1321 lines
43 KiB
Plaintext
1321 lines
43 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 3, Number 8 24 February 1986
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| / \ |
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| - Fidonews - /|oo \ |
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| Fido and FidoNet _`@/_ \ _ |
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| Users Group | | \ \\ |
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| Newsletter | (*) | \ )) |
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| ______ |__U__| / \// |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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Fidonews is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1. You are
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encouraged to submit articles for publication in Fidonews.
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Article submission standards are contained in the file
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FIDONEWS.DOC, available from node 1/1.
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Disclaimer or don't-blame-us:
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The contents of the articles contained here are not our
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responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
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Everything here is subject to debate.
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL
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E-Mail Addiction
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2. ARTICLES
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Environment Space in Fido 11t
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11t Problem and Solution
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Fido Compatible Systems
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Lazy Sysops
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The dream is, and must remain, alive. Part II
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Opinion on National Mail Time
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Free Time Ramblings
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Buyers Beware!
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3. COLUMNS
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Notes from Abroad
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World of Computing: IBM compatability, manual typewriters
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4. FOR SALE
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Entertainment Software for your PC!
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MACRO - A powerful front-end for any language
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Public Domain Software Library Sale!!
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5. NOTICES
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The Interrupt Stack
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=================================================================
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EDITORIAL
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=================================================================
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E-Mail Addiction
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My wife has often commented on the fact that the very first thing
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I do in the morning is to check my machine to see if I've gotten
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any Fidomail.
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Surely it can wait; at least until I've dressed and consumed some
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oatmeal.
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What is the attraction of Fidomail? Why can't I at least wait a
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few minutes before reading it?
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I'm not the only one. I have several friends who are in the same
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position. One that I know of has TWIX run every morning as an
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external event so that he can tear off the paper and enjoy his
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Fidomail before doing anything else.
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Well, it is fast and cheap. Being a node really adds very little
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to the phone bill. Especially if one is fortunate enough to be
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part of a bidirectional net. And overnight mail all over the
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country (world?) is a lure that may be hard to resist.
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But talking to a friend in a neighborhood bar is even faster.
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After all, as fast as Fidomail is, it still takes two days before
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you get an answer. Face-to-face it takes almost no time at all!
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And a typical conversation is free (drinks are extra, of course).
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So why is Fidomail so attractive? Well, one can talk to people
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who are MUCH farther away than one would normally expect to
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travel. I can safely say that I don't know anyone in California
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(I'm in New Jersey) that I didn't meet through FidoNet. In fact,
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of all the people I know in California, I have never met any of
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them face-to-face.
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I can go farther than that. I have met face-to-face people in
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Holland, but the one person in Holland I know best is Henk
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Wevers, and I've known him only through FidoNet.
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It's easier somehow. I am horrible about writing letters, but
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good about answering Fidomail. Most of it, I am sure, stems from
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simple laziness. For either USPO mail or Fidomail I start by
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typing a letter into my machine. With Fidomail it ends there,
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but with the USPO that is just the beginning. I still have to
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print out the letter, shove it into an envelope, address the
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envelope, and stick a stamp on it. Then (horror of horrors) I
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have to go find a mailbox to put it in. With Fidomail I just
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write my reply and off it goes. No two ways about it -- Fidomail
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will spoil you.
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Fidonews Page 2 24 Feb 1986
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Gee M Wong
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Dance Studio
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Fido: 107/312
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UNIX: ihnp4!pyuxaa!gee
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Environment Space in Fido 11t
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Using information given me by Ken Kaplan, I conducted an
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experiment and determined the conditions which Fido 11t will
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issue the message "Not enough memory to run" and terminate with
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ERRORLEVEL 3. What I discovered, after an exhaustive series of
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experiments, was that Fido 11t appears to be scanning the
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environment table for the last SET variable defined in the
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environment and then calculating the cumulative length of all the
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defined SET variables. If the cumulative length is 100 bytes or
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longer, then Fido 11t will issue the above error message and
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terminate.
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The cumulative length of the SET variables may be easily
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determined by using the following commands:
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SET >set.out
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DIR set.out
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The first command will dump out the SET strings defined in the
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environment into a file named "SET.OUT", and the second command
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will display the byte count of "SET.OUT".
