CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 49
Kaypro Users with TurboROM -- Some Help
by Benjamin H. Cohen
Ever since I've been using my Kaypro 10 ('84) with the TurboROM I've been having one problem. Screen refreshes aren't fast enough for some purposes. When I got on some remote systems at 2400 bps I had to ask for several nulls to give the cursor time to get back to the beginning of the line. On Sun Valley even 9 nulls was not enough, and I could never read the whole screen. And one board I called had no provision for nulls and was a real problem.
Bruce Morgen has supplied the solution to that problem in KP25LINE.LBR, containing a short program that speeds up the screen refreshes. Now I can get on remote systems at 2400 bps with no nulls and never lose a character.
But there was a side-effect. With the fast video screen installed and VDE running I kept seeing the 24th line repeated on on the bottom or 25th line. When I scrolled up it stayed there. Sure, I could get rid of it by scrolling the other way or blanking the screen with ^OZ and restoring it with [ESC], but it was a nuisance. Others pointed out that they were having the same problem with WordStar. Thanks to Andy Shapiro for pointing out the solution to this problem: install the program for 25 line display.
With WSCHANGE enter AACA to change the display in WS to 25 lines.
In VINST select terminal installation and then "E" to edit the current installation. About the fourth item to change is the number of lines on the screen. Change it from 24 to 25. So now I have WS and VDE installed for 25 line display, no more fouled up bottom line, and one more line of display on the screen. SuperCalc2 will be great with an extra line. In fact, any program should be patchable if I can find the bytes 80,24 (50h,16h) somewhere in the code and add one.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 50
MailMerge Without Pain
by Benjamin H. Cohen
I don't know about you, but I have this love-hate relationship going with WordStar and MailMerge. WordStar is a great tool, though I use VDE for almost all of my writing and editing because of its sheer speed. And the power of the dot commands and MailMerge's merging power and conditionals are just wonderful. But...
The first thing you should do (or should have done long ago when I told you to, see PIP #41, page 3, March 1986), is to change the delimiter for your MailMerge files to a "/" instead of a comma. That done you can enter commas in fields to your heart's content and never have to put in a quotation mark before and after a field. If you have some slashes in your data, try a backslash. Or whatever suits you.
But even using slashes instead of commas for delimiters, entering data for MailMerge data files is a pain. You have to remember to enter "//" when there s a missing field. When you forget you get a rude awakening at print-out time. And counting the slashes or commas is never fun. I've used a simple macro to search for the correct number of delimiters, starting on the first delimiter in a line. When it winds up on the wrong delimiter, i. e., not the first, you have to check the line. Ouch.
In fact, I never enter big data files using WordStar or VDE. For big databases I use PC-File 80 and export the files to comma-delimited files after sorting and selecting the records that I want. But for little form letters, to a dozen people, it's more rigmarole than seems necessary.
You could write a small MailMerge file to ask for each field's data and write it to a file. Like using PC-File 80, that has the virtue of making sure you have the right number of fields for each record, but there's the setup and testing to make sure it's correct. For the project I did today, a dozen form letters, maybe 20, it seemed excessive.
One of the simple things that we learned, but forgot, is that you can enter MailMerge data with fields delimited by a <cr>. Yes, you can enter each field on a separate line:
Benjamin H. Cohen
KaftorWare Corporation
Box 1674
Chicago, IL 60690
Is a perfectly valid MailMerge data file of one record consisting of four fields. If you want to set your data up this way, set your page length so that WordStar marks each record as a page:
.pl nn
.mt 0
.mb 0
This sets the top and bottom margins to zero so the page is exactly as many lines long as your record has fields, "nn". There's a visual marker at the end of each page to make sure you have entered the correct number of fields in each record. You can do this with VDE by setting the page length with ^OP, but you won't get the visual marker, just a change in page number.
My data file for today's project consisted of four line addresses. Some of the addresses actually only had three lines, so I had to hit an extra <cr> for those to leave a blank line. But each address in the file looked just like an address on a letter, rather than like a telephone directory. That's visually reasurring, I think.
My letter was a simple inquiry for information. I merge-printed the letters and shoved them into window envelopes. No extra step of putting labels on. No extra step of printing labels. Sure, I could have simply photocopied the letter, but it was no big deal, and probably cheaper, to run the dozen or so letters on my dot matrix printer.
So, for short and simple MailMerge data files, consider using a file with each field on a separate line.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 51
Eric Gans Writes for MS-DOS
[From the EGUTIL53.LBR here's an edited version of Eric Gans's listing of programs in the public domain that he has written for MS-DOS users. -- bhc]
- ALPHAN. COM v2
-- Gives you both an alphabetical wordlist and a list in order of numerical frequency.
