Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!decvax!bellcore!ulysses!ucbvax!info-ibmpc From: Info-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA (Info-IBMPC Digest) Newsgroups: mod.computers.ibm-pc Subject: Info-IBMPC Digest V5 #6 Message-ID: <8601200314.AA00961@ucbvax.berkeley.edu> Date: Sun, 19-Jan-86 19:05:33 EST Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8601200314.AA00961 Posted: Sun Jan 19 19:05:33 1986 Date-Received: Mon, 20-Jan-86 22:32:03 EST Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: INFO-IBMPC@USC-ISIB.ARPA Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 1101 Approved: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa Info-IBMPC Digest Sunday, 19 January 1986 Volume 5 : Issue 6 This Week's Editor: Billy Brackenridge Today's Topics: New Year's Resolutions Patching Madness! Prolog-V Modula-2 Free Concurrent Euclid PC Compiler on Floppies FORMAT from Micro Computer Concepts PC to Burroughs Mainframe Communication Turbo EDITASM Turbo Editasm, Epsilon and DISNDATA Epsilon time_and_day function DeSmet C and Make NEC V20 on Zenith 158 at 8Mhz problems AT BIOS IRQ2 bug IBM-EGA David Nilsen's Networking query Rename Library Routine in Microsoft C 3.0 (3 Msgs) Detecting the Presence of ANSI.SYS Aviation Software? Tax Software 8 bits with MEX and MEX-PC PC-MORE Version 1.3 Now Available Query: Victor SpeedPac 286 Request Information on Epson HS-80 Ink Jet Printer Hard Disk Backup Net address of Satellite Software International? PC, MIDI, MPU-401, MPS, Sequential Multi-Trak Zenith 158 and EMS boards lint from Gimpel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 19 Jan 1986 13:34:50 PST Subject: New Year's Resolutions From: Billy To: info-ibmpc@USC-ISIB.ARPA The editors of INFO-IBMPC met last week. Several changes have taken place. First we unanimously adopted a resolution to cut off our feed of messages from usenet. If you want net.micro.pc messages forwarded to you ask your local unix guru. This information is easily available everywhere and we are just repeating a service by carrying these messages. The old digests are now on file by month rather than quarter. Jaunary.83 would contain messages from January of 1983. This makes archive files easier to FTP and allows us to use Tops-20 utilities as these files are all now within a Tops-20 address space. Here is a list of the files and their corresponding issue numbers: DIGESTS-86 (latest month) August.82 V1 #1 #10 September.82 V1 #11 #16 October.82 V1 #17 #23 November.82 V1 #24 #30 December.82 V1 #31 #34 February.83 V2 #6 #11 March.83 V2 #12 #19 April.83 V2 #20 #26 May.83 V2 #27 #33 June.83 V2 #34 #39 July.83 V2 #40 #46 August.83 V2 #47 #60 September.83 V2 #61 #70 October.83 V2 #71 #80 November.83 V2 #81 #93 December.83 V2 #94 #104 January.84 V3 #1 #14 February.84 V3 #15 #24 March.84 V3 #25 #35 April.84 V3 #36 #48 May.84 V3 #49 #60 June.84 V3 #61 #69 July.84 V3 #70 #79 August.84 V3 #80 #89 September.84 V3 #90 #99 October.84 V3 #100 #107 November.84 V3 #108 #112 Dexember.84 V3 #113 #119 January.85 V4 #1 #9 February.85 V4 #10 #18 March.85 V4 #19 #40 April.85 V4 #41 #52 May.85 V4 #53 #65 June.85 V4 #66 #76 July.85 V4 #77 #87 August.85 V4 #88 #99 September.85 V4 #100 #111 October.85 V4 #112 #127 November.85 V4 #128 #134 December.85 V4 #135 #143 Progress on making a new index moves slowly. We have had many offers but not from anyone who already has complete archives at their local site. I have to extract the headers before someone else can do the final sort and edit. Breaking the archives into smaller files is a start. Dick Gillmann is rejoining us as an occasional editor. Those of you who have made program submissions recently may wonder where they are. They are all in Koji's mailbox. We are looking to get Koji some help in this area. We are unresolved as to what to do about sending back digests and library files to unconnected networks. We never have responded to requests from usenet hosts unless they were closely connected to the arpanet, and we are getting increasingly fed up with sending things via mail to csnet and bitnet. The only reason these nets don't have file access to our archives is because the political administrators of these networks are unwilling to implement gateways that can handle file transfer. I fail to see why we should have to send files as mail because the users of these connected networks are unwilling or unable to put pressure on the administrators of their nets to allow them file access to ARPA hosts. In the mean time some requests will get answered and others won't depending on the mood of who is editing at the moment. This sounds harsh but only reflects the reality of the last year or so as requests have grown beyond our capability to handle them. If someone had a mail based server that could automaticly respond to these requests, this could solve the problem for the short term. It doesn't look like we can find a replacement source of official IBM announcements or the price list of IBM products. The last was very handy, and was used here and other sites regularly as purchasing departments always liked having the official IBM part numbers even if they bought PC equipment