Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!destroyer!ubc-cs!unixg.ubc.ca!kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca!ee.ualberta.ca!jpenne From: jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) Subject: GEnieLamp Aug 1992 (Vol 1 No. 5) (5 parts) Message-ID: Summary: part 1 Sender: news@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca Nntp-Posting-Host: eigen.ee.ualberta.ca Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:44:00 GMT Lines: 980 GEnieLamp Vol 1/Num 5 August 1, 1992 Part 1 of 5 This article first appeared on GEnie and I was asked to post it on the Internet. My GE-Mail address is J.Penner1 and my internet address is jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca if you need to discuss something regarding this posting. I don't work for GEnie or anything to do with the Internet. ----8<----8<----8<----8<----8<-- cut here --8<----8<----8<----8<----8<---- |||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| || || ||| || || || || ||| |||| |||||| || |||| Your || || || || ||| || || |||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| GEnie Lamp A2/A2Pro || |||||| || || |||||| RoundTable || || || ||| ||| || || || |||||| |||||||| |||||| RESOURCE! || || || || || || || ||||| || || || || || KANSASFEST!!! ~ SPECIAL A2/A2PRO DOUBLE ISSUE! ~ ~ RUNNING YOUR OWN BBS! ~ ~ THE FUTURE OF APPLE II SOFTWARE ~ ~ CHATTING WITH MATT DEATHERAGE ~ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// GEnie Lamp A2/A2Pro ~ A T/TalkNET OnLine Publication ~ Vol.1, Issue 5 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Publisher............................................Kent Fillmore Senior Editor........................................John Peters Editor (AII).......................................Tom Schmitz Co-Editor (AII).................................Phil Shapiro ~ GEnie Lamp MAC ~ ~ GEnie Lamp IBM ~ ~ GEnie Lamp ST ~ ~ GEnie Lamp Elsewhere ~ ~ GEnieLamp A2/A2Pro ~ ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ >>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ August 1, 1992 ~ FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] APPLE BITS .............. [BIT] Notes From The Editor. A2/A2Pro - August 1992. HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY] HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] Is That A Letter for Me? A Slight Misunderstanding. PROGRAMMING CORNER ...... [PRO] A2 PRO ROUNDTABLE ....... [PRO] Part II, Apple I. A2 Pro News & Features. ONLINE FUN .............. [FUN] WHO'S WHO ............... [WHO] Search-ME! Who's Who In Apple II. KANSASFEST .............. [KAN] FOCUS ON ................ [FOC] News & Views. Shared Minds: Book Reviews. SOFTVIEW A2 ............. [SOF] COWTOONS ................ [COW] A2 Software Reviews. Mooooooo Fun! THE ONLINE LIBRARY ...... [LIB] SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS ..... [SHA] Yours For The Downloading. FTA Contests. APPLE II HISTORY ........ [HIS] GAMES PEOPLE PLAY ....... [GAM] Apple II History, Pt. III. Focus On Computer Games. LOG OFF ................. [LOG] GEnieLamp Information. [IDX] """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" READING GEnie Lamp GEnie Lamp has incorporated a unique indexing """""""""""""""""" system to help make reading the magazine easier. To utilize this system, load GEnie Lamp into any ASCII word processor or text editor. In the index you will find the following example: HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] [*]GEnie Fun & Games. To read this article, set your find or search command to [HUM]. If you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index. MESSAGE INFO To make it easy for you to respond to messages re-printed """""""""""" here in GEnie Lamp, you will find all the information you need immediately following the message. For example: (SMITH, CAT6, TOP1, MSG:58/M475) _____________| _____|__ _|___ |____ |_____________ |Name of sender CATegory TOPic Msg.# Page number| In this example, to respond to Smith's message, log on to page 475 enter the bulletin board and set CAT 6. Enter your REPly in TOPic 1. A message number that is surrounded by brackets indicates that this message is a "target" message and is referring to a "chain" of two or more messages that are following the same topic. For example: {58} ABOUT GEnie GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and """"""""""" weekend access to more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment, single-player games, multi-player chess and bulletin boards on leisure and professional subjects. With many other services, including the largest collection of files to download and the best online games, for only $6 per hour (non-prime-time/2400 baud). To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH. Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99368,GENIE and hit RETURN. The system will then prompt you for your information. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "When my Apple ][gs eventually conks out, I want to invest in / / an equally powerful computer; Therefore, I think I'll invest / / in a CRAY." / //////////////////////////////////////////////// PROPTOSIS //// [EOA] [FRM]////////////////////////////// FROM MY DESKTOP / ///////////////////////////////// Notes From The Editor """"""""""""""""""""" By John Peters [GENIELAMP] TOP OF THE PAGE The GEnieLamp Computer War contest is heating up with """"""""""""""" entries from several computer platforms. Surprisingly, we have received responses from platforms that GEnieLamp doesn't directly support (like the Amiga and NeXT computers). Even more surprising is the fact that we have received _zero_ entries from the IBM and Macintosh crowd while the Apple II/A2Pro response has been tremendous. The contest is simple: Tell us why you think your computer is HOT. Why and how do you use your computer in everyday life? What are its strengths. What are its weaknesses? What keeps you from switching platforms? There are only a couple of weeks left to get in on the contest, so if you're planning on entering do it now. Just send your entry of 400 words or less to GEmail address GENIELAMP or upload it to Library #8 in the GEnieLamp RoundTable on page 515. And don't forget, there is over $200.00 worth of GEnie online credit time which will be given away! Amigians Ask, Where Is GEnieLamp AMI? I have received several GEmail """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" asking me why we GEnieLamp doesn't support the Commodore/Amiga line of computers. The reason is simple: You already have a great newsletter, Viewport. Viewport is edited by Jim Meyer and published by Livewire editor, Peggy Herrington. And like GEnieLamp, Viewport is distributed via the main menu and is included in your GEnie*Basic package. Check it your copy of Viewport out in the *STARSHIP* RoundTable on page 555. GEnieLamp Elsewhere Update Our "elsewhere" issue is undergoing a complete """""""""""""""""""""""""" make-over. In order to better serve you we are hiring reporters/writers to cover the Computing RoundTables that are currently not included in the GEnieLamp magazines. If you would like to become part of the GEnieLamp team, write to GENIELAMP today. MINI_HUMOR! This small poem has been floating around GEnie lately. I """"""""""" reprint it here for those of you who might have missed it. Spellbound """""""""" I have a spelling checker It came with my PC; It plainly marks four my revue Mistakes I cannot sea. I've run this poem threw it I'm sure your pleased too no. It's letter perfect in it's weigh. My checker tolled me sew. - Pennye Harper [*][*][*] That's about it for this month. Until next time... Take care! John Peters [GENIELAMP] ///////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "After four years in that game [Air Warrior] there are / / still players that, if I see them coming, all I can do / / is run. The others that I can kill are most satisfying; / / they come back up a minute later cursing you. Gives me / / that warm fuzzy feeling...." / ///////////////////////////////////////// C.TOWNSLEY //// [EOA] [BIT]////////////////////////////// APPLE BITS / ///////////////////////////////// A2/A2Pro - August 1992 """""""""""""""""""""" By Thomas M. Schmitz [TOM.SCHMITZ] WELCOME! Welcome to the August GEnieLamp A2/A2Pro. Now that KansasFest """""""" is over we can catch our breath and take stock of what is happening in the Apple II world. You will find a special section devoted to the best KansasFest post so you are amongst the first to get the scoop on what went down. GEnieLamp A2/A2Pro wants to hear from you! We start on GEnie, but it goes much farther. We encourage you to upload copies of GEnieLamp to your favorite BBS's and to share it with your local usergroup. So it only makes sense that you be able to write us and let us know what you think. Send me a letter telling me what you think about GEnieLamp and our articles. We also want to hear what you do with your Apple II. If you are a developer or programmer, send us a letter telling us what you are doing. If you send us a program we will review it. (We accept Commercial, Freeware, Shareware & Public Domain. Make sure you indicate if we may place it in the GEnie online library.) Do you have fresh news or a hot rumor? Send it in and we will share it with the world. (Subject to editors' discretion and/or verification.) Send your letters and programs to: GEnieLamp A2/A2Pro %Thomas M. Schmitz 6750 Hawaii Kai Dr., 1005 Honolulu, Hawaii 96825 Make sure you have the correct postage since we cannot accept postage due. BULLETIN BOARDS ARE HOT! If you have not been in the message center """""""""""""""""""""""" lately you owe it to yourself to take a visit. Here is a rundown of current events: To help celebrate GEnie's Hot Summer Nights Promotion, the A2 Roundtable will be the host for several Special Guests in Real Time Conferences. Scheduled so far, noted Apple IIgs programmer Bill Heineman has agreed to be a guest on Sunday August 2, to discuss his latest HOT arcade game for the Apple IIgs. Kitchen Sink Software, publishers of a wide variety wonderful 8-bit Apple II software for home, education, and small business, will be the guest on Tuesday August 11. SoftDisk Publishing, makers of Softdisk and Softdisk GS, will be our guest on Thursday, August 20, and have agreed to give away a free subscription or two to lucky attendees! An agreement has been reached with Roger Wagner, publisher of over 100 Apple II and Apple IIgs products, to be our guest. No final date has been set, but watch for announcements within A2 very soon! Tom Zuchowski of the Eamon Adventurer's Guild has also consented to be our guest at a soon-to-be-announced date. Right now the A2 and A2Pro sysops are at the yearly A2-Central Summer Conference speaking to many more Apple II developers and publishers, so expect even more exciting Real Time Conference announcements for August! A2 will also be conducting an Upload Contest in the A2 Libraries. Every week the GEnie Sysops will choose their favorite new Apple II 8-bit and new Apple IIgs specific upload, and the uploaders will receive TWO FREE hours in A2 and A2Pro RoundTables. August is THE time to upload your favorite piece of software, or your neatest file, or WHATEVER you think would interest other Apple II users - don't put yourself down, you'd be surprised what others might like! The BIG contest is already happening in A2 and A2Pro. Joe Kohn, author of ShareWare Solutions, a monthly article in A+/InCider magazine is sponsoring a contest for the best, neatest, most awesome levels for the FTA game Bouncin'Ferno. Bouuncin' Ferno is an amazing arcade game for IIgs users, available from the A2 Library as: File #18948 BOUNCNFERNO.BXY Desc: Bouncin' Ferno game from the FTA! The game includes a level editor, which can be used to create your own levels. Those who create the best new levels may win prizes from the contest sponsored by Shareware Solutions. To help Mr. Kohn's contest, A2 has decided to allow GEnie users to "get in on the action" early. Create your own levels for Bouncin' Ferno, upload them, and maybe WIN A PRIZE! The winner will win TWO FREE WEEKEND DAYS in the A2 and A2Pro RoundTables, and the runner up will receive ONE free weekend day. Whether you win in A2 or not, you'll also be eligible to participate in the Shareware Solutions column, so check out Bouncin' Ferno and create those levels right away! 8-Bit Apple II users should not feel left out, because A2 is also sponsoring a contest for Print Shop Graphics. Create a new Print Shop Graphic (in either New Print Shop or original format) and upload it to enter our contest. Winner will receive TWO FREE WEEKEND DAYS in the A2 and A2Pro Roundtables, runner-up will receive one free weekend day. /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I always assumed it meant "read the font-editor manual". / / What do I know. " / ///////////////////////////////////////// CHERRY.FONTS //// [EOA] [HEY]////////////////////////////// HEY MISTER POSTMAN / ///////////////////////////////// Is That A Letter For Me? """""""""""""""""""""""" By Thomas M. Schmitz [TOM.SCHMITZ] >>> APPLE II ODDS & ENDS <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""" RTC HUMOR If no-one has told you, insanity abounds in the Apple II RT. """"""""" Just look at this clipping from a live RoundTable Conference: KFest? 5 days, 10 hours, 29 minutes, 18 seconds until KFest KFest? 10 hours, 29 minutes, 9 seconds until KFest ... YAY!! KFest? 10 hours, 29 minutes, 8 seconds until KFest ... YAY!! Are you enjoying yourself, Hang? Why, yes. As a matter o' fact I am. SO there. Man you're weird Define weird. YOU are the definition of weird! In who's eyes? Yours? Yes mine. Pttthhhh. Look who's talking! - --===[} Hang Oh yeah? ---===[] OUCH! Yeah, serves you right. Yeah, but I just threw a pie, you threw a pie TIN! That's not very nice. I'm not a noce person. I know you're not a "noce" person. You also can't type worth $#!+ B-P> You know I meant "nice", you dork. on your knees Oh my? Now I'm not sure who's taking? Is it you, or me? I don't know. But I'll make it easier for you ... I'll leave. bye Okay, later. More on SoundSmith DISCLAIMER: These are my personal views and not that """""""""""""""""" of Seven Hills, my users' group, or any other group. I may not disclose any proprietary information and will not willing do so. If I do so, it is involuntary. As a Seven Hills Partner and "kind of" beta tester (I was real late on Express - but the final version doesn't conflict with Pointless like one of the early ones did), I have seen SoundSmith in a "commercial form". I also signed a non-disclosure agreement. It was/is nice. I played with it quite a bit. I can not / will not discuss the program itself. The only BBS I ever saw it on was the Seven Hills area (closed to non-Partners) here on GEnie, but then, except for my brief monthly forays onto AOL, this is my only BBS. If some Seven Hills Partner let it out by giving it away to a pirate BBS, then shooting is too good for that person. Hot coals, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, maybe. I really liked the "commercial version". As the PD librarian of a users' group, I had played with SoundSmith, but never kept it because of the way it never liked my system configuration (i.e., it wouldn't run off my hard drive and I hate booting from a floppy). So I used AOL's pre-System 6.0 version of SynthLAB and later FTA's freeware NoiseTracker (I just listen to other people's compositions). When I was in Germany I wrote to FTA and to Huibert Aalbers. I even paid for Photonix II prior to it's release (still don't have it...). Olivier and Huibert are talented guys, but they were writing for a platform that was never even supported in Europe to a tiny fraction of it's US support - slim as that was! Sr. Aalbers might be tempted if _every_ person who _uses_ SoundSmith: (a) paid their shareware fee; and (b) deluged Seven Hills with prepaid orders for the "commercial version" - AND cheerfully and uncomplainingly accepting the "final beta" without a manual until any bugs are worked out. [BTW, I have suggested in the past that Apple II users could commission programers to write programs for them. In other words, Bill Heineman gets, say $5,000 for a program, we raise $5,000 and pay him for his work. If any one of these "alliance" operations ever got off the ground, that would be one vehicle to raise programmers' commissions with. Perhaps GEnie could even be convinced to allow electronic fund raising?] Seven Hill's is committed to the GS. People who pirate their programs in these day of faint support should be ashamed - by doing so they are actively helping to kill a fantastic platform (the GSd a very good company (Seven Hills, not Apple!). I hope they enjoy their putrid PC's when that's all that's left. Try my suggestions of getting people to pay the shareware fee and trying to preorder the finished program. Money talks, all else walks. Just remember, you'd also have to be happy with the "final beta" until Huibert Aalbers' ruffled feathers are smoothed. Mike (On all but beta testing information, you may quote me in print if you credit me) Murley (M.MURLEY3, CAT 6,TOP12, MSG:4,/M645;1) Best of Music Studio Just thought you would all like to know what is in """""""""""""""""""" A2's Best of Music Studio Songs (file 18976). (You must have Music Studio to listen to these files. Allatrk.SNG Alla Turca -- Mozart Annies.SNG 11747 Annie's Song -- John Denver Beethvn5th.SNG Benhur.SNG 3944 Blackbird.SNG Blue.Moon.SNG 6943 Bo.Rhapsody.SNG 13897 Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen Bolero.SNG 13896 Bolero -- Ravel Brickwal.SNG 15027 Another Brick in the Wall -- Pink Floyd Bristl.Stmp.SNG 10998 The Bristol Stomp BumbleBee.SNG 13898 Flight of the Bumblebee Can.Can.SNG 16173 Cantina.B.SNG 16174 Star Wars Cantina Band Closer.SNG 6858 Closer to the Heart -- Rush Colour.SNG 15139 Colour My World -- Chicago Concerto.SNG 2849 DownUnder.SNG 16244 Dwarves.SNG 13630 March of the Dwarves Entertainer.SNG 13334 Every.Day.SNG Falcon.Crest.SNG 16247 Flashdance.SNG 13959 Games.Play.SNG 16563 Games People Play GBusters.SNG 15136 Ghostbusters Theme GGROBAR.SNG Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer Ghostriders.SNG 14216 (with Wavebank) Heartbreak.SNG 13960 Help.Rhonda.SNG 3557 Here.There.SNG Here, There, and Everywhere -- Beatles Hill.St.SNG 13410 Hill Street Blues Theme I.Hav.2.Do2.SNG 6047? All I Have to do is Dream Invention10.SNG 5362 Invention12.SNG 5362 Invention15.SNG 5362 Linus.Lucy.SNG Lion.Sleeps.SNG 10998 Wimoweh (Lion Sleeps Tonight) Lollipop.SNG 4238 Lonely.SNG 3647 Only the Lonely Lucifer.SNG 16562 Mork.SNG 13371 Mork and Mindy Theme Mple.Lf.Rag.SNG 16246 Maple Leaf Rag -- Scott Joplin Nacht.MIDI.SNG 3947 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik -- Mozart NineToFive.SNG 13372 One.Ur.With.SNG 6938 Love the One you're With Overture.SNG 6828 Overture -- Rush Paint.Blak.SNG 2878 (with Wavebank) -- Rolling Stones People.Eat.SNG 4239 Purple People Eater -- Sheb Wooley PeterGunn.SNG 13370 Play.W.Fire.SNG 2878 (with Wavebank) -- Rolling Stones Rock.Round.SNG 10998 Rock Around the Clock RockUSA.SNG 3444 Rudolph.SNG 16243 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Running.SNG 3445 S.L.T.Wind.SNG 4803 She's Like the Wind -- Swayze Sd.Silence.SNG 13901 Sounds of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkel SilanceAG60.SNG 4028 Sounds of Silence -- Simon & Garfunkel Sinfonia12.SNG 16573 Soliloquy.SNG 6862 -- Rush Something.SNG 6862 -- Rush Soolaimon.SNG 14497 -- Neil Diamond Spaulding.SNG 16172 Hooray for Cpt. Spaulding - Groucho Marx Spirit.SNG 6858 Spirit of the Radio -- Rush St.Else.SNG 15190 St. Elsewhere's Theme Surfin.USA.SNG 3557 Syrinx.SNG 6862 Temple of the Syrinx -- Rush Under.Sea.SNG 13023 Under the Sea Vincent.SNG 15271 -- Don McLean Wonderful.SNG 16565 Wonderful! Wonderful! Yakety.Yak.SNG 10998 Z812.SNG 15138 1812 Overture Cello.WBNK 15193 For Falcon Crest Theme Rock2.WBNK ? For Rolling Stones Songs Tim Tobin A2 Head Librarian (A2.TIM, CAT3, TOP6, MSG:42/M645;1) PRE-KANSASFEST NEWS Even Before the KansasFest convention began Zip """"""""""""""""""" Technologies announced new, faster accelerators for the II GS -- up to 14 megahertz! But if you already have a Zip and want to save money you can make the upgrade yourself. Lunatic found this on the Internet: Article 38578 (266 more) in comp.sys.apple2: From: bazyar@teal.csn.org (Jawaid Bazyar) Subject: High Speed '816s from Sanyo Date: 4 Jul 92 18:18:47 GMT Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc. Lines: 32 I was talking to Bill Heineman and he mentioned a new chip that's available from WDC. It's a fairly standard 65c816, except for two things: o It runs at 14MHz o It was reengineered almost from scratch by Sanyo to run at 14MHz This is no joke; I called WDC and asked them (talk to 'Deb'). They have them, they cost $95 just like the old 'high speed' (not) chips they had. And, they have what's probably an unlimited supply of them. You can pump your Zips up to 12.4MHz (their gate array is now the bottleneck, although there are about 100 Zips out there with faster gate arrays). Transwarps can probably go the full 14MHz, though I don't know for a fact. There is no power supply boosting necessary; these chips run straight off the regular 5V (they were reengineered, remember?). Just plug 'em in, put in a new crystal, hope you particular accelerator card doesn't have some odd fault, and GO! Ultra fast IIgs's. WDC will require you to look at some outdated (and because of the new chip, obsolete) information on modifying TWGS's and Zips before they'll let you order the chip; but that's free, and well worth a IIgs at 12 or 14 MHz.-(81%) Again, *THIS IS NOT A JOKE*. WDC's phone number is 602-962-4545. Jawaid Bazyar | Ask me about the GNO Multitasking Environment Procyon, Inc. | for the Apple IIgs! bazyar@cs.uiuc.edu | 11738 W Aqueduct Drive --Apple II Forever!