Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (03/22/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Thu, 22 Mar 90 Volume 90 : Issue 52
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
Animation Software
Creating Soft Fonts for HP Printers
graphics software and hardware
Small Hardware Answer
Re: Good Books on MS-DOS
Booting from Drive B:
Keyboards with Control Key in the Correct Place
Today's Queries:
2 inch drives , electronic cameras and COMDEX
386 vs 386SX?
ball clocks - PD'ware or Shareware available?
IQ tests Shareware or PD'ware available?
How to use the DOS SORT command?
Hi-bit ASCII on - How to save to Disk?
Help opening over 40 files in DOS
Selecting Laptops
SARAH-LITE VS A HP Laserjet
Turbo Pascal 5.5 and PULL55.TPU -- PULL55.ARC
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Date: 18 March 1990 03:32 CST
From: "Grant Hoover" <U26264@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: Animation Software
Reviews of Autodesk Animator can be found in the November 28, 1989 issue of
PC Magazine and the March, 1990 issue of Byte.
____ _____ ___ __ __ ______
/ | _ \ / \ | \| | |__ __| . .
| ___ | < / ^ \ | | | | .
\____/ |__|\__| /_/---\_\ |__|\__| |__| \___/
Grant Hoover * University of Illinois at Chicago
Bitnet u26264@uicvm * CompuServe 76370,314
Internet u26264@uicvm.cc.uic.edu * GEnie G.HOOVER6
------------------------------
Date: 18 March 1990 17:04 CST
From: "Grant Hoover" <U26264@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: Creating Soft Fonts for HP Printers
> I would like to know how to creat soft fonts on HP laserprinters and/or
>deskjets. I want to know the escape sequences and the description of the
>code. Does some literature exist?
"The LaserJet Companion" by Crane and Pierce is an excellent reference on
everything having to do with the LaserJet, from using it with applications to
cleaning it to soft font file formats.
____ _____ ___ __ __ ______
/ | _ \ / \ | \| | |__ __| . .
| ___ | < / ^ \ | | | | .
\____/ |__|\__| /_/---\_\ |__|\__| |__| \___/
Grant Hoover * University of Illinois at Chicago
Bitnet u26264@uicvm * CompuServe 76370,314
Internet u26264@uicvm.cc.uic.edu * GEnie G.HOOVER6
------------------------------
Date: 18 March 1990 18:00 CST
From: Grant Hoover <U26264@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: graphics software and hardware
> 1. color scanners, to turn a photo into a file OR cameras which record
>onto floppies, which then can be transferred
An article in the March, 1990 issue of Publish! magazine reviewed 11 color
scanners. This might be of some help.
> 2. C graphics libraries which can be used to display the graphics file
>(*.pcx or whatever)
Genus Microprogramming (800-227-0918) publishes the PCS Programmer's Toolkit
and related products. These might help with this aspect of your project.
Good luck!
____ _____ ___ __ __ ______
/ | _ \ / \ | \| | |__ __| . .
| ___ | < / ^ \ | | | | .
\____/ |__|\__| /_/---\_\ |__|\__| |__| \___/
Grant Hoover * University of Illinois at Chicago
Bitnet u26264@uicvm * CompuServe 76370,314
Internet u26264@uicvm.cc.uic.edu * GEnie G.HOOVER6
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 08:55:56 EST
From: "Robert E. Zaret" <ZARET@mitvma.mit.edu>
Subject: Small Hardware Answer
A few weeks ago, I sent a note asking why no one sells parallel disk drives,
which write data to disks in parallel (one bit per head). Well, last week I
asked someone at SHARE, and he gave what I think is a very resonable answer.
He said the problem is surface defects, which probably won't be at
corresponding locations on the different disks. Thus, the controller would
have to either 1) mark as bad any locations where any one disk is bad, or 2)
somehow keep track of the bad spots and combine partially bad "bytes".
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 90 14:30 CST
From: 2634RUPERTJ%MUCSD.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: Good Books on MS-DOS
In volume 90 #44, Frank Star asks for a good book on MS-DOS 3.3. I have "PC
Magazine Dos Power Tools" published by Bantam Computer Books.
This 1274 page book is an excellent reference manual covering most of the DOS
tricks. It contains an appendix which lists all the DOS commands as in the
DOS manual, but gives a much better explanation. The book retails for about
$45 and comes with a disk including many of PC Magazines more popular
programs. I learned a lot from this book.
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself etc. etc. and so forth.
Jack Rupert
Electrical Engineering
Marquette University
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 90 12:52:09 -0500
From: rae@po.CWRU.Edu
Subject: Booting from Drive B:
In Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #46, SKOHC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (Joseph Skoler) writes:
>I just installed a Teac 1.44, 3.5 inch drive in an AT clone.
>
>It seems to work fine - formats, accesses data on the disk, etc. - except I
>can't get the machine to boot off of it.
>
>I formatted and issued a SYS B:, which was successful, and then copied
>command.com to it, but it won't boot.
>
>Interestingly, a friend installed the same drive in his XT, with the
>appropriate I/O card, and he can't boot off of his 1.44 either.