elsewhere. I'd be particularly interested to see the technical specs of the Risc/AT system IBM is going to announce this week, but since we have been cut off from IBM it looks like we will have to read the newspapers the same as everyone else. Thanks again to all those who took the time to answer queries and submit programs to the library. Particular thanks go to Jim Celoni our guest editor on Christmas day and Joel Goldberger for the continued support of the ISI computing resources. ------------------------------ Date: Thursday, 16 January 1986 21:24:05 EST From: Joe.Newcomer@a.sei.cmu.edu Subject: Patching Madness! No, not patching code, but patching RS232 connections. Well, it turns out that I have the expected two serial I/O ports on my PC; a Mouse Systems serial mouse, a terminal, a 2400 baud modem, a 1200 baud modem, a connection to another local machine, a connection to another site in the house where I can take a terminal, a serial plotter, etc. Now the fun part. Sometimes I want to run my terminal to the modem; other times I want the PC (for Kermit purposes). The plotter hooks to the serial port sometimes. The portable computer uses the serial port for FTPoid transfers to the PC, and sometimes I use the portable from the porch in the summer as a terminal. Sometimes I have to use the 1200baud modem, and most times I can use the 2400baud modem. ARGGHHHH!!!!!!!!...... \ .... After I went slightly bonkers attempting to hook the plotter up, I threw up my hands in despair, and started looking at RS-232 switches. Outrageous! hundreds of dollars, and they are only n-to-1 connectors for various tiny values of n (say, 5 at most). I want a crosspoint switch... Well, it turns out that I got what I need, so I pass the info on to others in the PC digest. I went out and bought a Tascam PB-32H patch bay at my local keyboard&synthesizer shop. Discounted, it cost $108. I added another $35 of Tascam patch cords. I went to Radio Shack and bought about 10 24' "speaker extension" cables, RCA-to-RCA. This patch bay has 16 pairs of connectors. The front panel has 1/4" phone plug sockets, the rear has RCA-type audio sockets. I then made up connectors of the following flavor: RS-232 DB25 RCA connectors <----- 2 -------------------------------------------- ----> <----- 3 -----+ +----------------------------------- --- | | +--(----------------------------------- ----> <----- 7 --------+----------------------------------- --- Cutting a 24' cable in the middle gave me two 12' connectors at a lower cost than buying two 12' RCA-to-bare-wire cables. The sex of the DB25 connector (or for the /AT, DB9 connector) was chosen as appropriate. Each pair was marked carefully by using electrician's adhesive numbers. Each pair was given a number (e.g., 23) and each wire was marked as pin 2 or pin 3 (based on the DB25 pinout) so each end was labelled, for example, 23-2 and 23-3. Thus, I now converted all my RS232 connections to appear at the patch panel, which is placed conveniently bolted below the shelf in front of me. Now, the really great feature of the PB-32H patch panel comes into play. The jacks are "normalled", so that the top jack of the pair is normally connected to the bottom jack of the pair if no cable is inserted in each. So instead of each pair being "thing out" and "thing in", the upper jack is "thing out" and the bottom jack is "thing it normally wants to connect to". So I have, for example, "COM1 Out" directly above "Modem in" and "Modem out" directly above "COM1 In". "Mouse out" above "COM2 In". etc. So in normal operation I don't have any cables plugged in at all. But now I want to connect the plotter up. So I plug a cable into "Plotter out" and "COM1 In" and "Plotter In" and "COM1 Out". Works great. And I still have 7 positions left for expansion... Obviously, this works only if you are interested only in data in/out, but if you have to deal with RTS/CTS type stuff, the generalization is obvious but you have to be more careful in patching (don't patch one device's data and another device's control lines, for example, into a port and expect the handshaking to be meaningful). Shop around for the patch panel; it lists at much higher than I paid for it, as do the cables, but music shops frequently discount such items. I got something like 40% off. (If you don't know where to start, try synthesizer shops. Look for dealers who handle Korg, Yamaha, Casio professional keyboards, guitars, mixing boards, pro and semipro audio equipment, that sort of thing). While I realize this is not IBM-PC specific, it was just too good of an idea not to share more widely. ------------------------------ From: Peter Boeijink Subject: Prolog-V Date: 16 Jan 86 01:58:54 GMT In the BYTE magazine of december Chalcedony Software offers a Prolog interpretor. They have two versions: PROLOG-V for $69.95 and PROLOG-V-Plus for $99.95. Both are running on MsDos and PcDos systems according to the ad. I own a Sanyo MBC-555 with MsDos 2.11. Can a Prolog-V user on the net tell me: - whether the packet is running on the MBC-555; - what his/her experience is with the packet. mbc555(msdos). prologV(msdos). quality(minimal_as_prologC). price(reasonable). user_friendly(not_as_prologC). run :- prologV(TYPE), mbc555(TYPE). experience :- quality(minimal_as_prologC), user_friendly(not_as_prologC), price(reasonable). buy :- run, experience. ?