Internet Info 1997 December/Internet_Info_CD-ROM_Walnut_Creek_December_1997.iso/faqs/alt/msdos/programmer/comp.os.msdos.programmer_FAQ_part_5_5

Internet Message Format | 1997-10-01 | 23KB

Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv
From: [e-mail] (Jeffrey Carlyle)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer,alt.msdos.programmer,comp.answers,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ part 5/5
Supersedes: <msdos-programmer-faq/[e-mail]>
Followup-To: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Date: 30 Sep 1997 09:50:12 GMT
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References: <msdos-programmer-faq/[e-mail]>
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jeffrey Carlyle)
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Summary: Frequently asked questions by DOS programmers with tested answers.
X-Last-Updated: 1997/08/04
Originator: [e-mail]
Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.os.msdos.programmer:92884 alt.msdos.programmer:39081 comp.answers:28272 alt.answers:29279 news.answers:113417

Archive-name: msdos-programmer-faq/part5
Comp-os-msdos-programmer-archive-name: dos-faq-pt5.txt
Posting-frequency: 28 days
Last-modified: 04 Aug 97

------------------------------

Subject: comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ part 5/5


 For more information about this FAQ list please see Part 1.


 FAQ        updates       can       be       found        at
 <http://www.premiernet.net/~carlyle>.


 This  is  part 5 of the frequently asked question list  for
 the newsgroup comp.os.msdos.programmer.

Part 5:
  Section 9.  Downloading
  Section 10. Vendors and products

------------------------------

Subject: comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ


 Comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ Version 1997.08


 Copyright  1997  by Jeffrey Carlyle. All  rights  reserved.
 This  article is not in the public domain, but  it  may  be
 redistributed  so long as this notice, the acknowledgments,
 and  the  information on obtaining the latest copy of  this
 list are retained and no fee is charged. The code fragments
 may be used freely; credit to the FAQ would be polite. This
 FAQ  is not to be included in any static archive (e.g.  CD-
 ROM  or  book);  however,  a pointer  to  the  FAQ  may  be
 included.

=============================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=============================
Part 1:
  Section 1.  General FAQ and Newsgroup Information
  Section 2.  General Reference
Part 2:
  Section 3.  Compile and Link
  Section 4.  Keyboard
Part 3:
  Section 5.  Disks and files
  Section 6.  Serial ports (COM ports)
Part 4:
  Section 7.  Other hardware questions and problems
  Section 8.  Other software questions and problems
Part 5:
  Section 9.  Downloading
  Section 10. Vendors and products

------------------------------

Subject: Section 9.  Downloading

<Q: 9.01> - How do I use ftp?
<Q: 9.02> - What are SimTel, Garbo, and Wustl?
<Q: 9.03>  - I have no ftp access.  How can I get files from
     the archives?
<Q: 9.04> - Can I get archives on CD-ROM?
<Q: 9.05> - Where do I find program <mumble>?
<Q: 9.06> - How can I check SimTel or Garbo before I post  a
     request for a program?
<Q: 9.07> - How do I download and decode a program I found?
<Q: 9.08> - Where is UUDECODE?
<Q: 9.09>  - Why do I get errors when extracting from a  ZIP
     file I downloaded?

------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.01> - How do I use ftp?
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 97 21:15:58 CST


 I  was much impressed with {The Whole Internet User's Guide
 and  Catalog}  by  Ed  Krol (O'Reilly & Associates,  second
 edition  ISBN 1-56592-063-5).  It gives lots of information
 on using ftp, email, Telnet, Archie, etc.  As a new user of
 ftp  (January  1993),  I  found  the  information  made  me
 productive  quickly.  (Disclosure:  Though I don't  believe
 it  has  biased my judgment, you should know that  O'Reilly
 sent me a free evaluation copy.)


 You  may also want to look at the "Anonymous FTP FAQ List".
 You can get it from:

 <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/ftp-
 list/faq>
 <ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/doc-net/ftp-list.zip>
 <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/info/ftp-
 list.zip>

 When  downloading a file by ftp, make sure you  have  write
 access to your working directory on your local machine, and
 that  your  disk has enough space to hold the files.   Also
 make  sure  that  if it's a ZIP file or other  binary  file
 type, you set the protocol to binary before downloading the
 file.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.02> - What are SimTel, Garbo, and Wustl?
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 97 21:15:43 CST


 These  are three of the most popular archive sites, with  a
 few  bazillion files available for free downloading by ftp.
 (For  email access, see <Q: 9.03> - "I have no ftp  access.
 How  can  I  get files from the archives?".)  Many  of  the
 files  are shareware and you're expected to send a  payment
 directly to the authors if you use them regularly.