-- | Littleton, CO 80127 (303) 933-4649 End of article 38578 (of 38932)--what next? [npq] We do not know anyone who has done this themselves as of this writing, but the logic behind the posting is sound and the people quoted are reliable. No, I do not plan on pulling out my welding torch and performing surgery. You need to know what you are doing to attempt this. >>> WHAT'S NEW <<< """""""""""""""""" Warp Six in the Works Just to keep everyone up-to-date, I'm working on """"""""""""""""""""" the next version of Warp Six BBS, which will either be 8.9.4 or 9.0. So far, I've re-written the forum module to support hundreds of messages per forum. Any other suggestions will be welcome. --- Jim Ferr, Fantastic Software GEnie: J.FERR TechLink BBS (416) 513-5544 9 Fulton Crescent rem.com Whitby, Ontario, Canada L1R 2C8 Author of Warp Six BBS - Shareware (J.FERR, CAT10, TOP10, MSG:50/M645;1) New AppleNET Coming Soon AppleNET v2.0 may sport a slightly different """""""""""""""""""""""" name from current AppleNET versions! This will be to emphasize the major changes that have taken place from current AppleNET versions to the new version under production. AppleNET 2.0 is like nothing you've ever seen. X/Y/Zmodem transfers, file enclosures, new user fields, more efficient storage of data... EVERYTHING has been revamped completely! As AppleNET's new author, I'm trying to make it the best possible software I can, and I'm going to need all the user/sysop feedback I can get. As a small show of my gratitude, if anyone suggests an extension to the AppleNET name that I like and use, I'll give you full credit in the AppleNET v2.0 docs! So let me know what AppleNET name extensions (eg: AppleNET Pro, AppleNET Doo-Dah, etc.) you'd suggest! -Derek Fong (M.POTTER4, CAT41, TOP 2, MSG:2/M645;1) Spaced-out Price Increase Well, I hate to do it but I find that I must """"""""""""""""""""""""" increase the price of Astronomer GS if you buy it directly from me (there is no change if you download it from GEnie. A major increase in the prices I must pay for disks and Xerox is the reason. Here's the latest breakdown: The Works: 7 Disks, Manual w/ labels is $41 Registration and Manual Only : $28 (you get the program from GEnie) This price increase is effective 15 July 92. and are for U.S. orders only. Orders from other countries may cost substantially more to cover the cost of postage. If you have questions, post them here or in E-Mail I'm L.Bell13 or write to: Larry Bell, 2537 Jefferson St, Long Beach, CA 90810. (L.BELL13, Category 13, Topic 14, Message 10) FantasyWorks ~ The Elite Fantasy Football League Management System ~ """""""""""" FantasyWorks version 3.0 is now available from FantasyWorks Software, Inc. for the start of the 1992 NFL season. FantasyWorks again remains the ONLY Fantasy Football software for the Apple II line. Fantasy Football is a seasonal event that coincides directly with the National Football League's 17-week season. A commissioner runs a league where members become team owners by drafting a team of NFL players and decide who to play each week. Each NFL player scores points based upon their performance in actual NFL games. FantasyWorks gives you everything you need to run a top-notch Fantasy Football League on your Apple (or Mac LC or LC II with Apple II emulation card) using Classic AppleWorks, Publish It and your favorite telecommunications software. Our thick 300-page manual covers everything from publishing your own league newsletter to setting up a league hotline. The included telecommunications scripts automatically capture NFL stats from Computer Sports World (CSW) and Fantasy Point Scoring is accomplished automatically using the included UltraMacro TaskFiles within AppleWorks. Basic, Distance, Performance and our "Elite" method are included. If necessary, custom scoring TaskFiles are available separately. FantasyWorks Version 3.0 runs with AppleWorks 3.0 and includes more than 60 templates to help manage a proficient Fantasy Football League and requires at least two 5.25" drives or a single 3.5" drive. A TaskMaster version of all TaskFiles are available free for those AppleWorks owners who don't have TimeOut UltraMacros. Version 3.0 will have many enhancements such as automatic weekly scoring sheets and automatic ranking of NFL players. Numerous customer requests were also added. Registered owners can upgrade to Version 3.0 for $14.95. A version compatible with AppleWorks 2.0 is still available for an additional $14.95. A discount coupon to join CSW is also included. Fantasy Football is becoming more popular each year and now has 5 paperbacks and 3 magazines dedicated to it. There's lots of stuff here so if you want to start your own league, now's the time to do it. The NFL season is almost here. FantasyWorks normally sells for $74.95 but is available to GEnie members through December 1st for $59.95 plus $6 s/h (Canadian members, please add $1 s/h). Please identify yourself as a GEnie member when you order. Visa and MasterCard orders are accepted. FantasyWorks BBS ONLINE A new BBS dedicated specifically to Fantasy """"""""""""""""""""""" Football called the "Fantasy Football Information Exchange" (FFIE). Access to the FFIE is FREE through November 1st. After Novemebr 1st, our initial, first-year membership fee is $14.95 plus $4.95 per month for usage. All FantasyWorks owners who are registered by October 1st, 1992, do not have to pay the monthly fees in their first year online. The FFIE will include: NFL draft reports, rookie info, player ratings, injury status reports, various fantasy forums, NFL stats, FantasyWorks software updates, weekly scouting reports, and more. The BBS will be officially online in mid to late August and enrollment will be limited. BBS#: (214) 642-9559. >>> APPLE HEADS WANT TO KNOW <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IIGS Music Thoughts \/\/ell, it's kinda funny when people ask to hear """"""""""""""""""" "computer" music with "real" instruments in it. Sure, it can be done, but that's far from where the strengths of computers lie. The reason you see so much "euro-disco-industrial-pop-dance" music available for our favorite computer is because that's the kind of music that is being CREATED on computers, predominantly, in the first place. As such, it's ideal for the translation to something that we can play on our own machines. One example I'd like to make is a song in the library called ACID.BXY. I would consider this song not just an approximation of a "real world" song in the style of acid house dance music, but actually an example of that music ITSELF. Obviously, the music style of acid house dance music is predominantly created on computers, with a lot of samples. Anyway, there are still quite a number of artists who use computers to make their music and who DON'T end up making "euro-disco-industrial-pop-dance" music. For example, there is a CD called Bachbusters, recorded by Don Dorsey in 1985, which is a selection of Bach pieces done entirely with synthesizers (using an Apple II Plus as a synchronizer/sequencer). These synthesizers were dedicated musical instruments, though (a Fairlight was used, for example), which become increasingly difficult to duplicate with a IIGS when you're trying to make it sound like a "real instrument." Now, synthLAB can be pointed out as an example, but almost all of the people who actually MAKE music on the IIGS who I've seen comment do not take synthLAB very seriously, due to quite a number of shortcomings (difficulty in creating instruments is one -- even the original author did a bunch of tricks to create his instruments and used MPW IIGS to assemble them, from what I've heard). It's surely possible to do forms of music other than "euro-disco-industrial-pop- dance" with NoiseTracker and SoundSmith, but I don't think you should be too upset if you don't see very much of it, since the "euro"etc. music is where their strengths lie. -= Lunatic (: Hmm, neat trick, talking about acid house and Bach within the same message.... (CAT3, TOP4, MSG:78/M645;1) Mac Icons on the IIGS |)ave, here's another way to do it that may """"""""""""""""""""" be a bit easier: Use the program called Resource Spy (I know it's in A2Pro, and it may be in A2, as well) to open the original Mac Desktop file and copy the Calvin and Hobbes icons out of it. Resource Spy will save them directly as IIGS Finder icons. Now all you have to do is edit their attributes in an icon editor, and maybe colourise them if you want. Set the file type attribute of each one to $FFF1, if your hard drive is SCSI. If it's not SCSI, set it to $FFF3, or maybe even $FFFD (this is what an older Sider partition would use). Set the file names of each icon to the names of your partitions. Finally, put the new icon file in the Icons folder on your BOOT disk, to make sure that they will show up. Whatever you do, don't put the icon for a partition in the Icons folder of that partition itself (except for the boot partition) or the icon won't show up. The reason for this is that, except for the boot partition, Finder shows the icon for the partition first, and THEN reads all of the icons on that partition. On the other hand, at the urging of myself and probably several other people, Finder 6.0 reads all the icons on the boot volume FIRST, and then shows that volume on the desktop. Having all of your volume/partition icons on your boot volume makes sure that they're always in memory before Finder starts looking at other devices. BTW, once you've got 'em working, why not upload them so we can all take a look? -= Lunatic (: (CAT9, TOP2, MSG:142, M645;1) Hyper Card Update Info I know why the upgrades for HCGS aren't available """""""""""""""""""""" thru Apple dealers (I had a big hand is establishing that policy, so I should know... ). We wanted a single point of contact for customers upgrading and we wanted to keep the cost as low as possible. If the upgrade went through the "dealer" channel, it would have _HAD_ to be packaged like a regular product (fancy box, etc) and that would have driven the cost up quickly. Instead, we chose to go through APDA. As reality unfolded, APDA worked out a deal with Resource Central to allow RC to take over distribution of APDA's A2 packages - including the soon-tob-be-released (at the time this happened, HCGS v.1.1 hadn't quite been released yet) HCGS v.1.1 upgrade package. By putting the product through APDA, we could do away with the traditional packaging requirements and get the cost down considerably. As for why RC wasn't sent a list of registered owners - _THEY WERE_! But that doesn't solve the problem you mentioned (avoiding having to send in your Installer & Tour disc [not "discs", "disc", only one disc and it's named "Installer and Tour"]). See, the vast majority of HCGS customers never bothered to send in their registration cards, so we had no way of telling RC who those users were. We didn't want to leave those users out, so RC established a policy that solved the problem at minimal hassle to the customer (a single floppy can be easily mailed in a normal envelope - I've done it often when sending out updates to ShareWare subscribers). If I left something unanswered, let me know... Tim S. (my opinions are my own) (TIM.SWIHART, CAT5, TOP3, MSG:22/M645;1) Running Astronomer GS Boy...I don't know if a floating point engine will """"""""""""""""""""" help or not. I'm not familiar with them on the Apple. Remember, Astronomer is a 16-Bit program. As for the speed...I know it seems slow but there's a reason for it. All calculations are done in double precision and I don't use many of the approximation equations used by other programs. Where ever possible, I use the most accurate calculation algorithums available (see Astronomical Algorithums by J. Meeus). The emphasis has always been on accuracy vs speed. Having said that, I have found that some folks have had problems with incompatible DA's Inits etc that cause the program to slow WAY DOWN. Try booting from System 6 holding the shift key down till the thermometer appears then run Astronomer and see if it improves. You must also remember that for some routines the farther your date is from present, the longer calcs may take. For a quick test, find the Sun Rise/Set time for your area on a date in 1991 (any date). If the calc takes less than 60- sec you're probably OK. For most folks it should take less than 20 sec. (L.BELL13, CAT13, TOP14, MSG:8/M645;1) Laser Computer Ram >R.ROEHNER [RJ] """""""""""""""""" >I could use Prosel 8 to load the whole thing into >this RAM disk and then when it came time to check my spelling I would >press open-apple V as I do now, but the dictionary would already be in >memory so there would be no need to swap discs? And Nibbler, when you >say the Laser ram expansion behaves like the RamFactor from AE, what is >RamFactor and is it something that could be used with the Laser? I haven't attended here in awhile but just noticed all of the discussion on using the Laser 128EX's RAM disk. For the Laser, Copy II+ is also a great utility for loading the RAM disk, as well as ProSel 8. Like Prosel, you can copy all of the files in an entire directory by designating it, or you can copy the files one-by-one. Copying individual files has the advantage of allowing you to increase desktop space by being selective about which subroutines you wish to use. For example, you can leave out spread sheet, database, printer routines, dictionary or various TimeOut apps, if you want to increase desktop space. Use only your word processor and dictionary, your database, whatever. Both ProSel and Copy II+ version 9 can be configured to launch apps from RAM. Since the RamFactor was mentioned, I thought I'd also add that if this card is used with the Laser in the expansion box, I believe that you can increase the Laser's RAM beyond 1 MB. The Laser's built- in RAM card is 1 meg only, while Ramfactor can go beyond 1 meg. I should also comment about "Autocopy 2." If you want to get really fancy, Applied Engineering supplies a little utility with their RAM cards called "Autocopy 2." It is an uncompiled basic program that you can go into and edit to suit your needs. Basically, Autocopy 2 copies everything in the directories you designate onto your RAM disk...automatically at bootup. The advantage to Autocopy 2 over ProSel and Copy II+ is that it occupies very little memory if you're trying to cram a lot of apps on a single microfloppy. With Autocopy 2 installed on your microfloppy, you can simply boot a disk. (It takes awhile for 500K + of applications to load to RAM, so go get a cup of coffee.) When you come back, press "return," et voila! No muss, no fuss; everything is the re in RAM. You only have to know a little bit of basic, i.e. "load," "list," "save," etc., and ProDOS file structure. The docs that come with Autocopy 2 tell you the rest to let you customize it for yourself. I believe that there are also some basic programs in the Genie library that will do the same thing. I've always wondered why Apple didn't encourage programmers to use these kinds of copy routines in their programs by manufacturing and selling their machines off-the-shelf with more RAM than the basic 64k or 128k. A stock Apple IIe or IIc with 512K or 1 MB would have been a nice product 6 or 8 years ago. It sure would have been interesting to see what kinds of programs developers would have come up with for an Apple with that kind of memory. It would have kept Apple IIs more competitive (sigh!). Not being a programmer or engineer, I've never seen much difference between "extended" RAM, "expanded" RAM or RAM disk. Heck, if you can call a program's subroutine from memory instantly, what's the diff?? Good Luck, J-Bird (J.CURTIS8, CAT2, TOP2, MSG:59/M645;1) SoftSwitch on 6.0 The SoftSwitch.Init file does have a problem with """"""""""""""""" System 6.0. You can disable (or just remove) the SoftSwitch.Init file, and as Luny mentioned, the only drawback is loss of the hot-key features. You can also just mail your SoftS witch disk back to RWP with $10, and we'll re-copy the disk with the latest version which works fine with System 6.0, and mail the disk back to you. -Roger Wagner (ROGER.WAGNER, CAT32, TOP5, MSG:98/M645;1) Modem to Modem >I am wondering if two people with ordinary BB type """""""""""""" >software - TIC for me and the MS-DOS equivalent - >can communicate in this way. My brother and I do this all the time, now, between his PS-2 and my IIgs (ProCOMM to ProTERM). A secretary who does private work for me uses a rickity old XT clone and an out-of-date term program to communicate with my IIgs over the phone. She types up my dictated notes on her machine using WordPerfect. Calls my computer and uploads her files. I can turn them into AppleWorks WP files effortlessly using either ProTERM or Beagle's Textloader. >My understanding is that if the two computers and their modems are using >Hayes protocols and text files, it doesn't really matter what operating >languages they're using. Amen! It is amazing to me how stupid a lot of IBM folks are when it comes to connecting different systems over the phone. My brother once had a PROFESSOR in a telecommunications class tell him that it was impossible for IBM and Apple Systems to talk to one another. It simply couldn't be done, period, even with Hayes-style modems and ASCII. IBM folks seem to like this techno-myth. I think it is something like the caste social system in India where one group is perceived as beneath another and therefore unworthy of communication. >Sounds like ProTERM is one of the programs which does at least VT100, >and its scripts may allow integration. Can anyone confirm this? Yep. But there are others, too. In my experience, if there are problems in hooking into an IBM system, the problem usually lies with some deficiency or limitation in the IBM system's equipment or software, rather than the Apple. -J-Bird (J.CURTIS8, CAT12, TOP6, MSG:33/M645;1) RAMdisk Settings From your comments I take it that you have a ROM 01 """""""""""""""" like I do. One factor to remember when setting a RAMdisk is NEVER set a different Max and Min size - never. It causes problems - which is the reason the capability was removed in the ROM 03 machine. Remember PT3 claims all unused memory for itself - then if the RAMdisk has to expand to receive more data, it seems to me that it might well be "lockup-city". I learned about the possibility of problems very early and never had any reason to want to make the sizes different when I wanted a RAMdisk. Try setting up Copy Full if these lockups occur. -Dale (WA The copy buffer is full. You should Write, Print, or Clear the buffer. Formatting Dos 3.3 Press W,P,C,or ESC 3, you need """""""""""""""""" command INIT HELLO. INIT formats n the first 3 (or was it 2?) tracks. When you boot this disk it will look for n AppleSoft startup program named HELLO and run it. HELLO was the traditional name - it could be anything. A BRUNnable binary file might also work as the HELLO program - I'm not sure of that, though. Copy the game files from the DOSless disk to the bootable one, make sure the menu or staratup program, if any, is named HELLO, and you should have a self-starting game disk. If you can't fit all the files on the bootable disk, you'll have to make two bootable disks and put some games on each. -Bill Dooley (A2.BILL, MSG:63) Why Use SuperConvert? I imagine that some folks who've been using """"""""""""""""""""" SHR.Convert for years have never bothered to purchased SuperConvert, so I'll give you one good reason to spend the $28 that mail order vendors are charging for SuperConvert. In an online conversation with Jason Harper, I was commenting that it seemed to me as if SuperConvert can create a GIF graphic 10 times faster than SHR.Convert did. Jason Harper, the author of both programs, admitted that when he wrote SHR.Convert he hadn't implemented GIF file creation properly. He fixed it in SuperConvert. I'm not the type to sit in front of my computer with a stop watch, so I don't know if that "10 times faster" is accurate. But, SuperConvert is a heckuva lot faster than SHR.Convert. That's just one good reason to buy SuperConvert. But, by no means, is it the only reason! -Joe Kohn (J.KOHN], CAT3, TOP8, MSG:4/M645;1) Want An Extra Phone? You may be able to hook up an extra phone in you """""""""""""""""""" computer room and not know it. Most phones are wired with 4 wires. R/G/Y/B. Red and Green are the main lines and yellow & Black are/or can be the second lines. At my house this is how it is. I set up one line with the modem and the other for a telephone. I also went a step further and installed a toggle switch so I can switch between lines for the modem and have a two line phone in the room. This gives me the most versitility with a teenager in the house:) If you only have one incoming line you can use a splitter and have the phone and modem on one line. I did that before I had two lines. ( (_) Bob Cherry (R.CHERRY2, CAT10, TOP2, MSG:138/M645;1) NoiseTracker And Amiga MODs are in a totally different format from """"""""""""""""""""""""""" SoundSmith songs. Beyond that, one really big difference between the types of files is that MODs can (and usually do) have instruments larger than 64K in them. This requires a special program such as NoiseTracker, MODZap, or soniqTracker to dynamically swap data in and out of the limited 64K of sound RAM in the IIGS. It's a lot like displaying a 3200 colour picture: the computer is so busy doing the work of presenting the data to you that it can't really do much else. This precludes anyone from effectively writing a CDA or NDA player for MODs, because you can't be running some other program while the MODs is playing. The MOD players that are out there _do_ have other things happening while the music is playing, but it's very limited. Only a few simple graphic displays that don't take up much processor power are possible. It can be compared to the way DreamGrafix is able to edit 3200 colour pics. -= -Lunatic (: (LUNATIC, CAT6, TOP7, MSG:131/M645;1) -- Jerry Penner jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca | "Wanna buy a duck" (Hi Joe :) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!hobbes.physics.uiowa.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!ubc-cs!unixg.ubc.ca!kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca!ee.ualberta.ca!jpenne From: jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) Subject: GEnieLamp Aug 1992 (Vol 1 No. 5) (5 parts) Message-ID: Summary: part 2 Sender: news@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca Nntp-Posting-Host: eigen.ee.ualberta.ca Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:46:07 GMT Lines: 964 GEnieLamp Vol 1/Num 5 August 1, 1992 Part 2 of 5 This article first appeared on GEnie and I was asked to post it on the Internet. My GE-Mail address is J.Penner1 and my internet address is jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca if you need to discuss something regarding this posting. I don't work for GEnie or anything to do with the Internet. ----8<----8<----8<----8<----8<-- cut here --8<----8<----8<----8<----8<---- >>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""" Best Phone Call of my A lady called up today asking about """ Tenure at Resource Central software for an old Apple. She had put """""""""""""""""""""""""" it in a garage sale last weekend for $100 and it didn't sell. She was going to lower the price to try and sell it again but she wanted to locate some software to encourage buyers. It was an Apple _I_. I double-clutched and explained to her that it was probably worth somewhere between $6,000-$10,000 if she could find a collector who knew the real value (especially since I assume it was _working_ if she was looking for more programs). That seemed to make her perk up. :) (A2-CENTRAL, CAT2, TOP7, MSG:155, M645;1) [*][*][*] While on GEnie, do you spend most of your time downloading files? If so, you may be missing out some excellent information in the Bulletin Board area. The messages listed above only scratch the surface of what's available and waiting for you in the bulletin board area. If you are serious about your APPLE II, the GEnie Lamp staff strongly urge you to give the bulletin board area a try. There are literally thousands of messages posted from people like you from all over the world. /////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "The JSR $FE1F method is the only Apple-documented way to / / detect that your program is running on a IIGS. I'd never / / seen the PEEK (65055) before. I do remember that Bill / / Basham "documented" another IIGS ID byte -- if PEEK / / (-1) = 192 then the machine is a IIGS. Be warned, / / though; that method may not work on future IIGS / / models! (Hoo hahahah, I crack myself up sometimes.) / /////////////////////////////////////////////////// QC //// [EOA] [HUM]////////////////////////////// HUMOR ONLINE / ///////////////////////////////// A Slight Misunderstanding """"""""""""""""""""""""" Ctsey. Of Terry Quinn [TQUINN] >>> THE OYSTER <<< """"""""""""""""""" The sign upon the cafe wall said, "Oysters: 50 cents" "How quaint," the blue eyed sweetheart said, with some bewilderment. "I didn't know they served such fare out here upon the plain." "Oh, sure," her cowboy date replied. "We're really quite urbane." "I guess they're Chesapeake, or Blue Point, don't you think?" "No m'am, they're mostly Hereferd cross, and usually they're pink. But I've been cold, so cold myself, that what you say could be true. And if a man looked close enough, their points could sure be blue!" She said, "I gather them myself out on the bay alone. I pluck them from the murkey depths and smash them with a stone." The cowboy winced, imagining a calf with her underneath. "Me, I use a pocket knife and yank 'em with my teeth." "Oh my," she said. "You Animal! How crude and unrefined! Your masculine assertiveness sends shivers up my spine! But I prefer a butcher knife too dull to really cut; I wedge it on either side and crack it like a nut. "I pry them out. If they resist, sometimes I use the pliers. Or even Grandpa's pruning shears, if that's what it requires!" The hair stood on the cowboys neck; his stomach did a whirl- He'd never heard such grisly talk, especially from a girl! "I like them fresh," the sweetheart said, and laid her menu down. Then ordered oysters for them both when the waiter came around. The cowboy smiled gamely, though her words stuck in his craw. But he finally fainted dead away when she said, "I'll have mine raw." [*][*][*] I just had to put this here - after all the talk about "unmentionables" - I have to confess, that it took me a few minutes to realize the kind of "oysters" that were on the menu! (COOKIE.LADY, CAT2, TOP14, MSG:293/M1150) /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I truly don't understand the apparent fascination with tower / / cases. I mean, be artistic - use an old breadbox, peach / / crate, or old wood-case radio, grandfather clock, any- / / thing. Heck, build it all into an old briefcase or / / portmanteau, voila - a portable!" / /////////////////////////////////////////////// M.JONES52 //// [EOA] [PRO]////////////////////////////// PROGRAMMING