CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 1
Downtown SIG Modem Session
The Downtown <Pizza> SIG will devote its December meeting to remote access. The CFOG RCPM #2 will be off the air for the evening so that we can call in. Both Oterm and MEX will be demonstrated. If time and the number of members present permits, we'll have hands-on demos. This will be similar, we hope, to what was done at the September Sunday meeting, except less elaborate and we hope to get everyone up and running with the necessary software. Please be sure to reserve a place for this special meeting by calling the answering machine at 726-3569. We reserve the right to limit attendance at this meeting as there is limited space.
Downtown SIG meetings are held at the law offices of Schartzberg, Barnett & Cohen, Suite 2400, 55 West Monroe Street, Chicago, and start at 6:00 p.m. with pizza from Edwardo's <$6.50>.
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 2
I Got Those Installation Blues (Part 2)
by Jim Holmes, with Rashama Johnson
In this series we hope to make installing new software less difficult, by explaining what the needed system attributes are... and how to find the code you need in the System Specifications section of your manual.
In Part One we explained that most INSTALL routines ask for more information than they require. In most cases you're OK if you know the codes which position the cursor and clear the screen. Presumably, we explained how to find these in your manual. For good measure we've also listed below (see Table B) the values for a few of the more common CP/M machines.
The incompatibility between CP/M systems is (in our view) an important factor in the popular appeal of PC/MS-DOS. Programmers avoid the hassle of patching, testing and debugging many versions of their software; retailers needn't tie up capital by stocking a "hot" program in six or seven machine-specific formats. Purchase of a "pre-installed" product is attractive to the buyer, too. The PC/MS-DOS machines are a long way from the "intelligent toasters" some ads make them out to be, but they do offer user "interfaces" and standards for configuration we CP/Mer's just don't have.
In Part 1 of this series we introduced a table from the Osborne Executive manual, reproduced below.
Table A:
Decimal Hex
Keyboard Sequence Sequence
Sequence (BASIC) (Assembly) Action
-----------------------------------------
:
:
CTRL Z 26 1A Clear screen
:
:
ESC =p1,p2 27 61 1B 3D Load cursor
row, column:
p1 = ypos+32
p2 = xpos+32
:
The full table occupies four pages in the manual, yet the two items shown above are sufficient to install most software. The same values apply to many common systems, including all Osbornes and Kaypros. Morrows differ; some use these values, others not. See Table B.
TABLE B
-----------------------------------------
CLEAR SCREEN
SYSTEM ASCII Binary
-----------------------------------------
Morrow \
Freedom > ESC * 1B 2A
Series /
DEC VT100\
DEC VT101 \
DEC VT102 > ESC [ 2 J 1B 5B 32 4A
DEC VT125 /
DEC VT131/
-----------------------------------------
POSITION CURSOR
SYSTEM ASCII Binary
-----------------------------------------
Morrow \
Freedom > SEE Table A (above)
Series /
DEC VT100\
DEC VT101 \
DEC VT102 > ESC [ (Initializer) 1B 5B
DEC VT125 / (Row 1, no offset, Row or Column)
DEC VT131/ (Terminator) 3B
(End Sequence) H
-----------------------------------------
When more information is required it's because the installed program does something "special." Many INSTALL routines ask you for more than they require. The programmer rarely "edits out" these "extra" questions from his/her "generic" routine.
We selected for illustrative purposes a portion of the TURBO PASCAL Installation routine, as it requires quite a lot of extra information (and USES it, since the program includes a full text editor). Take a look at Table C, below. The user is requested to "fill in" the information, line by line. We've provided answers from the Exccutive manual (as before), with the assumption you'd prefer all your software coform to WordStar's standard functions, where possible.
Sounds great, but trying it can lead to trouble if you don't know what you're doing. We'll discuss this next time (in Part Three), the final section in this series. We'll try to cover a few common problems in Printer Installation as part of the third section, too.
Some installations require specific information about your hardware (i.e. screen attributes, etc.); others may offer you a CHOICE in "configuring the software" to your liking. This is not a bad idea. You may be able to set up Arrow Keys, Function Keys and [CTRL][key] combinations you are already familiar with. But how do you know what's being asked for?
How do you know (as in Table C) when an INSTALL routine is seeking system information or offering you an option for some software-suppported feature? One good test is, "Do I have this feature under CP/M?" If it's a "package option" (they're asking, aren't they?) you can probably choose the setup value. Be careful about changing values you recognize as "part of CP/M," however.
