<<<>>>› (A letter to RON from one of our new› members, OCTAVIAN GRECU in Bucharest› Romania, recently receivd. Thanks› OCTAVIAN for sharing your world with› us!)› **› Greetings to the whole OL' HACKERS› USER GROUP!!!›› Dear Ron,›› Thank you very much for sending› me the 12 disks of programs, and› doubly so for making me a member of› OL' HACKERS ATARI USER GROUP. I hope› you don't mind too much, but I'm› really not that old. I'm sorry if my› postcard misled you in any way, but› it was simpler to tell things that› way than to go into all the details› (there wasn't room on the postcard).› I really hope you will let me remain› a member of your club!!›› I'm a 24 year old electronics› student here at our local university,› nearing the end of my next to last› year of study. My father was the one› who actually purchased my ATARI 130XE› w/1050 US-DOUBLER disk drive in '89› while he was on a short trip in the› U.S. I obtained your address from one› of the very few issues of ANTIC he› purchased during that period. I› learned my English at Public School› 116 in N.Y. City,where I attended for› my 5th and 6th grades. At that time› I had the excellent luck to accompany› my father while he was posted to the› U.N.in New York City during› 1981-1983, but I haven't left the› country since. In '83 a law was› passed making it impossible for any-› body working or living in foreign› countries to take their children with› them (not even newborn babies!). When› I first came to New York I had no› knowledge of English at all, and I've› tried since to stop forgeting what I› learned by reading a lot of books› from the local American and British› Libraries (although there was a› period when it was considered highly› suspicious for anyone to associate› with any foreigners).›› What else can I tell you about› my day to day life, here in Romania?› A big problem is the low quality of› public utilities services (did I get› that right?). Practically every time› the outside temperature drops below› -10c (14F) the cooking gas pressure› drops so low you couldn't boil an egg› inthe flame and tap water gets turned› off at night from 11pm to 5am.› Hot water puts in an even rarer› appearance, usually in the morning› and late evening (never at the same› hour). This causes temperatures in› our apartment to frequently drop› below 14c,(57F) as it is supposedly› centrally 'heated' with non existent› hot water.›› Since the Revolution that took› place here in December '89 resulting› in the overthrow of the Ceausescu› dictatorship, my country has, like› most other Eastern European› countries, embarked in a plan to› restructure the economy into a market› driven one. There is now an abundance› of western goods to be found in the› many small shops that have sprung up› practically overnight throughout the› city. The only problem is that, due› to inflation, only people engaging in› black market activities can afford› most of them. As the government› relinquised all control over prices,› the 'market economy' concept seems to› be interpreted (by most merchants) as› meaning "get the highest price you› can for your product - no matter what› its quality". The concept of› competition driving prices down,› while highly publicised, has yet to› be put into practice (if at least› prices were stationary, but they› double every few months).›› In the past (before '89), it was› highly risky to correspond with any› foreigner, and all mail out of and› into the country was routinely› opened. They don't do this anymore› for letters, but they do open any› large package (in front of the› recipient) to impose import duties on› it. And it seems that everything is› taxable! There is a tax-free limit of› 5000 Lei, but these days that is› worth nothing (a 5 1/4 floppy disk is› valued at over 1000). I was very› fortunate that they didn't ask me for› any duties for your package. It› does'nt seem to matter what you› actually paid for something (I› sometimes manage to obtain free› samples of IC's), because there is a› catalog according to which they› estimate the prices (the latest› discovery is estimating the value of› an integrated circuit according to› its number of pins). The inport› duties are 20% for electronic› products, plus 18% V.A.T. on the› total of estimated price + import› duties (totalling about 42%). ›› The fact that the government› liberalised the exchange rate of Lei› to foreign currency has had an› extremely detrimental effect on the› average citizen's buying power. The› exchange rate has gone through the› roof (it is now officially over 2000› Lei to a $). The prices seem to be› based not on manufacturing costs, but› on the exchange rate, causing the› average family (mine included) which› earns around 150-200,000 Lei a month› to try very hard to make ends meet.› Our economy has also been hit very› hard by first the Gulf War, and now› the war in the former Yougoslavia.