[comp.sys.mac.digest] INFO-MAC Digest V6 #71

Info-Mac-Request@SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU (Jon Pugh and Lance Nakata) (08/06/88)

INFO-MAC Digest          Saturday, 6 Aug 1988      Volume 6 : Issue 71

Today's Topics:
                            microsoft buttons
          How can I send Absoft Fortran graphics to a file ???
          Which vt100 emulator uses cursor keys on a Mac II ??
                          External Hard Drives
                         LaCie Ltd. Hard drives
                                   TeX
                 Re: Bigscreen INIT incompatible with SE
                     Request for posting to INFO-MAC
                       CAPPS for Lightspeed Pascal
                     Re:  software for theatre work?
                              Help Request
                              Finder Peeve
                            AppleFax problem
                                  .HQX


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

Date: Sat, 30 Jul 88 11:20:52 PDT
From: <GA0095%SIUCVMB.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>

Date: 30 July 88, 11:54:17 CST
From: Robert J. Brenstein       (618) 453-5721 x 227 GA0095   at SIUCVMB
To:   INFO-MAC%SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU at STANFORD

Subject:  upgrade from Microsoft Fortran to MacTRAN?

DCM data products has recently circulated an offer for upgrading from MS
Fortran 2.2 to their new MacTRAN ver 3.0.  By sending in the original MS
Fortran diskette and a check for about $100 you were getting (supposedly)
a superior product.  Well, it all sounded great on paper and MacTRAN's
support for Mac II convinced us to go for it.  This note is to warn everybody
on the net to double-think before going for this deal.  After struggling
with MacTRAN for several days I am quite disappointed with this product.
--> flame on <--
It has that distict feel of non-Macintosh program forced/patched to run on
the Mac.  The interface is very inconsistent and unMacish in many respects,
the documentation poor and incomplete (the description of the Fortran lang.
itself is decent, but that part I know pretty well anyway).  The bottom line
is that although MS Fortran is not an integrated environment, I found it
more pleasing to work with.  At least EDIT allows me to print the program
or any part of it during work, show invisible characters, and so forth. You
must be quite flexible with using word-processing DAs (like miniWriter,
MockWrite, or JoliWrite) to do printing.  I end up doing most of my editting
in EDIT and just minor corrections in MacTRAN, which is not what we paid for.
The compiler itself is very unfriendly.  You can save the default compile
options, but they are kept with the compiler not a given program -- I had
a few suprises when trying to compile programs using INTEGER*2 instead of
INTEGER*4 and vice versa.  And I mean the example programs included with
MacTRAN.  The information about using your own resources and Macintosh i/o
(disk) system is completely missing.  They tell you how to create libraries
(yuuck, this is definitely a DOS program), but omit how to use them.  Even
the basic compiler description is unclear and umbigous (unlike the MS Fortran
manual).  I still haven't fugured out when I need to request code generation
and when to create REL files.  I can go on and on. The bottom line is that
unless you really need to produce Mac II specific code, think twice before
going for their offer.  I wonder whether Absoft or other Fortran's for Mac
are more friendly.  I have also already run into a problem with MacTRANS
interpretation of Fortran.  Since I am using it to convert programs from
larger computers rather than develop them on a Mac, I suspect I will have
to spend quite a lot of time inventing patches and workabouts.  I have already
several reports with problems and suggested enhancements ready for mailing.
--> flame off <---

By the way,
Has anyone who used MacTRAN managed to call standard file dialogs? cursor's
from CURS resource?  Assign TYPE to newly created file?  Any hints would be
appreciated.  Samples of code most welcome.  Send those directly to me.
If responding to this part of this note, re: MacTRAN calling Macintosh.

Robert (GA0095@SIUCVMB.Bitnet)

Disclaimer:  the above opinions are mine and only mine...

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

Date: Thu, 04 Aug 88 08:55:48 SST
From: "Tai Hou, TNG" <ISSTTH%NUSVM.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>

Hello. I wonder if anyone has working copies of the latest version of
XLISP that work on the SE and Mac II (hopefully in color). According to
the author in XLISP 1.7, the source code is available, but how can one
get hold of it ? Thanks in advance.

