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1987-08-09
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Volume 4, Number 30 10 August 1987
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
| _ |
| / \ |
| /|oo \ |
| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
| _`@/_ \ _ |
| International | | \ \\ |
| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
| (jm) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
Editor in Chief: Thom Henderson
Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
node 1:1/1.
Copyright 1987 by the International FidoNet Association. All
rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067.
One Week to FidoCon!
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
Latest FidoCon Agenda .................................... 1
New stuff from SEA: SEAdog 4.1 .......................... 4
Hotline! (3) ............................................. 6
MegaList: A Cross-System File Listing .................... 8
Tandy Users SIG Newsletter - AUG87 ....................... 9
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 13
The Regular Irregular Column ............................. 13
3. FOR SALE ................................................. 18
ALR 386/2 Special Offer To Fidonet Sysops ................ 18
The UNDER-C (tm) Library ................................. 19
4. NOTICES .................................................. 20
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 20
Special notice for FidoCon goers ......................... 20
Latest Software Versions ................................. 20
International FidoNet Conference Registration Form ....... 22
IFNA Board of Directors Ballot ........................... 23
FidoNews 4-30 Page 1 10 Aug 1987
=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
August 20th to 23rd
Alexandria, Virginia
I. Thursday Night
A. 1500 Registration
B. 1900 Welcome party
- Cash bar
- Free hors-douvers
C. 2100 Deadline for IFNA Board of Directors votes
II. Friday Morning
A. 0900 Opening ceremonies
- Ken Kaplan
Executive Director of IFNA
- Thom Henderson
Editor of FidoNews
- New Board of Directors introduced
Bob Morris
Chairman of Nominations and Elections Committee
B. 1000 Report from the FidoNet Technical Standards Committee
- Ryugen Fisher
Chairman of the FTSC
- Ben Baker
International Technical Coordinator
- Thom Henderson
- Bob Hartman
C. 1100 High speed modems
- Bob Hartman
Chairman of the 9600 baud subcommittee
- Ray Gwinn
- Gee Wong
III. Break for lunch
IV. Friday Afternoon - Technical Track
A. 1330 Fido Version 12
- Tom Jennings
President of Fido Software
B. 1430 Opus
- Vince Perriello
President of VEP Software
C. 1530 TBBS
- Phil Becker
President of eSoft
D. 1630 Dutchie
- Henk Wevers
Representing the Holland Computer Club
V. Friday Afternoon - Legal Track
A. 1330 Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks
FidoNews 4-30 Page 2 10 Aug 1987
- Tom Marshall, Esq.
President of TMMnet
B. 1430 Amateur and Commercial Electronic Mail
- Mike Cavanaugh
Executive Director
Electronic Mail Association
C. 1530 Legal Aspects of Electronic Mail
- Philip M. Walker
Vice President and Regulatory Council
Telenet Communications Corporation
D. 1630 Legal Issues Arising for BBS Sysops
- Rees Morrison
Sysop, Author, and member of the Bar
- Jonathan Wallace
Sysop of Compuserve Law SIG
VI. Banquet
A. 1930 Dinner
B. 2030 Speaker
- George Bond
Senior Executive Editor
Byte Information Exchange (BIX)
VII. Saturday Morning
A. 0900 FidoNet in North America
- Ben Baker
Zone 1 Coordinator
B. 1000 FidoNet in Europe
- Henk Wevers
Zone 2 Coordinator
C. 1100 FidoNet on the MacIntosh
- Michael Connick
Author of "The Mouse Exchange"
III. Luncheon
A. 1200 Lunch
B. 1300 Speaker
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
(to be announced)
IX. Saturday Afternoon
A. 1330 Routing
- Ben Baker
B. 1430 Extended Addressing: Zones and Points
- Thom Henderson
- Henk Wevers
C. 1530 Future Directions for EchoMail
- Bob Hartman
- Phil Becker
- Gee Wong
- Thom Henderson
D. 1630 The FidoNet<=>UseNet Gateway
- Tom Pozar
Sysop at KLOK FM in San Francisco
X. Sunday
FidoNews 4-30 Page 3 10 Aug 1987
A. 1000 IFNA Board of Directors meeting
- Open to all IFNA members
Pre-registration required
- Breakfast will be served
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 4 10 Aug 1987
System Enhancement Associates, 107/6
* New Release *
SEAdog version 4.1
System Enhancement Associates will soon be releasing version 4.1
of the popular SEAdog network mail system. The primary impetus
behind SEAdog v4.1 was, of course, the large node list compil-
ation bug, which has now been fixed. But while we were at it, we
enhanced the SEAdog mail system in several ways:
* SEAlink with Overdrive; If you have a 9600 baud modem, you'll
appreciate this. SEAlink's new Overdrive is especially
geared to accomodate high speed half duplex modems, and is
capable of coming within 4% of the theoretical maximum
thoughput.
