=================================================================
The
$ R / O
R E A D O N L Y
-=( December 1986 Issue )=-
The monthly news magazine of the Tampa Bay Kaypro User's
Group and the DataCOM Super Systems(tm)
=================================================================
News and reviews of programs, hardware, and peripherals for users
of microcomputers with CP/M, MP/M, MS-DOS, PC-DOS, or TurboDOS
multi-user operating system.
=================================================================
Steven L. Sanders - Editor (Sysop)
=================================================================
The DataCOM Super Systems(tm) is a "state of the art" multi-user
remote database with three incoming modem lines and 115mb of
files online. An annual fee of $35.00 is required for access,
an application may be downloaded by calling (813) 791-1454, 791-
1455, or IBM-PC users should call 796-5627 at 1200/2400 baud, or
contact us by US Mail at:
DataCOM Super Systems(tm)
2643 Cedar View Court
Clearwater, FL 33519
(Accessible thru Telenet's PC Pursuit Service by 12/31/86.)
-==( DISCLAIMER )==-
Articles and reviews of microcomputers, hardware, software, and
other peripherals reflect currently advertised prices as released
by the distributors and are included here for YOUR INFORMATION
ONLY. The TBKUG/DataCOM Super Systems(tm) is NOT being paid
to advertise these products and we cannot be held
accountable for the actual retail price and/or performance
of said products.
=================================================================
-={ Future Shock - New Products }=-
10 Megabyte Floppy Drive
by Edward Warner (INFOWORLD 11/10/86)
SUNNYVALE, CA - Konica Technology Inc. said it plans to introduce
at COMDEX the first diskette drive to store 10 megabytes of data
on a standard 5-1/4 inch diskette. The drive will also be able
to read 1.2-megabyte floppy disks, Konica said.
The KT-510 diskette drive writes 480 tracks per inch (TPI) on a
diskette instead of the standard 96 tracks, because of more
accurate head positioning of the drive's recording head. The
half-height drive will be sold only to OEM customers for under
$400 per unit "in large quantity." The retail price of the KT-
510 drive will most likely be priced between $800 and $900.
The KT-510 drive has an average access time of 75 milliseconds
and a data transfer rate of 1.6 megabits per second - this is
comparable to a low-end Winchester hard disk drive! The drive
also has a built-in SCSI interface and an on-board intelligent
controller that provides self-diagnostics.
19,200 Baud Dial-Up Modems
RESTON, VA - Fastcomm Data Corp. announced last week two
asynchronous 19.2-kilobit-per-second modems that run on standard
telephone lines.
Designed for transferring large files between PCs and mainframes,
the Fastcomm Turbo 2496 and Fastcomm Turbo 9600 reduce the time
it takes to transfer files. For example, a data transfer that
would require an hour using a 1,200-bps modem would take only six
minutes with a 19.2-Kbps modem. Both modems are available now.
The modems support full error detection and correction at the
high speed. When an error occurs, the modem automatically
retransmits only error blocks of data, not the entire file.
User must have a 19.2-Kbps modem on each end to transfer data at
that speed. Both modems support data rates of 9,600, 7,200, and
4,800 bps. The Turbo 2496 also supports the popular 300, 1200,
and 2400 bps rates used by most telecomm services and BBS
systems.
The Turbo modems are available in external models and an internal
version that fits into a half-card slot of an IBM-PC, PC-XT, or
PC-AT, or compatible computer. The Fastcomm Turbo 2496 modem is
priced at $1,099 for external and $1,079 for the internal model.
The Fastcomm 9600 modem is priced at $1,019 for external and $999
for the internal model. Users may upgrade the Turbo 9600 for
$100 per modem.
-={ New WORM Drives }=-
by Patrick Waurzyniak
Kodak's WORM Entry
Eastman Kodak Co. of Rochester, New York, has entered into a
partnership with Philips and Du Pont Optical Co. (PDO) of
Wilmington, Delaware to manufacture a 14-inch write-once read-
many (WORM) optical disk drive with a storage capacity of 6.8
gigabytes.
