Info-IBMPC@C.ISI.EDU.UUCP (04/05/87)
Info-IBMPC Digest Saturday, 4 April 1987 Volume 6 : Issue 23
This Week's Editor: Billy Brackenridge
Today's Topics:
Statistics Package Migrated from Unix
Cursor control methods
Keyboard Reassignment with ANSI.SYS
Brown Bag Spelling Checker (2 Msgs)
Zenith Z-248 (3 Msgs)
Freemacs
DOS 3.x on Columbia (2 Msgs)
Micro Spell from Trigram Systems
Int 21H 0AH Read from Keyboard Clobbers AL under DOS 3.2
CMS "DIR" command
TIMER.COM
Text Files to Laserwriter Sources in Turbo Pascal
DOS BACKUP PROBLEM
EGA+ and AUTOCAD
VM/CMS Stuff for PC
Further AppleTalk card/driver Trivia
PC JOVE
Russian Word Processor (2 Msgs)
VGA
SURFMODL 1.1 Source Code Available
Some Answers to Question on IBM New Products
Slowing Autorepeat on Keyboard
Info-IBM Coverage & the New PC
Order Numbers for Technical Reference Manuals
Today's Queries:
DOS 3.2 COPY PROBLEM
NEC 8087 Chip Rumors
Bar Code Package
Taking over the IBM-AT bus
How do I Disable Control C ? Control P ?
IBM PC Kermit on the New IBM Personal System/2 Series?
WANG PLOTTER
SIMPLEX and Linear Programming
INFO-IBMPC BBS Phone Numbers: (213)827-2635 (213)827-2515
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 31 Mar 87 23:44:00 EST
From: "TENNEY, RICHARD" <tenney@icst-ecf>
Subject: Statistics Package Migrated from Unix
To: "lisse%dacth51.bitnet" <lisse%dacth51.bitnet@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
It is quite likely that the package you read about is the one written by
Gary Perlman, now called |STAT. The program was originally written at UCSD
on a Unix system. He has now written versions that run under Unix and under
MS-DOS. You can obtain them directly from him. I'll copy the Availability
and Distribution paragraph from the manual. From the tone, you may get
the impression that a lot of people have been difficult to deal with. I
don't know. Anyway, here is the text (apologies for typos):
Carefully read the instructions below. Orders not following them may
be returned or even discarded. All prices include delivery and should be
prepaid to G. Perlman. Checks must be in US funds, drawn on a US bank.
Orders that demand any terms or conditions other than those in this
notice may be returned or discarded. Orders must include a delivery
mailing label acceptable to the post office, and international orders
must include the country name on the label.
UNIX version of |STAT: $20
Contents: Programs (C language) & Online Manual Entries
Format: half inch 9 track mag tape, 1600 bpi tar format
MSDOS Version of |STAT: $15
Contents: Preformatted Manuals and Executables
Format: 2S/2D MSDOS 5.25 inch floppy diskettes
Handbook: $10
Contents: Examples, Reference Materials, CALC & DM Manuals, Manual Entries
Format: Typeset Manual (over 100 pages)
Gary Perlman is currently at the Wang Institute
School of Information Technology
Tyng Road
Tyngsboro, MA 01879
USA
I haven't used the latest versions of these programs, but my wife, a research
psychologist, loves the ones we've had for the last several years.
- Richard Tenney
TENNEY@ICST-ECF
rlt%umb.umb.edu@relay.cs.net
...seismo!harvard!umb!rlt
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 87 19:23:08 PST
From: Primixsys!bagpiper@csvax.caltech.edu
Subject: Cursor control methods
A week ago I wrote an answer to a question by Mr. Ron Gershon about
cursor control. I advised Ron to call a BIOS routine and Mr. DiPalma
advised Ron to use ANSI.SYS.
I don't want to sound hypocritical but I don't agree with either
answer now. My answer constricts a program that uses it to run on a IBM
PC/XT/AT or a very true blue compatible. It would have been far better if
I had advised Ron to call a MS-Dos routine, not one buried in some piece
hardware. *But* I don't know of a MS-Dos cursor routine (I mean a routine
that will place the cursor at any character position.)
Mr. DiPalma's advice sounds as bad to me but in a different way. If
an inexperienced user is involved and he is required to set up the
software, the process of modifying his config.sys and why is often very
confusing. This, along with the fact that ansi.sys is *SLOW*, makes it an
unacceptable alternative to me.
My question: What is the Proper way to position the cursor while
keeping the method as MS-Dos compatible as possible and as fast as
possible?
Mike Hunter
ARPA: cit-vax!oxy!bagpiper
[This could become a religious debate. There are two major religions
and many minor heresies. The Un*x belief system holds that the 8 bit byte
is Holy Tuple and that it was meant to flow through pipes. This religion
had its genesis at MIT (1) and achieved its highest form of purity in the
arcane cult of CURSES. Much diluted by time that religion is perpetuated
by those who worship at the alter of ANSI.SYS.
The original idea of computers was that they were calculation engines. A
major reformation occurred at Xerox Parc when Alan Kay and friends advanced
the thesis that the purpose of computers was to present information to
humans. It was only Natural Law that any software that got between hardware
and the human was an anathema.
The hardware was software and the screen was memory. The humans saw it and
it was good. The Icon was in.
Along came Don Estridge and the boys from Boca. Being good salesmen they
didn't care much for religious purity. The golden rule of IBM salesmanship
is don't offend anybody; sell to everybody -- or "you can have it your way".
(1) In those days they worshiped many machines. Those were the days
of Multics K&R refined this to the true faith of Uni*s (2) and the
PDP-11 became the arc of the holy pipe.
