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GEnieLamp IBM - Vol.1, Issue 05
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|| ||| |||| |||||| || |||| Your
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|||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| GEnie Lamp IBM
|| |||||| || || |||||| RoundTable
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|| |||||| |||||||| |||||| RESOURCE!
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~ QUINN'S QUEST ~
~ FOR BEGINNERS ONLY: THE BASICS ~
~ PD_Q REVIEW: WHERE DID THE TIME GO? ~
~ HOT FILES ~ HOT MESSAGES ~ HOT NEWS ~
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////////
GEnie Lamp IBM ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol.1, Issue 5
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Publisher............................................Kent Fillmore
Senior Editor........................................John Peters
Editor (IBM)......................................Peter Bogert
~ GEnieLamp MAC ~ ~ GEnieLamp IBM ~
~ GEnieLamp ST ~ ~ GEnieLamp Elsewhere ~ ~ GEnieLamp A2/A2Pro ~
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE IBM ROUNDTABLE? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ August 1, 1992 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] FOCUS ON ................ [FOC]
A Slight Misunderstanding! SHARED MINDS: Book Review.
ONLINE FUN .............. [FUN] QUINN'S QUEST ........... [QUI]
Search-ME! HOT Downloads For The Asking.
MICE, BYTES AND IBM ..... [MIC] THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [LIB]
IBM And You. SysOp's Choice.
COWTOONS ................ [COW] PD_QUICKVIEW ............ [PDQ]
CD-ROM Qwik_Views. Where Did The Yime Go?
FOR BEGINNERS ONLY ...... [FOR] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
PC/MS-DOS: The Basics. GEnie Lamp Information.
[IDX] """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing
"""""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier.
To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any ASCII word processor
or text editor. In the index you will find the following example:
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM]
[*]GEnie Fun & Games.
To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If
you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take
you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index.
MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed
"""""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you
need immediately following the message. For example:
(SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475)
_____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________
|Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number|
In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page
475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1.
A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this
message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two
or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58}
ABOUT GEnie GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and
""""""""""" weekend access to more than 100 services including
electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment,
single-player games, multi-player chess and bulletin boards on leisure
and professional subjects. With many other services, including the
largest collection of files to download and the best online games, for
only $6 per hour (non-prime-time/2400 baud). To sign up for GEnie
service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH.
Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99368,GENIE and hit RETURN. The system
will then prompt you for your information.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Hey, I can't complain with that kind of service, eh?? It's /
/ called, "Next Day GEnie".. <Grin>.." /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// T.EVANS21 ////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
TOP OF THE PAGE The GEnieLamp Computer War contest is heating up with
""""""""""""""" entries from several computer platforms. Surprisingly,
we have received responses from platforms that GEnieLamp doesn't directly
support (like the Amiga and NeXT computers). Even more surprising is the
fact that we have received _zero_ entries from the IBM and Macintosh crowd
while the Apple II/A2Pro response has been tremendous.
The contest is simple: Tell us why you think your computer is HOT.
Why and how do you use your computer in everyday life? What are its
strengths. What are its weaknesses? What keeps you from switching
platforms?
There are only a couple of weeks left to get in on the contest, so if
you're planning on entering do it now. Just send your entry of 400 words
or less to GEmail address GENIELAMP or upload it to Library #8 in the
GEnieLamp RoundTable on page 515. And don't forget, there is over $200.00
worth of GEnie online credit time which will be given away!
Amigians Ask, Where Is GEnieLamp AMI? I have received several GEmail
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" asking me why we GEnieLamp doesn't
support the Commodore/Amiga line of computers. The reason is simple: You
already have a great newsletter, Viewport. Viewport is edited by Jim Meyer
and published by Livewire editor, Peggy Herrington. And like GEnieLamp,
Viewport is distributed via the main menu and is included in your
GEnie*Basic package. Check it your copy of Viewport out in the *STARSHIP*
RoundTable on page 555.
GEnieLamp Elsewhere Update Our "elsewhere" issue is undergoing a complete
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" make-over. In order to better serve you we
are hiring reporters/writers to cover the Computing RoundTables that are
currently not included in the GEnieLamp magazines. If you would like to
become part of the GEnieLamp team, write to GENIELAMP today.
MINI_HUMOR! This small poem has been floating around GEnie lately. I
""""""""""" reprint it here for those of you who might have missed it.
Spellbound
""""""""""
I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC;
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I've run this poem threw it
I'm sure your pleased too no.
It's letter perfect in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.
- Pennye Harper
[*][*][*]
That's about it for this month. Until next time...
Take care!
John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
>>> TOP OF THE PAGE II <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Peter Bogert
[P.BOGERT1]
WHY GEnie? Perhaps one of the best reasons for logging on to GEnie can be
"""""""""" found in the words of this message:
"GEnie is great for getting help--many extremely generous and
forthcoming power users and experts log on here every night."
(E.GORELICK, CAT4, TOP4, MSG:276)
It is rare that I don't find myself doing some fine-tuning of a
program, rethinking a potential software purchase, or filing some
information away for future consideration when I scan the messages on the
IBM RT.
My recommendation: Just dive in - you'll be glad you did.
Peter Bogert
[P.BOGERT1]
///////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "After four years in that game [Air Warrior] there are /
/ still players that, if I see them coming, all I can do /
/ is run. The others that I can kill are most satisfying; /
/ they come back up a minute later cursing you. Gives me /
/ that warm fuzzy feeling...." /
///////////////////////////////////////// C.TOWNSLEY ////
[EOA]
[HEY]//////////////////////////////
HEY MISTER POSTMAN /
/////////////////////////////////
Is That A Letter For Me?
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Peter Bogert
[P.BOGERT1]
o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS
o IBM ODDS & ENDS
o TIPS AND HINTS
o HOT TOPICS
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Where The Action Is! ~
[*] CAT4, TOP4..........................New Compression reaches 16:1?
[*] CAT6, TOP8..........................Will Zachman splits from Ziff.
[*] CAT11, TOP21........................Your Rights and Your Software.
[*] CAT13, TOP26........................To SCSI or Not to SCSI.
[*] CAT16, TOP24........................Gateway Support Section Opens.
>>> IBM ODDS & ENDS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""
MULTIMEDIA KIT RECOMMENDATION I just purchased the upgrade kit offered
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by MediaVision through Insight Computers.
The NEC CDR-83M is the model number of the CD- ROM reader included in the
package, and it will blow away any other reader that I have seen. FAST is
an understatement. I believe that NEC has a faster unit out now (named
the Intersect or something) but the price point is way up there. The Pro
Audio Spectrum 16 card, which is included in the package you are speaking
of in your message, is the ONLY 16 bit sound card with true CD quality
sound generation on the market now. I understand that Sound Blaster has a
16 bit version on the way, but they will have a hard time topping this
card.
With my package, as with all of them probably, the following software was
included:
MacroMind's Action (Windows & MPC)
Compton's Encyclopedia (Windows & MPC)
Sierra's King's Quest V (MPC)
Microsoft's Windows 3.1 **on floppy**
Nautilus Magazine on CD-ROM (MPC recommended)
With registration of the kit, you will be sent Lotus 1-2-3 for
Windows with smart help on CD-ROM.
My overall opinion is that this is the package to get if you are
serious about multi-media computing. If you are looking to add sounds to
your games and while you are at it add CD-ROM you should consider the
SoundBlaster Pro upgrade kit. My understanding is that the SoundBlaster
Pro will only interface with the Panasonic CD-ROM that is included with it
due to it's proprietary SCSI interface. This is not good since this drive
has a 390ms access time which is above the recommended maximum for MPC
standards of 380ms. This may provide for distorted video and sound from
the CD-ROM in multi-media applications.
(C.SHANKLE, CAT13, TOP18, MSG:146)
DAK REORGANIZES - BUT BUSINESS LOOKS GOOD About 6 weeks ago we filed for
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" a reorganization to make
ourselves stronger and more profitable. We're already back to shipping
over 5,000 orders per day. Lots of new products in the works, particularly
in CD-ROM. The organization really had little affect on our catalog
business. (DAK.IND., CAT16, TOP37, MSG:167)
LOOKING FOR A WINDOWS COMM PROGRAM? Another recommendation for Procomm
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" for Windows. I have yet to see it
drop characters, etc., and the rest of Windows responds very well while I'm
downloading files or having communications in background. I highly
recommend it. You DON'T have to give it gonzo priority and have it dog all
system operations while it's running.
(W.HARRIS4, CAT22, TOP22, MSG:23)
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY Let's go over a couple basics that may clear a
""""""""""""""""""""" couple things up:
There is basically two types of RAM memory PC's use (there is more
types, but they are exotic (like VRAM, Cache ram..etc) for general purpose
memory:
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory (Dynamic because they forget
"""" unless they are refreshed by the CPU (in most cases)
STATIC Does not forget as long as power is supplied.
"""""" In general DRAM is much cheaper per mega-byte than
STATIC, so that's what they mostly use on PCs.
For DRAMS, there is several different types of packages
they can come in, the majors are DIP, SIMM, and SIPP, but
there are others (soic, zip,... we will not worry about
these).
DIP Dual In-line Pin - looks like a traditional computer
""" chip with pins that are on two sides of a plastic chip.
Comes in the common sizes (and only buy boards that will
use common sizes) are 256Kx1, 1Mx1, and 4Mx1. (Don't buy
a product that uses 256Kx4 or 1Mx4 chips as these are
harder to find and more expensive)
SIMM Single Inline Memory Module - Is a little PC board with
"""" 8, 9, or more single DRAM on it. It has no pins sticking
out of it. Must be pushed in to a special socket and
"rocked" in to place
Common sizes for PC's are 256Kx9, 1Mx9, and 4Mx9. The by
8s (1Mx8) don't generally work in PC's they are for Apples
that dont use parity.
SIPP Single Inline Pin Package - Is a little PC board with
"""" 8, 9, or more single DRAM on it. This one has pins that
are pushed into a "single strip socket" on the memory
board or system board.
Common sizes again are 256Kx9, 1Mx9 and 4Mx9.
So you want to add some memory right, do you know that 2 MB is the
maximum memory your system board will support. Many of the more recent
386sx boards support 4 or 8 MB on board, no card needed.. But all of these
use SIMM or SIPP memory arrangements.
If you can add memory to the system board, that is the cheapest and
easiest to do.
However, 2MB is quite often done with DIP, and that is all the memory
the system board will support with out an additional memory card.
Here are the questions you need to answer:
1) Can I add more memory to my system board, if so, what is
the physical type of DRAM you need (DIP, SIMM, or SIPP) ?
What speed of memory do you need ? Both of these
questions can be answered by looking at the memory that
is already in the system. What size memories does it
support. Sometimes, for SIMMs and SIPPs you can remove
the 1Mx9s and replace them with 4Mx9s
2) If not, Does your computer/system board manufacture
offer a dedicated memory card ? These are generally much
faster than plugging in a generic AT memory card. You
will need to make sure that this memory card uses
standard memory (DIP 1Mx1, SIMM ( 1Mx9, or 4Mx9 ), SIPP
(1Mx9 or 4Mx9 ) will qualify as standard memory).
3) Generic AT memory board.. Make sure you know what
physical type of memory it will require (DIP, SIPP,
SIMM).
As a note, there are many cards that use SIMM memories,
that take connect up to 1 PC slot, but they take up the
physical room of two slots, or only allow for a very very
short card to be put next to them. This is only a
problem if you are close to slot bound.
(J.WOLFORD, CAT12, TOP5, MSG:63)
>>> WHAT'S NEW <<<
""""""""""""""""""
NEW FRONT END FOR ALADDIN I DREAM of... the same kind of graphical front
""""""""""""""""""""""""" end I've come to love on AOL right here on
GENIE... Our new windows based front end, similar to Aladdin is about ready
to be passed out to beta testers. If you'd like to give it a try and
receive a FREE registration, E-mail me. I expect to release it to beta
testers the week of July 5th - and a working copy about July 31st (grin).
(J.RIGDON, CAT3, TOP7, MSG:15)
COLORADO MEMORY SYSTEMS AND 0S/2 I pulled the following bulletin off the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Colorado Memory Systems BBS: Due to the
overwhelming interest generated by recent press announcements on OS2, we
are evaluating alternatives for OS/2 support for Jumbo tape backup systems.
