Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (11/30/89)
Info-IBMPC Digest Thu, 30 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 108 Today's Editor: Gregory Hicks - Chinhae Korea <COMFLEACT@Taegu-EMH1.army.mil> Today's Topics: ctags for MS-DOS Directory listings for PC-BLUE? Environment space on a DOS shell Hard Disk for an XT Permanently Write Protecting 3.5" Diskettes MSDOS 3.1/3.2/3.3 BUG in dynamic path Today's Queries: COM3 and COM4 on PCs Connecting my Brother typewriter to my PC Re: EGA getimage/putimage done fast Expanded Memory Linker Program wanted to do LPT redirection (2 msgs) Key swapping PC Tech Journal BB: PCTechLine, where have you gone??? Programming Colors on a VGA i486 Motherboards Available yet? New Program Uploads: Lists of currently available books on WordPerfect & Lotus 1-2-3 New MSDOS uploads to SIMTEL20 Official version of PCcurses uploaded to SIMTEL20 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 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) and TREARN (Turkey). 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> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 Nov 89 14:24:32 EST From: "Richard J. Reiner" <RREINER%YORKVM1.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Subject: ctags for MS-DOS In the Nov 15 Digest, I wrote: >Does anyone have a pointer to version of the *nix utility ctags >which runs on MS-DOS? No answers yet, but I have found one anyway, in the Unix archives at Simtel-20. I've made the few small changes necessary to get it to compile under MS-DOS using MS C; it's quite standard, and Jove likes its output. If anyone wants a copy of my port, mail me at either of the addresses below. --Richard .. ..Richard J. Reiner .. BITNET ...... rreiner@vm1.yorku.ca ......... .. .. ...................... old BITNET .. rreiner@yorkvm1 .............. .. .. ...................... Internet .... grad3077@writer.yorku.ca ..... .. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Nov 89 19:31:00 MET From: ACEVERJ%HUTRUU0.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: Directory listings for PC-BLUE ? Dear Frank, maybe I shouldn't ask you directly about this, but seeing your message in the INFO-IBMPC Digest V89#86, I thought I might. The question is: is there something for the PD1:<PC-BLUE> directory like SIMIBM.ARC for PD1:<MSDOS>? If so, would you tell me what, where etc. Thanks in advance. [The files you're looking for are in each volume. VOL-000.* files..] Regards, Jaap Verhage, Academic Computer Centre, State University at Utrecht, Holland. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Nov 89 18:57:00 EST From: SHADKB@ccm.UManitoba.CA Subject: Environment space on a DOS shell | I'm having problems with my environment. No matter how large I set the | environment with CONFIG.SYS's SHELL /E switch, I have practically no room | in my environment to add strings. This only happens under a second copy | of COMMAND.COM. Anyone know why? The "/E" switch you add to the SHELL command in the CONFIG.SYS file is actually a parameter for the COMMAND.COM program. Therefore, when you run a second copy of COMMAND.COM, you shouldn't just type "COMMAND" (or your application program shouldn't just execute the "COMMAND.COM" program), you (or it) should send the "/E" parameter on the command line. Unfortunately, if it is an application program executing the second copy, you may not be able to convince it to send any command line arguments to its copy of COMMAND.COM. Hope this helps, though. Kevin <shadkb@ccm.UManitoba.CA> ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Nov 89 20:35 CST From: 2634RUPERTJ%MUCSD.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: Hard Disk for an XT I PRESENTLY HAVE AN XT CLONE THAT I WANT TO UPGRADE WITH A HARD DISK. I HEARD THAT THERE IS A "SPEED LIMIT" FOR XT'S. EVIDENTLY IF ONE IS TOO FAST, THE XT WON'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT AND YOU'RE PAYING FOR NOTHING. HAS ANYONE HEARD ABOUT THIS AND WHAT THE LIMIT IS? [I have a Seagate ST-251-1, 40Mb, 28Ms access time. Works WELL! It's intended for my '386 when I can afford it...] IS THERE ANY SUCH LIMIT FOR THE NUMBER OF BYTES IS CAN HANDLE? [Yes, there is a limit, but the limit is imposed by DOS. DOS 4.0 removes this limit. DOS 3.x and lower imposed a maximum harddisk size of 32Mbytes. Several companies make a driver that logically removes this limit, Are you willing to upgrade to DOS 4.0? If not, use DOS 3.x and a driver. One such company that provides drivers is OnTrack