(2) Un*x is never spelled out. There are many variations but never is "C"
allowed without surrounding "".
IBM beat us to the April Fool's joke. I had to do something... -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 87 10:02 CET
From: Ralf D. Kloth <ZRKL001%DTUZDV1.bitnet@BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject: Keyboard Reassignment with ANSI.SYS
The keyboard reassignments mentioned in V06 N20 and described in the DOS
manuals work well. Just write the ESC-sequences into a file, do a TYPE
and - voila, then it works.
The changes are present when you are on the DOS command line. They
also work when you use EDLIN as your favorite editor. However, the
reassignments will not work under software which obviously bypasses
ANSI, like MicroSoft WORD, or the editor of TURBO Pascal. I once
checked this also with the KERMIT terminal emulator, and found the
same, if I remember correctly.
A better way to reassign the keyboard would be to write an own resident
ASM program to trap the keyboard INT 9 and intercept the scan codes
coming from ports 60/61, ... just like the KEYB%%.COM.
A much easier way is to get a disk-editor (NORTON, etc) or DEBUG and
write the desired changes directly into the KEYB%%.COM keyboard handler.
In my MS-DOS 3.1 KEYBGR.COM the keydefinitions start around offset 1300H
and these patches work perfectly ...
Ralf D. Kloth, ZRKL001@DTUZDV1.BITNET
Acknowledge-To: Ralf D. Kloth <ZRKL001@DTUZDV1>
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Apr 87 14:04:49 CST
From: "Mike McClaskey" <C443170%UMCVMB.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: Brown Bag Spelling Checker
In response to Brent Baccala's note about Brown Bag's Word Processor
and spell checker, I'm not sure most users realize that the major
kernel of that program is Bob Wallace's (i.e. Quicksoft's) PC-Write,
around v. 2.6. Additionally, in the latest (April 28) issue of PC
MAGAZINE, there's a news item to the effect that Brown Bag has
stopped distribution of that product, although they still provide
technical support; now they direct all orders back to Quicksoft. For
my money, PC-Write is much the better purchase (that is, if you
decide to pay for it--and you should). The shareware approach
provides a degree of minor bug-fix releases and a speed of major
revisions that no large commercial company can match. In the latest
revision to 2.7, the spelling checker is bigger than Brown Bag's,
merge is supported, and laser printing is provided pretty well for.
It's a fine product. (And, of course, I have nothing to do with
Quicksoft.) Needless to say, it's available EVERYWHERE, SIMTEL, the
major online services, BBS's, etc. There's another interesting new
spelling product readers might be interested in--made by Microlytics
(Word Finder fame) and sold by Xerox, it's a box called PC Type Right
that plugs in between the keyboard and computer and provides an
online 100,000 dictionary ala Turbo Lightning that beeps errors as
they occur. See the new PC MAGAZINE (aforementioned) for a review.
Lists at 199.95 (gulp!). And no, I don't work for Xerox either.
------------------------------
Date: 1 Apr 87 10:16:00 EST
From: "V703::S_DANIELS" <s_daniels%v703.decnet@nusc>
Subject: Brown Bag Spelling Checker
Be advised that the "BROWN BAG WP" for $130 is really a commercial
release of PC-WRITE version 2.6, with someone else's spell checker.
PCW ver 2.7x has its own spell checker. It works in RAM, checking as
you go. I haven't used the spell part much, but I like pcw itself for
its speed and flexibility. Cost is $89 for a complete, registered
version including manual, help cards, and support; or $15 for just the
disks with program, brief tutorial, and user's guide (NOT the 33-+ pg
manual). I understand SIMTEL20 has v 2.71, which I believe is the
latest. My advice: Try pcw for free. Then buy it. (In fact that is
Quciksoft's 'logo').
INFO? QUICKSOFT
(206) 282-0452
They take VISA
*** usual disclaimers, blah, blah, blah ***
Scott Daniels/NUSC-NLL
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 87 07:13:15-1000
From: Kent K. Kuriyama <kent%humu@nosc.mil>
Subject: Zenith Z-248
We have 4 Z-248's and have found them to work quite well. Thus
far only one program (The CADVANCE CAD system) doesn't run
correctly due to a problem in Zenith's BIOS. The DOD gets these
machines for a song - The configuration you mentioned cost us
$1,600. The hard disks on these machines is slow - 85 ms. For
$1,600 I think I can live with it.
Kent Kuriyama
Naval Ocean Systems Center
Hawaii Laboratory
<kent@nosc.mil>
------------------------------
Date: 1 Apr 87 10:58:00 EST
From: "V703::S_DANIELS" <s_daniels%v703.decnet@nusc>
Subject: Zenith Z-248
OK, I've used a Z248 here at work the last 3 months, so here's
some off-the-cuff observations:
1. hard disk (20 MB) is either Tandon or MinScribe (3-1/2").
Neither was very fast. CORE's HD Performance test gave the Miniscribe a
71 ms avg seek time, with a 2.241 Performance Index (compare that to
my PC's Microsci, with a 80+ ms, 1.2 rating).
2. Norton SysInfo gives it a 7.7 rating - meaning it runs Norton's silly
benchmark that many times faster than a PC. But my turbo XT with a NEC V20
gives a 3.3 rating!
3. More realistically, PC Mag's Benchmarks on CPU speed rate the Z
as fast as an 8 MHZ AT.
[One thing I noticed- PC Mag's tests of Extended memory clocked it at 50%
(half) of a comparable Intel Aboveboard. Why, I don't know.]
Have not tried it yet with EMS memory.
4. It would not run my PC's AST SIXPAK PREMIUM EEMS Board - parity errors.
5. It comes with 1 serial, 2 parallel, and a really goofy "2nd" com port
configured as COM3, but only accessible if you run certain terminal sw,
e.g one that emulates a Sperry UTS 40 terminal. That sw is available
from the same source (Gov't contract) as the machine itself.
