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Volume 4, Number 21 1 June 1987
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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.
Copyright (C) 1987, 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.
Eleven Weeks to FidoCon!
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
Seeing is Believing ...................................... 1
2. ARTICLES ................................................. 2
Arc-Pkarc-Zoo - Which Should I Use? ...................... 2
Better BBS??? ............................................ 5
Why doesn't anyone laugh anymore? Or the story of UN-FU .. 10
3. COLUMNS .................................................. 13
The Regular Irregular Column ............................. 13
4. NOTICES .................................................. 17
FidoNews Bug ............................................. 17
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 17
Latest Software Versions ................................. 17
IFNA Board of Directors Ballot ........................... 18
FidoNews 4-21 Page 1 1 Jun 1987
=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================
Seeing is Believing
So you've gotten into network mail. Maybe not directly -- maybe
you're mainly into echomail. Regardless, you've found youself
interacting with all sorts of people you've never met before. In
fact, you STILL haven't met them.
Maybe you've sent them messages, and maybe you haven't. Maybe
you've just been reading messages they have written. Some you
like, and some you hate. Either way, you think you know them.
But you don't. Not really.
An example: I went to a local area sysop meeting not long ago and
met a great many people that I had previously known through the
network. One guy in particular sat off in the corner, watching a
monitor. A few people took turns at a keyboard, typing. Turns
out they were typing a running commentary about what was going
on. You see, he was deaf, and couldn't hear a word of what was
happening around him. I knew him already from netmail, but I
never respected him half so much as I did once I found out the
hardships he was dealing with. I also know more about the people
who took turns at that keyboard, and respect them all the more
for it.
Another example: At a local sysop meeting I met a guy with whom I
had earlier come to blows on one conference or another. On
meeting him and talking with him, I realized that there was much
more than met the eye. I understand him better now, and messages
from him that before would have piqued my ire now cause me to
pause and think.
Electronic mail as a means of communications has some severe
shortcomings, but many of them can be alleviated by a little
personal contact. Your big chance of the year to meet those
people you've been hearing from is coming up soon. On the next
to last weekend of August is our big annual get-together, being
held this time in Washington DC. Please don't miss out on it.
We'll be looking forward to seeing you there.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-21 Page 2 1 Jun 1987
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Jean Coppola 107/201
In response to over 147 messages I have run the benchmark tests
again, this time including Zoo in the testing. I thank all of you
for your suggestions and have incorporated most of them in this
current test.
Computer Configuration
----------------------
Panasonic Sr. Partner running at 4.77 Mhz (Norton SI 1.0) with
640k of Ram with a 20 Meg Mini-scribe hard disk. My current
configuration is as follows:
A) Buffers = 35
B) Files = 20
C) Stacks = 10,128
D) Cluster Size = 1k
I hope this helps the people who asked what I ran the tests on
and what configuration I used during the tests.
Test File Information
---------------------
The tests were run against a collection of 17 files with a total
length of 291134 bytes. This averages out to a file size of
17125.53 bytes per file. The files used are a collection of
'com', 'exe', 'txt' and 'ovl' files. I can make the disk
available for anyone who desires to see it.
The tests were run on the hard drive this time and the disk was
optimized (disk optimizer) between tests to assure the most
accurate results possible.
All tests were run three (3) times and the times reported below
are the average of the three test runs.
Please note in the first article several weeks ago the files were
read in from the floppy drive and the archive was produced on the
hard drive.
In this series of tests the files were read from the hard drive
and the archives were produced on the hard drive.
Versions Of Software Tested
---------------------------
The following versions of software were used in this test and are
FidoNews 4-21 Page 3 1 Jun 1987
the latest versions to the best of my knowledge.