with their "Disk Manager". The driver takes the smaller partitions assigned by some custom formatter and logically makes them other drives. I have a 40mbyte drive broken up into a 32 mbyte and an 8 mbyte. Cluster size is determined by DOS when doing the DOS Format. If the partition size is > 12 Mbyte, the 2K size is used. Otherwise the 4K size is used.] FINALLY, DOES ANYONE HAVE A SUGGESTION AS TO WHO MAKES A GOOD, REASONABLY PRICED HARD DISK FOR THE XT CLONE? [Seagate, Micropolis, Tandon to name a few...] THANKS, JACK RUPERT MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 2634RUPERTJ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 19:42:35 EST From: Colin Smith <COLIN%UOTTAWA.bitnet@ugw.utcs.utoronto.ca> Subject: Permanently Write Protecting 3.5" Diskettes In reply to David's request for an easy way to PERMANENTLY write-protect 3.5" diskettes. The way in which I accomplish this is the following: I hold the diskette with the metal sleeve pointing up. Using my Swiss Army knife (any similar tool will do) I pry the two shells of the diskette slightly apart at the corner which the write-protect tab is located and allow gravity to remove the write-protect tab for me. The removed tab looks something like this: 1_l L_] -Colin --O. O-- ***************************************************************** Colin Smith | Colin@UOTTAWA.BITNET | Freedom is a Road Computing & Comm. Services | Seldom travelled University of Ottawa | by the Multitudes. Ottawa, Ontario | K1N 6N5 | Malcolm X (613) 564-8104 | ***************************************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Nov 89 13:08 GMT From: GROENEVELD%HDETNO51.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu Subject: MSDOS 3.1/3.2/3.3 BUG in dynamic path In addition to my msg in IBMPC-L #85 concerning 'Path Spec. with WP 4.2 problems' I found out already that it is not WP causing the trouble but DOS: DOS BUG in dynamic path: Tested with MSDOS versions 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 on (clone)XT, HP-AT & HP-386 Vectra: If a path specification contains a.o. the dynamic path specifications '..' and '\' and the '\' comes before '..' the system CRASHES if a .BAT, .COM or .EXE file is FOUND by the '\' specification if the current directory is a (sub)subdirectory at the CURRENT (substituted) drive. These path specifications are legal and the above bug does not emerge if specifying only the '\' or the '..' by which the program can be found if one level deep. The solution for the problem for the time being is to specify '..' BEFORE '\', so for example '..;\' as part of the path spec. string. Jim Groeneveld, ============================================================================= NIPG TNO - - - - - <work> - - - - -|- <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) 071-178810 | 03412-60413 | RULTNO::JIM ============================================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Nov 89 11:17:50 MEZ From: Erich Neuwirth <A4422DAB%AWIUNI11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: COM3 and COM4 on PCs I would like to install KERMIT to work with com port 3. I have the hardware and it seems to be OK. When I configure the program with port 1 everything works. But KERMIT appears to be configured for port 3 Because it says something like "serial port not found" I Installed DEVCOM.SYS (from COMM3_4.ARC) which is supposed to b a device driver for ports 3 and 4, but it did not help. Has anybody solved this or a similar problem? I have a 386 clone wit AMC bios and I am running MSDOS 3.30 Erich Neuwirth ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 14:22 N From: <RCSTRH%HEITUE5.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Connecting my Brother typewriter to my PC Hello everybody, I'm looking for some technical information for connecting my Brother AX25 typewriter to my PC by use of the 15-pins sub D-connector on the rightside of the typewriter. Thanks in advance. Rob Houtepen EARN : RCSTRH@HEITUE5 University of Technology Eindhoven - Holland ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 NOV 89 17:06:26 GMT From: <MATHURLEY%CS8700.UCG.IE@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Re: EGA getimage/putimage done fast I too have a similar problem with speed using Turbo C's getimage/putimage functions.. I have yet to find a solution but I am nearly there.. 