pozar@hoptoad.uucp (Tim Pozar) (11/22/88)
Volume 5, Number 47 21 November 1988
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief Dale Lovell
Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
Contributing Editors: Al Arango
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1:1/1.
Copyright 1988 by the International FidoNet Association. All
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
are used with permission.
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
received.
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
BTBBS .................................................... 1
NEWS_CHECK - A newsletter pre-submission format checker .. 2
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 5
Bodies Behind the BBS: Bill Albritten ................... 5
Rogel's Corner: Automatic Document Assembly Systems ..... 7
Let's YACK about Hard Disk Crashes ....................... 16
3. FOR SALE ................................................. 17
4. NOTICES .................................................. 19
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 19
Latest Software Versions ................................. 19
FidoNews 5-47 Page 1 21 Nov 1988
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
BTBBS?
I bet your asking yourself, "what is this BTBBS?". Well I'm glad
you asked and heres your answer. BTBBS stands for Borland Turbo
Bulletin Board System. It is a BBS that is designed by
programmers and sysops with Borland language products like Turbo
Pascal/Turbo C. It is starting up as you read this but we do
need your help. If you are a programmer and own a copy of either
Turbo Pascal 5.0 or Turbo C 2.0 and would like to become part of
this project then you must either send netmail to me here or have
your NEC in your area request for the echomail for this project.
The project will be hosted by 366/200. The echomail should be
restricted to only members of the project and sysops of BBS's.
We will talk about and design a bbs system using lastest
shareware/freeware plus the great products of Borland
International. Two different types of systems will be designed,
one in Turbo Pascal and the other in Turbo C. Both systems will
do about the same as the other but different languages for those
to pick their favorite language. Source code of the finished
product will be available.
If you are interested in joining the project, contact either me
at the below address or have your NEC get in touch with me for a
link to the BTBBS echomail. Thank you for taking the time to
read this.
Dale Barnes
366/200
Nec 366
* BTBBS name created by Dennis Fowler 366/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 2 21 Nov 1988
NEWS_CHECK 1.4
by
Mike Bartman
Fidonet node 1:109/733
Hi there! Ever wanted to have something published in FidoNews,
but were put off by the submission requirements? I know they
aren't very stringent as to content, but there are a lot of rules
for the *format* of submissions. They have to have particular
extensions, there are restrictions on right margins, you can't
have funny control codes in the file (and how many of us are
*sure* that our word processors aren't putting in the occasional
"soft" return?), and you should also follow some "appearance"
guidelines to make your article look nice (like having most lines
flushleft, having most lines get near the 65 column mark, having
a table of contents line at the beginning of the article, etc.).
It is easy enough to find out what the requirements and
recommendations are (just F'Req. ARTSPEC), but it is harder to be
sure you have not made some minor mistake, or missed a
requirement, or had your word processor "help" you without your
knowledge. I suspect that many people have been put off sending
in an article more than once for fear of making a mistake, or not
wanting to take the time to read ARTSPEC. I know I have been.
In net 109 we have a newsletter similar to FidoNews. It is called
KLORE (for reasons which have never become obvious), and it is
nearly identical to FidoNews in its requirements (mostly because
it uses a variant of the same software!), and is subject to the
same "learning curve" for new authors. Events occurred in such a
way as to make it necessary for me to publish an article in KLORE
a few months ago, and I had to learn the guidelines and send in a
submission. It went in just fine, but I spent a few days worrying
that I had done something wrong, missed a control code, had a
bare linefeed or something equally disastrous, and that my
article would be rejected and returned for corrections, or,
worse, that I would be the cause of the editor having to do extra
work to fix my blunders.
Being a programmer, and having a copy of Turbo-Pascal 4.0 that I
had not used in a while, I decided to write a program to make
submitting without fear a little easier. NEWS_CHECK is the
result.
NEWS_CHECK is intended for use by authors of articles for
FidoNews, Klore, and any other compatible newsletters, for
pre-submission verification of format. Once you have your article
written you just run NEWS_CHECK, give it the name of your file
and it will check it for fatal errors as well as non-fatal
"aesthetic" errors such as not being flushleft, having too many
blank lines at the top of the file, etc. It does not make any
changes to your submission file; it just lists errors and
suggestions to your screen. It is possible to redirect the
messages to a file for reference while editing-in the
FidoNews 5-47 Page 3 21 Nov 1988
corrections. NEWS_CHECK will *not* check spelling or grammar! You
want miracles you go talk to Borland.