We hope to have further resolution and an estimated timetable in a couple
of weeks. Thank you for your interest as well as your patience. Please
leave your name and address in a message to the Sysop requesting OS2
support if needed and she will forward it to the proper departments. It was
reported that we could back up through the DOS Window. Customers have
reported problems with this. Until we can do some more in-house testing,
we do not recommend using our software with the OS2 DOS Window at this
time. I will post further information as it comes.
(J.ELKINS1, CAT6, TOP10, MSG:1)
WINDOWS NT DEVELOPERS KIT The July 6th release is officially called the
""""""""""""""""""""""""" Microsoft Windows NT Preliminary Developers
Release. For $69 (plus sales tax) and $20 shipping you get this release
and all subsequent updates including the final release (all on CD-ROM).
Even if it is preliminary, if you are interested its not a bad price to try
out Windows NT don't you think?
(R.DILL, CAT11, TOP5, MSG:324)
BORLAND C++ FOR WINDOWS NT SAN FRANCISCO--BORLAND International Inc.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" (NASDAQ:BORL) Monday unveiled its 32- bit C++
development system running on MICROSOFT Win32s and MICROSOFT Windows NT.
BORLAND's demonstration of the new 32-bit technology was made at the
MICROSOFT Win32 Professional Developer's Conference in San Francisco.
MICROSOFT Win32s allows 32-bit Windows applications to run under
standard 16- bit MICROSOFT Windows 3.1 and MICROSOFT Windows NT without
recompiling. MICROSOFT Windows NT is MICROSOFT's 32-bit, multitasking
operating system. BORLAND has licensed Win32s from MICROSOFT and is using
its 32-bit compiler technology to generate MICROSOFT Win32s and NT
applications. (RDILL, CAT21, TOP8, MSG:262)
NORTON DESKTOP FOR DOS Norton Desktop for DOS is a combination of Norton
"""""""""""""""""""""" Commander upgrade with Norton AntiVirus, Norton
Backup, Norton Utilities, and more. It is quite sturdy and available in the
New York area for around $100 in the software discount houses. Works well
with Novell Netware V3.11. Just make sure you set STACKS=9,256 in
CONFIG.SYS! (D.ATHANS, CAT21, TOP47, MSG:3)
NEW RELEASE OF TELECOM PROGRAM Announcing {COMMO} Release 5.3. {COMMO}
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" is a full-featured, highly configurable,
telecomm program. It has an easy, powerful macro (script) language, is
multi-tasker aware, quickly links to external protocol drivers like DSZ.
{COMMO} is written in Assembly Language, making it very compact and fast!
New features in this release include Ymodem Batch and Ymodem-G
internal protocols, swapping to disk, more macro control during dialing,
improved screens for the HP 95LX and many other new features and
improvements.
Look for: COMMO53.ZIP Standard version
CMOHP53.ZIP Special version for the HP 95LX
(F.BRUCKER, CAT23, TOP11, MSG:182)
USER'S REPORT ON ZOOM FAXMODEM OK, folks, here's my report on the ZOOM
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" faxmodem. It has all the latest goodies
(v.32, v.32bis, v.42, v.42bis, MNP1-5, FAX, 14400 and higher bps). I
ordered it from PC Connection Saturday morning and got it Monday morning.
The price was $264 including shipping.
The first thing I noticed was difficulty of installation. (I got the
internal version.) The mounting bracket seems to be poorly designed, and I
couldn't get the modem installed without bowing the card. I was a little
worried that bowing the card might cause some damage to it, but, since it
has a 30-day money-back warranty, I stuffed it in anyway.
Despite the poor installation, the card seems to work fine. I have
tested the modem with the internal diagnostic routines (to make sure I
didn't break anything during installation -- it really is quite bowed), and
it passed all the tests. I then tried connecting to GEnie (2400 bps and
MNP) and to the school's network (2400 bps only and 14400 bps, v.32bis,
v.42, and v.42bis). I was able to do Xmodem, ASCII, and Zmodem transfers
as usual with GEnie. With the school's computers, I tried kermit and
Zmodem -- both worked fine. With the fast link to the school computers
(they use Telebit T-3000's), I was able to get Zmodem transfer speeds of
3000 cps. Very nice.
Oh, I also connected briefly with GEnie via a 9600 bps line just to
see if it would connect correctly and default to MNP when v.42 didn't work
(as the GEnie 9600's are capable only of MNP). It worked fine, and I
logged off because the number was long distance.
So, despite installation problems, the modem seems to work fine. I'm
wondering if I should return it though because the card is bowed inside my
machine. Do you folks think that might contribute to a failure down the
line, like a broken connection on the card? How much warping can cards
usually take? I'm very happy with it otherwise. Since it has a 7-year
warranty and works fine right now, I'm thinking of keeping it.
I didn't test any of the FAX features, as I don't have easy access to
a FAX, and I don't really care about the FAX part anyway. I am also
running OS/2, and I don't have any OS/2 programs that support FAX cards. I
suppose I could play around with the DOS FAX software sent with the card.
Maybe I will later.
By the way, this is the first modem I've ever seen that includes a
trial GEnie subscription instead of just a trial CompuServe subscription.
(Actually, it includes CompuServe, GEnie, and Dow Jones -- very complete.
(BROOKE,CAT23, TOP60, MSG:50)
IBM MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION MANAGER/2 AND IBM
""""" MULTIMEDIA PRESENTATION MANAGER TOOLKIT/2 IBM Multimedia
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Presentation Manager/2
provides multimedia extensions to the Operating System/2 (R) 32-bit
environment to enhance the ability of personal computers to run
applications that combine sound and images. The IBM Multimedia Presentation
Manager Toolkit/2 contains C language bindings, sample programs and
documentation to assist the multimedia application developer. Planned
Availability Date: June 30, 1992.
(J.ELKINS1, CAT6, TOP7, MSG:138)
NEW NEWSLETTER FOR GEOWORKS If you have ever been in the GeoWorks RT,
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" you may have seen a newsletter called In the
Works in the library. Well, I need several people to help write monthly
columns/articles for this newsletter. Please Note: There will be no
profit from this endeavor for at least the first year of production!!! If
interested, please send mail to B.LIPSCOMB1
(B.LIPSCOMB1, CAT10, TOP21, MSG:1)
THANKS FROM A SHAREWARE AUTHOR The response to my programs from GEnie
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" users has been very gratifying. I want to
thank you all for your support and provide this topic to make life a bit
easier for those just becoming familiar with the programs.
Although the programs themselves are quite simple to use, setting up
the printer can sometimes be a bit tricky for the first time. And some
printers are just not compatible with the program. Feel free to ask
questions here instead of spending your time on problems that have already
been addressed.
Look for new updates of 2COL and JETCOL on GEnie before the end of
July. You will find that many of your suggestions have been incorporated
into the new update.
I will be checking this topic once or twice a week, usually on
weekends. (A.CAINE, CAT30, TOP8, MSG:1)
>>> TIPS AND HINTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""
TIP FOR NDW 2.0 Stumbled across another little NDW goodie today... if
""""""""""""""" you hold down ALT while double-clicking on a file in a
drive window will bring up a little info box showing attributes, size,
date, path, etc.
(N.TOULME, CAT3, TOP20, MSG:265)
OS/2 AND MEMORY MANAGERS You do not need QEMM if you are running OS/2
"""""""""""""""""""""""" 2.0. OS/2 2.0 has a built-in memory manager
that provides the EMS, XMS, and load-high capability that QEMM provides
under DOS. Since OS/2's memory manager is integral to the operating
system, it doesn't need to be configured and won't cause compatibility
problems. (N.SRIVASTAVA, CAT6, TOP7, MSG:107)
HOW TO MAKE IT AS A SHAREWARE AUTHOR In order to really be successful in
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" shareware, you need a product that
appeals to the masses. Narrow vertical market software is hard to push
through shareware. Actually, I've learned that the more people that get
their hands on your software, the more registrations you'll get. This
includes the great numbers that don't register at all. You have to look at
them as your "PR Firm". These are the folks that like your program but may
be to cheap to pay for it. Heck, they probably have copies of MS Word or
Ventura Publisher that's pirated too. <g> The point is that they will be
passing on copies to others who may register.
(P.MAYER1, CAT11, TOP12, MSG:11)
WHAT'S IN A FORMAT? Low-level prepares the MEDIA itself to be accessed
""""""""""""""""""" by the controller. It divides the disk into tracks
and sectors at the physical level. It also sets up portions of track 0 for
the controller's own use.
High level prepares the disk to be used by the operating system. In
DOS's case, it sets up the boot sector, file allocation table, and
directory (the partition table is set up by FDISK). In addition, it
performs a quick check on every sector to make sure it's OK. I think it
also writes some information to the header of each sector, but I'm not
sure. (A.SANTIAGO3, CAT13, TOP19, MSG:197)
CMOS SETTINGS TO AVOID PROBLEMS A tip, Stephen: when you get your CMOS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" back the way it should be, do a
ShiftPrintScreen of the CMOS configuration page in your BIOS' Setup
utility. That way, if it goes south again, you'll have a "snapshot" to
restore it from. (JWEAVERJR, CAT13, TOP27, MSG:103)
CD-ROM ON NETWORKS There are two ways of networking CD-ROM drives on a
"""""""""""""""""" Novell network. One is to install an NLM (3.11) or
VAP (2.15/2.2) that allows CD- ROMs to reside on the server.
The other is to use a stand-alone CD-ROM server on the network.
CBIS and ONLINE are two names that pop up immediately with such
solutions. Trantor is releasing a standalone CD-ROM server software
package soon that is quite inexpensive... but you still need a computer
dedicated as a server on your network.
In most cases the costs are about the same whichever route you go.
The NLM/VAP solution is pricey, and the standalone system requires an
additional computer. (AUDIO, CAT24, TOP3, MSG:177)
GAMES AND OS/2 I think I know why Bane of the Cosmic Forge won't work
"""""""""""""" under OS/2. Some games use interrupts to generate sound
rather than using a DMA channel. This works fine under DOS but fails in a
multi-tasking operating system like OS/2. OS/2 uses interrupts extensively
to multi-task programs, handle communications, printing and other system
stuff. OS/2 can't service its own interrupts and the games' interrupts
fast enough for the the game to work (Maybe if you had a 100 Mhz 586 it
might work) Games that use a DMA channel to talk to a SoundBlaster card
don't have any problem running under OS/2. So games like Wing Commander,
Sierra Games, most flight simulators, LucasFilm games, etc. work just fine
under OS/2. Even a game like Links, which uses interrupts to produce sound
through the built-in speaker, works just fine with a sound card.
The only other game I've run that uses interrupts to drive a sound
card is Out of This World. If you turn off the sound the game runs fine,
otherwise it is slow as molasses.
Hopefully game companies will soon start designing games so they work
equally well under DOS or OS/2 and stop doing things like using interrupts
to drive a sound card.
(N.SRIVASTAVA, CAT6, TOP5, MSG:6)
WHICH LANGUAGE IS FOR YOU? Rick, what language you use depends upon WHAT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" you're trying to do, what you want to learn,
and personal choice. C++ is rapidly becoming the language of choice for
much of the programming in math and information sciences, because of the
power of Object Oriented Programming, along with portability among
machines. Pascal is a good choice, simply because Borland offers a pretty
good and BLAZING fast compiler for very little money. But IMO it's more
difficult to program the stuff you want to do in Pascal than in C or C++.
Heck, assembly might well be the best choice, since you need to write a
device driver which takes over the keyboard interrupt handling to do what
you want to do. (CAT18, TOP3, MSG:75)
>>> HOT TOPICS <<<
""""""""""""""""""
WHO'S GETTING $$$ FROM OS/2? I just read Infoworld's article on
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Microsoft and IBM renegotiating their
agreement. The interesting thing is that IBM has been paying Microsoft $35
for each copy of OS/2 sold. That's right, boys and girls, $35 of the $49
you paid IBM for the Windows>OS/2 upgrade went to Microsoft. Under the new
deal, that drops to $23. Even at that, Microsoft has to be making more on
OS/2 at the upgrade prices than IBM is. Gates must be laughing all the way
to the bank... (T.MALLERY1, CAT6, TOP8, MSG:5)
IBM AIMS AND FIRES Here comes the big guns from IBM! I counted 30 pages
"""""""""""""""""" of OS/2 advertising in this month's PC magazine. Some
of it thinly disguised as editorial. Probably written by IBM hirelings.