› Iraq was a large trade partener of my› country. And the former Yougoslav› republics, by their very nature of› being neighbouring contries, are very› important to our economy.› Unfortunately, the fact that Romania› (and other countries in the region› such as Bulgaria) is strictly› respecting the U.N. embargo against› its best interests is being ignored› by the interrnational community, and› no compensation (of any sort) will be› forthcoming.›› About other equipment I own:› just a Commodore CM-141 color› monitor. Would you happen to know› anybody willing to send a XEROX copy› of the service manual for this› monitor, as it is starting to show› its age? I wish I had a printer, but› with prices being what they are this› is not likely to happen. A friend of› mine was recently trying to purchase› a 9-pin printer for his job, so he› phoned every firm in the equivalent› of the Yellow Pages specializing in› computer equipment, and the lowest› price he found was $800!!! But, I can› tell you that trying to programm› while only having a screenful of› program at your disposal at any one› time is an ordeal (and reading docs› with a text editor stinks). Anyway,› more important to my future career› would be an IBM compatible computer,› since most good engineering software› was written for this computer. But,› prices being what they are (an IBM› '386sx type with modest capabilities› costs well over 3 million Lei - as a› comparison, in '89 a new car was› 75,000 and a new apartment with 4› rooms was 200,000).›› As for owning a word processor,› I'm afraid that I only have TextPro,› which satifies my needs for the time› being since I have no printer.› On this disk you will find some› programs that I hope you will enjoy› written by a friend (pen-pal) who› lives in Prague that I very recently› met last month. His favorite› operating system for Ataris is› SPARTADOS 3.2d (as is mine, besides› MyDos 4.5), so most of his programs› were made to run under that system.› Some are quite excellent, as I'm› sure you will notice! All of them› are public domain (I noticed that you› already have some of them in your› disk library). The third disk› is from Austria, where a young› computer science student wrote a› program for IBM PCs to make them read› MyDos formatted disks (using it is› the only way I managed to print out› the MyDos documentation at our› faculty). As he told me he didn't› have the similar program for reading› SpartaDos disks that you have in your› library (#224), that will be one of› my choices for the disks you so› graciously offered to send. Two other› choices would be disk #242 (for› TEXTPRO 5.0, as I'm writting this on› version 4.0M which doesn't work› perfectly with Sparta) if it has the› docs for Textpro, otherwise send disk› #227, and disk #266 for UUE.ARC (I› hope that soon I will be able to send› and receive E-MAIL on the Internet› using the only computer connected to› this service in the whole faculty, so› I will need this). As for the rest of› the disks, I will have to think about› what to choose (there are so many I› find interesting!).›› I noticed that in your library› is a disk for ANALOG #60 (disk #51).› I want to point out that the› DETOKEN.BAS program has some bugs in› it that prevent it from operating› properly (at least the one I have -› the only issue of ANALOG with disk I› own - does), so I included a fixed› version of the program on this disk› so you can replace it if you wish.› Also, while reading the docs for the› Turbo Basic Compiler (for which I› thank you once again) I noticed a› small inaccuracy: it is possible to› save a compiled file to a disk other› than #1 by entering the drive number› before beginning to type the file› name.›› In case you are wondering how› come I happened to send you this› mailer from New York City, I asked my› father to contact a colleague of his› that works there so he could drop› this in the mailbox. The stamps are› mine (re-cycled from old letters sent› from the U.S.), as is the mailer and› the disks (both obtained by› requesting demo software). I hope you› won't think I'm cheap, but mailing› you these disks from here in Romania,› besides being very risky and taking a› long time is also rather expensive.›› I wish you lots of happiness,› and a long life to O.H.A.U.G.!›› Sincerely,› Octavian›› Please excuse my lack of style› in writting (my sentences tend to› become unbearably long), and be kind› enough to attribute my probably› numerous spelling errors to typos. › › (Ed. Please note that RON FETZER, out› of the kindness of his generous heart› sent OCTAVIAN the requested disks as› well as th 12 disks mentioned in the› beginning of this letter. RON proves› that OL' HACKERS do their utmost to› spread the 8 BIT word. Thanks RON you› are a winner!)› >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<››