Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA (Info-IBMPC Digest) (11/25/85)
Info-IBMPC Digest Sunday, 24 November 1985 Volume 4 : Issue 133
Today's Editor: Eliot Moore <Elmo@USC-ISIB.Arpa>
Today's Topics:
Underflow Interrupts
MS-DOS Interrupt Parameters
EGA via C
Lattice
Wordstar 3.3 vs. Wordstar 2000
ROMing programs
EasyFlow vs. NEC V20
DAK Printers (Silver-Reed, Gorilla, Olivetti)
Changes in XT Motherboard
Wendin Operating System Toolbox
PCVMS
Remote vs. Carbon Copy
Lugaru's Epsilon
Today's Queries:
Epsilon 3.01 and Tab Settings
LAN's
C Floating Point Arithmetic
Files & Interrupt handlers
Rexx
High-speed I/O Boards
FAX
IBM 3278/79 Card
Motherboard Replacements
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 08:26:12 cst
From: cody@anl-mcs.ARPA (Jim Cody)
To: cody@ANL-MCS.ARPA, steven@BRL-TBD.ARPA
Subject: Underflow Interrupts
Let me suggest an alternative. ALL arithmetic on the 8087 is done
with 80 bits of significance, with the final result rounded to working
precision. There is no time penalty, therefore, in doing things in
double precision. The advantage is that the exponent range is much
wider, thus pushing the underflow problem to where it may not matter
with you. The disadvantage is increased storage for variables.
------------------------------
Date: 19 Nov 1985 09:15-EST
From: Israel.Pinkas@ISL1.RI.CMU.EDU
Subject: MS-DOS Interrupt Parameters
To: Info-IBMPC.Digest.<Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA>,amc543@uiucuxa
According to "IBM-PC Assembly Language", by Leo Scanlon, MS-DOS
Interrupt 5 is the Print Screen routine. DOS function 5 is Print
Character. Thus the code that Aaron wants looks like:
MOV DL, <character to print>
MOV AH, 5
INT 21H
No status is returned on this call. As far as I can tell, there is no
way to direct the output to a printer other than PRN:. If you wish to
print at a different printer port, you must use Interrupt 17. This
would involve the following:
MOV AL, <char to print>
MOV DX, <printer to use (0-2)>
INT 17H
This returns with a code in the AH register which looks like:
BUSY | ACK | PAPER-OUT | SEL | I/O-ERROR | UNUSED | UNUSED | TIME-OUT
These are asserted high. (i.e paper is out if bit 5 is high.)
Please note that my reference describes DOS 1.x. There may be better
ways to do this in DOS 2/3.X, but these methods do guarantee that all
versions of DOS will work with your program. (Or is that your program
will work with all versions of DOS?)
-Israel
igp@isl1.ri.cmu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 13:13:39 cst
From: cody@anl-mcs.ARPA (Jim Cody)
To: cody@ANL-MCS.ARPA, steven@BRL-TBD.ARPA
Subject: Underflow Interrupts Again
One last bit of information. Professional Fortran runs your
demo program without incident. It must be the flag settings
in MS Fortran.
------------------------------
Date: 19 Nov 85 16:28:00 PDT
From: SHEN, HWA N <shen@ge-crd>
Subject: EGA via C
To: lichtenberg.pa <lichtenberg.pa@xerox.arpa>
Reply-To: SHEN, HWA N <shen@ge-crd>
Halo Graphics will support Enhanced Graphics Adaptor for Lattice C
and other languages (Frotran, Basic, Microsoft C, etc.)
Halo is available from Lifeboat Associates or directly from Media
Cybernetics.
Shen@ge-crd.arpa for Marc Laymon
------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 12:19:47 PST
From: Greg Coleman <bilbo.gregc@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU>
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
CC: dana, jjr
Subject: Lattice
Lattice used a call to avoid writing self modifying code. The only
way to do an int is with imediate mode addressing. The software
interrupt number can not be in a register or anything. They could
have used a 512 byte table to do it.
Gregc
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 14:22:40 EST
From: Thomas_Ackenhusen%UB-MTS%UMich-MTS.Mailnet@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Subject: Wordstar 3.3 vs. Wordstar 2000
This is in reply to the request for a comparison between Wordstar
3.31 and Wordstar 2000. Wordstar 2000 is user-friendly, easy to use, and
unbearably slow on anything other than an AT with hard disk. Unless you
can stand waiting, don't get 2000.