Intended for archiving large amounts of data, the Kodak/PDO
optical disk drive prototype provides huge archival storage
capability, but it operates at access speeds that are comparable
to slower hard disk drives. Kodak claims that the double-sided
14-inch disk, which has 14,111 tracks per inch, has a data
transfer rate of 1 megabyte per second, and an average access
time of 100 milliseconds for one of the disk's five bands.
The high-capacity prototype disk has 3.4 gigabytes per side for a
total of 6.8 gigabytes, equivalent to 6,800 megabytes of storage.
Kodak, which has no pricing available, expects to ship evaluation
units of the optical disk system by early 1987, with volume
shipments by the end of next year.
Optotech's WORM Entry
Colorado Springs, CO -- Optotech Inc. has enhanced its 5-1/4-inch
write-once read-many (WORM) optical disk drive designed to fit
inside the case of an IBM PC AT or compatible.
The drive, capable of storing 400 megabytes of information for PC
systems when using double-sided optical disk, will be marketed to
original equipment manufacturers and systems integrators at
volume prices of $2,000 each.
Optotech's full-height Model 5984 AT drive, which features a
half-height front panel, comes with software and an add-on
controller board that integrate the WORM drive into personal
computer systems. The Model 5984 is the only drive on the market
that fits into a PC.
The Optotech drive can be incorporated into personal computers or
minicomputers and workstations that accept full-height drives.
It is immediately available and comes with either an Optotech-
produced SCSI bus controller or PC bus controller at an
additional $400 per controller. External versions of the drive
are an extra $300.
Optotech also announced a read-write device driver that allows
the drive to run existing PC software without modification.
-={ WHATSNEW in Public Domain }=-
[CP/M]
RCPM1086.LZT The venerable national/international Remote CP/M
Systems list for October-November 1986. All systems were
verified for this listing. List is now in Wordstar document
format with an index up front. The list is also now crunched
instead of squeezed as crunching yields a much smaller file.
CRUNCH23.LBR The latest version of CRunch and UNCRunch for Z80
CPU machines with CP/M 2.2 operating systems. Crunch now
features a 1-pass install program that configures several
different internal options of both CR and UNCR. Faster than
before and complete notes for CP/M and TurboDOS users. Crunched
files are usually much smaller than their squeezed counterparts
and are gaining wide acceptance on many RCPM systems.
CONIX.LBR Tired of hearing about ZCPR3! Then try the ConIX
system instead. ConIX is another CP/M 2.2 CCP (console command
processor) replacement that offers larger memory (it uses only
1/2k itself) and so many features it's impossible to list them
all and have any room for anything else. ConIX was being sold
commercially for the past several years but due to the
diminishing interest in CP/M, is now being offered as Shareware
thru BBS systems. ConIX features pull-down menus for all of its
features and has over 100 built-in commands!
PHONE3.LBR Here's a unique notebook type program that stores
data as 80-chr lines sorted on input. So what's unique about
that? Well, it stores your data internally to the .COM file
itself and expands and contracts in size accordingly.
PORTFO15.LBR A family of dBase programs that are designed to
provide you with the capability of maintaining a record of
personal assets, their original value, current value, and income
producing capability.
KPBROWSE.LBR A Turbo Pascal program for video Kaypro models that
shows BOLD, UNDERLINE, and DIM/BRIGHT video on screen. It also
queries you at end-of-file if you want to run it again, if you
answer YES, it will show you a directory of files to choose from.
AF42.LBR A fast Turbo Pascal update of Address Filer. Includes
conversion utility for updating original AF data files. Superb
address database with excellent search facilities. Will output
merge files for Wordstar or NewWord and several files can be
combined back into AF42 to break down and/or multiply databases.
SFILE31.LBR SuperFile, a file finding utility, now has the
ability to look inside of LBR or ARC files for matching files.
[IBM-DOS]
SIMCGA.ARC Allows users with Hercules cards to run programs
designed for CGA cards. Great for game players!