Arc - Version 5.20
Pkarc - Version 3.50
Zoo - Version 1.41
Actual Test Results - Creation Of Archive Files
-----------------------------------------------
Software Time (mm:ss:hh) File Size Created
----------------------------------------------------
Arc 07:02:41 199956
Pkarc 01:12:90 195015
Zoo 02:20:64 197753
----------------------------------------------------
Actual Test Results - Unpacking Of Archive Files
----------------------------------------------------
Software Time (mm:ss:hh)
----------------------------------------------------
Arc 04:14:39
Arce 01:05:28
Pkxarc 00:50:17
Zoo 01:15:93
Percentage Of Size Reduction As Reported By Software
-----------------------------------------------------
Software Source Size Arc Size Percentage Smaller
-----------------------------------------------------
Arc 291134 199956 32%
Pkarc 291134 195015 34%
Zoo 291134 197753 32%
-----------------------------------------------------
Again these numbers are what the software reported as the source,
output and percentage of reduction.
Self Extraction Creation - Extraction Results
-----------------------------------------------------
Software Creation Time Extraction Time
-----------------------------------------------------
Pkarc 01:09:09 00:57:89
-----------------------------------------------------
Although Arc is now distributed as a self extracting archive the
creation program is not distributed with Arc, as it is with Pkarc
so Arc could not be tested in this area.
FidoNews 4-21 Page 4 1 Jun 1987
So Which One Should I Use?
--------------------------
Although Pkarc is faster and produces smaller archive files there
is one small problem in its exclusive use.
Currently Arc is not compatible with the files that Pkarc
produces. So if you use Pkarc I suggest you create self un-
packing archives or some how inform the people that might have
access to your archives that you use Pkarc as well as Arc.
As a Sysop I use Pkarc because it produces smaller files and thus
saves valuable disk space. I am currently in the process of
converting my arc files to self-extracting files thus avoiding
the question of which utility to use when un-arcing a file
downloaded from my system.
An interesting feature of the Pkarc self extraction is the
possiblities it creates for software distribution.
By this I mean that a self-extracting archive or group of
archives in conjunction with a batch file could make installing
software easier in some cases.
Copyright 1987 By Jean Coppola - All Rights Reserved
IFNA, FIDONEWS, FIDO AND OPUS SYSOPS ARE GRANTED A NON-EXCLUSIVE
LICENSE TO COPY, PROCESS, AND DISTRIBUTE THIS ARTICLE IN ANY
MATTER THEY SEE FIT. COMMERCIAL RIGHTS GRANTED AT NO COST UPON
WRITTEN REQUEST TO THE AUTHOR. REQUESTS MAY BE SENT BY FIDO MAIL
TO 107/201.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-21 Page 5 1 Jun 1987
Critical Mass
P.O. Box 629
Gualala, Ca. 95445
Fido Net (125/144)
300/1200/2400 bauds
(707) 994-4221
With considerable respect I wag my finger disapprovingly at the
network of Fido boards. Don't get me wrong; it's not what exists
that irks me but what is missing. However, before I go any
further allow me introduce myself and my background.
I am an old fossil, gas bag, traditional wooden boat builder. My
ancestors have been tormenting cedars, oaks, elms and other
defenseless life forms into artificial shapes for generations
with only minor changes in method, style, or flexibility of
opinion. I am, in effect, a dinosaur, a creature of an earlier
age.
For me the echoes of the distant past and present are not
separated by well defined boundaries of epoch, nation, or clan.
Rather, each segment of time appears as well worn shelves from
which to draw tools. It is not uncommon to find a broad ax and
computer resting comfortably side by side on my cluttered bench.
Both posses a cutting edge, one no keener than the other.
Morning may find me hunched over, wielding an ax like some
neolithic brute; satisfying wack wacks resound through the shop.
If you listen carefully you can hear the blows echo through
hundreds of centuries.
The afternoon buzzes to the whine of a bandsaw chewing through a
plank. Echoes here are juvenile, spanning less than a hundred
years.
Evenings are spent peering into my computers trying to meld the
shapes of the past into a being that will give pleasure and
utility of graceful motion. Here, the infantile echos are barely
heard at all.
The most ancient echos are the chatter of voices discussing and
arguing the sense and form of wood and metal. They are building
a HER --- not a thing but a being. Boats are known as HER or SHE
simply because boat builders have always worship curves.
Stressed and contesting angles are heresy --- worse, obscenity.