NEWS_CHECK looks for the following mistakes or ill-advised
practices:
1. Incorrect file name extension. Must be ART, SAL, WAN, COL,
or NOT. Any other extension is flagged as a FATAL error.
2. Non-Flushleft margin. Based on a percentage of the lines in
the file, not all of them. (If 50% of the lines in a file are
not flushleft a WARNING is generated.)
3. Right margin greater than 65 on any line generates a FATAL
error. If the line is over 65 characters long, but less than
70, and all characters after column 65 are spaces, then only a
WARNING will be generated. This is the only exception to the
column 65 limit.
4. "funny characters". Control chars (except CR-LF pairs)
result in a FATAL error message. All characters must be in
the range 20 hex to 7E hex.
5. If the file is an ad or a notice (SAL, WAN, or NOT) a
WARNING is generated if the total length of the submission is
over 30 lines.
6. Checks for existence of a "contents" line at the top of the
file. Outputs a WARNING if there isn't one.
7. Checks for "dashed lines" at the beginning and end of the
file. Dashed lines result in WARNING messages. A "dashed
line" is any line consisting of at least 4 of only one type of
character (SPACE excepted). "# # # #" is a "dashed line", for
example.
8. Checks for excessive "whitespace" at top and bottom of the
file. More than 3 blank lines at the front or end of the file
generates a WARNING message.
9. Checks for articles that are "too narrow" (have the right
margin set to too low a value). If over 50% of the lines in a
submission don't reach at least column 55 a WARNING is
generated. There are times when narrowness is fine, but most
articles should have the right margin at 65 for the best
appearance after publication.
NEWS_CHECK is designed so that it may be run from a BAT file, and
returns ERRORLEVEL codes to allow a determination of what
happened with the check. An example BAT file is included, as are
several test files that contain errors of various kinds, and a
(short) documentation file.
The program is available for file request from 1:109/733, and
possibly from other places by now, as NEWSCHEK.ARC. If you have
FidoNews 5-47 Page 4 21 Nov 1988
any suggestions for improvement, or reports of problems I would
appreciate hearing about them, but I can't guarantee that I will
include all of them (though I will try). If you publish a
FidoNews-like newsletter, but prefer other parameters for things
like margins, number of blank lines to allow, length of ads, etc.
please let me know. It is easy enough to generate a custom
version with these things changed. The current settings have been
Okayed by Dale Lovell (FidoNews) and Mike Mahoney (Klore). There
is no charge for use of this software.
* * * *
Copyright Notice and disclaimer:
The program and documentation are Copyright 1988 by Mike Bartman.
All rights are reserved. Permission is granted to anyone to
distribute the documentation and software, provided that no
alterations are made to either, and no charge is made for the
distribution or the software.
No warrantee or guarantee of any kind is implied or stated. You
use it at your own risk. The program has functioned on my 10mhz
AT Clone with no trouble, but this is no guarantee of future
behavior.
* * * *
Good luck and happy writing!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 5 21 Nov 1988
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
Steve Bonine
115/777
An Introduction of Bill Albritten (11/301)
Bill Albritten was my first experience with a Region Coordinator.
You know how it goes -- when you first join FidoNet, the Network
Coordinator is a pretty imposing figure, and if the Network
Coordinator does his job reasonably well you may not know about
anyone at a higher level for quite some time. Finally, after
quite a while in FidoNet, I realized that there was something
bigger than a net. In fact, at that time Region 11 was HUGE --
it covered much of the central US and a big chunk of Canada.
Things were calm and quiet, though. . . and that's a reflection
on Bill Albritten, who is calm and quiet and capable.
Bill is the director of the Counceling and Testing Center at
Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. Bill holds a Ph.D.
from the University of Northern Colorado, and has been involved
in mental health for the past fifteen years. That is an enviable
background for dealing with the personalities in the SYSOP
echomail conference!