Thomas W. Ackenhusen
P.S. Any answers on my query about the Underground Wordstar book of
user patches for Wordstar? I really would like any info. about this
book. Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: 19 Nov 85 22:11:50 EST
From: Dee Snider <AD0R@TE.CC.CMU.EDU>
To: info-ibmpc%usc-isib@rCMPSYAk
Greatest-supernatural-horror-author-of-all-time: H. P. Lovecraft
Phone: x4844
Room: Smudge B-104
Subject: ROMing programs
a fiend and me have been discussing the possibility of putting kermit
onto a prom and putting into the public pc's here (Carneie Mellon University)
so that the pc's will boot into it instead of rom basic. I think it would
be incredibly complex, because you don't have dos and the exe loader around.
He thinks it would be simple. Any ideas?
Al Datri
Carnegie Mellon University
ad0r@cmu-cc-te arpa, for you lucky doodes
ad0r%cmu-cc-te mailnet, for the few
ad0r%cmu-cc-te@cu20b bitnet
Beak is.
--------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 21:29:01 PST
From: walton%Deimos@CIT-Hamlet.ARPA
Subject: EasyFlow vs. NEC V20
A while back, Bob Stine wrote in that he had a program by the name of
EasyFlow Plus which did not work on a V20-equipped PC, but did run on the
same machine when the 8088 was plugged in. He is correct, though HavenTree
(the company responsible for EasyFlow) gave him the wrong reason. EasyFlow
contains a subroutine which in its entirety, is
MOV AX,BX
MUL DX
MOV BX,AX
RET
When EasyFlow calls this routine, it apparently considers it an error if
the result of the multiply is longer than 16 bits. Intel's documentation
for the 8088, and NEC's for the V20, both confirm that the carry and
overflow flags are set when the high-order result of a MUL is non-zero, and
cleared when the result is zero, and that the other flags are undefined
after a MUL. It turns out that the 8088 also sets the zero flag if the
high-order result is zero, and clears it if it isn't. HavenTree chose to
use this undocumented feature of the 8088 to check for overflow by looking
at the zero flag, rather than the carry or overflow flags. The V20 doesn't
change the zero flag after a MUL, hence EasyFlow doesn't work on a V20. I
would emphasize, though, that in my opinion the fault is entirely that of
the authors of the software, since they count on an undocumented and
therefore unreliable feature of the 8088. Does the 80286/386 do this? If
it doesn't, EasyFlow won't work on an AT or the NGAT (Next Generation AT).
In pawing through EasyFlow, I found some real howlers, by the way.
(1) The first thing EasyFlow does is copy itself downward in memory by 8D7
(hex) bytes for reasons I can't fathom. If it needed the extra memory, why
didn't it just do a JMP around the space it needed? (EasyFlow is a .COM
file.)
(2) EasyFlow contains no DOS function calls accessed through INT 21. All
DOS function calls are done by putting the function code in CL (yes, CL)
and executing the instruction CALL 0005, which links to the FAR CALL in the
program segment prefix (PSP) to the DOS function dispatcher.
(3) Similarly,
the code contains no INT 20 instruction--rather, it contains a CALL 0000,
which goes to the INT 20 in the PSP.
(4) The second thing EasyFlow does is calculate its own checksum. Fine,
but the loop involved ends with the following four instructions:
DEC CX
MOV AL,CH
OR AL,CL
JNZ start_of_loop
How's that for a wordy replacement for a LOOP start_of_loop instruction?
I strongly urge Info-IBMPC readers to avoid EasyFlow. Between lousy coding
and a strongly coupled-in use of an undocumented 8088 feature, it seems
likely to break on many machines.
Steve Walton
Caltech Solar Astronomy
walton%deimos@cit-hamlet.arpa
swalton@citdeimo.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 85 00:36 EST
From: Hess@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA
Subject: DAK Printers (Silver-Reed, Gorilla, Olivetti)
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
This probably isn't the right forum, but I must give a counterpoint to
Joe Newcomer's observations: I have used all three printers mentioned
in the previous messages. The Silver-Reed printers, esp. the EXP-550
are all just fine, although we (Mark of the Unicorn) never had one for
a long time. The one we had was Diablo compatible. The Gorilla
Banana is *OUTRAGEOUSLY* NOISY! Pretty boring printer otherwise. The
Olivetti sparkjet does screech, but it is a low-decibel high-pitch
noise, sort of like a poorly fitted belt swishing on some piece of
equipment nearby. It's quiet enough that a roommate doesn't complain
when I print downstairs at 2:00 AM. Basically, I like it. The brown
vs. black is inexplicable; I have seen it both ways and suspected
some interaction between the solid ink ampule and the paper for brown.
