Of Significance. Interested in studying about Modula-2 computer language?
Rea Williams, Z-Node #10 Sysop, recommends two books: "MODULA-2, An
Introduction," written by Daniel Thalmann and published by Springer-Verlag,
Berlin, West Germany (publisher used by Pascal and Modula-2 author, Niklaus
Wirth). Also, "MODULA-2, A Seafarer's Guide and Shipyard Manual," written by
Edward J. Joyce, published by Addison-Wesley (Reading, MA). Along with 552-
page bound "User's Guide and Reference Manual," written by Borland, jointly
published by Micromint and Echelon, and comes with Z80 Turbo Modula-2 package,
we have enough documentation to keep us reading for a long time to come.
Those who already know and use Turbo Pascal have little difficulty
switching over to Turbo Modula-2. Those who have not learned BASIC or Pascal
will find Modula-2 just as easy to learn as either. And our manual compares
features of Turbo Pascal and Turbo Modula-2. So, knowing Pascal, it's easy to
understand the difference. Z-News 604 and file MODULA2.RAS provide more
details.
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Earth's Winter Solstice and Christmas are near...time for giving, among
other things...make giving magical by a gift of DSD, Dynamic Screen Debugger,
to your hacker friend; if you wish you were a hacker, yield to similar magic
and give yourself REVAS. If you are not into Assembler, then Turbo Modula-2
is your way to go. If you want your Z-System upgraded, give yourself latest-
release ZRDOS, Version 1.7. If you are into ROM real-time code at your job,
ask your boss to buy Quick-Task to speed your work. And, if you haven't
already, now is the time to renew your subscription to Z-News (don't forget to
order Z-Index when you do).
From Our Mail Box. "Does the purchase of Software Update Service [SUS]
qualify for a six-month extension of Z-News? And...finally, I must put in a
word of thanks to all of you 'Z-Folks'! Computing is much more fun now than
before. VFILER and VMENU continue to amaze me. In my spare moments I am
exploring the power of ZEX and delving into the many useful components of the
Z-System. It is exciting because, while there is a whole 'universe' of
learning ahead, what I am doing now is already useful in my work. Thanks for
all of your good work!" Rev. David Templin, Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian
Church, West Sacramento, CA, does work of his Lord and finds time to do more.
Rev. Templin, our Z-News renewal policy is stated in Z-News 604-4. Get-you-
started, six-months gratuity is one-time. You know, when work is thought of
(as Third Force, Z-News 303-3, 306-5) in broad terms, we are all in the same
"business."
SUS #7 Progress. Software Update Service diskette #7 takes shape. Here's
how it looks at newsletter-go-to-press time:
Filename.Typ Size K RS Filename.Typ Size K RS Filename.Typ Size K RS
-------- --- ------ -- -------- --- ------ -- -------- --- ------ --
-SUS .007 0 R CRUNCH22.LBR 28 FMANAGER.LBR 70
MCOPY45A.COM 6 MCOPY45A.ZZ0 12 MCOPY45B.COM 6
MCOPY45B.ZZ0 14 MODULA2 .RAS 6 SB180FX .RZS 8
SETFMANG.LBR 12 TPA .COM 2 VFILER .CMD 4
VMENU24 .LBR 76
13 Files Using 244k, 13 Files on Disk and 142k Left
Description of Micromint's new SB180FX single-board computer is contained in
file SB180FX.RZS. MODULA2.RAS is Echelon's advertisement for Turbo Modula-2;
we look for dealers. Please upload MODULA2.RAS to your local RAS, if it is
not already there. Thanks. FMANAGER.LBR and SETFMANG.LBR contain Bob
Peddicord's file and menu manager system. See Z-Node Corner below. By
invoking tpa<cr> you know size of your Transient Program Area. VFILER.CMD is
our latest general purpose CMD script. Change it to suit your needs.
Z-User's Corner. With all the talk and activity concerning file compression,
we thought it a good idea to discuss VFILER CMD script lines used to handle
squeezing and crunching. Until such popular utilities, NULU, VTYPE, and
VFILER get upgraded to handle compressing/uncompressing both, below lines do
(we use patched SYSFCP.ASM as shown in Z-News 508-2):
Using VFILER, Version 4.1h or 4.2b, and its ability to handle both numbers and
letters for user-defined macro commands, we have lots of CMD script
flexibility. "S" for squeezing and crunching--you are prompted for which.
You respond with "y" if you wish to squeeze and "n" if crunch is wanted. "U"
for unsqueezing and uncrunching, either one automatically, by system checking
for either Q or Z as file-type second character.
Instead of USQ, we use UF, Version 2.0, for unsqueezing because of its
quickness. It's on SUS #3. SQ is Version 1.11 on SUS #2. CRUNCH and UNCR
are Version 2.2, on SUS #7 and, of course, on Z-Nodes.
We walk through "S" macro first. After entering lead-in <esc> followed
by "s" characters (lead-in is needed if on "Files" side of VFILER, not from
"#" side), program logs current drive as default, "%d%u:", and prompts you
with echo message. After responding with either "y" or "n", file "%f" is
either squeezed or crunched. Home directory (the directory from which VFILER
was entered) is again made default. Program remembers not to return to
VFILER, a result of the "!" placed after the command letter, until a key is
entered in response to "Strike Any Key" prompt.
Now "U" macro is traversed. Logs current as default, tests file type for
second character; if "q", then unsqueezes. Or if second character is "z",
uncrunching occurs. Then shows "Strike Any Key" prompt after 1) finishing
uncompression or 2) showing "not compresed file" error message if file is
neither squeezed nor crunched.
