[mod.computers.ibm-pc] Info-IBMPC Digest V5 #72

Info-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU (Info-IBMPC Digest) (07/24/86)

Info-IBMPC Digest      Thursday, July 24, 1986      Volume 5 : Issue 72

This Week's Editor:  Richard Nelson

Today's Topics:
                   AST RAMvantage, Goldbow Cache-AT
                       IBM Xenix 2.0 (System V)
                        Ctrl-Z in C (Lattice)
             Compilers using Extended Memory - Lattice C
                  ProComm and Clobbered Directories
                    Verifying Files with Checksum
                      Write-Protection (2 msgs)
                 File Recovery from Bad Directory/FAT
                            Volume Labels
               Clock/Cal w/out Expansion Slot (2 msgs)
                          Sanyo RGB Pinouts
                          DeSmet C v2.41 Bug
                       EGA and DR LOGO Problem

Today's Queries:

                      Super Hi-Res Display Query
          PCs as Automatic Consoles of /370 Mainframes Query
                       Epson Users Group Query
       Hercules Graphics, Redirection of Printer Output Queries
                       PC Designs ET-286i Query
                   Video Presentation System Query
                    Floppy Drives on New XTs Query
                           PC FORTRAN Query
                  Pop-Up Scientific Calculator Query
               Tape Backup thru Ports or Network Query
                     Disk Access Protection Query

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

Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1986  23:43 MDT
From: WANCHO@SIMTEL20.ARPA
To:   GFT.IVO%gsbadm.uchicago.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA
Cc:   WANCHO@SIMTEL20.ARPA, INFO-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
Subject: AST RAMvantage, Goldbow Cache-AT


Another choice for taking advantage of all that extra memory is to get
Software Carousel.  It lets you configure up to 10 different memory
partitions (some of us call them forks), with each of those partitions
containing separate environments up to the size of the real amount of
low memory you have.

I'm using Software Carousel now on an 512K XT clone (SC also swaps to
disk) and I can hardly wait to move to an AT clone with 3.1 Meg of
otherwise useless memory (unless some variant of Unix appears on the
contract).

I'd like to hear from others using SC and any of the other products
from SoftLogic Solutions.

--Frank

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

From: Herm Fischer <hermix!fischer@rand-unix.ARPA>
Reply-To: HFischer@ada20.isi.edu
To: info-ibmpc@isib
Subject: IBM Xenix 2.0 (System V)
Date: Mon Jul 21 18:13:13 1986

The upgrade release of IBM Xenix 2.0 (actually Microsoft Xenix System V)
is filling up the pipeline now.  Some observations on the product:

  - the documentation is MUCH improved; for example, there is now a nice
    honestly usable section on writing device drivers, and lots of very
    useful hints on system functions (like signals...)  Unfortunately,
    they seem to have dropped the C language reference section (maybe to
    compensate for all the extra paper...)

  - system calls are compatible with system III (IBM Xenix 1.0); your old
    system 3 programs run without recompiling on system V!

  - you CAN install it on a system which is up and running IBM Xenix 1.0
    without trashing or loosing anything, except for a few bugs:
       
       (a) /usr/lib/uucp/dial.c needs ~ICANON (reset off) because
           unbuffered stream input no longer returns data when
           typed and not followed by a c/r... (e.g., looking for
           modem prompts)

       (b) /etc/systemid is not preserved on reinstall

       (c) /usr/lib/mail/aliases.hash not preserved or rehashed for mailer
           but the unhashed aliases are preserved...

       (d) crontab duplicates new some entries; one needs to manually
           merge old and new crontabs, and add output ">" and "2>1"
           redirection;  also, crontab is in a new place

    they did a nice job preserving and merging your system 3 and their
    new system V files...  old ones have an X3 appended and new ones
    have an X5 appended...  generally all is left in executable shape.

    there are some nice new system calls (like nap(millisecs) to augment
    sleep(seconds) )

I've managed to convert my graphics driver to run on Xenix 2.0; IBM
does now provide some nice hooks to directly access screen memory
from user programs (but you need an auxiliary handler if you want
text output not lost when in the graphics mode).

