remove each card and run over the slots with a pencil eraser. This removes
the airborne grease that seems to find its way onto the gold-plated tabs
and will eventually disconnect the card.
I have also taken a cranky mother board, and again, after unplugging
the power supply, lifted each chip with a small screw driver, once on each
end, then pushed them back in place and the wierd symptoms disappeared!
Apparently the little bug feet get greasy too, or perhaps corroded and this
small amount of motion is enough to clean them. (note: The chips need not
be fully removed, just lifted a couple of millimeters and then pushed back
in place.) This trick has worked well many times and we have literally
"saved" a couple of mother boards with it.
Adrian (A.VANCE, CAT15, TOP15, MSG:1/M645;1)
INTERNET MAIL WITH CO-PILOT A better way to address Internet mail with
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Co-Pilot: Address the letter to yourself,
then include the line *to,user@sitename@inet# as the first line of the
letter. This will override the address you entered. (If it doesn't work,
YOU will get a copy of the letter, which will let you know it failed.)
(QUALITY, CAT10, TOP11, MSG:284/M645;1)
APPLEWORKS GS INSTALLER FOR SYSTEM 6.0 > Since you have the new AWGS
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > Installer disk, do me a favor
> and compare the application on that disk with the shipping version of
> Installer and see if it is actually the same file.
All of this has gotten me curious, too. Here's the story...
I used to frequent the 'Claris' area on AOL (I don't know if they
still maintain that area...haven't looked in quite awhile, but if you have
access to AOL, try keyword 'Claris'), and after System 6 was released, it
was discovered by many the _something_ was wrong with the way AWGS
Utilities disk, which is where the Installer and its Scripts are located,
was working with System 6. As most of us know, from time to time AWGS has
to be reinstalled (I say most, for I actually know someone who has used
AWGS for years, and has never _once_ crashed or had to reinstall---must be
a faulty disk! :-) ).
Well, _someone_ from Claris (sorry, don't remember his name) responded
to us via AOL stating that _if_ we were registered, request via E-mail, and
he would send us an updated 'Utilities' disk that would deal with System 6
properly. I did just that, and was sent, free of charge, an Official disk
with a Claris label that reads "AppleWorks GS, Utilities, "REVISED" ".
I will do as you ask, and visually compare to see what the
differences are and post back here.
<<<<< Here is what I found regarding the "Revised" edition of the AWGS
""""" Installer. This is somewhat misleading because I didn't mean to
imply that the 'Installer' itself, as in Application, was changed, but that
an updated _script_ was written by Claris and put onto a disk. The files
on the 'Revised' disk compared to the files on the original AWGS v1.1
Utilities disk are as follows...
On the 'old' Utilities disk, there are 32 different 'Text' files in
the 'Scripts' folder.
On the 'Revised' Utilities disk, there are only 5 'Text' files as
follows...
1. ATIW.CL created 6/3/92
2. AWGS.EASY created 4/13/92
3. DCIM.CL created 5/16/88 and modified 6/3/92
4. DICTIONARIES created 7/6/89 and modified 4/13/92
5. AWGS created 7/6/89 and modified 6/4/92
These five scripts are the _only_ scripts in the 'Scripts' folder,
but they seem to do the same job as the 32 in the 'old' 'Scripts' folder,
only in a more compatible way with System 6.
Two other differences...
There is an 'Icon' folder with "AW.Icons" and "AWGS.Icons" files.
There is a 'System' folder with 'Fonts', 'CDevs' and 'Drivers' folders.
The 'System' folder seems to be there to replace the need for the
'AWGS.System.Disk', as the files within are the same as on the 'old' system
disk.
From my understanding, this 'Revised' disk solved several problems
that some were having after installing System 6. I certainly _could_ be
confused, though. :-)
Jeff - Delivered by Co-Pilot v2.1.1 and TIC
(J.CARR20, CAT17, TOP17, MSG:192&198/M645;1)
WHAT DOES FASTFONT DO? System 6 puts a file named "FastFont" in the
"""""""""""""""""""""" _/Fonts_folder. What is the purpose of this file?
Can it be eliminated (to save space)?
Thank U. David (D.THOMAS29, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:188/M645;1)
>>>>> FastFont is a special version of Shaston 8 plain. It's designed so
""""" that the Font Manager can use it quicker for things like drawing
"System text" (text that makes up menus, radio buttons, simple buttons,
pop-up menus, check boxes, etc).
You CAN delete it if you really need the space, the Font Manager will
then use the "normal" Shaston 8 plain that exists in the ROM of the GS.
Bryan (SOFTDISK.INC, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:190/M645;1)
>>>>> ...with the appropriate performance "hit".
""""" (WIZARDS.MUSE, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:192/M645;1)
ALTERNATE APPLEWORKS DICTIONARY? now that you've got the rights to AWKS
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" and AWGS, might it be possible for you
to part with the information, how the main dictionary format of AWKS and
AWGS is? I'd like to do German main dictionaries for both programs. I'd
consider also to pay a certain license fee to you, for every copy of the
German dictionaries sold. OTOH, if you don't wanna part with this kinda
information, would it be possible to compile a main dictionary from a word
list I'd send to you? Again, I'd pay for that.
Udo - Still GS'ing along happily -
(U.HUTH, CAT42, TOP2, MSG:287/M645;1)
>>>>> Good questions. I'm not sure if the dictionary format is
""""" proprietary or not. (Proprietary to someone besides us, I mean.)
I do recall someone telling me that it took an accelerated machine a couple
of DAYS to compress the dictionaries used in QuickSpell/AW3.
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP2, MSG:288/M645;1)
>>>>> (Yeah, good dictionary compilers can take quite a while to run --
""""" to compress our in-house test dictionary from 2.4MB to 750K takes
around 9 hours on a 9/64 GS!!!)
(SOFTDISK.INC, CAT42, TOP2, MSG:289/M645;1)
UNIDISK INTERLEAVE Rod - if you use disks formatted at the 2:1 interleave
"""""""""""""""""" on a UniDisk, they'll be _incredibly_ slow. If there's
any chance the disk will be used on a UniDisk, format it 4:1 (I used to
keep a few "essential" disks set up this way).
The UniDisk is markedly slower anyway, but the 2:1 interleave will
send you screaming. (4:1 on the Apple 3.5 on the IIgs is slower than 2:1,
but not as severe as 2:1 versus 4:1 on the UniDisk 3.5 or Apple IIc Plus
3.5 interface with either drive type.)
(WIZARDS.MUSE, CAT2, TOP29, MSG:54/M645;1)
KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH HARDPRESSED Known problems with HardPressed are (as
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" mentioned in the GS+ review): compressing
HCGS stacks, accessing compressed GraphicWriter III files and working with
files over AppleShare.
The GW-III problem was fixed with the small patch I uploaded a few
weeks ago. The problems with HCGS and AppleShare have been fixed and are
part of the soon-to-be-released v1.0.1 (it's in final testing right now).
If all goes as planned, the update to v1.0.1 will be available
online, so anyone with v1.0 will be able to update to v1.0.1 by just
downloading a file from GEnie. So there's no reason to wait unless you
need really need a v1.0.1 feature (e.g. you do all your work over
AppleShare).
Works pretty well with everything else.
<<<<< The problem with GW-III was fixed with the really small patch.
""""" Basically, GW-III was checking for errors by examining the 65816
'Z' flag. This is acceptable but slightly unusual behavior.
It had problems because instead of setting the 'Z' flag I was setting
the 'N' flag, so GW-III was seeing errors when there really weren't any. It
would say to itself, "ah, there's an error there, I wonder what it was.
Well, hmm, there wasn't REALLY an error there, so let's go into an ininite
loop and hang the system."
It works just fine now, though. I think some other minor problems
with some desk accessories cleared up after the patch.
- Andy (FADDEN, CAT37, TOP3, MSG:234&236/M645;1)
THE BUG THAT WASN'T A few months ago we got a report that this Yahtzee
""""""""""""""""""" game wasn't working when both HardPressed and
Pointless were installed. I tried it and sure enough, it died.
Well, with a little (well, a *LOT*) of help from Dave Lyons, I
tracked it down to a really weird value for the direct page space for the
line edit tool box. It seems that some old TML Pascal source code did the
LEStartUp() call incorrectly, passing the arguments in the wrong order.
What this means is, the line edit direct page space gets the value
that was supposed to be the userID, and the userID becomes the DP value.
Usually you end up with a DP of $1002, which looks funny because the
toolbox DP is always page-aligned.
Dave did a patch for this that patches the tool call, checks the
order, and swaps them if they look funny. He's sending me the source code
for it; I'll upload it after I have a chance to check it out.
The reason I find this interesting is that GS-Tape was exhibiting
similar problems with both HP and Pointless installed. I'm hoping that
this patch will clear up the problems with GS-Tape as well.
The easy way to tell if this is a problem with your application is to
start it up, go into Nifty List, and hit 'v <return>'. This gives you a
list of loaded tools with versions. If the line edit toolset has something
like "WAP=$1002", then you're having this problem.
- Andy (FADDEN, CAT37, TOP3, MSG:251/M645;1)
SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS II CELEBRITY TESTIMONIAL I'd just like to say that
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Joe's magazine is what
InCider could have been if they truly cared about the Apple II. I only
regret that the magazine didn't have any more pages since I read it
non-stop after I got mine in the mail.
Burger (BURGERBILL, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:47/M645;1)
APPLE CREDIT CARD NO LONGER VALID It gives me the same feeling I got when
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I tried to order some materials from
APDA with my Apple Credit Card, and then to hear them tell me that Apple
Credit is no longer valid and that I was supposed to get a notice of such
back in June. Yeah right, I know the mail is slow, but my bill seems to
get here every month on time. Sure would be nice if they would invalidate
my debt in the process (fat chance)! :-)
Tyler (A2.TYLER, CAT5, TOP4, MSG:43/M645;1)
FROM MAC TO IIGS Setting up a AppleTalk connection between my IIGS and
"""""""""""""""" PowerBook was very easy. I just disconnected my
ImageWriter II and attached that same cable end to the port on the
PowerBook. After installing the necessary system files with the respective
Installer programs on each machine (very straight forward), changing a few
Control Panel settings, and rebooting, all I had to do was activate
AppleTalk on both sides. Great work by the Apple System Software creators.
BTW, I did this to move a large MAC TrueType font collection from the
MAC to the GS. The collection fonts were on HFS disks with each font in
separate "suitcases." I "unsuitcased" the fonts onto the MAC RamDisk,
accessed the RamDisk from the GS thru AppleTalk, and copied the fonts onto
the IIGS hard drive. The setup was very stable throughout the whole
operation and acceptably fast.
All GS owners who have access to a MAC should try this. It's very
impressive the way it works. You don't need to buy any special connectors
if all you're doing is connecting a one GS to one MAC.
-=- Ken Watanabe -=-
(K.WATANABE5, CAT12, TOP4, MSG:22/M645;1)
SPLIT ERGONOMIC KEYBOARD Apple's new keyboard will work fine with the GS,
"""""""""""""""""""""""" but the sound keys don't do anything. An Init or
Control Panel could be written to fix this...<hint, hint!>
(T.BUCHHEIM, CAT2, TOP4, MSG:226/M645;1)
POPULAR HEWLETT-PACKARD PRINTERS The 550 series (I'm not actually aware
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" of a 550, per se, only the 550C) is an
upgraded 500. The paper handling and a lot of other stuff that is not
visible have been improved. Especially with regard to the color model.
With the 500C, you could have a 3 color cartridge, with no black ink,
or a black cartridge. If you printed in color, the printer imitated black
by blending a real dark brown. The color and mono cartridges didn't line up
the same, so it was not possible to print a graphic WITHOUT black and then
go back and reprint just the black.
With the 550C, both black and color cartridges can be in place and
working at the same time, it prints colors AND black, at the same time, and
generally gives a much better color output as a consequence.
For black and white (or more precisely, monochrome) printing, there
is no significant difference between a 500, 500C and 550C. If you don't
anticipate a need for high quality COLOR printing, then the 500 is your
best bet.
Gary R. Utter (GARY.UTTER, CAT12, TOP8, MSG:212/M645;1)
APPLEWORKS GS MEMORY TESTER Does the memory tester that comes with AWGS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" work properly with the CV Tech piggy back
card?
(J.NICOLETTE1, CAT46, TOP6, MSG:101/M645;1)
>>>>> Yes, quite well, including any memory that might exist in the piggy
""""" back slot.
(J.CARR20, CAT46, TOP6, MSG:102/M645;1)
ERROR CODES You may want to download a copy of the NDA, Super Info III.
""""""""""" It contains a comprehensive list of error codes, probably the
most comprehensive that I have seen. I think this is a start, anyway.
Tyler (A2.TYLER, CAT9, TOP11, MSG:12/M645;1)
FONT CLEARINGHOUSE REMINDER Well, it has been a few weeks now since my
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" last post, and we are days away from a
massively updated database being released in A2. The database has increased
in size by about 60%. There is a very good liklihood that we may soon be
getting a larger assortment of fonts into A2 as well.
So stay tuned!
In case you are developing a font for the Apple IIgs, be sure to
request a Font ID assignment from the Clearinghouse. I know there has been
some problem in the past with responsiveness, but I would like to assure
you that it will not be a problem in the future.
To get a Font ID is rather simple. Just e-mail me a copy of the font
under consideration, or snail-mail it to the address in the previous
message, or the address soon to be in the topic header. :) You will get an
assignment post-haste. If you are working on a font but it is not yet
completed, you can be assigned a temporary ID for purposes of
identification, with a permanent assignment after completion. (The
temporary IDs expire after a specified time and are re-used, so don't plan
to keep the number. :)
Timothy Tobin
Font Clearinghouse
(A2.TIM, CAT23, TOP11, MSG:16/M645;1)
<<<<< If you are into fonts, I recommend that you look into a new A2
""""" file. File #21372 is an AppleWorks database of the latest known $C8
fonts in the Apple IIgs world. The file contains about 1700 listings now,
and requires AppleWorks 3.0 with at least 230K of desktop space. It has
preliminary data on several fonts in terms of how many characters are
defined in the font strike, as well as an attempt to define the alphabet
used (Roman, Cyrillic, etc.).
I am interested in the public's comments on the new structure, as
well as help in filling it out with the latest data. If you have been
having Font ID conflicts, this database is a must-have item. It tells you
what the font IDs =should= be, so you can safely change your offending
fonts to the appropriate IDs.
I am also looking for input in case errors crept into the listings,
so as to make it as accurate as possible.
Tim Tobin
Resource Central Font Clearinghouse
(A2.TIM, CAT8, TOP17, MSG:136/M645;1)
HIERARCHIC INIT POSITION COUNTS ][t's a good idea to make sure that
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Tool.Setup, TS2, TS3, and Resource.MGR
are always the first files in your System.Setup folder. If you're going to
be moving Hierarchic around at all in the directory order, make sure it
comes after those files.
