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            Hi-Lites of The Commodore MaiLink for July, 1996.

    These are all the articles of general interest from "The
Commodore MaiLink", newsletter of "Meeting 64/128 Users Through the
Mail". Permission is given to reprint if credit is given to the
newsletter and the group.
    For further information about the group, write or send E-Mail
to the president, Tom Adams, 4427 39th St., Brentwood, MD,
20722-1022.
([e-mail]) Phone. [phone].
    The Commodore MaiLink comes out every other month. In addition
to articles, it contains group business, the president's colunm, an
editor's column, a "Questions" column, a "Buy/Sell/Trade" column,
and information about new members.


                         A NEW PC         Steve Barcena

     I have been using a C128 for some time now.  I use it to write
letters, pay my bills, write checks, keep track of our finances and
our budget, make cards for our four children, their spouses and our
seven grandchildren and to play and collect games for the
grandchildren to play.  Stevie, the only boy among the seven, now
almost eight and very precocious, first saw and used a computer at
my house, and to this day calls a computer a "Gramputer".  He is
now very comfortable with any computer.
     I retired in 1992 and worked at occasional one-or-two day a
week jobs as well as doing volunteer work.  A year ago I started
working Fridays for my son-in-law.  One day he told me a customer
was selling his business and had a PC for sale cheap.  I decided I
wanted to learn a little about computers other than the lowly
Commodore, so I bought the PC, a 286 upgraded to 386, with a number
of programs and a pretty good color monitor.  A friend had an
almost new Star NX 2450 color printer he did not like so I bought
that as well.  My son gave me a number of programs including
Windows 3.1, so for about $400 I was in business.
     I got my brother's Family Tree program, far superior to what
I had found for the Commodore, and entered all my family files into
it.  I loved the graphics and the greeting cards I could make,
though perhaps the 24 pin printer as opposed to my 9 pin NX1000C
Rainbow had a lot to do with it.  I make a lot of cards though and
I really enjoy using the PC for that purpose. After designing the
card though, while waiting for it to print, I would turn to my
right, turn on the C128, and work with that for the next 20 minutes
or so.
     Pretty soon I began to run into some problems having to do
with speed of operation.  My son said the 4 megs of RAM were not
enough.  I learned how to add more RAM and installed 4 megs more
myself, which added another $135 to my cost.  There was a marked
difference, but that is when I learned that RAM and storage
capacity are not enough.  I had all the programs small enough to go
on a 3-1/2" HD disk off the hard drive, but 203 megs of storage
were still not enough.  Then I started reading about "Doublespace".
     Doublespace is a DOS program that compresses all the files on
the hard drive and can effectively double your storage capacity.
Great.  I did it.  It worked fine and I had oodles of new space for
more programs.
     I bought a Paint program that looked good for $5, reduced from
$29.95, and installed it.  I learned a few more things about
computers.
     There are two kinds of PC users- those that have crashed and
wiped out their hard drives, and those that will.  I now belong to
the former group.  Crash?  Lose all your programs?  In eight or
nine years of using a Commodore I had never lost a program and only
rarely lost a file.  Back ups? Why should I make a lot of backups?
Oh, I see, because I might lose all the letters I had written on
the PC in the last three months, and all the cards I had made for
future birthdays.  Why should that happen?  I don't know.  But they
are gone.  And I keep seeing something about a "D" drive, host for
"C", which is where the compressed files went, but which I still do
not understand.
     Well, after four days of fighting and trying to re-install my
programs, which I was partiallly able to do because a friend had
showed me how, and insisted, I make a "Bootable" disk, I gave up
and took it into a shop where they again breathed life into this
suitcase size hunk of hardware.  I still use it and enjoy it, but
I made some smart decisions, to wit:
     Any letter of importance is done in TWS on my C128.  Even when
my working disk of TWS got screwed up somehow, I never lost a
letter.  I just pulled out my original disk, made a new work copy
and transferred my files to it.
     I had been looking for a good database to transfer my budget
files to and a financial planner for our investments.  Forget it.
They are safe and happy in my Commodore files.
     When I am working out in my studio I can listen to some pretty
good music on the C64 I keep out there.  Unless I want to spend
another four or five hundred dollars for the PC it can't come close
to what the old Commodore does for the original 12 bucks I paid for
it.  I have yet to find a WP for the PC comparable to TWS 128 at a
comparable price, though there may be one.  There is no paint
program below $50 as good as Advanced OCP Art Studio.  And what
compares with the Fun Graphics Machine?
     If one has to use a computer in business I am sure the IBM or
compatible can not be beaten.  But for me, for home use, it is fun
and a learning tool, but Commodore is still Number One.