Mine at home is black all the time. I ordered a whole bunch of ink
ampules when I ordered the printer, and they were delivered on time.
DAK still advertises them as a separate item, about a year later, so
they are still probably available. I only use the Olivetti for
printing drafts and receiving Telexes, so I don't care too much about
how the output looks. Double-wide works OK. But there's no backspace
on the printer, and no bare carriage return without linefeed. The
worst feature of the Olivetti is that it seems to create ozone when it
prints, so sitting within a yard of the printer if it prints more than
2 or 3 pages smells funny, and may be hazardous somehow.
------------------------------
From: brown@nicmad.uucp
Subject: Changes in XT Motherboard
Date: 20 Nov 85 05:32:22 GMT
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
We have just recently received new XTs from our local Computerland.
To make a long story short, just today we discovered that IBM changed
the design of the XT mother board so that it will no longer work with
older versions of their hard disk controller board or will it work
with the short slot OMTI hard disk controller board. The OMTI
controller cards work fine in the older version mother board, but not
in the new layout.
We get our hard disks and controllers from Kamerman Labs. I called
them today and I am the first to report a problem. I gave them the
information that I had, ie, the changes to the boards and the new
board part number.
There are two ways you can tell that the board has been changed. One,
there are six colored wires added to the component side of the old
version board to make it new and two, the new layout is not green, but
copper colored. At least my new version was copper colored. The new
version now has a 74LS32 in the spare chip spot and gets labeld U90.
So, if you buy third party hard disks, make sure it works on the new
layout.
I will put up more news as I find out about it. I will have some kind
of comment from Kamerman Labs in a few days.
---
ihnp4------\
harvard-\ \
Mr. Video seismo!uwvax!nicmad!brown
topaz-/ /
decvax------/
------------------------------
Date: 20 Nov 1985 11:22:47 PST
Subject: Wendin Operating System Toolbox
From: Billy <BRACKENRIDGE@USC-ISIB.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
I have taken a closer look at the Wendin Operating System Toolbox, and
must correct some statements I made earlier.
I incorrectly stated that it could not be used with Turbo Pascal. If
Turbo Pascal is one of your "favorite languages" they support it, but
you will still need the latest Microsoft C compiler if you wish to
re compile the kernal.
I was also a bit fuzzy about the program license agreement. You must buy
one program for each developer working with their source code. You can move the
source code to several machines or use it on a network if only one person
is using it at a time, but you can sell freely whatever you develop using
their code.
If you don't like MS-DOS and had thought about writing your own operating
system for the PC, but still wanted to run MS-DOS programs this is the
product for you. As they say in their literature "we did the hard part".
You are really buying an operating system kernal. This includes I/O, process,
memory, date & time, and all the stuff real operating systems have and DOS
lacks.
This should be just the ticket if there is still anyone out there writing
integrated environments for the PC. The intent of the package is that you
will write your own shell and replace command.com, and presumably under
that shell you should be able to write your own applications or run existing
DOS programs.
I had intended to use it to allow me to handle several speech I/O subsystem
on a PC while talking to a network. Unix is out of the question for this
and I would have has to write my own extentions to DOS to handle the
multiple processes.
Unfortunately they haven't replaced the DOS or BIOS I/O subsystems. I really
can't get the concurrency as DOS is still busy waiting on the disk drives.
They promise fixes to this in future releases as well as network and
virtual memory support.
-------
------------------------------
From: jrodrig@EDN-VAX.ARPA (Jose Rodriguez)
Date: 20 Nov 1985 1751-EST (Wednesday)
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Cc: well!wendin@lll-crg.ARPA
Subject: PCVMS
Considering I am an old fan of DEC' VMS, I recently ordered PCVMS.
After a reasonable wait of 2-3 weeks (they told me they were swamped
with orders) I got an impresive document and three diskettes. After
reading through the documentation, I was impressed on how much of VMS
is emulated, particularly it looked like most system calls and the
objects they deal with have been reproduced. They have QIO, QIOW,
SPAWN, TRNLOG, wait on and/or of event flags, mailboxes, logical
names, etc. One thing though, they do not reproduce all the extesive
software packages VMS comes with - no choice of CLI, the signal and
command line parsing packages are not there, etc. (sorry I can't
remember VMS names but I haven't used it in almost 3 years). So one
Saturday morning I tried to use PCVMS (in a Tandy 1000 with 384k and
two floppy drives - I should get a hard disk soon) and was somewhat
disappointed.
