[comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest] Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #10

Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL ("Info-IBMPC Digest") (02/01/90)

Info-IBMPC Digest           Thu,  1 Feb 90       Volume 90 : Issue  10

Today's Editor:
         Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <GHICKS@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil>

Today's Topics:
                        16 Bit Compress source code
                       ASCII => PostScript (2 msgs)
                       Bgi Drivers and Mouse Control
                            compress (v89 #121)
                   Re: Looking for Bulletin Board system
             NBS/NIST Automated Computer Time Service Diskette
                               Uses for LINT
                                  ZMODEM
Today's Queries:
              Bad RAM on my Leading Edge model M mother board
                        Black boxes with Pagemaker
                             Disk copy program
                          Identifing MCGA vs. VGA
                          PC Ogre Sources Wanted
                 PS/2 keyboard usable on an AT compatible
                     Video Driver, Bananoid, Astrology
New Uploads:
            CTASK20.ARC - Multitasking Kernel in C/Asm/src V2.0

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, LISTSERV@FINTUVM 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
(Germany), IMIPOLI (Italy), EB0UB011 (Spain) TAUNIVM (Israel) and TREARN
(Turkey).

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) at a cost of 17
cents per hour.  It is also accessable on Telenet via PC Pursuit and on
Tymnet via StarLink outdial.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 12:37 CDT
From: <RAYMOND%AUDUCVAX.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: 16 Bit Compress source code....

Hi,
 A number a people seem to be asking about 16-Uncompress to uncompress
those "xxxx.Z" files that you find on Unix based machines.

Well I have one. And yes, it works under MSDOS. I have a Zenith-248/12 and
it works without a hitch.

 I think I got it off of Simtel.

Sincerely
Raymond Erdey

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 11:39:39 EST
From: Deba Patnaik <DEBA%IBRDVM1.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: ASCII => PostScript

There is a package called "Hijaak from the Inset Systems inc". It has has
an option for conversion of other formats including text files to
PostScript.

Deba Patnaik
deba@ibrdvm1.bitnet

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 12:33:28 est
From: David Jeffrey <djeffrey@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Subject: ASCII => Postscript

There was a request for a program to convert ASCII to Postscript.  I have
written a program in QuickBasic that prints an ASCII file on a Postscript
printer. Since I wrote it for myself, it is not very slick, but it does
the job and also several other little jobs for maintaining a Laser printer
(QMS PS800 in my case). With a few more improvements I could make it
available.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 90 09:00:08 est
From: bvan@mvax.dcem.dnd.ca (Bryan E. Van Blaricom)
Subject: Bgi Drivers and Mouse Control

> 1) Using INT 33h (mouse control) in vga mode 640x480 16 colours and MCGA
> mode 640x480 2 colours does not seem to work properly.  The mouse cursor
> does not appear.

This is apparently a problem with older mouse drivers not working properly
with the high res mode of newer graphics cards, including VGA.  The only
solution I've heard of is to get a new driver from the supplier of your
mouse that will work with graphics high res mode.  For example, the
Logitech mouse driver version 4.0 or later will support all version of
VGA.

B.E. Van Blaricom

------------------------------

Date: Mon 22 Jan 90 18:15:33
From: tweten@prandtl.NAS.NASA.GOV
Subject: compress (v89 #121)

From: George Nassas <GEORGE%LAUVAX01.bitnet@ugu.utcs.utoronto.ca>

	If anyone can supply a pointer to a 16 bit compress program for
	PC I'd sure like to hear about it.

It's not too hard.  Back before MicroSoft offered compact model C, I
ported a version to small model C (with far pointer exceptions) for my own
use on my PC.

As I recall, the ugly part (unnecessary after the advent of compact model)
was using a set of macros in small model to access Compress's large arrays
through an array of far pointers to array segments.  Several aspects of
Compress which make no sense in a single-programming environment had to be
"iffdeffed" out (not just because they were useless, but also because code
space was at a premium).

The subtle problems had to do with differences in sign extension between
VAXes and PCs, both due to different integer sizes and due to signed vs.
unsigned characters.

Though it still has an outstanding bug related to sign bits in
uncompressed data bytes, I continue to use it on my PC.  It should
probably be cleaned up significantly, in light of compact model C.
Anyway, it serves as an feasibility proof for 16-bit (de)compression in
the memory space of a basic PC.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 09:13:14 EST
From: fed!fsrcs1!m1tdg00@uunet.UU.NET (Taegan D. Goddard)
Subject: Info-IBMPC Digest V90 #4

I have several shareware programs that I'd like to distribute to readers.

I am not sure I can send them to you from this site... Can I send you a disk?

