Big Blue Disk 25/bbd25.zip/BLUENOTE.TXT

Text File | 1988-08-11 | 12KB | 203 lines

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Dear Big Blue Disk,

   I have one simple problem, (I hope).  I use the IBM Fixed Disk Organizer, ver
1.00. I operate a Compaq portable with a 20 megabyte "Hard Card", with two 360k
floppy disk drives.  the BIG BLUE DISK issues are set up as a separate menu with
each issue as a separate menu selection.  The issues have been copied into
subdirectories under the subdirectory BLUE.  This works fine to access and run
the respective issues.  However, upon exiting the BIG BLUE DISK programs, the
BIG BLUE DISK programs exit to the sub⌐directory they are in.  How do you get
the BIG BLUE DISK programs to exit to the IBM Disk Organizer?

   This is only a minor inconvenience, but a solution would help make it easier
to enjoy the many benefits of BIG BLUE DISK.

^RDon Woods
^RCommerce City, CO

^1>   We're not really familiar with the IBM Fixed Disk Organizer, but perhaps it
^1>uses batch files to get around.  Since our issues are started up with a batch
^1>file themselves, they're unable to return to the IBM batch file you started on,
^1>due to a limitation of DOS: batch files can call other batch files, but they
^1>don't return to the first batch file when they're through.  To fix this, you'll
^1>have to look at what your IBM Organizer batch files do to get back to the menu,
^1>and imitate it by adding a similar line to the end of our GO.BAT so it runs it
^1>instead of returning to DOS.  Use an ASCII file editor like BlueLine to edit
^1>batch files, and only edit a copy, not the original BIG BLUE DISK.
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Gentlemen.

   I'm writing you because there are a couple of things that I would like to
find out about.  First of all, I think the Big Blue Disk is excellent and I have
just sent in an order for a two year subscription.  One thing that puzzles me is
that from time to time when I go back to the Blue Disk menu, after having run a
program, the color seemes to be all screwed up.  It comes out in a light green
color, and in order to see the text in the 'Read It' file of the next program, I
have to press the F4 key. It then comes out with red text on green background
rather than the usual white text on black background. Is there any explanation
for this?  The computer I'm using is a "Tandy 1000 TX" with 768 KB and CGA
adapter.

   Another thing I would like to know about is whether it's possible to somehow
make copies of certain BBD programs and still run them with the Big Blue Disk
menu?  From time to time I have some friends coming here who have kids, and they
like to play the computer games, but are not interested in any of the utility
and helpware programs.

   I would also like to know how I can make backup copies of Big Blue Disks,
which I receive on 3 1/2" disks, onto 5 1/4" disks and run them like the two
disk issues I received earlier?  I have tried to do this, but obviously there is
some file I'm not getting on the second disk, because when I try to run it, it
refuses to do so.  Which files would I have to copy onto the second disk to make
it bootable like the first one?  Just one more question I would like to ask. Is
there any way of changing the background and/or character colors in the
programs?  Some of them come out in such a way that they are hard to read. One
program I'm thinking about is "ExpressCalc" on Big Blue Disk # 12.  On my
computer it comes out with Yellow characters on Cyan background, and I find it a
bit difficult to see clearly. I would appreciate very much if you would let me
know about this.

^RLeif Thomsen
^RHamilton, Ontario, Canada

^1>   Don't know about your color problem; anyone else experience this?
^1>   Our menu isn't designed to be user-creatable, but if you're adventurous you
^1>might try to figure out the format of our MENU.TXT, GO.BAT, and STATUS.DAT
^1>files and cobble up menus of your own.  We have no publicly-available document-
^1>ation for this since these files are designed to be created by us internally.
^1>Perhaps you can try a menu program like AUTOMENU (BBD #10) or EASYMENU (#20).
^1>   Copying from 3 1/2" disks to 5 1/4" is much more difficult than the other
^1>way around, since it requires you to figure out which files should go on which
^1>disk (and some must be on both).  If you need both formats, you're best off
^1>purchasing the 5 1/4" version, which can easily be copied onto one 3 1/2" disk
^1>by simply copying all files together.  The 5 1/4" version must have STATUS.DAT
^1>on both disks, with the number underneath the date being "1" on the first and
^1>"2" on the second.  Additionally, GO.BAT is generally on both disks, and other
^1>menu system files are sometimes on both disks (but sometimes not).
^1>   In general, programs' color schemes are not modifiable, though occasional
^1>programs have such a feature.  Look for "Configure Colors" on the main menu
^1>of a program if such a feature exists.  In ExpressCalc, use the "/C" option
^1>(Configure), and select "Color"; this lets you set up all the screen colors.
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Dear Big Blue Disk,

   I just received BBD number 22 in the mail and I must respond to a comment
that you received and published it on this issue.  The Brenners from Auburndale,
WI wrote to express their disatisfaction of BBD number 19 with the program
"Gospel Godspeed."  I've had a subscription to the BBD since issue number 15 and
I have been very pleased every month.  In fact, I liked "Gospel Godspeed" so
well that I have placed it on my hard drive!!  I was very impressed with the
quality of the program and being the Christian that I am, I was very pleased to
receive it.  I guess it's like the old saying goes "You can't please all the
people all the time!"

