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GEnieLamp IBM - Vol.1, Issue 02
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GEnie Lamp IBM ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol. 1, Issue 2
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Publisher............................................Kent Fillmore
Senior Editor........................................John Peters
Co-Editor (IBM)...................................Peter Bogert
GEnie Lamp ST ~ GEnie Lamp MAC ~ GEnie Lamp IBM ~ GEnie Lamp Apple ][
////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
>>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COMPUTER ROUNDTABLES ON GEnie? <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ May 1, 1992 ~
FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY]
Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me?
HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] INSIDE THE PC ........... [INS]
Shareware? How About... Down To The Wire.
VIEWPOINT ............... [VIE] ONLINE FUNNIES .......... [FUN]
Shareware, Freeware or ???? CowTOONS!
QUINN'S QUEST ........... [QUI] TELETALK ONLINE ......... [TEL]
Hot Downloads For The Asking. Modem USA Book Review.
FOCUS ON ................ [FOC] ASK ME! ................. [ASK]
VIRUSES & Other Nasties. Got A Question? Just Ask!
F.Y.I. .................. [FYI] THINK ABOUT IT! ......... [THI]
Setting Up A Gaming System. Food For Thought.
HACK'N IBM .............. [HAC] LOG OFF ................. [LOG]
Moving An Internal Tape Unit. 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 ////
/ "<can I make money on it?> <I haven't a clue> /
/ Damn, you just stole my whole autobiography!" /
//////////////////////////////// N.WEINRESS ////
[EOA]
[FRM]//////////////////////////////
FROM MY DESKTOP /
/////////////////////////////////
Notes From The Editor
"""""""""""""""""""""
By John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
TOP OF THE PAGE Welcome to the second multi-platform issue of GEnie
""""""""""""""" Lamp Online E-Magazine, (and for the ST readers, our
35th issue). All-in-all, we've had a pretty good month. Considering
the scope of the task of getting four 100+K issues online, things went
rather smoothly for our first issue. We did experience a couple of
major glitches, however. My apologies to the ST and MAC readers for the
repeating text problem. I think I have a handle on the infamous
"dreaded GEnie Text Editor," and I'm confident that it won't happen
again. Also, the IBM, MAC and ST version ran an article on the
GEnie Flight/war simulator, Air Warrior. Somewhere along the line, I
got the idea that AIR.WOLF was the author when it really was Robert C.
Bingham. [R.BINGHAM2]. Sorry, Robert!
Soon after the premier issue went online, I received GEmail from
Patrick Boyle asking if it would be possible to insert codes into the
issues that would allow vision impaired people who use text-to-braille
and text-to-speech devices to be able to skip over the "ascii-art." I
thought that this was a great idea, so I set up a bulletin board topic
in the disABILITIES RoundTable to get some feedback on it. It appears
that we are breaking new ground here as there are no standards set for
these readers. If you would like to get in on the conversation, you
will find us in Category 9, TOPic 42 in the disABILITIES RT.
GEnieLamp Is Looking For... We need help! If you think you have what
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" it takes to be part of the GEnieLamp
staff, we want to hear from you! We are especially in need of help in
the IBM, Macintosh and Apple ][ areas. Send your brief resume to
GENIELAMP now. Let's talk!
GEnieLamp RoundTable The GEnieLamp RoundTable got off to a slow start
"""""""""""""""""""" - at least as far as content goes. The actual
setting up, testing and going "live" was all done in less then 48 hours
(a new GEnie record!). We do have lots of plans for the RoundTable in
the near future, so keep an eye on page 515.
ED-NET Comes To GEnie! What is ED-NET? One of the major headaches
"""""""""""""""""""""" many user group newsletter editors have is
getting articles for his or her publication. ED-NET provides an answer
for that. ED-NET is a place where you can trade pd or shareware
articles with other editors from around the world for use in your own
publication. You will find ED-NET in the GEnieLamp RoundTable on page
515.
GEnieLamp Keeps On Growing GEnieLamp is now available in the
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" following RoundTables:
RoundTable Version Available Page #
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
GENIELAMP ~ ALL VERSIONS ~ Page 515
ATARI ST GEnie Lamp ST Page 475
IBM GEnie Lamp IBM Page 615
MACINTOSH GEnie Lamp MAC Page 605
APPLE ][ GEnie Lamp A2 Page 645
UNIX RT GEnie Lamp IBM Page 160
MACPRO RT GEnie Lamp MAC Page 480
A2PRO RT GEnie Lamp A2 Page 530
GEOWORKS RT GEnie Lamp IBM Page 1050
GEnieLamp Via Cross-Net! GEnieLamp is now available on Cross-Net,
"""""""""""""""""""""""" via Node #602 on the Cartoon Haven BBS. For
more details, you can reach the Sysop, Bruce Faulkner on his BBS at
719-574-7406, 8/N/24hr/1200-9600 (US Robotics Courier 9600 HST) or leave
GEmail to [R.FAULKNER4].
>>> 'PUTERS R US <<<
""""""""""""""""""""
By Scott Lisula
Age: 10
Evaluation of King's Quest V King's Quest has an entire story that
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" makes you want to play it right away. The
story contains all the details you would want to know before you play it and
for you people that don't or can't read, Sierra has an introduction that
tells you the story. The graphics are superb and beautiful.
The thing I liked the most was the challenge. Everything is
connected, if you didn't do something right the whole game would be messed
up and you would be stuck at a certain point.
In King's Quest, the people who don't feel comfortable typing or the
people who can't, don't need to. There isn't any typing. You pull down
Icons that signify words. The music is delightful and charming as you can
feel the place that the character is in. King's Quest made me feel more
confident to complete other Sierra games.
[*][*][*]
In the past I have toyed (pun intended :) with having a column for
kids, written by kids, here in GEnieLamp. As luck would have it, I ran
across a full-fledged "computer-kid" named Scott Lisula. I approached him
with the idea and he thought it was a great idea. Hopefully we'll see
more of game expertise in future issues.
If you are a kid who is into computers, and you think you might be
interested in writing for GEnieLamp, send me a brief resume via GEmail.
(GEmail address: GENIELAMP). I'd like to hear what you have to say, and
I think many of our readers would too.
>>> GEnie ELSEWHERE! <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ RoundTable News & Announcements ~
The GEnie Faire Hits Town! On Saturday, May 30 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM EST,
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" GEnie will be sponsoring its first ever GEnie
Faire. It will be an event that Saturday afternoon in the National
Real-Time Conference during which many GEnie products will be manning a
booth to introduce you to their product and to have some fun. The entire
GEnie Faire will be free, so it will be a chance for you to find out what
is out there on the system while having some fun.
The SFRT will man a booth during the entire Faire. They will be
presenting a series of events based on the broad spectrum of subjects
covered in the SFRT. You will be able to find anything from discussions
about comics and Star Trek to a meeting with an published author to a
writer's workshop, and much more!
The Radio RT will be sponsoring a live shortwave listening RTC at its
booth. They occur every Saturday in the Radio RT, but this way people
without radios or new to the hobby can stop by for pointers and to see what
others are hearing. This is your chance to eavesdrop on what is happening
in the world as it occurs! Stop by for a few minutes or for the entire
GEnie Faire.
The Writers RT will also be manning a booth for the entire GEnie
Faire. They will be sponsoring a series of meetings about the craft and
industry of writing. An hour will be devoted to a discussion with the
romance writers on the topic "So You Think This Is Easy? What DOES it Take
to Write a Romance Novel?" Special guests will include several published
romance authors along with several Romance Exchange participants.
The Games RT by Scorpia has come up with fun and games for everyone!
They will be sponsoring a booth which will include the following:
6 - 6:30 : Games RT Open House (all staff online for intros etc).
6:30 - 7 : War Games with Pete Szymonik
7 - 7:30 : Ask Scorpia
7:30 - 8 : Video Games with Danny Han
8 - 8:30 : Neat Library Stuff with Capt. Cook
8:30 - 9 : Ultima Contest (win a copy of Ultima Underworlds, PC ver).
GENIEus will be sponsoring a booth which will go beyond the basic
questions of how to use GEnie. They will be talking about a range of
subjects including how to put together your own GEnie user group and much
more!
The Genealogy RT will be hosting a time where you can learn how you
can go about the process of digging for your ancestors on GEnie. It's fun!
It's clean! It's you!
The *StarShip* Amiga RT will be demonstrating one of its new
features, the 5-MINUTE News Network. This feature gives you the news from
the world of Amiga in a concise, fun way.
The Home and Real Estate RT will be hosting an hour's worth of
popular "Parlor Games" for you. These games are geared towards subjects
about the home, so anyone with a home should stop by for some fun and
relaxation!
Star Fleet Battles will be hosting a booth where you will have a
chance to talk directly to the developers of this game! They will be
discussing Star Fleet Battles and their other games including Star Fleet
Missions and Federation & Empire. They will accept proposals for new rules
and debate their merits. If you want to participate in discussing
important issues that will impact the games, then this will be your chance.
The Germany RT will be hosting discussion about Germany followed by
thirty minutes of trivia where you will have the chance to win a German
prize. Come meet people from another continent and find out about a place
where many Americans can find their roots.
The Aladdin RTs will each host a booth where you can find out about a
variety of subjects. Do you want to know how Aladdin can help you? Are
you interested in knowing ways Aladdin can cut down on your time online?
Here's your chance to ask the experts. Look for three Aladdin booths
brought to you by the PC Aladdin, Ami Aladdin, and ST Aladdin RoundTables.
-Laura Staley [L.STALEY]
LAPTOPS ROUNDTABLE Some vital files whose names never change, though
"""""""""""""""""" their file number will change as they are updated:
STREET.$$$ - Quarterly report on street prices of popular laptops
DEALERS.RAM - Quarterly listing of RAM module/chip dealers
COMPANY.DIR - Quarterly listing of laptop/notebook manufacturers
3RDPARTY.ZIP - Listing of peripheral vendors and their products;
prepared by Toshiba America, the information can be
of great value to all laptop users. Current: 4/25/92
TOSHIBA.$$$ - Models & list prices of Toshiba computers. 4/92
Also, check out "RoundTable News" (Page 655;5) regularly for the
latest pointers about the WordPerfect RoundTable and WPCorp announcements.