- buy. Thanks in advance, Peter Boeijink. ------------------------------ From: Peter Boeijink Subject: Modula-2 Date: 16 Jan 86 02:00:20 GMT In the BYTE magazine of december Interface Technologies offers a Modula-2 compiler kit (the M2SDS packet). In exchange for an original Turbo Pascal disk they sell it for $50.88. It should run under MsDos according to the ad. I own a Sanyo MBC-555 with MsDos 2.11. Can a Modula-2 user on the net tell me: - whether the packet is running on the MBC-555; - what his/her experience is with the packet. Thanks in advance, Peter Boeijink. ------------------------------ From: CSRI Distribution Manager Subject: Free Concurrent Euclid PC Compiler on Floppies Date: 14 Jan 86 15:32:15 GMT The compiler group at the Computer Systems Research Institute, University of Toronto has produced a version of the Concurrent Euclid (ConEuc) programming language that runs on 8086 MS-DOS systems. (Our previous versions run on Vaxes, PDP-11s, 370s, SUNs, etc.) ConEuc is being used at the University of Toronto in many high-level undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Concurrent Euclid is a systems programming language developed from the Euclid programming language. It combines systems programming features with concurrency, monitors, a highly structured syntax and fully defined semantics. This allows the development of software that is verifiable and efficient. ConEuc has been used to write: compilers (for example, itself, Turing), operating systems (TUNIS, a UNIX compatible operating system), compiler writing tools (Syntax/Semantics Language), networking systems (HUBNET), etc. There are 100s of universities and commercial enterprises that already use ConEuc on machines such as the VAX (VMS and UNIX), IBM 3033, 68000s and PDP-11s. We have now developed an MS-DOS version that we've used successfully on IBM-PC's, Eagles, TI-PC's, etc. We are interested in distributing it to people who are willing to evaluate a new and potentially useful tool in exchange for a copy of it. The version we will be distributing in this beta-test will require an 8086-family PC (yes 8088's, 80188's, etc. are OK) with at least 256K RAM and a hard disk. We will be shipping some documentation (not everything everyone will want I'm sure, but enough) and 3 floppies that come with an INSTALL.COM that will place all the necessary files on your hard disk in directory \CONEUC. Our budget will allow us to produce 100 copies of the compiler distribution to be given away without cost to serious software people who are willing to send us written comments about the quality of the distribution and the compiler. We are supplying a graphics interface for those with the colour graphics options. The distribution contains a complete compiler, paragrapher, and full-screen editor. System and graphics interfaces are also supplied. You should also have a copy of the book "Concurrent Euclid, UNIX, and TUNIS" by R.C. Holt (Addison-Wesley). This is only a preliminary version; all rights remain with the University of Toronto. You may not distribute or sell the compiler without direct written consent from the University of Toronto. -- CSRI Distribution Manager {decvax,ihnp4,allegra}!utcsri!distrib University of Toronto distrib@Toronto.CSNET Room SF2002 distrib%Toronto@csnet-relay.ARPA 10 King's College Road Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4 (416) 978-6985 ------------------------------ Date: 16 Jan 86 14:48:09 +0100 From: XBR1D90F%DDATHD21.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU (D90F@BR1.THDNET) Subject: FORMAT from Micro Computer Concepts I heard rumors about a FORMAT utility by Micro Computer Concepts (Mercer Islands, MA), that is supposed to increase harddisk-capacity by up to 50 percent. Does anybody have any experiences with it or closer information about it? Volker Weber, Darmstadt, W-Germany Please reply to XBR1D90F%DDATHD21.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU ------------------------------ From: hqb Subject: PC to Burroughs Mainframe Communication Date: 16 Jan 86 20:14:43 GMT I seem to recall there are at least two companies that specialize in this - one is called MasterLink (or something like that), I can't seem to recall the name of the other one. Last I heard, one package cost ~$495, and the other was about $95. It pays to shop around. If you can get hold of Datapro publications, they're both listed in the volume that discusses micro to mainframe communication. Both the above-mentioned packages emulate a somewhat extended version of the Burroughs poll-select terminal - you can have several sessions going at once, and switch between them at will, or allocate windows to each. Hope this helps. -- Henry Bibb School of Information & Computer Science, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332 CSNet: hqb @ GATech ARPA: hqb.GATech @ CSNet-Relay uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ulysses,ut-sally}!gatech!hqb ------------------------------ From: