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1990-02-12
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5KB
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93 lines
╙┼╤ ╘╧ ┬┬╙
╞REEWARE (├)1991 ╙TEVEN ┬AXTER
D O C U M E N T A T I O N
╔F YOU'VE TRIED POSTING KEYBOARD GRAPHIC FILES ONTO A ┬┬╙; BUT FOUND
IT "ATE" YOUR PIC, THEN ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ┬┬╙ IS FOR YOU. ╒NLIKE TEXT FILES, KEYBOARD
GRAPHIC FILES WILL NOT ALWAYS POST WELL ON A ┬┬╙ WITHOUT HELP. ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ┬┬╙
WILL GIVE YOU THAT HELP BY CONVERTING PICTURE FILES CONTAINING ├OMMODORE
KEYBOARD ╟RAPHICS (├╟) SO THAT THEY CAN BE POSTED OR UPLOADED TO A VARIETY OF
┬┬╙'S.
╬╧╘┼:├OMMODORE KEYBOARD GRAPHICS; ALSO KNOWN AS ├╟ PICS,
ARE DIFFERENT FROM HI-RES PIXEL PICS. ╘HEY CONSIST
PRIMARILY OF THOSE CHARACTERS YOU SEE PRINTED ON THE
KEYS THEMSELVES. ╘HEY CAN BE TYPED AS SOON AS YOU TURN
ON YOUR ├64/128 COMPUTER; BUT IT IS BEST TO COMPOSE YOUR
LARGE PICS USING A KEYBOARD GRAPHIC PAINT PROGRAM.
╙┼╤ ╘╧ ═├╔ IS EASY TO OPERATE. ┴LL YOU DO IS TYPE IN THE NAME OF THE
PICTURE YOU WANT TO CONVERT, THEN CHOOSE THE ┬┬╙ YOU WANT TO CONVERT IT FOR
FROM A LIST. ╘HEN ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ═├╔ TAKES OVER AND CREATES A DUPLICATE FILE
CONTAINING THE CONVERTED PIC. ╘HE ORIGINAL FILE WILL NOT BE CHANGED IN
ANYWAY. ╘HAT'S ALL THERE IS TO RUNNING ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ═├╔. ╔F YOU WANT MORE IN DEPTH
INFO, THEN READ ON.
═OST OF THE PROGRAMS ╔'VE MADE WERE CREATED BECAUSE ╔ RAN INTO A BRICK
WALL AND COULDN'T GET PAST IT WITHOUT CREATING A PROGRAM. ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ═├╔ IS ONE
OF THEM. ╔T SO HAPPENED ╔ RAN INTO A ┬┬╙ COMMUNICATION BARRIER A WHILE AGO
WHEN POSTING AN ONLINE ├┬═ ╟RAPHIC (├╟). ╔ TRYED POSTING ONE OF MY ├╟ PICS ON
A BULLITEN BOARD AND FOUND IT CONTINOUSLY MESSED UP AND ALWAYS IN THE SAME
PLACES. ╙OUND FAMILIER? ╔ QUICKLY STARTED THINKING OF REASONS. ╔T TOOK A
WHILE; BUT, FINALLY ╔ RULED OUT STUPIDITY.
╘HE PROBLEM WAS THE ┬┬╙ WASN'T ACCEPTING SOME STRANGE CHARACTERS; BUT, IT
LET OTHERS GET THROUGH FINE. ┴S A MATTER OF FACT, NONE OF THOSE STRANGE
LITTLE FELLOWS EVER GOT THROUGH. ╙OMETHING IN THE ┬┬╙ WAS FILTERING THEM OUT.
╙OMETIMES DIFFERENT STRANGE CHARACTERS WOULD GET REPLACED WITH SYSTEM MESSAGES
THAT WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE "╨RESS ╥ETURN TO ├ONTINUE." ╘HAT TIPPED ME OFF
THAT THE ┬┬╙ WAS USING SOME OF THESE STRANGE CHARACTERS TO REPRESENT SOMETHING
OTHER THAN WHAT ╔ INTENDED THEM TO LOOK LIKE. ╙O, ╔ WENT OFF LOOKING FOR A
CLUE AS TO HOW TO MAKE THE ┬┬╙ ACCEPT AND DISPLAY THE STRANGE LITTLE
CHARACTERS.
