Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (02/08/90)
Info-IBMPC Digest Thu, 8 Feb 90 Volume 90 : Issue 14
Today's Editor:
Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>
Today's Topics:
ASCII => PostScript Conversion
BITFTP@..
Compress/Decompress compatible under MSDOS
Kermit 3.0 Official
LISTSERV Access to SIMTEL Archives
Menu Program
PD & Shareware Program of 1989 Award (2msgs)
Today's Queries:
undocumented Op in 80286?
386sx
Hard disk problem!
Problems with Turbo Pascal TPU files from PD archives
Programmer's "Paradise"
New programs:
DECOMP.ARC - Unix-compatible 16 bit uncompress, w/C source
Recent msdos uploads to SIMTEL20 (correction)
LOCK.ARC - Lock kbd to protect network connects,w/ASM src
TIMESTMP.ARC - Display current date & time on standard output
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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
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If you are unable to access SIMTEL20 via Internet FTP or through one of
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Tymnet via StarLink outdial.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 13:28:43 EST
From: John Wyman <LIBJCW%SUVM.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: (ASCII => PostScript Conversion
In PC Digest v89n124, Wolfgang Wuerz <wuerz-w@vax.hmi.dbp.de> was looking
for a way to print ASCII files on a Postscript printer.
In PC Digest v90n7, Grant Hoover <U26264@UICVM> referred to a commercial
program called Trading Post.
There is another program that prints such files from the PC to a Post-
script printer. It is the commercial program "PC LaserWriter Program"
that comes with the "AppleTalk PC Card", which connects an IBM PC to an
AppleTalk LAN network.
LaserWriter (LW) allows a limited amount of font control and will
print files from several formats: WordStar; MultiMate; ASCII;
Diablo 630; PostScript; Lotus Spreadsheet; and Lotus Graph.
(I've used only ASCII, never the others yet).
I've used it a lot from ASCII files, controlling text font size. The few
other controls available are these: Portrait or Landscape layouts; and
Escape sequences for Boldface, Italics, and Boldface Italics only.
John Wyman, Research Computing
Academic Computing Services
Syracuse, NY 13244 (315) 443-1145
BITNET: LIBJCW@SUVM
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1990 00:24 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: BITFTP@..
Greg, BITNET nodes can request files from BITFTP@PUCC. To get
a copy of the help file, send mail (or interactive message) to
BITFTP@PUCC.BITNET. In the message, include the text;
HELP
and you'll get information mailed to you on how to use the BITFTP
facility.
I don't know if it can access the Info-IBMPC archives.
--Keith
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 08:07:58 GMT
From: MCGDRKG%CMS.MCC.AC.UK@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (JANET)
Subject: Compress/Decompress compatible under MSDOS
<Info-IBMPC Digest Vol.090 Issue 4:Thu, 13 Jan 90>
Here follows my findings for decompressing UNIX compressed archive files under
MSDOS.
1) There are many archives available to the MSDOS user which have been
compressed by UNIX compress programs. For example the Pascal-L digests
available at Simtel. These are essentially text files created with a
wordprocessor and compressed to a binary format by the UNIX program.
2) The files usually have the name structure -- filename.extension-z. They
should be FTP`d etc as a binary file and downloaded to a PC in the usual
way.
3) Once on your Hard Disk (make sure there is plenty of space!) they can be
decompressed. There are to my knowledge at least two programs that will do
this running under MSDOS. The first is available as a `C' source code from
comp.sources.unix volume6/Misc.Patches1. The copy I recieved was obtained
as a Shar archive and can be uncracked with a MSDOS compatible program.
This prog. can be found in the directory PD1:<MSDOS.FILUTL>SHAREXE.ARC from
Simtel.
The other compress/decompress program is archived as COMP410E.ARC and can be
downloaded from Simtel in directory PD1:<MSDOS.SQ-USQ>. The documentation on
this is not good and it took me a while to discover how to decompress a file.