CORNER / ///////////////////////////////// Apple II And You """""""""""""""" By Darrel Raines [D.RAINES] >>> THE FUTURE OF APPLE II SOFTWARE <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The text before you represents the first column of a new GEnieLamp series on programming for the Apple II computer. However, this column will not be like any other that you have seen that went by a similar title. More on that subject later. I should introduce myself first. My name is Darrel Raines. I am also the author of the Computer Games article that appears elsewhere in this issue. You may want to refer to that column for a brief biography. For the purpose of a brief statement, I would say that I have many varied computer interests. One of those long term interests has been programming on the Apple II. The next order of business will be to explain why I was interested in starting a regular series on Apple II programming. I have seen more columns about programming a personal computer than I can count. Most of them started with a bang and then faded away before too long. That brings me back to why this series of articles will be different than any you have ever seen before. I want to cover a broad set of topics that will interest not only the hardcore programmer and the novice programmer, but also the person who has never diddled a bit before in their life. That means that we will cover more than just how to program. We will also cover topics like how to select and use the software that you need. If you have owned an Apple II computer for more than one year, you cannot have failed to notice the diminishing support for the computer from Apple Corp. I have been noticing it for about four and one half years now. My first reaction was one of anger and frustration. "How can Apple Corp. take my money spent on Apple II equipment and use it to shove Mac's down the throat of corporate America?" It has gotten worse over the last few years. After a while, my anger gave way to reason and I have been a happy camper for the past few years. As long as my computer does what I want it to do, I will remain content and enjoy what it CAN do. This seems to be much more productive than sitting around hating Apple for abandoning the II line. One of the reasons to stay happy is the introduction of some new software products during the last few months: two of note are Apple System Software 6.0 and Pointless (by WestCode). Granted, Apple Computer will not be doing any more software updates for the II line. That just makes this last gasp effort at product support that much sweeter. Seven Hills has a few new releases and Q-labs has some new updates and products. All of these sources are nice, but they do not represent the future of Apple software. And THAT subject is the one I want to focus on for this first article. "Where", you may ask, "do you expect future Apple II software to come from if it is not from these companies? Do you expect it to grow on trees?" I have been accused of being a raving optimist, but I am not quite so bad as to expect software to magically appear. The question still remains: what company will be the source of most future Apple II software? The answer lies at the other end of your modem. Have you played Solitaire, Euchre, or Gin Rummy with your computer lately? Have you ever printed a text file in multiple columns on your wide carriage printer? Have you sampled the power of a relational database with a sophisticated report generator? If you have done any of these activities or thousands more just like them, then you know where to look for future software. Shareware and Freeware are the future of Apple II software. I need to be absolutely clear here. I do expect to continue seeing some commercial software appear during the next few years. I applaud the efforts of the remaining Apple software companies and will try to support them through the purchase of their products. However, these developers cannot hope to provide the Apple II users with the variety of software that we have become accustomed to over the last few years. Too many of the various software manufacturers have moved over to Mac and IBM products. Beyond this fact, I believe that Apple II users will need more and different applications than can be produced by what is left of the supporting software industry. On the other hand, I have seen more powerful shareware programs over the last two years for the Apple II computer than I ever thought possible. The part-time and leisure-time programmers have put together some very nice products. One of the reasons that I believe Shareware to be our future is the continually decreasing use of the Apple II computer in school systems. The majority of software purchasers will soon be the home computer owner. The home computer owner does not traditionally buy as much software as the school or business user. Again, this points to a reduced commercial market and an increased informal distribution system. Most home computer users are not too excited about spending a lot of money on a product that they have not seen in action. Shareware offers them an opportunity to try before they buy. Of course, the good news about this situation is that GEnie users are in a prime position to receive new software straight from the producers. You are already aware of the fantastic benefits available to you by simply logging into the Apple II Library and browsing through the latest uploads for your computer. Any of these potential gems may be yours for the price of a download. Over 19,000 separate files have been placed in the Apple II Library area. Most of these files are still available and offer a rich variety of software for you to choose from. If my analysis about software production is correct, the users of Apple II software have an unprecedented chance to shape their future computer use. Most of the Shareware authors that I know have a common problem: what program do I write next? You might be surprised by how many programmers are willing and able to write good software, but do not have a specific goal in mind for a project. This situation lends itself well to a productive cross-fertilization between software users and authors. I propose that this problem can be alleviated with some simple communication between the two groups. Like most problems, once it is understood the solution can be achieved without too much trouble. In my next article, I will to address the issue of how to get these groups together. We will discuss a number of different ways to develop synergy between them. If I am correct about the future of Apple II software, then it is in everyone's best interest to keep the Shareware authors busy producing software that we want to see and buy. In future articles I will discuss how programmers can use the resources available in the A2Pro area to develop software that people want to buy. Until we get together again, why don't you sit down and register your favorite piece of Shareware. You may just help insure your computing future. ///////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Your help in diagnosing and suggesting a solution is a big / / part of what makes GEnie so great -- people helping people, / / sharing wisdom and knowledge." / /////////////////////////////////////////////// J.SAFFER //// [EOA] [PRO]////////////////////////////// A2 PRO ROUNDTABLE / ///////////////////////////////// A2Pro News & Features """"""""""""""""""""" >>> WHAT'S GOING ON IN A2PRO? <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A2Pro Survey We need to know more about what you want from A2Pro, so """""""""""" PLEASE take a minute to complete the A2Pro Survey. It's item 7 on the A2Pro menu, and the results will help us serve you better. Thanks! The June 1992 Apple II Technical Notes in text files are here! Loaded with new file formats, 6.0 programming information and tons more useful stuff you as an Apple II developer need to know -- sparse files, documentation errors, resource formats, dealing with interrupts and more. File #2373 contains all the new Notes -- file #2759 contains just the Technical Notes and file #2762 contains just the File Type Notes. Download them and learn all kinds of things! Win FREE printed Apple II Technical Notes just for showing up to the A2Pro weekly Monday Night conference. Also, program a great Finder Extension and win a FREE WEEKEND in A2 and A2Pro. See category 1, topic 16 in the bulletin board for details. Got some time and want to beta-test ShrinkIt for the Apple IIgs? Read category 16, topic 14, message 2 and you might find yourself on the ShrinkIt Beta-Testers Honor Roll! What do you want to learn? A2 University wants your input on courses for the summer and fall. See category 1, topic 14 for the ideas so far and tell us what you'd like to know. Procyon, Inc., makers of the GNO multitasking environment (GNO/ME) now have their own category and library here in A2Pro where they answer your questions about programming under GNO and give you the latest GNO goodies. Check out category and library #30 for more details. Coming soon: Company Support, KansasFest technical summaries, New A2U categories and topics, and more. >>> ROUNDTABLE OUT-TAKES <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Who Uses A2Pro? You'll get a serious argument if you contend most of """"""""""""""" the people who _use_ A2Pro are experts. A lot of the people who _post_ are, and one of our goals is to make sure everyone realizes that no one got to be an expert overnight. Lots of the people you see as "experts" learned a lot of what they know in this very roundtable. We just have to make sure everyone realizes there's plenty of room for _them._ --Matt (speaking for myself, not for Apple) (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT1, TOP14, MSG:24/M530;1) 5.25 Drive Bug Yeesh. We've been through this in detail on CompuServe, """""""""""""" and I'll try to summarize (and I'll leave out all the part about the guy who was nearly ready to file a lawsuit against Apple for obsoleting his disk drives): The new 5.25" driver tries to be clever and notice when there are actually drives connected to your 5.25" interface by turning on the motor and looking for noise on the bus. Theoretically, no drive is so quiet that it won't return noise, so the driver can only build DIBs for drives that are actually there and not give you more devices than you have drives. In reality, there are _lots_ of drives out there this quiet, and so the new 5.25" driver doesn't think you have any drive connected at all. The two ways to get around the problem are to 1) use the 5.0.4 driver, or 2) always keep a formatted disk in the drives when booting or restarting GS/OS. Engineering now accepts this as a bug and they intend to fix it. (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT8, TOP5, MSG:47/M530;1) Modula-2 Revisited Modula-2 has been available for the Apple II series """""""""""""""""" since 1984, in the form of Volition Systems' Modula-2 (later, Pecan Power System Modula-2). It features a syntax very much like Pascal's, special language elements that make low-level programming easier without sacrificing readability, maintainability or (in many cases) strong-type checking. Mostly, however, Modula-2 is centered around the concept of the module, a collection of procedures and data structures that are known to clients by a separately compilable definition section, and realized in an implementation section. Modules permit better organization of code, the implementation of opaque, abstract data types, and many more advantages that are often claimed for object-oriented languages, although Modula-2 is not itself an "object-oriented" language. Oberon, designed to succeed Modula-2, is a "minimalist" notation that retains Modula- 2's module mechanism, and also adds an inheritance mechanism that can function across modules. It is much closer to a classical "object oriented" design than Modula-2, but to draw closer to "true OOP," Oberon had to eliminate many features that were deemed "superfluous" in a minimalist design, such as enumerations, subranges, direct support for coroutines and multiprocessing, and other aspects. Modula-2 that many Pascal and Modula-2 fans liked. Oberon is still quite young, as languages go, and it will certainly be several years before a generally acceptable dialect -- perhaps reintegrating old M2 features that are now absent, while keeping Modules and cross-module inheritance -- is defined. Modula-2 is the more mature language, for which an ISO standards effort is now underway and many implementations are available, depending on your computer platform. For example, minicomputers and mainframes support Modula-3, a new language based on M2, and designed to support OOP. Macs have versions of Modula-2 that include special extensions for OOP. I believe the same is true for IBMs; there are several implementations for the IBM world, in any case. Modula-2 is available for Commodore Amiga and Atari 68000 machines, as well. Sadly, only the original (and now unsupported) Volition and Pecan M2 implementations work on the Apple II. This situation may change in the near future, however, at least for Apple IIGS owners. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, I hope to discuss M2 and Oberon with other Apple II programmers, especially those who used the earlier systems or those who have questions about those languages. Regards; Jim Merritt (JIM.MERRITT, CAT14, TOP4, MSG:1) Want C? Get ORCA Marc - let me make this REAL SIMPLE. I'm the Product """""""""""""""" Manager at Apple for all Apple II Developer Tools, so APW C falls under my responsibility. If you want to learn C on a IIGS, get ORCA/C! It's an ANSI C compiler (i.e.: supports function prototypes for stronger type checking) and has some other capabilities that APW C doesn't have and won't have in the future. APW C is only a "K&R" C compiler, so you don't get the stronger type checking and you're lacking a few other things that you'll find in ORCA/C (for example, ORCA/C supports a desktop environment for code development and debugging - APW C's interface is closer to what you find under MS-DOS, ugh). -Tim S. (my opinions are my own) (TIM.SWIHART, CAT4, TOP2, MSG:90/M530;1) Don't Make System Tools If memory serves, these tools are "system" tools, """"""""""""""""""""""" and third-parties writing system tools is strictly against Apple's compatibility guidelines. There are user tools for that purpose. However, you can't use _LoadOneTool or _LoadTools on user tools, so some people get lazy and write system tools. (This is the bad side to having a toolbox that does so much for you -- some programmers have no problems making things difficult for the users or in breaking compatibility guidelines if it saves them four lines of code, which is exactly the wrong attitude for programmers to have.) Anyway, StartUpTools has to know the startup _parameters_ to each tool, so it only knows about the legitimate, Apple-provided system tools. --Matt (speaking for myself, not for Apple) (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT16, TOP17, MSG:12/M530;1) Contest Extended In our A2Pro Finder Extension Contest, we neglected one """""""""""""""" little point. Until now, Finder Extension and 6.0 programming documentation hasn't been available except through ERSs, only on the 6.0 GM CD. Now that "Programmer's Reference for 6.0" is released, and _everyone_ can (and should!) get it, Finder Extensions are within the reach of every programmer. Therefore, to try to get it right the second time, we've extended the deadline for the A2Pro Finder Extension Contest to _September 1st_. You now have an extra month to read the documentation and crank out the world's greatest Finder Extra, and win a free weekend in A2/A2Pro for the effort. --Matt (I speak for A2Pro, not for Apple) ------------ (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT1, TOP16, MSG:22/M530;1) Byte Works, A Force in A2Pro Apple II Programmers have a great friend """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" at A2Pro in Mike Westerfield. Mike is the driving force behind the Byte Works, a software company specializing in programing and development aides. You can catch Mike in A2Pro answering questions and offering his views several times a week. One current discussion which has been raging is what should a Pascal compiler be capable of in conjunction with the Toolbox. If you are a regular visitor you know Mike has strong views on the matter. No matter where you fall on the issues, Mike Westerfield certainly makes A2Pro a more exciting place. The Byte Works recently released The Programmer's Reference for System 6.0. This book is the latest in the series of Apple IIGS reference books which include the Apple IIGS Toolbox Reference Volumes 1-3 and the Apple IIGS GS/OS Reference. Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 covers all of the changes, enhancements and additions to the Apple IIGS operating system since these books were published for System 5.0. This complete technical reference to System 6.0 includes: * New tool calls and tool updates * Documentation for these new tools: MIDI Synth, Media Control Tool Set, and Video Overlay Tool Set * Finder documentation * GS/OS Update * Information about the new FSTs * Sound Control Panel documentation * A complete toolbox concordance listing every page a tool is documented over all 4 volumes of the toolbox reference manuals. The Toolbox Concordance The toolbox documentation streatches across four """"""""""""""""""""""" volumes, now. Between the original documentation, error corrections, clarifications, and new features, some of the tool calls are actually documented in as many as three different books! The Toolbox Concordance lists all of the places you need to look to find information about a tool call. Every tool call in the entire suite of books is listed. You also get a comprehensive list of all of the error codes used throughout the Apple IIGS operating system, from the tools to GS/OS errors to the System errors. Includes All the Toolbox Updates System 6.0 came with a lot of new """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" features, including the new rectangle and thermometer controls, animated cursors, named resources, new dialog tools that handle all of the controls and the new Media Control Tool Set, Video Overlay Tool Set and MIDI Synth Tool Set. Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 tells you how to use these new features in your own programs. Changes to GS/OS Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 is your best """""""""""""""" source for changes to GS/OS. You'll learn about the new GS/OS calls, changes to the existing calls, and the errors in the original documentation. You will get an update to Apple IIGS GS/OS Reference, which was written for System 5.0. You'll discover the latest on the new FSTs (AppleShare FST, HFS FST, DOS 3.3 FST, and the Pascal FST), the new Initializatino Manager, and more. Finder 6.0 Our documentation of the 6.0 Finder really includes two """""""""" different kinds of information. First, it tells you how to use the Finder. It describes all of the cool new features for Finder 6.0, but it assumes you are a reasonably computer literate person, and don't need to be told which end of the disk to stick in the drive. You also get all of the technical details you need to make your programs work smoothly with Finder 6.0, including information about the new rBundle and rVersion resources, how to write Finder extensions, and how the Finder communicates with other programs. New Resource Types There are a lot of new resources, and the """""""""""""""""" Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 tells you all about them. You also get information about the changes to the system resource file, so you know about the new resources you can use from your own programs. While there are several new resource types, the major ones are the rBundle, rComment, rVersion and rFinderPath resources. You need to use these resources in all new programs, since they tell the Finder what kinds of data files your program can handle, what icons to use, what version number to display, and what to tell the user about your programs and data files. Technical Appendices Several other appendices fill in the details. You """""""""""""""""""" will learn about the new uses for the Battery RAM, get an update on how to write your own tools, and get a complete listing of the standard font characters for both the Apple IIGS and Macintosh computers. What You Get Programmer's Reference for System 6.0 comes in a 3-ring """""""""""" binder to make it easy to use. Because of the format, you can add your own notes, and we will be able to mail update chapters if the need arises. The binder includes attractive inserts, so you can quickly find the book on your shelf. The documentation itself is a whopping 478 pages of detailed technical information, following the same style as the toolbox reference manuals. This is final documentation, not beta documentation. A comprehensive table of contents makes it easy to find the information you need, and the extensive index and concordance help cross-reference information by topic Note from the Boss By the way, folks: "Programmer's Reference for System """""""""""""""""" 6.0" is _THE_ official reference for programmers using features beyond those in 5.0.2. It supersedes the ERSs and all documentation in interim form before it. If you're programming with 6.0 and want to release anything, you _need_ this book just as soon as you can get it. It's as vital a reference as the Toolbox and GS/OS manuals and you should _not_ be without it. --Matt (M.DEATHERAGE, CAT1, TOP4, MSG:10/M530;1) >>>>> Another recent release, which this author eagerly awaits Snail Mail """"" delivery of, is the Toolbox Programming in Pascal set. The course is designed to guide programmers through the ins and outs of the GS toolbox using the ORCA/Pascal development environment. The course has been broken down into 18 lessons covering all aspects of designing and writing toolbox programs: Lesson 0 - Before We Start Lesson 1 - Current Events Lesson 2 - What's on the Menu? Lesson 3 - Be Resourceful Lesson 4 - Keep Alert! Lesson 5 - Why, Yes. We Do Windows! Lesson 6 - File I/O Lesson 7 - Move Over Gutenberg Lesson 8 - Thanks for the Memory Lesson 9 - Drawing on the Front Side of the Screen Lesson 10 - Fonts Lesson 11 - TextEdit Lesson 12 - Scraps Lesson 13 - Controls, Part 1 Lesson 14 - Controls, Part 2 Lesson 15 - Meaningful Dialogs Lesson 16 - Sound Off! Lesson 17 - Professional Polish Lesson 18 - New Desk Accessories Appendix A - Abridged Toolbox Reference Manual Appendix B - Resources Used in This Course Appendix C - Where to Go for More Information Appendix D - Tips for ORCA/Pascal Geared toward intermediate and advanced programmers, "Toolbox Programming in Pascal" uses a hands on teaching approach. A long the way, the programmer will write dozens of working desktop programs, including a slide show program that views, prints (in color), and loads and saves screen dump pictures; a small text editor; a scrapbook; a music instrument sampler; and much more. "Toolbox Programming in Pascal" comes with the largest library of Pascal toolbox source code ever assembled. Four disks filled with source code are included in the package. This includes the source code to all of the examples in the book, and working solutions to every problem. The disks also include a copy of Apple's Rez resource compiler and sample data files for programs developed in the course. "Toolbox Programming in Pascal" also includes an abridged toolbox reference manual. This manual is so comprehensive that no other reference materials are needed for this course. The course fully supports Apple's latest operating system, 6.0. It uses new 6.0 features throughout the course to create up to date programs. System Requirements """"""""""""""""""" Software: ORCA/Pascal 1.4 Apple's System Disk 6.0 Hardware: (for programming in Pascal's text environment) 1.25M of memory 1 800K floppy disk drive one other disk drive of any kind (for programming in Pascal's desktop environment} 1.75M of memory hard drive Byte Works products tend to be designed conservatively, paying strict attention to industry standards and protocol. This makes it easier for programmers to use their knowledge of other systems to program the Apple II line. If you have even thought about becoming a programmer, check out Mike Westerfield in A2Pro and see what he has to say. //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Yes, topic derailing is wonderful, isn't it. The tangent / / usually winds up being _sooo_ much more interesting than / / the original subject matter." / ////////////////////////////////////////////// T.GIRSCH //// [EOA]#65 [FUN]////////////////////////////// ONLINE FUN / ///////////////////////////////// Search-ME! """""""""" By John Peters [GENIELAMP] SEARCH-ME! Welcome to Search-ME, our new monthly puzzle program. Each """""""""" month we will have a different theme. This month the Search-ME! puzzle contains 20 keywords taken from the Computing RoundTables here on GEnie. This month's keywords: ********************************************* * A2 AMIGA ATARI8 * * CESOFTWARE COMMODORE GENIELAMP * * GEOWORKS IBMPC IBMPROD * * LAPTOPS MAC MACPRO * * MAINFRAME PCALADDIN PORTFOLIO * * ST STALADDIN TANDY * * TI UNIX WP * ********************************************* N C X K G O P Z S N W M B J D W A K P H S C V O H O U T J Y V B S M L C A E Z A B A Y V S T Y B N K I P B Y A I N A U A E D C A M X J T V F D O R P M B I A R Q T I Q Z U X H A R 2 I E S B N B E Q S P O T P A L N C U J I P A G M Z W Z B A Q O I L O F T R O P F P P N E X R D R A S L V T S X U W U K Z O X Z R M L Z P Z S S P A A S U A G I M A T I P X D S A B J Z S K C X Z T C U Z H M N I D D A L A C P M I D R E Z Q C B A K I U E V H H F W L O J Y C E O S I Z H O O U R P P M R B N S I M F F Y K W O E Q T D M X G L I L M C C X D A G N M T O F J A F I D M O I K X 8 T A I A C D H B V E T J F F L Y X O P N U B D V N L P X T H A G W E R W B F Y H D F J E T V U S R E D V P K A Z T B H T O Y Z O Z B F C Q G O E R I Z I R Q N R B R J W G L R L C W C O P D G S Z N E P H A M J F A S N A E B H W U I N J K D D R E S Q N G Q U G H P S T A L A D D I N W P A S F G Y V Y P X Y B J Z C U L B Q F J Z M P F A D P Z P P S Y S O C GIVE UP? You will find the answers in the LOG OFF column at the end of """""""" the magazine. This column was created with a program called SEARCH ME, by Atari ST programmer, David Becker. /////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Good news Dorothy!! I have in front of me Webster's / / Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (copyright 1983) and / / in it, on page 653, it says "judg-ment OR judge-ment" / / so you can go back to making the same mistake with / / the rest of us peons. :-)" / ////////////////////////////////////////////// ISD //// [EOA]!!