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Copyright 1987 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.
Four Weeks to FidoCon!
Table of Contents
1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
FidoNet Conference Information ........................... 1
Tentative Conference Agenda .............................. 2
Living with DOS: Disk Caches ............................ 4
MGM: A New Echomail System ............................... 15
Tandy User Group Newsletter .............................. 18
FUN messing with USERS or I'll be Dutched ................ 22
2. COLUMNS .................................................. 27
The Broadcasters Booth - 24 hr mail ...................... 27
The Regular Irregular Column ............................. 29
3. WANTED ................................................... 34
INFORMATION "FEEDS" WANTED ............................... 34
4. NOTICES .................................................. 35
Don Brauns ............................................... 35
The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 35
Latest Software Versions ................................. 36
International FidoNet Conference Registration Form ....... 37
IFNA Order Form and Membership Application ............... 38
FidoNews 4-27 Page 1 20 Jul 1987
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
August 20th to 23rd
FidoNet Conference Information
Your participation will help to ensure a successful and
informative conference. Send in your registration form NOW.
The registration form for the conference does not include hotel
accommodations. The conference will be held at the Radisson Mark
Plaza Hotel. If you wish to stay there you must contact the
hotel directly.
Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel
5000 Seminary Road., Alexandria, VA 22311
1-800-228-9822
Mention that you are with the FidoNet Conference and you will
receive discounted room rates. The Radisson has agreed to extend
these rates for any who wish to stay on after the conference and
visit our nation's capital. The Radisson provides free
transportation to and from National Airport any time of the day.
A Metro stop (subway) at the airport will give you access to the
Smithsonian, the Zoo, and other national landmarks in the
District.
Room Rates for the Conference:
Single or Double Occupancy: $80.00 /night
One additional cot in a room: $20.00/night
Children under 17 accompanied by an adult: Free
If you wish to share a room and need a roommate, please contact
Brian Hughs at 109/634. He will help you find someone to share a
room with.
NOTE: You must register with the Radisson before August first to
be guaranteed the discounted room rate! Book your room
NOW!
There are four restaurants in the Radisson ranging from
relatively "inexpensive" to "very, very, expensive". The sysops
in net 109 are compiling a list of establishments in the
surrounding neighborhood which will be available when you get to
the conference. During the Conference there will be a Banquet on
Friday night and a luncheon on Saturday. If you are interested
in attending these, don't forget to mark them on your
registration form.
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
August 20th to 23rd
Alexandria, Virginia
Tentative Conference Agenda
I. Thursday Night
A. 1500 Registration
B. 1900 Welcome party
- Cash bar
- Free hors-douvers
C. 2100 Deadline for IFNA Board of Directors votes
II. Friday Morning
A. 0900 Opening ceremonies
- Ken Kaplan, Executive Director of IFNA
- Thom Henderson, Editor of FidoNews
- New Board of Directors introduced
1. Bob Morris, Chairman of Nominations and Elections
B. 1000 Report from the FidoNet Standards Committee
- Ryugen Fisher, Chairman of the FTSC
- Ben Baker
- Thom Henderson
- Bob Hartman
C. 1100 High speed modems
- Bob Hartman, Chairman of the 9600 baud subcommittee
- Ray Gwinn
- Gee Wong
III. Break for lunch
IV. Friday Afternoon - Technical Track
A. 1330 Fido Version 12
- Tom Jennings
B. 1430 Opus
- Vince Perriello
C. 1530 TBBS
- Phil Becker
D. 1630 Dutchie
- Henk Wevers
V. Friday Afternoon - Legal Track
A. 1330 Patents, Copyrights, and Trademarks
- Tom Marshall, Esq.
B. 1430 Amateur and Commercial Electronic Mail
- Mike Cavanaugh
Electronic Mail Association
C. 1530 Legal Aspects of Electronic Mail
- Philip M. Walker
Vice President and Regulatory Council
Telenet Communications Corporation
D. 1630 Legal Issues Arising for BBS Sysops
- Rees Morrison
Sysop, Author, and member of the Bar
- Jonathan Wallace
Sysop of Compuserve Law SIG
FidoNews 4-27 Page 3 20 Jul 1987
VI. Banquet
A. 1930 Dinner
B. 2030 Speaker
- George Bond
Senior Executive Editor
Byte Information Exchange (BIX)
VII. Saturday Morning
A. 0900 FidoNet in North America
- Ben Baker, Zone 1 Coordinator
B. 1000 FidoNet in Europe
- Henk Wevers, Zone 2 Coordinator
C. 1100 FidoNet on the MacIntosh
- Michael Connick
Author of "The Mouse Exchange"
III. Luncheon
A. 1200 Lunch
B. 1300 Speaker
- To Be Announced
Chairman of the Board of Directors
IX. Saturday Afternoon
A. 1330 Routing
- Ben Baker
B. 1430 Extended Addressing: Zones and Points
- Thom Henderson
- Henk Wevers
C. 1530 Future Directions for EchoMail
- Bob Hartman
- Phil Becker
- Gee Wong
- Thom Henderson
D. 1630 The FidoNet<=>UseNet Gateway
- Speaker to be announced
X. Sunday
A. 1000 IFNA Board of Directors meeting
- Open to all IFNA members
Pre-registration required
- Breakfast will be served
Copyright (c) 1987, Capital PC User Group Inc. This material may
be republished only for use by other not-for-profit user groups.
I/O, I/O, Its Off to Work We Go!
There is much noise made about running 286 based machines at 8,
10 or even 12 Megahertz. While running your computer's
microprocessor at a faster speed will make a difference, for many
tasks the difference is bounded because the limiting factor is
often the speed of your input and output devices known
collectively as I/O. That these devices slow down the CPU is
seen by the typical times involved. 8 MHz means that the CPU goes
through 8 million cycles per second. Since a single instruction
on the 80xx family of chips takes from two to over twenty cycles,
a CPU in the current generation of MS-DOS machine can run at
roughly 1 MIPS (millions of instructions per second).
Memory chips are rated at speeds of 70-200 nanoseconds. A
nanosecond is a billionth of a second which means that such chips
are capable of speed comparable to CPU speeds. That the speeds
are slightly less is shown by the need for "wait states", which
slow down the CPU to allow access to memory at its speed; RAM
speeds, however, are roughly equal to those of the CPU. I/O
speeds are considerably less. Even a fast hard disk rated at 20
milliseconds has a rated speed 100,000 times the speeds
associated to RAM. Of course, because the RAM speed is a
statement about each access and hard disk access times involve
the first access of a disk sector, the actual ratios are not that
bad.
But memory access, even by slow memory chips, is much faster than
even speedy hard disks; diskettes are even slower. While disk
transfer rates are slower than RAM exchanges, they are speedy
compared to output through parallel or serial ports, where
transfer rates are measured in 100's of bytes per second. (1200
baud, for example, means roughly 120 characters per second.) And
your console, the name for the combined keyboard/monitor I/O
device must interface the computer's slowest component -- you;
its speeds are often the slowest of all.
There are software tools to try to speed up I/O especially by
using RAM for certain operations. This month, I'll discuss one
category of those tools -- disk caches; programs that can
substantially speed up disk access.
In this article, I discuss six commercial and one
shareware disk cache programs; the programs are:
o Emmcache, a shareware product by Frank Lozier;
FidoNews 4-27 Page 5 20 Jul 1987
o Lightning from the Personal Computer Support Group;
o Polyboost from Polytron;
o Quickcache from Microsystems Developers, Inc.;
o Speedcache from FSS Ltd;
o Super PC-Kwik from Multisoft Corp.; and
o Vcache from Golden Bow Systems.
What Is a Disk Cache?
Disk caches are based on the idea that you are likely to want to
access a file that you accessed recently. This is not only true
for obvious data files like a database which you might search
several times in a row, but also for program overlays and for the
files that DOS often consults to locate other files: the FAT and
the various directories, especially the root directory.
Thus every time that a file is accessed, a cache will keep a copy
of that file in memory set aside especially for that purpose.