Those prostitute at Ziff will do anything for money. :)
I would like to know what IBM paid Ziff for so many pages. You can be
sure PC Magazine will be falling all over itself praising OS/2 in the
future in the hopes of repeating such a bonanza.
We are now fully engaged in the battle of the 32 bit operating
systems. IBM is out to buy the hearts and minds of 100 million PC users :)
Good luck. Too bad they did not put as much effort into making the product
small and user friendly.
Bill Gates and Microsoft better run and hide :) IBM is throwing
around tons of money at convincing the world OS/2 is the way to go.
I know what Bill can do! Sell several billion dollars worth of stock
in Microsoft and buy several billion dollars worth of IBM stock :). After
that he should be able to get himself elected as chairmen of the IBM board
:) (P.LAMAR, CAT11, TOP5, MSG:323)
WHAT WINDOWS NT WILL DO While reading through this topic to clean it up,
""""""""""""""""""""""" I found the following factoids:
Windows NT: Is single user, supports multiple processes and threads, and
has support for symetric multi-processors. It requires a 32-bit or 64-bit
processor (a i386, i486 or i5??, a MIPS R3000 or R4000, or a DEC Alpha).
It will run Win16, Win32, MS-DOS and OS/2 1.X character-based programs. It
runs the intel binaries on the MIPS platforms by using a software emulator
(presumably this technology is licensed from the publishers of SoftPC,
Insignia).
The internal design of Windows-NT is object-oriented, and Windows-NT
is an object-oriented operating system. (I am not certain what this means,
but I would certainly like to find out! Any volunteers? )
Windows-NT be POSIX 1003.1 compliant. (How about GOSIP???)
Windows-NT requires 8MB of RAM, a VGA card (or better), and 100MB of
disk space.
Windows-NT will be offered in a workstation version and a LAN Manager
version. Both offer some Lan Manager features, with the LAN version
offering all LanMan features (Net Logon, TimeSource, File Replication). NT
also supports WinSock (Windows Sockets supporting TCP/IP).
Support file systems include FAT, HPFS, NTFS (fully recoverable, fault
tolerant ?? details! details! ).
The user interface will be based on the Win 3.1 interface with some as yet
unknown extensions. (HOMCHICK, CAT21, TOP8, MSG:237)
ANOTHER VIEW ON WINDOWS VS. OS/2 The primary strength of Windows 3.x is
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" not the operating system but the
quality of the applications that have been constructed for it (despite the
best efforts of Microsoft to impede application development via the hated
SDK) Excel and Word for windows, as examples, are unmatched in quality and
are a very compelling reason to use windows. If NT specific applications
get released that blow away OS/2 specific applications (and there are
precious few OS/2 apps right now) then Microsoft wins, hands down. Clearly
this has been and will continue to be Microsoft's strategy.
OS/2 cannot be counted out as a contender, however, Clearly, it has
several great things going for it at this point. First, it is compatible
with DOS and Windows 3.0. Second, it is available today, and, third, it is
getting ALOT of attention (ie thousands of messages on the internet).
Comparing OS/2 to Windows 3.1 is absurd, as OS/2 already runs 3.0 apps and
3.1 is only a marginal improvement (probably a move by Microsoft to lessen
the impact of OS/2 2.0's release). Granted, it doesn't offer 100%
compatibility with either DOS or Windows, but the 90% or so it does offer
was enough for me and will probably satisfy most users.
(A.FENTE, CAT21, TOP48, MSG:18)
IN THE SKEPTICAL DEPARTMENT.... Well, I am afraid I am inclined to agree
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" with what has been said here in the
skeptical department. There simply are not that many strings significantly
smaller than an arbitrary string of length n bits to be able to support a
one-on-one mapping of the former's inherent potentialities onto any
assortment--even of variable lengths--of the latter's. The upper bound for
compression, given this fundamental (and evidently inescapable) limitation
must be well under 2. That would appear to preclude in principle a lossless
compression of the magnitude claimed by Wider Electronic Bandwidths for
their product. To achieve such a mapping they would have to preclude from
consideration the overwhelming preponderance of strings of length n bits,
and I don't see how they can anticipate which ones to exclude for an
unspecified binary file of length n bits.
Possibly, to facilitate the elimination, they resort to some sort of
algorithm which anticipates, via the syntax of machine logic, which
individual bytes are more likely to follow which individual bytes in a
typical segment of machine code, and thus to map out all strings which
don't conform to that type of pattern or which even involve transgressions
against permissible syntax. This, however, would not comprise an advance
in mathematics. Wonder what the story is here.
(E.GORELIK, CAT4, TOP4, MSG:268)
GOOD ADVICE Go for the bigger hard disk. You can never have too much
""""""""""" hard disk space. It's the same as having a certain amount
of time for homework or a project: the time required will expand to fill
the time available. For hard disks, you will end up using all the space
eventually. No, you will end up NEEDING all the space eventually.
(BROOKE, CAT16, TOP8, MSG:21)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Category 21, Topic 48
Message 1 Wed Jul 01, 1992
BROOKE at 08:45 EDT
The ref walks to the microphone at the center of the ring.
"Ladiiiiies aaaaand Gennnnntlemen! . . . Aaaand programmers! Welcome to
the operating system fight of the decade!" He points to a corner of the
ring. "In this corner, in the blue trunks, weighing in at 30 MB of hard
disk space and 8 MB of RAM, with a record of one win, one tie, and three
losses, is OS 'Comeback Kid' 2!"
The crowd cheers wildly. OS/2 raises a gloved fist into the air,
smiles, and nods at the crowd.
The ref points to the other corner. "In this corner, in the white
trunks with the black 'M,' weighing in at 50 MB of hard disk space and 12
MB of RAM, with a record of zero wins, zero ties, and zero losses, is
Windows 'Here I Come' NT!"
The crowd again cheers wildly. Windows NT raises one glove into the
air and smiles while the manager hurriedly laces the other.
The ref motions for both operating systems to come to the center of
the ring. Over the yelling of the crowd, those in the front seats can just
make out what the ref is saying. "Now, I want this to be a clean fight.
There will be no hitting below the belt, no gouging, no biting, no kicking,
and no cannibalism. And when I say 'no,' I mean that actually there can be
a little bit, but it must be done by your respective marketing
organizations. Do you understand?" He peers at the two operating systems.
The two operating systems glare at each other for a moment, then nod
and move off to their corners. The ref moves from the center of the ring.
DING!
[*][*][*]
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 PC, the GEnie Lamp staff strongly
urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally
thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the
world.
////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Now, this may sound like a dozen movies, books, and /
/ software you have seen before, but the climax which /
/ will be aired when the show is cancelled will be the /
/ topper -- It will be revealed that /
/ &4D*=. @^$#h *&#$%HJWH#$ /
/ NO CARRIER /
////////////////////////////////////// R.MARTIN22 ////
[EOA]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
A Slight Misunderstanding
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Ctsey. Of Terry Quinn
[TQUINN]
>>> THE OYSTER <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
The sign upon the cafe wall said, "Oysters: 50 cents"
"How quaint," the blue eyed sweetheart said, with some
bewilderment.
"I didn't know they served such fare out here upon the plain."
"Oh, sure," her cowboy date replied. "We're really quite urbane."
"I guess they're Chesapeake, or Blue Point, don't you think?"
"No m'am, they're mostly Hereferd cross, and usually they're pink.
But I've been cold, so cold myself, that what you say could be
true.
And if a man looked close enough, their points could sure be
blue!"
She said, "I gather them myself out on the bay alone.
I pluck them from the murkey depths and smash them with a stone."
The cowboy winced, imagining a calf with her underneath.
"Me, I use a pocket knife and yank 'em with my teeth."
"Oh my," she said. "You Animal! How crude and unrefined!
Your masculine assertiveness sends shivers up my spine!
But I prefer a butcher knife too dull to really cut;
I wedge it on either side and crack it like a nut.
"I pry them out. If they resist, sometimes I use the pliers.
Or even Grandpa's pruning shears, if that's what it requires!"
The hair stood on the cowboys neck; his stomach did a whirl-
He'd never heard such grisly talk, especially from a girl!
"I like them fresh," the sweetheart said, and laid her menu down.
Then ordered oysters for them both when the waiter came around.
The cowboy smiled gamely, though her words stuck in his craw.
But he finally fainted dead away when she said, "I'll have mine
raw."
[*][*][*]
I just had to put this here - after all the talk about
"unmentionables" - I have to confess, that it took me a few minutes to
realize the kind of "oysters" that were on the menu!
(COOKIE.LADY, CAT2, TOP14, MSG:293/M1150)
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "I truly don't understand the apparent fascination with tower /
/ cases. I mean, be artistic - use an old breadbox, peach /
/ crate, or old wood-case radio, grandfather clock, any- /
/ thing. <g> Heck, build it all into an old briefcase or /
/ portmanteau, voila - a portable!" /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// M.JONES52 ////
[EOA]
[FOC]//////////////////////////////
FOCUS ON... /
/////////////////////////////////
SHARED MINDS Book Review
""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Phil Shapiro
[P.SHAPIRO2]
>>> SHARED MINDS: THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES OF COLLABORATION <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Schrage
Random House, NY, 227 pages, $19.95
ISBN 0-394-56587-8
Each one of us is born into the world with different talents and
skills. Most of us spend a lifetime trying to hone and develop these native
born talents to maximize both our own potential and our contribution to the
greater social good.
But rarely can anybody these days maximize his or her talents working
cloistered and alone. In this world of increasing specialization and
complexity, rare indeed is the individual who achieves great success
working independently on his or her own.
Long ignored and overlooked, the wonders of collaborative creativity
are just beginning to be understood and appreciated. In an important and
revealing new book, Shared Minds: The New Technologies of Collaboration,
syndicated columnist Michael Schrage examines both the nature of the
collaborative process and methods of "fanning the collaborative flame."
With frequent reference to legendary creative collaborative teams of the
past (Orville and Wilbur Wright, Watson and Crick, Jobs and Wozniak, Lennon
and McArtney), Schrage articulates truths that well deserve to be lifted to
the forefront of our consciousness.
How This Book Came to be Written Initially Shared Minds was to be a book
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" about the social dynamics of business
meetings, and how new technologies can help streamline these dynamics. But
the author soon realized that the most interesting group work doesn't occur
in large business meetings, but in small, energetic teams. So instead of
writing a book about business meetings, he decided to closely examine the
nature of creative "small group" collaborations. After interviewing many
famous scientific and artistic "collaborative teams," Schrage spent a year
as a visiting scholar at MIT's Media Lab synthesizing the ideas in this
book.
The Personal Attributes of
Successful Collaborative Teams One of the probing questions
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" examined in this book is: "What
personal attributes contribute to successful collaborative joint ventures?"
How is it that the family team of Orville and Wilbur Wright worked so well
together, when other sibling pairs find it a struggle to order pizza
together? And what role did Orville and Wilbur's parents play in fostering
their creativity and perseverance. (Apparently Orville and Wilbur's mother
played a decisive role in showing her sons the methodology of creative
invention.)
Along the same lines of thought, what personal qualities allowed
Watson and Crick to work together to formulate their landmark
three-dimensional model of DNA? True, they had differing and complementary
scientific backgrounds. But more than that, they both had a hunger to
understand the physical structure of DNA. That intellectual hunger united
them in a focused scientific quest.
Speaking on the subject of collaboration, Crick, in his memoirs, sheds
light on the nature of his successful teaming with Watson: "Our...advantage
was that we had evolved an unstated but fruitful methods of
collaboration....If either of us suggested a new idea, the other, while
taking it seriously, would attempt to demolish it in a candid but
nonhostile manner." Good collaborative teams, therefore, have a tacit
understanding that individual ego must necessarily be subsumed to the
larger team goal.
Examples of How a "Sharing
Ideology" Can Develop Another subject examined in the book is the
""""""""""""""""""""" similar "sharing ideology" used by great
artists and great scientists. There comes a time when human beings rise
above the possessive attitude of "that's an idea I thought of first" to the
grander attitude of "that's an idea I had a part in creating."
One moving anecdote about collaborative artists occurred when Picasso
and his close associates stopped signing their paintings for a brief period
in their lives. These artists worked so closely together in producing new
art that they genuinely believed that signing any of their paintings would
be a misrepresentation of "authorship." In this case, keeping track of who
produced which paintings became subservient to the group goal of producing
excellent group paintings.