1. The bitmap that getimage/putimage is fairly basic. It stores the size of the image and height and length in the first few bytes and then proceeds to store either 8,4 or 2 pixels per byte depending on whether you use CGA 2 B/W, CGA 4 COLOUR, or EGA/VGA 16 COLOUR respectively. It is obvious to see how the EGA bitmap can be cumbersome and slow. 2. EGA also, you might know, stores video memory as 4 planes with one bit in each of these planes representing a pixel (Adding up to 4 bits which defines the screen colour of the pixel).. To change a pixels colour you must write to each individual plane .. selecting planes 0-3 individually.. My guess is that standard bitmap procedure in most languages (I've found that GWBASIC/Turbo Basic/Turbo C and probably most if not all other languages use the same bitmap format) is to write each pixel individually.. Selecting the write plane 0-3 for every single pixel thereby doing say for a 100x100 image 40000 different write plane select.. The fact that write plane requires two memory writes means that 80000 functions would have to be made.. By the way these calculations would probably not hold up to the test they are only an example. My idea (which I have yet to finish) is to write my own bitmap routine where I store the data as 4 seperate planes and write each plane individually cutting down on instructions by a gianormous amount and thereby increasing speed. 3. I will put the final bitmap loader programs (in C they'll be), along with a very sophisticated SPRITE editor and screen editor, up on SIMTEL as soon as they are finished (the latter will be on later rather than sooner while the bitmap loader should be ready any day..) Please excuse the length of this explanation and any mistakes associated with it.. I hope I have helped Paul Hurley, U.C.G., Ireland ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 19:54:46 CDT From: david@wubios.WUstl.EDU (David J. Camp) Subject: Expanded Memory Linker Does anyone know of an IBM-PC linker that will allow overlays to be loaded into available Expanded memory? It would be best if no special programming was required, using the existing overlay mechanism and using EMS when it is available. -David- Bitnet: david@wubios.wustl ^ Mr. David J. Camp Internet: david%wubios@wucs1.wustl.edu < * > Box 8067, Biostatistics uucp: uunet!wucs1!wubios!david v 660 South Euclid Washington University (314) 36-23635 Saint Louis, MO 63110 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Nov 89 11:35:09 MET From: Ron Croonenberg <U448035%HNYKUN11.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU> Subject: Program wanted to do output redirection hello, I've got a little problem with interrupts on an ibm-pc. I want to redirect output (for lpt1) to a diskfile. The problem is I don' want to do this al the time so, I changed a few lines in prnds.asm (which I got from a trickle server). prndsk intercepts int 17 and redirects output to disk.(and does a lot of other interresting things to). Within prndsk are so called services.You can call them with int 17 and the values 81h - 86h in ah. In turbo-c : regs.h.ah=0x??; int86(0x17, ®s, ®s); If I make a c-programm, this does the job. But, I want to make a tsr which does the job. I dont know really what the problem is (but it seems that certain interrupts don't do what you expect them to do (all the time); First I thought it had something to do with segments, but that is not true or is it? If it will work (to set redirection on and off) I want to use it in a tsr routine that is triggered by the clock tick (int 1Ch). I hope someone out there knows something about interrupts and tsr's, and is willing to give me a solution to this problem. If there are any answers (which are sent to me) I will summarize and forward them to the info-ibmpc mailing list. [Thanks!] Thanks in advance, Ron Croonenberg Katholieke Universiteit Nijmegen Nijmeegs Universitair Huisartsen Instituut verlengde Groenestraat 75 6525 EJ Nijmegen E-mail : u448035 at hnykun11.bitnet [Take a look at LPTX700.ARC or LPTX600.ARC. Another such program is LPT2DSK.ARC. All three are in PD1:<MSDOS.PRINTER>. These are TSR Printer re-direction programs that allow you to re-direct LPT1-3 to different files. LPTX700 has a hot key that 'pops' up a menu to allow you to do various things. gph] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 20 Nov 89 13:10 GMT From: GROENEVELD%HDETNO51.