Try the following at the DOS prompt:
comp410e -d <infilename> outfilename
or
comp410e -d filename
Without the -d option the it acts as a compress program.
4) Finally once you have, at last, decompressed the archive you will find
that it is text but not very pleasant to read, if you used the DOS
`type' command, and will not print out very well. If you have Norton
Commander (Ver 3) you can use the view facility to look at the file. This will
tell you what wordprocessor has been used and will automatically text format
the file for you. Please note that Norton's view supports 8 wordprocessors and
all ASCII files. I found the paticular archive I was interested in to be
created using Wordperfect, and I have no reason to doubt the other archives
will be different.
Many thanks to all who replied and for your help in this matter.
Bob.Gowans
JANET: R.Gowans@uk.ac.MCC
Internet: R.Gowans%MCC.ac.uk@cunyvm.cuny.edu Dept Civil Eng,
EARN/BITNET: R.Gowans%MCC.ac.uk@UKACRL U.M.I.S.T,
UUCP: ...!ukc!umist!R.Gowans Sackville Street,
Manchester.
FAX: [044 61 | 061] 200-4016 M60 1QD.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 07:16:48 GVA
From: Revised List Processor (1.5o) <LISTSERV%CEARN.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: File: "IBMPC-L MAIL" being sent to you
Received: from WEIZMANN.WEIZMANN.AC.IL by CEARN.cern.ch (Mailer R2.05) with
BSMTP id 8038; Mon, 29 Jan 90 07:15:39 GVA
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Date: Sun, 28 Jan 90 23:53:49 +0200
From: NYHILLAV@WEIZMANN
To: ibmpc-l@cearn
sub yossi carmel
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 08:46:29 MST
From: rtravsky@CORRAL.UWyo.Edu (Richard W Travsky)
Subject: Kermit 3.0 Official
The release of Kermit 3.0 is apparently official. FTP it from:
WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU
as MSVIBM.EXE down the kermit/bin directory. Other MSVIBM.* files can be
found in the kermit/a directory.
As for the support for networks (like DECNet, 3Com, or Novell), the
recent Info-Kermit digest had the following request for all Kermit hackers:
>
NETWORKS DEPARTMENT
Kermit includes high-level interfaces for a variety of local area network
protocols (Netbios, DECnet, NASI/NACS, etc), but it does not include device
drivers for specific network boards and it does not execute the TCP/IP or
Telnet protocols. Kermit is Kermit and can't really afford (in terms of
space and complexity) to do this.
What is needed here is a public-domain (or copyright but free, like Kermit)
program which executes Telnet (like NCSA) over TCP/IP, allows drivers for
various Ethernet boards to be plugged in, and can be run as a TSR interceptor
for Bios Int 14H, the communication port interrupt. Such a program would
work through Kermit's SET PORT BIOS1 command. Several such programs already
exist, but they are commercial products. There is some possibility that a
future release of NCSA Telnet itself will provide the desired Bios hook.
We'd like to start collecting information about how to set up MS-DOS Kermit
3.0 to work with various kinds of PC LANs (or vice versa!), similar to the
information in MSKERM.HLP about Novell networks. If you have hints about
setting up and using 3.0 with DECnet-DOS, 3COM, Netbios, Starlan, etc, please
send them in and we'll start collecting them into a file called MSVIBM.NET
(no such file yet). Particulars about which programs and versions are used,
how to run them and in what order and with what options, etc, would be very
useful.
>
This seems like a good place to repeat this call for volunteers.
The following was also in the this digest:
Subject: Kermit Required in Government Contracts?
We have heard many reports that certain requests for proposals or bids from
the US government for computer-related equipment include a requirement that
the Kermit protocol be supported. We'd like to hear about any RFPs or
contracts, past or present, that called for Kermit. Knowing about such things
helps us to convince those who need convincing that Kermit is not just a toy
used by hobbyists.
Anyone knowing anything about this, might send it to the Info-Kermit
people (particularly CMG@WATSUN.CC.COLUMBIA.EDU). I'd be interested in this
as well, so maybe CC me or Info-Vax? Thanks.