I've also managed to convert the AMI 8-port (serial board) driver to
Xenix 2.0.

Both drivers are available on a free beta-upgrade basis to licensed
users.
 
    Herm Fischer {ihnp4,decvax,trwrb}!hermix!fischer

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

Date: Sun 20 Jul 86 22:21:13-EDT
From: Joseph M. Newcomer <Joe.Newcomer@C.CS.CMU.EDU>
Subject: Ctrl-Z in C (Lattice)
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU


If you want to read a file which may contain control characters, you
*must* open the file in 'binary' mode, e.g., use the "rb" option on
the open.  If you are writing such a file, use "wb".  Otherwise newlines
will cause perverted behavior, and ctrl-Z will be EOF on input.  I
regularly use Lattice C to read odd types of binary files, and it works
fine.  Remember that you will get a carriage return ("\r") character
before a linefeed ("\n") and it is up to you to dispose of it on input
and insert it on output (if you care).  Until Lattice C 3.0, you also
had to use the "b" modes if you wanted ftell() to give the right file
position.  This is said to be a bug which is fixed in 3.0, but I've
not tested it.
                                        joe

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

Date: Sun 20 Jul 86 22:33:41-EDT
From: Joseph M. Newcomer <Joe.Newcomer@C.CS.CMU.EDU>
Subject: Compilers using Extended Memory - Lattice C
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU


I regularly use extended memory in Lattice C; I do this by telling it
to use my VDISK RAMdisk as the place where it writes its 'quad' file
(the intermediate form between phase 1 and phase 2).  The rule from
my 'makefile' is shown below.  Also included is the way I abort a link
if there were any compilation errors.  The .BAT file which invokes
psmake (UniPress) does a 'del' of the file 'nolink'.  Note that LC1 and
LC2 must be run separately.  This has a significant impact on the
compilation time, about a factor of 2 when I run on my fast disk (C:)
and about a factor of 3 when I run on my slow disk (D:).  The VDISK
is E:.  

#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Joe's favorite 'makefile' template
#----------------------------------------------------------------------------

# Standard prolog

# This designates where the compiler is found

COMPILER = c:\lc\

# This defines the 'vdisk' used for the quad files
VDISK=e:

# This defines the local disk which is the target for the output and
# location of the source

LDISK=d:

SRCEXT = .c

.c.obj :
        del $*.obj
        $(COMPILER)lc1 -o$(VDISK) -ms -d -n -ic:\lc\ -s -u -im: $< 
        $(COMPILER)lc2  -o$(LDISK) $(VDISK)$*
        if exist $*.obj goto $*
        echo * * *    Compilation of '$*' failed >> nolink
        :$*

##############################################################################
# The files
##############################################################################


WHATEVER.EXE: $(WHATEVER) $(LINKFILE) makefile
        if not exist nolink goto oklink
        echo  ***** Compilation errors exist *****
        type nolink
        goto nolink
        :oklink
        link @$(LINKFILE),whatever,whatever,$(LIBRARIES)/map/line/segments:256
        :nolink

#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------

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

Date: Sun, 20 Jul 86 21:58:53 PDT
From: crash!pnet01!adamsd@nosc.ARPA (Adams Douglas)
To: crash!noscvax!info-ibmpc@usc-isib
Subject: ProComm and Clobbered Directories

Another piece of software that you should NOT abort out of in a nonstandard
manner is Procomm. In my case, I swapped floppies and THEN told Procomm to
exit to DOS. Guess what? It wrote the directory of the disk I Had just removed
onto the new diskette!