- DSIZ.COM v1.1
-- Gives a treestructured directory list including size of each directory in bytes.
- FAT.COM v1.2
-- Displays the FAT (File Allocation Table) of any disk, showing which blocks are allocated to which files.
- FBAK.COM v2.2
-- Fast date-sensitive back-up program that will take its input from a list of directories/filenames kept in a separate text file. V2.2 allows automatic creation of directories on backup floppies.
- FINREP.COM v2.4
-- Very similar to CP/M version 2.5, an external find and replace program that finds strings in groups of files that answer to a wildcard name.
- GTXT.COM v1.1
-- Make a text into a COM file that displays itself on screen. V1.1 allows you the choice of keeping or killing the high bit for graphics characters.
- LDRES.COM v1.0
-- A programmer's utility that allows you to make any COM file (within reason) memory-resident.
- MCALC.COM v1.4 (written in C, with help from the preceding program)
-- A memory-resident scientific calculator with 23 (re)assignable variables. Now includes binary, an online ASCII table, factorials, etc.
- PAIRPC.COM
-- A PC version of PAIRX 1.2, to check for paired WordStar controls. Probably obsolete with WS Professional Release 4 and later, but useful for older versions or with VDE.
- PUBLIC.COM v1.1
-- A little utility to create "public" lists for symbolic debugging and the like.
- RESLOG.COM v1.1
-- A memory-resident system logger that keeps a timed record of every COM or EXE file loaded. May save you a few bucks with the IRS.
- RESPRO.COM v1.2
-- A memory-resident program manager that allows you to disable/reeactivate/remove memory-resident programs. Includes an "uncrash" feature for when your system goes out to lunch.
- SCALC.COM v1.1
-- A non-resident version of MCALC (see above).
- TIMER.ARC
-- A set of routines that use the timer chip to time in microseconds.
- UNERASE.COM v1.2
-- The ONLY real public-domain undelete program for MS-DOS that works on all kinds of disks (hard & floppy). (Recently enhanced to allow easier filename entry, larger disks.) The ARC includes a FAT + disk directory backup program, like DBACK/DREST in this library.
- WCX.COM v1.1
-- A really fast multi-file word/line count program.
- WINDEX.COM
-- A DOS version of WINDEX 2.2 (not as advanced as the current CP/M version).
- WSDC.COM v1.1
-- A DOS version of the (very useful) CP/M utility WSDOCON that converts an ASCII file to Wordstar's DOC mode.
The following two programs are for AT's only:
- ALSET.COM
-- Uses AT alarm function; requires 80186/80286. Clock/alarm/timer program; allows up to 20 alarms, can be loaded from file.
- EXTM.COM
-- Reads extended memory (AT only).
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 52
PC-File 80 Review
[Your Editor is also President of KaftorWare Corporation, exclusive licensed distributors of PC-File 80, a CP/M flat database management program. Accordingly I have been reluctant to write about it. I am taking the liberty of publishing the comments of Sypko Andreae, former publisher of Morrow Owners Review, which appeared in the May/June 1988 issue of the BAMDUA-BAKUP News published by the combined Bay Area Micro Decisions Users Ass'n and Bay Area Kaypro Users and Programmers. My comments are in brackets. -- bhc]
Let me tell you something about my experiences with PC-FILE 80, the database that just came out for CP/M. I have been using it for four different databases, both small and large, and generally I am pleased. But, as it often goes when you use a program for a while, you start hitting the limitations more often as you gain experience. So it is with this program.
The manual has 63 pages of concise prose and is quite good. The complete text is divided into tiny numbered sections so it's easy to find things with the help of the extensive table of contents and/or the eleven page index. I would rate it as a good job that could possibly be improved a little in the way it is organized, but not by much.
A summary of the features is honestly put forward on page 54 and shows the most obvious limitations right away: No more than 40 fields, up to 65 characters per field but that shrinks back to 25 if you have more than 18 fields. I find that a field of 25 characters is too short for something like an address or a company name. but one of the severest limitations is that the total number of characters in all fields of one record is only 254. That hurts for all but the simplest databases. Why so little is not quite clear to me. In the manual it says, "We hope to raise that limitation in a future release." But elsewhere the authors state that any more work on PC-File 80 will depend on the sales figures of the current version.
PC- File 80 is easy to learn and any novice should have a simple database going within an hour. Then, if you want to elaborate on the database, several nice features help you do that. The most powerful is "cloning" whereby you basically make a complete copy of your current database (including all the data) [or selected records] while making changes in field lengths, adding or deleting fields, even re-arranging fields. After you are through with the cloning process you wind up in the main menu with the newly cloned database in attendance.