Where you're just not sure, feel free to experiment... so long as you're working with a copy of text or data, as well as the program itself. I've had some horrendous "crashes" when configuring an unfamiliar program. None (yet) have damaged my equipment but I've had data overwritten and programs corrupted through some of my attempts to "get it up and running."
TABLE C
-----------------------------------------
CURSOR
1: Character left CTRL-H
2: Alternative CTRL-S
3: Character right CTRL-D
4: Word left CTRL-A
5: Word right CTRL-F
6: Line up CTRL-E
7: Line down CTRL-X
8: Scroll down CTRL-W
9:*Scroll up CTRL-Z
10:* Page up CTRL-C
11: Page down CTRL-R
12: To left on line CTRL-Q A
13: To right on line CTRL-Q D
14: To top of page CTRL-Q E
15: To bottom of page CTRL-Q X
16: To top of file CTRL-Q R
17: To end of file CTRL-Q C
18: To beginning of block CTRL-Q B
19: To end of block CTRL-Q K
20: To last cursor position CTRL-Q P
INSERT & DELETE:
21: Insert mode on/off CTRL-V
22: Insert line CTRL-N
23: Delete line CTRL-Y
24: Delete to end of line CTRL-Q Y
25: Delete right word CTRL-T
26: Delete character at cursor CTRL-G
27: Delete left character CTRL-H
28: Alternative CTRL- -
BLOCK COMMANDS:
29: Mark block begin CTRL-K B
30: Mark block end CTRL-K K
31: Mark single word Nothing
32: Hide/display block CTRL-K H
33: Copy block CTRL-K C
34: Move block CTRL-K V
35: Delete block CTRL-K Y
36: Read block from disk CTRL-K R
37: Write block to disk CTRL-K W
MISCELLANEOUS EDITING COMMANDS:
38:* End edit CTRL-K D
39: Tab CTRL-I
40: Auto tab on/off Nothing
41: Restore line Nothing
42: Find CTRL-Q F
43: Find & replace CTRL-Q A
44: Repeat last find CTRL-L
45: Control character prefix Nothing
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 5
Running CP/M 80 on an IBM PC With RUN/CPM Z-80 Co-processor
by Steve Lucius
While contemplating upgrading from my O-1 and Televideo TPC-1 I had the same problem as many others, that is not wanting to abandon my old software and needing someway to run both CPM and MS-DOS software on the same machine. I had tried the Z-80 emulator program that is on the CFOG I board (Z80MU) on an AT clone and found it a trying experience because of the slowness.
I had read various reviews of CPM emulation with the V-20 chip and most of them complained of the slowness. Also the V-20 only runs 8080 software and doesn't support programs written to take advantage of the Z80 chip that the O-1 and Televideo have.
Then I read a review in Computer Shopper by Ted Drude of an outboard Z-80 co-processor that fits into a short slot in an IBM compatible PC. It was sold with RUN/CPM software which allowed disk and terminal emulation from the PC. All this for about $200. It sounded too good to be true. Based on this favorable review I bought one, with a V20 chip to speed up my XT clone.
In general I'm pleased with my purchase. In terms of speed the co-processor is as fast as the Televideo when using Wordstar, and actually is faster in some things. As an example I'm using a generic version of WS 3.3 that has a full page copyright notice. If I load it up on the O-1 or the co-processor it takes about 2 seconds to display the full page copyright notice. Using the public domain program for the V20 chip that is on the CFOG1 bulletin board it takes 5 to 6 seconds to display the same copyright notice. Another program that I have that does a sort of a long table takes 8 seconds on the Televideo and 4 seconds on the co-processor using BASCOM.
The RUN/CPM sof tware that comes with the co-processor supports 179 disk formats and 97 screen formats. It takes about 40 seconds to change from one disk or screen format to another.
Compatibility is a function of both the co-processor and the CPU used in the PC. I had a MBASIC program that ran on the co-processor when I had the 8088 chip in the PC. When I upgraded to a V20 chip the program wouldn't run. But then some of the demonstration GWBASIC programs stopped working on the V20. Programs that work for me include WordStar 2.2 (even on the B drive), WordStar 3.3, MBASIC, dBase II, NSWP207, Gramatik, and Spell.
I couldn't compile programs in Bascom but I could run them. (But then I never could compile them on the Televideo either, only the O-1.) I couldn't run the O-1 Supercalc. [The O-1 SuperCalc has specific screen calls and won't run on anything else. -- bhc] Also the Econometric statistical package STEM wouldn't run on the co-processor or the Televideo.
Installing the co-processor hardware is the same as any other short card. A couple pieces of paper stapled to the booklet for the RUN/CPM software are included for those who haven't installed cards in their PC. The software installation is covered in the instruction manual.
