Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU (Info-IBMPC Digest) (09/06/86)
Info-IBMPC Digest Friday, Septermber 5, 1986 Volume 5 : Issue 83
This Week's Editor: Phyllis O'Neil
Today's Topics:
Subject: Zenith BBS Offer
Re: Graphics Software Package Query
GrayScaler Adapter for IBM CGA Card
Speech Digitizing / Phone Boards (2 messages)
Today's Queries:
XT Does Not Boot After 1 Hour
Format address for Xebec controller
IBM Laptop and PRD files
Heat Problems with Z200s
EGA Driver for Turbo Graphics Toolbox Wanted
Microsoft C: Buffered Files and Spa
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Subject: Zenith BBS
A few weeks ago, I posted the following message:
>I have available the entire contents of the Zenith Data Systems Bulletin
>Board System. The ZDS BBS has a wealth of information not only specific to
>users of ZDS products, but also for users of MS-DOS and applications in
>general...
>I have the contents of the BBS available in uuencoded, ARCed form. In this
>form, the BBS comprises about 385K...
>If anyone is interested in receiving this, please send mail...
Since then, I have received a great many requests for the information.
In most cases, I was able to successfully mail the requested info.
However, I know that in some cases my mail did not get thru at all.
Especially since Memorial Day weekend, e-mail has been VERY unreliable
for me (tuning up during a 3-day weekend again, system managers?)
So, if there is anyone out there who mailed a request to me for this
information and has received no response from me, please request
again.
- Cathy
uucp: ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-comet!fulton
ARPA: fulton%comet.DEC@decwrl
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To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.edu
Subject: Re: Graphics Software Package Query
Date: Fri, 05 Sep 86 12:02:53 -0500
From: Bob Munck <munck@mitre-bedford.ARPA>
If you really want to do graphics programming with the very best,
up-to-date, professional support, use the Logitech Modula-2 compiler,
the MetaGraphics MetaWindow graphics package, and the Star Value
Modula-2 binding to MetaWindows (addresses below). For a total cost
of less than $300, you've got better facilities than 99% of the
Military-Industrial programmers have. Sure, there are problems; I'm
struggling with a beta release of MetaWindows that's a bit buggy and
have just received the Star Value package, which comes with NO
documentation and several bugs. Nevertheless, I wrote and got running
a 1,000 line program in two days last week. BTW, Modula-2 is an
excellent leg-up on Ada, and these days anyone who can SPELL Ada can
get a job (capital "A", small "d" and "a").
-- Bob Munck
Logitech MetaGraphics Star Value S/W
805 Veterans Blvd 444 Castro, Suite 400 12218 Scribe Dr
Redwood City, CA 94063 Mountain View, CA 94041 Austin, TX 78759
415/365-9852 415/964-1334 512/837-5498
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Date: Fri, 5 Sep 86 10:13:45 EDT
From: Dave Swindell <dswindel@prophet.bbn.com>
To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.edu
cc: gay@c.cs.cmu.edu
Subject: GrayScaler Adapter for IBM CGA Card
Jim:
A company by the name Avocado Computer manufactures a device called
the GrayScaler that allows a composite monitor to be driven from an
IBM CGA-style port. The GrayScaler is actually a small, fast digital
to analog converter that plugs into the 15-pin RGB port on a CGA and
converts the RGB signal to a "standard" composite signal. I believe
the device costs around $50.00.
For more information, contact:
Avocado Computer
Box 632
Yorba Linda, CA 92686
Telephone: (714) 528-1025
As always, I have no affiliation with Avocodo Computer other than knowing
someone who bought one of the devices!
Dave Swindell
BBN Laboratories Incorporated
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Date: Mon 1 Sep 86 12:46:15-EDT
From: Thomas S. Wanuga <WANUGA@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Speech Digitizing / Phone Boards
To: telecom@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
ReSent-To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU
Has anyone out there used one of the speech digitizing boards that
plug into the IBM PC and interface to the phone lines? I know of
three companies that have such products - VYNET Corporation, Votrax,
and Natural Microsystems. I am interested in anyone's experience with
these (or any other similar) boards. Thanks.
Tom Wanuga
wanuga@xx.lcs.mit.edu
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Date: 4 Sep 1986 15:10:41 PDT
Subject: Re: Speech Digitizing / Phone Boards
From: Richard Gillmann <GILLMANN@B.ISI.EDU>
To: Thomas S. Wanuga <WANUGA@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
cc: telecom@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU, info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU
In-Reply-To: (Message from "Thomas S. Wanuga <WANUGA@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>" of Mon 1 Sep 86 12:46:15-EDT)
I have experience with two speech digitizing cards for the PC, the
CompuTalker board and the Dialogic board(s).