All the databases I used with PC-File 80 were created by importing the data from other databases (Personal Pearl, Perfect Filer, or dBase II). That went very smoothly. I also had very little trouble with some exporting experiments, and the trouble was mainly on the other (receiving) end. The main work in importing from another database was in creating the proper report in that other database. [It may be easier to export the files from Perfect Filer with PF2ASCII.COM. See July 1988 Profiles, page 45.]
I was a little disappointed in the speed of PC-File 80. For instance, searching for a record by the content of a field is a bit slow. It isn't too bad for a small database of 200 records or so, but one database of 3,000 records gave me search times of over a minute. Personal Pearl and Filer do this much faster, but on the other hand they allow you only to search on a few indexed fields, while PC-File 80 lets you search on any field, and that is real nice. Moreover, you can search on a substring (scanning across a field), or use a wildcard. You can also use Soundex, where you enter something that sounds like what you are looking for. Great for vaguely remembered last name searches. The only search that is really fast is the one by record number, but the record is assigned by the database program itself and changes after every different sort, so this is not so useful.
If you want to get a report sorted in a certain way you have to first sort the whole database that way, and then execute the report. Sorting times can really ad up: sorting a 3,000 record database with more than 20 fields and sorted in three levels can take most of an hour -- a long time but still a bit faster than Pearl, and a bit slower than Perfect Filer. If you have a relatively small subset, say 100 records out of a database of 3,000, and you need several sorts for that subset only, then it is really much more convenient to clone the subset and then sort it quickly in the various ways you want for your reports.
The other feature you need for reports is subset selection. Example: make a report of all records with zipcode from 90000 to 99999 of which the last names start with an A or an L. This you couldn't do with Pearl which has a very weak subset selection system. With Filer you couldn't do it either, but with PC-File 80 it's a snap. You can make up to 10 logical selection criteria (10 simple Boolean expressions) that you string together with logical "and" and "or". but you can't save your Boolean composition (as you can in Pearl and Filer), so every time you need the same subset of up to ten "Booleans" you have to enter it all over again. That is a drawback.
Designing reports is very easy and can be done in two ways: by following a menu or by editing a file with WS in "N" mode. The latter feature makes it really easy to change a report or to create a new report out of an old one. The reports are quite easy to read because you only have to remember about five symbols to make sense out of them.
There is much more to tell about PC-File 80 which has lots of neat and easy-to-learn features -- like numeric fields for making invoices or checkbook registers -- but space is running out. I will come back to it later. In conclusion I would recommend this program for small databases that have small records and don't have a lot of fancy subset selections for reports. It runs equally fine on a Morrow MD3 or MD11. On an MD2 or Kaypro II [with single sided drives] it will get a little crowded but it should run fine too. You can buy it for $49.95 (plus $5 shipping, and $2 for formats other than Osborne or Kaypro) from KaftorWare Corporation, P.O. Box 1674, Chicago, IL 60690. Even with me rubbing up against its limitations, I still like PC-File 80.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 54
VDE Version 2.66 Represents "Last" CP/M Version!
by Benjamin H. Cohen
After at least 20 version releases in the 26 months from May 1986 (version 2.01) to June 1988 (version 2.66), the latest release of VDE for CP/M computers is contemplated by Eric Meyer to be the last CP/M version of VDE:
"Rash as that claim may sound, consider that
(1) All known bugs have now been fixed;
(2) As many new features have been added as memory limitations will reasonably allow;
(3) Many people (myself included!) are using CP/M ever less often.
So: while the MSDOS version will continue to develop, I think CP/M VDE is about finished. Thanks to all who've helped."
The end of the seemingly endless revision cycle is both good and bad. While it means no more new and wonderful features, it also means that VDE won't be getting any bigger. It has already grown to the point where the memory available to edit a file on my Kaypro I at the office is down to 38,059 bytes. Of course I can edit larger files because of VDE's memory compression technique, usually about 20% larger, but with version 2.65 it was 38,154 bytes, and it used to be more than 45,000 bytes. It also means that we can now work on squeezing the most out of this marvelous program with reasonable assurance that we won't be back at the drawing board learning a new or different set of commands next month (or week) or having to manually install a new version that is not compatible with VDK or VDP files we created last time around.
On the other hand, within a few weeks of the release of VDE 2.66 Eric acknowledged, in response to a bulletin board message suggesting that while VDE might not change radically in the future there were good reasons not to declare an absolute halt, Eric conceded that he already had an idea that he might like to see implemented in the program. Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer choice!