 In   comp.archives.msdos.d,  Samuel  Ko  posts  a  two-part
 "Useful  MS-DOS  Programs  at  SIMTEL20  and  Garbo";  it's
 downloadable as:

 <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/info/useful34.zip
 >
 <ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/filelist/useful34.zip>
 <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-group/news.answers/msdos-
 archives/part*>

 For rtfm.mit.edu instructions, see <Q: 1.13> "Where are FAQ
 lists archived?"


 A  few  words about file names and versions: Many files  at
 the  archive  sites  are updated  from  time  to  time.   I
 verified  every filename in this FAQ as of 04 Aug  1997  by
 ftp to the named sites, or by consulting their index files.
 If  you  can't  find  a  file given in  these  articles  as
 mumble12.zip,   perhaps  there's  a  newer   version;   try
 mumble13.zip or mumble14.zip, or mumble*.zip  if  your  ftp
 program  supports wildcards (most do so).   Please  let  me
 know of any out-of-date file names.


 This  FAQ  should show both Garbo and SimTel directory  and
 file  names,  if  available, for every file  mentioned  for
 downloading.  If you see a listing for only one of them, it
 means  that  the file was not found at the other  site,  or
 that the other site's catalog shows an old version.


 Also  remember that caps and lower case filenames  are  not
 interchangeable at most archive sites.


 Other Archives:


 A   comprehensive   list  of  MS-DOS   archive   sites   is
 downloadable as:

 <ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/pd2/moder*.zip>
 <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/info/moder*.zip>

------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.03> - I have no ftp access.  How can I get
     files from the archives?


 First,  be  sure that you have no ftp access before  trying
 email methods.  (Ask your sysadmin, or a knowledgeable user
 at  your  site.) FTP is better for you because it's faster,
 and it uses less net resources too.


 When using an email server, make sure the Reply-to path  in
 your  message is valid.  If it's not, you'll get  no  reply
 from  the server. Do wait a few days before assuming you're
 not going to get a response; some servers have long pending
 queues.  After a suitable wait, get your sysadmin's help to
 correct your reply-to, and send your message again.


 Occasionally, a machine may go down for an extended  period
 which  may  prevent  a timely reply to  your  message.   If
 you're  sure your message bears a good reply path  and  you
 haven't  got a reply in a week or so, you might  send  your
 message  again,  once.  Don't post it as an  article  in  a
 newsgroup.


 For files from SimTel, see "How to order SIMTEL20 files via
 e-mail", posted monthly in comp.archives.msdos.announce; or
 send   email   containing   only   the   word   "help"   to
 [e-mail].  For instructions on using  Garbo's
 email server, send a request to Timo Salmi at [e-mail].


 The  DEC  Western Research Labs server will get files  from
 any ftp site by ftp and then email them to you.  Send email
 containing "help" to [e-mail].


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.04> - Can I get archives on CD-ROM?


 Copies   of   the  SimTel  MS-DOS,  Macintosh  and   Unix-C
 collections  (also  of  wuarchive, cica,  and  others)  are
 available from Walnut Creek CDROM, 1547 Palos Verdes, Suite
 260,  Walnut Creek, CA 94596-2228, telephone [phone]
 or  [phone], or FAX [phone],   or  email
 [e-mail].


 For   a   catalog  of  disks  available,  send   email   to
 [e-mail],  or ftp the catalog as /cdrom/catalog  from
 cdrom.com.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.05> - Where do I find program <mumble>?


 You  are asking about shareware, freeware, or public-domain
 programs,  right?   Commercial  software  is  not   legally
 distributed  through  the net, in  general.   (Occasionally
 vendors  will make patches available, but these are  useful
 only to upgrade software you already own.)


 That  said,  the  quickest way to find a  program  you  are
 looking  for is to use a WWW search utility such  as  DEC's
 AltaVista at <http://www.altavista.digital.com>.


 There  are  also  several newsgroups to  help  you  find  a
 program. Comp.binaries.ibm.pc.wanted is generally the  best
 place  to  ask your question.  Please review the guidelines
 in  <Q:  1.08> - "What other technical newsgroups should  I
 know about?"