-= Lunatic (:
(A2.LUNATIC, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:315/M645;1)
QUICKIE 3.1 DIFFERENCES Differences between Quickie 3.1 and Older
""""""""""""""""""""""" Versions: Definitive Answer From the Programmer -
The palette used by all versions of Quickie covers the full range of
16 shades of gray, which is all that the Apple IIgs is capable of. BUT,
upon close examination of any scanned image, most people will discover that
only 12-13 of these shades are actually used by the time the final image is
generated. There are a number of technical reasons for this, but it boils
down to the fact that the generic smoothing technique used in Quickie 3.0
and before was not a perfect solution.
The Contrast and Brightness controls added in Quickie 3.1 (both to
the application and the NDA) have the effect of allowing the user to
customize the grey-scale smoothing process to his/her own needs. By
adjusting the Contrast, you can fully utilize ALL 16 shades of gray in ANY
picture, resulting in smoother graduations between shades. This is most
useful when scanning a portrait, where the "shading lines" which older
versions of the software created on faces can be greatly reduced or
eliminated.
Adjusting the Brightness can lighten or darken a picture so you don't
have to keep adjusting your scanner head's light/dark dial just because you
changed original images. Adjusting both controls together can give you some
really interesting posterization effects while maintaining (or reducing)
fine detail.
A relatively minor enhancement to the Quickie 3.1 application also
lets you create text labels for your pictures, using any font on your
system.
The bottom line is that Quickie 3.1 allows you far more control over
the quality of the images that you scan than ANY previous version, with the
only limitation being that you are still stuck with monochrome images. The
upgrade is well worth its price because you can get MUCH better monochrome
pictures with a LOT less scanning and re-scanning, than ever before.
Re: Quickie Color - (name not finalized) - It's well under way, and
as soon as I work out a couple of bugs in the color rendition scheme, you
will start seeing some samples. Don't wait for it to upgrade to Quickie
3.1, though, because there is no reason to wait for color before getting
the best possible monochrome results from your scanner!
Steve
P.S. - Has anyone found the Easter Egg in the System 6.0.1 version of
Quickie 3.1?
(S.MCQUEEN1, CAT40, TOP8, MSG:116/M645;1)
___
MOUSETEXT IN APPLE M FONT |o access the Mousetext characters in the
""""""""""""""""""""""""" Apple M font you simply hold down the Option
key while pressing the appropriate letter. You can even get the "running
man" by holding down Shift while you hit "F" and "G." This all _IS_
documented in my original upload of the font here on GEnie, along with the
original mention of why I chose "Apple M," as HangTime has described.
-= Lunatic (:
(A2.LUNATIC, CAT2, TOP22, MSG:48/M645;1)
USER FINDS THUNDERSCAN Thanks _VERY_ much for the information. With your
"""""""""""""""""""""" information, and a couple of directory calls, I
tracked down what I needed. Thunderware's new phone number is
510-254-6581. Software version 1.2 is the latest for the IIc/IIe. Version
1.0 is the latest for the IIgs. For the MAC, it is version 1.3.2. A
software update costs $29.00 + shipping.
From the old version of software (for MAC system 5!) that my friend in
Bolivia has, the person at Thunderware thought that it had origionaly been
sold for a 512K mac. The newer macs do not have the necessary power at the
serial port, so now it comes with a power plug that plugs into the disk
drive port, to provide power to the Thunderscan. That cord costs $25.00. I
am not sure that this is what Allen needs, but since it is cheaper than a
phone call to Bolivia, I ordered it.
Thank you Mr. Kern for your help. Without it, I would not have been
able to find the company. Since the question was about a MAC, I should
have gone over to the MAC board, but I would not have gotten an answer
there.
This is what is so great about Apple II people on GEnie! I asked a
question one night, and the very next night I get what I need!
I have been on this board for six years, and although the people have
changed, the helpful attitudes do not change.
Apple II people are special. And GEnie is a great place to meet!
Thank you one and all!!!
Ken Lessing (K.LESSING, CAT2, TOP21, MSG: 1/M645;1)
APPLE /// SUPPORT Gary - Thanks for the initial push to Bob Consorti. He
""""""""""""""""" and Joe are _still_ supporting Apple ///'s. They sold
me some basic utilities that are indespensible for my ///plus.
Joe Consorti handles most sales at:
Apple /// Products
1174 Hickory Ave
Tehacapi CA 93561
Bob Consorti handles the Tech questions now at (617) 731-0662 weekday
evenings or weekends.
Dave Huggins
(D.HUGGINS1, CAT12, TOP10, MSG:48/M645;1)
HARD DRIVE BARGAIN I recently purchased a Quantum 170 meg ZPG from La
"""""""""""""""""" Cie. This the unit advertised in MacWeek, etc. for
$249.00 It ships with a 25 pin cable, power cable, Mac software and
manuals, The hard drive is loaded with about 40 meg of software. The sales
rep did not indicate any problems with using it on a GS. After testing it
on my Mac and copying the software onto disk, I connected the HD to my GS
using a Apple HS SCSI card, connecting it to my Chinook 40 Meg HD. I
partioned the ZPG into 2 ProDos partitions and 1 HFS partition. The HD
works great with no problems. This drive is a bargin.
Les K. (L.KAPLER1, CAT11, TOP10, MSG:151/M645;1)
>>> HOT TOPICS <<<
""""""""""""""""""
NOW DO YOU SEE WHY YOU SHOULD PAY YOUR SHAREWARE FEES? Over the next few
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" days, I'm going to
be uploading freeware updates to my major shareware programs. This includes
Quit-To, File-A-Trix, FloorTiles, Ant Wars and ShutDown Reminder. This
means that these programs will henceforth be available for free, with no
obligation or request to pay me anything.
The reason I'm doing this is that I'm winding up my involvement with
the Apple II as I move on to Mac programming. Releasing these programs as
freeware is both a parting gesture of generosity, and a way for me to
weasel out of any obligation to continue to provide Apple II user support.
I will continue to check into this Topic for a short while, and will do my
best to answer any mail/e-mail questions regarding my A2 programs. I just
won't be maintaining my database of registered users, won't send my disk of
goodies to paying customers, and won't be producing any more updates.
I don't suppose I have to explain the basics of why I'm leaving Apple
II programming. It would be nice if I could continue to produce for BOTH
the Mac and the Apple II, but I don't have enough time or brains to spare
for that. It's going to take all my resources of both just to catch up and
keep up with developments in the Mac world.
It's been fun, it's been rewarding (mostly emotionally), and it's been
-- well -- lots of things. I wish I could shake hands with all my paying
customers, and thank each one in person. In lieu of that, I'll say it here:
Thanks a zillion, and good bye.
Karl Bunker (K.BUNKER, CAT13, TOP10, MSG:91/M645;1)
UNEXPECTED BONUS WITH 6.0.1 The greatest advantage of Sys 6.01 I only
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" discovered this morning :
The Applied Engineering fax software is working properly again !!! So not
only Tetris is running like it should but also AE fax. I tried everything
but did not succeed to hang the system.
Apple : THANKS !!!!
Peter van Dongen, Netherlands, Europe
(P.DONGEN1, CAT9, TOP6, MSG:453/M645;1)
APPLEWORKS UPGRADE PRICE Q&A Whether you should upgrade to AW 3.0, here
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" are the facts:
AppleWorks 2.x to 3.0: $79
AppleWorks 3.0 to 4.0: $79
AppleWorks 2.x to 4.0: $99
If your eventual goal is to get 4.0, buying the AW 3.0 upgrade and
following it up with the AW 4.0 upgrade is, er, dumb. B) Better to go for
AW 4.0 right away and save $60.
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:155/M645;1)
>>>>> > Will there be any way for a non-owner to get AW 4.0?
"""""
Certainly. You just have to pay full price for it. ($169.95, same
as AW 3.0.) That version will be shipping by November 1. (The reason:
there are more manuals included with that version.)
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:164/M645;1)
>>>>> AW 4.0 is a complete new package. It does not require AW 3.0
""""" to modify it.
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:181/M645;1)
APPLEWORKS 4.0 MACROS Ultra 4.3 is the only macro program that works with
""""""""""""""""""""" AppleWorks 4. The AW4 disk includes a TimeOut
updater program that will make many TimeOut packages work with AW4,
including Ultra 4.2. Ultra 4.3 is basically a "tweaked" version of Ultra
4.2, but does have a few new features. For example, the .online command now
accepts a volume name as well as a file name. If you specify a volume it
returns the number of blocks free instead of the size.
If you have Ultra 3.x, 4.0 or 4.1, you'll need to upgrade to Ultra
4.2 before you get AW4. Because Ultra 4.2 is a combination of an updated
Ultra 4.1 and the originally planned Ultra Extras disk, there is no online
or free upgrade available- you must get Ultra 4.2 directly from Quality.
(BRANDT, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:231/M645;1)
>>>>> What if you don't have any of the UltraMacros packages? Do you
""""" need Timeout UltraMacros 3.x first as well as Ultra 4.3, or is
Ultra 4.3 usable on its own on Appleworks 4.0? (I remember reading
somewhere, the Resource Central catalog I think, that to use Ultra 4.x you
needed to have Timeout Ultramacros already installed.)
David [Bird.Watcher]
(D.WALLIS2, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:247/M645;1)
<<<<< TimeOut UltraMacros 3 was a prerequisite for Ultra 4 when it was a
""""" JEM product. When I sold Ultra 4 to Quality, they made it TimeOut
UltraMacros 4, since they own TimeOut. Therefore you'll be able to purchase
UltraMacros 4.3 directly from them.
However, since the full UM 4.3 won't come out until sometime in October,
you're better off ordering UM 4.2 now, and then letting the AppleWorks 4
installer update you to UM 4.3 and you'll be ready to work as soon as AW 4
ships. The full package will take longer because I'll have to double-check
all of the sample files and notes, but the program files will be the same.
(BRANDT, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:249/M645;1)
MACRO CONVERSION SERVICE We now have a service where we will update your
"""""""""""""""""""""""" macros from UltraMacros 3.1 to UltraMacros 4 for
a very small charge per macro Word Processor file (up to 4,009 bytes).
We'll do the entire update, using all possible new dot comands, even
finding AppleWorks 4.0 PEEKS. Your macros will be updated by professional
programmers with complete and understandable update notes, and a player
version if you don't plan to update to Ultra 4.3 itself. E-Mail for
information, or wait for your next newsletter (scheduled for Oct 1), TEXAS
II v3.8.
(B.CADIEUX, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:269/M645;1)
RTFM = REAL TIME FLEA MARKET I was sitting in an Real Time Conference
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" room the other night and I was remembering
all the fun I had at the last Trenton Computer Festival. That was in
April. I really enjoyed walking around the flea market talking to the
vendors, (I had a parking spot myself so I was a vendor also). Trying to
haggle the price down a few more dollars for the lastest and greatest must
have is fun once a year. But I missed that event! I wished it was going
to take place next weekend! I wanted to spend money and make some of my
junk somebody elses junk!
Then it hit me! Why not have a Real Time Flea Market! Everybody get
all their junk together and make a list of their offerings. Then at a
special RTC/RTFM we all could exchange all those dust collectors we have
been saving!
So what do you think? Is this something you would attend? Should
this be a yearly event? I don't think that is often enough, how about once
every 3 months? What day of the week? Saturday, Sunday, a weekday? If we
hurry we can do this on the Labor Day weekend!
The Bear (A2.BEAR, CAT4, TOP2, MSG:130/M645;1)
>>>>> Great idea, Bear! I vote for sometime on Saturdays. The rates are
""""" the cheapest for long-distance folks at that time. Once a month
might be best, if you miss one you can always make the next one.
Charlie
(C.HARTLEY3, CAT4, TOP2, MSG:134/M645;1)
<<<<< The Real Time Flea Market would conflict with Category 4 here but
""""" how many people never list their wares here and would attend a RTFM
to try to sell something. I think both could peacefully coexist.
The status right now is that these will start in the next month or
so. We missed the Labor Day weekend because I had accidentally ignored
this Topic and I thought there was no interest in a RTFM. We have a few
surprises up our sleeves, and I will upload an edited transcript to the
Library. That way if you can't make the RTFM you can download the file and
look at what was offered and not bought.
The Bear (A2.BEAR, CAT4, TOP2, MSG:139/M645;1)
\_/
TOO MANY (OR TOO FEW) 5.25 DRIVES IN FINDER? |es, the number in the low
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" nibble of the 5.25 driver
(the last digit of the number in hex) is supposed to be the maximum number
of devices REGARDLESS of what slot they are in.
][ would guess that there are simply certain combinations of hardware
and software that cause the system to think that there is firmware for
5.25" drives in some slots where it doesn't really exist.
_
(_
__)o, here's an addendum: If setting the aux type of your 5.25 driver
to $0101 causes you to lose ALL of your drives, try incrementing the last
digit to the next higher odd number (i.e. to $0103, then $0105, then $0107,
etc.). If you're using 6.0.1 and you only have one 5.25" drive and only
one shows up in Finder, from the outset, simply consider yourself lucky.
(: Also, remember where to come to look for help (right here) if a second
phantom drive suddenly starts showing up.
-= Lunatic (:
(A2.LUNATIC, CAT9, TOP15, MSG:19/M645;1)
PROLINE BBS FOR MAC OR PC? Since it's been nice and quiet here for a
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" while, I thought it might be interesting to
artificially generate some discussion. Over on AOL, a couple people
started asking if MDG would consider creating a version of ProLine for the
PC or Mac.
We got into a very long and deep debate about all sorts of things
relating to this single premise: development time, funding, merits of
cross-platform versions, special interfaces, the affect on the existing
ProLine installed base (pro and con), and so on. In the period of just a
week or two, there were about 100 messages posted (which is amazing for
AOL, so don't snicker).
About half the people encouraged and supported the idea of
cross-platform products. But others were staunch in their desire to keep
ProLine an Apple II-only phenomenon. I had my own opinions as to why it
would work or why it wouldn't (and I was about to expound on this, but I
think it would be fun for you to find this out on your own here).
Before I begin, let me state for the record that MDG is not planning
to ditch the Apple II market so we can pursue ProLine elsewhere, though I
have a feeling this is how some of you may incorrectly perceive this
exercise to drum up discussion. The topic was proposed by some PC or Mac
person on AOL and, well, things took off rapidly (and heatedly) from there.
So, with that clearly emblazened into your graymatter . . .
What do you think about the idea of ProLine for the Mac or the PC?
Why or why shouldn't MDG pursue such a prospect?
What are the pros and cons?
What do you think the affect would be on the Apple II market?
How would Apple II users feel about MDG if it happened?
Explain your answers and feelings. You don't have to respond to all these
-- pick the ones you find most interesting to comment on.
