[mod.computers.ibm-pc] Info-IBMPC Digest V5 #73

Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU.UUCP (07/27/86)

Info-IBMPC Digest      Saturday, July 26,1986      Volume 5 : Issue 73

This Week's Editor:  Phyllis O'Neil

Today's Topics:
                 IBM PC Seminar Proceedings (2 msgs)
                    Re: European Programs and GEM
                             Volume Label

Today's Queries:
                    Stock Program for Micros Query
                         Xecom XE1203 MOSART
                  XENIX 1.0 with extra serial ports
                           PCjr Expansions
                      Intel 82786 Graphics Chip
                   BASICA--Reading the command line
                      AT BIOS Hard Disk Support

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Date:  Tue, 22 Jul 1986 15:32 EDT
From:  Ben Yalow  <YBMCU%CUNYVM.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject:  IBM PC Seminar Proceedings
To:  <INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA>

IBM has made the PC Seminar proceedings available on a GBOF via SLSS.
The GBOF number is GBOF-0001.  This will give you all of the ones
currently in print, and any future ones as they are released.

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Date:  Tue, 22 Jul 1986 17:33 EDT
From:  Ben Yalow  <YBMCU%CUNYVM.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject:  Re: IBM PC Seminar Proceedings
To: Billy <BRACKENRIDGE@B.ISI.EDU>

A BOF is a "Bill of Forms", which is an IBM method of grouping a
number of different publications together under a single order number.
The G as the first letter indicates the "use key". A use key of G
is the most generally available, and most often available free from
the IBM customer rep.  (Use key S are more restricted - they are for
sale, but you can sometimes get one free.  Use key L are available
only with a licensed product.  Use key Z is internal use only.)

By ordering the manuals under a GBOF, you get all of them.
Furthermore, if the GBOF is on your SLSS, you get new manuals that are
added to the GBOF as they come out.  You also get updates to existing
manuals if they are released with new revision numbers (for example
Vol 2, issues 6-1, 8-1 and 11-1 all came out as replacement issues).

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Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 12:25:24 BST
From: UNAC950 <nike!topaz!seismo!mcvax!kcl-cs!phil@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
To: B.ISI.EDU!Info-IBMPC%topaz@BERKELEY.EDU
Subject: Re: European Programs

GEM will help you do this is two ways. A GEM application consists of
the executable code and a resource file. The resource file contains
all of the (natural) language dependant text - therefore the program
itself isn't changed to produce versions for different countries.
There are French and German versions of all of the DRI supplied GEM
applications.

In addition, the GEM VDI defines a character set that includes all the
extra symbols found in European alphabets. Also the VDI defines a
standard keyboard. So, if GEM is supported on your target machines,
you can do what you want and you don't need multiple versions of you
program.

Phil Thompson.

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Date:     Fri, 25 Jul 86 09:33 N
From:        <MAARTEN%HGRRUG5.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject: Volume Label Query
To:  info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa

I have made a group of procedures to read and write the volume label.
When I used them I had the same problems: many times the volume label
was not found by FindFirst and sometimes not even by FindNext. After
some experiments it showed up that:

 - FindFirst for a volume label gives always the first entry in the directory
   even if it is not the volume label.
 - So try with FindNext. But FindNext cannot find it if there is an entry of
   a deleted file (first character is chr($E5)) in front of the volume label.

So to read the volume label you should read the directory sectors
directly from the disk. The entries of the directory are 32 bytes long
starting with the filename and extension.

To (re)write a volume label I didn't try the CreateFile. I just read
the directory sectors, then search for the first deleted file or the
first entry not used (first char is chr($0)) whichever comes first.
This entry is changed to the volume label and then the directory is
rewritten.

I found information about the directory structure in:

   IBM Disk Operating System (DOS version 2.00)    Appendix C
      by Microsoft Corp.


I hope this will help you...

    Maarten

------------------------------

To: Microcomputer Bulletin Boards: ;
Subject: Stock Program for Micros Query
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 86 14:56:41 -0800
From: Scott Menter <escott@bonnie.UCI.EDU>

Hello.

A friend has asked me to seek out for him a microcomputer program to do
stock market analysis, projections, etc.  Just what type of microcomputer
the software runs on is not so important;  he will make his purchase
based upon which has the best stock market software.