The software should be run on a PC with two floppy drives or a floppy and a hard drive. I can only comment on the 2 floppy drive method. The directions say you can load the RUN/CPM software into a RAMDISK and then use both floppies for CPM. So far I have been unable to do this. I have however been able to copy disks by copying to the RAMDISK and the copying back to the empty disk.
Error messages can be somewhat cryptic. Typing CIR instead of DIR will receive the error message that CPM commands are not accepted from the DOS prompt. A couple of the other error messages are even more cryptic.
Another benefit to people who like to program in MBASIC is more available memory. The O-1 with 1.44 ROM has about 28k when MBASIC is loaded, the Televideo has about 32k. The co-processor comes up with about 36k available. It will actually run the 747.BAS flight simulator on CFOG1.
In general it is a very useful package that can allow the use of CPM-80 software on a 16 bit machine.This review was written using WordStar 3.3 on the emulator with GRAMMATIK and SPELL O-1 software.
The co-processor and RUN/CPM software are available from Micro Interfaces Corp., 6824 W. 169th st, Miami, FL. 33015, 305-823-8088.
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 6
's Wonderful, 's Marvelous, 's Magic!
by Benjamin H. Cohen
As many of you are aware we've been using StarJet, a 'post- processor' for WordStar files published by Control-C Software of Portland, Oregon, to print the justified proportionally spaced text that you have been seeing in PIP since the February issue. I think it's a fine product and have recommended it to a number of other Hewlett Packard LaserJet users. It's easy to Iearn and use, though it would have been nice if the manual told you that to get justified text you simply justify the text with WordStar or NewWord. But StarJet has a couple of limitations.
First, StarJet doesn't do 'true' proportional spacing. StarJet sticks to the WordStar "WYSIWYG" concept -- "what you see is what you get". It's not the same as the WYSIWIG you get today with 'desktop publishing' software on the Macintosh or MS-DOS system where you can mix fonts and graphics and see just what it will look like on the printed page, it's the WYSIWIG that means the text on a line will in fact print on that line. When it comes to proportional spacing THAT is a real problem, since the number of characters that should be on a line varies, especially when you mix a lot of upper case letters on a line. Sometimes StarJet would run the text on a line together in order to squeeze all the upper case letters into the defined margins, and sometimes it couldn't get them all in so it would violate the margin. As a result, I resorted to putting program and file names in bold lower case with an initial capital in most instances. And when I wrote headlines for articles I had to estimate the number of Helvetica Bold characters that would fit on a line or my headline could be wider than the column.
With true proportional spacing the software counts the number of 'units' that each character needs until it fills up a line and can't get the next word on the line, closes out that line, justifies it (if that's what you've told it to do), and starts the next line with the next word, regardless of what the text looks like on the screen. LOTS OF TEXT IN ALL CAPITALS DOESN'T FAZE TRUE PROPORTIONAL SPACING. It simply adjusts.
There is a down side to this, too. What you see on the screen is not what you get on paper. I've often edited or written PIP articles that turned out to be 72 lines long when we get 69 on a page -- a little judicious editing will get them down to 69 lines so that they are one column long exactly. But with true proportional spacing you cannot tell how long a file will be when it prints! That means you have to print it once, then edit to adjust length if you want to, and print a second time to see if you got the desired effect! (On my old Wang word processor it was even worse -- the Wang did not automatically paginate, so you had to print once, at 45 cps, count lines, go back and find the places to insert the page breaks, and print again at 45 slow characters per second. This was only done for special documents.)
The second problem with StarJet (and with NewWord) is that the character width table that the LaserJet establishes is used. The character spacing for the letter "f" is simply wrong. Go to any other article than this one and look for a word with the letter "f" in it -- better yet, one with two! The spacing simply isn't correct.
Magic to the Rescue
The solution to these two problems is, quite simply, Magic. I don't mean old fashioned prestidigitation, I mean the MagicSeries of software from Computer EdiType Systems, 509 Cathedral Parkway 10A, New York, NY 10025 (212-222-8148). Magic comes in three versions -- MagicPrint, MagicBind, and MagicIndex. All three have the capabilities that are described in this article. MagicBind adds to the print formatting capabalities a group of merge-print and footnoting capabilities that put MicroPro's MailMerge to shame, and MagicIndex creates indices, too. Magic does all of the things described in this article for the Hewlett Packard LaserJet (unless otherwise noted), and does most of them for most daisy wheel printers, as well.