Since this special memory is limited, the cache has to have an
algorithm to decide which parts of the cache to clear out to make
room for new sectors. All the caches under discussion use the
algorithm of discarding those parts of the cache which were least
recently accessed; that is, not the ones that were first read the
longest ago but rather than ones which were needed longest ago.
Whenever DOS calls for a sector from disk, the cache program
intercepts the call to check if the requested material is in the
cache memory. If it is, the copy in memory is used and a disk
access is saved. A cache can avoid anywhere from one-third to
two-thirds of your disk accesses. To allow a large cache, it is
natural to put the data part of the cache (that is, the copies of
the sectors which were read rather than code that controls this
data) in extended or expanded memory.
For safety's sake, you would not want these programs to delay
writing to disk material that DOS wants to write to disk; this is
called keeping dirty buffers and none of these programs keep
dirty buffers. However, as I'll explain, DOS does some of its
own disk caching and it does keep dirty buffers which can produce
problems.
Do not confuse keeping dirty buffers, that is delaying writing to
disk, with caching writes. The latter means that the cache
writes to disk but keeps a copy of the material which is written
to disk if it is different from the copy that was read
previously. For example, if you load a file in your word
processor, change it and save it, a program that caches writes
will save a copy of the final file version in its cache while one
that does not, will not keep such a copy. All the commercial
programs discussed in this article cache writes, but Emmcache
FidoNews 4-27 Page 6 20 Jul 1987
does not.
When I first started using a cache, I found the experience eerie.
I'd do some action that I often did and wondered why my disk
access light wasn't going on.
Types of Memory
In our discussion of caching, various references will be made to
the different kinds of memory that are available to microcomputer
users. These include:
o Conventional memory, the 640K of Random Access Memory (RAM)
that is readily accessible by most 8088/8086/80186 computers.
o Extended memory, the memory above 1 megabyte (up to 16
megabytes) that is accessible by 80286 computers. This memory
is not normally accessible for use as conventional memory but
is generally used for RAM disks, disk caches or print spoolers.
o Lotus/Intel/Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification (LIM EMS)
and supporting memory boards (up to 8 megabytes) are paged in
and out of conventional memory, thereby providing the user with
additional memory for supported software.
Not a Memory Cache
You should be careful to distinguish between a disk cache and
memory caches. There are circumstances where it may happen that
some of your RAM runs at a higher speed than most of your RAM.
In that case, it may pay to cache some of the reading of
instructions from the slow RAM to speed up programs with loops.
Two situations are where you add a speedup (usually 80186- or
80286-based) board to a PC with lots of old RAM typically at 200
nanoseconds or with 386 machines where RAM that keeps up with the
processor should be rated at 100 or even 70 nanoseconds. In any
event, these situations involve a memory cache, not a disk cache
which is the subject of this article.
Caches Versus RAM Disks
You can also cut down on access to a physical disk by using a RAM
disk, that is by setting aside a part of RAM as a virtual disk
which DOS accesses as if it were an ordinary disk. There are
several differences between RAM disks and disk caches. Accessing
files from a RAM disk is often slightly faster as our time tests
will show. Moreover, the first access of a file with a cache
will be slower than later accesses. On the negative side, you
must decide in advance which files you'll want on the RAM disk;
you'll also have to be sure to copy any changed data files from
the RAM disk to a real disk or risk losing them when you power
down or if your system crashes.
FidoNews 4-27 Page 7 20 Jul 1987
Which should you use? That depends on how you use your computer.
If you only use a few programs without extensive data files, a
RAM disk is probably better if you can make one large enough to
hold what it needs to. In other circumstances, a cache may be
preferable. If you have the RAM, there may be sense in using
both: a RAM disk for your common programs and a cache to take up
the slack. Most of the cache programs have built-in procedures
to avoid caching programs from the RAM disk, allowing you to save
valuable cache space for files from your physical disks.
Read Ahead
Many caches will "read ahead", that is, read in an entire track
whenever any reading takes place. If your files are large and
not fragmented, this can give you a real speed advantage but if
not, your cache will fill up with unused material. On a hard
disk with many isolated bad sectors, read ahead can actually slow
down disk access because of phantom disk errors. Lightning,
Super PC-Kwik, and Vcache have read ahead while the others do
not. Super PC-Kwik has the advantage of having read ahead as an
option that you can turn off. The makers of Polyboost maintain
that since most hard disks have errors and fragmented files,
their lack of read ahead is a gain over the competition, but I
think it will depend very much on your individual setup. In my
own case, for example, I have turned read ahead off when running
on my main machine because of the isolated bad sectors on my hard
disk.
Are Caches Dangerous?
If your word processor fouls up a file write, all you are likely
to lose is the file you wanted to save. Typically, the files in
your cache include the FATs and root directories of your disks.
If these go bad, you are likely to have real problems getting to
any of the data on your entire disk.
There are various tools which can help you recover from such a
disaster, but they may not always work. This means that caches
have an inherent danger to them. Of course, since DOS is also
writing these files all the time, you could make the argument
that caches are no more dangerous than DOS; perhaps even less so,
since DOS keeps dirty buffers.
I cannot answer the questions about whether disk caches are
really dangerous. I can report that I've met several users who
are sure that problems they've had with FATs were caused by cache
programs. This may well be true, although it is also true that
if you have any problems with the logical structure of your disk
and you have a cache, you are likely to blame the cache. During
the testing of cache programs which went over six months, I lost
the contents of one of my hard disks three times. Two seemed to
be hardware problems solved in one case by a low level reformat
and in the other by a disk replacement. But the third one
involved a piece of software crashing the system; after
FidoNews 4-27 Page 8 20 Jul 1987
rebooting, the root directory on the hard disk was chopped liver.
I'm suspicious that the culprit was the cache I was using but
maybe it was DOS' dirty buffers or the program that crashed in
the first place. All I can say is that caching may be risky.
You should be sure to back up often but especially so if you have
a cache. In fact, unless you are willing to back up regularly, I
recommend strongly against a cache. On the other hand, caches
are rather useful. I'm still using a cache in spite of the
problems that I had and some of those who are certain that they
had cache related problems are still using them. And I've met
people who feel that caches are among their most important
utilities.
Non-standard Setups
Because of the inherent dangers in caching and because caching
involves modifications of the disk BIOS, you need to be extremely
careful if your disk setup is non standard. You may need to
consult the vendors. Super PC-Kwik explicitly says not to use it
if you have a Bernoulli Box while Vcache says that it supports
these devices. The publishers of Vcache warned me not to use
Vcache with my 60 Meg Priam disk which I partitioned with Priam's
software into two 30 Meg drives.
Only large disks handled with the VFEATURE program they publish
are compatible with Vcache. On the other hand, Super PC-Kwik
warns against disks with non-standard sector sizes but said that
it should work with software making multiple standard DOS
partitions. I was warned that they had not tested the program
with the Priam software but I can report that it worked
perfectly. Here, my advice is to check with the publishers, be
sure that you are backed up and run CHKDSK several times a day
when you first try a caching program with anything non-standard.
With these programs, you cannot cache a network by having a cache
on your work station although you can sometimes cache the network
disks with a cache on the server. These are complex issues and
before attempting to use caches on machines connected to LANs,
you should be sure to speak with both the cache vendor and the
network vendor.
There is a second warning that needs to be made about using these
programs with AT extended memory, an option that is only
available with Polyboost, Super PC-Kwik and Vcache.
Unfortunately, there is no memory management protocol for AT
extended memory provided by the current versions of DOS. This
lack of a standard means there is potential for programs that you
try to load there to not know of each others existence and to
therefore overwrite each other. Since IBM publishes the source
code for VDISK, all these programs know about its protocol and
can avoid clobbering it. The situation is not so good for other
virtual disk programs. I've seen complaints about problems with
AST's SUPERSPL program and I've had problems with a cache in
extended memory overwriting a RAM disk set with the RAMDRV
program included with Microsoft Windows and with some versions of
FidoNews 4-27 Page 9 20 Jul 1987
MS-DOS. It is unfortunate that Microsoft has not published the
specifications that this program uses to access extended memory.