(MORGAN-DAVIS, CAT27, TOP3, MSG:19/M645;1)
NO BEHIND THE SCENES DRAMA WITH APPLEWORKS? Steve, there's not much to
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" the Claris story. Joe just
spent a lot of time convincing them it was in their best interest, PR-wise
and financially, to get out of the A2 and hand it over to us. They finally
agreed.
(BRANDT, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:199/M645;1)
SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS II PRODUCED ON AN APPLE II Jerry - You convinced me
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" at KansasFest, and after
seeing a SSII make-over done with Quark XPress, I thoroughly believe that
it would make my life easier and that I'd be able to create a much more
polished and professional looking newsletter.
Call me stubborn or call me naive, but in my mind, I'd be defeating
the purpose if I used a Mac to create SSII. After all, within the pages of
SSII, I'm singing praises to the Apple II. It just wouldn't seem right to
me to use anything but an Apple II. A subtle and between the line message
that I am trying to put forth in SSII is that the Apple II can be used for
any purposes. So, I will continue to lay out and print SSII on my IIGS.
We're talking about me and SSII, and I think it would be a nightmare
if you tried using AWGS to layout and publish II Alive. Then again, II
Alive is a slick glossy magazine, and SSII is a home brew newsletter.
I haven't said anything yet about what I'd like to see in the AWGS PL
update, as all I'd have to say is "ask Jerry". And, I do hope that in a
year, or however long it takes, that AWGS will have those features that can
be found in Mac DTP and high end word processors.
Joe Kohn (J.KOHN, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:62/M645;1)
>>>>> RE the philosophy of layout "nationality": I think the question is
""""" whether you use the Apple II enough to be familiar with the average
user's situation. When writing A2-Central, we wrote all the text for the
issues in AppleWorks, but then we poured it into QuarkXPress to typeset.
The main reason was that this allowed us to take the issue to a service
bureau for phototypesetting into camera-ready copy, taking several stages
of "translation" out of the process (what we saw was _usually_ what we got
on the printed copies). Of course, this was before AppleWorks GS or
GraphicWriter III. (When Tom started the publication, I think AppleWorks
had yet to be generally accepted!)
I looked at AppleWorks GS's page layout module and found it too
awkward, a throwback to PageMaker 1.2 days. I had used PageMaker by then
and decided the cut-and-paste method of columnated AppleWorks printouts I
was using for an SF newsletter at the time wasn't so bad...this was before
I typeset Open- Apple/A2-Central, but I think Tom was using AppleWriter or
AppleWorks with embedded typesetting codes at the time, then doing manual
pasteup from the typesetter output.
I've since looked at GraphicWriter III and I might have been inclined
to try using it for an "Apple II pure" environment. The main reason _I_
personally wouldn't have switched (unless Tom told me to :) is that I was
already familiar with QuarkXpress _and_ the mechanisms were in place to
have the service bureau handle its files. Getting them to adopt another
"standard" (especially one on a computer that wasn't getting much
penetration in the "serious" market, for whatever reason) was not an option
(even if they would be willing to look into it, there was no "Linotype"
driver available for the IIgs).
As a practical matter, somewhere on the line you _do_ go to non-Apple
II production. That is, unless you're printing every copy yourself straight
from the layout program. And you use non-Apple computers for other parts of
the production chain. (Like exchanges using GEnie's computers. :)
A _lot_ of the reason is the economy of scale. Smaller publications
can more easily remain "pure" because they don't have to deal with the
industry chain (and industry computer standards) required to get large
quantities of material into print quickly. It's ironic that the (slow, but
seemingly steady) decline of the Apple II market has allowed us to be more
"pure" in approach, in that the "purity" can only (seemingly) be maintained
in that restricted environment. I don't know that, in those circumstances,
the ability to remain "pure" can be celebrated unreservedly.
Then again, we'll see what happens when Joe hits a few thousand
subscribers. Maybe he can pull it off. :)
(And before anyone runs out to get a Mac for DTP work, an aside to
consider: QuarkXPress is basically an _institutional_-type software
package; the current _mail-order_ price is about $550! Plus unless you like
to measure production time in fortnights you'd better get at least a
IIsi-speed Mac to run it, with lots of memory and hard disk space. What
programs like GraphicWriter III do is give you all the _practical_ features
someone needs to do page layout at a price that won't put you in servitude
to a repayment schedule for months or years to come. What a full-time
_business_ uses is often not the best thing for an individual or even a
home business to use.)
(WIZARDS.MUSE, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:66/M645;1)
GRAPHICWRITER III AND TWILIGHT II TIP James Smith (part of the
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Twilight II team) called me a
couple weeks ago to report that there is apparently a problem in Twilight
II and printing...if you have the "Menu bar box" option checked, printing
from some apps (notably GWIII) ends up getting random lines on the page.
Open T2's Setup dialog and UNCHECK that option (if it's on) and those odd
hyphens just might go away!
Thanks, --Dave (SEVENHILLS, CAT43, TOP10, MSG:203/M645;1)
SCHOOLS REPLACE APPLE II Can anyone give me ideas, rebuttals or
"""""""""""""""""""""""" counterarguments in this situation?
I have volunteered to be an aid in one of our grade schools' Apple
labs. I have talked with the person the school district has hired
part-time to keep the machines running, and he states that "within a given
period of years" (there is no set time frame yet) that ALL apples in our
school district will be replaced with IBM's or compatibles.
I feel this is a waste of resources, and always-scarce money.
Apparently, the plan is to phase the Apples out as they go bad, until
there are no more left, then replace with all MS-DOS machines. I have put
in a word for the new PowerPC, but there was little enthusiasm from this
individual when I mentioned it.
Is this a "wave of the future" to replace school Apples with ms-dos
platforms? How can a district be persuaded that it will be unviable to do
so? Apparently, rumors that I had heard several months back regarding
this switch-over are more true than I thought...it saddens me to see this
happening, as, in my opinion, Apples are alive and well in education.
It also seems like a very serious waste of resources, and precious
monies that many districts (ours included) do not have available. I have
mentioned that upgrading and continuing to keep the Apples running would
be the most economical way to go, but this individual is a die-hard MS-DOS
person to the core....
Anyone have any ideas, suggestions, rebuttals, arguments that I can
use?
GEna (G.SAIKIN, CAT15, TOP11, MSG:122/M645;1)
NEW TIC TIP #1 TIC sets the port to whatever you select in TIC. The
"""""""""""""" control panel is ignored. This is the way basically all
the packages (other than possibly the AOL software) work. You can set the
port rate in TIC to 19200 if you have a modem that does buffering (all high
speed modems do this) and then basically forget about baud rate.
Don Elton (delton) or delton@pro-carolina.oau.org
(DELTON, CAT10, TOP11, MSG:256/M645;1)
NEW TIC TIP #2: COPILOT TIC 4.00 uses x-on/x-off flow control as well as
""""""""""""""""""""""" hardware handshaking so you can no longer use ^Q
or ^S as something to waitfor in a script since they're filtered out and
acted on at the driver level. You made the correct change to work with the
GEnie mailer without my help (The copilot scripts have to have that same
mod to work with TIC 4.0).
I suspect that your ^C is being sent but perhaps the timing is too
close after the file upload or something. You might try running the script
in DEBUG mode or perhaps trying to send the ^C manually (after interrupting
the script) to see how that works just to help debug the problem. Another
idea would be to add a pause between the file upload and the xmit ^C
statement. I'm not so sure that ^M as a prompt is a great idea either
depending on whether you're using full or half duplex. Other possibilities
would be ^J or perhaps just an unprompted upload? You'd have to experiment
with that to see what works best.
Don Elton (delton) or delton@pro-carolina.oau.org
(DELTON, CAT13, TOP3, MSG:154/M645;1)
>>>>> > "I _am_ able to find $version checks for v3.3 and v3.2, but can't
""""" > find any others, including v3.31."
That's because there aren't any others. It is time for a confession.
I'm on drugs. I've got a nasty infection, and I'm taking painkillers and
antibiotics and not sleeping very well. It makes me pretty fuzzy. This has
been going on for about a month. I'm having (very minor, outpatient)
surgery this Friday, and I should be back to what I refer to as "normal" by
the middle of next week.
Anyway, earlier versions of the CoP scripts tested for version 3.2,
3.3, and 3.31. The current scripts (Kens last version), handle things a
little more smoothly and ONLY test for the older versions that don't work
properly with the new "On $matched" command. If you are not using v3.3 or
v3.2, then the scripts don't take that little jog into an older version of
the routines.
In short, I goofed (twice) on this issue. The ONLY change you need to
make to run CoPilot scripts with TIC v4.0 is to replace that "^Q" with
"Ready for Input" followed by a 1 second pause. Sorry I put you to all the
work. If I had gotten it right the first time it would have been a 2 minute
job.(Sigh)
Gary R. Utter (GARY.UTTER, CAT10, TOP11, MSG:338/M645;1)
NEW TIC TIP #3: CONFIG Any time a version number changes, TIC will remove
"""""""""""""""""""""" your old tic.config file and write out a new one.
This is done because I sometimes have to make changes to the internal
format of the config file and crashes might occur otherwise. I also don't
know which of the 40 or so previous versions of TIC you might be updating
from so I can't easily transfer over the settings from a previous file. I
can't remember if this is mentioned in the docs or not but I guess it
probably should be, perhaps a section on updating from a previous version.
I also probably should have mentioned somewhere about having to install to
a fresh directory. I couldn't add it to the script itself as you may have
noted that there wasn't but maybe one block (if that) to spare on the 5.25
version of the disk but I'll see what I can do.
Don Elton (delton) or delton@pro-carolina.oau.org
(DELTON, CAT13, TOP3, MSG:180/M645;1)
LATEST ON CV TECH SUPPORT I have no clue. We've shipped all or existing
""""""""""""""""""""""""" stock to SS and have stopped taking orders from
the mail order guys. I've got some equipment to liquidate (all apple
stuff) and that should be that. I'm kind of hanging on to make sure that
there are no last minute problems with the rom I sent to Jim "whiner"
Maricondo (grin) and a couple others. Unless someone whines bloody murder
shortly I'm going to put a lid on the RF board software and ship the update
to SS and then it's their baby.
Drew (CV.TECH, CAT46, TOP2, MSG:235/M645;1)
(CV.TECH, CAT46, TOP2, MSG:244/M645;1)
<<<<< The jury is still out (grin). I know that SS will be doing all the
""""" "real" work (selling, RMAs phone tech support). We have an
aggreement whereby I answer questions for them for the next few months
until they get settled into the RF board. I've already shipped them all
the physical stuff (stock, PCBs, parts, artwork, assembly drawings,
schematics, etc). We also shipped them the source code to 3.01c when we
thought that would be the last rom for the RF board (ya, right). Then we
had to fix the Jim Maricondo "port it from the Mac" problem and now we may
or may not have to do something with the MS-DOS FST support. I'd like to
dump it all in a box and ship it to SS today but I'd rather wait until I'm
certain that all the reasonable changes have been made for Gs/OS 6.01. I'm
still waiting for RALPH KITTS to send me system 6.01 on a floppy so I can
take a look at it (or anyone else that would like the MS-DOS stuff to
work). I'd download it but I have no way of moving it from my MS-DOS
machine over to my GS (ugg).
Drew (CV.TECH, CAT46, TOP2, MSG:244/M645;1)
>>>>> In that case, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jawaid
""""" Bazyar, I'm Sequential's online tech support dude, and I'm nuts.
Most folks here can vouch for that.
I intend to give Drew a run for his money (especially with all the
money of mine he's already run off with! :-)
Jawaid @ Sequential
(PROCYON.INC, CAT46, TOP2,
MSG:249/M645;1)
>>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
""""""""""""""""""
QUALITY COMPUTERS TO PUBLISH APPLEWORKS, APPLEWORKS GS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
August 30, 1993 -- St. Clair Shores, MI
Quality Computers, the world's largest Apple II mail-order retailer
and publisher, announced today the signing of an agreement with Claris
Corp. (Mountain View, CA) which will make Qualty the publisher of
AppleWorks and AppleWorks GS, the popular integrated packages for the Apple
II and IIGS.
"Claris will continue to focus their development and marketing
efforts on their Macintosh and Windows products," says Joseph Gleason,
president of Quality Computers. "We will provide Apple II users with the
integrated software solutions they want and need."
Quality's "Quadriga" project, also known as TheWorks 4.0, was
originally envisioned as an independent upgrade to AppleWorks 3.0. Now,
however, Quadriga will be released as version 4.0 of AppleWorks. "The fact
that we were already working on the upgrade went a long way toward
convincing Claris that we were the right company to take on the product,"
comments Gleason.
The new version of AppleWorks, developed by veteran AppleWorks
programmers Randy Brandt and Dan Verkade and featuring dozens of
improvements to every area of the program, is scheduled to begin shipping
on October 1. Users who upgrade will receive new program disks and a new
reference manual (including a "What's New" summary), and, if the order is
placed before October 1, a free "Enhancing AppleWorks" video.
Quality also plans a new version of AppleWorks GS within the next
year, and is now soliciting user suggestions for that upgrade. Gleason
indicates that further upgrades, such as an AppleWorks 5.0, may also be in
the cards.
The AppleWorks 4.0 upgrade is $79.95 from version 3.0 ($99.95 from
older versions). For further information, contact Quality Computers, 20200
Nine Mile Rd., St. Clair Shores, MI 48080, or call 800/777-3642 or
313/774-7200.
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP29, MSG:135/M645;1)
STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT 2.0 Some general info for all those interested
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" and some shameless self-promotion for
myself...
Star Trek: First Contact v2.0 is now available in the GEnie files
section. The game will run on all 128K Apple II's (enhanced IIe) and the
IIgs.
I'm especially interested in hearing your reactions, comments, and
(knock on wood) bug reports, if any.
Enjoy!
Jim Royal (J.ROYAL1, CAT6, TOP2, MSG:127/M645;1)
LATEST POINTLESS HANDLES BUG Pointless 2.0.2 available soon!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The new version of PointLess should be ready in a week or so. There
are few fixes and improvements:
1. Corrects the System 6.0.1 Font Manager bug in Choose Font option
2. Improved memory management
3. Improved font rendering routines including accented characters
4. Added a dialog box when attempting to save abitmap font with
incorrect paramaters such as point size set to zero.
There are number of other fixes mostly internal that a user would not
normally see.
NOTE! - We will be sending out flyers to registered users to announce
ththe new version and an offer to buy the update. However, we will also be
uploading a "patcher" program here that you can download to update the
program. Feel free to distribute the "Patcher" to other PointLess users and
to include it on user group DOM's.
Please don't hound me about exactly when the update and patcher will
be reaready, I have enough to do with slurping soft drinks and such without
responding to inquiries :)
>>>>> Updates to PointLess v2.0.2 from version 2.x is only $5.00.
