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ZIP Magazine Volume 2 Issue 5
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| | ±±±±±±±±± ±±±±±±±±±± ±±±±±±±±± ÿ VOL 2 ISSUE 5 |
| | ±± ±± ±± ±± |ÿ SEPTEMBER 89 |
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| | NUMBER ONE CHOICE FOR HOME MS-DOS USERS | |
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| | MIDI ON PC'S ................... 6 ||||||||ÃÙ |
| | PCTOOLS DELUXE 5.5 ............. 8 |||||||ÃÙ |
| | NO MOUSE NO GAME? .............. 9 ||||||ÃÙ |
| | EPW12 .......................... 10 |||||ÃÙ |
| | ALPS ALLEGRO ................... 11 ||||ÃÙ |
| | WRITING DOCUMENTATION .......... 12 |||ÃÙ |
| | CHALLENGE DEPARTMENT ........... 18 ||ÃÙ |
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| Ron Alcorn & W.H. Lambdin EDITORS |
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| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
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| VOLUME 2 ISSUE 5 |
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| EDITORS CORNER .................................. page 3 |
| FEEDBACK ........................................ page 4 |
| MIDI ON PC'S .................................... page 6 |
| PC-TOOLS 5.5 .................................... page 8 |
| NO MOUSE NO GAME? ............................... page 9 |
| EPW12 ........................................... page 10 |
| ALPS ALLEGRO .................................... page 11 |
| TUTORIAL ON WRITING DOCUMENTATION ............... page 12 |
| CHALLENGE DEPARTMENT (DOORWAY)................... page 18 |
| QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ........................... page 23 |
| NEW BBS'S ....................................... page 23 |
| ZIP INFO ........................................ page 24 |
| CMW ENTERPRISES AD .............................. page 25 |
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EDITOR'S CORNER
I must apologize for this issue being late, but articles were
slow about coming in and summer vacations were happening.
In the previous six issues of ZIP, we have published 669K of
text. I thought the people that read ZIP magazine would like
to know how much text has been published in one year.
It has recently came to my attention that ZIP magazine was
making the rounds with blind computer users. Bill Belew, out
of Ashland, Oregon, will be writing an article for us about
what the blind use to communicate when calling BBS's. I can't
say what issue it will be in, but Bill did say he would get
it to us when he had the information ready.
There have been some people stepping on my toes over the
article I wrote about gun control. I guess I really did
deserve it, but I just wanted to let people know what was
going on. I promise that I will stay away from political
issues in the future.
There have been several people asking "How can I print ZIP on
both sides of the paper?" I use a little program called
Altpage. We have included it with this issue. It has full
documentation, and it is very easy to use.
We are thinking about starting another magazine. (Before you
panic, "WE ARE NOT STOPPING ZIP") I would like to start an
electronic sci-fi magazine. There are two reasons.
1. I am a big fan of Science Fiction
2. No one is doing it.
If you are like to write science Fiction, get in touch with
W.H. Lambdin on any BBS that supports ZIP magazine.
FEEDBACK
Thank you very much for advising me to upgrade to VGA rather
than choosing EGA. I thought EGA was wonderful, but it is no
comparison to VGA. I thought it was impossible to get this
quality of graphic's unless I bought an AMIGA. I also
appreciate the advice on the high density floppy drives.
I tried the trick using a soldering iron to make low density
disks into high densities. I punched 10, and 9 of them
formatted to 1.44 on the first try. Track 0 on the tenth disk
was bad, so I covered the hole I made, and tried formatting
it to 720K. again track 0 was bad. A 90% success ratio is
amazing.
Thank's again for everything. Sylvia Vaughn
This is absolutely the best mag in the world for beginners.
After coming across one and then not able to locate any other
copies locally in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Az. I decided to call
long distance and download every issue available. Thank the
Lord for you guys-even if I'm not exactly a christian
(smile). Any local BBS's carrying your rag? or any closer to
Arizona? Thanks again. Mark Chang
Editors Comment: We are getting ready for a BBS in Phoenix if
all goes well here shortly.
I found ZIP magazine on a local BBS. It is a tremendous help
to me. You guys explain technical material in a non technical
manner. ZIP rates A+ in my opinion. George Powell
I have been reading your magazine for the last three issues,
and I think it is the best magazine going, but I do have two
problems with it.
1. Optune by Gazelle systems does NOT deserve 5 stars.
PC-Tools does everything Optune does plus a lot more.
Editor's Comment: I am usually not one to impose on another's
comment, but I did mention that I used PC Tools 5 instead of
OPTune (Now version 5.5! I'm as big a PC Tools fan as the
next!). Also PC Tools does not deal with hard drive
interleaves at all. OPTune allows you to check and change
your current interleave. Also since this program was a free
sample, what else could you ask for without paying. Basically
what I have said here was in my OPTune article, you must have
missed it. The 5 stars was just mostly because it was a free
fully functional sample version. Usually good sample
programs are crippled so they aren't fully functional. In any
case, I don't consider PC Tools and Optune to be in the same
category. Anyway, thanks for responding, only if I could get
more people to respond to make this magazine better.
