FidoNews is the official newsletter of the International FidoNet
Association, and is published weekly by SEAdog Leader, node 1/1.
You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1/1.
Copyright (C) 1986, by the International FidoNet Association.
All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted
for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
please contact IFNA.
The contents of the articles contained here are not our
responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
Everything here is subject to debate.
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES
GOOD NEWS FOR FIDO SYSOPS & USERS !!!
At last, FrontDoor FIDO Interface!
Curbing Shareware Vendor Abuses [Welch]
Dealing with Seagate
A Proposal for the Funding of IFNA
2. COLUMNS
Data Files to dBASE Files
A request for files
3. WANTED
Device Driver needed
4. FOR SALE
DataCare Hard Disk Utility
Public Domain Software Library Sale!!
The Structured Programming Language for PC/MS DOS Dennis Baer
5. NOTICES
The Interrupt Stack
Logical Technologies
5430 F Lynx Lane
Suite 342
Columbia, MD 21044
>> Fido 109/640 <<
(301) - 964 - 8088
Hello there fellow sysops and users! I guess you are
wondering what this article is REALLY all about. Well my
company, Logical Technologies (LT), has established a fido BBS
in Columbia, MD. There are MANY purposes to our bulletin board.
These "purposes" are listed below in an outline format.
1 - To allow the FREE exchange of information and public
domain software.
2 - To allow LT to recieve orders for computer products via
an ol-line user.
3 - To give Fido Sysops & Sysops to be a place to get:
a - Fido utilities
b - The Latest version of Fido (all formats)
c - All the Newsletters On-line to D/L
Please Note that this bulletin board system does have many
features other that just ordewring product. Now I'm sure you are
all asking... "Why Should I Buy From You???". The Answers are
sort of simple but complex too.
1 - All Purchases By A Fido Sysop or Fido Users Ends up in
a $5.00 or 2% (whichever is greater) to IFNA.
2 - There Are Monthly specials to Fido Users & Sysops.
THESE ARE ONLY AVAILABLE THROUGH THE BBS!!!
3 - NOTE: Fido Sysops are MAY be entitled to a Greater
Discount. Please Call To See If You Qualify!!
4 - All Of OUR Products Are Guarenteed For A period of
1 year or MORE. NO QUSTIONS ASKED To Fido Sysops &
Users.
5 - All Shipments are shipped Fedral Express!!!
(Shipments Leave Our Warehouse withing 5 working days)
How Does All This Sound To You? Good? Great? Incredible?
Fidonews Page 3 6 Oct 1986
If Any Of There Above answers is YES then call TODAY!!!
Now Comes The REAL Tease! Our Normal Price On A FULLY HAYES
Compatible 2400 Baud Internal Modem Is $349.00. If you Call and
mention this Article You Will recieve an additional $20.00 off
your price! That means that the typical Fido user can get a 2400
Baud HAYES Compatible Modem For $329.00 Complete And with a 1
year guarrantee. Where can you beat that? If You Can Some where
else, tell us and If it is a legitimate price we will BEAT it!!!
As you may have heard, several of us met in Chicago to
discuss ways to improve Echomail topology, decrease the amount of
time to move Echomail around the country, and to lay some ground
rules for Echo Conferences. Now we need your help. In order for
the Echomail Regional Coordinators to provide the needed help, we
need to know which nodes carry certain conferences.
Would all of you carrying ANY Echomail conferences please
send a list of the Conferences that you carry to your Echomail
Regional Coordinator. Please name the file NET-NODE.ECH, as in
161-4.ECH. This will help us assist new boards in finding a
logical link up point to all the Conferences out there.
The following are the current Echo Reg. Coordinators:
Region 10 - Butch Walker 161/1 or 161/4:XP
Region 11 - Mike Bader 120/17:XP
Region 12 - None Yet
Region 13 - Gee Wong 107/312:XP
Region 14 - Alex Hartley 100/500:XP
Region 15 - David Dodell 114/15:XP
Region 16 - Bob Hartman 132/101:XP
Region 17 - Randy Bush 122/6:XP
Region 18 - Wes Cowley 137/19:XP
Region 19 - Jon Sabol 124/210:XP
Also, thanks again to Thom Henderson, Gee Wong, Bob Hartman,
Don Walker, Mike Bader, Phil Ardussi, and Jon Sabol for going to
the trouble and expense of flying into Chicago for a one day
meeting. I have published one brief report on the proceedings, the
minutes are in the works, and when they are done we will be
releasing a comprehensive report of what went on. Film at 11:00.
