patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) (08/06/87)
** AAUGmentations **
The official newsletter of American Apple Users' Group (AAUG)
A publication of DRACO Communications
American Apple RoundTable GEnie Information Service
Vol. 2 No. 8 August, 1987
==============================================================================
President - Cathy Christensen (AART) Vice President - Lou Flemal (LINEFEED)
Secretary - Marty Knight (M.KNIGHT)
==============================================================================
Special thanks to:
Librarian - Doug Acker (AUG2) NewsDesk Editor - Leonard Reed (AUG1)
RT Management - Kent Fillmore (DRACO) A2PRO Sysop - Michael Fischer
(MFISCHER)
Apple Technicians - Willie Collier (COLLIER)
- Jim Mensch (MENSCH)
- Jackson Simonton (SIMONTON)
==============================================================================
IN THIS ISSUE: Apple GS at the National Archives, Shareware Spotlight, Like
Clockwork, Hires and Double Hires Viewing Programs, AppleWorks Vocabulary Test
Answers, Modem Noise Killer, GS Minimal Desktop, Video Display Softswitches
Quick Reference, Video Vegas Review, GS Technote 13, ImageWriter Technote 1,
Unidisk 3.5 Spec Sheet
==============================================================================
>>>>U.S. CONSTITUTION HONORED WITH NATIONAL ARCHIVES EXHIBIT<<<<
from American Apple RoundTable BBS
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 1987. One of America's oldest documents will be
commemorated with one of the newest technologies when Apple Computer, Inc.
and Scholastic Software honor the 200th anniversary of the U. S. Constitution
with an Apple IIGS interactive computer display at the National Archives. The
display, which opens July 1, is entitled "Would you have signed the
Constitution?"
The Apple/Scholastic exhibit will open with a ribbon cutting ceremony
featuring Frank G. Burke, acting archivist of the United States; Del Yocam,
Apple's chief operating officer; and Sidney P. Marland Jr., Scholastic Inc.,
executive committee chairman.
The interactive display joins two bicentennial exhibitions at the National
Archives--permanent home to the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence
and the Bill of Rights. "The American Experiment: Creating the
Constitution" describes the country during the time the Constitution was
conceived, created and ratified. "The American Experiment: Living with the
Constitution" consists of documents, photographs and audio visual materials
focusing on the ways in which the Constitution has been challenged and
interpreted over the past 200 years. The tribute will run through the end
of the year.
"Our exhibit honors the leaders of yesterday and encourages the leaders of
the next 200 years, whose bold moves will keep our democracy strong," Yocam
said. "Though the quill pen first used to sign it has long been replaced,
the United States Constitution has withstood the trials of time. With the
Apple IIGS, we're offering visitors a glimpse into the past by way of modern
day technology."
The Apple/Scholastic exhibit is designed for school-age children as well as
adults. Visitors interact with the program using the Apple IIGS mouse while
digitized musical selections taken from a piece composed at the time of the
Constitutional Convention are played at various times during the three-minute
exhibit.
"Scholastic has long had a commitment to the development of values and
attitudes in young people," Marland said. "This software gives us the
opportunity to literally engage the participation of young people as well as
adults in simulating the processes of the framers of the Constitution and the
values implicit in that process."
The program begins with the question, "Would you have signed the
Constitution?" The participants, acting as delegates to the convention, then
answer five questions. The questions deal with issues raised at the
convention that are still relevant today.
The responses are given in a 'yes' or 'no' format through the click of the
mouse. After each answer, an entry that might have appeared in a
delegate's diary appears on the screen. The diary entry explores the pros
and cons of the issues, depending upon the participants' responses.
After the final question, a diary entry appears, comparing the participants'
answers with the actual votes on the issues at the convention. The
participants then decide whether they would have signed the Constitution. If
they are in agreement, participants are invited to use the mouse to sign a
replica of the preamble to the Constitution.
The last screen displays a tally of the number of visitors who signed the
Constitution and the number of those who did not sign it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>SHAREWARE SPOTLIGHT<<<<
by Marty Knight
AAUGmentations editor
This is the first of several reviews of shareware programs available
from the American Apple User Group software library. Shareware, as you may
know, is a means of software distribution whereby you, the user, get to use a
program (or most of one) before deciding on a purchase. If you then decide
that you wish to continue using the software, you send your payment to an
address usually specified in the title screen of the program. This will make
you a registered owner and entitles you to product support. Frequently, a
fuller version of the program and a user manual is sent upon receipt of the
shareware fee. If you do not find the program useful, simply don't use it and
don't send any money.