* More than seventeen alternate message areas; If you are an
echomail junkey, then you're gonna love this! SEAdog 4.1 can
handle MANY more alternate message areas than ANY other
system! It's been demonstrated to reliably handle over FIVE
HUNDRED message areas!
* Open architecture script facility; It is now possible for
third party vendors to supply any desired type of script
driver to suit any need.
* Passworded file request areas; Have some files you want to be
able to request, but you don't want anyone else to get? Now
you can protect them!
* Passworded mail pickups; Worried about hackers stealing mail
that you hold for pickup? Your worries are over!
* Magic filenames; You can now define special filenames (like
INFO for D:\FILES\GENERAL\MYSYSTEM.DOC) to simplify and
standardize file requests.
* New routing commands; To support script drivers and password
protection. Also including the new DON'T command to override
SEAdog default routing.
* LAN and multitasker support; The SEAdog mailer now uses
record locking to prevent collisions, and also releases time
slices under DoubleDOS or DESQview for enhanced system
performance. The MAIL interface is now DESQview aware, and
can be windowed without conflicts or bleed-through.
* Extended options; A separate utility is available to give you
more control over screen handling, default attributes in
alternate message areas, and more!
FidoNews 4-30 Page 5 10 Aug 1987
SPECIAL UPGRADE OFFER FOR FIDONET SYSOPS:
If you now have a copy of SEAdog version 4.0 which is in use on
FidoNet, we will upgrade you to version 4.1 at NO CHARGE! Take
your SEAdog distribution disk (the green disk with our label on
it), write your name and network address on the label, mail it
back to us with a self-addressed disk mailer (or at least a self-
addressed sticky label), and we will mail you a SEAdog 4.1 disk
free of charge. (Upgrades from earlier versions still require a
new manual, and hence still cost $35.) Mail it to:
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
21 New Street, Wayne, NJ 07470
If you are attending the FidoNet Conference in Alexandria, then
bring your disk up to our hospitality suite and we'll upgrade you
on the spot!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 6 10 Aug 1987
Hotline! (3)
(c) 1987
James Zachary
Every now and again, a caller to the water and wastewater
department will ask about issues of national concern.
RING!
Southeast Plant, this is Zack.
"I am taking a survey for my organization. Do you have time to
answer a few questions?"
Ma'am, this is a sewage plant...
"You are a taxpayer and a voter aren't you?"
Yes Ma'am, but ...
"This will only take a few moments. Do you think prophylactics
should be on television?"
Say what?
"Prophylactics... condoms... they are..."
I KNOW what they are lady.
"Should they be on your TV?"
What good would they do on my TV? It never leaves the house...
"DO YOU FAVOR ADVERTISING THEM ON TV!?"
I could care less.
"WELL, YOU BETTER CARE! THERE IS AN AIDS EPIDEMIC GOING ON AND
THE PUBLIC IS BASICALLY IGNORANT!"
You seem to be a living testament to that...
"Would advertising them on TV offend you?"
After 14 years in sewage, nothing much does offends me.
"Now, as a viewer of TV, what names would you find the least
offensive?"
Trojan.
"I mean what descriptive name? Condoms ...? Prophylactics...?"
Call them rubbers. I don't much care.
FidoNews 4-30 Page 7 10 Aug 1987
"That's a bit crude don't you think?"
Here at work, we call them whitefish or bottlebass ...
"What do mean 'at work'...? You wear them at work?"
No ma'am. Remember that this is a sewage plant and that
anything considered disposable usually winds up being flushed
down the commode. Everyday we get a few thousand of them
buggers floating in the clarifiers and filters. You seem like
you are preparing to lobby for having them advertised on TV, so
maybe you can give me a break and tell people to quit flushing
them.
"What harm does flushing them do?"
Ma'am, they plug the sewer pipes and everything else. I
remember one of the many times that I had to pull a plugged
pump. You can never see what is in that mass of goo stuck in
the pump impeller, so you just have to reach in and grab hold of
it all. Well, some bozo had flushed one of those 'exciter'
types...
"What type is that?"
... the kind with antlers. I mean to tell ya, it scared the
hell outta me when I latched onto that thing! It was wiggling
like it was alive! For a moment, I thought I had an octopus by
the ears...
"Uhhh... you mean... there is more than one type?"
Oh yes Ma'am! Should be interesting to see all of the marketing
approaches they will use on TV. Should also be REAL educational
for the "ignorant public" that you are so worried about. We used
to keep a bulletin board filled with all of the different sizes,
models and colors...
"You are kidding of course..."
Oh, no Ma'am! We fished out all of the novelty items and tacked
them up for display. My favorite was one that had the American
Flag on it.
"The Flag? Just where did they put The Flag?"
About half-staff...
CLICK!
Hmmmmm. She must have dropped the phone while saluting...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 8 10 Aug 1987
Chris Irwin
Miami Shareware, 135/68
Submitted By 107/246
MegaList
A Cross-System File Listing
YOU can easily join!
