hicks@WALKER-EMH.ARPA (Gregory Hicks COMFLEACTS) (02/12/88)
Info-IBMPC Digest Tue, 9 Feb 88 Volume 7 : Issue 9
This Week's Editor: Gregory Hicks -- Chinhae Korea <hicks@walker-emh.arpa>
Today's Topics:
Copyright
Freebase for the IBM PC Wanted
How to Trap Runtime System Error under MSC?
DisplayWrite and cables
MicroSoft Turbo Pascal to C Translator
Quick reference list to SIMTEL20's MSDOS directories
uEmacs key rebinding
Today's Queries:
Digitized Images and Windows
Driving EPSON Graphtrax
Fast/NO-LOAD printing
1.44 Meg Floppy query
Icelandic Character Set
MSC 4.0 interrupt (^C) handler help needed
MSC 5.0 Bug
PIBTERM v4.0.6. - can't send nulls
Query on HPGL to Postscript
Question about turboC 1.5 (2 msgs)
Slow RS232
STRTOL function needed
Info-IBMPC Lending Library is available from:
Bitnet via server at CCUC; and from SIMTEL20.ARPA (see file
PD1:<msdos>files.idx for listing of source files)
SIMTEL20.ARPA can now be accessed access from BITNET is via
LISTSERV@RPICICGE.BITNET using LISTSERV Commands
INFO-IBMPC BBS Phone Numbers: (213) 827-2635 and (213) 827-2515
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 28 Jan 88 17:39:33 GMT
From: Gregory Conway <gregory@ritcsh.uucp>
Subject: Copyright
darryl@ism780c.UUCP (Darryl Richman) writes:
> As regards whether a copyright-notice-less work is by default in the
> public domain, the 1976 copyright law specifically gives the author 5
> years to properly amend the work and register it. About the only way to
> be sure a work is in the public domain is to prove that the author has so
> released it or that it was created long enough ago that it could not be
> copyrighted any more.
All very true. According to the book "Software Protection", by G. Gervaise
Davis III, (p. 60) the moment a program is recorded in some permanent
form, be it paper, disk, or anything else, it is legally copyrighted.
Of course, failure to register the program will limit the authors right
to protection. Nonetheless, registered or not, the program is copyrighted.
You would be wise to use caution in assuming the work is public domain.
====================================================================
Nothing I have said has any bearing on reality. So there.
Who wrote that??
====================================================================
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 88 13:24 N
From: <PAAI%HTIKUB5.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Freebase for the IBM PC Wanted
There exists a free-text data base management system that is marketed in
the U.S. and abroad under the name FREEBASE. It is copywrited by CAT
BENELUX BV, a dutch company; I don't know who sells it in other countries.
For very urgent reasons I do need a list of users of FREEBASE. If you use
it or know of somebody who uses it, can you please, please send me a mes-
sage, so I may contact this persons?
Thanks in advance.
Hans Paijmans
Kath. University Brabant.
Fac. der letteren.
Postbus 90153
5000 LE Tilburg
The Netherlands
PAAI@HTIKUB5.bitnet
======================
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jan 88 04:42:25 GMT
From: Gary Wisniewski <gary@apex.uucp>
Subject: How to Trap Runtime System Error under MSC?
cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
>> Michael Harris asks,
>>
> Can anyone tell me how to trap Microsoft C "serious runtime errors",
> e.g., "Error 2000 Stack Overflow", before they print to the terminal
> screen?
>
>You might find out if the $150 Microsoft charges for runtime library
>routine sources includes __chkstk. If not, take a look at the
>disassembled code from CodeView -- it's tiny.
>
>Clayton E. Cramer
The MSC Startup Code diskette contains source to both the __chkstk routine
(in the chkstk.asm module) and to the error message generator. You can
modify these and rebuild the startup code (CRT0.OBJ et.al.). We rewrote
it all to take advantage of EMS, etc.
BY THE WAY! The MSC runtime source code DOES not include floating point
and compiler "glue" modules like $i8_foo_bar you may have seen in the
maps or while debugging ... just the documented stuff is included ...
we were depressed when ours arrived.