How could the gentle grace of a well-formed craft be anything
other than SHE? Her future status as a BEING is framed, not in
her shape but in her evolved history. There is nothing
proprietary about a traditional wooden boat; each is founded on
the existence of her predecessor, evolved not invented. The
echoing voices are not aware in these terms, but every act, every
action is framed by this concept. The echoes here are vastly
older than our kind -- as old as evolution.
FidoNews 4-21 Page 6 1 Jun 1987
It was with this sense of continuity that I purchased my first
computer about nine years ago. My patterns where driving me out
of my shop. I would either have to build a large shed or find a
better way to store them. A computer seemed the ideal solution.
Eight years and dozens of different of types of systems later odd
looking contraptions laying disemboweled on work benches. I
operated an S-100 based RCP/M for public domain and commercial
hacks and more money in my equipment and software than in the
bank -- in other words, the whole nine yard cliche.
I had fallen in love with the IDEA of remote systems. Here was
tradition at its best. Yes tradition! Each board operated
independently but everything within was cooperative, evolved from
what came before. Ward Christensen, Paul Traina, Erving Hoff and
countless others produced magnificent hacks, free to all. ZCPR,
BYE, XMODEM, MDM7## and hundreds of other utilities formed the
backbone of RCP/M systems. Each a separate module but framed to
act as a whole.
The vast majority of this software was in source. One man would
originated a given utility but many worked to polish and improve.
Bounced from board to board, embellished with care and passed on,
they grew in power and flexibility far beyond their beginnings.
Though they improved at the hands of others, their founders where
never forgotten. The top of each application was rich in bylines
and comments reflecting its lineage and fascinating to read.
There was only one thing missing, a networking mail system. When
I found out about FidoNet I could barley control my excitement.
The missing ingredient necessary for an electronic world wide
community of shared ideas was finally here! Though my old S-100
based RCP/M was functioning faithfully I gave it an affectionate
pat and closed it down. I Installed in its place a PC clone with
two thirty-two meg hard disks and began collecting the necessary
software.
To my dismay I discovered that the PC family of BBS programs and
support utilities where not a step forward in possibilities, but
rather a disappointing step backwards. By this I don't mean that
MS Dos systems lack in imaginative ideas, far from it. The
problem is that each competes rather than cooperates in an
evolving whole.
Fido for example is one monolithic piece, its source code
proprietary and unavailable to its users. Fido is a brilliant
program but one man could not be expected to accomplish
everything. My board supports more than one operating system; if
I could segregate CP/M and MS Dos users though the use of a menu
of operating systems the board would be much less confusing. As
it is, users are exposed to a vast list of bewildering choices.
If I had the source code I could rewrite what was appropriate to
my users needs. Now, my only choice is to write an entirely new
board -- not a pleasant prospect!
Even if I had fido's soruce code it still wouldn't resolve the
most important issue, modular design. In RCP/M systems the user
FidoNews 4-21 Page 7 1 Jun 1987
IS allowed within the operating system. CP/M's soruce code is
available to all and can be easily modified so that destructive
commands will answer ONLY to the sysop.
Unlike Fido the RCP/M message system, file transfer utility,
elaborate help routines, and many more are in separate,
independent, and, most important, modifiable modules. This
approach allows for VERY powerful and friendly systems. XMODEM
and KMD are file transfer utilities in that tradition. Fido's
transfer system is clever and versatile allowing several
protocals. XMODEM and KMD do not possess KERMIT but they do have
something even better, they can transfer just one file from
within a library of files without having to send you the whole
thing if you don't want it.
In a single monolithic program there is just so much room,
cooperating modules are another mater. Signing on to a good
RCP/M is like entering a spacious library, one is free to wonder
through countless shelves. Any volume may be withdrawn whole or
in part. In contrast, entering Fido's cramped nooks and crannies
is both frustrating and limiting. Please forgive me; the problem
is not that Fido is too small but that it's too large. The
application's brilliance is due solely to its mail system. It
should have been confined to that, or at least broken up into
parts.