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu Subject: Program wanted to do output redirection Help! PROBLEM: I am searching for a RESIDENT in the BACKGROUND WORKING program that copies all input from COMx bit by bit to LPTx (preferably at high speed). BACKGROUND: From two PC's one has a large application running generating (graphical) output for a network printer. There is no room for network software anymore in the memory, only for a relatively small utility redirecting printer output to any device or file, such as COMx. The other computer has the network software loaded and both are connected by a serial null-modem cable. All output from the first one has to be intercepted by the second one and sent to the network printer directly. In the meantime the second PC should be available with exception of the two occupied devices. ALTERNATIVES: COPY has its limitations: 1) it is not resident and 2) it can only copy text (ascii) files from a COM port until EOF (ascii-26). COPY /B COMx LPTx is erroneous. XMODEM.COM and/or MODEM7.COM may do the job (not tested yet) but neither are background resident: XMODEM T >LPTx also sends the header to the output device when started. So, suggestions for/or programs please! Jim Groeneveld, NIPG TNO - - - - - <work> - - - - -|- <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) 071-178810 | 03412-60413 | RULTNO::JIM [See previous message] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 11:41:59 MST From: John Shaver Modernization Office <steep-mo-m@huachuca-emh2.army.mil> Subject: Key swapping Does anyone know of a simple routine which would swap two keys on my Dell System 310? The Caps Lock and CTRL keys are the reverse of what I expected. Please address answers directly to me as I may be off the net by now. Thanks John ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 10:28 PST From: SPGJAF%UCBCMSA.Berkeley.EDU@jade.berkeley.edu (Joseph A. Faracchio) Subject: PC Tech Journal BB: PCTechLine ... where have you gone??? OK. I know PC Tech Journal went out of business in April of 1988. What I'm looking for is the Bulletin Board sources to PC TechLine. Since its part of Ziff-Davis I've called there with no results. Maybe its because its COMDISCO/Fall this week. Does anybody know where the stuff that was on PC-Tech Line went? Especially the VGA-Compatablility Suite from the November, 1988 issue??? There is a PCTECH directory on Simtel20 but its not there. I do have the OS/2 MultiBoot source from there, which I'd be glad to send to Simtel20 if I could get some directions, but I neglected to get all the other goodies. thanks .. joe.f. [Contact Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>. He'll give directiona. gph] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 12:07 GMT From: IKDC0%ccuab1.uab.es@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: Programming Colors on a VGA DEAR NETLANDERS, A colleague of mine needs to program colors, specially differents tones of the same color, on a VGA monitor attached to a PS/2 model 50z using Basic or Pascal. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks in advance, Javier Castro ikdc0@ebccuab1.bitnet or ikdc0@ccuab1.uab.es (INTERNET) ------------------------------ Date: 16 Nov 89 14:09:02 GMT From: theseas!nfotis@relay.EU.net (Nikolaos Fotis) Subject: i486 motherboards Available yet? [Follow-ups to comp.sys.ibm.pc, please!] Dear Netters, I would like to bring your focus on the problem of finding a good and agressively-priced Intel 486 motherboard. My personal ideal for such a motherboard is: A i486 running at 25 MHz. 16 SIMM sockets (with parity) for 16 MBytes on board. NO wait states! (perhaps with 4-way interleave?) (VERY welcome: SCSI controller on board, directly to the 32-bit bus, for maximun speed from the hard disk(s). I heard that some company did it with i386 motheboards - Mylex, perhaps?) (not much needed: a 32-bit connector for more fast memory, perhaps confirming with the EISA standard. It can be left out, for cost reasons) (not much needed: sockets for extra cache memory, perhaps ala Mac IIci, with largest cache size set at 256KBytes). This hardware fulfills my personal computing needs (ray tracing, radiosity, etc.), and I would like to get such a motherboard (without memory) with $1500-$2000. (the $2000 price is the upper limit for ALL the above mentioned features, while the $1500 includes the SCSI controller I mentioned) I have a simple question: Does any company, at this time, sells i486 motherboards? I need to see technical details, not marketing hype. (I saw Micronics ad in Byte's special issue for PCs, but it didn't say much..) And in Greece it's a VERY slow process to get more info from manufacturers... Please reply by e-mail. If enough interest is generated, I'll