Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA (Info-IBMPC Digest) (01/24/86)
Info-IBMPC Digest Wednesday, 23 January 1985 Volume 5 : Issue 11
This Week's Editor: Eliot Moore <Elmo@USC-ISIB>
Today's Topics:
HACK 3.0 undigested by a big hairy monster
Current Epsilon EEL code listing
Overlapping Windows in Microsoft Windows & Request for Comments
GM & Lotus
Debuggers & Large Hard Disks
Cluster Size for 20 MB Hard Disk
FAT and Reading Directories
Polytron's PolyMake
XENIX on fast AT's
Tandy 1000 & SCO Xenix
Vfiler Problem
Multilink? and/or Multiuser Fido
OPS-like Package Wanted
High-Speed Synchronous Serial Boards (Query)
MASM Bugs
Remote Console Query
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Date: 23 Jan 1986 17:03:04 PST
Subject: HACK 3.0 undigested by a big hairy monster
From: Koji Okazaki <swg.Koji@USC-ISIB.ARPA>
To: Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: Koji@USC-ISIB.ARPA
The latest version of HACK is out finally. Digest the files at will.
Don Kneller's introduction follows:
====================================================================
/-\
|@| You are being digested by a mysterious monster -- More --
\-/
PC HACK 3.0
-----------
Requirements
------------
This is an MSDOS version of UN*X HACK 1.03 written in Microsoft C
v3.0. It requires 320K ram, DOS 2.x or higher, 2 floppies or 1 hard
disk. It uses the ANSI.SYS driver for screen IO, so should be portable
to most MSDOS machines. It does work on DEC Rainbows! It was written
on an IBM PC with monochrome screen.
Features
--------
This is the complete UN*X HACK 1.03 with several enhancements:
1) Definable screen characters for the dungeon.
Works on the Rainbow too!
2) Numeric key pad (cursor keys) support for IBM BIOS compatible
computers (compatibility at the software interrupt level).
3) Support for RAMdisks, floppies, hard disks. If you have sufficient
RAM for a RAMdisk, the game is much faster and quieter, especially
for floppy-only systems.
4) Several options including pack sorting (by object class)
and pack order (to set the sort order), confirmation before
hitting tame or peaceful monsters, silent mode for turning
off the bell.
5) Protection from disk full errors (and collapsing dungeons).
6) Save files are portable between MSDOS machines.
7) Configuration from a file to reduce the number of environment
variables to 1 (which is also optional).
Availability
------------
PC HACK 3.0 is available by anonymous ftp from ARPAnet host
USC-ISIB in directory INFO-IBMPC. The executable is HACK30.ARC and
sources are HACK30S.ARC. Both of these files are ARChives, having
been created with ARC430.COM, and hence are binary files. Thus, when
you ftp them, make sure you use a binary mode (from our ftp program, I
use the command 'type tenex' to set binary mode). Also, if you use
kermit to transfer them to your PC, you must use binary transfer (the
-i flag in UNIX C-Kermit).
The sources are written for the Microsoft C compiler v3.0 and
depend extensively on structure assignment and passing, so there will
be quite a bit of work converting to a compiler that does not support
these. The large compiler model is used (> 64K prog, > 64K data).
I will supply executable and source to people who do not have
an ARPAnet connection. Send 1 DSDD floppy *formatted* for MSDOS (or
PCDOS) 2.x if you want the executable only, and 1 ADDITIONAL floppy if
you also want source. The sources will be in ARChive form, so you will
need ARC430.COM to unpack them.
If you send floppies, please send a SELF-ADDRESSED return mailer
with sufficient postage! If you do not supply postage, include $2 for
postage.
Thanks for your interest in PC HACK,
Don Kneller
UUCP: ...ucbvax!ucsfcgl!kneller
ARPA: kneller@ucsf-cgl.ARPA
BITNET: kneller@ucsfcgl.BITNET
USMAIL: 2 Panoramic Way #204
Berkeley, CA 94704
USA
-------
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jan 1986 17:26:10 PST
Subject: Current Epsilon EEL code listing
From: Koji Okazaki <swg.Koji@USC-ISIB.ARPA>
To: Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: Koji@USC-ISIB.ARPA
The following is our current Epsilon EEL code listing. They are contained
in <INFO-IBMPC.EEL>. Epsilon users are encouraged to snarf and contribute
EEL code.
EEL Code List
=====================================================================
KMODE.E A collection of EEL routines that implement some useful
functions that are present in TOPS-20 Emacs.
<Bob Knight, KNIGHT@SRI-NIC> 1/22/86
LISPMODE.E Modifies Epsilon to be suitable for Lisp applications.
