EI Z-NEWS 804 14 September 1987
==============================================================================
Of Significance. "Big news for the brave few of you who started this whole
thing." MicroPro ships WordStar, CP/M Edition, Release 4. Echelon is a
dealer for this outstanding product. Only 50k-byte TPA, user program memory,
required for full functionality. (At 49k you lose mergeprint capability, but
all other features are still available including math and macros.) Can be
installed both as a standard CP/M program that knows user areas and as a ZCPR3
shell that uses the environmental descriptor to know not only user areas but
named directories and paths, and executes all the Z-System commands from its
"R" command. If you don't presently own WordStar here's your chance to become
a registered user for special price of $195; that's $100 less than retail.
WordStar, it's Item 68 on our Price List. Order today with your credit card.
We handle just about any CP/M disk format. Try us!
"You, the CP/M user, are a significant part of our heritage and success.
You represent our roots in word processing software, and without you, we would
not be where we are today."--Leon Williams, President and Chief Executive
Officer, MicroPro International.
Jim Spickard, a remote/contributing editor of Profiles Magazine, writes
Test Driving Turbo Modula-2 article in October 1987 issue. Very interesting,
shows TM2 to be nearly three times faster than Turbo Pascal--don't miss this
informative piece!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Z-User's Corner. You know, facilities of ZCPR v3.3 (we call it Z33) aid to
speed file operations. To find out how much, we measured program (a Z-System
alias in this case) execution time using various command-line techniques:
using command search path, declaration of file location by DU and DIR forms,
and by using forward slash, "/", flag to indicate direct access to ECP,
Extended Command Processor. We use workhorse Ampro Bookshelf Z80 computer and
its SCSI 65-millisecond 20-megabyte hard disk. File is public domain TPA.COM,
on SUS diskette #7, made into an alias and placed in ALIAS.CMD as "tpa echo
TPA S%>hows memory available in bytes.;root:lx tpa". ALIAS.CMD is in ROOT
directory, A15 in our case. Default path is "$$ A0 A15" (remember, $$
indicates current drive and current user number (area). We are logged onto C0
for tests. Timing starts at pressing <cr> and stops at command-line prompt
return. Our results:
Command Line Duration, seconds
tpa 5.12
/tpa 3.64 (Timing accuracy
a15:cmdrun tpa 3.52 estimated at
root:cmdrun tpa 3.48 0.2 second.)
We, for long time now, have used directory declaration preceding filenames in
alias scripts not knowing speed-up results, if any. We now know. About 1.5
seconds are saved by using either / or directory, either DU or DIR form, in
front of file to be found. Additionally, using / saves usually much-needed
character space, as the shortest directory or drive/user declaration requires
two spaces, three or four in most cases.
Recently, we used ARUNZ's recursive ability to continue development of
TLF, Z-News 803-4. Recursion occurs whenever an object uses itself more than
once, calls itself in a conditional loop. Because of finite command-line
buffer lengths, about 200 characters in most Z-System installations, recursive
commands quickly overflow buffer space. Z-Team member, Jay Sage, has provided
solutions to overflow problem with his ARUNZ- and VALIAS-tool offerings (as
has Rob Friefeld with his recent completion of SALIAS, combination BALIAS and
VALIAS).
A "$z" following alias name in line of ALIAS.CMD script file indicates to
ARUNZ, usually renamed to CMDRUN (the default name of ZCPR3's Extended Command
Processor, the ECP), to overwrite command buffer and start at buffer begin-
ning. So when called by itself, from within itself, buffer is flushed--now
empty--ready to receive up to another 200 or so characters to be processed.
Process can be repeated without limit. Jay uses a short line to test the
workings:
recurse $z zif;if in L%>oop again (y/n)? ;$0;else; <<
echo T%>he loop is now complete.;fi
RECURSE is a line in ALIAS.CMD contained in CMD.LBR on SUS #12. But it's easy
enough to type into your present CMD file and try.
As a final example of using "$z" to effectively extend the command-line
buffer--aliases can be made up of two or more command lines, as needed to get
the job done in each of 200 characters or less--we show a recursive GLF
(actually a nested alias using $z flush-buffer operator), Get Library Files
alias developed in Z-News 508-4.
glf if //=$1;or nu $1;echo $0 - G%>et%< L%>ibrary%< F%>iles; <<
echo S%>yntax: $0 [du:]libname<cr>;else;ROOT:quiet s;/glf2 $1;fi
glf2 $z zif;ROOT:zldir $d1$u1:$:1;ROOT:getvar glf files to extract:; <<
ROOT:resolve ROOT:lget $1 %glf;ROOT:quiet r
If other than built-in help is indicated, GLF2 is called by GLF. As it gets
processed, the original GLF command-line buffer is fully overwritten with
GLF2's parsed and expanded script. Now, spend some time, but after running
GLF with first only a <cr> to get help, using SHOW. Use the M, Memory,
command to see your command-line buffer entry. Buffer address is shown on #1
menu entry of SHOW. Next, run GLF and actually get a file out of a library.
