Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (05/29/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Tue, 29 May 90 Volume 90 : Issue 98 Today's Editor: Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil> Today's Topics: 8514/A - DRIVER WANTED Address Of Bill Neidert Epson Equity PC Portable with Math Coprocessor? Field definition in IBMPC-L Archives Faulty ST-225 HD Generic Keyboard Logging keyboard Re: Once a Day batch file (2 msgs) printer ejects page when pc is turned off serial mice Aspects of Memory Resident Programs SIMTEL20 task termination Re: TECO Wanted Send Replies or notes for publication to: <INFO-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Send requests of an administrative nature (addition to, deletion from the distribution list, et al) to: <INFO-IBMPC-REQUEST@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> The Lending Library is available from: WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (see file PD1:<MSDOS.FILEDOCS>AAAREAD.ME details on file directories and descriptions.) Archives of past issues of the Info-IBMPC Digest are available by FTP only from WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL in directory PD2:<ARCHIVES.IBMPC>. WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL can be accessed using LISTSERV commands from BITNET via LISTSERV@NDSUVM1, LISTSERV@RPIECS and in Europe from EARN TRICKLE servers. Send commands to TRICKLE@<host-name> (example: TRICKLE@TREARN). The following TRICKLE servers are presently available: AWIWUW11 (Austria), BANUFS11 (Belgium), DKTC11 (Denmark), DB0FUB11 or DTUZDV1 (Germany), IMIPOLI (Italy), EB0UB011 (Spain), TAUNIVM (Israel), and TREARN (Turkey). SIMTEL20 is not accessable on the first Wednesday of each month from 6-8pm Eastern Standard Time. If you are unable to access SIMTEL20 via Internet FTP or through one of the BITNET/EARN file servers, most MSDOS SIMTEL20 files, including the PC-Blue collection, are available for downloading on the Detroit Download Central network at 313-885-3956. DDC is a networked system with multiple lines that support 300, 1200, 2400, and 9600 bps (HST). This system is a subscription system with an average hourly cost of 17 cents per hour. It is also accessable on Telenet via PC Pursuit and on Tymnet via StarLink outdial. New files uploaded to WSMR-SIMTEL20 are usually available on DDC within 24 hours. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 May 90 15:12:38 CES From: Juergen Uhlemann <UHLEMANN%DB0FUB11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: 8514/A - DRIVER WANTED Public domain or commercial: I'm looking for drivers esp. for VENTURA PUBLISHER (but also for any other products), which supports the original big blue 8514/A graphic adapter. Is there anyone who knows distributors of such things ? (Normally the producer of an adapter offers also drivers for important DTP or graphic programs - not so IBM|) ------------------------------ Date: 22-MAY-1990 23:31:31.29 From: Doctor III <ALIAO@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU> Subject: Address Of Bill Neidert A colleague of mine at work is trying to reach Bill Neidert (apparently an author of a shareware product called "list" or somesuch). I told my co-worker I'd post his request here. I'd appreciate it if any responses were sent directly to this account. Many thanks in advance. -d. +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ |aliao%eagle@wesleyan.bitnet|These times are so uncertain: there's a | | |yearning undefined and people filled | |Thomson Financial Networks |with rage. We all need a little | |85 Wells Avenue |tenderness - How can love survive in | |Newton, Ma. 02159 |such a graceless age? -Don Henley | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 May 90 10:43 N From: <IUL%DACTH51.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Epson Equity PC Portable with Math Coprocessor? I am running an EPSON EQUITY PC PORTABLE XT-compatible laptop, equipped with a NEC V30 CPU. On the motherboard I could not find an empty socket for a math coprocessor (EPSON said it is not possible to add an 8087). Has anyone been confronted with that problem ? Is there really no possibility to add an 8087 to such a machine ? Thanks for suggestions or comments. Matthias Drobnitzky <IUL@DACTH51.BITNET> Dept. of Radiology Klinikum der RWTH D-5100 Aachen, West Germany ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 May 90 10:45:48 IST From: Ran Cheremsh <CHERMESH%BGUVM.BITNET@UBVM.cc.buffalo.edu> Subject: Field definition in IBMPC-L Archives I wonder if anything can be done so as to facilitate the search options by LDBASE in our list's archives. I tried to located the place where the uploading of a specific file to Simtel20 was announced. All I know is that the file's name includes a string of X-V. I tried to search for this string using the following LDBASE requests: S * where ALL contains x-v in IBMPC-l S * where body contains x-v in IBMPC-L and S * where text contains x-v in IBMPC-l. In all cases the response I got was that filed ALL/BODY/TEXT is undefined for IBMPC-L. The "sender" field, on the other hand, is defind. Thus, 1. Is there a way to run a search for a string which is a part of a word in IBMPC-L using LDBASE? 