XONE21.ARC To create an ARC file from one or more files that
are contained within another ARC file. XONE was written by
Vernon Buerg and may be used without restrictions.
PCDRAFT2.ARC PC-Draft I (TM) Version 2.00 is a high
resolution pixel oriented drawing and graphing utility, which
is designed to facilitate a variety of drawing and drafting
needs. With PC-Draft I you can produce drawings up to 1280
by 700 dots using IBM's color graphic adaptor high resolution
graphics mode (640 x 200 dots per screen). Such a drawing will
fill an 8-1/2 x 11 inch printed output (at 150 dots per inch
resolution). Built-in functions allow you to draw circles,
lines, boxes; draw bar, line and pie graphs; create patterns
with which to fill areas; cut and paste objects and save objects
to files for later use. You can record graphic keyboard macros
saved in files for later playback and for animation
effects. You can load and edit fonts. And you can print your
drawings on Epson compatible graphic printers or HP Laserjet+
printers.
FINDS101.ARC FINDSTR is a program that can be used to search
multiple files for multiple text strings. It was actually
developed as a test program for a Boyer-Moore string search
subroutine. The Boyer-Moore algorithm is many times faster than
the more common string search algorithms and FINDSTR is several
times faster than other similar programs.
STYPE12.ARC STYPE types a file to the screen controlled by an
IBM Enhanced Graphics Adaptor, using variable speed smooth
scroll. If no file name is supplied, it will read from standard
in (eg: STYPE < FILENAME, or PROGRAM | STYPE), and thus can act
as a "MORE" type filter.
SST-V201.ARC SST is a program that is designed to reorganize a
DOS disk so that it will run "Faster". Normal daily use of a
disk will produce a disk with many fragmented files and
subdirectories. Simply put, these are files that are not
completely contiguous or together, but are spread out all over
the disk. These fragmented files and subdirectories slow disk
access down because DOS must tell the Disk Head to Seek to
other parts of the disk to pick up other parts of the same file.
WARNING: SST does all of its work in MEMORY - if you have a
power failure you could be in BIG trouble! Best to use this
program only if you have a UPS (uniterruptable power supply)
hooked up to your computer - otherwise you are at the mercy of
your local power company.
QDR26.ARC Re-format a floppy disk quickly, optionally with a
new volume label, deleting all files and sub-directories. Yet
another good utility from Vern Buerg.
READ115.ARC New version of READMAC, view MacIntosh Paint
picture files. Replaces all other versions of READMAC2,
READMAC3, and RMACEGA. Auto detects CGA/EGA/Hercules cards and
displays picture accordingly. Also now comes with MACPRT, this
lets you print-out picture files to your printer -
Epson/Citizen/IBM graphics/Gemini/Laser and others.
DB3FIXPO.ARC DB3FIXPO is a program that repairs or recovers a
damaged dBASEIII data base in 15 seconds or less regardless of
the size of the data base. It was designed to save you lots of
wasted hours, gray hair and money. It was first used on a
damaged file with 1 Meg worth of data and did the job in 10
seconds. Even Ashton-Tate does not know that the recovery can
be made this way, or if they do, they are not telling you. It
can also do less demanding fixes.
CARDEX.ARC Creates an rotary index card file on IBM PC computers
and compatibles. It is the equivelent of a ROLODEX (tm) for
storing addresses, phone numbers, and misc. information of
persons or companies. CARDEX is a visual facsimile of a rotaty
index card file, with the added feature that the names and phone
numbers of the three preceeding entries and three following
entries are visible along with the full information on the
current card.
DPU.ARC This little utility allows you to set various options
for the Compaq Deskpro (and presumably other Compaq's) from the
DOS command line (and more usefully) from batch files.
