Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (05/19/91)
Info-IBMPC Digest Mon, 13 May 91 Volume 91 : Issue 120
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
1.2M Drives as 360K drives
Creating an image of a floppy disk to file
Data-PCS (Apple) Petition - Please Comment!
IBM 1620 (2 msgs)
Point sizes
Sun PC-NFS / 3Com Boards crashes on High End PC's
Turbo C 2.0 Memory Management
Unzip and uudecode for vax vms
Today's Queries:
Calling other nets
Hebrew font wanted
IBM Voice Board
Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #103
Pascal to C conversion (MSDOS)
Query on memory speed
USENET
word processing
New Uploads:
ANUMR4.ZIP - Numerical Analysis library for TC++1.0 & TC2.0
New SuperVGA BGI drivers available from SIMTEL20
STATP101.ZIP - Statistical Physics Simulation, Ver. 1.01
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Archives of past issues of the Info-IBMPC Digest are available by FTP
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 1991 10:08:18 GMT
From: li@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (hans li)
Subject: 1.2M Drives as 360K drives
Try Format a: /4
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 04 May 91 15:52:08 EDT
From: Mohit Chadha <MCHADHA@SBCCVM>
Subject: Creating an image of a floppy disk to file
> A few numbers ago, someone asked how to transfer the image of a
> floppy to a disk file to be able to make multiple copies of a
> disk or to transfer it via modem, etc. I thought someone would
> surely mention this, but as no one has yet, I will. PC Magazine
> published just such a utility about three issues ago.
There is also a shareware program called Teledisk, by Sydex. It
creates an image of a floppy disk onto a file, which can then be
transferred across a modem and used to re-create the floppy disk. It
works great. I believe it should be available on SIMTEL in
pd:<msdos.dskutl>.
--- Mohit Chadha
Bitnet: mchadha@sbccvm Internet: mchadha@ccvm.sunysb.edu
CompuServe: 70132,1546 Tel : (516)669-5218
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 21:34:40 -0400
From: w8sdz@oak.oakland.edu (Keith Petersen)
From: bsteven@Apple.COM (Bill Stevens)
Subject: Data-PCS (Apple) Petition - Please Comment!
On January 28, 1991, Apple Computer filed a petition with the Federal
Communications Commission, requesting the creation of a new radio band,
which we call "Data-PCS".
If created, Data-PCS will enable all computer manufacturers to produce
high performance wireless communications products for the United States.
Please review the following information, and consider what benefits YOU
might gain from the creation of this new communications capability.
Instructions are included for writing directly to the FCC.
Alternately, you may simply "reply" to this posting, which will return
your electronic comments to Apple Computer. We will forward all such
replies to the FCC. The preferable approach, of course, is to mail a
personal letter to the Chairman of the FCC, as described below.
Thank you,
William M. Stevens
manager, Wireless Communications Research
Apple Computer
P.S. A "text" version of Apple's "Data-PCS" petition may be obtained
via anonymous FTP from:
ftp.apple.com
/pub/fcc/datapcs.txt
If you desire a copy of the petition but are unable to obtain it via
this method, please reply to this posting (at
data.pcs@applelink.apple.com), and indicate that you are requesting a
copy of the petition.
An Open Letter from David Nagel, Vice President for Advanced
Technologies, Apple Computer, Inc.
Apple recently asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to
allow radio frequencies to be used for wireless data communications.
We call this new technology "Data-PCS," for Data Personal
Communications Service. It will permit high-capacity computer
information to be communicated among people using personal computers,
throughout a radius of about 50 meters indoors. Today there is no
provision in the law assuring this function- and we need your help to
make Data-PCS possible.
Apple is asking that computers be able to communicate wirelessly the
way they do on wired networks (at high speeds and sharing the network
equitably). We are asking that a small part of the airwaves be made
available to all computer manufacturers and users, without requiring
radio licenses or having to pay for using the airwaves. Apple's vision
of Data-PCS particularly focuses on "spontaneous" computer
communications, whenever and wherever you want to access resources or
collaborate with others having similarly equipped PC's or other
compatible equipment.