By Joaquim Homrighausen
Sysop at Future Hacker Central 501/4609
September 24th, 1986 at 10:25 pm.
A couple of weeks ago I just ran into a problem with
my own FIDO. It was a user who couldn't figure out
that he had to press RETURN or SPACE a couple of times
to make FIDO start. So I decided to write this GREAT
utility. The first thing I did was to call my friend
Peter Stewart and tell him about this thing we're gonna
write. He said "No problem, sounds like a piece of cake".
Done, we started writing this utility last Saturday. And
now it's ready...what is ready?! FrontDoor v1.0. This is
a program that you put before FIDO to make FIDO start all
by itself without any stupid RETURNS or SPACES. What it
actually does is that it will sit and wait until one of
two things happens: 1) An event is detected within the
next 10 minutes. 2) A incoming call at XXXX baud rate is
detected. If an event is scheduled, FD will exit w/ an
errorlevel (trapable in a .BAT file) so FIDO will just
load and wait until the event time comes. If on the other
hand a incoming call is detected, FD will exit w/ an
errorlevel depending on the baud rate, telling the user
that he's connected and the go and get FIDO!
The program requires a TRULY Hayes compatible modem such
as the Miracle Tech WS3000 (w/ our modified EPROM in it!)
and we do not intend to support any other standard.
It's really a great thing because the screen has got three
windows in FD. One for all the "program messages" such as
"Scheduled event in 10 minutes, getting FIDO...", one for
the modem's response such as "OK" and other stupid messages
that the modem might send. And finally one for the "action"
that's happening. It's failsafe even w/ multitasking
programs. The sysop has got two options, COM1 and COM2.
Future versions may also support COM3. So all you sysops out
there: Give me a mail, and I'll send it to ya! So far, it is
only available from the Swedish Net (501), but I'll start
uploading it to the US net to...the program was written by
Peter Stewart (thanks Peter) and me (Happy Birthday to me on
the 25th of Sep!).
"Let's keep FIDO running..."
Regards / Joaquim Homrighausen, Future Hacker Central FIDO
From: Mark J. Welch, Fido 161/459 [WelchNet, Berkeley, CA]
Curbing Shareware Vendor Abuses
[I've tracked down a bit more information about letters
being sent by PC-SIG to other vendors, as well as
additional information, and I am somewhat (!) upset at the
firm. For background, see FidoNews #336, 22 Sept 1986, p.
8-9.]
Shareware authors may recall that in its early days, PC-SIG
didn't take much care in compiling its library of public-
domain and Shareware titles. For a while, it seemed as if
they'd cleaned up their act, but I'm beginning to believe
that they are now taking many actions that are having very
serious adverse effects on Shareware authors.
The first action brought to my attention was the letter sent
out by PC-SIG to vendors whom it believed were improperly
using its name and disk numbering scheme. Yes, folks, PC-SIG,
after selling its printed directory through bookstores and
allowing other vendors and user groups to use its numbering
scheme for several years, now says it will sue anyone who
uses the same numbering scheme or, apparently, mentions their
name in any way (other than in a disclaimer).
I have no problem with PC-SIG's interest in protecting its
name. (PC-SIG stands for PC Software Interest Group, but
unlike other SIGs in the computer world, PC-SIG is not a user
group: it is a private, for-profit company whose only
business is duplicating and selling public domain and
shareware programs.) However, their method of doing so is at
best misleading, and at worst deliberately calculated to
damage the rights of shareware authors.
In a nine-page threatening letter sent by PC-SIG to several
vendors, PC-SIG's attorney (Thomas Caudill, 408-298-4844)
makes a number of statements that by themselves threaten
shareware authors' copyright and trademark rights:
I. Three times in the letter, Caudill claims that all of
the programs in the PC-SIG library are in the public
domain. Nowhere in the letter is there any
acknowledgement that most of the programs' authors
retain copyright ownership. This sort of claim, if
repeated, has the effect of diluting Shareware authors'
rights.