An undergraduate education in math sparked Bill's interest in
computers and bulletin boards. Combining two interest areas,
Bill started a FidoNet BBS in late 1985. The system had a mental
health and human services thrust, as well as general support of
MS-DOS, Apple DOS, Tandy 100, and the C-64. Bill is the
coordinator for the CUSSnet echo, but before anyone gets bent out
of shape about a pornographic echomail conference, it is Computer
Users in the Social Sciences. His system currently maintains
file areas pertaining to AIDS, information for the disabled,
substance abuse, and other mental health and social service
concerns.
In addition to his stint as region-11 coordinator, Bill also
serves on the IFNA Board as the region 11 representative. As he
puts it, "I view BBS's as a way of disseminating information to
many groups not always well served by traditional media." He has
written articles and presented at conferences on the use of BBS
technology in this regard.
Bill is married to a professor of social work at Murray State,
and has a two year old daughter who competes with him for the use
of the computer. Bill and his wife share research interests in
the areas of spouse abuse, courtship violence, and other types of
family violence. Maybe that's why Bill is drawn to FidoNet --
it's just one big happy family.
Bill usually ends his messages with "Best, Bill." I'll end this
by wishing him the same. Thanks, Bill, for your quiet presence
FidoNews 5-47 Page 6 21 Nov 1988
and effective help in making FidoNet a better place for all of
us.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 7 21 Nov 1988
ROGEL'S CORNER: GETTING INTO HIGH GEAR WITH GPS AND OVERDRIVE
=============================================================
AUTOMATIC DOCUMENT ASSEMBLY: BACKGROUND
========================================
The ability to assemble documents by computer is to business
persons and professionals who must do a considerable amount
of writing what spreadsheets are to accountants and other
number crunchers.
Automatic document assembly, at its most basic level, is
creating a document, whether it be a simple "thank you"
letter or a complex contract. Obviously a number of
documents we create are repetitive in nature. Rather than
waste time rewriting the same old stuff, we looked for ways
to create a form out of repetitive documents and leave blanks
for the information that would change each time we used that
form.
Before the computer became commonplace, we might run off
photocopies of our favorite forms and fill in the blanks with
information from a separate document or list containing the
variable information. As our office equipment became more
sophisticated, we were able to have our mag cards merge our
variable information with our forms. Of course, this was a
slow and cumbersome process and otherwise suffered from the
limitations placed upon us by typewriter technology.
Then the personal computer came along and made our life a
whole lot easier and more efficient. Creation of the forms
and the variable information (and corrections or changes
thereto) was a snap. The better word processing programs
featured "mail merge", allowing us to quickly produce complex
documents which appeared to be custom made but were actually
the product of merging our forms and our variable
information.
Computerized merging has been a significant productivity
advance but it has not been without its problems. We don't
use this otherwise great tool as often as we should because
of the difficulty both in learning how to merge by computer
(i.e., what codes are required to create an electronic form,
what key combinations are required to produce the merged
document) and in actually creating and using the forms and
variable data files. These difficulties have also
discouraged uniform merge applications by co-workers, with
the result being that offices fail to standardize the forms
they use.
COMPUTERIZED DOCUMENT ASSEMBLY
==============================
Fortunately, help is on its way. In the great tradition
advancing the technological revolution, there are numerous
public domain and shareware programs which make the merge
process just a little bit easier. Usually these programs
FidoNews 5-47 Page 8 21 Nov 1988
include a couple of forms (which you can alter to fit your
needs) and a data-entry method (it asks a question, such as
"Name", and you type in the answer); these programs typically
insert the merge codes into both the form and the variable
data you have entered.
+=================================================+
| GENERAL PRACTICE SYSTEMS VERSIONS 420 AND 500 |
+=================================================+
The most sophisticated of these shareware document assembly
programs which I have had the pleasure of reviewing is
General Practice Systems (GPS), a WordPerfect-oriented
program by Professor Richard T. Rodgers of Campbell Law
School. GPS is available for both WordPerfect 4.2 and 5.0 as
GPS420.ARC or GPS500.ARC, respectively. This excellent
multiple-document assembly program can be obtained by
downloading by registered members ($25/year; lawyers, only)
of Professor Rodgers' BBS, Frolic & Detour For Lawyers [919-
893-5206]. Anyone can obtain this program via mail by
sending a written request together with $5 per 360k disk + $2
s/h, to:
Richard T. Rodgers
Diskette Ordering Service
Electronic Law Publishing Co.