@ [WHO]////////////////////////////// WHO'S WHO / ///////////////////////////////// Who's Who In Apple II """"""""""""""""""""" >>> CHATTING WITH MATT DEATHERAGE <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" GEnieLamp Can you tell us a little about how you first became interested """"""""" in the Apple II? Alan Bird My introduction to the Apple II came from Mark Simonsen who is """"""""" now the owner of Beagle Bros. He and I became acquainted while seniors at Brigham Young University and then went on to work for GTE Network Systems in Phoenix, AZ. The first time I had ever used an Apple was when Mark went on vacation for two weeks and asked me to baby-sit his Apple II Plus. I really had a lot of fun with it. GEnieLamp Can you recall any anecdotes from your first forays into """"""""" computer programming? When did you first realize that you'd like to make a career out of programming computers? Alan Bird At BYU I had a hard time declaring a major but was leaning toward accounting. One of the required accounting courses was an introductory computer programming class. We were programming in FORTRAN on IBM 360's using punch cards. We would type in one statement per card on a huge punch-card machine, take our stack of cards to a card reader where we normally had to stand in line for our turn, submit the job and wait for a printout. Then it was back to the punch-card machine to fix bugs. My back pack was always full of stacks of cards held together by rubber bands. It's hard to believe it now, but I actually enjoyed this much more than I did my accounting classes. GEnieLamp Please describe your educational background and how you came """"""""" to work at Beagle Bros. Was Bert Kersey still there when you joined the company? Alan Bird I finally declared Computer Science as my major when I was a """"""""" junior and finished the entire program in two years. Several times I took a course and its prerequisites simultaneously in order to finish quickly. After graduation, I went to work for GTE in Phoenix designing telephone switching systems. It was there that I got to know Mark Simonsen quite well. Mark wrote a program called Flex Text which he sent to Beagle Bros. Bert Kersey was the owner of Beagle Bros and he decided to sell it and soon after invited Mark to come to San Diego to take over tech support so Bert could get off the phone. After Mark write "Double Take" he was making enough off his royalties that he wanted to get off the phone, so he asked me to come take his place. I jumped at the opportunity. Bert was still running Beagle Bros out of his house. I worked at home in our apartment where Beagle Bros would forward the calls. The business got to the point where they couldn't fit it into their house anymore, so when they got an office, I actually commuted to work. After about two years, I was fired from Beagle Bros by Bert's wife over a policy dispute. By this time, however, I was making enough off the royalties from my programs that I didn't need the job anymore. It was actually a great opportunity because Mark Simonsen and I decided to start our own company which we called Software Touch. We did surprisingly well with that company and after about two years, Mark became interested in buying Beagle Bros. I had become a little frustrated at Software Touch because I would go months at a time without programming because we had to spend so much time running the business. This was another great opportunity, so I went home to program and have been doing that ever since. GEnieLamp Over the years you've independently created or contributed to """"""""" some Apple II classics: the Beagle Compiler, Program Writer, the TimeOut kernel, AppleWorks 3.0, InWords, and Pointless. Which of these do you consider your most inspired work? Which required the most creative programming work? Alan Bird Most inspired: TimeOut. Most creative programming: Beagle """"""""" Compiler. Most difficult to develop: InWords (by far). Most successful: QuickSpell. Program I wrote that I use the most: Program Writer. Program I wish I didn't have to claim writing: Fatcat. GEnieLamp Who do you consider your mentors? What about them do you """"""""" admire most? Alan Bird I would have to say first and foremost, Bert Kersey. He was a """"""""" lot of inspiration and helped me get started. Without him, I never would have been able to do this work which I love so much. Others that I have greatly admired are Steve Wozniak (for obvious reasons) and Bob Lissner (author of AppleWorks). AppleWorks is the best-designed, best-written program I have ever seen. GEnieLamp What are some of your favorite books? Favorite authors? """"""""" Alan Bird Unfortunately, most of what I read is technical manuals and """"""""" computer magazines. My wife, however, is an avid reader and is very much into Agatha Christie and Star Trek, The Next Generation books. I have greatly enjoyed some of her Star Trek books. GEnieLamp Are there any Apple II programming utilities you use on a """"""""" daily basis? Alan Bird I have always used the Merlin assembler. For AppleWorks 3.0 and """"""""" Pointless I used the MPW cross assembler (on the Macintosh). I use GSBug for debugging and have recently been using Nifty List quite a bit. For the occasional BASIC programming I need to do, I use Program Writer. GEnieLamp Jean-Louis Gassee, former Apple executive, once remarked that: """"""""" "Programming in BASIC is dangerous to the mind." Granting that this statement involves poetic exaggeration, how much underlying validity do you think there is in the statement? Alan Bird BASIC has weaknesses when compared to more modern structured """"""""" languages, but I wouldn't agree with his statement at all. BASIC is easy to learn and is great for turning out quick-and-dirty solutions when you don't have a lot of time. It is not good, however, for writing large applications. It's biggest strength is that it is interpreted instead of compiled so that changes to the program are instantaneous and you can run the program immediately after making a change. Applesoft BASIC's biggest weaknesses are variable names significant to only 2 characters and no ELSE statement. GEnieLamp Where do you see personal computers going in the next five """"""""" years? Ten years? Alan Bird The biggest change will be portability. Hand-held computers """"""""" will go with us where calculators now go. GEnieLamp What accomplishments are you most proud of? """"""""" Alan Bird I would have to say TimeOut. It gave me and several other """"""""" programmers the opportunity to let AppleWorks do almost anything. I don't think I've seen any other program with so many add-ons as AppleWorks has had. TimeOut started out as a tool I was writing to make it more convenient to use Mark Simonsen's FontWorks program. His program allowed you to print AppleWorks documents in various fonts. The biggest complaint we received from customers was that it was inconvenient to save the files, quit AppleWorks, run FontWorks, print the files, and then restart AppleWorks. From my work with AutoWorks, I knew the insides of AppleWorks quite well and was looking for a way of temporarily interrupting AppleWorks so we could run FontWorks (that is sort of where TimeOut got its name). What I stumbled into was a way of seamlessly adding virtually any utility into AppleWorks. GEnieLamp After working at Beagle Bros for several years, you co-founded """"""""" WestCode in 1990. What lead you to decide to start this publishing company? Alan Bird Actually, WestCode was started by Rob Renstrom and John """"""""" Oberrick--two good friends from Beagle Bros. Since Mark and I dissolved Software Touch, I have always been self-employed and worked as an independent. GEnieLamp Can you tell us a little about the types of things you like to """"""""" do for fun? (Speaking of "non-computer" fun, here.) Alan Bird I enjoy running (I run 10K races during the summer), gardening, """"""""" going to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World with my family, reading to our children, skiing, water-skiing, motorcycles, etc. GEnieLamp You've succeeded so well as a software developer, Alan, do you """"""""" have any aspirations to move on to hardware design? Do think microcomputer hardware can still be designed by a solitary designer these days? Alan Bird No. Software is much more fun. """"""""" GEnieLamp As a person who has produced a great deal of creative output, """"""""" can you share with us any thoughts you might have on the nature of human creativity? Any insights on ways to nourish the creative spark? Alan Bird I think one of the most valuable parts of my career is the """"""""" years I spend on the telephone as technical support at Beagle Bros and Software Touch. It gave me the opportunity to talk to customers to see what they were doing with their computers and to listen to their complaints about ours and other company's software. The two most important things about software development are: 1) choosing a program that has a market--a program that people have a need or desire for--and, 2) to write it so that it is easy and convenient to use. Both of these require that you look at things from the customer's perspective. Creativity for me means putting myself in my customer's shoes and imagining what they would want. For some reason, many of my creative thoughts come while I am taking a shower. Too bad I can't shower all day. //////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "How did you find out about it though? You must be / / either phenomenally brave or blindingly stupid to / / post that here. Don't you realize how powerful the / / networks are? They should be knocking on your door / / right about now. Sorry to see you go, Mike. Alas, / / I knew him well..." / /////////////////////////////////// R.MARTIN22 //// [EOA] [KAN]////////////////////////////// KANSASFEST! / ///////////////////////////////// News & Views """""""""""" DO'N THE SHOW! The first shuttle busses have transported the Kfesters """""""""""""" to the college and I (the shuttle busser) have a few minutes to fill you in on my impressions. This KFest is better attended than last years, and the new people here are very interesting. In one BearMobile shuttle there was a contingent from down under and a lovely Southern Belle. The weather here is beautiful, a little on the cool side, and the OZians are very hospitable. -Bear (A2.BEAR, CAT44, TOP7, MSG:5/M645;1) >>> Apple Publicly Announces MS-DOS FST For Apple IIGS <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A2 CENTRAL SUMMER CONFERENCE 1992 ("KANSASFEST"), KANSAS CITY, MO., U.S.A., 1992 JUL 23 (A2 ON GENIE) -- Apple publicly announced today that they are working on an MS-DOS File System Translator (FST) for the Apple IIGS. Currently the FST is read-only, and writing ability is being worked on. It is not expected that the writing ability will be ready in time for its initial release. The MS-DOS FST is expected to ship with Apple IIGS System Software version 6.0.1. Apple IIGS System Software 6.0.1 is a maintenance release made necessary by the Apple II Ethernet Card. When the Apple II Ethernet Card ships, expected by the end of the year, System 6.0.1 will be made available. Besides bug fixes to System 6.0, the only other major change announced in System 6.0.1 is the addition of keyboard navigation to the Apple IIGS Finder. The MS-DOS FST will work on any MS-DOS volume that can be accessed by the Apple IIGS. Currently, the access of MS-DOS 3.5" disks is limited to 720K and 1.44M MS-DOS 3.5" disks read via an Apple SuperDrive or equivalent, connected to the Apple II SuperDrive Card (formerly known as the Apple II 3.5 Drive Card). Other known methods to access MS-DOS data on an Apple IIGS include MS-DOS formatted Syquest cartridges and MS-DOS 5.25" floppy disks read via an Applied Engineering Transdrive, connected to an Applied Engineering PC Transporter card. (Lunatic E'Sex, reporting for A2, the Apple II Roundtable on GEnie) \_/ |ou read it here first! More information will be forthcoming, live from KansasFest 1992! -= Lunatic (: (LUNATIC, CAT44, TOP1, MSG:2/M645;1) -- Jerry Penner jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca | "Wanna buy a duck" (Hi Joe :) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!destroyer!ubc-cs!unixg.ubc.ca!kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca!ee.ualberta.ca!jpenne From: jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) Subject: GEnieLamp Aug 1992 (Vol 1 No. 5) (5 parts) Message-ID: Summary: part 3 Sender: news@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca Nntp-Posting-Host: eigen.ee.ualberta.ca Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:46:59 GMT Lines: 822 GEnieLamp Vol 1/Num 5 August 1, 1992 Part 3 of 5 This article first appeared on GEnie and I was asked to post it on the Internet. My GE-Mail address is J.Penner1 and my internet address is jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca if you need to discuss something regarding this posting. I don't work for GEnie or anything to do with the Internet. ----8<----8<----8<----8<----8<-- cut here --8<----8<----8<----8<----8<---- MORE KANSASFEST Dateline: KansasFest - The annual A2-Central Summer """"""""""""""" Conference. Thursday July 23,1992. This morning at 9:05 Kansas time, Resource Central Founding father, Uncle-Dos, otherwise known as Tom Weishaar, opened the Conference with a brief talk on the 15 years of the Apple Ii computer. Tom followed his talk with a surprise video of a telephone conversation with Steve Wozniak, taking Steve on a 30-year trip down memory lane, including discussions of 15 years of Pre-Apple II History. Steve praised many early contributors of the Apple II line. Mike Markula, Del Yocam, Mike Scott, Chris Espinosa, Randy Wiggington, and Rod Holt were all praised by Steve. The 150 Conference Attendees were suitably impressed by the video, and really enjoyed it (despite the large numbers of hangovers in evidence from the impromptu arrival parties which took place in the dorm rooms of Avila College last night). The NOMDA Conference Center has provided excellent facilities for the Conference, including an outstanding menu for lunches this year. Many participants enthusiastically commented on the menu. Following the break from Tom's opening and video, Tim Swihart - Manager of the Apple II Continuing Engineering Team - gave a talk on the status of the Apple II. Included was a review of the past year since the announcements made at last year's KansasFest. Three of the four product announcements were actually brought to fruition, including Apple IIgs System Software v6.0, the Apple Superdrive Controller Card, and Hypercard IIgs. Tim brought a few figures from Apple USA showing that there are nearly 1 million Apple IIgs' in circulation. Of these, nearly 2/3s are Rom 01s, and about 3/4s are in Education environments. Very few have been accounted as "Retired". Tim gave these figures to explain Apple's current direction with regard to the Apple II. The company has decided to reduce the level of staffing allocated to Apple II development and support. There are currently approximately a half dozen people with _some_ support staff assigned to the "Apple II Continuing Engineering Team", managed by Tim. Apple has decided to place its efforts to maintaining and supporting the established User Base, as listed above. With this in mind, APDA products have been turned over to Resource Central for distribution. What this means, is that the Apple II products from APDA will receive more attention from the distributor, and because Resource Central is already set up for it, there will continue to be WorldWide availability. Some products have been dropped from the line, such as APW-C. The Byteworks' ORCA/C is better maintained and supported, more bug-free, and it is felt that in the best interests of the developers and users, it was better to discontinue the products. Developers were informed that other decisions have been made which affect them in a hopefully more positive light, such as the granting of permission to the Byteworks to publish the Official System 6.0 Reference manual. It was stressed that proper development under 6.0 _required_ this reference. It is less time consuming and expensive to do this, than for Apple to continue publishing documents such as this, itself. Additionally, extensive effort has been put into updating the Techinical Notes. Steve Gunn was praised by Matt Deatherage of Apple's Developer Technical Support for taking on the thankless job of converting the Tech Notes into ASCII Text files for uploading to the major Online Services. The Apple II activity level at Apple, as previously reported, has been reduced, but it is certainly a non-zero level. The products fall under a "Continuing Engineering" group, which handles all post-release product issues. This includes handling bug reports, manufacturing difficulties, distribution difficulties, etc. The Apple II C.E. group, as time allows, plan _some_ new work. This has been identified to include System Software enhancements, but nothing at all in the way of a Major (i.e. System 7.0) update. What is planned, are some new features, improved compatibility with 3rd party products, some enhancements for both the 8-bit and 16-bit platforms. Tim proceeded to provide a few "Sneak Peeks" at the future, including the one previously announced, but not-yet-released product - the Ethernet Card (announced at last year's KFest, but not mentioned since). The original design was discarded and the project was re-started. This, of course, wreaked havoc with the original schedule. As of this morning, the project was nearing Beta Testing, and plans are to begin Seeding this week (during late Alpha phase). Apple hopes to begin shipping a finished product by the end of this year. The card uses Friendlynet connectors. There is an expected significant speedup on crowded, multiple-machine systems. There is not expected to be that significant a speedup noticed on smaller, isolated workstations. The Ethernet card will require an Enhanced Apple IIe, or an Apple IIgs. On the IIgs, System Software v6.0.1 !!!! will be required. Apple IIgs System v6.0.1 is planned for release with the Ethernet Card. Support for the Ethernet Card is the Number 1 Priority. It will contain new drivers, updates to some Control Panels, and it is expected that there will be a few Low-Level changes, including bug fixes for compatibility problems. The focus of the release will be user-oriented, not developer-oriented (i.e. no new Toolsets). Apple is currently investigating an MS-DOS FST. It is currently a read-only FST, but it is hoped that upon completion, it will be a read/write FST. It hasn't been fully tested yet, and may very well be deferred beyond v6.0.1 rather than hold up release for supporting the Ethernet Card. Keyboard Navigation is being added to the Finder. What this means is you will be able to highlight a file in a window in the Finder by pressing a letter on your keyboard, as you are currently able to do inside applications when opening a file. A more in-depth peek at System Software updates will be forthcoming during the Apple Team's System 6.0 session on Friday morning. Following Tim's presentation was a lengthy Question and Answer period. One question was about which drives do the MS-DOS FST work with? The answer, provided by Apple's Greg Branche, was "Any way you get it into the computer, the FST will recognize it". However, it should be noted that a Disk II, or Apple 5.25 drive _cannot_ physically read an MS-DOS formatted disk. The Apple drives are only capable of reading the GCR encoding for the Low Level Format. MS-DOS disks are formatted with MFM encoding. Any MS-DOS formatted 3.5 disk can be read in a 3.5 High Density drive hooked up to an Apple SuperDrive Controller Card. If you have an MS-DOS formatted Syquest Cartridge and a Syquest mechanism in your SCSI bus, the MS-DOS FST will be able to read it. An MS-DOS 5.25 disk can be read from a 5.25 drive hooked up to an Applied Engineering PCTransporter card, if the driver for it is installed. Another question was whether the Superdrive Card supports 5.25 drives. The answer was categorically NO. Any Apple brand 3.5 drive, such as the Unidisk, 3.5 drive, or High Density 3.5 drive are supported. It was reported by a Conference Attendee that Applied Engineering's High Density drive works with the Superdrive Card. A participant asked for more information about the Ethernet Card. Tim explained that, because it does not support TCP/IP, a networking protocol, the engineers wanted to call the card the EtherTALK card. It was decided that, to avoid Customer Confusion, it would remain the Ethernet Card. Apple hopes to support TCP/IP in the future, perhaps with a ROM revision. There was much discussion, some of it with kind of vague direction, looking for clues about the future of the Apple II. Tim was not able to satisfactorily answer all of the concerns. Decisions concerning these questions are made at levels above Tim's area of responsibility. To be fair, Tim did the best he could. Unfortunately, many people appeared disappointed by his answers. KansasFest is off and Running! More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available! -Donald A. Grimes (DON.GRIMES, CAT44, TOP1, MSG:3/M645;1) >>>>> I have a pair of Roger Wagner Tie Reports: """"" Today, at NOMDA, Roger was wearing a mootiful Cow tie....Udderly ridiculous! This evening, during the Creative Black Tie Dinner, Roger managed to win 1st prize with his "SlideShow" tie. It was basically a tie made from some Film strip. Donnie (The Enforcer) Grimes (DON.GRIMES, Category 44, Topic 5, Message 25, M645;1) Last night, while wandering around, I happened upon Lunar Productions. I managed to get a sneak preview of the long-awaited Foundation. It appears at first glance to be a well thought out application....Light-years beyond Genysis. It was, at the time, working over a netwoeve 4) files open at the same time. It seems that it is easily expandable, and will be a HOT item RSN. -Donnie (DON.GRIMES, CAT44, TOP9, MSG:1/M645;1) >>>>> I've been somewhat regretting