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Using this method I booted up DOS 3.10 with the following
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directive in CONFIG.SYS:
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shell=c:\command.com c:\ /p /e:##
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Where I used the values 10, 30, and 60 for ##.
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I discovered that Fido 11t does not make any attempt to determine
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the actual amount of free environment space. It checks to see if
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more than the first 99 bytes are used. If so, then it issues an
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error message and terminates.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 3 24 Feb 1986
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11t Problem and Solution
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by Ben Baker - Fido 100/76
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Many of you have noticed Version 11t's irritating habit of
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refusing to run, terminating with the message "Not enough free
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memory to run," and error level set to 3. This is a particular
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problem of the IBM version, but actually affects all versions.
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Gee Wong was the first to report the relationship between this
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problem and the size of the environment strings.
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First I will explain the problem, and then give you a solu-
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tion. If you are not technically inclined, feel free to skip to
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the solution below.
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The Problem
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Fido is written in the C language and compiled with the
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Lattice compiler using the "small data model." The small model
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allows the program to use 16-bit pointers to data rather than
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32-bit segment/offset pointers. This makes a program signifi-
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cantly faster, but imposes a constraint on the data. ALL data;
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compiled data, stack data and dynamically allocated data must
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reside in a single 64K data segment.
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When Fido begins execution, it checks to see if the total
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allocatable memory is above the minimum it needs to operate.
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Allocatable memory is 64K minus the sum of fixed data and stack
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size. If that amount is insufficient, it terminates with the
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above error condition and message. The IBM version appears to
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have the largest fixed data area and is most susceptible to the
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problem.
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What has this to do with the environment strings? That's a
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little more subtle. When using the small model, all data the
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program needs must be in the 64K data segment. If the program
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will access the environment strings, it can only do so if there
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is a copy in the data segment. Since the C initializer cannot
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know in advance whether the program will need the environment
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strings, it always copies the environment to the data segment!
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Therefore, the larger the environment, the less allocatable
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memory Fido has to work with.
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The Solution
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There are two variables we can adjust; environment size, and
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stack size. FIDO_IBM will execute properly if the sum of the two
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is less that 18100 bytes. The threshold for the other versions
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is not known, but seems to be somewhat higher (safer). The
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default stack size is 18000. The size of your environment can be
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determined with the following two DOS commands:
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SET >SET.TXT
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DIR SET.TXT
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The file size is the approximate size of your environment.
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The best solution to the problem is to reduce this size by
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shortening or eliminating your PATH and/or PROMPT strings until
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the size of SET.TXT is less than 100 bytes.
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Fidonews Page 4 24 Feb 1986
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If that is unacceptable, there is an alternative. Lattice
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makes provisions to adjust the stack size at execution time. If
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the first command line argument has the form "=<number>" the C
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initializer will use <number> as the stack size. For instance:
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FIDO_IBM =17900 <switches>
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would set the stack to 17900 bytes, allowing an environment size
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of up to 200 bytes.
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We believe that Fido will run properly with stack size set
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as low as 17000 bytes, but have not tested it exhaustively.
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Remember, the lower you set it, the greater you risk a STACK
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OVERFLOW error.
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One last point. When this error occurs, Fido exits with
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ERRORLEVEL = 3. Therefore, 3 is NOT VALID for external events.
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We recommend that all external events use ERRORLEVELs of 4 or
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above, and that you test for 3 in your batch file and terminate
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if it or any lower error occurs.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 5 24 Feb 1986
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Fido compatible systems
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-----------------------
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Carl Nordin
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A.T.L 101/4603 or 501/4603
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Lidkoping, Sweden
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I, as almost every Fido sysop, have the intention of writing
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my own Fido-compatible BBS. I'm determined to do so, but I don't
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really know at which end to begin. Writing a plain vanilla BBS
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with a message area and a file area isn't such a great job.