LARGE PRINT FOR WORD PROCESSORS        "Oley" Olson

     The Star NX1000 printers show QUAD size print in their printer
manuals.  It is about 1/2" in size.  I use TWS as my word processor
and can print this quad size print by using imbeded commands.  The
first step is to go to the printer index and find quadruple size.
Check and write down the decimal #.  In my case it was 27,104,2.
Note that 27,104,0 turns it off.  Now using your BACK UP COPY of
TWS go up to the menu bar and choose x-it. (Yes, I know that there
are shorter ways to get there).  When the exit menu comes up choose
"printer customizer".  From the next menu choose "toggles".  What
you will see are the imbeded commands that you use to turn on and
off the special effects that you use in TWS.  Note the user defined
spaces that are empty.  I choose t (I think type) and in the on
space I type 27,104,2 to turn it on.  Cursor over to the OFF side
and type 27,104,0 to turn it off.  Print yourself a copy then save
the defaults.   Now if you go back to the TWS screen and hit CTL 1
t you will get a reversed t.  Type QUAD. Hit CTL 1 t to turn it
off. The preview will not show the size but if you print it you
should have the word QUAD in large type.  It will not work on
imported fonts like those used from Super Graphix, but it will work
with the fonts from the front selected on the printer.  Your next
line below will have to be 3 return marks below your QUAD line in
order to keep from typing over your QUAD.
     Hints: If this works for you, go back to the toggle menu.  If
you have a rainbow color printer and a color ribbon, check you
printer index for colour printing commands.  I have a rev g to turn
on 27,114,6 and 27,114,0 turns off green.  Use your imagination.
If you have never been into this part of TWS before, look around.
Check misc. (TWO DRIVES ?).  Check out drives.  IF you have TWS on
a 3 1/2 disk it is convenient to have all the dictionaries on #8
and all your files on #9. Note: an easy way to change drives in TWS
128 is to hold the commodore key and press z, the bottom of the
screen will show you where you are.



WHOSE SOFTWARE?              Maurice Jones

     When I got Ramlink and an FD drive, I received a disk
containing utilities with each.  I assume that Creative Micro
Designs supplies such a disk with all of its devices.  One of the
programs on these disks was Jerome Yoner's DEDIT, a directory
editor that works on all the Commodore drives and on the CMD
devices as well.  I know of no other such complete editor.  The
rest of the programs are copyrighted by CMD.
     I suspect that nearly everyone who uses CMD devices uses DEDIT
occasionally.  I also guess that very few such users sent Jerome
the five dollar shareware fee.  And there is a real problem.
Surely it is worth five dollars to have use of the program.  So why
don't people pay?  Are they basically dishonest?  Are they just
cheap?  I really don't know, though I suspect that most think that
because the program came on a disk that they paid for that they are
entitled to it.  Of course, this is NOT true.
     In case anyone does not know, there are three classes of
software when it comes to copyright questions; shareware, public
domain, and copyrighted material.  Everyone knows that PD material
can be used, copied, and distributed in any way.  There seems to be
many views on the other two types.  I have heard the argument that
if software weren't so expensive, it would not be stolen.  People
making this argument usually are equal opportunity thieves whose
collection of stolen software includes the whole price range.  The
price does not alter the fact that the material is copyrighted and
that copying or distributing it is Dishonest ( that's dishonest
with a capital "d.").
     So what about shareware?  It is generally produced by
individuals who do not choose to program full time, and who do it
more for satisfaction than for profit. In my opinion, the quality
of shareware programs for Commodore machines compares well with
commercial programs. I am told that only a few people have made any
money from shareware and that those who did were the ones whose
programs need lots of documentation.  This was probably part of the
reason for Eric Lee's success.  The other part was his idea of
using groups like ours to distribute TWS.  We are allowed, even
encouraged, to distribute shareware.  We are just not supposed to
keep it and use it unless we pay the fee.  Keeping it and using it
is Dishonest.
     So much for the ethical and legal sides of the issue.  Is
there a practical side?  For us CBM users there sure is.  The
commercial producers, except for Loadstar, no longer know we exist,
though there are thousands upon thousands of us.  Our only sources
of new software are Loadstar, PD, shareware, and an occasional new,
usually short lived venture like DieHard, which belied its name in
a big way. There is a real curiosity there.  Thousands sent their
money to DieHard on the promise of software, yet many of them use
shareware which they have not paid for.  If we want a continued
supply, we have to pay for it.  I believe that there are many more
illegal copies of Loadstar made each month than there are legal
copies.  Less than half of us pull our own weight.
     When I have considered releasing some of my solitaire games as
shareware, I was told that there would be no return.  I am sure
other programmers have withheld software for the same reason.  If
everyone who should would sent Jerome his five bucks, maybe he
would spread the news and other programmers would be persuaded to
produce some new stuff.  It's worth a try.  By the way, Jerome, if
this works, I expect a commission!