II. Three times in the letter, PC-SIG claims copyright
ownership of all the disk in the library. In the context
of the letter, the claim seems to be that PC-SIG owns
all rights to these disks and programs, or simply that
PC-SIG owns the copyright to each program in the
Fidonews Page 7 6 Oct 1986
library, including mine. However, I presume that they
are simply claiming that they can copyright the
arrangment of multiple programs combined on a disk
(i.e., a "printer utility" disk). The overbroad claim in
the letter, however, seems to order the recipient to
stop distributing the programs, not just the programs in
the same order PC-SIG puts them.
III. PC-SIG also claims, in the letter, that the recipient
cannot use the same disk names and titles as PC-SIG, as
the disk names are copyrights (trademarks?) of PC-SIG.
This claim is absurd: I own the trademark right to the
names "GAGS" and "Generic Adventure Game System." I
believe other shareware authors own their programs'
titles as well.
IV. The letter also implies that the program authors somehow
work for or with PC-SIG; this is unnerving not just
because I allow many vendors, user groups and BBSs to
distribute GAGS, but because it implies an affiliation
that may lead buyers to assume that PC-SIG has paid the
authors for the programs somehow, thus reducing the
likelihood of anyone ever sending me money. (I've
received many registrations, including some from people
who bought GAGS from other vendors: no one has ever
registered after buying GAGS from PC-SIG.)
V. In the letter, PC-SIG also claims that it can collect
the damages provided in the US Copyright Act, which
implies that they have registered the disks. If so, they
would be in big trouble, since I have not given them
permission to register GAGS as a "derivative work." I
was assured by PC-SIG owner Richard Peterson that the
firm has not, in fact, registered the disks. (Of course,
that means that the list of damages is simply a bluff
that cannot be asked for.)
VI. The letter also says that it has filed legal actions
against other Shareware vendors and that it has obtained
injunctions against others. (One vendor, National Public
Domain Software, has sent its own letter out, telling
its customers that PC-SIG drove it out of business with
a lawsuit.)
Now, as I noted above, I can't object to PC-SIG's legitimate
interest in protecting its name and its directory. However,
when I read the letter and talked to other Shareware vendors,
it wasn't clear whether the goal was to protect its rights or
to drive its competitors out of business. It is using the
money it has made selling MY SOFTWARE to drive other vendors
out of business, thus limiting the overall potential of this
distribution channel. These other vendors, in many cases, are
individuals who can't afford to hire a lawyer.
The most offensive fact is that PC-SIG's letter simply
Fidonews Page 8 6 Oct 1986
tramples on my legal rights. One vendor, who had obtained my
permission to distribute GAGS, pulled it (and other programs)
from his library after receiving PC-SIG's overbroad letter.
It's back in the library, but both that vendor and I lost
sales as a result of PC-SIG's aggression. If other vendors
pull my disk or go out of business because of PC-SIG's
letter, I lose money so that PC-SIG can have a bigger share
of a smaller marketplace.
Of course, if this one letter were the only problem with PC-
SIG, I'd not be so worked up. But GAGS originally made its
way into the PC-SIG library before I gave permission. I found
that it was in the library, and decided to give PC-SIG
permission to distribute the program despite its discourtesy
(and the fact that its earlier distribution was illegal). I
gave them permission, and notified them of each update. They
never sent me anything. PC-SIG completely ignored my update
notices, instead insisting four months later that I had to
mail them the update free in order to get the new versions
into the library. (What a great idea: their cost of goods is
ZERO. They buy disks for 39 cents and sell them for $6 each,
with no costs in between.)
Other authors' programs have found their way into the PC-SIG
library without permission, and in at least one case was sold
despite a clear disclaimer in the program stating that for-
profit vendors like PC-SIG could not distribute it. (This
latter incident speaks well for PC-SIG's claim that it
screens every program carefully.)
And just a few days ago, I discovered that PC-SIG has begun
selling a CD-ROM version of its library, and included GAGS on
that disk in direct violation of the permission letter I gave
them. Again, it never occurred to them to even write me a
letter asking for a change to my permission letter. To this
date, I have never received *anything* by mail from PC-SIG,
not even a catalog.