The program I've selected to spotlight this month is the Apple
Conference Terminal, or A.C.T. for short. One of the more frustrating aspects
of conferencing with a BBS system is that your own typed messages are often
fragmented into dozens of characters by the sentences of others in
conference. A.C.T. solves this problem by using a dual window on the screen.
Your own sentences are displayed in the lower window as you type them while
messages from other users appear in the upper window. A.C.T. also supports up
to 96 prewritten conference messages. Any of these messages can be retrieved
and then sent by selecting the appropriate closed-apple command.
A.C.T. also supports what Bob Garth calls 'tilde graphics'. By using
appropriate tilde commands in your messages, you can display words or
sentences in inverse characters, do animation, and send merry tunes across
the wires to another A.C.T. If that's not enough, A.C.T. also comes with some
special modules which allow you to play chess or reversi with another A.C.T.
A.C.T. is a program which is continually evolving. Planned expansion
includes a word processor and a dialer. I expect that a number of other
modules will be prepared during the next few months, judging from the seven
menu items titled 'Future Module'. Only those who have honored the shareware
system will receive improvements and new modules. New modules will be
downloaded from the GEnie Protree RT as specially encrypted files to which
only registered A.C.T. owners will be given passwords.
A.C.T. requires an Apple //e, //c, or //gs with a minimum of 128K of
memory. Only Super Serial Card modems are supported. The modem card must be
in slot 2. The internal //gs port is not yet supported. Printers are also
supported, but must be in slot 1.
To receive a shareware copy of A.C.T., simply download the file from
American Apple RT or Protree RT of GEnie. Use the program and test it out
before you purchase it. Give copies to your friends, but do not sell it. To
become a registered owner send $49.00 to:
Protree Software
P.O. Box 1106
Westminster, CO 80030
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>LIKE CLOCKWORK<<<<
by Val. J. Golding
Call A.P.P.L.E., July, 1987
published by Apple PugetSound Program Library Exchange
290 S.W. 43rd Street
Renton, Washington 98055
(206) 251-5222
reprinted with permission
Whether you have an Apple IIe, IIc, or IIgs, chances are the system
includes a clock. (Livewire is a combination clock/parallel printer interface
for the Apple IIc.) When entering a catalog command, the filesave time and
date displayed is probably taken for granted.
Perhaps you think: "Oh, that's nice, but how can I use the clock in my
own applications?" With just minimal programming skills, accessing the ProDOS
clock to timestamp a printout, or for other purposes, is as easy as adding a
half dozen lines of code.
ProDOS has four registers (decimal locations 49040 - 49043) where clock
"driver" data is stored. Different clocks may furnish time and date in
different formats, but ProDOS has some rather strict standards as to how it
processes this information; thus we can assume that whatever the system clock
make and model, data is supplied in a ProDOS acceptable format. ProDOS looks
to these registers for directory update data each time a disk command is
executed. It is here also that our BASIC subroutine (Listing 1) seeks time
and date information.
An assembly language programmer can naturally read the clock directly.
ProDOS, however, makes it simple for anyone. Every ProDOS disk command
updates the time and date registers. When no files are open, a command like
CLOSE has no real effect, but nevertheless, updates system time.
The BASIC subroutine executes a ProDOS CLOSE command to refresh the
clock registers, then extracts the current time and date and places them,
along with print format instructions, in TIME$. If needed, any other suitable
ProDOS command may be substituted for CLOSE.
The time information in TIME$ is presented in AM/PM format and upon
return from the subroutine may be used in any manner. If 24-hour format is
desired, delete lines 50070 and 50080 of the BASIC subroutine.
Those readers interested only in availing themselves of the time
subroutine may skip the balance of this article which concerns itself with
the binary form of the data and how it is extracted from the ProDOS clock
registers.
A byte, or memory location, consists of eight bits, each of which may
only have a value of zero or one. When a bit is equal to one, we usually say
it is set or on. Commencing with bit zero, the effective value of each bit is
raised in increasing powers of two. The following table lists effective
values for each bit in a byte, from right to left:
Bit No. Value when on
======= =============
0 1
1 2
2 4
3 8
4 16
5 32
6 64
7 128
Assuming that each bit is on, the table shows that the maximum value of
a single byte may not exceed 255. Starting with bit zero (the rightmost bit),
the value of the byte may be determined by adding the effective value of each
on bit to that of its neighbor to the left. A byte in which bits zero and one
are on would have an effective value of three. If bit seven (the leftmost
bit) were on, and all other bits were off, the byte would equal 128.