trying to build excitement about our """"" coverage of this year's KansasFest. Why? Well, I'm being quite honest when I say that there hasn't been a lot in the way of "newsworthy" items. The first two days of the event were devoted to Apple IIgs "colleges," which were devoted to various aspects of Apple II programming. Unfortunately there's not a whole lot to say about them. People learned about programming with things like C and HyperStudio. Those who attended the colleges that we asked about them said that they enjoyed them and learned about how to program these environments, but otherwise not much can be said except that people had fun, learned things, and enjoyed meeting other Apple II users from across the country. It's been a great deal of fun renewing old acquaintances and meeting new faces. One of the neatest things about KansasFest is meeting people from across the country, especially meeting people I've seen many times here on GEnie for the first time. But the first two days were odd, because, well, the programming colleges were exactly that - colleges. People learned about how to do things with C, or with HyperStudio, or whatever. Not a whole lot to say about those. Yesterday KansasFest "proper" started with the hourly sessions and new announcements, and I think Donnie Grimes covered that real well. There are a few other things to talk about besides some of the things he mentioned. Probably the session that has the most people interested would be the one on Bill Heineman's Avater project. Avatar, for those who haven't heard, is supposed to be a "next generation" Apple IIgs computer. Boiled down to its essence, what was revealed about the Avatar was: A) It will use a 10 Mhz 65816 chip, B) It will use an Ensoniq chip for sound, perhaps the one Apple currently uses or perhaps a more advanced one, C) Instead of using Apple type equipment, such as ADB devices, it will rely extensively on off-the-shelf MS-DOS compatible equipment, D) It will use a complicated bus-arbitration scheme to share processing with other computers. Those last are probably the most interesting two. Avatar will use a great deal of IBM-style equipment, including four IBM "AT" style slots, IBM style keyboards, and IBM-style interfaces for such things as hard drives, disk drives, and CD-ROM drives. Avater is also designed to share processing with other, plug-and-play processing units. So, for example, you'll be able to plug in a card that uses an 80386 processor, and with software supplied by the manufacturer you'll be allowed to run MS-DOS software on it. But not just MS-DOS cards, it will be theoretically possible to design plug-in cards to run Macintosh (if the ROMs could ever be made to work), Amiga, Atari ST, Nintendo, Lynx, or other systems. Avatar will require its own custom operating system, which Mr. Heineman is anticipating having to "clean room" design (meaning, have someone write the software from the ground up, using programmers who've never even seen Apple's code but who have seen the publically available specifications to the system software). Bill said he is almost certain he'll get sued if he goes through with Avatar, in which case he says he hopes to either get Apple to license the toolbox to him, or to be able to weather the lawsuit if not. He also says that he hopes to have working prototypes available for programmers by the next KansasFest, and if all goes well he hopes to have it available for sale to consumers by spring of 1994. When asked where he was getting funding, Heineman was rather evasive, saying that he couldn't actually give full information on that. After the presentation, it appeared that a great number of people were skeptical. Programmers and engineers who saw the project stated that they thought the idea was all very interesting, but reactions ranged from, at its most negative, "I wonder who his drug dealer is," to, at its most positive, "it's an interesting fantasy, but I won't believe any of it until I see a working prototype." Heineman seems to think he can make his machine Apple IIgs compatible by using a whole lot of custom chips to duplicate or work around Apple's patents and copyrights without infringing on them, while at the same time offering a machine with a whole new purpose - a sort of "chameleon computer" that supports parallel processing that boasts the ability to have compatibility with many other systems, while starting with a base unit that already runs an established base of software - i.e. Apple II and Apple IIgs software. He said that he sees his main competition as being the Macintosh LC II, and that the education market appears to be his biggest potential market. Whatever the truth of Avatar, it appears that a lot of experts are highly skeptical if not outright scoffing, and at best this machine can't possibly be available to consumers in less than two years or so. Time will tell. In the meatime, KansasFest has been an exciting even for Apple II users, serving as a meeting ground for Apple II users from all over the world, and a place where at least a few significant new announcements have been made. More in the next few days as things progress. By the way, be sure to check out A2Pro's bulletin board, especially Category 1, Topic 17, for some interesting programmer-related stuff on this year's KansasFest! ;-) -Dean Esmay (A2.DEAN, Category 44, Topic 4, Message 6, M645;1) >>>>> The Down Under crew are very talented programmers. The author of """"" Express, (his name escapes me at the moment) solved a printing problem I was having. They also had the neatest looking tie at the Black Tie dinner Thursday night but dye to sentimental reasons Roger Wagner won the contest. Last night Resource Central threw a buffet party in the cafeteria. Steve Dizzzbrooow was the MC of a "Roast" of Roger and a good time was had by all! Bill Heineman talked about his Avatar project at a well attended conference session. If you are interested in what he said, order the tape of the session from RC. Tape #AT2-09 price $3.00. I am not sure if that is a special price on the tapes to KFest attendees or not. Such a deal! Chester Page demonstrated PageWriterGS, a very impressive inexpensive ($35) word processor based on AppleWriter. There is a demo in the library, and they are trying to solve copyright confusion right now. The Lee Golden, Jay Jennings show on making billions was a treat. Not only is SoftDisk a great way for programmers to fine tune their skills, it should keep Jay in Shreveport for another year. The days festivities started off with Uncle DOS selling hot dogs to the hungry programming masses in the auditorium, and then a real treat. Tom had recorded a telephone conversation with our favorite engineer the Woz. Steve wanted to be here this year and but scheduling problems prevented it. He did say he wanted to come to a future KansasFest. -Bear (A2.BEAR, CAT44, TOP7, MSG:10/M645;1) >>>>> I spoke with a conference attendee from the user ranks. His """"" impression of the Avatar project is that it would be an exciting product, but he was not convinced that Heineman has the business acumen to bring the product to market and gain adequate market share to support a going business. He wasn't really negative, just uncertain. This is no time to be throwing wet blankets on any new possibilities in the Apple II world. I hope Avatar succeeds, and I'll be up front brandishing my MasterCard when the time comes. -Bill Dooley (A2.BILL, CAT44, TOP4, MSG:7/M645;1) >>>>> Last night, I wandered into Roger Wagner's room and wound up in """"" front of a video camera while Roger demonstrated some really nifty video tricks using new, inexpensive video chips for picture-within- picture effects. It's too early to tell if a new product will result from these experiments, but a few people in the room felt that a basic unit could be made to sell at under $200 list. I watched in amazement as Roger hauled the tools of his trade out of his shipping cartons while setting up the demo: a crazed rat's nest of cables and one gadget after another, including a breadboard video gadget, video camera, an 8mm VCR/color TV in a package roughly the size and shape of a 5 lb. sack of flour (didn't catch the maker), a Canon video still camera that stores 50 images on a 2 inch magnetic disk, and lesser items. He had composite and RGB monitors on the GS and a Video Overlay Card inside. Sitting amid this jumble, Roger enthusiastically demo'd the concepts he's working on to a crowd spilling out into the corridor. After a couple of hours, about 11:30, I got tired and went off to bed. Roger was still going strong. He can generate video letters on 8 mm tapes with a HyperStudio demo on the main screen and himself in the inset screen, or vice versa, and mentioned many variations on this theme. He has ideas for enhancements to HyperStudio that will enable preschoolers to use it with a mouse or even a touch screen, a purely audiovisual approach for non-readers. Roger's enthusiasm is catching, and representative of the overall mood at KansasFest this year. Few negative comments to be heard. We know what to expect from Apple now, and we're focusing on the new and nifty. Despite the lack of spectacular announcements thus far, there are plenty of new things happening to keep Apple II enthusiasts pleasantly and productively occupied. -Bill Dooley (A2.BILL, CAT44, TOP9, MSG:3/M645;1) >>>>> I thought some of you might enjoy a clip from some of our late """"" night follies. In this case it was a "Roger Wagner Roast". This was so incredibly funny, I really wish I could post an entire transcript of the event (I must admit I wasn't expecting it to be very funny at all, but _man_ was I surprised ... it was great!) , but not only doesn't one exist (yet, at least), but I wouldn't want to be the one to type it all in . What I _did_ do was write down an especially funny bit from MoMan's routine ... so without further ado: The Top 10 Reasons Why HyperStudio Crashes. 10) "Something you did" 9) "It must be a bug in your System" 8) "It must be a bug in the System Software" 7) "Ummmm, define 'Crash' " 6) "We can't seem to reproduce it" 5) "Next time, try exporting the scripts first" 4) "It's not a 'Crash', it's just a detour into GSBug" 3) "Real programmers don't use 'goto' " 2) "Oh yeah ... 'goto' doesn't" 1) "We've got an update coming up for that RSN" (A2.GUEST, CAT44, TOP9, MSG:4/M645;1) ////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Congratulations on your honorary membership in SPUDS. / / (Semi-Professional Users and Developers Society) " / /////////////////////////////////////////////// MUSE //// [EOA] [FOC]////////////////////////////// FOCUS ON... / ///////////////////////////////// SHARED MINDS Book Review """""""""""""""""""""""" By Phil Shapiro [P.SHAPIRO2] >>> SHARED MINDS: THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES OF COLLABORATION <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Michael Schrage Random House, NY, 227 pages, $19.95 ISBN 0-394-56587-8 Each one of us is born into the world with different talents and skills. Most of us spend a lifetime trying to hone and develop these native born talents to maximize both our own potential and our contribution to the greater social good. But rarely can anybody these days maximize his or her talents working cloistered and alone. In this world of increasing specialization and complexity, rare indeed is the individual who achieves great success working independently on his or her own. Long ignored and overlooked, the wonders of collaborative creativity are just beginning to be understood and appreciated. In an important and revealing new book, Shared Minds: The New Technologies of Collaboration, syndicated columnist Michael Schrage examines both the nature of the collaborative process and methods of "fanning the collaborative flame." With frequent reference to legendary creative collaborative teams of the past (Orville and Wilbur Wright, Watson and Crick, Jobs and Wozniak, Lennon and McArtney), Schrage articulates truths that well deserve to be lifted to the forefront of our consciousness. How This Book Came to be Written Initially Shared Minds was to be a book """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" about the social dynamics of business meetings, and how new technologies can help streamline these dynamics. But the author soon realized that the most interesting group work doesn't occur in large business meetings, but in small, energetic teams. So instead of writing a book about business meetings, he decided to closely examine the nature of creative "small group" collaborations. After interviewing many famous scientific and artistic "collaborative teams," Schrage spent a year as a visiting scholar at MIT's Media Lab synthesizing the ideas in this book. The Personal Attributes of Successful Collaborative Teams One of the probing questions """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" examined in this book is: "What personal attributes contribute to successful collaborative joint ventures?" How is it that the family team of Orville and Wilbur Wright worked so well together, when other sibling pairs find it a struggle to order pizza together? And what role did Orville and Wilbur's parents play in fostering their creativity and perseverance. (Apparently Orville and Wilbur's mother played a decisive role in showing her sons the methodology of creative invention.) Along the same lines of thought, what personal qualities allowed Watson and Crick to work together to formulate their landmark three-dimensional model of DNA? True, they had differing and complementary scientific backgrounds. But more than that, they both had a hunger to understand the physical structure of DNA. That intellectual hunger united them in a focused scientific quest. Speaking on the subject of collaboration, Crick, in his memoirs, sheds light on the nature of his successful teaming with Watson: "Our...advantage was that we had evolved an unstated but fruitful methods of collaboration....If either of us suggested a new idea, the other, while taking it seriously, would attempt to demolish it in a candid but nonhostile manner." Good collaborative teams, therefore, have a tacit understanding that individual ego must necessarily be subsumed to the larger team goal. Examples of How a "Sharing """" Ideology" Can Develop Another subject examined in the book is the """"""""""""""""""""" similar "sharing ideology" used by great artists and great scientists. There comes a time when human beings rise above the possessive attitude of "that's an idea I thought of first" to the grander attitude of "that's an idea I had a part in creating." One moving anecdote about collaborative artists occurred when Picasso and his close associates stopped signing their paintings for a brief period in their lives. These artists worked so closely together in producing new art that they genuinely believed that signing any of their paintings would be a misrepresentation of "authorship." In this case, keeping track of who produced which paintings became subservient to the group goal of producing excellent group paintings. Thoughts About "Idea Development" At another point in the book Schrage """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" examines the concept of "idea development." How is it that ideas get developed from nascent whims to full-fledged notions? Quoting a modern expert on the subject, John Cleese (the gifted comic writer of Monty Python fame): "The really good idea is always traceable back quite a long way, often to a not very good idea which sparked off another idea that was only slightly better, which somebody else misunderstood in such a way that they then said something which was really rather interesting.... [That's] actually why I have always worked with a writing partner, because I'm convinced that I get to better ideas than I'd ever do on my own." One perceptive observation in Shared Minds is that some of the best collaborative work occurs in informal, playful settings. The proverbial doodle, hastily sketched on a cafeteria napkin, serves as a forceful reminder of how creativity can best be unleashed in informal settings. Likewise, brainstorming sessions in a formal conference room seldom yield memorable creative results. All in all, Shared Minds is an important, thought-provoking book. If you've ever spent time thinking about the wonders of collaborative creativity, you ought to find a rich vein of ideas to mine in this book. The very act of reading the book ought to stimulate those areas of the brain responsible for the "open-minded" reception of new and interesting ideas. Want To Know More? If you're interested in reading further about the """""""""""""""""" subjects of creativity and collaboration, you might be interest in some of the recommended readings at the end of Shared Minds. Here is a list of some of the juicier sounding titles.] Bijker, Wiebe E., Hughes, Thomas P., and Trevor Pinch, eds. The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology of and History of Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1987. Boettinger, Henry. Moving Mountains: The Art and Craft of Letting Others See Things Your Way. New York: Macmillan, 1969. Briggs, John. Fire in the Crucible: The Self-Creation of Creativity and Genius. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1990. Crouch, Tom. The Bishop's Boys: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright, New York: W.W. Norton, 1989. Eisenstein, Elizabeth L., The Printing Press as an Agent of Change, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979. Gardner, Howard. The Mind's New Science: A History of the Cognitive Revolution. New York: Basic Books, 1985. Heim, Michael. Electric Language: A Philosophical Study of Word Processing. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987. Koestler, Arthur. The Act of Creation. New York, Macmillan, 1964. Levine, Howard, and Howard Rheingold, The Cognitive Connection: Thought and Language in Mind and Machine. New York, Prentice-Hall, 1987. McLuhan, Marshall. The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1962. Nelson, Theodor, Computer Lib/Dream Machines. Self-published, 1974. Stent, Gunther. Scientific Genius and Creativity, San Francisco, W.H. Freeman, 1975. Turkle, Sherry. The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1984. Winograd, Terry and Fernando Flores. Understanding Computers and Cognition. Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1986. Zuboff, Shoshana. In the Age of the Smart Machine: The Future of Work and Power. New York: Basic Books, 1988. [*][*][*] Phil Shapiro (Shapiro is the founder of Balloons Software, a """""""""""" new Apple II educational software company. He can be reached at Balloons Software, 5201 Chevy Chase Parkway, NW, Washington, DC 20015-1747, or via electronic mail on GEnie at: P.Shapiro1, on America Online at: pshapiro) ///////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "I think you misspelled that, I believe the correct / / spelling is "THPPPT" or "THPTHPT" (at least / / according to Bloom County)." / /////////////////////////////////////// T.GIRSCH //// [EOA] [SOF]////////////////////////////// SOFTVIEW A2 / ///////////////////////////////// A2 Software Reviews """"""""""""""""""" By Mel Fowler [MELSOFT] MUSIC LOVERS TAKE NOTE I was asked to write a review of some of the """""""""""""""""""""" programs currently in the A2 Software Library. So what I decided to do was to write an article reviewing three music programs, NoiseTracker GS 1.0, SoniqTracker 0.5, and MODzap 0.8. This is not a review in the strictest since of the word because I am not a programmer nor a musician and also SoniqTracker and MODzap are not completed programs. This article is written from the stand point of a music lover and an Apple IIGS fanatic. First a bit of back ground concerning the Apple IIGS and music programs. Music Construction Set was one of the first, followed by Music Studio. Music Construction Set was mostly just a music player were as Music Studio was more a word processor for music. Both programs had there limitations and regardless how hard they tried they still didn't sound like violins or horns. Mostly they sounded like organs trying to sound like violins or trumpets. They did fairly well with pianos and guitars but when it came to holding long notes or adding color to the music, forget it. The music sounded like computer generated music. We were happy with these programs at the time because they sounded great when compared to previous Apple II music programs. Diversi-Tune sounded a bit better but again was mostly just a play back program, although I loved the bouncing ball. The next great music composition program was SoundSmith. The first to incorporate a spreadsheet like front-end for the IIGS, SoundSmith made writing original and cover music relatively simple with a minimum of complexity. As its newer versions progressed, new features were added making it possible to breathe greater life into the music. And while the professional software community often ignore d the effort, SoundSmith quickly became the new standard in IIGS music. Recently, the SoundSmith fairy tale came to a bitter end when a beta tester for a commercial version broke the non-disclosure agreement and caused the author to abandon work on the application. Then came NoiseTracker GS from the french base group the Free Tool Association or FTA. With its rich, full basses and quality, high fidelity, and full dynamic range of instruments this was indeed the next generation in music software for the Apple IIGS. This was the first music program to break the 64K size barrier for instruments and could provide full rich sounds never before heard on any Apple computer. NoiseTracker GS is SoundSmith compatible so all the available SoundSmith songs and instruments could be used. NoiseTracker GS also includes an editor which can be used by musicians to create a full range of musical sounds only limited by their imaginations. Just about any sound can be made into an instrument including human voices. Even a novice like myself can re-orchestrate compositions with the Instrument Add, Replace and Delete features of the program. I was able to setup the stereo effects that I wanted by setting instruments to the right or left channels or both. I was also able to set the tracks to a desired right or left channel. If the bass drum is too loud, just lower the volume on that one instrument. Does the song seem to be playing to slowly for you, change the tempo. The main difference between NoiseTracker GS and all previous music programs was its ability to sustain long notes and the ability to import Amiga Mods. Music can be saved in two different formats, a songs file with a separate instrument wave file or as modules which include the instruments in one file. Speaking of modules, Amiga MODs. It is somewhat limited in this capability in that NoiseTracker does not support all the special effects required by Amiga MODs. However, you can load in an Amiga MOD file and save it as a NoiseTracker module. If you then load the NoiseTracker module you can use the NoiseTracker program to change tempo, change instruments, etc., as with any other NoiseTracker son g. The music editor screen is well organized and easy to use. To play a SoundSmith or NoiseTracker song you simply "Open Musicfiles" from the Music pull down menu, then select the "Scrolly Player" which shows you a 15 channel VU meter. Like all FTA software there are "Easter Eggs" hidden inside the program. Click on the Scrolly Player and notes will come flying around the screen. Click on the song title location and the program changes colors, gray, blue, green or black. There appears to be a running gun battle between SoniqTracker and MODzap as to who can write the best Amiga MOD player for the Apple IIGS. Both programs have jukebox features and you can load in a list of your favorite Amiga MOD songs and listen for hours on end. I like the "Dancing Lights" in SoniqTracker and the more conventional look of the player. The Player controls are more in line with those of a standard CD player with Volume control and Mono or Full Stereo or even 25%, 50%, or 75% Stereo. In Jukebox mode the N key takes you to the next song. The Track Meter is also a nice feature. The Volume control is especially nice for those of us without external volume controls on our speakers. SoniqTracker is indeed an impressive program and plays Amiga MOD song with crisp, clear sounds and superior channel separation. The documentation is adequate