2. W.H. Lambdin's article about gun control has no business
being placed in ZIP. Edward Masters
Editors comment: I knew that Gun control has nothing to do
with computer users. From now on. I will keep my opinions on
topics of this nature out of ZIP magazine.
Great Show! Your July issue of 1989 has been broadcast on the
major Phoenix BBS's It lives up to your high standards. With
Alcorns permission I would like to comment.
1, Please have someone download BOTH335.ZIP, an excellently
written program.... and a real money (paper) saver ...and let
us figure a practical way to make it compatible with the
configuration of ZIP or vice versa. Your print configuration
is one of only a few programs found this year that both is
unable to adequately solve. I'm sure your many readers would
shout for joy if such a solution is found and you told them
how to print ZIP on both sides of their paper... neat, slick
and quick
2. If I possessed Chan Shippy's programming talents and
skills I wouldn't be using PCDASH.zip (a neat menu called
Dashboard), but here is another well scripted program that I
really could not get along too well if it hadn't been
written. Perhaps Chan would download PCDASH and give me his
opinion of a menu that doesn't require so much typing. John
S. Alcorn.
Editors Comment: I too print on both sides of the paper. I
thought about bringing this up earlier, but I didn't think
there would be much interest. I use ALTPAGE. It does real
nice on ZIP Magazine. We were unable to locate BOTH335, but
we did come across BOTH350, but we found it just a bit too
late. Sorry, we will let you know if BOTH is able to handle
ZIP in the next issue.
Your ZIP magazine is a good product. Has gotten some good
comments in this area. Kevin Hillegas
ZIP magazine is very popular here is Ohio. Dann Way
MIDI ON PC'S
by Tom Croley
Associate Editor
Tom's Tidbits
PO Box 188
Battle Ground, WA 98604
MUSICAL MIDI MADNESS
WOW! If J.S. Bach had one of these gizmos, the world would
be full of his music. On second thought, maybe he would have
wasted all his time playing video games and composed nothing
at all, but I don't think so.
Did you know that you can hook your PC type computer to a
wide variety of musical instruments? Using your instrument
and a sequencer program, you can Play, Compose, or improvise
your own music; store it on the computer; play it back for
your own enjoyment or in live performance; and even print
beautiful sheet music.
I have recently had the opportunity to play around with a
fancy keyboard musical synthesizer that uses a MIDI interface
device to connect to a PC type computer. I must say that I
am really impressed. The system I tested consisted of a
Roland S10 keyboard, connected to a Roland MT32 Sound data
bank, connected to a MPU-401 MIDI interface device on a PC
running "Cakewalk" software. MIDI means Musical Instrument
Data Interface.
I really do not want to get too technical but I would like to
enumerate some of the things you can do with a MIDI setup.
1. With a good synthesizer, you make and store any kind of
sound and then use that sound an instrumental voice in
your performances or compositions. The Roland S10 has
sound sampling, that means you can burp, sneeze, chirp
or whatever, into a microphone and make an instrumental
voice out of it. It's really fun. Most of the
instrument sounds in the Roland MT32 are so realistic, it
will fool the average person.
2. Using "Cakewalk", one of several "sequencer" programs
available on the market, you can record your music on the
computer. There are several ways to record. You can
simply sit down and play, and the computer will record
and store what ever you do. You can play one note at a
time and thus build up a tune layer upon layer using
different "instrumental tones" for each part. The
computer will play back your previous notes while you add
the following layers. Of course, if you do something
wrong, you can edit the music with the many editing
features available including such things a "cut", "copy"
and "paste".
3. When your composition is complete, you can play back the
music. The quality of sound will depend on the quality
of your system. You can pipe the sound through most any
amplifier system or to a tape deck or to the sound track
of a VCR.
4. You are not limited to a keyboard for input. There are
many types of MIDI compatible instruments available
including: guitars, drum sets, harmonicas, saxophones,
basses, etc.
5. Here is one of the best parts. If you have the program,
"Dr T's Copyist", you can print your musical
compositions on most any dot matrix or laser printer. The
result sheet music of amazing quality. The speed of the
printout depends on the speed of your computer systems.
On a slow XT system it takes about 35 minutes to print
one page of fine quality music. I know a band director
who makes his band arrangement using "Cakewalk" and then
prints the sheetmusic using the "Copyist". It saves him
loads of time and he gets to hear what it actually sounds
like before the kids even look at it.
There are really too many neat things in this world of MIDI
to tell in this small space. In short, let me say that it is
great fun. It is also a great tool with many applications
from music lessons to serious composition.
Here are the basics of what you need to get into MIDI MUSIC.
1. A PC type computer with at least on open slot.
2. A Roland MPU-401 MIDI interface device or equivalent.
(Roland is to MIDI what IBM is to computers)
3. A MIDI compatible instrument. I recommend a keyboard and
get one with as many built in instruments as possible.
Make sure it is "multi-timbral"...plays more than one
sound quality at once.
4. A sequencer program. I recommend "Cakewalk" because it
is the most popular and seems to be the most bang for the
bucks when you compare features and dollars.
5. If you want to print, you will need "Dr. T's Copyist"
program and most any printer.