""""" "Upgrades" from pre-version 2.x is $19.95.
(WESTCODE, CAT37, TOP5, MSG:113&119/M645;1)
>>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
AVATAR PROJECT UPDATE Status: Some tools have been seeded to beta-sites
""""""""""""""""""""" for testing with IIgs applications. A Super
Nintendo device has been built to allow IIgs desktop software to run on it,
it is in pre-beta (Late Alpha) stage and will be seeded in about 1-2
months. More tools are being finaled at 6.0.1 level and will be seeded as
well.
The main desktop model is designed (second prototype) but no money to
build it is available AT THIS TIME. The Super NES device is the one that
will grill the toolbox we wrote for us.
If Adrian or anyone can license the offical Apple II design from Apple
then please contact us immediately at BURGERBILL on GENie or AOL but
currently our design is so differant that we don't see a need to go thought
the cost and time for us approach Apple about anything.
We are still working on it. Would you rather have us do it right the
first time or do it over after it ships?
Burger Bill Heineman
(BURGERBILL, CAT15, TOP11, MSG:119/M645;1)
NEW ADDRESS FOR PROSEL AUTHOR All: Sometime in November I will be moving.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" My new, and permanent, address will be:
58188 Trails End Rd., North Fork, CA 93643. The phone number will be (209)
877-2993.
(BREDON, CAT30, TOP2, MSG:266/M645;1)
SCARLETT REPORTS "NO SYSTEM 6.1" It was reported in the latest edition of
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Scarlett that there would be no more
major System updates for GS/OS: "We know that System 6.0.1 is the last
major update that Apple will ever release for the IIGS." (pg. 5, v12, n3)
So much for the promised System 6.1.
Since we haven't heard anything more about the Ethernet card, I
suspect that the card is history too. There's been no news here for some
time. I wonder what the Apple II group is working on, or whether it is even
in existence anymore.
J-Bird <<WHO GOT THE LAST GS??>>
(J.CURTIS8, CAT5, TOP2, MSG:254/M645;1)
>>>>> I didn't realize that Scarlett became the official magazine for
""""" Apple Computer. :)
Tim 'JoaT' Tobin
Lost Classics Coordinator
(A2.TIM, CAT5, TOP2, MSG:58/M645;1)
>>>>> Scarlett was also the magazine that insisted that the Apple IIGS
""""" would be discontinued on April 1st or 1991 or 1992. Yes, it did
eventually get pulled from production (in December 1992), but they made it
sound like they had some inside information that was giving them a scoop.
However, unless some of the Apple guys that get on here ever want to
tell us otherwise, Jim Murphy has pretty well said that no 6.1 was ever
promised (although he has not gone so far as to say that there will
DEFINITELY be no further updates).
If I'm wrong about this, please throw floppy disks at me... :-)
Steve Weyhrich <IX0YE>--<
(S.WEYHRICH, CAT5, TOP2, MSG:60/M645;1)
REPORTS OF GS+ DEMISE GREATLY EXAGGERATED I was happily reading V4.N6
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" when I read the words "...the
eventual end of GS+ Magazine..."! I know that "all good things must come
to an end" but those were not nice words to read given the state of affairs
in the II world. Are things getting so bad that even a fine magazine like
GS+ is thinking about its eventual demise?
Ron (RON.ROYER, CAT33, TOP2, MSG:58/M645;1)
>>>>> Hmmm, I knew people would take that "...end of GS+ Magazine" thing
""""" the wrong way. :-) No, we're still here. Have been for 4 years.
Every month someone calls us and asks us if we're still in business.
Hopefully we'll be here for a long time to come. But things will end - we
just can't forcast when.
(JWANKERL, CAT33, TOP2, MSG:60/M645;1)
>>>>> The End of GS+ is always on Steve's mind, just like the end of the
""""" world, his latest tax bill, his last day on earth...
Burger... (BURGERBILL, CAT33, TOP2, MSG:62/M645;1)
TIMEOUT CENTRAL You macro-types may be interested to know that I've been
""""""""""""""" appointed the associate editor of TimeOut Central. While
macros are not all we are interested in publishing (templates, tips, and
techniques are also welcome), if you have some you'd like to share with
others, and get your name in "lights" at the same time, send them to me:
Will Nelken
1675 Grand Avenue
San Rafael, CA
94901-2211
They do need sufficient accompanying documentation and/or annotation
to guide someone else in their effective use. :-)
I hope some of you take this opportunity to spread the delight of
AppleWorks computing!
|
-(+)-
|
|
...Will (W.NELKEN1, CAT17, TOP6, MSG:61/M645;1)
SOUNDMEISTER PRO TO SHIP Will the SoundMeister Pro come out? Absolutely
"""""""""""""""""""""""" :) The Pro has become one of our most requested
pre-products and will make it to your hands at the end of September.
To recap: The first version of the Pro cost too much to produce. We
then had to go back to the drawing boards and redesign it from scratch. And
thus the delay.
As a sideline, someone had told me that Quality said that the Pro was
cancelled. That is entirely untrue and I don't know why they would say it.
I'm looking into the matter right now.
Michael (ECON, CAT35, TOP5, MSG:28/M645;1)
<<<<< Let me clarify my poor clarification on the release of the
""""" SoundMeister Pro. The Pro will begin production at the end of
September and the first production run will take about two weeks. If you
have ordered a Pro from Resource Central, or from us, you will receive your
Pro by the second week of October. In other words, all of the preliminary
orders will be filled first. However, if you're waiting for the Pro to be
generally available before ordering, you'll have to wait until the end of
October, at the earliest, to receive one. So if you're anxious to receive
a Pro, I'd suggest you get in your order soon.
Michael (Hey... it's Friday :)
(ECON, CAT35, TOP5, MSG:35/M645;1)
SHAREWARE INFO CLEARING HOUSE I just looked at IconEd, and sure enough,
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Mr Elseth lists 2 different addresses in
version 2.0. I also ran an older version, and in v1.3, he listed his
Rochester, MN address, so my guess would be that he moved recently to
Duvall, WA and forgot to change the address in the 'About" box.
Rather than make assumptions, though, I'll contact him and find out
for sure.
At KansasFest, I gave a panel on maximizing shareware profits, and
brought up the very subject of shareware authors moving, and not telling
anyone where they moved. In the past few weeks, I have gotten letters from
people trying to track down both Joe Jaworski and Bill Basham, as they had
tried to send them money and it was returned by the post office.
So, I just want to let the rest of the Apple II world know that I
have volunteered to be a clearing house of sorts. If you are a shareware or
freeware author, and you have moved, please let me know where shareware
fees can be directed.
You can send change of address info to me at:
GEnie = J.KOHN
AOL = joko
CIS = 76702,565
Internet = joko@well.sf.ca.us
or the old fashioned way...
Joe Kohn
166 Alpine St
San Rafael, CA 94901
(J.KOHN, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:41/M645;1)
WORDPERFECT LOSES INTEREST I thought some of you might find amusing this
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" excerpt, quoted in entirety, from the latest
WordPerfect newsletter (Fall 1993):
Apple Support Clarification
---------------------------
In our previous issue of WPReport, we inadvertently misled you on our
decision to discontinue support for Apple computers (Apple IIe, IIc, IIGS,
and their compatibles). We mean the obsolete Apple computers, not
Macintosh! We are heavily engaged in developing software for the Mac.
Please feel free to call us toll-free at (800) 336-3614 with any problems
running our products on your Mac.
Oh, the _obsolete_ ones. Whew!
:: Dan :: (D.CRUTCHER, CAT5, TOP4, MSG:41/M645;1)
NEW MODEMWORKS UNDERWAY We're working on the next version of ModemWorks,
""""""""""""""""""""""" so we're interested in your suggestions
(especially bug reports, if you have any, on 3.0).
(MORGAN-DAVIS, CAT32, TOP4, MSG:19/M645;1)
MOST RECENT PLATINUM PAINT A new rev. of Platinum Paint will be available
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" soon. Just a few more wrinkles to iron out.
> Do you know what was changed between 2.0 and 2.01?
Sure, really the only fix that is in 2.01 is the ability to print any
size document. 2.0 allowed you to create a picture larger than one 8.5x11
sheet of paper, but wouldn't let you print anything but the first 8.5x11
area.
Unfortunately, we've found a few other bugs, like crashing when
specifying a degree of rotation, resizing, and a few other problems. These
will be fixed in the forthcoming revision.
Walker (W.ARCHER2, CAT42, TOP23, MSG:98&100/M645;1)
GRAPHICWRITER III PROMISED Someone _is_ actively working on GWIII. It
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" will require System 6. The interface is being
brought up to date (hotkeys in dialogs, arrow keys that work in line edit
boxes, etc.). As for new features, the only "guaranteed" feature a at this
point is a "real" font menu. The big feature we're trying to add is
support for the system clipboard, and a new "picture" object that will
maintain its original bitmap quality even when scaled (as opposed to
creating a new bitmap at screen quality whenever a bitmap is scaled).
We have no time estimate (every month we tell people "several
months"). Basically, it'll be done when it's done, but it _is_ being worked
on. I'll have a better guess when we actually start beta testing (no clue
when that will be).
Thanks, --Dave (SEVENHILLS, CAT43, TOP6, MSG:111/M645;1)
COPILOT SCRIPTS TO BE UPDATED Here is a list of features that the new
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" scripts add, in no particular order.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Get A2 and/or A2Pro GEnie Lamp
Get A2 Disk of the Month
Get Livewire magazine
Get billing summary
get INDex for any RT
set delayed logon
choose default (always/never) for automatic Xmail download
choose default prefix for downloaded files by RT (including mail)
choose RAM or BRO by RT or globally
ignore/cancel cats and tops (before reading messages)
mark topics
search for messages (by all the usual criteria)
search for library files
get "new files list", (allows you to set WHICH RTs to do this in)
automate Xmail uploads (offline processing)
automate Xmail downloads (and toggle always/never)
automate library uploads (offline processing)
set "actions to perform" on GEnie
restart CoPilot action script
enter Terminal mode
go to RTC
MANUALLY retreive Email, with the operations scripted, i.e. the user
can call this script and it will take them to Email, list the queue,
and ask them to input a number. ALL they have to do is input
the number, the script does the rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As you can see, we have added a LOT of stuff beyond what I listed
last time (for those who were watching). I had initially hoped to have this
stuff done and posted by Labor Day, but I said weeks ago that that was not
going to happen. I had high hopes of getting them done by mid to late
September, but I kept finding new things to add.
Right now it looks like 2-4 weeks. We have to finish the PT3
translations, and get a bit of Beta testing done.
Gary R. Utter (GARY.UTTER, CAT10, TOP11, MSG:100/M645;1)
THE LATE GREAT RESOURCE CENTRAL OFFICE MOVE Carl, I believe it will be
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" smaller. It's actually in
the same complex, just shifting things around (and even that's enough to
screw things up pretty darn good <sigh>)
Moving into a smaller place is not a bad thing. In fact a big part of the
reason for not needing the larger space was because they sold ALL kinds of
old stuph during KFest (Things that were taking up valuable space). Have no
fear, Resource Central is still very much alive and well B-)>
-- HangTime [Script-Central] B-)>
(A2.HANGTIME, CAT23, TOP8, MSG:20/M645;1)
HOWARDSOFT TO RAISE APPLE PRICE For thase who may have missed it, the
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" following excerpt is from HowardSoft's
upgrade letter for 1994 Edition of Tax Preparer:
"In order to continue to develop an Apple version, we'll soon need to
raise Apple prices to IBM levels. Avenues for advertising to a large
number of Apple II owners have virtually disappeared, and many former
owners have chosen to switch to IBM-compatibles or Apple Macintoshes rather
than upgrading their Apple II workhorses. (Remember, we allow you to
switch to the IBM version at update prices! And your Apple Macintosh can
use the Apple II version if you use Apple's IIe emulation card, or the IBM
version if you use Soft PC.) But there's an out ...
"Order by September 25th and you'll lock in the old $79 price for
your Apple update. That's a $20 savings just for ordering early! (And
tell your Apple II friends about us. One happy customer telling a friend
is the best way we've found of then having two happy customers, and the
only way we can fight the natural attrition of Apple customers.)"
Robin (R.WINSLOW3, CAT8, TOP5, MSG:172/M645;1)
BEAGLE BUDDIES ON GEnie? We're considering moving the Beagle Buddy stuff
"""""""""""""""""""""""" over here from AOL, actually, and providing
support exclusively online. This is still in the planning stages, but it
should work for getting more up-to-date stuff out to Buddies on a more
regular basis.
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP2, MSG:308/M645;1)
MS-DOS READ AND WRITE? I'm not sure which topic I should be in - but here
"""""""""""""""""""""" goes. Yesterday I installed Peter Watson's MSDOS
utility program, including the utilities to WRITE and read msdos disks. It
seemed to work just fine - reading and writing to the msdos partition on my
hard drive and the msdos formated disks in my pctransporter. I transfered
text files back and forth from the prodos disks to the msdos disks just
like using the transfer program in the transporter. So far so good. So my
question is - has any one else tried this program ? - has anyone
encountered any problems ? I think I want to send my shareware fee.
(J.BAUER4, CAT2, TOP4, MSG:139/M645;1)
NEW SIX PACK FEATURES REVEALED > I've been thinking of buying Six Pack.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > Should I buy now or wait a few weeks
> and get the new release?? I am on 6.0.1 if that makes a difference.
> Thanks.
Actually, you can order the new release now. When it ships, it will be
among the first to go out.
Quality Computers --- Power for performance
(W.CARVER1, CAT42, TOP26, MSG:235/M645;1)
>>>>> Cool, guess that means its about ready to go!!! Stay tuned for more
""""" information on...
ButtonBar v1.0
XtraSounds v1.0
SizeUp v1.0
LaunchList v1.0 ...and lots of updated modules..
(W.TUDOR, CAT42, TOP26, MSG:236/M645;1)
>>>>> ButtonBar? XtraSounds? SizeUp? LaunchList?
"""""
I'm going to guess XtraSounds is a replacement for (or works with)
Apple's Sound CP, and LaunchList sounds like RunQ or QuickLaunch...but I
don't have a clue as to what ButtonBar or SizeUp are...(could ButtonBar be
like a toolbar on Windows/Mac programs?) These sound interesting...
(T.BUCHHEIM, CAT42, TOP26, MSG:239/M645;1)
>>>>> Yep, ButtonBar is a toolbar for the Finder. SizeUp adds up the
""""" entire selection and tells you how big it is in K. (It can also, I
believe, intervene in a copy operation if you don't have enough room on the
target disk, before the copy operation begins. Just like the Mac.)