NOTE: To make the system work with both a mouse and on our network, I had to
get a separate i/o card (I used a 0K ram Six Pak, just for the serial port).
6. Our system comes with 1.1 mb extended RAM, and 640 k conventional RAM.
I also got the additional RAM board, so I have 2.6 mb extended.
I do miss the EMS memory (e.g for large Lotus sheets), so I plan on
buying an EMS board (RAMPAGE Premium ?)
7. only has slots for 2 floppies. So i have 1-360K (for disk exchange
with work mates) and 1-1.2MB (for easy backups). But disk copies are a
pain without a 2nd 360K, so I have to do disk swapping.
I guess what I really would like is 2-360K and 1 or 2-1.2MB (GREEDY!)
8. The hd actually sits inside the machine- there is a small light on
the front panel to indicate accesses. Chassis has room for a second hd;
you must buy the additional required signal cable for this 2nd drive.
9. The machine is big! Much bigger than my old PC.
10. No HW reset switch. I really miss that. I often have to recycle power
when system hangs up during development.
11. system is fast but could be faster with a better hd
12. system only runs @ 8 MHZ no slow down to emulate the old AT. Could
be a problem with some sw.
13. BUT I haven't found any sw that does not run. I haven't been able to get
DESQVIEW running, but the copy I have won't run on my PC either.
14. Built in ROM debugger not that useful to me. Hardly ever helps me out of
a system lock up, e.g when system locks up, you can't engage the debugger with
the required CTL-ALT-RETURN combination.
15. MSDOS 3.1 works fine, no problems. Heard that v 3.2 erases the hd if
you run CHKDSK/F !!!
16. noise? seems fairly quiet to me, but I definitely can hear the fan.
17.price? govt price is $1500 for 1.1 MB, 1 floppy, EGA card. Add $350
for 20 mb hd, $300 for Zenith EGA monitor; $240 for the 1.5 MB expansion
ram card. 80287 is $140.
18. Oh, their EGA will not work in a PC! Also, I could not get it to
run in their Herc mode. It appears to be a straight EGA, unlike the
newer kinds. I took mine out and put in an ATI EGA WONDER, and am using
the NEC MULTISYNCH great colors, works all modes (Herc included) on the
one screen.
NOTE: NSI SMART EGA card would not run perhaps due to the clock speed?
QUESTIONS: NARDAC,NORFOLK provides support for Gov't users. [If you
qualify, you should be able to get their number.]
DISCLAIMERS: These are my own evaluations and opinions, not of our company.
I have no connection with Zenith or its vendors.
Scott Daniels.
------------------------------
Date: 2 Apr 87 08:18:00 EST
From: "NRL::SWEENEY" <sweeney%nrl.decnet@nrl.arpa>
Subject: Zenith Z-248
I have had a Z241 at home for about 4 months now. The system is
a similar configuration to what you are considering, i.e. 20 MB, 640K,
and EGA. In addition, I have an 80287. It's my 4th system at home,
the other PC compatible is a Leading Edge M. At work I use a Compaq plus,
and an IBM AT. I use the machines primarily for graphics, data acquisition,
and number crunching. Most of the codes I work with are RM FORTRAN V2.1 and
IBM MASM V2.
I like the Zenith better than the other machines. I have some
complaints about it, and have heard some bad things second and third
hand, which I'll relay.
Good Points:.
1. The 6 MHz machine is a full 30% faster than the IBM AT. The expanded
bus accounts for the speed up.
2. The computer is an excellent development machine. There is a resident
operating system and debugger. The debugger is somewhat protected.
Rather than going belly-up all the time, a run-away program often
invokes the debugger. One can also break out of a program most of the time
from the keyboard.
3. The Technical manual and Dos manuals are excellent. They actually
give the buyer of the machine credit for brains. The manuals go
from introduction to fine detail in an orderly fashion. They are
the easiest to read that I've seen.
4. Speed: the 80287 is not handicapped. It runs at the same speed as
the CPU. I've timed a 4000 line FORTRAN number cruncher at half
the speed of a VAX 750 with FPA, FORTRAN V4.5, and 1 user (me).
5. Compatibility: No problems encountered, but I don't run everything.
The Leading Edge computers models M and MH have problems with the math
coprocessor, i.e., RM FORTRAN V1 and Supercalc V3r2 refuse to use them.
The problem is with programs that do not use the standard INTEL method
for detecting the chip.
The Zenith does NOT have this problem.
6. The CPU card is replaceable.
Bad Points.
1. The first machine that I got was very noisy. The fan and disk
were louder than the Leading Edge M, which is like a Hoover. I
was given a new machine without having to raise my voice.
2. I have heard that the heavily discounted machines have slow
hard disks. Make sure you get something with a fast AT disk.
3. I have only had an overheating problem when I ran the machine
in a warm room ( 80F+) with a 150 Watt light on the same table as the
computer. I rearranged furniture and didn't let the room get above 75.
If you are going to load up the machine, I think a second fan can be
installed. The machine is quiet, the cooling is adequate, but it is
not as cool as the Leading Edge.
4. I have heard third hand that the removable disks are troublesome.
Good Luck,
Brian Sweeney.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 87 10:41:08 EST
From: Russell Nelson <bh01%CLUTX.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: Freemacs
I have written a true, extensible emacs for MS-DOS. It's written in 8086
assembly, so don't think about porting it.
Freemacs is a true Emacs editor. The .exe file is only about 16K, just
enough for a screen and buffer handler and a programming language,
MINT. Freemacs is largely written in MINT, and so is easy to modify.
