Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (12/29/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Fri, 28 Dec 90 Volume 90 : Issue 214
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
Discussion groups/mailing lists
English Word Processor for the NEC PC 9801-EX
Attaching Dummy Terminal to an AT
Apple to MS-DOS Transfers
Modem Recommendations (2 msgs)
Multitech MNP 5 modem full-duplex file dump
Today's Queries:
Drivers for the NEC P6
Need Large Number of Com Ports on a PC
Running CPM on MSDOS machines
THESYS Fastcard Memory Boards
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Date: Thu, 20 Dec 90 16:39 GMT
From: Mark Walters <MSERVMRW@vax.oxford.ac.uk>
Subject: Discussion groups/mailing lists
I've just started using the WordPerfect discussion group and have found
it really useful - I'm wondering whether there are any more groups like
that out there and if so where are they? I'm particularly interested in
anything to do with Windows (ver 3). Does anybody keep a directory of
these kind of groups?
Thanks for any info that you can give me - if I get enough details I'll
compile a list and post back to the net.
Mark Walters University of Oxford
mservmrw@uk.ac.oxford.vax Management Services
University Offices
Wellington Square
OXFORD ENGLAND
[For information, a list of most - NOT all - of the Internet Discussion
Groups is available from <NIC.DDN.MIL>. This list is updated as
needed by Rich Zellich from the Network Information Center. FTP
these files from [netinfo]:interest-groups-xx.TXT where xx is a number from
1 to 10. Files are large (approximately 150K each). gph]
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Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 16:26:31 -0500
From: David Kirschbaum <kirsch@usasoc.soc.mil>
Subject: English Word Processor for the NEC PC 9801-EX
>Greetings from Japan!
And greetings to you, David-John. Very seldom do we hear from the
Land of the Rising Sun on this newsletter! Welcome.
>I am currently looking for a shareware/public domain English language
>word processor that can be used on the Japanese NEC 9801-EX. (I am
>assuming that it is an IBM PC compatible as it is running Japanese
>language versions of Turbo C and Pascal as well as Quickbasic and
>Microsoft C.) I would truly appreciate it if someone could point out
>any available packages and tell me how I can obtain them. Thank you
>very much in advance.
There are many such word processors, text editors, etc. that will run
on PC compatibles. The problem may be the text font in your system. I
suspect if that's a "home-grown" genuine Japanese NEC, it has your
Japanese character font in ROM. (This would be proven, I believe, if
those Turbo C, Pascal, etc. programs not only came up in Japanese
language but also with Japanese characters.)
You'd need to somehow convince your system to load a new English
character font. This is doable, but I don't know how, right off hand!
If your system is showing English (Western Barbarian, whatever)
characters, well, you should have no problems! Get back with us and we
can point you to a dozen different word processors, all available via
anonymous FTP from SIMTEL20. Or, if you can't do that .. no problem in
packaging up a good one and EMailing it off to you (uuencoded and
broken down into 32K packets, of course).
So let us know (1) what characters your system can display, and (2) if
you'd like a fast fgrep of the available word processors available
(with one-liner descriptions).
David Kirschbaum
Toad Hall
kirsch@usasoc.soc.mil
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 07:31:03 EST
From: TIMBUCK@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
Subject: Attaching Dummy Terminal to an AT
> Attaching dummy terminal to an AT.
I don't know about doing it with MS-DOS, but I've had good results
attaching a dummy terminal (through a null modem cable) to an AT using
the Coherent (Unix) operating system. What uses would one have for
attaching a terminal to a PC without a multiuser operating system?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 07:53:57 edt
From: brs@op632.cci.com (Brian Scherer)
Subject: Apple to MS-DOS Transfers
Speaking in refernce to apple to ms-dos transfer.
There is a card that can be put into ms-dos machines that will allow
you to run apple software etc. It is called a trackstar board. The
reason I know this is that my sister just purchased one to put into a
tany 1000tl computer. It is not made buy tandy but they sell it for
their computers. More info on the manufacturer can be had by tandy or
try local user groups.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 02:25:00 GMT
From: <"HAL/MISSLINKS/RaleighC%Traveling_Software;_Inc."@MCIMAIL.COM>
Subject: Modem Recommendation
A couple of people have been asking for suggestions for modems. My
personal pick is the Practical Peripherals SA2400MNP.
It is a 2400/1200/300 bps modem that is Hayes Compatible (Hayes owns
the company...) and has MNP Level 5, which will give you a 100% error
free connection at up to 4800 bps when connected to other MNP
compatible modems.
The internal version (PC) can be had for as low as $179. The external
version goes for $209. These are prices typically advertised by
reputable mail order (PC Connection, etc.).
We use Practical Peripherals modems here at work and they always work
well. They have a 5 year warranty. They even have their own Forum on
Compuserve.
My only complaint is that the manual is a bit on the technical side,
but this is a problem with every modem manual I've seen.
Good luck, and may your purchases be satisfying ones.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 20 Dec 90 22:41:00 CST
From: <DB5749%BSU.DECNET@MSUS1>
Subject: Modem Recommendations
I purchased a Cardinal 2400 External modem with MNP level 5 built in
the hardware about 5 months ago and I am very happy with it. I would
recomend this modem to people that are thinking of buying another one.
For those of you that are unfamilar with MNP, it's like this:
Level 4 is highest error correcting.
Level 5 is error corecting with data compression (which, with a
2400 baud modem, is like having a 4800 when all things are working
correctly)
When I was looking at modems(with MNP), most of them were about $50
cheaper because they offered the MNP in the SOFTWARE, which meant that
if I wanted to take advantage of the MNP function, I had to use THEIR
software, and NOT THE ONE I LIKE! With the MNP built in the HARDWARE,
I can use any software I like and take advantage of the MNP function.