To Connie with the Dead Directory. Yes, the Norton Utilities have a routine to
search and reconstruct a directory with. There are also several public-domain
utilities of varying sophistication for the same purpose. However, you'll have
to spend some time and learn about how directories are put together to avoid
REALLY messing things up...power=responsibility and all that.

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

Date:         Tue, 22 Jul 1986 01:57 EDT
From:           James H. Coombs  <JAZBO%BROWNVM.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject:      Verifying Files with Checksum
To: INFO-IBMPC <INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA>

Someone asked recently about a facility for calculating checksums or
CRCs for files before backing them up.  I just discovered that the
LISTFILE program that comes with REXX has a CHECKSUM option.  Since the
program also has a TREE option, it would be easy to traverse an entire
disk and direct the directory information and checksum value into a
file.  I guess the next step would be to sort the output and compare it
with the output from a previous run (there are some PD compares that
resynchronize).

REXX is from Mansfield Software Group, which advertises regularly.  So
far as I know, they do not sell LISTFILE separately.  If you know REXX,
it's well worth the $100 or so.  (It's slow but good for quick jobs.)

--Jim

P.S.  I have seen some CRC source floating around.  Perhaps someone has
a copy if you want to use CRC and develop your own driver.

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

Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1986  23:56 MDT
From: WANCHO@SIMTEL20.ARPA
To:   "COX R.G." <cox@NUSC.ARPA>
Cc:   WANCHO@SIMTEL20.ARPA, INFO-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
Subject: Write-Protection


Some disk drives use optical sensors to detect the write tab.  I know,
because I just discovered mine does, after it wrote to a supposedly
write-protected disk.  The write-protect tab was red and transparent!

--Frank

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

To: info-ibmpc@isib
Subject: Writing on Protected Disks
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 13:26:28 -0500
From: jcmorris@mitre.ARPA

In a recent issue of this digest R. C. Cox reported that dBASE III had
trashed a floppy which was write protected.  The note speculated that
write protection was a software-only function which could be bypassed.

As far as I can tell from reading the schematics, write protection can't
be bypassed by software...but can be fooled by design blunders in some
drives.  The column Peter Norton writes for PC Week recently reported 
that Norton lost data in the same manner: a program wrote on a protected
disk.  He discovered that his drives detected protected disks by looking
for the reflection caused by the shiny metallized protection tab...and
his diskettes had either the black tabs (like Verbatim is now packaging)
or didn't have write-protect notches...in other words, they didn't have
the reflective quality which the drive used to detect protected status.
Most drives don't have this problem since they use a mechanical switch
to detect the write-protect tab.

[An aside: I HATE vendors who distribute expensive software on diskettes
with the write-enable notch uncovered.]

Having come close to accidentally clobbering a verrry expensive master
disk a while back, I finessed the problem by adding a front-panel toggle
switch to my (full-size) floppy drives.  The switch ties up the write-
protect line, ensuring that the floppy can't be written to.  Total
cost was $1.59 for a switch at Radio Shack, plus an hour or so of my
time to figure out how to disassemble the drive safely.

Joe Morris (jcmorris@mitre)

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

Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 14:00:15 CDT
From:  CCRJW%UMCVMB.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA  (Richard Winkel     UMC
  Computing Services)
To:  INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Subject: File Recovery from Bad Directory/FAT

You should first see if the FAT was overwritten, as well as the directory.
An easy way to do this is to run CHKDSK (don't use the /F option!) and
check for error messages.  If you get 'lost cluster' or 'cross linked file'
messages, the FAT might be ok, in which case you could do a 'RECOVER d:'
(d: is the drive spec) and save yourself LOTS of hassle.  You'd get back all
the original files; all you'd have to do is rename them appropriately.
If the FAT is no good, you can use a routine in the NORTON.COM program to
browse free disk clusters and chain related clusters together.
First, though, you'll need to purge the phony directory and FAT by doing the
following:
Do a CHKDSK /F on the disk to free any 'lost clusters', then use
one of the many pd utilities to 'unhide' any hidden files, and finally,
do an ERASE *.*.
If chkdsk reports bad sectors, you'll also need to manually zero out both
copies of the FAT.  You can use the sector editor in NORTON.COM to do this.
Then use NORTON to chain clusters into files.
Good luck!