Thoughts About "Idea Development" At another point in the book Schrage
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" examines the concept of "idea
development." How is it that ideas get developed from nascent whims to
full-fledged notions? Quoting a modern expert on the subject, John Cleese
(the gifted comic writer of Monty Python fame): "The really good idea is
always traceable back quite a long way, often to a not very good idea which
sparked off another idea that was only slightly better, which somebody else
misunderstood in such a way that they then said something which was really
rather interesting.... [That's] actually why I have always worked with a
writing partner, because I'm convinced that I get to better ideas than I'd
ever do on my own."
One perceptive observation in Shared Minds is that some of the best
collaborative work occurs in informal, playful settings. The proverbial
doodle, hastily sketched on a cafeteria napkin, serves as a forceful
reminder of how creativity can best be unleashed in informal settings.
Likewise, brainstorming sessions in a formal conference room seldom yield
memorable creative results.
All in all, Shared Minds is an important, thought-provoking book. If
you've ever spent time thinking about the wonders of collaborative
creativity, you ought to find a rich vein of ideas to mine in this book.
The very act of reading the book ought to stimulate those areas of the
brain responsible for the "open-minded" reception of new and interesting
ideas.
Want To Know More? If you're interested in reading further about the
"""""""""""""""""" subjects of creativity and collaboration, you might
be interest in some of the recommended readings at the end of Shared Minds.
Here is a list of some of the juicier sounding titles.]
Bijker, Wiebe E., Hughes, Thomas P., and Trevor Pinch, eds.
The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New
Directions in the Sociology of and History of Technology.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987.
Boettinger, Henry. Moving Mountains: The Art and Craft of Letting
Others See Things Your Way. New York: Macmillan, 1969.
Briggs, John. Fire in the Crucible: The Self-Creation of
Creativity and Genius. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990.
Crouch, Tom. The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville
Wright, New York: W.W. Norton, 1989.
Eisenstein, Elizabeth L., The Printing Press as an Agent of
Change, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Gardner, Howard. The Mind's New Science: A History of the
Cognitive Revolution. New York: Basic Books, 1985.
Heim, Michael. Electric Language: A Philosophical Study of
Word Processing. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987.
Koestler, Arthur. The Act of Creation. New York, Macmillan, 1964.
Levine, Howard, and Howard Rheingold, The Cognitive Connection:
Thought and Language in Mind and Machine. New York, Prentice-Hall,
1987.
McLuhan, Marshall. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic
Man. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962.
Nelson, Theodor, Computer Lib/Dream Machines.
Self-published, 1974.
Stent, Gunther. Scientific Genius and Creativity, San Francisco, W.H.
Freeman, 1975.
Turkle, Sherry. The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1984.
Winograd, Terry and Fernando Flores. Understanding Computers and
Cognition. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1986.
Zuboff, Shoshana. In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work
and Power. New York: Basic Books, 1988.
[*][*][*]
Phil Shapiro (Shapiro is the founder of Balloons Software, a
"""""""""""" new Apple II educational software company. He can
be reached at Balloons Software, 5201 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW,
Washington, DC 20015-1747, or via electronic mail on GEnie at:
P.Shapiro1, on America Online at: pshapiro)
/////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "I always assumed it meant "read the font-editor manual". /
/ What do I know. <g>" /
///////////////////////////////////////// CHERRY.FONTS ////
[EOA]#65
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
ONLINE FUN /
/////////////////////////////////
Search-ME!
""""""""""
By John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
SEARCH-ME! Welcome to Search-ME, our new monthly puzzle program. Each
"""""""""" month we will have a different theme. This month the
Search-ME! puzzle contains 20 keywords taken from the Computing
RoundTables here on GEnie.
This month's keywords:
*********************************************
* A2 AMIGA ATARI8 *
* CESOFTWARE COMMODORE GENIELAMP *
* GEOWORKS IBMPC IBMPROD *
* LAPTOPS MAC MACPRO *
* MAINFRAME PCALADDIN PORTFOLIO *
* ST STALADDIN TANDY *
* TI UNIX WP *
*********************************************
N C X K G O P Z S N W M B J D W A K P H S C V
O H O U T J Y V B S M L C A E Z A B A Y V S T
Y B N K I P B Y A I N A U A E D C A M X J T V
F D O R P M B I A R Q T I Q Z U X H A R 2 I E
S B N B E Q S P O T P A L N C U J I P A G M Z
W Z B A Q O I L O F T R O P F P P N E X R D R
A S L V T S X U W U K Z O X Z R M L Z P Z S S
P A A S U A G I M A T I P X D S A B J Z S K C
X Z T C U Z H M N I D D A L A C P M I D R E Z
Q C B A K I U E V H H F W L O J Y C E O S I Z
H O O U R P P M R B N S I M F F Y K W O E Q T
D M X G L I L M C C X D A G N M T O F J A F I
D M O I K X 8 T A I A C D H B V E T J F F L Y
X O P N U B D V N L P X T H A G W E R W B F Y
H D F J E T V U S R E D V P K A Z T B H T O Y
Z O Z B F C Q G O E R I Z I R Q N R B R J W G
L R L C W C O P D G S Z N E P H A M J F A S N
A E B H W U I N J K D D R E S Q N G Q U G H P
S T A L A D D I N W P A S F G Y V Y P X Y B J
Z C U L B Q F J Z M P F A D P Z P P S Y S O C
GIVE UP? You will find the answers in the LOG OFF column at the end of
"""""""" the magazine.
If you have an idea of a theme for Search-ME!, send your list of
keywords to GENIELAMP. Lists selected that are used in this column will
get you one hour of GEnie credit. Cool!
This column was created with a program called SEARCH ME, an ST
program by David Becker.
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "One of our customers couldn't get the power light to come /
/ on. The machine was unplugged. ;-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////// D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
[EOA]!!@
[QUI]//////////////////////////////
QUINN'S QUEST /
/////////////////////////////////
Hot Downloads For The Asking
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Mark Quinn
[M.QUINN3]
>>> HOT FILES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Eclectic thoughts on some of the best downloads of the month
in the IBM RoundTable Library!
File#: 29,252 File#: 23,920
FName: FTS.ZIP FName: PS44E.ZIP
Bytes: 13,440 Bytes: 81,440
This month, I thought I'd feature a comparison of two text search
utilities, as well as my usual look at some of the most notable downloads.
With 100M-plus hard drives becoming more and more common, so are the
plaintive pleas of users who want to find just how many files -- if any --
contain a certain string. "Where is that letter with Uncle Earnie's phone
number in it? I can remember part of it . . ."
If you're the kind of person whose ASCII trail leads years into the
past, and one of the reasons you own a computer is to help simplify the
task of sorting through all that stuff -- stuff that would otherwise be
cluttering up boxes/bureaus, if you make notes on the back of your hand, if
you were one of those nice kids walking to school with books brimming with
papers that begged for bullies to send them spinning/floating out of reach,
then PS44E.ZIP (and possibly even FTS.ZIP) may be for you. If you've got a
photo-graphic memory (I've got a PHONOgraphic one, myself: lots of
scratches and skips) and can painfully recite every utterance by the robot
in _Lost In Space_ ("I don't care about your sacroiliac. And quit fogging
up my sensors!"), then you have my deepest respect. In either case, read
on.
FTS stands for (I won't say, "is an acronym for", since I'm from
Acronym, OH. Don't mind me. BGIH (By George, It's Hump-Day) in Acronym.
Which makes me wonder why, when I go about apologizing for the first joke,
I make another.) "Fast Text Search", and it does seem to do its job faster
than the much-older-but-more-functional PS44E.ZIP, but FTS may be a bit
confusing for some to use. It was for me, because I could never seem to
'get it' ('get ME to get it', perhaps?) to read the ENTIRE drive and not
just a single directory. I DID get it to read certain subdirectories, but
could never repeat the process I went through to do that. FTS is invoked
by a command such as FTS c:\*.* "(216) 555-12", which will search all files
in the root directory for the string in quotes. Strings containing spaces
must be enclosed in quotes. You can also search for more than one string
with the program, and send the results to an output file. If the string
you're searching for is relatively complex, you can specify a text file as
FTS's search string. FTS will also perform case-sensitive\non-case-
sensitive searches, and has a couple of other modes, both of which
abbreviate the verbosity of its reports.
PSEARCH (PS44E.ZIP) ver. 4.4E would be the file that I'd give my "dip
switch up" recommendation to, though it is about a year older than FTS.
Like the latter, it may be a bit confusing to get some of the file search
parameters set, though PS is more forgiving. Its operation (it can be run
from either its menus or a command prompt) is also easier to understand.
Hmm. (Toodle-dee-doo: "Scrolling, scrolling, right down the ASCII
drain . . .") Ahh, I've got it now. From the documentation:
"PSEARCH goes farther than searching for data. Once files
are found, you can automatically invoke other DOS programs
and utilities to process them. PSEARCH becomes a powerful
driver for other programs."
(Below are some features of PSEARCH, also from the docs.)
o List all files on a hard disk that match a wildcard
specification
o Show the names of any files containing specified text
o Show text lines of any file containing a specified string
o Look for word "Mrs" in any
file and preserve case in search
o Find 123 files containing the word "BUDGET" and print their
names
o Compile all C programs that refer to the "RECDESC.H" include
file
o Find a word processing document containing the name "Wiffle"
o Delete any *.DOC files containing "To: Mr. Johnson"
o Locate all readonly files existing on a disk
o List all files updated today
o Build a DOS command to archive manually selected files from one
or more directories
o Search multiple drives attached to the system for text or a file
name
o Search for a file name even if it has been archived into .ZIP,
.ARC or .LZH formats
o Limit text search to WORDS, PREFIXES, or SUFFIXES. This greatly
enhances the search by returning only the data you want
o Ability to exclude files from the search process to greatly
improve search performance
Perhaps comparing these two programs in this manner is a _little_
unfair, because of their different approaches to the same problem. Then
again, we must draw a line in the sand somewhere. I believe I've
pretty much offered a list of each program's features and allowed you
to decide for yourself which one is worth the download time/expense.
PSEARCH delivers all of the above features and more in a mostly
user-friendly manner. If it's not enough to whet your appetite, on
to this month's reviews. (FTS was uploaded during the past
month and prompted me to do a little extra research and write the above
comparison.)
[*][*][*]
File#: 29,202
FName: ODY150SH.ZIP
Bytes: 240,128
"Submitted for your approval: a man sits down with _every intention_
of providing a clear-headed review of a _terminal program_ (Odyssey), a
program that shares part of its name with that of a _certain_
science-fiction movie. How he got there, and more importantly, why we are
seeing him in black-and-white . . ."
I liked this newest version of Odyssey. For the life of me, I can't
remember whether I've unZIPed this sucker before, not that Odyssey looked
familiar beyond the "DOS look" that many programs seem to have. Odyssey
doesn't share command conventions with Qmodem/Telix/PROCOMM PLUS (like
"ALT-D" to get the dialing directory). However, I don't think daring to be
different was/is a bad move on the programmer's part.
I pretty much putzed around Odyssey without the manual, and found that
it was user friendly enough that I could explore most of its features
without promoting a running crack in my skull. When Odyssey is
successfully installed, the user is given the option of running a script
which will dial the programmer's "home board" (Odyssey is offered both in
this country and the United Kingdom) and leave the sysop a message with the
requisite registration information. A neat trick, one which will
undoubtedly make him a few dollars extra. The program almost looks like it
could be run with a mouse, though I found no mention of it in the "set-up"
section of the manual. If one were to assume from that last sentence that
there are menus at the top of the screen, one would be correct.
One of the main features of Odyssey is its software MNP error
correction, which I was unable, for various niggling reasons, to test. I
was quite sorry I was unable to do this, as its MNP feature just might sway
some people enough that they'd buy Odyssey over Qmodem or PROCOMM PLUS.
Another feature was the script language. The docs state that it was
written with people who have experience with Modula-2 or C in mind.
Recording a keyboard script was so much of a snap that I never had to dig
through the manual to do it, not that I didn't get a few error messages
that bravely attempted to hit me over the head with the solution. What can
I say? I uploaded (all protocols are available from a single menu), I
downloaded (ditto), I ran the program through most of its paces, including
having a friend use the host mode, which worked very well, I got a feel for
the program, and I am happy to report that it was a good feel(ing). Not
quite good enough to cause me to drop Qmodem for this baby, though, and
that's the league that this (shareware) program is in, due to its boffo
features and $70+ registration fee.
Still, your mileage may vary, user wish lists being what they are.