Where do get such goodies. You could inquire at your local
music store. Check out the magazine stands for MIDI related
publications. Or, contact Chipmunk Software & Systems, Box
188, Battle Ground, WA 98604.
PC Tools Deluxe 5.5
by
Ron Alcorn
Central Point has upgraded their very popular PC Tools Deluxe
5.0 to version 5.5 here recently. Never fear, it's still the
same program, just better.
Several of the bugs have been fixed. Personally I hardly
ever run across any problems. I believe most of the programs
occur from the NAME BRAND computers <grin>. My clone always
gets along real fine with any program.
The PC Shell has been improved the most. It now allows you
to use one key commands. Such as C to copy, M to move, V to
view, etc. The shell looks pretty much the same as it did
before, except for the 3 bottom lines. The very bottom 2
contain the one key commands, and the other line contains
file and drive information. Such as the total amount of
files, total size of all files, amount of selected files,
size of selected files, and amount of free bytes on the
current drive.
The view option is more powerful now. It will allow you to
view ASCII, DBase III, Lotus 123 files, and executable files.
If the file being viewed is a Dbase or Lotus file, it gives
you the option to load the file in to the appropriate
program. This allows you to see what the file is before you
go and edit it.
The directory maintenance will now allow you to modify the
attributes of directories.
The shell now stores the entire drive information in a file
which is read in to memory, rather from disk which is slower.
If you modify the directory structure, you will need to tell
the shell to reread the drive so it will be up to date.
PC Backup is better than ever now. It will now utilize a
Copy II PC Deluxe Option board if installed. The provides
the backup process to unformatted disks to a 40% increase in
speed. Now when I am backing up my BBS, I don't have to say
I wish these disks were already formatted. (When I speak of
formatted, I don't mean the DOS format, I mean the special
format the PC Backup uses.)
The menus in PC Backup have been spruced up quite a bit along
with a easier setup configuration for the defaults and
toggles.
The Desktop is pretty much the same. They just tightened up
a few loose screws and smoothed out the rough edges. A few
to note are, the terminal now supports ANSI and VT100, a
modem initialization string, and a more informative 2 line
status bar in the terminal mode. The calculator selection
now offers algebraic, financial, programmers (hex), and
scientific. Most of the windows now contain a clock on the
window border.
All though the are minor updates, the little things are what
get us through life. I've mostly written this short article
to notify you of the new PC Tools Deluxe version 5.5. One
last not, the manual has now been spilt up in to 3 different
books.
Data Recovery and Utilities
Desktop Manager
Hard Disk Backup
Of for those the use a network, you can now use PC Tools as
it is network compatible now.
As always, the price was cheap. It only cost me $20 bucks to
upgrade, plus get a new and improved set of documentation.
The new version does contain more than what I have mentioned,
it's just that the there is so much odds and ends to cover.
You'll just have to try it for yourself, I'm sure you'll like
it better than the 5.0 version.
Rating ***** (WHERE IS THE COMPETITION?)
NO MOUSE NO GAME?
by W.H. Lambdin
This is a complaint to Ron Balewski. (If I did not spell the
name correctly, I apologize). Ron B is the creator of a
game. It is Mah Jongg for VGA. This game is as addicting as
it can be. The object is to remove all 144 tiles. You do
this by finding an identical pair, but they must be on the
left or right side.
You are wondering (if the game is so good, why am I
complaining) well the game is very good, but you must have
VGA, and a mouse in order to play, well about two week's ago
I sold my mouse to a friend because I started doing most of
my work on my laptop, and I would only be using my desktop
infrequently, well after I sold my mouse, I wanted to play a
game of MahJongg, and it promptly notified me that I must
have a Microsoft compatible mouse attached in order to play,
well this teed me off, and I have a complaint.
It looks to me like the author of games would allow for more
than one type of interactive device. Not everyone has a
mouse. I really like the game, but I don't have any way to
play.
Hey Ron, PLEASE modify this game so it can be played with the
joystick, or cursor key's.
I like the game, but I don't like it good enough to buy
another mouse in order to play your game.
This complaint goes to all the author's of games and
utilities with the attitude (everyone has a mouse)
EPW12
by W.H. Lambdin
EPW is a password protection utility written by Alan D.
Jones. If you use this utility, the author asks that you send
a donation of $15 to A.J. Utilities, 8023 Wind Stream,
Houston, Texas 77040. The source code is available for a $40
donation.
EPW is intended to password protect executable files from
being run unless the user knows the password. This utility
works on both COM, and EXE files. This routine is case
sensitive, so it doesn't recognize a t as a T. This means
your can have very secure passwords. I think it has a maximum
of 15 characters for the password.
The command line to password protect a program is.
EPW /a (program name)
One note about this utility. It over writes the original
file, so for safety sake, store an unmodified copy of the
program away.
It is possible to remove the password from the program
whenever you wish to do so. To unprotect a file, change the a
to an r in the command line above. When you do this, it ask's
for the original password, and it is impossible to unprotect
a file without the original password.
I have tried a lot of protection routines, and have not been
satisfied with any of them, because they are a too much of a
bother because it requires a two step process to get at them.