It's well worth the extra money you pay for the MNP.
I should make one note though. The MNP will only work if the modem
that you are calling has the capability of MNP too.
And I would also recomend getting a external, that way, if you want to
quick move the modem to another computer, (like I do sometimes) all you
have to do is to put in a plug (connect the cable) and there you go.
Incidently, I got my modem for about $150 from a company in Computer
Shopper. Can't remember the company, but they usually have a 8-10 page
ad in the middle of the shopper, and the pages are blue. (Lyco
Computers...?) I got very quick service from them and they were very
helpful.
| Daryl E. Bjerke | DB5749%BSU.DECNET@MSUS1.BITNET |
| Bemidji, MN 56601 | BSU::DB5749 |
| | Bemidji State University |
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 17:34:14 CST
From: "Rich Winkel" <MATHRICH%UMCVMB.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
Subject: Multitech MNP 5 modem full-duplex file dump
I decided to take maximum advantage of my mnp5 modem by doing raw file
dumps with xon/xoff flow control between my pc and unix workstation.
It works fine (reliability-wise), but I've noticed that if I have the
remote host echo the input back to the pc (which it does by default..
it just does a cat >filename) the effective speed is cut in half. In
full duplex, the effective speed is about 2400, in half duplex it's
nearly 4800 baud (while sending a text file) It appears that the Z80
cpu in the modem can only handle the full throughput ONE WAY at a time.
Looking at the modem lights (the SD light glows for awhile, then the RD
light) seems to confirm that the full duplex communication is happening
one way at a time. Perhaps the compression/decompression algorithm
could stand some tuning? Has anyone else tried this kind of
experiment?
Rich
------------------------------
Subject: Today's Queries:
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 13:09:31 GMT
From: s_braun@rzmain.rz.uni-ulm.de
Subject: Drivers for the NEC P6
Not long ago I was really an ATARI-Fan, using it with SIGNUM and a
NEC_P6... I was able to produce prints with ANY font, because SIGNUM
was working in Graphics Mode.
Since I use my new PC-AT 386 with the NEC-P6 I've become a little
confused because the P6 only producing prints using the P6 internal
Fonts. - These are really spare -
I know there are a lot of good programms like Word, Designer,
Word-Perfect... but I ve also heard that they all only use the Fonts
the printer knows. (Potscript..., Laser...).
Does anybody know about a possibility to use download-fonts on a P6
with Programs like Turbo-Pascal. What Text-Processing-Programm
should I buy to use most possible Fonts, even own created (in 300 dpi
quality ore better) with my P6? Where can I get these Drivers?
I hope anyone using his P6 for "Desktop-Publishing" will tell me
his exerience...
Joe
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 13:49:55 PST
From: dbarber@pnet01.cts.com (David C. Barber)
Subject: Need Large Number of Com Ports on a PC
I need to configure a PC with many (>40) com ports. Does anybody know
of a hardware configuration that will support this many ports. The
best I have so far is one manufacturer who can supply 4 8-channel mux
cards maximum for a single PC. Respond with e-mail to me if you can.
Thanks.
*David Barber*
@}-->----
UUCP: {hplabs!hp-sdd ucsd nosc}!crash!pnet01!dbarber
ARPA: crash!pnet01!dbarber@nosc.mil
INET: dbarber@pnet01.cts.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 17:36:14 CST
From: david@wubios.wustl.edu (David J. Camp)
Subject: Running CPM on MSDOS machines
In Reply to this Note From: <John W. Herman>
> One of my colleagues has an old CPM machine and doesn't want to waste
>his software investment. I told him that there is software that will
>allow him to run CPM and CPM software on an MSDOS machine and even read
>and write CPM disks. He checked with Egghead Discount Software and
>they had no leads to this. But I remember seeing it on the net last
>summer, so I was wandering if one of you would send me a pointer to the
>company that produces that software. Thank you.
There are a few of these in simtel20::pd1:<msdos.emulators> I have not
used any of these, and so cannot vouch for them. -David-
# david@wubios.wustl.edu ^ Mr. David J. Camp
# david%wubios@wugate.wustl.edu < * > +1 314 382 0584
# ...!uunet!wugate!wubios!david v "God loves material things."
------------------------------
Date: 22 Dec 90 11:58:00 EDT
From: "DAVE JURASCHEK" <juraschek@gmuvax.gmu.edu>
Subject: THESYS Fastcard Memory Boards
I recently acquired a THESYS Fastcard III and Fastcard IV Expanded
memory board. I've tried to contact THESYS, the manufacturer in
Arizona to obtain the latest support software for these boards, but
their phone numbers no longer work. Furthermore, the telephone company
has no record of these folks in their current listings.
(The boards were obtained second hand (used) from someone else and are
dated 1985-1986.)
Does anyone know what appened to THESYS? Were they absorbed by someone
else? Or, does anyone have more recent software for the THESYS boards
than version 1.6? Thanks.
-Dave Juraschek
George Mason University
(DAVEJ or JURASCHEK at GMUVAX.BITNET)
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 90 10:37:43 EST
From: TIMBUCK@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU
Help! Can anyone tell me how to format a 3.5" diskette (labeled HD,
2.0MB) in a 1.44MB HD drive using DOS 3.3? Everytime I try it I get an
error message. I can format it as 720KB using "FORMAT B: /t:9 /n:80",
but I can't get the 1.44MB format to work.
TIMBUCK@VTVM1
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #214
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