Computer memory is always at a premium, and since the clock information
is stored in binary form, one byte does not necessarily indicate a date or
time. Instead, the data may be in packed format, meaning that a single byte
can contain a complete data element, a portion of an element, or more than
one element depending on the type and amount of data. For example, to express
the value 12 in binary form required only four bits. In this case, the
remaining bits are available for other data. Figure 1 illustrates the data
arrangement of the ProDOS time registers at $BF90-93.
**********************************************
*
FIGURE 1 *
*
Values 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 *
--------------------------------- *
Bits | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | *
--------------------------------- *
--------------------------------- *
$BF90 | M | M | M | D | D | D | D | D | *
--------------------------------- *
--------------------------------- *
$BF91 | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | M | *
--------------------------------- *
--------------------------------- *
$BF92 | x | x | m | m | m | m | m | m | *
--------------------------------- *
--------------------------------- *
$BF93 | x | x | x | H | H | H | H | H | *
--------------------------------- *
*
x = unused *
*
**********************************************
LISTING 1
=========
100 GOSUB 50000
110 PRINT TIME$
120 END : REM
50000 REM GET TIME SUBROUTINE
50010 PRINT CHR$(4) "CLOSE"
50020 DAY = PEEK (49040) - INT (PEEK (49040) / 32) * 32
50030 YEAR = INT (PEEK (49041) / 2)
50040 MNTH = (PEEK (49041) - YEAR * 2) * 8 + INT (PEEK (49040) / 32)
50050 MINUTE = PEEK (49042)
50060 HOUR = PEEK (49043)
50070 PM$ = "AM" : ON HOUR < 12 GOTO 50080 : PM$ = "PM" : IF HOUR > 12
THEN HOUR = HOUR - 12 : GOTO 50090
50080 IF NOT HOUR THEN HOUR = 12
50090 TIME$ = STR$ (MNTH) + "/" + STR$ (DAY) + "/" + STR$ (YEAR) + " " +
STR$ (HOUR) + ":" : ON MIN > 9 GOTO 50100 : TIME$ = TIME$ + "0"
50100 TIME$ = TIME$ + STR$ (MIN) + PM$ : RETURN : REM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>HIRES AND DOUBLE HIRES VIEWING PROGRAMS<<<<
from American Apple RoundTable software library
The following program will allow viewing of a standard Hi-Res picture.
10 ONERR GOTO 30
20 PRINT CHR$ (4);"PR#3"
30 TEXT : INPUT "Enter name of picture file ( \ to quit): ";N$
40 IF N$ = "" THEN PRINT CHR$ (4);"catalog,tbin": GOTO 30
50 IF N$ = "\" THEN END
60 PRINT CHR$ (4);"bload ";N$;",a$2000"
70 POKE 49234,0: POKE 49239,0: POKE 49236,0: POKE 49232,0
80 GET A$: GOTO 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following will allow viewing of Double Hi-Res pictures, on computers
equipped to do so.
10 ONERR GOTO 65
15 PRINT CHR$ (4);"PR#3"
20 POKE 49233,0: INPUT "Enter name of picture file ( \ to quit): ";N$
25 IF N$ = "" THEN PRINT CHR$ (4);"catalog,tbin": GOTO 20
30 IF N$ = "\" THEN END
35 PRINT CHR$ (4);"bload ";N$;".aux,a$2000"
40 PRINT CHR$ (4);"bsave /ram/temp,a$2000,l$2000"
45 PRINT CHR$ (4);"bload ";N$;",a$2000"
50 POKE 49153,0: POKE 49165,0: POKE 49232,0
55 POKE 49234,0: POKE 49239,0: POKE 49246,0
60 GET A$: POKE 49247,0: GOTO 20
65 E = PEEK (222): IF E = 6 OR E = 16 THEN 75
70 GOTO 20
75 PRINT : PRINT "An error has occurred while reading this file."
80 PRINT "The file maybe in the incorrect format. Please try again."
85 PRINT : GOTO 30
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>APPLEWORKS VOCABULARY TEST ANSWERS<<<<
The AppleWorks vocabulary test appeared in the July, 1987 issue of
AAUGmentations
1. Application program 2. Destination 3. Coordinates
4. Character 5. Format 6. Category
7. Caret 8. Argument 9. Backup
10. Commas format
11. Appropriate format: Spreadsheet information displayed just as you type it
in.
12. ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a type of data
format.
13. Blot: Nonprinting carriage return character that looks like a checker
board. Embedded in AppleWorks word processor documents.
14. Cell: Place in a spreadsheet where an individual item is displayed.
15. Clipboard: Area of RAM used to hold AppleWorks cut and paste information.
16. Column indicator: Sign at the bottom of a word processor display that
tells what column the cursor is on.
17. Connector: Physical device to connect hardware components together.
18. Auxiliary slot: Slot inside the //e used for the 80 column card.
19. Cell indicator: Sign indicating the contents of a cell in a spreadsheet.
20. Argument (example): In the function @SUM(A1...C1) the argument is the
contents of cells A1 through C1.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>MODEM NOISE KILLER (ALPHA VERSION)<<<<
from Apple User Group RoundTable (AUGRT)
With this circuit diagram, some basic tools including a soldering iron,
and four or five components from Radio Shack, you should be able to cut the
noise/garbage that appears on your computer's screen.
I started this project out of frustration at using a US Robotics 2400
baud modem and getting a fair amount of junk when connecting at that speed.
Knowing that capacitors make good noise filters, I threw this together.
This is very easy to build, however conditions may be different due to
modem type, amount of line noise, old or new switching equipment (Bell's
equipment), and on and on. So it may not work as well for you in every case.
If it does work, or if you've managed to tweak it to your computer/modem
setup I'd like to hear from you.
I'd also appreciate any of you electronic wizards out there wanting to
offer any improvements. Let's make this work for everyone!
Please read this entire message and see if you understand it before you
begin.
OK, what you'll need from Radio Shack:
1 #279-374 Modular line cord if you don't already have one. You won't need
one if your phone has a modular plug in its base. $4.95
1 #279-420 Modular surface mount jack (4 or 6 conductor) $4.49
1 #271-1720 Potentiometer. This is a 5k audio taper variable resistor. $1.09
1 #272-1055 Capacitor. Any non-polarized 1.0 to 1.5 uf cap should do. Paper,
Mylar, or metal film caps should be used, although #272-996 may work as
well. (272-996 is a non-polarized electrolytic cap) $.79
1 100 ohm resistor - quarter or half watt. $.19
1 #279-357 Y-type or duplex modular connector. Don't buy this until you've
read the section on connecting the Noise Killer below. (A, B,or C) $4.95
First off, open the modular block. You normally just pry them open with
a screwdriver. Inside you'll find up to 6 wires. Very carefully cut out all
but the green and red wires. The ones you'll be removing should be black,
yellow, white, and blue. These wires won't be needed and may be in the way.
So cut them as close to where they enter the plug as possible. The other end
of these wires have a spade lug connector that is screwed into the plastic.
Unscrew and remove that end of the wires as well.
Now, you should have two wires left. Green and red. Solder one end of
the capacitor to the green wire. Solder the other end of the capacitor to the
center lug of the potentiometer (there are three lugs on this critter).
Solder one end of the resistor to the red wire. You may want to shorten
the leads of the resistor first. Solder the other end of the resistor to
either one of the remaining outside lugs of the potentiometer. Doesn't matter
which.
Now to wrap it up, make a hole in the lid of the mod block to stick the
shaft of the potentiometer through. Don't make this hole dead center as the
other parts may not fit into the body of the mod block if you do. See how
things will fit in order to find where the hole will go.
Well, now that you've got it built you'll need to test it. First twist
the shaft on the potentiometer until it stops. You won't know which way to
turn it until later. It doesn't matter which way now.
You also need to determine where to plug the Noise Killer onto the
telephone line. It can be done by one of several ways:
A. If your modem has two modular plugs in back, connect the Noise Killer
into one of them using a line cord. (a line cord is a straight cord that
connects a phone to the wall outlet. Usually silver in color)
B. If your phone is modular, you can unplug the cord from the back of it
after you're on-line and plug the cord into the Noise Killer.
C. You may have to buy a Y-type modular adaptor. Plug the adaptor into a
wall outlet, plug the modem into one side and the Noise Killer into the
other.
Call a BBS that has known noise problems. After you've connected and
garbage begins to appear, plug the Noise Killer into the phone line as
described above.