I was in one of my more creative moods the other day; I've
finally written a system that I've wanted to for quite some time
now: MegaList. The "MegaList" is an alphabetized file listing
that combines the files from ALL PARTICIPATING Fido/Opus systems.
If you've ever needed a file, but didn't know where to find it,
the MegaList is a good place to look; scan down the list for the
file you need, and listed next to it are the BBSs that have it
online.
The MegaList is available for download or SEAdog file request
from 135/68. The following files are online now:
MEGALIST.ARC/TXT The National (unfiltered) MegaList
MEGA-ARC.ARC/TXT The National ARChive MegaList
MEGA-TXT.ARC/TXT The National TXT/DOC MegaList
ML-UPD.ARC MegaList Update Software
YOUR system can be added to the NATIONAL MegaList if you simply
run the update program, ML-UPD. This program will create an
update file based on YOUR system information and FILES.BBS
contents. This data is then ARCed and Net-mailed to 135/68 for
central collection. The NATIONAL MegaList is updated each day at
6:15AM and posted for download or file request.
Placing your system in the MegaList will let the rest of the
world know what's on your system without everyone having to call
and look. The ML-UPD program is easy and only takes about 1-2
minutes to run. All you must do is send a MegaList update to
Miami at least once every 45 days, and you will be in the daily
MegaList update.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 9 10 Aug 1987
Bill Crawford
OpusNODE 1:362/1.0
Chattanooga, TN (615) 892-7773
TRSDOS 6 EXPIRATION DATE
Model 4 owners discovered some time ago that the way
TRSDOS 6.2 was written, the date function would not accept any
year beyond 1987. We said at the time that something would be
done about it before that "expiration date."
Logical Systems has announced an upgrade which extends
that date to 1999. You'll also be able to obtain an upgrade
(Ver. 6.3) from your local Radio Shack store later this month.
The new version also includes speed enhancements and automatic
time stamping capability. There will be a charge of $39.95 for
the package. Ask for Cat. No. 700-2297.
The year 1999 is not an arbitrary limitation. Due to the
way the operating system is written, going beyond that
numerical value will require some "non-trivial" re-
programming, an issue which will be addressed at a later time.
MODEL 6000 XENIX
While we're on the subject of operating systems, I've
received a couple of questions from Linda Hapner, Editor of
"T-BUG".
First, Linda questions the rumor that the Tandy 6000 will
be discontinued this year. Not true, Linda. You'll see the
6000 in our 1988 catalog which will be distributed this Fall.
The second rumor is about a new version of Xenix for the
6000. That one's true. It's currently in test. Any of you who
know anything about software understand that it's risky to
quote availability dates until the testing procedure is
complete, but our best current estimate is late third quarter.
From what I hear, it will be worth the wait. Xenix 3.2
will include speed enhancements, support for console graphics
and the 20Mb, 8-inch disk cartridge system. I don't want to
spoil your very pleasant surprises by listing all the
enhancements here, but a couple of others include an automatic
re-boot in case of power failure, and the ability to do an
automatic daily adjustment of the clock, for those who
predictably loose (or gain) time each day.
MS-DOS
There are frequent questions about MS-DOS, since it
operates on several of our computers which have different
capabilities. It could be said that all versions of that
system are not necessarily just alike.
The Tandy 3000 family's MS-DOS 3.2 (current Ver. 3.20.02
with BIOS Ver. 1.02), for example, includes partitioning of
the over-32Mb hard disks. (MS-DOS supports only 32 Mb of
storage per disk.) I understand IBM didn't do partitioning
until their version 3.3.
We will have a new version soon. Ver. 3.20.03 (with BIOS
Ver. 1.03) will include some minor fixes, more hard disk
support added to the table, and 3.5-inch 1.44Mb floppy
support, for the 1.44Mb drives I told you last month were
coming. MS-DOS 3.3 is scheduled around the end of this year.
FYI - The Tandy 3000 and 3000 HL use the same OS, but BIOS
ROMs are NOT interchangeable between the two systems.
FidoNews 4-30 Page 10 10 Aug 1987
There will be a similar new version for the 1000 SX also.
Remember that although MS-DOS supplied for the Tandy 3000 and
3000 HL may run on the 1000, our release versions for the two
are different. The BASIC language supplied for the 3000 does
not support the 1000 family's enhanced graphics and sound
capabilities.
In case you want to be sure your own system is up-to-
date, the current versions of MS-DOS for the 1000 family are
2.11.25 (BIOS 1.02) for the EX, and 3.20.00 (BIOS 1.02) for
the SX. The original Tandy 1000 uses MS-DOS 2.11.25 or
3.20.00, with BIOS Ver. 1.01. The Tandy 2000 current version
is 2.11.03, and is not expected to change. MS-DOS for the
Tandy 1200, is version 2.11.41.