Gary J. Wisniewski Apex Software Corporation
{allegra,bellcore,cadre}!pitt!darth!apex!gary Phone: (412) 681-4343
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jan 88 21:38:09 GMT
From: mimsy!cvl!mimsy!allegra!ihnp4!netsys!wb8foz@uunet.UU.NET
(David Lesher)
Subject: DisplayWrite and cables
IBM used to sell a special serial cable and software to connect DWers to a
PC and move the documents over to DCA (ebcdicky) files.
BUT Surprise awaits you! First it comes with connectors to fit (I'm not
pulling your leg) a PeeCee Jr.
Second, it needs revision 4 of the DW software, which needs 256k of DW
memory. But guess what, since the DW has been discontinued, IBEAM will sell
you neither. If you really want to go through with this, contact
davec@ncoast. I am afraid, however that he may become less than rational if
you bring it up.
good luck
--
Hmmm 'rm *' I wonder what that command does?
decuac!netsys!wb8foz
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jan 88 20:05 GMT
From: nardacph@Hawaii-EMH.arpa
Subject: MicroSoft Turbo Pascal to C Translator
dons @ killer.uucp (Don Simoneaux) writes:
>On the back cover of the Dec 22, 1987 issue of PC Magazine is an ad
>for MicroSoft QuickC with the following quote:
>
>"Call (800)541-1261, Dept. B21 and we'll send you a free information
>packet, including details of how to obtain a TurboPascal to MicroSoft
>QuickC translator program."
>
>I called and they said they will send me the info packet *and* a disk
>with the translator program (not just "details of how to obtain").
Based on Don's article, which, by the way was dated 27 Nov 87, I called
Microsoft and was told the same thing. The disk arrived last week. It
turns out that it was written by company called Glockenspiel in Dublin,
Ireland. By the way, the 8 files that make up the package are now
available on Compuserve in DL3 of the MSSYS forum. Check with the MSSYS
sysop for exact file names. Microsoft says to feel free to make copies
and pass them around.
> Does anyone out there know anything about this
>translator? Is it any good? It would surely be very handy, as there
>is a lot of good TP code floating around.
As a baseline, I wrote a very simple Turbo Pascal program and ran it
through the translator. Here is the Turbo Pascal source:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Program Main;
Begin
WriteLn('Hello world!');
End.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the output of the translator:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <turbo.h>
int T2C_paramcount;
char **T2C_paramstr;
unsigned char huge * T2C_mem_array = 0;
unsigned int huge * T2C_memw_array = 0;
main (argc,argv)
int argc;
char *argv[];
{
T2C_paramcount = argc - 1;
T2C_paramstr = argv;
T2C_setup_delay();
T2CF_write(&T2C_CON,"%s\n",1,"Hello world!");
}
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The resulting C code isn't very pretty, but it compiled and ran correctly
using the MSC 5.0 compiler. Incidentally, the translator requires that
program be compiled using the large model and linked to a special library
that is supplied as part of the translator package. The startling thing
to me was that the size of the executable (.exe) file for this program was
70361 bytes! A comparable program written in "native" C and and compiled
under MSC 5.0 produces an executable file 9309 bytes in length using the
large model and 7075 bytes in length using the small model. The translator
appears to call in a lot of excess baggage from the library ....
I tried the translator on two larger Turbo Pascal programs that I had
handy, and it didn't work on either one. I must admit that I wasn't
sufficiently motivated to try very hard to make it work ....
The prospect of maintaining or modifying the kind of code the translator
produces does not particularly appeal to me.