Post Office Box 1119
Buies Creek, NC 27506-1119
GPS offers two sample forms and a questionnaire which, when
completed, contains the appropriate variable data for the
completion of these forms. To produce a merged document, you
simply hit <alt>-M from within WordPerfect to load GPS,
select the desired form from the GPS menu and then provide
the file name you just gave the variable-data file. Presto,
instant document.
GPS is made up of WordPerfect macros and merges. Users who
are familiar with these features of the leading word
processing program can make modifications to suit their
needs.
You may also create data files for use with any GPS form.
GPS will take your selection of form file and data file and
merge the two. This is an extremely efficient means of
automated document assembly since, after you spent the time
initially setting up your data and form files, a merged
document is just a few keystrokes away. GPS would be even
nicer if it included a menu of your data files so that you
would not have to remember the names of your data files in
order to take advantage of this powerful feature.
As long as you use the GPS forms and the questionnaire for
those forms, you need not worry about merge codes, field
FidoNews 5-47 Page 9 21 Nov 1988
identifiers, etc. because GPS will take care of these
technicalities for you. But what if you want to use your own
forms -- a likely possibility since only two forms are
included -- and, consequently, you also need to use your own
questionnaire? Well, unless you are fairly knowledgeable
about WordPerfect in general as well as its merge process and
its macro features, you might have problems.
Rogel's Wrap-Up
+======================================================+
| Product: |
| Generic Practice Systems Versions 420 and 500 by|
| Professor Richard T. Rodgers |
| Price: |
| Professor Rodgers requests a $25 contribution. |
| See above for information about obtaining GPS |
| (GPS420.ARC or GPS500.ARC by downloading from |
| Professor Rodgers' BBS, Frolic & Detour for |
| Lawyers or by ordering a copy of the program on |
| disk for $5 + $2 s/h. |
| Product description: |
| GPS is a document assembly program based upon |
| WordPerfect merges and macros. |
| System Requirements: |
| WordPerfect (apparently any version) |
| Comments: |
| A good shareware program which requires some |
| familiarity with WordPerfect in order to |
| realize its true productivity-potential. |
| For more information, contact: |
| I am unaware of any formal customer-support or |
| sales office but if you are a lawyer, you could |
| leave a message for Professor Rodgers on his BBS|
| or send him a note at his address set out in the|
| review above. |
+======================================================+
+=========================+
| OVERDRIVE VERSION 1.1 |
+=========================+
For those of you who are not as technologically inclined,
take a look at OverDrive Version 1.1 by TurboSoft.
OverDrive is a sophisticated and relatively easy to use
WordPerfect-oriented document assembly program.
OverDrive comes with 50 legal forms and over 20 sample forms
and letters. When ever you select one of these forms for
merging, you will be presented with an appropriate
questionnaire. The forms and questionnaires are already
merge coded.
You may add your own forms but this is somewhat complex. You
must insert field identifiers (i.e., "F1", "F2"), into the
form you wish to add; then complete an electronic
questionnaire by telling OverDrive what type of information
FidoNews 5-47 Page 10 21 Nov 1988
will be substituted for the field identifiers during the
merge process (i.e., "addressee's name"); and then add the
name of your newly added form to OverDrive's Library,
described below. From the information you have given
OverDrive, it will automatically create a questionnaire, with
the merge codes inserted.
There is a context-sensitive help screen available on
OverDrive.
You can also use OverDrive to easily print an office
documents manual, containing the Library table of contents,
reference files, each document, and the Document NotePad
Window. This will provide users with a simple means of
standardizing office forms and training new and old employees
as to how these forms.
OverDrive Merge Operation: Pick, Enter, & Print
------------------------------------------------
To assemble a document, you go through OverDrive's "Pick,
Enter, & Print" process.
(1) Pick
First, you "pick" or select a form for your merger from the
OverDrive Library. The Library contains up to 5 volumes;
each volume may contain 5 chapters; and each chapter contains
a maximum of 50 documents, for a total of 1250 documents.
Figure "1" below displays documents from the "Personnel"
Chapter of the "Legal" Volume.
