<><><>› MINUTES OF THE APRIL 1993 MEETING› =================================›› NEW MEMBERS:› CHRIS HENDRICK of Huntington› Station N.Y. came to our meeting. He› liked what he saw and joined the OL'› HACKERS. LES BRADO of Groveland, N.Y.› liked what he read about the club so› much, that he joined us for 2 years› (to December 31, 1994). Welcome to› the OL' HACKERS. I think you will get› more quality time from your 8 BIT,› and make many new friends. We are a› very friendly bunch!›› NOTE:>>>>>> MEETING PLACE CHANGE› On June 26 the library will be› closed for renovation. ALAN SHARKIS› has graciously invited us to his› house for the meeting. He will demo› the MIDI as well as the SIO2PC. ALAN› lives at 43 Rose Drive, East Meadow,› N.Y. 11554.›› DEMOS:› RON FETZER demoed the YEARLY› CALENDAR MAKER. This is a great new› program that 1) Prints out a yearly› calendar. 2) Highlights selected› dates on the printed copy. 3) Prints› a description of what the highlighted› dates are. 4) It puts your name on› the calendar. 5) You can save and re-› print the calendar. 6) It has a› fabulous new directory listing.› This program was worked on by› TOM ANDREWS our member from upstate› N.Y., and ALEX PIGNATO and RON FETZER› from the OL' HACKERS. We took a› plain vanilla program and 3 membes› changed it into a GREAT and very› useful program for every one. The› program is fully documented on the› back of the disk.› We were not satisfied to give› you just one great NEW program on› this disk but we added another› fantastic utility to it - MAGIC› CATALOGER. It is a disk cataloger› program. This program reads your› disks, sorts them prints them in 5› columns on a page. You can manually› add files, erase files, etc. It is so› easy to work that you will say› EUREKA!!(See later demo). It is fully› documented. The menu on the› MAGIC CATALOGER is as follows:1) AUTO› ADD 2) MANUAL ADD 3) DELETE 4)› DISPLAY 5) SEARCH 6) SORT 7) PRINT 8)› LOAD 9) SAVE 0)ERASE. ALEX showed how› to AUTO ADD disks into the program.› You just put in the disk one after› the other. It reads the files,› numbers and stores them in the› program. You can have 1,200 files› before you run out of memory. If you› have more files than that you make› another category and repeat it. You› give your disks a 3 digit number. It› is suggested you start with 100. If› you use 1,2,3 etc then a number sort› may not be correct. The program tells› you what your last disk was that was› cataloged - it gives you a reminder.› IT BLOWS AWAY ALL OTHER CATALOGERS!› All these goodies, on one disk, are› AVAILABLE TO ALL OUR 8BIT FRIENDS for› 3.00, CHECKS PAYABLE TO RON FETZER› which includes shipping/handling.› Write for it, to:› HAROLD PEGLER, Librarian› 129 KETCHAMS Rd.› SYOSSET, N.Y. 11791› For "YEARLY CALENDAR/CATALOGER" disk.›› We saw another one of STUART› MURRAY'S (SCOTLAND) FUTURA DISKS #5,› JAN/FEB 93. It will be # 264 in our› library. These disks are absolutely› great. We have these Scottish disks› from #1 to #6 in our library. This› disk has a game on it called GUMBALL.› You play against the computer. If you› get stuck with the last gumball you› lose the game. BE WARNED - you WILL› lose often. Another game was QUEST› FOR HEART (similar to bolderdash).› You pick up the hearts but be careful› you don't get squashed. There were› much more things, including text, on› this disk, that we did not have time› to show. On the back we have a› graphic interface with drop down› menues. A great disk to own.› FUTURA DISK #6 from Scotland.› This disk had some great programs on› it also. Side B was in TURBO-BASIC.› Surprise!! - several of my (RON'S)› programs had traveled to Scotland› over time and now appeared on the› FUTURA DISK. You never know where› your children will show up! Another› great disk to get, even if I (RON)› say so myself (grin).› ALAN SHARKIS brought his MIDI› KEYBOARD and interface to the club.› He said he was going to do 3 things.› 1) Explain what a MIDI is.› 2) Have some fun and lay down some› tracks.› 3) Explain the software that came› with the system and its ability to› take an AMS file and use it.› MIDI stands for MUSICAL INSTRUMENT› DIGITAL INTERFACE. With digital sound› you have the ability to save› recordings on computer equipment. You› are now able to interconnect many› digital devices into the MIDI. A MIDI› sends out a clock pulse 24 times› every quarter note. The speed of› transmission is 31.5 K baud. So it is› very fast. The transmission is serial› but because it is so fast it sounds› as if it's sending parallel. The 8BIT› interface was made by WHIZZTRONICS.› They are still in business and› selling the interface. Unfortunately› because of a loose conection it didnt› receive a signal from the MIDI andthe› demo did not work-Normal ALAN-happens› every so often to the best of them.