Yesterday, at the PC-Faire in San Francisco, I picked up
their catalog update/newsletter at their huge booth. In the
catalog comes yet another slap in the face. I expect
companies like PC-SIG to make a good-faith effort to
encourage buyers to pay for their disks. Instead, the firm's
newsletter seems to suggest that Shareware authors make
megabucks. Direct quote:
"Q: Do the authors who ask for a donation or contribution
really make money? A: The high end of scale for people
using the Open Software concept to distribute their
software is $1.5 million to $2.5 million a year. My
estimate is that the average developer earns about $40,000
to $50,000 a year per program. Others make less than $500
a year."
[I must disagree, Mr. Peterson: the average Shareware author
Fidonews Page 9 6 Oct 1986
probably sits a lot closer to your $500 figure, and if the
average author makes $40,000 I'll eat a floppy disk.] The
effect of such a quote is to make buyers think there's no
need to pay Shareware authors, since they already do so well.
The only folks I know who have large grosses are folks like
Bob Wallace and Jim Button, who also do hard marketing. It
looks to me as if most of the money being made in Shareware
is going into PC-SIG's bank account. By itself, that's not
too upsetting: I decided to distribute GAGS as Shareware,
knowing that vendors like PC-SIG may make more money than I.
But I never expected any company to start firing a gun at the
authors who are necessary to its very existence.
Another recent discovery for me is that PC-SIG is in the complete
distribution business now. Not only do they sell disks by mail order
and at trade shows, but they have "authorized dealers" in the US and
even overseas.
I don't know what the result of all of this ought to be. I've
sent a nasty letter to PC-SIG, asking that a retraction of
its letter be sent to everyone who received it, and demanding
that GAGS be removed from the illegal CD-ROM version of the
PC-SIG library. I am still awaiting their reply.
>>>> I'd like to hear from other shareware authors about
their experiences with companies selling public-domain
and shareware programs for profit. I'd also like to
hear from other vendors, and user groups, about their
feelings about this issue. I'll summarize the response
in a future issue of FidoNews.
Mark J. Welch
P.O. Box 2409
San Francisco, CA 94126
(415) 845-2430 [Berkeley]
Fido 125/459 [private]
BIX 'mwelch'
* "GAGS" and "The Generic Adventure Game System" are
trademarks of Mark J. Welch. "PC-SIG" is a trademark of the
PC Software Interest Group, Sunnyvale, CA, 408-730-9291.
Several weeks ago I wrote a somewhat negative piece for these
august pages regarding Seagate, small parts for Seagate drives
and a generally irritated editorial comment about what I think
of folks who maintain a monopolistic attitude.
For what it is worth, I never heard from Seagate. Apparently
nobody at Seagate reads FidoNews.
But now I know of at least TWO people who read FidoNews. Bob
Hartmann does (I am sure nobody is surprised).
So does Brian Walsh, of Logical Technologies in Columbia, MD
(Fido node 109/640).
After the article appeared I heard from Brian, who is among
other things a Seagate distributor. Brian shipped me the parts
I needed via Federal Express, and refused to bill me even for
the express charges.
When I talked to him about the cost, he said that with normal
discounts the parts (two terminating resistor packs) cost less
than a dollar and the cost of paperwork to invoice that amount
was more than the amount was worth.
I have changed my mind about Seagate; not about dealing with
them (I STILL won't deal with them directly), but about the
continued use of their products. I'll buy Seagate again one
day. From Brian Walsh, at Logical Technologies. Even if Father
Seagate does not care, Brian Walsh does.
This is a proposal for one method of providing basic funding to
the International FidoNet Association (IFNA). It is assumed that
the reader already feels that providing funds for IFNA is a
worthwhile objective.
In short, this proposal outlines a method whereby IFNA can obtain
funds by charging dues to its members in a fair and equitable
manner.
Membership in IFNA is determined primarily by ones presence in
the node list. Therefore, I propose that each node be charged a
small, fixed amount for every week that it is in the node list.
I would suggest a fixed fee of one dollar per week. At this
level I would estimate that approximately half of the existing
nodes would drop out, leaving IFNA with total revenues of $25,000
per year. With luck, we would be back to our present 1,000+
nodes by the middle of 1987, giving revenues of $50,000 per year.