Richard Travsky Bitnet: RTRAVSKY @ UWYO
Computer Services Internet: RTRAVSKY @ CORRAL.UWYO.EDU
University of Wyoming
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1990 00:27 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: LISTSERV
Is it possible for users on BITNET to access PD2:<ARCHIVES.IBMPC> from
the FTP Server (LISTSERV@NDU..)?
No. NDSUVM1 and RPIECS only carry a subset of our archives. That
directory is not included.
--Keith
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 09:08:56 CST
From: Gary Samek <C133GES%UTARLVM1.BITNET@ricevm1.rice.edu>
Subject: Menu Program
On Tue, 23 Jan 90 18:51:58 MST you said:
>I set up DIRECT ACCESS 4.0 from Data Technologies, Inc for my Dad's
>computer. Has MANY levels of menus (Up to 11 I think) but is very
>easy to use, maintain, et al... My brother bought it for my dad,
>so I don't know how much it costs...
>
>Gregory Hicks
>-------
Thanks Greg,
I will certainly look into it.
Thanks again.
Gary Samek
Bitnet C133GES@UTARLVM1
Telnet C133GES@utarlg.arl.utexas.edu
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jan 90 9:05 -0800
From: Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>
Subject: PD & Shareware Program of 1989 Award
>4dos is good, but I nominate Anarkey by Steven Calwas! It's a nice way to
>UN*X'ify a PC, including filenamecompletetion, aliases and commandlineediting.
>Most of these features are included in 4dos too, but Anarkey is easier to
>integrate into the standard dos environment.
I too like Anarkey better than 4dos. I second your nomination.
Thomas.
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jan 90 10:17 -0800
From: Thomas Wong <twong@civil.ubc.ca>
Subject: PD & Shareware Program of 1989 Award
What I think I really like about Anarkey that hasn't been mentioned
yet is to ability to execute several commands on one line. Much like
in Unix where you can type " prog1 ; prog2 ; prog3 ; prog4 ".
This is very much like running a batch file but I don't have
to write a batch file, execute it, then erase when I finished.
Thomas.
Thomas Y. K. Wong INTERNET: thomas_wong@civil.ubc.ca **/
Graphics Lab twong@civil.ubc.ca * */
Civil Engineering BITNET: thomas_wong%civil.ubc.ca@ubcmtsg * */
University of B.C. twong%civil.ubc.ca@ubcmtsg * */
Vancouver, B.C. UUCP: ...!van-bc!civil.ubc.ca!thomas_wong * */
Canada ...!van-bc!civil.ubc.ca!twong * */
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 90 20:42:35 EST
From: hkucs!hkucc!hraubut@uunet.UU.NET
Subject: SUBSCRIPTION
Re: Subscription to IBMPC DIGEST
Dear Sir,
I wish to become a member of the IBMPC DIGEST. I enclose personal
details and a short biography.
Name: Malcolm Butler
Title: Mr.
Institution: University of Hong Kong
Department: Music
Position: Lecturer
EMail Address: hkucs!hkucc!hraubut@uunet.uu.net
Phone: Hong Kong 8592894
Address: Department of Music
University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road
Country: Hong Kong
Biographical Sketch:
I am a musicologist at the University of Hong Kong. I teach a range
of historical and technical courses, but my specialism is in the
secular vocal music of the Baroque. Recent research has centered
around the development of computer applications in musicology,
especially the design of an "intelligent" musicologist's desktop.
I am interested in any application of computers to humanities
disciplines, especially those applications that involve artificial
intelligence and the development of expert systems.
I studied at the University of Manchester and the University of
Liverpool, England. I came to Hong Kong in January 1985, since when
I have been involved with a dramatic growth in the use of
technology in the undergraduate music curriculum, as well as in
the Arts Faculty generally. It is important for academics in a
place as remote as Hong Kong to feel part of a larger academic
community, so I'm especially pleased to be able to communicate with
others who share similiar interests.