If you have turned the shaft on the potentiometer the wrong way you'll
find out now. You may get a lot of garbage or even disconnected. If this
happens, turn the shaft the other way until it stops and try again. If you
don't notice much difference when you plug the Noise Killer in, that may be a
good sign.
Type in a few commands and look for garbage characters on the screen. If
there still is, turn the shaft slowly until most of it is gone.
If nothing seems to happen at all, turn the shaft slowly from one side
to the other. You should get plenty of garbage or disconnected at some point.
If you don't, reread this message to make sure you've connected it right.
V V V (three lugs of the potentiometer)
| | |
N/C cap resistor (N/C = No Connection)
| |
| |
Green Red
Wire Wire
| |
------
|
Phone line
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>//GS MINIMAL DESKTOP<<<<
by Nick Silva
from Apple User Group RoundTable (AUGRT)
The Apple //GS Desktop that comes with the System Disk is probably the
sole item that gives the GS the same look and feel as that other Apple
Machine, the Mac-something-or-other. With it you get windows that change
sizes at your command, cute icons, easy to move files, and a few other
niceties that give that GS a friendly environment to work with.
For all its niceties, the GS Desktop's main purpose is really as a disk
cataloguer and program launcher. Sure the System Disk comes with the ProDOS
16 Launcher, a sorry excuse for a real Mac like Finder, but it isn't very
nice and takes darn near forever to load.
While the Desktop and System Disk provide a few nice items such as the
calculator and puzzle, many of the things on the system disk are not needed.
If all you intend to use the Desktop for is to catalog a disk or 'launch' a
program you can get rid of a lot of the overhead. That is the main reason for
this article this month - to discuss what exactly we can get rid of and what
it will cost us.
The entire System Disk takes up between 1200-1400 blocks (depending on
what version you have) of a 1600 block disk. Of that there are various things
that you can quickly dispose of. The first, is the entire AppleTalk directory
which is of little use unless you are actually connected to an appletalk
network. BASIC.SYSTEM and BASIC.LAUNCHER can go if and only if you are not
planning on running a BASIC program from the desktop. This includes the
'STARTUP' that Prodos automatically looks for if it doesn't find a .SYSTEM
file. The Launcher can go since the desktop serves the same purpose. Don't
worry that the Launcher runs under Prodos 16 and the Desktop runs under
Prodos 8. The desktop is quite capable of launching a Prodos 16 based
program. It will simply load Prodos 16 if needed. By the way, the P16
launcher I keep talking about is not named Launcher. It is that program on
the System disk named START that is really the launcher. I say trash it.
The SYSTEM UTILITIES directory basically contains the utilities of the
//e system disk. Nice to have but who uses them anyway? So you can get rid of
the whole directory as well. That only leaves the Desktop directory and the
System Directory. We'll look at each separately since you have some options
here.
*****************
SYSTEM INTERRUPT
*****************
By the way, I should have mentioned this earlier (but Its late, and the
grey matter doesn't function to well after dark) but please, do these changes
only to a COPY of your system disk. We now return to our regularly scheduled
article.
The Desktop directory is made up of three things. The desktop (of
course), the selector, and the desktop goodies (i.e. the calculator, puzzle,
etc.). Unless you want them, you can get rid of the goodies (Desk.Accs
directory). The Selector allows you set up key macros to launch your favorite
program on the same disk. You can delete these since the whole object of the
mouse is to keep you from using the keyboard anyway. You can always launch
them by double clicking the icons right? That brings us to the important
stuff - Desktop 1 and 2. This is the whole reason for this talk, so I'm not
going to tell you to delete them now am I ?
In the SYSTEM directory, you can get rid of the TOOLS, DRIVERS, and
FONTS Directories ONLY if you don't plan on running programs that use them.
That is probably all Prodos 8 programs and some P16 programs. You can get rid
of the Desk.Accs directory if you don't have any CDAS that can be run from
the control panel. In the SYSTEM.SETUP directory, only the Tool.Setup file is
needed. The rest are expendable.
What are we left with? Well Prodos 16 which is executed when the disk is
first booted. This will run P16 in the /SYSTEM directory. This will in turn
run DESKTOP.SYS16 which is a one block program which does nothing more than
run Prodos 8. P8 will in turn run the only P8 program it can find - the
DESKTOP.