[*][*][*]
File#: 29,267
FName: VPIC50.ZIP
Bytes: 135,296
I've used VPIC to look at more GIF files than I care to remember.
I've been using it in one form or another for about two years with a
Paradise, an STB, and a Boca card. It has performed very well with just
about every GIF/PCX (I'll list most of the file formats it will view below)
I threw at it. If you're a casual GIF junkie like I am and don't want to
use the program for any conversions or other such stuff, just set the
resolution mode to Auto, mark all the files, and sit back and watch a
slideshow of your latest GIF downloads. Besides working well on that
level, VPIC has more features than you could shake a mouse pointer at.
o Mouse support
o Choose or lock resolution, or select auto resolution mode
o Mark/unmark files for viewing with SPACEBAR or mouse button
o Help available via F1
o Handles up to 500 files with mouse or keyboard
o Gives 4-column menu of files which VPIC recognizes
o Views GIF, Dr. Halo, Deluxe Paint, MAC, PIC, PCX, TARGA, BIF,
BMP, MORE!
o A mess of command line options (far too many to list here)
o ALT-X command deletes poor unwanted GIFs
o Includes program that tries to determine chipset
o Run slideshows from batch files
o And lots, lots more!
(Below, from the docs):
SUPERVGA BOARDS SUPPORTED Presently, VPIC has SuperVGA support for the
""""""""""""""""""""""""" following SuperVGA chips:
o Ahead (A & B chip)
o ATI New and old boards
o Chips & Technology
o Everex
o Genoa
o Headland - Newer Video 7 cards
o Oak
o Paradise - Older Paradise cards
o S3 GUI Accelerator - Doesn't use VESA info since not all modes
supported
o Trident (8800BS/CS and 8900)
o Tseng(ET-3000 and ET-4000)
o Video 7 - Older Video 7 cards
o Western Digital - Recent Paradise cards
o Zymos
With its time-tested features, VPIC remains my favorite viewing
program.
////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Ugh, maybe this will be the "scare" that brings him /
/ to the 'Church of the HD Backups'!" /
/ ~ /
/ "Funny you should put it just that way. Last time /
/ we spoke, he said he would start making backups /
/ 'religiously.' <g>" /
////////////////////////// J.GNIEWKOWSK/R.GLOVER3 ////
[EOA]!!@
[MIC]//////////////////////////////
MICE, BYTES AND IBM /
/////////////////////////////////
IBM & You
"""""""""
By Richard Brown
[R.BROWN30]
>>> INKJET VERSUS BUBBLEJET <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ A New Twist ~
The HP DeskJet 500C vs. the Canon Bubblejet battle just took a
personal turn towards a change of heart:
I've often lauded the Bubblejet (I own Canon's portable BJ130e) for
its fine print quality, superior to the HP (I own the 500C) in most
respects (for black ink printing).
But, this evening, in printing a text file on the 500C, the black
cartridge gave out. So my mood changed:
People: if you need to print BLACK, seriously consider the Bubblejet!
The cartridge prices are nearly on par, but the Bubblejet, by way of
comparison to the Deskjet, prints _FOREVER_.
I seem to have barely used the black cartridge on the HP500C prior to
its failure, and will soon make some page for page comparisons. My first
guess would be that the Bubblejet cartridge gets something like 10-20
_times_ the throughput of the Deskjet cartridge. It might be a _lot_ higher
than that! I seem to recall judging cartridge replacement on the Bubblejet
against REAMS of paper.
Luckily, I use two laser printers for 99% of my printing. I get the
feeling that making full time demand of the DeskJet 500C would require a
cartridge replacement every other day.
I bought the BJ130e on an extended trip to California on business and
printed to it _ALL_ the time (every day, 7 days a week), relying on it as
my _only_ printer for four long months. I went through two (2) cartridges,
but did not install a third until AFTER returning to the east coast.
By the standard revealed tonight, I should think the DJ500C would have
required at LEAST 30-40 cartridges in that time. (50-60?)
Most annoying: the HP goes bad s-l-o-w-l-y, with several bad pages of
illegible type appearing prior to total failure. The Bubblejet cartridge
goes bad (as in completely bad, from perfect printing to no printing at
all) in the space of maybe 10-15 characters (less than one line of text).
System for system, it seems Canon has the definitive edge in
cartridge life _and_ in print quality. It's very odd that a machine smaller
than a ring notebook (and lighter than most books the same size) will
hands-down outperform a behemoth like the HP 500C.
Interestingly, upon purchasing the replacement cartridge, I learned
that the basic black cartridge is purported to have a 400 sheet life! The
(out of stock, of course) _larger_ cartridge HP makes supposedly lasts for
more than 1,000 sheets!
This is simply not the case. I have used the Bubblejet and the
Deskjet under virtually _identical_ conditions, with virtually _identical_
print loads. This includes text as well as graphic output (especially DTP
assignments).
HP's do not remotely approach such lofty claims...
In owning both machines for some time now, with the exception of the
lack of availability of the Canon _color_ Bubblejets (soon to be
everywhere), I would only recommend the 500C for those needing color, but
without a functional driver for PageStream (ST version), only those lucky
enough to afford the very high-powered Calamus SL will put the color
capabilities of the machine to full use (or at least that's what I've heard
in the PostScript land of PageStream, PageMaker, Quark, and Ventura - we
need more Calamus SL users in Florida! [can't wait for Calamus' PostScript
compatibility to come on-line]).
With the small size of the color cartridge, I also dread the
obviously all-too- soon need for its replacement. (The color Bubblejets use
FOUR _large_ ink cartridges for color printing, _each_ with far greater
capacity than the black plus color cartridges _combined_ on the HP.)
To combat the obvious lack of forethought on HP's part relative to
ink supply, I have seen "refilling kits" here and there - a sad statement
for a product which does not pass muster in the real world.
I have yet to print a page on the HP that would fool anybody into
believing it's a LASER printer, but have printed many a page on the Canon
BJ130e that makes owners of 3000 dpi imagesetters take a second look (one
actually took a loupe to the page just to look for evidence of capillary
effect). Inexperienced DTP users can easily be fooled into believing a
PageStream printout through the BJ130e is that of a laser printer.
Professional writers don't print "a few pages only on occasion", and
I doubt most business users would find a consistent ink run-out appealing.
To this end, I would rate the Bubblejet as "serious" and the DeskJet (2.5
times more expensive than the Bubblejet) as a "light-duty, occasional use"
printer, or perhaps just "not ready for prime time."
In my camp, admissions of HP's superiority are now limited to its
printing of TIFF gray scales, which I still find to be better than the
portable Bubblejet (haven't tested Canon's desk models), and secondly, the
HP surely benefits from SDS and Scott Sanders' support with the Deskjet
utilities, a must-have program for any DeskJet owner.
Of course, for printing of 3-part NCR forms, nothin' beats the good
ol' Toshiba P321 dot matrix! (That goes for any 24 pin dot matrix.)
Now, if only it were possible to persuade SDS into making just one
more utilities package... the Bubblejet is unfortunately incomplete without
Mr. Sanders' inspired programming.
Best of luck with _your_ printer choice....
>>> SCOT SANDERS RESPONDS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I appreciate your candor in your comparison. I have never used a
Canon BJ-10 but I do intend to purchase one (don't worry DJ owners I'm not
abandoning you, I already own four printers and I expect to own seven by
June, the reason is for development). I do wish, however, to state in
contrast that I have never been less than pleased with the Deskjet's
output. As a developer I find myself printing slews of text files. Today I
printed out some new stuff that took an entire ream of paper. My print
cartridges last me about a month each but that's also about four-five reams
of paper worth. I suspect your difficulty might be caused by one of two
factors:
1. The technology of the 500C has changed. I still have a
500. HP has been unable to get me a 'C' on loan because
they're always out of them...they have offered to upgrade
mine but I can't give it up while I'm developing for it.
The 500C may have somehow caused higher ink demands.
2. The cartridge(s) you bought sat on the shelf too long.
Case in point: I recently bought a cartridge from a
local Egghead computer store. It went bad after about two
days of use. When I took it back I noticed the store had
about 100 carts sitting there so I asked how many they
sold in a month. He replied, 'about 10'. This is
unacceptable since ink dries over time no matter how well
you protect it. Now I buy only direct from HP or from my
local dealer who only keeps a few in stock at a time.
Considering that some stores may use warehouses in
addition, you could just have been out of luck.
As far as a short-life/long-life cartridge I've never really hear of
two types. HP recently came out with a non-water-soluble version which was
also supposed to last longer if that's what you meant. The only version of
this cart that had that bad of statistics (400 pages per cart) was back
with the original Deskjet.
Anyway, I've not going to force the point...you may have a valid
claim. I'll have to try out a Bubblejet someday to see. Your mention of the
bubblejet does cause me to make a semi-announcement here that may please
you.
Our Printer Utilities Pak project is getting out of hand. We have
added so many utilities and each utility is getting so independently
powerful that we will be reconsidering the contents of the distribution
disk. We are considering making the Envelope Printer a separate commercial
product. In addition we are actively working on a stand-alone label creator
called 'Labeleaze'. Labeleaze came about from the request of many of users
to incorporate graphics. Well Labeleaze is going to be the 'label maker to
end all label makers' program.
For those users who have already ordered or plan to order the Printer
Utilities Pak, don't worry, you're getting everything advertised plus
more. In addition, you will be getting coupons good for enormous discounts
on Labeleaze and related products not yet ready to be announced. Don't
count any of this as official, my mind's still not made up, but no matter
what the user is going to end a big winner.
Oh, by the way, my point was (yes there was a point)...the Printer
Utilities Pak and Labeleaze both support all GDOS tray printers (in
otherwords, single sheet feed printers), thus including the Canon BJ10.
Nice, huh? ;)
-Scott @ SDS
Member IAAD
(S.SANDERS2, CAT4, TOP9, MSG:46/M475)
///////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Any friend of yours is a .....welll, hmmm. /
/ Should I wear my bullet proof vest, or just /
/ the standard asbestos suit??" /
///////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE ////
[EOA]
[LIB]//////////////////////////////
THE ONLINE LIBRARY /
/////////////////////////////////
SysOp's Choice
""""""""""""""
BEST OF THE BEST The files in this list are, in the opinion of the seven
"""""""""""""""" IBMPC Sysops, the best files in the IBMPC Roundtable as
of April 06, 1992. Many of these programs are ones which we use every day.
In the case of some of these files, if we didn't have them, we could hardly
function!
Please note that these files are constantly being updated and the
actual name and number may change between the time this list is made and
when you go to look for a particular file. If you can't find a file, try
using the #3 "Search Directory" option, and specify a search string that
contains part of the filename. For example, if you tried to download
PKZ110.EXE, file #17862, and you got a "File is not in this library"
message, you should try to search for PKZ. You might find that there is a
PKZ200.EXE file with some other number that supersedes the old file.
[*][*][*]
GEnie Utilities
"""""""""""""""
2???? LIBFILES.LZH X HOMCHICK 910622 417280 1 1
Desc: IBMPC Software Library directory listing in dbase format
(^^^^ Updated every week. The number changes, but the name is the same.)
23569 LIBM_204.LZH X HOMCHICK 910623 143744 5 1
Desc: Program to search, sort, and list LIBFILES data off-line
Archiving programs
""""""""""""""""""
23568 ARCE40C.EXE X HOMCHICK 910623 10368 4 1
Desc: Small, Fast ARC extractor (ARC files)
17862 PKZ110.EXE X C.BIEDA1 900322 154980 9676 1
Desc: Most popular file archiver! (ZIP files)
24249 LHA213.EXE X K.OKUBO 910802 44416 495 5
Desc: Free Japanese Archiver LHA.exe (LZH files)
23872 ZOO210.EXE X HOMCHICK 910713 55808 288 1
Desc: zoo archiver (ZOO files) new version compresses better
Dos utilities
"""""""""""""
50 ERAQ.COM X HOMCHICK 851029 1260 163 5
Desc: delete program with "y/n ?" question
3498 CED10DA.ARC X DON-WILL 870228 35280 906 5
Desc: Fantastic DOS command-line editor
19391 CMDPST7.LZH X STROM 900729 252000 445 5
Desc: Command Post WIN3 program manager enhancement
21089 EZMENU36.ZIP X R.HARDIN 901231 167580 438 5
Desc: The BEST menu, according to PCMag.
