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Hays On-Line Jan'95
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Online1-95
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1983-05-04
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Online
Rob Hays
January 1995
To start off the New Year, we will take a look at several
different utilities available for downloading from your favorite
communications service.
AWS
The best place to start is the beginning, and that is the
process of booting your computer. If your Amiga takes more than
a few seconds to initialize itself, and you are tired of looking
at the standard copyright information that is displayed, check
out AWS. This freeware goody, written by Paul Hernik, displays a
colorful screen during the boot process. While there are almost
as many programs to display images during booting as there are
screen savers, this one adds the frill of system information.
This includes chipset and ram present, time and date, and
Kickstart version (figure 1). Options available include time
format, colors, and screen mode. This is a small archive, and the
19,200 bytes will transfer in about a minute and a half at
2400bps, and requires Workbench 2.0 or greater.
Heddley
More and more documentation is being provided in Amigaguide
format. This hypertext method provides for easy ways to move
about within a document, following ideas in a non-linear
fashion. The problem has been the production of these easy-to-
read documents. If you have ever looked at an Amigaguide document
with a regular text editor or reader, you may have thought you
wandered into a program listing. Heddley, from Edmund Dumbill,
(figure 2) eliminates the drudgery and problems inherent in
creating these documents by hand.
An Amigaguide file is actually a database of several
documents, with embedded buttons in the text allowing you to
move between documents. Now you can compose the individual
documents with your favorite word processor, then load them into
Heddley for conversion into the proper format. You can also edit
existing databases with Heddley. The program also features an
ARexx port, allowing for automated file conversions.
Heddley requires Kickstart 2.04 or higher, and is freeware
(although the author says he won't turn down payments to help
further development). The archive includes a script for
installation using Commodore's Installer utility, as well as
documentation and some sample ARexx scripts. At 2400bps, the
48,896 byte file can be yours in about four minutes.
PrtSc
How many times have you looked at the "*" key on the keypad
and wished that it did what the label on the front of the key
says it should do? In the MS-Dos world, pressing this key sends
whatever is showing on the screen to the printer. Jan Hagqvist
has written PrtSc to accomplish just that. Of course, since the
Amiga is more talented than your average clone, PrtSc allows you
to choose between several options (figure 3). For instance, you
can choose to print either the active screen, or the screen that
is currently in front. You can also choose to send the output to
a disk file instead of the printer.
PrtSc requires Dos 2.0 or higher and is shareware, with a
suggested fee of $3. The 13,568 byte archive includes the PrtSc
program, Amigaguide docs, and assembly source code, and should
tie up your phone line for about one minute.
UUxT
All computer programs and data files are composed of 8-bit
data. This includes a number of characters that cannot be
printed, either to paper or the screen. If you try, or
inadvertently interrupt a modem transfer, you will see lots of
strange characters filling your monitor screen, usually
accompanied with flashes and beeps, as the non-standard
characters are processed. Standard ASCII text is composed with 7
bits, which gives us the alphanumeric characters we are used to.
Where is this leading? Some message systems restrict users to
7-bit ASCII transfers, which normally would mean that programs
and data files are off limits. But where there is a will, there
is always a way. Enterprising programmers have developed ways to
translate 8-bit files into 7-bit ASCII, which can then be sent
through the message systems, just like normal text files. This
process is known as UUEncoding/decoding, and the UUxT program by
Asher Feldman is billed as "The Ultimate "UU" Utility for the
Amiga."
This package is actually three programs. UUxT, which does
the actual conversions, UUSplit, which can divide up large files
to conform with system-imposed size limitations, and UUxT-GUI,
which is the graphical frontend to control the programs (figure
4). To use it, double-click on the UUxT-GUI icon and, through
requesters, choose the files you wish to process, and the name
and destination of the processed file, then click on the "Start"
button. Program operations can also be controlled with command
line options via the shell. What does a UUEncoded file look like?
Following are the first two lines of Figure 1 after processing by
UUxT.
M1D]230``CJA)3$)-0DU(1````!0!@`'L``````0``0````$!`8`![$-!34<`X
M```$``"`!$--05````!@`````"(1`#,B`&95`(A5`)F(`*J(`-VJ``#,`%69]
In addition, UUxT can automatically compress or decompress
your files using LhA. UUxT will run on any Amiga, and the archive
includes an installation script that will copy the files required
by your version of the operating system. Documentation is in
Amigaguide format, and the 112,783 byte file takes about nine and
one half minutes to transfer. The UUxT package is shareware,
with a version that has some additional features and is ten times
faster, which will be sent to you in return for the requested $10
fee.
Sweet Cheater
Anyone who has gotten stuck while playing a game will
appreciate this file. Compiled by Keith Krellwitz, Sweet Cheater
2.5 (figure 5) contains over 800 hints, level codes, and outright
cheats. Games included range from A-Train to Z-Out, and most of
the information is listed as being verified. At 165,888 bytes,
the compressed file will take almost 14 minutes to download, but
may let you finally finish that game.
Amiga Report
While not strictly a utility, the Amiga Report (figure 6) is
something you should look for on your favorite system.
Distributed bi-weekly in Amigaguide format, this publication is
edited by Jason Compton. Usually running around 80,000 bytes
compressed, AR is chock full of the latest news in the Amiga
universe. Also included are reviews, and listings of popular FTP
sites for Internet users. A typical issue will take about six and
one half minutes to download.
Where to Look
The file AWS.LHA is in the AmigaUser section of CompuServe
(CIS), in the Amiga Zone libraries of Portal, an file #24042 in
the Starship libraries of GEnie. HEDDLY.LHA is also in AmigaUser
on CIS, Portal, and file #24045 on GEnie. PRTSC.LHA was found in
AmigaUser on CIS, Portal, and as file #24044 on GEnie. Version
3.0b of UUxT is listed as UUXT.LHA in AmigaUser on CIS,
UUXT30B.LHA on Portal, and file #23972 on GEnie. Sweet Cheater
2.5 is found in AmigaArts on CIS as CHEAT.LHA, on Portal as
SWCHEAT2.LHA, and on GEnie as file #23979. Amiga Report can be
found everywhere under various file names depending on the issue,
usually as ARxxx.LHA, where xxx is the issue number.
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Here are some more Amiga BBS systems that you might want to
check out:
NAME: The Gateway BBS
PHONE: (601) 374-2697
SPEEDS SUPPORTED: 2400-28,800 8-N-1
CONTACT: Stace Cunningham
stace@tecnet1.jcte.jcs.mil
NAME: Gates Systems
PHONE: (215) 755-6052
SPEEDS SUPPORTED: 1200-21,600
CONTACT: Mario Bonelli
Mario.Bonelli@f934.n273.z1.fidonet.org
NAME: The Janitor's Closet
PHONE: (206) 984-7670
SPEEDS SUPPORTED: up to 28,8000
HOURS: 24
CONTACT: Mark Hardouin
Where To Find Me
R.Hays5 on GEnie
RHAYS on Delphi
72764,2066 on CompuServe
Rob Hays on Portal
InterNet users, the quickest response will probably occur if
you use: R.HAYS5@GENIE.GEIS.COM
For U.S.Mail:
Rob Hays
P.O.Box 194
Bloomington, IN 47402
Please include a SASE if you need a personal reply.
If you run an Amiga specific BBS, send me the information
callers will need to access your system. Phone number(s), modem
speeds, software settings, etc. As a service to the Amiga
community I will include the information I receive in this column
from time to time. Send the info to any of my addresses above.
That's all for now. See you online!