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jan 90 11:49:50 MEZ (Tue)
From: hl351ge@unidui.uni-duisburg.de (Veit)
Subject: undocumented Op in 80286?
Has anyone (except INTEL) detailed information about the undocumented
Assembler command LOADALL in the 80286 processor?
Codeview and TD (Borland) can unassemble it; it has the machine
code 0F 05 (Try out this). Ray Duncan say it is frequently used in
OS/2; I myself detected it when unassembling HIMEM.SYS from
MS-Windows.
What I found out is this:
LOADALL reads a number of words from Memory area 80:0 into internal
Registers (known ones as AX,BX,...CS,IP, but also nondocumented ones that
nevertheless MUST EXIST). The interesting feature is that the undocumented
Registers are the hidden 48 bits of the Segment registers that are used
to carry the Descriptors from GDT/LDT-Tables in protected mode.
Assume the IBM-AT Gate-A20 is enabled, it is possible to access the
full 16 MB memory without switching to protected mode (!!). HIMEM.SYS
actually does this! This magic is over when the appropriate segment register
which data was 'bent' is overwritten in Real Mode by a segment load or
override prefix.
What I dont know is:
What is the exact mapping of the area 80:0 ... 80:xxxx ? I know some
positions, e.g. the location of LDTR / GDTR / CS / IP, but not all of
them since HIMEM does not need them all. I also didnt succeed in implementing
a WORKING program to access the 15 MB of memory like himem does (crashes!).
Please send Reply to
hl351ge%unidui.uucp@unido.bitnet (Holger Veit)
university of Duisburg
Electrical Engineering,
Institute of Dataprocessing
Bismarckstr. 81
4100 Duisburg 1,
Federal Republic of Germany
Thanks!
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 26 Jan 90 10:16:37 EST
From: Claude Daoust <CDAOUST%UOTTAWA.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca>
Subject: 386sx
I recently read that the 386sx chip may cause problems when running Unix os.
More specifically, the problem seems to be with data throughput due to the
16-bit memory and bus. As I was interested in purchasing an SX and would
probably like to run some version of Unix on it, I would appreciate anyone
who'd like to share their experiences with an SX chip and a Unix os.
Also, I once posted a question asking if anyone could recommend a book or
perhaps an article with some general info. on memory stds. such as LIM, EMS
and also on expanded and extended memory. I'm asking again..
thanks
CDAOUST@ca.acadvm1.uottawa
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 10:56 GMT
From: KEEK%TNO.NL@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Hard disk problem!
Hi Netlanders,
About a month ago I discovered an annoying problem concerning the
hard disk in my XT-clone.
My system is the following:
- LASER XT/3 with clock speeds of 4.77 and 10 MHz.
- SeaGate ST225 Hard disk / Interleave 1:3
- Western Digital Controller WDXT-Gen
The problem is:
Running the XT at the clock speed of 4.77 MHz gives no problem in
matching the 1:3 interleave, reading one track in 3 revolutions of
the hard disk. For a XT is this reasonable, so I can live with this
(although of course I would like a 386 with a HD, access time 18 ms.
interleave 1:1, but hey not everyone can afford that).
The problem starts when putting the XT in TURBO mode at 10 MHz. One
way or another the controller?? cannot cope with this speed, and as a
result it cannot make the 1:3 interleave. Hence it takes 17 revolutions
to read one track. A result is for instance that starting TURBO PASCAL
takes 5 secs at 4.77 MHz and 10 secs at 10 MHz.
One solution is of course to change the interleave to 1:4, but I know
the machine is possible to cope with 1:3. It is then very annoying
jumping back and forth TURBO mode when using a large program in TP which
means jumping in and out TP.
My questions are:
1. Is this normal, and if so can anyone explain why?
(the importer in Holland didn't seem to understand the problem, and
at the shop where I bought the XT they tell me that they know of the
problem!)
2. If this is not normal, can anyone help me to run my HD at an
interleave 1:3 at 10 MHz.
Thanks in advance, Theo.