The convergence of wireless communications and computers, particularly
portable computers, will dramatically change the nature of computing.
People in business, scientists, engineers - those in all walks of life
- will be liberated from the constraints of physical networks.
Creativity and personal productivity will be enhanced. Students and
teachers will no longer be confined to a rigid classroom set-up.
Instead, computing, communications, and therefore learning, will take
place everywhere.
John Sculley, Apple's CEO, recently said: "The key strength of
twenty-first century organizations will be not their size or structure,
but their ability to simultaneously unleash and coordinate the creative
contributions of many individuals." Data-PCS is one of the tools that
will enable individuals to realize this vision.
Data-PCS is being featured in numerous newspapers, magazines and
professional journals. Recently IBM, NCR, Tandy, Grid and other
computer companies have told the FCC that they strongly endorse the
need for radio spectrum for Data- PCS.
But Data-PCS is now a vision, not yet a reality. It will not happen
unless the FCC adopts new Federal regulations. Radio spectrum is a
scarce and valuable commodity, sought for many functions. Apple is
asking the FCC to give Data-PCS "equitable" consideration when viewing
needs for spectrum. When the FCC passes new regulations, Apple and a
host of other companies can make Data-PCS real.
The most powerful voices in support of Data-PCS will be those of users
like yourself. I ask you to write to the FCC, not only stating your
support but, to the extent you are willing, explaining how you might
find Data-PCS of value to you and your organization. Suggestions on
how to direct your comments are attached. The FCC's formal review
process on Data-PCS has a next major milestone May 10; I hope you'll
write by then.
Thank you for considering this issue. The true value of Data-PCS will
only be realized when it is available to all of us. I hope you share
our vision and will help make it come true.
Very truly yours,
David Nagel
Vice President, Advanced Technology Group
Apple Computer, Inc.
Supporting Data-PCS:
Please write a letter using the reference number the FCC assigned our
petition for Data-PCS: "RM-7618." You should address and send your
letter as follows:
(On your institution's letterhead if possible.)
(Date)
Hon. Alfred C. Sikes, Chairman
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
Reference: Rulemaking 7618
Dear Mr. Chairman:
We (I) understand that Apple Computer, Inc. ("Apple") has asked the FCC
to allocate spectrum to establish a new radio service ("Data-PCS") for
local area high speed communications among personal computing devices.
We are writing to urge you to grant Apple's request (RM-7618).
(Please describe in the text your views on how Data-PCS could be
important to you.)
Respectfully submitted,
Your name and title or function
If you would like a copy of Apple's Petition to the FCC for Data-PCS,
or if you have questions, please call (408) 974-4674 or email to:
internet: data.pcs@applelink.apple.com
applelink: data.pcs
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 05 May 91 10:00:15 IST
From: "Jacques J. Goldberg" <PHR00JG%TECHNION@TAUNIVM.TAU.AC.IL>
Subject: IBM 1620
I even had two of them in the lab.
With the first one we had the following story: to run a FORTRAN program
you had to read three card decks each four inches thick or so. Of
course the wear was a problem, so we had to frequently duplicate the
decks.
With one of my friends we were finding strange results in analysing
several sets of different data. The comparison of hand and machine
calculations on the first set showed identical data. It took us a few
days of work to locate the problem (this was on July 14th 1965, in
Paris, of course): when duplicating the FORTRAN library card deck, ONE
chip had been missed. It bugged the arc-tangent function, which gave a
constant angle starting from some argument value because of the
unejected chip of paper...
The other one was equipped with two magnetic tape drives! One of my
friends even wrote a tiny monitor so we could run FORTRAN jobs in
batches.