The first step de scrambles the program to disk, then you
have to run the uncsrambled program. EPW descrambles the
program to memory, after you enter the correct password, and
then the program executes. There is only one step for the
user. A secure, and very easy process.
Most people think "I don't have anything to hide." I used to
be the same way, but now with my BBS, with it's 180+ adult
GIF pictures, I don't want my niece, and Nephew getting in to
them when I am away from the computer. Another reason for
security, you wouldn't want anyone getting into your
financial reports would you?
ALPS ALLEGRO
by Tom Croley
Associate Editor
I recently have been falling in love with the ALPS ALLEGRO
printer. I have had the opportunity to try many printers and
I must say that this one does have some features to hoot
about.
ALPS is not a well know brand. They have been around for a
number of years and their printers are one of the few
printers that are made in the USA. They have several models
to offer, most of them rather bulky. The Allegro is their
smallest and lowest prices 24 pin printer. They also offer
18 pin printer and one 9 pin model.
The Allegro can be obtained for under $500. It does what
most other 24 pin printers do. It cranks out excellent
Letter Quality type at a fairly speedy rate. At 180 Draft
and 60 NLQ, it is not the fastest but quite a bit better than
most 9 pin printers.
The draft type is nothing to brag about, in fact it is a
little skimpy. In letter quality you can select from 3 types
of type accessible on the front panel. You can select these
fonts WITHOUT pressing the on line button thus their
selection is easier than on most printers. The quality of
type is excellent, better than a "Star" or "Panasonic", more
like a "Toshiba" or "NEC". I must say however, that the
differences between all these brands is insignificant when
viewed objectively.
The Allegro has a 7K print buffer expandable to 32K. Parallel
interface with serial option. It emulates the Epson LQ2500.
Extra Font cards are available.
The hooting starts when we talk about paper handling. This
is where the ALPS really shines. The Allegro is a "Flat
Bed" printer. This means that the paper goes in one side
and comes out the other side without EVER bending or curving.
The feeder is a push tractor that load from the front and
ejects in the rear. The advantage to this design is that you
can print miles upon miles of paper without ever jamming a
single time. You can print thousands of mailing labels
without having even one label peel off at the wrong time and
stick in your machine. Jammed mailing labels can be a source
of costly repairs on some machines. Like most new printers,
the Allegro has automatic paper feed and automatic paper
parking. Paper feed pulls your cut sheet typing paper into
the printer to the precise position for printing. Paper
parking rolls back your tractor paper so that it is out of
the way thus allowing you to insert a cut sheet into the
machine without removing the tractor paper.
The neatest paper handling feature is the "Tear Bar Advance"
with true "top of form" alignment. Lets say you are using
some expensive pre-printed tractor forms for your business.
Each time you tear off a form after printing, on most
printers, problems occur. You either have to waste the next
form because it jambs in the feeding device or you have to
manually roll the form back to the top of form position. With
the Allegro, when you are done printing a form, you hit the
"Tear Bar" button. The paper rolls to the perfect position
to tear the paper off (the tear bar really works and with
only one hand). After tearing the form off you press the
button once again and the paper rolls back to the perfect top
of form position. That does not seem like a very neat trick.
The difference is in the form. Some forms start near the top
edge of the paper. In most printers, you simply cannot print
close to perforation on the first sheet so you have to roll
forward a whole sheet to properly align the paper. The
Allegro will actually print ON the top edge of the first
sheet thus you never waste a sheet and you never jamb in the
process. Because of the superior paper handling qualities of
the Alps printers, I usually recommend Alps to people who
want serious letter quality in and trouble free use.
TUTORIAL ON WRITING DOCUMENTATION
by Todd Brown
PLANNING AND CREATING . . .
Help the user get started
- Introduce functions and benefits
- Demonstrate installation and
setup
- Teach elementary operations and
procedures
- Warn against errors and bugs!
Help productivity/satisfaction
- Demonstrate advanced features and
benefits
- Teach more-productive methods
- Teach shortcuts
- Aid customizing and modification
Help when things go wrong
- Identify likely problems and
solutions
- Identify problems needing expert
help
- Enable user independence from
developers
ORGANIZATION
1) Installing the System or Program
1.1 Backing-up Disks
1.2 Defining Rules for Operation
2) Creating the Files
2.1 Explain the Files and their Function
2.2 Entering Files and Information
3) Applications
3.1 How to Use Each Program
3.2 How to Use Each Section of Each Program
3.3 How to Use Each Function of Each Program
3.4 How do the Files Work with each Program
3.5 How to Get Started on Your Own Files and Data
3.6 Short-Cuts or Better Performance Tips
3.7 Warnings on Any Bugs, or Possible User Action that can
Cause Data Loss
4) Data Files
4.1 Defining
4.2 Reading
4.3 Linking
4.4 Writing
4.5 Updating/Maintaining
4.6 Deleting
5) Output
5.1 Printing
5.2 Graphics Printing
5.3 Temporary Files
5.4 Storage Files
Appendix
Alternative Program Configurations
Sample Outputs
Error Messages
Glossary
Problem/Solutions
STRUCTURE, OUTLINE, FLOW . . .
Documentation like programs need to be structured.
