[comp.sys.ibm.pc.digest] Info-IBMPC Digest V7 #46

Info-IBMPC@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL (Info-IBMPC Digest) (10/23/88)

Info-IBMPC Digest           Sun,  23 Oct 88       Volume 7 : Issue  46

This Week's Editor: Greg Hicks - Chinhae Korea <COMFLEACT@Taegu-emh.arpa>

Today's Topics:
                    Modem for PC; c++ on PC available?
                          CD-ROM on net (2 msgs)
                      Debugging TurboPascal programs
                SHELL programs, backup tape drives for PCs
                         AT hard disk info needed
                            Searchin for OPS83
                          Seagate 4096 80mb drive
                      LANS and Vianet (or other nets)
                      ATI VIP/Magnavox adapter cable
             SIMTEL20 MSDOS file description database updated
                            Inexpensive PC LANs
                        Enhanced keyboards (still)
                     Version Control Software (IBM PC)
                           Heath kit store query
           Trapping CTRL-C and CTRL-BREAK with Microsoft C v 5.0
                             IBM BBS Programs

Info-IBMPC Lending Library is available from:

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    PD1:<msdos>files.idx for listing of source files)

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    TRICKLE@TREARN (Turkey) and TRICKLE@DKTC11 (Denmark)

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

Date: Mon, 19 Sep 88 16:57:34 +0100
From: sklau@Cs.Ucl.AC.UK
Subject: Modem for PC; c++ on PC available?

Two questions:

-I am currently looking for a modem for an AT. Is there somewhere that I
can find info (price and specs)? I don't need a very sophisticated
one; just one at a reasonable price.

-I have tried using the Designer C++ on the AT and got the error "free
storage exhausted" on a fairly big program. Has anyone used it before
and got the same problem? Anyway to get round it? (apart from splitting
into smaller programs) Is there other source of C++ available?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Amy
 Amy S K Lau
 Image Processing Group, University College London
 e-mail addr.: sklau@uk.ac.ucl.cs

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

Date: 20 Sep 1988 05:35-PDT
From: jimc@math.ucla.edu
Subject: CD-ROM on net

I just attended a presentation by Barry Gerber <xgerber@uclasscf.bitnet>,
the manager of UCLA's SSCnet (Social Sciences Computing Network),  in which
he described just such an item, except he has about 700 PC's on his 16
linked token rings.  There is a CD-ROM library server which, if I under-
stand right, has a juke-box type autoloader for the CD-ROM drive.  The net-
work software is Novell.  As I understand it, exported files / drives /
etc. can be accessed by remote PC's as if local, and the machine with the
disc can serve remote sites as if the requesting program were running lo-
cally.  So the CD-ROM vendor software is able to honor trans-net requests
for data equally as if the user program were local.

If you don't have a local Bitnet gateway, send to
xgerber%uclasscf@mitvma.mit.edu

James F. Carter        (213) 825-2897
UCLA-Mathnet;  6608B MSA; 405 Hilgard Ave.; Los Angeles, CA  90024-1555
UUCP:...!{rutgers,ucbvax,sdcrdcf,{hao!cepu}}!ucla-cs!math.ucla.edu!jimc
ARPA: jimc@math.ucla.edu            BITNET: jimc%math.ucla.edu@INTERBIT

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

Date: Fri, 16 Sep 88 16:37:09 PDT
From: jimc@math.ucla.edu
Subject: Re: CD-ROM on net

> Jim:
>    Can he still use the host on this net?  or is the host computer tied
> up running all the timing for the requests..?

I have never used that net; however, the usual deal with Novell is that
the servers are pretty much dedicated to passing out files.  I believe
that as far as Novell is concerned, the CD-ROM is just another kind
of disc.  The vendor's driver would make it look like a DOS disc and
the Novell software would take it from there.

          -- jimc
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to thank jimc for his quick response to my cry for help,
and thought that others may wish to know this information....

  Unfortunately we are looking for a network that will work without a
dedicated file server.  If anyone knows of a file sharing network that
does NOT require a dedicated machine and is industry-proven,
please help us out here at sac.96bmw-lgspp@e.isi.edu.

                       Richard A. Gautier

+-----------------+-------------------------------------------------+
|   _ __   (TFM)  | Richard A. Gautier, Airman First Class, USAF    |
|  ' )  )      /  | ?Net: SAC.96BMW-LGSPP@e.isi.edu                 |
|   /--' o _. /_  | Work: 915-696-4946  Play: 915-695-3406          |
|  /  \_<_(__/ /_ | Programmers never die, they just get debugged!  |
+-----------------+-------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: 16 Sep 88 17:01 -0100
From: Michal Jankowski <sieminski%rzsin.sin.ch@RELAY.CS.NET>
Subject: Debugging TurboPascal programs

Here follows the source and some description of my 'ErrTrace' unit.
(I didn't want to send the source because I regarded it as unreadable,
but I have added some comments now, so maybe you can understand it)
As I send the source, I think the .TPU file is not necessary.