26013 LIST76B.ZIP X H.GANS 911204 96256 152 5
Desc: Ultimate file viewer, navagator, dialer+more
25662 4DOS4D.ZIP X NJUDELL 911106 247168 64 4
Desc: documentation for 4dos4.0
25661 4DOS4P.ZIP X NJUDELL 911106 274688 72 4
Desc: Great Command.com replacement. Features galore.
21138 WHERE44B.ZIP X ORION.MICRO 910104 47880 194 5
Desc: Find files on your hard disk!
29221 CLEAN93.ZIP X PROF.MARK 920702 144000 171 5
Desc: McAfee:Cleans infected files on disk
29222 SCAN93.ZIP X PROF.MARK 920702 132096 265 5
Desc: SCAN for viruses from McAfee Associates
27851 VSHLD89B.ZIP X R.A.P. 920326 107136 224 5
Desc: TSR watches for virus infections - McAfee
22885 VCOPY.ZIP X R.FELTON 910502 41216 219 5
Desc: Replacement for COPY; won't copy infected files
28629 CONED28.ZIP X IASHKENES 920516 70784 290 5
Desc: Select autoexec and config configuration at boot
27513 HYDK431.ZIP X J.HOLTZ2 920308 271744 137 5
Desc: HyperDisk cache. Like SmartDrv; faster and with features+
14481 SD62.ARC X MCAPPS 890606 118440 152 5
Desc: Super Directory Utility; will search arc/zip files, too
29038 SHEZ72.ZIP X J.DERR1 920618 192640 177 5
Desc: Menu program for all of the ARC/ZIP & etc programs
22234 PMK32.ZIP X STROM 910320 212940 122 5
Desc: Professional Masterkey, Norton-like tools
Programmers Tools
"""""""""""""""""
24925 QEDIT215.ZIP X A.BASTEN 910916 134784 167 5
Desc: QEdit 2.15 - Best Shareware Editor
5039 RES86.ARC X JAYMAYNARD 870614 52920 367 4
Desc: RESOURCE/86 interactive disassembler
25636 BOSS.INF X MONGELLUZZO 911104 5376 45 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Quick Overview
29310 BOSS2H.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920709 30208 8 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - MSC 7.00 Files
27794 BOSS2G.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920324 31616 5 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - TopSpeed Library
27793 BOSS2F.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920324 32896 5 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Zortech Library
27792 BOSS2E.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920324 87424 23 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Borland Libraries
27791 BOSS2D.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920324 33664 5 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Lattice Library
27873 BOSS2C.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920328 75904 5 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Mix Power C Libs
27789 BOSS2B.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920324 31744 2 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - WATCOM Library
27748 BOSS2A.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920323 102400 25 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - MICROSOFT Libs
27747 BOSS03.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920323 76160 39 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Reference Manual
27746 BOSS01.LZH X MONGELLUZZO 920323 165376 43 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Support Files
27745 BOSS.INF X MONGELLUZZO 920323 5376 125 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - QUICK Overview
27744 BOSS.HST X MONGELLUZZO 920323 37632 33 9
Desc: The Window BOSS - Revision History
16359 TOASM30A.ZIP X R.BARTLETT 891125 35280 368 4
Desc: New version of ToAsm disassembler
Communications Programs
"""""""""""""""""""""""
22523 TLX315-1.ZIP X M.SHAW14 910407 157500 484 6
Desc: Telix comm program v3.15 (1 Of 3)
22524 TLX315-2.ZIP X M.SHAW14 910407 128520 463 6
Desc: Telix version 3.15 (2 of 3)
22525 TLX315-3.ZIP X M.SHAW14 910407 66780 434 6
Desc: Telix version 3.15 (3 of 3)
18761 TELEMATE.211 X M.BELL8 900602 13860 367 6
Desc: Information on Telemate 2.11
18762 TM211-1.ZIP X M.BELL8 900602 171360 393 6
Desc: Telemate 2.11 Comm Program (1 of 3)
18763 TM211-2.ZIP X M.BELL8 900602 233100 374 6
Desc: Telemate 2.11 Comm Program (2 of 3)
18764 TM211-3.ZIP X M.BELL8 900602 110880 382 6
Desc: Telemate 2.11 Comm Program (3 of 3)
28457 DSZ.ZIP X CAF 920503 91776 364 6
Desc: X/Y/ZMODEM Transfer PRGM from Zmodem author
28364 GSZ.ZIP X CAF 920427 112512 170 6
Desc: Graphics X/Y/ZMODEM Transfer PRGM from Zmodem author
23239 BOY5NEW.ZIP X MORTIMER 910529 6528 122 6
Desc: Description of new BOYAN 5.0 release
23315 B5INSTAL.ZIP X MORTIMER 910602 6912 71 6
Desc: BOYAN 5.0: Installation disk
23314 BOYAN5A.ZIP X MORTIMER 910602 184320 84 6
Desc: BOYAN 5.0: Program disk
23313 BOYAN5B.ZIP X MORTIMER 910602 136320 78 6
Desc: BOYAN 5.0 - Documentation
Games
"""""
5064 3-DEMON.ARC X D.BURG 870616 35280 1970 7
Desc: 3-D PAC Man. VERY GOOD!!
20296 DANGER30.ZIP X R.CARR7 901021 44100 615 7
Desc: *GREAT* FAST SCROLLING ARCADE GAME!
19756 POPCORN.ZIP X R.VANCE 900903 63000 251 7
Desc: Good Graphic Arkanoid clone from France
23578 NEKO11.ZIP X R.WALKER38 910624 18688 740 7
Desc: Neko for Win3 - Cat chases mouse pointer. Excellent!
26178 WNEKO.ZIP X R.LOVASCIO 911215 15104 347 7
Desc: Full desktop variation of 'Neko'
Graphics
""""""""
26719 CSHOWA.TXT X R.BERRY7 920120 14080 247 14
Desc: CompuShow program description
26718 CSHOWA.ZIP X R.BERRY7 920120 136064 854 14
Desc: Fast IBM graphics display GIF, more
29084 GRFWK61P.ZIP X ERROR.170 920621 357120 262 14
Desc: Graphics Workshop convert between graphic formats
29170 FRAIN172.ZIP X M.DORMAN2 920628 444032 92 14
Desc: Fractal Programs; Fast, Fascinating
Miscellaneous
"""""""""""""
17684 EZFF-10B.LZH X MAEDAE 900309 143640 276 3
Desc: EZ-Forms First - Free, no catches!
23394 EZFX30TD.ZIP X MAEDAE 910608 370176 5 3
Desc: EZ-Forms Exec v3.0 - Ultimate mgr!!
20817 TIMSET60.ZIP X C.BIEDA1 901211 99540 416 6
Desc: Set computer clock to Naval Obsevatory.
21363 LJ22.ZIP X J.DERR1 910116 16380 184 3
Desc: LaserJet print Utility
23270 WAMPDOC.ZIP X T.MALLERY1 910531 113920 33 3
Desc: Documentation to WAMPUM42.ZIP
23268 WAMPUM42.ZIP X T.MALLERY1 910531 229760 38 3
Desc: dBase3 compatible shareware database
22361 PCW304-1.LZH X K.WHITE6 910329 178920 55 3
Desc: PC-WRITE Word Processor DISK 1 OF 3
22363 PCW304-2.LZH X K.WHITE6 910329 258300 53 3
Desc: PC-WRITE Word Processor DISK 2 OF 3
22364 PCW304-3.LZH X K.WHITE6 910329 225540 46 3
Desc: PC-WRITE Word Processor DISK 3 OF 3
24464 ASA40U.ZIP X F.OROURKE 910817 250368 100 3
Desc: AsEasy 123 Compatible Shareware SpreadSheet
///////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "I think you misspelled that, I believe the correct /
/ spelling is "THPPPT" or "THPTHPT" (at least /
/ according to Bloom County)." /
/////////////////////////////////////// T.GIRSCH ////
[EOA]
[COW]//////////////////////////////
CowTOONS! /
/////////////////////////////////
Moooooo Fun!
""""""""""""
By Patrick Hart
[P.HART4]
______
| |
| (__) |
| (OO) |
| \/ |
| |
======
"Cow Caught at Bootup"
_________________________________________________
| ______ |
| | | |
| | (__) | Welcome to MacCOWintosh |
| | (OO) | |
| | \/ | |
| | | |
| ====== |
|_________________________________________________|
_________________________________________________
|_____________About This MacCOWintosh_____________|
| |
| System COWware 1.0.7* |
| MacCOWintosh IIcow (c) Cow Computer, Inc. |
| |
| Total Memory: 307,200K Largest Unused Block: 1K |
|_________________________________________________|
| System Usage: 307,199K |||||||||||||||||||||| | |
|_________________________________________________|
_________________________________________________
| ______ |
| | | The application 'unknown' has |
| | (__) | unexpectedly quit, because an error of |
| | (OO) | type C occurred. ______ |
| | \/ | | | |
| | | | OK | |
| ====== |______| |
|_________________________________________________|
_________________________________________________
| ______ |
| | | Force The Cow to quit? |
| | (__) | System failure will occur. |
| | (OO) | ___________ ________ |
| | \/ | | | | | |
| | | | Force Out | | Cancel |J|
| ====== |___________| |________| |
|_________________________________________________|
_________________________________________________
| ______ |
| | | The application has unexpectedly quit. |
| | (__) | The Cow suggests user error. |
| | (OO) | _________ |
| | \/ | | | |
| | | | Restart | |
| ====== |_________| |
|_________________________________________________|
_________________________________________________
| ______ |
| | | |
| | (__) | There is not enough memory to open |
| | (OO) | TapplicationU (100,000K needed, 1K |
| | \/ | available). |
| | | |
| ====== To make more memory available, try |
| adding more RAM. ______ |
| | | |
| | OK | |
| |______| |
|_________________________________________________|
[*][*][*]
(__) CowTOONS? Patrick took us up on our
(oo) offer and sent us this month's CowTOONS
/---------\/ selection. Thanks, Pat!
/ | x=a(b)||
* ||------|| If you have an idea for a CowTOON!, we
^^ ^^ would like to see it. If we use it here
Mathematical in GEnieLamp, we will credit your account
Cow with 2 hours of GEnie non-prime time!
(developer of
cow-culus)
/////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "ARGGHHH!!!@ You got me Dorothy. I dropped everything and /
/ went running for the dictionary knowing full well I'd /
/ find that you were correct. :-) Hmmm, maybe it's simply /
/ the old Webster's American Vernacular that is at fault. /
/ Where is my trusty Oxford when I need it. :-) /
/ In acknowledgment of your insight and judgment, I will /
/ remember this lesson from this time forth! ;-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD ////
[EOA]
[PDQ]//////////////////////////////
PD_QUICKVIEW /
/////////////////////////////////
TimeTrac: Where Did The Time Go?
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Brad Biondo
[B.BIONDO]
Program Name : TimeTrac
Filename : TT91I.LZH
Library Area : 15
Program Number : 26299
File Size : 192256
Program Type : A Time & Expense Logging System
Author : Compass / New England
Version Reviewed: 91I
File Type : Shareware / $50.00
[*][*][*]
FROM THE AUTHOR TimeTrac is a time and expense logging system.
""""""""""""""" Features include:
o workgroup support
o flexible key structure and reporting options
o ability to track interrupted tasks
o real time (TSR) or manual entry
o export to spreadsheet and database programs and
menu driven rules for computing time used.
TimeTrac is most appropriate for professionals who bill their time and
for corporate staff people whose time is charged to projects. TimeTrac
collects information to be fed into a billing or cost accounting system.
Complete documentation for TimeTrac is embedded in the program; you
may either invoke the program with the manual option ("TimeTrac /m") or
press the F1 (help) key twice while the program is running, and it will
appear.
[*][*][*]
PD_Q RATING * * * *
"""""""""""
DOCUMENTATION EXCELLENT
"""""""""""""
PD_Q COMMENTS Maybe you need to track the time you spend on projects to
""""""""""""" bill your customers. Maybe you need a log of your computer
usage for the IRS to justify the deduction you took last year. Whatever
the reason, if you need an easy way to track time, check out TimeTrac.
The program generates test data for you the first time you run it, so
you can play around before committing your real data. It has an on-screen
52-page manual (which you can also print) with a handy search capability,
and the program even keeps your place when you exit. F1 gives you context-
sensitive help before going to the manual, if necessary. Another F1 and
you're right back where you left off in the manual. I have to admit - it
took me a few minutes to get used to this program. But with the excellent
help features, it didn't take long to get comfortable.
