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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!ecsvax!das
From: das@ecsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro.cbm
Subject: Re: VIP 80/106 columns in software?
Message-ID: <2492@ecsvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-May-84 00:40:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: ecsvax.2492
Posted: Tue May 15 00:40:10 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 15-May-84 05:48:05 EDT
References: ecsvax.2469 rocksvax.412
Lines: 44

I'm now logged on to ecsvax with VIP on the 64, and I have a few corrections.  The
mode of print I'm looking at is 3-dot 80 column: that leaves a dot between
characters.  The 4-dot mode runs the characters together (of coursee: 4 x 80
= 320), which is not very readable.  But the 3-dot letters look OK, the word
wrap works, etcc.  My previous note referred to rock-steady communication --
that was apparently beginner's luck.  Each time I've been on since then, I've
had some flakiness, mostly dropped characters, perhaps a dozen per screen full.
As I enter this, some characters are not appearing on screen at the rate I
type (not fast), but I don't know yet if they are being transmitted.  However,
this is bettter than I ever got with the Vicmodem before; the problems are
probably due to the modem and/or telephone system (GTE).  Some other problems:
It takes a long time to boot: 40 sec. or so to get "Desktop", a clever picture
of a desk with 64, monitor, disk drive, printer, trademark and copyright
notices, and a bookshelf showing 9 VIP packages.  The detail includes a
disk-in-use light that actually operarates as the disk does.  The bookshelf is
the first set of icons, but the cleverness wears off quickly if you have only
one VIP package.  It loads when you press return, but that takes another 2.25
minutes (at least).  Worse yet, it fails about every other boot, probably
because of the copy protection.  And the failure is not like any other I've
seen:  the disk just continues to run, sometimes with the in-use light on,
sometimes off.  The only way to telll the boot has failed is to time it -- when
2.5 minutes have elapsed, turn something off and start over (including
Desktop).  All this spoils the fun of a good package when you finally get it up.
The 7K or so left over after all that booting is the "workspace" which can be
opened or closed selectively, edited, printed, saved, etc.  The printer can be togg


toggled on or off, virtual files can be sent directly to disk, etc.  The good
part about the long boot is that the whole program is in memory (except ffor
second-level help screens), so the disk can be replaced by a data and
environment disk for the particular application.  Some of the things Unix sends
to the printer (Gemini 10) toggle its graphics or condensed modes --
apparently the "more" messages at the bottom of the screen, which can be turned
off if the printer is on.  But there is also an environment option to strip
and/or replace certain characters before they get to the printer.  Once I
learn all the things I need to know and save them, it should work pretty
smoothly -- except ffor the boot hassle..

     David A. Smith
     Department of Mathematics
     Duke University
     Durham, NC 27706
     (919) 684-2321
     {decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!das