PD OR NOT PD                 Roger Detaille

     Although this sounds Shakespearean, it deals with a different
subject: Copyright. In those hectic days when the C-64 hit the
marketplace with a very noticeable bang, there were a lot of
enterprises marketing games and productivity software. Almost all
are gone by now and their wares are no longer available. But, new
Commodore users would like to get their hands on some of those no
longer available software titles.
     Someone once proposed that if a company no longer exists,
their software titles become public domain. Not so! Even if the
publisher has gone out of business, someone still owns the
copyright. Companies even refused to have their programs licensed
out to a third company for production and distribution rights only.
Berkeley Softworks and CMD have such an agreement for GEOS. Why not
others?
     So what to do? Find a copy, that's what people do. However,
this is illegal. Commodore users were notorious copiers, at least
most of them. Some teenagers used to have hundreds of games, and
not one original. What's more, those so-called pirates introduced
'cracked' versions of games and even had nice intros instead of
those 'darn' copyright notices. They even added trainers to the
game so you could get proficient at it, instead of seeing GAME OVER
after about a minute and half. Which was a point in their favour,
in many a user's eyes.
     Producers want you to buy a back-up copy of their product and
even remind you that it is illegal to make a copy. It's a way of
making money. However, the copyright law states that you have the
right to make a backup copy for your own purposes. Some producers
went so far as to prohibit you from selling the software package
you purchased to a third party. Licensing is another way of
circumventing the copyright law. Another thing that burns me up is
the shrink-wrap. On the outside of the package it states that by
opening the package you agree to all their stipulations hidden
inside the sealed package.
     Let's say you produced a piece of software, an article or a
great graphic. So far, so good. What happens when you send your
masterpiece to a publication? You either get a rejection slip or a
contract. You transfer all rights to the publication for a certain
sum. In other words, they bought your work. What about public
domain? After receiving a rejection slip from a publisher, you
decide it isn't really worth while and you put the program into
public domain. You still own the copyright. Suppose, this same
publication which had rejected your masterpiece earlier on, now
uses it in its publication. When looking at the fine print, usually
to be found in the first couple pages, you notice that their
publication is copyrighted and no part may be reproduced in any way
or form whatsoever.
     Is this a violation of your copyright? When you send an
article for publication and it is not purchased by the publication,
but printed anyway, what rights are being violated? Now we come to
the part that really fans the angry flames. Suppose you design a
graphic or a font and place it into public domain. Somehow it gets
to a publication and they decide to publish it and, what's even
more insulting, copyright your public domain work and claim it as
their own! It would be considered highly unethical and possibly a
few other things, as well. It's not very encouraging being ripped
off this way, and not being able to do much about it. The only
thing you can do is to avoid sending material to such publications.
Don't deal with people who 'greedily' accept anything, don't buy
your stuff, but publish it anyway and slap a copyright on it!
     All my work is done using GEOS, mainly graphics and fonts.
Although GEOS does not allow an author's name in documents, I have
none-the-less included my name or logo in graphic and font files.
This way I can easily identify my work, should I see it where it
doesn't belong.
     I am interested in your views, and especially the views of
someone more versed in the copyright laws than I, especially as far
as PD is concerned, if it finds its way into a publication and then
copyrighted by some unscrupulous people.




           1581 UTILITIES             "Oley" Olson

     When it comes to utilities for the 1581 I started out using
the 1581 demo disk, but I found most of the programs slow.  "Super
81 Utilities" came on the market and I got it.  Great menus and
choices, but still slow.  "Maverick" was faster but had the
drawback of being 64 oriented and is on a 5 1/4.  Sometimes getting
the 2 1581s activated for a copy is a problem.  I copied just the
1581 copy program to a 3 1/2 and it worked, but I had to shut down
the system to get back to "Maverick".  I have recently started
using "The 1581 Toolkit".  This appears to be the Maverick program
(by Krackerjack) on a 3 1/2. While it is still 64 oriented I find
that if I switch just the monitor to 40 col and then load it, it
internally switches to 64 and works.  My full data disks back up in
about 2 minutes. (the demo disk often takes as much as 8 minutes.)
In addition the disk allows me to use the Directory Editor.  I
especially like this on my "TWS" file disk.  I can back up the disk
and then with the Directory Editor I can alphabetize or rearrange
the disk as I want and then write it to the back up.  While still
in the program, I have it read the master data disk and make it the
same as the backup.  This sure helps when you are trying to find a
file on the TWS load screen.



CMD'S FD-4000 DISK DRIVE                     Brian Vaughan

     I noted in issue #12 of the C= World magazine that the CMD ad
was carrying only the FD-2000 drive. I called CMD and they
confirmed it is most likely forever out of stock. They relied on
the extended density drive makers for the mechanisms needed in the
4000 and production was discontinued due to a lack of interest in
the overall market for this drive mechanism which includes the
MS/DOS group. I would recommend FD-4000 owners buy an FD-2000 drive
for 3.5" backup and then move the data from any 3.2 Meg. disks from
the 4000 onto 1.6 Meg. disks. The 4000 & 2000 could then be used
for backup exclusively in the 1.6 Meg. or less modes.
     Since FD-4000 owners now own an orphan, perhaps some members
would consider unloading their 4000 drives to acquire the 2000
drives which are still available. I would be willing to pay an
owner of a 4000 drive the cost of a new 2000 drive to give me 3.2
Meg. backup and just take my chances on the drives continuing to
function. Other 4000 owners may wish to make similar offers.

A Piece of STR$  - What to do with all those 3 1/2" disks from
various places wanting you to sign up for their communication
software?  Reformat and use them on your C-1581 or FD disk drive!!!




MESMERIZED BY MAIL ORDER         Donald Ayers

    Okay, we need mail order!  It is our shopping mall.  But, let's
eye some of the misadventures of yesteryear:

