Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (08/10/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Fri, 10 Aug 90 Volume 90 : Issue 131
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
Calling Programs from ms c 5.1
Request for info on Coherent
Converting tar.Z files to Dos format
Extracting tar.Z files for Dos
IBM Model 80--joys of support
PC-PLUS, Names and Passwords
Problems with SMARTDRV.SYS vs Windows 3.0 Problems
PC POP Version 2.3 Released
Upgrading MSDOS from 3.0 to 3.3
Simple Terminal Programs with Source Code
Today's Queries:
CGM to CLP
Modula journal, etc
Olivetti printer info needed
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Date: Mon, 06 Aug 90 11:37:57 EST
From: jim wiegand <V5068U%TEMPLEVM@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: calling programs from ms c 5.1
Randy: There is an unfortunate clash between c and ms. dos: the '' is
the escape character in c AND the path seperator in dos! So to the
compiler "c:foofoo" looks like "c:x0foox0foo". What you have to
do is use the literal slash '': "c:foofoo" is a path that
will pass to dos ok. This is so because the path seperator in unix is
'/'. The rest of the synatx I don't know about since I use Turbo-C. You
might want to check also to see if P_WAIT is implemented (it isn't in
TC).
jim
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 Aug 90 07:41:26 PLT
From: Geoffrey Webb <WEBBG%WSUVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
Subject: Request for info on Coherent
I have been looking at Coherent from Mark Williams as an operating
system for my machine. Any comments from the net?
Geoff Webb
webbg@wsuvm1.bitnet
[There was quite a discussion on USENET awhile ago. I'll forward the
gist of the discussions to you... gph]
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 12:23:09 CDT
From: price@chakra.unl.edu (Chad Price)
Subject: Converting tar.Z files to Dos format
In comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest you write:
>I have a couple of compress.exe versions that I can make available.
>One is a 12-bit version and the other uses all 16 bits. The 12 bit
>version is not very useful with most downloaded software, because they
>are usually compressed with 16 bits. It does run in a lot less memory
>than the 16 bit version, which requires nearly all TSR's to be removed.
[... text deleted]
YES - please send. I will be graduating & want to preserve some of the
stuff I have in my UNIX accounts to my PC..
Thanks
Chad Price
price@fergvax.unl.edu
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 10:19:50 EDT
From: gary@ctc.contel.com (Gary Bisaga x4219)
Subject: extracting tar.Z files for Dos
David J. Camp (david@wubios.wustl.edu) writes:
> There is a public domain version of tar that runs on MsDos. I do not
> know why people bother using things like TARREAD and DETAR when they
> can have the full tar program. I can also make this available.
Love to! Care to tell us where to get it?
Gary Bisaga (gary@ctc.contel.com)
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 09:43:24 EDT
From: Ken_Latta@ub.cc.umich.edu
Subject: IBM Model 80--joys of support
Is it possible to use an AT keyboard with an IBM PS/2 Model 80? I got
an adapter for the connections. When I plugged in a Zenith keyboard it
appeared to work fine until I rebooted. The model 80 not only
complained about the keyboard it decided the mouse wasn't present
either. Now Windows 3.0 was perfectly happy to have me define the
keyboard as XT/AT and let me use the mouse. But the IBM power on
self-test (POST) refuses to deal with the Zenith keyboard. I didn't
see anything that would let me "configure" the model 80 as using an
XT/AT keyboard. Any guesses?
Also, we've been using the software for Telnet, etc that comes with
the Ungermann-Bass Ethernet card. Does anyone have any other software
configuration (packet drivers, other commercial software, etc) that
permits a) decent 3270 emulation when telnetting into a VM hosts (i.e.,
3179 graphics with color) or b) behaves under Windows?
Thanks. Ken Latta, Merit Computer Network, NSFNET Project,
klatta@merit.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 03:51 +0200
From: Anders_Altberg_Uppsala_H_SK@norrkom.umu.se
Subject: PC-PLUS, Names and Passwords
In IBMPC-INFO # 120 Paul Andrews wanted a way of using a PCPLUS login
program but keep names and passwords secret.
Keep the user name and password in a PCPLUS .KEY file. These are opened
with ALT-M in PCPLUS. Each user could possibly be allowed to create his
own. Standardize on keys for NAME as ALT-1 and PASSWORD as ALT-2.
Then save the .KEY file on a user diskette.
Insert a line at the beginning in your PCPLUS program to load the .KEY
file, then - at the appropriate point - automatically call up the name
and password with the PCPLUS command MACRO 1 and MACRO 2. This will
make it possible to have a generic login program written in PCPLUS's
ASPIC language and at the same time make each user responsible for
protecting his own diskett containing his user name and keyword.
He can even learn to change them if necessary and update his KEY file.
The user will only be able to log in after inserting a correctly made
diskette in the A-drive. After exiting from PCPLUS their is no trace of
the name and password used on the PC. Pushing this concept further, the
remaining strings that can be put in a KEY file could be utilised to
have each user's personal choice of environment set up automatically on
login.
Anders Altberg
Uppsala, Sweden
------------------------------
Date: Mon Aug 06 09:50:21 1990
From: microsoft!larryo@beaver.cs.washington.edu
Subject: Problems with SMARTDRV.SYS vs Windows 3.0 Problems
| >From: "Brian E. Gallew" <bg11+@andrew.cmu.edu>
| Subject: Windows v3.0 Warning
|
| I realize that there are a still a large number of bugs in Windows 3.0,
| but I don't think that the incompatibilities are quite as comprehensive
| as given in you extract. Windows has been running on a Hauppage 386
| with a 40MG hard drive partitioned with Disk Manager with no problems
| at all.
|
| Of course, it may be because No partitions are larger than 32MB, but I
| didn't see anything referencing partition size in your extract.
