Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (08/28/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Tue, 28 Aug 90 Volume 90 : Issue 141
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
386 Colors revisited (2 msgs)
386 colours - possible solutions (3 msgs)
vterm keyboard configuration standard
Today's Queries:
"Debug" for 80286/386 requested
DOS 4,01, MS OFFICE
How to tell Ventura about extra memory
LaTeX to RTF conversion
Accessing the WSMR-SIMTEL20 Archives
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Date: 24 Aug 90 16:03:00 CDT
From: "55SRWLGS" <55srwlgs@sacemnet.af.mil>
Subject: 386 Colors revisited
A couple of weeks ago, I had a question about why I was unable to
get escape sequences entered by the PROMPT command to give me color on
a VGA monitor, although the same commands worked for me on 286 micros.
A co-worker resolved the problem for me by deleting some lines from the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file which he judged unnecessary. His workaround worked,
but we're both curious as to why.
Note: I had ANSI.SYS in the location identifiedd in my CONFIG.SYS
file, to respond to a query my original posting generated. Here is my
original AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
@ECHO OFF
@PROMPT esc[37;44m
PROMPT $P$G
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
ctty nul
VERIFY OFF
BREAK ON
PATH C:\DOS
APPEND /E
APPEND C:\DOS
C:\DOS\GRAPHICS
VER
MARK C:\DOS\SS3
SS3 10
chkdsk /f <c:\dos\yes.inp
PRINT /D:LPT1
SET >RESET.BAT
SS3 KEYS
CTTY CON
CD\EASY
EZ
I've no idea just what the "at signs" (@) are for in front of the
first two lines. The installation program did that.
Here is my current AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $e[37;44m$p$g
SET COMSPEC=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM
lockoff
ctty nul
VERIFY OFF
rem BREAK ON
PATH C:\;C:\DOS;
APPEND /E
APPEND C:\DOS
C:\DOS\GRAPHICS
VER
MARK C:\DOS\SS3
SS3 10
chkdsk /f <c:\dos\yes.inp
PRINT /D:LPT1
SET >RESET.BAT
SS3 KEYS
CTTY CON
REM ANSI
CD\EASY
EZ
The lines beginning with "rem" are lines my co-worker left for me
to add back in later. Finally, here is the CONFIG.SYS file:
BREAK=ON
BUFFERS=20
FILES=20
device = \dos\RAMDRIVE.SYS 1024 128 64 /e
DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS
INSTALL=C:\DOS\FASTOPEN.EXE C:=(50,25)
Most curious. Appreciate any hints.
Frank Starr
55srwlgs@sacemnet.af.mi
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 90 16:10:00 CST
From: "Jon Robertson" <JMROBERTSON%UALR.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: 386 Colors revisited
In response to the question concerning having colors in your prompt.
The processor type (386) and DOS version have nothing to do with the
problem. As long as you had CGA or better with a compatible color
monitor, that has nothing to do with the problem either (besides
getting more colors on the better cards). The problem was within the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The PROMPT command resets the prompt to whatever
you specify after the command. The first command set the color to the
prompt, then the second command reset the prompt to the path + '>'.
The prompt command resets the prompt, not "add this to current
settings." Thus, the colors were 'forgotten' when the second command
was issued. By combining both commands into one PROMPT, that set the
colors and the path as the prompt all at once.
Jon Robertson
JMROBERT@UALR.BITNET
PS The DOS version might have something to do with it if it was below
version 3. I'm not familar with the earlier versions of DOS, so I'm
not sure if the escape codes would work or even if there is a PROMPT
command.
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 25 Aug 90 20:41:00 CDT
From: 55SRWLGS <55srwlgs%SACEMNET.AF.MIL@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: 386 colours - possible solutions
Of three messages I've received to this hour, I think Shahar of
CETECH63 mailbox had the most likely solution. I can't remember, but of
my original AUTOEXEC.BAT file, I may have goofed and sent the one where
a friend tried changing my PROMPT $e[37;44m line to ESC $e37;44m. On my
home 286, and on several others I've worked on, Having first a line
with PROMPT $e[37;44m followed next with a line with PROMPT $p$g has
always worked. I'd never realized that both could be combined into one
line. The friend who helped me get color at DOS level, one who hates to
see excess work, combined the two into one line as prompt
$e[37;44m;$p$g (if memory servers me. I'm at home right now, and don't
have the new line available to refer to.
Anyway, Mr. Shahar's thought that, since the lines with the @ signs
told DOS not to echo to screen, perhaps that became the default for the
rest of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. I'll have to test that theory. It sounds
plausable, anyway.
Frank Starr
55srw@sacemnet.af.mil
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 26 Aug 90 15:43:32 MDT
From: Gregory Hicks <GHICKS%WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: 386 colours - possible solutions
prompt $e[0;113;"cls";13p
prompt $e[0;112;"ll ";
prompt $e[37;44;1m$p$g
cls
@ECHO OFF
If you want the changes made with the PROMPT command, you have to get
them to ANSI.SYS (or Equiv...) ...
The @echo off (for DOS 3.2 and higher) is a command that says 'Don't
echo this line as well as the rest of the file until you see an "echo
on" command OR the end of the BATCH file. ALL prompt commands must
(for safety's sake) come BEFORE the ECHO OFF command.
