ftp.whtech.com/ftp.whtech.com.tar/ftp.whtech.com/articles/archives/limanews.exe/CYC.TXT

Text File | 2006-10-19 | 13KB | 223 lines

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN LIMA NEWSLETTER MARCH 1993

 "THE CYC" -- A USEFUL REFERENCE FOR ALL 99/4A OWNERS:
reviewed by Charles Good

    The CYC is an index of all published material relating to the 99/4(A)
including magazines, books, catalogs, and brochures.  This monumental
reference work by Mike Wright is currently about 40% complete and is being
expanded as Mike's time permits.  If you print the parts completed as of
Jan 1993 on a laser printer (which is how these disk files are formatted
for printing) you get well over 500 pages.  All Mike's hard copy sources
are indexed, cross referenced, and sorted in alphabetical order.  The CYC
can be particularly useful to members of the Lima Ohio User Group because
many of the hard copy sources cited are available for loan to members from
the group's extensive hardcopy library.  Also, much of the software
described in the CYC is in the Lima disk library, including XB runable
versions of many cartridges.  For example:  Maybe you are wondering if it
is worth while to obtain TI's TOUCH TYPING TUTOR from the group's library.
The CYC includes TI's official one pargraph description of this module.
This description should tell you if this module has the features you want
in such software.

    Here is a summary of some of information contained in the CYC:

    OFFICIAL DESCRIPTIONS OF TI AND THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE, usually of
paragraph length, taken from official promotional material.  This includes
all the module disk and tape software ever sold by TI.  Almost all third
party software from 1980-85 and sometimes beyond is also included.  This
includes, but is not limited to, software released by Atari, Quality 99,
Sunware, Romox, Scott Foresman, Navarone, Funware, DataBiotics, Extended,
Miller Graphics, etc. etc.

    THE ENTIRE LAST CATALOG OF THE INTERNATIONAL USER GROUP is reprinted,
with a multi sentence description of each program in the IUG's library.
This is significant because IUG program numbers can be directly converted
into Amnion "Free Access Library" program numbers.  The two libraries were
both curated by Guy Romano and are almost identical, and most user groups
have large parts of the Amnion public domain software collection in their
libraries.  The Lima library has almost the entire Amnion collection.  With
the CYC, all the Amnon software numbers (E125, A233, B075, etc) now have
real meaning.  Lima members can read an IUG program description from the
CYC's reprinted IUG catalog and order the software from the Lima library.

    TI'S LAST OFFICIAL RETAIL PRICE LIST dated Jun-Dec 1983 is reprinted.
Some interesting stuff in this price list never made it to dealer's
shelves.  For example the Wafrtape drive, HexBus interface, video
controller card, Course Designer Authoring Package, and the MBX system are
all listed.

    PHx LISTS.  TI's official PHx number of every module, disk, and
accessory ever sold or planned for sale for the 99/4A as of 1983 by TI and
third parties.  The list is expanded to include ALL MODULES from all third
party manufacturers, even those still manufactured by Asgard.  Some of the
official TI titles never saw the light of day and are only known from
internal TI documents.  All the 99/2 and CC40 TI software is listed,
including the Wafertape software known know only from advertised titles.

    MIKE'S ANNOTATED BOOK LIST.  This includes every book ever published
for the user public about the 99/4A, and lots of TI technical literature
useful to assembly programmers and hardware designers.  Each book is
followed by Mike's insightful comments that are part of a mini book review.
Many of these books are in the Lima group's library.  Some sample comments
that are part of Mike's book descriptions:
   "SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT HANDBOOK by G. Vincent and J. Gill. "A wealth of
material requiring hours of study."
   "SPEED WALKER FUN TO PROGRAM YOUR TI-99 SERIES by H. Budin.  "Printed on
cheap paper...contains many cartoons but nothing of substance."