but a bit preachy. MODzap is more technically oriented and supports more features in setting up the player. For example there is a "Force 31 Inst" and "Force 15 Inst" in the "File" pull down menu. I have never had an occasion to use these selections but they are there. Another feature is the ability to loop the music so if you like a particular song you can have it played over and over in a continues loop. Under the Option menu are options such as Ignore Tuning and Ignore Arpeggiatos, also Turbo, Normal, Enhanced and Premium. The documentation is not very clear as to what Tuning or Arpeggiotos means or when to use these options. Turbo, Normal, Enhance and Premium has to do with the quality of the play back. However again the documentation is not to clear as to what the differences are between them or when to use them. MODzap version 0.8 added a keyboard so that you can select an instrument from the currently load Amiga MOD and play it on the keyboard. The sound quality is superior on some selected Amiga MODs but t his mostly has to do with special effects such as bends up and down. Overall the music outlook for the Apple IIGS is tremendous. SoniqTracker and MODzap are still in there development stages but already show a great future for music on the Apple IIGS. The developers of these two wonderful programs are to be congratulated and encouraged. Although both of these programs are currently freeware, your monetary considerations would help to keep things going. The dream music program would be a combination of all three of the music programs. Compatible with Sound Smith, NoiseTracker GS and play Amiga MODs with all the required special effects. Editing capabilities currently available in SoundSmith and NoiseTracker GS should be compatible with all formats. Hopefully this is what the developers of soniqTracker and MODzap are working towards. We can only hope. [EOA] [COW]////////////////////////////// CowTOONS! / ///////////////////////////////// Moooooo Fun! """""""""""" By Patrick Hart [P.HART4] ______ | | | (__) | | (OO) | | \/ | | | ====== "Cow Caught at Bootup" _________________________________________________ | ______ | | | | | | | (__) | Welcome to MacCOWintosh | | | (OO) | | | | \/ | | | | | | | ====== | |_________________________________________________| _________________________________________________ |_____________About This MacCOWintosh_____________| | | | System COWware 1.0.7* | | MacCOWintosh IIcow (c) Cow Computer, Inc. | | | | Total Memory: 307,200K Largest Unused Block: 1K | |_________________________________________________| | System Usage: 307,199K |||||||||||||||||||||| | | |_________________________________________________| _________________________________________________ | ______ | | | | The application 'unknown' has | | | (__) | unexpectedly quit, because an error of | | | (OO) | type C occurred. ______ | | | \/ | | | | | | | | OK | | | ====== |______| | |_________________________________________________| _________________________________________________ | ______ | | | | Force The Cow to quit? | | | (__) | System failure will occur. | | | (OO) | ___________ ________ | | | \/ | | | | | | | | | | Force Out | | Cancel |J| | ====== |___________| |________| | |_________________________________________________| _________________________________________________ | ______ | | | | The application has unexpectedly quit. | | | (__) | The Cow suggests user error. | | | (OO) | _________ | | | \/ | | | | | | | | Restart | | | ====== |_________| | |_________________________________________________| _________________________________________________ | ______ | | | | | | | (__) | There is not enough memory to open | | | (OO) | TapplicationU (100,000K needed, 1K | | | \/ | available). | | | | | | ====== To make more memory available, try | | adding more RAM. ______ | | | | | | | OK | | | |______| | |_________________________________________________| [*][*][*] (__) CowTOONS? Patrick took us up on our (oo) offer and sent us this month's CowTOONS /---------\/ selection. Thanks, Pat! / | x=a(b)|| * ||------|| If you have an idea for a CowTOON!, we ^^ ^^ would like to see it. If we use it here Mathematical in GEnieLamp, we will credit your account Cow with 2 hours of GEnie non-prime time! (developer of cow-culus) /////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Question from the floor is: If the "Gno/Me" gang is writing / / the system software for Avatar, will it be called "Gno/Way"? / ///////////////////////////////////////////////// A2.GUEST //// [EOA] -- Jerry Penner jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca | "Wanna buy a duck" (Hi Joe :) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!wupost!gumby!destroyer!ubc-cs!unixg.ubc.ca!kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca!ee.ualberta.ca!jpenne From: jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) Subject: GEnieLamp Aug 1992 (Vol 1 No. 5) (5 parts) Message-ID: Summary: part 4 Sender: news@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca Nntp-Posting-Host: eigen.ee.ualberta.ca Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:47:51 GMT Lines: 902 GEnieLamp Vol 1/Num 5 August 1, 1992 Part 4 of 5 This article first appeared on GEnie and I was asked to post it on the Internet. My GE-Mail address is J.Penner1 and my internet address is jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca if you need to discuss something regarding this posting. I don't work for GEnie or anything to do with the Internet. ----8<----8<----8<----8<----8<-- cut here --8<----8<----8<----8<----8<---- [LIB]////////////////////////////// THE ONLINE LIBRARY / ///////////////////////////////// Running Your Own BBS! """"""""""""""""""""" >>> RUNNING YOUR OWN BBS! <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" BBS SHARE/FREEWARE MAKES IT EASY! Have you ever wished that you could """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" run your own mini telecommunications service? Wouldn't it be interesting to control passwords, monitor discussions, and maintain a file download library? Well Apple II users are lucky to have quite a large selection of BBS options available to them. And some of these BBS's are even freeware or shareware. A search under the keyword "BBS" in the Apple II Roundtable library turns up several dozen files relating to running your own BBS. Some of these files are actual BBS programs. Some of the BBS options for the Apple II include the public domain "Prime BBS," the shareware "AppleNET BBS," and the shareware "Office BBS" system. Most of these BBS's use ModemWorks, a special set of modem ampersand routines develop by the Morgan Davis Group. To help you learn what GEnie has to offer in terms of Apple II BBS's, a new AppleWorks file titled "BBS.Files.bxy" has been prepared. This file lists all the BBS files available for downloading from the A2 Roundtable library, along with file descriptions of some of the more interesting sounding files. WHY A BBS? "Why would someone want to set up and maintain his or her own """""""""" BBS?" you might ask. Many user groups find that a BBS facilitates user group communications. But the BBS you set up need not be computer related. You could set up a BBS for your local school or PTA; you could set up a BBS for a boy scout or girl scout troop; you could set up a crime prevention BBS; you could set up a BBS to offer editing or desktop publishing services; you could set up a BBS just to learn about what it takes to run a BBS. Learning about bulletin boards need not even require a modem. Dean Esmay, chief Apple II Roundtable system operator (sysop) recommends KidMail BBS, a bulletin board simulator. (File number 8723: KidMail.bxy). This program simulates an actual BBS allowing multiple 'users' to 'sign on,' get a password, and leave electronic mail for other users. With the price of second hand Apple IIe's dropping down to the $200 to $300 range, the cost of setting up a BBS has likewise fallen dramatically. You don't even need a hard drive with some Apple II BBS systems. (Although almost all of them recommend at least two 5.25 inch, or one 3.5 inch disk drive.) The following information about the popular public domain Prime bulletin board system (BBS) was collected from Category 10, Topic 6, in the Apple II Roundtable message area. Prime BBS A while ago one of you asked us to step back and explain what """"""""" the Prime BBS was and what it had going for it. I was so busy uploading files and getting some beginner downloaders going that I neglected to respond to that posted message. Hopefully, I can rectify that here in a question and answer format. By doing a few of these, I hope I can answer the most frequently asked questions. Here we go.... Q: What is Prime? Is it new? Why haven't I heard of it before? A: The Prime BBS system has been around the Apple II world for 7-8 years now. It began as Alfa III and was supported right here on GEnie by Bob Garth and Vince Cooper. The program was advertised in classifieds of major magazines but most of its customers (including me) got in contact with the authors by way of the Demo/Ad called Alfa/EZ. The most recent support for the program was in the Smoke Signal Software area on America Online. Prime is a great BBS and now that its in the Public Domain, is the potential new sysop's _best_ option possible. I've seen a lot of shareware and p.d. BBS's over the years and nothing compares to Prime. This software is PERFECT for smaller BBS systems of the 10-200 user variety...great for user group boards, local Apple II support groups etc. It can handle much larger user numbers, but I find it perfectly suited for smaller groups. Q: What do I need to run it? A: You need any 64K Apple ][. I've run it or helped run it on ][+'s, //e's, Franklin Ace's, and IIGS's. You need two or more disk drives. A hard drive is not necessary...but recommended. I've run this software on everything from 4 Disk II's up to 200+ megs of hard drive all chained together off a RamFast and a TransWarp GS. In addition, you need a Novation AppleCat, Hayes Micromodem, Datalink 2400, or a Super Serial Card with an auto-answer 300, 1200, or 2400 external modem. Others may work, but may take some playing around... A Prodos compatible clock is nice but not mandatory. Q: What are the limitations of Prime and why did it go public domain? A: The most recent owner of Prime (Danny Haynes) found that he and the others responsible for maintaining Prime simply did not have time to update the system. They concluded that Prime would have the best chance of growing in the hands of a new generation of Prime Sysops....so, they decided to offer it to potential Prime sysops for FREE! Prime is currently a full featured BBS. We'll talk about all those features a bit later, but we might as well get the limitations out in the open first because these are the things that we hope new Prime sysops will help to rectify. 1. Prime requires a Super Serial Card (SSC) (even in a GS). Bob Garth found that the Apple modem port didn't do things quite the same way as the SSC and never supported the port. Paul Parkhurst has this problem 'almost' fixed but we all need to call him and encourage him to finish that goodie. 2. Prime's transer (Xfer) system is GREAT. However, support for newer protocols is lacking. It does handle normal Xmodem, Xmodem CRC, Prodos Xmodem, Standard Xmodem, (with Binary II for Apple users). Ymodem and Zmodem would be nice if someone has the ability to take it on. Andy Nicholas posted once that he had written a Zmodem driver for Prime but we've not tracked that down yet. 3. While Prime sysops across the country once had a networking scheme set up, this never became an official part of Prime. Prime's strong point are its elegance and simplicity. I'm sure future sysops will be writing schemes to network but they don't currently exist. 4. I've never heard of Prime's compatibility with newer 9600 baud modems. New drivers or empirical set-ups may need to be developed for these. That's about it! Not really too limited is it? Frankly, I've never found any of these detrimental to my BBS. Q: What features does Prime offer? A: Prime is a full-featured BBS. I'll summarize only a few here.... 1. Hot key menus of either the autoformatting internal type or fancy ones made from external text files of your design. 2. Multiple Boards, Email, full line editors for all posts and mail. New message scans. Autosignature capability. Private posts can be set. Autodelete old messages at sysop controllable levels to minimize sysop interaction required. Many more options. 3. Feedback commands, sysop page and chat mode. 4. User can set configuration from normal to expert turning menus on and off. 5. User search and listing built in. 6. G(iant) file reader to allow readers to read any text files the sysop chooses to put online. 7. Complete transfer system capable of tracking up to 215,622 files and 10 line description of each in up to 99 libraries of 99 files each in each of 22 prefixes! New file scans can be set up in multiple combinations for your users convenience. 8. BASIC programs and Games can easily be modified to run with the Prime BBS system. Many examples have been uploaded here to GEnie. The modifications are pretty easy and lots of fun. These include user Voting Booths, BBS databases, Adventure games, etc. Q: What does the Sysop have to work with? A: A lot! There is a completely menu driven maintenance system. The sysop simply keys up a Control-C from the keyboard and can then menu his/her way to anything in Prime that needs attention. Among these are: 1. Board and Menu editors. 2. Prefixes (you can put any part of Prime on any prefix on your system). 3. User time restrictions can be set by time limits (if you have clock) or number of bytes transmitted if you don't. 4. You can create and toggle on or off Pre and Post new user messages and Pre and Post login in messages. 5. You can create Theme messages at the beginning of each board to keep things going in a reasonable thread. 6. Email and transfer have their own complete set of utilities... all accessible with the Control-C when you've entered their area. 7. Remote sysoping available on ALL features so you can take care of the system from a remote location or have a co-sysop care for the system while you're on vacation. Q: What about SECURITY? Can I closely control what users see what on my BBS? A: Yes, more than you will ever need. There are 9 user class codes for gross set ups. In addition, each user has a 19 byte index string that determines what he can do on your BBS. Each of these bytes can be set from A to Z. You can then tie EVERY MENU KEY to one of these bytes and levels and therefore control who can execute (or even SEE) these commands. In addition, the sysop can give users ability to post private messages, make entire boards restricted, record phone numbers that the system will not accept for a user, allow or disallow login of new users, offer a side door entry with proper password.... and allow or disallow the use of alias's for users. All these things are handled with ease by way of the comprehensive menu and user data editors. Q: Who is this Goose fellow? A: Nobody special.. I've been using and enjoying Prime (and its predecessors) for nearly 8 years. Its been so much fun that I've learned just enough about it to be dangerous. I hate to see such a strong BBS die just because nobody knows about it. I'll help anyone who tries to use it. No guarantees, but hopefully this is a GREAT way to start small inexpensive pockets of Apple II users. My old trusty II+ sits in the corner with a castoff 30 megabyte Seagate hanging there serving as our user group communication port. How about it? Can you use your old hardware to create your own private user group? Go for it! .... (W.GOOSEY, CAT10, TOP6, MSG:121) These are the minimum necessary files to run the Prime BBS: [*][*][*] Number: 18837 Name: PRIME.DOCS.BXY Address: W.GOOSEY Date: 920613 Approximate # of bytes: 142720 Number of Accesses: 102 Library: 39 Description: This file is the documentation for the Prime BBS system for the Apple ][. This is a very mature BBS that has been around for several years. The entire BBS comes in 7 packed files. This file is the entire documentation as published by Smoke Signal software when the BBS was commercial. The BBS has all the desirable features for the Apple ][ sysop. Boards, Games, Vote modules, Quote system, Other BBS databases, etc. Written in Basic (using included powerful amper set) so you can modify it or modify other Basic programs for use as external programs. Keywords: BBS,Public Domain,PD,Prime,Manual,Documentation,ProTree,Smoke Signal [*][*][*] Number: 18894 Name: SYSTEM.BXY Address: W.GOOSEY Date: 920617 Approximate # of bytes: 75136 Number of Accesses: 46 Library: 39 Description: This archive contains all the needed system files for the Prime BBS package recently released to the Public Domain by Danny Haynes. Originally written by Bob Garth. Excellent BBS for any Apple ][. In addition to this file you will also need PrimeManual.shk, Install.shk, Xfer1.shk, Xfer2.shk, and the optional Source1.shk and Source2.shk. Great BBS. Best I've ever seen for simple, but powerful operation. Keywords: Prime, BBS, modem, SmokeSignal,PD, Public Domain [*][*][*] Number: 18896 Name: XFER1.BXY Address: W.GOOSEY Date: 920617 Approximate # of bytes: 48128 Number of Accesses: 42 Library: 39 Description: This archive comprises the first of two Xfer system disks for the Prime BBS system. Other files needed for this BBS are PrimeManual.shk, System.shk, Install.shk, xfer2.shk and the optional Source1.shk and Source2.shk. Great Apple II BBS! Keywords: Prime, BBS, Modem, SmokeSignal,Public Domain [*][*][*] Number: 18897 Name: XFER2.BXY Address: W.GOOSEY Date: 920617 Approximate # of bytes: 77696 Number of Accesses: 48 Library: 39 Description: This archive is the second part of the Prime BBS xfer system. This is a great Apple ][ BBS. Other files you need are the Primemanual.shk, Install.shk, System.shk, Xfer1.shk, and the optional Source1.shk and Source2.shk. Keywords: Prime, BBS, modem, SmokeSignal,Public Domain ////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Ugh, maybe this will be the "scare" that brings him / / to the 'Church of the HD Backups'!" / / ~ / / "Funny you should put it just that way. Last time / / we spoke, he said he would start making backups / / 'religiously.' " / ////////////////////////// J.GNIEWKOWSK/R.GLOVER3 //// [EOA] [SHA]////////////////////////////// SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS / ///////////////////////////////// FTA Contest! """""""""""" >>> SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS FTA CONTESTS <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ Conceived by Joe Kohn ~ ~ Sponsored by inCider/A+ Magazine ~ The French Free Tools Association, better known as The FTA, burst upon the IIGS scene at the 1989 San Francisco AppleFest when their freeware Nucleus demo stunned, dazzled, and astounded all who saw it during Jean Louis Gassee's mind-blowing presentation. The FTA, a small group of French programmers, graphic artists and musicians continued to awe the IIGS community, releasing one smash hit after another. Their demos, including ACS Demo, Modulae, California Demo, Xmas Demo, Animaga, and Delta Demo pushed the IIGS to the limit with their astounding 3 dimensional animations and rock n roll soundtracks. The freeware FTA games of Easy Dead, Flobynoid, Star Wizard, and Mini Prix have provided countless GS owners with innumerable hours of super hi res fun. Their shareware disk copy program, Photonix, must be the only copy program in existence that contains animation and music and efficiently copies entire 3.5" disks in just one pass, using only a single 3.5" disk drive. NoiseTracker, released in December of 1991, must surely be the most talked about IIGS music program of 1992. And then, as 1991 drew to a close, the FTA disbanded. According to FTA founder and president, Olivier Goguel, "We stopped programming for the IIGS for a lot of reasons, but we don't deny it and are still very proud of what we've done, or tried to do on it". The FTA may be gone, but they will surely never be forgotten. They have left a legacy for the rest of us who remain with the IIGS. They showed us what was possible, and they inspired and stimulated us by demonstrating just how much fun it can be to own a IIGS. In our hearts and minds, the FTA will live forever. In late Spring, 1992, a package arrived in SiliKohn Valley with a postmark of Dijon, France. The package contained a number of disks, and they were described by Olivier Goguel as "the latest gifts from the former FTA group to the IIGS community". Just as the FTA's software resulted in so much joy and fun and respect for the IIGS, we would like to use those gifts as a way to provide the IIGS community with a positive focus. We are pleased to announce the first ever "Shareware Solutions Contest". In an effort to double our pleasure and double our fun, we're actually going to institute 2 different contests; one for programmers, and one for non-programmers. One of the programs provided by Olivier Goguel is Bouncin'Ferno. It's a Marble Madness type game, with incredible graphics, sound effects and music. 3 levels, each with 25 different play fields, are already defined, and you can play the game with either a mouse or a joystick. On each level, you'll try to roll over small objects and pick them up before advancing on to the next level. Some objects are suspended high above the ground, and you'll need to jump up to get them, while other objects are hidden under 3 dimensional ramps. As it is, Bouncin'Ferno is a lot of fun, but, it's not quite complete; there's no scoring module. But, the complete Merlin 16+ Source Code is provided. The programming contest rules are very straightforward: use the Bouncin'Ferno source code to create a completed game. We don't care if you make it a desktop program, or use the toolbox. We don't even care if you translate it to run under Orca/M or APW. What we do care about is game play, artistry, creativity, fun, sounds, animation, documentation, user friendliness and compatibility with both ROM 01 and 03 machines. We don't even care if you use the source code to create a totally different game; just impress the judging panel of inCider/A+ editors. Make our eyes bug out of our heads, and make our toes tap. In short, we suggest that you let the FTA guide you in spirit, and that you create a program that the FTA would be proud of. Included with Bouncin'Ferno is a screen editor that will allow you to create your own levels. So, the second contest is focused upon new Bouncin'Ferno levels. Make them hard or make them easy, make them fun or make them frustrating. Just submit your favorite new Bouncin'Ferno levels, and you'll be eligible to win some valuable prizes. As it is now, Bouncin'Ferno is hard drive installable; if copied to hard drive, just double click on P8.LOADER to run the game. If run from floppy disk, just boot the disk. If you have any problems booting the disk, just run P8.LOADER from either ProDOS-8 or GS/OS. Documentation in both French and English is also provided. Bouncin'Ferno has been placed by the FTA into the public domain. Therefore, all contest submissions, being derivative works, will also be in the public domain. To enter the contests, just print out, complete and sign the contest entry form that's provided on disk as a standard text file, and send along with your disk to FTA Contest, c/o inCider/A+, 80 Elm St, Peterborough, NH 03458. All entries must be postmarked by 12/31/92. We will be making the Bouncin'Ferno disk available, along with the contest entry form, for downloading from the large online networks (America Online, CompuServe, and GEnie). No restrictions of any kind are placed on it, so please make sure your user group, and all your friends, know about it. After the contest winners are announced, the winning entries will also be uploaded to the online networks, and will spread from there. Bouncin'Ferno version 1.03 by F.T.A [*][*][*] (Translated haltingly from la belle langue by ToH) Board Editor 4 editing modes: 1 - Move mode : THIS MODE IS SELECTED BY THE SPACE BAR To move (square by square) use the 2,4,6,8 keys on the numeric keypad. Move vertically with the + and - keys (pixel by pixel). By simultaneously holding down the apple key, you can increase the movement speed of the cursor (by 4 squares and by 10 pixels) By simultaneously holding down the option key, you can move from room to room with the 2, 4, 6 and 8 keys. By simultaneously holding down the shift key, the cursor will follow the terrain, that is to say : - for horizontal movement, it corrects its altitude automatically to follow the slope. - minus key : it puts itself on the first plate down. - plus key : it puts itself on the first plate up. This allows rapid passage from one floor to another when there are superimposed levels. The effects of the apple and shift keys are cumulative (rapid movement and terrain following). Cursor Selection : - the 0 to 9 keys on the top row of the keyboard select the 10 special plates : 0 : deadly plaque 1 : left projector 2 : back projector 3 : right projector 4 : front projector 5 : icy plate 6 : invisible icy plate 7 : invisible plate 8 : spring 9 : can-bearing plate - the 0 key on the numeric keypad selects the normal horizontal plate - the 4 arrow keys select inclined plates, rising in the direction indicated by the arrow. To obtain the 3 possible inclinations, press repeatedly on the corresponding arrow. 