›            *.*.*.*.*› MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 1991 MEETING.› ------------------------------------››› Dates for the OL' HACKERS Meetings:›› Jan 18 1992 - Yearly Membeship Dues.› Feb 15 1992 - Election time› Mar 14 1992› Apr 25 1992› May 23 1992› Jun 20 1992›› ALEX gave season's greetings to all› the members, both to those present,› and those not present. ›› NEW MEMBER:››      JIM HARRIS is a new member of› our club. After attending a number of› meetings as an HONORARY member, JIM› decided to become a real member. JIM› is also the SYSOP of the NEW NEST BBS› (516) 234-4943. JIM also is a member› of LIAUG. Besides running the BBS JIM› is one of the foremost ATARI› technicians. He is also the creator› of a 3.5 disk drive modification that› works with an XF551. JIM in addition › is a great Atari programmer. JIM, we› welcome you to the club.›› GENERAL MEETING:››      The meeting started with a› special disk by Alex presenting a› Christmas theme. We had the› treasurers report and we gave out a› flyer for our new program called a› "DISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM".›› NOMINATING COMMITTEE:››      HAROLD PEGLER was appointed › Chairman of the nominating committee.› ALLEN ATKINS, JOE LEBER and ALAN› SHARKIS were appointed as members.›› ANNUAL HOLIDAY DINNER:››      It was agreed thatfinal plans› would be ade at te January 18, 1992› meeting. AL ATKINS will scout out› some suitable restaurants that we› could use for the dinner.›› CORRESPONDENCE:››      We received a Christmas Card› from the GARDEN CITY ACE in Canada.› Another from our dear friend JIM› CUTTLER in England, we also received› a beautiful CHRISTMAS card.›      A letter from HONORARY MEMBER› BEN POEHLAND to HAROLD PEGLER. He› sent us his dues and he plans to come› to one of our meetings sometime this› year. BEN lives in Pennsylvania and› is currently rebuilding his house› that was damaged by a fire. BEN was› the 8-Bit Editor of CURRENT NOTES.› Without him at CURRENT NOTES the› magazine has lost one of the great 8-› Bit writers still left on the Atari› scene. If he comes to one of our› meetings he promises to demonstrate› some of the hardware modifications he› has built. Besides being a great 8-› Bit writer BEN is also one of the› foremost electronic technicians in› the Atari 8-Bit world.›      We received a very nice› Christmas Card from L.V.A.U.G. in› Pennsylvania from another of our out› of the STATE members, LARRY TISHBEIN,› who also is EDITOR of their› newsletter›      BOB BAUMAN sent us a letter and› an order for the TURBO BASIC› PROGRAMMING KIT. He also sent us a› newsletter from SAME.›      ALEX wrote to BOB informing him› of our newest release that will be in› the mail in February, the DISK› MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. ALEX asked for the› address of ACCESS another all 8-Bit› club.›      A letter was sent to JOHN MC› GOWAN by ALEX thanking him for the› very nice Christmas Disk and the› Macro  disk he sent us. ALEX› demonstrated it. It was quite a› beautiful Christmas presentation› using TEXTPRO. JOHN made a macro so› you can use a joystick to move around› TEXTPRO. This is just one of many› macros that John made. He also› included a mailmerge utility for› TEXTPRO, and GRAPHICS picture of› SHERLOCK HOLMES. He stated that Jan.› 6 is the birthday of SHERLOCK HOLMES!› That was a reminder from JOHN. Guess› he is a fan. The club sent JOHN a› check for $10.00 to show our› appreciation for the many fine› programs that JOHN has produced. ALEX› asked JOHN if he would be able to› write an article on how to load or› create macros for TEXTPRO.›      ALEX discussed a long letter he› received from BEN POEHLAND. ALEX said› that BEN wrote to him saying that the› WAACE ATARI FEST was strictly an ST› show with absolutely nothing for the› 8 - Bitters. It was reported that the› 8-Bit was actually denigrated. BEN› was very upset about the way it was› reported in CURRENT NEWS.›      ALEX wrote to AIM MAGAZINE› complaining that we are not listed as› one of the clubs subscribing to the› magazine.›           ALEX wrote to the company› that makes plastic write protect› sticks that get inserted into the› side of the disk, asking them if they› would sell us some for $.50 each if› we order in quantity.›      ALEX read a letter from BEN› POEHLAND in which he sent us a whole› bunch of interesting things for door› prizes. Thank you BEN for all the› prizes, it helped SANTA with his› gifts.›› DOOR PRIZES:›› JOE LEBER› HARRY TUTHILL› AL ATKINS› ANTHONY FALCONE› RON FETZER› HAROLD PEGLER› ANN RAWLINSON››      Each of the above members, an› others whose names I missed, won› several door prizes.››DEMONSTRATIONS:›      ALEX then demonstrated the 1st› XLENT wordprocessor for ANN› RAWLINSON. She had just purchased an› 800XL with 256K of memory. Many› members use this word processor, and› enjoyd the demo, contributing ideas.› We next saw a Christmas disk› from Spinnaker that has several› Christmas Carols and story on it. ›      PICS.CNV, converts all graphics› pictures and creates an .OBJ file.› You can then load them into a RAMDISK› etc. and display them with DOS [L].› ALEX demonstrated several of these› converted pictures. To run the› pictures you need PICTRUN.BAS.›      ALEX demonstrated a program› called EPSDRIVR.BAS it gives you› printer control codes for EPSON FX80› and LX printers. It is in French.› ALEX tested it and it works.