Magic for the LaserJet adds one feature that puts to shame even the best of today's desktop publishing software for the Macintosh and MS-DOS systems. The magic word is 'kerning', the ability to adjust the space between characters -- in this case in increments of 1/720th of an inch. Remember StarJet's problem with the letter "f" that I pointed above? Well, if you look at the letter "f" in quotation marks here you'll note that the character and the second quotation mark overlap. But if you look up above, you'll note that they didn't. That's because I told Magic to adjust the space between the "f" and the quotation mark -- just as I did here -- so that problem would be eliminated. When I print words like 'stiffen' and 'iffy' Magic prints them very nicely spaced, thank you.
How Magic Works
Magic follows WordStar and StarJet in using dot commands and embedded commands to adjust text. To allow you to work with 'normal' WordStar files, Magic recognizes dot commands with two leading dots, and ignores normal single dot WordStar commands. The only problem with this is that many of us are used to using two dots to indicate comment lines. Magic will treat those lines as Magic dot commands and attempt to parse them. Since Magic allows more than one dot command on a line, each character will be checked and an error message issued OR it will be interpreted as a command. For example, the "d" dot command resets all parameters to the default settings! It's best to check any WordStar file that you want to print with Magic for double dot comment lines before you print them.
Many of the embedded commands are the WordStar commands, if you're using the WordStar version of Magic. Embedded ^P commands for overstrike character (called "accenting" in Magic parlance), bold, halt for print wheel change (not on the LaserJet), double strike, non-break space, strike-out (called "overstrike" in Magic parlance), ribbon color change (not applicable to the LaserJet), sub- and super-script, and underscore are all the commands familiar. to generations of WordStar users. There's a 'standard version', for non-WordStar uses, not tested.
There are a few added embedded commands, kerning or pitch change most notable among them.
The dot commands differ from WordStar significantly. Some few of them perform the same functions as a WordStar dot command. But even then they may differ -- the "p" dot command sets page numbering, but in addition to telling Magic to start numbering with the indicated page number, the "p" dot command can indicate (P0) postpone numbering to the next page, (P0n) start numbering with number "n" on next page, (P-) turn off page numbering (e. g., for the title page of a chapter), or (P+) turn on page numbering. (As in WordStar, dot commands can be upper or lower case.)
An important dot command is the line length command, dot "l". This sets the width of the printed line in median character widths. Median character widths are set according to the current horizontal character spacing (set with dot "h"). As with the WordStar dot "cw" command, the character spacing is set in 120ths of an inch, so that 10 (the default) represents 10/120ths of an inch or 12 characters per inch. We've set the line length for PIP at 39.
The line length setting and true proportional spacing mean that the formatting of the file is irrelevant! I'm sitting here with my right margin set at 80. Nothing ever scrolls off my 104 column screen, and I get about a lot on the screen at one time. Yet when Magic prints, the margins are correct. And, I never have to reformat as I edit -- and unless the text gets moved off the screen -- seldom with the 104 column screen -- or I want to move to the end of the current paragraph, I generally don't. It looks funny to an old WordStar user, but it works. (Actually, I use VDE for almost all of my writing and editing these days. Magic sees hard carriage returns at the end of each line, so I still have to run HARDSOFT. COM to get rid of those. But I don't have to run each file through WordStar or NewWord to justify. (Hyphenation is another issue!)
You won't be seeing it much in PIP, but Magic does micro-centering. You all know how WordStar centers text. In any event, dot matrix and daisy wheel printers have horizontal motion increments of 1/120th of an inch, so that centering would be limited by that restriction in any event. Magic centers to the nearest 1/720th of an inch.
Bccause of the way we lay out PIP, we won't often take advantage of Magic's ability to print in columns, but you can specify the number of columns (up to four -- who needs more?) and the number of characters between columns. The current line length defines the width printed text.
Magic does horizontal and vertical lines and boxes, graphics, controls sheet feeders (for daisy wheel printers), prints odd and even pages in batches, lays out tables in neat columns, Magic does six levels of boldface:
These are controlled by a dot command, so you can't change the level of bolding within a line.
Getting Started with Magic
The first file that I saw when I got Magic was the "FORMAT" file provided by Computer EdiType Systems. It contains samples of just about everything that Magic can do. That by itself is quite intimidating to the rank beginner with Magic. Worse yet, and unknown to me at the time, the file is set up for the LaserJet's F cartridge and I have the B cartridge. Both have the type faces that you see here, but the F cartridge has some additional fonts and character sets (at additional price). When I attempted to print it there were some problems: fonts A through E on the F cartridge use the Roman 8 character set not available on the B cartridge which uses the USASCII character set. Debugging this to get it to print properly was not simple, and even after the Computcr EdiType folks told me what to do, I couldn't get it to print properly.