      The Case of the Vanishing Octobus  is pulled from the files
of the early 80's.  The Octobus was an early interface permitting
linkage with Pet devices and multiple peripherals.  Its primary
defect was that it fried your computer.  When this was pointed out
to the manufacturer, it vanished, only to reappear as the Giant
Squid in Benchley's The Beast, years later.
     The Case of the Poseidon Adventure involves an outfit offering
a catalog for CP/M software in Ahoy ads.  You just had to send in
a couple of dollars. This was merely a sideline to an ongoing
business.  And what a sideline--no one got a catalog.
    The Case of the Running Rogues is more recent.  Run magazine
listed its advertisers of the past who had displayed difficulty in
filling orders.  --Ahem.  You were to contact Run before further
business dealings with such.  I always wondered if Run offered a
hug if you contacted them.
     The Case of the 8 Bit Bite  involved the public domain seller,
8 Bit, which appeared in the 90's. It offered packs of the PD
Select collection, nice items.  After some success, it vanished,
leaving some orders unfilled and money unremitted.
     The Case of the Squashed Grape  brings us to the bankrupcy of
Grapevine.  Former associates of Grapevine appear scattered among
Paxtron and Unique Services.  However, rots of ruck prying goods or
moneys sent to Grapevine, from either source.
     The Case of Zines Anonymous is nearly unsolveable.  Most
publishers aren't fiends; operators simply run out of money
sufficient to get the zine out.  We may need to set up a charitable
foundation for performance of a group exorcism, for as a group,
they are likely to have endured many curses.
    This is why outfits that take on old obligations deserve a lot
of respect and support. Fender Tucker and Jeff Jones have addresses
reserved for them in Heaven's Memory Bank for such deeds. I've
always had good dealings with Centsible Software, in terms of used
wares.  I'd be aghast if anyone at Harvey and Associates or Kasara
ever didn't give you your due. For that matter, Software Support
International has delivered, although I recall waiting interminably
for a SuperSnapshot, once.
    I'll clue you in to one thing about buying used hardware by
mail, you better be darned sure what you will accept in terms of
missing accessory items such as instructions, cabling, software, or
dongles before consumating the deal.
   I'm reserving judgment on J P PBM.  I've sent for a catalog
three times.  Yes, money, stamps, even an Internation Reply Coupon
has flown that way.  Nary a reply has come across in 6 months.
Yet, the ad flies in Commodore World and Loadstar.  And J. P.
appears to have been on the Board of Directors of TPUG.  Maybe a
postal worker in Chicago is ripping me off?  I also wonder why J.
P.'s ad offers neither a locale nor phone number.  I think I'm
buying someone Diet Pepsi's.
    Let's put it this way.  International Mail isn't all its
cracked up to be. But, my losses are trivial.  Consider the guys
who put down big bucks and don't get products or service.  Does it
happen?  Hoo boy!  Knock on wood. Moving Businesses often have long
delays before responding.  Other times, they vanish.  It is not
easy to get the scoop on what happened.  You sure won't get the
unbiased facts from the competition.  I wish them all well.
     How steady are any new enterprises supporting our wares?  The
64 was said to be dead in '84!  Mine doesn't look like a zombie to
me.  Still, use reasonable precautions in your ventures, if you
can. A sale of a thousand commercial items of any sort is a big
sale now in our realm, domestically, I suspect.  Will activity ever
heat up? This summer may yet offer the diehard Commodore user a new
tan as CMD products launch.



NINE AND FIVE                           W. R. Kennedy

     What's wrong when your monitor screen is all black?  Monitor
is bad, right?  Let me tell you about it.
     I hooked everything up to a T.V. set I had and it still didn't
work. (Does that tell you something)?  Then I called a man in our
local C= club.  (They have been trying to get me in the club for
some time, but they meet on Sunday- a bad day for me).  He told me
about a man who might be able to fix it for me.  I took the
monitor, and my spare 128.  He kept it a couple of days and his
wife called and said she had her C= 64 hooked up to the monitor and
it was working fine.  He had checked it out with some of his
frequency generators, etc. and could find nothing wrong with it.
He hooked my spare 128 up to it and it wouldn't work either.
     Well, I had another 128 and took it over there.  He hooked it
up and it wouldn't work either.  Then he measured the power at the
plug of the power supply and the 9 volts was there but not the 5
volts.  He tried my other power supply and the 5 volts was missing
on it too.  Well, he opened up one supply and it had a blown fuse.
He replaced the fuse and that made everything work great.  He
opened the other power supply and it was different!  He couldn't
find any fuses blown in it.  When he put it back together, it
started working again: both 9 and 5 volts were there.  When we
hooked it up to the computer, everything worked again.  So, my
trouble was not the monitor, but a power supply problem.  My guess
is that when the monitor goes, the screen will be black, not white!
I can also tell you the light on the computer which shows it being
"on", does not come from the 5 volt supply, but from the 9 volt
supply.
     Now the nice thing about all this is that the repairman
wouldn't let me pay him for all his trouble.  He said he was just
glad he could help!  You don't find those kind very much any more.
     Well, I kept blowing fuses in the 128 power supply.  I finally
cured the problem with 2A SLO-BLO fuses from Radio Shack (box of 4
for $2.00).
     I was so afraid that I was going to need another monitor, that
I called our member Estelle Heron in Lake Michigan and bargained
with her for all she had, including the monitor.  I was most happy
to get another monitor and she had a lot of other goodies she
wanted to get rid of.  She was happy too.  She had placed an ad in
the January issue which I saw.  She is a nice lady.  One of the
goodies she had was an Xetec Gold.  It is the cats pajamas!!
     I'll tell you this, I will probably not ever cancel my
membership in the club: WE NEED EACH OTHER.  From what I've read,
I don't need a PC (maybe a "MAC", but not a PC)!  Remember that
sometimes what looks to be the trouble-ain't!




