ric@pyuxh.UUCP (R. Acosta) (11/18/85)
C128 keyboard
The new styling and keyboard are definite ergonomic improvements
over the c64. The sleeker design makes the keyboard a little easier on
the wrists (e.g., in the C64 the space bar is about 2" from the
worktable whereas on the 128 it is about 1").
The cursor keys next to SHIFT are disabled in CP/M mode.
Incidentally, the CP/M disk has all sorts of help information. I am
not a CP/M enthusiast so I cant evaluate its accuracy or usefulness.
I also read that CP/M does not run with an 80 column screen. This
may be a function of the CP/M software since my explorations on it
(displaying the help files) has run well with an 80 col monitor
(IBM Color display monitor).
C64 Compatibility
Everything we have thrown at it has worked just as it did on the
c64. Epyx's FAST LOAD will boot the c64 mode as soon as the machine is
turned on without having to press the C= key and performs as well as
it did on the c64. All peripherals (modem, printer, 1541 drive) also
work fine. One difference, is that in Sublogic's Flight Simulator II
and Softlaw's VIP Terminal, the colors are a little goofy. Has anyone
else experienced this?
BASIC 7.0
BASIC 7.0 has some nice additions. Some of the highlights are:
- Looping flexibility. Statements such as DO/LOOP, WHILE, EXIT,
BEGIN/BEND with IF THEN ELSE.
- Easier I/O programming. GETKEY A$ waits for a key to be
pressed. POT, JOY, and PEN access paddles, joysticks and
lightpen. The function keys can be programmed with the KEY
KEY statement. When you power up the function keys are
defaulted to DLOAD", DSAVE", LIST, RUN, SCNCLR, DIRECTORY,
MONITOR and GRAPHIC.
- Easier windowing capability. WINDOW x1,y1,x2,y2,clr lets you
define a window with x1,y1 as the top left corner and x2,y2 as
the right bottom corner. These can also be set up by cursoring
and pressing the right sequence of ESC T and ESC B.
- Enhanced graphics and sound capabilities. No need to PEEK and
POKE to get nice graphics. Commands such as BOX, CIRCLE, DRAW, etc
simplify these tasks. I can't vouch for these, but my kids do.
- Things that make a programmer's life easier. Auto numbering,
deleting a range of lines as well as some ESC sequences make editing
programs a lot more civilized than was possible on the c64.
- A FAST (2 MHz) and SLOW (1 MHz) mode. Under FAST, the graphics
screen is blank. The 80 column screen, though, is unaffected.
A pseudo-AUTOEXEC.BAT
In the IBM PC family there is a file called AUTOEXEC.BAT. When
you power up, the system searches for such a file and executes the DOS
commands within it. A similar function can be accomplished with the
c128. An article in the October 1985 issue of Creative Computing
showed an autobooting program for the 128. This useful little utility
lets you write a command (such as RUN"AUTO) at a specific track and
sector of a disk. When you power up the 128 checks a track and sector
on a disk for an executable program. If it finds one it automatically
loads and runs the software. It will save some users the hassle of
typing LOAD "*",8,1 for commercial software. The net effect is that
when you power up you effectively run the program called AUTO (or
whatever). My particular AUTO file looks like:
2 REM pgnm=auto
4 REM A c128 80 col screen equiv of PC DOS autoexec.bat file.
6 REM Sets up green char, underline cursor, and lower case.
5 REM Sets up f8 as a window-list
7 REM Used with auto-boot article in creat comp, oct 85
10 printchr$(27);"u":REM underline cursor
20 key 8,"window 34,2,78,23,1:?chr$(154):list"+chr$(13)
30 printchr$(30):REM green characters
40 print"S":printchr$(14):REM lower case
50 fast
60 new
It sets up my individual preferences (underline cursor, green
characters, etc) and programs the f8 key to open a window, change the
character color to red, and list the program. The chr$(13) adds a
carriage return. This comes in quite handy in that you can see your
output and list your code on effectively different screens. A
programmer could set up different environments for each disk,
depending on the application, mood, phase of the moon, etc.
Moans and Groans Department
Now the moans and groans. First, the documentation could be
organized a bit better and bound in a sturdier frame. The back cover
to the manual fell off after one week of use. I spend a lot of time
scurrying back and forth with the manual - (e.g., the ESC sequences to
edit more than 1 character a a time are imbedded in the section on the
window command- presumably because you can also create a window with
ESC sequences). It would be nice if the documentation could be
organized by functions a user will think of (e.g., screen editing,
disk commands, etc). If anyone in netland knows the basis for their
organization of the manual, I would like to know it.
Second, there is no PRINT @ capability. This almost seems an
oversight when you consider the easier I/O commands.
Third, the screen in the DOS Shell that came with the DEMO DISK
shows a somewhat odd human interface. The overall layout seems
reasonably friendly but one must tell DOS what language one is using
everytime it is loaded. The screen uses cursor keys, a menu of
actions, and friendly instructions like 'F5 to abort', and 'press
space bar to select'. However, nowhere in the screen does it tell you
(1) How to Quit the DOS shell (press f1 from the main menu), or (2)
how to execute/erase/copy/whatever the files you have selected (press
f7 after you have made your selection(s)). Another oddity was that a
user could only see the directory after an action was selected. It
seems that both sets of information (actions and files) would be
useful to have on the initial menu screen. If anyone out there knows
how the human interface to DOS was designed I'd be interested in
hearing about it.
Info Request
I will be in the market soon for a spreadsheet, word processing,
telecommunications, and graphics packages. These packages will be used
for home applications. Specifically:
- Spreadsheet: Taxes, general home finances.
- Word processing: Local editing of program files and/or text
files. Features similar to SpeedScript or PaperClip would be nice.
- Graphics: Drawing flow charts, doodling.
- Telecommunications: Features similar to VIP Terminal would be
nice.
If anyone can relate their experiences with one or more of these types
of programs for the 128 I will summarize and post to the net. Thanks
in advance.
Rick Acosta
UUCP: ihnp4!pyuxh!ric
US Mail: 3 Corporate Pl 2C-327
Piscataway, NJ 08854
-- disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are my own. They are NOT
those of my employer, my pets, kids, spouse, any sentient
being in the universe, or even myself an hour from now. Of course,
I am not connected in any way with Commodore &/or any of their
dealers/distributors/etc save as a consumer. Is this enough? ---