So, if you are using any other programs in extended memory and
using an extended memory cache, be sure to check out the
operation of the other programs after the cache is loaded. Super
PC-Kwik and Vcache have a command line parameter which you can
use to give the program an absolute address in extended memory at
which to load and so avoid the conflict "by hand". That they
have to resort to such a kludge speaks to the rather sorry state
of extended memory support in DOS 3.x.
A second aspect of caches in extended memory is that access of
extended memory involves features in the ROM BIOS that are not
often used in the current generation of AT software. Thus, the
operation may be improper on some AT clones. In fact, Vcache
comes with a program to test the BIOS access of extended memory.
If there is a problem, the clone maker must correct it.
Given the advent of a DOS that will access extended memory, it is
essential to get such problems rectified.
Two of the programs Speedcache and Quickcache load as device
drivers rather than as com files. Conventional wisdom would hold
that device drivers are somewhat less prone to compatibility
problems but I don't know if that is valid in these cases.
Use Your Free Cache
If you don't purchase and use one of these stand alone caching
programs, you should at least be sure to make use of the free
cache that comes with DOS. The cache size is set in units of 512
bytes called buffers. The default number, which DOS uses if you
don't specify otherwise, is two for 8088 machines and three for
80826 based machines; both are woefully inadequate. To increase
the number of buffers you must include a line
buffers=nn
in your config.sys file. Here nn is the number of buffers that
you want and the recommended numbers tend to be from 15 to 20.
Why not take buffers=99? The algorithms that DOS uses are not as
efficient as those in commercial caches so that the time it takes
to search the buffers to see if the proper sector is in the
buffer negates the time saved once the number of buffers becomes
too high.
What are the disadvantages of using buffers for a cache? First
there is the issue of dirty buffers. Actually, just using a
commercial cache doesn't effect this since caches still use DOS
for reading and writing and so the DOS buffers will still get
used. However, a cache that lets you decrease the number of
buffers that you use will force DOS to write its buffers to disk
more often because of space considerations. Another disadvantage
of DOS buffers is that since it is based on 512 byte chunks, if a
FidoNews 4-27 Page 10 20 Jul 1987
program requests more than that at once, DOS will always go to
disk and not check to see if the request is residing in its
buffers. Finally, there is the size issue that I mentioned; for
really large caches, you'll need a commercial program.
In short, if you don't use a commercial caching program, be sure
to put a line like
buffers=20
into your config.sys file.
Parameters
Once loaded, cache programs act in the background and require no
action or input from the user. But some of these programs have
option switches which you'll need to study carefully to load the
program to operate in an optimal manner. For many, the defaults
will be correct, but you'all at least want to adjust the cache
size.
What is the proper size? That's a trade off-between what else
you want to use your RAM for and how you use your machine. I
have the impression that unless your cache is at least 60K, you
may be better served by DOS buffers although for some operations,
a 20K cache will show a noticeable improvement.
Lightning has the annoying feature of using EMS memory if you
have it, even if you'd prefer to use conventional memory; it does
not support AT extended memory. As the name implies, Emmcache
uses only EMS memory. Speedcache supports the special bank
switching protocol on the Tall Tree JRAM boards as well as
conventional and EMS memory. For the other programs, you'll have
to decide whether your cache will reside in conventional, EMS or
AT extended memory and how much memory it will take. Be warned
that some of the programs default to rather unreasonable values
of cache size, such as all the remaining EMS memory or all the
conventional memory except for 232K for your remaining programs.
Other parameters vary from program to program and concern things
like what drives to cache and what algorithms to use in specific
cases. For all but the what and how much memory to use, you can
probably get away with using the defaults initially.
Super PC-Kwik has many switches and it may pay to vary some of
the switches and do some testing if some aspects of performance
seem below what you expect. For example, on the Kaypro 286i,
changing the diskette parameter from the default /d+ to /d-
resulted in an improvement of the diskettes test by a factor of
more than 4!
Memory Usage
Table 1 shows memory usage of the cache; it lists the amount of
conventional memory used by the control part of the software
FidoNews 4-27 Page 11 20 Jul 1987
exclusive of the memory taken by the cache. If you put the cache
in conventional memory, the amount in this table will be
overwhelmed by the amount of memory taken by the cache itself
but, if you place the cache in EMS or extended memory, this
figure will be quite important. For some of the conventional
memory caches, you pick only the total size of cache plus
controlling code.
For these, the amount of memory in the control part cannot be
determined; these are indicated in the Table with an *. All
numbers are in kilobytes except for the first row. For those
that allow you to decrease the number of DOS buffers, the second
row can show a rather significant savings. The figures for
diskette cache give the amount needed to cache two diskette
drives; for several of the programs, diskette caching is
automatic and this amount is then listed as zero. Polyboost
suggests that you won't need to cache diskette drives if you have
a hard drive; depending on your mode of operation, that may be
true.
All the programs except for Polyboost will cache several hard
disks from the same cache with only one loading of the control
software. Polyboost requires multiple loading of its hard disk
cache which has two unfortunate consequences: you double the
overhead involved with the cache control software and you must
dedicate memory as associated with either one hard disk or the
other; this isn't useful if you tend to work on one hard disk for
a while and then switch to the other. Polyboost's caching is
limited to two hard disks. Two of the programs, Quickcache and
Speedcache, use an "advanced" EMS call not supported in the
current version of the Xebec Amnesia board software which I was
using; therefore, I am not able to report their memory usage. In
this instance, Speedcache printed an error message and exited
without loading and Quickcache crashed the system.
(Table 1 goes here)
Time tests
Table 2 shows the results of time tests. The tests are intended
to be "real world" tests. Tests 1-4 are tests of cache read
functions. Test 1 is the time to sort a 140K database that I had
just sorted a different way. This demonstrates the savings you
would get from repeated access to a database. Test 2 is the time
to spell check a 40K document through the first pass which checks
for possible misspellings. Test 3 is the time it took to convert
a 500K database from one version of a database I had to another.
Test 4 is the time to compile, link and EXE2BIN a 100K file which
I had just treated by MASM, LINK and EXE2BIN on a hard disk and
edited. This is typical of a situation where you may get a
compiler error, correct the source file, and then recompile.
Test 5 and 6 test the ability to speed up disk writing. Test 5
is a PC Magazine "write random sectors" test. This test writes
the same data repeatedly to sectors which may be the same and so
FidoNews 4-27 Page 12 20 Jul 1987
it is particularly sensitive to the trick that caches use of
suppressing a rewrite of identical data to what was earlier
written to disk. Test 6 is a patched version of test 5 which
writes different data each time. It was supplied to me by the
publisher of Super PC-Kwik but I think it is a more significant
test than the original test 5.
The remaining tests attempt to check cache overhead or special
elements and are not as significant. Test 7 is the time it took
to copy 10 files adding to 350K from a hard disk to a floppy and
test 8 is the same for a floppy to floppy copy.
Tests 9, 10 and 11 are Norton's disk test program on a hard disk,
1.2 megabyte floppy, and regular floppy, respectively. The
Norton tests are included because the results are so dramatic.
These dramatic speed increases over DOS are due mainly to read
ahead as can be seen by running Super PC-Kwik with this option
turned off. The copy tests check on whether there is time lost
because of cache overhead.
The three columns listing DOS nn are tests done with no cache and
nn buffers. Tests 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 were also done from a 1
megabyte RAM disk and Test 3 using two 1 megabyte RAM disks. For
vague comparison purposes only, three other times are reported
within asterisks: The time for a Norton disk test on a 2.4 Meg
RAM disk (#9), and the times to copy the same set of files used
in Tests 7 and 8 from a hard disk to a RAM disk (as #7) and from
one RAM disk to another (as #8).
All the tests are done on a Kaypro 286i with a Xebec EMS board.