1) MAIN CHAPTER
Used to explain an idea to the user. To explain, to
the user, how this idea is important. Tell the user what
they should learn from this chapter.
4.1) SECTION
Used to explain a part of the whole idea. How to
solve this part of the idea. Tell the user why this is
important and if this part needs to be done before any other
part.
3.2.1) SUB-SECTION
Used to explain a single command or function that will
do one small operation (This can be big to a programmer, but
the user doesn't know or care how much code it took to do the
operation). Explain what will happen when the operation is
running, does the drive start up? or should a message be
displayed? Also if the operation is internal be sure to tell
the user about how long the operation should take, even 10
seconds to a new user can cause them to become nerves.
THINGS TO AVOID WHEN WRITING GOOD DOCUMENTATION.
1) Long, Vogue Words. Use common non-technical terms like,
computer's memory and not RAM or ROM. Use common easy to
understand words and not words someone is going to have to
look up in a dictionary like "Vogue".
2) Too Many Words. Don't go over-board with small, or useless
information that the user may not wish to read, also don't
string your sentences together because this will cause
confusion about the full sentences meaning, like this line!
Just be short and sweet. Make each sentence count and use
good English. This user will read more of your manual if
each sentence is short and clear.
3) Too Few Words. This is even worse than too many words,
because if a user has to they can at least reread the long
sentences over again until they can understand them. With
sentences that don't have enough words to get the idea across
the user will never understand what was meant. These type of
lines are easy to catch since the first time anyone, other
than yourself, reads it they will ask you what was meant by
that line.
4) Misplaced Word or Phrases. These mistakes are common and
some will get through. This mistake is like patch work. The
programmer is writing their manual and halfway through thinks
of something that should have been placed near the top of the
documentation, or something that needs to be placed somewhere
else, but is patched to the spot that the programmers is
currently writing. Even if the programmer fully intends to
go back and move it to the correct spot later, we all know
how bad we can be on "going back" to do something (Think
about writing comments in your program code!).
5) Backwards Construction. This mistake can be hard to catch
also. This mistake is just changing the order of the
sentence around, backwards. Here is an example of this type
of sentence: "push the RETURN key to exit from this screen
and go to the next". This sentence should first show action
and then how to cause the action as in: "To exit from the
current screen and move to the next, press the RETURN key".
HOW TO EXPLAIN A SINGLE FUNCTION OR COMMAND . . .
1) First explain why the function is needed.
2) Explain fully how to use the command, including any
optional features and all the information that the command
requires.
2.1) Break down each requirement of the command and explain
why each is needed and what is valid input, also explain
what may happen if the information is not given, or given
incorrectly.
2.2) Explain all of the optional features, what each does and
how it will effect the operation of the original function.
Also explain any additional requirements if a optional
feature is used and the valid type of input for the option.
3) Give a few examples of the command and fully explain what
will happen when the command is given.
4) Give a "Few" details on how the command works, but only a
few! For example explain how long the command will usually
take to execute, or if a file will be opened for a short
time. This will give even a user who knows very little,
information that will put them at ease. To explain this I
will give an example . . . If you where explaining a command
called "CLEAR" and you had explained that it deletes all
information that has to be with current screen. A few
details on the working of the command would include . . .
"This command will clear the screen and also go to the data
file on disk and delete the record corresponding to the
information that was on the screen. This command will take
anywhere from 2 to 15 seconds to execute depending on the
size of the user's data file." This will even tell a user
that not only is the screen cleared, but also a deleted from
their data file. This also brings us to the next section on
how to explain a command.
5) Give warnings to the user who has never use this type of
software. Don't assume that a user knows what side effects
will happen if the user executes a command. COMPUTE!'S
GAZZETE sent out a disk with a program on it to "Format" a
disk some years back, and they had to replace hundreds of
diskettes to users who just did not know what formatting a
disk meant! So if you have a command of function called
"Delete" or even "SelfDestruct", don't assume that the user
will know what the command will do. And even if you've
explained the command so that anybody should understand it,
give a warning in all CAPS or bold on all "DANGEROUS" com-
mands.
6) Don't write a novel on each command. Keep all informa-
tion about a command simple and to the point. If a command
does not need a warning then don't put one in.
7) A word processor is the only way to write documentation.
Plus the programmer can just send a copy of the WP
documentation on the program's disk. This will hold down the
out of pocket expense for the program. Even if the
programmer is planning to include a printed copy of the
documentation, it is nice to the user to have some
documentation on the disk, so the user can reprint them on
their own printers (So note can be taken down on the
documentation, but still have a good set of documentation if
the notes become messy).
OVERALL DOCUMENTATION CHECKING
1) After the documentation have been written, read it again.
Checking yourself for typos, spelling, format, layout,
readability, understandability. Also check to see if the
explanation is clear and if you think the user can get your
meaning form the text.