Taegan D. Goddard, 4420 N 7th Street, Arlington VA 22203

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90  11:14:49 EST
From: "Roger Fajman" <RAF@CU.NIH.GOV>
Subject: Re: Looking for Bulletin Board system

Check into RBBS-PC.  It's freely copyable.  It was top-rated in an
Inforworld review of BBS programs about a year and a half ago.  The latest
release is 17.2D, but 17.3 will be out very shortly.  You can order the
complete set of diskettes for $16 from

      Capital PC User Group Software Library
      P.O. Box 6128
      Silver Spring, MD 20906-6128
      USA

I'm SYSOP of the RBBS-PC BBS operated by the Capital PC User Group (CPCUG
Member Information eXchange, +1 301 738 9060, 9 ports) and know the
authors personally.

Roger Fajman
RAF@NIHCU  (BITNET)
RAF@CU.NIH.GOV  (Internet)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 13:16 PST
From: Joe St Sauver <JOE@oregon.uoregon.edu>
Subject: NBS/NIST Automated Computer Time Service Diskette

The U.S. National Bureau of Standards (now "NIST") Time and Frequency Division
offers an automated computer time service ("ACTS") that can be accessed to 
synch a PC clock's to an accuracy of about 1 millisecond via dialin modem.

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of NBSTIME,EXE (and the other
programs that comprise the ACTS distribution)?

Thanks,

Joe St Sauver (JOE@OREGON.UOREGON.EDU or JOE@OREGON)
Statistical Programmer and Consultant
University of Oregon Computing Center

------------------------------

Date: Mon Jan 22 12:08:48 GMT 1990
From: Mike O'Carroll <lena!mike@relay.EU.net>
Subject: Uses for LINT

In my mini example last week, the first line in c.c sort of crept in
somehow.  It doesn't actually matter, but one tends to get floods of mail
on this sort of thing ...

c.c
	long l;         /* who cares anyway */
        myfun(l)
        long l;
        {

Mike O'Carroll, Microsystems Unit, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
E-mail: @ukc.ac.uk:mike@ee.leeds.ac.uk
UUCP:   ...!mcvax!ukc!lena!mike or mike@lena.uucp

------------------------------

Date: 22 Jan 90 22:25:00 CDT
From: "MOLLOY" <molloy1987lg@ftan.af.mil>
Subject: ZMODEM

>From: John Grover <JGROVER%MAINE.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
>Subject: What makes ZMODEM so fast?
 
>There has been a tremendous amount of interest in ZMODEM as of late. Can
>anybody tell me why it is so much faster than other protocols? Does it do
>any error checking? Is there a streaming mode for those of us with MNP?
 
>John Grover
>University of Maine Computing Center.
 
ZMODEM is faster because it is a streaming protocol.  It seems to deliver
about 232 cps (@ 2400 baud).  Other protocols like JMODEM (about 234 cps)
or Super8K (> 255 cps) get their speed by using very large block sizes,
which reduces acknowledgement overhead (I guess).
 
For a complete discussion of ZMODEM, see the SIMTEL20 file:
 
    PD2:<MSDOS2.ZMODEM>YZMODEM.ARC    (93135 bytes)
 
This is the full specification and documentation written by ZMODEM's
author, Chuck Forsberg.
 
Hope this helps,
 
Mike Molloy

------------------------------

Date: 22 Jan 90 08:52:00 EDT
From: "ARTIC::MACPHERSON" <macpherson%artic.decnet@alexandria-emh2.army.mil>
Subject: Bad RAM on my Leading Edge model M mother board

Well Netland,

The subject just about tells it all.  My model M was made by Mitsubishi
(sp), and is the same as the model originally offered by Sperry.  The
diagnostics say I have bad memory at 1000:0DCF.  No problem, except that
that memory is soldered to the motherboard, and replacing it is beyond my
capabilities.  Repairing it (and anything else that might be bad) will
cost $200.

A new motherboard can be had for $75, and even 386 boards are advertised
for $700.  Only problem is that I remember reading that the Mitsubishi
motherboard and case are not quite standard, and the standard boards won't
fit.

Does anyone know of a source for boards that do fit, preferably 286/386,
or am I better off purchasing a box and "standard board?"  Does anyone
have any recommentations concerning sources for the "roll your own"
approach?

Of course it might cost very little more to buy a whole new machine, but
that seems wasteful, and this way I may be able to expense the whole thing
in a single year as a repair, rather than going through some more
complicated tax forms.

I know there are other Leading Edgers out there, so I'll summarize the
answers and put them on the net.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 90 08:34:20 LCL
From: "Bruce H. McIntosh" <UFWORLEY@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu>
Subject: Black boxes with Pagemaker

We have an AST Premium 286 (2mb, 1024 of which is used by SMARTDRV for
cache) running PageMaker version 3 under Windows 2.1, printing to an HP
LaserJet Series II with 2.5mb.  When printing PageMaker documents
containing clip art (scanned with an HP ScanJet and Scanning Gallery), the
clip art is occasionally overlaid on the paper (but not on the screen)
with nice, crisp, solid black boxes.