 Download  and check the indexes from SimTel and Garbo  (see
 <Q:  9.06> - "How can I check SimTel or Garbo before I post
 a request for a program?").  Unless what you're looking for
 is commercial software, there's a good chance it will be at
 one  or  both of those sites.  The Archie servers  maintain
 directories of many (not all) ftp sites worldwide.  You can
 Telnet  to  a  server  or client to search  for  files,  or
 perform a search by email.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.06> - How can I check SimTel or Garbo before
     I post a request for a program?


 SimTel and Garbo have indexes of their contents, which  you
 can download and then search off line.


 Garbo's  index file, /pc/INDEX.ZIP, contains  an  annotated
 list,  often updated, of the MS-DOS files there.  The  news
 file  /pc/pd2/news-pd2 contains selected news on all MS-DOS
 directories at Garbo.


 SimTel's  index files, in /pub/msdos/filedocs, are  updated
 several times a month.  simlist.zip contains a list in text
 format.  But you may prefer the file simindex.zip, which is
 comma-delimited  for  easy use with  any  of  these  search
 facilities:


  -    Two downloadable search programs are simtel35.zip and
     simdir22.zip.


  -     dBASE  III  or  IV  users can load  the  index  from
     simindex.zi  p  using instructions  in  simibm.inf  and
     simibm.db3.


  -    PC-FILE users should get simibm.hdr, which tells how to
     use simibm.ibm.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.07> - How do I download and decode a program
     I found?


 See the "Starter kit" and "Beginner's guide to binaries" in
 comp.binaries.ibm.pc, usually posted on the first and  15th
 of  every  month.  Please wait for these articles  to  come
 around;  don't post a request. They can be downloaded  from
 <ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet-by-
 group/comp.binaries.ibm.pc/>.  The  file  names  are  quite
 long;  try  look  for names of the form  *starter.kit*  and
 *bin.man*.


 For rtfm.mit.edu instructions, see <Q: 1.13> "Where are FAQ
 lists archived?"


 Most  binaries  are  posted  and  sent  through  email   in
 'uuencode'  format.   The starter kit contains  a  uudecode
 program  to  turn  this file back into binary.   Since  the
 uuencoded  file  is  bigger than the  binary,  you'll  save
 connect  time if you can uudecode it and then download  the
 binary file.  Remember to set file type to binary.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.08> - Where is UUDECODE?


 You  can  find it at SimTel and Garbo, but it's  easier  to
 take  it  from the "starter kit" mentioned in the preceding
 question.  If  you're  logged in at a  Unix  site,  there's
 almost  certainly  a uudecode there: just  type  "uudecode"
 followed by a space and the file name.  The binary file  is
 25% smaller than the uuencoded file, so you'll save connect
 time  if  you  can uudecode it on the Unix  host  and  then
 download the binary file.  Remember: set file type binary.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 9.09> - Why do I get errors when extracting
     from a ZIP file I downloaded?


 There  are  many possible causes, but two of them  probably
 account for 95% of all problems.


     1)   File transmission: You must tell the archive site to
       transfer ZIP files in binary mode.  Depending on your
       software, you may also need to set your local software to
       receive files in binary mode.


     2)    Unzipping program: Make sure you aren't using  an
       obsolete version. Make sure you are using the latest version
       of the unzipping program used by the site you downloaded
       your file from.


------------------------------

Subject: Section 10.  Vendors and products

<Q: 10.01> - How can I contact Borland?
<Q: 10.02> - How can I contact Microsoft?
<Q: 10.03> - What's the current version of UNZIP?
<Q: 10.04> - What is the phone number for a vendor's BBS?
<Q: 10.05> - What is the current version of DJGPP?
<Q: 10.06> - What and where is DJGPP?
<Q: 10.07>   -   Are   there   any  good  shareware/freeware
     compilers?
<Q: 10.08> - Is the source code to MS-DOS available?

------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.01> - How can I contact Borland?
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 95 15:34:00 CDT


 Individual employees of Borland post here sometimes.  Their
 addresses all take the form [e-mail].


 On the Web:


  Borland  Online  at  <http://www.borland.com>  contains  a
  wealth of information about Borland software.


 Files from FTP:


  Patches,  examples,  and product  info  can  be  found  at
  <ftp://ftp.borland.com/pub>.


 Borland  has  setup a Borland C++ Newsletter  mailing  list
 (BCPP).


 To subscribe, send a mail message to:

  [e-mail]

 The  subject of the message is not needed.  The body of the
 message must look like the following:

  subscribe bcpp <your first name> <your last name>

 Email tech support is available only through Compuserve (GO
 BOR).