The rest of 'em are just like you guessed. B)
(QUALITY, CAT42, TOP26, MSG:240/M645;1)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Category 2, Topic 5
Message 75 Sun Sep 19, 1993
T.SMITH59 [Terrell] at 01:51 EDT
There are several reasons I've been tempted to look at other computer
systems. One is that the //e I use is old (not good enough), another is
the desire to have a laptop (why doesn't someone take the Mac LC card and
put a screen on it etc. etc. and make a laptop?).
So why have I decided to stay with the Apple //e? Several reasons:
1) I borrowed a friends laptop for a week. It was great to have the
portability. But the programs were dogs compaired with AppleWorks (with
TimeOut and UM, of course). There were several things I just couldn't do,
or that I could do, but were akward.
2) Money. Although the graphics and sound of the newer computers are
awesome, do I really need to have those things? My wife helps me here -
she asks, "Do you need that to get the job done?" To which I have to say
no. And if I changed to another platform, even though the prices have
come down (way down), I'd still have to spend a small fortune on software.
And what to do with all the stuff I already have for the //e? Very little
would transfer over.
3) Does it do the job? Actually, the //e does such a good job that
people here at the office ask me how I printed such-and-such, or was able
to do such a nice data base, or how I scanned that graphic, etc. They all
use IBM PC's. While windows has improved the IBM world greatly, I see
every day their frustration with not being able to do what they want to do.
I'm able to do top-quality work with AppleWorks, several TO.Applications,
Macros, PublishIt 4.0, a scanner, and ProTerm 3.1. It does help to have a
HP 4 Laser printer which does PostScript. I'm able to use all the high
speed Laser printers here at the office (20 pages/min!), and convert files
from MS-DOS (using Cross-Works), read files from MAC (using HFSLink), and
print PostScript (using PubIt).
Of course, there are limitations to what the //e can do. I can't
scale my fonts on the printer as easily (I can do it, but it's somewhat of
a hassle). I don't have WYSIWYG in AW, it's very close though in PubIt.
And there's terrific support for the //e through A2, A2pro, QC, and
many others. Where would I find that support in the MS-DOS world?
So friends, I for one have decided to just sit where I am and
continue to use this ancient machine until it dies, which will not be for a
long long time. I've had it for 12 years now, and nothing in the hardware
has gone bad. (One chip went bad on the 16K language card on my II+).
I was amused when GEnie sent me a card about "Service Warranty Offer"
for "all" computers: just pay $ each year and they'll come to your house to
fix it for you.... One catch, the computer to be covered cannot be older
than 5 years (or was it 7?). My II+ and both my //e's have got that beat
by a mile. I sent the card back, thanking them for reminding me what a
great machine I have. "They _don't_ make them like they used to." Those
"cheap" MS-DOS machines are. They don't last long before burning up,
crashing, or being out of date.
How long does an average disk drive last on one of those things? Five
years? My Disk II is at least 15 years old. I bought it used. How soon do
HD's crash? The one our office bought lasted several months. The monitor
blew up (I was using it and smoke began to pour out the back. It probably
knew I'm an Apple user :)
Well, the new machines look great. They have great graphics. Low
prices (all is relative). I have a machine which is already paid for, and
does what I want it to do (well, almost. But it's close enough.)
__!__ Terrell Smith
| tsmith@ivcfnsc.fullfeed.com
|
[*][*][*]
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]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Fun & Games On GEnie
""""""""""""""""""""
>>> FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Hillary Clinton's Definition of Health Terms ~
Vein Conceited
artery The study of painting
Bacteria The back door of the Cafeteria.
Barium What doctors do when the patient dies.
bowel A letter like a,e,i,o or u.
Caesarean
section a neighborhood in Rome
Cat Scan searching for Kitty
Cauterize Making eye contact with her.
Colic A sheep dog.
D & C Where Washington is.
Dilate To live long.
Enema Not a friend.
Fester Quicker.
Genital Not a Jew.
G.I. Series Soldiers ball game.
Hangnail coat hook
Impotent Distinguished, well known.
Labor Pain Getting hurt at work
Medical staff a Doctors cane.
Morbid A higher offer.
Nitrates Cheaper than day rates.
Node Was aware of.
Outpatient A person who fainted.
Pap Smear a Fatherhood test.
Pelvis A cousin to Elvis
Postoperative A letter carrier
Recovery
Room A place to do Upholstery
Rectum Dang near killed 'em.
Seizure Roman Emperor
Tablet A small table
Terminal
Illness Getting sick at the airport.
Tumor More than one.
Urine Opposite of you're out.
Varicose Nearby.
-mobius
(D.JONES117/CAT8, TOP50, MSG:534/M245)
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Yeah, solder wick is cool stuph. --HangTime" /
/ /
/ "HT likes it because it's high-fiber. :)" /
//////////////////////////// A2.HANGTIME / WIZARDS.MUSE ////
[EOA]
[REF]//////////////////////////////
REFLECTIONS /
/////////////////////////////////
Thinking About Online Communications
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Phil Shapiro
[P.SHAPIRO1]
>>> MAKING USE OF "TELECOM AGENTS" <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Online communication brings with it all sorts of benefits... but as
the old saying goes, "Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing." When
people start getting inundated with electronic mail they need to find ways
to streamline their online time.
Just last month I observed an amusing, creative solution to e-mail
overload. A friend of mine has a son in the fifth grade who takes a strong
interest in computers and telecommunications. For two or three years this
young fellow has been pleading with his parents to get a 9600 baud modem
for the family computer. Since this youngster typically spends fifteen to
twenty hours each week online, he is weary of the low speed of his family's
2400 baud modem.
Recognizing an opportunity to help themselves, the parents in this
family agreed to buy a 9600 baud modem for the family, on condition that
the fifth-grade son spend time each day helping his parents answer their
own electronic mail from work. The youngster agreed to take on this new
family chore and, true to his word, now spends ten to twenty minutes each
day retrieving his parents' e-mail. He sets up his communications program
so that his parents can sit down and quickly answer their e-mail after
dinner each evening.
While this story sounds more amusing than alarming, it does raise some
thorny ethical issues. Why is it that the parents of this family felt
compelled to answer their work e-mail from home? Because hardly anyone has
enough hours in the day to do productive work and still find time to answer
all the electronic mail that arrives at his or her desk during the day.
The term "telecom agent" refers to a person who helps streamline one's
online communication experience. In the case of my friend's family, the
young child served as a "low-level" telecom agent. His duties were simply
to retrieve e-mail, save the messages to a hard drive, and set up the
communications program for easy answering of the e-mail.
"High level" telecom agents take on the extra duty of saving incoming
e-mail messages to a hard drive, and classifying incoming e-mail into
categories and/or specific folders on the hard drive. High-level telecom
agents can also take on the responsibility of answering some of the more
routine e-mail messages that arrive at a person's desk. In that way, busy
business professionals can streamline their online communications.
So the next time that you feel overwhelmed at how much e-mail is
arriving at your desk, perhaps it's time to start looking around for a
fifth-grader to come to your aid. In the months ahead it may not be
unusual for kids to have this new chore added to their list of family
chores. The familiar refrain of parents around the country could plausibly
evolve to something along the lines of: "Okay, Chelsea, I want you to: 1)
Clean your room, 2) Take out the trash, 3) Retrieve mom and dad's
electronic mail. And don't forget to feed the cat."
-Phil Shapiro
[*][*][*]
The author takes a keen interest in the social dimensions
of communications technology. He can be reached on GEnie
at P.SHAPIRO1; on Internet at: p.shapiro1.genie.geis.com;
on America Online at: pshapiro
[EOA]
[BEG]//////////////////////////////
BEGINNER'S CORNER /
/////////////////////////////////
Polishing Green Apples
""""""""""""""""""""""
By Steve Weyhrich
[S.WEYHRICH]
INTRODUCTION I hope you were not too deeply flooded by the list of
"""""""""""" terms that came flowing out of this column last time. If
you start feeling as though you are drowning again this month, I suggest
that you get out a printed copy from last time, and refer to it as
necessary.
This month we will dine on some of the nuts and bolts of how the Apple
IIGS computer hardware is set up, and discuss how to modify it to suit your
needs. You will find a napkin provided to the right of your keyboard, and
please don't eat with your fingers. Ready? Here comes the first
course....
UNDERSTANDING THE IIGS HARDWARE In the "old" days, setting up and
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" using an Apple II required little more
than plugging the computer's power cord into the wall, attaching the
monitor, and turning on the computer. Use of a disk drive (originally an
expensive option) involved a little more effort, inserting the controller
card in the correct slot and connecting the disk drive(s) to that card.
The same sort of effort was necessary if you wanted to add a printer,
modem, clock, or other peripheral.
The Apple IIGS is, in a sense, EASIER to set up and use than an Apple
II+, though it achieves this through greater internal complexity. (That
is, by the way, the major improvement in computer software since the
earliest days of personal computers; in exchange for a machine that is
easier to set up and use, the internal functions have had to progressively
become "smarter", requiring less user input.) There is far more hardware
built into the IIGS than the II+, so the user has to add fewer peripherals
than formerly to be able to carry out the most common operations. The IIGS
is actually two computers in one: when starting up, the 65816
microprocessor is in 8-bit "emulation" mode (that is, it acts just like a
65c02). If you don't add any hardware to it beyond plugging in a disk
drive, you can start it up with a disk meant for use with an Apple IIe or
IIc (or even a II+) and it will act just like one of those computers.
The standard settings on a IIGS give it the electronic equivalents of
an Apple IIe with 128K of memory, a Super Serial Card (an Apple brand of a
serial interface card) in slots 1 and 2, an 80-column card in slot 3, a
mouse controller card in slot 4, a Smartport in slot 5, and a 5.25 inch
disk controller in slot 6. (The IIGS actually comes with 256K on the
motherboard in the ROM 01 version, and 1 meg with the ROM 03, but that
extra memory is not readily available to many 8-bit programs that can be
run on the GS.) Through software control, the IIGS can be switched to full
16-bit mode, and is then capable of doing quite a bit more than the IIe.
SLOTS 1 & 2 The Super Serial Card was distributed by Apple Computer
""""""""""" to allow serial devices to be connected to the Apple II. The
IIGS comes standard with this capability, and uses the same software
commands as did the older, plug-in card. The place to connect to these two
serial cards is at the printer port and modem port (on the left side of the
back panel of the computer). Note that you are NOT restricted to using a
printer ONLY with port 1, and a modem ONLY with port 2; you could just as
easily connect them the opposite way and have it work. Furthermore, you
could attach TWO modems (or TWO printers), one on each port, and everything
would function just fine. However, there are some other settings (which I
will discuss in a later article) that would need to be changed in order for
this to work. Also, there is a lot of software, particularly the 8-bit
type, that is designed to ONLY work with a printer in slot 1, and/or a
modem in slot 2. It is the standard that has developed over the years, and
you will rarely go wrong by connecting things in accordance with that
standard.
SLOT 3 The 80-column card in slot 3 is there primarily for backward
"""""" compatibility with older software. The original Apple II had a
24-line by 40-column display, and users who wanted more text on the screen
needed to add a card -- traditionally placed in slot 3 -- to get the full
80-column display (which is a "standard" older than the microcomputer
industry itself). The Apple IIe had this 80-column capability built-in,
and simply needed some memory added to make it work; the IIc came with this
additional memory already present. The IIGS follows the example set by the
IIc; it also has the necessary memory for 80-column text display.
SLOT 4 A controller card for a mouse was built for the Apple II,
"""""" II+, and IIe, after the Macintosh popularized the device. This
allowed the development of software that could use (or required) a mouse.
The Apple IIc came mouse-ready; all you had to do was buy one and attach it
to the joystick port in the back. The IIGS maintains this tradition of
having the mouse controller in slot 4, again for backward compatibility
with this older software. However, the mouse is more integrated with the
IIGS design, and it is not plugged into the joystick port, but rather is
attached to the port on the keyboard. The older software which expects to
find a mouse card will be able to locate it at Slot 4 and allow use of the
mouse.
SLOTS 5 & 6 Disk drives have long passed the era of being an optional
""""""""""" accessory, and are absolutely necessary for use of modern
software. While it is still possible, on the Apple IIGS, to start up in
BASIC, type in a program, and run it, you will not be able to save that
program to a cassette tape drive as was possible on the II+ and IIe. The
disk drive and some sort of disk control software ("operating system") are
needed to do anything useful on the IIGS. Here again, tradition takes
precedence, and the electrical equivalent of a 5.25 inch disk controller
card (originally known as a "Disk II" card) is assigned to slot 6, and the
controller for 3.5 inch disk drives (through a software convention called
the "Smartport" protocol) is assigned to slot 5. If you look at the back
panel of the IIGS, however, you will find that there are not two ports for
the two types of disk drives. Instead there is a single socket with a
picture of a disk, and both sorts of disk drives are attached here. The
disk drives made to work with the IIGS can be connected together in a chain
(known as a "daisy chain"), and the chain is then plugged into the disk
port on the back panel. Any 3.5 inch disk drives (also called "3.5
drives") must come first in the chain, plugging the first one into the disk
port, and then the next drive to the first drive, and so on. Up to four
3.5 drives can be attached in this fashion, although most users will not
have more than two. If you want to add one or two 5.25 inch disk drives,
these are also attached to the end of the chain. The disk controllers
built into the IIGS will be able to tell the different types of disk drives
apart.
SLOT 7 This slot is not specifically assigned to an internal function on
"""""" the typical baseline IIGS system, but has the capability of
acting as an AppleTalk network controller. I will not spend any time
discussing this in this article, as most new users will not have need of
this. (To be honest, I've never used it and have no idea of how to set it
up.) In situations where AppleTalk is not going to be used, slot 7 is
often used for a controller for a hard disk.
CLASSIC DESK ACCESSORIES Although the IIGS comes with the
"""""""""""""""""""""""" equivalents of seven cards for each of its seven
slots, the physical slots are still present inside. These have been
retained because many users will need to add capabilities to their computer
that go beyond those of the built-in hardware. For example, if you
purchase a printer that only runs with a parallel interface, you will need
the ability to plug in a parallel card and bypass the serial interface
hardware. How does the computer keep track of whether it is using the
built-in hardware (as described above), or some add-on hardware? It does
this through means of a desk accessory called the Control Panel.
Classic Desk Accessories (or CDAs, defined in last month's article)
are available at ANY time on the IIGS, whether running the older 8-bit
software, or newer 16-bit software. CDAs use the 'classic' text screen
display. (There are, of course, New Desk Accessories as well, that are
accessible only in a "desktop" type of IIGS program, one that uses the
mouse, overlapping super hi-res windows, and a menu bar, as with most
programs on the Macintosh.)