OS-9
Lest I be accused of leaving out the Color Computer, the
current version of OS-9 for the CoCo 2 is LV. I, Ver. 2.00.00,
and for the CoCo 3 it's Lv. II, Ver. 2.00.01. There are no
anticipated new versions of either coming this year. CoCo 3
owners will be happy to hear, however, that the Lv. II
development system is expected to be available in the next 60
days.
OTHER COCO MATTERS
I received a letter from a concerned CoCo owner recently.
He actually wrote to a magazine, and they forwarded it to me.
The letter said that local computer departments had
"shuffled" the CoCo to the back of the department and appeared
to be placing all the emphasis on MS-DOS. He feared that this
signaled the end of his favorite personal computer.
Our terminology "computer department" refers to the
computer section or "Plus Computer Center" within a Radio
Shack consumer store. If he's seeing the CoCo shuffled in
those locations, something is wrong. Our merchandising plan
for all consumer stores calls for the Color Computer to be
just about the first item you find in the front of every
store. That hasn't changed.
In my reply, I told the writer that the CoCo is one of
those products that refuses to die... or even slow down. The
heaviest sales, as you might expect, occur in the Christmas
quarter of the year. But every year, we sell more units than
the previous year. Last October - December, according to
InfoCorp, a Cupertino, California research firm, Tandy's share
of the PC-compatible unit sales though retail channels was a
staggering 41%! (The second place brand was Epson with 14%.)
But you know what?? We still sold more Color Computers than
MS-DOS machines.
The end of a computer's lifespan is almost exclusively up
to you, the consumer. When you stop buying them, it's a pretty
clear signal that the end has come. Until then, I told our
friend, I don't think CoCo enthusiasts have much to worry
about.
80386
No, I'm not going to tell you about a new Tandy 80386
machine just now. What I am going to tell you, is that Intel's
"Inboard 386" board (for 80286 computers) has been certified
to run on our Tandy 3000 family. The 3000 and 3000 HL are two
of the very few machines which have been certified. This
FidoNews 4-30 Page 11 10 Aug 1987
board will be available through Express Order.
PRICES REDUCED
Good news! Effective July 1, the prices on our 20 and
40Mb internal hard disk kits are being substantially reduced.
The 20Mb kit is reduced from $799 to $599, and the 40Mb drops
from $1,799 to $1,399.
Also on July 1, the CM-11 monitor was reduced from
$459.95 to $399.95, and the T-1000 256K memory kit dropped
from $99.95 to $79.95.
GRAPHICS MATTERS
We really think two features of IBM's April 2
announcement are outstanding. We like the 3.5-inch disk format,
and the new VGA graphics. You know we were already offering
3.5-inch disks as an option.
VGA graphics offer the promise of greatly improved
graphics at reduced cost. We're already seeing third-party
prototype boards. Will Tandy offer them? Yes. We're currently
sourcing monitors, and we expect to be able to offer monitors,
and boards soon... surely by the time any software is
available to take advantage of them.
Will we incorporate VGA into future products? You won't
see them in our next generation, but down the road... who
knows. You may see VGA, or even something better, with VGA as
a subset.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
I still get several calls each week... "Will Tandy clone
the PS/2 line?" There's enough smoke in that area that it's
difficult to identify the real issues. There are a lot of
industry press reports confirming my earlier statements about
the questionable immediate advantage to those systems.
Despite all the claims of wide PS/2 acceptance, PC
Magazine surveyed a number of large corporate customers. Based
on their findings, PC editors told a recent industry gathering
in Dallas, Texas, "There will be far fewer PS/2 computers sold
than anyone in this room thinks will be sold."
An InfoWorld reporter told me this week that they ran a
similar survey, with almost identical results... it's a "wait
(on OS/2) and see" attitude.
Byte Magazine's computer laboratory has been examining
the operating speed of the PS/2 systems and trying to
determine what portion of the increased speed can be
attributed to the bus, disk caching, and zero wait state. As
of last month, they had not been able to accurately break it
down. Theirs isn't the first such report I've heard.
Aside from the PS/2 features we believe are winners, we
have no plans to clone the systems or even other system
features, until or unless the market tells us we should. After
all, customers who need OS/ 2's capabilities have the option
of running it on PS/2 or existing 80286 computers, including
the Tandy 3000 family. On May 27, at a press reception in New
York City, we demonstrated OS/2 running on the 3000 HL.
At the reception, Tandy Chairman John V. Roach and R&D
Vice President Dr. John Patterson discussed Tandy's view of
"post-April 2 compatibility". We believe the important
compatibility is software. Hardware compatibility, beyond the
ability to use existing expansion boards, is no longer a real
FidoNews 4-30 Page 12 10 Aug 1987
issue. IBM put it to rest by adding two new system families
(the Model 30 and the Models 50, 60, and 80) which aren't
compatible with the existing PC/XT/AT standards.
If you accept that premise, then the door is open to some
real hardware innovation by a number of capable industry
players. We intend to take advantage of the opportunity.
Tandy development efforts are being concentrated in
several areas. We want to offer the best value in computers.