2. If no such way exists, can a specification of these fields in the archive be added? Sincerely Ran Chermesh Behavioral Sciences Dept. Ben-Gurion University Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel Bitnet: CHERMESH@BGUVM ------------------------------ DATE: 22 MAY 90 17:52:28 From: ECAA100@BGUNVE.bitnet Subject: Faulty ST-225 HD Hello all I have a faulty disk ST-225 , after checking it with a good drive I have found out that the problem is with the electronics PCB of the drive (marked as - ASSY 20301 REV). well the question is - does any of you have the electronics schematics of this PCB or can someone direct me to were can I get it. Thanks in advance Eli Aroshas. (ECAA100@BGUNVE) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 May 90 16:07:54 EDT From: Lisa Wieferich <34TXWS4%CMUVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu> Subject: Generic Keyboard Does anyone know of a company that sells a keyboard which will work on standard PC's, XT's and AT's and that also sells the parts for the keyboard such as keycaps and switches? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 May 90 14:58 N From: <WMORWVJ%HEITUE5.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Logging keyboard I am looking for a TSR program that is able to store all keystrokes and possibly mouse actions to a file and is able to replay these actions. Does anyone know if such a program is available? Thanks in advance, Wouter van Joolingen Eindhoven University of Technology Educational Research Group, HG 9.35 P.O. Box 513 BITNET: WMORWVJ@HEITUE5 5600 MB The Netherlands Phone: +31 40 47 42 10 ------------------------------ Date: Mon 21 May 90 13:41:38 From: tweten@prandtl.nas.nasa.gov Subject: Once a Day batch file From: Jhinuk Chowdhury <FF76%UNTVM1.BITNET@tamvm1.tamu.edu> I had come across ... a batch file ... that enables one to run ... programs ... the first time the computer is booted. I'd really like to know if any one remembers having come across the batch file I am talking about. The very useful "PC Magazine DOS Power Tools Techniques, Tricks and Utilities", by Paul Somerson tells how to do such a thing, on pp. 637-639. The essence of the trick is to note that the DOS "date" command puts out something like: Current date is Mon 5-21-1990 Enter new date (mm-dd-yy): If you pipe date's output to a batch file, and invent another batch file called "Current", executing the first batch file permits the second one to read its fourth argument and compare it with the last date your "one-a-day" program was run. If you can't figure the trick to pipe date's output, echo | more | date > chekdate.bat will do it. Isn't DOS wonderful! Intuitively obvious, isn't it? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 May 90 15:45 EDT From: "Ed Harris" <HARRIS%CTSTATEU.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu> Subject: Once a day batch file Someone asked about a file that would execute once a day only (rather than each time a machine is booted). There is a shareware program from Chris Dunford called onboot.exe which says it does just that (I haven't used it). I have it as part of a package of programs sent to me by a book club I joined, so if people can't find it elsewhere, I would be happy to send it somewhere from which it could be downloaded. Ed <HARRIS@CTSTATEU.BITNET> Southern Connecticut State U, New Haven, CT 06515 USA Tel: 1 (203) 397-4322 / Fax: 1 (203) 397-4207 ------------------------------ Date: 22 May 90 12:53:06 +0200 From: S89406043@hsepm1.hse.nl Subject: printer ejects page when pc is turned off Hi, I'm having a problem with a laserprinter, connected via RS-232 and an automatic switch to 3 computers. Whenever one of the computers is turned off, the printer ejects one page with a few '*'-sign on one line. All three comptuers use the MODE LPT1:=COM1: command to print via the RS-232 port. I tried using the command MODE LPT1: just before the computer is turned off, but then the same problem occurs. Is there anyone who can help me with this? Thanx in advance, Maup | Maupie | Fax: 04108 - 16335 | P.O.Box 54 | Phone: 040 - 482176 | 5250 AB