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

Date:           Mon, 21 Jul 86 11:02:13 PDT
From:           Jim Anderson <bilbo.jta@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
To:             info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa
Subject: Volume Labels

If you wish to mess with volume labels under DOS 2.x you should use the
old style (FCB) function calls.  The new style find first call will not
find a volume label under 2.x.  I think this is fixed in 3.x.

Rules to keep in mind for 2.x:

1.  If the disk has no label you can make one using the create function.

2.  Never delete a volume label.  It will destroy the FAT!

3.  If you wish to change the volume label, use rename.

4.  I don't know how you might get rid of an existing volume label other
    than by directly writing the directory sector.

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

Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 07:37:23 cdt
From: mlw@ncsc.ARPA (Williams)
Message-Id: <8607211237.AA06865@ncsc.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: Clock/Cal w/out Expansion Slot


A footnote about "dCLOCK," mentioned in Vol. 5, Issue 71:  The device is sold
by:

MICROSYNC
Computer Products Department
P.O. Box 116302
Carrollton, TX 75011
214-492-5265

for $59.95 (please add $2 for shipping and handling)...

All this from PC Mag, Vol 5 No 14 p 407.  None of which represents any en-
dorsement, real or implied, of the device or company by me or (heaven
forbid) the govt.

Mark L. Williams
(mlw@ncsc.arpa)

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

Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 09:48:05 cdt
From: nather@SALLY.UTEXAS.EDU (Ed Nather)
To: INFO-IBMPC@B.ISI.EDU
Subject: No-slot clocks & portable PCs

We have bought, and are using, the "dClock" sold by Microsync (sorry, I
don't have their address with me) in several portable [lugable] IBM PCs
and have been very satisfied. The portable PCs were officially discontinued
at the time of the Laptop announcement, so we are in the same position as
owners of PC jrs, Lisas, etc.  

The clocks come on a small board that contains a dip socket -- you plug the
board into the socket the 8088 normally fits in, and put the 8088 into the
socket on the board.  That's all there is to the installation -- if you
didn't bend any pins anywhere.  You have to be careful.  The clock comes
with a manual and printed software for reading and setting -- you type in
a BASIC program that generates a pair of small .com files.  The clock does
NOT work in CompuAdd's "Standard Brand" PC -- the board layout is different
and there's no room for it.

The advantage to the portable was that there are only 2 long slots free,
and we needed both.  We upgraded the motherboards to 640K (the Microsync
manual tells you how to do that, too), bought a half-slot color card,
and a Plus Hardcard (10MB), and ended up with a HEAVY but quite usable
portable PC system we can lug to and from our observatory.

Ed Nather
Astronomy Dept, U of Texas @ Austin
{allegra,ihnp4}!{noao,ut-sally}!utastro!nather
nather@astro.AS.UTEXAS.EDU

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

Date: 1986 Jul 22   09:04 EST
From:   Bob Babcock    <PEPMNT%HARVARDA.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
To:  <GHicks@Korea.ARPA> ,
    <INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA>
Subject: Sanyo RGB pinouts

If you look at the DIN connector from the back of the cabinet, and
number the pins clockwise from the notch, with 8 in the center, the
signals are:
    1 - Red
    2 - no connection
    3 - Horizontal sync (negative)
    4 - Ground
    5 - Vertical sync (negative)
    6 - no connection
    7 - Green
    8 - Blue
Note that the IBM PC uses positive sync, so unless the monitor is
switchable to use negative sync it will not work on the Sanyo 555.
The September 1985 Soft Sector has a simple sync inverter circuit
made from a Quad 2-Input Nor (Radio Shack part no. 4001) and a 9-volt
battery.  The each output sync is the NOR of the input sync
and ground (i.e. inverted).  The battery powers the chip.
Sanyo also makes an IBM-like video board for the 555.  This board
has the same 9-pin D connector as the IBM PC, and uses the same
sync polarity as the IBM PC.