The mechanism to accomplish this can be largely automated. The
current MAKENL system would need to be enhanced to make use of an
accounting database. The database would contain a credit balance
for every node, and MAKENL would deduct the weekly fee from the
account for each node for every week that it is in the node list
and neither down nor on hold. If the balance for a given node
goes negative, then MAKENL could remove that node from the
generated node list. Human intervention would be reduced to
entering credits as dues are recieved, and entering changes when
someone changes their node number.
Bells and Whistles:
We will need some mechanism to notify sysops when their credit is
running low. Either MAKENL or, more probably, a separate utility
could generate messages with canned text to remind sysops when
they have 15, 10, 5, 2, 1, and 0 weeks left. We assume here a
one week "grace period", where a sysop is still "in" if he has a
zero balance, and doesn't get dropped until his balance goes
negative. This might, in fact, be left as a program parameter to
allow the grace period to be varied.
Hosts and hubs are generally (always?) duplicate entries. They
are also involved, active sysops. At the very least a host or
hub should not be required to pay for the alternate node number.
We may also wish to make his primary node number free as well.
This could be accomplished (albeit at some difficulty) by
Fidonews Page 12 6 Oct 1986
comparing phone numbers.
We would not want to start out by hitting everyone at once. It
is also to our advantage to spread out people's payment
schedules. This can be accomplished by giving each node now in
the system a credit, randomly chosen between, say, 20 and 50
weeks worth.
While we should have a minimum, it should be very low. Given the
example of charging $1/week, we could set the minimum at $5, thus
allowing a new sysop to join for a relatively brief period to
check things out. We might also offer a discount for longer
signups (such as $50 per year, saving $2) in order to encourage
sysops to sign up for longer periods.
Objections:
We long ago stated that we would continue to provide existing
services for free, and only charge for new services which would
be optional. Hence, this proposal, if pushed by IFNA, would be
rightly seen as a breach of promise. Attempting to establish a
system such as this by fiat would be unethical, immoral, and
(more to the point) would not work.
The systems which choose to drop out rather than pay dues might
form their own network. I would imagine that the majority of
such systems would be those which are not actively involved with
or interested in network mail, so I regard this possibility as
slight. Still, since it would most probably result in the
destruction of FidoNet, it is one which we must consider.
Many sysops, while perhaps not actively objecting, will fail to
pay their dues in time, and be dropped from the list. A few of
these will then pay their dues, but most will not. This will
include sysops who actually agree with our objectives.
This will cause a definite and drastic drop in the size of
FidoNet. System growth will also be slowed. If the reaction is
bad enough, we may actually start to loose systems over the long
haul. FidoNet may end up condemned to a slow, wasting death.
One way or another, a great many people will raise bloody hell
about it.
The first question the curious ask about Dbase II is "Why
bother?" And first acquaintances may be put off by the program's
silence: Instead of an inviting menus of choices there is only
the eternally blinking dot. In what will probably be an
irregular series in our newsletter, I'll try to take you "behind
the Dbase dot" to show some of the power of Dbase II and drop
some hints that may make it easier to use.
The blinking dot is really a kind of question mark. Dbase is
waiting for you to type in a command telling it what to do (the
first four letters will do--that's Hint #1). That means you have
immediate access an astounding amount of power. Dbase lets you
use the information in your files in ways Perfect Filer never
dreamed of--but you do have to know what to ask for.
Fortunately, the commands are words you'd expect: LIST, DELETE,
APPEND, LOCATE, FIND, etc. The manual is hardly a great one, but
its tutorials are a decent introduction to these basic commands.
The most-asked question is "How can I get the files I already
have into Dbase II?" It's simple. Take your Christmas card list
as an example; each entry has a First Name, Last Name, Street,
City, State, and Zip. The entire entry is called a RECORD, and
each item is called a FIELD. The first step is to CREATE a Dbase
file with specifications something like this--call it
XMASLIST.DBF:
Field name Field Type Field width
-----------------------------------
FIRSTNAME - CHARACTERS 10 spaces
LASTNAME - CHARACTERS 10 spaces
STREET - CHARACTERS 15 spaces
CITY - CHARACTERS 10 spaces
STATE - CHARACTERS 2 spaces
ZIP - CHARACTERS 5 spaces
To get your list into Dbase II, you need to make an ASCII text
file of your data. Let's call it MYFILE.TXT. The "ASCII" simply
means "letters & numbers only" --no control codes. Another way
of saying this is to make a list of your data that your word
processor can read (in the NON-DOCUMENT MODE for Wordstar users).