It took a while after that frustrating experience before I got up courage to attack Magic again. When I did, I skipped over the FORMAT file, did some reading in the manual, and set up my own files to print. Voila! It works.
If you don't have the F cartridge, I suggest you simply skip over the FORMAT file, read the manual, and try your own examples, building up from the simplest of files to the more complicated.
Changing Fonts with Magic
Magic files look a little funny because of the embedded commands to change fonts. You can designate two fonts with a dot command, a primary font and a secondary font You shift into the secondary font by putting in a tilde followed by a closed parenthesis [)]. You can optionally add between the tilde and the closed parenthesis a letter designating the secondary font you want to use, so that you can use bold and italics on the same line. You shift back to the primary font by putting in a tilde followed by an open parenthesis [(]. So every time you see Magic here in PIP, on the screen I see a tilde, the letter d, a close parenthesis, another tilde, the word "Magic", a tilde, an open parenthesis, and yet another tilde!
Actually, this is not as much of a problem as it seems at first. Use special function keys or a key redefinition program such as found in the public domain QK21.LBR or the commercial SmartKey or XtraKey to generate the required strings instead of repetitively hitting the necessary three key combinations. My definitions include one to shift to secondary font with a letter "d" for bold, one with a letter "c" for italics, and one to shift back to primary font. By always defining which secondary font I want, I never have to worry about which secondary font is currently in effect
You'll be seeing more Magic text printed in PIP in the future.
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 8
BONDWELL 2 REVIEW
by Howard Schwartz, St. Louis KUG
For well over a year I seriously considered getting a portable computer as a companion to my Kaypro 1. Since I am firmly committed to CP/M, I did not seriously consider purchasing the Kaypro 2000 or any other MS-DOS portable. While the Radio Shack 100 was attractive, its memory limitations (8K upgradable to 24K) were too severe for any practical purposes. The first CP/M portable that I considered purchasing was the Epson Geneva. This comes with 64K of memory, which is respectable, and had WordStar to boot -- or what they called WordStar-to-Go. Since WordStar is my oldest computing friend, that was great. However, the version of it for the Geneva turned out to be severely trunucated. Many aspects of WordStar were dropped for lack of space -- including the file directory! That did it -- if I couldn't know what files I had and had to guess at their names, it was useless. End of Epson Geneva fantasy.
Some of my friends, equally intrigued by portables, purchased the NEC portable, also CP/M, and gave it good reviews. However, it too, came with Word-Star-to-Go, so I Iet it go.
About six months ago I first learned of the Bondwell 2 portable from a mailing sent out by Peopletalk, who offered it at $995 (plus various accessories).
The fact that it had a built-in disk drive with 360K sounded almost too good to believe, as did the fact that it came with an 8 hour rechargable battery. To top it off, it came bundled with WordStar and other Micropro programs (Mailmerge, CaIcStar, DataStar, and ReportStar.) In fact, it sounded much like a portable clone of my Kaypro.
Not long afterward, an ad in Computer Shopper offered the Bondwell 2 for $859, including a 300 baud modem, one of the accessories that sold for $130 by itself. Now I finally got into gear to purchase it. A call to the company listing it brought assurances that it would be available for that price the next month, along with the modem. When the next issue of Computer Shopper came out, however, no ad for it was to be found and a call to the company brought the news that they no longer carried it. Why not? The profit margin was too small. (The moral here is to move quickly when a bargain rears its head in Computer Shopper.)
Somewhat abashed, I called Bondwell directly in California. They told me they had cut the price for the Bondwell 2 to $795 -- this explained why the other company had dropped it -- their price of $859 was no longer a bargain. Bondwell gave me the name and phone number of the Midwest representative in Kansas City, and I called him, intending to hesitate no longer. He confirmed the new $795 price, and we completed an order for the computer plus two cables at $30 each (necessary because the Centronics and RS232 ports are smaller than normal), and the carrying case ($40 -- originally $79). The price, including taxes, came to $940, and the dealer gave me $100 off. So the total cost was $840. I sent a bank check that day, and UPS delivered a large box of equipment one week later.
As portables go, the Bondwell is a bit heavy at 12 pounds. (The NEC Starlet weighs only 6 pounds, but it also doesn't have a disk drive.) The size is quite small, however, 11.2 by 12.2 by 3.1 inches. It does have a fine handle, and is easily carried that way or in the carrying case, which, like the cables, seems to be pretty much of a necessity (the case also has room for the recharger and the optional second disk drive.) The screen folds over the keyboard and locks securely. However, it is also easy to open. My initial reaction was a combination of delight and despair. Delight that the keyboard was as fine as it is (the cursor keys form a square that seems so natural it's hard to know why every computer doesn't have them that way.) At the same time, the fact of life of a LCD screen was inescapable -- it is simply hard to read. That is, until you get it in the right light. The best light is outside, where it is possible to find an angle clear enough for even the crankiest user. The next best light, when indoors, is directly behind or above the screen. The key point is that the LCD screen does not emit any light of its own, and it is therefore totally dependent on reflected light.