The problem is the drive is wired as Drive B. For some hardware reason, PCs
won't boot directly from drive B. However, a trick I saw in the April 1990
issue of PC Computing gives a "reasonable fix." Place a "bootable" floppy in
drive A:, and in the AUTOEXEC.BAT for drive A, put these two lines:
B:
AUTOEXEC
This should "fool" the computer into "booting" from drive B.
I hope this helps.
Robert A. Essig | E-mail : rae@po.cwru.edu
Chemical Engineer-in-Training @ C.W.R.U. |
Database Maintenance Clerk @ U.H. of C. | F**k you, that's not a real gun.
Out of time @ everyplace else. |
------------------------------
Date: 18 March 1990 15:40 CST
From: "Grant Hoover" <U26264@UICVM.uic.edu>
Subject: Keyboards with Control Key in the Correct Place
> One of the problems that I face with using an IBM Clone PC is that the keys
>are in the wrong position... Are there PC/AT keyboards with rational layouts?
The December 12, 1989 issue of PC Magazine reviewed keyboards. Some seem to
be what you're looking for, or close, and some even have interchangeable
keys, such as Ctrl and Caps Lock.
____ _____ ___ __ __ ______
/ | _ \ / \ | \| | |__ __| . .
| ___ | < / ^ \ | | | | .
\____/ |__|\__| /_/---\_\ |__|\__| |__| \___/
Grant Hoover * University of Illinois at Chicago
Bitnet u26264@uicvm * CompuServe 76370,314
Internet u26264@uicvm.cc.uic.edu * GEnie G.HOOVER6
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 16 Mar 90 21:05:20 AST
From: Filipe Santos <USERVLSI%LNCC.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: 2 inch drives, electronic cameras and COMDEX
I have recently taken possession of one of these new japanese electronic
cameras. This camera allows one to take up to 50 pictures and store them in a
2 inch floppy disk. These small disks look like a squeezed 3.5 inch floppy,
but I don't know details about density, recording format, etc.
I want to use the camera for the obvious thing, replacing a video camera and
a frame grabber to digitize and store images. Anyone out there knows
anything about 2 inch floppy drives for IBM PCs ? I know that SONY
manufactures them, and Zenith apparently employs them in one of its laptop
computers, but is there any way to buy one and hook it up to a desktop AT ?
Of course it's no use if I cannot read the image data stored. Does anyone has
info on the way these cameras store the data ? By the way, it's an Yashica .
Any bit of info will be greatly appreciated!!!!! Also, when will Spring
COMDEX (at Chicago ?) take place and what steps should I take to attend ?
(1. Buy ticket 2. Board Plane .... :-) )
Thanx in Advance
Filipe Santos - COPPE/UFRJ Rio de Janeiro
PHIL@LNCC
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 15:03:00 EST
From: DAVID KLEIN <DAVID@Orion.YorkU.CA>
Subject: 386 vs 386SX?
Hi,
Could someone please tell me the difference between a 386 and a 386SX? I
know all about the bus size difference, etc, and don't really care. I'm more
curious about how any differences would affect and/or limit the SX's
compatibility and usefulness vis a vis a true 386. Specifically, what are
the differences in a) speed, b) compatibility with software written for the
386, c) compatibility with hardware (oops, this might be a loaded question!),
and d) upgradeability.
[The March '90 issue of BYTE has a lengthy discussion on the differences
between ALL members of the 80x88 and 80x86 family of chips.]
These questions are in order to assess which machine will provide the BEST
price/performance ratio possible. However, the actual speed of the processor
isn't a major criteria in this case. Rather, we need to figure out an
overall system performance measurement, of which speed is a minor part.
Any explanations of the 386 vs. 386SX would be appreciated, but if
possible, could you please explain it in relatively non-technical terms? I
have to try to explain this to a group of businessmen with little actual
technical orientation!
Thanks in advance,
Dave Klein
Computer Advisor,
York University (Glendon College),
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:24:49 EST
From: "Chuck R." <346B36G%CMUVM.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject: ball clocks PD'ware or Shareware available?
Does anyone have any public domain or shareware programs for the ibm pc which
simulates a ball clock? Remember those?
Chuck 346b36g@cmuvm
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:24:49 EST
From: "Chuck R." <346B36G%CMUVM.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject: IQ tests Shareware or PD'ware available?
How about any programs which test a person's IQ? Please let me know. Thanks.
Chuck 346b36g@cmuvm
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:24:49 EST
From: "Chuck R." <346B36G%CMUVM.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject: How to use the DOS SORT command?
Does anybody know how to use the DOS SORT command? (I thought there
was one.) And, how about, is there a DOS MERGE command to merge 2 sorted
files together where the result would be one large sorted file? Would be
kinda nice sometimes.
Chuck 346b36g@cmuvm
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:24:49 EST
From: "Chuck R." <346B36G%CMUVM.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject: Hi-bit ASCII on - How to save to Disk?
I have a couple ascii files which are garbled. Turns out, when I LIST
them, and turn off the high bit, they are cleared right up. But, I also can't
save this new file with the high bit stripped off. Anyone have any idea how I
can strip the high bit and save the new version of this file?