? -- Display this screen
Cn -- Set Caps Lock where n = T(toggle), 0(off), or 1(on)
Nn -- Set Num Lock where n = T(toggle), 0(off), or 1(on)
Sn -- Set Scroll Lock where n = T(toggle), 0(off), or 1(on)
Mn -- Set mode of fP clock n = T(toggle), 0(slow), or 1(fast)
Vn -- Set volume of keyclick where 0 < n < 124
TY22.ARC Written by member Dave Oshel, TY is an ASCII file
viewing utility that features: PgUp backs up through the file,
one screen at a time allows unix style pathnames, i.e. with /,
forward slash, allows wildcards * and ? in file names name of the
current file is always visible
* * * * * 5-Star Winner !!! * * * * *
FILEMAN.ARC FM, the disk directory utility program. FM.COM is
a "load and RAM resident" program that operates much like
Borland's SideKick. FILE MANAGER is a utility that gives you the
abilities to access any directory on any disk and then to return
to your original program without disturbing it. FILE MANAGER can
list directories, copy, del, ren, print files. It has been
tested on IBM PC's with color graphics boards, monochrome monitor
machines and IBM PC/AT's with EGA's.
-={ PC Pursuit is Coming !! }=-
The long wait is almost over... I just received the PC Pursuit
Connection newsletter for November 1986 and they have announced
the addition of 11 new areacodes. The following areacodes and
cities will be available as of 12/31/86:
503 - Portland 813 - Tampa 305 - Miami
408 - San Jose 818 - Glendale 612 - Minneapolis
602 - Phoenix 216 - Cleveland 801 - Salt Lake City
414 - Milwaukee 919 - Research Triangle Park (No Carolina)
As you can see, the 813 areacode, our areacode, will be one of
the newly added service areas. I'm sure PC Pursuit can do the
same for your phone bill as it has already done for mine. You
only pay a one-time sign-up fee of $25 and then a flat $25/month
for unlimited calls between 6p-7a M-F, and all day on Saturdays,
Sundays and legal holidays.
2400 Baud Support - Soon
2400 baud will also be available in all PC Pursuit areas by
the end of the first quarter of '87 (or shortly thereafter.)
8-N-1 Protocol
For those of you who are frustrated by the 7-E-1 parameters
required by PC Pursuit, try this:
1.) Set your comm parameters to 8-N-1, then dial your local
Telenet number.
2.) Once connected, enter (cr) D (cr)
3.) At the TERMINAL = prompt, enter D1 (cr)
This should be the cure for those of you who forget to reset your
comm parameters before trying to download files with the XMODEM
or YMODEM protocols.
How-To Sign Up
For sign-up information you can call the PC Pursuit FIDO system
by modem at 800-835-3001 (use 7-E-1 settings.) Or you can call
by voice to 800-TELENET between 8am-5pm weekdays.
-={ Plu*Perfect's Backgrounder II }=-
The Marriage of Plu*Perfect CP/M 2.2E and ZCPR3/ZRDOS
by John Stensvaag (TBKUG)
As a CP/M computer user, have you been troubled by the need to
choose between ZCPR3 (with or without its ZRDOS operating system)
and Plu*Perfect's CP/M 2.2E? Many of us have made this choice
only reluctantly. And no wonder!
Plu*Perfect has offered us the extraordinary power of DateStamper
and Backgrounder, two programs that are unparalleled by any
rivals. Moreover, Plu*Perfect's owner, Derek McKay, has removed
physical limits on the lowly Kaypro computer by authoring the
Advent TurboROM, a stunning and inexpensive ROM replacement that
will support up to 112 megabytes of hard disk and 2 megabytes of
ram disk, all with minimal sacrifice of TPA. I am one of the
loyal Plu*Perfect users, who has bought everything McKay ever
offered. For the life of me, I have never been able to under-
stand how ZCPR3 users--including most sysops--can stand the lack
of time/date stamping of their files.