Fortunately, the screen can be adjusted to take the best advantage of the available light. On the other hand, those used to working in half-dim rooms will have to give that up fast. (I have heard recently of a firm cables. Although it would use more of the battery, I would be happy to trade an hour or two off the eight available for a little light that would illumine the screen better than the way it is. Note that the MS-DOS version of the Bondwell portable does have a backlit screen.) However, it should be added that the LCD screen, whatever its limitations, does fit 80 X 25 characters on the screen, which makes it identical to the amount present on the Kaypro. This is very important. Also, the LCD resolution is about the best available, with 640 X 200 pixels.
The one accessory I decided to skip was the modem, when the dealer assured me that it was not needed in order to send files between two computers -- that this could be done by linking the serial ports. This, then, was one of my primary concerns, since I wanted to make the many CP/M programs available in this portable format. Using the RS232C cable hooked to the serial port of the Bondwell and the modem port of the Kaypro (which has another serial port for printing), I studied the user's manual for ways to set up this connection. In fact, there were two methods available. One was to use a program included on the system disk called Transfer, and the other was to use Modem7, setup for the Bondwell, which also comes with the computer.
Not being much of an expert on setting these things up, I sought help from two friends in the St. Louis KUG, Bob Rosenfeld and Ken Seger. We did spin our wheels for a while, but once both machines had been set up identically it was possible to send some programs across, while some others (including Newsweep) refused to arrive. (Proper settings are identical baud rates -- 9600 works, so why not use it? -- no parity, 1 stop bit and 8 bits.) At last I succeeded in getting MEX114 for the Bondwell 2 (which I had picked up in my modem wanderings) across the bridge, and then I switched from Modem7 to MEX, and from then on it was easy sailing. Working at 9600 baud, I simply used the S option on the Kaypro (S filename.ext) and the R option on the Bondwell (R filename.ext). For sending a whole disk at one time, I used the batch option (SB and RB). It works great, and the speed of the 9600 baud is a sight to see. Once MEX was set up properly, I cloned both the Bondwell and Kaypro versions. I renamed the Kaypro version Bw-mex, and simply left it on my MEX disk along with the regular MEX. I also tried sending some files and programs the other way, from the Bondwell to the Kaypro, and they went just as quickly and arrived intact. So on the issue of uploading and downloading between the computers, the matter couldn't have worked out better.
Taking advantage of the batch mode, I made up a Kaypro disk of core programs to load on every Bondwell micro floppy. The idea was to make these disks independent in themselves, so that I could write and edit using the single disk. Fortunately, the Bondwell comes with a first class single drive copy program, called FILECOPY, and of course this went on every disk, as did MEX, so that I would be able to upload the material written to the Kaypro (although, to save space, it is possible to simply put MEX on one or two disks and use the log A: command to log into a new disk.)
The other core programs I settled on are: Autorun.com (comes with the Bondwell and shows all executable programs; autoloads unless replaced with a new command line by Comline.com); Bd.com, Bk.com, Comline.com, D.com, Find.com, Hrdsft.com, Makbatch.com, N.com (Newsweep), Recover.com, Vdo.com, and Vdo-save.com. Mft definitely seems to be the best single-drive filecopy program. Using the Setup program that comes with the Bondwell it is possible to create a command file that sets the 8 function keys (which become 16 when used with the shift key), I made two such files, one for WordStar (Wskey.com) and one for VDO (Vdokey.com). Then, using Makbatch.com, it is possible to create a submit file that runs as a command file to load Wskey.com along with Xtrakey and WordStar. (I call this Menu.com, and it consists of the following sequence (the slash indicates a new line):
X My/Wskey/Bk/Sap/Ws
This, then loads the function keys and key redefinitions, deletes bak files, puts the directory in alphabetical order and then loads WordStar. Note that I chose the ^ key as the supershift key on the Bondwell for Xtrakey. This is because it is the farthest key to the right on the keyboard is in the lowercase position, and seems to crey out to be named the second control key.