The CDA menu can be displayed at nearly any time by pressing the three
keys Option, Control, and ESC simultaneously. Whatever the computer is
doing will be interrupted (either immediately or after it is done with a
timing-sensitive operation), and the screen will change to display a box,
with the top line labeled "Desk Accessories" (preceded by the MouseText
picture of an outline of an apple). On the ROM 03 version of the IIGS, the
menu will look like this:
Control Panel
Alternate Display Mode
Memory Peeker
Visit Monitor
Quit
with the top item, Control Panel, highlighted. (The ROM 01 IIGS may have
the same items available, but the Memory Peeker and Visit Monitor
selections will not be in the list until a specific command is entered from
the keyboard while in the Monitor.)
Alternate Display Mode is used to allow certain older 8-bit Apple II
programs to display the graphic screens properly. I have not yet come
across anything that required activating this CDA; however, I don't use
many graphics-specific 8-bit programs. Memory Peeker displays information
about memory allocation in the IIGS, and Visit Monitor allows you to get
into the IIGS Monitor program at any time. The use of these CDAs is beyond
the scope of this article (and my experience); most users will never need
to use them at all.
TIME FOR DESSERT Well, that's enough for now. Chew this over
"""""""""""""""" thoroughly, don't forget to brush, and next month we
will dine on the Control Panel CDA itself. Bring your own catsup, and I'll
bring the Grey Poupon (but of course!)
[EOA]
[PDQ]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW /
/////////////////////////////////
Computer Keyboarding (v5.0)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Mel Fowler
[MELSOFT]
Program Name : COMPUTER KEYBOARDING v5.0
Filename : KYBD5.HD2.BXY
Library Area : 51
Program Number : 21139
File Size : 194944
Program Type : Typing tutorial for Apple II
Author : Charlie Hartley (C.HARTLEY3)
Version Reviewed: 5.0
File Type : SHAREWARE! $10.00
ONCE UPON A TIME Most fairy tales start with "Once upon a time". As a
"""""""""""""""" retired Navy chief, I must begin this sea story with
"This ain't no bull".
When I was in Radioman "A" school in San Diego, we learned typing and
Morse code at the same time. With headphones on, we would hear "dit daw,"
say "A", and type "A" with the correct finger. It was something to be
seated in a room with 45 other guys all saying "A" at the top of our
voices. I must say though, this method did work... I was later stationed
at the San Francisco ship-shore CW facility and was comfortable copying 30
to 35 words per minute.
This was before personal computers, word processors, and in a day when
the Navy was still using Morse code as a major means of communications.
With today's computers and programmers like Charlie Hartley, we now have
Computer Keyboarding to teach us how to type. But before we get into the
nuts and bolts of Keyboarding, I asked Charlie to say a few words about
himself and this is what I got in response:
[*][*][*]
I am a life-long resident of Kentucky. I went to college
at Campbellsville College in Campbellsville, Kentucky where I
graduated in 1965 with majors in English and History/
Political Science. I came straight from Campbellsville to
Shepherdsville, Kentucky to begin my teaching career. I have
taught some type of English class to grades 7 through 10 and
some kind of social studies class from grades 7 through 12,
all in the same school building.
This is my 29th year as an educator and my third as an
assistant principal. This year we opened a new school --
Bernheim Middle School -- and my tongue is dragging from the
work it has taken to get it open. Betty and I have been
married for 31 years and have a daughter and three
grandchildren. We have four generations living in our house
-- my mother, us, and our daughter and grandchildren.
I first became interested in computers in the late 1960s
when I watched a TV show hosted by Walter Cronkite titled, I
think, "The 21st Century." One particular episode was about
computers and it fascinated me. I promised myself that
someday I'd have a computer.
I bought my Apple //e around 1984. At first I used the
//e mainly for word processing, but it wasn't long before I
began tinkering with Applesoft BASIC. I bought the
programming books and read them carefully. More often than
not, I was confused, but I experienced just enough success to
know that I wanted to do more.
Because I was the computer nut on my middle school
faculty, I got to create and teach a twelve week course using
the //e's in our school. At first it was a programming class
where I taught the students how to create lo-res graphics
screens as well as simple sound and graphics programs. This
appealed to many of my students but was boring to others.
It didn't take long for me to figure out that most people
were more interested in using the computer as a tool to do
other things rather than creating their own programs. I
gradually shifted the class away from programming toward such
things are word processing. To facilitate their ability to
use a word processor more effectively, I began a program of
typing instruction using a piece of commercial software
(sorry, I don't remember its title).
I was never satisfied with this software because it
dwelled on speed at the expense of accuracy. It was even
possible for the students to skip lessons which meant that
they failed to learn some keys. Over the years I had
developed into a fairly good two-fingered typist. I tried to
use this program to improve my own skills, but my progress
was disappointing.
I decided to try to write a program to teach typing. It
wasn't the first program I had written, but it certainly was
the most ambitious. I called the first version "No-Frills
Keyboarding" because it used only the text screen, no
graphics at all. While some of my students experienced
success with it, others called it "No-Thrills Keyboarding"
when they thought I wasn't listening.
In order to make the program better, I decided that I
would have to include graphics and make the whole thing run
faster. To do that I had to turn to assembly language
programming. Again I read books on it, including many
programming examples in such magazines as Nibble and
Call-Apple. By trial and error, I slowly developed the
assembly language code that is the major part of my present
program.
I have never taken classes in computer programming and I
don't know much of anything about programming languages other
than BASIC, assembly language, and a little AppleWorks macro
programming and some SimpleScript stuff for HyperStudio. If
my programming is structured, it is because I have followed
the examples of others whose work I have studied. With the
keyboarding program, it became highly structured out of
necessity as the program grew and took on a life of its own.
The early versions probably resembled spaghetti code.
The latest Keyboarding uploads on GEnie, uploaded on
8/7/93, include all of the bug fixes except #5 (file #21151).
If you don't have it, get it.
I have also uploaded a number of other files that are
freeware including:
1. Super Tic Tac Toe (#20907)
2. Don't Fence Me In! (#20817) -- a game of strategy.
3. Video Data Base (#18375) -- a DB manager for keep
track of videos
4. Computer Terms Quiz (#18271)
5. Cooperative Learning worksheets for Apple // version
of "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" (#18041)
6. Computer Spelling Lessons (#18068) - a completely
automated and individualized spelling tutor/testing
program for 7th graders.
I am presently tinkering with several small projects
including something that I have tentatively titled "Acme
Academy. All I can say now is that it has something to do
with the cooperative learning worksheets named above.
Charlie
[*][*][*]
Aren't you happy I didn't ask Charlie for his life story?
&;-)
Computer Keyboarding version 5 is a complete typing tutorial with a
beginner's section, intermediate section, and teacher's utilities. This
program had to be written by a teacher -- no one else could have thought
so much about its structure and the ability to keep track of a student's
progress.
When you start with the beginner's section, you sign onto a register.
From that point on the program knows you and how far you have progressed
through the tutorial. When you quit, the point where you finish is stored
with your name. The next time you log on, you will be asked if you are a
new user, if you say no the register will be displayed. You highlight your
name and the program takes you to the point where you left off last time.
You are taken through a pre-typing routine which makes sure that your
belly button is in front of the "H" key, your back is straight, hands above
the keys with fingers pointing down, setting so that your elbows are at
your sides, with one foot slightly ahead of the other and flat on the
ground. I found this section to be helpful and if followed, keeps your
legs from falling asleep. I find it most difficult to type when I can't
feel my foot.
Starting with the "home row" keys, you are led through various typing
exercises, such as "fff jjj fjjf jjff ffjj jffj" and so on. Keys are then
added as you continue with the exercises. This could be a tedious process,
but Charlie keeps the interest up by throwing in several versions of a
space invaders type game. You must type the letter before it hits the
bottom of the screen. As the game progresses, the letters start lower down
on the screen and travel faster. Charlie has also added his Super
Tic-Tac-Toe to this program and it may pop up at any time to give you a
break and a little fun.
As letters are added to your vocabulary, you start typing words made
up of the letters. Charlie must have spent many hours thinking of words
with ASDFGHJKL; in them. However, his time was well spent and added a lot
to the tutorial. I found it a lot easier to type words than "jffj jffj", I
must say.
Computer Keyboarding stresses accuracy more than speed. However,
there is one game were you must type quickly and accurately in order to
win. A sentence is supplied at the bottom of the screen and a graphic
"worm" starts moving as you type the sentence. You must complete the
sentence before the "worm" completes its move.
There is one recommendation that I would like to make for the
beginner's section. Most of my typing problems are with the number and
punctuation keys. This is covered naturally, but there is no way to
access this section directly. It would be helpful if you could practice
the areas that you feel you need without starting all over.
In the second, intermediate section of the program, you are provided
with a split screen where a paragraph is displayed in the upper half of
the screen for you to type into the lower half. All the keys on the
keyboard are available for use, including numbers and punctuations. This
is a great section for someone like myself that just wants to brush up on
his typing. You are monitored continually and if you make a mistake a beep
sounds and you cannot continue until you type it correctly. After each
paragraph you are supplied with a critique giving you the number of
mistakes and a percentage of accuracy.
The third section of the program is for teachers and provides
information on the students' progress. You also have access to a database
with various comments that can be used in a report to the student. This
section is for the classroom and make the program complete for use by
teachers.
Computer Keyboarding will work on any Apple II and is available for
download in both 5.25 inch (#21140, 21141, 21142, 21143) and 3.5 inch/hard
drive (#21139) versions. Both versions also need the bug fix in file
#21151. The program is shareware and has a modest $10 fee. If you would
like an on-site license, you can make as many copies as you like for use
in the classroom for $100. When Charlie gets your shareware fee, he will
provide you with a password which gives you access to the full program.
Charlie has his own Topic on A2. If you have any questions for him,
you can find him at Category 13, Topic 8 or send E-Mail to C.HARTLEY3.
Mel (MelSoft) Fowler
[*][*][*]
Here is a list of Computer Keyboarding version 5.0 files currently in
the A2 Library:
*********************************
Number: 21140 Name: KYBR5.DK1.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930807
Approximate # of bytes: 49152
Number of Accesses: 11 Library: 51
Description: This is the latest version of Keyboarding 5, including all of
the fixes that have been uploaded. The fixes in files 20740, 20741, 20881,
and 20972 have already been applied. This file replaces file 20754 which
will be deleted shortly. Unpack all files to one 5.25" disk. This is disk
1 of 4. Discussion of this shareware program can be found in the BB in CAT
13, TOP 8. Keyboarding 5 is a full-featured typing instruction program.
Packed with ShrinkIt.
Keywords: KEYBOARDING,TYPING,HARTLEY
*********************************
Number: 21141 Name: KYBD5.DK2.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930807
Approximate # of bytes: 71808
Number of Accesses: 9 Library: 51
Description: This is the latest version of Keyboarding 5, including all of
the fixes that have been uploaded. The fixes in files 20740, 20741, 20881,
and 20972 have already been applied. This file replaces file 20700 which
will be deleted shortly. Unpack all files to one 5.25" disk. This is disk
2 of 4. Discussion of this shareware program can be found in the BB in CAT
13, TOP 8. Keyboarding 5 is a full-featured typing instruction program.
Packed with ShrinkIt.
Keywords: TYPING,KEYBOARDING,HARTLEY
*********************************
Number: 21142 Name: KYBD5.DK3.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930807
Approximate # of bytes: 42880
Number of Accesses: 10 Library: 51
Description: This is the latest version of Keyboarding 5, including all of
the fixes that have been uploaded. The fixes in files 20740, 20741, 20881,
and 20972 have already been applied. This file replaces file 20701 which
will be deleted shortly. Unpack all files to one 5.25" disk. This is disk
3 of 4. Discussion of this shareware program can be found in the BB in CAT
13, TOP 8. Keyboarding 5 is a full-featured typing instruction program.
Packed with ShrinkIt.
Keywords: TYPING,HARTLEY,KEYBOARDING
*********************************
Number: 21143 Name: KYBD5.DK4.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930807
Approximate # of bytes: 30720
Number of Accesses: 14 Library: 51
Description: This is the latest version of Keyboarding 5, including all of
the fixes that have been uploaded. The fixes in files 20740, 20741, 20881,
and 20972 have already been applied. This file replaces file 20719 which
will be deleted shortly. Unpack all files to one 5.25" disk. This is disk
4 of 4. Discussion of this shareware program can be found in the BB in CAT
13, TOP 8. Keyboarding 5 is a full-featured typing instruction program.
Packed with ShrinkIt.
Keywords: HARTLEY,TYPING,KEYBOARDING
*********************************
Number: 21139 Name: KYBD5.HD2.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930807
Approximate # of bytes: 194944
Number of Accesses: 38 Library: 51
Description: This is the latest version of Keyboarding 5, including all of
the fixes that have been uploaded. The fixes in files 20740, 20741, 20881,
and 20972 have already been applied. This file replaces file 20753 which
will be deleted shortly. Unpack all files to one 3.5 disk or a
subdirectory on your hard drive. Discussion of this shareware program can
be found in the BB in CAT 13, TOP 8. Keyboarding 5 is a full-featured
typing instruction program. Packed with ShrinkIt.
Keywords: TYPING,KEYBOARDING,HARTLEY
*********************************
Number: 21225 Name: KYBD5.INFO.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930824
Approximate # of bytes: 2688
Number of Accesses: 16 Library: 51
Description: This updated info file will tell you what files to download
for Keyboarding 5, depending on your hardware configuration.
Archived with ShrinkIt 3.4.
Keywords: typing,keyboarding 5,hartley
*********************************
Number: 20882 Name: KYBRD5.TM.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930613
Approximate # of bytes: 40064
Number of Accesses: 19 Library: 51
Description: This is the teacher's manual for Keyboarding 5. There are 2
versions - MANUAL.TXT is a text file, MANUAL is an AppleWorks word
processor file (3.0). Enjoy.
Keywords: Keyboarding,Typing,teacher utilities,manual
*********************************
Number: 21151 Name: KYBD5.FIX5.BXY
Address: C.HARTLEY3 Date: 930809
Approximate # of bytes: 4992
Number of Accesses: 26 Library: 51
Description: If you have downloaded Keyboarding 5 or plan to do so, you
NEED this fix. Follow the directions in the READ.ME file to kill this
particular bug. This applies to all editions of Keyboarding 5 including the
ones uploaded this past weekend.
Keywords: KEYBOARDING,TYPING,BUGFIX,BUG FIX,HARTLEY
[EOA]
[MOO]//////////////////////////////
CowTOONS! /
/////////////////////////////////
More Mootations
"""""""""""""""
By Mike White (__)
[MWHITE] (oo)
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* ||-------------------||
^^ ^^
The Wiener Cow
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
. .. .
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(oo) \ /
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King Moodas
~~~~~~~~~~~
()___() Watch for another thunderin' herd of
(o o) Moo Fun from Mike White in the next
/(.) . issue of GEnieLamp.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"...keeps mooing, and mooing..."
[EOA]
[ATW]//////////////////////////////
ACROSS THE WIRES /
/////////////////////////////////
GEnie Worldwide!