2 - Trace mode THIS MODE IS SELECTED BY THE RETURN KEY The cursor remains identical to the one in movement mode if there is a plate identical to itself at the position it occupies. You can move it like before, but now it leaves a trail behind it. The terrain-following mode is replaced here by a continuously sloped movement if you trace with an inclined plate. DON'T FORGET TO QUIT THIS MODE WITH SPACE (RETURNING TO THE PREVIOUS) IF NEED BE. 3 - Erase mode THIS MODE IS SELECTED BY THE DELETE KEY. The cursor is then replaced by a two-tone horizontal plate (red and orange). This cursor erases all the plates it passes. 4 - Block mode. A block is a continuous collection of all the plates within a selected box. This mode allows selection of blocks, cutting them, moving them, pasting them, reshaping them... Selecting a block : - place the cursor on one of the 8 vertexes of the box. - type apple-B. - the display becomes monochrome (yellow) with the exception of the plates in the block (orange)and the shadow of the selected box on the floor (green rectangle). - move the cursor to the opposite vertex. - Press ESCAPE to cancel the selection. Otherwise : - apple-C copies the block into the clipboard. - apple-X also copies the block, but then erases it from the board. - apple-M selects the block in block editing mode. - apple-V recovers the last block copied and selects it in block editing mode. - apple-W recovers the last block copied and uses it as a brush (the block remains behind after each movement) NB : in brush mode, the shift key produces a continuous slope which is set up according to the shape of the cursor. This is displayed, but doesn't leave a trail. - delete erases the block from the board. Features of block editing mode : - the cursor movement keys move the selected block. - return accepts the editing and the block is replaced on the board at its actual position. - Escape cancels editing and the block disappears. - also, 8 keys allow reshaping the editing block : - option-L turns the block one-quarter turn on its vertical axis. - option-X reverses the block left-to-right. - option-Y reverses the block front-to-back. - option-Z reverses the block top-to-bottom. - option-arrow (right, left, up or down) changes the inclination of the block by one unit in the arrow direction. (Note: given the small numbers of inclined planes, this operation is sometimes neither perfect nor reversible.) 5 - The library : The library is for the storage of copies of blocks that you use often, or which you think you'll reuse. It allows you to recover copies at any time without having to return to the board where they were found. To copy a block into the library, use the usual copy commands: - apple-C - apple-M or apple-X plus hold down the option key. The command will execute normally, but in addition a copy of the selected block will be stored in the library. To recover a block from the library, use the normal command to recall a block (apple-V or apple-W), plus hold down the option key. Instead of recalling the last block copied, this will connect on the selector of the library. The library selector : - the + and - keys stream through the different components in the library. - for housekeeping, the delete key erases the displayed block from the library. - the return key selects the displayed block. It then becomes the last block copied and your initial command (apple-V or apple-W) executes normally. - the escape key quits the selector and cancels the command. Library capacity : - the library's capacity is sufficient to store approximately the equivalent of 25 rooms of a board. It's therefore possible that you may fill it in normal usage. Nevertheless, in this case a message will inform you that copying into the library is impossible. You'll then have to do some housekeeping with the selector's delete command. - the library selector position defaults to the last selection made. 6 - Miscellaneous commands - / and * (keypad) : Retreat and advance the first plane seen. - apple-Q : Quit the editor. - apple-H : See the high scores (press Del to reset, any other key to close the high score window) - apple-U : Undo. Restore the previous state : - change mode or - change the cursor or - block layout (return after apple-V) or - block copy (apple-C, apple-X or apple-M) or - ... (you're out of luck for other cases.) [not _quite_ what it said] B-) - escape : Cancel the operation in progress. - apple-? : Help from god. - apple-P : Play the board from the cursor position. [*][*][*] >>> BOUNCIN'FERNO CONTEST ENTRY BLANK <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" (Source = GEnieLamp) Please read this contest entry blank, fill it out, sign it, and mail it in, along with a 3.5" disk containing your contest entry, to: FTA CONTEST inCider/A+ Magazine 80 Elm Street Peterborough, NH 03458 NAME_______________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS____________________________________________________________________ CITY__________________________________________________ STATE_____________ ZIP___________________________________________________ COUNTRY________________________________ I saw it on GEnieLamp! PHONE__________________________________ Remember, all contest entries must be postmarked by December 31, 1992. The enclosed disk is submitted for the (circle one): PROGRAMMING CONTEST BOUNCIN'FERNO LEVEL CONTEST Briefly describe your submission: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ I understand that the FTA's Bouncin'Ferno program, and all the source code provided on the Bouncin'Ferno disk, is in the Public Domain. I further understand that my submission, being a derivative work, is also in the Public Domain. I understand that public domain software cannot be copyrighted, and that no restrictions can be placed on its distribution. I understand that the decision of the panel of judges is final. _________________________________ SIGNATURE ____________________ DATE [*][*][*] ADDITIONAL NOTES Greetings. I personally feel that there's been way too """""""""""""""" much "doom and gloom" in the Apple II world recently, and conceived of the Shareware Solutions Contests as a way to turn some of that doom and gloom around. I just feel that for the next few months, the IIgs community is going to have something to look forward to, namely, some mind boggling games based on the FTA's Source Code, and some great user submitted Bouncin'Ferno levels that we can all play. This is a time to celebrate the glories of the IIgs!! I just wanted to make a few small comments. In order to enter the inCider contests, we want everyone to fill out and sign the Contest Entry Blank. When I put together that entry blank, I was thinking about legal ramifications, especially knowing that contests are against the law in some states. I just want everyone that enters the contest to sign the form, agreeing that whatever work is submitted becomes the property of the Apple IIgs community. Obviously, you'll need to have a printer to print out the entry blank. Well, if you don't have a printer, then just create a facsimile of the entry blank, and send that in. Use ink. At the time I write this, we do not have all the prizes lined up. Paul Statt and I are working on that, and don't really expect that we'll know what prizes we have to offer until after KansasFest. We will have some good ones, that I have no doubt about. As is said in every Hollywood movie: "Trust Me". We'll have some great ones. Have fun playing Bouncin'Ferno, and have fun creating something that the FTA would be proud of. Questions, comments, problems? Contact me online at the following addresses: America Online: JOKO CompuServe: 76702,565 GEnie: J.KOHN Internet mail can be sent to either America Online or CompuServe. If you don't have a modem, you can always contact me by US Mail at: Joe Kohn 166 Alpine Street San Rafael, CA 94901 One last note Copy the disk and give it to everyone you know. The more """"""""""""" people that enter the contests, the better. Have fun, and just remember: Apple II Forever! Please feel free to re-format the entry blank before printing it out. I have a feeling that it'll be a little easier to read if some of the lines are double spaced. Either that, or write small . The other comment has to do with the FTA themselves. In a recent letter from Olivier Goguel, founder of the FTA, he says "The idea of a contest to create levels for Bouncin'Ferno is great. We tried the same thing in France when we were programming it, but it didn't work as we thought. About programming FTA programs, this is a challenge because our source code is not commented (or only in French) and we're not using academic programming ways and tools. But, I hope someone will manage to create something great from our source code". The challenge is offered. Let the games begin! -Joe Kohn ////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Hey, I can't complain with that kind of service, eh?? It's / / called, "Next Day GEnie".. .." / /////////////////////////////////////////////// T.EVANS21 //// [EOA] [HIS]////////////////////////////// APPLE II HISTORY / ///////////////////////////////// Apple II History, Part III """""""""""""""""""""""""" By Steven Weyhrich [S.WEYHRICH] >>> APPLE II HISTORY <<< """""""""""""""""""""""" Compiled and written by Steven Weyhrich (C) Copyright 1991, Zonker Software (PART 3 -- THE APPLE II) [v1.1 :: 12 Dec 91] This third part of the Apple II History deals with the original AppleII and the design features that went into it. What is most amusing to me is this: The decisions Wozniak made when laying out his revision to the AppleI involved not only those that would make it a good computer, but also would let him use his computer to play "Breakout". The color, the graphics, the sound, and the paddle circuits had the primary intention of making that possible. What is also interesting is that the success of the Apple II was strongly related to the free reign given to Wozniak the hacker, rather than allowing several people decide on features the computer should have. Also found in this part of the History is a glossary to some of the common terms used in the microcomputer world; it makes the novice more able to appreciate things discussed later in the history. >>> THE APPLE II: HARDWARE AND FIRMWARE <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Moving our time machine on to 1977, we can now look at Steve Wozniak's next generation Apple. Even as the Apple I was completed and was slowly selling, Wozniak was already working on making enhancements that would make his computer faster and more functional. He wanted to make it display in color. He worked to combine the terminal and memory functions of the Apple I by moving the display into main memory, allowing instant screen changes. Many of his changes were not added with the end user specifically in mind. Wozniak stated: "A lot of features of the Apple II went in because I had designed Breakout for Atari. I had designed it in hardware. I wanted to write it in software now. So that was the reason that color was added in first--so that games could be programmed. I sat down one night and tried to put it into BASIC. Fortunately I had written the BASIC myself, so I just burned some new ROMs with line drawing commands, color changing commands, and various BASIC commands that would plot in color. I got this ball bouncing around, and I said, 'Well it needs sound,' and I had to add a speaker to the Apple II. It wasn't planned, it was just accidental... Obviously you need paddles, so I had to scratch my head and design a simple minimum-chip paddle circuit, and put on some paddles. So a lot of these features that really made the Apple II stand out in its day came from a game, and the fun features that were built in were only to do one pet project, which was to program a BASIC version of Breakout and show it off at the club."<1> Wozniak added other features that he felt were important for a computer that was useful, one that he would want to own. Since the 6502 processor could address a total of 64K of memory, he designed the computer with the ability to use either 4K RAM chips, or the newer (and more expensive) 16K RAM chips. The first Apple II's came standard with 4K of memory, and more could be added, to a maximum of 12K (if using the 4K chips) or 48K (if using the 16K chips). Specially wired strapping blocks attached to the motherboard told the Apple II how much memory was present and where it was. According to the 1981 edition of the APPLE II REFERENCE MANUAL, the Apple could have memory in the following sizes: 4K, 8K, 12K, 16K, 20K, 24K, 32K, 36K, or a full 48K. (These sizes were determined by the different ways that three RAM chips, either 4K or 16K, could be installed). The strapping blocks were even designed with the flexibility of allowing blank spots in memory if there were no RAM chips available to fill those spots. The first 4K of memory always had to have RAM present, since it was used by the 6502 processor, the ROM routines, and the text screen display. If, for example, you only had two other 4K RAM chips to install and you wanted to display hi-res graphics, you could strap one chip to the lower half of hi-res memory from $2000-$2FFF, and the other to the upper half of hi-res memory from $3000-$3FFF.<2> Since 16K RAM chips cost about $500 when Wozniak designed the Apple II, not many users could afford them. Whereas the Commodore PET and the Radio Shack TRS-80 could not easily be expanded beyond the 4K they came with, the Apple II from the beginning was designed with expansion in mind.<3> The row of eight expansion slots was another feature about the Apple II that was a strong selling point. Unlike the TRS-80 or PET, you could easily expand the Apple II by simply plugging a card into one of these slots. This degree of expandability made it more expensive to build, however. Steve Jobs didn't believe that anyone would ever need more than two slots, one for a printer and one possibly for a modem. Wozniak knew from his experience with computers at Hewlett-Packard that computer users would always find SOMETHING to fill those extra slots, and insisted that they keep the number at eight.<4> One problem Apple had to deal with was getting FCC approval for the computer. The RF (radio frequency) modulator that had been designed gave off too much interference, and it was probable that the FCC would not approve it. (The RF modulator allowed a user to attach the Apple to a standard television receiver, instead of requiring the purchase of an expensive computer monitor). Rather than have the release of the Apple II delayed for re-engineering of the RF modulator to get that FCC approval, Apple gave the specifications for the RF modulator to Marty Spergel. He ran a small company (called M&R Electronics) that specialized in obtaining hard-to-get parts that electronics and computer hackers wanted for their projects. Their agreement allowed M&R to make and sell the RF modulators, while Apple could concentrate on making and selling the Apple II. Dealers would sell an Apple II with a "Sup'r Mod" (costing about $30) if the buyer wanted to see the graphics on their color TV. Jobs assured Spergel that the item would sell well, maybe as many as fifty units a month. (Years later Spergel estimated that he had sold about four hundred thousand Sup'r Mods).<5> Other features that Wozniak (and Allen Baum, who helped him with the project) included in the Apple II ROMs included the terminal software to do screen text display, expanded Monitor functionality, and cassette input/output routines. They added the ability to split the screen into different sized windows. They also wrote a disassembler, which was one of the most important features of the Apple II from the beginning and a significant part of its open design. It allowed ANYONE to view the 6502 code that ANY program used, and matched the philosophy of the Homebrew Club of making all computer knowledge available to everybody. In the Apple I days, when Apple was supplying software "free or at minimal charge", Wozniak and Baum published an early version of their 6502 disassembler in a hacker's magazine. It was designed to be loaded in memory on the Apple I from $800 to $9D8 and the routine could be executed from the monitor. This early code was quit similar to the disassembler that was later included in the Apple II ROM.<6> Having an expanded Monitor program in ROM and color graphics were not the only features in the Apple II that attracted people to it. Having Wozniak's BASIC language in ROM, available immediately when the power was turned on, made it possible for non-hackers to write programs that used the Apple II's color graphics. An interesting bit of trivia about Wozniak's Integer BASIC was that he never had an assembly language source file for it. He wrote it in machine language, assembling it by hand on paper: "I wrote this BASIC processor, and I wrote a little ALGOL simulator and got it simulated. It looked like it would work, but I had forgotten to build the machine. I had no assembler, that was another thing. To use an assembler, they figured that somebody was going to buy this processor [the 6502] to use for a company, and their company can pay a few thousand dollars in time-sharing charges to use an assembler that was available in time-share. I didn't have any money like that, so a friend taught me that you just sort of look at each instruction, you write your instructions on the right side of the page, you write the addresses over on the left side, and you then look up the hex data for each instruction--you could assemble it yourself. So I would just sit there and assemble it myself. The [Integer] BASIC, which we shipped with the first Apple II's, was never assembled--ever. There was one handwritten copy, all handwritten, all hand-assembled. So we were in an era that we could not afford tools."<7> Even to this day there is not an official source code listing of Integer BASIC at Apple. And interestingly, the only error I am aware of in the Integer interpreter is one involving a single byte. If a line is entered that has too many parentheses, the "TOO LONG" error message is displayed instead of the "TOO MANY PARENS" message.<8> -- Jerry Penner jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca | "Wanna buy a duck" (Hi Joe :) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Path: news.weeg.uiowa.edu!news.uiowa.edu!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!destroyer!ubc-cs!unixg.ubc.ca!kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca!ee.ualberta.ca!jpenne From: jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca (Jerry Penner) Subject: GEnieLamp Aug 1992 (Vol 1 No. 5) (5 parts) Message-ID: Summary: part 5 (final part) Sender: news@kakwa.ucs.ualberta.ca Nntp-Posting-Host: eigen.ee.ualberta.ca Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 07:48:34 GMT Lines: 680 GEnieLamp Vol 1/Num 5 August 1, 1992 Part 5 of 5 This article first appeared on GEnie and I was asked to post it on the Internet. My GE-Mail address is J.Penner1 and my internet address is jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca if you need to discuss something regarding this posting. I don't work for GEnie or anything to do with the Internet. ----8<----8<----8<----8<----8<-- cut here --8<----8<----8<----8<----8<---- >>> NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR: BACK TO THE BASICS... <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" I want to take a short break in this discussion of the Apple II firmware to look at some other items that will make further descriptions easier to understand. If you are a programmer already, you may want to skip this section, since you probably already know this stuff. First we will examine some definitions of terms that are commonly known to programmers, but possibly not to you. Next will be a brief excursion into the realm of hexadecimal, and finally a look at the memory map of the original Apple II. First, let's look at definitions of some words that I have been loosely throwing around: BIT The smallest piece of information that a computer can deal """ with, it is either a "0" (off, clear) or a "1" (on, set). BYTE The most convenient piece of information (for humans) that """" computers use. One byte consists of eight bits, and ranges from "00000000" (0 decimal) to "11111111" (255 decimal). NIBBLE (also spelled "nybble"). One half of a byte, consisting of """""" four bits, ranging from "0000" (0 decimal) to "1111" (15 decimal). WORD Two bytes (or four nibbles, if you prefer), consisting of """" sixteen bits, and ranging from "00000000 00000000" (0 decimal) to "11111111 11111111" (65535 decimal). Not used much in microcomputers. BINARY A system of counting using only two digits, "0" and "1" """""" (base 2). Computers speak in binary at their most basic level; anything else is translated into binary, so the computer can understand it. DECIMAL A system of counting using ten digits, "0" through "9" (base """"""" 10). Most of the Western world uses this system. HEXADECIMAL A system of counting using sixteen digits, "0" through "9" """"""""""" and "A" through "F" (base 16). Programmers use this system as a convenient way of organizing groups of binary numbers. KILOBYTE Abbreviated "K", "KB", or "Kbytes", it refers to 1,024 """""""" bytes. A 64K computer has 64 x 1024 = 65536 bytes. MEGABYTE Abbreviated "M", "MB", or "meg", it refers to 1,024 Kbytes, """""""" or 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,048,576 bytes. A 32 MB hard disk, the largest size volume that ProDOS can handle, holds 32 x 1,024 = 32,768 Kbytes, or 32 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 33,554,432 bytes. GIGABYTE Abbreviated "G", "GB", or "gig", it refers to 1,024 MB, or """""""" 1,048,576 Kbytes, or 10,737,441,824 bytes. The Apple II Smartport (which will be mentioned later in this history) can handle disk devices up to 4 gig in size (although the software to handle that type of size has yet to be written). RAM Random Access Memory. Any data stored in this memory """ disappears when the computer is turned off. ROM Read Only Memory. Data cannot be stored in this type of """ memory, but instead it usually contains programs or other information that does not disappear when the computer is turned off. HARDWARE The physical electronic components and mechanical parts that """""""" make up a piece of computer equipment. Examples would be the keyboard, disk drive, or television monitor (also called CRT, or Cathode Ray Tube). SOFTWARE The digital instructions executed by the computer in RAM. """""""" They may act on the hardware that is attached to the computer. Examples would be a BASIC or Pascal program, an assembly language routine to read a clock, or a disk operating system. Since software is executed in RAM, it disappears from memory when the computer is turned off. FIRMWARE The same as software, except it is executed from ROM, and """""""" does not disappear when the computer is turned off. Almost any software could be in ROM, except programs that modify themselves as they run. Next, let's look at hexadecimal numbers in more detail. Since computers deal in binary (base 2), the true language of computers is either in terms of "0" (off) or "1" (on). However, it quickly becomes cumbersome to refer to large numbers in binary; the base 10 number "458" is "111001010" in binary. So programmers have decided to group numbers in such a way as to make it easy to convert part or all of that number to binary if necessary, but