2) This is a separate step and should not be done before the
previous step. Give a copy to your spouse or friend to read
(or have them read it on the computer, but a printed copy is
best). Then LISTEN! Listen to all their suggestions and
comments. Ask them if they can understand all of the
explanations, examples, and warnings. Ask them if they think
that they (with practice) could run your software. Don't let
them just say "Oh, this looks fine" or "I guess this is
good", have them ask you questions. Make notes on any ques-
tions that have about the documentation or the software
(Remember the user won't have you standing over their
shoulder answering all their questions, and the manual must
do this). Then after they are done reviewing the
documentation, then rewrite the parts of the documentation
that need to be "clarified", or add a section to explain a
part that was forgotten. Then recheck all of your changes.
3) Then make a hard copy (especially if the others look at
your documentation on the computer screen). This will show
how the over all format will look (don't just use preview on
the word processor). Are the pictures in the correct spot.
Does the documentation look nice? Can you find a most of the
information easily? And again give this to some one and ask
them to make changes to the hard copy that they think need to
be made. Repeat this step until you are satisfied that your
documentation is complete.
4) This is a step that can be hard if you don't know any
other computer users, but try it on some one. Give a copy of
your program and the documentation and see if they can use
your software (Give them about a couple of days, or a week if
the program is big). Don't answer ANY questions! Let them
learn by just using the manual. Then after the person has
learned the software (or has come to a point where they can
go no farther) ask them about the thinks that they had a hard
time understanding (with the documentation or the program).
If you think that there is a need, then rewrite the
documentation's and/or the program to over come any of its
shortcomings.
All of the suggestions given here are just that suggestions,
they don't have a place in some explanations of some com-
mands. Use this and other suggestions as a guide to write
documentation and not a steadfast rule.
Your documentation is complete! At least as much as you can
do at this point. After you've got copies of your program
and documentation out, keep notes on any calls or letters you
get about your software and documentation. If you find that
you have a bug in your software and rewrite your program.
Give your program a new version number, and rewrite your
documentation to explain the bug in the old version and what
the current version number is and the current date. Also if
you've made any improvements be sure to list them.
PROGRAMMER'S CHALLENGE DEPARTMENT
As an editor of this magazine I will be challenging you,
programmer or user, to make or find a program that is better
than one(s) I will be discussing. Usually I will only be
discussing one or two programs a month. Reason being is that
I'll only be picking what I consider to be top quality
programs that are best in their category.
Also you, as a programmer, are welcome to send in a challenge
yourself. If you write a program that you think is better
than anyone else's, send it to us along with an article, not
a document, about your program showing off its features so
that we can place it here in this department for others to
know about. This may help you make some money if your
program is Shareware, news could travel around pretty fast on
BBS's. Along with reception of your program and article, you
will get a reply from me in this department, whether it be
compliments, comments, suggestions, or criticism. So don't
complain about what I might say, because you can clearly see
what all possible statements can be made toward your program.
Remember, if you send in a program and article, it would seem
that you are confident in what you do. Also all statements
are toward your program, not you. I would not want to offend
any person and start a argument. Don't let these statements
scare you off, I'm not a bad guy, I just try to give public a
general view. Everything I will be saying will be my
opinions only, unless I actually run tests to get true
statistics about your program.
Reader's please send in your responses to me. Let me know if
you think my choices are good or bad. It doesn't matter to me
if you agree or dis-agree with me because everyone has their
own opinion.
DOORWAY
by
Ron Alcorn
There may be a lot of confusion to you if you are not an
experienced BBS sysop. I am writing this with an experienced
BBS sysop in mind, because I feel this is 99% why this
program was written. Even if you are a new BBS sysop, I
would advise you to still read on. If you want to learn more
about doors and remote operation, download the following
programs from my ZIP BBS.
X00V111C.ZIP
FOSLAUX.ZIP
DRWAY204.ZIP
DRWAY204 is self-dependent, other than DOS and a BBS program.
I just mentioned the other 2 files in case you wanted to
learn a bit more about what I am talking of and what pains
and aches that Doorway can rid you of.
Doorway's author is Marshall Dudley. I let you know his name
almost right off the bat because this guy has written a
program that I thought to be impossible. He has created a
program that will allow you to run any program (not including
bit mapped graphics, which is highly understandable) from a
remote location. By saying a remote location, I mean like if
you call in to another computer by use of a modem. The one
doing the calling is the remote operator, and the receiving
end is the host. The main use for this program, as partially
stated by the name, is a way to run programs through a BBS
door.
As a BBS sysop, you well know that the only programs that you
can run as a door are door specific programs or programs that
will re-direct their output by the use of the CTTY command
and/or a fossil driver such as X00 and FOSLAUX combined.
Below is a very small list of the programs that I have run
successfully.
QEdit 2.08 Directory Magic
PC Shell 5.5 PC Desktop 5.5
Galaxy 2.42 Shez
List Empire
As you can tell, this gives you a good idea just how powerful
Doorway can be.
Now that you have an idea what Doorway can do for you, you
must be wondering what safety precautions does it have. Well,
I've found Doorway to be completely reliable. Usually when
something goes wrong, it's either with the BBS or the program
being run, NOT Doorway! Here is a list of Doorway's safety
features.
WATCHDOG
Monitors carrier and if lost, will try and exit the program
and return to the BBS, and if unsuccessful will reboot the
computer. Might I add that Doorway is very determined to try
and exit the program so control can be return to the BBS so a
proper log off procedure can be performed.
