elg@usl.UUCP (Eric Lee Green) (09/05/86)
In article <3472@brl-smoke.ARPA> UZ32112%SG2.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU writes: >Date: 2 September 1986, 12:58:17 ULG >From: Andre PIRARD +32 (41) 520180(449) UZ32112 at BLIULG12 > SEGI - Universite de Liege > 15, av. des Tilleuls > B4000 LIEGE (Belgique) > UZ32112%BLIULG12.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU >To: INFO-MICRO at BRL-VGR >Subject: Commodore 128 > >[line eater bait] > >128 Mode: > >-The DOS shell file copy function exhibits the stange behaviour of >adding one byte to the file being copied. Harmless for program files, >it is a nuisance for text files. I'd be glad to have a correction >for this otherwise very handy program. Dos shell? The U.S. 128s don't come with one. There is a version of the C-64 utility "Multifilecopy" or "Copy Files" that works very well on the 128, and is excruciatingly accurate. >-The 1571 is double sided and faster than the 1541... until I get to >filling side two. On that side, writing is VERY slow. The drive >alternately accesses the data and the directory sectors for EACH >sector being written. Looks like it reads and/or writes the BAM (block >availability map) for each sector. On side one, the directory is >accessed only between a group of records. The SAVE command does however >fill both sides without directory access. It only occurs during other >I/O's (e. g. program output or file copy). Bug in the DOS. Fixed in latest release, the CBM techs assure us. What they don't assure us of, is this: When and WHERE can we get the latest release? >-The capslock key has no effect on the letter Q. Haven't noticed it. I hear that some of the very very early models of the 128 had a similiar bug where it would not print an uppercase "Q" no matter what, you might have an older model than I do. >CP/M mode: >-Is there a way to assign the printer logical unit to the user port to >a parallel printer? Sure. Get the technical manuals from Digital Research, and write a device driver. Most people, however, just buy a parallel interface that plugs into their serial port. This gives the advantage of being able to use ANY software with your printer, not just software that takes advantage of a parallel printer driver. >-There is a device driver supposed to drive a 6251 rs232 chip. But the >128 has none. What is it there for? I would appreciate to do rs232 I/O >(not modem). The latest version of the CP/M fixes this. It is available here in the U.S. from Commodore clubs and from the big time sharing services (Compuserve, The Source, Quantum Link, etc.). >-There is an evident lack of keyboard buffering and auto repeat. Fixed in latest version of CP/M. >-The screen output is very slow (80 column). Don't know if this has been fixed in the latest release. I noticed that the earlier release printed to BOTH the 40 column screen and the 80 column screen... that may have been the source of the slowness. Maybe the latest version fixes this problem. >-Commodore statement of a 4MHz Z80 is a very subtle lie. It DOES 4MHz, >but only HALF of the time (each other half cycle of a 2MHz clock). >Really 2MHz. Would they pay half time employees at full rate? True. So true. >-The CPM+ makes ridiculous little use of the alternate memory bank for >I/O buffers. Best that can be done. DR did ridiculously little to make CP/M 2.2 into CP/M 3.0. >-In other words, is there a better CP/M than the one we get with the >machine? Yes. The one you should be able to get from your local Commodore dealer or Commodore club. -- Eric Green {akgua,ut-sally}!usl!elg (Snail Mail P.O. Box 92191, Lafayette, LA 70509) " In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move."