It should be noted that this is the f ull implementation of WordStar and I was able to speed it up using Wsfst24.lbr as usual. In addition, I was able to set up Word Finder with one version of WordStar, although I chose to use the short (90K) dictionary instead of the long (150K) one, so that there would be some room left on the disk for the file being created. Word Finder works just fine, though, of course, without the graphic effects of the video Kaypros.
Although I was able to set up WordStar without any hitches, the role of VDO, which has most of WordStar's primary commands, was very important, since the WordStar files take almost a 100K in themselves, and not much room is left on the disk when it has WordStar and all of the above utilities. The Kaypro version of VDO is only 6K (and the cursor keys work with it -- and on the Bondwell as well) and thus it is perfect for first draft writing. After that Hrdsft (using the S option: Hardsft filename.ext S) creates a WordStar file that can be finished (and printed out) using all of the luxuries of a full implementation of WordStar. Since VDO has fewer commands available than WordStar, and most of them must be accessed through one of the two menus (^0 and ^Q) it isn't as useful to use it with Xtrakey (although this can be done). In fact, using the 8 Bondwell function keys seems to. be about it. I simply load Vdokey.com before VDO, and the function keys are defined as follows:
1) ^O 2) ^Q 3) ^G 4) ^T 5) ^C 6) ^R 7) ^A 8) ^F
One minor disappointment: ^A^T, which works great to delete the word left in WordStar does not work with VDO because ^A goes to the last letter of the word left instead of the first. I don't know why this is.
All together, these core programs (using VDO instead of WordStar except on designated WordStar disks) come to around 100K. Since the size of a Bondwell disk is 360K (actually 346K after formatting), this leaves almost 250K for files to be created -- more than enough space to get a lot of work done.
All of this is an attempt, of course, to get around the problem of using a single disk drive. One of the options offered by Bondwell is a second 3 1/2" drive ($250) or a second 5 1/4" one ($300). Both plug right into the second drive port and do not require any extra battery or separate AC power. I assume they do shorten the 8 hour life of the rechargable battery somewhat. (By the way, the standard equipment includes the AC hookup for the battery recharger, and it can also be used to power the portable if the battery has run low.) Before I discovered how easy it was to transfer files back and forth using MEX, the 5 1/4" drive, which comes with software to make just such transfers, was very appealing. But now that I have solved that problem, the second 3 1/2" drive is much more attractive, and I may end up getting it, especially for use with those programs that require two drives, including many dBASE II programs. However, the existence of VDO has made the one drive option much easier to live with.
The only optional equipment I have not mentioned is a 256K ram disk which fits into the same slot as the modem. And there are two modems available, one for 300 baud and one for 1200 baud.
Once I had set up the Bondwell as described here, I found I had a portable computer with all of the capacities of my Kaypro except for the sccond disk drive (which can be added) and the graphics capacity. However, the Bondwell does have inverse video capacity, which can be accessed by using ESC I to start it and ESC N to end it (this must be done before entering WordStar.) In certain light conditions these inverse characters are much easier to read, and it is a useful capacity. The cursor uses this inverse video, which makes it quite easy to find. It also pulses in a normal fashion. Note also that the Bondwell can be set up for several European languages. All in all it is a remarkable computer for the price, and the only serious failing is the lack of a backlit LCD.
Comments
by Kurt Gebauer, FOG #49
The Bondwell-2 review is excellent -- as far as it goes. May I respectfully add my two cents.
One of the people in my office has a Bondwell-2, and we're now looking at getting several more for "on-the-road" use -- configured with a Travelcomm1200 (1200 baud modem the size of a pack of cigarettes).
I have managed to transfer information between the Bondwell-2 and the Exec and the Vixen at 19,200 baud (twice 9600) by using a "null-modem cable" and IMP on all machines and using the "Quiet" (RQ, SQ, SBQ) mode on the Bondwell so that the slowness of the LCD display doesn't cause time-out errors.
We have the RAM-disk (-- highly!!! recommended) which I have upgraded to 512K for the mere price of $20.00 in parts (8 IC sockets and 8 chips), as per the Bondwell BBS (818-788-0193) which is run by Jon Bek -- an employee of ServiceLand -- the Bondwell authorized warranty service station. It allows two BIG advantages: 1. Programs run significantly faster (Wordstar, dBase, etc.). 2. The use of the Ram-Disk extends the battery-life significantly, as the disk drive does not need to be accessed, except to save the final version of the various work-files from the Ram-Disk.
If there is significant interest in the Bondwell, perhaps we could ask Pete (SYSOP) to add a Bondwell section [to the FOG #49 RCPM -- bhc], and we can upload a variety of programs, etc. to make this the East-Coast (or at least non-west coast) BBS for Bondwell stuff.