-Dave Thomas, Laptops SYSOP
GeoWorks RT Anniversary! The GeoWorks RoundTable is celebrating it's
"""""""""""""""""""""""" 1st anniversary. The RoundTable features
support for GeoWorks Ensemble 1.0 to 1.2 to GeoWorks Pro, the GeoWorks
Font Packs and a Clip Art library. They have also released the three
Personal Office Series products. (They now have over 100 clip art
volumes in our library and we're quickly approaching the 100 mark in the
PD/Shareware font library!)
POSTSCRIPT HAPPENINGS... COMPUTER SHOPPER has unilaterally, formally,
"""""""""""""""""""""""" and completely discontinued the ASK THE GURU
and LASERWRITER CORNER columns, citing "lack of space".
We do have ALL of the Guru columns available as our Book-on-Demand
published ASK THE GURU I, II, and III. The full original texts,
including all of the "lost" columns. Many of the later columns are (and
will remain) on GEnie PSRT.
I've also just upgraded and improved our LASERWRITER SECRETS book
and disk package, again picking up the latest and best (mostly
unprinted) stuff. Just about all of these are (and will remain) on GEnie
PSRT.
Any and all of these can be ordered through [SYNERGETICS] email, or
by calling me at (602) 428-4073. I've also got a pair of free INSIDER
SECRET RESOURCES brochures waiting for you, but I must have your
snailmail address to send them to you. (GEnie keeps your address
private, even from sysops with no-strings-attached free stuff to give
away.)
I've just started a major new RESOURCE BIN column in NUTS & VOLTS
(714) 632-7721. This is mostly on unusual sources of supply for
electronic and computer projects. My HARDWARE HACKER columns in
RADIO-ELECTRONICS (516) 293-3000 and my BLATANT OPPORTUNIST columns in
MIDNIGHT ENGINEERING (303) 491-9092 are continuing as usual, with full
reprints available.
And I seem to be backing into a minor column in THE FLASH, a great
free Desktop publishing newsletter from Walt Jeffries and his BLACK
LIGHTNING at (800) BLACK-99.
But I would very much like to find new and suitable high profile
homes for a PostScript/LaserWriter column and for a Desktop-
publishing-for-real-end-users column. If you can suggest anyone, have
them give me a call at (602) 428-4073.
I guess I need your help on this. Thanks.
-- Don Lancaster
SYNERGETICS
(602) 428-4073
UNIX ROUNDTABLE NEWS It is now April 1992 and spring has arrived.
"""""""""""""""""""" Spring cleaning is happening in the Unix
bulletin board. New events are occurring, and ongoing happenings
continue.
Two key items are coming up in the near future; the Unix RT hopes
to be your center for information about these products.
* GEnie is implementing an Internet Gateway with
X.400 mail services scheduled later on
* A Unix Help Desk is being established in both the
Unix RT Conference area and the GEnie Chat Lines.
What does internet mail mean for you? GEnie responds to the
widespread request of its members to have some kind of gateway for mail
to the "Net." It means now you can distribute to persons outside the
GEnie mail system your internet address. It means that you will be
able to send mail to just about anyone on the Net. It means greater
connectivity with the world. It may even mean world peace. We can
always hope.
X.400 mail is an international mail standard used for addressing
mail across disparate mail systems. It has a very long method of
addressing which some folks find cumbersome to type. In addition,
there are current limitations in the GE Mail product limiting addresses
to 35 characters. These limitations are being removed by the GE Mail
programmers to allow a better integration of X.400 with the GE Mail
system. GEnie has elected to delay the release of X.400 connectivity
until this integration is available.
(As of this writing no information about domain name or pricing is
available. Stay tuned. Some information and discussion about the
internet gateway status is available in the GEnie Users' RoundTable on
page 150;1 or 8001;1, category 5, topic 35.)
And beginning April 16, 1992 every Tuesday night in the Unix
Roundtable Conference area (page 160;2 keywork UNIX) and every Thursday
night in the GEnie Chat Lines (page 400;4 keyword CHAT) a Unix Help Desk
will be made available for anyone to ask Unix-related questions. Once
you have entered the chat lines, choose channel 4 or type /CHA 4 after
entering to get to the Help Desk. Hope to see you there!
In addition to help desks, Chat Lines offers many enticing
features: multi-player games such as Trivia and word games, interesting
conversation and socializing, role playing games with the Electronic
Adventures University, and a full schedule of events every day. Check
out the weekly schedule on page 400, item 3.
(Side note: your Sysop, Andy, has written several of the games
used in Chat Lines.) Until next month, it is good to be alive!
- Andrew Finkenstadt/Chief Sysop
_ _ _ _ _ _
// // //| // // \// N E W S
//_// // |// // /\\ Vol 3, Issue 4 - April 1992
R o u n d T a b l e (tm)
[*][*][*]
That's about it for this month....
Take care!
John Peters
[GENIELAMP]
>>> TOP OF THE PAGE II <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Peter Bogert
[P.BOGERT1]
Welcome Back! Right off of the block let me say thanks to John for
""""""""""""" helping with issue number one. It was great to read
all of the articles and see how much is happening here on GEnie for us
IBM'ers.
The event in IBM land that many are talking about is the release of
Windows 3.1. While there has been a lot of interaction about
Microsoft's newest Windows, there's an awful lot of interesting
discussion on OS/2 that is taking place as well. You'll see this crop
up in a few places in the Hey Mr. Postman section.
Have fun!
Until next time...
Peter Bogert
[P.BOGERT1]
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Dorothy, You'll be hearing from our law firm (Dewey, /
/ Cheatem, & Howe) in the morning. This is no laughing /
/ matter." - Charles @ CodeSoft HeadWear" /
/ /
/ "Hehehehehe...Everybody knows lawyers don't work in /
/ the morning. ;-)" /
////////////////////////// C.F.JOHNSON/D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
[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 ...THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE...
o WHAT'S NEW?
o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT.
>>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
[*] CAT3, TOP32, MSG:{273} . . .What's the best telecomm program?
[*] CAT22,TOP14, MSG:{332-333} . . . . Fix Group error in Windows
[*] CAT7, TOP 103, MSG:{273] . . . . Getting good voice recording
from SoundBlaster
[*] CAT22, TOP2, MSG:{40}. . . . . . Use Dos Icons when minimized
in Windows
[*] CAT21, TOP43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whew! It's OS/2!
[*] CAT22, TOP2, MSG:{46}. . . . . .AllType - Convert Your Fonts!
[*] CAT28, TOP7, MSG:{3} . . . . . . . . Which Qemm with Win 3.1?
[*] CAT22, TOP2, MSG:{62}. . . . . .PC Speaker Driver for Win 3.1
[*] CAT22, TOP2, MSG:{85}. . . Windows 3.1 and the speed of games
[*] CAT13, TOP27, MSG:{94} . .Is there a shortage of Hard Drives?
[*] CAT23, TOP60, MSG:{13} . . . . . . . . . . 9600 Baud on GEnie
[*] CAT21, TOP43, MSG:{735}. . . . . . . .Notes from an OS/2 Demo
>>> IBM ODDS & ENDS <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""
HOW GOOD IS TRUETYPE One of the MAJOR benefits I see in TrueType is
"""""""""""""""""""" this: I print a patent application (15 pages)
with ATM fonts from WinWord 2.0 - it takes around 3Mbytes of print
spooling and 15 minutes to print. Change the styles to use TrueType
fonts - the spool drops to 500K and 5 minutes. BIG win. But - the
equation editor STILL has problems crashing when using horizontal braces
and brackets. - sigh
(NJUDELL, CAT22, TOP2, MSG:43/M615)
OS/2 CLAIMS TO FAME You will not need to run Windows to run Windows apps
""""""""""""""""""" in OS/2 2.0. OS/2 does that for you automatically.
With OS/2, you're able to have your Windows apps on the desktop, alongside
other OS/2 and DOS apps. You get the whole Windows 3.0 environment as part
of OS/2.
>>>>> The DOS compatibility is very good with OS/2 2.0. I believe you can
""""" have something like 240 DOS apps running at the same time, and
they don't have to be the same version of DOS! Every time you start a DOS
app, you can change its settings quite extensively. IT's effectively like
having a different CONFIG.SYS for each of the virtual DOS sessions. You can
have DOS 5.0 in one window, DOS 4.01 in another, and DR-DOS in another. You
can also open a DOS session and tell it to boot from a diskette (this might
be useful for some old DOS apps that have to boot from diskette), or even
from a disk image stored anywhere on your disk. So you could boot DR-DOS
from a diskette or from a disk image, while still running all your other
DOS and OS/2 and DOS/Windows apps...simultaneously!!!
>>>>> You shouldn't have any problem running 2.0 on your machine. The
""""" 386SX is not lightning fast, but with the 8M you have, it will
make a big difference. When I demoed our compiler at the PC/Windows
Conference in Toronto, I played around with a PS/1 (386SX 16Mz) that had
OS/2 2.0 and the PS/1 TV box running. Performance was OK. The more apps
you run simultaneously, the slower it will get...
Be warned, however, that Geoworks currently will not run under OS/2
2.0. I believe it has to do with Geoworks not using the DPMI standard and
therefore can jeopardize system integrity (not sure of the exact technical
details). It will not crash you system if you try it... it just kills the
DOS session you ran it from.