Well when everything is said and done - we have reduced the system disk
to a mere 451 blocks. A savings of about 1000 blocks! What do we get for
that? We get a very nice general purpose program launcher/desktop and disk
cataloguer that takes half the time to load as the normal system disk, and
can be added to any of your 800k disks to run your favorite application or
can be loaded into a ram disk for quick reboot. You can then run both P16 and
P8 programs and will return to the desktop quickly when you exit your
application. Since we threw away most of the tools and fonts, the only
restriction on the P16 programs is that they not use these, otherwise you may
have to load from the system disk.
So - that's about as small as you can get on that desktop and system
disk. I hope this will be of some value to someone. I'd appreciate some
comments on these little help articles, just so I know I'm not alone in the
world. So until next time - good computing!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>DISPLAY SOFT SWITCHES<<<<
by Jim Lubin
Location
Name Function Hex Decimal Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TEXT On: Display Text $C051 49233 -16303
Off: Display Graphics $C050 49232 -16304
Read TEXT Switch $C01A 49178 -16358 Read
MIXED On: Text With Graphics $C053 49235 -16301 1
Off: Full Graphics $C052 49234 -16302 1
Read MIXED Switch $C01B 49179 -16357 Read
PAGE2 On: Display Page 2 $C055 49237 -16299 2
Off: Display Page 1 $C054 49236 -16300 2
Read PAGE2 Switch $C01C 49180 -16356 Read
HIRES On: Graphics = High-Resolution $C057 49239 -16297 1
Off: Graphics = Low-Resolution $C056 49238 -16298 1
Read HIRES Switch $C01D 49181 -16355 Read
80COL On: Display 80 Columns $C00D 49165 -16371 Write
Off: Display 40 Columns $C00C 49164 -16372 Write
Read 80COL Switch $C01F 49183 -16353 Read
80STORE On: Store in Auxiliary Page $C001 49153 -16383 Write,3
Off: Store in Main Page $C000 49152 -16384 Write,3
Read 80STORE Switch $C018 49176 -16360 Read
Notes:
(1) This mode is only effective when TEXT switch is off.
(2) This switch had a different function when 80STORE is on.
(3) This switch changes the function of the PAGE2 switch for addressing
the display memory on the extended text card.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Auxiliary-Memory Select Switches
Location
Name Function Hex Decimal Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RAMRD On: Read Aux. 48K $C003 49155 -16381 Write
Off: Read Main 48K $C002 49154 -16382 Write
Read RAMRD Switch $C013 49171 -16365 Read
RAMWRT On: Write Aux. 48K $C005 49157 -16379 Write
Off: Write Main 48K $C004 49156 -16380 Write
Read RAMWRT Switch $C014 49172 -16354 Read
ALTZP On: Aux. Stack, Zero Page,
and Bank-Switched Memory $C009 49161 -16373 Write
Off: Aux. Stack, Zero Page,
and Bank-Switched Memory $C008 49160 -16374 Write
Read ALTZP Switch $C016 49174 -16360 Read
80STORE On: Access Page 1X $C001 49153 -16383 Write
Off: Use RAMRD, RAMWRT $C000 49152 -16384 Write
Read 80STORE Switch $C018 49176 -16360 Read
PAGE2 On: Access Aux. Memory $C055 49237 -16299 1
Off: Access Main Memory $C054 49236 -16300 1
Read PAGE2 Switch $C01C 49180 -16356 Read
HIRES On: Access High-Resolution
Page 1X $C057 49239 -16297 2
Off: Use RAMRD, REMWRT $C056 49238 -16298 2
Read HIRES Switch $C01D 49181 -16355 Read
Notes:
(1) When 80STORE is on, the PAGE2 switch works as shown; when 80STORE is off,
PAGE2 doesn't affect the auxiliary memory.
(2) When 80STORE is on, the HIRES switch enables you to use the PAGE2 switch~
to select between high-resolution Page 1 areas in main and auxiliary
memory.
To have enough memory locations for all of the soft switches and remain
compatible with the Apple ][ and Apple ][ Plus, the soft switches listed in
the table above share their memory locations with the keyboard functions.
Whichever operation-read or write-is shown in the table for controlling the
auxiliary memory is the one that is NOT used for reading the keyboard and
clearing the strobe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>VIDEO VEGAS<<<<
Reviewed by Conrad D. Cox
There is something "special" about Las Vegas. I don't know if it's the
dry desert climate, the inordinate number of lights that burn all night long,
or the musical stage shows. For me, it's not the gambling that's the draw.
Frankly, I shy away from the tables in the casinos. But I do enjoy the video
slot machines! There is no involvement with a dealer at a table, and no
embarrassment when you lose.