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Actually I once wrote a small BBS system in 6809 assembly
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language for FLEX 9.0. However the big problem is the FidoNet
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interface. Writing code that can send, receive and route mail is
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quite a big job, not to mention debugging it. Then it suddenly
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struck me, why should I do that job when somebody has already
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done it? Namely Tom Jennings with Fido. All I have to do is to
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write my BBS and for the FidoNet area I only have to make the
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files the same as Fido's. I can then start Fido from my BBS at
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the right time and it'll do the job and then return to my BBS,
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via an external event. The only Fido routines I need in my
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system are a scheduler and some way to make the *.MSG and
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SYSTEM??.BBS for the FidoNet area. The rest of the system I can
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design for my own taste.
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So here's one suggestion. Why doesn't Tom Jennings release
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a FidoNet handler, consisting of the FidoNet parts of Fido. It
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could then be invoked by something like:
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C>fidonet /2 60/W A/S
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which would mean: Start FidoNet using COM2: and run schedule
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A for 60 minutes and then terminate.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 6 24 Feb 1986
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Brian Sietz
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Fido 107/17
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Lazy Sysops
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I recently came up with a new use of the POLL command - and it
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has nothing to do with FIDO! It is a bit obscure, but came in
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very handy recently during a time when there was no alarm clock
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available in my home. Then I got to thinking - alarm clock? Who
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needs one when you have a FidoNet system downstairs!
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Well, here's the scoop - most sysops have a separate phone number
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dedicated as their DATA line, but why not have another Fido node
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on your VOICE line! No, I don't mean to actually run a system
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from the other line, just fool the REAL Fido into thinking there
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is another Fido in the same house!
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In my house, every morning, I run an additional mail event at
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7:15 for a period of 3 minutes. In my route files, I have my
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REAL Fido POLL the FAKE Fido during this event, which being 3
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minutes in duration, I get at least two wake-up calls! The only
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trick comes to play by "creating" a new node in the nodelist.
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This can easily be accomplished by manual editing of the file, or
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having LISTGEN change the phone number of an existing node; one
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that wouldn't be called.
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So, if you are lazy, or don't have an alarm clock, you no longer
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have an excuse for over sleeping!
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Fidonews Page 7 24 Feb 1986
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Well, it has been a little over 3 weeks since the shuttle
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disaster. Since that time, I have collected a little over 60
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messages between my two FIDO nodes, and a little over 700 pages
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of messages from UUCP/USENET (primarily net.space and
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net.columbia) as well as direct UUCP mail. In response to the
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article I placed in the FIDONEWS 2 weeks ago, I have received
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several messages from both users and SYSOPS. Well, I am going to
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Senator Garn's office at the end of the month. Time for the
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SYSOPs to bundle those shuttle-related messages into an ARC, and
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FIDOMAIL them to me at 109/74. Please use a file name of
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XXXYYY.51L, where XXX is your net or region number and YYY is
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your node number, to prevent message clashes. Thanks for your
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efforts. I will let you know what happens.
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Kurt Reisler - SYSOP - 109/74 - The Bear's Den
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109/483 - Wash-A-RUG
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The Dream is, and must remain, alive!
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Fidonews Page 8 24 Feb 1986
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Allen Tufts
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Fido 101/113
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MAIL TIME WOES
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Actually, I think there are many more people that are irked with
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the National Mail Slot than just Bob Hartman. I have to agree
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with Bob, there is a definite problem brewing. There have been
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times when it has taken me up to three days to deliver mail to
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the hosts of 132 and 101, and I'm sure the problem goes beyond my
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local area Hosts.
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My proposal, and I'm sure it is not a new one, is to allow mail
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to be sent or received at ANY time. You would probably want to
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keep the local mail time at 5:00am as it is now. This gives
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people a drop dead time to get their messages in for local
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delivery. It should be a very simple task to enable Fido to
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distinguish whether an incoming call is a User or FidoNet and
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then take the appropriate action. Leave it up to the Sysop of
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the calling system as to when he wants his system to deliver
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mail. If he wants to deliver his mail at noontime each day, then
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let him do it.
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I realize that getting Fido to accept mail at any time is only
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half the problem. Mail distribution under the proposed method
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could create some logistical problems, but I think they would be
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minor and can be overcome.