 Telephone  support  is  provided  through  separate   phone
 numbers  for  most  products.  If you're calling  from  the
 U.S.,  dial  (800)  841-8180 for a recorded  list  of  toll
 numbers to call.  Borland's BBS is at [phone].  The
 surface-mail  address  is  Technical  Support   Department,
 Borland  International, P.O. Box 660001, Scotts  Valley  CA
 95067-0001, USA.


 You'll  need  to  give your product's  name,  version,  and
 serial number.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.02> - How can I contact Microsoft?
Date: Wed, 09 Oct 95 15:34:00 CDT


 Microsoft  has stopped developing MS-DOS and  most  of  the
 programming information they now provide is focused more on
 Windows development instead of MS-DOS programming.


 Individual employees of Microsoft (not MicroSoft,  please!)
 post  here  sometimes.  Their addresses all take  the  form
 [e-mail]. However, Microsoft as a company  does
 not  answer  individual  questions via  email  through  the
 Internet.


 On the Web:


  Microsoft's Web server <http://www.microsoft.com> contains
  information on their products and allows users  to  search
  the Microsoft Knowledge Base.


 Via ftp:


  Microsoft's anonymous FTP server <ftp://ftp.microsoft.com>
  offers  a variety of information for developers. This  ftp
  server is run using Windows NT, so it supports both  UNIX-
  like    and    DOS-like    path   names.    For    example
  \SOFTLIB\INDEX.TXT and /SOFTLIB/INDEX.TXT are both  valid.
  Filenames are not case sensitive.


  These files in the root directoy may be of interest:

  index.txt   Information about FTP.MICROSOFT.COM
  dirmap.txt  List of all directories at FTP.MICROSOFT.COM
  ls-lr.zip   FTP.MICROSOFT.COM file list. Compressed  using
  PKZip Version 2.04g

 Information via U.S. Mail:


  Microsoft  Product Support is at 16011 NE  36th  Way,  Box
  97017, Redmond WA 98073-9717, USA.


  You  can  subscribe to the {Microsoft Developer  News}  by
  mailing a request to Microsoft Developer Network, P.O. Box
  51812,  Boulder  CO  80322-1812, U.S.A.   This  newsletter
  appears to be free.


 Via modem:


  On Compuserve, GO MICROSOFT; or call Microsoft's BBS at +1
  206 936-6735 in the U.S., or [phone] in Canada.


 Via voice telephone:


  If  you  want  to place an order or get general  pre-sales
  information,  call  the  appropriate  sales  and   service
  number:

  U.S. end-user sales                   [phone]
  U.S. corporate/gov't/reseller/
  educational sales            [phone]
  Canadian sales                        [phone]
  International sales                  [phone]

  For  tech  support you must make an ordinary long-distance
  phone  call. Microsoft has separate incoming phone numbers
  for  many  products. Since it's your nickel,  first  check
  your  documentation to see if a phone  number  is  listed.
  Here  are  phone  numbers (as of 1 June 1992)  for  a  few
  products of most interest to the readers of this group:

  C/C++               [phone]
  MASM                [phone]
  DOS  Upgrade  Users   [phone] (for  90  days  after
  first call)
  Windows Users       [phone]

  If  you  can't find the direct number any other way,  call
  the  "master"  numbers below or the sales  numbers  a  few
  paragraphs  above.  You'll get the "voice mail phone  tree
  from   h-ll"  but  you'll  eventually  get  to  the  right
  department.  They don't provide technical assistance,  but
  a  voice menu will help you find the current phone  number
  for the department you need.

  U.S. end-user product support         [phone]
  U.S. languages support                [phone]

------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.03> - What's the current version of UNZIP?
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 97 21:17:50 CST

 The current version of PKWare's PKZip is 2.04g.
 The current version of InfoZip's ZIP is 2.0.1.
 The current version of InfoZip's UNZIP is 5.12.

 The  primary  source of the free Info-ZIP  programs  is  at
 ftp.uu.net,    directory    /pub/archiving/zip;    or    at
 quest.jpl.nasa.gov, directory /pub.   Files  are  in  those
 directories or in subdirectories as shown below.   The  DOS
 executable for UNZIP is self extracting; all others require
 UNZIP 5.0, 5.1, 5.11 or 5.12:

  MSDOS/unzip512x.exe - DOS executable and doc, UNZIP 5.12
  unzip512.zip - source code for UNZIP 5.12, all platforms
  MSDOS/zip20x.zip  -  DOS exe and doc,  ZIP  without  crypt
  support
  zip201.zip - source code for ZIP 2.0, all platforms
  MSDOS/zcryp20x.zip  -  DOS exe and  doc,  ZIP  with  crypt
  support
  zcrypt21.zip - source code for ZIP crypt support
  WINDOWS/wunz20x.zip  - Windows 3.1 WIZUNZIP  2.0  exe  and
  help file
  WINDOWS/wunz20sr.zip - Windows 3.1 WIZUNZIP 2.0 source

 The    essential    files    are    also    available    at
 <ftp://ftp.coast.net/pub/msdos/zip>.


