|||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| || || ||| || || || || ||| |||| |||||| || |||| Your || || || || ||| || || |||||| |||||| || || |||||| |||||| GenieLamp Computing || |||||| || || |||||| RoundTable || || || ||| ||| || || || |||||| |||||||| |||||| RESOURCE! || || || || || || || ||||| || || || || || ~ WELCOME TO GENIELAMP APPLE II! ~ """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ FOCUS ON...: The Accidental Tourist at KansasFest ~ ~ VOX POPULI: Apple IIgs Owners' Survey ~ ~ APPLEWORKS ANNEX: AppleWorks 5 Documentation ~ ~ HOT NEWS, HOT FILES, HOT MESSAGES ~ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// GenieLamp Apple II ~ A T/TalkNET Publication ~ Vol.5, Issue 52 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Publisher................................................John F. Peters Editor...................................................Douglas Cuff \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////////////// ~ GenieLamp IBM ~ GenieLamp ST ~ GenieLamp PowerPC ~ ~ GenieLamp A2Pro ~ GenieLamp Macintosh ~ GenieLamp TX2 ~ ~ GenieLamp Windows ~ GenieLamp A2 ~ LiveWire (ASCII) ~ ~ Member Of The Digital Publishing Association ~ Genie Mail: GENIELAMP Internet: genielamp@genie.com ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ >>> WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE APPLE II ROUNDTABLE? <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~ July 1, 1996 ~ FROM MY DESKTOP ......... [FRM] HEY MISTER POSTMAN ...... [HEY] Notes From The Editor. Is That A Letter For Me? HUMOR ONLINE ............ [HUM] FOCUS ON... ............. [FOC] An Apple II Parody. KansasFest 1996. VOX POPULI .............. [VOX] APPLEWORKS ANNEX ........ [AWX] Apple IIgs Owners' Survey. AppleWorks 5 Documentation. FILE BANDWAGON .......... [BAN] THE TREASURE HUNT ....... [HUN] Top 10 Files for May. Fool's Gold. LOG OFF ................. [LOG] GenieLamp Information. [IDX]"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" READING GENIELAMP GenieLamp has incorporated a unique indexing system """"""""""""""""" to help make reading the magazine easier. To utilize this system, load GenieLamp 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 reprinted """""""""""" here in GenieLamp, 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 has pricing plans to fit almost any budget. Genie's """"""""""" services include email, software downloads, bulletin boards, chat lines, and an Internet gateway included at a non-prime time connect rate of $2.75. Some pricing plans include uncharged online connect time. As always, prices are subject to change without notice. To sign up for Genie, call (with modem) 1-800-638-8369 in the USA or 1-800-387-8330 in Canada. Upon connection wait for the U#= prompt. Type: JOINGENIE and hit RETURN. The system will then prompt you for your information. Need more information? Call Genie's customer service line (voice) at 1-800-638-9636. GET GENIELAMP ON THE NET! Now you can get your GenieLamp issues from """"""""""""""""""""""""" the Internet. If you use a web browser, connect to "gopher://gopher.genie.com/11/magazines". When using a gopher program, connect to "gopher.genie.com" and then choose item 7 (Magazines and Newsletters from Genie's RoundTables). *** GET INTO THE LAMP! *** """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" //////////////////////////////////////// Genie_QWIK_QUOTE //// / When the day comes (soon I hope) that I get my novel / / published, this roundtable/gang is getting mentioned in / / my thanks yous!!!! Oh, and that phrase: This novel was / / written entirely on an Apple IIGS. (Should I thank John / / Scully???? Hee, hee. :) / /////////////////////////////////////////////// J.LOFTIS //// [EOA] [FRM]////////////////////////////// FROM MY DESKTOP / ///////////////////////////////// Notes From The Editor """"""""""""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] This editorial isn't really about any issue facing the Apple II community. This is editorial is about me. Blatantly about me, I mean. This issue marks the end of my third year as editor of GenieLamp A2. At one point, it was supposed to mark the end of my service as editor, full stop. Since beginning the first draft of this editorial, I have realized, with something of a shock, that my three years with GenieLamp A2 make me the longest-serving editor by a considerable margin. Neither of my two predecessors lasted for as long as twelve consecutive months. This must be something I inherited from my father: after 30 years of service, he is only the _fifth_ editor of a magazine about to reach its centenary. Last winter, I began to feel that I wasn't offering all that much to the Apple II community. The first issues of _The Apple Blossom_ and _Juiced.GS_ printed original material that could have appeared in GenieLamp A2... but didn't. And I felt that this was largely my fault; that I hadn't been doing a good enough job. The only thing this job pays is satisfaction, and there wasn't much of that last winter. So I planned to stop editing GenieLamp A2 at the end of my third year. I would concentrate on writing articles for the Apple II world instead of editing them. I'm proud to be an editor first--I didn't drift into editing as a substitute for writing; I love editing--but I thought that writing might revive, replenish, and renew me. I would hand my EDITOR.A2 account over to the new editor, but stay on Genie and stick with GenieLamp A2 (as a writer) via my D.CUFF account. Then the roof caved in. GEnie became Genie, and the monthly fee to keep an account active went from $7.95 to $23.95. Much too costly for an editor who's still looking for a day job. I almost closed my D.CUFF account. Then Genie introduced GenieLite at $8.95 a month, and I grabbed at it like a man in quicksand grabs for a tree root. The new Genie brought with it a new problem: no more credits for writers, no way to reward them other than with praise. I found myself in the position of having to research and write the entire contents of each issue. (The writing of articles is hard, but not a struggle; it's the research that kills you, because it really eats up your time.) Recently, a fresh problem threatened. The new Genie didn't see why GenieLamp editors should have special accounts. This was, in fact, supposed to have been the last-ever issue of GenieLamp A2. John Peters, the publisher of all GenieLamps, came through for his editors magnificently. He saved our skins, and he saved GenieLamp. That doesn't mean I'm not tired any more. But the knowledge of how close a thing it's been gave me the strength to get through this issue without wanting to quit. I'm tired this month, but the reason for it is different. My fatigue is not due to disappointment or flagging spirits; it's due to having done a lot of hard work on the KansasFest article you'll find in this issue. It's that rarity, an article I'm actually pleased with. I hope you will be too. What is so rare as one of my own articles that I'm pleased with? An article from someone other than me. If you have an article, please submit it. If you have an idea for an article, please send me E-mail so we can discuss it. I'm happy to report that I've just been discussing such an idea with a writer, so next month or the one after, there should be another voice speaking here to break the monotony. I'd still like to hear from other writers, or those who would like to try writing. [*][*][*] An amusing note about last month's editorial, which addressed the subject of a person who had violated my copyright by reprinting part of one of my articles without my permission. I got mail from people who assumed I was talking about them, when I wasn't. There is no shortage of guilty consciences out there, it seems. I should have been ready for this. As I said in my July 1994 editorial, if you tell a group of people that some of them have done something wrong, the innocent will assume they're guilty, and the guilty will assume that you're talking about someone else, or not care that you're talking about them, or admit the act but deny the guilt. To be clear, then: What I was talking about last month was _not_ someone who reprinted GenieLamp A2 material without permission. You do not have to ask permission to reprint any GenieLamp A2 material, as long as you reproduce the copyright paragraph (see the very end of this issue) and mention that it is being reprinted from GenieLamp A2. The article I spoke of last month originally appeared in another Apple II publication, not GenieLamp A2. That's really pretty simple. This month, I've made it a little more complicated--by writing two articles for which I retain the copyright myself. These two articles (and only these two) do _not_ have to be credited as having appeared in GenieLamp A2... but it would be a nice gesture. I retain the copyright on these articles not because I want to hoard them but because I want to be able to reprint them without asking GenieLamp's permission. Please note--they're still my copyright material. If, as I suspect, the only person they're worth something to is me--then why would you want to steal it? -- Doug Cuff Genie Mail: EDITOR.A2 Internet: editor.a2@genie.com __________________________________________________________ | | | REPRINTING GENIELAMP | | | | If you want to reprint any part of GenieLamp, or | | post it to a bulletin board, please see the very end | | of this file for instructions and limitations. | |__________________________________________________________| ASCII ART BEGINS _____ _ _ ___ ___ / ____| (_) | | / _ \|__ \ | | __ ___ _ __ _ ___| | __ _ _ __ ___ _ __ | |_| | ) | | | |_ |/ _ \ '_ \| |/ _ \ | / _` | '_ ` _ \| '_ \ | _ | / / | |__| | __/ | | | | __/ |___| (_| | | | | | | |_) | | | | |/ /_ \_____|\___|_| |_|_|\___|______\__,_|_| |_| |_| .__/ |_| |_|____| | | |_| ASCII ART ENDS [EOA] [HEY]////////////////////////////// HEY MISTER POSTMAN / ///////////////////////////////// Is That A Letter For Me? """""""""""""""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] o BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS o A2 POT-POURRI o HOT TOPICS o WHAT'S NEW o THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE o MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT >>> BULLETIN BOARD HOT SPOTS <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" [*] CAT 9, TOP 7 ......... Another bug in HFS.FST? [*] CAT 28, TOP 4 ......... "Revenge of the Nerds" documentary [*] CAT 31, TOP 5 ......... Apple II in Macintosh user groups [*] CAT 44, TOP 3 ......... KansasFest 1996 mini biographies [*] CAT 44, TOP 8 ......... KansasFest 1996! >>> A2 POT-POURRI <<< """"""""""""""""""""" THEY DON'T KNOW US VERY WELL, DO THEY? I recently got an email ad """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" from/for Delphi, which included the following paragraph: "With the recent news of Compuserve, Genie and other systems going strictly to a graphical, web based platform, there will be many people who are left with the prospect of either spending a lot of money to upgrade computers, or finding a new home. Delphi is still a text based service, which means nearly everyone can make it onto the system." Although we've always wanted people to place Genie right up there with CIS & AOL... they could've at least gotten the facts right. :) -Ken (KEN.GAGNE, CAT2, TOP23, MSG:310/M645;1) UPDATING PRINT SHOP IIGS FOR BETTER PRINTING? Here's another concept too. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" What if one were to create a data disk that one would print to: that is that acted like a printer (you know, print to a disk combination of the PSGS components sort of "put together" and saved, later to be printed as a whole unit via some Graphics program- like PL of AWGS? (M.SCHOOP, CAT6, TOP8, MSG:120/M645;1) >>>>> Good luck! Joe Kohn hired Burger Bill to do new drivers for PSGS, """"" and Burger Bill failed. You may be flogging a dead horse. ;) Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech (C.KNOBLOCK, CAT6, TOP8, MSG:123/M645;1) >>>>> I don't think the word "failed" would be an accurate (or fair) """"" description. I asked Bill about PSGS several months ago, and he told me that the reason nothing ever came of it was that the quality would NOT be improved, due to the resolution of PSGS being hard-coded to 72 dpi (or 144 dpi?). As mentioned above, the quality would degrade due to the sharp definition of the pixels (as opposed to the round or "blurred" edges produced by a dot matrix printer). If I felt it was worth doing, and I had the time, I could do it. I don't feel it's worth doing (and I have better things to do with my time right now, which I think GS users might appreciate a lot more :). -G.T. Barnabas (BARNABAS, CAT6, TOP8, MSG:125/M645;1) GENIELAMP HTML To see your GenieLamp in all it's HTML glory with e-mail """""""""""""" links to almost everyone mentioned in it, call the VACC homepage. - http://home.earthlink.net/~seali/vaccpage/vacc.html - Also check out Scott's home page (seali) if you like showbiz links. He has some dandys. Uncle Duck ......... (VACC.DAVE, CAT3, TOP3, MSG:79/M645;1) SCANTRON QUALITY COMPUTERS E-MAIL Jan, I got your address change """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" request, and emailed it to myself at work, to take care of it Monday :) Anyone else who needs this, or hasn't received their stuff, please email me at gesaikin@sqc.net. If you do it here, I'll try to remember to forward it to my work address, but it's easier if it gets there...then I can see it, and it'll jog my memory. :) FWIW, this holds true with any questions you have re Scantron-Quality. You can post here, but if it's urgent, please email it also! Gena (QUALITY, CAT42, TOP11, MSG:306/M645;1) ONCE-MIGHTY ACADEMIA AND THE REAL WORLD BTW, I was checking out the UH """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" library online the other day and came across something that might be of interest to Apple II and real world device guys: Yip, W. and Tse, R. S. (1994). A polarograph built on an Apple II. _Laboratory Robotics and Automation_, _6_, 5. (In non APA format, that's "A Polarograph Built on an Apple II" by Wai-Tak Yip and Ronald S. Tse", published February 1, 1994 in Laboratory Robotics and Automation, volume 6, number 1, page 5.) Note that I haven't gone over and checked the actual article out yet, but anything like this tends to get my attention. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. Social Worker by Day, Apple II geek by night, KFester in July! ANSITerm and CoPilot v2.55 (R.SUENAGA1, CAT12, TOP38, MSG:189/M645;1) >>>>> Sounds interesting. """"" One of my dictionaries says: Polarography is a method of qualitative or quantitative analysis based on current/voltage curves obtained during electrolysis of a solution with a steadily increasing electromotive force. Another says: Polarography is an electrochemical method of quantitative or qualitative analysis based on the relationship between an increasing current passing through the solution being analyzed and the increasing voltage used to produce the current. I wonder how well the hardware and software setup is described. Based on the description of the topic I suppose they used a Digital-to-Analog converter to precisely step up the voltage. Is this document a thesis? If so, do they charge very much to have it reproduced? I'm kinda skiddish about buying these types of documents after a bad experience with a document that I ordered from M.I.T. I paid a lot of money for less than 50 pages (I was expecting 100-200) of a poor quality (photocopy) document. Erick (E.WAGNER10, CAT12, TOP38, MSG:191/M645;1) CHALLENGING MISCONCEPTIONS Today we had "Open House" at the office, with """""""""""""""""""""""""" about 90 new staff coming through. On my desk my //e displayed a full screen (in PublishIt's page preview) saying, "Apple II Forever!" The Mac next to it had a Kid's Pix screen with a hand pointing to the //e which said, "The Apple II is my big brother." Someone left a note on the //e's keyboard which said, "You are a brave and courageous person." I discovered who left the note and he explained, "You're brave to be using such an old machine." Whereupon I explained that the HP LJ 4M sitting next to the //e was driven by the //e, showed him my postscript printed newsletters, scanner (Quickie), printed PostNet Bar codes, and that the //e is interfaced with the mainframe VAX at 19,200 baud. HA! __!__ | Terrell Smith | tsmith@ivcf.org (T.SMITH59, CAT5, TOP4, MSG:255/M645;1) GRAPHICWRITER III BUG REPORT LEADS TO ENCOURAGING NEWS OK, here's """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" something odd. While working in GraphicWriter III 2.0, I go to the Apple pull-down menu to select the Swatterdisk NDA. Instead of the SwatterDisk control center window popping up, I get the GraphicWriter "About" box instead, the same one you get when you select "About" under the Apple pull-down menu. Every other NDA, and I have many installed, works fine. I tried this with a number of other programs, and each time I select the SwatterDisk NDA, the proper window pops up. The only place it fails to work properly is in GW III. Could somebody who has both GW III and SwatterDisk check to see if they can duplicate this problem? I'm beginning to get a little paranoid. A couple of windows in Kangaroo don't pop up properly and another won't pop up at all, now SwatterDisk doesn't respond inside GW III. Recently, the window of the Shortcuts NDA (from Softdisk GS) began not showing up when I select it from the Apple pull-down menu, even though the shortcut key commands continue to work OK. I know it's a full moon, but could there be any other explanation for all this? I'm just hoping someone can duplicate the GW III/SwatterDisk problem so I can rest a little easier. Thanks, Max (M.JONES145, CAT43, TOP6, MSG:312/M645;1) >>>>> Yep, the NDA selection thing is definitely a bug. We found it a """"" long time ago, but I could never reproduce it on my test (read: basic system) machine. That's not to say it's not GWIII's fault, just that we had a hard time reproducing it. It's MORE THAN LIKELY a GWIII bug, and it's on our list of things to do. Any EXTRA info you can give to help me reproduce it, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again, Richard (RICHARD.B, CAT43, TOP6, MSG:316/M645;1) WHITHER GENIELITE? Just in case any one is thinking of changing over to """""""""""""""""" Genielite, I've just received the following reply in response to my request: > I am sorry but the GenieLite option is no longer available. This > package was discontinued May 8, 1996. Looks like the new management are still treating their clients badly :( Pete (U.K) (P.GREEN, CAT2, TOP23, MSG:316/M645;1) APPLE BLOSSOM PUBLISHER MOVES Hi everybody, just a quick update on some """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" Apple Blossom happenings. First, the next issue should be completed this weekend, and I hope to begin mailing by the middle of next week. This issue will have articles on GraphicWriter III, Connecting a CD-ROM to a IIGS, how to flow text inside a shape in GWIII, how to calculate the days of the week in the AW spreadsheet, plus the usual announcements, etc. Also, I'll be moving in the next two weeks. I've got a new job up in Boston, so I'll be returning there on July 6th. I don't have a permanent address yet, but you can send mail to me at my folks house: Steve Cavanaugh 13 Hillsdale Rd. Holbrook, MA 02343 I'll be able to pick it up regularly once there. My email here and on AOL (stevec1021@aol.com) will remain the same, of course, as will my Web page (http://members.aol.com/newblossom/), which will be updated in the next week as well, with an article from the newsletter and perhaps a bonus review as well. My other internet address (cav@strauss.udel.edu) will be closed down this week, so don't send me any more mail at that address. Steve (S.CAVANAUGH1, CAT13, TOP17, MSG:305/M645;1) >>> HOT TOPICS <<< """""""""""""""""" APPLE II GROUP--AFFILIATE WITH MAC USER GROUP? I don't know whether this """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" is the appropriate topic section for this or not, but the title seemed least inappropriate of the available choices. This is a plea for advice. Our users group, the Carolina Apple Core, has been an Apple II support group since 1979. Surrounded by Mac groups, we are the only group in central North Carolina still actively supporting the Apple II. Recently several of our most active members have switched to Macs, and on the "use it or lose it" principle have begun losing their expertise with Apple IIs. Those of us who are still Apple II fanatics think the group should remain an Apple II organization with a Mac SIG, but there are problems. When there are Apple II-based presentations at the monthly meetings, the Mac people are bored and it shows. The vice versa situation also applies. We have been trying to find cross-cultural topics for the meetings, like using the Internet, how to transfer files between platforms, etc, but we are running out of ideas. Apple, Inc. is no help since they don't remember there ever was an Apple II. Is there hope for us??? Phil palbro@sophia.sph.unc.edu 75452.1665@compuserve.com Sysop, Coretalk BBS, 919-544-1356 (P.ALBRO, CAT31, TOP5, MSG:89/M645;1) >>>>> Phil, what we had long done at the meetings in Greensboro was to """"" have a brief business meeting and then split up into Mac and Apple II groups for platform-specific presentations. If you don't have that kind of space luxury, then perhaps you could schedule the two presentations at different times, with the business meeting sandwiched in the middle, or something. I confess that I haven't been to a Greensboro meeting in well over a year, maybe two. I discovered that my main reason for going to them was to hang out with my friends, and when most of them bought Macs and PCs and quit coming, I eventually did also. TomZ (A2.TOMZ, CAT31, TOP5, MSG:90/M645;1) >>>>> This shows up in A2 with the Mac only topic.:( Who wants to read """"" about individuals and schools and what the best Mac for them to get is? I do believe that the Apple II people can put up with Macs better than the other way around. There appears to be a snobbery among the Mac users. The trouble is that the Apple IIs and Macs are different computers that were made by the same company, pretty much that is where the similarity ends. When that magazine switched from just Apple II, to add the Mac coverage, it became a boring rag; that then went out of business. It is also true that there really aren't any IBM/Mac magazines out there. The Mac people are always writing to Byte magazine about how the Mac wasn't mentioned in this or that article (even ones on desk top publishing). Whine, whine, whine... My advice is for the user group to drop the Mac coverage. You might even be able to bring in new Apple II members if you show how inexpensive it can be to get online with a 'new' Apple II system. - James - [IMAGE] (J.GRAY38, CAT31, TOP5, MSG:91/M645;1) >>>>> I guess I'm pretty down on user groups myself. I'm on the Board of """"" Directors of the Hawai'i Macintosh and Apple User's Society, and basically, they've never given me anything but a very large headache. :/ I write the two Apple II columns in the SIGNAL for them, and handle about 80% of the Apple II trouble calls (used to be 100% before graduate school forced me to say "ENOUGH!"). The problem is more in reciprocity. I feel I give a lot to my UG (in terms of tech support, help, writing articles, etc.) I almost never get anything back. I can't even get the Mac BBS librarian to put some files (TrueType fonts, for instance) in .SIT 1.5.1 with no folders format so that Apple IIgs users can get at 'em, and he's a pretty prominent Apple II guy. Our group also started as an Apple II only group, and now it's both a II and Mac group, as well as Newton; however, I'd say 90% of the emphasis is Mac. My UG experience here tells me mostly one thing: if I have someone who's serious about Apple IIs here, before I tell them to join HMAUS, I tell them to join Genie. As far as James' comment about: >> Apple II presentations at the monthly meetings, the Mac people are bored >> and vice versa > This shows up in A2 with the Mac only topic.:( Who wants to read about > individuals and schools and what the best Mac for them to get is? Really, part of the reason why that topic is there is pragmatic: a lot of Apple II people, particularly on this RT, use and own Macs (I'm "guilty" myself, twice). Another part of it is very pragmatic as well: A2 users are some of the best informed anywhere, and I see better answers to those Mac questions here than in the Mac RT most days. As a BB person, I can say also that the topic is indeed intended for "Quick Help" only. Long ongoing discussions are directed to the Mac RT. And, even after all of this, if you're still not interested in the topic (believe me, I can relate; for years I swore I'd never own a Mac; at this point I've generally stopped swearing at them. . . well, maybe not :) you can always IGNore it. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. Social Worker by Day, Apple II geek by night ANSITerm and CoPilot v2.55 (R.SUENAGA1, CAT31, TOP5, MSG:93/M645;1) KANSASFEST SCHEDULE Godzilla (Steve Gozdziewski) will be along soon """"""""""""""""""" (maybe a few days) and post the BETA schedule. We are very hesitant to post it ahead of time because of all the complaints we got last year when we had to change things. I am stressing NOW and will continue to stress that any schedule you see is not final. Heck, we even had to change it after we arrived at Avila last year because they changed our meal times. Oh well. :) I can tell you that the roast is planned for Friday night, and we will be "serving" Joe Kohn, medium rare. So if you are interested in helping with that fun occasion, let me know. Cindy (KFest Big Cheese) (CINDY.A, CAT44, TOP8, MSG:245/M645;1) >>>>> """"" ______ _____ ( ) ( ) ____________________________________________ | | / / ( _____________________________'96____) | | / / | | | |/ / | | II Infinitum!! | / | |______ | |\ \ | _______) __________ ________ ________ | | \ \ | | ( _____) ( ___) (__ __) | | \ \ | | | |__ \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | __) \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | |_____ ___\ \ | | (______) (________) (_______) (__________) (_________) |___| ALL-STAR LINEUP: Session Presenter(s) ToolBox Programming-1........................Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS) ToolBox Programming-2........................Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS) Solder-1.....................................Dave Ciotti (BINARY.BEAR) Solder-2.....................................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) and Dave Ciotti (BINARY.BEAR) Solder-3.....................................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) and Dave Ciotti (BINARY.BEAR) Keyboard Repair..............................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) and Dave Ciotti (BINARY.BEAR) System Saver Maintenance.....................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) and Dave Ciotti (BINARY.BEAR) ZIP-Chip Modifications.......................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) Human Interface Guidelines...................Eric Sheperd (SHEPPY) Publishers' (and Writers') Forum.............Ryan Suenaga (R.SUENAGA1) and a panel of your favorites! HTML Conference..............................Charles Hartley (A2.CHARLIE) Robotics.....................................Erick Wagner (E.WAGNER10) and Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS) Apple Presents...............................Kurt Ackman - Apple, Inc. Kansas City Disk ][ Hacking/Diagnostic Software..........Dr. Stephen Buggie HyperCard....................................Brian Gillespie (B.GILLESPIE3) (All About) Spectrum.........................Ewen Wannop (E.WANNOP) with Dave Hecker Using NetScape...............................David Kerwood (D.KERWOOD) DeskTop Publishing...........................Max Jones (M.JONES145) AppleWorks/UltraMacros.......................Will Nelken (W.NELKEN1) (All About) GraphicWriter III................Richard Bennett (RICHARD.B) with Dave Hecker AppleSoft Basic..............................Charles Hartley (A2.CHARLIE) Mac Basics...................................Auri Rahimzadeh (A.RAHIMZADEH) KFest Roast..................................Joe.Kohn (JOE.KOHN) Keynote Address/Panel Vendor Fair (Saturday) Other sessions may include: Using UNIX (All About) Graphics AppleSoft Basic-2 A2 Productivity 3.5 Disk Cleaning New Product Introductions As always, there will be informal hardware repairs, debugging, TC events, and other computer events/discussions after the day's formal schedule is over. If you are staying off-campus, I'd urge you to allow some time in the evening for the informal gatherings. While the number of formal sessions is limited by time, there will be a wealth of Apple II, Mac, and Newton "gurus" staying in the dorms. Most are willing to answer any question you may have and/or assist you in any way they can. Please remember this is NOT the final schedule which can, and most likely will change. However, you should now have a good idea of the exciting events planned for this year's KansasFest. Looking forward to another very special KFest! Hope to see you there. Steve (KFest Schedule-Meister) P.S. Any errors/omissions are entirely my fault:( (S.GOZDZIEWSK, CAT44, TOP8, MSG:261/M645;1) >>>>> This is an Whoops Alert > ZIP-Chip Modifications.......................Doug Pendleton (DOUG.P) The ZipChip is a sealed item, and can not be user modified. The ZipGSX, which is the accelerator for the