Variations using extended features of IF.COM, Version 1.4 (SUS #2),
produce similar execution. Prompts are handled differently; overall results
are the same. Use one of below lines for compressing files if you are unable,
or do not want, to patch SYSFCP.ASM as suggested in Z-News 508.
All utility files used above are in A15:ROOT directory along command
search path. See ZCPR3: The Manual, pages 153 through 160, and Z-System
User's Guide, pages 6-16 through 6-18, for more on using VFILER and creating
CMD script.
Z-Node Activity. Bob Peddicord, Z-Node #60 Sysop, Selma, OR, writes programs
when RAS doesn't require his attention. He creates file and menu super-
utility named FMANAGER (on SUS #7). Based on Richard Conn's original VMENU,
he takes his program in direction he thinks our community wants. Keep up the
good work, Bob. VMENU remains "simple," as one of our menu handling programs.
Lunch Break. Dion Vaughn, President of Magnum Digital, manufacturer of PRO-
180 with Z-System for S-100 bus machines (Z-News 306-5, 308-1), writes an
article discussing several methods of implementing 32-bit S-100 systems,
recommends one. Piece is in expanded Vol.1, No.4 of S-100 Journal. If you
want to know more, contact Jay Vilhena, Editor, S-100 Journal, P.O. Box 1914,
Orem, UT, telephone 801/373-0696.
Z-News 605-1 provides names and addresses of three CP/M software
distributors. Here is another: Dynacomp, Inc., P.O. Box 18129, Rochester, NY
14618. They claim to have the largest selection of software available for 8-
bit CP/M-compatible machines. Write for their free 200-page catalog.
In Other Words. We understand U.S. Government investigates potential
ramifications of Fujitsu taking over 80% of Fairchild Semiconductor. What
next? A second round of protectionist legislation--the first was "anti-
dumping." Nothing but a disaster! Restraint-of-trade only leads to lower
standard of living for majority of us.
Does anyone really think bureaucrats in Washington know how to run free-
enterprise businesses? We don't. They spend money, money not belonging to us
or them, money they borrow, like drunken sailors on a week-end binge before
shipping out. Such people are addicted to reacting without having to pay
consequences. Incentives to be responsible don't exist in huge bureaucratic
governments and companies...
Two years ago we critisized MCC, Microelectronics & Computer Technology
Corp., in Austin, TX (Z-News 009-7, 11/12/84). Now, it seems several charter
members are leaving the consortium. But hold onto to your hats. To counter,
MCC management seeks as members other than U.S. companies, to permit Japanese
companies to enter as replacements to U.S. companies vacating. "...a mass of
indirection, no willfulness, no leadership! ...Japanese noble-challenge to
U.S. technology leadership requires our ascending effort, not descending..."
Will we never learn! What has the consortium produced in its near three-years
of existence? Joining MCC costs a corporation one-million dollars. "What is
bred in the bone comes out in the flesh," advises an old proverb. If we
cannot be sufficiently imaginative, productive in our respective companies,
why would a consortium be better?
Where is Yankee determination to excel, to be best, to be champions of
open competition? How can we allow our economic life-death competitors, the
Japanese, into MCC consortium? Who speaks for us, for Earth's future?
====================================================================
Of Angels and Eagles. The United States of America is now the largest debtor
nation in the world. We owe more money than either Brazil or Mexico. Our
imbalance of trade is highlighted in year 1986 by us buying $170 billion more
imports than we export. Our national fiscal budget is not balanced--we live
on borrowed time--spending over $200-billion more per year than received
through taxation. Debt is our engine!
Mid-term elections are over but we didn't hear one candidate--no, not
one--address U.S. competitiveness, neither the President nor any Congressional
or State candidates. When do we build a manufacturing base that sees us
successfully into the future? Manufactured products lead to research and
development which lead to engineering which leads to manufacturing more
products--a neat closed loop.
Art is triumph over chaos. When do we celebrate our success over chaos?
When we put art back into our country, into our psyche. That is when!
Moments in which we are conscious
make It,
the struggle,
worthwhile.
We are accused of being partial, i.e., having bias, in our drinking
habits. No, not true. We like Lynchburg Lemonade (Jack Daniels Bourbon
Whiskey) and Colorado Coolaid (Coors Banquet Beer), in addition to two flavors
of Zinfandel (native red and white California Wine). We also like Tea brewed
from hibiscus flowers, roasted chicory root, orange peel, blackberry leaves,
and lemon grass. But we don't forget that "los que toman vino viven cien
anos," or more. 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): 415/489-9005
Trademarks: Little Board, Bookshelf, Ampro Computers; SB180, SB180FX, GT180,
Micromint; PRO-180, Magnum Digital; ON!, Oneac; DT42, The SemiDisk, Deep
Thought 42, SemiDisk Systems; TR-XL180, M.A.N. Systems; HD63484/64180,
Hitachi; Z-System, ZCPR3, ZRDOS, Z-Tools, Zas, Zlink, Z-Msg, Term3, Quick-
Task, FINDS, PPAL, Lasting-Value Software, Echelon; CP/M, Digital Research;
Unix, AT&T Bell Laboratories; Graphix Toolbox, Turbo Pascal, Turbo Modula-2,
Borland International; Ada, AJPO-DOD; WordStar, Newword, MicroPro
International.
* *
Z sets you FREE!
* *
Z-News 606 is Copyright MCMLXXXVI Echelon, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Permission to reprint, wholly or partially, automatically granted if source
credit is given to Echelon.