Before the 1620 I have had the honor (?) to use a Ferranti Mercury with
a language named Autocode and paper tape. I am not sure if that one, or
the Elliott 503 and 803 which I met later, or both, were 39 bits per
word machine.
Even before that one, I claim to have run programs (not written by me)
on the IBM 650. The 1620 was for us a huge step ahead, because it had
FORTRAN. Then we had access to a 709 (This one was a vacuum
tube machine otherwise identical to the 7090; the 709 was of course 2
to 3 times slower, and would take four times more space although the
peripherals were the same).
A couple of years ago I used my LOBO-80 (CP/M, Z80) machine to upload a
nonlinear multiparameter fitting program written in the middle sixties
that just filled up the 7090 (a very large machine then), from our
mainframe, to carry it to an other, not directly connected, computer.
Since it was there on the Z-80 system, I tried it. Lo and behold, it
worked without a glitch, and faster than on the 7090.
People not interested by nostalgia may still want to know that the
1620, as well as the 1401 which was more business oriented, did not
have a fixed word length. The 1620 was a decimal machine, the memory
unit was a decimal digit, and any precision (within the total memory
size) could be used at will.
Jacques
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 May 1991 14:48:35 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rich Wales <wales@CS.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: IBM 1620
More ancient lore on the IBM 1620:
I cut my programming "eye teeth" on an IBM 1620 at the College of San
Mateo (San Francisco Bay area) in the late 60's. It was as big as a
good-sized desk, had 20K decimal digits of core memory (=real= cores,
mind you!), had a 50-kHz (20 usec) clock rate, and could do a few thou-
sand (that's right, a few =thousand=) integer additions per second.
The technology was discrete solid-state; IC's were still several years
away.
CSM's system had a hard disk drive with what would be considered a
ridiculously small capacity by today's standards. It also had a card
reader, card punch, and line printer. Some 1620's (though not the one
I worked with) had paper tape reader/punch equipment.
The "console" was a clunky IBM electric typewriter. There was a long
row of alternating blue and gray panels with little light bulbs to show
the contents of the various CPU registers; one panel was multiplexed
among about 12 different registers and had a big rotary switch next to
it. (I should mention that the CPU registers were all internal and
inaccessible to software; all arithmetic and other data manipulation
was done memory-to-memory.)
There were four toggle switches (called "sense switches"), which you
could test via conditional branch (jump) instructions. But you
couldn't enter software in via these switches; to do that, you needed
to use the console typewriter, or a punched card.
On the system I used at CSM, the monitor (primitive operating system)
was on the hard drive. The first card of any deck was a "cold start"
(bootstrap) card with about three instructions to do a disk seek, a
disk read, and a jump to the starting point. The material read in from
the hard drive during bootstrap contained the necessary addition and
multiplication tables (loaded into locations 00100-00399, and never
touched thereafter unless your program was insanely clever, or just
insane).
Although the monitor was essential for access to the assembler and the
FORTRAN compiler -- as well as to the simplistic disk file access rou-
tines -- very few users' assembly language programs made any use of the
monitor's I/O or other facilities; these were too slow and, given the
utter lack of any protection levels in the hardware, quite unnecessary.
The two most interesting programs I wrote on the 1620 (both in assembly
language) were:
(1) A program to play music via carefully timed loops which moved long
stretches of data onto themselves. The sound was produced through an
AM radio positioned next to the CPU circuits.
(2) A complete simulator for the IBM 1401 (another computer of the same
vintage, with capabilities similar to those of the 1620).
CSM's 1620 was a "Model I", with indirect addressing but no index
registers. The "Model II" had index registers, a built-in addition
table, and a clock speed twice that of the Model I. There was also the
IBM 1710, which was very similar to the 1620 but with extra facilities
for industrial process control (such as interrupt handling, as I
recall).