There is also a rather significant group of Bondwell-2 owners who gather and converse (?) on CompuServe's CPMSIG Section 4 (Laptops).
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 10
Editor's Message
One of the things I had hoped to do before this date was to catch up with the calendar. Here it is mid-November, and I'm just finishing off the October issue of PIP. I hope to get the December issue in the mail in December. A few contributions from members would help.
By the time you get this the November board meeting will have elected a successor to take the place of Tom Ferguson, who until his recent resignation, had been the only Treasurer CFOG has ever had. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Tom, not only for the work that he has done, but for the no-nonsense fiscal attitude that has gotten us to this point without the financial woes that our West Coast brethren in FOG have suffered. His guidance will be missed. Thanks, Tom.
CFOG's PIP, October 1986, Volume 4 No. 12, Whole No. 48, page 11
Modula-2 to be Released by Borland
[The following message was downloaded from the Lillipute Z-Node. While it's really a press release and essentially a commercial message, I thought it of sufficient interest to justify publicatin as a news item -- bhc]
Z80 Turbo Modula-2 was created by Borland International, the creators of Turbo Pascal. It is an in-depth and professional implementation of Modula-2 for Z80-compatible computers running a CP/M-80 compatible disk operating system. This includes Kaypro, Commodore 128, Morrow, Osborne, Amstrad, and many other computers. The Z80 Turbo Modula-2 package comes complete with 500+ page manual; WordStar-like programming editor for creating and modifying program source code or any text file, compiler, extensive function library (modules), and installation program and terminal descriptor database. Everything needed to begin creating useful programs in Modula-2 has been included.
Z80 Turbo Modula-2 supports the following features:
- Instant invocation of editor when the compiler detects programming errors. You can quickly correct the mistake, and the compiler resumes where it left off.
- Very fast compilation utilizing a one-pass method.
- Extensive function library -- 14 modules incorporating over 100 procedures. Standard Modula-2 modules such as InOut are available, in addition to single (6 digits) and double precision (14 digits) math, command line access and manipulation, input/output redirection, and much more. You may also add your own extensions or replace existing modules as you see fit.
- Programs can be organized with overlays; permits code size to exceed available memory.
- Can generate Z80 native code using an optional second pass of the compiler.
- Bit manipulation and sets.
- Easy inclusion of assembly-language routines in binary form, or in relocatable (REL) form. Turbo Modula-2 can even search REL libraries and include only the routines of interest.
- Extensions to Modula-2 include comfortable generalized READ and WRITE statements (like Turbo Pascal), string comparison and assignment, multidimensional open arrays, and exception handling to control the program in case of errors.
- The compiler can optionally flag nonstandard statements to ensure portability to other Modula-2 environments. Programs written with Turbo Modula-2 can be portable to any other computing environment.
Turbo Modula-2 compared to Turbo Pascal:
- Turbo Modula-2 has separate compilation. This means that whenever a change is made in a supporting or dependent module, only the changed module must be recompiled. This is especially important on large projects, where under Turbo Pascal, even the smallest change required recompilation of the entire project. Unlike some other languages that allow separate compilation, Modula-2 still performs full type and version checking between modules.
- The library facilities of Turbo Modula-2 allow a full and extensible set of primitives, which are not included in the final program unless specifically requested by the programmer. Thus, programs can be optimized for size even though hundreds of library functions may exist.
- Turbo Modula-2 includes support for coroutines (multiprocessing) and interrupt handlers.
- Existing Turbo Pascal programs can be easily converted to Turbo Modula-2.
- Turbo Modula-2 possesses additional numeric types: unsigned integers (cardinal), long integers (longint), and long reals (longreal). These allow greater precision and flexibility in mathematical calculations and data handling.
The Z80 Turbo Modula-2 package includes:
- Full-screen WordStar-like text editor
- Turbo Modula-2 compiler
- Turbo Modula-2 linker
- Turbo Modula-2 menu shell
- Z80 native code generator
- Library manager
- Full module library with more than 100 routines
- Installation program
- Utility to manipulate Microsoft REL files
- Profiler utility for analysis of program performance
- 500-plus page manual
The price of the Turbo Modula-2 package is $69.95, which includes everything listed above. This is a tremendous value for the price! Visa/Mastercard, personal check, or UPS COD accepted. Add $6 shipping / handling in USA, actual cost elsewhere. Shipments will begin December 5th, 1986.
Echelon, Inc.
885 N. San Antonio Road
Los Altos, CA USA 94022
415/948-3820 for orders and technical questions
415/489-9005 Z-Node Central 300 / 1200 / 2400 baud 24 hours
Telex 4931646