CSTROM@Simtel20.ARPA (07/22/84)
I paraphrase from Gifford's MP/M 8-16 documentation. First, do not install WS for an MP/M system - 8-16 treats 8 bit programs differently from MP/M II. The suggested delays are as follows: DELCUS: 1 DELMIS: 1 DEL1: through DEL5: 0 These delays may have to be increased slightly if operation with your terminal is erratic. Lastly, there is a patch to release the printer: Location 614 (using DDT86, not DDT80!) Patch C3 CB 02 Location 1CB Patch 0E 9F C3 05 00 That's it.
POURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA (07/25/84)
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE@Mit-Mc.ARPA> WordStar takes so long, and uses such inefficient algorithms, for formatting text that adding a large print buffer does almost no good at all. The problems is not in your philosophy but in your [Word]Stars...
CSTROM@Simtel20.ARPA@sri-unix.UUCP (07/25/84)
I assume that you are outputting the data to the spooler quite a bit faster than 1200 baud, correct? Unfortunately, WS has a nasty habit of sending the character stream out the printer port at a very slow rate. I assume that at least part of the delay is due to processing for the target printer, but I would not be a bit surprised if there was some delay built in as well, allowing effective simultaneous editing while printing without hogging the resources of the CPU. I think you would find that the actual effective output is faster than 1200 baud; on systems with buffers and 1200 baud printers, the buffer does indeed fill, but certainly the effective baud rate is probably more on the order of 2400 baud or thereabouts (a seat of the pants guess). I will try to get some info on this out of my friends at MicroPro, but things seem to get more screwed up there every day, so don't expect much from that quarter.
STEVEH@Mit-Mc.ARPA (07/31/84)
From: Stephen C. Hill <STEVEH@Mit-Mc.ARPA> Our system uses a spooler as an intermediary, but WordStar still seems to take the same time as if it actually printed on a 1200 bps printer. Do you know of any way to speed things up? We have W* 3.3 running on a Z-80.