P.S. For those who don't know what the PS/1 TV box is, it is a
hardware attachment that lets you watch TV on your monitor at the same time
as you work, either full screen or PIP (picture-in- picture). It works with
DOS, OS/2, or Windows. There is a similar system for the PS/2. It's pretty
cool. Serge (IBM Toronto Lab)
(S.BOIVIN, CAT21, TOP43, MSG:752/M615)
>>> ...THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Facts, Fiction & Maybe ~
NEW VERSION OF JACK NICHLAUS OUT Just saw Jack Nichlaus Unlimited Golf
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Signature Edition at the store. The screen
shots look really nice. Has anyone played this one? -Barry
(B.COOPER3, CAT7, TOP54, MSG:1/M615)
OH, THE FUN OF IT ALL No, not a picture of Mr. Gates, but what you can
""""""""""""""""""""" actually do - Pull down the HELP menu, choose About
Program Manager. Hold down SHIFT and CTRL and then double click on the
Microsoft Flag. Nothing happens. Do it again. This time it gives some
thank you's. Do it again and you get a picture of one of four people and
scrolling animation listing people involved in the development of 3.1. Keep
doing it and eventually the picture of Bill Gates will come up with the
scrolling animation. (each time one of 3 people or a teddy bear appear with
one of the people being Mr. Gates.>
Another cute thing to do... run a DOS application, shrink it to an icon.
Click on the icon once and choose 'Fonts'. Choose the 6 x 8 font and one of
the files it lists in the fake C:\Windows directory is BEAR.EXE. Now what is
it with these bears??? Oh the fun of it all.
(C.AUSTIN8, CAT22, TOP2, MSG:31/M615)
>>>>> No, the opening screen on Windows 3.1 is the waving flag logo. To see
""""" Bill Gates (and others) click on the About... option of the Help menu
of any Win 3.1 program. Then while pressing CTRL & Shift, double click on the
flag icon. The first time you do it nothing happens. Close the box and then
do it again. Now an animated flag comes up, thanking the development crew.
Close the box and do it again. Now a cartoon of Gates (glasses), Ballmer
(bald), Silverberg (beard) or a teddy bear (MS programmers who introduce a bug
into Win get bonked on the head with a teddy bear - bet the OS/2ers will have
lots of snotty remarks about that!) comes up with the Email names of the
people who worked on Win 3.1. Nice piece of humour. BTW, this is from Brian
Livingston's article in this week's Infoworld. -Tim Mallery
(T.MALLERY1, CAT22, TOP2, MSG:38/M615)
>>> WHAT'S NEW? <<<
"""""""""""""""""""
OBERON SOFTWARE CONFIRMS
COMMITMENT TO OS/2 2.0 DEVELOPMENT CHICAGO, April 6, 1992 -- Oberon
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Software today announced it will
produce versions of its entire line of software for OS/2* 2.0, IBM's
advanced 32-bit operating system capable of exploiting the power of the
386SX and higher PCs.
"Oberon Software has been exclusively involved in the development of
OS/2- based software and services for several years and has produced a
suite of 16- bit OS/2 applications. The arrival of OS/2 2.0 will allow us
to produce 32- bit versions of all of our products and give our users
faster, more powerful versions which will take advantage of the new OS/2's
greatly enhanced features," said Mr. Flowers, Oberon Software owner and
founder. "By providing 32-bit, native OS/2 applications, our goal is to
give our users direct access to the power of OS/2."
Oberon Software's flagship application, The Oberon Terminal
Emulator/2, is a general purpose telecommunications program specifically
designed for OS/2. Oberon Software intends to release a 32-bit version of
this product during third quarter of this year and, at the same time, to
release a 32-bit Programmer's Toolkit for development of OS/2 2.0-based
programs which access the PC's asynchronous serial device to provide
terminal emulation and file transfer protocols.
OS/2 2.0 offers true multitasking and will provide the broadest
selections of application in the industry, running DOS, Windows and 16 and
32-bit OS/2 applications unchanged.
Oberon Software is a Minnesota-based company which has specialized in
OS/2 applications, services, and consulting since 1990.
Contact: Brady Flowers
Oberon Software
507-388-7001
OS/2 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corp. (B.FLOWERS, CAT30, TOP25, MSG:62/M615)
WINDOWS NT IS JUST FINE... I'm back... I was off on a two-week vacation to
"""""""""""""""""""""""""" Maui and I don't telecompute from the islands.
Windows NT is just fine, thanks for asking... The beta release of Windows NT
will be made available to attendees of the Windows NT developers conference to
be held in San Francisco in early July. For folks not able to go to the
conference Windows NT Software Development Kits (including the OS) will be
available for sale in early July. The price is not set yet but is expected to
be in the same ballpark as the Windows (16- bit) SDK. Interim beta releases
and a free copy of the final Windows NT release is included in the original
purchase price.
For all you folks drolling over OS/2 2.0, I suggest you first test drive
Windows 3.1 (available today) at your local retail software store.
You will find that UAE's are a thing of the past. If an application
oversteps its memory or tries to give a bad parameter to Windows a message box
identifying the errant application will be displayed. You can elect to Ignore
the error or Cancel the application. In most cases Ignoring the error gets
you another error message. When you elect to Cancel the application you will
get a very specific error message box explaining what type of error the
application caused including specific memory address and register values (akin
to the 'Fault' messages in OS/2). For non-Windows apps that you are running
full screen or in a window do something bad (like hang) when you press Ctrl-
Alt-Del instead of rebooting the entire machine Windows will display a message
telling you what state the application is in and will allow you to go back to
running the application or terminate the application. Rather than rebooting
the machine you will be gracefully returned to the Windows environment and the
failing application will have been removed from the system.
It is ironic that in an earlier posting describing an OS/2 2.0 demo a
Windows 3.0 style UAE occurred which was then trapped and recovered by the
underlying OS/2 kernel. This clearly shows that in OS/2 2.0 Windows 3.0 based
code is running side by side with the OS/2 code. In Windows NT this is not
the case, both Windows 16- and 32-bit apps run together under a single OS.
Support is there for MS- DOS and OS/2 (character) applications as well. You
can even run all these application straight from the box on MIPS 4000 RISC
systems.
Some more NT news... This week, at COMDEX/Windows World, Microsoft is
"""""""""""""""""""" demonstrating the full line of scaleable Windows
operating systems. From handheld, pen-based systems (new hardware announced
at the show), to Windows 3.1 based desktop systems, all the way up to Windows
NT Intel x86 and MIPS R4000 workstations and servers (including uniprocessor
and multiprocessor systems!). Over 50 application developers are
demonstrating their 32-bit Windows NT applications running on both these
hardware platforms. Windows NT is not even out for general beta release yet
and there are already more 32-bit applications being demoed for it than for
OS/2! There will certainly be many more applications actually shipping on the
very same day as Windows NT's final release. Where are the 32- bit OS/2
applications? The OS/2 application vendor press releases I have seen are
promising delivery later in Q2 or beyond rather than immediate availability.
Once again, please compare Windows 3.1 and OS/2 2.0 (side by side if
possible). Albeit, you will probably have to wait to get your OS/2 2.0
software since IBM is only providing limited availability. I believe you will
find that Windows 3.1 will do everything you need on your desktop system, with
quicker response, and with less of a hardware requirement. And please don't
believe anyone who says that Windows NT will not ship this year. The product
is right on schedule. -RDill (Microsoft)
(RDILL, CAT21, TOP43, MSG:791/M615)
>>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Category 22, Topic 2
Message 104 Thu Apr 16, 1992
ERROR.170 [Mike R.] at 00:31 EDT
RDILL,
First I have to consider the source. All the OS/2 bashing makes me
want to check it out that much more. I'm thinking - It must really be good
to have Microsoft so defensive. I suppose the customers/users will be the
ones to decide. It's nice to have a two horse race.
+Mike+
[*][*][*]
I found this message tucked away inside some of the discussion of
operating systems. It expressed an interesting point of view, and for that
reason I thought I would share it with you.
Mike's thinking typifies what lies at the root of many of our
thinking. There's always something newer, (supposedly) better and
(hopefully) faster that may change the way we work. Most of us don't have
the wallet size to experiment endlessly, but it doesn't hurt to try on a
new pair of shoes - even if the ones you are wearing don't look that bad.
You just never know!
[*][*][*]
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 ////
/ >>"I'll go over the manual several more times" /
/ >>"If that fails, then I'll bother" /
/ /
/ "What a refreshing attitude. :)" /
//////////////////////////////// GARY.UTTER ////
[EOA]
[HUM]//////////////////////////////
HUMOR ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Shareware? How About...
""""""""""""""""""""""""
Compiled by Terry Quinn
[TQUINN]
>>> REGISTRATION INCENTIVES THAT DON'T WORK <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
~ Part 1 in a Series ~
SCAREWARE After 45 days, if you haven't registered, it threatens to
""""""""" format your hard disk.
SNAREWARE Like SCAREWARE, but it merely threatens to hold one of your
""""""""" data files hostage.
GLAREWARE If you don't register, it burns the word "CHEAPSKATE" into your
""""""""" monitor.
SPAREWARE If you register, the author sends you another copy of the
""""""""" program, complete with the "Please Register Me" message.
PRAY'RWARE If you register, the author agrees to ask God to be nice
"""""""""" to you for being so honest.
FAREWARE Every five days you have to send the author another $5.
""""""""
CAREWARE If you don't register after 45 days, the program starts
"""""""" writing cutesy-pie poems on your output until you get sick to
your stomach.
MAYERWARE When you register, you get a nice thank-you note from the
""""""""" President of the ASP.
STAREWARE After the 75th day, two bloodshot eyes appear in the upper
""""""""" right hand corner of the screen. They watch you accusingly
until you feel guilty and pay up.
TEARWARE Runs your printer paper back and forth until it jams.
""""""""
BLAREWARE If you don't register in time, the program still works. With
""""""""" the added entertainment of a loud tone coming from the
speaker.
DEBONAIRWARE As long as the program is within the legal evaluation
"""""""""""" period, it enthusiastically compliments you on your
appearance. Afterwards, though...
AIRWARE If you haven't registered by the 60th day, the program simply
""""""" disappears off your hard disk, vanishing into thin ... etc.