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Another topic I would like to raise while I am writing the
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article is Fido's inability to notify a user upon successful
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logon that he has mail waiting. I consider this to be a serious
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flaw with Fido. I don't like having to enter a message area of a
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system and check every directory for mail. The search for mail
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can take a fair amount of time considering the extensive message
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areas and amount of messages that some systems have. If Fido is
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going consider itself a serious EMAIL network, then at the very
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least it should report something similar to the following:
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You have mail waiting...
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Msg Area Msg #
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----------------------------------------------------------
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UNIX 45
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Ada 3,5,7
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SYSOP 78
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General 4,7,100,219
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This feature MUST tell you the areas and message numbers or else
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you are not really gaining a useful feature. Maybe if enough of
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the Fido community got together, Tom would consider implementing
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this feature (in some form) in the near future.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 9 24 Feb 1986
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Mike Ringer, 117/1262
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Free Time!
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Once again I've found some free time! How I don't know, but
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I've done it. Most of the time I sit down at my computer and
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wonder "has there ever been a program that uses every key on the
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computer (A-Z)?" Well I took care of this problem and created
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USELESS.BAS. Its exactly that. It doesn't do a single thing!
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Sure it draws a picture, plays a song and spins the disk drive
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but besides that it has no real purpose. I doubt anybody has it
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(or wants it) but It will soon be available on Elite Software
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(409)-846-4367 117/1262. I plan on writing more humorous spoofs
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on programing. USLESSII will be out soon. In it I will use the
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function keys and the Ctrl and Alt keys. If you have any other
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Ideas let me know for and I'll set my limited programming skills
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to work.
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Other programs I have written:
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ZOR.BAS
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ZORII.BAS
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DOCIBM.BAS
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USELESS.BAS
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ZOR3.BAS
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Now if you'll excuse me, I need to find my voter registration
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card.
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Mike Ringer
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Sysop of Elite Software
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creators of Best Friend
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"the best friend your computer ever had"
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117/1262
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(409)-846-4367
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Fidonews Page 10 24 Feb 1986
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WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
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BUYER BEWARE BUYER BEWARE
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There are several "small" companies among us that are advertising
|
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vaporware, be it hardware or software. Under the guise of
|
|
offering some super fantastic piece of hard/software are selling
|
|
other items other than the advertised vaporware to the
|
|
unsuspecting clients. It is a neat ploy that is even frowned on
|
|
by some of the larger companies as deceptive business practices.
|
|
|
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Buyer beware, it would be to everyone's advantage to cease doing
|
|
business with companies that tend to pull this slight deception.
|
|
|
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I'm all for advertising a soon to be released item. However it
|
|
is not in the best interest of our community for the same
|
|
companies to continue to advertise items that appear to never to
|
|
be real. We can fight back by ceasing to conduct any business
|
|
with these vapor ware companies.
|
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|
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WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 11 24 Feb 1986
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=================================================================
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COLUMNS
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=================================================================
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Notes from Abroad
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Following the installation of a 20 Meg hard disk on my Compaq, I
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|
thought I would report on the problems I encountered. The drive
|
|
is supplied in a sealed anti-static bag to protect the circuitry
|
|
which is in turn enclosed in a cardboard sleeve. The controller
|
|
card is supplied in a well padded anti-static bag. Also supplied
|
|
is a blanking plate, two ribbon cables, and a users manual .
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|
|
The first thing to do when fitting a new piece of hardware to
|
|
your system is to read the manual. The manual supplied is just
|
|
fourteen pages long and covers the installation procedure for an
|
|
IBM PC. There is a small section on setting the two DIP switches
|
|
on the main circuit board of the drive. I always seem to have
|
|
trouble with DIP switches, so I decided to only set one switch,
|
|
this was the switch marked "D" and with this switch set to on the
|
|
diagnostic option was selected.
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|
|
The next section in the manual details the drive's power
|
|
requirements. The first line caught me out, it said that the
|
|
drive requires an external power supply. I presume that this
|
|
section was for anyone who was thinking of fitting the drive as
|
|
an external unit.