Vlijmen | E-Mail: S89406043 AT | Holland | HSEPM1.HSE.NL ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 May 90 11:33:45 MET From: Ron Croonenberg <U448035%HNYKUN11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: serial mice hello, I'm making some programs with Turbo-C and I would like to use a mouse in those programs. I know there are drivers for serial mice but I want to make one myself. I've written a Interrupt Service Routine (with the help of a book) for reading characters from the serial port. But I don't know the meaning of these characters. I did see however what happend when the buttons are pressed and what happens when I move the mouse in one direction. I would like to know how I can detect the direction in which a mouse moves and what happens when a mouse changes direction.I would like to know this for the microsoft and genius type mouses. (I have a manual for the mouse a have , but it says nothing about....) Ron Croonenberg Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen (u448035@hnykun11.bitnet) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 May 90 12:56 MET From: "Jim Groeneveld, NIPG TNO." <GROENEVELD%TNO.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Aspects of Memory Resident Programs A. Introduction. I am not a 'low level user' of the IBMPC, that is I do not know about interrupts, machine code and assembler and I don't want to know it either. I am just a 'higher level user' applying the PC with word processing, higher computer languages and other common applications. I also use a lot of TSR's (=Terminate and Stay Resident programs) like SideKick, PC-Outline (like now), PC-Tools, etc. I have some remarks on the application of TSR's in general from a user point of view. These follow below. I also give some suggestions on how to overcome my critics. These concern the user interfaces from the TSR's. Although I do not know how to implement my hints, they serve as suggestions for programmers creating TSR's to make their applications better to use in combination with any other program. There are many kinds of TSR's which may be divided into two groups as far as their activation is concerned: 1. TSR's which look at and respond to circumstances in the computer except for keyboard presses. These are not the ones I am concerned about. 2. TSR's which look at and respond to keyboard presses from users. These are the ones I am not satisfied with. B. Stating the problem. I would like TSR's to react in a more flexible and standardized way. My dis- satisfaction with the second type of TSR's is illustrated by some examples: 1. I use PC-Write very much and PC-Write allows many exceptional key combina- tions to use. For example I want to delete the word right of the cursor and press Ctrl-ESC, but instead of deleting the word PC-Tools is being activated. 2. In ProComm I want to activate a macro using one of the number keys above the alphanumeric keyboard in combination with the Alt-key. I don't get the macro, but instead some special character generated by the Dutch keyboard program KEYBNL or an action or window from PC-Window (a pd/sw SideKick like program). 3. Or even worse: I use a splendid pseudo multitasking program (pseudo, because programs in the other windows do not run, but are paused) for the ordinary XT, Multiple Choice (MC), which allows for up to 8 different windows (memory partitions), but it occupies among other ones the keys 1-8 on the numeric keypad in combination with the Control key. Now, when within PC-Write I want to go to the next word with Ctrl-Right-arrow that does not work, but activates the 6th window of MC, if there are so many installed, or does nothing if there are less than 6 installed. The solution for the time being for the first and last problem is to use sticky shift keys in PC-Write: pressing Ctrl, releasing it and pressing numeric 6 (right arrow) deletes the right word in PC-Write, while pressing both keys simultaneously causes MC to respond, not PC-Write. (MC responds to some more exotic, but not used otherwise, keys.) So the problem might be described twofold: 1. TSR's may steal active keys/combinations from other programs. This is an ugly matter. 