MINT is not TRAC, in case you were wondering what MINT stood for.
This is the first off-campus release of Freemacs, and so is probably
buggy. I don't know of any bugs, of course, otherwise I'd fix them and
they wouldn't be bugs anymore.
You may freely copy this software. I only ask that you send improvements
back to me for incorporation into the package for the rest of us. The
source is available from one or more of the following sources:
WFM BBS: (315)265-8207
Vernon Buerg BBS: (415)994-2944
Simtel20: Internet: FTP if possible else send "help" to
"archive-request@simtel20.arpa"
!! Not on Simtel20 yet !!
GENIE General Electric's Information Exchange
Send $10 (copying fee) to the author. This will assure you of the
latest version.
Addresses, electronic and otherwise:
Author: Russell Nelson
BITnet: bh01@clutx
GEnie: bh01
InterNet: bh01@clutx.clarkson.edu (eventually)
uucp: decvax!sii!trixie!sandbox!clutx!bh01
uucp: {mcnc, rti-sel, ncsu, ripcs, bcopen, gould}!clutx!bh01
Snail: 11 Grant St., Potsdam, NY 13676
------------------------------
From: <evwong@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
To: info-ibmpc@c.isi.edu
Subject: DOS 3.2 on Columbia PCs
Date: Wed, 01 Apr 87 22:08:39 EST
Thanks to all who responded! From you, I have found that I should
talk to Godfather's Computer who bought out Columbia some years
back and get a new ROM BIOS to support the DOS 3.2 and the EGA, while
I'm at it. They are advertised in the COMPUTER SHOPPER. I don't have
their address or phone with me at the moment, sorry.
Also, I got an interesting letter about a 3.1 prob/fix(?) for the Columbia.
That is reproduced below.
>Date: Mon, 30 Mar 87 12:52:35 PST
>From: Jim Anderson <bilbo.jta@CS.UCLA.EDU>
>Subject: DOS 3.x on Columbia
There is probably a trick involved in getting DOS 3.1 to work on your
Columbia. If you try booting 3.1 and end up getting some divide
faults, here's the problem:
DOS 3.1 makes bios calls to read the AT real time clock. It
expects to see carry set if there is no real time clock.
Unfortunately, the Columbia bios thinks any INT 1A function code
that it does not understand is "set time of day". It sets the
time of day to some garbage value which happens to be large, and
later on an attempt to read the time results in a divide fault.
Here's the fix:
Fix the bios time of day function and blow new PROMs, or search
through IBMBIO.COM for CD 1A's (INT 1A instructions) and bypass
any with function codes greater than 2.
I've never tried to boot 3.2 on my Columbia. Unless you have some
particular need for 3.2, use 3.1. Good Luck!
Anyway, thanks muchly to all.
And to all a good night.
Eric
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 00:16 EST
From: Hess@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: Micro Spell from Trigram Systems
Micro Spell Trigram Systems is in Pittsburgh, and they're in
the phone book, too. Their address is on "Bayard Way", perhaps? It has
60,000 words in it (approx.) but a few of them are a little strange,
e.g. "fancinesses", which is a word, but who wants it -- I'd rather
have obscura like "surcoat", which is in the Houghton-Mifflin
dictionaries.
*BUT* the number of words isn't the biggest issue here: *SPEED* is!
H-M's speller is slow. Borland's current Lightning is slower. And
MicroSpell is the fastest I've seen, with The Word Plus (==MS-Word's
speller) in the same speed range, but working on a totally different
principle (sort all the words first). Overall, it's the best I've used
in terms of day-to-day work; I can add words to the dictionary if I need
them, but I can't make any of the others run faster! And the other 5 I
tried are useless if I don't use them because they take so long...
Brian
[They have very good prices for Universities. As for strange words: The
dictionary I use for INFO-IBMPC has some very strange words... -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 01:42:22 EST
From: ALBERS <ealbers@vax1.acs.udel.edu>
Subject: Int 21H 0AH Read from Keyboard Clobbers AL under DOS 3.2
When writing a program in assembly the other day I noticed that
there is a rather large change in version 3.2 of MSDOS from 3.1.
When using int 21h function 0ah (get string from kb) the register
al is changed in version 3.2 but NOT in 3.1 and before, this has
caused a few of my programs to suddenly have problems, has anyone
heard about any other bugs which may be lurking in the function calls
that I haven't found yet??
ealbers@vax1.acs.udel.edu
[If I remember correctly it is fair game for DOS calls to clobber AL for
any call. Frequently AL returns some sort of return code. I think Microsoft
gave fair warning on this one. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Apr 87 17:54 O
From: "Gershon Kunin" <P82041%BARILAN.BITNET@BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject: CMS "DIR" command
For PC users working in CMS, the directory commands can
become a bit confusing. So here's a neat little REXX program
called DIR EXEC that emulates the MS-DOS DIR command. Comments
welcome.
Gershon Kunin
BITNET: P82041@BARILAN
-------------------------- CUT HERE ----------------------------------
/*************************************************/
/* FOR THOSE WORKING IN CMS AND WHO ARE */
/* STILL USED TO MS-DOS - HERE'S THE DIR */
/* COMMAND ! */
/* */
/* WRITTEN BY: GERSHON KUNIN */
/* BITNET : P82041@BARILVM */
/* DATE : APRIL 2, 1987 */
/*************************************************/
ARG A1 .
IF A1=' ' THEN DO
FILENAME='*'
EXT='*'
DRIVE='A'
CALL DOIT
END
A1=TRANSLATE(A1, '%', '?')