IS DOT-MATRIX DYING?                         Gary Noakes

     After many years of hard use, I decided that the time had
finally come to replace my ancient workhorse Panasonic KX-P1091
printer.  It's still functioning pretty well and is by all means
the best money I've ever spent for computer equipment, but it's
just too limited, both in speed and resolution, for business use.
It's also pretty old, since I bought it nearly eleven years ago;
the thought of it breaking down frightened me.
     Since I've used their printers for years (I've also owned
KX-P1080, KX-P1180 and KX-P1091ii models), Panasonic was definitely
at the top of my short list of printers to consider.  I've also
owned Star Micronics (an ancient Gemini 10X) and have had some good
experiences with their NX-series of printers (I've never owned
one), so they were on the list too.  Since Epson is considered a
standard, I decided to at least look at their current crop of
printers, even though I was pretty certain they would be too
expensive for my needs.  So, armed with a list of printers to look
at, and after checking the phone book (let your fingers do the
walking) for all of the local electronics discount stores, I
decided it was time to go shopping.
     Several weeks before, l had seen Panasonic printers (KX-P2023
at $179; KX-P2135 at $199) on display at Best Buys, a home
appliances discount chain.  These were the only dot-matrix printers
they carried but at the time, there were none in stock.  When I
called, they still didn't have any in stock and I was told that
they would not be getting any more in.  So I called three other
area stores in the chain; they were also out of the Panasonic
models and couldn't tell me for certain if they would be getting
any more in.
     My next call was to Staples, The Office Superstore.  I had
seen the Panasonic KX-P2135 ($239 the last time I checked), the
only dot-matrix printer they carried, on display there many times
in the past.  When I called, I was told in no uncertain terms "We
no longer carry any dot-matrix printers."  I then called two other
area stores and both told me the same thing.
     The third call I made was to the neighborhood Office Depot and
I hit paydirt.  They carried both the Panasonic KX-P1150 (9-pin at
$149) and KX-P2130 (24-pin at $199) printers.  They also carried
the Epson LQ+570+ (24-pin at $249) printer.  At least I knew that
dot-matrix printers were still available, just not as readily
available as I had expected.
     My next step was to get in the car and drive.  There are two
computer superstores in neighboring Virginia that I like to
explore, Micro Center and Computer City.  They are about forty
miles away from me and within five miles of each other.  If any
other stores in the Washington, D.C. area carried dot-matrix
printers, it would be these two.  Since they are long-distance
phone calls and I needed to get cables and switchboxes and some
other stuff anyway, I hopped in the car.
     What I found at Micro Center was surprising, in both good and
bad ways.  Okidata and Epson models were on display.  Panasonic,
although two models were listed in their in-store catalog (KX-P2135
at $259; KX-P3626 at $449), was nowhere to be seen, either on
display or stacked in boxes in the aisles, as volume discounters
are prone to do.  Of the two Epson models available, both were
24-pin (LQ-570+ at $269; LQ-1070+ at $419).  There were five
Okidata printers on display; three 9-pin models (ML 320 at $359; ML
520 at $429; ML 321 at $499) and two 24-pin models (ML 590 at $499;
ML 3954 at $1149).  Dot-matrix seemed to be alive and well at Micro
Center, as long as you wanted Epson or Okidata and were willing to
pay a little more (Epson) or a lot more (Okidata).  Of the seven
printers I saw there, I could probably justify paying the price of
the Epson LQ-570+, but the Okidata printers were obviously priced
for commercial business users.  Panasonic was looking better and
better costwise.  It was time I headed for Computer City.
     Once there, I began to get a sinking feeling in my stomach.
Two models of Epson.  Period.  One 9-pin (LX-300 at $190) and one
24-pin (LQ-570+ at $270).  I did, however, finally see the Star
Micronics label; it was on a fax machine.  It was time to go home.
On the way, I stopped by Office Depot and bought a Panasonic
KX-P2130 for $199 and tax.
     I wasn't completely done with my shopping, however.  I was
still curious about the lack of selection of dot-matrix printers,
and the seemingly total disappearance of Star Micronics printers.
Checking the last issue of Computer Shopper I had (March 1996), I
looked up Star Micronics under Printers, Dot-Matrix; Star had four
listings in 700-odd pages.  Looking up Panasonic, I found 21
listings; Epson, 28 listings; Okidata had 27.  The prices that I
found for printers available by mailorder were usually within $20
(usually lower, but not always) of what I had seen in the stores.
     Here's a list of the inexpensive 9-pin and 24-pin printers
from the four manufacturers I checked.  The prices given are about
average from a discounter:

Star Micronics:     9-pin     NX-1010     $115
                   24-pin     NX-2460     $170
Panasonic:          9-pin     KX-P1150    $130
                   24-pin     KX-P2030    $175
Epson:              9-pin     LX-300      $170
                   24-pin     LQ-570+     $250
Okidata:            9-pin     ML-320      $360
                   24-pin     ML-590      $440

     So, are dot-matrix printers really being phased out of the
marketplace?  I hope not, but I can't be sure.  As long as
businesses have a need to print multi-part forms, I think that
dot-matrix printers will remain with us, but probably only at
commercial business (at, or close to, full retail) prices.  As far
as the discount houses are concerned, I think the answer is most
definitely yes.  In a world of cheap inkjet and inexpensive laser
printers, the dot-matrix is a dinosaur.  Discounters simply can't
sell the quantities of dot-matrix printers they once did to the
average home user, the driving force behind the chain discounters
in the first place.
     What does this mean to Commodore users?  If you are thinking
about upgrading or replacing your present dot-matrix printer with
a newer model, do it soon.  Not many of the current inkjet printers
are compatible, at least that I'm aware of, with Commodore, and
those that are may need special drivers to work with older
software.  Laser printers, while considerably cheaper now than in
the past, are still a bit pricey for the average Commodore user.
The market seems to be in a shake-out phase, with some of the old
reliables (like Star) leaving the field altogether and others (like
Epson and Panasonic) offering more printer for the money than ever
before in order to keep market share.  If you wait, your selection
may shrink and the price you pay may rise.