Since TimeTrac uses clock time, neither the program nor the computer
have to be running in order to keep track of time spent on an activity.
This allows memory to be used for large programs and permits the use of
portable computers for field work. If tasks are started or completed while
the program is not running, they may be entered later in manual mode.
One of the nicest philosophies of the program is its customization
capabilities. You get up to 50 characters which you can define as two,
three, or four key fields to break up your time, such as project, task,
codes, whatever you like. You're not locked into an author's pre-defined
concept of time tracking. You can customize many other features, such as
colors, date and time formats, billing computations, report formats (yes,
it prints too). Space doesn't allow listing everything (like TSR support
in 6K), so you'll just have to give it a try.
Registration is $50 for 90-day support, with extended support avail-
able. Site licenses are also available. TimeTrac release 91I is available
from Compass / New England, P.O. Box 117, Portsmouth, NH 03801.
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Good news Dorothy!! I have in front of me Webster's /
/ Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (copyright 1983) and /
/ in it, on page 653, it says "judg-ment OR judge-ment" /
/ so you can go back to making the same mistake with /
/ the rest of us peons. :-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD ////
[EOA]
[FOR]//////////////////////////////
FOR BEGINNERS ONLY /
/////////////////////////////////
PC/MS-DOS: The Basics
"""""""""""""""""""""
By George Campbell
(Computer Services (805) 528-1759
>>> PC/MS-DOS: THE ESSENTIALS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ A Brief Guide for Users ~
INTRODUCTION In order for you to use your computer effectively, there are
"""""""""""" a few basic commands from PC/MS-DOS you need to learn. In
addition, you need to understand your computer's disk drives and the proper
care and handling of floppy disks.
This brief manual, designed for new computer users, will help you get
the most from your computer. It is organized according to the most
frequently used commands. An index at the back of the manual will help you
find the sections you need.
For each command, I have provided an explanation of the command, plus
information on how to use the command in several situations. The examples
should help you perform the operations you will use every day.
There are a few conventions used in this manual which you need to
know:
1. When you see a word surrounded by <>, that means to press the key
marked with that word. For example, if you see this: <Enter>,
press the Enter (<__|) key.
2. In some cases, spaces are important to a command. In those cases,
you will see this: (sp). When following an example, press the
spacebar when you see (sp).
3. Otherwise, type the command as it is written in the example.
DISK DRIVES AND FLOPPY DISKS There a two basic types of disk drives you
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" are likely to encounter:
1. Floppy disk drives.
2. Hard disk drives.
Your computer will have at least one floppy disk drive. It may well
have two. These drives have names. The left or top drive is usually
called Drive A:. The right or lower disk drive (on two-drive systems) is
usually called Drive B:.
Depending on your system, you may also have one or more hard disk
drives. If you have one hard disk, it will probably be named Drive C:
All DOS commands refer to these drive names. In order for a command
to act on a drive, you must specify the correct drive name. For example,
the command Format b: acts on Drive B:. If you supply the wrong drive
name, you may destroy data on a drive.
IMPORTANT: If you give a command without specifying a drive name, the
computer assumes you are referring to the drive name specified at the
system prompt. That prompt looks like this: A> Any command you give while
this prompt is on the screen will act on Drive A:. This can lead to
problems. If you enter the command FORMAT while you are using Drive C:,
you may destroy all the files on Drive C:. Get into the habit of ALWAYS
specifying the drive name when entering a command.
NOTE: All DOS commands must be given while the system prompt (A> or
C>) are on the screen. If you make an error when entering a command, use
the backspace key to delete characters, not the left arrow key on the
number pad.
FLOPPY DISKS Floppy disks are the most common method of storing programs
"""""""""""" and data for your computer. There are three basic types:
1. 5 1/4" double-sided/double-density floppy disks.
2. 5 1/4" double-sided/high-density floppy disks.
3. 3 1/2" floppy disks.
The typical computer uses the first type. It can store 360 Kbytes of
data, or about 150 pages of double-spaced type. Most often, these disks
are marked DS/DD 48tpi.
The second type, used only on IBM PC/AT or compatible computers, can
store 4 times as much data. They are marked DS/HD 96tpi.
The third type of floppy disk is used primarily on portable computers.
It can store 720 Kbytes of data, twice as much as the first type of disk.
If you have an AT-type computer, its disk drives can read data written
on the first type of disk. However, disks written on the High-density
drives cannot be read by other PC-compatible computers.
Many times, AT-type computers use a 360 Kbyte disk drive as drive B:.
If this is the case, record all files to be read on other computers on
drive B:.
INSERTING A FLOPPY DISK Hold the disk with its label up, then insert it
""""""""""""""""""""""" into the disk drive. When it is fully inserted,
close the drive door with the lever, or push the drive button.
Some computers have their drives in a vertical position. When
inserting a disk into this type of drive, the label should face left.
CARE FOR FLOPPY DISKS Floppy disks are a very reliable storage device,
""""""""""""""""""""" but they require some care. Here a some simple
rules:
1. Never touch the disk surface in the exposed windows.
2. Store disks in cool, dry places. Disk storage boxes are ideal.
3. Keep floppy disks away from magnetic fields, such as motors,
telephones, and other electrical devices.
4. Handle disks with care. Avoid bending them.
5. When writing on disk labels, use a felt-tip pen when the labels are
attached to the disk. Avoid excess pen pressure.
6. Keep floppy disks in their protective sleeves whenever they are not
in the disk drive.
7. Store backup copies of important disks away from your work space.
If problems occur, your programs and data will be in another
location, and can be retrieved.
8. Avoid spilling anything on a floppy disk. Keep coffee and other
beverages away from your computer and work areas.
9. Never remove a disk from its drive while the drive light is on.
This can cause you to lose all data on the disk.
10. Avoid subjecting floppy disks to static electricity. Ground
yourself by touching a grounded object if you have been walking on
carpets or if there is static in the air.
HARD DISK DRIVES Hard disk drives, on the other hand, are more permanent.
You do not remove the disk; it remains in the drive at all times.
A typical hard disk drive holds from 10 to 40 megabytes of data. This
allows you to store the equivalent of up to 100 floppy disks or more on a
single hard disk drive.
Hard disk drives are typically named C: or D:. Your computer probably
starts up with from the hard disk drive if no disks are in drive A: or
drive B:
Hard disks pretty much take care of themselves, with one exception.
If your hard disk does not have an automatic head parking feature (see the
owner's manual), you should use the program supplied with the drive to park
the head whenever you turn off your computer. The owner's manual which
came with your drive will provide this information, along with the name of
the parking program.
FILES AND FILENAMES Every program on your computer, and your data, is
""""""""""""""""""" stored in files on your disk drives. There are a
few things you need to know about files.
Each file must have its own, unique filename. You may already be
familiar with the structure of filenames, but here is a rundown.
Each filename is made up of two parts: 1. File Name 2. Extension.
Let's look at a typical file:
COMMAND.COM
/ \
File Name Extension
The File Name may be up to 8 characters long, and may contain letters
and numbers. It is separated from the Extension by a period or decimal
point.
The Extension, which can be up to 3 characters, can also be made up of
both letters and numbers.
Combined, the two parts of the filename can help you identify a
particular file. Choose a filename for each file carefully, to help you
find that file later.
Certain extensions are reserved by DOS for specific types of files.
.COM, .EXE, .BAS, and .BAT are reserved extensions, and should not be used
for ordinary files.
Certain punctuation characters can be used in filenames, while others
cannot. For simplicity's sake, avoid the use of punctuation characters in
your filenames.
DOS COMMANDS Before going on to discuss individual DOS commands, here are
"""""""""""" a few facts about command structure:
There are two basic types of DOS commands:
Internal commands These commands, like COPY, DEL, and TYPE, are stored
""""""""""""""""" in your computer's memory and can be used anytime you
see the system prompt. Many of the most-used commands fall into this
category.
External commands This group of commands are stored on your disk. To use
""""""""""""""""" them, either insert the DOS floppy disk, or change to
the directory on your hard disk which contains DOS external commands. See
the directory section of this manual for more details. Examples of external
commands include FORMAT, DISKCOPY, and CHKDSK.
The section of this manual devoted to each command will tell you
whether the command is internal or external.
Some commands can take several forms. These separate forms are used
by including various parameters with the command. Parameters, which will
be discussed with each command, are indicate by a / mark. Here is an
example of a command with an attached parameter:
DIR/W
All DOS commands must be activated by pressing the <Enter> key after
typing the command.
NOTE: You can type all DOS commands in either upper or lower case
letters.
The rest of this manual will present DOS commands in alphabetical
order. Only the most common commands are included. For information on
other commands, see your DOS manual.
CHDIR CHDIR is an internal command.
""""" If your computer has a hard disk drive, some of the programs and
data on that drive may be stored in sub-directories. If so, they will be
marked as subdirectories. To check this, type DIR at the C> or D> prompt.
Sub-directories will be shown like a filename, but with <DIR> in the place
of an extension.
The CHDIR command allows you to change to any of the sub- directories.
You need to do this to use the programs in any sub-directory.
Example To change to a sub-directory called WP, type the command as
shown below:
CHDIR(sp)\WP<Enter>
The command can be abbreviated to CD: CD(sp)\WP<Enter>
After executing this command, you will be in the WP directory. To go
back to the main directory, type the following command:
CHDIR(sp)..<Enter> or CHDIR\<Enter>
-or-
CD(sp)..<Enter> or CD\<Enter>
Commands given while in a sub-directory act on that directory only.
CHKDSK CHKDSK is an external command.
"""""" The CHKDSK command allows you to check any disk on your computer.
It looks for bad sectors on the disk and also tells you how much memory is
available on your computer.
Use this command from time to time to check important floppy disks and
to check your hard disk drive for problems. If you begin to see bad
sectors on your hard disk drive, and the number of bad sectors starts to
increase, the hard disk drive may be developing problems. Remember: most
hard disk drives have some bad sectors, so watch for increases.
Example: To check the disk in drive A:, use the following command:
CHKDSK(sp)A:<Enter>
To check your hard disk:
CHKDSK(sp)C:<Enter>
You can substitute any drive name.
NOTE: Since this is an external command, you must insert your DOS disk
in drive A: or CHDIR to the directory which contains DOS external commands
on your hard disk.
CLS CLS is an internal command.
""" The CLS command clears your computer's screen and moves the system
prompt to the top of the screen.
Example: To clear the screen, type the following command:
CLS<Enter>
COPY COPY is an internal command.
"""" The principal use of the COPY command is to copy files from one disk
or directory to another. It's use is very simple.
Example: To copy the file LETTER.DOC from drive A: to drive B:,
enter the following command:
COPY(sp)A:LETTER.DOC(sp)B:<Enter>
To copy LETTER.DOC to Drive B: and change its name on drive B: to
LETTER1.DOC, type the following:
COPY(sp)A:LETTER.DOC(sp)B:LETTER1.DOC<Enter>
To copy LETTER.DOC from the WP sub-directory on drive C: to drive B:,
use this format:
COPY(sp)C:\WP\LETTER.DOC(sp)B:<Enter>
Wildcards DOS also allows you to copy more than one file at once. Two
""""""""" symbols, called wildcards, allow you to specify groups of
files. Here are the wildcards:
* indicates any group of characters.
? indicates a single character.
Examples: To copy all the files with the extension .DOC from drive A: to
drive B:, use this command:
COPY(sp)A:*.DOC(sp)B:<Enter>
To copy ALL files from drive A: to drive B:
COPY(sp)A:*.*(sp)B:<Enter>
NOTE: Wildcards will not copy files within subdirectories, unless you
are in that subdirectory or have a path statement including the
subdirectory.
To copy LETTER1.DOC, LETTER2.DOC, etc. from drive A: to drive B:
COPY(sp)A:LETTER?.DOC(sp)B:<Enter>
NOTE: If you are copying to a blank diskette, you must FORMAT the
diskette first.(See the FORMAT command)
The COPY command, along with most other DOS commands can be used with
PATH statements to copy files into subdirectories. See the section on the
PATH command for more information.
DEL or ERASE DEL and ERASE are internal commands.
"""""""""""" These commands are identical, and can be used
interchangeably. The delete files from a disk, so use them carefully.