Dbase II accepts text data in two forms:
1) In the first form, the spacing is critical. To match the
Dbase file above, you'd want a document that looked like this:
Santa Claus Icy Way
Fidonews Page 14 6 Oct 1986
Sally Doe 101 2nd Ave. --->
12345678901234567890123456789012345
Toytown NP01225
New York NY10101
12345678901212345
(the numbers are for reference only--don't put them in your
file.)
Notice that each piece of information occupies exactly the
number of spaces specified in the database, and there's a
Carriage Return at the end of each record. Your present
database can probably create a document like this with its
Report or List function.
2) In the second method, spacing is unimportant, although the
data items can't be longer than specified in the Dbase file or
they'll be chopped off. This time the data would look like
this:
Now each piece of information is separated from the next by a
comma. And there's another comma as well as a Carriage Return
at the end of each line or record. This form might be easy to
produce with a word processor.
To get the data from these forms into the Dbase File, get to the
infamous dot prompt. (I'll let you fill in the appropriate A: or
B: depending on your system in these examples.) At the prompt
enter "USE XMASLIST" which makes that file active. Then, for
form 1, say "APPEND FROM MYFILE.TXT SDF". SDF means Standard
Data Format. For form 2, say "APPEND FROM MYFILE.TXT DELIMITED"-
-DELIMITED tells Dbase to look for comas between each field.
Dbase II will read your text file and fill the database with your
information.
The next question is "Now What?!" The real power of Dbase lies in
the fact that you can write a sequence of the commands in a file-
-which makes it a programming language. That's how Dbase II is
used for so many business applications, custom-tailored to
specific needs. In my own work, a Dbase program of these
commands keeps track of business contacts, writes my letters,
keeps track of my appointments, and even dials my phone.
I am making a request from all authors of Fido clones, support
programs, and utility programs associated with the running of Fido.
I am setting up my system to be the "first??" all Fido support
system in the net. I will be adding files related to the operation of
or configuration of Fido in all available formats (ie DEC, SANYO,
etc) and am attempting to set up a file area for utilities, another
for Fido software, yet another for modem help including made to order
"fidomdm.bbs" files and last but not least messagebases for use as a
central information point for suggestions, ideas or what-have-you
concerning our illustrious dog.
I have also acquired ALL back issues of FidoNews and have these
available for d/l along with as many Fido related files as I could
possibly locate. I have been robbing systems from coast to coast
amassing these files and would like to invite you to call, look
around, take what you want and Upload anything you have that I don't
!
I am doing this without any consultation with national (although
I don't think they will mind too awfully much (please Ken, can I ,
huh, can I PlEEEEEEEASEEEEEE). I would like to try to set up a system
that anyone can call and find what they need for operating Fido. This
would end a great amount of confusion as to where to locate any
utility needed for operation of your system. I mean after all, one
call does it all, right?
I will keep the latest versions on-line where possible and ask
that if you have a later version then mine, upload it. I will be
assembling a list of the files each week and placing it in area 1
under the name ALLFILES.ARC so that you may call and d/l it, peruse
it, call back and get what you want.
Authors......you got something you want distributed...LET ME
HAVE IT ! You got an update to one of my files. LET ME HAVE IT ! You
wanna make a suggestion for a new utility, TELL ME. Looking for ideas
for yet another utility, LOOK HERE FIRST !
I can't offer much in the way of physical support for INFA and
what they stand for but I have a computer, a phone line, and the
desire to help out. And if this will help, GREAT !
Does anyone out there know of a device driver or other resi-
dent program that I can use in place of a "CTTY COM1:"? The
goal is to have standard output simultaneously redirected to
both the console AND the modem, thereby making it possible for
me to see what my users are doing while they're O)utside Fido.
It's a simple concept, but having little knowledge of
device drivers and even less of the internal BIOS of my IBM
XT clone, I'm finding that capturing standard output for re-
direction to two places at once isn't as easy as I thought.
Please send replies/suggestions to me at 109/610. Any help
in this matter would be GREATLY appreciated.