We believe customers should be able to configure their systems
the way they want them, rather than specific manufacturer-
selected configurations. And finally, we're involved heavily
in trying to make computers easy to use... even for those
folks who today refuse to touch one. In fact, that's a major
objective of our in-house software team. Stay tuned...
Material contained herein may be reproduced in whole or
in part in user group newsletters. Please quote source as
Tandy Corporation/Radio Shack.
Send questions/suggestions to:
Ed Juge, director of market planning
Radio Shack
1700 One Tandy Center
Fort Worth, TX 76102
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 13 10 Aug 1987
=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================
-- The Regular Irregular Column --
Dale Lovell
1:157/504.1
Now that I've become used to WordPerfect, I can actually
start learning more about it. My only regret is that it doesn't
use the mouse, of course it does some things easier without the
mouse than Word does with the mouse (almost requires the mouse to
be more honest). I'm getting ready to attend the FidoCon in
August, it's going to be nice to actually see some of the people
whose messages I've been reading (or programs I've been using)
for over a year. But enough on that, last week I mentioned that
I'd do a quick look at the WordPerfect Library (which is actually
a very nice set of programs even if you don't have WordPerfect).
-- The WordPerfect Library (WordPerfect Corp., $99.95) --
As I mentioned above the WordPerfect Library is not only for
WordPerfect users, most of the programs can be used by themselves
or as memory resident utilities or TSRs. Included in the library
is an appointment calendar, a notebook/database, a calculator, an
ascii text editor, the Wordperfect macro editor, a DOS shell, and
game (nothing fantastic, just something cute and stupid). While I
am by no means a fan of most of the DOS shells out there, I can
see how this one could be a lot of help to many people. It is a
simple menuing system and while your typical new user probably
wouldn't be able to set it up (unless they're only using the
library programs, WordPerfect and PlanPerfect), the dealer it's
purchased from should be able to set it up for them. It took me
awhile to figure out how to set up sub-menus, but once I found
the section in the manual it was simple. The only drawback I can
see is the lack of any password protection in the shell.
I've found the appointment calendar moderately useful. It
contains a daily memo area, a "things to do" list, and a straight
appointment list. All of these are kept for each day and the
upper left section of the display is dedicated to a graphic
picture of a monthly calendar with tags for each of the three
functions in the appointment calendar. For the daily appointment
you can set it up to give you an audible alarm (you can control
how long it advance and how often it repeat). It's capable of
printing out several different reports (or at least the same
report just looking different), and the date and time format
control will look very familiar if you use WordPerfect. I've been
trying to avoid using it, as when I forget about an appointment
it's usually because I WANT to forget it. For those of you are
more conscientious than I am, you may find this part of the
Library to be very useful.
The Notebook is actually a small database. You can set up
the database to contain any information you're often using. You
can switch between two different views, a list view and a
FidoNews 4-30 Page 14 10 Aug 1987
notecard style view. It's intended to be kept in the list view
(showing all the names and phone numbers in the sample file) and
when you add or edit a record it switches into the full screen
view. All you have to do in order to see the full record is move
a highlight bar to the record you're interested in and press
return. If you have a modem attached to your machine, the
Notebook can also dial the phone numbers for you. Someone of you
may be saying "But SideKick already does all of this." Well, the
biggest difference is that using the Library and WordPerfect, all
the keys stay the same. F7 always means quit, you no longer have
to remember different keystrokes that do the same thing in
different programs. All your programs use almost identical
keystrokes (not much sense having a graph key in an appointment
calendar). Besides, SideKick doesn't give you a DOS Shell.
Another feature of the Notebook is that it keeps it's
records in the WordPerfect merge format. If you're using the
notebook to manage a mailing list of some sort, you can use the
notebook files when you create a form letter with WordPerfect.
I've already used the notebook to help me create a form letter. I
merely wrote up the letter in WordPerfect incorporating the merge
codes that are used when I actually have it print the form
letter, brought up the notebook and created a one shot file with
all the names and such in it, went back to WordPerfect and loaded
the merge file (that was just created in the notebook) and had it
print my finalized forms. A friend of mine who works at a local
hospital, and bought WordPerfect at the same time as I did, uses
the notebook to maintain a list of doctors at the hospital. Every
Monday he has to send out a weekly report of some kind, that
contains information on where the physician hasn't been up to
par. Since all of that is in the notebook, he's been able to get
his secretary to manage the notebook records. Now every Monday
morning the secretary merely brings up WordPerfect and loads the
notebook file from the past week and the standardized report. She
calls up a macro and the machine proceeds to print out several
dozen reports. In the past this took the secretary most of the
morning, going over the notes on the doctors and manually typing
up several dozen reports. Now she's done in a few minutes. Things
like this have made a big difference for many people and the
easier it becomes, the more time they can spend doing real work
instead of going through rote procedures that just take a lot of
man hours.
The calculator is one of the best I've ever come across. It
is actually several different calculator programs built into one.