2. some TSR's may be activated by (stealing) more than one key (combination), inducing different operation. This is even more ugly. C. Desired solution. What I would like is to be able to use and activate the wanted TSR's without loosing any functionality of other normal, underlying programs. As improvements to reach that goal one may think of: 1. the use of activating keys which are hardly or never used anywhere else, (e.g. Ctrl-Alt, Shft-Shft, Ctrl-Shft, Shft-Ins, Shft-Del, Ctrl-n2, Ctrl-n8), like SideKick; 2. the use of only one activating key (combination) per TSR. In order to maintain the full functionality of the TSR after activation it should start to offer a menu with additional choices, replacing the multi-key approach. This might cause one more key stroke to be necessary to obtain the same desired effect (the wanted operation), but that is of minor interest in this circumstance (good example: SideKick); 3. the possibility of transfering the activating keystroke to the underlying program by offering two different types of exit (like POPDOS, see below): a) one without any keystroke passed on, normal, 'black' exit; b) one with the activating keystroke passed on, 'transparant' exit. This method may even be improved as is proposed below. D. Proposed standard: I propose the following standard of activating and exiting a loaded TSR: 1. activate TSR using any key combination (e.g. Alt-R), but only one per TSR; a) seldomly applied keystroke otherwise; b) for each TSR a different one (though practically not possible); c) possibly user-definable (as is already supported by some TSR's); 2. exit TSR in one of two different ways according to the users choice: a) without transfering key stroke: any key (e.g. ESC) or the activating key combination if other keys have been pressed meanwhile; b) with transfering key stroke: the activating key combination if pressed again, just after activation, so if no other keys have been pressed in between. Advantages: 1. with activating a TSR: minimalization of the number of keys (key combinations) to activate a TSR to only one: a) interferes the least with other interpretations of the key combination in underlying programs; b) limits the TSR in the number of keys (combinations) to look for; c) keeps the number of keystrokes to be pressed with more loaded TSR's surveyable and convenient from a user point of view. 2. with exiting a TSR: a) without passing the activating key combination to the underlying program: normal exit; b) with passing the activating key combination to the underlying program: 1) the key combination remains available for the underlying program by pressing it twice; 2) more TSR's can be loaded using one and the same key combination to be activated: after exiting the first one directly, the second one is activated and so on, until there is no more TSR to respond and the key is finally passed on to the underlying normally loaded program. A disadvantage of this is that only one of these TSR's can be activated at the same time: activating the next one firstly exits the previous one, or even only exits that one if the key combination is not passed on further. POPDOS meets these demands best by being activated only by Alt-U and being exited always (not depending on actual other keystrokes while active): 1. by ESC without passing on any key or 2. by Alt-U with passing on the key combination Alt-U to the underlying program. Quit neatly. May other TSR's (re)act similarly. | NIPG TNO <work>: Y. Groeneveld (call name: Jim) <home>| GROENEVELD@HDETNO51 | | Postbus 124 | Wassenaarseweg 56 | Schoolweg 14 | GROENEVELD@TNO.NL | | 2300 AC Leiden | 2333 AL Leiden | 8071 BC Nunspeet | TNOSUR::GROENEVELD | | Nederland (NL) : (+31|0)71-178810 | (+31|0)3412-60413| RULTNO::JIM | ------------------------------ Date: 19 May 90 13:39:24 GMT From: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) Subject: SIMTEL20 task termination w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (Keith Petersen) writes: Today I received word that my task of maintaining the SIMTEL20 archives is to be terminated effective May 25, 1990, because of budget cuts. Instead of all giving Keith our condolences, why don't we get off our butts and contact our congressmen? If they can talk about funding a high speed national network, then they can surely talk about funding a national software library. --russ (nelson@clutx [.bitnet | .clarkson.edu]) Russ.Nelson@$315.268.6667 Violence never solves problems, it just changes them into more subtle problems ------------------------------ Date: 20 May 90 20:40:08 GMT From: well!feustel@well.sf.ca.us (David Alan Feustel) Subject: Re: TECO Wanted Michael Harris <mharris@BBN.COM> writes: >Is there a (good) TECO for the PC? I'll pay (sigh) if necessary. Thanks. VEDIT is an extended TECO-like editor running under dos. It's pretty good. Phone: (home) 219-482-9631 E-mail: feustel@well.sf.ca.us {ucbvax,apple,hplabs,pacbell}!well!feustel USMAIL: Dave Feustel, 1930 Curdes Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46805 ------------------------------ End of Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #98 ******************************** -------