In addition to fixing several small problems, there are the following changes, essentially quoted from the VDE266.UPD file in VDE266.LBR: two new Print (^KP) options allow setting the printer top and left margin. At the "Options" prompt, type "T" followed by the number of lines to skip, and/or "L" followed by the columns to skip. For example:
Options: T4L12<cr>
will skip 4 lines at the top and 12 columns at the left.
You can choose a default setting for the new printer left margin offset, originally 0. It used to be necessary to set this up in a printer initialization string and some printer manuals were rather opaque about the code needed.
You can now mark the end of a block (^KK) before the start (^KB) has been marked.
The command to delete to a designated character (^QT) can now be used repeatedly; it does not stall on the specified character. For example, if the cursor is on a ".", "^QT." will delete to the NEXT period instead of doing nothing as it would in version 2.65.
Tab Set (^OI) "@n" sets tabs at column n+1, 2n+1... (not n, 2n...)
MS-DOS VDE Update News
A new version of VDE for MS-DOS is in beta test at this time. The latest released version is 1.21, but there may be a new version released by the time you read this. The principal purpose of the new version is to deal with various problems with different monitors and color display systems. If you've been having problems with VDE on your MS-DOS system the next version might cure it.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 55
A Warning to 24 pin Printer Users
by Bob Lay
At the West Coast Computer Faire I heard two 'horror stories' associated with the same problem in using 24 pin dot matrix printers, if you use one, please take note.
If you're the impatient type who occasionally rips off your printer's output while it's still printing, as many of us are wont to do when printing drafts, don't do it with a 24 pin printer. It seems the printer wires are so fine, and thus so sharp, that the motion of pulling the paper underneath when they are still firing can causes them to snag in the paper, then bend slightly when you pull on the paper while tearing it off The result? You get to buy a new print head at approximately $200(!) for your $350 24 pin printer.
Also, be extremely wary of using any ribbons other than the OEM models made for your printer. Again, the wires are so fine that they tend to shred a less hardy (read cheaper after-market) version and the bits and shards of ribbon material can quickly pack the printer head, bend a wire, and ouch, there goes another $200.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 58
MS-DOS Archiving Utilities Compared
by Steve Lucius
In the CFOG MS-DOS library and on the CFOG RCP/M are several different programs that compress and uncompress files. Many of these programs also gather multiple files together into a single file, called an ARC, ARK, or LBR file. Many people consider these programs and the resultant combined files a mystery or a nuisance, part of the mystique of using software from a bulletin board or from the club library. This article will attempt to review some of the most popular ones.
All of these programs share several characteristics. They allows multiple files to be stored under the same directory entry, which saves space if the files are small and keeps all files on a given topic together. They also achieve data compression by several methods of encoding the text or data in the file. On CP/M systems and older MS-DOS the two methods used are called squeezing and crunching. MS-DOS archiving utilities use these methods and a newer method called squashing. In addition, they test each file to be compressed to determine whether squeezing, crunching, or squashing a particular file will yield the greatest saving
[CP/M users also have separate crunch and uncrunch utilities. So far as I have seen and heard there are no programs for MS-DOS that simply crunch a single file without making an archive. An uncrunch utility does exist for MS-DOS. -- bhc]
ARCHIVE521
is the standard for this type of program. It supports most file compression methods, can be used to archive and unarchive and works from the DOS command line, which doesn't make it very friendly for new users.
PKARC
is the challenger for the standard. It supports more file compression methods, can be used to archive only and works from the command line. It supports a method called squashing that is not supported by ARC521. A separate program PKXARC is used to extract files from archives, or unarchive. Version 36 is the latest for both of these programs. Since it was just recently release it will be compared with version 35 below.
ARCMASTER
is a shell for the above programs for people who don't like to use the DOS command line.
ARCA122
is another command line archiving program, that has a companion unarchiver called ARCE31. ARCA does not support squashing, but ARCE does support unsquashing. There is also a program for 80286 machines which will not be tested for this article. All these programs run from the command line.
NARC21
is a friendly menu driven program for unarchiving that (as you will see below) does not perform well compared to most of the command line programs. It supports all methods of compression and has an excellent discussion in the documentaion on compression methods. Do not trust older versions of NARC such as 20 (which is very buggy).
NSWP1019
is a somewhat friendly file handling program that can also unarchive files made with ARC521 and ARCA, but not those made with PKARC. It can do file squeezing and unsqeezing. There is a newer version of NSWP out called NSWP1020 but it is buggy and supports no more archive formats.
Performance Tests
I wanted to compare these programs as I use them in making disks for CFOG and also at work in handling files for a computerized alarm system based on a Compac XT clone using an 8086 processor.