For people like me there's a programmer's calculator; also built
in is a financial calculator, a statistical calculator and a
scientific calculator. You can switch between the several
different calculators by hitting a few switches. It maintains a
"tape" of all it's work on the screen. If the screen isn't large
enough you can have it generate a physical tape by sending
everything to your printer. The programmer's calculator has all
of my favorite functions and number bases. I've found it very
useful while entering code with their program editor. Whenever
I'm trying to determine the correct values for some of the
numbers (I've been playing with my assembler recently), I call it
FidoNews 4-30 Page 15 10 Aug 1987
up with a few keystrokes. While I do have a very nice Casio
programmer's calculator, I've found the WordPerfect Library
calculator to be a lot handier at times.
The program editor is supposed to be the same editor used at
WordPerfect. While I take this statement with a grain of salt
(I've known too many programmers who are fanatical about text
editors), I will concede that it is a good editor. Once again we
find the key strokes continuing over across the product line. I'm
quickly becoming accustomed to having everything use the same
function key combinations for similar tasks. The editor itself is
almost a very cut-down WordPerfect. You don't have any of the
fancy formatting, spell checkers or a thesaurus; but it does work
fairly quick (it does take it a few seconds to go from one end of
the 132 column nodelist to the opposite end) and has only one
drawback in my eyes. I haven't been able to discover any one key
line delete function including the carriage return/linefeed. I've
only been able to get it to delete to end of line (from the
beginning of a line) and then delete the CR/LF combination. I
wrote a quick macro to help get around this and everything has
been fine since, but I would have preferred it to be built into
the editor. The program editor has the same sophisticated macros
that WordPerfect does, and the Macro Editor is capable of editing
the macros from the program editor just as easily as it works
with the WordPerfect macros. While it doesn't do windows as
easily as I've heard Brief does, it does allow me to work with
two files at the same time and I've found that to be sufficient.
The macro editor is the reason most WordPerfect user's buy
the Library. While I have to agree that it should be packaged
with WordPerfect instead of a separate product, I've got both so
I'm not complaining. If you're using WordPerfect macros, you
should definitely get the Library for the macro editor. When I
first created the macro I use for the end of this column, I went
crazy trying to get everything as close to perfect on the first
try. I eventually ended up with several macros linked together to
correct the mistakes. After I looked at the library, I was able
to correct the original macro (and get rid of the patched macros)
in minutes. Instead of having to re-key the entire macro, or link
several macros together as I did, you can go in and correct or
expand on your original macro. If you're using WordPerfect in a
business environment, it would make it unnecessary to re-do a
complicated macro whenever something in it changed.
Some of you reading this won't understand how useful this
can be, but bear with me for another moment. Imagine if you were
able to go through your usual log-on procedure on a bulletin
board merely by typing in everything once with your communications
package. Every time after that you would merely press an Alt key
and a letter and your communications program would automatically
check for any new uploaded files or mail in the several different
areas. This is one of the things a macro can do for you. But
wait, the sysop has added a new menu into the early parts of the
board. Your macro doesn't work any more. If you don't have a
means of editing the macro, you'll have to go through the entire
log-on procedure being careful not to make any mistakes (or else
FidoNews 4-30 Page 16 10 Aug 1987
every time you use it, it will go through and re-do your mistake).
The ability to edit the existing macro will make your life a lot
easier as you don't have to go through any long procedures to
adjust or change something. While this is a little bit better
explanation of a macro than I gave last week, it's still a little
weak. I've heard of people having macros that do everything short
of wash the windows when doing certain types of form letters. A
change in the data format doesn't spell the end of a macro, it
can still be modified to work under the new system.
While I'd be the first to agree that the Library isn't for
everyone, it can fill several niches not really supported under
Sidekick or most of the other TSRs. Under the DOS shell you can
make all of WordPerfect Corp's programs memory resident, and I
may start using the shell to keep the program editor resident
while working on some programs (I prefer it to SideKick's
editor). All I should have to do is save the program every time
before I recompile it (keeping the editor loaded with the code),
some of my programs are beginning to take a significant amount of
time to load and this should save me some time. Since I can also
keep the calculator resident (and using the programmer's
functions), it should turn out to be very useful when combined
with a few macros to make things even easier. If you're currently
using SideKick and are happy with it, don't worry about the
WordPerfect Library. If you don't have SideKick or are having too
many problems with it, take a look at the WordPerfect Library as
it may be what you've been trying to find. If you're currently
using WordPerfect, run out and get it as soon as possible (and I
mean run, not walk).