Michal

ERRTRACE.PAS
**************************************************************************
{
ErrTrace - a unit for TurboPascal v4.0 to display an error traceback
           information.

Author : Michal Jankowski <sieminski@rzsin.sin.ch>
                          <sieminski%rzsin.sin.ch@cernvax> (Bitnet)
Version : 1.0  16.09.1988
}

[ERRTRACE.ARC that includes errtrace.pas and errtrace.doc, has been
 included in the Lending Library.  --gph]

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

Date: Sun, 18 Sep 1988  15:59 EDT
From: Herb Lin <LIN@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: SHELL programs, backup tape drives for PCs

Looking for recommendations on good shell programs (e.g., Norton
Commander, Xtree etc).  What do you like, and why?

Same for internal tape drives for PCs -- prefer one that will run off
a floppy controller and fit into a 1/2 height bay.

thanks..

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

Date: Thu, 15 Sep 88 11:07 EST
From: <SIDBURY%SCRANTON.BITNET@CORNELLC.CCS.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: AT hard disk info needed

Several years ago we purchased 2 72meg Chase Technology High Performance
internal hard drives for an AT to use with a Novell network.  When we last
upgraded the network software, these drives wouldn't work.  Our maintenance
staff replaced them with 2 30 mb drives and put the other drives "back in
inventory".  Unfortunately to use them they must be low level reformatted
and our maintenance staff has lost the reference material, the setup disk
and whatever else was sent with them.  I cannot find any trace of the
company.  It was at 375 Sylvan Ave, Englewood Cliffs, NJ but the phone no
is for a different company and Ma Bell has no Chase Technologies in that
city.

        If anyone knows their whereabouts, or if anyone can supply me with
copies of the installation manuals and the setup software, I will be
grateful.

        Thanks.

                Dick Sidbury
                University of Scranton
                Scranton, PA 18510
                (717)-961-6109
                Bitnet: Sidbury@SCRANTON

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

Date:     Thu, 15 Sep 88 15:35 N
From:     <PEZZINO%IPACRES.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject:  Searchin for OPS83

Hi Netlanders,

   I am looking for an OPS83 compiler for an IBM PC-AT.

   I would be interested in a PD version, if it exists, or in buying an of-
ficial version. Is there anyone who knows where I can find them?

                Many thanks in advance
                                        Giovax

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|     _____                          | Giovanni Pezzino System programmer |
|    /    /                          | Centro Ricerche Elettron in Sicilia|
|   /  __    o   ___  _  _  ___ _  _ |      Via Regione Siciliana, 49     |
|  /    /   /   /  /  | /  ___/  \/  |        Monreale  (Palermo)         |
| /____/   /   /__/   |/  /__/   /\  |------------------------------------|
|                               -  - |      BITNET : <PEZZINO@IPACRES>    |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Date: 15 September 1988 10:19:28 CDT
From: Charlie Smyth   <CSMYTH%UIUCVMD.bitnet@cunyvm.cuny.edu>
Subject:  Seagate 4096 80mb drive

I recently installed a Seagate 4096 80mb drive into an early model IBM AT
running DOS 4.0.  First, the DiskManager 3.2 routine that came with the
disk drive does not support DOS 4.0 so it can not be used. I borrowed a
copy of the Everex EVERSTORE 3.0 routines (DISK) and was able to use them
successfully in a CLUB AT model 1800 using Disk type = 25.  To get the
drive to work in the IBM AT, I had to use Disk Type = 8 and the Everex
EVERSTORe 2.0 routines.  It may be that the 3.0 routines might work but I
didn't try.

For the IBM AT I found that I had to clear the CMOS by telling SETUP that
I didn't have a hard disk (to clear out the parameters of the previous disk
I suppose) and then rerun setup to file type 8.  The version 3.0 code al-
lows one to define the disk type from their popup menus while one has to do
it using the IBM supplied Diagnostics Disk Setup for version 2.0.  I made
some feeble attempts to find out if there is a newer IBM Bios that goes
past the 22 disk types allowed on this machine but was unsuccessful (anyone
out there know?).  I also tried using Disk Type 18 but this wouldn't boot
up even though it did physically and logically format (Disk Type 18 is what
Disk Manager tries to use).

For any machine, one uses only the low-level, physical formatting (don't
forget to set the bad tracks!) parts of the routines.  The important thing
is to override any defaults that might appear so that you actually start
physically formating with the right number of heads and cylinders (in this
case, 9 heads, 1024 cylinders, and 17 sectors).  The partitioning and
logical formatting should be done with DOS 4.0 so that you can set up
partitions greater than 32 mb should you desire.