DISKS FOR COMMODORE USERS             "Oley" Olson

     Thanks to Dick Headly for his article on 5 1/4" disks.  The
problem is indeed one of concern.  The problem is also true of 3
1/2" disks.  And I may look into a bulk eraser, especially since I
have been told that it will erase audio and video tapes also.  But
I would like to suggest that before you do that you try two other
sources.
     First I suggest you check S.S.I.  Our friends up in Vancouver
Washington often have very good sales on disks.  And if you can buy
in bulk they can be a real bargain.  By bulk I mean at least 100.
     And second, check out 3M disks at your local shop.  I recently
went to Office Depot because they advertised 3 1/2 disks on sale.
I purchased 4 boxes of ten disks each for $5.99 per box.  All DSDD.
The cashier gave me a rebate offer from 3M.  But when I read it, it
was for IBM formatted disks only.  I called 3M at 1-800-723-1471
and explained the situation.  They asked how many disks and the UPC
# from the package.  They asked me to send the rebate offer and
copies of the cash register receipt and the UPC #s to an address in
Minnesota.  About a month later I received a rebate check for
$12.00.  That brought my cost per disk down from $.60 ea to $.30
ea.



THE PANASONIC KX-P2130 PRINTER IN REVIEW       Gary Noakes

    The Panasonic KX-P2130 is a solidly built printer, weighing in
at about 20 pounds.  All functions are accessed either from the
front panel or through software; there are no DIP switches to fool
with.  A combination of solid and/or blinking LEDs indicates which
of the front panel functions are currently active.  The KX-P2130
emulates the Epson LQ-860 and the IBM Proprinter X24E.  With the
optional color kit, the KX-P2130 essentially becomes a KX-P2135 and
emulates the Epson LQ-860, LQ-2500 and LQ-2550 color printer modes.
The draft fonts include Pica (10 cpi), Elite (12 cpi) and Micron
(15 cpi); the Letter Quality fonts include Courier, Prestige, Bold
PS, Script, Roman, Sans Serif and OCR-B.  Printing speed is 250
(Micron), 200 (Elite) and 167 (Pica) characters per second in draft
mode and 83 (Micron), 67 (Elite) and 56 (Pica) characters per
second in LQ mode.  The maximum bit-mapped graphics density is 360
x 360 dots-per-inch.  The KX-P2130 also has a built-in sheet
feeder, useful for letterheads, stationary and envelopes.
    In a brief session with the KX-P2130 (about half an hour), I
explored the more obvious capabilities: the draft Pica and LQ fonts
and the Load/Park, Tear-Off and Super-Quiet features.  I tested the
printer by first loading the paper and printing several lines of
text (using a quick n' dirty Basic program to send the
information), using different fonts selected from the front panel.
Once I'd seen what the fonts looked like, I hit Tear-Off; the
printer advanced the paper perforation to the tearbar, where it was
torn off; hitting Tear-Off again reversed the paper feed, backing
it up to the first line (top-of-form).  This is a very impressive
feature and can really save on paper.  I then hit the Load/Park
button and watched as the paper backed up, ready for single sheet
feed, at which point I wrote a little Basic program, set up the
sheet feed, inserted a single #10 envelope and printed main and
return addresses on it.  I removed the envelope, folded down the
sheet feeder, hit Load/Park and my paper was again moved forward to
top-of-form.  These features may be old news to those of you with
newer printers, but compared to my ancient KX-P1091i, these
features seem nothing short of miraculous.
    The KX-P2130 is billed as a "quiet" printer and it is, being
padded in several strategic places (inside the hinged cover and on
the bottom) with soft foam.  When I first began using it, seated
two feet away in a noisy room (the stereo was on and up), I wasn't
even sure it was operating until I saw the printhead moving.
However, if you are willing to sacrifice some printing speed, the
KX-P2130 has a "super quiet" mode which reduces the remaining noise
to a whisper-soft purr.  No figures were given in the manual as to
how much speed is actually lost, but it is considerable, perhaps
reducing the speed by as much as 50%, depending on the print mode
in use.
    My next experiment, when I had a little more time to spend, was
to test the KX-P2130 with Geos128 and a parallel connection
(GeoCable).  Using Perfect Print, I used the trail-and-error method
until I found a driver and printer adaptation file that worked
("HQ24 med EpN GC" (double-pass) and "HQ24 high EpN GC" (quad-pass)
for the drivers and "LQA NEW Epson Q" for the adaptation file were
finally selected).  The X-Y Print Density settings within Perfect
Print were set to the recommended 4/1 (180 x 180 dpi).  Using the
"med" driver, the print quality was very good and extremely fast
(nearly as fast as using a draft-quality printer driver).  Using
the "high" driver, the print quality was excellent and the speed
was only slightly diminished.  Changing the X-Y Print Density
settings to 6/2 (360 x 360 dpi, the maximum possible resolution)
and using the "med" driver, the print quality improved even more
(better than the "high" driver at 180 x 180) but the speed was cut
by about 50%.  Given the drastic speed tradeoff, I didn't attempt
to print using the "high" driver at the 360 x 360 density.
    Overall, I was impressed with the printer and what I was able
to do in a short time and with the limitations of the manual.  And
the manual that comes packed in the box is certainly a limitation.
I was disturbed to find a skimpy 82-page manual and a 3-1/2" DS-DD
setup disk, IBM-formatted of course.  A considerable portion of the
printed manual is devoted to explaining how to use the disk to set
up the printer from within DOS or Windows 3.1.  After reading this
section, I have no doubt whatsoever that the average ten-year-old
could successfully set up the KX-P2130 to work with his system, as
long as that system was a PC clone.
    Having seen and studied the manuals for the KX-P1091i and
KX-P2124 printers, I have always been impressed by the great amount
of detail that the Panasonic manuals present and how well they are
organized.  I was dumbfounded at the complete lack of information
provided about the printer's operating codes, especially
frustrating for so advanced a printer.  I was so disturbed, in
fact, that I didn't want to believe it was true, so I loaded up Big
Blue Reader 128, inserted the Panasonic setup disk into my 1581 and
checked out the directory.  Bingo!  There it was, the Rosetta
stone, a file entitled "ref2130.txt" and it was huge.  Using the
Copy feature of Big Blue Reader with standard ASCII to PetASCII
translation, I transferred the file from the MS-DOS disk to a
RAMlink partition.  After exiting BBR, I checked the RAMLink
directory and found a 419-block(!) sequential file explaining
everything that the KX-P2130 can do, and how to do it.  With this
manual (I printed it, of course), I can now do everything but make
this puppy bark!  This is the manual I expected from Panasonic in
the first place, full of details and very well organized.  But
there are still two flaws--no Table of Contents and no Index!
Still, it's better than the alternative.
    Overall, I am quite pleased with this printer, both with the
functionality and the price.  Given the
takes-a-lickin'-and-keeps-on-tickin' attitude of my KX-P1091, the
KX-P2130 should last well into the next century.
    (If anyone has purchased this printer and does not have the
means to transfer the "ref2130.txt" file to a Commodore disk (you
need either Big Blue Reader or Little Red Reader and either a 1581
or CMD FD-series drive), send a 1541-formatted disk and a
self-addressed, stamped (78 cents) disk mailer to me and I will
send you a copy of the file.  Or, you can send your name and
address and $1.50 to cover expenses and I'll send you a disk with
the file.)