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

Date: Mon, 25 Jul 88 16:55 EDT
From: JJ_KRAME%FANDM.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Subject: microsoft buttons

I am posting this message for a friend. He does not subscribe to usenet
so please reply directly to me..Joe

Bitnet:JJ_kramer@fandm



To whom it may concern:

     Over the past few weeks I've been writing a program which manipulates
data produced by a Spectrometer or Flourimeter using True Basic.
Although I like the language, it is no secret that its use of the Mac
interface is less than noteworthy.  Presently, users of my program must
input many commands from the keyboard.  However, I would like to display
small circular buttons (often referred to as "radio boxes"(button id 3 in
Microsoft basic)) on the screen and allow the commands to be input using
them.  My greastest difficulty in this is deciding what is and is not valid
input.  I understand that one may set up data structures to poll the mouse
for appropriate x and y values.  I do have access to a Toolbox disk for True
Basic but I am a newcomer to the Macintosh, any assistance would be most
appreciated.



                Thank you

                MJ_James

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

Date: Tue, 26 Jul 88 11:56 N
From: <KRAALING%HWALHW50.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: How can I send Absoft Fortran graphics to a file ???

I will be using Absoft fortran to create graphics on a Mac II screen
using the toolbox routines. Is there a way to save the screen in a
MacPaint like document (or even better MacDraw like document) so that I
can paste the graphics into a text file ??? Any help is greatly
appreciated.

Daniel van Kraalingen
bitnet: kraalingen@hwalhw50

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

Date: Wed, 3 Aug 88 10:57 N
From: KRAALING%HWALHW50.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu
Subject: Which vt100 emulator uses cursor keys on a Mac II ??

I have problems using Versaterm Pro and Redryder as terminal emulators on
a Mac II. The problem is that neither program scans the Mac II cursor
keys. The big question now is which terminal emulation program works
with cursor keys on a Mac II  ?????

Daniel van Kraalingen

bitnet: kraalingen@hwalhw50

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

Date: Wed,  3 Aug 88 12:05 EDT
From: A. DARO <ACCAMD@HOFSTRA>
Subject: External Hard Drives

We are looking to purchase an external hard drive (20M) for at first one, then
ultimately a dozen or so Mac Pluses on campus.  The HyperDrive FX/20 has been
recommended to us at a cost of about $800.  Does anyone have experience with
this particular product or any other that might be helpful?  Thanks!

A. Daro               ACCAMD@HOFSTRA
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

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

Date: Mon, 25 Jul 88 15:59 EDT
From: <JJ_KRAME%FANDM.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: LaCie Ltd. Hard drives

Hello all,
  I am looking into buying a new Hard Drive.  The model I am looking
at is LaCie's 30 megabyte drive.  I was wondering if anyone has any
feedback on this drive or the company from which it emanates.
Please reply to me directly on this one because I need to know soon..
Thanks in advance...  Joe Kramer

Consultant -- Franklin and Marshall college
Bitnet: JJ_kramer@Fandm
Genie: J.Kramer5
CI$: 74726,1333

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

Date: Tue, 26 Jul 88 08:23:19 EST
From: Alan Stein <STEIN%UCONNVM.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: TeX

I just learned of a program called CDVI that takes a DVI file and
allows it to be previewed on an IBM PC or compatible.  (It's fairly
inexpensive -- $35 -- and available from SullivanSFT, Box 292431,
Lewisville, TX 75029.)

Is there a similar program for a Mac?

ARPA:   stein%uconnvm.bitnet@mitvma.mit.edu        Alan H. Stein
BITNET: STEIN@UCONNVM                          University of Connecticut
UUCP:   ...ihnp4!psuvax1!UCONNVM.BITNET!STEIN        at Waterbury
CompuServe: 71545,1500  Genie:  ah.stein       Department of Mathematics

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

Date: Tue, 26 Jul 88 10:10:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: "William M. Bumgarner" <wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Bigscreen INIT incompatible with SE

Bigscreen INIT was replaced by the commercial product Stepping Out (now
Stepping Out II).  It is produced by a California based company (Berkely
Software Design or something like it).  It is a program of excellent design
that is compatible with all Macs with 128K or greater ROMs (including the II).

B.Bum

+-----------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Bill Bumgarner              | EMail: wb1j+@andrew.cmu.edu          |
| Carnegie-Mellon University  |                                      |
+-----------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| The box is ugly on a non mono-spaced font system.                  |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+

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

Date: Tue, 26 Jul 88 10:38 EDT
From: "RSVAX::RSVAX::MRGATE::\"A1::HOLLAND,STEVEN W\""@gmr.com
Subject: Request for posting to INFO-MAC

From:	NAME: Steven W. Holland
	FUNC: Computer Science (50)
	TEL: (313)986-1510        <HOLLAND,STEVEN W AT A1 AT RSVAX>

Subject: Info on Mac 3270 emulators sought

I am looking for a good 3270 emulator program for dialing into
IBM mainframes.  MacTerminal offers a 3270 mode but doesn't offer
all the nice features like:

 - use of Mac II function keys (vs. pull down and inconvenient ones)
     this is particularly critical in the full screen IBM environment
     where you constantly need to push the program function keys
 - login scripts to get past the typically complex sequence
 - text capture and send

Some of the commercially available emulators require expensive
packages to be run on the mainframe

Replies sent will be summarized and posted back to INFO-MAC.