To check how much overhead EMS causes, I ran the tests for Super
PC-Kwik in both EMS and conventional memory. This overhead is
due to the lack of DMA support in EMS and not to the bank
switching. Since I could not get Quickcache and Speedcache to
run under this EMS setup, I did their tests in conventional
memory which gives them a slight advantage. I used the
recommended number of DOS buffers with buffers=20 in those cases
with no recommendation about decreasing the number of buffers. I
used 256K of cache. For all the tests but Tests 8, 10 and 11,
the cache was only hard disk for those programs (Polyboost,
Vcache) with separate diskette caches. For Vcache, I used a 240K
vs. 24K split between disk and diskette caches and for Polyboost,
which requires separate caches for each diskette, I used a 256K
hard disk cache and 16K for each diskette.
(Table 2 goes here)
First, the test results illustrate the importance of increasing
buffers above the default 2 or 3 if you are not using a cache;
they also illustrate that there is a break point where too many
buffers can hurt you. On things that caches do well (Tests 1-4),
caches are competitive with RAM disks.
On Test #1 which is the most typical application of a cache, the
cache programs all showed the same rather substantial gain.
While there is a some spread on the other figures, the read tests
FidoNews 4-27 Page 13 20 Jul 1987
really don't distinguish between the different caches. On
writing, I'd give the nod to Super PC-Kwik and note that none of
the tests adequately check for caching writes. The lack of this
feature in Emmcache made me lean towards Super PC-Kwik. While
Super PC-Kwik stands out as special in a positive way on writes,
it also stands out negatively on diskette copies.
While on the subject of time tests, I should mention that
Lightning allows you to call up a screen which tells you how much
time you have saved by using the cache. Its figures are pure
fairy tale! I found that often it told me that I'd saved time in
situations where I'd actually taken more time than using
buffers=20. Presumably, it was using some algorithm giving me a
comparison on some kind of slow 8088 based machine with
buffers=2. Super PC-Kwik and Vcache will give you the more
accurate listing of the number of accesses that have been from
the cache as opposed to disk accesses.
Screen Speedup
Polyboost and Vcache come with screen speedup programs; Polyboost
also has a keyboard speedup program which I did not test. Table
3 shows tests that I did in typing the same 111K file to the
screen that I used in my earlier articles on console software.
RAW is a program which turns on DOS' raw mode (see February
Monitor). The tests with the CRTBOST and EGABOOST programs that
come with Polyboost are done with their optional parameters set
to 1 and to 5. Setting this parameter to 6 is equivalent to
setting it to 5 and turning RAW on. Setting the parameter to 1 is
recommended for most users. Times are given in seconds. For
comparison, times are given for some of the other screen
management programs that I have considered. Fansi Console has a
"quick" parameter which can be turned on and off.
While the times on EGA/CRTBOOST are impressive, it has some bugs.
When EGABOOST was installed, even with its speed parameter set to
the slowest value (1), I was unable to change monitors on a two
monitor system with either DOS' MODE command or a public domain
program that I use. There are programs that require me to use
Fansi's capability to turn Q=1 on and off from BATch files.
These programs do not work properly with CRTBOOST at its highest
settings. You can change to a setting where they do work but
only with a menu driven utility. Finally, both CRTBOOST and
VSCREEN suffer from the defect that screen speedup can be a
disadvantage if you don't also have screen scrolling memory. I
have not tested all screen scrolling memory programs with these
two speedup programs but I'd expect at least some
incompatibilities. Fansi comes with its own screen scrolling
memory which even supports EMS.
Summary
Lightning comes in both copy protected and unprotected versions;
indeed, the price difference is so great that I'd call it
FidoNews 4-27 Page 14 20 Jul 1987
ransomware. Because you'll want to load the program as part of
your autoexec.bat and the copy protection is of the key disk
version, you will really need the unprotected variety. All the
other programs are not copy protected.
It seems to me that these programs, as a group, are somewhat
overpriced. They are subtle but not that complicated as can be
seen by the fact that the main programs are typically about 5K.
Indeed, in cost per byte, they may be the most expensive class of
programs on the market.
On the basis of time tests alone, it is difficult to pick one
among these programs. Your choice will have to depend on factors
like the amount of conventional memory they use, the particular
characteristics of your system as they relate to issues like read
ahead, and price.
Emmcache is a free program by Frank Lozier of Cleveland State
University. It is available to CPCUG members in a file called
EMMCACHE.ARC on the MIX BBS, (301) 480-0350.
Lightning is published by the Personal Computer Support Group,
11035 Harry Hines Blvd., #206, Dallas, TX 75229, (214) 351-0564.
The non-copy protected version is $89.95 and the copy protected
version is $49.95.
Polyboost is published by POLYTRON, 1815 Northwest 169th Place,
Suite 2110, Beaverton, OR 97006 (503) 645-1150 and lists for
$79.95. The package includes screen and keyboard speedup in
addition to the caching software.
Quickcache is published by Microsystems Developers, Inc., 214-1/2
West Main Street, St. Charles, IL 60174; it lists for $49.95.
Speedcache is published by FSS Ltd, 2275 Bascom Ave., Suite 304,
Campbell, CA 95008, (408) 371-6242 and lists for $69.95.
Super PC-Kwik is published by Multisoft Corp., 18220 SW Monte
Verdi, Beaverton, OR 97007, (503) 642-7108 and lists for $79.95.
Also available is a conventional memory cache called Personal PC-
Kwik for $39.95 and a cache without all the options and "advanced
support" called Standard PC-Kwik for $49.95.
Vcache, which includes the Vdiskette and Vscreen programs, is
published by Golden Bow Systems, P.O. Box 3039, San Diego, CA
92103, (619) 298-9349 and lists for $49.95.
Thom Henderson, 1:107/6.1
System Enhancement Associates, Inc.
Announcing MGM
A New Conferencing System
System Enhancement Associates has now released a public version
of the MGM Group Mail System. MGM is specifically designed for
SEAdog systems operating as points, but parts of it are useful in
a wide variety of other applications. MGM can be configured to
be fully compatible with the current standard FidoNet echomail
system.
MGM is different from other conferencing systems in that it takes
a highly modular approach. While this is not as fast as a fully
integrated system, it offers much greater flexibility. Parts may
be added, subtracted, or rearranged almost at whim. New
functions can be added merely by adding another module to the
system.
MGM is being distributed as a series of archives, as follows:
MGMDOCS.ARC This contains the complete documentation for the
MGM system. You may wish to peruse this first
before selecting which parts of the MGM system you
wish to use.
MGMARCM.ARC This contains version 1.00 of the ARCmail mail
packet archiver. Version 1.00 includes such
features as archived message routing, enclosed
files, and alternate directory usage.
MGMCLEAN.ARC This contains a utility for automating the deletion
of duplicate messages caused by faulty topology.
MGMEDIT.ARC This contains a full screen editor for maintaining
conference link map files (AREAS.BBS files).
MGMFWD.ARC This contains the MGM message forwarder. It is
self-levelling to adjust to traffic loads and
system capabilities. It is also capable of
forwarding files as well as messages.
MGMLINK.ARC This contains the MGM link query program. It
allows queries and responses to a distributed
database of group mail topology, allowing you to
locate links to new conferences easily. Both
direct links and indirect links of any length are
detected.
MGMMGM.ARC This contains the MGM program itself, which
performs the traditional "toss" and "scan"
functions, with some interesting variations,
including the ability to regenerate reply threads
FidoNews 4-27 Page 16 20 Jul 1987
and the ability to send direct network mail out of
a group mail area.
MGMORIG.ARC This contains the ECHORIG program that recreates
message origins based on the "origin lines", thus
allowing private netmail replies out of a group
mail areas.
MGMPMAP.ARC This contains the PointMap program, which permits
network mail to and from nodes on a point network.
Support is provided for crash priority mail and
file attaches to be forwarded to or from the point
network. Full addressing (including interzone
addressing) is supported.
MGMPOINT.ARC Almost everything in this archive is included
elsewhere in the MGM set of archives. However,
this one archive contains everything needed to set
up a SEAdog system as a point in a private network.
Included is the PointUp program for quickly and
easily reconfiguring of a SEAdog for point
operation.