KEYBOARD TIMEOUT
Monitors keyboard input and if no input was received for the
configurable amount of minutes, then Doorway will exit the
program and return to the BBS, and if unsuccessful will
reboot the computer. You may think there is a disadvantage
because what would happen if you were download a file and it
takes 10 minutes. Well you can set Doorway up to monitor
text output also.
TIME LIMIT
Allows you to set how long a person is to be in a door, and
will take the same action as in the 2 above features.
NETWORK COMPATIBILITY
Allows files to be open share compatible.
ABORTING PROGRAMS
Doorway will allow you to define a keyboard combination so
that you or the BBS caller can abort a program that normally
doesn't allow you to do so. Nice for those games that you
usually have to reboot to exit.
KEYBOARD TRAPPING
Allows you to set certain keyboard combinations from being
used by the remote caller.
NON-IBM COMPATIBLE BIOS
Has provisions to work around BIOS's that are not compatible
enough.
DISABLE DISK WRITES
You can tell Doorway to not allow programs to write to disk.
Good for games that write a high score file, when you don't
want them to. Remember that some programs require that disk
writes be available, so don't turn this feature on if a
program requires writing to disk to run properly.
As you can very well see, Doorway can have complete control
in it's hands if need be. Nearly all features can be
configured or toggled on or off.
I need to state a few technical notes here before I go on too
much farther.
Doorway supports the standard COM ports, 1 through 4. And if
that ain't enough, it will let you use any COM port as long
as you can supply the needed address location and interrupt.
Doorway also support LOCAL mode usage to.
Another thing, Doorway will use the PCBOARD.SYS or DOOR.SYS
file if told to. If your BBS doesn't create either file,
Doorway can still work for you. I would highly suggest that
you ask your BBS author to make an option to create the
DOOR.SYS file when running a door. This file is starting to
become the standard, and if it does, it will make door life
for all BBS sysop's a lot easier! By the way, you might say
that the well known DORINFOx.DEF file is nearly the standard,
well this file is OK, but the DOOR.SYS file contains more and
much needed information. Please consider what I have just
said. Thank you!
Now, here are the rest of the features Doorway has to offer.
MENUS
Allows you to set up a menu file to run several doors. Also
supports sub-menus.
PASSWORD
You can put a password on a door or menu if need be.
ALARM BELL
Can be toggled on or off according over riding the DOOR.SYS
or PCBOARD.SYS file.
WELCOME AND EXIT FILES
You can have an introduction and closing file for each door.
For example, you may want the welcome file to display the
instructions for the door, and you may want the exit file to
display the high score file.
FAST MODE
This will filter out un-needed ANSI codes when moving the
cursor around to different locations.
QUICK BASIC MODE
Special switch in insure that a Quick Basic compiled program
will run correctly.
RUNNING PROGRAMS
Doorway can run program directly without the use of
COMMAND.COM, but it can be forced to use COMMAND.COM in case
you are running a batch program. Also Doorway can be a drop
to DOS shell.
WORK AROUNDS
Doorway has a work around for terminals that only use 24
lines of the screen. As you know most terminals use the 25th
line for the status line. Well what would happen if the door
tries to use the 25th line, a garbo screen starts to form.
Doorway has a fix for this and several other problems of 24
line terminal programs. Also fixes line feed problems that
some ANSI drivers have.
VIDEO MODES
Doorway can be setup to run in either DIRECT or BIOS video
mode. DIRECT allows more programs to work, but BIOS provides
smoother and fast text output.
KEYBOARD REMAPPING
Doorway allows you to create a keyboard translation file so
you can send Alt, Ctl, and function key codes. It is better
though if you use a terminal such as Qmodem 4.0, which has
the Alt-= command so you can send such key codes.
MULTITASKING SUPPORT
Will detect multi-taskers automatically.
Last but not least, Doorway which is available from several
BBS's, if limited to it's performance unless you pay the well
worth the price of $30 bucks.
The demo version only allows you to stay in a door for 10
minutes, and has an advertising screen for registering.
If you register, you can allow much more than 10 minutes per
door, and you can dis-able the registration screens. Plus you
get access to 2 special BBS lines for Doorway support. Also
once you register Doorway, all future upgrades are free! You
will get a special code which will allow you to register the
latest Doorway, no matter where you download it from. This is
a very nice touch!
If you think I have explained something wrong, or left
something important out, please let me know. It's rather
easy to do with such a great configurable powerful program!
For my part, I would feel comfortable to say Doorway is
better than the famous Carbon Copy commercial program and it
is a heck of a lot cheaper!
There isn't enough competition for other programs to even
come close to Doorway, besides, this program does more that
what I expected it to do.
Rating: *****
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: I have been reading ZIP since it started. Last week, I
found another electronic magazine called LOM. I saw your name
as editor. Is it still in print? George Powell
A: LOM was my first attempt at an electronic magazine. It
stood for (London's Original Magazine). It started about
three years ago as a newsletter for a local users group (the
Laurel County Computer users group). After the users group
expired, Tony Tompkins helped me edit LOM as a local
newsletter, that appeared on WOW BBS. After Tony went away to
college, Ron Alcorn agreed to become a co-editors. This all
took place when I had a commodore. About 5 months after the
users group died, WOW bbs went down for two months due to
computer crash. We tried to revive LOM after the computer was
repaired, but we did not have any success. I am surprised
that anyone has found LOM after all this time.