Needless to say, this is not only frustrating to our publications folks,
but it also makes the clip art doggone hard to see! :-)  The problem
appears to be utterly random in nature.  Resetting the machine and/or
powering the printer off and then on again often clears up the problem,
but not always.

The problem occurs whether the Windows SPOOLER.EXE is used or not.  We've
gone so far as to reformat the HD and reinstall everything from DOS on up
from scratch, with no apparent effect on the problem, except to make it
occur somewhat more frequently.  Any ideas/fixes/etc?

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 10:30 EST
From: JWK%OPUS%MCOIARC.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu
Subject: Disk copy program

Could anyone point me towards a program for making multiple copies of 3.5"
disks?  Preferably something that would keep the source image in RAM or on
a Hard disk and would take care of formatting on the fly.

Any and all responses greatly appreciated.

Joe Klingler
Medical College of Ohio
Image Analysis Research Center
Toledo Ohio
BITNET: JWK@MCOIARC

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 13:34 CDT
From: Chuck Warlick <WARLICK%AUDUCVAX.BITNET@CORNELLC.cit.cornell.edu>
Subject: Identifing MCGA vs. VGA

Does anyone know how to tell if (with software) a "dos type" computer has
a VGA or MCGA graphics adapter??

Chuck Warlick
Auburn University

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 10:57:26 est
From: <KAHN@VOID.MCEO.DG.COM>
Subject: PC Ogre Sources

  I was just skimming thru some old issues of Computer Language and there
was a review of the PD game PC Ogre.  The author mentioned that the
sources are readily available and that no one has done a port for it yet.
Can anyone on the net please tell me where I might find the sources; it
doesnt matter what system they are for, any will do?  Thanks in advance.
 
                                   Bruce (KAHN@ADAM.DG.COM)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 90 10:10:23 CST
From: "Don N. Kleinmuntz" <DKLEIN@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu>
Subject: PS/2 keyboard usable on an AT compatible

I have recently acquired ownership of a PS/2 keyboard (no one around here
is quite sure what happened to the machine it used to be attached to, but
that is another story).  I would like, if possible, to connect this PS/2
keyboard, which has a 6 pin DIN connector, to an AT-compatible machine,
which accepts a 5 pin DIN connector.  Could anyone tell me (a) whether an
appropriate adapter is available and where I might obtain it, or (b) that
what I wish to do is impossible and/or silly, because of some
incompatibility I am (obviously) unaware of.  I will summarize for the
list any responses sent directly to me.  Thanks for your help.

Don Kleinmuntz
High-tech:    DKLEIN@UIUCVMD.BITNET
              DKLEIN@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
Medium-tech:  (217) 333-0694
Low-tech:     Program in Judgment/Decision Making
              Department of Accountancy
              University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
              208 Commerce Building (West)
              1206 South Sixth Street
              Champaign, IL 61820 


------------------------------

Date: Tue, 23 Jan 90 00:31:26 EST
From: Don Mac Phee <GKZ101%URIACC.BITNET@brownvm.brown.edu>
Subject: Video Driver, Bananoid, Astrology

   I could use help on the following:

   1) Is there a Video Driver available that would allow me to tweak a
640*480 @ 256 colors out of a stock IBM PS/2 Mod 50z?

   2) An update availible for PD1:<MSDOS.VGA>BANANOID.ARC ?  An Internet
address for the author?

   3) An Astrology program that would allow me to do the basic functions
of this arcane art on same PS/2?

Don Mac Phee                   'May you lead interesting lives.'
                                 --Old Chinese curse
P.O. Box 161
E. Greenwich
Rhode Island USA
Zip: 02818-0161 

Gkz101@Uriacc.Bitnet 
Gkz101@Uriacc.Uri.Edu

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 22 Jan 1990  09:52 MST
From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: CTASK20.ARC - Multitasking Kernel in C/Asm/src V2.0

[--forwarded message--]
From: JKAISLER@A.ISI.EDU

I have uploaded this file to SIMTEL20:

pd1:<msdos.c>
CTASK20.ARC     Multitasking Kernel in C/Asm/src V2.0
 
This is an update to the current CTASK11.ARC in the files.  This was
provided by the author (Tom Wagner) to me.  It has been tested and
verified to contain this software (unZIPped and then reARCed).
 
   Joe

Thanks, Joe!

--Keith

------------------------------

End of Info-IBMPC Digest
************************
-------