TOP MODEM SPEEDS FOR THE 64/128 -  9600 or38400?

[Answer to Ed Harler's question (May 1996 MaiLink)- Gary Noakes

     On a stock machine, the top modem speed for the C-64 and the
C-128 used to be 2400.  This was due to the fact that Commodore did
not use a hardware UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver
Transmitter) for the RS-232 port but tried to mimic it (sort of) in
software (it's built into ROM, CIA#2).  Unfortunately, at speeds
over 1200 baud (for either the C-64 or C-128), the RS-232 servicing
routines became unreliable.  This occured for two reasons: 1) the
RS-232 routines were poorly coded; they waste so many clock cycles
servicing unnecessary interrupts, there's not much time left to
actually service the RS-232 port.  At 1MHz, continous 2400 baud
flow requires 55% (66% for the 128) of the available clock cycles
just to service the NMIs (Non-Maskable Interrupts).  2) There are
hardware glitches in most (about 2/3) of the CIA chips themselves.
     In 1989, George Hug published an article in Transactor
magazine (Volume 9, Issue 3) which explained these problems in
detail and presented the solutions: new software routines that
could be incorporated into BBS or terminal software that would
bypass the poor Commodore code.  It was after this article appeared
that Commodore telecommunications at 2400 baud and higher finally
became reliable.
     The next wall that was hit was the 1MHz speed of the C-64
(2MHz of the 128 in 80-column fast mode); even in machine language,
the computer itself is too slow to top 4800 (9600 for the 128 in
80-column fast mode), so these became the new upper limits for a
user with an RS-232 interface (like those made by Supra, Peak
Peripherals and Aprotek) and a 9600 baud modem.  The only choice
left was to factor out the non-standard Commodore RS-232 port
altogether, bypassing the software UART which caused the
bottleneck, and go straight to a hardware solution: a real,
honest-to-God RS-232 port.  Hence, the SwiftLink cartridge (CMD),
the Hart-Cart (Performance Peripherals) and the DataPump (a
do-it-yourself project).
     Because each of these devices incorporates a true UART chip
(the R6551 ACIA (Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter))
and plugs into the expansion (cartridge) port, the old maxims no
longer apply.  Speeds up to 38,400 (and maybe higher with a little
additional hardware hacking) are now possible on either the C-64 or
the C-128.
     The only limitation at this point is with the available
software.  Novaterm, FritzTerm, Desterm and Dialogue (SwiftLink
version) all support the higher modem speeds available through the
UART cartridges.  However, to use V42/V.42bis/MNP error correction
and data compression, and to reliably connect with all BBS modems,
the terminal program should support RTS/CTS flow control in
addition to XON/XOFF.  At this time, only Novaterm and Dialogue
support both (possibly FritzTerm too); Desterm supports only
XON/XOFF but is currently being upgraded (by Matt Desmond) to
support RTS/CTS.
     I am currently using a SwiftLink with a Zoom 14.4EX modem
attached to a C-128 and running Dialogue v2.2SL. I keep my flow
control set to RTS/CTS and set my connection rate to 38,400 baud.
I know that sounds weird since it's only a 14,400 baud modem, but
a setting this high allows the sending and receiving modems to
negotiate their own speed, based on the current line conditions.
This won't work if you're calling a BBS with a Commodore 1670 or
similar modem attached, of course, but works great when calling a
BBS with a high-speed modem.
     This is a buffer dump of the modem settings I use:

ACTIVE PROFILE:
B1 E1 L1 M1 N1 Q0 T V1 W0 X4 Y0 &C1 &D2 &G0 &J0 &K3 &Q6 &R0 &S0 &T4
&X0 &Y0
S00:001 S01:000 S02:064 S03:013 S04:010 S05:008 S06:002 S07:050
S08:002 S09:006
S10:014 S11:050 S12:050 S18:000 S25:005 S26:001 S36:007 S37:000
S38:020 S44:020
S46:000 S48:007 S95:000

     If anyone would like a copy of the DataPump information (it's
two pages of geoWrite text and a one page geoPaint graphic), send
a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope and I will send
you a printout.