=================================================================
FOR SALE
=================================================================
Ellicott Software
Fido 109/628
DataCare, a PC Magazine choice in its recent review of hard
disk products, is available at a new low price - $49.95, down
from $129.95. This is the same product that has been favorably
reviewed. The price is for a limited time only.
This product is used by a number of Fido BBS's in net 109, and
has found favor with many people that are not SYSOPS in the
Baltimore - DC - Virginia area.
Three-week trials are available from any user of the product.
The review can be read in the PC magazine issue that had as its
emphasis EGA boards. A review has also appeared in FidoNews
Volume 3 Issue 29, written by the Sysop of Fido 109/628, the
Reindeer Shed in Reisterstown, who uses and loves the product.
DataCare is published by:
Ellicott Software, Inc.
3777 Plum Hill Court
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Public Domain collection - 550+ "ARC" archives - 20+ megs of
software and other goodies, and that's "archived" size!
When unpacked, you get approximately 28 megabytes worth of
all kinds of software, from text editors to games to
unprotection schemes to communications programs, compilers,
interpreters, etc... Over 66 DS/DD diskettes!! This
collection is the result of more than 15 months of intensive
downloads from just about 150 or more BBS's and other
sources, all of which have been examined, indexed and
archived for your convenience. Starting a Bulletin Board
System? Want to add on to your software base without
spending thousands of dollars? This is the answer!!!
To order the library, send $100 (personal or company check,
postal money order or company purchase order) to:
Micro Consulting Associates, Fido 166/1
Post Office Box 4296
200-1/2 E. Balboa Boulevard
Balboa, Ca. 92661-4296
Please allow 3 weeks for delivery of your order.
Note: No profit is made from the sale of the Public Domain
software in this collection. The price is applied entirely
to the cost of downloading the software over the phone
lines, running a BBS to receive file submissions, and
inspecting, cataloguing, archiving and maintaining the
files. Obtaining this software yourself through the use of a
computer with a modem using commercial phone access would
cost you much more than what we charge for the service...
The following format choices are available:
- IBM PC-DOS Backup utility
- Zenith MS-DOS 2.11 Backup Utility
- DSBackup
- Fastback
- ACS INTRCPT 720k format (Requires a 1.2m floppy
drive and PC-DOS 3.2)
- Plain ol' files (add $50)
Add $30 if you want the library on 1.2 meg AT disks (more
expensive disks). There are no shipping or handling
charges. California residents add 6% tax.
For each sale, $10 will go to the FidoNet Administrators.
The Structured Programming Language is a SHARE WARE free format
block structured programming language that runs on MSDOS and
PCDOS computer systems. It may be obtained by calling a bulletin
board system at 516 334 8221. Download SPLLIB.ARC at 1200 or 300
baud. It takes only 20 minutes to download at 1200 baud. It is
also available from PC BLUE in New York City. If you like the
software I strongly recommend that you REGISTER and PAY for the
software because I would like to make an honest living just like
you do. There is no need to be validated on the bbs to download
files. For software support call Electronic Digital Computer
Systems at 516 694 5872. In the near future look for the
language on net.micro.pc conference on USENET.
Some major features and advantages of SPL
o SPL is an alternative to the PASCAL and C languages
o SPL programs can be run on MACINTOSH,AMIGA,ATARI ST,CP/M
o The SPL processor will run on MSDOS emulators on MACINTOSH,
AMIGA,ATARI ST
o PROCEDURES
o WHILE loops
o FOR loops with REAL and INTEGER indicies and increments
o REPEAT loops
o Powerful IF THEN ELSE constructs
o Powerful RANDOM and SEQUENTIAL INPUT/OUTPUT including
formatted OUTPUT
o GRAPHICS statements PSET DRAW LINE CIRCLE PRESET SCREEN .....
o BEGIN END blocks
o ERROR trapping
o Statement labels (multiple labels supported)
o Strong data types INTEGER REAL STRING scalars and arrays
o Names of variables and labels up to 40 characters upper and
lower case
o Supports mathematical functions SIN COS TAN LOG EXP .....
o STRING functions MID$ LEFT$ RIGHT$ STR$ VAL$ ASC$ .....
o Your compiled BASIC programs do not become obsolete link
them together
o SPL programs run faster than PASCAL programs
o SPL programs can take advantage of an entire 640k IBM PC
o The SPL processor will work on an IBM PCjr with 128k and
1 drive