The problems that have been reported of windows 3.0 corrupting hard
disks are actually problems with SMARTDRV.SYS. The problem occurs when
you use SMARTDRV on a machine who'se sector size is more than 512
bytes.
There are several third party hardware companies that sell >32Mb
support by increasing the sector size of the hard disk to 1K or 2K,
unfortunately SMARTDRV wasn't correctly handling those cases.
There are basically 3 workarounds for the problem (in order of
simplicity):
1) Crank your DOS BUFFERS= up and take SMARTDRV.SYS out of your
CONFIG.SYS
2) Upgrade your DOS version. Both DOS 3.31 (From Compaq) and PC-DOS
4.0 (From IBM/etc) support larger than 32Mb hard disks with 512 byte
sectors on the disks.
3) Low level format and repartition your hard disk to use <32Mb
partitions.
Any of the above options will remedy the corruption problems that have
been reported.
Larry Osterman
Please note: I am not a representative of Microsoft technical support,
I just work here. None of my comments in any way represent the
opinions of Microsoft.
------------------------------
Date: 6 Aug 90 22:05:11 GMT
From: bill@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Bill Schweickert)
Subject: PC POP Version 2.3 Released
I have just released PC POP version 2.3. Version 2.3 containing:
1) Bug Fix: A section of code in the tcp.lib file was trashing the
BIOS. The net effect was that PC POP would hang the program on exit or
screw up the video attributes. All fixed now.
2) New Feature: PC POP will now operate on 8086 microprocessors.
Previous versions only ran on 286 on up. Version 2.3 supports all PC's
now.
3) NCSA: NCSA 2.3b9 is now included.
4) Sources: sources are available of course.
ftp anonymous trident.arc.nasa.gov (128.102.18.13)
cd pub/POPMAIL
Bill Schweickert
bill@trident.arc.nasa.gov
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 1990 01:23 MDT
From: "Frank J. Wancho" <WANCHO@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Upgrading MSDOS from 3.0 to 3.3
You don't *have to* do a low-level format. But, if you haven't done
one lately, you ought to consider doing so anyway. In any case, you
will need to back up your files because you will need to do a FORMAT
C:/S.
The reason is that the two hidden system files, IBMBIOS.COM and
IBMDOS.COM must be the first two files on the disk, and they must be
contiguous. (Supposedly Zenith's MSDOS 3.3+ allows for installing over
a previous version and an implicit discontinuity, but that *will* lead
to problems if you use an old version of their COMPACT defragmenting
program with the /H option.)
Because each new release of those MSDOS system files is larger than the
previous release, the files will not end up contiguous on the disk when
you use SYS C: unless you just happen to have enough room free right
after the end of those files.
In general, because you have to do the backup anyway, you might as well
do the low level format and play it safe.
--Frank
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 90 15:21:54 CDT
From: smutniak@fergvax.unl.edu (Frank Smutniak)
Subject: Simple Terminal Programs with Source Code
In V90 #124 Phil Howard was seeking a SIMPLE terminal program with
source code. I was searching for one as part of a project last
semester and found an excellent example in:
DOS programmers Reference
published by QUE Inc. 1989 (?)
( I loaned it out so don't quote me)
The program is written in Turbo C and took less than 200 lines. This
program was simple and elegant but, as the author says, (again, don't
quote me) it will have problems going too fast (2400 baud) since it
alternately checks the keyboard and the serial port. Characters coming
in to the port may be lost when attention is on the keyboard. I have
had no problems using it at 1200 baud on a Jameco 80286 (Turbo C 2.0
Pro compiler) but I lose characters at 2400.
The program, as shown, uses inportb() and outportb() functions, but a
later chapter talks about using interrupts to make it faster. Those
enhancements I have not pursued.
Good luck,
INTERNET: smutniak@fergvax.unl.edu
BITNET: frank@unlasvax
P.S. Thanks to those who offered parallel port info. Looks like I will
have to make my own card to be machine independent.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 Aug 90 14:55:53 EDT
From: Leonard Abbey <LABBEY%GTRI01.BITNET@uga.cc.uga.edu>
Subject: CGM to CLP
I am looking for a program to translate CGM graphics metafiles to the
CLP format used in Borland's Quattro Pro.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
Leonard Abbey
Georgia Tech
Research Institute
labbey@gtri01.gatech.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 Aug 90 11:09:44 PDT
From: Theresa_Guay@cc.sfu.ca
Subject: Modula journal, etc
Does any one know the address of the Journal of Modula and ADA, or any
other Modula 2 journal. Is there also any programming digests similar
to INFO-IBMPC?
Theresa Guay
Distributed Computing Support Group
Simon Fraser University
theresa_guay@cc.sfu.ca
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 1990 15:39:44 -0400 (EDT)
From: Frank Eugene Kietzke <fk03+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Olivetti printer info needed
I have recently come across an Olivetti PR2300 printer. It works fine
in straight line printer mode, but I think that this printer should be
capable of more. Does anyone out on the net have access to a manual
for this beast that I can capture a few bits of info from??
|Frank Kietzke
|Carnegie-Mellon University
|Data Communications
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #131
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