The MGM system is available by SEAdog file request from 107/6 or
107/528. 107/528 is available at 1200 baud 24 hours a day. 107/6
is available only between the hours of 1800 and 0900, Eastern
Daylight Time. Please do not request these files during National
Mail Hour.
Because its hard to know who to vote for, if you don't know what
the candidates stands for, I felt I should inform everyone why
I'm running for the IFNA Board of Directors.
Here are the issues as I see them.
Is IFNA needed? YES. As FidoNet grows it becomes more and more
unmanageable. So far we have been lucky. Ken and Ben have done
a good job supplying us with a nodelist every week for the last
150+ weeks, but some day our luck has to end. Before it does I'd
like to assure FidoNet doesn't end with it. I feel IFNA`s first
job, is to keep the net running.
Who owns the FidoNet? No simple answer here. IFNA owns the
nodelist, Tom Jennings owns the name, but I feel the people in
the nodelist own the network. Without Tom we could change the
name, and without IFNA we can find someone else to create the
nodelist each week, but without all the sysops there is no net.
If I am elected to the BOD I promises to listen to every sysop
who has a concern on how the net is run. I'm not saying I will
treat non-IFNA members the same as IFNA members. Only IFNA
members can have any control over how their money is spent. IFNA
should not be a governing body, it should be a support group that
promotes FidoNet.
How should IFNA spend it money? Besides using it to create the
nodelist and help new sysops with information on how to get a
node number, I feel IFNA should spend some of its money to make
sure FidoNet remains an open architecture. It looks like there
are a lot of people who would like to make a buck off FidoNet.
There nothing wrong with making a buck. But, it would be in their
best interest to keep all of the technical information on how a
mailer and its protocols work, to themselves. I feel IFNA, as
soon as it can, should publish a book something like the Ham
radio handbook, on how to start your own bbs. Including
information on how to write your own mailer. The technical
standards we have now should be expanded, and source code to a
working mailer should be included as a model.
Should censorship be allowed? Hell No! I can't believe anyone
is standing up for this. If someone wants to censor the messages
on his/her board, thats their business. If a person offers to
pass along an echo, they don't have the right to censor other
peoples mail.
If you have any question or would get like to give me your
views, please send your message to 19/0, 147/1 or call me
(VOICE) at 405-728-9836.
Bill Crawford, OpusNODE 362/1
Chattanooga, Tennessee
615/892-7773 (1200/2400)
COMPUTER BUILDING BLOCKS
If you've looked carefully through Radio Shack's computer
catalog, you've found that many options exist for your computers.
There is a table listing the various video resolution options
along with monitors and -- for the Tandy 3000s -- the plug-in
video boards required for each.
You will also find a variety of storage options including 5-
1/4" drives for 360Kb and 1.2Mb, a 3-1/2" drive for 760Kb (we'll
have one this summer to match IBM's new 1.44Mb format), a 20Mb
hard card, hard disks in 20, 40, and 70Mb sizes, and disk
cartridge systems in various configurations.
With IBM's latest product announcements, the idea of
"hardware compatibility" went up in a puff of smoke. We believe
our ongoing strategy of providing the building blocks to let you
"custom tailor" your computer system, is now more valid than
ever. It also means you can add any level of connectivity any
time you need it. But... you don't pay for it until -- or if--the
need arises.
This building block system has obvious advantages in price,
convenience, and future expandability. You pay for exactly (and
only) the system you want.
To see how this helps, consider an example. Let's say you
chose an IBM Model 50, but you want a larger and faster hard
drive than the "standard" 20Mb unit. That drive fits nothing
other than IBM's Model 50. Every 50 owner already has one, and
the dealer sure doesn't need to take it on trade. If you really
must have a different HD, the 20Mb unit you've already paid for
is now a throwaway!
So, you can start with a 1-drive Tandy 3000HL (which by the
way is on sale for $1299 this month), add a hard disk, and still
save a bundle when compared to the Model 50's $3599 tab. By the
way, in "real-world" application benchmarks, we find the 3000HL
to run at about 90% the speed of the Model 50. And of course with
a 80286 processor, it will run the next generation (OS-2 based)
software when it's available.
This building block philosophy is something we've been
working toward for some time. We announced an external 3-1/2"
drive for the Tandy 1000EX last summer, and our internal 3-1/2"
was in the January computer catalog. We believe it will prove
beneficial for all Tandy computer users.
IBM's MICROCHANNEL
We are asked often if we intend to copy IBM's new
Microchannel bus for future '286 and '386 computers. The first
FidoNews 4-27 Page 19 20 Jul 1987
question the industry must answer is what user advantages that
bus may offer. Since there won't be any advantage until OS-2
based software is available (1991?), we all have some time to
decide and react... if any reaction is appropriate. (Helping IBM
get a temporary "leg up" on their competition isn't much of a
user benefit.)
If there are benefits to the Microchannel, are they
universal, or do they only have appeal to the two to three
hundred largest corporations. Do they offset the disadvantages of
incompatibility with installed systems and software, and the
inability to use existing add-on boards and monitors.
It's conceivable that we could end up with an industry
standard for small and medium-size businesses, home and school
users... and an IBM standard primarily appealing to the largest
corporate users to whom connectivity is of prime importance. The
jury is still out, not just for us, but for all compatible
vendors. Consumers, not vendors set standards. Ultimately, YOU
will decide, and our goal will be to offer the best possible
value, within those standards.
TANDY 1000 OWNERS GET MS-DOS 3.20
Those of you with a Tandy 1000 SX already own this version
of MS- DOS. But now owners of the original 1000 and the 1000EX
can get it. Catalog Number is 25-1170 ($29.95). If you want
detailed documentation on the new commands in 3.20, you'll also
want a 25-1508 ($29.95) DOS Reference Manual.
NEW PRODUCT - SMARTWATCH
Here's one I think will be of special interest to lots of
Tandy 1000 SX, 1200, and other PC compatible owners. Most of us
tire quickly of entering the date and time every time we power-
up. There have always been clock board solutions, usually
combined with mouses or other functions, but often at
considerable cost.
Now there's a product called SmartWatch (Cat. No. 25-1033),
which sells for only $39.95. Better yet, it doesn't even require
a card slot! SmartWatch installs into the socket for the BIOS
ROM in a piggyback fashion. It's customer installable in most
cases.
TANDY 1000 (ORIGINAL) DESKMATE
We're still receiving a number of software registration
cards from Tandy 1000 owners who are registering the original
Deskmate product, version 1.0. Check your version. You should
have version 1.1. We advised 1.0 owners to take a blank diskette
to your local Radio Shack and have them back up the new version
onto your disk.
RADIO SHACK'S TOP TEN
FidoNews 4-27 Page 20 20 Jul 1987
You often see stats for top selling software in the general
market. Have you wondered about what the top sellers are in Radio
Shack stores? Well, here's how it looked for the latest reporting
period...
MS-DOS BUSINESS/UTILITIES
1 25-1176 WordPerfect
2 25-3191 dBASE III Plus
3 90-0431 Dac Easy Accounting
4 25-1162 Microsoft Word
5 90-0120 filePro 16
6 25-1172 PFS:Professional Write
7 25-1163 Microsoft Multiplan
8 90-3080 PFS:First Choice
9 90-3103 QUICKEN
10 90-0476 Microsoft Windows
MS-DOS HOME & EDUCATION
1 25-1166 FUNdamentals SX
2 25-1304 The Print Shop
3 90-3071 PrintMaster Plus
4 25-1159 Managing Your Money
5 25-1126 Typing Tutor III
6 90-3068 Math Blaster
7 90-3018 Dollars and $ense
8 25-1167 FUNdamentals EX
9 90-5510 Certificate Maker
10 90-3158 Type!