FIGURE "1": Display of Library Volume, Chapter, and
Documents {tsr: modified to fit
FidoNews format}
+==================================================+
| (c)1988 TurboSoft(tm)(V.1.1) MIDAS Technology(tm)|
+---------------- Volumes -------------------------+
volumes | Legal Sample Forms Open Open Open |
+--------------------- Chapters -------------------+
chapters | Personnel Real Est Wills & Trust Commer Corp |
+--------------------------------------------------+
documents| PERS101 Offer of Employment |
| PERS102 Employment Agreement |
| PERS103 Employee Confidentiality and Invention|
| Agreement |
| PERS104 Non-competition Agreement |
| PERS105 #10 Business Envelope, for Employee |
| PERS106 9 x 12 envelope, Horizontal Address, |
| for Employee |
| PERS107 Personnel Memo |
| PERS108 Request for Reference |
| PERS109 Employee Benefit Letter |
| PERS110 Independent Contractor Agreement |
| PERS111 Cover letter, Independent Contractor |
| PERS112 #10 Business Envelope, for Independent|
FidoNews 5-47 Page 11 21 Nov 1988
| Contractor |
+--------------------------------------------------+
|<F3>Help <Prompt Window> |
|3<-)To Select< >[ENTER] <ESC>Prior Menu <F7>Done |
+==================================================+
You may navigate through OverDrive's Library by cursor or by
using the hot key method (i.e., pressing the highlighted
letter of your destination area).
To assist you in your selection of a form, a "Document
NotePad Window" is available at the press for each form in
the Library. These windows describe the form to which they
are attached and can be easily edited to include notes on
other forms that should be considered in combination with or
in lieu of the form under examination. You may easily attach
a Document NotePad Window to forms you add to the Library.
OverDrive offers a convenient feature for selecting the same
combination of forms you use repeatedly. A food wholesaler,
for example, may typically combine the "Independent
Contractor Agreement", "Cover letter, Independent
Contractor", and "#10 Business Envelope, for Independent
Contractor" in Figure "1" above for use with route
distributors. To avoid having to constantly select this same
combination of forms, he could create a "reference file" with
the press of one key and subsequently "pick" this reference
file for immediate use of this combination of forms.
(2) Enter
Once you have completed the "pick" process, you are presented
with a questionnaire. It is at this point that you "enter"
the variable data. The questions you must answer appear on
the left margin and additional information appears at the
bottom of your screen with respect to the question
highlighted by your cursor. You can easily scroll through
the questionnaire to change or re-examine any of your
answers.
(3) & Print
Once you have accepted your answers to the questionnaire, you
move from the OverDrive menu into WordPerfect. At this
point, you are instructed to type <alt>-O. A new OverDrive
menu pops up and gives you the opportunity to review the
merged documents, edit the merged documents, or print the
merged documents.
OverDrive Test Drive
--------------------
I decided to try a merge with one of the legal forms included
with OverDrive. In order to see how easy/intuitive OverDrive
really is, I only gave the manual a cursory examination.
FidoNews 5-47 Page 12 21 Nov 1988
After typing "OD" I was greeted by the main menu. One of the
options was to "Select a Document" and as this seemed to be
the most logical choice, I plunged ahead. Then I had to
decide which "volume" I wanted (I chose "legal") and, then,
which "chapter" (I chose "Wills & Trusts"). At this point
the documents in the selected chapter were displayed; one of
those documents was a simple will. The "help" screen
informed me that I could find out more about this document by
pressing f10, which I did, and now I knew I that this was the
form I wanted. So far, so good.
At this point it was not apparent what I should do to proceed
forward with the merge process. Fortunately, the "help"
screen informed me about my options and I was able to go on
to the "enter" phase. The entry screen is an attractively
designed and easy to use questionnaire.
When I completed that phase, I opted for the "save" feature,
per the menu. Finally I found myself in WordPerfect and
would have been worried about what to do next, were it not
for the brief on-screen message to type <alt>-O. At this
point, I was given the option to review the merged will.
After some minor editing -- which was not really necessary--
I had a finished product.
The entire process of selecting the form, entering the
necessary data, and finalizing the merged document was easy
and it took only a few minutes!