IIgs is a board, and can be modifed for higher speed and / or larger cache. -Harold Resident Solder Slinger Live Free or Die - New Hampshire state motto (HAROLD.H, CAT44, TOP8, MSG:262/M645;1) NEW, IMPROVED HFS.FST BUG? I have uncovered what appears to be a bug in """""""""""""""""""""""""" the way that GS/OS (Finder?) handles HFS partitions. I say appears, because it is possible that it is something unique to my system. I would be interested in hearing from others who might have had similar problems, or to see if anyone else can duplicate my problem. I have several HFS partitions on my IIgs system (Apple Hi-Speed SCSI card, slot 7, System 6.0.1, with patched HFS FST). I am using a 1.3 GB Seagate drive, partitioned into two 600 MB partitions, four 32 MB partitions, and one with the leftovers. Also, I have a magneto-optical drive, with 281MB per side (562MB per cartridge). I have it set as a single partition on each side. I have found that if I drag copy files via Finder onto the 600MB partition such that the files to be copied are more than the available free space, and if the files are in a folder, that when I get the "Disk is Full" error, the folder has been corrupted that it was copying into. The folder can no longer be deleted from Finder. This has happened twice. Also, it happened with a 281MB partition on the M-O drive. My question is, can anyone else duplicate this? With a smaller partition? With something other than HFS? (I have nbever seen it happen with a ProDOS partition, and I have overflowed on partitions before with ProDOS. I would be interested in hearing anything about this. Joat (A2.TIM, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:241/M645;1) >>>>> I have totally filled smallerr HFS volumes (800k floppies, 100Mb """"" and smaller hard drive partitions) and not encountered any problems. The largest drive I have here is only 153Mb, so I can really give things as much of a 'wringing out' as I'd like to :/ -Harold Resident Solder Slinger Live Free or Die - New Hampshire state motto (HAROLD.H, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:242/M645;1) <<<<< But did you fill them from Finder, and by drag copying more than """"" would fit, and the files you dragged were in a folder? I suspect that all three are required. It could also be size related. The smallest I have tried so far is 281MB. Joat (A2.TIM, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:243/M645;1) >>>>> Yes, but possibly not in the way you're thinking of.. """"" I've filled HFS volumes by having multiple folders selected in the Finder, and then dragging those over to the HFS volume. This could easilly be doing something different than if one had only one (huge) folder being copied. (one huge folder = one base prefix being used for the entire operation, multiple smaller folders = the base prefix gets changed after each smaller folder is finished) You're =only= encountering the HFS directory corruption when a disk full condition has occured? (try the copying with just less than enough to fill the HFS volume, -exactly- enough to fill the volume, and just a bit too much) I've got a =suspicion= about this, but it's too early to say what, and I can't test it here as I don't have a really large drive that I can set up as HFS. -Harold Resident Solder Slinger Live Free or Die - New Hampshire state motto (HAROLD.H, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:245/M645;1) <<<<< > I have several 230 MOs almost filled and have never seen this """"" > problem. If they are "almost" filled, you won't see it. You will have to use Finder to drag a folder of files to the partition to try to =overfill= it and trigger the "disk is full" error. Only then will this problem appear, at least on my setup. An almost full drive does not trigger it. Joat (A2.TIM, CAT9, TOP7, MSG:246/M645;1) >>> WHAT'S NEW <<< """""""""""""""""" LATEST ISSUE OF SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS II Volume 3, Issue 1 of Shareware """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Solutions II is complete, and will soon be mailed out to subscribers. In this 20 page issue, you will find: GRAPEVINE Hard Drive Give Away Brutal Deluxe Visit Magic Eye Graphics EGO Systems Basic Screen Blanker Low Cost Enhancements On The Horizon LIES, LIES AND MORE LIES (By Professor G.S. Gumby) Hello Again! A Meaningful Relationship Yet Another KansasFest Tangled Up In Hype Just You Wait Speaking Of E-Mail Ask Mr 8 Ball THE COMPUTER THAT COULD HAVE CHANGED THE WORLD Meet Mark Twain The Big Picture Fast Forward Five Years Wheelin' And Dealin" The Age Of Discovery A Guided Tour Impressions STACK CENTRAL / STUDIO CITY What's It All About? Requirements Ordering Information The Master Index SUCH A DEAL ProSel The Gate And Space Fox NAUG-On-Disk Bundle SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS IIE/IIC/IIGS A2 Disks of the Month EnviroWorks SHAREWARE SOLUTIONS IIGS Games '96 If you're a subscriber, you should be receiving this issue soon. Please let me know what you think! If you're not a subscriber, but would like information about subscribing, send an e-mail to Joe Kohn on any of the following systems: CIS: 76702,565 GEnie: JOE.KOHN Internet: joko@crl.com Feel free to visit the Shareware Solutions II Home Page on the World Wide Web. The URL is: http://www.crl.com/~joko (JOE.KOHN, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:37/M645;1) LATEST ISSUE OF II ALIVE Hmmmmm. . . word on another service indicates """""""""""""""""""""""" that another issue has gone out. . . No sign of it here though. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. Social Worker by Day, Apple II geek by night ANSITerm and CoPilot v2.55 (R.SUENAGA1, CAT42, TOP11, MSG:284/M645;1) >>>>> Yep, I received the "Spring 1996" issue on Saturday. They keep """"" getting lighter on content, but it's still nice to see an issue. - Tony (A2.TONY, CAT42, TOP11, MSG:285/M645;1) >>>>> I got my II Alive Saturday, also, and was please that the content """"" was much better, IMHO, than the last issue. I was also pleased that my ad didn't get screwed up :) FWIW, I have emailed back and forth with the current editor, who tells me that they may very well continue II Alive past this year. He tells me that writers have been contracted for ALL stories for the next two issues, and that the fate of the magazine is not decided. It could be that Scantron is not as determined to shut it down as Quality was before the merger. Steve (S.CAVANAUGH1, CAT42, TOP11, MSG:299/M645;1) LATEST ISSUE OF JUICED.GS ++++++++ Juiced.GS Volume 1, Issue 2 ++++++++ """"""""""""""""""""""""" The spring/summer edition of Juiced.GS has been released. Look for it soon in a mail box near you!! COVER STORY: Expanding the 'Net ... An in-depth report on the development of GS/TCP, the software that will allow GS users to connect directly to the Internet. Juiced.GS spent several hours in early May with GS/TCP programmer Derek Taubert and saw his program in action. This feature is based on that interview. Also in this issue: o An in-depth review of GraphicWriter III 2.0 o Letters from readers of Juiced.GS o Troubleshooting hardware repairs on the Apple II o Shareware Spotlight: Fun and games -- mini-reviews of GS Entertainment, Puyo-Puyo and Diamonds-GS!!!! o Another installment of the Juiced.GS Collection announced o DumplinGS ... newsy notes from the Apple II world This issue is late getting out, and I apologize for that. A couple of problems arose late in the process that delayed publication. The schedule will be back on track for the next issue, which will be published in mid to late August (hopefully more mid than late). If you are not yet a subscriber to Juiced.GS but would like to be, see subscription info in the topic header, or e-mail me for more details. Thanks again to everyone for your patience and your continued support. Apple II Forever, Max Jones (M.JONES145) Juiced.GS (KansasFest here we come!!!!!) (M.JONES145, CAT13, TOP43, MSG:183/M645;1) LATEST ISSUE OF THE APPLEWORKS GAZETTE """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" __________________________ | | | The AppleWorks Gazette | | Issue #3 | | shipping now! | |__________________________| The last disks were sent this morning. North-American and European subscribers should get their disk starting from Wednesday, Jun 26, depending on how fast first class/airmail will be. The third issue of the AppleWorks Gazette contains a 65-page newsletter, in which you will read: o a review of Marin MacroWorks' TouchTwo, o TimeOut: Finding Out the Right Version o The Wonderful World of AppleWorks Inits o AppleWorks Q & A o New Applications for AppleWorks 3.0, 4.3, and 5.1 and much more. The disk also contains about 500K of software and data, most of which has never been released before. For subscription information, send mail to 100316.14@compuserve.com (Chris Serreau) or h.katz@genie.com (Howard Katz). See you in July! --- How to subscribe? The AppleWorks Gazette is available by subscription ''''''''''''''''' only, for US $35 a year (six 3.5-inch disks), shipping included. North American subscribers should send a US $35 check to Howard Katz, 1104 Lorlyn Circle #2D, Batavia, IL 60510, U.S.A. European subscribers should send the equivalent of US $35 in Western European currency, in check or money order made payable to Christian Serreau to Christian Serreau, 12, rue de la Censerie, 49100 Angers, France. Outside North America and Western Europe, contact Howard Katz for information regarding how to submit checks in your national currency. Sorry, charge cards, purchase orders, or COD orders not accepted. Back issues are available for US $6 per disk. 5.25-inch disks available upon request. Ask for specific price and conditions. (H.KATZ, CAT17, TOP18, MSG:25/M645;1) LATEST ISSUE OF THE APPLE BLOSSOM NOW ON ITS WAY TOWARD YOUR MAILBOX """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" The Apple Blossom Volume 2, Number 3 Table of Contents ''''''''''''''''' From the Publisher--a very moving experience Announcements How to create Greeting Cards using PostScript commands New Digs for ProDOS 8--IIe 2.0.1 for the Macintosh Calculating the Days of the Week with AppleWorks How to Use a CD-ROM drive with the IIGS Review of GraphicWriter III v. 2.0 Review of the Focus Hard Card This issue has a new writer, Mark Comden of Pennsylvania, with his AppleWorks article. Mark is also a talented cartoonist, and his first cartoon has a nice tip for anyone with an ImageWriter II. Due to "technical difficulties" beyond his control, Ryan Suenaga's usual column "Talking ][..." didn't make it into this issue, but look for it in the next issue. Some newsletters have already been mailed out, and the rest will hit the post tomorrow. Look for yours soon. ----------------------- Stats: Subscribers: 153 U.S. States: 40 Other Countries: 6 The Apple Blossom, a bi-monthly newsletter focusing on reviews of Apple II products, how-to articles, and general interest features of interest to all Apple II users. To subscribe, download the subscription form that follows in this topic, and send a check or money order in U.S. funds ($12.00 for U.S./Canada, $18.00 all other countries) to: Steve Cavanaugh 13 Hillsdale Rd. Holbrook, MA 02343 for more info, email here or stevec1021@aol.com@inet# (S.CAVANAUGH1, CAT13, TOP17, MSG:308/M645;1) >>> THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" MUSIC COMPOSER V4.00 WITH SHEET MUSIC INTERFACE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" V V A PPPP OOOO RRRRR V V A A P P O O R R V V A A P P O O R R V V AAAAAAA PPPP O O RRRRR V V A A P O O R R V V A A P O O R R V A A P 000O R R A L EEEEE RRRRR TTTTTTTTTTT A A L E R R T A A L E R R T AAAAAAA L EEEEE RRRRR T A A L E R R T A A L E R R T A A LLLLLL EEEEE R R T Music Composer version 4.00 I've finished writing the sheet music interface for Music Composer. Note, I said 'writing' not debugging. I still have a few other additions and changes to make to the program. Be sure and look for the demo version of Music Composer version 4.00. It should be on Genie in the A2 Library, On my own FTP site (mentioned in sig below, and on comp.sys.apple2.binaries. If you don't know what Music Composer is (sigh): Music Composer is an Apple IIGS desktop program for creating and editing music sequence files. It is built around the MIDIsynth tool (tool035). With Music Composer you can create a sequence from scratch and edit it or you can import files from SynthLAB, Sound Smith, Music Studio, or standard MIDI files. Files can be saved as Music Composer format or exported to SynthLAB or standard MIDI files. When editing you can cut, copy or paste tracks, measures or individual notes. You can tranpose up or down both volume and note values. You can also edit individual notes and MIDI data. You enter notes through a MIDI device or through the computer keyboard in a spreadsheet like interface. You can also play your creations using music composer. If you don't know what the Apple IIGS is (SIGH): *Previous version of Music Composer can be found at my FTP site (see sig *below), or on GEnie, AOL, grind.isca.uiowa.edu, and other FTP sites on *internet. Effective Software Solutions Clayburn W. Juniel, III Custom Software Design 1928 E. Camelback Rd. #623 Phone: (602)274-6905 Phoenix, AZ 85016-4143 USA Fax: (602)274-6851 Internet: clay1@primenet.com WWW: http://www.primenet.com/~clay1 c.juniel@genie.com FTP: ftp.primenet.com users/c/clay1 (C.JUNIEL, CAT6, TOP19, MSG:113/M645;1) WE LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT PRODUCTS BEING BETA-TESTED > doesn't """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > GraphicConverter > run on one of your Macs? Sorta. It'll handle doing some types of graphics conversions for me, particularly small JPEGs. On larger pictures it chokes, as I only have 4Mb in my SE. (might be bumping this up to 8Mb, just found out that 2Mb 30 pin SIMMs arre under $30 each from Chip Merchant :) It -won't- handle the .BMP pictures that prompted my initial question here, it seems that they have some kind of fairly recently compression being used on them :/ I did discover, much to my chagrin, that a certain IIgs graphics utility that I'm beta testing handles the pictures in question however, and quite nicely too. This is ideal for me, as I can download them via the Mac, then display on the IIgs while the Mac is busy downloading the next one. (appletalk is slow, but hey, it works :) -Harold (HAROLD.H, CAT2, TOP3, MSG:211/M645;1) TRANSLATING HIGH-BIT CHARACTERS I've created a little program that takes """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" a text file that was created with a program that uses curly quotes and other high bit characters, and changes the curly quotes, apostrophes, slashed zeros, and hyphens and converts them to standard low bit matching characters. It also finds and replaces all other high bit characters with a tilde (~) so that you can quickly find them with a word processor and change them or delete them as you please. If you have been plagued with loading a text file created on the Mac, or with some other program that uses these high bit characters and discovering things like RThis is supposed to be in quotes.S or contractions such as youUve, wonUt, IUll, then you know what a hassle it is to manually change them. I'm looking for 3-4 people to beta test this program for me. If you are interested, post a message here. I'll take the first 4 who post and send them the program via attached email. I'll ask the beta testers to try it out on as many different sized files, from as many different sources as you can. I'm particularly interested in text files created with Mac or DOS word processors, as well as those created as TEACH files on the GS. One one of caution. If you have already loaded the text file into a word processor such as AppleWorks and saved it back as a text file, this program won't help you. AppleWorks automatically strips the high bits that my program needs to see. Let me hear from you. Charlie (A2.CHARLIE, CAT13, TOP8, MSG:84/M645;1) DIAMONDS GAME We'll I'll give you the short version re Diamonds. """"""""""""" It's been pending legal problems for almost three years. The version that's out now (ftp sites etc.) is a leaked beta test version. When I catch the lousy so and so... So for all intents, it's out there. So I guess, grab it if you can. Regards, Richard (RICHARD.B, CAT28, TOP4, MSG:81/M645;1) >>> MESSAGE SPOTLIGHT <<< """"""""""""""""""""""""" Category 2, Topic 5 Message 248 Fri Jun 28, 1996 HAROLD.H [Hdwr Hacker] at 01:56 EDT Spotted in CSA2.... and of some general interest IMHO :-) The only editing done on this was to convert it from Unix to Apple II format (change of LF's to CR's) and elimination of some CR's and extranious spaces to improve repost formatting here on Genie. Some 'hyphen lines' have been replaced with lines of = symbols, so that offline message managers won't improperly parse the message into multiple parts. No text has been altered from the original. Note the repost permision that is expressly given at the end of the message. NEWSWIRE...