Good luck

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

To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA, malpass@ll-vlsi.ARPA
Subject: DeSmet C v2.41 Bug
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 21:48:26 -0500
From: James R. Van Zandt <jrv@mitre-bedford.ARPA>

The DeSmet C compiler seems to be quite free of bugs.  However, I have
found that if

       (1) any variables (either local or global) are declared
           "static", and
       (2) The compiler is called with the -c switch to let you use the
           debugger later, and
       (3) malloc() is called to allocate a variable from the heap,

then the heap will overlap the static variables.  Can someone test
versions 2.50 and 2.51?
                                     - Jim Van Zandt

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

Date: Tue, 22 Jul 86 09:01:31 est
From: munnari!trlamct.oz!tyers@seismo.CSS.GOV (Peter Tyers)
To: info-ibmpc-request@usc-isib.arpa
Subject: EGA and DR LOGO Problem


This query may be repeating old ground but I've only recently joined
the mod.computers.ibm-pc list, if so an apology.

Has anyone managed to run Digital Research LOGO (DR LOGO) on an EGA equipped
PC or PC-Clone.  It would appear that the DR LOGO distribution directly
drives the screen and despatches raw CGA commands to the device which 
unfortunately are not compatible with an EGA equipped system.

When booting the LOGO disc on my EGA equipped system I get the loading DR LOGO
message and the disc gets very busy. Unfortunately the screen then goes dead
and no further action is seen. The same PC-clone equipped with a CGA loads and
executes LOGO perfectly. Thus I suspect the EGA, is this a generic problem or
is my EGA-clone not truly EGA compatible?

If a generic problem, has anyone attempted to solve it and/or succeeded?

>From the Byte review I believe DR LOGO was written to operate under CPM-86
if this is the case is it worth my while obtaining a copy of this or since
the Australian distributors no longer stock CPM-86 its claimed successor
Concurrent CPM? Is it possible to patch the drivers LOGO uses to make it
utilise the EGA rather than a raw CGA mode?

Any assistance, patches or suggestions would be appreciated.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P Tyers,        Telecom Australia Research Laboratories
ACSnet  tyers@trlamct.oz        (Australian Computer Science Network)
CSnet   tyers@trlamct.oz
ARPAnet tyers%trlamct.oz@seismo.arpa
UUCP    {decvax,vax135,eagle,pesnta}!mulga!trlamct.oz!tyers
PaperMAIL
        P Tyers
        Telecom Australia (Research)
        P.O. Box 249
        Clayton
        VICTORIA 3168
        AUSTRALIA

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

Date: Mon, 21 Jul 86 07:51:47 cdt
From: mlw@ncsc.ARPA (Williams)
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: Super Hi-Res Display Query

Does anyone have any experience with very high resolution devices for the
PC...like the Number Nine, Matrox, Control Systems Artist Series, etc.?
I'm interested in how these units work for non-CAD operation, if they can
be used for general purpose work to advantage, what monitors they can be
used with, which one(s) are best, etc. etc.  Please do not exclude mention-
ing CAD...I just want to make sure other facets of the units' uses are
addressed.  You can send messages to me directly and I'll summarize for
the digest, or just route 'em through the digest itself.  Thanks...

Mark L. Williams
(mlw@ncsc.arpa)

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

Date: Tue 22 Jul 86 10:58:19-EDT
From: Francisco Camargo <CAMARGO@CS.COLUMBIA.EDU>
Subject: PCs as Automatic Consoles of /370 Mainframes Query
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU

 
I'm posting this message from Brasil, therefore you shouldforgive me
if I kill your natural language. (my English needs to be warmed up...)