(T.CAMPBELL11, CAT15, TOP16, MSG:15/MXXX)
/////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Well, nuts, if you guys are gonna get really picky, do what I do /
/ for Air Warrior: Run your sound out into a guitar amp. /
/ You say you WANT VOLUME CONTROL?????" /
////////////////////////////////////////////////// MIKE.KELLER ////
[EOA]
[INS]//////////////////////////////
INSIDE THE PC /
/////////////////////////////////
Down To The Wire
""""""""""""""""
By Mark L. Dodge
[M.DODGE2]
>>> The Bus Route <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""
When I used to study personal computer specifications, my primary
focus went towards the type CPU, the clock speed, memory and hard drive
capacities, video display, case capacity, power supply rating and land-
mark speed ratings. These days, with faster and more powerful CPU's,
expandable cache's, lightning fast hard drives and blinding speed
screen re-draws, my focus has begun to shift towards the AT bus speeds
and capabilities. With the push in the multimedia arena, I believe that
this area is becoming more and more critical.
It seems that CPU speeds and performance have far exceeded the
speed and power of most bus designs found in todays personal computers.
In fact, they are so fast that
"IT SEEMS THAT CPU SPEEDS AND system designers developed the
PERFORMANCE HAVE FAR EXCEEDED cacheing techniques used today
THE SPEED AND POWER OF MOST BUS to get around many of the
DESIGNS FOUND IN TODAY'S traffic jams inherent to the AT
PERSONAL COMPUTERS." bus/system design. Realizing,
of course, that the AT bus
speed is not the only bottleneck factor, (dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) has quite a distance to go as well) certain developments have
been attempted to enhance the bus performance of the personal computer.
At one point in time, memory was attached to the same bus that
add- in cards used on the old 8088 based computer systems. It was an
8-bit bandwidth to accommodate the 8-bit data path of the 8088. Later,
when the AT system was designed around the 80286, an extended bus design
of 16-bit bandwidth was developed (now commonly referred to as an AT
bus). With the addition of this new bus design, several newer
motherboards were designed to provide a separate data path for the DRAM
circuits. This particular design is fairly standard for most
80386/486DX systems, providing a full 32-bit data path for the CPU to
access the system DRAM.
It was around 1987 that IBM introduced its PS/2 line of personal
computers utilizing the newly designed Micro-Channel bus. This was
created to give higher performance in the 16 and 32 bit versions.
Unfortunately the design apparently was not revolutionary enough to
spark serious interest in most third party peripheral developers. IBM
sort of put the Micro-Channel in an early grave by not permitting
cloners to duplicate the design without legal hassles and patent
licensing. Regardless, most single end users didn't require the high
performance of the new design. About one year later a consortium led
by Compaq developed the EISA (Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture)
32- bit bus. It was at this point in time when the industry dubbed the
older 16-bit AT version the ISA (Industry Standard Architecture).
While the ISA design remains to be the dominant bus in the
industry, EISA and Micro-Channel offer many particulars that better
system performance in several areas. One that is interesting is the
bus mastering capability. All that is required is to insert a card that
has a bus controller on it. This permits the bus controller to take
control of the data bus and access the systems peripherals and main
memory without the control of the main CPU. Another is the benefit of
using programmable configuration add-in cards. This helps to avoid
conflicts with system addressing, hardware interrupts, and DMA channel
addressing. But the data bandwidth and speed at which data can be
transferred over either of these two designs is one of the most
significant enhancements.
Consider, for a moment, what would be required to view real-time
full-motion video on a standard VGA display. With a resolution of
640X480 pixels and four bits
"CONSIDER, FOR A MOMENT, WHAT per pixel, this requires a
WOULD BE REQUIRED TO VIEW frame buffer of 307,200 memory
REAL-TIME FULL-MOTION VIDEO locations of four bits each, or
ON A STANDARD VGH DISPLAY." about 153K. 30 frames per
second are required for
full-motion video. That's a data transfer rate of about 4.6MB per
second. The maximum transfer rate for an ISA bus is 4MB/sec on up to
8MB/sec depending upon the design specifics of the motherboard.
Now if you move up to super VGA at 1024X768 with a total of
786,432 pixels using 24 bits per pixel, that's total of about 2.25MB. So
for full-motion video at this resolution and 30 frames per second, a
data bandwidth of 67.5MB/sec is required. The maximum transfer rate of
an EISA bus is right around 33MB/sec. A Micro-Channel bus runs
typically at 20MB/sec (with advanced features it can run up to 40MB or
80MB/sec). As you can see, full-motion video would be very difficult to
display on most systems now-a-days. But then again, most companies
offering full- motion video products display the video in a window that
takes up only a small portion of the screen.
You can plug just about any maximum performance figure into a
simple equation to calculate what the maximum transfer rate is going to
be for any given function. It is important to remember that just
because the data bandwidth is wider on some systems does not
necessarily make it a better performer while running similar
applications. It's kind of like having a super highway with several
lanes in either direction, and depending upon the number of cars on the
highway will somewhat affect the speed at which all traffic flows. If
the highway is not crowded, it doesn't mean that the traffic on it is
going to move any faster.
If I were going to load a system up with hard drives and make it a
file server on a network, or utilize it for several multimedia
applications, then I would certainly consider either the EISA or Micro-
Channel architecture. And more than likely, I would pursue the later
because of the current decrease in pricing. Future expansion and
upgradeability are always a primary consideration when it comes to
purchasing a new computer system. With an EISA bus there will be
plenty of headroom later on.
Some other items to think about regarding data bus bandwidth are
the CPU cache bus access and main memory bus access. The CPU cache bus
is by far the most critical. Most systems incorporate a direct link to
this area of memory for the CPU. The memory devices used in this area
are most often Static RAMs (SRAM). Static RAM can have access speeds
down in the 10nsec area. The basic use of CPU cacheing permits the
overall system to remain "loaded" or "busy" processing for the majority
of system clock cycles, avoiding what might otherwise be "non-busy" or
"waiting states". A "write-back" cache design for this type of
application can increase overall system performance even more. Where
the CPU can store instructions that are more quickly accessed than from
DRAM. The idea is to cache (or buffer) instructions that are being
used most frequently. The second most critical bus is the main memory
bus. Most systems today have SIMM sockets installed that can easily
hold more memory than the average person requires.
The more sophisticated applications, operating systems, and user
interfaces become, the more demands will be placed on the data bus. We
are not far off from seeing parallel processing, full-motion video with
stereo sound, and voice recognition become a standard part of every PC.
Considering what type of bus standard a perspective system has
could be very a important, if not the deciding factor, for many PC
shoppers today.
[*][*][*]
Mark L. Dodge is home based out of San Antonio, Texas.
He loves hot and spicy food as well as fast and
intuitive computer systems. Over the past 14 years,
he's worked with everything from massive-mainframes to
micro-minis. By day, he is a Submicron Photolithography
Equipment Engineer. By night, he is an electronic
musician enthusiast and a PC fanatic. You can reach him
here on GEnie as "M.DODGE2".
///////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Very unique. It takes a very special breed to believe that you /
/ can do desktop publishing on a 9" screen. :)" /
//////////////////////////////////////////////// J.FLANAGAN4 ////
[EOA]
[VIE]//////////////////////////////
VIEWPOINT /
/////////////////////////////////
So What Is It? Part II
"""""""""""""""""""""""
By Richard Vega
[R.VEGA]
COPYRIGHT FEVER I had no idea the article on copyrights would create
""""""""""""""" such an interest. I want to thank all those who
dropped me email with comments on the article and on the subject of
software distribution. I decided to write this second part because of
some of your comments.
It needs to be understood that I am not a lawyer. If you need to
know for sure where you stand on the copyright laws you should seek out
legal help. There are some very good books on the subject. Some of them
concern themselves just with the software end of the issue. My comments
and ideas here are from my own background and investigations. Last, but
not least, it has been brought to my attention that the HOSB RT has a
growing discussion on the topic in CAT 8.
WHAT MOTIVATED ME TO THIS ISSUE? I have been in computers since 1983.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I started with the Atari 1200XL
machine. That was a 6502 8-bit processor. I quickly began writing BASIC
programs, starting with magazine programs and then my own. My first
useful hack was a team scheduling program for our local CYA department.
I uploaded it to a local BBS and was amazed at how quickly it spread
across the country. What also amazed me was the changes that were made
and also how, on one BBS, someone removed my name and put in their own,
without changing a line of code otherwise. That prompted me to look into
what I could do to protect my work.
Computers are not my only area of concern for copyright laws. I
also write music for use in church services. You would think that this
would be a safe area. You would also be, I'm sad to say, wrong! Churches
are a breading ground for copying of music. I know a few other musicians
like myself and we will not be quitting our day jobs soon. Go into any
church, any denomination, and pick up a Sunday bulletin. Chances are you
will see the words (and sometimes full scores) for a copyrighted song.
Chances are that they have not asked for the right to reprint that
music. I am not saying that these people mean any harm. Just like most
software copiers they are just not thinking the issue through, or
simply are unaware that they are doing anything wrong.
For the last three years I have been attempting to start up a DTP
and computer consulting company out of my home. The Toledo, OH area is
currently very weak economically, so every penny helps. Within those
three years I have seen my DTP work copied, hack and recopied. I have
seen these copies used where they did not even take out my copyright
notice! I do not have money to go to court. It is hard to get any
judgement when the loss is less than the court finds worth bothering
with. I do drop off a letter telling them that they are violating
copyright laws and should stop. To date I have received no response.
My personal feeling is it _is_ nice to know that they feel my work
is worth copying. My phone number is on the bottom of those copies. I
take it that I am on the right
"WHEN TALKING ABOUT COPYRIGHT track with my work. When
INFRINGEMENT, BE IT MY OWN talking with anyone about
MATERIAL OR SOMEONE ELSE'S, copyright infringement, be it
I STAY WITHIN THE 'ETHICAL' my own material or someone
DISCUSSION. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS else's, I stay within the
EASY, PEOPLE HAVE A WAY OF 'ethical' discussion. This is
OF JUSTIFYING WHAT THEY not always easy, people have a
WANT TO DO." way of justifying what they
want to do. It also means that
I have to be willing to listen and think out what I do and say. I can't
'flame' anyone, even when I feel like they deserve it. Once I have done
that I have lost any chance of communication and change that may come
from it.