""""""""""""""""
By Udo Huth
[U.HUTH]
>>> THE APPLE IIGS IN GERMANY -- A BLEAK OUTLOOK? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
(Disclaimer: This is my personal view, not a definitive nor even complete
statement of how things are here in Germany. There may
still be things I have no knowledge about -- I don't know
everything! -- and therefore aren't addressed properly in
this article.)
Editor Doug Cuff asked me if I'd contribute an article to GEnieLamp
about using an Apple IIgs and accessing GEnie from overseas. So here we
go:
When it comes to official support, the Apple IIgs is probably more
orphaned in Germany than in the U.S. Here there is almost nobody left at
the Apple dealers who knows what an Apple IIgs is. Very rarely you find
someone who still knows about the Apple II line of computers. Apple
Germany, too, prefers to forget that such a thing as an Apple II ever
existed. But there is still one person in customer support of Apple
Germany who knows the Apple IIgs and is able to answer questions one might
have.
GERMAN SOFTWARE There is almost no native (German-language) software
""""""""""""""" for the Apple IIgs. From the early days of Apple II
computing there are German versions of AppleWorks Classic, but they ended
officially with version 1.4 (essentially version 2.0 without the Mail
Merge function). There are German versions of AppleWorks Classic 3.0
available, but they are not from Claris, have to be called A2.Works, and
have more problems than one wants to think about.
Real 16-bit German programs for the Apple IIgs are very few indeed.
There is a German version of FontFactory available, which was sold here
before it was ported into English and subsequently sold by Seven Hills;
then there is a program called Pedigree available, which sports German and
English versions; and last but not least, there is a program for accessing
the German BTX system (a service of German Telekom). This is quite good --
a few of those who own an Apple IIgs and a Macintosh use the IIgs program
instead of a Mac program, as the IIgs version is way better. Perhaps five
German shareware programs are also available, which are more or less
useful; but that's about it. Some enterprising guys have ported System 6.0
to German, but that displays some erroneous behavior that the original
version doesn't.
So Apple IIgs users in Germany are forced to rely solely on English
software. This is very hard for
those who are not quite fluent in English.
ON-LINE COMMUNITY Some bulletin board systems in Germany do have an
""""""""""""""""" Apple board, but they are almost exclusively for
Macs... if I didn't sometimes post messages about the Apple IIgs, there
would be nothing about this fine computer to be found! There is one Apple
II BBS I know of, but as I'd have to pay long distance charges to access
it, I don't know what's happening there.
Besides, there are not many IIgs users online. The majority of IIgs
users in Germany don't even have a modem. The on-line community in Germany
and in the US differs considerably. In the US a IIgs user buys his IIgs
and a modem, than s/he goes on-line and asks questions about things s/he
doesn't know about. In Germany a IIgs is bought, than the user tries to
make head or tail out of the thing he bought, and when s/he is proficient
in the use of the Apple IIgs, eventually a modem is bought. In the
meantime s/he relies on user groups or personal contacts for questions.
Due to this, you find little or nothing about the Apple IIgs on German
BBSs, which are run exclusively on MS-DOS PCs, Amigas, or a few Unix
systems. The best -- sometimes only -- source of information about Apple
IIs for those who are daring enough to try is GEnie.
GEnie FROM GERMANY GEnie is available here in Germany for a fee of
"""""""""""""""""" $18 during non-prime time and $27 for prime time
access. There are no such things as a basic fee, which includes a certain
free time or anything like that. The meter is running from the first
second you access GEnie -- well, page one and the greetings of the RTs are
free (the latter only if you did nothing prior to accessing the RTs which
costs money). Uploads to the libraries are free too, but that doesn't help
my bill much.
GEnie is accessed from Germany via the packet-switching network
Datex-P. You can either use nodes provided by the German Telekom (which
support no error checking protocols) or nodes provided by GEnie (which
support MNP4 or V.42). GEnie's own nodes were introduced just recently and
are not very widespread so far. The access costs are the same for either
node, although GEnie encourages you to use their own nodes if you can
access them with a local call. The maximum speed for access here in
Germany is 2400 baud.
Over the whole of Germany there are distributed just 30 GEnie nodes of
either flavor. So, for the majority of people this means a long-distance
call for reaching a node. The German Telekom bills quite heavily for this.
A long-distance call in Germany gets billed in 42-second increments at
non-prime time, which adds up to a fee of about $12 for each hour (on top
of GEnie's charges).
Downloading of public domain software from GEnie is prohibitively
expensive. It would be cheaper to pay someone in the US his on-line time,
disks, and postage costs for snail-mailing those disks to Germany.
Although everything I said before may sound rather bleak, GEnie is a
valuable source of information for me (and the few other Germans on-line
here). Some of the info found here cannot be obtained otherwise. For
example: an acquaintance of mine bought System 6.0.1 and found it crashing
at once, because he also uses Pointless! By the time he and I were in
contact, he had reinstalled System 6.0, because he knew of no other way to
get the system working again. His rating of Apple wasn't very high at that
moment.
Large portions of the newsletter of our SIG consist of information
obtained from GEnie. If I hadn't access to this information, I wouldn't
know what to write about every two months!
I do my GEnie sessions with the help of CoPilot and TIC, which saves
me some time, for I don't have to type all the commands myself. This helps
to keep down the bill. I did have to modify the TIC scripts, however,
because accessing GEnie via Datex-P necessitates some other commands prior
to getting to the U# prompt. Accessing GEnie through GEnie's own nodes
necessitates still another sequence of commands, so I've changed my scripts
for that, too.
There is but one glitch in this whole picture. Since GEnie has
lowered its U.S. rates, there are many new GEnie users, which isn't a bad
thing in itself. But those new to GEnie tend to quote former messages
excessively and more often than not use long signatures of more than one
line. This drives up the on-line costs for the overseas users by a
considerable amount. So let me close this article with a plea to all of
you, not to quote excessively and use a shorter signature whenever
possible.
On the whole I've "met" only fine people on GEnie; and the questions I
had were answered very rapidly, the record being two minutes from asking to
having the answer. In fact, I was disconnected due to line noise after
sending part of my messages. When I logged on again my script did a BRO
NOR again, and I found the answer to my previous question!
Udo Huth,
Leader of the Apple IIgs SIG in the AUGE
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "The customer isn't necesssarily always right, but the /
/ customer _is_ always the customer." /
/ /
/ "And, more importantly, the customer _is_ always the one /
/ with the money!" /
///////////////////////////// J.NICOLETTE1 / T.BUCHHEIM ////
[EOA]
[COM]//////////////////////////////
COMMUNICATION /
/////////////////////////////////
Making Contact
""""""""""""""
By Darrel Raines
[D.RAINES]
>>> OLDER TECHNOLOGY COMPUTERS? (Part 1 of 2) <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Apple IIgs is a computer based on older technology. It is slow
and is not supported by any of the major software manufacturers. You
cannot get software and you cannot get support. Why would anyone want to
be stuck with an old Apple computer?"
The previous paragraph accurately describes the feelings that many
people express when they find out that my home computer is an Apple IIgs.
You see, they know that I sell computer hardware on the side (custom
systems and software). They know that I have set up a number of people
with Macintosh and MS-DOS compatible systems. When they ask about my home
computer, most of them are floored when they learn that I still use an
Apple II.
"Didn't you just set up Larry with that '486, 66 Mhz monster with 16
Meg of RAM, a 340 Meg hard drive and the HP laser printer? Then why do
you still use a computer that was invented back in the 1970s?" The people
who ask these questions just don't understand.
Part of the problem is that our entire society is caught up in the
newest, latest, greatest technology race. If you do not have the newest
CD player with video display capabilities, 10 disk changer, and a cigarette
lighter, then you are not keeping up with the times. Each of us have
fallen prey to this craze at one time or another. In fact, this same
phenomenon may account for your owning an Apple IIgs in the first place.
However, I think that it is worth while to put aside the hype for
awhile and take a hard look at the reality behind the statements made by
my friends (and perhaps yours). I do not deny that there are times when it
is imperative that a person update their equipment. My television set went
south a few months ago. It would not have cost much to repair the TV, but
it was 11 years old and might have a picture tube blow at any time. My
wife and I felt that the money was better spent on getting a new
television with some of the current gadgets attached. What fun!
On the other hand, a client (and friend) of mine was in the market for
a home computer that would let him keep track of home finances and would
run lots of educational software for his children. Price was also a factor
for him. This sounded like an ideal situation for an Apple II. The client
is now happily using a previously owned Apple IIgs computer complete with
AppleWorks and kid's software. Another happy customer!
In both cases, the customer got what he/she needed and was able to
effectively use his/her financial resources. Our new television set has
many nice features. The controls are much easier to use than the old one
and the picture is bigger and brighter. My Apple IIgs client has all of
the tools that he wants for his home computer and his kids have a great
time "playing" on the computer. In addition, this client is ecstatic
about the multitude of cheap software that is available either from
software mail-order houses or as used software from individuals.
Some of my friends and/or clients have specific applications that
require the latest computer technology for support. In these cases, the
obvious answer is to buy a new computer with the necessary capabilities.
However, most people do not even scratch the surface of what their
computers are capable of doing. An Apple IIgs is a powerful computer. It
is very much able to run hefty word processors, spreadsheets, databases,
and publishing systems. Existing packages meet the needs of most home
users. In fact, many Apple II users do not go any further than AppleWorks
or AppleWorks GS to meet all of their software needs.
Of course, there is more to home computing than just productivity
software. Educational software has always been a strong point for the
Apple II computer. Graphics packages are available to bring out the
artistic side of any user. Telecommunication software provides access to
a world of people and ideas. Now, did I forget anything? Oh yes, game
software is a must for most home computer users.
My personal opinion is that the reason behind the success of the Apple
II had more to do with the built-in joystick port than it did with the fact
that it was a color computer. Every home Apple II owner that I know has
spent a significant amount of time playing games on their computer.
Therefore, they are interested in the availability of good entertainment
software for the Apple II. Once again, there is a whole world of software
that has been written for this popular computer. As a matter of fact, I
could probably play on my computer for the next 10 years and never exhaust
the supply of games that I currently own for my Apple.
With all of this going for the Apple II, why do people shun the
computer as old technology? One reason for this attitude is ignorance of
the true capabilities of my Apple. Some assume that an old machine is a
slow and useless machine. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Another reason could be that no huge commercial firms still write software
for the Apple II family. While this is true, there is plenty of software
and support coming from the companies that have remained in the Apple
market.
The final piece to this puzzle will be examined in next month's
column. At that time, I will examine the availability of shareware,
freeware, and roll-it-yourself-ware. I will also answer the following
riddle: "How is Apple II shareware like a fine wine?" Stay tuned and
find out.
[*][*][*]
Darrel Raines is an Electrical Engineer who works as a
contractor to NASA on the Space Station Freedom program.
He runs a small business on the side that deals in custom
computer systems and software. He is also an avid computer
hobbyist, programmer and writer. You may reach him on GEnie
at D.RAINES.
[EOA]
[AII]//////////////////////////////
APPLE II /
/////////////////////////////////
Apple II History, Part 16
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Steven Weyhrich
[S.WEYHRICH]
>>> APPLE II HISTORY <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
Compiled and written by Steven Weyhrich
(C) Copyright 1991, Zonker Software
(PART 16 -- LANGUAGES)
[v1.0 :: 22 Jan 92]
INTRODUCTION This section of the History deals with the various languages
"""""""""""" that have been used on the Apple II during its life, as well
as giving an introduction to the scary topic of programming in general.
PROGRAMS "R" US Nearly everyone reading this is already a programmer, on
""""""""""""""" one level or another. Even if you don't know a "GOTO"
from a "STA $C030", you already know how to program something. For the act
of "programming" is nothing more than giving instructions to a non-human
device to have it carry out what you want it to do. The device that most
of you already know how to program is your automobile. The act of giving
those instructions may not seem like programming to YOU; nevertheless, in
its strictest sense, programming it is. You want the car to go forward?
Set the transmission to "D". Go in reverse? Use "R". Of course, the
programming needed to operate an automobile is quite simple, and cannot be
done in more than one step at a time. An example of a device that is more
complicated to program but does let you store up several instructions in
advance is a VCR. On the VCR you instruct it to record a television
broadcast that starts at 7:00 PM and ends at 8:30 PM, on channel 6. The
more sophisticated VCR's can have several programs set up in advance. If
you can operate a VCR in this fashion (which is, admittedly, not always as
easy as I have described), you are a programmer.
When it comes to the microcomputer, the process of programming (giving
it instructions on how to carry out a task) is somewhat more complicated.
This is primarily because the computer is far more flexible in its ability
to accept instructions and carry them out than is an automobile or VCR.
Devices attached to a computer can be manipulated by a program to do
something useful (print a letter several times, or perhaps read the outside
temperature and sound an alarm if it drops too low). This flexibility,
plus the speed at which a computer can execute its instructions, makes it a
powerful tool for doing things that have previously taken much more effort
and time. And, as a project becomes more sophisticated, so also must the
programming acquire a similar level of sophistication. The rate at which
computers, including the Apple II, have increased in capacity during the
past fifteen years has made it possible to design programs that can do
things that were not even dreamed possible back in the days of the 4K
Integer BASIC machine.
An example of programming evolution on the Apple II was given during
Kansasfest in July of 1991. To fully appreciate this narrative, you need
to know a little about an old Integer BASIC program, APPLEVISION. This was
found on the DOS 3.2.1 System Master disk, and was a fun little display
that showed off the use of hi-res graphics. It began by creating a simple
line drawing of a room, with a picture on the wall ("HOME SWEET HOME") and
a television set. On the screen of the TV appeared a man who danced to the
tune of "Turkey In The Straw", which sounded on the built-in speaker. It
ran repeatedly, until the user interrupted the program. It was fascinating
at the time, since there was nothing in the program text that showed off
exactly HOW the hi-res effects were accomplished. But things have gotten a
bit more complex as time has gone by:
"Roger Wagner's keynote address featured a history of
hypermedia which Roger set into action and left to run as he
wandered offstage. The history began with Bob Bishop's
classic AppleVision, done in black and white on the original
Apple II. Progressive screens enhanced the AppleVision
image using subsequent incarnations of Apple II graphics
(single hi-resolution, double hi-resolution, and the IIGS's
Super Hi-Resolution modes). Finally, thanks to a laserdisc
player under HyperStudio's control and a video overlay card,
Roger's image appeared within the television's screen and
spoke to the audience, completing the introduction before
turning the presentation back to Roger (returning from
offstage)."<1>
To follow the programming progress that has made such magic possible,
we will begin with the first two built-in high-level languages for the
Apple II, Integer BASIC and Applesoft, and move on to a briefer discussion
of some of the other languages that have been available over the years.
Next will be a summary of various 6502 and 68816 assemblers that Apple
programmers have used over the years. Finally, I will present an
introduction to "hyper-programming".