What I Think is Needed
A patch to MS/PC Dos that would turn off and, on dangerous
commands such as DEL, MKDIR, RENAME, and the like, operate only
with a password selected by the sysop. The utility would also
ascribe security- level clearances to given directories based on
references within a file, much as Fido does now. In RCP/M
systems this program is usually ZCPR or ZCMD, they are patches to
the CCP. I imagine that a modified COMMAND.COM would be all it
would take to accomplish this. Another more powerful possibility
would be a high memory overseer running all other applications
within its shell.
A utility that answers the phone, determines the baud rate,
identifies the caller, patches its findings into high memory or a
file and then links the caller to the message system would be
helpful. RCP/M systems call this utility BYE. The reason for
the name BYE is so that when the polite user calls its name it
gives the length of time on, number of up and down loaded files,
and anything else the sysop might like to remind the user of
before sign off. In many ways BYE resembles WATCHDOG or GUARD.
If simultaneous callers are to be supported this would be the
only application that need understand it.
The message system could be VERY powerful because it would not be
burdened with any other responsibilities other than messages. It
defiantly should not contain the actual network mail algorithms,
only flags for the mail mover to access. Because of its
compactness true word processing features could be employed and
governed by terminal definition files flagged to the user's
FidoNews 4-21 Page 8 1 Jun 1987
machine. If the users machine was not on the list he or she
would either have to download them or be satisfied with lesser
capabilities. Actually, it is fairly easy to obtain a
comprehensive list, most programmers possess fifty or more. One
feature that I feel is a must: an automatic search-through on all
messages areas for the users mail at sign on! I was astonished
that Fido didn`t possess this ability.
A utility, much like OUTSIDE, linked by the message system and
possessing a sysop supplied menu of applications, including a
gateway to the protected operating system, should be added.
Also include an independent file transfer utility that is
accessed from within the protected operating system. Fido's
transfer algorithms are GREAT but they should be outside, not
inside Fido. Further, they SHOULD be able to extract any given
file from within an archive or library. The RCP/M uses XMODEM or
KMD to accomplish this.
RCP/M systems employ scores of useful utilities: extensive help
system; MAP to display files within the system; FILE or FIND to
locate files; LDIR to display the contents of a library; LTYPE to
display ASCII files within a library, and many more. Because the
user has access to the operating system, independent utilities
can be robust, instead of crowded within one large program.
The mail system MUST be independent in the fashion of SeaDOG but
it should also be protected from users within the operating
system. The simplest way to do that is place it in a protected
area graded by the proposed patch to Dos or the high memory
shell.
Most important of all, each and every module MUST be in source
and the code as portable as possible! Systems may vary
considerably but the file structure of messages and the protocol
of the mail system MUST remain universally compatible. For this
reason, as well as others, an international coordinator of
standards, much like the French Academy of Language, needs be
established. The International FidoNet Association is already
established and a logical candidate.
FidoNet is a wonderful idea but it is far too parochial. Fido
acts as though IBM and its clones where the only systems out
there. Years ago I called my board Critical Mass because I
believed that enough minds working in concert produce an
explosion of ideas and insights. I believe this still. We are in
desperate NEED of a few insights! There are countless thousands
of boards supporting hundreds of thousands of users world wide.
What an opportunity! What a potential tradition! Restricting
this potential to a handful of segregated boards, borders on
criminal negligence!
Anyone out there know how to protect Dos? How about an
independent utility supporting KERMIT, XMODEM, YMODEM, and ASCII
file transfer?
FidoNews 4-21 Page 9 1 Jun 1987
For my part I intend to serve as both irritant and cheer leader
for a TRULY international collection of minds. I am beating the
electronic bushes for algorithms, ideas, and modules with an eye
to making them available to all who are interested. If you have
anything to contribute PLEASE send them to (125/144) and I will
see to it that they get around.
Please send ideas, comments, or code to:
Ken Mobert sysop Critical Mass (125/144)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-21 Page 10 1 Jun 1987
>>I WAKE UP AND CHECK THE MAIL BOX<<
What do I find from our friendly net? flames, hurt feelings, more
flames. So what do I do? I flame of course, isn't that what
BBS's is all about?
>>I QUICKLY WRITE A MESSAGE TO THE NET SYSOPS<<
What, has everything gotten so boring that all we can do is poke
jabs at each other. As usual I screwed up by correcting previous
mistakes. So what happens, Bill does nothing other than run his
board and gets blamed for my mistake. So what, who cares, what
the f*ck.