[*][*][*]
Q: Can software be PD and have restrictions on it?
A: No. This question seems to be the #1 question asked. I know why.
It is because more software each day is coming out with statements like,
"This software is in the Public Domain with the exception that it may
not be included in any commercial package or sold for a fee." What this
person really means is that the program is 'freeware', not 'public
domain'. It is being released free, but the control is staying with the
author.
If you read the section about public domain in the first article
then you will understand that public domain means _no restrictions_.
Once you place something in public domain you give up all rights to what
happens to it. In the above section I told you that I placed my BASIC
program on a BBS. I also placed it in public domain. It hurt me to see
my name removed from it later, but I had no recourse. I had given up any
rights to that program. I could tell the person that I thought the
actions where unethical, but that was all.
Q: Is a program that was sold, and the company is now out of business,
in public domain or freeware?
A: No. The program's copyright is still held by the person, or persons
that owned it when it was being sold. The rights may be tied up in
court, but it is still protected. I have seen programs sold, then
disappear with the company that sold them, then come back. Sometimes
under the same name or a different name. A good example of this is the
spell checker Thunder! on the Macintosh. It was originally sold by a
company called Batteries Included. Then Batteries Included was bought by
Electronic Arts and all but disappeared. Thunder! then appeared with an
update from another company called Baseline Publishing. Now it's one of
the best selling spell checkers on the Mac.
Q: Can I start asking a fee for a program that I once released as
freeware?
A: Yes. What you are doing a moving your program from freeware to
shareware. That is within you right as long as you made it clear in the
first place that the program was _not_ public domain. I would suggest
that you do this after a major upgrade, but you don't have to.
Q: What if it isn't clear if the program is PD or not?
A: Treat it like it is freeware. This is a very gray area. A program
should always have clearly stated if it is PD, shareware or freeware.
That is usually done in the documentation, title screen or the 'About'
box. If it is not clearly stated then the author has little recourse
when it is treated like PD.
This is where the ethical issues come into play. From a legal
ground you could most likely get away with using the above program in
your commercial package. From an ethical point of view it would be
questionable, if not down right wrong. It wasn't your work so why
should you get the money and glory for it.
Q: Is it okay for me to change (or hack) a program as long as I don't
pass it around to anyone else?
A: I really try to stay away from questions like these! I cannot come
up with an easy and safe answer. If the program is in public domain,
yes. Then again if it is in public domain you could also share your
changed version with someone else. Please note, that is the closest
thing to an answer you will get from me on questions like that.
[*][*][*]
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW If there are more issues that come up, or if I
"""""""""""""""""" feel inspired, I'll write up another article for
future issues for the GEnie Lamp. Feel free to keep the email coming
with your comments. (GEmail:R,VEGA) I always enjoy getting email and
reading them.
/////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "re: 'cast in concrete' /
/ Now, there's a thought. Concrete roms..." /
/////////////////////////////// J.NESS ////
[EOA]
[FUN]//////////////////////////////
ONLINE FUNNIES /
/////////////////////////////////
CowTOONS!
"""""""""
By "Hawk"
(__) (__) (__) (__)
(oo) (oo) (oo) (oo)
/-------\/-* /-------\/ /-------\/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
/ | || \ )*)(\/* / * / | ||
* ||----|| * \ |||/)|/()( ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
\/|(/)(/\/(,,/ \)|(/\/|)(/\
Cow munching Grass munching Cow in water Cow in trouble
on grass on cow
[EOA]
[QUI]//////////////////////////////
QUINN'S QUEST /
/////////////////////////////////
Hot Downloads For The Asking
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
By Mark Quinn
[M.QUINN3]
>>> HOT FILES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD! <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
[File name: TURBO52.ZIP]
[File #: 27,834]
[Bytes: 291,840]
Version 2.20 of Turbo Menu does exactly what it claims it does, as
it "provides a friendly bridge between [the user] and DOS". If you find
such "bridges" (which seem to be plentiful these days) dumbfounding,
then this program is for you.
Typing a drive letter and answering a few simple questions is all
it takes to run the install program. Go to sleep for a minute or two
and your hard drive is parked and screen is blanked while you are "out".
TM, besides having an extensive "Hypertext Help" feature can (true
to form for many of these programs) perform basic DOS functions well.
Menu items are easy to add, and can be password protected. Upon
installation, TM scans your hard drive for other programs. It found
Windows and Qmodem on my drive readily enough, but I had the feeling
that this feature is meant to give the user a healthy start towards the
task of building menus. (Mork from Orc impression: "Nothing builds
menus like the army builds menus. Har, har.")
Many of us find
ourselves setting up systems for computerphobes at
one time or another, and this program would be a good way to introduce
them to Things IBM without having them go into DOS Shock.
[File name: PTM220.ZIP]
[File #: 27,900]
[Bytes: 189,184]
DOS Phantom is one of those programs that's a heckuva lot of fun to
putz around with, and when you use it, you find your mind spinning with
possibilities. It is a keystroke recorder/editor/etc. What this means
is that (for one thing) it can record and play back the repetitive tasks
that are a PC user's bane. Just about anything that can be done in DOS
or in a program can be done with DP. You may have heard of similar
keystroke programs, but this one is criminally easy to use. DP can also
"step through" programs and display pop- up menus (useful for
demonstrations).
The DP docs state: "All you need is a timer to turn on your PC
early in the morning and an extra line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to run
DOS Phantom." If this kind of statement doesn't get your juice flowing
to your main capacitor, then I'm afraid this program isn't for you. If
it does, then you'll have as much fun with it as I did.
[File name: #1COSMO.ZIP]
[File #: 27,891]
[Bytes: 502,656]
Many IBMers may remember the name of Todd Replogle from Duke Nukem,
an earlier effort. COSMO'S COSMIC ADVENTURE deals with the off-planet
escapades of a small alien on his way to Disney World (of course) who is
sidetracked by a comet, and must save his parents from aliens. Little
Cosmo looks rather like a computer game designer's version of a muppet,
complete with orange hair, green fur and polka dots. CCA has 3-d
(objects in the foreground scroll at a different rate than those in the
background) graphics that are smooth and stunning. In fact, so much is
happening on the screen at once in CCA that one may well believe that
one's PC has been hijacked (by aliens, perhaps?) and a high- powered
game machine put in its place. As for sound, the digitizations issuing
from the PC speaker are very un-PCish, and the game supports AD-LIB
cards as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
>>> QUINN'S QUICKIES <<<
""""""""""""""""""""""""
#1RESCUE.ZIP A game from Apogee for kids of all ages. Whooda thunk
"""""""""""" it? I didn't have the space to give this one a full
review, but still, enough can't be said about it. Imagine an Apogee-
quality game for kids. Then again, enough said.
/////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Thanks for all of the support, gang. A couple of you /
/ responded in GEmail, even including attached files to /
/ show me how to use @DAVG, etc. I don't know what I /
/ would do with GEnie and all of the friendly, helpful /
/ folks here!" /
////////////////////////////////////// K.VANDELLEN ////
[EOA]
[TEL]//////////////////////////////
TELETALK ONLINE /
/////////////////////////////////
Modem USA Book Review
"""""""""""""""""""""
By Phil Shapiro
[P.SHAPIRO1]
>>> MODEM USA <<<
"""""""""""""""""
Low Cost and Free Online Sources for Information,
Databases, and Electronic Bulletin Boards via Personal
Computer and Modem in 50 States
This newly published reference book contains a wealth of information
on government-operated and privately-run electronic bulletin boards. The
book itself is divided up into the following thirteen sections, based on
topic:
1) Medical and Health Info
2) Library and Book Info
3) Government Info
4) Environment and Nature Info
5) Police and Public Safety Info
6) Science Info
7) Music Info
8) Jobs and Employment Info
9) Gardening and Horticulture Info
10) Real Estate Info
11) Geneaology Info
12) Writing Info
13) Computer Info
Each section starts out with a listing of toll-free phone numbers,
followed by a listing of bulletin boards organized alphabetically by
state. Each entry in the book is accompanied by a short annotation,
ranging in length from a brief sentence to a full paragraph.
The first section I perused was the section on government
information. My curiosity was piqued into finding out whether gigabytes
of governmentally compiled information could be tapped via a simple
phone call.
While I was happy to find many government BBS's right in the
Washington DC area (where I live), few of the them beckoned me to put
down the book and call right away. I was a little disappointed to find
that the Library of Congress hasn't set up a public BBS yet. (Or if they
have set one up already, it's not listed in this book.)
One BBS that caught my eye is the U.S. Dept. of Transportation's
Federal Highway Administration BBS. (Phone: 202-366-3764.) This BBS
contains downloadable text file reports on all sorts of transportation
safety concerns. Ralph Nader could have the time of his life calling
this board.
Another BBS that has downloadable files of civic interest is The
All Night Book Store, in Newark, NJ. (Phone: 201-751-9420, 7PM to 7 AM,
Eastern time.) The annotation says, "Call here for a copy of the Freedom
of Information Act, with form letters for your use (go to Door 5.)" It's
amazing that Lynne Motley, the author of this book, was able to track
down such golden nuggets.
After paging through the section on government-oriented boards, I
headed over to the Medical and Health section. With health care so much
a national concern these days, it's hardly surprising to find quite a
few bulletin boards organized around health care themes. One particular
BBS in Kansas City even offers the advice of a family practice physician
to people who call in with questions. How delightfully progressive. (For
serious questions, kindly e-mail your own physician, though.)
Naturally, other health theme bulletin boards offer health and
community resource information on topics such as disabilities, AIDS,
nutrition, and addiction. To have so much useful information accessible
with a simple dialing of your modem is a great convenience. Think of how
much easier it is to call a BBS late in the evening, rather than
scheduling a trip to the public library during your busy day.