MS-DOS ENTERTAINMENT
1 26-5379 Flight Simulator
2 25-1151 Where in World is Carmen
Sandiego
3 25-1125 F-15 Strike Eagle
4 90-3092 Jet
5 25-1133 Black Cauldron
6 25-1137 Star Flight
7 25-1150 Space Quest
8 25-1156 King's Quest III
9 90-0505 Silent Service
10 90-3129 Sargon III
COLOR COMPUTER'S BEST
1 26-3046 Downland
2 26-3093 Dungeons of Daggorath
3 26-3095 Color Baseball
4 26-3104 Spectaculator
5 26-3106 Personal Finance II
6 26-3246 Cave Walker
7 26-3108 Flight Simulator I
8 26-3109 Color Scripsit II
9 26-3201 Color Math
FidoNews 4-27 Page 21 20 Jul 1987
10 26-3297 Rogue
UPGRADE FOR TANDY 2000 WORD
I believe I reported to you here that Tandy 2000 owners
could upgrade their 1.0 version of Microsoft Word to 3.1, by
contacting Microsoft directly. It appears that I spoke too soon.
Microsoft is working on that upgrade, but it isn't available
yet. Our people will let me know when it's ready, and I'll try
to keep you updated. Sorry for the error.
NEW PRODUCTS COMING THIS YEAR
At the recent meeting of the Tandy business user's group,
TANGENT, our product management people were asked by the users if
we intended to have a product using the 80386 processor. The
reply was that we would have one in the second half of this year.
Our users also asked whether or not we would have a laser
printer. The response was the same... before the year's end. No
further details were discussed.
Watch for our August 3 Tenth Anniversary in the computer
business. It's going to be exciting!
See you next month.
Material contained herein may be reproduced in whole or in part
in user group newsletters. Please quote source as Tandy
Corporation/Radio Shack.
Send questions/suggestions to:
Ed Juge, director of market planning
Radio Shack
1700 One Tandy Center
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Also Join the "MOD1000" EchoMail Conference by contacting Neal
Curtin (343/1) or Bill Crawford (362/1) for information on
carrying this conference in you local area.
Oswego Opus was a very busy board before The OTHER Side came to
live and since then it has become increasingly difficult to log
on.
Just as the problems arise technology comes to the rescue and now
we have Dutchie. For those of you who understand more about BBS
software Dutchie is much like SeaDog except it is P/D. I use
SeaDog as a front end and so SeaDog answers the phone and if
there isn't another SeaDog or Dutchie talking to it, it assumes
there is a human calling and transfers control to the BBS or in
my case a program called CHOOSER that asks you which BBS you
want.
Now when it comes to running a BBS you soon learn that there is
only so many hours in a day and both reading messages and file
transferring takes time (a lot of time). Now my preference is to
the messages but since I offer probably more files then probably
any other BBS in the NW the machine is tied up a great deal of
the time going ack ack.
Enter Dutchie. Dutchie offers two things to help solve the
problem. For the file fanatics they can set up a Dutchie POINT
and use dutchie to file request files. They no longer have to log
on and search, they just ask for a file by name and SeaDog and
Dutchie do the rest. The real savings in time come from the
message base users.
The message base user can set up a POINT and now spend as much
time reading and writing as they wish to but only be on line for
1 to 2 minutes. Think of the users that don't call because of the
long distance charges. Now they can participate and keep the
charges next to nil.
What I hoped to do was provide a turnkey installation pack that
would allow a POINT to have me as the BOSS and not be concerned
with anything else.
Creating POINTS for use with ECHOMAIL
This is a basic package to self install a POINT off of your BBS
and use ECHOMAIL to share message bases. I am going to assume
two things, first that your user is a novice with the desire to
do nothing other then share your message bases. Second is that
your user isn't going to buy Bob Hartman's FASTTOSS/SCAN package
(which would have simplified matters).
If you and your points use Bob Hartman's new FASTTOSS and
FASTSCAN then you can skip the next ## paragraphs. Remember
though that your POINTS need to use FASTSCAN as well. Bob
Hartman is making site (node) licenses available, contact him for
FidoNews 4-27 Page 23 20 Jul 1987
details.
In using SCANmail you must remember that each point MUST have a
MAIL.SYS which YOU must create individually for each POINT. You
must go into OPUS/FIDO and reset YOUR matrix (net/node) to what
you want your point's to be, exit and copy MAIL.SYS to your
Dutchie support files area. Then reset it to your original
number (I create several at a time to save confusion).
Next you need to create two NODELIST.BBS's, The first one is your
private nodelist with you as host (I add ten nodes at a time and
assign them afterwards, I was able to do this because I will not
be sending mail, they MUST poll me for it (remember that they
aren't running a BBS so they aren't dedicating a phone line).
The second nodelist has one node (number unimportant) and me, the
BOSS (host). This nodelist is for the POINT to use. Once again
I want to say that this is a single point that will only be
sharing echomail with me.
For Dutched to work properly you need to build a DUTCHIE.ARE file
that list the sub directory paths and areas name. Your user will
now have a directory to the different message/echo areas. My
DUTCHIE.ARE for OSWEGO Opus looks like.
\dutchie\general\ AREA 1 - General Message area
\dutchie\buy-sell\ AREA 2 - Local Buy and Sell
\dutchie\pnw.tech\ AREA 3 - MS DOS Technical
\dutchie\humor\ AREA 4 - Jokes and Humor
\dutchie\sex\ AREA 5 - Sex in today's society
\dutchie\de-bait\ AREA 6 - Religion and Philosophy
\dutchie\politics\ AREA 7 - Continental Politics
\dutchie\i-polit\ AREA 8 - International Politics
\dutchie\calendar\ AREA 9 - Portland/Vancouver Events
\dutchie\vanport\ AREA 10 - Portland/Vancouver Chatter
My install bat creates all the sub directories for the POINTS so
the data paths are correct. The INS-**.BAT is started in
C:\DUTCHIE and creates the sub directories and un arcs all the
files and then deletes the .ARC's Remember that this package is
for the NOVICE and the more time you spend refining it the less
time you will spend debugging it. I have found that my best
message base users are not the TECHIES.
To be able to scan their mail for you they have to have
system*.bbs files. I created them to correspond to my message
bases and includes EDSYS in the support package in case I add or
delete areas. I also created a TOSS.BAT, SCAN.BAT, and
RENUMBER.BAT so they can maintain the message bases. As for
simplified installation I created a install bat (INS-**.BAT) that
does EVERYTHING but edit their ** DUTCHIE.CTL file. The whole
package consist of six files and a README.1ST file which is typed
out below.
Also we need to create AREAS#.BBS for them as well, they need to
corespond to the SYSTEM#.BBS files and have our node listed for
scanning purposes.
FidoNews 4-27 Page 24 20 Jul 1987
I have included all the DOCS and had them copied into
C:\DUTCHIE\DOCS but don't expect anyone to read them so I wrote a
README.2ND file which is basically a basic set of instructions.
It covers invoking DUTCHIE/DUTCHED, and the SCAN, TOSS, and
RENUMBER batch files and includes Henks DUTCHED - editor docs.
** Be very sure they edit the cfg file as it has their name, node
number and your phone number in it. Also be very sure they
have the correct com port and max baud or they won't be able
to initialize their modem.
Installing your POINT
You now have all the workings of a Dutchie point, This setup is
different then what the Dutchie docs recommend **PLEASE** don't
mess with it or it won't work as a 1:105/10 point.
You have chosen one of six different point packages.
**For HARD Disk Drives **
1. POINT of The OTHER Side -----------------------
(SUP-H1.ARC)
(INS-H1.BAT)
2. POINT of OSWEGO Opus --------------------------
(SUP-H2.ARC)
(INS-H2.BAT)
3. POINT of both The OTHER Side and OSWEGO Opus --
(SUP-HB.ARC)
(INS-HB.BAT)
** For Floppy Disk Drives **
4. POINT of The OTHER Side -----------------------
(SUP-F1.ARC)
(INS-F1.BAT)
5. POINT of OSWEGO Opus --------------------------
(SUP-F2.ARC)
(INS-F2.BAT)
6. POINT of both The OTHER Side and OSWEGO Opus --
(SUP-FB.ARC)
(INS-FB.BAT)
If you have the wrong SUPPORT packages delete it NOW and get the
correct one. You also MUST get a file called MAIL.SYS or
SYSTEM.DOG from the SYSLOP. This is a unique file with your
point address imbedded in it. If you don't get the correct one
then things won't work right.