The machine I used for this test is an XT clone with 30 meg hard drive with access time about 65 msec. This setup is faster than an XT but slower that even an old AT. I believe that the times and even file sizes may change on an AT as I ran parts of the comparison a year ago on an AT clone and some results were different
I ran the following tests:
(1) compacting 582k of miscellaneous files so they would fit on 1 360k disk, simulating making a CFOG library disk. The time that this took and the size of the final file was compared.
(2) unpacking an archive made using ARC521 to simulate someone using the library disk.
(3) compacting an ASCII text file from one of my office alarm computers to compare speed and final file sizes. The older squeezing method was also used on this test using NSWP1019.
Test Results From Archive Comparisons
Packing Data
Collection of .COM, .EXE, and .DBF files. Original file size 582,312 compressed to fit one 360k disk.
Program Time to
CompressCompressed
SizePercent
CompressionARCA122 3:32 306,846 47.31% ARC521 12:48 305,345 47.56% PKARC35 1:40 289,467 50.29% PKARC36 1:23 291,917 49.87%
Unpacking Data
Collection of .COM, .EXE, and .DBF files. Final file size 582,315.
Program Time to
UnpackARCE31 1:42 ARC521 7:37 PKARC35 1:13 PKARC36 1:10 NSWP1019 2:45 NARC21 3:17
Packing Data
ASCII Text File With Alarm System Data. Original file size 238,432.
Program Time to
CompressCompressed
SizePercent
CompressionARCA122 1:07 62,438 73.81% ARC521 4:28 68,158 71.41% PKARC35 0:32 57,938 75.70% PKARC36 0:27 57,721 75.79% NSWP1019 2:10 125,371 47.42%
Note: NSWP squeezes rather than crunching or squashing.
Summary
Clearly the PKARC series comes out on top for speed and packing ability. For myself I intend to retire ARC521 and use ARCA122 for making club disks and PKARC is coming into the office. Of the two programs for unarchiving that were not command line driven NSWP1019 was faster but supported fewer formats so NARC21 wins out.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 59
Bargain dBase III+ Upgrade: the REAL story!
by Bob Lay
[This is the second story by Bob Lay that appeared in the Q-Bits newsletter of the Quad Cities All Computer User Group. -- bhc]
First, I'm looking for a really good recipe for crow. If you know of one, please call ... SOON.
Last month I told you how to get dBase III+ for $84.00. Well, I obviously jumped to a conclusion, as several of our members have found out. In return, thanks to their efforts. I can now well (some of you) how to get dBase III+ absolutely free.
Brian Gillette liked my idea so much he did just as I said in last month's article. He bought an MS-DOS version 2.41 of dBase III and registered it with Ashton-Tate and asked for his automatic upgrade to III+. He was informed that the did NOT upgrade any dBase II versions to any III versions. 0h boy!
Not being the type to give in easily, Brian wrote to A-T and subsequently called and talked to their V-P for Customer Relations.
I'll be as brief as possible in capsuling that conversation. The V-P confirmed to Brian that indeed they didn't upgrade II to III+. Brian told her that they did two weeks ago, and described my receipt of version III+ for DOS. She asked him who, by name, had received this largesse, and he gave her my name. In a few seconds she apparently had my file up on th computer and here, in essence, is what she told him.
"Mr. Lay," she said, "did not receive dBase III+ because he registered the DOS version of dBase II he recently purchased. Our records show that he registered his purchase of dBase II for CP/M with us in May of 1983. Ashton-Tate no longer supports this version of dBase (I don't know whether she was referring to Osborne or CP/M, but I think CP/M, ed.) so we now consider it an obsolete version. A-T policy on versions we can no longer support (i.e., "obsolete") is to replace them, at no cost to the user, with our current latest version of dBase for any new operating system our customer is now using, and in Mr. Lay's case that was MS-DOS. Thus, the dBase III+ he received is to replace the CP/M version he had been using and that old serial number has been purged from our records and is no longer a legal copy of dBase."
Brian was able to work out a very fair deal with her to acquire III+ because of the misunderstanding. After telling Matt Reed about all this, Matt decided to call and ask A-T what they were going to do about the CP/M upgrade he had requested more than three months ago for his registered version of dBase II (from 2.3b to 2.43*). They told Matt that if he wanted to switch the "obsolete" CP/M version for III+ for DOS he could do so at no cost as long as he accepted the fact that his CP/M version would then no longer be a legal copy and could not be used. He said fine, and FIVE DAYS LATER the UPS man handed him III+!