*› ALAN SHARKIS has invited the club to› his house for the JUNE 26 MEETING.› ALAN lives at 43 Rose Drive, East› Meadow, N.Y. 11554. ALAN will then› demo the MIDI as well as his SIO-2PC› interface. The SIO-2PC connects a 286› I.B.M. P.C. to an ATARI 800XL. The› P.C. acts as the slave to the Atari› 8-Bit, and its partitioned RAMDISKs› all serve the 8 BIT!› ALEX showed a sample page of› JOHN MC GOWAN'S program PAGE LAYOUT.› It was very impressive. Great for DP› and newspaper work.› We then demoed the VCR PLUS› program. A great utility if you have› a setup with your VCR to use it. It› comes from JOHN MC GOWAN. JOHN is› another great friend of OHAUG, and a› great programmer.› JAN & FEB & MAR. 93 A.I.M.› DISKS. They are all ARCed. They have› many interesting programs on it. They› will be in the library.› MAGIC DOM JAN 93. It has the› ATARI OIL DEMO on it, BACKGAMMON,› minutes of their meeting and AMS› songs. Side B has a game called› CIRCUS, K-BERT, and more.› We saw a PAGE 6 disk NAVAS BASIC› ROUTINES, from England with many› utilities on it. If you are into› programming this is the disk to get.› It is for intermediate and advanced› programmers.› JIM HARRIS next showed how a› LASER PRINTER is connected to an 8-› Bit computer. JIM brought the laser› printer to the meeting and showed how› it worked. JIM started a business› called ARROWHEAD ELECTRONICS where he› does repairs and set ups. His number› is (516) 234-2925. Give him a call if› you have a problem. He uses the EPSON› ACTION LASER PRINTER II. This printer› also allows you to emulate the 9 PIN› and 24 PIN EPSON COMMAND SETS. JIM› showed us avery beautiful sample font› print out of the printer, and a four› section PRINT POWER announcement with› great graphics. It accepts standard› HEWLET PACKARD FONT CARTRIDGES that› are available everywhere. He showed a› program listing. This Laser printer› can be connected to your 8- Bit with› a standard interface such as the 850› or the P.R. CONNECTION. It really› shines when you use it with DESK TOP› PUBLISHING and WORD PROCESSING. You› can do transparencies or envelopes› etc. He bought itat SEARS for $650.00› He installed a 4 MEG upgrade in it› and it still cost less than $1,000.00› You can access the HEWLET PACKARD› fonts by typing in the escape codes› for the fonts or writing a printer› driver for those fonts. ONLY at› the OL' HACKERS can you find out the› newest things for your 8-bit. This› was another great demo by our member› JIM HARRIS. THANKS JIM!›› CORRESPONDENCE:› A letter from N.W. Phoenix,› Ariz. Club. They have problems. The› president and the vice president of› the club quit. They were tired of› doing all the work in the club. The› librarian, and newsletter editor,› JOHN COLLINS will take over, till new› officers are in (It can happen to› any club!) He sent us COLORSQUASH, by› one of their members CLAY HALLIWELL,› that takes a RGB picture & compresses› it into one file so it can be viewed.› DALE WOOSTER, the president who› retired wrote that he got tired of› doing everything. He said if members› become more active, then he will also› become active again.› A letter from ALEX to DAVID› EWENS our member in England. ALEX› complimented DAVE for the great› issues of the TWAUG newsletters. ALEX› said that the articles are of great› diversity and reach out to all 8-› bitters. He complimented DAVE and his› merry men for their hard work.› A quote from our Scotish member› STUART MURRAY. "HOW MANY ATARI CORP› EXECUTIVES DOES IT TAKE TO SCREW IN A› LIGHT BULB? Answer: Three. ONE TO› SCREW IN THE BULB. ONE TO HOLD THE› LADDER. ONE TO CUTOFF THE ELECTRICITY› AFTERWARDS. "Atari Power Without The› Support!!!"› The library listing for his club is› on FUTURA DISK #6.› ALEX replied congratulated him on› his imminent College graduation, and› his newsletter.› A letter to JIM CUTLER our› member in England. We once again› thanked him for the great disks he› mailed us. Disks that we might never› see otherwise.› A letter to DANIEL CARRODANO our› member in France. We thanked him for› the manual for the MINI TEL that he› sent. We thanked him for his great› TEXTPRO DISK with DDIII on it.› DANIEL CARRODANO asked for the› name and address of our Italian› member and he wants CC8 PROGRAMMING› LANGUAGE from the UNIVERSITY OF› MICHIGAN. Any member help is› appreciated. Please send it to ALEX.› NOTE:› We will soon come out with Library› Disk #2 that HAROLD PEGLER is› currently working on.›› DOOR PRIZES:›› ALAN SHARKIS› JOE LEBER› ALAN SHARKIS› BOB ULSCHMID› CHRIS HENDRICK›› Submitted by Ron Fetzer› >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<›