IF SUBSTR(A1, 2, 1)=':' THEN DO
DRIVE=SUBSTR(A1,1,1)
L=LENGTH(A1)
IF L=2 THEN DO
FILENAME='*'
EXT='*'
CALL DOIT
END
N=INDEX(A1, '.')
IF N>0 THEN DO
FILENAME=SUBSTR(A1, 3, N-3)
EXT=SUBSTR(A1, N+1)
CALL DOIT
END
ELSE DO
FILENAME=SUBSTR(A1, 3)
EXT='*'
CALL DOIT
END
END
DRIVE='A'
L=LENGTH(A1)
N=INDEX(A1, '.')
IF N>0 THEN DO
FILENAME=SUBSTR(A1, 1, N-1)
EXT=SUBSTR(A1, N+1)
CALL DOIT
END
ELSE DO
FILENAME=A1
EXT='*'
CALL DOIT
END
DOIT:
'FILELIST' FILENAME EXT DRIVE
-------------------------- CUT HERE ----------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: 2 Apr 87 10:39:16 PST (Thursday)
From: Bicer.ES@Xerox.COM
Subject: TIMER.COM
Does anyone have the Taiwanese Multi I/O Card with floppy controller,
parallel printer port, 2 serial ports, battery backed up clock/calendar
and game adapter? There doesn't seem to be a brand name on the manual,
which has a shiny grey cover. The name MUSTEK is printed at the back of
the manual. The board was purchased from MEGATECH.
I am looking for the software which drives the clock/calendar,
TIMER.COM. Apparently there is another manual which explains how to
access the device, but I don't have it. I know this is a long shot, but
if anyone out there has any information on this, I will really
appreciate if you could contact me.
Thanks in advance,
Jack Bicer
Bicer.ES@Xerox.COM
[Try software from some real American cards. The design is probably an exact
rip off of an AST or Quadram card. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 18:13:06 EST
From: Edward_Vielmetti@um.cc.umich.edu
To: jeff%acorn@oak.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Text Files to Laserwriter Sources in Turbo Pascal
Jeff,
Here's a program to get regular text files to print out on a Laserwriter.
It's written in Turbo Pascal by Nathan Liskov (sorry, I don't have a
net address for him) and looks to do pretty much what you wanted it to
do from your posting to the info-ibmpc digest.
I haven't had an opportunity to use this myself, so I can't guarantee
your success with it.
Edward Vielmetti, U-M Computing Center Microgroup, Ann Arbor MI 48109
emv@um.cc.umich.edu or emv@pepe.cc.umich.edu
[PSTSCRPT.PAS has been added to the info-ibmpc lending library. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 16:23 PST
From: <DBUERGER%SCU.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: DOS BACKUP PROBLEM
I have a user experiencing a strange problem with DOS 2.0 & 2.1 BACKUP
command. He has an IBM XT, 815 files in 9,584,640 bytes of space (851,968
are free), and CHKDSK/F yields no lost clusters, etc.
When he tries to backup either the entire disk to A or just a directory to
A, the standard "Insert backup diskette 01 in drive A: etc." pops up, but
the software does not pause the operation. Instead it zips right into the
backup procedure, backing up to "diskette 00" and yields the message,
"Warning! No files were found to back up." It then dumps a bunch of extended
characters on the screen and the system locks up. By the way, the diskettes
have been pre-formatted before the backup is attempted.
Does anyone have an inkling as to what is happening here? Please respond
to me directly. If there is a solution which looks of interest, I'll
summarize for the net. Thanks.
David J. Buerger
Santa Clara University
(408) 554-4039
bitnet: dbuerger@SCU
arpa: dbuerger%scu.bitnet@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
uucp: ...!psuvax1!scu.bitnet!dbuerger
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Apr 87 21:54:38 EST
From: Jim Tedeschi <JTT58%ALBNYVM1.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: EGA+ and AUTOCAD
To: Info-IBMPC <INFO-IBMPC@C.ISI.EDU>
Autocad, of course, wants a Hercules Graphics Card. Unfortunately (at
least for this user) I have a QUAD EGA+ card (w/NEC Monitor). Is
there some way I can use Autocad with this equipment. Appreciate any
tips, tricks, etc.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 02 Apr 87 22:29:37 CST
From: "Mike McClaskey" <C443170%UMCVMB.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: VM/CMS Stuff for PC
A quick request for an overview of products: just what is available in
terms of CMS-like software for the PC (i.e. XEDIT clones, CMS interface,
etc.)? I know about Mansfield's PERSONAL REXX and KEDIT, but does
anyone have first hand experience with them? How about VM Labs' PERSONAL
VM? Also, could someone in the know provide this forum with a quick survey
of what's available along these lines in public domain/shareware?
By the way, IBM Personally Developed Software has an XEDIT clone for cheap,
but it is severely limited in its file size capacity. Any other sources
of software or personal experience with what I've mentioned will be much
appreciated.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 23:39 EST
From: Hess@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: Further AppleTalk card/driver Trivia
Turns out that when using the Apple/Tangent software, in order to get
the LW.ENV file (which stores the LaserWriter's name and the zone) to be
found, it must *BOTH* be in a directory whose name is "LWDIR", *AND* be
on the DOS PATH. So the proper hack to the software is either to find
the comparison to the string "lwdir" and kill it, or change that string
to match the directory which you usually keep your path-found items,
e.g. "\ETC".
Further, it seems that in theory you can write your own software to
unload the driver, if you restore all the hooks it took over. But
you're on your own; if I make one, I'll post it. Guess if I do that I
can post the hacks to get rid of that awful screen- clearing as well.