It would have been nice if they had told me that when they shipped my III+ last month! I had no way of knowing, or even guessing, that I got it for any reosn other than as an upgrade to the DOS version I was just registering. And I was never asked to agree to the fact that my CP/M version was no longer a legal copy of dBase.
Anyway, the implications should be clear to anyone who has read this far. If you have any CP/M version of dBase II that you have EVER registered with A-T, and you're willing to agree to consider it unusable (I didn't even have to do that because, as things turned out I didn't even know why I got it!) you can apparently have a copy of III+ for DOS for the asking! Just write AshtonTate, 20101 Hamilton Avenue, Torrance, CA 90502.
I suppose, for an additional $30.00 you could upgrade the III+ that you get this with dBase IV (until July 31st), too. And you can probably not do anything until A-T start's shipping IV in August, and get it for nothing at that time, but I'd be afraid to wait and give them time to change their policy. But perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions again.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 61
DOS Doings
by Steve Lucius
The CFOG MS-DOS library has been growing rapidly since its release. It is up over 60 disks, the exact count isn't known as I have picked up about 10 disks worth since I last even tried to make an index. New business software in the library includes MR. Bill, an accounting system and a new version of Wampum, a dBase 3 clone. The new version of Wampum works much faster than the old an even has a few bugs fixed. The shareware version only has some of the features of the commercial version, however the author tells you how to use older versions in spite of their internal clock that makes them stop working after a certain time. In the area of drawing and CAD software we added DANCAD and PC-Draw. Under the heading of miscellaneous a disk full of Ham utilities and a pop up MS-DOS helper were added.
Also added to the library is a demo of Wordstar 5, that really needs a color monitor to use. If you have a composite monitor system like a Compac or Cordata and come up in mono mode you miss most of the demo. Other additions to the library include new versions of PKARC, ARCA and NARC for file compression that are reviewed in a separate article.
I recently learned what an instructor I had in a computer course meant when he said his religion was backup. Always backup your data. I was experimenting with a program to change the interleave on a hard drive, hopefully to speed it up. I had recently done a partial backup, with the last full one being a month before. Naturally the drive was wiped out, wouldn't even format. Fortunately between some utilities from the manufacturer and repartitioning it I got it back up, but had to restore data from floppies. It wasn't really catastrophic but I didn't do as good a job of incremental backup as I had thought, and using a one month old full backup brought up old programs I had cleaned off the drive. I wonder where the backup religion holds services? Strangely enough the drive does work a little faster after being reformatted, but not enough to justify the effort
For those with XT clones there is a good backup program in the library called ARCHIVE that is very convenient to use, but only supports 360k disks. It does nothing if you don't use it. If you do use it you need to keep a separate copy of it or any other backup program you use on a separate disk with your backups. Makes it rather awkward if the only copy you have is on the hard drive that you just wiped out. Nothing is ever idiot proof because idiots are so ingenious.
[The importance of not using the MS-DOS BACKUP and RESTORE was brought home the other day by a friend who needed to RESTORE some files to her hard disk. Since the last backup session her company had upgraded from DOS 3.1 to DOS 3.2. Her urgent requests to the system to RESTORE files from A: drive to the C: drive were met with an error message: Wrong version. We restored her files on our Kaypro 16 and used Dave Rand's NSWP to put them on a couple of floppies. Then we told her to geht the boss to pop for a copy of FASTBACK PLUS. Or try the ARCHIVE program that Steve mentions in the column above. -- bhc]
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 62
NZ-COM Arrives
[What follows is essentially a press release. We're still awaiting details, but it appears that CFOG will be distributing NZ-COM, Z3-PLUS, and other new versions of Z-System. Alpha Systems, the distributor of the new Z-System versions, has decided to attempt to work through user groups. Ben Cohen will be the CFOG contact with Alpha Systems. If this all works out we hope to have full details and a demo at an upcoming meeting. We're hoping to have confirmation shortly that the new Z-Systems will run with WestWind RAM drives and Trantor hard drives. -- bhc]
Joe Wright, Bridger Mitchell, and Jay Sage have just completed NZ-COM and Z3PLUS, new versions of the Z-System that are automatic, universal, and dynamic. NZ-COM runs on CP/M-2.2 computers; Z3PLUS runs on CP/M-Plus computers. NZ-COM does run on Apple CP/M cards.
NZ-COM and Z3PLUS are automatic: no installation is required. In particular, no changes have to be made in the BIOS. There is no need for source code, editing, assembling, MOVCPM, SYSGEN, or DDT. The Z-System can be removed at any time by issuing a command that reinstates the user's underlying CP/M system. Joe Wright invented the basic technique with his Z3-DOT-COM and Z-COM products several years ago. Bridger Mitchell has (hooray!) extended the technique to CP/M-Plus systems, and many very substantial enhancements have been added.