An additional note about DOS 4.0: Norton 4.0/Advanced until just recently
would not handle DOS 4.0 -- you need to get the maintenance release from
Norton.  A copy of the Advanced Utilities that I received last week from
a mail order house back east (one of the big ones) did have the latest
maintenance upgrades and so it worked fine with DOS 4.0.  This particular
release also cleared up a problem that we had when using the SI routine
on the Club AT.

Mace Utilities (which I have discussed before) does not yet support DOS
4.0 completely.  The current release can handle 40 mb partitions (I tested
it) and supposedly can go to 62MB under DOS 4.0 but will not handle
something like the ST 4096 with a single 80mb partition. They said they
would have something within 2 months of my call so I expect the fix
sometime in November.


Charlie Smyth                         CSMYTH@UIUCVMD.bitnet
Dept. of Statistics, UIUC             csmyth@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu
101 Illini Hall
725 S. Wright Street,
Champaign, IL   61820

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

Date: Thu, 15 Sep 88 13:08:13 EDT
From: mlsmith@nadc.arpa (M. Smith)
Subject: LANS and Vianet (or other nets)

     The Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications & Technology
(SIGCAT) on September 20,1988 at the US Geological Survey, Reston, Vir-
ginia. To quote E. J. (Jerry McFaul, SIGCAT Chairman:

     "In fact, Online has been very busy lately. Not only has it developed
a viable PS/2 solution, but it has also produced the new Grolier's En-
cyclopedia and developed a system for networking CD-ROM drives known as
OPTI-NET. Bill Ford, President of Online, will be available to describe all
these developments."

Bill Ford, Online Computer Systems, Inc. - (301)428-3700, (800)922-9204
Jerry McFaul, USGS, (703)648-7126, FTS 959-7126

                         Mark L. Smith

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

Date: Thu Sep 15 18:33:44 1988
From: tfw3masb@lognet2.ARPA (MSgt Blois)
Subject: ATI VIP/Magnavox adapter cable

I am looking for the wiring diagram of the interface cable which hooks up
between an ATI VIP VGA card and a Magnavox 8CM873 Multisync monitor. I have
the standard cable now, which connects the monitor to the 9-pin RGB digital
port on the card, what I am looking for is the cable which interfaces to
the 15-pin ANALOG port. The monitor supports both DIGITAL and ANALOG sig-
nals through the same 9-pin connector on the back. It only supports the 256
color mode when in ANALOG mode. If there is a company on the west coast
which has this cable, or if anyone can supply me with the wiring diagram I
could make one myself, I would be interested in in obtaining this
knowledge. Any help would be appreciated.

Send any replies to:   tfw3masb@lognet2.arpa
                    or
               bytemaster@clark-emh.arpa

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

Date: Thu, 15 Sep 88 17:56:27 MDT
From: Rick Conn <RCONN@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: SIMTEL20 MSDOS file description database updated

Keith, I also tried it under ALPHA3 at the office.  ALPHA3 is a dBASE III
clone, and it worked perfectly there as well.  Thanks for the data.

     Rick

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

Date: Thu, 15 Sep 1988  23:51 MDT
From: "Frank J. Wancho" <WANCHO@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: Inexpensive PC LANs

I have heard, second-hand, that LANtastic seems to be the least
expensive, least overhead, two-station LAN system to use.  I have not
seen the LAN review issue in PC Magazine yet.  Anyone have any
negative comments or caveats about using it from direct personal
experience?

--Frank

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

Date: 16 Sep 88 13:01:46 GMT
From: munnari!ucsvc.unimelb.edu.au!u5533129@uunet.UU.NET (Coronary Care
Unit R.M.H.)
Subject: Enhanced keyboards (still)

In article <259@uqvax.decnet.uq.oz>, ccgreg@uqvax.decnet.uq.oz writes:

(in answer to a question about how to get DOS to recognise F11 & F12 on 101
key keyboards)

> Yeah here is a file that works for me dos 3.3 and 4.0.
> put it into a file called say fkextend.scr and then do:
>
> c:> debug < fkextend.scr

etc.

Would anyone have any idea of how to get this to work with DOS 3.2?  Cur-
rently it seems to prevent DOS reading the keyboard buffer.