Video Vegas, an entertaining package from Baudville, is a collection of
three popular video slot games - Lucky 7 Slot Machine, Draw Poker, Blackjack,
and Keno. Like the real machines in Vegas, these games are easy to play and
seem to entertain for hours. Also like the real machines, Video Vegas is rich
in graphics. The only thing missing in Video Vegas is the paper cup to hold
your silver dollars!
Starting up Video Vegas displays an animated view of the Las Vegas
Strip, the lights from the casinos shining brightly in the night. Pressing
the SPACE BAR displays Video Vegas's menu. From here one can select the game
of choice. Oh, I forgot to mention, you start out with a bankroll of
$1000.00. The good news about that is that it's not out of your pocket. And,
of course, the bad news is that it's not real.
The slot machine game is as exciting as the real ones. It is the same
3-reel dollar machine that is found in all the casinos. You can bet from one
to three dollars. Pressing RETURN will cause the coins to drop into the slot
and the reels to spin. The positions of the cherries, bars, plums, 7s, bells
and bars determine the payoff. If you hit a winning combination, your coins
drop into the tray at the bottom of the machine. Baudville claims that the
payoff rate is 98%. I try to walk away from the machine a few pulls after a
jackpot. (I did mention that the money is pretend, didn't I?!?)
Keno has never been one of my favorite games, and I never play it at
Vegas. But I do visit the Video Vegas version of Keno from time to time.
After all, it's not my money!
Draw Poker is played just like the video counterparts found in the
casinos. You can bet one to five dollars. Five cards are dealt to you, face
up. Now you must decide which cards to keep and which to throw out for new
ones. The left and right arrow keys and the space bar are used to select the
cards that will be discarded. Press RETURN, and you get your new cards.
Video Vegas will pay on a low hand of one pair, Jacks or better.
My favorite of the four games is Blackjack. You may select the number of
decks to be used in the game. Wagers can range from two to twenty dollars.
Place your bet, and press RETURN to deal. The game is played with rules
similar to the "standard" Las Vegas rules. Video Vegas's Blackjack recognizes
'naturals,' and allows 'doubles,' 'splits,' and 'insurance.' One of the nice
features of Video Vegas's version is the ability to display the number of
cards played from the current deck. This is helpful for those who want to
"try a system" before hitting the tables with real money.
The Video Vegas programs were written in BASIC. Using Baudville's TAKE 1
and PROGRAMMER'S TOOLKIT, you can actually modify some of the parameters of
the games. For example, you can change the starting bankroll amount. Imagine
changing the reels in the Lucky 7 slot machine game! You can alter the odds
and the payoff dramatically by doing so. The manual provides information on
how to make these modifications.
The 15 page manual that accompanies Video Vegas explains the rules to
the four games. It is written in an easy-to-read style and has a table of
contents.
Video Vegas requires an Apple IIc, IIe, or II+ with at least 64K memory
and one disk drive. Baudville warrants the program diskette to be free from
defects for a period of 90 days from the date of purchase.
Video Vegas fulfills my dream of playing the video slots without having
to worry about losing my shirt. I recommend it to anyone who has a similar
affliction, or just likes to pretend they are back in that small desert.
Baudville
1001 Medical Park Dr., S.E.
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506
(616) 957-3036
$29.95
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>APPLE // TECHNICAL NOTES<<<<
Apple IIGS Technical Note #13: ROM 1.0 Modem Firmware Bug
Written by: Mike Askins April 2, 1987
This technical note describes an Apple IIGS ROM 1.0 modem port anomaly and
workaround.
Problem
The serial firmware in Apple IIGS ROM 1.0 has a problem with a modem port
that has buffering enabled. If an application sends the BAUD rate (^AnB),
data format (^AnD), or parity (^AnP) commands through the serial flow,
interrupts are disabled inadvertently. On the third READ from the port the
firmware will hang, waiting for a receive interrupt which will never occur,
locking up the system.
Fix
Forcing Buffering Programmatically
If you want buffering (or don't care), send the buffering enable command
(^ABE) after the last BAUD, data format, or parity command. If you don't
want buffering, disable it with ^ABD; otherwise it could be set to ON in the
Control Panel and you could run into the bug.