Chuck 346b36g@cmuvm
------------------------------
Date: 16 Mar 90 16:36 -0800
From: Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>
Subject: Help opening over 40 files in DOS
We are working with a program that needs to open over 40 files. We are using
the Lahey 386 compiler for this Fortran program. Therefore, we need some
sort of program that will allow us to open more than DOS's limit of ~20
files. We have tried Steve Gibson's program HANDLE20.ARC from Simtel20 but
it's not compatible with Lahey's Dos Extender (Eclipse OS386).
Does anyone know of another such program that we can try? Thank you in
advance?
Thomas.
/*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/* Thomas Y. K. Wong INTERNET: thomas_wong@civil.ubc.ca */
/* Civil Eng., U.B.C BITNET: thomas_wong%civil.ubc.ca@ubcmtsg */
/* Van, B.C., Canada UUCP: ...!van-bc!civil.ubc.ca!thomas_wong */
/*----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 90 16:28:17 EST
From: Marshall Feldman <RLN101@uriacc.bitnet>
Subject: Selecting Laptops
I am about to buy a laptop for a research grant, and I was wondering if
anyone out there has recommendations or insights as to what to get.
My budget is $3200, and I am trying to decide between two different styles of
laptops. For the grant I mainly need the laptop for word processing, data
entry, database manipulation, spreadsheets, and communications. But I also
do a fair amount of number crunching and, while I do not need a laptop with
this capability for the grant, it would be nice to have something that I
could use to take UNIX, SAS, and/or SPSSX with me "on the road," particularly
when I am traveling abroad for extended periods of time.
I am considering two different approaches to the decision. One is to buy a
notebook laptop and as much accessories as I can within my budget. The other
is to buy a bare-bones 386SX machine (if I can afford one) and upgrade it
later when I have the money. I am particularly interested in Dell's new
machine (which still costs more than my budget) and anything else in my price
range. Does anyone out there know of such machines, and what do you think of
them?
In the former category, I am considering Zenith's minisport, the Compaq
LTE/286, and Toshiba's new T1200XE. I'm not too crazy about Zenith's
expensive and incompatible 2 1/2" diskettes. It also is a bit slow for some
of my spreadsheet work and does not come with a hard disk. The Compaq seems
pretty good, but I've mostly read about the regular (80C86- based) LTE. Does
anyone know about the 286 version? Also, the Compaq is so hot, I doubt I
will be able to try one out before I have to issue the requisition. None of
the stores around here have any in stock. The Toshiba is also new, so new in
fact that even the dealers haven't seen them. It sounds good, but I've heard
Toshiba uses a bios that is not 100% compatible with standard DOS programs.
Does anyone know if this is true? If so, what programs don't work?
Please let me know what insights you have about laptops. I'll summarize
your answers for the list.
Thanks in advance.
Marsh Feldman
Community Planning
University of Rhode Island
(rln101 @ uriacc.bitnet)
------------------------------
Date: 18 Mar 90 16:54:00 CDT
From: "55SRWLGS" <55srwlgs@sacemnet.af.mil>
Subject: SARAH-LITE VS A HP Laserjet
I have a friend who is having a problem with a program, called
SARAH-LIGHT. ( I know, I know. I should tell him to eat more fruits and
vegetables, maybe take a few vitamins, and lay off the junk food. But
seriously, folks, SARAH-LIGHT is an honest-to-goodness program, and there is
a similarly honest-to-goodness problem here.)
Seems that SARA-LIGHT is an applications program being used to create a
high quality form letter, and then store the image to floppy disk. Part of
it's function is to interface with a Hewlett Packard Laser Printer, Model HP
Laserjet Series 2. Things go just fine when the program is active. However,
once the program finishes, and my friend wants to go on to another
application, the laser printer now prints garbage, and can only be cleared up
by turning the HP on and off.
Don't know if there is a fault in the setup, or if SARA-LIGHT needs
patching, or if the problem is with the HP. I had him try doing a PRINT /D:
PRN:, and see if the MODE command would do anything. No dice, tho. If anyone
has any clues, appreciate e-mail to 55SRWLGS@SACEMNET.AF.MIL. Or, a call to
either commercial 4O2-294-5831, or military autovon 271-5831, and talk to
Sergeant McCant.
Thanks in advance,
Frank Starr
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 17 Mar 90 18:19:09 CST
From: Mark A. Richards (Marcus) <CMS0555%UWF.BITNET@ncsuvm.ncsu.edu>
Subject: Turbo Pascal 5.5 and PULL55.TPU -- PULL55.ARC
Hello,
Has anyone had problems trying to compile amd run the PULL55 archive
programs and demo? I have the turbo pascal 5.5 compiler and I get the
following message... 'incorrect version number' when compiling the PULL55.TPU
unit is compiled into the DEMO program for PULL55.ARC set of programs.
Please send all messages to me... I retrieved the PULL55.ARC
from listserv at NDSUVM1
Thanks for the help...
Mark
cms0555 at uwf.bitnet
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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