IF everything is in order then proceed.
** HARD Disk **
Create a sub directory called dutchie on drive "C" and then copy
these files into it. Then run install*.bat. After running
FidoNews 4-27 Page 25 20 Jul 1987
install read README.2ND, and then print it for reference.
** FLOPPY Disk **
Un ARC DUTCHIE.ARC onto a single floppy and label it
DUTCHIE/DUTCHED, This is your Dutchie communication and Dutched
editor disk. Un ARC SUP-F*.ARC onto a second floppy and label it
DUTCHIE MAINTENANCE, this disk will handle the TOSS, SCAN, and
RENUMBER maintenance on the message disk. Use the INS-F*.BAT to
create your drive B: message floppy.
To run Dutchie place the DUTCHED/DUTCHIE disk in drive A: and the
MESSAGE disk in drive B: and type DUTCHIE <return>. To do
maintenance replace the DUTCHIE/DUTCHED floppy with the DUTCHIE
MAINTENANCE floppy.
I have includes a list of files that are in the three archives
that make up the DUTCHIE.ARC, SUP-H or F*.ARC, and DOCS.ARC
Glen Jackson
Broadcast Software
SEAdog/FIDO 100/517
St Louis, MO
True 24 Hour Mail (part II of routing)
Last week I covered the routing files for mail pickup. This week
I will be going over the scheduling. If you don't use SEAdog as a
front-end system, I suggest you look into it.
What we want to be able to do here is have the ability to run 24
hour mail, while at the same time allow calls to make it through
to our BBS. We need SEAdog for this.
Here's the little routing we set up last week:
at 1:00 AM we poll 1000/1
at 3:30 AM we route mail to our host
at 4:00 AM we run the Natl Mail hour
at 5:00 AM we hold mail for 1000/2
In your CONFIG.DOG file, or schedule file, you should see
something like this:
event E all 1:00 1:15 ;poll 1000/1
event G all 3:30 4:00 ;local routing
event A all 4:00 5:00 ;Natl Mail
event F all 5:00 5:15 ;hold 1000/2
Now, let's turn our SEAdog into that 24 hour mail system that
will give and take mail packets and files.
During all the non-scheduled times you need to run this next
event. First, let's look at the configuration that also contains
a couple of external events so you can see how to fit everything
together.
(BEFORE 24 hour mail:)
event E all 1:00 1:15 ;poll 1000/1
event X1 all 2:00 ;toss mail
event G all 3:30 4:00 ;local routing
event A all 4:00 5:00 ;Natl Mail
event F all 5:00 5:15 ;hold 1000/2
event X5 all 7:00 ;print userlogs
To add the 24 hour mail, we need to define a route. We'll use tag
J. It needs to go into your CONFIG.DOG file as:
Schedule J ;24 hour mail
HOLD ALL
FidoNews 4-27 Page 28 20 Jul 1987
SEND-TO ALL
GIVE-TO ALL
The key to making this all work is how we set up our new
configuration file. We need to insert this tag into all the empty
time slots. It's done like so:
event J all 00:01 1:00 bbs ;24 hr mail
event E all 1:00 1:15 ;poll 1000/1
event J all 1:15 1:55 bbs ;24 hr mail
event X1 all 2:00 ;toss mail
event J all 2:01 3:30 bbs ;24 hr mail
event G all 3:30 4:00 ;local routing
event A all 4:00 5:00 ;Natl Mail
event F all 5:00 5:15 ;hold 1000/2
event J all 5:15 7:00 bbs ;24 hr mail
event X5 all 7:00 ;print userlogs
event J all 7:01 11:59 bbs ;24 hr mail
NOTES:
- during tag J events, make sure that you use the BBS delimiter.
This allows callers to access your bulletin board.
- If you run FIDO or OPUS, make sure that you have matching
events in you event scheduler. But, in stead of running the
events from the BBS software, just have it exit to DOS, and let
SEAdog run the events. Also, don't put your Tag J events into
your BBS schedules.
Well! That's it. If you have any questions about the way I've
explained routing, etc, net mail me at 100/517.
Have you requested your copy of MSGDB.ARC yet? (a great SYSOP
utility) You can request this file from either 100/510 or
100/517.
Next week, a litle broadcasting news. And that's the way it was..
Glen
-- The Regular Irregular Column --
Dale Lovell
157/504
Well, this week has almost been boring. The new AT is
performing beautifully, and if it continues working I will
probably end up changing the Hercules card in it to the EGA
Wonder card over in the XT clone. The only problems I've had
involve the limitations of the Hercules monographics card.
Considering the low cost of a Hercules board and monitor, the
nice resolution, and how easy it is on my eyes (as opposed to a
CGA board and monitor) I can't see why more companies don't
support it. Oh well, maybe someday it too shall come to pass. In
the meantime I've discovered a few work arounds, more on that
later. First off is the unfortunate correction department.
-- Oopps.... Corections --
Last time around I ended up going over the partitioning
software that came with my Miniscribe hard drive, Speedstor. I
thought the list price was $99 (it came "free" with the drive).
I'm not sure where I came up with that figure, but the day after
I sent the column in to Thom I came across an ad for Speedstor.
The correct list price is $79. I found their ad in the back of PC
Magazine. I understand from some friends that they also advertise
in the back sections of PC Week and BYTE.
-- Troubles in the Clone World --
A friend of mine recently acquired an ARC AT compatible at
work. Someone left the company, and he was quick to lay claim to
the machine (he's been itching for an AT since he saw how fast
mine runs). A mutual friend of ours had a large Toshiba disk
drive that he wasn't using and decided to lend it to my friend.
Armed with the latest version of SpeedStor we set out to install
the drive. While Speedstor doesn't actually give you full support
of all drive types, it does choose the closest drive supported
and sets the drive type accordingly. The only problem is that the
closest drive type still isn't good enough for his ARC machine
(his only lists 14 drive types). Upon turning the system on he
gets a hard disk error message from the power on self test and
has to press F1, after which the machine does boot off the hard
disk. I didn't think that this would be a problem, just call up
ARC and talk to technical support. Hopefully they'd have an
update for his BIOS, and for a relatively small sum he could have
BIOS support for 47 drive types like my machine. There was only
one problem, there was no technical support available for almost
a month at the number we called. I few calls later we finally
managed to get through to the person we should have gotten on the
first call. For $45 they'd send us out the new BIOS. In case
anyone else is having this problem with ARC, the number you
should be calling is Sales at 1-800-423-3877 and asking for the
4.0 BIOS for the ARC turbo AT (old turbo, the old BIOS reference
number was 0403-030286). In spite of these problems, I'd have to
give good marks to ARC on support. The only real problem was
getting the right phone number, but if you're determined enough
FidoNews 4-27 Page 30 20 Jul 1987
you can get through to the right people through the number listed
in their ads.
-- Hercules work arounds --
In quite a few of these columns I've lamented on how few
software manufacturers support the Hercules graphics card. They
seem to assume that everyone has a CGA system. In the course of
trying out some new (and not so new) software on my new system, I
looked at some CGA simulators for Hercules cards. The best one I
came across was SIMCGA written by Chuck Guzis. Included in the
ARChive file were three programs; SIMCGA, SETCGA, and SETMONO.
SIMCGA has some problems in the text modes, mainly from no way to
display shades. In it's CGA simulation mode it can't display the
monochrome intensity levels or underlining. To let people get
around this limitation easily, they include the SETCGA and
SETMONO programs. The SIMCGA program is a memory-resident program
that you will probably end up putting in your autoexec.bat file.
When you need the CGA capabilities you merely run SETCGA and
SIMCGA is now active. After you no longer need the CGA emulation
(say you're about to start up your word processor or some program
that knows about Hercules cards) you run SETMONO and SIMCGA takes
a backseat, staying in memory but not really doing anything. I've
had quite a bit of luck with this program. It's been able to run
quite a few programs that I hadn't been able to use on the AT. I
haven't tried out GWBASIC, but it's the best CGA simulator I've
seen yet.