Letting the User Control Buffering
If you want the user to be able to control whether buffering is or is not
used from the control panel, use the GetModeBits command in the extended
interface to determine whether buffering has been selected. (Do this call
only after the PINIT call, of course.) If buffering is enabled, do the ^ABE
after the last BAUD, data format, or parity command. If it's disabled, no
special treatment is required.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>IMAGEWRITER TECHNICAL NOTE #1 -- CUSTOM FONT SELECTION<<<<
Written by: Rilla Reynolds 10/86
Because of an ImageWriter // firmware bug, the ESC ' command will not
(re)select Custom Font 1 after Custom Font 2 is selected, unless an errant
pointer is fixed with the following command sequence:
7-bit mode: ESC Z 00 20 ESC D 00 20 ESC '
8-bit mode: ESC Z 00 20 ESC '
The ImageWriter I's ESC ' command works correctly, and the above sequence is
acceptable to the ImageWriter I as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>APPLE UNIDISK 3.5: SPEC SHEET<<<<
I. Technical Specifications
A. Recording Media:
1. Disk diameter: 3.5 inches
2. Recording surfaces: 2
WARNING: Disks used in UniDisk 3.5 must contain certified
DOUBLE-SIDED media.
3. Tracks per surface: 80
B. Capacities:
1. Formatted data: 800 kilobytes
2. Unformatted data: 1,246 kilobytes
C. Driver Characteristics:
1. Access Time:
a. Seek time (track to track): 6 milliseconds maximum
b. Settle time: 30 milliseconds maximum
c. Drive-motor start time: 600 milliseconds maximum
2. Transfer Rate: 500 Kilobits
3. Eject time: 2 seconds maximum
D. Power Consumption:
1. +12 volts
a. Standby: 10 microamps
b. Typical: 120 milliamps
c. Peak: 600 milliamps during eject
2. +5 volts
a. Standby: 170 milliamps
b. Typical: 360 milliamps
E. Head Position Tolerance: Plus or minus 0.035 mm
F. Environmental Requirements:
1. Temperature:
Degrees
Fahrenheit Celsius
a. Operating: 40 to 120 5 to 50
b. Nonoperating: 40 to 140 -40 to 60
2. Humidity: 5% to 90%
a. Maximum wet bulb temperature: 85 F, 29 C
b. No condensation
G. Physical Dimensions:
inches millimeters
1. Length: 7.87 200
2. Width: 4.72 120
3. Height: 2.01 51
II. System Configuration:
A. Apple IIc
-- A second UniDisk 3.5 can be plugged into the first
-- An additional Disk IIc can be plugged into the first (or second)
UniDisk 3.5
B. Apple II, Apple II Plus, Apple IIe
-- With UniDisk 3.5 Apple IIe Accessory Kit
-- A second UniDisk 3.5 can be plugged into the first.
--
Patt Haring UUCP: ..cmcl2!phri!dasys1!patth
Big Electric Cat Compu$erve: 76566,2510
New York, NY, USA MCI Mail: 306-1255; GEnie: PHaringlc@pbhyd.UUCP (Larry Colton) (08/07/87)
In article <1005@dasys1.UUCP> patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring) writes: > > ** AAUGmentations ** Despite several messages asking that restraint be used when posting large files to this group, we continue to receive large files from Patt Haring at The Big Electric Cat. Here is a summary of the last 32 messages received in comp.sys.apple at this site: From # total size % of tot average size -------------------------------------------------------------------- Mr. Haring 8 118599 74 14825 ALL others 24 41551 26 1731 -------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 32 160150 100 5005 Mr Haring, please respect that these communications are not free and many sites have limited storage available. The only consequence of this is that some sites may be forced to drop comp.sys.apple (or info-apple) from their list. Your cooperation is appreciated. --- Larry Colton {ihnp4,pyramid,qantel}!ptsfa!pbhyd!lc Pacific * Bell San Diego
lwv@n8emr.UUCP (Larry W. Virden) (08/08/87)
This sure is a peculiar group. Lots of folks have hollered for the past few months over wanting a source and binaries group. What in the world are you going to do with them, if things are so short on storage that youcannot handle small messages like Patt has been loading? I dont think that penalizing the folks with access to large systems by saying that we may not use comp.sys.apple to post informative and useful programs and news is appropriate. It is up to micro users to write appropriate software to handle the transfer of large programs. Otherwise, we might as well just forget even attempting to support any kind of electronic communications. -- Larry W. Virden 75046,606 (CIS) 674 Falls Place, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 (614) 864-8817 cbosgd!n8emr!lwv HAM/SWL BBS (HBBS) 614-457-4227.. 300/1200 bps We haven't inherited the world from our parents, but borrowed it from our children.