[ANN] New IIGS Emulator From: GUDATH@EZINFO.VMSMAIL.ETHZ.CH (Henrik 'Ratte' Gudat) Reply to: Henrik 'Ratte' Gudat Date: 23 Jun 1996 20:07:58 GMT Organization: Synergetix Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Reply to: newsgroup(s) Dear c.s.a2, I hope you find the announcement below worth the bandwidth. Shady (Mr. ShadowWrite) and I have been working on this beast 'secretly' for many months (me since last January), and we're happy it's developing the way we'd like. Please note that it's still an alpha release, and alpha is alpha and not beta or final. Alpha means: bugs, crying programmers on drugs, dead machines. If you own a PowerMac and do have in-depth knowledge of the IIGS hardware, please let me know. We're still looking for beta testers. One last thing: Andre will leave planet Earth until mid August, so I'll have to do all answering *and* programming on my own. Please be patient when contacting me. This also means that you should send *all* your questions and comments to gudath@ubaclu.unibas.ch. (You might be able to catch him *today* 6/24/96 CET, but then he's gone..) Thank you! Enjoy, Henrik ============= snip here, Swiss army knife recommended ============= Contact: Andre Horstmann or Synergetix H. Gudat Hoehenweg 3d Missionsstrasse 38 6300 Zug 4055 Basel Switzerland Switzerland andre.horstmann@unifr.ch gudath@ubaclu.unibas.ch (Please use only this address before August 15.) POWERMACS RUN APPLE IIGS SOFTWARE Alpha Version Sent to Selected Testers Zug/Basel (Switzerland), 6/24/96 -- Fast Eddie Labs, formerly Bright Software, announced today the availability of alpha seeds of "Fast Eddie" to selected testers. "Fast Eddie" introduces full Apple II software compatibility for Power Macintosh computers. It emulates the complete line of Apple II computers, including the Apple IIGS. Fast Eddie is a collection of powerful components such as the Powercore CPU and core services component, the Grafitti video engine, the CleverPort disk interface and the n-sonic sound emulation. Initial versions of Fast Eddie will not patch time-consuming toolbox calls. "We're emulating metal", said Andre Horstmann, project manager of Fast Eddie Labs. "We want former Apple IIGS users to be able to run their favorite entertainment software on their Power Macs." The Powercore component offers 8- and 16-bit 65816 emulation, including interrupts, memory shadowing, bank switching, and much more. Other services provided by Powercore are ADB mouse support, Mac-backed real time clock, among others. The Grafitti video engine supports all popular video modes (more to come in near future), including Super Hires, b&w Hires and 40/80 text display. The video driver is designed to produce accurate screen refreshes at maximum speed. To work with your favorite software, you need some kind of disk device. CleverPort is the ultimate answer to your storage needs. Mount 10 disks of sizes between 1kB and 8Gb at once! CleverPort also features an easy to use point & click interface. Last but not least, real GS software uses the n-sonic sound driver for rich, mind-blowing sound. The n-sonic emulates up to 32 channels in mono, stereo, enhanced stereo or SonicScape-3D 4-way surround sound. For more information, please surf the Eddie-web at http://www.swix.ch/clan/shadow/eddie.html . The project "Fast Eddie" was started by Andre Horstmann, author of the most popular NDA word processor Hermes (formerly ShadowWrite) and the telecommunication software "ShadowDial". Mr. Horstmann joined Bright Software in 1990 and greatly contributed to Bright Software's success of providing the Apple II community with reliable, innovative software solutions. Mr. Gudat joined the Fast Eddie project in early 1996 and added disk and sound support. Mr. Gudat is the author of many software products including the award-winning The Gate, Eureka!Symbolix, MultiView, cross-platform office automation tools, voice mail & fax-back systems, and coauthor of SpaceFox. Since 1989, Bright Software has been developing innovative software products for Apple II computers that improve productivity through reliability and added functionality. Fast Eddie is the latest and greatest product in this serie and demonstrates our continued support of Apple II users and commitment to the Apple II platform. Fast Eddie Labs (reply to:gudath@ubaclu.unibas.ch) ============== (C) 1996 Synergetix H. Gudat. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Apple II, Apple IIGS, Macintosh and Ensoniq are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc. The Gate and SpaceFox are trademarks of Seven Hills Software Corp. This document may be distributed freely in its original form but may not be reposted by "1WSW" or stored on a server affiliated with them. [*][*][*] 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 GenieLamp 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. [EOA] [HUM]////////////////////////////// HUMOR ONLINE / ///////////////////////////////// An Apple II Parody """""""""""""""""" by Steven Weyhich [104024.432@compuserve.com] >>> IT'S RUNNING MY CODE <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Copyright 1995 by Steven Weyhrich (104024.432@compuserve.com) (to the tune of "They're Playing Our Song" by the Buckinghams) This song parody is dedicated to Randy Brandt and Mark Munz, who managed to emulate AppleWorks 5.1 on the Macintosh, and to any other enterprising programmers out there who work to make old classics have new life on new platforms... Hey, baby, it's running my code! The program that I wrote When I wasn't quite so old Hey, baby, it's running my code! Let's go back to Apple It's where we belong It's the one with that clever subroutine It's the one that made a lotta bucks for me It made me feel so groovy It was as co-ol As a QuickTime movie! Hey, baby, it's running my code! The program that I wrote When I wasn't quite so old Hey, baby, it's running my code! Let's go back to Apple It's where we belong Pleasant memories are comin' back to me (Ah!) Can't you remember the way it used to be? (Ah!) If I forgot to file it Then I would have To just go recompile it! Hey baby! Hey baby! It's running my code! Hey baby! Hey baby! It's running my code! (fade) [EOA] [FOC]////////////////////////////// FOCUS ON... / ///////////////////////////////// KansasFest 1996 """"""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] >>> THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST AT KANSASFEST <<< """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Copyright 1996 by Douglas Cuff. All rights reserved. The Accidental Tourist travel guides were described by Anne Tyler in her 1985 novel of the same name (later a movie starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis). The Accidental Tourist guides were designed for the business traveller whose reactions to travel were feelings of anxiety and defenseless. The guides were meant to soothe and comfort the non-adventurous traveller. If you've never been to KansasFest before, you should find that this guide will do the same for you. If you're an old hand at KansasFest, this guide will provide you with some helpful reminders. One word of warning: If there's a conflict between the advice you receive from the Accidental Tourist and the instructions you're given from the information packet when you arrive at KansasFest--pay attention to the official info packet. These folks know the score. KansasFest began in 1989 as the A2-Central Developer Conference, and didn't begin calling itself KansasFest until its third year, 1991. KansasFest takes place in Kansas City, Missouri. (Not Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas border is less than a mile away, if that comforts you any.) This will be the eighth annual KansasFest, and it's not just for programmers and developers any more. If you've never been to KansasFest before, you don't know what you're missing! It's a great chance to learn about your Apple II, mingle with other users, and see what software other people are working on. This is the Apple II event of the year. I can't say exactly how many people will there, but 60-100 attendees is a safe estimate. KansasFest takes place entirely at Avila College, in the southmost part of Kansas City. Here's the address: Avila College 11901 Wornall Road Kansas City, Missouri 64145 U.S.A. phone (816) 942-8400 Avila College is small--approximately 1500 students--which means you can walk anywhere on campus in five minutes. Use of a car is therefore as optional as it's ever going to get, assuming you fly to Kansas. The one time you are going to be hollering for a vehicle is when you try to get to and from Kansas City International airport. More on that shortly. This year, KansasFest is scheduled for July 18-20, but dorm rooms are available for the nights of July 17-20. PM Wed July 17 arrival Thu July 18 scheduled sessions Fri July 19 scheduled sessions Sat July 20 vendors' fair AM Sun July 21 farewell The cost of the conference is $375 for the conference/dormitory package (meals from the college cafeteria are included) and $275 for the conference (lunch included). Even if you can find a room in Kansas City for $25 a night, staying on campus is still a better idea, since after-hours activities are a big part of KansasFest. You will be staying in either Carondelet or Ridgway dormitory, which were built in 1963. For those of you who have never experienced residence life or have forgotten what it was like, expect spartan surroundings. Forget the idea of a private bathroom, but you'll be glad to know that the rooms are air-conditioned. BEFORE YOU GO As with any trip, you need to arrange for several things: """"""""""""" o conference attendance (fee $275/$375); o accommodation (included in package); o meals (included in package); o transport to/from conference. Those attending from outside the United States will also need: o passport/visa; o medical insurance; o US currency/traveller's checks. Conference Attendance You may be too late to get accommodation at Avila ''''''''''''''''''''' by the time you read this, but do check. The last day pre-registration will be accepted is July 13, but there's always plenty of room for off-campus conference attendees, so you may be able to register at Avila on July 18. For fast information, E-mail cindy.a@genie.com or kellers@genie.com or write: KFest '96 c/o Kellers PO Box 391 Brielle, NJ 08730 Please make checks payable to "Kellers'/KFest '96". To pay for your registration with your credit card, call Kellers' Auto Electric, Inc. at (908) 775-0371--Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM eastern time, with your Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card handy. Or fax your registration with Visa or MasterCard account number and expiration date to (908) 223-0678 Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-5:00 PM eastern time. Accommodation If you're staying at Avila College campus, chances are good ''''''''''''' that you're going to be sharing a room with one other person. Space is limited to 80 beds this year, so if you end up in a room by yourself, it will be entirely by accident. The rooms are _not_ co-ed, but the dorms are. There aren't any hotels within walking distance of Avila College, so plan on having transportation if you're staying off-campus. Here are some hotels said to be near Avila College. Please be warned that I haven't stayed at any of them, so I can't make recommendations. Most have approximate room rates shown; some do not. Fairfield Inn - Overland Park 4401 W. 107th, Overland Park, KS 66207 913-381-5700 $58 (closest hotel to KansasFest) DoubleTree Hotel Kansas City Corporate Woods 10100 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS 66210 800-222-TREE / 913-451-6100 $119-$149 Drury Inn - Overland Park 10951 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66210 913-345-1500 $69 Overland Park Marriott 10800 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66210 800-228-9290 / 913-451-8000 $119 AmeriSuites 6801 W. 112th, Overland Park, KS 66211 800-833-1516 / 913-451-2553 $69-$99 Best Western Hallmark Inn Executive Center 7000 W. 108th St., Overland Park, KS 66211 800-444-4191 / 913-383-2550 $54-67 Red Roof Inn - Overland Park 6800 W. 108th St., Overland Park, KS 66211 913-341-0100 $43-50 Residence Inn by Marriott - Overland Park 6300 W. 110th Street, Overland Park, KS 66211 800-331-3131 / 913-491-3333 $139 Clubhouse Inn Overland Park 10610 Marty, Overland Park, KS 66212 800-CLUBINN / 913-648-5555 $88 Courtyard by Marriott 11301 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66212 913-339-9900 room rate not available Embassy Suites Overland Park 10601 Metcalf, Overland Park, KS 66212 800-362-2779 / 913-649-7060 $99-$129 (charges for local calls) Hampton