Sincerely,
Steven W. Holland
General Motors Research Laboratories, Warren, MI
CSNET/ARPAnet:  holland%gmr.com@relay.cs.net
Telex:  910-250-8831 (ESL UQ)

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

From: TEREBESS%UVVM.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Date: 26 July 88 14:53-PDT
Subject: CAPPS for Lightspeed Pascal

Date: 26 July 1988, 14:51:22 PDT
From: Paul Romaniuk             (604) 721-7088       TEREBESS at UVVM
To:   INFO-MAC at SUMEX-AIM.STANFORD.EDU

SUBJECT:  CAPPS for Lightspeed Pascal

Can anyone out there explain to me what CAPPS for Lightspeed Pascal is,
and what I would use it for?  Thanks.

Paul Romaniuk (TEREBESS @ UVVM)

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

Date: Thu, 28 Jul 88 9:47:47 EDT
From: Don Cotabish <dcotabis%amc1@amc-hq.arpa.amc>
Subject: Re:  software for theatre work?

I would also be interested in receiving any replies concerning theatre
software.

Also, thanks in advance.

-Don

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

Date: Thu, 28 Jul 88 17:19:23 ADT
From: Rick Wightman <jordan%unbmvs1.BITNET@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Help Request
Sender: <JORDAN%UNB.CA@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU>

I'm presently working on a Pascal programming project as part of
my thesis research. I would appreciate any hints that you INFO-MAC
readers might have on scrolling through a window containing a matrix
of "cells", where each "cell" contains a text edit record and a
pushbutton.  This seems to be akin to the problem one might face with
scrolling through a spreadsheet.  From what I can gather, this can be
done by using a "pic" record, but after this point I get lost. What
would the procedure be, and how would the "pic" record be generated,
modified or updated? Reply directly to Rick Wightman; jordan@unbmvs1.
Thanks in advance.

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

Date: 	  Thu, 28 Jul 88 15:28:21 PDT
From: PUGH@NMFECC.ARPA
Subject: Finder Peeve

Here's another peeve that is aimed at the Finder (and/or it's authors).

Why can't I place a diskette into a folder on my hard disk?  It is quite
intuitive, especially once you get that dialog saying that the disks are of
different sizes so it's going to make a folder.  Save me the trouble, I know
it is going to become a folder, please let me put it where I want it.

Is that too much to ask?  (Don't even think it!)

Jon

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

Date: Mon, 1 Aug 88 18:15 PDT
From: BARON%MAX.ACS.WASHINGTON.EDU@Forsythe.Stanford.EDU
Subject: AppleFax problem

Greetings from the Mighty U of W.  (Just kidding, sortof)

Has anyone else had problems getting their AppleFax to auto-answer on
the fourth ring, like the manual and the AppleFax application claim it
will?  When I'm in the AppleFax application and there is an incoming
call, a dialog box saying "Someone is calling! (sic) with an Answer
and a No Answer button comes up.  It also says "AppleFax will answer
on the fourth ring."  Alas, after the fourth ring, another box saying
"AppleFax is disconnecting" flashes and then nothing happens.  Clicking
on the Answer button answers, but I don't want to have to sit at my Mac
waiting for a phone call to come in, you know?

The AppleFax does take the AT command set, and I did do an ATS0=4 from
Red Ryder before getting into the application in an attempt to force
the AppleFax to auto-answer.  However, the application seems to reset

the S0 register to 0 (no auto-answer) upon launch, and the AppleFax
manual does say that S0 is set to 0 by default (how it's supposed to
answer on the fourth ring as advertised then, i dunno either).

Help help help!  Only one Seattle dealer has received their AppleFax,
and they haven't set it up yet.  Can anyone in the net world relate?

Thanks

David Wu
Washington Technology Center

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

Date: Tue 2 Aug 88 03:35:16-PDT
From: JOHN R. THOMPSON <WOOLFORD.THOMPSON@BIONET-20.ARPA>
Subject: .HQX

Could I bother someone for a brief description of what I need to deal
with the HQX files.  How do I get started?  Second Question; Fullwrite
seems very popular.  Can it read and write Word format files?  I'm in
an office situation where Word is the standard but I am personally not
thrilled with Word.
Thanks in Advance,  John R. Thompson <Woolford.Thompson@bionet20.arpa>

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End of INFO-MAC Digest
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