The basic Idea for this query is to use PCs as automatic consoles for
large IBM systems. We would like to hear from anybody with some experience
in doing so. We intend to use IRMA like boards for the connection of the
PC s and the mainframes, and we have no idea of the kind of performance
we can expect from such boards.

Just for the record we run an installation with one 3084 and three 3081
processors in an MVS-XA & JES-2 environment. 

Also, we would like to know about the existence of any language for process 
automation which could easy the process of implementing such automatic
consoles.

[P.S.: I'm posting this message on behalf of BANCO ITAU S.A., a brazilian
 bank for which I'm an employee and who has sponsored my education at 
 Columbia University. I shall summarize the replys and post them back 
 in this bulletin board.]

Francisco Camargo
CAMARGO@CUCS20

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

Date: Mon Jul 21 09:40:04 1986
From: jperry@sri-unix
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib
Subject: Epson Users Group Query


     Does anyone out there know about an Epson Users Group with 30-40 disks
of freeware available?  If so, could someone point me to an online source?
Much thanks to anyone who can.



                                            John Perry

------------------------------
 
Date: Tue 22 Jul 86 08:54:13-EDT
From: "Anthony J. Courtemanche" <AC%OZ.AI.MIT.EDU@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Hercules Graphics, Redirection of Printer Output Queries
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU


Hi.  I have two (disjoint) questions that I hope someone can give
me answers to.

1) I have a Leading Edge "D" with a monocrome monitor which as of yet
has not given me any IBM compatibility problems.  When I bought the
machine, it was advertised as supporting Hercules Graphics.  There are
two ports on my video driver (one for color and mono) and there is a switch
to switch between color and mone.  In BASIC, lo and behold, I am able to get
monocrome graphics.  But, when I try to run some PD software that uses
graphics other than from BASIC, most programs terminate saying "You
need graphics to run this program."  What sort of graphics don't I have?
Does the message mean that I need a color system to run the program or are
Hercules Graphics (whatever they are) different from the type of graphics
that PD people are writing programs for?  Do I need a different video
board to run these programs?

2)  Is there a clever way to redirect output to the printer ports to
go to the screen or a file.  I am playing with a PD program that uncompresses
some documentation and outputs it to the printer, but the documentation is
110 pages and I don't want to print so many pages unless I know whats
on them.  The compressed document does not seem to be ARC or LU compatible.

Many thanks to anyone who can give me some help on these questions.

--Anthony Courtemanche

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

Date: Tue 22 Jul 86 14:50:06-EDT
From: Thomas S. Wanuga <WANUGA@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: PC Designs ET-286i Query
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU


Does anyone have any experience with the PC Designs ET-286i?  It's an
AT compatible with 6/8/10 Mhz operation, motherboard has - 3 serial
ports, 2 parallel ports, 1M memory (4M using 1Mb DRAMS).  Replies will
be summarized to the digest.  Thanks.

Tom Wanuga
wanuga@mit-xx

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

To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.edu, info-graphics@ads.ARPA
Subject: Video Presentation System Query
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 08:03:51 -0500
From: tink@mitre-bedford.ARPA

 I'm looking for a PC based "slide system" like STORYBOARD (by IBM) or
VideoShow (by General Parametrics).  I'm hoping that there are some other
packages out there since neither of these seems to fit my needs.  What I'm
looking for are packages in the $100 - $500 hundred range that can create
a story line, including pictures (STORYBOARD has only a rudementary
editor for creating the graphics - most of its input should come from other
packages).  It would also be nice if this package included hardware that
allows the result to be displayed through a video projector.

Steve Feuchtbaum
TINK@MITRE-BEDFORD

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

Date:     Wed, 23 Jul 86  11:08:38 ADT
From:  wdw%ACADIA.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA  (Bill Wilder)
Subject:  Floppy Drives on New XTs Query
To:  info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa

I have been using one of the new IBM XT's (new keyboard, floppies etc.) for
the past few days and have noticed that the system is very sensitive to the
proper insertion of floppies.  Many retries will occur, terminating in an
error.  This continues until the floppy is removed and then reinserted at
which point it works well.