post a summary to the net. Nikolaos "Nick" Fotis, 16 Esperidon St., Halandri, GR - 152 32, Athens, Greece e-mail: nfotis@theseas.UUCP ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Nov 89 17:20:02 EST From: "Christopher M. Sedore" <RSCMS@SUVM.ACS.SYR.EDU> I would like any available info on an IBM 5192 terminal emulator for the PC. I just bought an IBM system 34 and this seems to be the only terminal it supports. If anyone has additional info on the Sys/34, I would appreciate hearing it... Chris Sedore Syracuse University ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1989 00:52 MST From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Subject: Lists of currently available books on WordPerfect & Lotus 1-2-3 [--forwarded message--] From: <LACUREJ%IUBACS.BITNET@UICVM.uic.edu> I uploaded to SIMTEL20 the two files: <msdos.editor> WORDPS89.ARC (6,144 k) a list of currently available books on WordPerfect (winter, 1989 edition) <msdos.lotus123> LOTUS89.ARC (10,752 k) a list of currently avialable books on Lotus 1-2-3 (autumn, 1989 edition) These are replacements for files I uploaded earlier this year: <msdos.lotus123>LOTUSBKS.ARC : 15,360 bytes <msdos.editor>WRDPFBKS.ARC : 8,704 bytes -- Jon Jon LaCure | East Asian Languages and Literatures | Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana 47405 | 812) 332-3101 | lacurej@iujade --- Thanks, Jon! --Keith Petersen Maintainer of SIMTEL20's CP/M, MSDOS, & MISC archives [IP address 26.2.0.74] Internet: w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil, w8sdz@brl.arpa BITNET: w8sdz@NDSUVM1 Uucp: {ames,decwrl,harvard,rutgers,ucbvax,uunet}!wsmr-simtel20.army.mil!w8sdz ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Nov 1989 12:57 MST From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Subject: New MSDOS uploads to SIMTEL20 I have uploaded the following new files to SIMTEL20: <msdos.emulators> 22NCE125.ARC Z80 CP/M emulator for MS-DOS systems v1.25 <msdos.desqview> CNTDWN.ARC Countdown timer with alarm for Desqview <msdos.zmodem> DSZ1114.ARC X/Y/Zmodem protocol file transfer pgm 11/14/89 <msdos.trojan-pro> CKOT095.ARC Checks archived files for viruses (req. SCANV) SCANRS49.ARC Resident program to scan for many viruses SCANV49.ARC VirusScan, scans disk files for 51 viruses Note: the three files above were obtained from the Homebase BBS. <msdos.screen> VIZ230.ARC TSR to speed video BIOS, set RAW mode, more <msdos.pcmag> VOL8N21.ARC PCMag CASE.WKS,CHG,EDITOR.BAS,PCMANAGE,TEXTCOM --Keith Petersen Maintainer of SIMTEL20's CP/M, MSDOS, & MISC archives [IP address 26.2.0.74] Internet: w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil, w8sdz@brl.arpa BITNET: w8sdz@NDSUVM1 Uucp: {ames,decwrl,harvard,rutgers,ucbvax,uunet}!wsmr-simtel20.army.mil!w8sdz ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1989 22:45 MST From: Keith Petersen <w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> Subject: Official version of PCcurses uploaded to SIMTEL20 [--forwarded message--] From: bl@infovox.se (Bjorn Larsson) To: w8sdz@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil Re: pccurses 1.4? >Bjorn, will your new pccurses 1.4 for MSDOS be ready soon? I should clarify what is going on with PCcurses. I have made some very minor changes. Except for the change of the overlay() function I recently posted on UseNet, all my changes have only been made to reduce the amount of compiler warings with TC2.0 and MSC5.1. No functional changes were made except overlay(). I call my current version 1.4b. I have uploaded [the official] version 1.3. I think you should not expect a 1.4 soon, as I cannot [spare] the time for it anymore. To give you my own 1.4b version appears [of little use], since there are very few functional differencies in it from 1.3. Bjorn ====================== InfoVox = Speech Technology ======================= Bjorn Larsson, INFOVOX AB : ...seismo!mcvax!kth!sunic!infovax!bl Box 2503 : bl@infovox.se S-171 02 Solna, Sweden : Phone (+46) 8 735 80 90 --- Thanks, Bjorn! I added your recently posted fix to the archive and it is now available in SIMTEL20 directory pd1:<msdos.screen> PCCSRC13.ARC Unix compatible version of Curses screen mgmt --Keith Petersen Maintainer of SIMTEL20's CP/M, MSDOS, & MISC archives [IP address 26.2.0.74] Internet: w8sdz@WSMR-SIMTEL20.Army.Mil, w8sdz@brl.arpa BITNET: w8sdz@NDSUVM1 Uucp: {ames,decwrl,harvard,rutgers,ucbvax,uunet}!wsmr-simtel20.army.mil!w8sdz ------------------------------ End of Info-IBMPC Digest ************************ -------