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|
|
The next step was to take the lid off the Compaq and remove the
|
|
B: drive. This would have been a 2 minute job on an IBM PC but
|
|
on a Compaq it involves removing the floppy controller card, the
|
|
graphics card, and any add-on cards. When these cards were
|
|
removed the drive came out quite easily after unceremoniously
|
|
turning the Compaq on it's side, removing the bottom cover, and
|
|
removing the fixing screws from the bottom of the drive.
|
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|
|
This now leaves a gaping hole in the front of the Compaq so I
|
|
quickly put the new drive in position to see how the locating
|
|
holes lined up. It soon became obvious that the locating holes
|
|
in the Compaq chassis were intended to take a full height hard
|
|
disk. The shock absorbing mounting pillars are fitted only on
|
|
the right hand side of the chassis so anything fitted next to the
|
|
hard disk will have to find an alternative mounting method. As I
|
|
have no plans (or money!) to fit something else in the gap I
|
|
decided it would be best to simply mount the hard disk and cover
|
|
the hole with the supplied blanking plate.
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|
|
|
The holes lined up well with the mounting pillars and once in
|
|
place it looks very neat tucked into the right hand corner of the
|
|
Compaq. With the drive in place I then proceeded to fit the
|
|
ribbon cables. Following the instructions in the manual to the
|
|
word I fitted the cables to the drive and then connected the
|
|
other end to the controller card. The controller card has three
|
|
connectors, two twenty way, and one thirty-four way. You are
|
|
supplied with one 34 way cable and one 20 way cable. The manual
|
|
shows which of the 20 way connectors to use. I assumed that the
|
|
second 20 way connector was for another hard disk; but a phone
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Fidonews Page 12 24 Feb 1986
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call revealed that it was actually for a tape streamer. The
|
|
controller card apparently supports either 10 or 25 meg tape
|
|
streamers.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately I fitted one of the cables incorrectly but I didn't
|
|
realise this until I had switched on the Compaq. This may sound
|
|
like a fatal error but Western Digital has made the controller
|
|
idiot proof; ie safeguarded the circuitry against people like
|
|
myself who are incapable of following a manual. I certainly
|
|
don't recommend that you fit the cables incorrectly, but if you
|
|
do the chances are that no damage will be done.
|
|
|
|
After the first (failed) attempt to install the drive I reversed
|
|
the incorrectly fitted connector and then tried again. This time
|
|
success! The drive burst into life and then proceeded through
|
|
its self checking routine. The suppliers had told me that the
|
|
drive was pre-formatted and tested, and also that the PC-DOS
|
|
operating system had been installed. This means that the drive
|
|
should be configured to use as a boot disk. I opened the floppy
|
|
drive door and then re-booted. It tried to boot off the A: drive
|
|
but as the drive was not ready it proceeded to boot from the hard
|
|
disk. Booting off the hard disk is a much quicker operation than
|
|
booting off a floppy although the hard disk does take time to go
|
|
through its diagnostics. If you don't have much memory installed
|
|
in your machine it is possible that the computers diagnostic
|
|
routines will be quicker that the hard disks diagnostics; in this
|
|
case I suppose it is possible that a "drive not ready" error
|
|
could occur. This condition would of course be rectified as soon
|
|
as you press a key.
|
|
|
|
So there I was with my brand new hard disk humming quietly (very
|
|
quietly) in the background just waiting for some data to swallow
|
|
up. I proceeded to feed the hard disk a couple of files to
|
|
install in my new AUTOEXEC.BAT file. I followed this operation
|
|
with a CHKDSK which returned a gratifying 21184512 bytes of free
|
|
space!
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
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Fidonews Page 13 24 Feb 1986
|
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|
|
The World of Computing
|
|
|
|
by
|
|
Reuven M. Lerner, FidoMail 107/33
|
|
|
|
Welcome again to The World of Computing! This time, I'm
|
|
writing to you from my new Fountain PC, which is an IBM
|
|
compatible computer. The version I have has two half-height
|
|
floppy drives, plus a hard disk. I also have a nice internal
|
|
modem, so I can log onto Fido and other local BBS'. However, I'd
|
|
like to address the issue of IBM compatibility. In a way, it's
|
|
nice to have a standard, but in other ways, why should we be
|
|
forced to stay in the world of MS-DOS when new and improved
|
|
operating systems can be used? Let's go back in time to late
|
|
1980, when the IBM PC was still just on the drawing board, and
|
|
they were trying to figure out which processor they would use.