Examples: To delete LETTER.DOC from drive B:
DEL(sp)B:LETTER.DOC<Enter>
Similarly, to delete LETTER.DOC from the directory WP on drive C:
DEL(sp)C:\WP\LETTER.DOC<Enter>
You can use wildcard characters with DEL and ERASE, in the same way
you did with the COPY command.
Example: To delete all files with the extension .DOC from drive B:
DEL(sp)B:*.DOC<Enter>
To delete ALL files from drive B:
DEL(sp)B:*.*<Enter>
Any time you use the *.* wildcard to delete files, the computer will
ask you:
Are you sure Y/N?
Check what you are doing, then, if you are sure you want to delete all
files from that disk, type Y, then press the Enter key.
As with the COPY command, path information can be added to the drive
specification, if needed.
CAUTION: Use extreme care when using wildcards with the DEL or ERASE
command. Pay special attention to the drive name you have designated. It
is possible to inadvertently delete all files on your hard disk with a
single keystroke. BE CAREFUL!
DIR DIR is an internal command.
""" The DIR command allows you to see a list of the files stored on any
disk. Along with the filenames, it also provides other information about
the files.
Examples: To see a list of files on drive A:
DIR(sp)A:<Enter>
You will see a list of files, along with the size of each file in
bytes, and the date and time that data was last entered in that file. In
addition, the amount of space left on the disk will be displayed.
Sometimes, a disk will have more files than can be displayed on the
screen. Using the DIR command will cause the files to scroll off the top
of the screen faster than you can read them. To avoid this, add the
parameter /P. Here is an example:
DIR(sp)B:/P<Enter>
DOS will fill the screen with file information, then print at the
bottom of the screen:
Press a key to continue:
After you press ANY key, another screenfull of data will be displayed.
This continues until the entire directory has been presented.
There is another option with DIR. To see a list of files on disk A:,
arranged in multiple columns, but without file size and other information:
DIR(sp)A:/W<Enter>
NOTE: Use the DIR command frequently to check on the files on your
disks and to keep track of the amount of disk space available.
DISKCOPY DISKCOPY is an external command.
"""""""" Use DISKCOPY to make exact duplicates of floppy disks. You can
only use this command on floppy disk drives, typically drive A: and drive
B:
To copy a disk on a single drive computer:
DISKCOPY<Enter>
The computer will ask you to:
Place the SOURCE diskette in Drive A: then press Enter.
After pressing the Enter key, the computer will read all the data on
the disk, then ask you to:
Place the TARGET diskette in Drive A: and press Enter:
Remove the original disk, and replace it with a blank disk. After you
press Enter, the data will be copied onto the blank disk.
On a computer with two floppy disk drives:
DISKCOPY(sp)A:(sp)B:<Enter>
You will see the following:
Place SOURCE diskette in Drive A:
Place TARGET diskette in Drive B:
Strike a key when ready:
Place the original disk in drive A: and the blank disk in drive B:.
Press a key, and the computer will make a copy for you.
When the process is complete, you will see:
Make another copy? Y/N?
Enter a Y to start the process again, or N to return to the system
prompt.
Note: If the new disk is not formatted, DISKCOPY will automatically
format it before copying.
CAUTION: Make sure the second disk does not contain data, since the
DISKCOPY command will destroy any data on the disk.
You cannot use the DISKCOPY command with drives other than A: or B:.
FORMAT FORMAT is an external command.
"""""" Before you can write data onto a floppy disk, it must be formatted
to hold the data. DOS has a command which does this automatically.
To format a disk in Drive A:
FORMAT(sp)A:<Enter>
You will see on the screen:
Insert a new diskette for Drive A: Press ENTER when ready.
Place an unformatted disk in Drive A: and press the Enter key. DOS
will format the disk and make it ready to accept data. When the process is
complete, you will see:
Format Complete: Format another? Y/N?
If you want to format more diskettes, press Y, and the process will
repeat. If not, press N and you will return to the system prompt.
CAUTION: Like DISKCOPY, FORMAT destroys all data on the disk. Use
caution when formatting disks.
WARNING!!!! In some versions of DOS, FORMAT can act on Drive C: or
other hard disk drives. If it does, all data on your hard disk will be
destroyed. Because of this, ALWAYS indicate the drive to be formatted.
Check your typing carefully when using this command.
MKDIR MKDIR is an internal command
""""" The MKDIR command allows you to create new sub-directories.
Examples:
To create a new subdirectory, called CHAPTER1 on drive C:
MKDIR(sp)C:\CHAPTER1<Enter>
To create a subdirectory within a subdirectory, for example to create
the subdirectory CHAPTER1 in the directory NOVEL on drive C:
MKDIR(sp)C:\NOVEL\CHAPTER1<Enter>
If you are already in the directory in which you want to place a
subdirectory, you do not need the \ character. For example, If you had
used the CHDIR or CD command to move to the NOVEL subdirectory, create the
CHAPTER1 subdirectory like this:
MKDIR(sp)CHAPTER1<Enter>
Note: You can abbreviate the MKDIR command to MD.
Example: MD(sp)CHAPTER1<Enter>
CAUTION: Be certain you know which directory you are in before using
the simplified form of this command. Otherwise you may create a
subdirectory in an unwanted place. To avoid confusion, use the full
format, including drive name, as in the first and second examples.
PATH PATH is an internal command.
"""" If your computer has a hard disk drive, many of the programs you
use, along with data files, will be stored in subdirectories. Normally,
you have to change directories with the CHDIR (CD) command to get access to
files.
DOS provides another method with the PATH command. This command
allows you to tell DOS where to look for your files. You can instruct the
computer to look in several places for any file you name in another
command, or from a program.
Examples: To tell DOS to look for your wordprocessing programs and
files for the NOVEL subdirectory, as used as an example in other parts of
this manual:
PATH(sp)\WP\NOVEL<Enter>
Using this format, DOS will automatically search the \WP directory and
the \NOVEL subdirectory for files when you give a command from any other
directory.
Now, suppose you have a number of programs you use frequently. They
are in different subdirectories with the following names: \DB \WP \123
\MAIL & \SALES.
In addition, there are further subdirectories, such as \NOVEL in the
\WP directory and \BUSINESS and \PERSONAL in the \MAIL directory.
The following command will allow you access to all the programs listed
above:
PATH(sp)\DB;\WP\NOVEL;\123;\MAIL\BUSINESS\PERSONAL;\SALES<Enter>
Notice that the main directories are separated with semi- colons,
while subdirectories of these directories are specified with the backslash
(\) character.
NOTE: If a path you specify does not exist, DOS will give the
following message:
No Path
If DOS cannot find the file you specify in any of the subdirectories,
this message will appear:
Bad command or filename
In either case, check your path command to make certain it is correct.
If you type PATH<Enter> without any other information, DOS will display
your current path designation.
NOTE: Along with the directory names, you can also include drive names
in a PATH command. Use this feature to make DOS look on your floppy drives
for files.
REN REN is an internal command.
""" Use the REN command to change the name of a file.
Example: To change the file LETTER.DOC to LETTER2.DOC:
REN(sp)LETTER.DOC(sp)LETTER2.DOC<Enter>
RMDIR RMDIR is an internal command.
""""" RMDIR, or its abbreviated form RD, removes a subdirectory from a
disk. Before removing the directory, however, all files in that directory
must be deleted with the DEL or ERASE commands.
Example: To remove the \WP directory from your hard disk:
Enter the following series of commands.
CD(sp)\WP<Enter>
DEL(sp)*.*<Enter>
CD(sp)..<Enter>
RMDIR(sp)\WP<Enter>
CAUTION: Be certain that you really want to delete all the files in
that directory. If there are files you wish to save, COPY them to another
directory, or to a floppy disk before deleting them.
TYPE TYPE is an internal command.
"""" Use the TYPE command to view the contents of a file on your monitor.
This command is useful only on ASCII files, meaning files which contain
only text. This excludes all program files, as well as most files created
by your word processing program.
Example:
To see the file AUTOEXEC.BAT on drive A:
TYPE(sp)A:AUTOEXEC.BAT<Enter>
You can also specify a path for this command. To see the file
LETTER.DOC in the \WP directory on drive C:
TYPE(sp)C:\WP\LETTER.DOC<Enter>
NOTE:This command will scroll the file on the screen, too fast for you
to read. Special utility programs are available which will let you see the
file one screen at a time. Most of these files are Public Domain programs
and are available without charge from Public Domain software suppliers.
ERROR MESSAGES When you make a mistake when entering a command, or if
"""""""""""""" another type of problem occurs, DOS will place an error
message on the screen. The following are the most common messages you will
see. Suggestions for correcting the error are provided following the
message.
Bad command or file name DOS cannot find the file or command you
"""""""""""""""""""""""" entered. Check your typing and the PATH you
have specified for errors.
Disk Drive Error: Abort, Ignore, Retry? DOS has detected an error on a
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" disk drive. Most often, this
message appears when you have forgotten to insert a floppy disk into the
drive, or have failed to close the door. Correct the problem, then press R
for retry. Pressing A returns you to the system prompt.
If this message should appear when you are trying to access your hard
disk drive...STOP. Get help from someone who knows the system well.
File cannot be copied onto itself You have tried to copy a file to the
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" same filename on the same drive.
Check your command.
File not found DOS can't find the file you specified. Check your typing
"""""""""""""" and make sure you have given the correct path.
Format failure An error has occurred when using the FORMAT command. DOS
"""""""""""""" will provide an explanation with this error message.
Take the appropriate corrective measures.
Insufficient disk space The disk you are working with does not have
""""""""""""""""""""""" enough space to hold the data. Replace with a
new, formatted disk and repeat the operation.
Insufficient memory Your computer does not have enough memory for the
""""""""""""""""""" operation you have named. Consider expanding your
system's memory size. Memory expansion is relatively inexpensive.
Invalid Disk Drive The drive name you specified does not exist on your
"""""""""""""""""" computer. Check your typing.
Invalid number of parameters You have mis-typed the command or specified
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" information not acceptable to DOS. Check
the command for errors.
There are many other error messages you may see on your screen. For
information on these errors, consult your DOS manual.
WHEN YOUR COMPUTER CRASHES No matter how careful you are, there will be
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" times when your computer gets confused.
Usually, when this happens, the keyboard will lock up and nothing you type
will have any effect. Other problems sometimes occur, including a drive
that won't stop running.
When using commercial software, these problems are infrequent, but do
happen from time to time. Most often, you will lock your system up when
experimenting with public domain software, which is less bug-free than most
commercial programs.
There are four ways to get out of a locked system. Try these in the
order shown below.
1. Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you press the <Scroll Lock/Break>
key. This will often get you out of the program and return you to
the system prompt. If it does, you're back in business.
2. Press the <Ctrl>, <Alt>, and <Del> keys at the same time. Hold
each key down as you press the others. This is called a "warm
boot." It usually does the trick, but wipes out whatever
information is stored in your computer's memory.
3. Press the <Reset> switch, if your computer has one. This will
reboot the computer, wiping out all data in current memory.
4. Finally, if none of the other methods work, turn off the computer,
wait a few seconds, then turn it back on. As before, data stored
in memory will be lost. This last method is absolutely guaranteed,
however, to restart your system.
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Of course, if using GEnie is a regular habit for you, you /
/ may want to check out Aladdin. It works great with a TT! /
/ I've even used it to call CompuServe!! :)" /
//////////////////////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE ////
[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
GEnieLamp Information
""""""""""""""""""""""
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We welcome and respond to all GEmail.To leave messages, suggestions
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""" o Mark Quinn [M.QUINN3] IBM Co-Editor
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APPLE II o Tom Schmitz [TOM.SCHMITZ] A2 Editor
"""""""" o Phil Shapiro [P.SHAPIRO1] A2 Co-Editor
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GEnieLamp CONTRIBUTORS
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o John Hoffman [JLHOFFMAN]
o Rob Glover [R.GLOVER3]
o Brad Biondo [B.BIONDO]
o Steve Weyhrich [S.WEYHRICH]
o Darrel Raines [D.RAINES]
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[m585]. Search for LAMP to find the latest version.
Get_The_Lamp. Scripts and macros make it easy!
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Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the
following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and
include the issue number and author at the top of each article
reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to
registered computer user groups and not for profit publications.
Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and
does not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or staff of
GEnieLamp. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy.
Material published in this edition may be reprinted only with the
following notice intact:
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(c) Copyright 1992 T/TalkNET OnLine Publishing, GEnie, and the
GEnie Computing RoundTables. To sign up for GEnie service, call
(with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH. Wait for the
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[EOF]