 PKZip  and  PKUNZIP are shareware products of  PKWARE  Inc.
 The  current version is 2.04g, which is the third  official
 version after 1.10. They are downloadable:

  From <http://www.pkware.com>
  From PKWare's bulletin board, [phone], or
  From <ftp://garbo.uwasa.fi/pc/arcers/pkz204g.exe>
  From
  <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/zip/pkz204g.exe>

 By  the way, if you want to develop your own utilities, you
 will  find  the  ZIP 2.0 data structures described  in  the
 downloadable file



 <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/zip/appnote.zip>


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.04> - What is the phone number for a
     vendor's BBS?


 Robert  Baker ([e-mail]) uploaded a list of  800
 bulletin-board support numbers operated by software vendors
 as    of    August    1993.    It   is   downloadable    as
 <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/bbslist/bbs_9308.
 zip>.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.05> - What is the current version of DJGPP?


 See <Q: 10.06> - What and where is DJGPP?


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.06> - What and where is DJGPP?


 DJGPP  is a 32-bit C/C++/Ada95 development environment  for
 the MS-DOS environment, based on the GNU tools.


 DJGPP can be retrieved from the following sites:

  <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp>
  <ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/gnu/djgpp>
  <ftp://archie.au/micros/pc/oak/vendors/djgpp>
  <ftp://ftp.ibp.fr/pub/pc/SimTel/vendors/djgpp>
  <ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/ofc>
  <http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/dl/ofc/>

 More  information  on DJGPP ca be found  in  the  following
 places:


 The DJGPP FAQ:

  <ftp://ftp.coast.net/SimTel/vendors/djgpp/faq*.zip>
  <ftp://oak.oakland.edu/SimTel/vendors/djgpp/faq*.zip>
  <ftp://archie.au/micros/pc/oak/vendors/djgpp/faq*.zip>
  <ftp://ftp.ibp.fr/pub/pc/SimTel/vendors/djgpp/faq*.zip>
  <ftp://ftp.delorie.com/pub/djgpp/ofc/faq*.zip>
  <http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/faq/>

 WWW Home Page:

  <http://www.delorie.com/djgpp/>

 Newsgroup: (preferred over the mailing list)

  <news:comp.os.msdos.djgpp>

 Mailing lists:


  Two DJGPP mailing lists have been setup. djgpp-announce is
  for announcements relating to DJGPP, and djgpp is a mirror
  of the comp.os.msdos.djgpp newsgroup.


  To     subscribe,    send    a    mail     message     to:
  <mailto:[e-mail]>


  The subject should either be "subscribe djgpp-announce" or
  "subscribe djgpp" depending on which mailing list you  are
  subscribing to.


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.07> - Are there any good shareware/freeware
     compilers?


 There  are several shareware/freeware compilers for MS-DOS,
 here are just a couple.


 DJGPP


  See <Q: 10.06> - What and where is DJGPP?


 Magic Assembler


  Magic  Assembler  is  a  small  easy-to-use  x86  assembly
  language  compiler. It can produce .COM files as  well  as
  boot  sector programs. It can also print the source  using
  the correct addresses. (Public Domain)


  <ftp://ftp.simtel.net/pub/simtelnet/msdos/asmutl/asm110.zi
  p>


------------------------------

Subject: <Q: 10.08> - Is the source code to MS-DOS
     available?
Date: Sun, 03 Aug 97 21:23:56 CST

 No;  however,  source  code  to  the  Free-DOS  project  is
 available at <http://www.freedos.org>.


------------------------------

Subject: End

 (FAQ       updates       can       be       found        at
 <http://www.premiernet.net/~carlyle>.)
 (End  of comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ Version 1997.08  Part
 5/5)
 (This text is copyright 1997 by Jeffrey Carlyle. All rights
 reserved.)



// Jeffrey Carlyle, Bowling Green, Kentucy USA
//
// comp.os.msdos.programmer FAQ maintainer
// <http://www.premiernet.net/~carlyle>