|
|
Intel had come out with the 8088 about a year before, which was
|
|
an 8/16 processor, but a newer, and more powerful one (the 8086,
|
|
a true 16-bit processor) was on the market. IBM had a dilemma:
|
|
do they use the newer and as-of-yet untested 8086, or do they
|
|
stick with the 8088, of which they could get millions if need be?
|
|
You and I both know that they decided to use the 8088.
|
|
|
|
Now we get to the operating system. At first, they wanted to
|
|
use the standard CP/M operating system, which had been very
|
|
successful in the 8-bit world. To make a very long story short,
|
|
Digital Research didn't want to keep so secret about IBM's new
|
|
machine. IBM went to Microsoft Corp. and asked them if they
|
|
could make an operating system. Microsoft went out and bought
|
|
another company's operating system, renamed it MS-DOS and PC-DOS,
|
|
put their BASIC on the disk, and had a new operating system.
|
|
|
|
Unfortunately, version 1.0 of MS-DOS had a few bugs and wasn't
|
|
powerful enough for many users. Plus which, IBM had included
|
|
only 64K in their original version (then again, who needed more
|
|
than 64K back then?). They went back and revamped it, and pretty
|
|
soon, came out with the MS-DOS that you and I know.
|
|
|
|
Well, enough of the story. Let's get back to the original
|
|
point. Is IBM compatibility good or bad? The answer is "yes."
|
|
For the past few years, I have used a wonderful DEC VT180 (which,
|
|
I may add, is still my favorite writing machine. I'm going to
|
|
use it again starting next week) which ran good 'ol CP/M 2.2.
|
|
Now that I have this hard disk and all, I have virtually
|
|
unlimited storage, easier-to-use communications, and a lot more.
|
|
|
|
In the past week, I've downloaded about 10 programs, including
|
|
the word processor that I'm writing this on, DVED 6.02 -- not
|
|
bad, but not so great, either.
|
|
|
|
I'm downloading PC-WRITE in a few days to compare the two. All
|
|
public-domain or shareware (have you paid for your shareware
|
|
today?). It's incredible what you can do! I have an automatic
|
|
screen-blanker, a pop-up calculator, and a Halley's Comet
|
|
simulation, with no worries about it working on my
|
|
machine/terminal/etc. like I have to on the DEC. And if it does
|
|
work on the DEC, I usually have to use DDT to change the terminal
|
|
parameters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 14 24 Feb 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
But, as with any machine, there are problems. First of all,
|
|
that stupid memory test at the beginning. Let's use some simple
|
|
math to see how long the POST test SHOULD take:
|
|
|
|
Assuming that the DEC has about a 2 MHz clock speed, and the
|
|
IBM 4.77, the DEC 64K and the IBM 640K, the IBM should take
|
|
0.2385 as much time as the DEC for the memory test! But no. It
|
|
takes about 45 seconds, enough to drive me insane when I'm in a
|
|
rush.
|
|
|
|
So far, I like the Fountain. It's a nice little machine, and
|
|
I'll report on any new developments when I get some new software.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Manual Typewriters
|
|
|
|
Some of you may find this little personal anecdote interesting
|
|
to hear: I've been using word processors and electronic
|
|
typewriters exclusively for the past four years, so it's very
|
|
rare that I have to use a manual typewriter. About two weeks
|
|
ago, I had to use one, and after typing a full line, I reached
|
|
out for the RETURN key, and lo and behold, it wasn't there! It
|
|
took me a full five minutes before I realized that the little
|
|
lever in front of me was the RETURN key's equivalent.
|
|
|
|
Besides being a little funny now that I look back at it, it
|
|
brings a serious point to mind. We in the computer age are
|
|
spoiled. That's right, spoiled. We have everything so easy,
|
|
writing is a dream. I probably wouldn't be as interested in
|
|
writing on the side if I didn't have some electronic components
|
|
in my typewriter or computer.
|
|
|
|
We should just think of the people who came before us, and what
|
|
they had to use. I'm sure many of you reading this are from the
|
|
generation that was around when electronic typewriters (or
|
|
electric, for that matter) were very rare items, and very costly
|
|
besides.