OverDrive Problems
------------------
As impressed as I am with OverDrive, I do have a few
complaints, as follows:
1. Adding forms to OverDrive is somewhat cumbersome.
This is particularly unfortunate since OverDrive's
potential is not as just another electronic forms
package -- there are many of those and at a lot
lower price -- but rather as a sophisticated means
of putting your data together with documents you
frequently use. This means that for the program to
really shine, you will have to add your own forms.
Some of the problems I experienced in adding forms
to the Library are set out below:
(a) Identifying and designating the variable
information in the form: OverDrive requires
you to twice describe the type of variable
information you will use for a particular form
(i.e., "F1" is for "addressee's name &
address").
You must first describe your variable
information on paper while inserting code into
your form where your data will later go--
unless you are not concerned whether you might
FidoNews 5-47 Page 13 21 Nov 1988
forget what information goes where. This
information must be entered again into
OverDrive's "New Field Entry Window".
A convenient alternative would be to have
access to a pop up "New Field Entry Window",
while you are preparing a form to be added to
the Library, so that you would only have to
enter this information one time.
(b) Naming your newly added form: When naming
your newly created document, you must include
the full OverDrive Library path (i.e.,
volume\chapter\document). No problem so far.
But then to actually add your newly created
form to the OverDrive Library, you must go to
the appropriate Library chapter and again
enter the file name.
For a program designed to save you the bother of
entering the same information more than once, the
repetitive information-entry requirements for
creating new forms is perplexing, at best.
2. Storing/using data files:
My practice requires that I often use the same
data, such as a client's name and address,
repeatedly. Today I may need that information for
a letter, tomorrow for a legal document, and so on.
I need an automatic document assembly system which
allows me to enter my data one time only and then
be able to later merge that information with my
forms. Unfortunately OverDrive does not have this
capability. It can save the data you entered when
merging with a particular form, if you wish to
subsequently merge using that same form. But
that's it.
OverDrive's inability to store variable information
for use with all the forms in its Library means
that I would not find this program useful in my
professional practice. On the other hand, this
limitation is insignificant for those who do not
need to use the same data repeatedly. TurboSoft
also informs me that they are aware of this
limitation and will probably address it with their
next release (date unknown).
3. The transition between the "pick", "enter", and
"print" phases is unpolished: You are not
automatically taken from the "pick" phase to the
"enter" phase. With the use of the help screen and
some educated guessing, I was able to make the
transition but it should have been either automatic
or else the commands should have been more
FidoNews 5-47 Page 14 21 Nov 1988
intuitive. Indeed, when I chose one post-pick
option, "review", it seemed as if nothing had
happened. Only later, after taking a look at the
manual, did I discover that I should have exited
from OverDrive and entered into WordPerfect where I
could invoke OverDrive's <alt>-O macro review the
document I had just selected. This seems to have
been unnecessarily complicated.
Similarly, once you have completed the "enter"
phase, you are dropped into WordPerfect, itself.
The only clue you have as to what to do next in
order to print your merged document is a brief
message on the screen to enter <alt>-O. If you
follow the message, you are presented with a
relatively easy-to-follow print menu. I cannot
imagine why OverDrive forces you to go through this
follow-the-crumbs method rather than cause its
print menu to automatically appear upon completion
of the "enter" phase.
4. Limitation on number of reference files and Library
volumes, chapters, and forms: Granted that 100
reference files as well as Library volumes and
chapters, with a capacity for 1,250 forms appears
to provide substantial capacity. However, for a
large office, this limitation might adversely
affect the program's utility. OverDrive's network
version will have a 125,000 form capacity. Greater
capacity should be added to the single-user
version, as well.
It would be unfair to OverDrive to end this column up
with a discussion of its shortcomings. On balance, this
program offers an excellent productivity tool for those
who repeatedly use the same type of documents and where
the variable information is not, itself, repetitive.