The CompuTalker board is a fairly old design and I got it some years
ago, but it has some nice features. In particular, it has an
excellent AGC circuit that deals well with the volume variations in
long distance calls vs. local calls. It can playback and record
speech at various rates, the lowest being 1200 bytes/second, and 2000
bytes/second for most telephone applications. It can detect and send
TouchTones and it has good call progression software. The board works
with either the telephone line or a mike/speaker setup. I believe the
price is $600. CompuTalker can be reached at 213-828-6546.
I have also used the Dialog/40 card from Dialogic. This card can
handle up to 4 telephone lines at once, and you can install multiple
cards for even more lines. It has a very nice event queueing package
that allows you to write software for it in a semi-reasonable way (too
bad DOS doesn't do tasking!). It does the usual playback/record and
TouchTones, the rate is something like 2500 bytes/second. The PC only
gets interrupted once per buffer, rather than once per byte, so it's
not overloaded. The board only connects to telephone lines. The
Dialog/40 card costs $1000 and their number is 201-334-8450. They
also make a single line board.
I have also use the Texas Instruments and IBM speech cards. Both of
these are more elaborate. They both use the TMS320 chip to do LPC
speech and can also do text-to-speech synthesis. Billy has covered
them in detail in past digests, so I won't repeat the info here.
Dick Gillmann
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------------------------------
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 86 13:10 EDT
From: Deba Patnaik <DEBA%UMDC.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU>
Subject: XT Does Not Boot After 1 Hour
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
One XT with 512K memory, 10 Meg disk drive, and tape back up does not
boot after an hour when Ctrl-Alt-Del key is pressed. The screen
remains blank with the blinking cursor and the hard disk light stays
on. Tried the same thing with DOS diskette in drive A and the drive A
light stayed on.
We took it to a local shop and they could not find anything wrong with
it. Any ideas?
deba%umdc.bitnet@wiscvm.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Fri 5 Sep 86 12:27:21-PDT
From: David John Buerger <D.Buerger%SCU%PANDA@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: Format address for Xebec controller
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: g.crs%SCU%PANDA@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA
Does anyone know the starting address for formatting an Xebec
full-length hard disk controller card with DEBUG? Thanks.
David J. Buerger
PC Center, Santa Clara University
-------
------------------------------
Date: Fri 5 Sep 86 10:45:48-PDT
From: Hellmut Golde <GOLDE@WASHINGTON.ARPA>
Subject: IBM Laptop and PRD files
To: INFO-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
Query: I am using the new IBM lap computer, the "convertible". I
brought up Microsoft WORD and it works fine, except I do not have a
good printer description (PRD) file for the attachable thermal
printer. Microsoft tells me that they are not supporting that printer,
so I tried various others ones, but no luck. I get something printed,
but it contains some undesirable graphics characters. Does anybody
know of a correct PRD file?
Thanks, Hellmut -------
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Date: Fri, 5 Sep 86 12:17:32 EDT
From: Steve Lesh (ISC) <lesh@BRL.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc-request@usc-isib.arpa
cc: heath-people-request@mc.lcs.mit.edu
Subject: Heat Problems with Z200s
A recent article in Infoworld mentioned problems with heat
build-up on the 200 series AT compatibles when additional boards are
added.
Has anybody had this problem with the Z248 series purchased by
the Feds?
Please reply directly as I am not on either distribution list.
Thanks in advance.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 86 10:03:05 EDT
From: Dave Swindell <dswindel@prophet.bbn.com>
To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.edu
cc: lsher@prophet.bbn.com
Subject: EGA Driver for Turbo Graphics Toolbox Wanted
Does anyone know if an Enhanced Graphics Adapter driver exists for
Borland's Turbo Graphics Toolbox? As distributed, the package
supports the IBM CGA and the EGA in CGA emulation mode, but does not
support the EGA in native mode.
Thanks,
Dave Swindell
BBN Laboratories Incorporated
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 5 Sep 86 12:35:20 PDT
From: Jim Anderson <bilbo.jta@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.edu
Subject: Microsoft C: Buffered Files and Spa
I recently discovered that if you open a file with fopen() for reading,
read some data from the file and spawn() a child, when the spawn returns
the file is positioned at end of file. Can anyone point me to a place in
the documentation that covers this behavior? Is this normal "C" behavior?
Do others find this annoying?
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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