Incidentally, do you need a GIF graphic of the Jarvik-7 artificial
heart? A BBS in Juneau, Alaska, has exactly what you're looking for.
Moving onto the chapter on geneaology bulletin boards, it's
interesting to note that almost every state has at least one bulletin
board set up for geneaology enthusiasts. Some of these boards concern
themselves with geneaology in general, and some concern themselves with
a particular population. An example of a particular population might be
persons of European ancestry, Australian ancestry, or Texan ancestry, or
Jewish ancestry.
One interesting BBS in Atchison, Kansas, provides an online
database of all headstones of local cemeteries. Now that's what you call
an imaginative database application.
The Job & Employment Information chapter contains bulletin boards
that deal with employment in general, and employment within specific
fields. Some of these boards have conferences dealing with job search
strategies, too.
Several boards have been set up to announce jobs in the "emergency
response" field. Presumably such jobs would include police officers,
firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.
The chapter on Computer & Data Processing lists boards that include
toll-free tech support for modem makers (such as Hayes and U.S.
Robotics). But the chapter also lists boards whose focus is C
programming, assembly language programming, and object oriented
programming.
This book is clearly a labor of love. Researching all the facts in
the book must have taken several months of hard work. Organizing this
information into subject categories must have been no small job either.
The only small criticism I have of this book is that the sales
pitch on the back cover of the book comes across a little too strong. In
my mind, the sales pitch promises more than the book delivers.
All in all, Modem USA would make a useful addition to almost any
library. Telecommunication enthusiasts might want to obtain a copy for
their personal bookshelves, too.
With updates to the book planned, the book itself takes on a life
of its own. Given proper encouragement, this 190 page large-sized
paperback may well grow up to be the "Whole Earth Catalog" of the
Information Age.
MODEM USA Low Cost and Free Online Sources for Information, Databases,
""""""""" and Electronic Bulletin Boards via Personal Computer and
Modem in 50 States
by Lynne Motley, 190 pages, $16.95 ($3 Air Mail shipping)
Publisher and distributor:
Allium Press
P.O. Box 5752-553
Takoma Park, MD 20913-5752
ISBN: 0-9631233-4-3
LC No. 91-076711
Copyright Feb. 1992
[*][*][*]
Phil Shapiro (The author is the founder of Balloons
Software, a new Apple II educational software
company. Phil Shapiro is a resident of Washington
D.C., uses GEMail to communicate with friends and
business colleagues in Honolulu, Hawaii;
British Columbia, Canada; and Moscow (via Finland).
He can be reached at 5201 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW,
Washington, DC 20015-1747. Or via electronic mail
on GEnie: P.Shapiro1
/////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Lou, All my files act the same way. /
/ I could Fmail you the blank page.:-)" /
//////////////////////////// REALM ////
[EOA]
[FOC]//////////////////////////////
FOCUS ON... /
/////////////////////////////////
VIRUESES & Other Nasties
""""""""""""""""""""""""
DVORAK MISSING THE BOAT? Dvorak is basically recapping old stuff. I can't
"""""""""""""""""""""""" speak for all the scanners available, but the
majority of scanners out there (including my own, which I'm sorta familiar
with!) have no problem with what Dvorak writes about.
Stealth Viruses About two years old. Since there is a TSR portion of
""""""""""""""" the virus left in memory, a memory scan will locate this
virus. A good scanner would say: "Stop! Virus found in memory. Reboot on a
clean DOS disk and scan your system. Now!"
PolyMorphic Viruses About two years old, too. There are basically two
""""""""""""""""""" portions of the virus. The first is a decryptor for
the second part. The "smarter" viruses will vary both the instructions, and
the instruction order of the decryptor, sticking in a variable number of "do
nothing" instructions into the decyptor. A simple search string will not find
them. However, a decent scanner has algorithmic search capabilities and will
find them: the Maltese Amoeba is a newer virus exhibiting these
characteristics and most of the scanners I know will find it. They're a pain
in the butt to get, those algorithms, but it only takes about a day for the
average polymorphic virus. A new one, based upon a mechanism known as the
"Mutation Engine" is proving to be substantially harder, but not impossible.
Multipartite Viruses Dvorak is wrong in his definition. Basically, it's a
"""""""""""""""""""" two part virus: infected programs will infect the boot
track, infected boot tracks will infect programs. Two separate search string
will ascertain which one your system might be infected with; a single search
string, if chosen properly, will be able to seek out both parts.
Dvorak seems to be mentioning the DIR II Virus. This virus changes the
first- cluster-pointer in the directory entry for a file, encrypting the
original first-cluster-pointer and sticking it into some reserved bytes in the
individual entry of the directory entry.
The virus body itself is then written to the end of the disk, and the
first- cluster-pointer in the directory entry is then "pointed" to the virus.
This allows a single copy of the virus to live on the disk with multiple
infected programs using that single copy. Alas, CHKDSK will report
cross-linked clusters up the gazoo; a CHKDSK /F will really screw up your
disk. Locating the DIR II virus is a simple task for just about all the
scanners out there; disinfecting an infected system is substantially harder.
Dvorak has an interesting writing style, but I know I would appreciate
it, from a vendor viewpoint, if what he wrote was considerably more accurate
and timely.
Ross M. Greenberg,
Author, Virex, VIRx, Flu_Shot+
(GREENBER, CAT3, TOP50, MSG:484/M615)
DARK AVENGER? Recently, I saw on a national echo whose name I won't mention
""""""""""""" here, the assembler source code to the "Dark Avenger"
mutating engine.
This is basically a "core" to a stealth virus. Any programmer with a
little skill could use this core to develop a new DA variant with a different
"setoff" criterion, and different effects on setoff. Such a variant, I think,
would probably be detectable to string search style scanners. A programmer
with slightly more skill could modify this code to create a derivative, more
distantly related to DA. If I understand the way these things work correctly,
that virus would not be detectable to current scanners.
I think Dvorak is quite correct in his apparent panic. One of the
things that in the past has protected most of us (including myself) from viral
infection is that viruses were difficult to write, and therefore authors were
comparatively rare. In addition, highly skilled programmers such as those
employed by Mr. Greenberg, Mr. McAfee, and Mr. Norton, have been writing
detectors and disinfectors that are as slick as the virii themselves. If this
exchange of viral source code becomes a trend, though, the proliferation of
variants and derivatives may exceed even their capabilities to hold the
defensive line.
I saw the recent Michaelangelo and Jerusalem scares. Knowing how old and
relatively unsophisticated those viruses really were (thank you, Patricia
Hoffman), I couldn't help but laugh. I'm not laughing now.
(J.SSUMMITT, CAT3, TOP50, MSG:485/M615)
//////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "This topic has been dead as of late, and I'd like to see /
/ some conversations in here. Maybe it's the decor? Gee, I /
/ wouldn't have thought the paisley wallpaper and lava lamps /
/ in here would have caused such silence. I've got some time /
/ next week, maybe I'll come in, trash the place, and do it /
/ up right. Make sure all of you clear out your stuff! I /
/ wouldn't want anyone complaining about water or dust /
/ damage. Oh and whoever's the last one to leave, please /
/ turn out the lights. We don't want to scare off anyone /
/ visiting the adjoining topics." /
//////////////////////////////////////////// R.MARTIN22 ////
[EOA]
[ASK]//////////////////////////////
ASK ME! /
/////////////////////////////////
Got A Question? Just Ask!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
o CONFUSED ABOUT SVGA?
o MAKING A LIVING AS A PROGRAMMER
CONFUSED ABOUT SVGA? There is a lot of confusion about SVGA, and I hope this
"""""""""""""""""""" and other info sheets like it can inform people, end
any confusion, and get them into what's exciting about OS/2
Revision 1.0 April 8, 1992
OS/2 SVGA NETINFO
-----------------------
INTRO This little document is meant to shed some light on how OS/2 can
""""" utilize SVGA hardware. I'll start out with a description of all of
the files involved, their duties, and where they live; and I'll have a
question and answer session with myself (schitzoid, but hopefully
informative).
INTRODUCTION This little document is meant to shed some light on how OS/2
""""""""""""
\OS2\SVGADATA.PMI
This file serves as a flag to tell OS/2 whether SVGA support
has been enabled with SVGA ON. The file actually contains
data on:
1. What video chipset your SVGA card has.
2. What SVGA modes, from the supported list, your adapter is
capable of setting. The list of supported modes is:
a. 640x480/256
b. 800x600/16
c. 800x600/256
d. 1024x768/16
e. 1024x768/256
f. 132x25 text
g. 132x43 or 44 text
3. What values are in the video registers when the card is
in each mode.. this data is used by OS/2 to save and
restore the registers to their proper state when
switching between sessions with different SVGA modes set.
This data file must be generated by typing SVGA ON from a
DOS FULLSCREEN, because what SVGA ON actually does is set
all the possible modes using the video card's BIOS and then
read out the values of the registers into the .PMI file. If
SVGA ON is run from a DOS window,OS/2's video virtualization
takes over,and the BIOS doesn't set the svga modes properly.
\OS2\SVGA.EXE
This is the utility that generates the .PMI file and places
it in the \OS2 subdirectory. Syntax is SVGA (ON) (OFF)
(STATUS), where:
ON: creates the \OS2\SVGADATA.PMI file and enables SVGA
support.
OFF: deletes the .PMI file.
STATUS: returns the chipset type OS/2 thinks your card is.
\OS2\DLL\DISPLAY.DLL
This file determines what video resolution the PM desktop
uses. This is the PM display driver and the heart of OS/2
video. The equivalent file on a Windows system is the
VGA.DRV (in the case of VGA) file. For the first release,
SVGA systems will have a VGA display driver installed on
their system. Already, SVGA drivers are available from most
of the main board manufacturers. In this document, I'll try
to list some of the ones that are working.