›      Then ALEX demonstrated various› guess the number games, all part of› one program, called appropriately› NUMBERS. These were quite› sophisticated.›      ALEX demonstrated a programming› utility called CURPLS.BAS(Cursor› Plus). All the commands can be› printed out. ›      ALEX also demonstrated a› Variable lister program. This program› is a must if you do a lot of› programming. It is a search variable› program. It lists the variables to› screen or printer, with their line› numbers.›     JIM HARRIS showed us how to clean› out the variable name table of unused› variables. You first LIST the program› to a disk, you then type in NEW, then› you reload the program with an ENTER› command. You can now SAVE it and all› unused variables have been erased› from the name table in memory.  The› search variable program is called› SRCHVAR.LST.›      ALEX demonstrated a BLACK JACK› card game. It was very sophisticated.› ALEX of course had modified it to› make it even more interesting.›      ALEX then demoed a game called› SOLITAIRE. One of the best computer› solitaire games around.›     JIM demoed a program that he› called BOOTFIX that JIM wrote.› Evidently, there is a problem with› the XF551 disk drive. It displays an› error message if you run it with› SPARTA DOS and double density upon› boot up. This BOOTFIX program will go› to a previously formatted disk and› change the boot sectors so they will› start up correctly when used with a› XF551 drive in double density. A› second program that JIM wrote takes› the SPARTA DOS formatting routine and› corrects the mistake in that routine› so that an XF551 will now run› correctly in double density upon boot› up. The program is called XINTFIX › for the SF551 drive.››   ** NEW PROGRAMS FOR THE 8 BIT **›› RON FETZER demoed the-2 disks-NEW DISK› MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. See the article "A› NEW DISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR THE 8-› BIT ATARI COMPUTER" elsewhere on this› disk. The DISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM› consists of 2 disks with 6 program› that are integrated and work together› to catalog your disks. Disk #1 has 5› programs on it and was written by RON› FETZER. Disk #2 was produced by STAN› SCHENFELD and is the FULL FEATURE› CATALOGER. STAN modified a P.D.› program extensively and wrote very› detailed documentation for this› program. ALEX PIGNATO helped with the› production of this disk set by beta› testing it and offering suggestions› to improve it. RON showed how the 3› label programs work. There is a disk› label program that prints a sorted› list of files on 3.5 X 15/16 pressure› sensitive labels. It can handle 54› files. Next he showed how the› ENVELOPE LABEL program works. This› label program sorts 64 files and› prints it out in a form ready to be› glued on to a disk label. Next RON› showed how the CLEANUP program works.› It prints a directory with a blank› line next to each file name to be› used to describe the file. The FULL› FEATURE CATALOGER needs a short› description for each file. Besides› all the major DOS functions the› program has a TEXT READER section› that can ready ANY ATARI file. RON› showed how the QUICK CATALOGER› program works. You just insert one› disk after the other in the disk› drive and catalog it. The last demo› has the FULL FEATURE CATALOGER. With› this program you create 7 fields and› can sort your disk in 7 different› ways. This program has a machine› language sort that is very fast. The› two cataloger program write the disk› name to the disk. All the other› programs will pick it up. Thus you› never have type it again and it will› make cataloging your disk library› very easy. You now can create a› professional disk library using the› DISK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. The disk set› is fully documented. It is available› from our library for $6.00 including› shipping.››  *** NOTE *** All of the above› programs will now be found in our PD› library.›› REPAIRS:››      JIM HARRIS informed us he is now› able to repair disk drives with a› HAPPY modification. JIM is also able› to repair disk drives and any 8 Bit› Atari computer. If you have any› repairs to be made contact JIM or› ALEX.›       ANTHONY FALCONE told us about a› new development for a new 8-Bit› computer. ANTHONY  subscribes to the› ATARI 8-BIT DIGEST that comes over› the network to all the universities.› DATAQUE is trying to make a new› computer called the 1600XLE. It would› be an 8-bit compatible computer but› it would run with a 16-bit› microprocessor, the 65816. It would› use IBM  type peripherals, like IBM› hard drive, VGA monitors printers› etc. all direct hook up. The› projected cost right now is about› $250.00. It will be able to access 16› megabytes of RAM NOT bank switched.› If you are interested in this new 8-› Bit computer please write to: DATAQUE› PRODUCTS, POST OFFICE BOX 134,› ONTARIO, OH, 44862. Please send a› self addressed stamped 8 x 10› envelope with your request. The other› bit of news is that AIM MAGAZINE said› if there are enough 8-Bit users they› are willing to publish an 8-Bit› magazine again, so please write!!› › COPYING THE NEWSLETTER:›      ALLAN ATKINS, HAROLD PEGLER,› ALAN SHARKIS and RON FETZER are in› charge of duplicating 15 copies each› of our newsletter.› › Respectfully submitted by ›                             Ron› Fetzer›› >>>>>>>>>>>>>>END<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<››