Gregory Hicks
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 90 08:40:00 MET
From: Rob Hooft <HOOFT%HUTRUU54.BITNET@VM1.NoDak.EDU>
Subject: Re: 386 colours - possible solutions
> prompt $e[0;113;"cls";13p
> prompt $e[0;112;"ll ";
> prompt $e[37;44;1m$p$g
> cls
> @ECHO OFF
>
> If you want the changes made with the PROMPT command, you have to get
> them to ANSI.SYS (or Equiv...) ...
>
> The @echo off (for DOS 3.2 and higher) is a command that says 'Don't
> echo this line as well as the rest of the file until you see an "echo
> on" command OR the end of the BATCH file.
This is misuse of the prompt command. Why don't you use ECHO for this?
Echo also works when echo for the batch-file is off. There are two
possibilities to use color:
1) Set the color using an echo-command.
2) Better: Set the color in the prompt command. This way it will allow
you - to set it every time, such that you don't have to retype the
color command after a program has disrupted it. - to make use of
multiple colors at the same time.
The @-feature was added at dos 3.3, not at dos 3.2.
Rob Hooft.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 23 Aug 90 18:10:59 CDT
From: david@wubios.wustl.edu (David J. Camp)
Subject: vterm keyboard configuration standard
I am releasing a keyboard mapping standard called 'vterm'. Included in
the release are initialization scripts to configure MS-Kermit, the
Grand Editor, and Unix-Sas to conform to the vt220 keyboard. This
should also work with NCSA_Telnet when they finish conforming their
keyboard mapping to the Kermit standard. I also included an MS-Kermit
script that will configure a Practical Peripherals MNP5 modem properly.
There is no automatic configuration. You must copy the files to the
appropriate place on your system and run the appropriate commands (e.g.
tic and ticadd) for installation. The files can be found in
wuarchive:pub/vterm.shar.Z via anonymous ftp or bitftp@pucc.bitnet.
Please let me know how I can improve this software. -David-
david%wubios@wugate.wustl.edu ^ David J. Camp
...!uunet!wugate!wubios!david < * > 314-382-0584
v
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 90 12:27 EST
From: JAMES%HIARAS.NRC.CA@VM.NRC.CA
Subject: "Debug" for 80286/386 requested.
Are there any versions of Debug that recognizes op-codes for the 286
and 386 processors? Alternatively, are there any similar programs
available? The copy I have [from DOS 3.3] only supports the 8086 op
codes and assigns anything as a storage byte.
Since I'm fairly new to this endeavor, I apologise if this topic has
been aired previously.
James Dean
james@hiaras.nrc.ca
Ottawa
------------------------------
Date: 24 Aug 90 15:56:00 CDT
From: "55SRWLGS" <55srwlgs@sacemnet.af.mil>
Subject: DOS 4,01, MS OFFICE
I have a couple of questions. The first is about Microsoft's
MS-OFFICE integrated software package. I've always heard that
integratged software usually does man jobs, but none of them well.
Some say that one or two programs might be fantastic, but the rest will
be fair to sorry. Anyone out there experienced MS-OFFICE? How does it
compare to Wordstar 6, Clipper, Procomm Plus, LOTUS 1-2-3 or QUATRO,
etc.
On another subject. I have a UNISYS 386 PC running MS-DOS 4.01.
Right now, if I want to run the DIR command on a floppy drive, I have
to key in A: or B:, and then key in DIR. If I don't, I get a directory
of whatever directory I'm in in DRIVE C:. Before I reload COMMAND.COM,
I thought I'd query whether there might be another solution.
Another oddity in MS-DOS 4.01 - the SHARE command. The INSTALL
program I ran to load 4.01 made an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, with the SHARE
command in it. I took it out, and now get a message upon bootup that
SHARE should be processed for large media (I have a 42 meg hard
drive).
The DOS book says "SHARE is automatically loaded if you have a
hard disk which is greater than 32 megabytes in a singel partition." I
don't have any partitions, just the floppy drive set up whole, and not
divided.
[It's only automatically loaded if you use the 'setup menu' command.]
Thanx in advance for any info/opinions,
Frank Starr
55SRWLGS@SACEMNET.AF.MIL
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 90 16:47 MET
From: "Frans Rip - Netherlands" <RIP%HUA.WAU.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: How to tell Ventura about extra memory
I would like to find out if this list is the right place to ask the
next question about Ventura 2.0 (non-professional)
I have added 4 Mb extra in memory chips to my 386SX-PC. I have told
MS-DOS succesfully that it's available, but Ventura doesn't seem to be
bothered. (Diagnostics screen gives no indication).
Running VPprep is of no consequence to available memory. Telling (via
VP.BAT) that there's a RAM-disk called E: is politely acknowledged in
the device index list, but nothing more, and adding /A=32 doesn't do
anything either to speed it all up. In short,
How do I tell Ventura about the extra 4 Mb ?
Frans Rip
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 Aug 90 12:10:54 EDT
From: RS & IL Gibson <guelph2@watdcs.UWaterloo.ca>
Subject: LaTeX to RTF conversion.
I am seeking a way of converting LaTeX files to Microsoft's RTF format
to allow such files to be used for not only printing a document but
also as input into other programs. Can anyone help? Replies to me and
I will summarize for INFO-IBMPC if this is appropriate. -- IAN GIBSON
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 90 13:55:47 +0200
From: Gregory Hicks <ghicks@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Accessing the WSMR-SIMTEL20 Archives
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #141
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