    PLATO LISTS.  The curriculum name, subject name, TI PHD and Control
Data program package number (the two numbers for the same program package
are different), and complete contents of every PLATO disk available for the
99/4A.  If you have a collection of PLATO disks, this listing will be very
useful.  The contents of 108 TI PLATO program packages, each with a
separate TI PHD number, are listed, plus some Control Data PLATO disks in
TI format that were not sold directly by TI.  Each program package consists
of one to several disk sides.  Each PLATO PHD number actually represents
several disks all in the same program package.  Mike says there are 503
disk sides sold under the TI label plus other disks in TI format sold only
by Control Data.

    The CYC includes ANNOTATED TABLES OF CONTENTS of magazines that
cover(ed) the TI.  By annotated I mean very complete contents descriptions
with an occasional personal comment by Mike.  These contents listings are
much more detailed than you would get just by looking at the "table of
contents" page of the magazine.  The following magazines are included:
    --99ER, including all issues through all the various name changes.  (An
almost complete set is in the Lima library.)
    --ENTHUSIST 99, the glossy magazine of the International User Group.
(The Lima library has a complete set.)
    --HOME COMPUTER NEWSLETTER.  This was TI's official newsletter sent to
registered owners of 99/4 and 99/4A computers between 1980 and early 1984.
(A few of these are in the Lima hardcopy library.)
  --COMPUTER SHOPPER.  All issues from #1 in 1983 until the magazine
stopped 99/4A coverage in late 1989 (Not in the Lima hardcopy library).
  --MICROPENDIUM.  The CYC covers only from vol 1 #1 through vol 2 #8, but
updates to the CYC are expected to expand this coverage. (Lima has a
complete set of MICROPENDIUM).
  --EASY COMPUTING.  Only one issue was published in Nov 1983. (Lima has
it.)

    The CYC is available on disk for $20 from CaDD Electronics, 8 Prescott
Rd., Raymond NH 03077.  This price includes shipping and one future update.
But, and this is a BIG BUT, disks containing this important TI reference
arn't in TI format.  The Cyc comes on IBM compatible disks (your choice of
360K 5.25 inch or 720K 3.5 inch disks), and the files are in Word Perfect
5.1 format.  These files are designed to be printed from Word Perfect using
an HP Laser Jet printer, and the resulting printout is impressive!  It is
as if the printed text was typeset.  Unfortunately Word Perfect v5.1 text
files are only compatible with Word Perfect v5.1 and cannot easily be
converted into ASCII format for loading into other IBM compatible word
processors or for transfer to the 99/4A.  To directly read and print the
CYC files you need an IBM compatible computer and Word Perfect v5.1, a very
expensive word processor even by IBM standards.

    HOW TO CONVERT WORD PERFECT 5.1 TEXT FILES ON AN IBM DISK TO DV80 FILES
ON A TI DISK:
    I have figured out how to convert Cyc files on IBM compatible disks to
DV80 files on TI disks without having to use WordPerfect.  These files can
be read by Funnelweb's editor or any variation of TI Writer.  Here is what
I did.   A system with a double density disk controller and Mike Dodd's
commercial software PC TRANSFER are required.
    --First I unpacked the archived Cyc files onto the hard drive of my
8088 IBM compatible computer and then put these unpacked files onto IBM
compatible 360K disks.
    --I took the IBM disks and put them one at a time into one of my
99/4A's drives and used PC TRANSFER to concert each IBM file to a DF128
file on a TI Disk.  This requires the use of PC TRANSFER's DF128 utility,
which can convert ANY IBM file into DF128 format on a TI disk.
    --I then used Richard Phillips' free 1991 extended basic program
CONVERT-IT (available on Lima disk 639B) to convert the DF128 files to
DV80.  CONVERT-IT strips out all unprintable control codes and formats the
text into fairly reasonable paragraphs with proper word wrap so that words
in the resulting DV80 file are not split between two text lines.  It is
necessary to choose CONVERT-IT's option to create a new paragraphs at each
line feed as well as at each carriage return.  The conversion process is
automatic, requiring no operator intervention after the initial file names
and defaults are selected.  Unfortunately CONVERT-IT is SLOW!  The largest
of the Cyc's 27 files required 13 hours of processing by CONVERT-IT to
generate a single massive 600+ sector DV80 file.
    --Finally I load the DV80 files made by CONVERT-IT into TI Writer for
further processing.  Files larger than TI Writer's text buffer, such as the
600+ sector file mentioned above have to be loaded into TI Writer in small
pieces, with each piece of the large file S(ave) F(ile)d as a separate
smaller TI Writer sized output file.  LF <enter>, 1 700 DSKx.FILENAME
<enter>, will load in the first 700 lines of the large file.  LF <enter>,
701 1400 DSKx.FILENAME <enter>, will load in the next 700 lines, etc.  Once
in TI Writer I use R(eplace)S(tring) to replace some of the common
repetitive printable control codes with blank spaces.  Although CONVERT-IT
removes unprintable ASCII codes, the Cyc's Word Perfect text files have a
lot of strange groups of printable letters and numbers that specify various
laser printer fonts.  Common examples in Cyc files are "0*0*0*", "p(#?",
"item", and "h1".  Mixed in with the actual text of the text file they make
the text look strange.