╔ FOUND THE WAY IN A BOOK. ╔N THE BACK OF MY ├64'S ╒SER'S ╟UIDE IT LISTS
THE ├┬═ ┴╙├╔╔ CHARACTERS AND THE CHARACTER NUMBERS ASSIGNED TO THEM. ╔T SAID
THERE WERE A HOST OF CHARACTERS THAT LOOKED THE "SAME AS" OTHER ONES; BUT,
THEIR CHARACTER NUMBERS WHERE DIFFERENT. ╞OR EXAMPLE; SOMETIME WHEN YOU'RE IN
┬┴╙╔├, TYPE THIS LINE:
╨╥╔╬╘ ├╚╥$(97);├╚╥$(193)
┘OU WILL SEE THAT IT PRINTS TWO SIMILAR LOOKING CHARACTERS SIDE BY SIDE EVEN
THOUGH THE CHARACTER NUMBERS ARE DIFFERENT. ╫HAT ╔ WAS FINDING WAS THAT THE
┬┬╙ WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE FILTER OUT A ├╚╥$(97), BUT LET A ├╚╥$(193) PASS
THROUGH. ╞OR SOME ODD REASON, THE ┬┬╙ PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN TO FILTER OUT ONE
OF THESE "TWIN" CODES AND DISPLAY ONLY ONE OF THEM.
╠ATER ╔ FOUND THIS FILTERING WAS MEANT AS AN AID FOR THE ┬┬╙'S SYSTEM
OPERATOR; BUT, REGRETABLY, IT MADE IT MADE IT LESS COMPATIBLE WITH EVERYONE'S
├╟ PICS. ╘HE BRICK WALL WAS SOON REMOVED WITH A SMALL PIC CONVERTER ╔ MADE
SPECIALLY FOR THAT ┬┬╙. ┼SSENTIALLY, WHAT IT DID WAS CHECK FOR ├╚╥$(97) (AND
OTHER "TWINS" THE ┬┬╙ DIDN'T LIKE) AND REPLACE THEM WITH ├╚╥$(193) (AND OTHER
TWIN CHARACTERS IT DID LIKE). ┴ND SO ╔ "THOUGHT" ╔ HAD REMOVED THE WALL FOR
GOOD.
┬UT, LOW AND BEHOLD; ╔ FOUND THIS SAME KIND OF PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL KINDS
OF ├OMMODORE ┬┬╙'S. ╧THER PEOPLE WERE BECOMEING AFFECTED. ╙OME STOPPED
TRYING TO POST PICS BECAUSE OF THE HASTLE. ┴ND SYSOPS OF OTHEWISE GREAT ┬┬╙
PROGRAMS WERE CHANGING TO ONES WITH LESS CAPABILITYS JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE
MORE COMPATIBLE WITH EVERYONES ├╟ TEXT/PICS. ╘HUS, THE BRICK WALL SPRANG UP
AGAIN AND THIS TIME IT WAS LARGER THAN EVER. ╙OMETHING HAD TO BE DONE QUICKLY.
┴FTER MAKING A SECOND ├╟ CONVERTER FOR ANOTHER ┬┬╙; ╔ MERGED THE PROGRAM
WITH THE ORIGINAL ONE SO THAT ╔ COULD USE THE SAME ─╧╙ ROUTINES AND MAKE IT
EASY TO FIND THE CONVERTER'S NAMES ON MY ALREADY CROWDED ├╟ LIBRARY DISKS.
╘HIS IS HOW ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ┬┬╙ BEGAN IT'S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. ┴S ╔ FOUND MYSELF ON NEW
┬┬╙'S, ╙┼╤ ╘╧ ┬┬╙ KEPT GROWING UNTIL IT IS AT THE PRESENT SIZE IT IS TODAY.
╞ORTUNETELY, THERE IS PLENTY OF ROOM LEFT TO FILL.
╫ELL, MY FRIEND; ╔'M OFF TO SEND THIS STUFF OVER TO ├64 ┴╠╔╓┼!, AND THEN
GET BACK TO MAKING MORE PICS. ╚OPE TO SEE YOU AND YOURS SOON.
╚APPY ╚OLIDAYS!
-╙TEVEN