Another case in point, Dan offers to help with the echo mail but
in the mean time John is coordinating with Seattle to get
echomail for us for free. Randy sends an abrupt message to Dan
(yes Randy, you do get abrupt) and Dan get's pissed.
Now comes the statement that gets everyone pissed at me. So now
everyone is throwing tantrums (you know, like the ones our
children throw). Oh lets not be reasonable, and lets be sure not
to re read those quick messages we drop in the mail, lets be sure
not to ask ourselves how the other party is going to interpret
this, lets just do it anyway.
A lot of you may not know this, but we are considered an
abnormality to the rest of the Region, we are strange, we don't
bicker, we don't have nasty politics, we get along. Well it's
nice to know that has changed, we aren't abnormal any more, were
getting just as f*cked up as everyone else.
I don't know why but for some reason I don't feel any better.
Bill
>>LATER THAT DAY<<
Well my hot little mis-spelling little fingers have cooled down a
bit.
You know, when this type of crap happens I ask myself "Bill, why
do you run a BBS?" and since I usually get good answers from
myself, I generally reply "Because it's fun."
Now comes the hard part and what I believe is different for each
of us. I ask myself (yes, I really do talk to myself) "what
makes it fun?" Well that's a hard question to answer. I
generally find it easier to think of the things that don't lend
enjoyment to it.
First of all it's a GAME, and like all good games you need
players. To me this means both other sysops and USERS. Now a
BBS without users isn't much fun is it? and without fellow
FidoNews 4-21 Page 11 1 Jun 1987
syslops to share (and be competitive) with there isn't as much
fun.
On the subject of sysops, the reason I got tired of the national
echo's was that there weren't any USERS, just sysops, and you
know what were like.
Another thing that limits the fun of running a bbs is letting it
get stagnate. I don't know about the rest of you but I have to
tweak my system all the time, make it run faster, make it
cleaner, make friendlier. I have to change things around, not to
make it harder to use, but to make it easier and for the life of
no matter what I do to it today, tomorrow there will be something
else.
The trouble with tweaking is that it usually takes two weeks to
fix the bugs created while solving other problems. This generally
creates havoc else where, like on your boards. Well I'm sorry
about that, but even us gods make screw ups.
Now I also ask myself (see I'm still doing it) what should I do
when someone else screws up while working on their board (are you
listening J M), like finding a couple of hundred messages out of
the blue and where I don't want them. Ah the first thought is to
grab a shotgun, how dare he mess my system up. (Yes Randy, I'll
loan you one of my shotguns for the next time I do it to you) or
do I drop him a note, or place a voice call to let him know
something went wrong.
And heaven forbid the same mistake be made the next night, how
can anyone be so incompetent that they don't instantly forgo
dinner, tell the kids to shut up, kiss the wife (if she's still
talking to you) and spend the entire evening tracking down the
fact that you have VANPORT and CALENDAR reversed in your
areas#.bbs
I guess what all this babbling is about is the job is only worth
doing if you have fun doing it. Like even writing this note I
using DUTCHED, it still writes the same note, but it does it
differently and that's fun. When's the last time any of you took
the trouble to join in the conversations your users have started?
Well I can tell you that's fun, when's the last time you designed
a new log on screen? That's fun to. There are so many ways to
enjoy ourselves with these little pieces of software that I can't
imagine trying to have UN-FUN.
We all have our own areas of expertise, why not be creative, make
mistakes, even make a mess (I remember when I thought I didn't
have fun if my mother didn't have to cut the dirty clothes off
me). Make your BBS a great BBS and help make your fellow sysops
board a great one as well. Lets help each other, not attack.
Remember that you can't see the face on the other end, you can't
see if he's smiling as he say that, or not, so lets assume that
he is.
Bill
FidoNews 4-21 Page 12 1 Jun 1987
>>THE NEXT DAY<<
It was suggested that I share my little tirade with all of you,
so I combined the two notes, corrected many spelling errors (and
a little bad grammar), and submit not for your approval but for
your reflection.