FUNDAMENTALS OF PROGRAMMING A programming language has the standards to
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" translate "what I want" into commands that
the computer understands. To do so, it must take some human language and
convert it into the binary dialect of the computer on which it is executed.
Computer languages usually come in one of two different types:
"interpreted" and "compiled". A language that functions as an interpreter
takes the text of the program and translates it at the time of execution
into commands the computer can understand. A compiled program, on the
other hand, has already had the program text translated into executable
code BEFORE it is run, usually including some extra code needed to carry
out necessary functions of input, output, and calculations. As such, an
interpreted program usually runs more slowly, but has the advantage of
being easier to modify and re-run without the delay of first re-compiling.
A compiled program will ordinarily run faster, but may use more memory than
an equivalent interpreted program.
Languages are also given the designation of being "high-level" or
"low-level", depending on how close they are to the base language of the
computer on which they run. The lowest level of computer programming is at
the level of the bytes understood as commands by the microprocessor. This
"machine language" is typically not very understandable to humans. A
low-level language more often used by programmers is "assembly language".
This uses commands somewhat more understandable ("LDA $24" means "load the
accumulator with the contents of memory location $24") and are then
assembled (actually compiled) into machine-readable code. Assembly
language is very powerful, since it works on the byte level of the
computer. However, as a low-level language it can be very complicated and
requires an intimate understanding of the function of the computer.
As a language becomes more "high-level", it is easier for humans to
read, but requires more effort from its interpreter or compiler to
translate it into the native language of the computer.
INTEGER BASIC This was the first language available for general use on
""""""""""""" the Apple II (aside from assembly, which will be dealt with
later). Most of the details concerning its development have already been
covered in Part 3 of this History. It was a quick, compact language, and
its creation was an example of programming directly in machine language
(since Steve Wozniak, the author, had no assembler available to use). Its
disadvantage was the lack of easy access to floating point operations, and
it lacked some string handling functions. Apple II users, especially those
who wanted to produce programs that could be used in business applications,
wanted something more powerful to use.
Despite its limitations, Integer BASIC was a language that had a
fanatically loyal following. For those thousands who purchased Apple IIs
from June 1977 to June 1979, this was the only programming language
available, and it took on a status similar to that of a beloved first-born
child. Games, utilities, and even some simple business-use programs were
written using Wozniak's hand-assembled masterpiece, and those who followed
the pages of Call-A.P.P.L.E. magazine learned much about the internals of
the language. With the disassembler built into the Monitor, people tore
Integer BASIC apart to learn how it worked, and to make it work better.
Val Golding, the editor of Call-A.P.P.L.E., even wrote a series of columns
in 1979 entitled "So Who Needs Applesoft?" These articles showed how to
simulate some of the more advanced features of Applesoft in this older
BASIC. A.P.P.L.E. even sold (under license agreement with Apple Computer)
"Integer BASIC +", a relocatable RAM version of the original ROM BASIC. It
had all the features of the original language, plus a "USER" command, the
ability to easily do four direction scrolling on the text and lo-res
screens, easy printing of ASCII characters, and improved error handling.<2>
Apple never released a comprehensive reference manual for Integer
BASIC. The only manual available for it was primarily a tutorial (and a
general introduction to using a computer). The "Apple II BASIC Programming
Manual" didn't even call it "Integer BASIC," but referred to the language
as "Apple BASIC." It gave most of its programming examples in the form of
segments of a graphics and sound demo that created a lo-res ball bouncing
off the sides of the screen.<3>
With the many programs available that were written in Integer BASIC,
it was almost a necessity for Apple to offer a means for Apple II Plus
users to be able to run the older software. The Integer Firmware card made
this "backward compatibility" possible. This was especially important in
the early days of the II Plus, when there was little new software available
to use with Applesoft.
APPLESOFT I Although Wozniak had written some floating point routines
""""""""""" into the Integer Basic ROM, Apple II users needed a version
of Basic that would make floating point math easier to do, particularly for
business use (where the number to the right of the decimal point is as
important as the one to left). Apple decided to license a 6502 version of
a floating point BASIC from Microsoft Corporation. Back in 1977, Microsoft
was producing BASIC interpreters for nearly every microcomputer that was
produced. The version Apple purchased was almost identical to the MITS
extended BASIC that Microsoft had previously written for the Altair
8800.<4>,<5>
This BASIC was named "Applesoft", and was released in November of 1977
on cassette. It was loaded as a 10K program that looked to the computer
just like an Integer BASIC program, though only a small part of it really
was. To make it easy to load and start from cassette, the Applesoft
interpreter was attached to the end of a short Integer BASIC program. When
the Integer program was run, it poked some values into memory and jumped to
the start of the machine language section, which relocated the Applesoft
interpreter to the lower part of memory (at $800), just after the memory
that held the screen display.
Using this version of Applesoft (which later became known as
Applesoft I) could be frustrating. It took several minutes to load from
the cassette tape, and it was not dependable. If the wrong key was pressed
while entering or running an Applesoft program, the program that was being
run could be wiped out, and the Applesoft interpreter itself would have to
be reloaded from cassette. However, few users knew how to make use of the
floating point routines that Wozniak had written into the Integer ROM, so
this unreliable Applesoft BASIC became the only practical means of doing
floating point math on the Apple II.
Aside from the reliability issue, another difficulty with Applesoft
involved hi-resolution graphics. Although the Apple II was capable of
displaying it, the Applesoft interpreter extended up into the memory used
by the hi-res screen, and so prevented its use. Furthermore, this early
version had no built-in commands to manage hi-res graphics.<5>
Applesoft I came with a manual that was 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches in
size, and sported a blue cover with square glued binding.<6> This came to
be known as the "blue book" (recall that the reference book for the
computer itself was affectionately known as the "red book"). When starting
the interpreter after loading it from the cassette, a screen was displayed
announcing that Applesoft was copyright 1977 by Apple and Microsoft. It
then asked the user for the memory size of his computer, and gave options
of allowing either LET and REM statements OR the use of lo-res graphics.
The names of the lo-res graphics commands were very different from those
that existed in Integer BASIC (and in the later versions of Applesoft).
The commands were:
PLTG = Go to lo-res graphics mode
TEX = Go to text mode
PLTC N = Set color to N (0-15)
PLTP X,Y = Plot square at X,Y
PLTH X1,X2,Y = Plot horizontal line from X1 to X2 at Y
PLTV Y1,Y2,X = Plot vertical line from Y1 to Y2 at X
There was a note about these commands in the reference card included
with Applesoft I that warned about using graphics coordinates only between
0 and 39, or a program could "self-destruct". Apparently it lacked the
error checking that could prevent the plotting of lines from spilling over
into the text of the Applesoft program itself.<6>,<7>
The A.P.P.L.E. user group published a patch in 1978 that allowed
programmers to avoid the question about using LET and REM statements versus
lo-res graphics, and use the graphics only. The author of the patch
pointed out that the LET statements were not necessary ("A = 3" worked just
as well as "LET A = 3"). The REMark statements could be simulated by
putting them at the end of a GOTO line (where they were ignored by the
interpreter), and the GOTO could just jump to the following line:
530 GOTO 540: REM LINE 540 SETS VARIABLE N.
540 N = 2
Additional patches were made available for some of the other bugs
found in Applesoft I.<8>
APPLESOFT II In spring 1978, Randy Wigginton and some others at Apple
"""""""""""" made some needed revisions to Applesoft. Using a
cross-assembler running on a North Star Horizon (Z-80) microcomputer, they
fixed the known bugs and added other commands to control features unique
to the Apple II. These commands included the ones needed to draw and
manipulate hi-res graphics. Also, the lo-res graphics commands were
renamed to be more consistent with the equivalent commands in Integer
BASIC (GR, HLIN, VLIN, etc.) This version was called "Applesoft II", and
eventually it was available in five forms: Cassette RAM and Diskette RAM
(which loaded to the same memory locations that interfered with hi-res
graphics as did Applesoft I), Firmware card ROM, Language card RAM, and
finally main board ROM (in the Apple II Plus).
When Applesoft II was started up from cassette or diskette versions,
the display screen now showed a copyright date of 1978 by Apple Computer,
Inc., and 1976 by Microsoft (which may be either their copyright date for
the original Microsoft BASIC, or possibly for Microsoft's first 6502
version).<6> This RAM version of Applesoft II used memory from $800-$2FFF,
and the Applesoft BASIC program itself was loaded beginning at $3000. When
the versions that came on ROM and for the Language Card RAM were released,
the BASIC program could load at $800, and much more memory was available
for it. Some of this extra space (in high memory) was reclaimed by DOS
when the Disk II was released, however.<5>
Applesoft in the original IIe was unchanged from the II Plus version.
When the IIc was introduced in 1984, however, Apple programmers had
cautiously made a few useful changes to the language:
o Input processing was changed to allow lowercase entry of
Applesoft commands (they were translated into uppercase)
o Screen output commands (PRINT, TAB, HTAB, etc.) were
modified to more properly handle the 80-column screen
o Program lines (when LISTed) were changed to begin in
column 2, making screen editing easier
o All of the cassette tape routines (LOAD, SAVE, SHLOAD,
STORE, and RECALL) were removed, since the hardware did
not support cassette I/O. The keywords were still in the
token table, but now pointed to the same memory vector as
the ampersand ("&") command.
o Patches were made to the lo-res graphics commands (GR,
HLIN, VLIN, PLOT, and SCRN) to work with double lo-res
graphics. However, a bug was introduced that allowed
PLOTting vertically to areas outside of the double lo-res
graphics screen, which would land right in the beginning
of the $800 space where the Applesoft program text was
located (similar to the "plot" bug in Applesoft I).
When the Apple IIe Enhanced ROMs were made available, Applesoft in
those ROMs had undergone some similar modifications. All the above IIc
changes were added, with the exception that double lo-res graphics
capability was NOT added (lack of ROM space), and the cassette I/O commands
were NOT removed (since the cassette input and output port was still
present).
The version of Applesoft on the Apple IIGS closely resembled the
Apple IIc variant, the only exception being a fix of the double lo-res
PLOTting bug. However, a bug in the SCRN function that applied to double
lo-res mode was NOT fixed. No changes to Applesoft from the IIc version
appeared in the Apple IIc Plus.<9>
The manual written for Applesoft II was far more comprehensive than
either the older "Blue book" or the Integer BASIC manual. It gave not only
programming examples for each of the commands, but included much more
information about the various ways in which each Applesoft statement could
be used. It also mentioned some of the differences between Applesoft and
Integer (for those who wanted to convert their older programs), and gave a
little information about the internals of Applesoft to aid in creating
machine language additions to the language. Curiously, the manuals that
have been reprinted even as late as 1990 by Addison-Wesley have included an
odd cautionary note to programmers. In a section in the index about
"reserved words" (words reserved as Applesoft commands), it advises against
using "XPLOT" as a variable name, stating that "it is a reserved word that
does not correspond to a current Applesoft statement." What is apparently
meant by this comment is that at one time Apple intended to extend the
language and add another command "XPLOT" to it, probably working with HPLOT
in the same way that XDRAW complements DRAW in doing hi-res graphics.
Examination of the command table within the Applesoft interpreter shows
there is NO entry labeled "XPLOT", and a disassembly of the interpreter
shows NO preliminary code to support the command. Somehow this precaution
persisted to the present day and has never been removed, even though it is
extremely unlikely that Applesoft will ever be upgraded.<10>
Particularly helpful for programmers was the foresight to include a
simple extension called the "ampersand hook". If Applesoft came across the
"&" symbol while interpreting a line, it jumped to a known location in
memory and left it to the programmer to insert the correct code to add a
machine language extension to the language. With the publication of
important information about the internals of Applesoft in 1980, assembly
language programmers could now add statements to do things that could not
be done with the language as it was originally created. Music, extended
graphics, IF-THEN-ELSE logic, and even the missing "XPLOT" command could be
added to the language. The only limits were the author's imagination (and
available memory).
The importance of Applesoft as an influence to productivity on the
Apple II cannot be overstated. Since the release of the Apple II Plus in
1979, every variety of Apple II has contained Applesoft in virtually an
unchanged form. This has made it possible for anybody to write programs
that ALL other Apple II users will be able to use, since the language does
not have to be purchased or added. If there were thousands of Integer
BASIC programs from the two years when Integer Apple IIs were produced
exclusively, there are hundreds of thousands of Applesoft programs that
appeared over that subsequent thirteen years. Even today, it is not
uncommon for an applications program to include a configuration module
written in Applesoft using the disk commands available with BASIC.SYSTEM in
ProDOS. It is often faster to write such a program in BASIC, and the
author knows without a doubt that his customer will be able to run it.
APPLESOFT 3 (?) In 1979 there were rumors at the West Coast Computer
""""""""""""""" Faire about an enhancement to Applesoft II that was in
the works at Apple. It would possibly be called Applesoft 3, and would be
as much of an enhancement over Applesoft II as that version was to
Applesoft I. Supposedly it was intended to merge DOS and BASIC, and would
include such powerful functions as IF-THEN-ELSE, PRINT USING, WINDOW, and
VIEW PORT. It was predicted to be a RAM version only, and would be about
24K in size. Knowing the events that actually followed, this rumored BASIC
was probably the "Business Basic" released with the Apple III, rather than
an enhancement for the Apple II.<11>
[*][*][*]
NEXT INSTALLMENT: Languages, cont.
""""""""""""""""
NOTES
"""""
<1> Doms, Dennis. "KansasFest 1991", A2-CENTRAL, Sep 1991, p. 7.57.
<2> -----. (ad), PEEKING AT CALL-A.P.P.L.E., VOL 2, 1979, p. 62.
<3> -----. APPLE II BASIC PROGRAMMING MANUAL, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981.
<4> Chien, Philip. "The First Ten Years: A Look Back", THE APPLEII
Review, Fall/Winter 1986, p. 12.
<5> Golding, Val J. "Applesoft From Bottom To Top", CALL-A.P.P.L.E.
IN DEPTH #1, 1981, p. 8.
<6> Bernsten, Jeff. GEnie, A2 ROUNDTABLE, Apr 1991, Category 2, Topic
16.
<7> Arkley, John. (personal telephone call), Sep 9, 1991.
<8> -----. "Apple Patches", PEEKING AT CALL-A.P.P.L.E., VOL 1, 1978,
p. 40.
<9> Weyhrich, Steven. "Applesoft Miscellaneous Information",
APPLESOFT CONCORDANCE V1.0, Dec 1989.
<10> Kamins, Scott. "Appendix D Reserved Words", APPLESOFT BASIC
PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE MANUAL, 1982, 1983.
<11> Aldrich, Darrell. "The Computer Faire And The Apple", PEEKING AT
CALL-A.P.P.L.E., VOL 2, 1979, p. 158.
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