Rogel's Wrap-Up
+======================================================+
| Product: OverDrive Version 1.1 |
| Price: |
| Lists for $99.95 |
| Product description: |
| Automatic document assembly program for use with|
| WordPerfect. Program contains 50 legal forms |
| and over 20 sample forms and letters; you can |
| add your own forms. Network version available; |
| OS2/Windows versions soon to be released. Not |
| copy protected. |
| System Requirements: |
| IBM-PC, XT, AT & compatibles; WordPerfect Ver. |
| 4.x or 5.0; DOS Ver. 2.x or higher; hard disk |
| with approx. 1 MB free storage space; 512K+ |
| memory; printer. |
| Comments: |
FidoNews 5-47 Page 15 21 Nov 1988
| This is another good document assembly program. |
| There are some problems, particularly in terms |
| of its inability to store repetitive variable |
| information, such as client names and addresses,|
| but future versions of this program are expected|
| to address these problems. |
| For more information, contact: |
| TurboSoft, a division of Turbo Law Laboratories,|
| Inc., 23811 Chagrin Boulevard, Suite 260, |
| Cleveland, Ohio (800) 284-7600, (216) 292-3425; |
| technical support: (216) 292-3410 |
+======================================================+
Sincerely,
Todd Rogel
September 9, 1988
Raleigh, North Carolina
Office 828-1396
Home 851-2103
MMS 779-6674 [150/102]
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 16 21 Nov 1988
YACK
Yet Another Complicated Komment
by Steven K. Hoskin
( STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/31 )
Episode 17: Hard Disk Crashes
Well, this is nothing new for those who've been in the computer
field as long as (or longer than) I have. But it's educational
when it happens to you. I just went down for a week. Wasn't
supposed to be a big deal. I took out my old hard disk
controller and put in a new one. I own a 20Meg and a 40Meg drive
but the old controller would only use a 615/4 (20Meg) drive, so a
friend of mine with the same disk set swapped his 20 for my 40
while I waited to get a controller. So I was running fine under
the old MFM format on 40Meg and biding my time. A deal came up I
couldn't refuse on an RLL controller. Time to upgrade, right?
For those not familiar with the hardware terms, MFM (whatever it
stands for) format is the NORMAL way to use a hard drive. If you
have a 10, 20, 40 or 140 Meg hard drive then you probably run MFM
and don't know it...but you don't NEED to know it so who cares?
If you are running a 30 or 60 Meg drive, you are probably running
RLL, and might even realize it. RLL stands for "Run-Length
Limited" coding. What does it mean to the inside of the disk? I
have no clue. It gives you about 26 sectors per track instead of
the usual 17 on a hard disk and therefore usually gives you 150%
the storage in the same amount of space. Something is obviously
getting packed in tighter, hence the higher standards on
certification usually required. Funny thing, though, it fools
your system into - no, not thinking it has 26 sectors per track,
but rather that it has more tracks. A 'normal' 20 Megger which
has 615 cylinders and 4 heads (615/4) becomes a 1024/4 drive.
Strange.
Anyway, neither of the disks were RLL-certified. So I knew I was
taking a risk. Well, the 20 couldn't take it. It formatted fine
but within 24 hours of each time it went operational it would
start coming up with "Sector Not Found"s and "General Error
Reading"s. Even when it was the second drive it ended up causing
the first one to go bad. I haven't figured THAT one out yet.
Things were going badly with the drive and at work and at home so
I put the computer aside and worked in the garage for two days.
Built shelves and whatnot. Came back, took out the 20 and
amazingly, EagleTech BBS came back up with 64 Meg of online.
Anybody got a cheap PC I can throw a spare controller and 20 in?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 17 21 Nov 1988
=================================================================
FOR SALE
=================================================================
COMPUTER STUFF FOR SALE
TURBO PASCAL version 4.0: Complete with all original disks and
manual, which is in excellent condition. Best offer over $40.
Pascal's an excellent language for the advanced beginner to
highly advanced programmer, and Turbo Pascal adds a number of
handy features.
CROSSTALK XVI ver. 3.61: The standard communications software
of the business world, Crosstalk has the greatest user base of
any commercial communications software package. Emulates a wide
variety of terminals, and has an easy-to-learn script language
that can completely automate your communications sessions. This
package listed for $195, but I'm only asking $50 for it, and it's
complete with the original diskette and manual, which is in
excellent condition.
THE SOURCE: User's guide. The Source is one of the business
world's premiere commercial database services, and this guide
shows you how to get the information you need quickly, without
incurring high online charges. They charge $25 for this... I'm
asking $5.00.
F-15 STRIKE EAGLE from Microprose: Comes complete with original
disk and manual, also in excellent condition, AND an extra backup
diskette from Microprose (this game incorporates very tough copy
protection and cannot be copied with CopyIIPC). Best offer over
$15.