I've also noticed that the drive in use light remains on for several seconds
after disk activity terminates.  Makes me a little nervous about changing
floppies too soon.

Can anyone tell me if these problems are unique to my particular machine or
whether they are characteristic of the new XT's in general.

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

Date: Wed 23 Jul 86 13:19:26-EDT
From: Howard P. Marvel <MARVEL-H%OSU-20@ohio-state.ARPA>
Subject: PC FORTRAN Query
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa

I am posting the following for a friend not on the net. Please reply
directly to me. You can use marvel-h@osu-20.


I am seeking information regarding Fortran compilers and (especially) math/
stat libraries for the IBM PC AT.  I have experience with MS Fortran 3.31
and would appreciate comparisons to RM Fortran 2.0 and Lahey Fortran,
which has just been released in a 2.0 version.  I have seen Chris Wolfe's
review in PC Mag last year.  MicroWay in Boston said that RM 2.0 is best
for porting mainframe IBM VS Fortran programs to the PC.
Of course, they don't handle (or haven't) the Lahey compiler.

In libraries: IMSL offers two PC libraries which are expensive at retail
($350 each) and very incomplete relative to their mainframe IMSL library.
These have recently become available under inexpensive site licenses for
about $20 per copy.  MicroWay offers the NAG (Numerical Algorithms Group)
library from England.  What else is available?  I particularly need good
matrix inversion (MicroWay offers an assembler program for this -- any
good?), random number generators, and distribution functions (normal,
central F, noncentral F, chi-square, etc.).  These may be in assembler
or Fortran.

Ideally, I would like to purchase a subset of the IMSL library but they
refuse to sell an arbitrary collection of subroutines.

All my research is in Fortran.  I don't want stat packages such as SAS or
StatPro, etc.

Richard Anderson, Department of Economics, Ohio State Univ, Columbus OH 43210

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

Date: Wed, 23 Jul 86 15:30:41 pdt
From: Gerry Key <key%tetra@nosc.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib
Subject: Pop-Up Scientific Calculator Query 

Does anyone know of a good pop-up scientific calculator for a 
PC/XT or /AT or compatible?  

--Gerry Key 
key@nosc.arpa

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

To: info-ibmpc@b.isi.EDU
cc: johnson@dewey.udel.EDU
Subject: Tape Backup thru Ports or Network Query
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 08:24:52 -0400
From: johnson <johnson@dewey.udel.EDU>

I am looking for a tape backup system to backup 3 ATs, an AT clone (ncrpc8),
and 2 XTs a few times every week. Speed is no issue, as the backups can run
at night.  Each one of these machines has an asynch port and a parallel
port, so if anyone has an external tape backup system that allows one of these
ports as an interface, we could use a single device to backup all of our
machines.

Failing that, if anyone has found a good, inexpensive network and software
that supports backup of any client's hard-disk, please describe your 
installation.

We would like to be able to backup the entire disk, just given directories,
or just files tagged with the "un-archived" bit, or files created after a 
given date, (and to restore them with similar specificity).

I am interested in your negative experiences (what to avoid) as well as your 
positive ones.

thanks.

johnson@dewey.udel.EDU

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Date: Thu, 24 Jul 86 11:34:53 EDT
From: Erik Brown <ugebrown%buffalo.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA>
Subject: Disk Access Protection Query
To: info-ibmpc@B.ISI.EDU


Would anyone out there be able to suggest any literature about ways to
limit access to resources on an ibm pc?

We need to devise some software to prevent unauthorized users from gaining
access to the hard drive.  We would like this to work even if the machine
is booted from the floppy drive.

Any ideas?

Thank you,
Michael Domino

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