I'll close with a quick question (or 3). Is this fun anymore?
Why isn't it? (assuming you answered the first one honestly).
And lastly, What can I do to make it fun again?
Bill Jones
105/10
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-21 Page 13 1 Jun 1987
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
-- The Regular Irregular Column --
Dale Lovell
157/504
I'm going to hit some unusual items this time around. By
unusual I mean something that is not piece of computer hardware
or software. It is something that every hacker (in the true
meaning, not the current media distorted meaning) should own, and
almost anyone who is programming (or learning to program) in
assembly language or C (maybe Pascal as well, I'm not sure). This
column may turn out to be a little short as well. I just got a
new machine at work with a 1.2 meg floppy and my home machine's
360K floppy does not get along with it at all. Since I often put
part of this column together during my lunch break, this poses a
minor problem.
-- Casio CM-100 (list price ???, mine cost about $20) --
In the beginning there was assembly language. Then due to
the monumental efforts of many people there came BASIC. While
this was fine for those who didn't feel like learning assembly
language, it was bad for those who still thought in terms like
LDA. Many did not forsake these adventurers however, TI made a
calculator especially for them that included all their favorite
operations (like AND, XOR, etc) in all the myriad number bases
(Hex, Octal, Binary, and lowly Decimal). The only problem was
that TI wanted an exorbitant amount of money for this wonderful
device (at least I always found it out of my price range). So
things stood for many a year. While the "mainstream" of computer
users went over to applications, many still programmed in their
beloved assembly language. While the TI calculator would have
been nice, they were forced to use their computers do this
wonderful work (needlessly complicating their debugging). So
things stood until a few months ago when Casio announced that
they had not forsaken the programmers, and here is a new
calculator that does all that the TI model does and is within all
peoples budgets. The great corporation named this device the CM-
100, and it was made widely available.
Like the previous paragraph? My mom always did want me to go
into preaching, problem was someone had already written the
bible! It's kind of a biblical description of my experiences in
assembly language programming (I did a little work in 6502 with
my first computer. No, it wasn't a Commodore). Many of us
familiar with low-level languages have run into the problem of
coping with the unusual functions and number bases involved with
programming in these languages. Be honest, how many hex-dec
conversion programs or "programmer's calculator" programs have
you seen over the years? I know I've seen a few, and written some
from scratch on occasion. The problem I always ran into was I
FidoNews 4-21 Page 14 1 Jun 1987
only had one computer and couldn't run my non-debugged program
and my calculator program at the same time (this was before TSRs
became available). Texas Instruments did make a calculator that
was ideal for this type of work, the problem was I couldn't
justify spending over eighty dollars on it. These problems ended
a few months back I came across an ad in one of my magazines for
a new Casio calculator. From the ad's picture I could tell that
it did all the great things the TI calculator did, and the ad
claimed prices under twenty-five dollars. I quickly started
calling up the retail stores in the area, and soon came across a
discount store that had them in stock (they were even on sale!).
Since the calculator has proven itself useful, I thought I'd pass
on my discovery.
The Casio CM-100 (or Computer Math Calc) has two modes of
operation, the normal calculator mode and the computer math mode.
While some operations can be carried across between modes
(memory, +/-, parentheses) many can't (square root, hms
conversions, shift, rotate). Unless otherwise stated everything
from here on is going to deal with the computer math mode. You
have your choice of bit size for all operations. The available
bit sizes are 1, 4, 8, 16 and 32 bits. I've found this to
adequate for almost all of my needs. It's capable of using the
binary, octal, decimal and hexidecimal base numbers and mixing
the number bases in an equation. For example what is 76d+8ah-32o
in binary, with the CM-100 the I have the answer in seconds
(10111100 binary). You could also use it do quick number
conversions. People who are debugging programs will have use for
its more computer oriented math functions like AND (4 AND 4 is
not 8 believe it or not), OR, eXclusive OR, and NOT. It's also
capable of shifting and rotating the bits.