First when typing "show <something>" the system looks all right, even
"show system" where you get the description of two processes running
(oh by the way, no symbols). So I tried running some programs in the
background with the spawn command and everytime it will return with
some error message about some problems with the .exe file. Then I
tried submitting some batch files (the @ notation works) and they do
work but (forgive my Unix) only in the foreground!! In other words I
could not create some background process on the system - which the
documentation asures it's possible. Some exe files have trouble
running under PCVMS - Perfect Writer and Edlin didn't work correctly.
In the other hand Kermit worked ok. I also tried conecting a login
processes on COM1:, which is part of the startup file (which I don't
think gets executed), with no success.
To summarize, I have had some trouble with PCVMS, and it seems it has
been released ahead of time. One of its most interesting features,
multi-tasking, does not work. I have version 1.3 (that is what the
startup program says even if the floppys say in their labels version
1.4) so maybe I got a pre-release version. Who knows. I should get
back in touch with them to at least get version 1.4. If someone can
help me I would much appreciate it. If there is any further progress I
will keep you posted.
Jose M. Rodriguez
SDC McLean RC
jrodrig@edn-vax
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 85 19:50:23 EST
From: "Richard P. Wilkes" <wilkes@hopkins-eecs-bravo.ARPA>
To: Keith Dale <kdale@VAIHINGEN-EMH.ARPA>
cc: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: Remote vs. Carbon Copy
I think that you'll find that Carbon Copy from Meridian Technology
works far better than Remote. We tested Remote and found several
incompatibilities, including one with ANSI.SYS. Carbon Copy so far
has run with everything we use with the exception of being able to
transmit the hi-res EGA graphics (coming, I'm told).
-r
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 85 21:01:48 PST
From: Richard K. Jennings <jennings@AEROSPACE.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib
Subject: Lugaru's Epsilon
I just picked up a copy of this emacs clone, based in part
upon the reviews it has gotten over the past year. After playing
with it for about an hour (and reading the manual) two, for me,
very unsettling observations:
1) if you are not familliar with emacs and C this editor is probably
not for you, the documentation is not easy to use and although a
tutorial of some kind is mentioned in the manual it must be some
kind of an extra cost option.
2) as nearly as I can tell there is no way to 'extend' Epsilon to
talk to COMM ports. Why is this a problem? Because they fool around
with the keyboard interrupt, and things like mice load the keyboard
buffer -- with characters not read until the DOS command processor
gets control after Epsilon is done.
It does permit you to run compilers, XLISP, and other very
well behaved programs while you edit, but MS Windows will get you
that capability (and with more than one subprocess).
For someone dropping of a VAX, who programs 1/2 Mbyte of
C code using emacs might very well like this editor. People familiar
with Framework, the new Final Word, or the other SOA PC text editors
may be disappointed. Although I don't know emacs I have to learn
anyway, and I am quite familiar with C -- so if I can't break the thing
next week I will probably keep it.
I just can't believe that a company would sell a non-mouseable
text editor for almost $200!
Rich.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 20 Nov 85 16:12:18 pst
From: sonia@aids-unix (Sonia Orin Lyris)
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib
Subject: Epsilon 3.01 and Tab Settings
With the 2.0x test versions of Epsilon, you could put those
commands you always wanted executed after startup in EINIT.
With version 3.01, you can save the entire state of Epsilon at
any time, but there doesn't appear to be a way to set tabs
automatically. Has anyone sucessfully tackled this in the new
version? Thanks in advance.
Sonia Lyris [arpa: sonia@aids-unix]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 17 Nov 85 18:02:56 EST
From: Dave Swindell <dswindel@BBN-LABS-B.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
cc: lsher@BBN-LABS-B.ARPA
Subject: LAN's
A non-net friend asked me to post this for her. She works in a small
office associated with a non-profit health agency and which is using a
basic 2 floppy disk-based IBM PC for database management (DB2) and
word processing (MultiMate). They are thinking of purchasing a
second, hard disk-based machine to relieve the demand on their current
machine, but would like to be able to share resources between the two
machines (printers, disks, files, and programs).
Does anyone know of any good articles or references on PC networking
equipment? What are the costs associated with networking two
machines? How difficult/expensive is it to add in a third (fourth,
fifth,...) machine into an existing network? How much system
resources do network programs require (the current PC only has 256kb
of RAM installed, and I've heard that some of the current network
systems (3Com, etc...) require this much memory alone!)? Is DOS 3.1
required to do networking? If not, what does 3.1 buy you over 2.xx
relative to networking? Can a user sitting on the floppy-based PC run
MultiMate (or some other program) from the hard disk on the other
machine? Would the office be just as well off by shuffling floppy
disks between their two machines for the time being?