Rich Wales <wales@CS.UCLA.EDU> // UCLA Computer Science Department
3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024-1596 // +1 (213) 825-5683
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 May 91 10:22:28 EDT
From: Joe Morris <jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org>
Subject: Point sizes
In INFO-IBMPC 91:105 Chien-Jong Hwang <U34468@UICVM.uic.edu> asks:
>In desktop publishers like Pagemaker, when you choose the size of a
>character, it asks you what point size you wish it to be. I'm really
>confused about this point size thing. How big is it? How is it
>determined? How big is 12 points in terms of characters per inch? How
>can I go about to determine the sizes of the characters from given
>point sizes? (ie How tall and wide is say 95 points?)
A point is roughly 1/72 of an inch (close enuf for guv't work), so a
95-point typeface would be about 1.32 inches high.
In traditional typesetting, the "point size" of a face is the height of
the metal slug on which the raised image of a character resides. This
can often be taken as a close approximation to the distance from the
tallest ascender to the bottom of the lowest descender (e.g., top of an
uppercase letter to the bottom of the character "y"). Just to make
things interesting, however, this isn't always true, and a 12-point
character in the "foobar" typeface from ITC may be quite different in
vertical extent from a 12-point foobar from Bitstream.
Also, note that the point size of a typeface may be, but usually isn't,
the distance from the baseline of one line of type to the baseline of
the next line. This is because most printed material is set with extra
space between the lines to improve readability. This is called
"leading" (pronounced "ledding", as in the element lead). DTP systems
usually provide automatic leading at about 20% of the typeface size.
There are a number of good books on the subject at computer dealers
(Walden Software and B. Dalton Software, for example), as well as in
the larger chains of general bookstores. There are also several
magazines which discuss DTP basics from time to time; try "Publish" as
an example.
Joe Morris
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 15:17:03 EDT
From: jar@florida.HQ.Ileaf.COM (Jim Roskind x5570)
Subject: Sun PC-NFS / 3Com Boards crashes on High End PC's
This is just a report with a happy ending. After dealing with random
hangs (mean time to failure around 1 minute: cold boot required) while
running Sun PC-NFS version 3.0.1 on two 25Mhz PS2 80's, one 25 Mhz PS2
70, and one 20 Mhz PS2 70, we finally found a fix. Note that we are
using 3Com's 3C523 board on all the machines. (Also note that a large
quantity of slower PS2's were doing fine on this net). The fix
involves using the just released PC-NFS 3.5, avoiding the standard
3c523 drivers, and using the NDIS drivers now being supplied by 3Com.
(You need the new PC-NFS version in order to use NDIS drivers). This
was a surprising ending since Sun claimed there were no problems with
their software in this configuration.
It turns out that high speed ISA bus machines with a a 3c503? (the
smart card) running PC-NFS 3.0.1 also crash until we put in the 3c501?
(dumb card). Surprisingly, the smart card can be used on slow machines
without inducing these hangs. We will soon be trying the fix (i.e.,
using NDIS drivers) on the smart card in fast machines, and we are
hopeful that all of our problems will vanish. (I could be confusing
3c505 with 3c503, but the smart card vs dumb card distinction should
clarify my intent).
Jim Roskind- Author of a YACCable C++ grammar
Independent Consultant
(407)729-4348 or (617)290-4990 x5570
jar@hq.ileaf.com or ...!uunet!leafusa!jar
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 10:04:32 PDT
From: raymond@math.berkeley.edu (Raymond Chen)
Subject: Turbo C 2.0 Memory Management
In <Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #103> kumara@rulcri.LeidenUniv.nl writes:
>If all goes well, the number given by coreleft() at the beginning of
>my program, should be the same as the number returned by coreleft()
>at the very end of my program. Or am I *DEADLY* wrong?
Deadly wrong. Page 81 of the TC Reference manual (`coreleft') says
that coreleft returns the amount of unused memory between the heap and
the stack. When you malloc memory, it first checks if the memory is
available from the heap; if not, then it grabs the memory from
coreleft. When you free memory, it does *not* get returned to
coreleft; it stays on the heap, in anticipation of a subsequent malloc.