    A small sample of Cyc text converted to DV80 on a TI disk by processing
as described above is shown here together with the same Cyc text printed
directly from Word Perfect v5.1 on a HP laser printer.

    SPECIAL OFFER TO ANYONE IN THE TI COMMUNITY:
    If you purchase the Cyc, I will send you the Cyc updated as of January 1993
CONVERTED INTO TI FORMAT as DV80 files so you can read and print this important
TI reference using your TI.  Send me the equivalent of 6 DSDD disks, a paid
return mailer, and either your Cyc sales reciept from CaDD or an original Cyc
disk.  I will return your reciept or original CYC disk.  Send your request to
me at P.O. Box 647, Venedocia OH, 45894.
--------------------------------
BELOW IS A SAMPLE CYC PAGE AS CONVERTED BY ME INTO DV80 FORMAT:
--------------------------------

Regression. 5473.     See Appendix, 99/4 IUG Programs.

Regressions II. 6059.     See Appendix, 99/4 IUG Programs.

Reigo, Ants
     Night Blockade    99er 2:4:30

Reiss, Jim
    Announces improvements to Techie bulletin board system    CS 87:11:188
    Calls for programming ideas    CS 88:02:194
    Stresses importance of communicating electronically    CS 87:11:188
    Working on GIF graphics for the 99/4A    CS 89:05:280

Relative IQ Test. 4368.     See Appendix, 99/4 IUG Programs.

Remind Me.     See Genial Computerware.

REM Remover. 8044.     See Appendix, 99/4 IUG Programs.

Renoir.     See DataBiotics.

Rental Property Accounting.     See The Computer Consultants.

Rental Property Inventory Management.     See The Computer Consultants.

Rent&Play Computer Game Club.     See Navarone Industries.

Republic Software.     PO Box 23042, L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, DC
20024. Tel: [phone].

Interceptor.  The time is June 1998. You are assigned to VF-121, a fighter
squadron performing coastal defense for the United States mainland. The Soviet
Union has invaded Poland and this time Western Europe is rallying to her
defense. To keep the United States from sending additional forces to the
European battlefield, the USSR is executing an air strike against the US
mainland. Your squadron of F-23s is about to take off to intercept the air
strike.

Ring Destroyer.  Aliens have invaded the solar system. Massing their forces in
the rings of Saturn, they have already raided and destroyed a number of
scientific and mining communities among the ringed planet's satellites. A
squadron of scout ships is being sent into the rings to set the stage for a
major invasion by our forces.  You are the squadron leader. Your mission is to
penetrate the rings and destroy any of the ring fragments that are large enough
to interfere with our invading forces.
      Ring Destroyer available    99er 2:1:72
      Ring Destroyer (R)    99er 2:1:29

Utilities I.  Disassembler; Console Basic plot and screen dump;( Extended Basic
plot and screen dump; Assembly language plot and screen dump; Speakout speech
utility.

Rescue Challenge. 1195.     See Appendix, 99/4 IUG Programs.