As those of you who are familiar with networking can probably tell, I
don't know too much about this area, so any knowledgeable responses
would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave Swindell
BBN Laboratories Incorporated
ARPA: dswindell@bbn
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 02:20 EST
From: Paul Schauble <Schauble@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA>
Subject: C Floating Point Arithmetic
To: Info-C@BRL-TGR.ARPA, Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Does anyone know of a C compiler for the IBM PC that does NOT force all
floating point arithmetic to be done in double precision? 8087 support
is necessary.
Thanks,
Paul
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 05:16:50 PST
From: dgb%Deimos@CIT-Hamlet.ARPA
Subject: Files & Interrupt handlers
To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA
Has anyone had any experience maniulating files from an interrupt
handler? Since I need to use DOS to do the manipulation (I do not
want to use the BIOS for file work), what precautions must be taken to
insure not interrupting DOS at some critical time? So far as I can
tell, the file functions are the only DOS functions I need. I can
leave the rest alone. For instance; are the "traditional file
management functions" any more robust than the extended functions
group, or visa versa? The obvious solution is to route any
interrupt/function that could concievably collide with my routine
through a "guard function", but I would prefer to take over as few
interrupts as possible. Thanks for any help in advance.
--Daniel Briggs
Caltech Solar Astronomy
(818) 356-3803
dgb%deimos@cit-hamlet.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 10:18:02 CST
From: C3669S%UMVMA.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA (Kamil Marcinka)
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: Rexx
Does anybody have any experience with Rexx for PC?
(Rexx is an interpreter for VM rel. 3.)
/km
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 85 13:50:13 EST
From: "Lawrence D. Sher" <sher@BBNJ.ARPA>
To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA
Subject: High-speed I/O Boards
************************** WANTED ****************************
Synchronous I/O board for PC/AT that supports bit-oriented protocol, e.g., SDLC
or HDLC, at 1 to 2 megabits/sec.
------------------------------
Date: Tue 19 Nov 85 15:53:22-EST
From: Marc B. Jones <MBJ@MIT-XX.ARPA>
Subject: FAX
To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA
cc: wax.es@XEROX.ARPA
Perhaps I was not clear enough in my request about FAX machines for
PCs.
The machine I am looking for is used to covert hardcopy text, i.e. a
typewritten page, into a ascii file. The ad I once saw had a picture
of a box about 15" x 15" x 6". The paper is placed on a flat, non
moving surface. You (or the machine, I am not sure which) ran a small
scanner mounted on rails from left to right across each line. In
order to improve it's accuracy, I think you had to "teach" it about
the particular type face of the original.
The name Omnireader and a cost of $500 sticks in my mind, but it could
be incorrect.
Any help in locating this particular machine or type of machine would
be appreciated.
Marc Jones
-------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 19 Nov 1985 13:02 EST
From: Jim Ennis <JIM%UCF1VM.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA>
Subject: IBM 3278/79 Card
To: info-ibmpc <info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa>
I am having problems using the IBM 3278/3279 card with an AST
6-pack card. If the clock on the AST card is enabled then the IBM 3278
card does not work correctly. Has anybody else had this kind of
problem with the mix of IBM 3278/AST cards? If we disable the clock on
the AST card the IBM 3278 card will work okay but this is not an
acceptable solution. We have the problem on both IBM PCs and PC/XTs.
Thanks,
Jim Ennis
snail mail:
Jim Ennis
University of Central Florida
Computer Services
PO BOX 25000
Orlando, Fl
32816
fast mail:
JIM%UCF1VM.BITNET@WISCVM.ARPA
fastest:
(305) 275-2931
------------------------------
Date: 19 Nov 85 17:41:00 EDT
From: "LANDBERG, TED" <landberg@nbs-vms.ARPA>
Subject: Motherboard Replacements
To: "info-ibmpc" <info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa>
Reply-To: "LANDBERG, TED" <landberg@nbs-vms.ARPA>
I am looking for a replacement for my IBM PC-1 motherboard. Would
like to reuse cards, 135w power supply, keyboard from old unit.
Prefer XT version with 8088 or 8086 chip. Need source for ROM chip
also. Will buy new cabinet with 8 slot backplane. Any sources for
high quality parts.
Ted Landberg
NBS-VMS.ARPA
------
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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