Yet, to be honest, those of us who have opted for Plu*Perfect's
CP/M 2.2E have wistfully read about the magic of ZCPR3 through
the years, including such wizardry as multiple command lines,
shells, named directory areas, wheel bytes, and countless fancy
utilities with exotic names like VFILER, VMENU, and ALIAS. More
than once, I have drooled over a public domain offering, only to
be brought back to reality by the notation that the software runs
only under ZCPR3. My pangs of regret at not being a ZCPR3 user
have been heighted in recent months by Echelon's tantalizing
advertisements for bootable Kaypro ZCPR3/ZRDOS systems. These
ads caused me to dust off Ted Silveira's two-part article on the
Z-System in the December 1985 and January 1986 issues of
ProFiles. His description of menus, shells, and multiple command
lines opened my eyes to the "cost" of choosing CP/M 2.2E.
Silveira's glowing review made it clear that ZCPR3 is an extra-
ordinary product, delivering fantastic value for the money. On
greater reflection, I no longer marveled at the decisions by
sysops to forgo DateStamping; ZCPR3 might be worth this "price."
As a result of this rethinking, I decided that I just had to try
out ZCPR3, even if this meant withdrawal from my dependence on
CP/M 2.2E.
Before engaging in such a disloyal act, however, I made one last
call to Derek McKay, to inquire about a possible meshing of ZCPR3
and DateStamper. Once again, McKay has come through, and I have
postponed my rush to acquire Echelon's (no-doubt outstanding)
products.
The good news is that it may no longer be necessary to make a
choice between the power of Plu*Perfect's
DateStamper/Backgrounder and the wizardry of ZCPR3. First,
Plu*Perfect now offers "General DateStamper," for persons who do
not want to use CP/M 2.2E; I knew that already, but suspected
that meshing General DateStamper/ZCPR3 with Non-General
DateStamper/CPM 2.2E (if I needed to toggle between the two
operating systems) would be a logistical nightmare. No matter
what else you may do, if you operate a CP/M computer without
DateStamper, I think you're nuts.
More importantly, however, Plu*Perfect plans to release its
"General Backgrounder" (or "Backgrounder 2") by the end of
November. (Only publication of the manual is holding up
release.) In the past, Backgrounder has been just one (although
maybe the best) of several key redefinition programs, and would
run only with CP/M 2.2E. The new Backgrounder is such a new
product that the use of the old name may unfortunately turn
people away before they give it the look that it deserves.
The truly miraculous thing about BG2 is that, according to McKay,
the program will work for current ZCPR3 users as well as current
Plu*Perfect users, and will provide virtually all the power of
the two separate systems, plus the unprecedented capability of
multi-tasking.
As McKay explained it, BG2, when loaded, will sense whether the
user is running a ZCPR3 environment or a standard (or Plu*Perfect
CP/M 2.2E) environment. If the user is already in ZCPR3, BG2
will automatically enhance it with additional features (such as
multi-tasking capability), but will retain the existing
environment, so the user will still be in ZCPR3. [McKay
explained that BG2 will support only certain version of ZRDOS
(Versions 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.7, and any future stable versions),
because it is not profitable to "chase" Echelon's repeated
issuance of temporary versions.]
If the user is, instead, operating with standard CP/M or
Plu*Perfect's CP/M 2.2E, BG2 will establish what McKay calls a
"pseudo-ZCPR3 environment." McKay calls this system a "pseudo-
ZCPR3 environment," because the code was "rewritten from the
ground up" to emulate ZCPR3's capabilities. The result,
according to McKay, is that BG2 being run on a non-ZCPR3-modified
CP/M computer will add almost all of ZCPR3's features (including
named directories, multiple command lines, and aliases), without
the need to tinker with the operating system image, and without
the need to install ZCPR3 or give up one's existing CP/M 2.2E
system. Moreover, with a single command (BGOFF), BG2 will be
removed and the user will be restored to the pre-existing system,
whether ZCPR3 or Plu*Perfect CP/M 2.2E.
All this is done, as I understand it, by using surprisingly
little TPA. BG2, when loaded, will replace the CCP plus take up
2.75K of ram; this is much smaller than other key redefinition
programs (including Backgrounder 1). This is done by using a
"virtual memory" technique, involving a swap file (shades of
Perfect Writer!). Delays associated with the swap file should be
minimal on a hard disk, and a small price to pay for the
increased free TPA.