Inn - Overland Park 10591 Metcalf Frontage Road, Overland Park, KS 66212 800-HAMPTON / 913-341-1551 $69-79 Holiday Inn Express - Overland Park 7200 W. 107th St, Overland Park, KS 66212 800-HOLIDAY / 913-648-7858 $76 Courtyard by Marriott 500 E. 105th St., Kansas City, MO 64131 816-941-3333 room rate not available Days Inn - South 11801 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64131 800-DAYS-INN / 816-765-1888 $55 Meals If you're staying on Avila campus, meals are included in the ''''' package price. Even if you aren't staying at Avila, lunch is included. If you find the cafeteria food not to your liking--and many don't--you'll be relieved to know that there's a supermarket about 25 minutes' walk away. Here's how to get there: Start at Carondelet dorm. Stand with your back to the dorm entrance, so that you can see the Marian Center if you look left. Turn right from Carondelet and walk down to the parking lot. Turn left and walk out of the parking lot, down Sister Oliver Louise Drive. This private road takes you to 118th Street. Turn left and walk on 118th until you reach Wornall Road. Turn right on Wornall until you reach the intersection of Wornall and Minor. Turn right onto Minor Drive. Once on Minor, ten minutes' walk will bring you close to the end of Minor, to the point where you can see a large parking lot. Veer left and you'll be at a small shopping mall that boasts a bank, a supermarket, and a restaurant. (Note: This trip can be made a few minutes shorter, but these directions are simpler, and can be easily adapted for use by motorists as well as pedestrians.) If you're not staying on Avila campus, you're probably sufficiently adventurous to know how to find decent food in a strange city. Be aware that small groups tend to sneak off-campus to a restaurant (often either KC Masterpiece or Jesse & Jims) for at least one evening meal during the conference. Let them know you want to be part of the excursion! Transportation 101/A--Getting to Kansas Many of you intend to fly to ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Kansas City. The airport you will be arriving at is Kansas City International (MCI). The airport has three arc-shaped terminals. If you're meeting someone there, be sure that everyone intends to go to the same terminal, or that everyone is catching the (free) shuttle to the same car rental agency. You can pick up a city map at one of the airport magazine stands. The Gousha map has Avila College marked (grid location I-19). If you don't have a map, better pay close attention: If you drew a map of Kansas City on a 8x11 sheet of paper, the airport would be in the upper left corner, to the northwest. Avila College would be near the bottom of the piece of paper, near the center. Point taken? The distance between Avila College and the international airport is not small. It's perhaps 45 miles by the recommended route (below), so allow an hour's travel time at a bare minimum. What with collecting your luggage and arranging/co-ordinating transport, it's probably safer to assume it will take you two hours to get from the airport to Avila, starting from the time the plane's landing gear touches the tarmac and stopping when you sling your suitcase onto the dorm bed. Transportation 101/B--Getting to Avila Since the distance from the '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' airport to Avila College is 28 miles as the crow flies, and about 45 miles by car, you don't even want to think about taking a taxi. You'd pay $40 minimum, possibly as much as $60. For a one-way trip. If you book ahead, you get Quicksilver to take you to Avila College at a more reasonable rate: $21.50 for 1 person $28.50 for 2 people $35.50 for 3 people $37.50 for 4 people $50.00 for 5 or more You _must_ book Quicksilver in advance. They need at least one day's notice, so call them at 1-800-888-8294 or 816-262-0906. IF YOU DON'T MAKE A RESERVATION, THEY CAN'T TAKE YOU. If you don't want to rent a car, you could also take the Airport Express van to the Overland Park Marriott hotel and take a cab from there. (Those of you renting cars at the airport: we'll discuss the route shortly, in the ARRIVAL section.) PREPARING FOR THE TRIP Get plenty of sleep before you go, because you're """""""""""""""""""""" not likely to get much sleep at KansasFest. KansasFest days are 18 hours long, unless they're 20 or 24 hours long. There's too much going on to waste time in sleep! On the same note, make sure you don't schedule anything important (like operating heavy machinery) for the day after KansasFest--Monday, July 22. You'll have had so little sleep that you won't feel your best. Packing--Computer Stuff Lots of people brings computers. If you're doing ''''''''''''''''''''''' this, make a backup of your hard drive and leave the backup at home. If you won't feel safe unless you take a backup with you, make two backups. If you're bringing a hard drive and you're travelling by plane, you may want to consider packing the hard drive in your carry-on luggage. That way, you can extract the hard drive from the luggage before it gets X-rayed (!). Tell the attendant that what you are carrying in your hand is a hard drive for a computer, and that it might be damaged by the X-ray machine. Chances are they'll handle it differently. If they tell you that no damage could possibly be caused, don't believe them. (You may have to obey them, but don't believe them.) Try insisting (politely!) on special handling anyway. Incidentally, X-rays are not good for diskettes either. Bring plenty of extension cords, power bars, and surge suppressors, plus phone cord if you bring your modem. Bring plenty of blank disks. Bring anything you'd like to show off, either software or hardware. Packing--Other Stuff A word about clothing: KansasFest is "dress '''''''''''''''''''' casual", and Kansas City in July is hot and humid, so light clothing would be a good idea. If you're bringing anything that you want to hang in the closet, bring your own hangers. You should pack a bathrobe or something you don't mind walking the halls in when you rise in the morning. The dorms will be housing both sexes, and there are no private bathrooms. Towels are supplied, but you can pack an extra one if you feel so inclined. Be sure to bring all the usual toiletries: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, and all the etceteras. There are modular phone jacks in all the dorm rooms, but phones are not provided, so pack a phone, if only for local calls (which are free). If you know who your roommate is, you can assure her or him that you're bringing the phone and save her or him the trouble. If you're serious about making the morning sessions, an alarm clock is a good idea. If you're _really_ serious about attending morning sessions, ear plugs--for the night before--couldn't hurt either. Unless you're a private soul, some sort of sign for your door is a good idea, so that people can find you. Many people take the trouble to make these before they leave. Possibly Eric Shepherd will have a huge "SheppyWare World Headquarters" sign on his door. Or then again, possibly not. Don't forget your airline tickets and other travel documents, if any, but don't pack them in your checked luggage. Also don't forget a quarter for a phone call. ARRIVING """""""" Getting from the Airport to Avila If you've arranged with Quicksilver to ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' pick you up at the airport, as you leave the "gate", look for someone holding up a sign with your name on it. (The sign will probably also have "Quicksilver" written on it.) Of course, Quicksilver have been known to get busy at KansasFest time. If no one is there looking for you, start by looking for them. The Quicksilver people are usually easy to spot. If there's no one from Quicksilver in the terminal, don't panic. Just call them at 262-0905. This is a local call from the airport. (You didn't forget a quarter for a phone call, did you?) Remember that you _cannot_ ride with Quicksilver unless you have made a reservation at least one day in advance. Driving from the Airport to Avila If you're renting a car, start looking ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' for the desk of the rental agency you're dealing with. (Remember that there are shuttle buses among the three terminals, if necessary.) Once you've got your car, exit through the airport's main gate (Cookingham Drive) onto Interstate 29 heading south. At highway 152, exit west. Follow 152 west to I-435. Take I-435 south and follow it around until it reaches Wornall Road from the west. Then exit to Avila College (which is a left turn off Wornall if you approach it from I-435). Check our handy Avila map below for where to park. The best place is probably the lot near the dormitories. After Hours Arrival It's Wednesday night, and it's dark already. ''''''''''''''''''' Quicksilver has just dropped you off... or you've just parked the rental car. You're tired after the long drive from the airport. You've never been to Avila College before. Now what do you do? It's easy. The campus at Avila is small, and there are only three building that KFesters need to explore: I. Whitfield Conference Center: This is where most of the actual conference sessions take place. It's sufficiently small that you'd have to try really hard to get lost here. If you walk the path to Whitfield from one of the other buildings listed below, go down the stairs as soon as you get inside the door. If you enter Whitfield from the roadway, you're at the main conference entrance, so don't worry. II. Marian Center: This is where the cafeteria is. Unless you're booked into a nearby hotel, this is where you come to eat. This is also where the celebrity roast is traditionally held. Yes, you're allowed to attend the roast even if you're staying at a hotel, and you get to eat lunch here too. III. either Ridgway or Carondelet dormitory: This is where you sleep, at least in theory. Even hotel-dwellers need to know about the dorms, since you'll spend a lot of your evenings hanging out here. At past KFests, both dorms have been used, but this year, only one of them is available. You'll find out which when you arrive. Look at the map of the campus below and get your bearings: AVILA COLLEGE CAMPUS * ___________ * * ########## | | * * ########## ... | * * ########## . |___________| * * . . ########*** * ______ . ......... ######## * * | | . ___.____ * * | | . | | * * |______| . | Marian | * * . | center | * * ______ . |________| * **** | | . . * * | | . .............. * * | | . . ____._____ ## * |______| ................................ | | ## * . _____ . |Carondelet| ## * ________.__ | | . | dorm | ## ___ * | | | | . |__________| ## | | * [| Whitfield | | | ____._____ ## | | #*#[| center | |_____| | | ################ | | #*# |___________| | Ridgway | ################ |___| #*# | dorm | ################ #*# |__________| * * ... = pathway *** = roadway ### = parking [ = main entrance (Whitfield) If it's late Wednesday night, forget about registering for the _conference_. Concentrate on registering for your _room_. If it's extremely late at night, the front doors of the dorms may be shut too. Look for a buzzer that will rouse a member of the staff. The best thing to do is to read the instructions in your preliminary information packet, but if they don't produce satisfactory results, wander about one or both of the dorms until you find someone who'll take pity on your and let you collapse onto a bed. You'll get a room assignment and a room key. (You may even get a sheet of paper that tells you who you've been billeted with and how to register for the conference on the following morning.) If you're staying in Ridgway, don't collapse the minute you see your room key. The lowest number it will have on it is 401. That does NOT mean you're on the fourth floor. (Particularly as Ridgway has only three floors.) If your room number begins with 4, it means you're on the first floor (or "ground floor" to most Europeans). Similar deal for the second and third floors. If your room number doesn't begin with 4, 5, or 6, it means you aren't staying at Ridgway. If wandering around the dorms doesn't produce any results, try Marian Center. If you still can't find anyone, wander down toward Whitfield. Arriving after hours means you get to check in to your room. You still must register for the conference in the morning. We'll cover that in the "Business Hours Arrival" section. For now, what about your room? Your Room Rooms at the Avila College dorms each have two beds. If your ''''''''' roommate is there, smile and introduce yourself. If your roommate isn't there, don't be alarmed. Your roommate may not have arrived yet, in which case you get to grab the best bed. (I'm joking. Neither bed will be any less loathsome than the other.) Probably your roommate has already arrived, grabbed the best bed, and is out visiting others. Near the beds is a long institutional-looking unit with two closets, two sets of drawers, and assorted storage space. The opposite side of this unit is a desk long enough for two people to work at. There's plenty of room for two computers on this desk, but there's just one outlet per computer. If you don't have a power bar or a Kensington System Saver or an AE Conserver, you're going to be limited to plugging in the computer and the monitor--no hard drive, no modem, nothing else. (Those of you with internal hard drives can stop being smug right now.) Near the desk are two outlets that seem to be phone jacks. They _aren't_ phone jacks. The phone jack is on the other side of the room, by the beds. If you didn't bring plenty of phone extension cord, you'll have to set up your computer at the foot of your bed. (Don't laugh. It's happened.) Don't waste time looking for the phone; they aren't supplied, which is why you had to bring one in your suitcase. To find out the phone number of your room (so that people can call you), ask one of the Avila staff. If you didn't bring a phone, you can still use one of the pay phones in the hallways. When dialing out from your dorm room, either with a phone or a modem, you'll need to prefix the number with a 9 to get an outside line. If you're using a modem, you may be able to use its "wait for dialtone" feature before you dial the number. So the proper sequence would be: ATDT9w4741778 If your modem doesn't support "wait for dialtone", try using a few commas (,) to create a pause: ATDT9,,4725178 You may also need to set your software up so it waits about 45 seconds for a connect instead of the standard 30 seconds, because it takes a bit longer to get through to the number you're dialing. (There's information about dialing Genie later in this article.) The only real luxury that the rooms boast is air-conditioning. No private baths here, but you'll find bathrooms just down the corridor a piece. The one I frequented had one