Q: I think it would be a good idea for you to add some style
and flash to ZIP. Think about it. James Eisner
A: We would rather put our flash in the articles, instead of
making it look good (which isn't worth two cents) We
deliberately left it as an ascii file. This way, anyone can
view it on any computer.
NEW BBS'S
216 264-5116 <TRI>-<WAY> BBS. Baud 300 - 2400 24 hrs.
Running Wildcat 2.0 multinode. Storage 130 meg. Carrying
ZIP magazine Over 500 files. Located in Wooster, Oh.
Sysop Dann Way
ZIP INFO
by W.H. Lambdin & Ron Alcorn
This is ZIP, a paperless magazine. All submissions will be
printed, unless you ask us not to. We will not modify any
text you submit except for spell checking. So views
expressed here do not necessarily reflect views of editors.
If you want to send us a submission, upload it to one of
BBS's with a * beside it. You can also send them to ZIP BBS
at (606) 878-9500, or SnapShot Express at (606) 843-9032.
These BBS's operate at 1200 and 2400 Baud. ZIP operates 7pm
to 7am EST and SnapShot Express operates 24 hours a day.
When you upload a submission, use MAG as the extension. We
would appreciate it if all submissions were just ascii, and
margins set at 10 on left, and 10 on right. This isn't
demanded, it would just be easier on us. If you want to
submit programs you have written, send them along in an
archive with your text. We will check all programs and if
they prove to be unsuitable, we will reject them. (You know,
trojans, viruses, and other harmful programs.)
If you submit a review, follow examples here. If you think
it is a very good program, rate it at 5 stars. If you think
it is of poor quality, then give it one star. If you think
it falls between grades, use a plus as this. ***+ This means
a rating of 3 1/2 stars, or a little better than average.
We will not make you run from place to place in order to read
one article. When we start an article, it will be printed in
it's entirety before another article will be started. All
advertisements will be found in back. I like to read articles
with as little trouble as necessary, and the same goes for
ad's. We will have advertisements, but the editors take no
responsibility in what you may see advertised, so buy at your
own risk.
ZIP is being written on an AT compatible, and a Tandy 1400 LT
laptop. using Galaxy 2.4. Galaxy is written by Omniverse
incorporation. If you want to find a great share ware word
processor, give Galaxy 2.4 a try. I liked it so much, I
registered my copy.
In order for this magazine to survive, it will need help from
it's readers. If you wish to correct us on something, or
write an article or review for ZIP, please send us your
responses. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you
wish to reprint an article or review from ZIP, feel free to
use it any way you wish, we only request that you give author
credit, and report that article appeared in ZIP.
**** UPGRADES FOR OLDER COMPUTERS ****
If you have an older IBM PC/XT or compatible, chances
are you have wondered if you could speed up old reliable.
After all, computers are supposed to be fast and they are
supposed to increase our productivity! Somehow it just
doesn't seem very productive when you have to take a break
while computer slugs it out with a complex program.
Welcome to 1988 (soon to be 1989). There are ways to
upgrade your tired 8086 and 8088 machines and at a cost lower
then buying a new computer. Our company specializes in
selling upgrade boards and cards that can speed up almost any
IBM compatible computer to 12MHZ operating speed using Intel
80286 chip.
One product we are very excited about is Transformer
upgrade motherboard which replaces your old motherboard. It
comes in a PC and an XT version that operates at either 10 or
12 MHZ. PC has 5 expansion slots, 2 are 8 bit slots and 3
are 16 bit slots, XT version has 8 expansion slots, 4 are 8
bit slots and 4 are 16 bit slots. board will hold 1 megabyte
of RAM chips in several configurations that user can select.
It is hardware and software selectable between turbo speed
and slower speed that you are used to from your computer. So
if you need an excuse to take a break, slow machine down,
otherwise enjoy new speed performance available from
Transformer board.
If you don`t want to scrap your present computer but
you also don't want a new computer try upgrading your
computer and save some serious money. We have boards, they
are a good product and most important-they are fast!
Our company has upgrades for other computers as well,
if you own an AT&T 6300 or other brands we have an
accelerator card that will run your machine at same 12 MHZ
speed using Intel 80286 chip. Call us for all your upgrade
needs.
We have just added to our line of quality products
Peacock VGA board. It is made by same people that
manufacture Transformer board and it too is a quality
product. It comes with 512k of 80ns DRAM on board and will
operate in VGA mode as well as EGA,CGA,MDA, and Hercules
modes. It has good documentation for programmers among us as
well as device drivers and several utilities that will make
this card one to have.
Transformer board price... $480.00
Accelerator card price.... $450.00
Peacock VGA card...........$625.00
For other cards call us...........
CMW ENTERPRISES, INC.
3691 WOODHILL DRIVE SUITE 100
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32303
PHONE ( 904 ) 562-6140