--
Chuck Taylor
Navy Regional Data Automation Center
Box 140
Pearl Harbor, HI 96860
(808) 471-0819
nardacph @ hawaii-emh.arpa
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1988 16:43 MST
From: Keith Petersen <W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA>
Subject: Quick reference list to SIMTEL20's MSDOS directories
Quick reference list to SIMTEL20's PD1:<MSDOS.x> directories
as of January 31, 1988 (where 'x' is one of the names below):
ARC-LBR DESKACCESS GENIE MOUSE SQ-USQ
ARCNET-PCIP DESKPUB GRAPH MUSIC STARTER
ASMUTL DIRUTL GRAPHICS NETWORK SURFMODL
AT DISASM HAMRADIO PACKET SYSUTL
AUTOCAD DSKUTL KA9Q-TCPIP PCIP TELNET
BASIC EDITOR KEYBOARD PCMAIL TURBO-C
BBS EDUCATION LAN PLOT TURBOBAS
C EGA LAPTOP PREPROCESS TURBOPAS
CALCULATOR EMULATORS LISP PRINTER TXTUTL
CATALOG FILEDOCS LOTUS123 PROLOG UUCP
CIS FILUTL MATH QBASIC VOICE
COMPATIBLES FLOWCHART MEMACS QMODEM XLISP
CROSSASM FORMGEN MENU SCREEN
CROSSREF FORTH MODEM SNOBOL4
DATABASE GAMES MODULA2 SPREADSHEET
--Keith Petersen
Arpa: W8SDZ@SIMTEL20.ARPA
Uucp: {decwrl,harvard,lll-crg,ucbvax,uunet,uw-beaver}!simtel20.arpa!w8sdz
GEnie: W8SDZ
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 12:22:54 PST
From: larry@VLSI.JPL.NASA.GOV
Subject: uEmacs key rebinding
I had that problem too recently, and dug into the code for the answers.
Since we have a number of uEmacs users on this list, I'm sending this to
the whole list. I think the following is correct; at least the rebindings
I attempted worked.
The command line in your startup file should look like this.
bind-to-key function-name CodeString
CodeString has the following format WITHOUT the blanks. The characters []
mean optional, | means choose one of two or more alternatives, ^ is the ac-
tual ASCII character, ? is any 7-bit ASCII character, including the thirty-
two control characters.
(For readibility, I suggest you use ^? rather than the actual control
character.) Lower-case letters are automatically uppercased by uEmacs.
[ M- ] [ FN | ^X ] [ ^ ] ?
The code string can be enclosed in double quotes; it MUST be
enclosed if you want to specify a blank. There are restrictions
on the combinations; I don't know them all, but most are attempts
to prevent specifying characters that can't be read, such as ^"
which is not a legitimate ASCII control character.
M- means the META key, which on IBM PCs is the Esc key. FN
refers to a "special" key: any key which does not produce a
printable character. On the IBM PC these are the 97 special
keys that return a value at a key-press: most of the keys on the
numeric key pad, those on the 10- or 12-key key pad, some Shift,
Alt- and Ctrl- key combinations. The character following FN (on
the PC) would be the ASCII value of the auxiliary byte returned
by the key-press.
Unfortunately, although all the FN? combinations can be written
to the screen, not all can be read (127 - 132). For instance,
Ctrl-PgUp is 132, which I would prefer in a form like FN132. To
save you from doing a describe-key on each key you're interested
in, or spending a lot of time with an ASCII table, I've include
the following map for the ? character in some of the FN?
combinations I needed.
F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10
------------------------------
; < = > ? @ A B C D
T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] with Shift held down
^ _ ` a b c d e f g " Ctrl " "
h i j k l m n o p q " Alt " "
Shift-Tab FN^O (the letter O)
Ctrl-LArrow FNs Ctrl-Home FNw
Ctrl-RArrow FNt Ctrl-End FNu
Larry @ jpl-vlsi
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jan 88 16:24 EDT
From: FAC0395%UOFT01.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Digitized Images and Windows
Does anyone know of a method of bringing digitized images into the
Microsoft Windows environment? I am working with a program that only works
in MS Windows. I want to digitize some slides and use those images to aug-
ment my project. A kind colleague will do the digital imaging for me, but
I don't know how to take it from there. Any/all suggestions will be much
appreciated.
J. Feustle
FAC0395@UOFT01.BITNET
------------------------------
Date: Saturday, 30 January 1988 12:27-MST
From: dorin@TCGOULD.TN.CORNELL.EDU (Stewart Johnson)
Subject: Driving EPSON Graphtrax
I would like to print images to an epson MX-100 with GRAFTRAX. Specifi-
cally, I want to download hercules clone screen images to the printer.