bathtub, two showers, three toilets, four sinks (one with an attachment for washing hair), and assorted mirrors. Every floor also seems to have a TV lounge and a small kitchen. Business Hours Arrival If you arrive at Avila between 9 AM and 5 PM, you '''''''''''''''''''''' can register for the conference and your room (if applicable) at the same time. Check your pre-conference packet for information on where to register. At press time, details were still being finalized, "but more than likely it will be Ridgway dorm or the cafeteria area." If that doesn't work, try the main entrance of the Whitfield conference center. One note of warning: if you've been told to register somewhere--say, the cafeteria at Marian center--and no one has shown up fifteen minutes after the listed start time, then by all means check the dorms and Whitfield center to see if registration has been moved there. It's unlikely you'll have to worry about something like this, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared. ONCE YOU'RE THERE """"""""""""""""" Curricular Events Originally, KansasFest was a conference for Apple II ''''''''''''''''' developers--people who wanted to create software and hardware for others to use. Nowadays it's for users, too. Don't worry that you don't belong there--you do and you're welcome, whether you've come to party or come to learn. The sessions--no one dignifies them with the name "seminars"--are mostly held at the Whitfield conference center. The main conference room is right inside the main doors (the doors closest to Wornall Road). If you don't know how to get to the session you want to attend, come here. It will either be in this room or someone in this room will know where the right room is. There's a social aspect to this part of the occasion as well. You'll see plenty of schmoozing in Whitfield lobby, right outside the main conference room. Expect cameras, both still and video, and demented people operating them. Cameras are used to record the presentations, or people meeting, or the general craziness that's going on! On the last day of KansasFest, there's a vendors' fair. This is a chance to pick up hardware and software at special KFest prices, and to see and buy software never before released. Semi-curricular Events While not officially part of the proceedings, some '''''''''''''''''''''' software _always_ gets released at KansasFest. (I sometimes think Apple II programmers would never ever ship if it weren't for KansasFest and Christmas.) This year: o Marin MacroWorks will be releasing UltraMax III (TimeOut modules for AppleWorks 4 and 5); o Joe Kohn has hinted darkly at a "debut of several items that may be of interest to IIGS owners of CD-ROM drives", which probably means either the entire run of either _Studio City_ or _Script-Central_ (or both?) available on CD-ROM; and o Sheppy made a rash promise, as recently as April, to release Shifty List 2.0 at this year's Fest--a promise I'm sure he now regrets and hopes that no one remembers. His recent marriage aside, Sheppy's been kept quite busy by his day job.... You're also likely to see product previews at KansasFest. o Since Ewen Wannop will be attending, look for previews of Spectrum v2.1. o Ewen is also working on an offline message reader (one like CoPilot) and is developing Spectrum XCMDs to make this task easier. o Plead with Sheppy until he shows everyone how far Wolfenstein 3-D has progressed. o Perhaps someone will have obtained permission from Derek Taubert to demonstrate his "in progress" web browser. Who knows what else? _I_ sure don't! Extra-curricular Events It is perfectly possible to attend KansasFest, ''''''''''''''''''''''' attend the sessions 9-5, and go back home. But why would you want to? One reason you might want to is that you're shy. You're shy at any gathering, but you can't imagine conversing with Richard Bennett, Charles Hartley, Joe Kohn, Will Nelken, Eric Shepherd, Ewen Wannop, or Mike Westerfield! There's no reason to be shy. Do what Dean Esmay did at his first KansasFest: walk around introducing yourself. To everyone. You'll meet lots of people just as awestruck as you are, and you can swap tips, stories, recommendations, and lies. Don't be intimidated by meeting well-known Apple II figures. Heck, we're all "just folks". Don't let yourself leave KansasFest without having mingled. Wander around the dorms. If there's one person sitting at a computer, just say "hi". You're intelligent enough to know how to figure out if the person is hard at work or at home to callers. If there are a bunch of people--which is far more likely, particularly during the evening--you might be shy about joining the group. Don't be. Just announce your presence ("Hi, everybody! Room for one more?"). You'll be surprised how welcome the group will make you feel. Whatever the group is doing, it's probably in "kibitz mode", so join in! What will the group be doing? Hard to say. They might be: o trying out software that hasn't been released yet; o trying to get a piece of software to crashl o trying to get it to stop crashing (i.e. debugging it); o sending a group message to Genie; o playing a game; o fixing hardware; o reminiscing about previous KansasFests; or o telling stories about the heyday of the Apple II. There's a chance that the group will be "multi-tasking"--that is, doing more than one of these things at the same time. There are other extra-curricular events that have almost become KFest traditions: the Roger Wagner tie report, Nerf(TM) warfare, and a game called Bite the Bag, which involves a paper bag and a sense of balance. But what about the "real" traditions? Tradition I: Celebrity Roast If the term "celebrity roast" is new to ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' you, rest assured that it's not dangerous, not even to the celebrity. Open flame is not involved, except metaphorically. A roast is simply an event where members of a panel give short speeches which "honor" the celebrity guest by dishing out good-natured insults and back-handed compliments: "Some people say that Joe Kohn, a child of the 1960s if ever there was one, would have made a good drug pusher. This is patently untrue. Joe still hasn't grasped the concept that it's only the _first_ hit that's free." (Except that most of the jokes will be funnier than that.) Ideally, the person being "roasted" is the keynote speaker from the previous KFest, but this isn't always possible. This year, the celebrity is indeed Joe Kohn, publisher of _Shareware Solutions II_. This event is catered and held in the Avila cafeteria in the Marian center. It's open to all KansasFest attendees, not just those staying on campus. Tradition II: Calling Genie The link between KansasFest and Genie is too '''''''''''''''''''''''''''' complicated to go into here--suffice it to say that people always manage to find time to post early reports on Genie. (CompuServe and comp.sys.apple2 often get the news early, too.) Here are the Genie numbers local to Kansas City: Genie node 300/1200/2400 816-474-1778 Genie node 9600 816-472-5178 SprintNet 2400 816-472-1430 SprintNet 14400 816-421-5783 Don't worry about long-distance charges within the city. The greater metropolitan area of Kansas City is in two states with two area codes (816 for Missouri and 913 for Kansas). However, nearly all calls within the Kansas City metropolitan area are local. Remember that you need to prefix the number with a 9 (to get an outside line) and either a "wait for dialtone" command (w) or "pause" command (,) before you dial the number. Tradition III: Dining Out I confess I've never been part of this '''''''''''''''''''''''''' tradition, but I hear that it's traditional to take at least one meal at one of two restaurants (or both!)--KC Masterpiece and Jesse & Jims. The attraction is Kansas City steak, or so they tell me. If you hang out in the dorm rooms, you're bound to hear of groups heading off to "dine posh". Ask to be counted in... and tell me what happens, all the gory details. The thought of breaking bread with some of these people intrigues me. A TYPICAL DAY A KansasFest day doesn't begin when you might it expect it """"""""""""" to. It begins right after supper. The pressing question of something to eat over with, you take the aperitif of your choice--Jolt! cola, Dr Pepper, or Mountain Dew--and wander around the dorms to see who's doing what. Some people will be staying up until VERY late. The reason for this is that program bugs stay hidden until at least 2 AM, and the really obscure ones wait until 5 AM. When morning comes, you may or may not have gotten any sleep. If you have, chances are that you didn't get much of it. The cafeteria staff stop serving breakfast at 8:30, but you may decide that sleep is more important. In fact, you may decide that sleep is more important than being at the first session. Or the first two sessions. Or world peace. Eventually you get out of bed and dither over which of the simultaneous sessions you want to attend. You can bring paper or a computer to take notes, if you wish--no one will laugh or point. No one will frown if you don't take notes, either. All sessions will run over their allotted time. This is an immutable rule. The domino theory rapidly comes into play here, which wreaks merry havoc with the schedule. After the morning sessions, there's an hour to get some lunch at the cafeteria at Marian center. (Lunch is available to all attendees, whether staying on campus or not.) No one takes attendance here, either. During lunch, the stragglers begin to arrive, and afternoon sessions may be more generously attended and received, since pretty much everyone is now awake and reasonably certain that life is worth living. The afternoon sessions will officially end at 5:00 or 5:30, but they may last a while longer, since no one else is waiting to use the room. It's possible to get so involved in the final session for the day that you miss the evening meal at the cafeteria. Or perhaps you've decided to give the cafeteria a miss. Someone might be headed to a restaurant for a meal--ask around. After you've eaten, well... the cycle begins all over. LEAVING Avila College hosts events other than KansasFest--in fact, """"""" Avila's summers are tightly booked. In previous years, both Ridgway and Carondelet dorms have been available to KFesters, but this year, the organizing committee could only get one. That should give you some idea of how hectic things are. Because Avila is playing host to others after KansasFest is over, be sure to check out on time. This year, you have the option of staying over on Saturday night and checking out on Sunday, but don't push it. Avila still probably wants you out of there by 11 AM on Sunday. (Check your KFest information packet for the exact time.) Incidentally, if you're travelling with Quicksilver, don't forget that you must have booked your return trip to the airport at least 24 hours in advance. Since most people leave at much the same time, it may be possible to cadge a lift to the airport if you've made friends with someone heading that way. This is far from the end. In fact, it's not even the beginning. If you've been reading this, it's undoubtedly to prepare for KansasFest, which means it's all still to come! So have a great time at KansasFest--and if you spot the man who began it all, Tom Weishaar (a/k/a "Uncle DOS"), give him my warmest regards. [EOA] [VOX]////////////////////////////// VOX POPULI / ///////////////////////////////// Apple IIgs Owners' Survey """"""""""""""""""""""""" by Andy Middleton [L.MIDDLETON3] The May 1996 issue of GenieLamp A2 carried a request for the users of Genie's A2 RoundTable to respond to a survey. This issue, we present the results of that survey. [*][*][*] Many thanks to all who answered. In fact 40 people responded to my survey. It may not sound like a lot but the info I received was plenty and took quite a bit of time to go through. 1. HOW MUCH MEMORY IN YOUR GS? Almost everyone has at least 4 megs of RAM. Several (including myself) have 8 megs. 2. DO YOU OWN A HARD DRIVE? HOW MANY MEGS? WHAT SYSTEM SOFTWARE? Everyone reported that they had some size of a hard drive and use System 6.0.1. 3. DO YOU OWN A CD-ROM DRIVE? 22 of the 40 who responded own a CD-ROM drive. One person who doesn't have one owns the Golden Orchard CD! Now that is dedication to the Apple II! 4. WHAT OTHER PERIPHERALS DO YOU HAVE? Those who responded to this question have the usual setup at least one 3.5" and one 5.25" drives. Some people didn't mention it. Is it safe to assume that they have some type of drives? Those that have sound cards own mainly the SuperSonic Stereo Card from MDIdeas (like myself) or the SoundMeister. A few people own the Sonic Blaster from AE. As for speed there are 31 Zips (plus one more counting mine) and 7 Transwarps being used. (Note: I am including those who responded with more than one machine.) I was surprised to see only 10 people (11 counting myself) own the Second Sight. As for modems, 14.4s dominated the survey. I did get one or two 28.8s and even a 2400 (yikes!). For SCSI cards, the RamFAST edged out the Apple High Speed Card out of those who owned one. 5. SLOT OCCUPANCY: [The responses to this item have not been summarized.] 6. DO YOU OWN ANOTHER COMPUTER BESIDES THE GS? Only 7 respondents (8 counting myself) do not own other computer besides our GS(s). 7. WHAT IS THE PRIMARY USE OF YOUR GS? These answers varied greatly. A few said "for everything". Several people answered word processing, entertainment, telecommunications, home/small business use. 8. DO YOU WRITE PROGRAMS FOR THE GS? Most of the responses came back with "no" or "not any more." Some that said no would like to, however. Those that do program do it for personal use only and are not looking to become some type of software programmer. 9. DO YOU BELONG TO AN APPLE USERS' GROUP? IF SO, WHICH ONE(S)? 19 of those that responded belong to a users' group. 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE GS SOFTWARE? Spectrum and CoPilot received the top votes. Overall, telcom ware dominated this question (ANSI-Term, ProTERM, GEM, etc.). Believe it or not Appleworks Classic 5.1 finished next in line, followed by AppleWorks GS and GraphicWriter III. Two votes were given for software that turns lights on/off in the house. (For the next three or four questions, please don't answer with items currently being worked on and/or upgraded. Also be very realistic, if possible. AWGS 2.0 is a dead issue so don't put that as an answer.) 11. WHAT PIECE OF SOFTWARE THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE UPGRADED? WHAT KIND OF ENHANCEMENTS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO IT OR IMPROVED? GS/OS was the clear winner with about 4 or 5 votes. Many people want a Second Sight patch done to QuickDraw II and want to see the bugs removed. Although I asked respondents not to use it, AppleWorks GS received two or three votes for a complete rewrite. SuperConvert was mentioned three or four times--people want JPEG support. CoPilot was mentioned twice. GraphicWriter III was mentioned three or four times--better handling of picture objects. 