CJS@psuvm.bitnet Subject: Turbo EDITASM Date: 15 Jan 86 14:52:07 GMT Here's a partial answer from my own query: I found a review of this assembler and a couple others in December 1985 PC Tech. Journal. They weren't entirely happy with it, but I think I'll buy it anyway. I'd appreciate any first-hand reports. Christopher J. Sacksteder, The Pennsylvania State University, Computation Center, 122 Computer Building, University Park, PA 16802 Bitnet: CJS at PSUVM UUCP: ...!allegra!psuvax1!cjs@psuvm.BITNET ------------------------------ Date: Fri 17 Jan 86 22:28:19-EST From: Nathaniel Polish Subject: Turbo Editasm, Epsilon and DISNDATA Turbo Editasm is an interesting product. I do a fair amount of assembler work -- mostly drivers for MS-Pascal -- and I hate the long cycle using the Microsoft MASM and LINK programs. Turbo Editasm (TASM) is, however, not the answer. The lengthiest part of the development cycle is the link not the assembly, especially with version 4.0 of MASM. TASM does not speed linking at all. TASM has some very serious flaws. The editor is very limited. While configurable, the editor limits you to one keystroke for each command so you can not make it look like a lot of other editors. Also, TASM has the only editor that I have seen in years which uses the BIOS for screen updates. It is, therefore, very slow. In addition, the cursor flickers randomly due to the way TASM uses the clock interrupts to display the time. The other major flaw is that the assembler itself is somewhat broken. I could not declare "esc" and several other labels for reasons not explained in the documentation. Also, I gave up when TASM accepted "out 0350h,al" This is, of course, illegal as any port number over FF must be specified through the DX register : "mov dx,0350h ... out dx,al" The assembler did not flag an error and generated code for "out 00,al" The interface to the system is of course a straight clone of the Borland Turbo Pascal interface. This is fine if you write standalone code; I, however, need to link so the interface is useless. I find that I much nicer way to work is to use Epsilon and assemble using MASM 4.0 in Epsilon's process facility. It is easy enough to write something in EEL to jump you into the code on error messages. This brings me to a major gripe about Epsilon. The smart people who wrote Epsilon managed to detect control up and down arrows - the BIOS does not. They clearly had to go to bare metal to read the keys for this. Great idea. They, however, do not clean up after themselves so anything else reading the keyboard is clobbered. I use Sidekick and Lightning but I must use it outside Epsilon. Also, if you run a process and the program hangs (during development this is common) you can not exit the editor. Further, I can not control-alt-del since Epsilon traps this sequence and informs me that I should exit the process! If I hit control-alt-del I don't want some smart-ass program protecting me. I think that they are just showing off that they control your keyboard better than you do. Any fixes out there? [Todd Doucet (TD9H@CMU-CC-TE) of Lugaru has asked that I point out that version 3.0x of Epsilon is compatible with the Borland resident routines. I have argued the same point as regards Ctl Alt Del, however, since I discovered "super ^C" ^U^C I haven't felt the need for a real Ctl Alt Del. Todd would respond in person but CMU won't let mail out from that account. -wab] Also, someone asked about the DISNDATA disassembler. Yes, it does seem to trace program flow and it considers all unreferenced code as data. This is great for everything except jump tables and interupt handlers which are never directly referenced. The real reason to get DISNDATA is that it generates MASMable code. I have never seen a disassembler which does this. I disassembled three assembler programs of mine. One did not re-assemble the first time due to a missing "word ptr" but then assembled nicely. The others re-assembled fine. One program ran, one ran and did not work and the third crashed the machine. In all, not too bad. It is the best disassembler that I have used and I recommend it. Nat ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jan 1986 11:34:19 PST Subject: Epsilon time_and_day function From: Craig Milo Rogers To: Knight@SRI-NIC.ARPA The Epsilon time_and_day() routine takes a pointer to the time_info structure as an argument, not the time_info structure itself. In your example try "time_and_day(&date_time)". Craig Milo Rogers ------------------------------ From: Mike Schwartz Subject: DeSmet C and Make Date: 16 Jan 86 19:04:51 GMT I bought a copy of DeSmet 'C' for the IBM PC for $109. I highly recommend the compiler, because it is very fast, doesn't complain too much, generates good code, and comes with some usable source code. Also, I got some extra disks from them, including source to a MAKE program. At work, I use Lattice 'C', but given a choice, I would be using DeSmet in a jiffy. I do use the MAKE program all the time, and it works real well. It is not a full Unix make, but it is very simple to use, and extremely effective. It might be worth getting DeSmet 'C' just for the MAKE program, becuase you end up with no only MAKE, but a great 'C' compiler too. DeSmet 'C' is advertised in DDJ by a company called CWARE. Just a quickie review. mike schwartz @ 3Com Corp. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Jan 86 11:20:00 PST From: Doug Lind Subject: NEC V20 on Zenith 158 at 8Mhz problems I tried to install the 8 Mhz version of the NEC V20 chip on my Zenith 158. Works fine at 4.77 Mhz, but goes down in flames at 8Mhz. The NEC rep said the Zenith may use different timings than the IBM. Has anyone out there successfully installed this chip at 8 Mhz ? ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jan 86 14:40:41 PST (Friday) From: Colvin.PA@xerox.com Subject: AT BIOS IRQ2 bug To: Joe.Newcomer@a.sei.cmu.edu I would like to make a correction about the IRQ2 line on the AT expansion bus being connected to IRQ8, it is actually connected to IRQ9 (in fact it has been renamed IRQ9 on the bus). It still gets redirected to IRQ2 in software. Craig Colvin (Colvin.pa@Xerox.COM) ------------------------------ From: johnl@ima.uucp Subject: IBM-EGA Date: 16 Jan 86 17:00:00 GMT There are two good sources of information on the IBM EGA card. 1 - The "Options and Adapters Technical Reference" manual. This manual is very expensive, $125 US, but contains hardware descriptions of all of the PC peripherals that IBM sells. The copy you buy will probably not have the section on the EGA, but there is a card to send in and they will send you updates that include it. The section on the EGA looks like it was typeset and proofread by somebody who didn't speak any English, but it will do. It includes a listing of the EGA's BIOS. 2 - The IBM Personal Computer Seminar Proceedings, volume 2, number 11. This is a series published for PC software developers and their ilk. You can write to IBM PC Seminar Proceedings, 4629, PO Box 1328, Boca Raton FL 33432 and they'll send it, or you can try calling +1 305 998 2000 and be put on hold for a long time. John Levine, ima!johnl [A similar response came From: Jerry Lotto -wab] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 01:01 EST From: Miyata@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA Subject: David Nilsen's Networking query One of my concerns is accessing the various services and resources that may be distributed within a 'network', all of which probably is not co-located at a single 'host'. If my PC was directly connected (via RS232, for example) to my 'preferred' host at work, my PC could essentially act as a virtual terminal when it needed to access non-PC-resident services; unfortunately, this host does not handle a large number of asynchronous lines so not everyone in the office can participate in this interconnect strategy. If there are several hosts that serve as repositories for information I access regularly or to which I archive information, I prefer transferring files to and from my PC, rather than a more indirect mechanism. A small company that relies on PC's for information processing, may have a several databases distributed amongst several PCs. A more sophisticated database or financial application may use distribution principles to coordinate the queries and updates in an interactive and real-time mode, while still maintaining consistency and accuracy; I'm not sure there is an easy solution for this type of interworking with the RS232 point-to-point strategy. I don't think that handling high data rates, or 'easiest/best way to go', and perhaps even expense is at issue; although this may be true in the 'low-end' market space (home?). Particularly when businesses and users are probably thinking and using -286 based machines and if we take into account futures, -386 based machines (ie, what we once thought of as the low-end is pushing on the mini/midi-range) . I think what is at issue is the degree of interworking and communications, resource sharing, and distribution of services that the market seems to be demanding. With respect to networking PC's, there are several forces at play - IBM and the defacto standards it leaves in it's wake (NETBIOS, IBM PC Network, Token Ring), currently existing environments (both large - eg, Internet, Decnet, SNA, etc. and small(er) - 3Com, Ungermann Bass, Novell), acceptance and solidification of international standards (ISO), more specialized environments (GM/MAPs), etc. I think in the end and along the way, we will want them to coexist and interwork. ------------------------------ From: Frank Whaley Subject: Rename Library Routine in Microsoft C 3.0 Date: 17 Jan 86 19:08:11 GMT One of my favorite pasttimes is arguing that Microsoft is wrong. I was going to talk about all of the other libraries I have which use the (BSD?) "rename(old, new)" form, but instead I open the April 30 X3J11 draft to section D.9.4.2 and find: int rename(const char *old, const char *new); I would guess that Microsoft felt that this function falls into the same category as other "replacement" functions (strcpy(), memcpy()) where an algebraic notation (a = b) as opposed to algorithmic notation (b => a) is used. Some of us think in a noun/verb fashion ("a is replaced by b") while others prefer verb/noun ("move b into