   Thank you for including "Gospel Godspeed" on Big Blue Disk number 19!!

^RBanks Zellner
^RGreenville, SC
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Dear BIG BLUE DISK,

   I just read in Blue Notes Issue 20 about the program enabling the
graphics to be used with Printmaster appearing in Issue 18 which I missed.
Would you please send me details about how to purchase back issues?  I have
missed a few others I would like to have also.

   For the lady that is interested in a Desktop Publishing program, I recommend
that she look into Fontasy and its supplement Fontasy Publisher.  I have found
them to be superior to any other low cost publishing programs even though I
rarely see any comments about them in publications.  Besides several canned
formats that come with the program, it is possible to create any format you
want.  I created a calendar format to use for my wife's monthly schedule she
sends to her preschool student's parents.  Each box holds quite a bit of text
...much more than what the Printmaster calendar allows. Thanks for your earlier
help with the program to reset color programs on my AT&T monochrome monitor.
Any idea where I can buy an inexpensive color monitor that is plug compatible
with my 6300?

^RErnie Larson
^RLatrobe, PA

^1>   All back issues can be ordered from us for $9.95 each, or less if you buy
^1>several issues.  Call [phone] to place credit-card orders or to request
^1>more information.
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Dear BBD and Friends,

   I want to congratulate you for your wonderful technical support line, and
especially George who tried his very best to help me get SIMCGA to work on my
Epson.  Unfortunately, my HGA wasn't very helpful and after 55 minutes on the
phone we decided to quit trying.  WAY TO GO, George!  I went to my computer
store and they told me that whatever CGA simulator program has been tried on
Epson monochrome monitors with HGA has failed to work. Maybe you should tell
your subscribers about this.

   Going on to other good stuff, I installed the EasyMenu program on my computer
and it worked wonders!! The only thing I didn't like was that the cursor is now
positioned in the middle of the line as oppossed to right under it. So now when
I put the cursor (in any of my application programs) on a letter it gets
partially covered by the letter itself. Got any suggestions for this? Otherwise,
I'm happy to have EasyMenu in my Autoexec.bat file.

   Keep up the good work. Your programs are really good.

^RRichard Fourzan
^RLas Cruces, NM

^1>  Maybe EasyMenu thinks you've got a CGA; CGA's have a different number of scan
^1>lines per character than monochrome and EGA systems, so a cursor position
^1>that's at the bottom on a CGA is in the middle on your system.  I don't think
^1>there's anything you can do about it, since it's embedded in the program.
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Dear Big Blue Disk:

   Your magazine on disk is excellent!  I know of no other source where a person
can get a variety of programs,ranging from entertainment to business software,
at the price that you sell it for.

   I was wondering if you would comment on a couple questions I have.

1)  Referring to the COMPUTER QUIZ in issue #21, one of the questions that is
    asked is: "The 8088 microprocessor can address,at most, how much memory ?"
    The answer,according to the program, was 1024K.  I always thought the 8088
    could address, at most, 640K.  Am I correct, or, have I somehow
    misunderstood the question?

2)  You always seem to supply a few good utilities every month.  Would it
    possible to include a program that could break certain copy-protection
    techniques, once in a while?  This might be handy for those of us who make
    backups strictly for archive purposes only.  I have a few programs that are
    copy-protected and it would be nice to have backups in case the original is
    destroyed some way.

   My apologies that this letter was a bit long.  Anyway, your disk magazine is
a class act.  More power to you!

^RGordon States
^RCarthage, MO

^1>   The 8088 can access a 1024K address space, but part of this is taken up by
^1>ROMs, and on-board memory of devices like display adapters.  On the standard
^1>IBM PC architecture, 640K is reserved for system RAM, so that is the generally
^1>known limitation.  This is hardcoded into PC-DOS and MS-DOS, so DOS can't
^1>recognize memory beyond this limit.  (DOS 4.0, just released, allows some
^1>limited use of extended memory.)
^1>   There are some who would regard publishing anti-copy-protection material
^1>as promoting piracy, though such programs also have legitimate use in
^1>making backups for your own use.  Hence, we're cautious about doing such a
^1>thing.  At any rate, except for a small handful of Apple and Commodore disks
^1>for which contractual commitments regarding commercial special programs
^1>required us to copy-protect them, we have never used copy protection on any
^1>of our products.  Hence, if you get your software from BIG BLUE DISK, you
^1>not only get it cheaper than mainstream commercial stuff, you can even make
^1>all the backups you need!