>When using scanf, hostmemory is allocated, and not given free.
Scanf allocates a private buffer to do assorted random things.
>Why is this memory not given free?
It is given free, but free'd memory doesn't contribute to coreleft.
>When using scanf for the second time, no memory is allocated, why is
that?
scanf allocates the memory again, but malloc sees that there is unused
heap memory so it doesn't have to take the memory from coreleft.
>Does someone have a good recommendation for a book on C?
Assorted book recommendations can be found in the `books' file on my
comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc archives, as described in the monthly blurb that
Gregory Hicks publishes on this list.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 17:18:58 CDT
From: David Lemson <lemson@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: Unzip and uudecode for vax vms
> Date: Thu, 18 Apr 91 10:05 EDT
> From: "Ed Harris, Academic Affairs, So Ct State U"
> error when I abort. Are there pkzip and uudecodes that run on a vax?
> Where might I find them? Or, are there such programs that run on a mac
> Ed <HARRIS@CTSTATEU.BITNET>
Assuming you have access to a C compiler on your VAX (I am sure you
do), you can go to the directory /mirrors/misc/vaxvms/ on
wuarchive.wustl.edu (anonymous FTP) and get the files:
uudecode2.vms
unzip401.arc
arcvms.uue
arcvms.doc
(You'll need arcvms to de-arc unzip401.arc, which is the source for an
unzip program for vms. I believe that the file
/mirrors/misc/unix-c/unzip403.arc is a newer version of this same
file.)
--
David Lemson University of Illinois Computing Services Consultant
Internet : lemson@uiuc.edu UUCP :...!uiucuxc!uiucux1!lemson
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 4 May 91 10:27:48 EDT
From: maddox@NADC.NADC.NAVY.MIL (D. Maddox)
Subject: Calling other nets
Hello helpful folks.
I have found that tech support for a product we will be using has a BBS
in FLA. We are near Phila, PA and that it is on FidoNet. I had a
FidoNet node number and a name, how do I send msgs to them from Milnet?
This would greatly reduce the l.d. phone usage for us.
Doug Maddox
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 04 May 91 13:21:25 CET
From: Klaus Koehler <KOEHLER%DMRHRZ11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Hebrew font wanted
i am looking for a hebrew font for use in Word 5.0 with a HP Laserjet
Printer. Is there something in the public domain or do i have to buy
one?
Thank you in advance,
Klaus
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 May 1991 17:33 PST
From: DEP@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Subject: IBM Voice Board
I am looking for information on sources of software support and
hardware replacements for IBM's PC Voice Adapter board. We have built a
system using this board, and I am concerned about where I could find a
replacement if this one fails.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 05 May 91 07:30:13 IST
From: uri bliberg <BLIBERG@TAUNIVM.TAU.AC.IL>
Subject: Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #103
there is so much talking about the undocumented DRIVPARM function in
DOS. Maybe someone could 'document ' it for us mortals and describe
properly the usage? THANKS
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 13:33:12 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Thomas W. Pope" <tp1l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Pascal to C conversion (MSDOS)
I am looking for a program that will take a Pascal file and convert
it to C code... I guess that about says it all... Thanks in
advance... By the way, It needs to work in MSDOS...
| ****** Thomas W. Pope *******
| Internet: tp1l@andrew.cmu.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 May 1991 10:56:09 EDT
From: poulin@polar.bowdoin.edu (Jeff Poulin)
Subject: Query on memory speed
I've seen DRAM speeds of 60-120ns and have some vague notion that for
faster speed, I'll have fewer wait states. I also know that some
architectures can't benefit from the faster chips (i.e. it makes no
sense to use 60ns chips in a 286 since 80ns will work just as fast -- 0
wait states)
The question I have is: What is the minimum speed required to get 0
wait states on the following CPU's: 8088-4.77,10 MHz; 80286-12,16,20;
80386SX-16,20; 80386-16,20,25,33; and 80486-25,33?