"Sure!" you say. "But what about VFILER, VMENU, ALIAS, and all
those other ZCPR3 utilities that I just can't live without?"
Well, it is true that BG2 does not come with those utilities.
But these utilities can be obtained in the public domain, and
McKay assures me that virtually all ZCPR3 utilities will work
without a hitch under BG2, whether your original system was
installed for ZCPR3, standard CP/M, or CP/M 2.2E. In particular,
he assures me that BG2 is compatible with VFILER and VMENU.
Still sound too good to be true? I have learned through the
years that McKay delivers what he promises. In this case, he
informs me that BG2 has been extensively tested by some of the
most prominent ZCPR3 programmers and authors of ZCPR3 books, and
that these individuals have been sticklers for working all the
bugs out and developing complete compatibility.
For several years, now, it has been a darn shame to have to
forego the features of ZCPR3 or Plu*Perfect's CP/M 2.2E, because
of the need to make a choice between the two systems. Now, with
the forthcoming release of Backgrounder 2, the marriage of these
two systems may at last make it possible for CP/M operators of
all types to obtain the benefits of both systems with a minimum
of effort.
For more information, contact:
Plu*Perfect Systems
Box 1494
Idyllwild, California 92349
714-659-4432
-={ TBKUG User Disk Volumes }=-
This is a good place to remind you that TBKUG/DataCOM has every
ZCPR3, CP/M, or IBM-DOS shareware or public domain program you'd
ever need. We have well over 40,000 files in our master library
and have organized these into User Disk volumes for both CP/M and
IBM-DOS users. All of our disks are priced as follows:
1 each ............ $ 10.00
10 - 25 ........... $ 8.50/ea
25 - 50 ........... $ 7.50/ea
50 or more ........ $ 5.00/ea
To qualify for quantity discounts you must; order all of the
disks at one time, and the order must be pre-paid by check or
money order. No COD orders will be accepted at any time.
Our catalogs are available BY MAIL or MODEM. If you want
catalogs by mail you must: (1) Send a blank diskette, (2) use a
re-usable mailer, and (3) enclose sufficient return postage.
Please indicate whether you desire CP/M or IBM disk catalogs.
SPECIAL - The BIBLE, 9 CP/M disks $65.00, or 7 IBM disks $50.00
-={ Year-End Ramblings... }=-
Many thanks to all the TBKUG/DataCOM members for your continued
support. We have come a long way since our group was founded in
1982. Hard to believe that it all began on a Kaypro II with two
floppy disk drives and a Hayes 300 modem !! We now have two
incoming lines supporting 300-1200-2400 baud going into a multi-
user TurboDOS system plus a third line with 1200-2400 baud
capability running on an IBM-AT clone.
Very soon I will be installing PC slave processor cards in the AT
machine and will be phasing out the TurboDOS system. You CP/M
users need not worry, I will continue to have CP/M software
available online as long as there is a call for it! IBM may be
taking over but we will never forget our CP/M roots...
The latest data shows we now have about 900 active members with a
renewal rate exceeding 78% and a new-member growth rate of about
10 to 15 new members added each month.
Our remote systems are very busy between the hours of 7pm through
2am daily and on the weekends. During the daytime on weekdays
there is plenty of OPEN time with no callers at all. The PCBoard
is moderately busy all the time as it only has one incoming phone
line. This will change soon when we merge ALL the systems into
the new AT machine and make it true multi-user handling all three
of our modem lines.
Usage of the remote systems is likely to increase after December
31 when PC Pursuit service becomes available to our area. Long
distance charges keep many of our users from being "regulars" but
this should change as more and more of them join Telenet and
enjoy the benefits of UNLIMITED calling for only $25 a month.
Many thanks to the users who have left all the kind words about
our services and encouraged others to join our group. We are
here to serve you - "quality is job #1" as FORD says on their TV
ads!!
From our family to yours:
S E A S O N ' S G R E E T I N G S
a n d a
H A P P Y N E W Y E A R
t o a l l
{eof}