There are a few PD progs (prtsc, prtscx2, prtsc90, graftrax) that sup-
posedly do this, but don't work well on my system; I think its my clone
card. I have good docs on the card but none for the printer.
Can anyone tell me how to drive the GRAFTRAX or tell me were to look?
Thanx.
Stewart. "Back Off--I'm a Scientist"
dorin@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 88 17:35:03 PST
From: JAJZ801%CALSTATE.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
(JEFFREY SICHERMAN - CALSTATE LONG BEACH)
Subject: Fast/NO-LOAD printing
We have a LINE PRINTER (yes, not a dot matrix one) attached to our 10
MHz AT Clone and it seems to be a rather heavy load on the CPU with it's
high duty cycle, starving the application tasks. I would like to reduce the
CPU load by using a special controller that is either DMA based or can take
a buffer at a time via memory-to-memory transfer and do all the character-
by-character transfer to the printer itself. I have seen and used such
boards for OEM-type systems (Multibus) but have not seen any advertised or
reviewed for the PC market. I would think they would be coming into use
with 386-based servers and multi-tasking O/S's so they don't waste their
time servicing character I/O but nothing yet ? If anyone has seen such
boards or has other ideas I would appreciate hearing from them.
I have also considered a slave processor board (own 8088, parallel port,
and serial port) for such off-loading but they tend to be more than I can
allocate for this and might involve extensive programming of drivers to
emulate the normal DOS environment. Still, any insight or experience in
this route would also be welcome.
Jeff Sicherman
jajz801@calstate.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Sat 30 Jan 88 07:26:18-PST
From: Laurence I. Press <LPRESS@venera.isi.edu>
Subject: 1.44 Meg Floppy query
Can anyone recommend, warn against or otherwise comment on various control-
lers and disk drives for retrofitting a PC or an AT with a 1.44 megabyte, 3
1/2 inch floppy?
Thanks,
Lar
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 11:23:57 -0500
From: Fred Baube <fbaube@note.nsf.gov>
Subject: Icelandic Character Set
Has anyone worked out defining, displaying, and printing Icelandic charac-
ters ? I have a Toshiba 1000 and a Citizen FX-compatible. Thanks.
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jan 88 01:25:11 GMT
From: Steve Creps <creps@silver.bacs.indiana.EDU>
Subject: MSC 4.0 interrupt (^C) handler help needed
I'm trying to get an interrupt handler to work in MSC 4.0 that will
handle ^C's at any time. The manual isn't a lot of help, giving only one
example with the signal routine. I wrote a test program which is basically
for(i=1;i<100000;i++) if (i % 10000 == 0) fprintf("%d",i); and it seems to
work, except that it waits until it's ready to print the next number before
calling the interrupt routine. However, it does seem as if it is storing
the interrupt until output is done, and not just waiting until the output
before it even recognizes the interrupt. My interrupt routine was some-
thing like
int interrupt()
{
fprintf("*** int ***");
signal(SIGINT,interrupt);
return;
}
I don't think it was a problem with declarations, since I'm following
the example in the manual. Anyway, that was the program that seemed to
(pretty much) work.
In the actual, large program I'm working on, I have things declared the
same way, but I can't get it to recognize the ^C. Actually, sometimes it
will, but only if I hit ^C and/or ^<Brk> about a hundred or more times real
fast. Even though output is being done quite a bit, it still doesn't seem
to push (or queue, whatever) the interrupt. Actually, I don't even want it
to have to wait for output to process the interrupt, but even that would be
a step in the right direction.
By the way, I AM initializing it with signal(SIGINT, interrupt); so
that's not it.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
- - - - - - - - -
Steve Creps on the VAX 8650 running Ultrix 2.0-1 at Indiana University.
creps@silver.bacs.indiana.edu, ...iuvax!silver!creps, creps@iubacs.bitnet
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 29 Jan 88 09:34:59 CST
From: Derek Morgan <C03601DM%WUVMD.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: MSC 5.0 Bug
Is anybody aware of a bug in the fwrite() routine of MSC 5? If not, then
either I found one (highly unlikely), or my program is screwed up in some
subtle way (Extremely probable)...