BitNet : KEEK@HDETNO51.BITNET
KEEK@TNO.NL
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 90 10:55 EST
From: <RER1%SCRANTON.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: Problems with Turbo Pascal TPU files from PD archives
This may have already been discussed, but I haven't been able to find
it in any of my previous list messages.
I've gotten five ARChives from the Turbo Pascal PD library at SIMTEL20.
Each time I've made the request and gone through the process to d/l them
to my system (I make the request from a VAX/VMS system), then un-arc the
files and try to compile the example .PAS files using the given .TPU files,
I keep getting "format error in TPU file". This happens with ALL of the TPU
files I've gotten so far from SIMTEL20. I wouldn't mind, only that the source
for the TPU files has not been given in any of the ARCs I've gotten.
Anybody got a solution for me on how I can convert the TPUs into the
right format or maybe tell me what I need to do when d/l them?
Thanks in advance,
boB Rudis
BITNET: RER1@SCRANTON
------------------------------
Date: 28-JAN-1990 19:08:29.95
From: Markus F. Boie <203013%DHHDKRZ5.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Programmer's "Paradise"
A few months ago i purchased 3 copies of CommandPlus 3.0 from a corporation
named Programmer's Paradise through a friend visiting the US at that time.
As it turned out the packs were incomplete (the programming toolbox mentioned
in the ads were missing). I wrote a letter - no answer. I sent a tele-fax -
same result. I'm gonna send them more complaints but i fear they're faster in
throwing them away than i am in writing them...
Has anyone encountered similar problems with that sort of "paradise"? Is there
any special way to get them talking to me?
Markus
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1990 01:18 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: DECOMP.ARC - Unix-compatible 16 bit uncompress, w/C source
[--forwarded message--]
From: B.D.Ripley <CAAS21%vaxb.strathclyde.ac.uk@NSFnet-Relay.AC.UK>
I have uploaded to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.sq-usq>
DECOMP.ARC Unix-compatible 16 bit uncompress, w/C source
An number of requests on the net recently were for an MS-DOS based
uncompress. The files in this archive do this, including for 16-BIT
compressed files.
JANET: b.d.ripley@uk.ac.strath.vaxe
BITNET: b.d.ripley@vaxe.strath.ac.uk
or b.d.ripley%strath.vaxe@ac.uk or UKACRL
INTERNET: first BITNET form or
b.d.ripley%uk.ac.strath.vaxe@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk |
Prof. Brian Ripley,
Dept. of Statistics,
University of Strathclyde,
26 Richmond Street, Glasgow G1 1XH
Thanks, Brian!
--Keith
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1990 09:19 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Recent msdos uploads to SIMTEL20 (correction)
On Friday, 26 January 1990 I announced the following upload to
SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.catalog>
CDISK433.ARC Disk catalog system also does ARC/PAK/ZIP/LBR
That was a typographical error. The filename is CDISK443.ARC.
--Keith
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1990 00:26 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: LOCK.ARC - Lock kbd to protect network connects,w/ASM src
[--forwarded message--]
From: John Wolchak Ph. 4852 <JOHN@ADMIN1.USask.CA>
I have uploaded to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.keyboard>
LOCK.ARC Lock kbd to protect network connects,w/ASM src
This program will lock your keyboard to protect the network
connections while you are away from your desk.
Thanks, John!
--Keith
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1990 11:36 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: TIMESTMP.ARC - Display current date & time on standard output
[--forwarded message--]
From: Robert E. Zaret <ZARET@mitvma.mit.edu>
I have uploaded this file to SIMTEL20:
pd1:<msdos.batutl>
TIMESTMP.ARC Display current date & time on standard output
This program can be invoked from batch programs to measure intervals
or log activities. The output has the form:
dd mmm yyy hh:mm:ss
where mmm specifies the month in characters (JAN, FEB, etc.). The
package includes an executable file for DOS only, OS/2 protected-mode
only, and either.
Thanks, Robert!
--Keith
------------------------------
End of Info-IBMPC Digest
************************
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