a"). Oops, I'm arguing... But I like standards, and code to fit them. ...Frank Whaley, MicroPro Product Development UUCP: {decvax!decwrl | ucbvax}!dual! {hplabs | glacier}!well! seismo!lll-crg! ihnp4!ptsfa!micropro!sagan!frank ARPA: micropro!sagan!frank@lll-crg.ARPA "I'm told there are better programs [than WordStar], but I'm also told there are better alphabets." --William F. Buckley Jr. ------------------------------ From: Guido van Rossum Subject: Rename Library Routine in Microsoft C 3.0 Date: 17 Jan 86 23:51:55 GMT In a previous article with the above subject I noted a strange error in Microsoft C's library. I received several letters, none very informative, most to the tone of "Microsoft blew it again". That's not fair! While they may have slipped here, my general feeling towards their 3.0 C compiler and library is extermely positive. We received it just a week ago, and I have already decided to junk our (2.15) Lattice compiler completely. I have used it to compile some 20,000 lines of C, and with one exception it compiled flawlessly. The exception was a compiler assertion error, apparently caused by a too complicated expression (it was really HUGE). I can live with that. About two thirds of this code had earlier been used with Lattice, and MSC proved to be *extremely* compatible. They support almost all MS-DOS- specific functions and #include files in the Lattice library. The only thing that bit me (besides the rename bug) was the fact that Microsoft has signed characters -- my fault for not writing portable code. The other third had hardly ever left UNIX, and was full of things like exec, chdir, stat, chmod and signal. It was very easy to port, because Microsoft implemented almost all well-known UNIX system calls that can possibly be emulated on MS-DOS to some extent. My main problems with porting it were changing assumptions about file names (I was parsing paths and only took '/' as a delimiter) and finding a replacement for fork/exec/wait sequences -- not too difficult, since Microsoft provides functions spawn* that combine these three calls. But the best surprise was the execution speed of my program (even though I directed all optimizations to saving space): sometimes twice as fast! I could go on, but these are my actual experiences until now. The manuals are also of very good quality, and I am looking forward to using the overlay feature of the new linker. Next, I might try porting Gosmacs! P.S.: please don't send any more mail concerning rename. Guido van Rossum, CWI, Amsterdam (guido@mcvax.UUCP) [As one with lots of Pascal code I am particularly delighted with MSC and its support for a Pascal interface. This was a great deal of work without much "splash". Microsoft promised continued support for Pascal and have kept their word. As a seldom C programmer I am particularly delighted with real error messages. This is the first C compiler I have seen that gives you a clue as to what your syntax error might be. -wab] ------------------------------ Date: 17 Jan 1986 12:31:55 PST Subject: Rename Library Routine in Microsoft C 3.0 From: Craig Milo Rogers My copy of the Unix System V Interface Guide, Spring 1985 Issue 1, does not include a rename() call. Since I have a fair amount of code which expects the BSD calling order, here's a nice kludge to get around the problem: 1) Extract the rename module from the C library (or libraries, if you use more than one memory model). This is something on the order of: LIB LLIBC *RENAME 2) Use DEBUG to change the "rename()" routine to a "renamx()" routine. This edit is valid for my copy of the large model library; expect different offsets for the other models and/or other releases. debug rename.obj -e 109 xxxx:0109 65.78 -e 187 xxxx:0187 65.78 -w 3) Rename "rename.obj" to "renamx.obj". 4) Create a new rename() which takes its arguments in the "right" (read "Berkeley") order: int rename(old, new) char *old, *new; { return renamx(new, old); } 5) Compile the new rename() routine. 6) Update the library, something like: LIB LLIBC -+RENAME+RENAMX On second thought, though, this isn't too hot. There may be code in the Microsoft library which expects rename() to take its arguments in Microsoft order rather than Berkeley Unix order. So, how about making a header file containing: #define rename(old,new) (renamy(old,new)) Create a "renamy()" function and add it to the library: int renamy(old, new) char *old, *new; { return rename(new, old); } Then, #include the new header file in anything you write that uses Berkeley-style rename(). The main disadvantages are: 1) locating and editing the appropriate files, and 2) the resultant source-code incompatabilities. Let's hope that Microsoft (or AT&T) clears up this misunderstanding soon. Craig Milo Rogers ------------------------------ From: Ross Greenberg Subject: Detecting the Presence of ANSI.SYS Date: 16 Jan 86 17:53:57 GMT A quick hack: Send the ANSI sequence to position your cursor to some location {x,y}. Send the ANSI sequence to read current cursor poition. If they match, you're running ANSI, else you're not. ross m. greenberg ihnp4!allegra!phri!greenber ------------------------------ From: Lee Rosenbaum Subject: Aviation Software? Date: 17 Jan 86 15:29:38 GMT I am interested in any information on software for the IBM-PC that will do aviation flight plans and/or access aviation weather. If you know of or have any good software please drop me a line. Lee Rosenbaum ixe5m!leer IX 1M-313 (312) 979-0694, 8-367-0694 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 12:40:58 EST From: Jacob Moskowitz Subject: Tax Software Any reccomendations out there for good software for Lotus-123 or IBM-PC DOS that handles federal income tax ? Thanks. ------------------------------ Date: Sat 18 Jan 86 01:37:00-MST From: Ron Fowler Subject: 8 bits with MEX and MEX-PC In response to the recent inquiries regarding 8th-bit display using MEX, here is a patch and some supplementary information: For CP/M MEX version 1.14, do "POKE $4822 $0 $0" ... this will delete the code that zeroes the 8th bit. For the commercial versions (both CP/M and MSDOS), a patch is impractical, since there have been several major releases of the program, and an equal number of minor releases. As an alternative, we're adding a fixed-position patch point in all versions, effective with release 1.61, to be released 18 January (we can't unconditionally pass the 8th bit, since many users de- pend on the parity bit being removed for use with many timesharing services). Now that won't automatically fix all those copies out in the field, so to make it easier to get your copy replaced, we'll waive the customary $10 update charge, providing: 1) You return your original distribution disk in a re-useable container 2) You include return postage. 3) Mark the package " 3) Mark the package "Eighth-bit update" This will also update your software to the recently released version 1.6 (which is a pretty good deal, since 1.6 includes the Kermit and YMODEM protocols, as well as a bunch of other new features). One final consideration: someone mentioned that MEX filters some con- trol characters even when filter is off. Actually, this is only partially true: the characters in question are SO and SI (0EH and 0FH) ... these are the Compuserve protocol start and end-protocol signal characters. If you disable Compuserve protocol ("STAT CIS OFF"), MEX will no longer "eat" these characters. ---Ron Fowler, NightOwl Software, Inc. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 1986 15:54 MST From: Keith Petersen Subject: PC-MORE Version 1.3 Now Available Just obtained from net.sources and now available via FTP from SIMTEL20: Filename Type Bytes CRC Directory PD: PCMORE13.LBR.1 BINARY 47872 6D98H The LBR contains PCMORE13.C, PCMORE13.DOC and PCMORE13.EXE. PC-More is a pager program similar to the UNIX* more program. It is designed to work on the IBM Personal Computer, PC XT, and PC AT, as well as compatibles. The purpose of PC-More is to display a file one screenful at a time for easy viewing. The PC-DOS "type" command can do this, but the text scrolls too fast for most people to read. Beginning with version 2.0, PC-DOS supplied its own version of a more filter, but it is extremely limited in its usefulness, since it can only display one screenful at a time. People who are used to the UNIX version of more expect to be able to move through the file in any increment they choose, not just a screenful at a time. PC-More corrects this problem. History: Ver 1.3 New clear screen function installed, written by Harry McGavran. All references to crt_cls() and crt_mode() eliminated. This new clear screen function works on either a monochrome or color monitor. Nextfile() rewritten to understand that "-" on the command line represents stdin. The " case 'f': " part of wait() was modified in the same way. New functions cpi() and opi() added to allow stdin to be reopened to the console when it is redirected to a file or a pipe. This allows the user to execute a "!" or a "e" when a pipe is present. Of course, you still can't edit the pipe. The knowledge to implement cpi() and opi() was provided by Brandon S. Allbery. Nextfile() modified to find the file's size and put it in the external variable x_fs. Wait() also modified so that when it constructs the prompt, it uses x_fs to compute what percent of the file has been read. When the prompt is printed, this percentage is included as part of the prompt. Wait() modified to clear the screen when a file is rewound. Ver 1.21 This version fixed a bug which prevented PC-More from working on a color monitor. Under previous versions, only machines equipped with a monochrome monitor would run PC-More properly. The problem was a hardware-dependendent function call to crt_mode(). The problem was fixed by determining the type of monitor in use and using the correct function to clear the screen. Ver 1.2 This was the initial release to USENET. Other earlier versions were too buggy for a general release. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 14:46:08 PST From: Rich Patterson Subject: Query: Victor SpeedPac 286 Hi, I was wondering if anyone out there has used one of these little boards yet ? Rich Patterson Logical: lcc.rp@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU lcc.rp@UCLA-CS {ucivax,trwrb}!lcc!rp {ihnp4,randvax,sdcrdcf,ucbvax,trwspp}!ucla-cs!lcc!rp ICBM: 34 00'57''N 118 27'01''W ------------------------------ Subject: Request Information on Epson HS-80 Ink Jet Printer Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 10:11:14 -0500 From: Dick Edmiston Has anyone looked at the new low cost Epson ink jet printer, the HS-80, enough to give any opinions about it? I am interested in a quieter version of the FX-85. Dick ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 17:14:42 EST From: Dan_Bower%RPI-MTS.Mailnet@MIT-MULTICS.ARPA Subject: Hard Disk Backup A group I work with in Washington has the following protocol for backing up their XT's hard disks. First, they are running an implementation of IBM PC Network, with one AT (64 mb hard disk) and 4 XT's. The AT has a Tallgrass streaming cart tape (TG 4060). Each XT has a 'workspace' (a shared subdirectory) on the AT's hard disk. To do a backup, the XT owner uses BACKUP over the network as follows. C>D: D>MD BACKUP (D: is typically the local drive designation for the AT's shared space.) D>CD BACKUP D>E:BACKUP C:\*.* D: /S (E: is a shared, read only space on the AT for programs. After issuing this command and responding to its prompts, the user waits for up to 10 minutes for BACKUP to do its thing.) After this, the user sends a message to the poor woman using the AT to mount a tape in the Tallgrass machine, perform the backup to tape, and remove the backup files from the AT. The process is reversed (after the swearing stops and the dust settles :-) whenever a restore is needed. Note, if they were using a Bernoulli box, they could share its drive(s) on the net and take the AT -> tape step out of the cycle. I'm not sure if Fastback works with PC Network resident, but if it does, it would speed up the backup process further. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 00:56 EST From: LBAFRIN%clemson.csnet@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.arpa Subject: Net address of Satellite Software International? Does anyone know if SSI, the makers of WordPerfect, are reachable on the net? And if so, what is their address? I've found a bug in WordPerfect 4.1, and I want to tell them about the bug and some other suggestions I have. Yet, I don't relish the idea of going through Snail Mail to get to them. Can anyone help? -- Larry Afrin Dept. of Computer Science Clemson University ================================ Please send replies, if any, to: lbafrin@clemson.csnet or lbafrin%eureka@clemson.csnet or, as a last resort, any reasonable-looking string with "lbafrin", "eureka", and "clemson" in it I disclaim everything anybody ever said about anything. ------------------------------ From: Ward Christensen Subject: PC, MIDI, MPU-401, MPS, Sequential Multi-Trak Date: 18 Jan 86 22:26:08 GMT I have purchased a Sequential Circuits Multi-Trak, and the appropriate MIDI hardware/software from Roland: MPU-401, MIF-IPC PC interface card, and MPS software. MPS is very impressive, but doesn't seem to be a good match to my particular synth and requirements. I bought the Multi-Trak because it can simultaneously play 6 instruments [or timbres if you prefer]. It sends "change program", which MPS records, and when playing back, the appropriate program [meaning 'instrument' or 'timbre'] setting is done. By playing with record and playback MIDI modes on the Multi-Trak, I can cause a part to be recorded on a particular MIDI channel; and by setting it up correctly it will play on only one voice. I have two problems: (1) that the MPS software doesn't "show" the "change program" MIDI function, although it DOES remember it and "play it back". Thus its difficult to know where/when an instrument change occurs. (2) when recording one instrument, for example, a bass, then recording the next component, MPS plays back the bass, but the "select a random oscillator" way the M-T works, causes it to pick the track that has the bass, 1 in 6 times. This chops off whatever note I'm playing. Anyone have this setup, or any comments? Thanks in advance. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 18 Jan 86 21:52:21 est From: BACS Access To: info-ibmpc@usc-isib.ARPA Subject: Zenith 158 and EMS boards I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with using any extended or expanded memory boards with the new Zenith 158 series of computers (the 151's new version, IBM PC compatible). I have attempted using a Jram 2 board in a fully populated 158 with 640k using appropriate settings to expand the memory. Also tried a starting address of 256k after removing appropriate memory from the mother board. The board and software works fine in an IBM PC and Leading Edge Model M. Has anyone found a 2meg memory board that will work in the Zeniths? Please either send mail directly or post to the net. Thanks... Robert Cole 812-335-0910 ihnp4!iuvax!access access@iubacs Bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 19 Jan 86 12:46 EST From: Yedidyah Langsam Subject: lint from Gimpel I have had very good experiences with PC-LINT from Gimpel Software 3207 Hogarth Lane Collegeville. Pennsylvania 19426 215-584-4261 ------------------------------ End of Info-IBMPC Digest ************************ -------