------------------------------
Date: 30 Jan 88 20:37
From: fulton%comet.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (Cathy Fulton)
Subject: PIBTERM v4.0.6. - can't send nulls
I recently got the latest release of PIBTERM (4.0.6) from SIMTEL20. I
can't get it to send out nulls (ASCII 0). The previous version of PIBTERM
that I was using (4.0.2) would send nulls fine by using ^@ (CTRL-@). Now
when I press ^@, nothing happens; the transmit data LED on my modem
doesn't even flash. I need to be able to send out nulls for the LISP editor
I'm using. Can anyone tell me why null transmission capability has been
disabled in PIBTERM 4.0.6? By the way, I'm using the VT100 emulation mode.
uucp: ...decwrl!comet.dec.com!fulton
ARPA: fulton@comet.dec.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 88 17:53:04 EST
From: Jon Radel <6033138%PUCC.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU>
Subject: Query on HPGL to Postscript
I've heard rumors of a HPGL to Postscript translator, but have been unable
to find any hard facts. Has anyone heard of such for PC or mini?
--Jon Radel
------------------------------
Date: 24 Jan 88 19:09:43 GMT
From: Randomizer@cup.portal.COM
Subject: Question about turboC 1.5 (2 msgs)
Can anyone who has turbo C 1.5 tell me if turboC 1.5 has *FAST* video
writes like turbo pascal 4.0? Does it write to the screen very fast?
randomizer@cup.portal.com
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jan 88 01:56:41 GMT
From: Dan Platt <platt@emory.uucp>
Subject: Question about turboC 1.5
Randomizer@cup.portal.com writes:
>Can anyone who has turbo C 1.5 tell me if turboC 1.5 has *FAST* video
>writes like turbo pascal 4.0?
>Does it write to the screen very fast?
>
Turbo C 1.5 does write directly to the screen (*FAST* video by any other
name), but also will allow use of ROM routines if your machine is not com-
pletely IBM compatible.
At present there is another problem with the graphics package that runs
like this:
The various video cards are accesed by drivers loaded either at run time,
or by some effort and conversions, linked at link time. If you have 1)
malloc'ed too much memory (about 64k in this case) or try to load all the
drivers (for all screens and fonts -- YES - it comes with a set of very
nice fonts that will write horizontally and vertically!) your program will
fail. Seems there is a problem with the routine that they allocate memory
for the routines to be placed. They've promised that a patch is forthcom-
ming...
Dan
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 88 19:40:20 -0500 (EST)
From: Douglas Allen Luce <dl2p+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Slow RS232
I have a Mitac turbo (8MHz) 8088 xt clone. I have installed an RS232 board
(I'm not sure who makes it, perhaps IBM?) into it, and find that it will
only work when I have slowed the processor down to 4.77MHz. Since the
software I use (Qmodem) is a bit slow inherently, I lose data at 9600 baud
when using a slowed down computer. When I use 8MHz mode, I get nothing at
all from the port. When I use it with a mouse, I can get some response,
but the mouse cursor starts freaking out (flitting all over the screen,
random button presses here and there).
Does anyone know what the problem is? I haven't tried another card, but is
there one that works at 8MHz?
Thanks.
Douglas Luce
dl2p+@andrew.cmu.edu
bitnet: r746DL2P@CMCCVB
------------------------------
Date: 28 Jan 88 00:22:07 GMT
From: Peter Martin <martin@ssc-vax.uucp>
Subject: STRTOL Function Needed
I recently got a copy of a program that contains the 'strtol' function from
'stdlib.h'. However, we do not have that header file on our system. Is
there someone who could please mail me the source? I'd rather try netland
first, as I try to write a version for the interim.
Thanks Pete
--
Peter Martin WD9HAD NORMAL MODE: uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ssc-bee!martin
ABNORMAL MODE: 206-773-4270
WEEKEND MODE: 206-631-3304
>>> SCCA Flagging and Communications worker
<<<
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End of Info-IBMPC Digest
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