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t.nstall
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2022-08-26
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u
N - S T A L L
Program and Text by Dave Moorman
[FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE]: This was my
first use of Mr.Mouse -- kind of a
test drive. I bumped into it while
searching for something else, and
thought it would work well here.
As best as I can tell, our beloved
C-64's are maligned by bully-boys
(and girls) for three reasons:
(1) Salespersons on commission
always badmouth whatever does not put
dinero in their pockets.
(2) Your PC/Mac friends are having
to justify putting so much dinero in
the afore-mentioned pockets.
(3) PC/Mac users are Dk.Grn with
envy because we can warm up our
"Commies" and be half way through the
latest issue of LOADSTAR before their
wonderful dinero vacuums show so much
as a C: prompt.
To hear them talk, there must be
no experience more enjoyable than
installing a new game, utility,
driver, or engine. Some of you may
be so unfortunate (or fortunate,
depending on your perspective) to
never have had the honor (or
challenge) of installing a program in
one of those behemoths.
On a PC/Mac, Install (or Set-up)
is a six-and-a-half hour game you get
to play before playing the three-hour
game you thought you bought. I have
had occasions setting up games on my
son's Packard-Bell where I could have
[written] the blasted game (less
hi-res graphics, of course) in the
time it took to get it loaded,
adjusted, configured, and running.
As a [Public Service] to those who
have never experienced the Joys of
Installation (and as an opportunity
to acquire another FD-2000 <Note to
Fender: Send the [toy], not the
dinero! The dinero gets sidetracked
into my wife's pockets!>) I now offer
N-STALL. In all seriousness, this
program is just for fun. Contrary to
anthing suggested or implied in the
"Warrantee", N-STALL does [nothing]
to your machine, disks, or
peripherals.
[FENDER'S NOTE:] The release date
for this product is the 91st day of
1997, which may give you a hint as to
its seriosity.
However, the last "procedure" may
well do something to your mind.
Hint: This is a BINARY PUZZLE with
one and only one solution (which is
different each time you use N-STALL).
Pay [careful] attention to the
ERRORS!
[TECH NOTES]
[{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}]
The 80-column screen effect was
created with PGM (LS #149), converted
to DOODLE, then to a text screen/font
with Johnny Harris' DOODLE TO FONT
(LS #117). The result was put in
Toolbox Stash format for easy access.
While CG screens could have been done
with a bunch of PRINT commands, C.E.
'Spock' Prince's IMAGE MAKER is much
faster. My own IMAGE TO TOOL put
them in Toolbox Stash format.
[INTERRUPT]: I now use Mr.MICK to
create screen files. IMAGE MAKER has a
lot of power, but it comes at a price
(one that I am already spending having
Mr.Mouse or DotBASIC on-board).
God Bless Jeff Jones! SMART BOOT
(LS #152) is not only quick and easy
-- it includes useful ML routines
such as CopyMem. During the boot, I
POKEd the address of the relocatable
ML into 828/829 and fetched it back
in the main program. I am sure some
programs will need no other module.
[FENDER'S NOTE:] Since I SnapShotted
and SUPERCRUNCHed NSTALL so that it
would fit on Side One, you won't see
Jeff's SMART BOOT in action. But it's
there.
Then there is Lee Novak's MR.
MOUSE (LS #152). On Fender's
suggestion, I ordered CMD's Smart
Mouse for Christmas -- and was a
smidge underwhelmed using the
joystick emulation. But as of mid-
February with the arrival of my
favorite rodent, I am a Mouse-aholic!
MR. MOUSE lacks CopyMem but it has
fantastic features like SMOOOOOTH
mouse movements, defineable hot-spots,
and a quicky arrow. And to top it off,
a joystick works fine in Port 2.
[INTERRUPT]: Lee Novak contacted me
just the other day. He is coming back
to Commodorea! More later.
I did add one small feature (Pride
Goeth Before the Fall): A shadow
arrow in black. I had hoped to
neatly tuck it into the 4K at $1000
with MR. MOUSE, but Lee had already
neatly tucked so [much] stuff there,
I didn't have room. So this is just
some extra code up at $c000.
Last, but not least: Icky-Clicky
sound from Johnny Harris' RACKET
MEISTER (LS #112/114). Noise is a
no-brainer with this cool module.
In fact, programming is more fun
than ever, thanks to the plethora of
pithy modules offered by LOADSTAR.
Instead of expecting our dear users
to waste time (and sleep) fitting
together drivers and blasters and
utilitizing Expanded Memory (or is it
Extended Memory -- I forget), we can
decide what we want the machine to
do, pick out the parts, and DO IT!
Programming the LOADSTAR Way is
like the $4.99 special at Wade's
Cafeteria: choose a meat, two veggies,
roll, drink. For a program, all we
need is an Idea -- and a working
knowledge of the various modules
available. Each has its strengths.
None does it all. But put together two
or three -- and [BAM!] The program is
half finished before a single line of
code is written.
[FINAL NOTE]
[{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}{SHIFT-*}]
I have a wish-list for new
modules. At the top would be those
kewl scrolling big-text thingies demo
dudes use all the time. A screen
color wash would be neat. And how
about a text-screen sinus plotter.
I realize that such modules would
make the fabulous effects we now see
only in demos the NORM for the C-64.
But then, the Truly Elite Dudez would
have to come up with even MORE
spectacular stuff!
[INTERRUPT]: And I am still wishing
for such modules.
DMM