\OS2\DLL\BVHSVGA.DLL
This file is the Base Video Handler for OS/2. Any OS/2
application that sets a video mode calls this DLL. In mode
cases, however, the only application that sets any video
modes is the PM display driver and the MODE.EXE utility (for
setting 132 column modes). The first time this DLL would be
called is after the OS/2 bitmap logo appears (PM starts up
then). This DLL is specified in the CONFIG.SYS in the
following manner:
SET VIO_VGA=DEVICE(BVHVGA,BVHSVGA)
BVHVGA is used to set, save, and restore VGA modes, BVHSVGA
for SVGA modes.
\OS2\MDOS\VSVGA.SYS
This is the virtual video device handler for DOS sessions.
All calls to change the video mode from a DOS session are
handled through this driver. This driver's job is to allow
the user to set a SVGA mode, and when the user switches
away, save the current state of the video card (its
registers and its video RAM). Then, when the user returns
to the DOS session, restore the video card to it's previous
state. When there is no .PMI file (SVGA is OFF) this driver
acts like a VGA driver, except for adapter-specific code in
it to make sure the VGA modes work right on the SVGA
adapter. Therefore, even if you don't want SVGA, you'll
probably want VSVGA.
\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM\VGA.DRV
\OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM\SWINVGA.DRV
These are the WINOS2 & seamless WINOS2 drivers,respectively.
They determine what resolution WINSO2 uses.
>>> QUESTION AND ANSWER <<<
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Q: I'm having problems with my video.
A: Start by reading the README in your root directory.
Q: I'm having problems with my video.
A: In many cases, OS/2 requires a different dip switch setup for
your adapter. Try some of the suggested variations in your
adapter manual.
Q: I have an adapter that uses the Tseng ET4000 chipset. My video
goes out of sync when entering a DOS or WinOS2 fullscreen,
what's the deal?
A: Tseng ET4000 chips with a batch # TC6059AF or higher will
exhibit this effect. Through talking to Tseng, we have
developed a solution, and hopefully by the time you read this
your problem will be gone.
Q: What SVGA support is actually provided with OS/2 2.0 GA edition?
A: The only support that is provided in the shrink wrapped version
is the ability to switch away from a DOS or OS/2 fullscreen and
have the current state of your video card saved.. and this is
only after you have turned SVGA ON, and if you have one of the
adapters listed in the readme..although everyone with a Tseng,
Trident, ATI, Headland, or Western Digital chipset should try
turning SVGA ON at least for a while to see if it fixes any
unseemly video problems they might be having.
Q: For what adapters has DOS + OS/2 fullscreen save/restore been
tested?
A: ATI VGA Wonder XL
Boca Reseach SVGA
Orchid Prodesigner II
STB Powergraph
Trident 8900C and 8900B
Video 7 VRAM II
Paradise VGA Professional
Q: Are these the only cards which are "compatible" with OS/2?
A: NO. Our support is designed to be generic for the Trident,
Tseng, ATI, Headland, and Western Digital chipsets. There are
likely many more cards which work under OS/2 which we havn't
even tried. If you have a card which isn't on this list, but
does work, please send a note to the email address at the bottom
of this document with the name of the card and any small
limitations you found.
Q: How do I get my PM desktop to use SVGA?
A: OS/2 does not provide any PM SVGA drivers.. they are available
from the board manufacturers. At this time, there are drivers
from Trident, Orchid, ATI, Tseng, Paradise, and probably
countless others. Check around for more updated lists than this.
Q: Will my W*nd*ws 3.0 drivers work in WinOS2?
A: Yes, you should be able to simply update the SYSTEM.INI to point
to a new windows display driver, or just copy over VGA.DRV in
the OS2\MDOS\WINOS2\SYSTEM directory. Keep in mind, however,
that Windows in SVGA will only work if you have SVGA ON.
Q: Why do I have to deal with this SVGA ON and OFF crap?
A: Because we've torn out many clumps of hair discovering all of
the crazy things that can happen when you try to provide video
support for for so many different boards, each with their own
quirks. Most importantly, we found that turning SVGA ON
actually caused some system's video to become worse.. so we had
to have a way to give the user the ability to switch back and
forth. And so was born the SVGA ON OFF thing. Hopefully a more
elegant system will be developed in the future.
Q: I have an ATI 8514 Ultra.. does it work under OS/2?
A: Yessir. Because of it's 8514 compatibility, this is a keen card.
If your Ultra is hooked into an SVGA card, you will probably
have to change the line in your CONFIG.SYS that reads:
DEVICE=\OS2\MDOS\VVGA.SYS
to:
DEVICE=\OS2\MDOS\VSVGA.SYS
This will make OS/2 a lot more friendly towards your Ultra's
little brother. Other than the complication of which card the
Ultra is hooked into, OS/2 treats it just like a 8514 card.
Contact ATI for any special problems with this card.
Q: I'm getting some corruption returning to my WinOS2 fullscreen
A: Set your VIDEO_SWITCH_NOTIFICATION in the DOS SETTINGS to ON.
Q: Even in VGA, games in a DOS fullscreen are shakey
A: Set your VIDEO_RETRACE_EMULATION in the DOS SETTINGS to OFF.
Q: A lot of DOS apps in a window have messed up colors
A: This is a limitation of the VGA desktop. The color palette of
the DOS session has to be translated to PM, and the 640x480/16
desktop doesn't offer enough colors to do a good translation.
The only solution to the problem is to use a 256 color PM
driver.
Q: My friend has the same video card as me, and it doesn't work..
can't I just give him a working SVGADATA.PMI file?
A: No. The SVGADATA.PMI has to be specific to each adapter/monitor
setup.
Q: If I have SVGA ON, can I use 132 column modes in an OS/2
fullscreen?
A: yep.
Q: If I have SVGA ON, can I window a DOS fullscreen onto the PM
desktop, even if it is Super VGA?
A: yep!
Q: If I have SVGA ON, can I take a window with a SVGA image in it
can paste to the clipboard?
A: YEP!
Q: Hey, wait a minute. A month ago in 304e, there was no SVGA
support at all!
A: Yep! Long hours, buddy, long hours.
Q: Who were the guys who did all the work on OS/2 SVGA support?
A: Dale Whitfield and Bill Boden. They aren't on the net, but
still give them a hand for the cool stuff that's here and still
to come.
Bernie Thompson PSU student and IBM co-op
Send comments/additions to:
BERNIET@BCRVMPC1.VNET.IBM.COM
I don't know if this will eventually end up in his hands, but I'd like to
thank Timothy Sipples, Keeper of the OS/2 Frequently Asked Questions, for all
of his work over the last couple months. OS/2 owes you one.
DISCLAIMER The opinions and suggestions contained herein are my own and
"""""""""" those of my employer. This document does not represent any sort
of guarantee or assurance. Just tips guys... nothing legal, get it? Good.
-James (IBM Canada - Toronto Lab)
(J.SHERIDAN4, CAT21, TOP43, MSG:845/M615)
MAKING A LIVING AS A PROGRAMMER I am doing a bit of research for a book I
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" am writing, and thought I might save myself
some time by dropping over here and posing a few questions. ANY information
that anyone might be able to provide me with will be warmly appreciated. The
purpose of these questions is to help me develop a character, and I am hoping
that the answers you folks may provide me with will give me a starting point
for my library searches.
1) What degrees (major and minor) in computer programming
sciences, with particular reference to C++ and assembly,
would be appropriate for a young man seeking to make a
living as a programmer?
2) What attendant classes would normally go along with the
pursuing of such degrees?
3) What would be the choice university for such a man who was
only moderately limited by funds?
I do thank you all very much in advance for any help you may be able to
lend me, and I would also greatly appreciate any other helpful information
you may be able to provide for me. -Keith L. Fifield
(K.FIFIELD, CAT18, TOP34, MSG:15/M615)
>>>>> A recent survey showed the following trends:
"""""
Skills and Attitudes in Demand
------------------------------
4GL and C languages
Personal computer orientation
Unix
Networking
Proactive customer orientation
Desire to work in groups
Skills and Attitudes in Decline
-------------------------------
Mainframe Orientation
COBOL
Reactive customer orientation
Desire to work alone
(SPEMCER, CAT18, TOP34, MSG:18/M615)
//////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "I wish Jeff had more stuff to sell so's I could read ads like /
/ this more frequently. ;-)" /
////////////////////////////////////////////// D.A.BRUMLEVE ////
[EOA]
[FYI]//////////////////////////////
F.Y.I. /
/////////////////////////////////
Setting Up A Gaming System
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
I have just recently setup a gaming system on my PC, mainly to manage
the disk space required to have access to a collection of games. I'll be glad
to provide additional details on this system to anyone who inquires.
Objective: Ability to easily and quickly load game (or other) software
from diskette with specific controls making virtually foolproof for children.
AUTOMENU is my choice of menu management software. A catalog of "offline"
"""""""" games is provided here. Individual menu items for each such game
pass basic parameters to a batch file (Game name, diskette label, directory
where game is to run, name of archive file on diskette where game is stored,
call command). When a particular game is elected, these parameters are passed
to the batch file where the values are established as variables in the
environment table. Then the same batch file calls the "generic" game
functions menu which contains the functions: load game, run game, remove game
from disk or update diskette and remove game from disk.
PAK compression utility is used to move the game offline at the conclusion
""" of the play. Other functions with security protection are included in
these menus such as format diskette, edit this menu, display parameters, etc.
to facilitate the ongoing adding of games to this system.
The basic scenario goes like this: My kid picks FALCON_AT from the menu,
the generic menu comes up with the FALCON_AT title at the top. He elects item
1., to load the game. Prompts for inserting the FALCON_AT diskette, PAK
unarchives to the \GAMES\OFFL\FALCON_AT directory, creating it and any other
subdirectories. Kid elects item to run game. Has fun. Saves & Exits game.
Generic menu returns, Kid elects item 3., Update diskette and remove game from
diskette.