While the you can only look at 8-10 digits at a time (varies
by number base), the calculator is keeping track of complete
number. Casio uses a combination of the BLK key and up to 3
decimal points to let you know what part of a number you're
looking at. If the number you're trying to look at is
10110011100011110000111110000011 and you see .1.0.000011 you know
that it's displaying the least significant (or right most)
digits. If it's showing .1000111.1. you know that you have one
set of 8 bits to the left and two sets of 8 bits to the right.
The decimal points show how many "blocks" are to each side of the
number. Please note that these decimal points only show up in the
octal or binary displays. The decimal and hexadecimal displays
are capable of showing all of the digits at one time.
The calculator is capable of signed and unsigned arithmetic,
so it is reasonably flexible. One of the drawbacks is that it
can't handle numbers greater than 32 bits in size (maximum
unsigned integer of 4,294,967,295 decimal). While this may sound
like a lot, I remember some of my college classes on 370
assembler and it's 64 bit results in multiplication. The only
other drawback that I have with it is that it doesn't understand
floating point numbers or any of the other strange ways of
representing a number in a computer (packed decimal for example).
Since I've always tried to avoid floating point numbers in
FidoNews 4-21 Page 15 1 Jun 1987
assembler (granted I haven't done much with 8088 assembler yet),
it has been sufficient for 80-90% of my work. If nothing else
it's an easy way for a beginning Computer Science student to get
an A on their first exam in their class on assembly language
(which is usually convert these numbers to different bases and
perform an AND, OR, addition or subtraction on these numbers).
While I can't condone using it for this, I do wish I could sell
them right outside the class on the day of that first exam!
-- Winding down --
I'm still playing Silent Service from MicroProse. I've
gotten up a few levels in the past two weeks and am about ready
to give up on the higher reality levels. I'm getting tired of
being destroyed by depth charges. One thing I forgot to mention
in my quick look at it before is the boss key. This is beginning
to pop up in more and more games. What it basically does is you
press a certain key and a "legitimate" screen pops up. This is
meant for those who insist on playing games at work and need
something better than the three finger salute (Ctrl-Alt-Del) when
the boss walks in on them. This supposedly helps prevent much
embarrassment (and help you keep your job). I've never been that
tempted to play any games at work, and besides my work machine is
a monographics machine that won't work with most games. I know
how an EGA Wonder can overcome this problem, but right now that
card is busy in my home machine.
I'm still looking for a good LEX for my PC, so the valspeak
program is not yet completed. If I ever do find one, I'm working
on converting valspeak into the type of speech found in old
Italian grandmothers. No disrespect intended here, that's how my
net host put it and he is going to help in the conversion. Please
let me know if you find a good Unix LEX for the PC. If it's in
the Public Domain ever better, although I am now willing to buy
it. Some people on Usenet have been making extensive use of
valspeak and I've decided I must have it!
This week you get yet another book on C. This one is a lot
easier to get through than the K&R book I mentioned last week.
It's the "C Programming Guide Second Edition" by Jack Purdum (Que
books, list price $19.95). One of "features" of this book that
many will be thankful of is that the book occasionally uses a
comparison between the C structure and BASIC. Since almost
everyone has looked at BASIC at one time or another, it may be
helpful to those making the transition to C (which I think is
much superior to BASIC). Jack Purdum starts off with an
introduction to C (declaring variables, braces and such) and
gradually progresses up to file I/O. Along the way it covers the
major structures (if, if-else, loops of varying types, etc.), how
to write a function, pointers (VERY important in C), simple I/O.
Two chapters are dedicated to some of the more unusual data
types. The first merely covers the extensions to the
"fundamental" data types (What's the difference between a short
and unsigned integer?) while the second chapter covers structures
and unions. If you don't have access to a computer, text editor,
and C compiler beware! Two underlying assumptions of the book
FidoNews 4-21 Page 16 1 Jun 1987
(given to you in the preface) are that 1) you have to write
programs to learn a language and 2) if you can visualize what a
statement does, learning it will be easier. This book should work
as a great introduction before you try and manage the K&R book as
it explains much more.