12. WHAT NEW PROGRAM WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE COME OUT FOR THE GS? This one was actually a no-brainer. The majority of votes were for a web browser for the net. Some people even said that the ability to view the graphics is not a necessity for it. Other programs receiving more than one vote were a new full-fledged word processor like WordPerfect or MS Word on a PC or Mac. Also software for use of a flatbed scanner on a GS was mentioned more than twice. 13. ANY NEW HARDWARE/PERIPHERALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR THE GS? Not many people had an answer for this one, but those who did gave votes to an Ethernet card, flatbed scanner, a faster accelerator and a full stereo sound card. 14. ANY YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE REVISED? Again, not many answered but those who did agreed on a revision of the Second Sight, a faster Zip (about 20 mhz), the Soundmeister upgraded to the Pro version. Some people answered with software upgrades but that should have been for question 11. Also one person mentioned a Pentium processor for the PC Transporter. 15. FOR QUESTIONS 11-14, HOW MUCH MONEY WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO PAY FOR EACH? (TRY TO CONSIDER THE PROGRAM WRITERS' OR HARDWARE DEVELOPERS' TIME AND EFFORT.) This question was probably the hardest for people to answer. I think if developers were to see these answers, they would probably decide whether or not it is worth putting something out on the market. Those who didn't list specific prices for items gave an average price range of $30-$200 for software. This depended on the features that are put into the program. Hardware varied a little more, about $50-$300. The GS Web browser fell between $20-$100. A full fledged word processor (either an AWGS upgrade or other) went between $90-$150. Software upgrades averaged out to about $35 depending on how major the upgrade turns out. 16. WITH SUCH A SMALL AND LIMITED MARKET FOR THE GS, DO YOU FEEL THERE SHOULD BE COMPETITION AMONG SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE? (FOR EXAMPLE: AUTOARK AND HARDPRESSED.) Those who gave me straight-out answers voted 12 to 10 in favor of competition. The majority of cases cited the fax software scenario. Those who did not said that competition was okay, however cooperation is needed also. I did not count these votes in the numbers I mentioned. Some stated that competition was okay for small projects but bigger projects should involve cooperation from various developers/programmers (like the system software upgrade) so that many new features can be added and most of the bugs can be eliminated. A few people took this question literally and thought I was talking specifically about AutoArk and HardPressed. They said to buy a Zip drive or a bigger hard drive and use a backup software or disk compression program! 17. FEEL FREE TO ADD ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE GS: About half of those who responded gave comments. Out of these people, about 85% feel quite content with the GS. A few people mentioned that the GS doesn't need to go through as many repairs or tinkerings as a PC would. (Agreed!!) The other 15% stated that the time to move to a PC or Power Mac is in sight. The reasons given are the software and hardware availability that cant be found on a GS. One person expressed that the reason for this is because owners/users don't want to pay what a developer feels he/she should get. [*][*][*] I have to say I really enjoy using my GS. Yes, it is slower than the rest but we don't need to worry about major hardware upgrades to keep up with today's technology. My word processors' output can look exactly like the output of WordPerfect or Word on a Mac or PC. Thanks again to everyone who responded. Lets hoper developers and program authors see this survey to find out what really want and how much we will pay for it! Apple II forever and ever! [EOA] [AWX]////////////////////////////// APPLEWORKS ANNEX / ///////////////////////////////// AppleWorks 5 Documentation """""""""""""""""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] UNOFFICIAL APPLEWORKS 5 DELTA MANUAL UPDATE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Copyright 1996 by Douglas Cuff. All rights reserved. I wrote the delta manual for AppleWorks 5.0 in September and October 1994. A lot has happened since then. For instance, an update--AppleWorks 5.1--was released in the summer of 1995. It's time to update the AppleWorks 5 delta manual as well. I'll be covering 8 basic areas in this article: o features programmed but not covered by the manual; o documentation you should have gotten but didn't; o factual errors in the manual; o one serious typographic error; o simple typographic errors; o AppleWorks 5.1 changes and new features; o things not to do (problems without fixes); and o common problems and fixes. One important correction doesn't fit into any of these areas, and it has to do with who wrote the manual. My answer is not "me". My answer is "mostly me". I am the principal author, not the sole author. Whole sections of the AppleWorks 5 delta manual are based on documentation that Randy Brandt wrote (for Beagle Bros's Outline 3.0, JEM's DB Pix, and so on). Perhaps the credit on the title page should really read "by Doug Cuff with Randy Brandt". Thanks, Randy. Another tidbit which doesn't fit into the body of this article has to do with an omission in the AppleWorks 4 reference manual. When you visit the Time-based options in the Standard Settings menu, you should know that turning on auto-save _automatically_ turns on the keeping backups of files (in the Miscellaneous portion of the Standard Settings menu). Many of you have figured this out, but it doesn't seem to be documented. An important note before you begin: This is not an official document. I wrote the AppleWorks 5 delta manual for Quality Computers (now doing business as Scantron Quality Computers). I don't own the update manual; they do. Any official update document has to come from them, not me. WHAT THERE WASN'T TIME TO TELL YOU When AppleWorks 5 was being tested, """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" programmers Randy Brandt and Dan Verkade kept adding features. One or two features were added, or the way they worked changed, too late to be documented. (The documentation deadline was more than a month earlier than the software deadline.) The "AW5 Specs" file distributed on the AppleWorks program disk notes one feature not described in the manual: in the word processor, when using OA-O to enter printer options, pressing OA-Return after either the code or the numeric value associated with the code (as with indentation and margins) makes for a quick return to the file. With OA-Return, you no longer have to press Escape at the OA-O prompt. This can be a significant time-saver. As the delta manual tells you, you can hold down both Apple keys as you boot AppleWorks if you want to TimeOut to load Utilities only, for a faster start. UltraMacros and the Init Manager will also be off for that session, which is something the manual does not mention. The AppleWorks 4 manual tells you (on page 465) that you can configure certain inits by holding down the OA key. This is not true for AppleWorks 5. Holding down the _SA_ key lets choose which inits and which AfterWork modules you want installed. (There is an anomaly associated with this, though. If you continue to hold down the SA key as you press N for no, three modules in a row will be deselected.) The AfterWork modules are loaded first. If you want to load all the AfterWork modules but want to select certain inits, you can begin holding down the SA key as the last AfterWork module is loaded. Holding down the SA key does not affect the TimeOut options at all--all available TimeOut applications are loaded. If you hold down the SA key through the entire boot process, UltraMacros will not be loaded either. (You can checked by pressing SA-Escape. If UltraMacros are not loaded, you will see the message "Dot cmd error".) If you release the SA key after you make the decision about the final init in the list, UltraMacros will be loaded, but the startup macro will not run. If you hold down the OA key as you boot, you are not asked any questions. Holding down the OA key produces similar results to holding down both Apple keys--only TimeOut Utilities are loaded--except that this time, UltraMacros and the Init Manager will be loaded... but only if that how you have the options set in the Standard Settings menu. If you normally have either option turned off, holding down OA during the boot will not turn them on. OA only SA only both OA and SA ============== =========== ============== AfterWork none ask (Y/N) none InitManager all ask (Y/N) none UltraMacros on it depends! off Timeout Utilities only all Utilities only To sum up, hold down both Apple keys for the fastest start. Hold down the OA key for a fast start that leaves UltraMacros active. Two UltraMacros commands disappeared from AppleWorks 5, "store" and "recall". Their disappearance is not documented in the delta manual. Under AppleWorks 5.0, these commands appear to be processed but will not work! Under AppleWorks 5.1, the compiler will tell you that it no longer recognizes these commands by giving you a syntax error when it tries to process them. While it has nothing to do with the development of the program, time is also the reason that there is no index in the AppleWorks 5 delta manual. You will find an index on _Texas II_ Disk 14, and those who were subscribing to this magazine on disk at the time this disk was issued were lucky enough to receive a paper copy of the index. WHAT THERE WASN'T ROOM TO TELL YOU Along with the delta manual, I """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" submitted the necessary changes and additions to the AppleWorks Quick Reference card. Presumably it was too expensive to print a new reference card. If you'd like to make the changes yourself, grab a ballpoint pen and your Quick Reference card, and follow along: Section I: GLOBAL COMMANDS ''''''''''''''''''''''''''' [after "OA-Q Escape", insert lines:] OA-Q OA-A Add files OA-Q OA-B Print Buffer [after "OA-Q OA-F", insert line:] OA-Q OA-P Change Pathname Section II: REVIEW / ADD / CHANGE COMMANDS ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Column B: WORD PROCESSOR ------------------------- [replace existing text with:] OA-F Find text, page number, marker, printer options, or line number [after "OA-`", insert line:] OA-+ Outliner mode Column C: DATA BASE -------------------- OA-B Browse graphics [new command; replaces "--"] [after "Move records", add "(MRL)":] OA-M Move records (MRL) [after "Move records (MRL)", insert line:] Mixed mode (SRL) Column D: SPREADSHEET ---------------------- OA-G Get cell memo [new command; replaces "--"] Section III: MOVING AROUND ''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Column B: WORD PROCESSOR ------------------------- [after "OA-Tab", insert lines:] Control-Q Quickmark Control-S Move to next tab stop [was Control-T; see Section IV] Control-W Where is my Quickmark? [delete line "Control-T/Move to next tab stop/--/--"] Section IV: PRINTER OPTIONS '''''''''''''''''''''''''''' PAGE DESCRIPTION ---------------- [after "MM", insert line:] NB Number of Blank lines after heading DB SPECIAL ------- [after "RP", insert line:] RS Recalculate before Saving SS KEYBOARD EQUIVALENTS -------------------- [after "Control-R", insert line:] Control-T MouseText/inverse mode -- Section V: FORMULAS & FUNCTIONS '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' TIME & DATE FUNCTIONS --------------------- @Today Returns current date DB/SS [formerly just "DB"] Outliner '''''''' There was no room in the manual for a reference page for the Outliner nor room on the Quick Reference card for another column. Users will have to rely on the built-in help menu, or use the following chart: OA-A Add son OA-B Add brother OA-C Copy topics OA-D Delete topic OA-F Find text OA-G Go to previous topic OA-I Insert body text OA-J Jump to full display OA-K Collapse outline OA-L Label options OA-M Move topics OA-N New line OA-O Order topics OA-P Print outline OA-R Reveal all body text Control-R Hide all body text OA-S Save file to current disk OA-Control-S Save file to original disk OA-T Collapse/expand topic OA-U New uncle OA-V View expanded topic OA-W Split window OA-Z Zoom to desired level OA-1...9 Move proportionally within file OA-` Collapse/expand body text OA-Return Go to next topic OA-[ Go to father OA-] Go to next brother OA-{ Shift topic left OA-} Shift topic right OA-\ Options OA-+ Return to Review/Add/Change mode (word processor) The manual does not make clear which word processor markers are reserved for the Outliner module. These are markers 192-254. FACTUAL ERRORS The manual claims that AppleWorks 5 is not available on """""""""""""" 5.25" disk. In fact, Quality Computers shipped it on seven 5.25" disks, but these were intended only to allow 5.25" drive users to install AppleWorks 5 to a hard drive. The 5.25" drive option is no longer officially supported, but it is possible to create a set of 5.25" disks that will run AppleWorks 5. Not terribly wise, but possible. If inactivity is detected when a cell memo is open, the AfterWork screen saver will only work on an Apple IIgs. The manual doesn't have this wrong, it just doesn't mention it. ONE SERIOUS TYPOGRAPHIC ERROR Page 20 and page 87 both give the wrong """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" parameter for saving text files in the Merlin assembler format. You should use "pokeword $0A76,$80A0" and "pokeword $0A76,9". "Pokeword $A72" is wrong. This location of this feature was changed after the manual was written. (This feature to create Merlin-compatible files will not work if the first character in the file is a Return. Make sure the file does not begin with a Return character. Also, in some circumstances, tab rulers will be saved to the Merlin file instead of being ignored, as they should properly be.) SIMPLE TYPOGRAPHIC ERRORS On page 16, there's a claim that the heat-death """"""""""""""""""""""""" of the universe isn't due to happen for several million years. This should read several billion years. (Mind you, a billion equals several million anyway, so what's all the fuss?) On page 29, the second sentence of the first paragraph begins "AppleWorks 4 used Control-T for spaces, but AppleWorks 4 uses that key to...". This should read "but AppleWorks 5 uses that key to...". On page 41, the note for Outline 3.0 users ends with the text "{outdent}". This is a formatting code