Then run SHOW again to see the command-line buffer and how it has changed.
From there you get a feel for what $z is about.
Remember, in those cases where you use Z3 utilities as tools, e.g., LGET,
you can use wildcards (? and *) and file lists (full filenames separated by
commas) as your response to prompts, to type (LT handles wildcards, cancels
present file and types next by you entering ^x) or extract more than one file
at at time. Also, a value (text, characters entered by you in response to
prompt) placed into a variable name with GETVAR stays until changed--it's on
disk in file SH.VAR. A <cr> at the GETVAR prompt uses the old value. Use
SHDEFINE or SHVAR to see (and change) value of each variable you have
previously used.
Notice Z33 handles IN(put) as it does ECHO, provides ability to pass
lower-case characters to the console (and printer in ECHO's case).
Z33's ZIF operator makes sure there are no pending IF states, either
true or false, at the start of alias execution. XIF resets true IF
states to zero. And IFQ shows know many states are pending, if any,
both "trues" and "falses"; IFSTAT shows only trues. Yes, Z33 is
advanced!
Have you ordered your copy of Jay's ZCPR 3.3 User's Guide yet? Please do
it now...its usefulness is worth its $14.95 price tag. It's one way partially
to compensate Jay for his splendid public domain work. Thanks.
Software Beat. Less we forget...does anyone, and we address especially you
hackers out there, have or wish to write a Backgrounder II screen driver for
ANSI/VT100 terminals? Such a driver would be welcomed by a growing number of
users in BG II community. Let's show that the old public domain spirit still
lives--contribute a driver.
In Other Words. "In any weather, at any hour of the day or night, I have been
anxious to improve the nick of time, and notch it on my [walking] stick too;
to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the past and future, which is
precisely the present moment; to toe that line. You will pardon some obscu-
rities, for there are more secrets in my trade than in most men's, and yet not
voluntarily kept, but inseparable from its very nature. I would gladly tell
all that I know about it, and never paint "No Admittance" on my gate.
"I long ago lost a hound, a bay horse, and a turtle-dove, and am still on
their trail. Many are the travellers I have spoken concerning them, describ-
ing their tracks and what calls they answered to. I have met one or two who
had heard the hound, and the tramp of the horse, and even seen the dove disap-
pear behind a cloud, and they seemed as anxious to recover them as if they had
lost them themselves."--from Walden, Economy chapter, by Henry David Thoreau,
American writer and naturalist, 1817-1862.
==============================================================================
Of Angels and Eagles. Much has been written about what's wrong with USA:
"It's hard to sit tall-in-the-saddle when you owe money to everyone." Anni-
versary of the signing of US Constitution, September 1787, prompts writing
about what's right, and how we can get more Right.
Sons and daughters with liberty in their bones put their lives and
fortunes on the line to bring forth principles embodied in that document. The
imperative "Carry that torch!" received "We will!" as a response from them and
from us. We still have that vision, a vision handed down to us from our
ancestors. We still have the determination, the will to continue in that same
vain, to protect that vision, that vision just beneath the surface of consci-
ousness--to overcome all obstacles in our way, bringing the fruits of free
thinking to free people, becoming what we and they are capable of becoming.
This we all know. The Liberty Tree grows through us, because of us, will
not die under our tender care. Ascending world culture uses us, with some
reservations, as models of freedom, as the way human relations should evolve.
Are we so timid to think any less of ourselves: models of freedom? Do we
know...who we are and what we are to become without such a spirit that con-
tinues what our fore fathers began long ago. We will...to overcome, to
succeed. It's urgent!
We wind down now wanting about three fingers of Jack Daniels but
Magdalena wishes us to have but a sip of white Zinfandel. Magdalena, as
usual, has her way with us. See you down the lines...
Echelon, Inc. 885 North San Antonio Road Los Altos, CA 94022 USA
Telephone: 415/948-3820 Telex: 4931646 Z-Node Central (RAS): 415/948-6656
We The People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect
union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for
the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and
establish this constitution for the United States of America.
Preamble, Constitution of the United States, 1787.
Fly with Z!
* *
Z-News 804 is Copyright MCMLXXXVII Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Permission to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source
credit is given to Echelon.