-- Winding Down... --
For many of you, DeskTop Publishing is only a phrase. You
may not have any substantial thoughts on what it means or how it
works. All you know is that it's quickly becoming the catchword
of 1987. Even if you do know a little about it, "The Art of
Desktop Publishing" by Tony Bove, Cheryl Rhodes and Wes Thomas
(Bantam Computer Books, $19.95) can help explain a lot about
what's currently available. The Art of DP explains many of the
basic concepts of DeskTop Publishing and how you can use the
technology. If you haven't started looking into the products
available it goes into an explanation of the advantages and
disadvantages of many of the different products currently
available. My only complaint is that I find it to oriented
towards the Macintosh, and not enough attention is paid to the
IBM PCs and compatibles. This is understandable because until
recently there wasn't much in the way of professional quality
DeskTop Publishing programs and tools. For those of you more
experienced in DeskTop Publishing, there are sections covering
layout and design of various types of publications. Unless you
know almost everything there is to know about DeskTop Publishing,
you should find a few useful items in this book and for the less
experienced it provides a good introduction.
As always, I'd enjoy hearing from you. Down below you'll
find my US Mail, FidoNet and uucp address. Those of you sending
FidoNews 4-30 Page 17 10 Aug 1987
mail through FidoNet should mention to your sysop that mail to me
must be routed through 157/0 (157/1) because I'm a private node.
Dale Lovell
3266 Vezber Drive
Seven Hills, OH 44131
FidoNet 1:157/504.1
uucp:
decvax\
>!cwruecmp!hal\
cbosgd/ \
>!ncoast
ames\ /
talcott \ /
>!necntc/
harvard /
sri-nic/
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 18 10 Aug 1987
=================================================================
FOR SALE
=================================================================
John Hamilton, IFNA 143/8
About six months ago, I said self, when will someone sell a '386
"clone" base system unit for $1600? Well, this has nearly been
realized if you are listed in the nodelist! If you are
interested, call the number below and discuss it. Feel free to
negotiate more than the base unit, but use this page as the order
form (note any additional components agreed to here). You must
send this "order form" in, and the offer is limited to one per
SysOp. I will verify the order by netmail to preserve your
rights. Purchases will be shipped direct from the dealer to you.
I am just the sponsor!
Mail order to: EXECUTIVE COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES
1190 Coleman Avenue, San Jose, CA 95110
Phone: (408) 727-3000 Paul Darbo
Circle
To Order Description Price
--------- --------------------------------- -----------
FIDO100 Advanced Logic Research 386/2 $1675
Phoenix BIOS (32 bit)
1MB 32 bit interleaved ram, expandable to 2MB on board
16Mhz 80386
Support for 10Mhz 80287 and 12Mhz 80387
1.2Mb floppy drive
Serial port, parallel port
101-key 'board
Slots: two 8 bit, four 16 bit, two ALR 32 bit
1 year parts/labor with dealer
FIDO101 ALR 32 bit ram expansion card w/1MB $625
FIDO102 1MB ram upgrade (chips) for above $300
FIDO103 WD 1:1 interleave HD controller $225
Nonstandard: _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Terms: Check, money order, VISA, or MasterCard. California
residents add sales tax. Add $30 shipping/insurance to
total. Ask dealer for delivery time.
Name:____________________________________ Net/Node:_________
Total Price:_________ +tax:________+$30 s/h = $_____________
Payment: ( )check ( )money order ( ) VISA ( ) MasterCard
VISA/MC Number:_________________________ Exp.Date __________
Signature:_______________________ Voice phone: ( ) -
Shipping Address:_________________________________
_________________________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 19 10 Aug 1987
Stanley Quayle, 126/1
The UNDER-C (tm) Library
The UNDER-C Library is now available for TURBO C!
Other modifications made to the Library are various bug fixes,
support for the EGA, and archived libraries.
The UNDER-C Library is a collection of functions and utilities
callable from C and other languages. It has 126 BIOS, DOS, and
other functions, including functions to build screens similiar to
dBase.
Also included are utilities such as MAKE; CPRINT, a general-
purpose printing program; and PFS2TXT, which translates pfs:Write
and IBM Writing Assistant files to text format.
Complete SOURCE CODE -- No royalities -- Not copy-protected.
Includes 215-page manual and software on 5-1/4" disks. 3-1/2" and
1.2Mb AT disks are available for an extra fee.
The UNDER-C Library works with IBM PC-compatibles using the
following C compilers:
TURBO C, version 1.0 NEW!
Microsoft C, version 4.0
Lattice C, version 3.10
Computer Innovations C86 2.10J
DeSmet C 2.4
Instant-C
Prices: UNDER-C Library $39.95
Shipping in U.S. 3.50
3-1/2" or AT disks 5.00
Ohio residents please include 6-1/2% sales tax.
Overseas buyers--write for current shipping rates.
Send checks to: Quayle Research, Inc.
6548 Edgerton Road
N. Royalton, OH 44133
MasterCard and Visa orders: (216) 237-4395 voice, or
Myrna Quayle on 157/502.
For more information, contact Stanley Quayle on 126/1.