<Rob Pettengill, CAD.PETTENGILL@MCC> 11/17/85
NUFORMAT.E Modified Epsilon FORMAT.E file that modifies the fill-
paragraph so that it will right-justify the text when
given a numeric argument.
<Hadden@HI-MULTICS> 11/30/85
-------
------------------------------
From: microsof!gaben@uw-beaver.arpa
Subject: Overlapping Windows in Microsoft Windows & Request for Comments
Date: Thu Jan 23 15:03:21 1986
Windows actually does support overlapping windows. In our retail
package all of the applications that we included use tiles, but
there is nothing that would prevent an application writer from writing
an application that was in an overlapping window. Simple examples of
overlapping windows are dialog boxes, menus, and pop-up windows (like
the Get Info window of the MS-DOS Executive).
This is in response to two items that stated that Windows did not
have overlapping windows.
One thing that I am interested in hearing about are reactions to our
Retail Release and to our ISV ToolKit. We are putting together a wishlist
of the features people would like to see in future releases of both of
these products, and I would be interested in hearing people's suggestions.
------------------------------
Date: Wed 22 Jan 86 12:03:00-PST
From: Found in a Bottle
Subject: GM & Lotus
GM bought a majority share of Lotus Development Corp. for $19 million.
An announcement will be made in the next few days.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 86 09:32 EST
From: Fedele.Wbst@Xerox.COM
Subject: Debuggers & Large Hard Disks
To: Info-IBMPC-Request@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: Fedele.Wbst@Xerox.COM
We are about to begin a major software task and are
considering the purchase of a debugging tool to be used with Computer
Innovations C and/or Intel's version of Mark Williams' C. At least
two separate systems will be used for development - one XT and one AT.
At this time, reviews and advertise- ments have us leaning in the
direction of Periscope II by Data Base Decisions. If you have any
experience with this or any other PC debuggiong tool, positive or
negative, please share it with us.
We are also considering the purchase of a gigunda hard drive
(100M+) for the AT. Any caveats or recommendations? Finally, we will
need a very large tape drive for storage of image files. Help!!
Sam
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 86 08:09 PST
From: DGilbert.ES@Xerox.COM
Subject: Cluster Size for 20 MB Hard Disk
To: Info-IBMPC Digest <Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA>, IBMPC^.ES@Xerox.COM
cc: DGilbert.ES@Xerox.COM
My thanks to Dan Hickey. Under DOS 3.1 I deleted the active partition
on my 20 mb drive ( IBM PC/XT ) and then recreated it. This using
FDISK. After using FORMAT/s/v, the cluster size dropped from 8k to
2k. Why do it? Well, my remaining free space went from approx. 3 mb
up to 8 mb. Well worth the change. Apparantly, most hard disk you
buy, such as the 20 mb unit I purchased from Priority One, already are
partitioned with dos 2.1 format. FDISK tells you only that there is
already a dos partiton. USE FDISK ANYWAY.
Thanks again, Dan.
Doug.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Jan 86 09:27 PST
From: DGilbert.ES@Xerox.COM
Subject: FAT and Reading Directories
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: "David S. Bakin" <Bakin@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
> 3) Does anyone have any pointer to a similar program which WORKS?
Do you have the NORTON UTILITIES 3.10. It has directory sorting, plus
numerous other routines. Works with DOS 3.10 hard disk with 2K clusters.
Highly recommended....
Doug.
------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1986 20:46 EST
From: LENOIL@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
To: johnl%IMA@THINK.ARPA
Cc: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Subject: Polytron's PolyMake
>If you get Microsoft's assembler version 3.x or 4.0, they throw in a version
>of make which is less powerful but looks useful.
The version supplied with MASM 4.0 is much improved over the 3.x versions,
offering default dependencies (e.g. .asm.obj) and macros.
------------------------------
From: <@ge-crd.arpa:davidsen@kbsvax>
Subject: XENIX on fast AT's
To: <info-ibmpc@usc-isib>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 86 13:04:29 est
From: Davidsen <davidsen@kbsvax.steinmetz>
I have tried SCO XENIX SysV on an AT running 7.5MHz, and it ran fine.
When I get another copy and a new hard disk, it will go on my machine
which runs at 9.0MHz. I will post the results.
------------------------------
Date: 23-Jan-86 10:56:32-PST
From: kimery@FORD-WDL1
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB
Subject: Tandy 1000 & SCO Xenix
So much for the "100% IBM compatibility" of the TANDY 1000. After
several calls to Santa Cruz Operations, I have finally been told that
the Tandy 1000 will NOT support XENIX. This has to do with the fact that
the Tandy doesn't use memory parity. The SCO XENIX (Both SYS III and SYS V)
have this embedded in all the code. If you are thinking of buying the
TANDY 1000 as an IBM compatible, DON'T. Aside from this reason, there are
a few others that I am aware of:
1. The tandy does not have DMA on the mother board, thus
making it impossible to use the cheap memory boards
available for the pc. You MUST purchase an expansion
board with DMA built in.