Program listed below

> --------------------cut-------------------------------cut--------------
> N FKEXTEND.COM
> A
> JMP           013A                 ; Jmp Initialize
> DW       0,0
> CMP           AH,00
> JZ       0115
> CMP           AH,01
> JZ       0121
> CS:
> JMP           FAR [0102]
> MOV           AH,10
> PUSHF
> CS:
> CALL     FAR [0102]
> CALL     0131
> IRET
> MOV           AH,11
> PUSHF
> CS:
> CALL     FAR [0102]
> JZ       012E
> CALL     0131
> RETF     0002
> CMP           AL,E0
> JNZ           0139
> SUB           AL,AL
> CMP           AL,01
> RET
> MOV           AX,3516
> INT           21
> MOV           [0102],BX
> MOV           [0104],ES
> MOV           DX,0106
> MOV           AX,2516
> INT           21
> MOV           DX,013A
> INT           27
>
> R CX
> 54
> W
> Q
> ----------------------cut----------------

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

Date: 16 Sep 88 13:27:13 GMT
From: bsu-cs!kmzvokel@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (Kenneth M. Zvokel)
Subject: Version Control Software (IBM PC)

I am currently looking for software that supports Version Control
for the PC.  Does anyone know of this type of enginerring software?

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

Date: Sat, 17 Sep 88 16:55:11 JST
From: yossi gil <yogi%humus.huji.ac.il@RELAY.CS.NET>
Subject: Heath kit store query.

Hello netland.
     Can any one out there in netland help me in the following query:
I am interested in assembling an PC-XT compatible, preferably from com-
ponents. I remember ads in old BYTE issues, from Heath store, offering
kits. Any information leading to an address of such vendor will be ap-
preciated.

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

Date: Sun, 18 SEP 88 23:37 N
From: <CAVECCHIA%ITNVX1.INFNET%IBOINFN.BITNET@ICNUCEVM.CNUCE.CNR.IT>
Subject: trapping ctrl-C and ctrl-BREAK with Microsoft C v 5.0

> from Bruce_Kahn@MAYTAG.CEO.DG.COM
>
> Is there some way to trap ctrl-C interrupt w/in MS-C 5.0? ...

I had the same problem writing an interrupt driven serial (RS232) com-
munication program, this program should intercept both ctrl-C and ctrl-
break with no ^C displayed on the screen.

This problem may be solved using the low level (BIOS) keyboard input
routines (that don't check for ctrl-c) and intercepting ctrl-break replac-
ing the original service routine for interrupt 0x1b.

The fragments of code below show this method:

#include <bios.h>
#include <dos.h>

#define BBREAK 0x10
#define Btestkey _bios_keybrd(_KEYBRD_READY)
#define Bgetkey  _bios_keybrd(_KEYBRD_READ)

int isbreak = 0;                     /* flag to be setted if ctrl-break  */
void (interrupt far * oldBBREAK) ()  /* old ctrl-break handler           */

static void far interrupt Bbreak()   /* ctrl-break handler, I'm not sure */
{                                    /* about what is legal to do here   */
  isbreak++;                         /* .. so I do almost nothing ...    */
}

main()
{
  unsigned int key;
   ....
   ....
  oldBBREAK = _dos_getvect(BBREAK);  /* save old handler    */
  _dos_setvect(BBREAK, Bbreak);      /* install new handler */

   ....
   ....
  for(;;) {                          /* now looping for keyboard input  */
    if( isbreak != 0 )  {            /* ctrl-break interrupt ?          */
      isbreak--;
      key = Bgetkey();               /* throw away the null in keyboard */
                                     /* buffer, this MUST be done.      */
    }
    if ((key=Btestkey())!=0) {       /* char from keyboard ?   */
       key = Bgetkey();
          .....
    }
  }
  ....
  _dos_setvect(BBREAK, oldBBREAK);   /* should be done before exit */
}

Another approach could be jumping directly (with longjmp/setjmp) from the
interrupt routine to a specific point in the program. I've not tested this
because is not clear to me what is possible to do inside an interrupt
routine.

Hope this helps.

Valter V. Cavecchia
National Research Council
I-38050 POVO - ITALY

CAVECCHIA@ITNCISCA.BITNET

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

Date: Sun, 18 Sep 88 18:31:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Michael E. Yellin" <my0l+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: IBM BBS Programs

   I'm interested in setting up a IBM based, multi-user, bulletin board
system.  However, I'm having problems locating available software packages.
I've investigated a number of magazine ads, but there must be systems that
only advertise electronically that I don't know about yet.

What I'd like it to do:

- multi-user (multiple phone lines)
- compatible with IBM XT and AT type systems
- programmable (In other words, I'd like to be able to look at and modify
the source code)
- message bases/sigs area
- inter-user chat section
- on-line games would be nice, particularly multi-user
- the ability to network mail with other system would be nice too


-Mike Yellin - BITNET: Sparks@Drycas - ARPA/INTERNET: MY0L@Andrew.cmu.edu -
--U.S. MAIL: Box 740, 5115 Margaret Morrison St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 --

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

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