Brian
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 2 Apr 87 22:04:58 EST
From: Stephan A Cooper <ucbcad!ames!seismo!mimsy!jhunix!ins_asac@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Subject: PC JOVE
Hi. I sent a request for info out a while ago about
JOVE on the PC (clones). In specific reference was the use of a
jove.rc file. It seems my version doesn't see, doesn't look for, in
any case, it doesn't NOTICE, my jove.rc file. Can some one out there
help with this? No, I do not know what version I've got, and I don't
have the sources. I couldn't compile them even if I had them.
Maybe some one could mail me a copy the DOES use a jove.rc file?
(It is public domain isn't it, so I'm okay in asking?)
Thanks in advance,
Steve Cooper
Johns Hopkins University
...!seismo!umcp-cs!jhunix!ins_asac
jhunix!ins_asac@CSNET
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 87 09:21:51 +0200
From: Tor Onshus <tor%regtek.unit.uninett@NTA-VAX.ARPA>
Subject: Russian Word Processor
I will recommend the T3 word processor for writing
Cyrillic. I have not used cyrillic, but just looked
at the possible keyboard definitions available.
I use T3 to write scientific papers, where quite a lot
of equations are necessary. You see the text on the screen
as it appears on the printer!!!
I run on an PC/AT with EGA and FX80 compatible printer
and has also used it with an HP Laserjet+.
(also possible with other printers and PC's)
Contact:
TCI Software Reasearch
1190B Foster Road
Las Crues, NM 88001
USA
(505)522 4600
(800)874 2383
Telex: 317629
----------
Tor
------------------------------
From: "Mark F. Haven" <MHQ%NIHCU.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 87 10:51:59 EST
Subject: Russian Word Processor
In response to recent inquiries on Russian language word
processing the following may be of interest:
A survey of Russian word processors has recently been done.
You can get information on it (I think it's still in draft phase)
by writing to:
Jonathan Sanders
Harriman Institute
Columbia University
420 West 118th Street
NY, NY 10027
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 87 04:40:56 EST
From: Russell Nelson <bh01%CLUTX.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: VGA
Don't buy a color monitor without seeing Zenith's new FTM color
monitor. By all reports, the dot pitch is on the order of .01mm, and
that's no typo. The monitor will obviously cost more, but the
reported premium is only $100.
VGA:
Apparently the VGA doesn't do sync switching. The monitor (yes, your
new EGA monitor is already obsolete) runs at 31 Khz. To get the CGA
resolution, scan lines are doubled to get a 640 x 400 screen, with 80
lines blanked at the bottom. For EGA resolution, the bottom 130 scan
lines are blanked. Of course, anyone who hasn't put a 24 Mhz xtal on
their EGA is sick in the head, so we're already running with 480 scan
lines, aren't we? In other words, the VGA is unimpressive.
IBM=Inferior But Marketable.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 87 10:55:24 EST
From: Kenneth Van Camp -FSAC- <kvancamp@ARDEC.ARPA>
Subject: SURFMODL 1.1 Source Code Available
I have uploaded the entire source code for SURFMODL 1.1 to the INFO-IBMPC
library. Because of the number of files involved (over 70), I have
concatenated all the files together into a single large file, with
separators between the files that are similar to the "digest" form of
the info-ibmpc mailing list. I am also providing a separate program,
UNDIGEST.PAS, which is a Turbo Pascal program to undigest the
SURFMODL.DIG file and instantly give all the individual files their proper
names. To get the entire source to SURFMODL 1.1 from the USC-ISIB system,
get the files UNDIGEST.PAS (about 3K) and SURFMODL.DIG (about 329K) from the
<INFO-IBMPC> directory. The first 100 lines (or so) of SURFMODL.DIG contain
instructions for undigestification (or you can probably figure it out by
looking at UNDIGEST.PAS). Here's the blurb on the new release:
SURFACE (ALIAS SOLIDS) MODELING ON THE PC
A new version of SURFMODL, 1.1, is now available for general
distribution. There are two major differences between version 1.1
and version 1.0: I have added support for Borland's Turbo Graphix
Toolbox, enabling the program to run on the IBM Enhanced Graphix
Adapter (EGA), Hercules graphics board, Heath/Zenith Z-100, AT&T 6300,
and IBM 3270. The archives at Simtel-20 contain compiled versions for
all of these systems, as well as the standard SURFMODL program (which
runs on the IBM Color/Graphics Adapter (CGA) and Sanyo MBC-55x). All of
the Toolbox versions were compiled using the generic MSDOS version of Turbo
Pascal, so there is a good chance they will run on any MSDOS system. It
should be noted that the Toolbox versions are not thoroughly tested, and
should be considered Beta test versions.
The second major difference between the 1.1 and 1.0 releases is that
I am now releasing the entire source code into the public domain. This is
over 60 files, containing over 4000 lines of Turbo Pascal source code. This
should hopefully expedite debugging of the Toolbox versions, as well as
porting to other systems. There are other minor changes to version 1.1, as
well as a massive rewrite of the documentation.
SURFMODL is a general-purpose surface modeling program for the IBM
PC written entirely in Turbo Pascal. Surface modeling is the science of
producing realistic three-dimensional images on a computer display, and is
often mistakenly called "solids modeling". This capability has existed on
large mainframe and minicomputer work stations for many years. Only recently
has it migrated to smaller computers, and the IBM PC is no exception.
SURFMODL requires only 256K RAM, runs amazingly fast, and is a
general-purpose surface modeler. It creates displays of three-dimensional
wire frame images, it removes hidden lines, and it performs shaded surface
modeling. Since it is a generalized program, it can be used to view any
object from any angle, with single or multiple light sources. It is
accompanied by a general-purpose preprocessor. Also included are half a
dozen example data files to get you started. Free user registration is also
available; read the documentation for details.