2. The Tandy 1000 uses a different interupt for the hard
disk controller, thus creating a need for a tandy specific
controller. The controllers made for the PC will NOT work.
Sometimes I really wonder why I even considered the Tandy, after all
I did go through all the headaches with the Model 1. You think
after that I might have learned something.....
If anyone knows of a version of XENIX that will run on the
Tandy 1000, please drop me a line at:
fortune!wdl1!kimery
or
sun!wdl1!kimery
or
kimery@ford-wdl1.arpa
If anyone at Tandy has enough guts to tell me that this "thing"
is still 100% PC compatible, I'm waiting .......
------------------------------
Date: Wed 22 Jan 1986 14:27:55 EDT
From: <SAGE@LL.ARPA>
Subject: Vfiler Problem
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib
I would like to report and inquire about two bugs I have found in VFILER
version 2.8 for MS-DOS, which I am using on three different Compaq computers
(portable, Deskpro, and 286).
Often, when I try to do a mass copy, VFILER neglects to ask for the
destination directory but proceeds directly to copy the file to the current
directory. Since it erases before it writes, this promptly destroys all the
tagged files on the disk. Now I at least ask for verification on mass copy
so that I have a chance to answer 'no' to all the prompts and save my files
from destruction. Has anyone else experienced this problem also, and do you
know of a solution. Could it be due to an interaction with SIDEKICK?
Secondly, the help screen mentions an X command that is supposed to execute
the file that is being pointed to. When I try it, I just get a message about
the command not being recognized.
Jay Sage
SAGE at LL
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 86 21:17 EST
From: "David S. Bakin" <Bakin@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
Subject: Multilink? and/or Multiuser Fido
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
The Fido Installation manual refers to a multitasking software called
Multilink, which I've never heard of. I'd appreciate a pointer to
Multilink, or, in fact, to a multiuser Fido (e.g., phone number). Please
just send a reply to me, not Info-IBMPC, as I suspect this query is rather
specialized. Thanks! -- Dave Bakin (Bakin -at mit-multics)
------------------------------
Date: 23 Jan 86 16:32 PST
From: William Daul / McDonnell-Douglas / APD-ASD <WBD.MDC@OFFICE-1.ARPA>
Subject: OPS-like Package Wanted
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
A friend of mine is looking for a productivity software package that is like
the APPLE-MAC OPS package. Thanks for any pointers you might send to me.
--Bi//
------------------------------
Date: Fri 24 Jan 86 00:16:26-EST
From: Drew D. Perkins <DP4Q@TE.CC.CMU.EDU>
Subject: High-Speed Synchronous Serial Boards (Query)
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Office: UCC-123 x6628
I'm looking for PC serial boards that support synchronous communications
up to speeds of 64kb/sec. A board using a chip such as the Zilog SCC chip
and having DMA capability would be perfect. Does anyone know of such a beast?
Drew Perkins
Drew.Perkins@te.cc.cmu.edu
-------
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1986 21:54 EST
From: LENOIL@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU
To: jhass%ucbiris@UCBVAX.BERKELEY.EDU
Cc: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Subject: MASM Bugs
In-reply-to: Msg of 20 Jan 1986 01:42-EST from jhass%ucbiris at BERKELEY.EDU
(7) MASM sometimes incorrectly gives a "value out of range"
error, as in the following:
;*************************************************************
false equ 0
true equ not false
db -1 ; This line is OK.
db true ; MASM 4.0 chokes on this line.
;*************************************************************
-----
Most values are 16-bit quantities, so "not 0" = -1 = 0FFFFh, which sure
enough can't fit into a byte. Try "true equ low not false" and see if
that works. (low extracts the lower 8 bits of a 16-bit quantity)
------------------------------
Date: 22 January 86 09:33-PST
From: JMH%SLACVM.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Subject: Remote Console Query
Just finished reading the article from "Joe.Newcomer@a.sei.edu" in Info-IBM
860119. I need to connect a terminal to an IBM PC for my wife, who requires
a special terminal because of visoin problems. As others have already been
there I don't need to reinvent the wheel. I would appreciate information
on the correct way, and the pitfalls of using a terminal as console
for a PC. Also what programs work (or don't).
Please send replies direct to me at address
Jim Hodgers
240 S. 12th St.
San Jose, Ca. 95112
or via Bitnet to JMH at SLACVM
Thanks in advance for the help.
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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