inadvertently left in the finished manual. You can't pin this one on me. On page 91, the second part of the first answer ends with the sentence "See the section of Disabling AfterWork for more files that you can delete." This should read "See the section on...". APPLEWORKS 5.1 CHANGES AND NEW FEATURES Plenty of bugs were squashed with """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" AppleWorks 5.1 release. It's free, so there's really no excuse not to move from AppleWorks 5.0 to 5.1. Please don't ask me to list all the bug fixes in AppleWorks 5.1. The UltraMacros .awpath command had a bug which left a trailing "/" at the end of the string. That has been fixed, but the fix breaks the default macros as supplied with AppleWorks _5.0_. Use the new default macros as supplied with AppleWorks 5.1. Also, change any of your own macros that used a work-around for the .awpath bug. In the data base, the Set Preferences option now allows you to set a date format for each individual data base file. This means you can have the general setting display a date such as "June 24, 1995" for the macro sa-' command and for the word processor date option, while using numeric or abbreviated dates in the data base. The preferences may also be used to keep a year from being added to a date for which you wish to record only the month and day. The bad news is that you should probably update all your existing data base files to reflect this new setting. The good news is that you'll only have to do this once. Plus, it's worth it. Binary search now finds numbers with leading 0's, and requires an exact match. If you don't want an exact match, hold down the OA key. The DB Replace TimeOut application now lets you choose to search for whole words only. As with AppleWorks, use the OA key to indicate a search for whole words--either use OA-Return instead of Return when selecting "Anywhere" or "In one category", or press OA-A or OA-I instead of A or I. THINGS NOT TO DO Here are a few things that you should not do in """""""""""""""" AppleWorks 5: o Don't use the Installer if you already have a folder called AW5 on the volume you're installing to. Rename or delete the first AW5 folder before beginning. If you attempt to use the Installer and you already have a folder called AW5 on the volume you're installing to, the Installer will hang! o Don't use the Control-Q/Control-W Quick Find feature in the Outliner. o Don't use the three following MouseText characters when filling out fields in the data base: Solid-Apple (@), Mouse Pointer (B), or Lower Left Corner (T). You may still use these characters when creating background text. o Don't use OA-- (Open-Apple-hyphen), the keyboard shortcut for the UltraMacros command "cell", while creating a cell note in the spreadsheet. It won't work, and it may do some harm. o Don't try to access the TimeOut menu from the Clipboard (OA-Q OA-C then OA-Escape). If you do, AppleWorks 5 will crash! o Don't use the TimeOut DIF applications from anywhere but the Main Menu. A FEW PROBLEMS AND FIXES Worksheets created with AppleWorks 4.3 may have """""""""""""""""""""""" their NT (Number of Times to recalculate) option set to 1 under AppleWorks 5.0. No fix is known. The data base Preferences screen does not allow you to toggle the "recalc order" message. To see this, get into a data base file, press OA-O, select option 6 ("set preferences") and examine option 7. There is a fix for this in _Texas II_'s Bev's Free Patcher v6.0 for AppleWorks 5.1. Quality Computers shipped AppleWorks 5.0 with a slightly screwy version of the ImageWriter II printer installed. If you find that your ImageWriter II prints in standard mode even when you manually tell the printer to use near letter-quality mode, you have found the problem. Three possible fixes: 1. Upgrade to AppleWorks 5.1--a good idea anyway--which doesn't have this problem. Be sure to copy the SEG.ER file! 2. Choose "Remove a printer" from the Print settings menu, then add ImageWriter II to the list again. It's that simple. 3. Choose "Change printer specifications" then choose "Interface cards". If the current control characters are "control-I 80N Escape c" (restore default settings), all you have to do is change these codes. You could choose simply "control-I 80N" or enter "control-I 80N Escape K0", which resets the printing color to black. There are even more drastic solutions, such as selling off your ImageWriter II printer, or never using AppleWorks again, or donating your Apple II to the national debt, but I can't recommend them. Any Apple IIgs user who finds that AppleWorks 5 crashes when it is run, or finds that it crashes the second time it is run, should use Randy Free's Patcher, which is supplied with AppleWorks 5, (or Bev's Free Patcher) to change the setting of GS/OS background tasks. Some people find that the crashes happen if background tasks are on. Others find that crashes occur if the tasks are off. Despite the appearance of these and other unconfirmed bugs in AppleWorks 5.1, it is a very stable release. Please don't be frightened away from AppleWorks 5.1. Even with a few minor and obscure bugs, it's still more stable than AppleWorks 4.x or 5.0! [*][*][*] WOULD YOU LIKE TO REPRINT THIS ARTICLE? Please go ahead. I encourage you to distribute it freely in any not-for-profit publication. Please make sure that the article remains intact, exactly as it appears above, including my copyright notice. Please do not add anything to the article except the following credit line: "Originally published in _GenieLamp A2_ Vol. 5, Issue 52 (July 1996)." You may wish to retain this notice so that others will feel free to reprint it.--DGC [EOA] [BAN]////////////////////////////// FILE BANDWAGON / ///////////////////////////////// Top 10 Files for May """""""""""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] This feature lists the ten most popular files for the month. To give files a chance to seek their own levels, no files will be added to the list until they've been in place at least a month. This month, we look at the files uploaded 1-31 May 1996. This isn't the Academy Awards ceremony, folks; it's more like the People's Choice Awards (both of which are trademarked, by the way). The Top 10 doesn't necessarily tell you what's new and interesting--what files _you_ might find interesting--it simply tells you what files have been downloaded a lot--what other people found interesting! File # Filename Bytes DLs Short description ------ --------------- ------ --- ------------------------------------- 27136 MATHGRPH222.BXY 111716 68 MathGraphics v2.2.2 27213 VENDORS.NDA.BXY 32700 66 NDA listing over 100 A2 Vendors 27292 ALMP9606.AW.BXY 61696 55 GenieLamp A2, June 1996 (AppleWorks) 27147 GVIEW028.BXY 44672 53 Graphic viewer for Second Sight 27157 HC.WORD.BXY 15328 51 HC.Word, HyperCard word processor 27225 GROUP.GIF 61820 48 The Genie Crew at the Wedding 27133 MOUNTAIN.BXY 384256 48 Animation - A day over a mountain 27169 SYS6.ANIM.BXY 1482128 47 Animasia anim of Characters 27216 COUPLE.GIF 53968 41 Eric and Sarah Shepherd - married 27221 COUSIN.GIF 60396 39 Sarah Shepherd and cousin Marit MATHGRPH222.BXY MathGraphics v2.2.2 by Dirk Froehling is a function """"""""""""""" plotting program for the Apple IIgs that allows you to enter functions via standard dialog boxes and evaluate function values or find function roots and extremes with a mouse click. Now freeware. VENDORS.NDA.BXY Steve Cavanaugh's directory of over 100 Apple II vendors """"""""""""""" in New Desk Accessory form. Lists conventional mailing addresses, phone numbers, E-mail addresses, and web page URLs. Very handy. Freeware. ALMP9606.AW.BXY The June 1996 issue of GenieLamp A2 in AppleWorks word """"""""""""""" processor format. Don't have AppleWorks? Lots of utilities let you display AppleWorks WP files, including file #16674, QUICKVIEW.BXY and file #24324, QUIKVIEW1.1.BXY. Freeware. GVIEW028.BXY GView v0.28 by Michael Searl is a graphic viewing utility """""""""""" that _requires_ a Second Sight VGA board with v1.1 ROMs or better. It supports GIF, TARGA, AST raw video, ComputerEyes raw video, and of course the regular IIgs graphic formats. New to this version are several graphic formats: PPM, PGM, PBM, PlayStation TIM, Sun Raster Image, Windows and BMP. I'd like to tell you more about the program, but I don't own a Second Sight card and can't run it. Shareware ($15). HC.WORD.BXY HC.Word by Steve Cavanaugh is a very simple text editor """"""""""" written in HyperTalk for HyperCard IIgs. This stack can import (open) a text file, save a text file, apply right, left, or center justification to the text, or print the entire field. You can also select the font that the text will be displayed in when edited with HC.Word. Use the code in your own stacks! Freeware. GROUP.GIF A group shot, in GIF format, taken at the Shepherd wedding. """"""""" Present are Bill Moore, Daniel Poppe, Greg Templeman, Sarah Shepherd (the bride), Eric Shepherd (the groom), Charlie Hartley, Sara Hussong, Noreen Disbrow, Steve "Diz" Disbrow, Ryan Suenaga, Joe Wankerl's date Debbie, and Joe Wankerl. Greyscale GIF; GIF87a 320x199x256. Original photograph by Betty Hartley. MOUNTAIN.BXY A brief animation of some fractal mountains created by T. R. """""""""""" "TRON" O'Nan. The sun rises and then sets over this fractal landscape. Freeware. SYS6.ANIM.BXY An animation of the words "System 6.0.1" with rotating """"""""""""" letters, rotating dots, and a moving camera perspective. Quite a good demonstration of what can be accomplished with Animasia 3-D. Freeware. COUPLE.GIF Another picture from the Shepherd wedding. Eric "Sheppy" """""""""" Shepherd and his new bride, the former "Princess" Sarah Phillips, walking down the church aisle as husband and wife. Greyscale picture in GIF format; GIF87a 320x200x256. COUSIN.GIF Third picture from the Shepherd wedding. The bride, Sarah """""""""" Shepherd nee Phillips and her cousin Marit. Greyscale picture in GIF format; GIF87a 320x198x256. [EOA] [HUN]////////////////////////////// THE TREASURE HUNT / ///////////////////////////////// Yours For the Downloading """"""""""""""""""""""""" by Douglas Cuff [EDITOR.A2] >>> FOOL'S GOLD <<< """"""""""""""""""" The process of panning for gold involves one heck of a lot of throwing away stuff that isn't gold. This month, the Treasure Hunt looks at some of the files in the A2 Library that have had fewer than 6 downloads. All of these files were uploaded from 3-1/2 to 6 years ago. I don't want to make fun of anyone, and I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from uploading their work. What I would like to do is look at some files that were unpopular, and try to guess why. Please don't assume this has any implications for any files you were thinking about uploading! [*][*][*] File #19389: SOUV.PAGES.BXY (16128 bytes) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" This AppleWorks data base lists souvenir pages that have been issued by the American post office. The only reason I can think of for its apparent lack of popularity is that there aren't a lot of philatelists in the Apple II community. Typing in data is a long and thankless task, and most such data is quickly downloaded. There's no reason that I can see for this file to have had so few download hits. File #16788: LAGOVERNOR.BXY (15488 bytes) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" This IIgs Super Hi Res graphic shows three line-drawing type portraits of three Louisiana gubernatorial candidates. I don't imagine politics is a hot area in computer-related RoundTables, but there are probably two other reasons why this file had only been downloaded 5 times by the time I began this column. The first reason is limited time, and the second is limited space. This file was uploaded in October 1991, which was probably not long before the actual election. After the election, who cares? Also, even if you assume that all Genie's callers are American--which you shouldn't--then less than 2% of the callers should logically turn out to be from Louisiana. Heck, I uploaded a short AppleWorks data base of prime ministers of Canada--even though there are over 25 million Canadians, very few people downloaded that file. In fact, I feel gratified that it has been downloaded as many times as it has. File #18698: IBMPC.M.BXY (1555456 bytes) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" This is a data base, in DB Master format, of all of the files in the IBM PC RoundTable library on Genie as of mid-1992. It has several things working against it. First, it's hard to imagine a file that would become outdated as quickly. Even the file above has a long shelf-life compared to library listings, since the latter are out of date by the time you compile them and save them to disk. Second, DB Master was never a popular data base once AppleWorks took hold of the market. Third, not everyone in the A2 RoundTable has an IBM-compatible computer, and therefore has limited interest in the IBM RT. Fourth, those that have both computers are not necessarily going to want a list of IBM files on their Apple II computer. File #14661: BLU.VIDEX.2.BXY (10080 bytes) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" This file contains a patch so that Videx 80-column card owners can use Floyd Zink's freeware Binary Library Utility. BLU was an extremely popular program before ShrinkIt came along. I had always supposed that Videx was a pretty popular 80-column card, too. I suppose the distinction is that Videx cards were not popular by the time BLU was being used. (After all, Apple Computer had been releasing Apple II computers with built-in 80-column cards for over 6 years by the time this file was uploaded.) The lesson here is that uploads that require specific but no-longer-popular hardware don't get many download hits. This file has an interesting parallel--PARADE.SB.BXY--which is a music file specific to the Sonic Blaster sound card. The same music, released in a format that was not hardware-specific, was considerably more popular. File #11753: RTC.TECHWARE.TXT (20160 bytes) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" This ASCII text file is a transcript of a Real-Time Conference about Tutor-Tech with TechWare's David Lampert. It beats me why this has been downloaded so few times. Tutor-Tech is hypermedia for the Apple IIe and IIc. Given the popularity of HyperCard and HyperStudio, you would have thought people would have been rushing to download this file. Does anyone out there know why Tutor-Tech never got the respect it deserves? [*][*][*] That's all for this month. I hope you enjoyed this look at five of the _least_ popular files in the Apple II libraries. I hope I haven't offended anyone, and most of all, I hope this column won't deter you from contributing your own uploads to the A2 RoundTable. Don't worry that it's not significant enough! 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