When used in conjunction with a finite element preprocessor, a
special-purpose function generation routine, or PREPROC (the SURFMODL
preprocessor), SURFMODL is a complete surface modeling system, capable of
constructing models of any variety of objects of virtually unlimited
complexity.
--Ken Van Camp <kvancamp@ARDEC.ARPA>
Army Armament Research Development & Engineering Center
SMCAR-FSA-E Building 329
Dover, NJ 07806-5000
(201)724-3334 (AV)880-3334
[SURFMODL.DIG has been added to the info-ibmpc lending library. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 87 10:37:21 CST
From: Peter Wu <pwu@unix.macc.wisc.edu>
Subject: Some Answers to Question on IBM New Products
The 12" color monitor cost more than the 14" one because it has a much
sharper image (smaller pitch).
There is a DOS 3.3 Technical Reference Manual. List $75. This may imply
new DOS functions.
As far as I know, DOS 3.3 is only DOS 3.2 with additional support for
the new disks and three new DOS commands. I think it also allows more
files to be open at one time.
The model 30 uses the old bus and accepts 3 cards (they are placed
horizontally in the machine).
peter
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 87 14:39:01 ULG
From: Andre PIRARD <A-PIRARD%BLIULG12.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu>
Subject: Slowing Autorepeat on Keyboard
To: PETER%UK.AC.SALFORD.SYSC@ac.uk
PC Magazine March 87 p 377 lists ASM source code to disable autorepeat.
A straightforward mod could make it slow down.
It won't prevent filling the keyboard buffer, but you can flush it.
------------------------------
Date: 3 April 87 09:59-CST
From: AYAC071%UTA3081.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
Subject: Info-IBM Coverage & the New PC
After listening to what seems to be an infinite number of IBM commercials
yesterday & today, and reading the pabulum that passes for technical
reporting in the mass media, it was certainly a welcome relief to find
the new IBM systems covered so well in this digest. My hats off to
those who wrote & edited the reports so the rest of us could actually be
well informed.
By the way, was there any timetable set for the releases of AIX for the
386 or for OS/2?
Bill Douglass
AYAC071%UTA3081.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
[Thanks to all those who sent in the info. -wab]
------------------------------
Subject: Order Numbers for Technical Reference Manuals
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 87 20:48:15 EST
From: Joseph A. Cimmino Jr. <jac@umd5.UMD.EDU>
Order numbers for selected technical reference manuals
from the 2 April announcement. All of this is culled from the individual
announcement letters. No guarantee on the typing.
The phone number to order with is (800) IBM-2468. Have VISA or Master
Card ready. Place your orders before midnight tonight and receive
your free Ginzu Ethernet (whoops! I mean token ring) splicer!
Note that there is basically one Tech Ref for the Model 30, one
for the Models 50 & 60, and one for the Model 80. The BIOS info
seems to be included in the Model 30 Tech Ref, while there is a
separate BIOS Tech Ref for the Models 50, 60, & 80. There will
also be an update to the high end Model 80.
Model Item Order # Price Availability
Model 30
Technical Reference Manual S68X-2201 $ 75 Apr 87
720kb/1.44mb Diskette Drive S68X-2225 $ 6
Fixed Disk Drive S68X-2205 $ 6
Speech Adapter S68X-2207 $ 13
Mouse S68X-2229 $ 6
Model 50 & 60
Technical Reference (system) S68X-2224 $125 Apr 87
Technical Reference (bios) S68X-2260 $ 75
20MB Fixed Disk Drive S68X-2219 $ 10
44MB Fixed Disk Drive S68X-2233 $ 6
70MB Fixed Disk Drive S68X-2235 $ 6
Fixed Disk Adapter S68X-2226 $ 12
ESDI Adapter/A S68X-2234 $ 12
Multi-Protocol Adapter S68X-2220 $ 12
720kb/1.44mb Diskette Drive S68X-2225 $ 6
Mouse S68X-2229 $ 6
Dual Async Adapter S68X-2217 $ 6
Memory Expansion (80286) S68X-2227 $ 6
Internal Modem/A S68X-2275 $ 6
Binder S229-9606
Model 80
Technical Reference S68X-2256 $125 Jul 87
Technical Reference (bios) S68X-2260 $ 75
/A Memory Option S68X-2257 $ 10
Model 80-111
Technical Reference Update S68X-2285 $125 Oct 87
115MB Fixed Disk S68X-2236 $ 6
Displays 8503, 8512 & 8513 S68X-2206 $ 6
Display 8514 S68X-2214 $ 6
2MB Expanded Memory Adapter 75X1086 $ 8.75 Apr 87
System/2 80286 Expanded Memory Adapter 75X1109 Oct 87
PC Music Feature 75X1048
IBM Token-Ring Network PC Adapter Technical Reference (69X7830)
Supplement (order both!) (6466690)
IBM PC NETBIOS Application Development Guide (S68X2270)
IBM PC Network Adapter Technical Reference (S68X2265)
IBM PC Network Adapter II Technical Reference (S68X2223)
IBM PC Network Adapter II/A Technical Reference (S68X2263)
IBM PC Network Baseband Adapter Technical Reference (S68X2267)
IBM PC Network Baseband Adapter/A Technical Reference (S68X2264)
------------------------------
Date: Fri 3 Apr 87 19:07:38-PST
From: JOHN R. THOMPSON <WOOLFORD.THOMPSON@BIONET-20.ARPA>
Subject: DOS 3.2 COPY PROBLEM
I discovered a curious problem with the DOS 3.2 COPY command. Several
attempts to copy a 1.3 megabyte file failed to produce a verifiable copy
(judged by using the DOS COMP command). The file was correctly copied using
PCTOOLS. Is COPY incapable of handling large files????