Pretty easy. I tested it with the kids, just tonight. They bitched a
little because they had to wait through a humongous decompression of KUNGFU
LOUIE, but it was a lot faster than a copy of restore would have gone.
When removing the directories at the last step, I use RDIR, a utility I
download from here which kills the specified directories, files and children.
My next development to this will be to add some file existence tests at
the beginning of each menu item display so that I can flag those games which
are in-fact still on-line and can be immediately played or can be easily off-
loaded when I'm scrambling for file space.
(D.SALKS, CAT7, TOP35, MSG:64/M615)
[EOA]
[THI]//////////////////////////////
THINK ABOUT IT! /
/////////////////////////////////
Food For Thought
""""""""""""""""
Phil Shapiro
[P.SHAPIRO1]
>>> FUTUREPHONES <<<
""""""""""""""""""""
REACH OUT AND... Anyone who has ever used a modem knows how fast data
"""""""""""""""" can be accurately transferred along a telephone
line. Yet business phone calls across this country continue to exchange
vital data via voice, which takes place at an effective rate of about 10
baud, using an error detection protocol that's inherently susceptible to
mistakes. "Mistakes?" "That's: M for Mary, I for Igloo, S for Sam, T
for Tuesday, A for Apple, K for Kangaroo, E for Elizabeth, and S for
Slow, Silly, and Stupid."
Take, for example, the exchange of names and addresses by two
potential business persons. If either of the two person's names is
uncommon, they'll have to spell it out letter by letter to the other
person. Usually the street address doesn't present too many problems,
but you better double check the suite number twice.
Cities and zip codes typically aren't that difficult to exchange,
except you have to pay attention to subtle differences, such as Newark,
New Jersey, and New York, New York. "That's Newark: N for Nancy, E for
Elizabeth, W for Window, A for Apple, R for Radio, and K for Kangaroo."
You never want to make a mistake on the zip code, so better check it
over at least twice.
Exchange of data by voice would simply be slow and inefficient under
the best of circumstances. But throw in background noises (traffic and
printers being the chief villains), regional accents, and sundry
distractions, and the result can be a real headache. "Headache?"
"That's H for Henry, E for Elizabeth, A for Apple, D for David, A for
Apple, C for Charlie, H for Henry, E for Elizabeth."
The simple exchange of name and address can take up to two minutes
for each person's name and address. For a mutual exchange of names and
addresses, we're talking four to five minutes. How much time would such
an exchange take using a data transfer of 2400 baud? About two seconds,
maximum. The 150 times improvement in speed being only incidentally
important to the improved accuracy in data transfer. "Transfer?"
"That's: T as in Tom, ..."
Now, the neat thing is that the data transfer need not be on a
separate phone line from the voice communication. Just last week I
called a friend who runs her own little desktop publishing business.
While we were chatting, her fax machine cut in, and started
transmitting. I chatted with her fax machine for a while, but continued
to hear her voice in the background. After she switched off her fax, I
remarked, "Gee, do you think it's possible to transmit both voice and
data along the same phone line, at the same time?"
Even if you couldn't transmit voice and data simultaneously, it
wouldn't be too difficult for both sides to coordinate a few quick
pulses of data exchange at a certain point in the conversation. Both
phone systems would have to be equipped with modem capability. Low end
systems could have a capture buffer, to capture the incoming data. High
end systems could have a direct link to a person's desktop computer, so
that incoming data could be automatically dumped into a database (or
temporary clipboard, where appropriate.)
The absolute ideal set up would be to have two phone lines for every
call: one for voice, and one for data. The voice line would serve to
coordinate which types of data to be sent on the data line. Data
exchanges could be ASCII exchanges, using a modem, or graphics
exchanges, using a fax machine.
All "routine exchange data" could be available for quick transfer.
Routine exchange data would include:
1) The names, positions, and phone numbers of key employees at each
company
2) Product lists and price sheets
3) Written records of standard operating procedures of each company
The process of data exchange would be further enhanced if each
futurephone had a mini-printer attached. The mini-printer would serve
solely to print mailing labels. These labels could then be printed at
the touch of a key, rather than having the information manually
transferred from a slip of paper into a computer, and then out to a
printer.
The process of exchanging vital data over the phone has changed very
little since Alexander Graham Bell invented the phone about a hundred
years ago. It's high time we used the new electronic tools to
streamline the way modern business is conducted. The savings in time
and energy are in the order of ten and twenty times as fast and
efficient. Some procedures could speed up vital data exchange by as
much as 5000 percent.
Everybody benefits by such streamlined efficiencies. And the wheels
of business and industry will be able to spin that much more smoothly.
Sure beats having to spell out long names over the phone. "That's: S
for Sam, L for Lucy, O for October, and W for Walrus."
////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Is there any way to stop an operation in DBII, once it has /
/ started? In words of someone famous......... where is the, /
/ "GO-BACK GO-BACK IT'S A TRAP", button?" /
//////////////////////////////////////////////// J.CHAFIN ////
[EOA]
[HAC]//////////////////////////////
HACK'N IBM /
/////////////////////////////////
Moving An Internal Tape Unit
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PLEASE REMEMBER! You are responsible for any damage or liability when
"""""""""""""""" you make any modifications or upgrades to your
equipment. Also keep in mind that opening your computer may void your
guarantee. If you are unsure of your ability to take on a hardware
project, find someone who isn't.
[*][*][*]
Here is how to get an internal tape unit out of your system and into an
external enclosure. In the following example I will explain how to do this
with a minimum of expense, no usage of an internal slot, and no extra power
supply cables to crowd the under regions of your desk.
First of all, I have a Irwin 40 SX tape unit. My example will work with
any tape unit that works on the existing floppy controller. Tape units that
have special hardware are easy to find external enclosures for and thus I
will not cover them in this example. That said, here we go...
I needed to get my $250 Irwin 80 meg DC2000 tape unit out of my
slimline case. I only had 2 externally accessible drive bays on my NEC SX20
and one of them possessed the mandatory 3.5" disk drive. The other was going
to be regulated to a CDROM. Most of you know how popular these CD devices are
becoming and soon you too will want to excise your seldom used tape unit to
the land of EXTERNAL enclosure.
Irwin and the OEM company Archive did not sell an enclosure for
previously internal units. Apparently they had no extra enclosures in stock.
I called all over looking for an enclosure and a cable that would do the job.
No luck... You try it and you will see what I mean. Every salesman told me
that there was no way to get it out of my system short of a dedicated
controller card that would take up one of my 4 precious expansion slots.
(Slimline remember?)
Finally I figured that all I needed was a power extension that was 36"
long to run from my CPU to the tape unit. This would give me plenty of room
to position the unit on my desktop. I also needed an external enclosure of
some kind. Preferable one that was shielded and was of the proper 5.25: inch
half height form factor. I would also need (now this is the hard part) a
cable to run from my disk drive controller's "B" connector, outside the case
and into the external enclosure and then into my tape unit. This cable would
also have to be 36". Ok. Seems easy enough right? Wrong!!!\ Everyone told me
there was no such thing as a floppy cable extender. That you could not run it
that long because you would lose the signal. That the floppy cable would have
to be remade and that I would have to make the tape unit drive "A" so that I
could run it out of the case. (Most floppy controllers originate on the
motherboard or floppy card in a pin type connector. They then run to drive
"B" first in an edge type connector and then terminate on drive "A" in an
edge type connector.)
Now you see the problem. I would have to have made the floppy device "B"
because the only other alternative was to run to "B" 36 inches, and then run
back to "A" another 36 inches just to be able to have "A" inside the CPU case
and "B" outside in the external enclosure. Still with me? Now who wants to
have their initial floppy as "B" and the tape unit as "A"? Noone.
So I began a search for a cable that was an "edge type floppy connector
extender." Did they make such a thing? Everyone told me no. I looked almost
everywhere. Then I checked out IB computers. Here is what I wound up working
out with RUSS the excellent salesperson I spoke to there.
1. An external enclosure with no power supply. 5.25" form factor.
Part #8000 "the short case" comes in IBM beige.
2. CAble that connects to my floppy controller "B" position. Originates in
the heretofore "non-existant" edge type MALE adapter, plugging snugly
into the female end at the "B" position of the floppy controller cable.
3. CAble that connects to the second floppy power supply. This cable joins
with the floppy extender cable to form a larger, shielded ribbon cable
(including ground) that terminates in a metal backplate that takes one of
the expansion slot openings at the back of the CPU case. It DOES NOT
occupy an expansion slot! It only uses the opening. And it provides and
anchor for the cable should it get kicked or tugged...
4. This internal Y configuration of cables terminates at this opening and
leaves a FEMALE edge type connector port.
5. The enclosure includes a port at the back for your tape devices power and
data lines. These merge into one larger ribbon cable that runs to the
female port at the back of your CPU, giving signal across the extended
floppy cable and power as well.
All this for under $80... The cables and connectors creating the bulk of
the expense. This is still a small price to pay to get the tape unit out of
the case with paying through the nose for some trumped up LIST priced
enclosure direct from the manufacturer. (Eratta - without paying through the
nose) It also allows you to keep the internal card slot for use with your new
(this is why you are doing this right?) internal CDROM drive... Why, if you
have an Irwin device, it will even match your tape unit making it look like
it was meant to be that way instead of a cheap hacktogether widget.
IB Computer telephone number is 1-503-297-8425... and they accept all
major credit cards and they ship COD as well. Good luck!
(M.NELSON15, CAT13, TOP35, MSG:171/M615)
/////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE ////
/ "Did I miss something? That _could_ be right (you _can_ zap a /
/ chip with static, though it's also possible you won't). My /
/ favorite story was from my wife; one of her office cohorts /
/ ordered some chips and the included installation instructions /
/ warned about static generation from certain types of clothing./
/ So he changed his chips in the nude. :)" /
/////////////////////////////////////////////// A2-CENTRAL ////
[EOA]
[LOG]//////////////////////////////
LOG OFF /
/////////////////////////////////
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[EOF]