Can anybody recommend any such software?  A little about what each one
does would be nice, seeing as I know *nothing* about stocks and I'm 
going to have to pass along to my friend the responses I get.  Maybe
if I find something sufficiently neat, I'll get into it too!  Of course,
that requires money... ah, forget it.

Anyway, thanks very much in advance for your time.  Sorry this message
has such a "generic" quality to it;  I'm sending it to a bunch of PC
oriented bboards (sorry also if you've been forced to hit the "N" key
several times as a result of this!).

Please respond to me personally, as opposed to on this bboard, since I
don't normally read micro-oriented bboards.

Thanks again.

 +------------------------------------------------------------------------+
  E. Scott Menter                           Internet:   escott@ics.uci.edu
  UCI Systems Support Group                 UUCP: ...!ucbvax!ucivax!escott

  "If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud."
 +------------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Date: Thu 24 Jul 86 17:44:13-EDT
From: Thomas S. Wanuga <WANUGA@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Xecom XE1203 MOSART
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU

Anyone have any experience with the Xecom XE1203 MOSART demonstration
board for the IBM PC?  The XE1203 is a modem plus speech synthesizer
on a chip that was featured in the November 1985 BYTE (Ciarcia's
Circuit Cellar).

Does Xecom still exist?  Do they still make the XE1203?  Have they
come out with a newer improved MOSART?

Thanks.

Tom Wanuga
wanuga@xx.lcs.mit.edu
-------

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Date: Tue, 22 Jul 86 16:12:33 EDT
From: Steven Goldberg <brat%gatech.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: XENIX 1.0 with Extra Serial Ports
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU

I am running XENIX 1.0 on an IBM PC/AT and cannot find information
about supporting extra serial communication cards in such an
environment.

Can XENIX support more than two RS-232 ports?  I know that there are
multiple-port boards with associated software, but I am only
interested in adding one port, for a total of three.  Any information
or pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Please respond via e-mail.

				Thanks,
				   Steven

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Date:  Fri, 25 Jul 86 11:10 EDT
From:  White@RADC-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject:  PCjr Expansions
To:  Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU

I would appreciate someone pointing me to known sources of PCjr
memory/printer expansion modules such as the Tecmar jrCaptain.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 25 Jul 86 08:13:57 pdt
From: Bob Shaw <uitcd%cui.unige.chunet%ubc.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
To: Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
Subject: Intel 82786 Graphics Chip

Does anyone know of the imminent release of a board with the 82786 on
it?  Is someone making Windows drivers for it?  Would a NEC multi-sync
work in one of the 82786's hi-res modes?  Hate to buy EGA's if this
board is going to be out soon.  Anyone out there in netland working on
this?

R. Shaw
Computer Department
International Telecommunication Union
Place des Nations
12ll Geneva Switzerland

uitcd%cui.unige.chunet@ubc.csnet

------------------------------

Date: Thu 24 Jul 86 16:31:20-EDT
From: C. P. Yeske <CY13@CARNEGIE.Mailnet>
Subject: Reading the Command Line
To: info-ibmpc%usc-isib.arpa@MIT-MULTICS.Mailnet

I am stuck using BASICA for a particular application.  I now need to
issue a command from a batch file like "BASICA PROGRAM INPUTFILENAME".
I then need to find out what the "INPUTFILENAME" was, in BASICA.

I have come up with many interm hacks that really are not very
elegent.

Any suggestions?

Curt

cy13@te.cc.cmu.edu

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Date:     Fri, 25 Jul 86  15:36:48 ADT
From:  wdw%ACADIA.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA  (Bill Wilder)
Subject:  AT BIOS Hard Disk Support
To:  info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa

Hi!  - we're the proud owners of PRIAM V185 disks we are now using in
several AT's.  We got shipped Priams because the supplier did not have
what we originally ordered.  The specs on the 185 are 1166 cylinders
with seven data heads and one servo head.  We were told by the
supplier to configure it as AT drive type 12 which we have done and
which does work.  Unfortunately ROM-BIOS feels there are only 855
cylinders on the disk so we are only able to make use of 52 Mb rather
than the 71 Mb that are out there.

My questions are: have there been any AT ROM-BIOS upgrades that define
additional drive types and if so, what type might the V185 be? If
there are new drive types, which version of AT advanced diagnostics
would be needed to perform a low level format of the disk?

Failing new BIOS support, is anyone aware of alternate controller
cards that would be able to make use of the full disk?

If there are any Priam 185 users out there, I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks.


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