The new systems are universal: system modules can be provided in a file format that can be used on any system with memory allocated for that module. Bridger Mitchell invented a new relocatable file format which we call ZRL, for Z-system ReLocatable. It is based on the seldom-used named common facility supported in advanced assemblers. For example, the new command processor, ZCPR34, can be supplied as a small, binary file (e.g., ZCPR34.Z.RL) that can be loaded into any CP/M 2.2-based Z-System, no matter how its memory is configured (Z3PLUS has an equivalent command processor). There is no longer a need to assemble from source code with a Z3BASE.LIB file configured to describe the user's particular system. The same is true for RCPs [Resident Command Packages, containing commands always present, similar to CP/M's DIR, ERA, and REN], FCPs [Flow Control Packages, containing IF, OR, ELSE, etc., commands], DOSs, and other code modules.
Jay Sage's contribution to the effort (besides the version 3.4 command processor) was to make the operating systems dynamic. It is no longer necessary to make a static, once-and-for-all trade-off between Z-System features and program memory space. The operating system is now more like an application program -- it can be changed at any time, even right in the middle of a multiple command line. It can be changed manually or automatically under the control of aliases that use the Z-System flow control facility.
Now you can allocate memory (1.5K typically) for an IOP (input/output package) only when you are actually using an IOP. When a memory-hungry application program is to be run, you can drop the two largest buffers, the RCP and IOP, which usually take 3.5K of memory. If you need still more room, you can drop the NDR [Named Directories register] and FCP. You can make a minimum Z-System that takes only 1.0K and still provides its most important features. If your application requires absolutely every available byte of memory, you can drop back to CP/M. Using SUBMIT, even this process can be automated! The Z-System can disappear, an application can run under standard CP/M, and the Z-System can be reestablished, all automatically as a result of a single user command! You never even know that Z-System was gone.
With NZ-COM's system definition utility MKZCM (MaKe Z-Com) you can define the sizes of the following modules: CCP, DOS, BIOS, IOP, RCP, FCP, NDR, shell stack, and an all-purpose user buffer. The last can be used for "aboveBIOS" items like DateStamper, BYE, special drivers, and so on. In the case of the shell stack, you can define both the size and number of stack entries supported. And, by the way, that was not a misprint above -- you can define systems with nonstandard CCP, DOS, and BIOS sizes. [This seems to indicate that the WestWind/Trantor problem has been overcome, though it does not name it explicitly, and so far I haven't gotten a copy to try it with. -- bhc] This allows for some rather interesting experiments and configurations. Z3PLUS allows similar capabilities.
You can now have several versions of command processor or DOS and load a new one with a simple command. NZ-COM is supplied with four significant variants of the command processor; Z3PLUS includes two versions, one of which puts the time in the prompt. Similarly, with NZ-COM you can switch between ZRDOS (supplied with NZ-COM) and other versions of the DOS now (or soon) available, such as P2DOS, Z80D0S, ZSDOS, and ZDDOS. (Z3PLUS uses the CP/M-Plus DOS.)
Each product includes an extensive manual (more than 70 pages in 'IBM' format binder, written by Jay Sage and Bridger Mitchell) covering the particular product and Z-System in general. There are many examples and hints. Each product is priced at $69.95 for the standard version including the necessary operating system files and a minimum set of Z utilities. [If and when CFOG becomes an official distributor for Z-System, CFOG II and CFOG's library will become repositories of larger amounts of Z-System utilities. -- bhc] NZ-COM is offered in a version with some sources (including the source to ZCPR34) at $99.95. Eventually there will probably be some higher priced versions that include a more extensive set of Z utilities on diskette. For those who have access to Z-Nodes, Royal Oak, or Simtel20, there will be no need to spend the extra money on these versions. For those who for some unusual reason cannot use NZ-COM (or for the stubborn who insist on an inferior, manually installed system), the source to ZCPR34 is available separately at $49. 95.
For those who have not heard, Joe Wright's Alpha Systems has taken over the marketing of Z-System from Echelon, which is essentially out of business. We don't have full details on everything, but if you want to receive full information on the new products when we receive it, send a return addressed and stamped envelope to CFOG at Box 1674, Chicago, IL 60690.