UNDER-C is a trademark of Quayle Research, Inc.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 20 10 Aug 1987
=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================
The Interrupt Stack
20 Aug 1987
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
Contact Brian Hughes at 109/634 for more information. This is
FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet
all the people you've been talking with all this time. We're
hoping to see you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
With the conference rapidly approaching, I want to remind
everyone to send in your registration forms. Even though
registrations will be accepted on Thursday Evening and Friday
Morning at the Conference, It will not be possible to sign up for
the Banquet on Friday or the Luncheon on Saturday if you do not
pre-register. We need to have a final head count for these
functions by Tuesday, August 18th. Please send in your
registration forms before that date.
Anyone wishing to charge their registration fees on either Visa
or MasterCard, feel free to contact Brian Hughes at the number
listed below. Remember, your participation will help insure a
successful conference.
Brian Hughes: 202-543-4200 (work)
202-546-0883 (home)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Latest Software Versions
BBS Systems Node List Other
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
Dutchie 2.51 EDITNL 3.3 ARC 5.21
Fido 11w LISTGEN 05.25.86 ARCmail 1.00
Opus 1.01* MakeNL 1.00* ConfMail 3.00
SEAdog 4.00 Prune 1.40 EchoMail 1.31
TBBS 2.0M XlatList 2.81 Renum 3.30
FidoNews 4-30 Page 21 10 Aug 1987
* Recently changed
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 22 10 Aug 1987
OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FORM
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FIDONET CONFERENCE
RADISSON MARK PLAZA HOTEL
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
AUGUST 20 - 23, 1987
Name _________________________________ Date _____________
Address ______________________________
City & State _________________________
Phone (Voice) ________________________
Net/Node Number ______________________
Phone (Data) _________________________
Number in Your Party _________________
Staying at the Radisson? _____________
Number of Rooms? _____________________
Arrival Date? ________________________
Departure Date? ______________________
Registration Fees: How Many Total
Full Conference $60.00 each ________ $________
Late registration $10.00 each ________ $________
(after Aug. 1)
Friday Night Banquet $30.00 each ________ $________
Saturday Luncheon $16.50 each ________ $________
Total Amount Included (Registration and Meals) $________
IFNA MEMBERS ONLY:
How many in your party will
be attending the Sunday morning
Board of Directors meeting? ________
Send your registration form and a check or money order to:
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
212 E. Capitol St., Washington, D.C. 20003
Attn: Brian H. Hughes -- voice: (202) 543-4200
This registration form does not include hotel accomodations. If
you wish to stay at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel, please contact
them directly and mention you are with the FidoNet Conference.
Conference room rates are $80/night for single or double
occupancy, and $20/night for an extra cot.
Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel
5000 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, Va. 22311
1-800-228-9822
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 4-30 Page 23 10 Aug 1987
Bob Morris 141/333
Chairman, Elections and Nominations Committee
The next two pages are your Official ballot for the Election of
the IFNA Board of Directors. The following are the few rules
which must prevail in this election:
1. You must send a legible copy of this ballot to the address
listed on the ballot. It must be signed and bear your
net/node number.
2. You may vote for any one person in your region for the
position of Regional Director. This vote is to be cast in the
LEFT column of the ballot.
3. You may vote for any eleven people in any regions for the
position of Director at Large. These votes are to be cast in
the RIGHT column of the ballot.
4. Voting will continue until the end of registration at the
Conference in August. The results will be read during the
opening of the business meeting on the first day of the
conference.
5. Write-in Votes will be accepted and are requested during this
election.
FidoNews 4-30 Page 24 10 Aug 1987
IFNA Board Of Directors
Ballot
Regional At Large
Region 10:
Steve Jordan _________ ________
Region 11:
Ryugen Fisher _________ ________
Theodore Polczynski _________ ________
Region 12:
Region 13:
Don Daniels _________ ________
John Penberthy _________ ________
Thom Henderson _________ ________
Gee Wong _________ ________
Brian Hughes _________ ________
Region 14:
Ben Baker _________ ________
Ken Kaplan _________ ________
Brad Hicks _________ ________
Region 15:
David Dodell _________ ________
Larry Wall _________ ________
Region 16:
Bob Hartman _________ ________
Hal Duprie _________ ________
Region 17:
Rob Barker _________ ________
Bob Swift _________ ________
Region 18:
Wes Cowley _________ ________
FidoNews 4-30 Page 25 10 Aug 1987
Region 19:
Mark Grennan _________ ________
Wynn Wagner _________ ________
Region 2:
Henk Wevers _________ ________
Write-in candidates:
___________________ _________ ________
___________________ _________ ________
Name ______________________________ Net/Node ___________
Signature______________________________ Date ___________
Please complete this and mail it to:
Robert Morris
IFNA Elections Committee
210 Church Street
West Haven, Ct. 06516
or bring it with you when you come to the conference in August.
These ballots will be counted by myself since with 200 members
the charges for a CPA would be very high. Hard copies will be
made available to anyone wishing to insure that their vote was
included.
Thank You
Bob Morris
Elections and Nominations Committee
-----------------------------------------------------------------