FYI: System Configuration
IBM XT 640K
NEC V20 processor
Rampage board
Hercules monochrome clone board
ST238 32MB HD w/ SMS OMTI controller
Tests performed with no TSRs present
CONFIG.SYS file contents
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:512 /P
DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMSDRVER.COM
DEVICE=C:\DOS\REMM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\REX.SYS 50
DEVICE=C:\DOS\FASTDISK.SYS /M=48 /EXTM /DL /DH /SSIZE=512 /DIR=64
DEVICE=C:\DOS\NANSI.SYS
STACKS=16,128
BUFFERS=10
FILES=25
LASTDRIVE=D
John R. Thompson
-------
------------------------------
From: <evwong@ATHENA.MIT.EDU>
Subject: NEC 8087 Chip Rumors
Date: Sat, 04 Apr 87 16:12:23 EST
There was a rumor about an NEC 8087-type chip, much as the V20 and V30 were
8088 and 8086 "replaceables". From unconfirmed and forgotten sources, I have
heard that the chip is substantially cheaper (<<<<$100) and slightly faster.
Can any- body tell me if this is pure rumor or if such a creature exists?
eric
As usual the information, opinions and other miscellany contained herein
are my own and do not reflect the economic distress in Sudan
[We have heard these rumors too. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 87 08:39 EST
From: "MAJ DAVID C. MCGUFFEY" <McGuffey@DOCKMASTER.ARPA>
Subject: Bar Code Package
Is there an easily installable bar code package for the IBM-PC? We
have a requirement to place bar code strips on several thousand
documents and books and keep an inventory of their location. The
package would have to generate unique bar codes, which could be voided,
but never used again. We would also need a reader which could be
attached to a laptop (Zenith 181 would be our choice) and used to
inventory the items at other locations. When the inventory is
complete, the data would be uploaded to a central site (XT or AT) and
preferably managed under dBASE III+. Can anyone point me in the right
direction?
Dave McGuffey, National Computer Security Center (mcguffey at dockmaster)
[We get lots of queries for bar code systems but no responses. Doesn't
anyone have a brother in law in the bar code business? "standard disclaimer"
of course. -wab]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Apr 87 15:06:55 est
From: donham@dsl.cis.upenn.edu (Christopher Donham)
Subject: Taking over the IBM-AT bus
Hello,
I am currently trying to make a board for an IBM-AT which will
take over the bus. This new bus master should be able to hold control
of the bus indefinitely. Currently I have succeeded in stopping the
CPU and memory refresh via the MASTER line, but I fear my methods were
somewhat unorthodox. Does anybody know where I can get more information
on the accepted method of adding bus masters to the IBM-AT bus? I have
already read the IBM-AT Tech. Ref., Intel component handbooks, and
other IBM technical documents to get to my current understanding.
Thanks,
Chris
(donham@dsl.cis.upenn.edu)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Apr 87 03:51:22 pst
From: ucbcad!ames!styx!lll-lcc!well!nortond@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Daniel A. Norton)
Subject: How do I Disable Control C ? Control P ?
Am I going crazy? I have tried:
1) Calling the DOS routine (0x33) to disable Control Break.
2) Calling IOCTL to set stdin and stdout to raw mode.
3) Looking through old digests and the KWIC index for help.
Neither of these work consistently. If I do both of these and then call
EXEC to run a program (system() or spawn()) after having pressed Control
C, the "^C" characters pop up and the program dies.
I have had better luck with Control P. I call the BIOS to get
keystrokes, which apparently keeps them from getting to the printer echo
function. If I don't call the BIOS, the IOCTL function works, _except_
for the system reply to Control C ("^C") and bad command lines. In
other words, the ^C appears on the printer, and if I enter an invalid
command line, "xyz" for example, and press return, the "xyz" with a
carriage-return (no line-feed) is echoed to the printer. If I enter a
valid command, such as "dir", nothing is echoed to the printer.
I am running DOS 3.2 on a Toshiba XT with 640k RAM and a 10MB disk. Any
comments and mentions of other experiences would be appreciated.
Daniel A. Norton ...!lll-lcc!{lll-crg,ptsfa}!well!nortond
------------------------------
Date: Fri 3 Apr 87 12:26:06-EST
From: Frank da Cruz <SY.FDC@CU20B.COLUMBIA.EDU>
Subject: IBM PC Kermit on the New IBM Personal System/2 Series?
Now that we've seen IBM's announcements for their new line of PCs, is there
anyone out there who can say whether IBM PC Kermit (2.29B or earlier) runs
on them? If not, what are the symptoms? If so, are there any peculiarities?
------------------------------
Date: 0 0 00:00:00 EST
From: " Stu Mitchell" <mitchell@nrl-com>
Subject: WANG PLOTTER
I recently bought a WANG 2272-2 pen plotter at a local hamfest and I need
some hardware documentation. It appears to have a Centronics interface, but
I'm not quite sure. When I attach it to the parallel port of my IBM it
almost seems to work. The activity light comes on, but it doesn't execute
the commands that I've sent it. I would really appreciate it if somebody
could tell me what the port is or if they know of a documentation source.
Thanks,
Stu Mitchell (MITCHELL@NRL-COM)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 87 18:41:08 GMT
From: A385%EMDUCM11.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu
Subject: SIMPLEX and Linear Programming
Does anybody knows any good program or package running on a IBM PC-XT
or compatible, about linear programming and specially with the
SIMPLEX algorithm?.
It doesn't matter public domain or commercial!. A friend of mine
needs urgently a powerful implementation for his job!.
Thank you, everybody in advance.
Javier Lopez
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
<a385%EMDUCM11.BITNET>
------------------------------
End of Info-IBMPC Digest
************************
-------