PROGRAMMING THE 8086/8088 by James W. Coffron, published by
Sybex Books. This 312 page paperback volume gives one an inside
view of the workings of the CPU controlling the IBM PC, the AT&T
6300, IBM PS/2 Model 30, and many more "compatibles". Originally
$16.95, I'm asking $8.00.
PCDOS TIPS AND TRAPS: Published by McGraw-Hill, this 211 page
paperback volume is in excellent condition, and covers lots of
little-known features of DOS. It was originally $16.95.
Asking $7.00
HOW TO GET FREE SOFTWARE by Alfred Glossbrenner (the king of
online services): This 435 page paperback volume originally
sold for $14.95. Asking $5.00.
KAREL THE ROBOT by Richard E. Pattis: My Pascal instructor at
the University of Maryland said that this was the finest
beginner's introduction to programming in Pascal ever written.
This 100 page paperback volume takes a total beginner from a fear
of computers to a confident beginning programmer in a matter of
eight hours or so. The book went for $15.25. Asking $10.00
FidoNews 5-47 Page 18 21 Nov 1988
For any of these items, please send netmail to George Falcon at
109/648.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 19 21 Nov 1988
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
23 Nov 1988
25th Anniversary of "Dr. Who" - and still going strong
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
5 Oct 1989
20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Software Versions
BBS Systems Node List Other
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
Dutchie 2.90b EditNL 4.00 ARC 5.32*
Fido 12i MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 1.1
Opus 1.03b Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.86 EchoMail 1.31
TBBS 2.0M XlaxNode 2.22 MGM 1.1
BinkleyTerm 2.00 XlaxDiff 2.22 TPB Editor 1.21*
QuickBBS 2.03 ParseList 1.20 TCOMMail 1.1*
TPBoard 4.2* TMail 8810
TComm/TCommNet 3.2* UFGATE 1.0
Lynx 1.10*
D'Bridge 1.10
FrontDoor 2.0
* Recently changed
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 20 21 Nov 1988
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
Hal DuPrie 1:101/106 Chairman of the Board
Bob Rudolph 1:261/628 President
Matt Whelan 3:3/1 Vice President
Ray Gwinn 1:109/639 Vice President - Technical Coordinator
David Garrett 1:103/501 Secretary
Steve Bonine 1:115/777 Treasurer
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
DIVISION AT-LARGE
10 Courtney Harris 1:102/732? Don Daniels 1:107/210
11 Bill Allbritten 1:11/301 Hal DuPrie 1:101/106
12 Bill Bolton 3:54/61 Mark Grennan 1:147/1
13 Rick Siegel 1:107/27 Steve Bonine 1:115/777
14 Ken Kaplan 1:100/22 Ted Polczyinski 1:154/5
15 Larry Kayser 1:104/739? Matt Whelan 3:3/1
16 Vince Perriello 1:141/491 Robert Rudolph 1:261/628
17 Rob Barker 1:138/34 Steve Jordan 1:102/2871
18 Christopher Baker 1:135/14 Bob Swift 1:140/24
19 David Drexler 1:19/1 Larry Wall 1:15/18
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 1:107/233
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 21 21 Nov 1988
__
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Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays a specified annual membership fee. IFNA serves the
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Send this membership form and a check or money order for $25 in
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Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
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Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted by the
membership in January 1987. The second elected Board of Directors
was filled in August 1988. The IFNA Echomail Conference has been
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input to this Conference.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 5-47 Page 22 21 Nov 1988
INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
ORDER FORM
Publications
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
1:1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing
them directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee
Chairmen provide us with the latest versions of each
publication, but we can make no written guarantees.
Hardcopy prices as of October 1, 1986
IFNA Fido BBS listing $15.00 _____
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SUBTOTAL _____
IFNA Member ONLY Special Offers
System Enhancement Associates SEAdog $60.00 _____
SEAdog price as of March 1, 1987
ONLY 1 copy SEAdog per IFNA Member
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--
...sun!hoptoad!\ Tim Pozar
>fidogate!pozar Fido: 1:125/406
...lll-winken!/ PaBell: (415) 788-3904
USNail: KKSF / 77 Maiden Lane / San Francisco CA 94108