|
|
|
|
I just wonder what it's going to be like in another hundred
|
|
years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Software Piracy
|
|
|
|
To give you an update on the software piracy article that I
|
|
wrote on these pages here several weeks ago, I have prepared a
|
|
file called OATH.TXT, which I will send to you via FidoMail if
|
|
you so request. It's one of those things that you download,
|
|
print, and sign your name on. The full title is TAKE THE OATH.
|
|
|
|
Basically, it says that you pledge not to buy copy-protected
|
|
software, give away, take, buy or sell illegal copies of
|
|
software, or buy software that is overpriced (this is a very
|
|
subjective point, I leave it in your hands).
|
|
|
|
What's the purpose? To get computer users to agree on points
|
|
which will change the face of computing for a while. If we don't
|
|
act now, no one will, and we will live with the consequences for
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fidonews Page 15 24 Feb 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a while.
|
|
|
|
On another note, a certain member of my family came home last
|
|
night with some copied software. I talked with him, and although
|
|
he realized that it's wrong,. he gave a valid point. Someone
|
|
with a busy job just doesn't have time to waste. trying out
|
|
different pieces of software when he's not sure what he really
|
|
wants.
|
|
|
|
He's not going to take the oath for a while.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Next time
|
|
|
|
Next week, I hope to say something about the Macintosh Plus,
|
|
and a little on. computer jargon and new words that we are using.
|
|
Again, I invite all comments. and questions at the address below.
|
|
Until next week, happy computing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
(c) 1986 Reuven M. Lerner. All Rights Reserved. Reprinting
|
|
rights are given. solely to Fidonews unless written permission is
|
|
obtained from the author. Direct all correspondence to 21 Old
|
|
Westbury Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568, or Reuven Lerner at
|
|
FidoMail 107/33.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
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|
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|
|
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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|
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Fidonews Page 16 24 Feb 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
=================================================================
|
|
FOR SALE
|
|
=================================================================
|
|
|
|
ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE FOR YOUR PC!
|
|
|
|
SUPERDOTS! KALAH!
|
|
|
|
Professional quality games include PASCAL source! From the
|
|
author of KALAH Version 1.6, SuperDots, a variation of the
|
|
popular pencil/paper DOTS game, has MAGIC and HIDDEN DOT
|
|
options. KALAH 1.7 is an African strategy game requiring
|
|
skill to manipulate pegs around a playing board. Both games
|
|
use the ANSI Escape sequences provided with the ANSI.SYS
|
|
device driver for the IBM-PC, or built into the firmware on
|
|
the DEC Rainbow. Only $19.95 each or $39.95 for both
|
|
exciting games! Please specify version and disk format.
|
|
These games have been written in standard TURBO-PASCAL and
|
|
run on the IBM-PC, DEC Rainbow 100 (MSDOS and CPM), CPM/80,
|
|
CPM/86, and PDP-11. Other disk formats are available, but
|
|
minor customization may be required.
|
|
|
|
BSS Software
|
|
P.O. Box 3827
|
|
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
|
|
|
|
|
|
For every order placed, a donation will be made to the Fido
|
|
coordinators! Also, if you have a previous version of KALAH
|
|
and send me a donation, a portion of that donation will also
|
|
be sent to the coordinators. When you place an order, BE
|
|
CERTAIN TO MENTION WHERE YOU SAW THE AD since it also
|
|
appears in PC Magazine and Digital Review.
|
|
|
|
Questions and comments can be sent to:
|
|
|
|
Brian Sietz at Fido 107/17
|
|
(609) 429-6630 300/1200/2400 baud
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
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|
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Fidonews Page 17 24 Feb 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
We have a confession to make. We've been holding out on you.
|
|
For several years now we've been using a program called MACRO to
|
|
boost our productivity. But we've been keeping it a closely
|
|
guarded secret. Even our most intimate clients have been unaware
|
|
of it's existence. Now, however, we've decided to release it to
|
|
the PC user community.
|
|
|
|
If you have ever used a macro assembler, then you already know
|
|
how useful macros can be. For the rest of you, well, a good
|
|
macro processor can do half of your work for you. MACRO works
|
|
with any normal text file, and hence can be used as a powerful
|
|
front-end to almost any language. Here's a sample of what MACRO
|
|
can do for you:
|
|
|
|
1. Put parameters in your programs, allowing you to easily change
|
|
table sizes, ranges of values, and so forth.