I've tried to avoid to much in this column as it's my
thirteenth column and I'm superstitious! It's also been a little
short because of the new difficulties with transporting files
between my work machine and home. I welcome any comments or
suggestions on my column, one of things I enjoy is hearing from
you! Below you'll find my FidoNet net/node number, usenet site
(working on getting more of a path, thanks to the advice of Marc
Randolph on 170/220), and US mail address. I'd especially like to
hear from those of you who are very satisfied with some piece of
software or hardware. This has the capability of saving me a lot
of time separating out the wheat from the chaff. Hopefully by
next week I'll have cleared up the problems between my work and
home machines and this will be a little better. Until then....
Dale Lovell
3266 Vezber Drive
Seven Hills, OH 44131
uucp: ..!ncoast!lovell
FidoNet: 157/504 (or 1:157/504.0?)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-21 Page 17 1 Jun 1987
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
Due to a hardware glitch, last week's issue of FidoNews
mistakenly went out as volume 5, number 1 of 25 May 2010. It
should have been volume 4, number 20 of 25 May 1987. We have
corrected it here in our archives. The corrected edition is
available for download from (201) 472-8065. Volume 5 number 1
will be reissued correctly as the first issue of 1988 (we hope).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Interrupt Stack
20 Aug 1987
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
Contact Brian Hughes at 109/634 for more information. This is
FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet
all the people you've been talking with all this time. We're
hoping to see you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Software Versions
BBS Systems Node List Other
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
Dutchie 2.51* EDITNL 3.3 ARC 5.21*
Fido 11w LISTGEN 05.25.86 ARCmail 0.60
Opus 0.00 Prune 1.40 EchoMail 1.31
SEAdog 4.00 RouteGen 2.81* FastEcho 2.00*
TBBS 2.0S TestList 8.3* Renum 3.30
XlatList 2.81*
* Recently changed
Utility authors: Please help keep this list as current as
possible 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 4-21 Page 18 1 Jun 1987
Bob Morris 141/333
Chairman, Elections and Nominations Committee
The next two pages are your Official ballot for the Election of
the IFNA Board of Directors. The following are the few rules
which must prevail in this election:
1. You must send a legible copy of this ballot to the address
listed on the ballot. It must be signed and bear your
net/node number.
2. You may vote for any one person in your region for the
position of Regional Director. This vote is to be cast in the
LEFT column of the ballot.
3. You may vote for any eleven people in any regions for the
position of Director at Large. These votes are to be cast in
the RIGHT column of the ballot.
4. Voting will continue until the end of registration at the
Conference in August. The results will be read during the
opening of the business meeting on the first day of the
conference.
5. Write-in Votes will be accepted and are requested during this
election.
FidoNews 4-21 Page 19 1 Jun 1987
IFNA Board Of Directors
Ballot
Regional At Large
Region 10:
Steve Jordan _________ ________
Region 11:
Ryugen Fisher _________ ________
Theodore Polczynski _________ ________
Region 12:
Region 13:
Don Daniels _________ ________
John Penberthy _________ ________
Thom Henderson _________ ________
Gee Wong _________ ________
Brian Hughes _________ ________
Region 14:
Ben Baker _________ ________
Ken Kaplan _________ ________
Brad Hicks _________ ________
Region 15:
David Dodell _________ ________
Larry Wall _________ ________
Region 16:
Bob Hartman _________ ________
Hal Duprie _________ ________
Region 17:
Rob Barker _________ ________
Randy Bush _________ ________
Bob Swift _________ ________
Region 18:
Wes Cowley _________ ________
FidoNews 4-21 Page 20 1 Jun 1987
Region 19:
Mark Grennan _________ ________
Wynn Wagner _________ ________
Region 2:
Henk Wevers _________ ________
Write-in candidates:
___________________ _________ ________
___________________ _________ ________
Name ______________________________ Net/Node ___________
Signature______________________________ Date ___________
Please complete this and mail it to:
Robert Morris
IFNA Elections Committee
210 Church Street
West Haven, Ct. 06516
or bring it with you when you come to the conference in August.
These ballots will be counted by myself since with 200 members
the charges for a CPA would be very high. Hard copies will be
made available to anyone wishing to insure that their vote was
included.
Thank You
Bob Morris
Elections and Nominations Committee
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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