still have numbers (almost) as easy to deal with as our standard base 10 system. Now, in the familiar base 10 system there are ten digits, 0 through 9. When counting, after you pass 9, you add one to the digit to the left of the 9, change the 9 to a 0, and continue. So, "09" becomes "10", "19" becomes "20", and so on. However, in the base 16 system there are sixteen digits, 0 through 9, and then A through F (representing decimal 10 through 15). When counting, then, you go 7, 8, 9, then A (not 10), B, C, D, E, F, 10, 11, 12, and so on. In the Apple world we have traditionally used a preceding dollar sign to signify a hexadecimal number, so "25" means twenty-five, but "$25" means thirty-seven (2 x 16, plus 5). To translate a hexadecimal number to decimal, use powers of 16: $B65F = (11 x 16^3) + (6 x 16^2) + (5 x 16^1) + (15 x 16^0) = (11 x 4096) + (6 x 256) + (5 x 16) + (15 x 1) = 45056 + 1536 + 80 + 15 = 46687 The same thing can be done in reverse to convert base 10 to hexadecimal, starting by dividing the number by 4096, then the remainder by 256, then 16. If the number is greater than 65536, you need a bigger power of 16 (and you are probably not dealing with an 8-bit Apple II!) Or you can just get a programmer's calculator like mine that automatically does the conversion for you... When dealing with memory addresses on an Apple II, we usually designate them as four digit hex numbers (such as the $B65F example above). Numbers less than $1000 often are printed without the leading blank ($400 instead of $0400), and numbers less than $100 are treated the same way ($32 instead of $0032). >>> THE APPLE II: MEMORY MAP <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" To understand the memory layout of the Apple II, consider this analogy: Imagine a cabinet with sixteen shelves, and sixteen separate slots or pigeon holes on each shelf (similar to those found in old roll-top desks). Each slot refers to a specific address in memory on the computer, and each slot can hold a number between 0 and 255. (Since a byte is eight bits wide, the largest number that can be represented by eight binary bits is 255). The bottom shelf is row "0", and the leftmost slot in that row is slot "0". The address of that slot, then, is $00. As we move to the right, the addresses increase, $01, $02, $03, and so on to $0F at the end. We then go up to the next row, (row "1"), and the addresses continue in the same fashion with $10, $11, $12, and so on as before. The sixteenth row is row "F", the rightmost slot in that row is slot "F", and the address of that slot is $FF. This cabinet has, then, 256 slots (16 x 16), and represents what is called a "page" in the Apple memory. The cabinet itself has an address (since computers need addresses for everything), and this one's address is "00". The full address of row "5", slot "A" on cabinet "00" is $005A. Only the Altair 8800 came with just 256 bytes of memory, so we have to account for the entire 64K memory space that the 6502 chip in the Apple II can handle. There is a cabinet sitting on top of cabinet "00", and it is laid out in the same fashion with its 256 slots in sixteen rows. This is cabinet "01", and on top of that one is cabinet "02"; this continues on up until we reach cabinet "FF" way up at the top. Apple programmers refer to these cabinets as "pages" of memory. There are 256 pages of memory, each with 256 bytes on a page, making a grand total of 256 x 256 = 65536 bytes of memory (or slots that can hold a number, if you prefer the analogy). In discussing the memory map on the Apple II, we can refer to pages of memory with a hexadecimal two-digit number for shorthand if we wish. The general layout of the Apple II memory is as follows: Page $00: used by the 6502 processor for storage of information that it can access quickly. This is prime real-estate that is seldom available for general use by programmers without special care. Page $01: used by the 6502 for internal operations as a "stack." Page $02: used by the Apple II firmware as an input buffer when using the keyboard from BASIC, or when a program uses any of the firmware input routines. Page $03: general storage area, up to the top three rows (from $3D0 through $3FF) which are used by the disk operating system and the firmware for pointers to internal routines. Pages $04-$07: used for the 40 column text screen. Pages $08-$BF: available for use by programs, operating systems, and for hi-res graphics. Within this space, Woz designated pages $20-$3F for hi-res "page" one, and pages $40-$5F for hi-res "page" two. Page $C0: internal I/O and softswitches Pages $C1-$C7: ROM assigned to each of the seven peripheral cards Pages $C8-$CF: switchable ROM available for any of the seven cards Pages $D0-$D7: empty ROM socket #1 Pages $D8-$DF: empty ROM socket #2 Pages $E0-$F7: Integer BASIC ROM Pages $F8-$FF: Monitor ROM The memory space on the Apple II between $C000 and $CFFF was assigned to handle input and output. From $C000 to $C0FF the space was reserved for various soft-switches used to control the display, and various built-in I/O devices, such as the keyboard, paddles, annunciators, and the cassette port. (A soft-switch is simply a memory location that, when a number is stored there, changes something in the computer--such as switching on graphics mode). From $C100 to $CFFF the space was reserved for ROM on the plug-in peripheral cards for each of the seven slots. Slot 1 was given the space from $C100 to $C1FF, slot 2 from $C200 to $C2FF, and so on. The $C800 to $CFFF space was special slot-selectable ROM that was uniquely available for each of the seven peripheral cards. For example, a program running on the card in slot 6 to control a device could use the $C800-$CFFF space for its own purpose. When control passed to the card in slot 3, that card could use a program of its own that ran in the same $C800-$CFFF space. This was accomplished by allowing each card to have ROM code that covered pages $C8-$CF, and making that space "switchable", depending on which card wanted to use it. Having this space available made writing ROM code simpler, since it would not have to be capable of running at various memory locations (depending on which slot a card was plugged into). The memory from $D000 to $D7FF and $D800 to $DFFF was empty on all early Apple II computers. On the motherboard were two empty sockets that were available for the user to plug in their own ROM chips. The $D000-$D7FF space was most often used by a plug-in ROM chip sold by Apple, known as "Programmer's Aid #1." It contained various utilities for Integer BASIC programmers, including machine language routines to do the following: Renumber BASIC programs Append one BASIC program to the end of another Verify a BASIC program that had been saved on tape (to confirm it was an accurate save) Verify non-program data that had been saved on tape Relocate assembly language routines to a different location in memory (most would only run in one place in memory) Test the Apple II RAM Generate musical tones through the built-in speaker Handle hi-res graphics from BASIC, including code to clear the hi-res screen, set colors, plot points and lines, draw shapes, and load shapes from tape. All the routines on the Programmer's Aid #1 ROM were written by Wozniak between June 1977 (the RAM test routine) and April 1978 (program renumber and append), except for the music routine, which was written by Gary Shannon. The other empty ROM socket (covering memory from $D800 to $DFFF) was never filled by Apple. Various third-party vendors sold ROMs for that socket (or for the $D000-$D7FF socket used by the Programmer's Aid #1 ROM), but none made enough of an inroad to be preserved in the INTBASIC file that would later be included on the DOS 3.3 System Master disk. In fact, the $D800-$DFFF space in the INTBASIC file on that disk contains an image of that same space taken directly from the Applesoft ROM! It is completely useless to Integer BASIC, of course, but disk files being what they are, Apple had to fill that space with SOMETHING! The Integer BASIC interpreter lived in the ROM space between $E000 and $F7FF. However, BASIC only used the space up to $F424. Between $F425-$F4FB and $F63D-$F65D could be found a floating-point math package that was not used by Integer BASIC, but was available for BASIC programmers who were astute enough to figure out how it worked. (An early Apple user group, the Apple Pugetsound Program Library Exchange, or A.P.P.L.E., sold a tape and notes by Steve Wozniak they called "Wozpak", that documented some of the secrets of the Integer BASIC ROM). Between $F500-$F63C there was code that was known as the "miniassembler", which was executed starting at the ominous address $F666. The miniassembler allowed you to enter short machine language programs using the standard 6502 mnemonics (the three letter codes that referred to a specific type of operation; for example, "LDA #" represented the 6502 opcode $A9) instead of entering the program byte by byte in the monitor. The $F689-$F7FC space contained Woz's SWEET 16 interpreter. Wozniak wrote SWEET 16 to simulate a 16-bit processor; it simplified some routines he wrote for the Apple II ROMs, including the Programmer's Aid #1 renumber, append, and relocate routines. Simply put, he took a series of hex bytes, defined them as "opcodes" the way HE wanted them to function, and when executing the code used his SWEET 16 interpreter to translate the code into legal 6502 operations. It ran slower than standard 6502 code, but when memory space was at a premium it was better to have a slow program than to not have enough room for the program at all. For those who are keeping count, there are a few unreferenced bytes in the latter part of the Integer ROM. Those bytes contained filler bytes that were not used as any program code.<9>,<10>,<11> The last part of the Apple II memory, from $F800-$FFFF, contained Wozniak's Monitor program which has already been discussed above. [*][*][*] NEXT INSTALLMENT The Apple II, cont. """""""""""""""" NOTES """"" <1> Jack Connick, "...And Then There Was Apple", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Oct 1986, p. 24. <2> -----, "Memory Organization", APPLE II REFERENCE MANUAL, 1979, 1981, pp. 70-73. <3> Val J. Golding, "Applesoft From Bottom To Top", CALL-A.P.P.L.E. IN DEPTH #1, 1981, p. 8. <4> Michael Moritz, THE LITTLE KINGDOM, p. 157. <5> Steven Levy, HACKERS: HEROES OF THE COMPUTER REVOLUTION, pp. 260-261. <6> Steve Wozniak and Allen Baum, "A 6502 Disassembler From Apple", Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computer Calisthenics & Orthodontia, Sep 1976, pp. 22-25. <7> Jack Connick, p. 23. <8> Christopher Volpe, "Beep: A Tale of (T)ERROR", CALL-A.P.P.L.E., Mar 1983, p. 114. <9> Bob Bragner, "Open Discussion", SOFTALK, Nov 1983, pp. 51-52. <10> -----, PROGRAMMER'S AID #1, 1978. <11> Dick Sedgewick, "SWEET 16 - Introduction", MERLIN USER'S MANUAL, 1982, pp. 103-109. ////////////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "(Someday I'll have to tell the story of the well-known hardware / / company that found, in reality, the IIgs memory expansion slot / / was actually being made with tighter signals than were specified / / in the Hardware Reference. So they designed their card to require/ / the tighter specs and saved a few bucks -- until Apple made a / / production change that made the signals looser but still _well_ / / within the specs, and they had to run an upgrade program. Oops.) / /////////////////////////////////////////////// M.DEATHERAGE //// [EOA] [GAM]////////////////////////////// GAMES PEOPLE PLAY / ///////////////////////////////// Focus On Computer Games """"""""""""""""""""""" By Darrel Raines [D.RAINES] >>> IS THAT GAME ANY "GOOD"? <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A few words of introduction are in order. My name is Darrel Raines. I will be writing a new column for the Apple II version of GEnieLamp dealing with games and gaming. Since this is our first article together, I thought you might want to know a little bit about my background. I am a long time computer user and hobbyist. I have owned an Apple II+ since 1982 and a IIgs since 1987. I have used personal computers at work and at home ever since I graduated from college. I currently work for NASA as a contractor on the Space Station Freedom (SSF) Training Simulator. I still work with computers on a daily basis, yet enjoy working/playing with my Apple II when I get home. My Apple IIgs is used for a programming service that I run out of my home. I also spend a fair amount of time playing games on my computer. I consider computer games to be an important part of the reason to own a home PC. Along those lines, I have written my own game software and released it as freeware or shareware. When it comes to gaming, I enjoy playing all types: on a computer or otherwise. In this column, I hope to explore various games available for the Apple II series of computers. Along the way we will discuss many topics that I hope are of interest to the general computer user and/or programmer. I thought it would be fair to start with a look at what criteria we measure a game against to determine if it is "good". Let us get started by discussing some of the skills acquired while playing games, on or off the computer. I believe that learning to play games helps to build a number of character traits that are important to a person's development. Logical thinking is a skill that can be learned and honed while playing many games. Sportsmanship and fair play can be taught through games (no one wins every game). Since games are played by a set of established rules, a person learns something about citizenship and living under a government. Hand/eye coordination and motor skills are developed through participation in sports games (and, the couch potato says, using a joystick). Cooperation and teamwork are learned while playing games between teams. All of the traits listed above can be acquired while playing at one game or another. Stated differently, every well designed game gives the participants the opportunity to learn one or more of these traits. Going back to the subject of this article, we have slipped into what I consider to be the prime quality that defines a "good" game. For your consideration, I will now place before you a shopping list of characteristics that I believe to be important in the development of game software. I will also indicate some games (past and present) that meet the criteria given here. Skill Development How well does the game teach one or more of the various """"""""""""""""" skills that we discussed in the previous paragraphs? A single game cannot hope to accomplish every expectation of a "good" game. However, ONE or more of these characteristics will be developed in a well designed game. Chess will always be a favorite game for millions of people since it epitomizes the logical game. Nothing is hidden and all possible moves are known by both players. Therefore, it is sheer thinking ability between the players that is the deciding factor in the outcome of the game. Computer versions of this classic game have done nothing to diminish the allure of a head-to-head battle. I am always joyous at any victory that I am able to eek out over Chessmaster 2100. Adventure games can teach a player how to cooperate with other team members. You will not make it very far in any of the Bard's Tale scenarios if you do not heal your wounded companions. I always spend the first part of any role-playing adventure game trying to determine how to best use my various characters. This helps out in the later part of the game where it is imperative that you kill off your foes with the least amount of effort. Playability Does the game make you want to come back and play "just one """"""""""" more time"? Does it draw you back to the keyboard when you know that you should be hitting the pillow instead? Measuring a game's ability to addict the player is not always easy. But it is certainly undeniable that certain games are very addictive. How many of you have fallen prey to the mesmerizing pleasures of that fiendish delight, Arkanoid (I or II)? Come on, be honest and raise your hands. Both my wife and I were caught up in this wonderful game. The premise is simple and the game is very easy to learn. All you have to do is hit the ball with your paddle and make sure that it does not reach the bottom of the screen. The problem is that a gamer wants to play just one more time to reach that next level. Eventually, you can't seem to stop until that evil demon has been knocked back into the far reaches of space from whence he came. At one time, Lode Runner was the hottest game going on almost any computer system. I can remember spending hours dissolving bricks, picking up lodes, climbing stairs, hanging from the high wire, and eventually clearing the current level: only to have to do it all over again on the next screen. What fun! I once was enjoying a particularly successful game of Lode Runner, when I hit the pause button to rest my hand. I had cramps from hitting the fire button on the joystick too many times. The fact that I was on level fifty pleased me very much until I looked at the clock. I had been playing for two hours and I still wasn't done with one game! Stimulation Does the game make you think in new and creative ways? Are """"""""""" you faced with challenging situations that allow you to do things that you don't get to do in real life? Admittedly, this is something that you don't want from every game that you play. However, the joy of discovery and the excitement of the unknown make some games well worth the time spent playing. When you play the Infocom game Sherlock Holmes and the Riddle of the Crown Jewels, you are forced to think like a detective. You begin to look for clues. You try to determine motive behind actions. You try to emulate Holmes knack for deducing so much information from so few clues. When I began to play this game I was reminded of my love of the character and the story telling ability of Arthur Conan Doyle. This stirred me to the point that I pulled out my old books and reread some Sherlock Holmes stories. I had first read these stories as a teenager. The experience was extremely enjoyable. I have always loved to play basketball. I enjoy officiating basketball (more than six seasons of experience). I even enjoy watching basketball. Currently, I do not have the time to do any of these activities. So how do I get my basketball fix? I plug in Gamestar's Two-on-two Basketball and dunk to my heart's content. This is especially nice since I could never even come close to dunking a basketball in real life. By the time that my team has made it through the playoffs and won the world championship, I feel like I have accomplished the real thing. The Chicago Bulls had better watch out. Random Events Does the game have some amount of random occurrences or """"""""""""" situations? This factor makes a game less predictable and more entertaining. The random events should not be so prevalent that they alone determine the outcome of a game. No one wants to play a game where their efforts do not make any difference in the outcome. However, the addition of factors that the players cannot predict can add to the excitement of a game. I enjoy playing war and tactical games when I have a good bit of time to spend with them. The games can tend to be somewhat on the dry side if the designers are not careful. Even the best strategists in a real world battle may be hampered by the onset of an unexpected blizzard. Therefore, I want the simulations that I play to have the same type of possibilities. The space war game Reach for the Stars has a number of random event options that may be selected. If you turn on the natural events option, you may start to wage an all-out offensive on a neighboring planet only to find that your best production planet gets hit by the plague. Computer Player Modes -- Does the computer opponent (when available) adapt to my skill level? Can I select a level of opponent to match my playing ability? If a game is too easy to win, then you loose interest easily and do not play it for long. If a game is too hard to win, then you get frustrated by it and no longer play. This factor can do much to extend interest in a game to a wide variety of players. One of the reasons that I prefer to play Jack Nicklaus Golf (JNG) instead of Mean 18 has to do with the computer players. JNG does not have very many courses to choose from and it is very slow. But all of the bad things about the game are compensated for by the computer players that are available to compete against. When you get really good at the game, you can invite Jack himself to a friendly (growl) game of golf. One of my greatest thrills in computer gaming occurred the day that I finally beat Jack in a head-to-head skins match. Now if I could just do that on a real golf course... Fun Factor Is the game fun to play? There is no way to quantify this """""""""" item. The only defense I have in listing it as a criteria is that it definitely exists. Perhaps a way to test for this factor would be to take ten average computer game players. Put each of them in front of a computer running the game in question. Have them play for an hour and ask them the question "did you have fun"? If at least three answer to the positive, then you may have a "good" game. If any of you have played Infocom adventures you know that many of them can be very tough. I usually get frustrated at some point along the way in any of these games. I just cannot seem to find the right word or command to progress in the adventure. I have come to the point where I will not even start an Infocom game without a walk-through in my possession for emergency reference. With this type of frustration likely while playing a game, you might think that I would not even bother playing. An illustration should suffice to show you why I keep going back for more. In the hilarious adventure Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you eventually get stuck on an alien ship. You need to get a babel fish stuck into your ear so that you can understand what the aliens are saying. However, the stubborn little fish just will not seem to cooperate. I finally had to give up and get some help. The answer to the puzzle was not at all obvious. You needed some material that I had tossed away much earlier in the game. Then you had to perform two very unlikely acts in sequence. The result of your maneuvers puts that pesky little devil in your ear where he belongs. I would have NEVER figured out how to solve that problem. So why did I keep playing? Because the description of what goes on to the little babel fish on the way to my ear had me in the floor with laughter. In a word, it was fun. If a computer game can succeed in one or more of the areas listed above, I would consider it to be "good" game. If I ever find a game that stands up well to all of the categories listed, then I may never see the light of day again. Since most of the criteria that I have put before you are subjective in nature I expect that various people will disagree as to whether or not they enjoy a particular game. That is okay. My purpose here is to establish a set of guidelines for future discussions on the subject. Now that we are done until next month, let the games begin! You may contact me via electronic mail to register opinions, gripes, ideas, or your favorite games for future examination. My GEnie address is D.Raines . I will try to respond to each letter so long as the volume does not get too high. If you are writing a commercial or shareware game that you would like to see reviewed in an upcoming column, please contact me via GEmail. //////////////////////////////////////// GEnie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / "Of course, if using GEnie is a regular habit for you, you / / may want to check out Aladdin. It works great with a TT! / / I've even used it to call CompuServe!! :)" / //////////////////////////////////////////// BOB-BRODIE //// [EOA] [LOG]////////////////////////////// LOG OFF / ///////////////////////////////// GEnieLamp Information """""""""""""""""""""" o COMMENTS: Contacting GEnieLamp o GEnieLamp STAFF: Who Are We? o GET_THE_LAMP Scripts & Macros o SEARCH-ME! 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The system will then prompt you for your information. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// [EOF] -- Jerry Penner jpenne@ee.ualberta.ca | "Wanna buy a duck" (Hi Joe :)