|
|
|
|
2. Put conditional code in your programs, allowing you to write
|
|
one program, and then "switch" parts on and off easily for
|
|
different customers and applications.
|
|
|
|
3. Perform integer arithmetic and string manipulation before your
|
|
program is compiled, saving run time.
|
|
|
|
4. Write programs that customize themselves when you compile
|
|
them, based on commands given and questions answered during
|
|
the macro scan.
|
|
|
|
|
|
MACRO is available for only $95 from
|
|
|
|
System Enhancement Associates
|
|
21 New Street, Wayne NJ 07470
|
|
|
|
Or call our convenient order line at (201) 473-5153 (VISA and
|
|
MasterCard accepted).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mention that you saw this ad, and we'll donate $10 to the
|
|
national FidoNet coordinators when you order.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
Fidonews Page 18 24 Feb 1986
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now available from Micro Consulting Associates!!
|
|
|
|
Public Domain collection - 300+ "ARC" archives - 10 megs of
|
|
software and other goodies, and that's "archived" size!
|
|
When unpacked, you get approximately 17 megabytes worth of
|
|
all kinds of software, from text editors to games to
|
|
unprotection schemes to communications programs, compilers,
|
|
interpreters, etc...
|
|
|
|
This collection is the result of more than 10 months of
|
|
intensive downloads from just about 100 or more BBS's and
|
|
other sources, all of which have been examined, indexed and
|
|
archived for your convenience. Starting a Bulletin Board
|
|
System? Want to add on to your software base without
|
|
spending thousands of dollars? This is the answer!!!
|
|
|
|
To order the library, send $100 (personal or company check,
|
|
postal money order or company purchase order) to:
|
|
|
|
Micro Consulting Associates
|
|
Post Office Box 4296
|
|
200-1/2 E. Balboa Boulevard
|
|
Balboa, Ca. 92661-4296
|
|
|
|
Please allow 3 weeks for delivery of your order.
|
|
|
|
Note: No profit is made from the sale of the Public Domain
|
|
software in this collection. The price is applied entirely
|
|
to the cost of downloading the software over the phone
|
|
lines, running a BBS to receive file submissions, and
|
|
inspecting, cataloguing, archiving and maintaining the
|
|
files. Obtaining this software yourself through the use of a
|
|
computer with a modem using commercial phone access would
|
|
cost you much more than what we charge for the service...
|
|
|
|
Please specify what type of format you would like the disks
|
|
to be prepared on. The following choices are available:
|
|
|
|
IBM PC-DOS Backup utility
|
|
Zenith MS-DOS 2.11 Backup Utility
|
|
DSBackup
|
|
Fastback
|
|
Plain ol' files (add $50, though, it's a lot of
|
|
work and takes more diskettes...)
|
|
|
|
Add $30 if you want the library on 1.2 meg AT disks (more
|
|
expensive disks). There are no shipping or handling
|
|
charges. California residents add 6% tax.
|
|
|
|
For each sale, $10 will go to the FidoNet Administrators.
|
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 19 24 Feb 1986
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=================================================================
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NOTICES
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=================================================================
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The Interrupt Stack
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1 Mar 1986
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The Next Occasional MetroNet Sysop Meeting, to be held at
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Matt Kanter's apartment. Check with Matt at 107/3 for
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details.
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1 Mar 1986
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European mail hour shifts to 0230-0330 GMT. Summer time
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will no longer be observed.
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11 Apr 1986
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Halley's Comet reaches perigee.
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19 May 1986
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Steve Lemke's next birthday.
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24 Aug 1989
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Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
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If you have something which you would like to see on this
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calendar, please send a message to Fido 1/1.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
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Mike Hamilton Host of net 103
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The Orange County section of NET 102 has broken out to a
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separate net. This change is effective as of node list 031.
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Our new net is 103. All the 500 series nodes from new 102
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are now addressed as net 103 with the same node numbers.
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More changes are being made in the makeup of the nets in
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Southern California. Pay attention to the changes in the
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nodelist if you have mail coming this way.
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NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Fidonews Page 20 24 Feb 1986
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