SPEEDSCRIPT PAGE NUMBERING              Brian Vaughan

     As resource person for SPEEDSCRIPT, Brian Vaughan supplied the
following information to member Teresa Gagnon who passed it on for
inclusion in MaiLink for SPEEDSCRIPT users:

     I know that you are familiar with entering Control characters
using the CONTROL-3 combo keys.  When I put characters in brackets
like "[ ]" , you know to use CONTROL-3 followed by the character
within the brackets [ ].
     When I want page numbering, I like to start numbering at Page
1 and continue to the end of the file.  I also prefer that the
number appear at the top-right of each page and be enclosed in
parentheses   "( )".  To do this, you should do the following:
Anywhere on the very first (top) line of your file where you are
now placing format commands, enter the following: [h][e]([#])
There are no spaces between these entries and please note that the
parentheses ( ) are typed directly without using CONTROL-3.  I like
to save this top line plus name & address info to files which I
refer to as macros so they don't have to be typed each time a
letter is written.
     The [h] command establishes the Header for each page, the [e]
command causes the Header to be to the Right Edge, and the
parentheses enclose the Page number which is produced by the [#]
command.  If you prefer the Page number not be in parentheses,
simply omit them from the top line command.  If you want the Page
number at the top center of each page, simply omit the [e] command.
I have never used it, but I know that the same instructions would
apply if you wanted the Page number to appear at the bottom of each
page.  To do this, simply replace the [h] Header command with the
[f] Footer command and all the other ideas above would also apply.



REPAIR PARTS             J.H.L. Garrison

     In May I wanted a Star Micronics NX1001 print head.  Jean
Nance sent me a phone number and I obtained the desired part over
night.

The NATIONAL PARTS DEPOT, 31 Elkay Drive, Chester, New York 10918,
stocks numerous computer and printer parts.  Phone numbers:
914-469-4800 or 800-524-8338.  FAX [phone] or 800-331-4829.
WEB address http://www.megasoft.com/npd/

     Parts for these computers or printers are stocked:
ACER, APPLE, AST COMPUTER, AT&T, BROTHER, CANON, CIE AMERICA INC.,
CITIZEN, C.ITOH, C-TECH ELECTRONICS, COMPAQ, DATAPRODUCTS, DIGITAL,
EPSON, FUJITSU, GENICOM, HEWLETT PACKARD, IBM, LEXMARK, MINOLTA,
NEC, OKIDATA, OUTPUT TECHNOLOGY, PANASONIC, QMS, RICOH, SEIKOSHA,
SHARP, SILICON GRAPHICS COMPUTERS, STAR MICRONICS, TEXAS
INSTRUMENTS, AND TOSHIBA.



COMMODORE PRODUCTS SOURCE LIST

    Roger Long, disk librarian of the "Twin City Commodore Computer
Club", (TC-Cubed) of College Place, Washington, puts out a 26 page
resource list. This nationwide list includes dealers in hardware,
software and supplies, repair, on-line telecommunications services,
publications, and some user groups, updated yearly. It is available
in hard copy or on disk, from:
        Commodore Products Source List.
        Roger Long,
        320 NE C. St., Apt A
        College Place, Washington, 99324-2125.
    Enclose $2, and indicate whether you want hard copy or disk.
Anything over cost will be donated to "TC Cubed" user group. We
suggest sending more than $2 if you are able.
    Editor's note: I have a copy of this and if you want anything
in the Commodore world, this is the place to find it.

A Piece of STR$ - The editor recently discovered that the owner of
a building materials store in a nearby town keeps his records on a
C-64.  Imagine HOME DEPOT doing that?!#%&$.




        THE END OF THE LINE       Dick Headley

SOLD AGAIN - The final resting place for Commodore and Amiga.
     Hoppenheim, Germany and Chicago, Il, April 12, 1996:  ESCOM
AG, a German computer manufacturer and reseller, and Visual
Information Services Corp. (NASDAQ:VICP), a developer of
interactive TV (ITV) set-top-boxes to enhance television use and
viewing by providing Internet access and electronic communications
function, today jointly announced that a binding letter of
understanding has been signed between the companies.
     The letter states that Chicago-based VIScorp would aquire
Amiga Technologies, including the intellectual properties of the
former Commodore Business Machines, excepted Commodore trademarks.
The transaction value is approximately US $40 million.       Terms
were not disclosed, and the pending acquisition would be subject to
approval by both boards of directors.
     The article goes on to detail the intended use of these
Amiga-based properties for their set-top unit. They do state that
they will license the Amiga technology to other manufacturers for
use in new computer products but would not enter the computer
market themselves. Their sole interest is the set-top Internet
market.
     So we say "Good Bye" to Commodore and Amiga. But the memory
lingers on...
 Editor's note:   And so does Commodore with thousands of faithful
users.

 A Piece of STR$ - CMD announced that as of June 11, 1996, they
(CMD) will assume the Commodore Roundtable from GENIE.  So CMD
reaches out farther for Commodore users.



   RAMLINK NEWS                    Brian Vaughan

     Original owners of RAMLink received a manual which stated only
30 pin "x8" SIMMs could be used with it. CMD now confirms what the
latest manuals now state that the readily available 30 pin "x9"
SIMMs also can be used and can be mixed with the "x8" SIMMs of the
same capacity. I found low prices on SIMMs at First Source Int'l.,
1-800-860-9866. They are selling the 1x9, 1MB SIMM for $28 Ea., and
the 4x9, 4MB SIMM for $69 Ea. These SIMMs run at 70ns which is
faster than the 100ns minimum required by RAMLink. Their UPS
shipping charge is $6 on any order up to 3 pounds.