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 63
Patching WordStar 4 to change Video Attributes
by Bob Snider
[This article was taken from a file, WS4KP.DZC, which is in the CFOG library. The text of the patches is omitted since it would be unenlightening to read, tedious to enter, and is available in the library for those who want to use it. -- bhc]
I just upgraded WordStar for my Kaypro 4 (1984 version) to version 4.0 (CP/M Edition). I found that the appearance on my Kaypro screen left much to be desired: dim characters were the unreadable default, and the bright reverse video for messages was irritating. Why couldn't they have done it the same as 3.3 was originally shipped with my Kaypro with neat dim reverse video? Who knows? Anyway, I figured out how to use the WSCHANGE facility to fix it. This document describes how you can install my changes on your CP/M WS 4.0 too. I've also thrown in a couple of non-obvious patches that I've found to be useful in editing.
At the bottom of the file WS4KP.DZC you will find patch text you can use to install WS4 to install my changes. Using WS4 or any other editor, mark the patch section as a block and write it as a file called PATCH.TXT on the disk where you will be installing WordStar.
You'll need WSCHANGE.COM and its related files as provided on your installation disk, and a fresh copy of WS.COM on the disk. Enter WSCHANGE WS<cr>.
Go through the Console menu and make your Monitor Selection "Kaypro 2X/4X". It will ask you if you want to change the arrow keys. Reply "N".
Now go back to the main menu and select the Patching section. Choose the Auto Patcher, to read patches from a file. Enter PATCH.TXT as the file name and watch while WSCHANGE installs the patches. When WSCHANGE is done, you can make any other changes you want, or you can press ^X and save your new WS.COM.
Rename the WS.COM on your working WordStar disk as OLDWS.COM (or whatever suits your fancy) and copy the new WS.COM to the working disk.
The patched version should look a lot better on your screen. It won't look exactly like version 3.3 did because they have changed things beyond what this patch can fix, but I've found it workable. See the notes below on what the other patches I've included do.
Notes on the patches:
CRTID is just the name of your computer at startup of WS4.
ERASCR is the inital erase screen command string.
VIDATT is the custom video attribute routine assembled from WS4K4.ASM which is available for further customization if you desire. Note: with this routine installed, the BRITE flag will be ignored, because it isn't particularly useful anyway with this patch.
RLRVID specifies the ruler line as a message so it will appear in reverse video.
MOVCHR is a table that defines which characters are considered part of a word for moving around them (^F, ^A, ^T etc.). With these settings, most special characters won't be skipped or deleted when you edit programs. In version 3.3, a single ^T while the cursor was on: ALPHA=BRAVO+CHARLIE-DELTA(ECHO) deleted the whole thing. If you liked the way WS 3.3 worked, take this patch out by deleting its two lines. You can modify this table yourself in WSCHANGE under "Lines and Characters."
DDISK specifies a shorter delay to hold off from disk access while typing.
VMSIZE, EDSIZE, TYSIZE, HANMAX, and BFSIZE specify buffer sizes that allow a larger file to be edited before WS has to swap on disk. (Still, 4.0 has to swap with a lot smaller file than WS 3.3 did.)
DLONG, DMED and DSHORT specify the length of delays WS uses before it does things like display menus. I like them all half as long as the defaults.
[I tried the patched WordStar 4 on my Kaypro 10. I found it didn't suit my taste, but de gustibus non est disputandum. If you liked the way WordStar 3.3 looked on your video-enabled Kaypro and don't like the way WS4 looks, try it. -- bhc]
CFOG's PIP, June 1988, Volume 7 No. 4, Whole No. 66, page 64
NSWEEP Quick-Reference
---===[ NSWEEP Quick-Reference ]===---
A - Retag files After a tag option has been used, the * changes to a #; this option resets to * (working tag), i.e. tagged again B - Back on file Backs-up one file C - Copy file Copies one file to specified drive, user, filename D - Delete file Deletes a single file E - Erase T/U files Erases either tagged or untagged files with or without prompting (A option is abort) F - Find file Jump to file matching specification L - Log new disk/user Change drive, user area, or mask; update list for files copied in M - Mass file copy Mass copies all tagged files P - Print file Prints specified ASCII file Q - Squeeze/Unsqueeze tagged files Works only on tagged files; Reverse option squeezes normal files and unsqueezes squeezed files R - Rename file(s) Rename one or more files; enter *<cr> for wildcard rename S - Check remaining space Checks unused space on specified drive T - Tag file for transfer tags for E, M, Q options U - Untag file self-explanatory V - View file displays ASCII file to screen W - Wildcard tag of files tags all specified wildcard files (i.e. *.COM or ??X.BAS) X - Exit to CP/M self-explanatory Y - Set file status set tagged files to R/O, SYS, or set Archive bit, flags 1-4 ? - Display this help displays help menu cr, sp - Forward one file move to next file