Is anyone out there "in the know"? I'd really appreciate your help.
Jeff
Jeff Poulin poulin@polar.bowdoin.edu jpoulin@bowdoin.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 21:27 EDT
From: "OPERATION : MINDCRIME" <PHOFFMAN%GUVAX.BITNET@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU>
Subject: USENET
Does anybody know of a good bulletin-board type operation for
buying and selling used PC's and compatibles? I have heard that USENET
is loaded with them, but unfortunately, I don't have a USENET
connection. - In addition, has anyone ever used the Boston Computer
Exchange? I have read that it is successful, but don't know how much of
a hassle it is.
PHOFFMAN@GUVAX.GEORGETOWN.EDU
[If you feel the need to advertise, send a note to
<misc-forsale-computers@ucbvax.berkeley.edu>... gph]
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 May 91 15:12:40 LOC
From: ZEM0%ARGCNEA2.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu
Subject: word processing
i would like knows the best word processing that exist
that have 1) spanish dictionary
2) that can read dbase iii plus files
3) that permit mathematics formula
4) compatibl with another word processing
5) graphics process
6) that permit conver the file in a ascii file
including the mathematics formula
7) and that have comunication (permit by modem transmit to
another computer
some one said me about the word processing= chiwriter others about
wordperfect other by word of microsoft but i do not which is the best
also i would like to know about a comunication software that can
transmit a file that have mathematics formula and complete set of ascii
characters and any other controls characters
thank you
------------------------------
Date: 4 May 91 18:54:03 GMT
From: JMM@FRESTP11.BITNET
Subject: ANUMR4.ZIP - Numerical Analysis library for TC++1.0 & TC2.0
I have uploaded to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.turbo-c>
ANUMR4.ZIP Numerical Analysis library for TC++1.0 & TC2.0
The ANUM library is intended for use with a IBM PC and the Turbo C++
1.0 (and Turbo C 2.0) compilers from Borland International. It
provides several routines for use by any programmer interested in
Numerical Analysis.
Versions of Anum for use with VM machines (C Waterloo) and Macintosh
will be out around the first of June 1991.
J.M.M. (JMM@FRESTP11.BITNET)
Ecole Speciale des Travaux Publics (1891-1991)
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 91 14:40:41 -0400 (EDT)
From: Jordan Powell Hargrave <jh5y+@ANDREW.CMU.EDU>
Subject: New SuperVGA BGI drivers available from SIMTEL20
Summary: Reposted by Keith Petersen
I have uploaded the following files to SIMTEL20:
<msdos.borland>
----------------
SVGABG21.ZIP 256 Color SVGA BGI driver for most VGA cards
SVGA1601.ZIP 16 Color SVGA BGI driver with floodfill (v0.1)
Both 16 and 256 color drivers have working floodfill.
Jordan Hargrave
Carnegie Mellon
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Apr 91 10:42:37 MES
From: "Rainer W. Gerling" <HER031%DJUKFA11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: STATP101.ZIP - Statistical Physics Simulation, Ver. 1.01
I have uploaded to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.education>
STATP101.ZIP Statistical Physics Simulation, Ver. 1.01
STATP101 contains the program STATPHYS Version 1.01. It is a simulation
of Statistical Physics problems including Cellular Automata, Growth
Models and two-dimensional Ising systems. All simulations are done in
graphics mode for a large simulation, and in text mode for a small
simulation, which explains the modell in detail. CGA, EGA, VGA and
Hercules cards are supported. A special command line switch for LCD
screens allows the use of Laptops. The program is menu driven and has a
Hypertext help system. The program is suited for self-study of a
science student or for class room demonstrations in a Statistical
Physics class.
Rainer Gerling
HER031%DJUKFA11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
------------------------------
End of Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #120
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