I originally went out and looked for SIMCGA (on the local
bulletin boards) because of a game that arrived in the mail.
While the game ran fine on the old XT, I was curious as to how
well it would run on the AT (and how much faster). I called up
the software company and was able to talk to one of their
programmers. He asked me how I liked the game and if I had any
suggestions. Well, I had been enjoying the game and my only
suggestion was to include support for the Hercules monographics
boards. He informed me that they are working on support for the
Hercules boards, but haven't been able to automatically detect
it's presence. They'd like to be able to make everything run
without requiring a person to enter any command line switches. I
wish them luck in getting this worked out, and if anyone out
there has any methods for detecting a Hercules board please drop
me a line so I can pass it on.In any case the programmer told me
that he had tested it with a shareware/public domain program
called SIMCGA. He knew of a board in his area that had it
available for file requests and gave me their number in case I
couldn't find it locally. I looked around the Cleveland bulletin
boards first, and found it on one of the local FidoNet boards. It
does run a little faster in sections on the AT, and I got the
double bonus of finding a good utility to keep around at the same
time. What game do I hear you asking? Look down at the end of the
column for the answer as I really have been enjoying it.
-- Microsoft and C --
I started off these columns by going over the compiler I had
FidoNews 4-27 Page 31 20 Jul 1987
just bought, Microsoft C version 4.0. Shortly after I bought my C
compiler, Borland announced Turbo C and I was curious as to how
Microsoft would respond to it. After all Quick Basic was in
response to Turbo Pascal, how would Microsoft respond to a
product that could cut into their sales of a high end product.
Well, last week's visit to my local dealer answered my question.
He had received a visit from the local Microsoft sales
representative and had some new product announcements. Among
these announcements were two new C products, C version 5.0 and
Quick C. Version 5.0 is supposed to be much quicker, have an
improved version of CodeView and among other things is going to
include Quick C. Their suggested retail price on the C compiler
is going to remain at $450. Quick C on the other hand will be
sold separately and will cost $99 according to the product
announcement. Both products will be available in September, and
anyone purchasing the current C compiler after June 1st will
receive a free upgrade to version 5.0. The upgrade from version
4.0, for those who purchased it before June 1st of this year, is
going to be $75 (upgrades from any previous version is going to
be $150). While Quick C is not going to include CodeView, it is
supposed to be able to generate CodeView compatible code.
I am planning on upgrading my version of C, and will let you
know what I think of Quick C as soon as possible. I think that
this kind of competition can only help out the marketplace. As
Borland and Microsoft battle it out for sales of Quick/Turbo Cs
and Basics, we users can only benefit. As each company enhances
its product (to hopefully get more of the market) people may
start looking at upgrade policies, and support. Not only may we
end up with better products quicker, we may end up with much
better support and cheaper upgrades. Well, maybe not that
quickly... but a person can hope and dream, can't they?
Incidentally, for awhile all I heard about in the echomail
conferences on Turbo C was how it was "vaporware." I've talked to
someone who did receive Turbo C almost as soon as it was
introduced. He had just received an "update" for his compiler. It
seems that almost as soon as Turbo C was released Borland started
discovering a lot of bugs in the product. They decided to stop
shipments on it until they had been fixed. They kept taking
orders for Turbo C and quickly went back and fixed the bugs
(hopefully all of them). The shipments everyone started receiving
a few weeks ago (after a long wait) is the corrected version.
While I haven't been able to confirm any of this, I am reasonably
confident of my source.
-- Winding down... --
As I promised last week and earlier in this column, I'm
looking over a game this time around. Twelve Meter Challenge by
Greylock Software, Inc. (list price $50.00) is a realistic
simulation of yacht racing, the America's Cup challenges in
particular. The first few pages of the manual give a brief
history of the America's Cup that I found fascinating. The only
deficiency being that they don't include the recent race (in
which we won back the cup) but end at the 1983 challenge in which
FidoNews 4-27 Page 32 20 Jul 1987
Australia took the cup from it's resting place at the New York
Yacht Club. The next section of the manual is a basic
introduction in how to sail. Included is descriptions of all the
terms that are going to be used throughout the rest of the book
(like what the difference is between coming about and jibing, or
what those terms even mean).
The simulation itself offers a choice among 5 different
courses and 3 different computer opponents. In the next release
of Twelve Meter Challenge (you get a free upgrade to this next
version), you'll also be able to race against a human opponent
provided each of you has purchased the game and own a modem. In
addition you are capable of selecting how hard of an environment
you wish to sail, the direction of the race, the race distance,
the conditions for winning (one race, 2 out of 3, etc.), the days
until the race, and whether the racing rules should be "on"
(please note that some rules can NOT be turned off). After
selecting all this (and naming your yacht club, yacht name, and
captain's name) the next step is to select your crew and non-crew
members. Their are 76 possible candidates to fill the available
positions and while the minimum necessary is 10, you'll probably
want to hire some extras and some non-crew members like a fund
raiser or Sailmaker. While selecting the crew, you may wish to
have a security agency investigate some of these applicants
(keeping in mind that detectives cost money). I've usually ended
up hiring a detective agency and some security guards (to help
protect against spying and vandalism) at the same time. After
selecting the crew I've gone on and designed the yacht I'll be
racing, as well as having it built. During the design phase you
have several options to select for your yacht (type of mast and
keel and such) after which time it's advisable to tank test a
model of the yacht (I've heard that if you don't tank test a
model you run a risk of having your yacht fail to meet the twelve
meter rule and be disqualified from racing). You're given three
different bids from builders to choose from, and they all tend to
have different rates (especially for their company technicians
and mechanics if you decide you want them). While I've always
gone with the most expensive builder, you may not have enough
money to do this (I know I've come close to being broke a couple
of times).
After you're done selecting your crew and building your
yacht, it's time to train your crew. The training runs take place
over the same course you'll later be racing in, so it pays to
make a few runs to acquaint yourself with the course. I'm also of
the opinion that it helps to acquaint your crew with your manner
of doing things. At least I've always had better results if I go
out for a few training runs before the actual race. Eventually
you'll have to begin the race (or races depending on the what you
chose) and this is where the fun begins. While out on a training
run (or the actual race) you have a race console at the bottom of
the screen and will be able to look around the boat in 45 degree
increments (to check on your opponent or a buoy marker). The race
console provides you with information on the rudder, up to three
sails, heading, speed, and wind conditions. The center display of
the console is capable of giving you race information; condition
FidoNews 4-27 Page 33 20 Jul 1987
information (bearing and distance to the next marker and your
opponent, current heading and speed and true wind information
among other things; or a map of the course with the buoy
positions and your location (your opponent's location as well).
Overall I've been greatly impressed by this game. It is
still providing me with entertainment (for over 2 weeks now) and
I still haven't tried out some of the more advanced courses or
opponents. While I don't think I'm capable of actually sailing
the real thing, it has made me aware of how much time, effort and
skill it takes to sail a twelve meter yacht. It isn't copy
protected, and is easily installed on a hard disk. If you have
any further inquires about Twelve Meter Challenge, you should be
able to contact them at 413/528-5555 for voice or 413/528-5663
for their bulletin board (FidoNet 321/132 if the new net number
has been processed).
Once again I'd like to hear from some of you. Whether it's
on something I've written about, or something you think I should
write about. Below you'll find my US mail address, FidoNet
address, and uucp address. FidoNet messages should be routed
through 157/1 (or 157/0) as I'm a private node. I'm still looking
for some good advice on LANs, and I'd still like your return
address "Ender Wiggin."
Dale Lovell
3266 Vezber Drive
Seven Hills, OH 44131
I am currently involved in a project in which I have a
need for "information providers" who are willing to do the
following.
1.) Write to their State Lottery Commission and request a
complete history of all numbers drawn for each of the
game(s) played in that state.
2.) Send a daily "crash mail" message containing a listing
of the game(s) played that day, and the number(s)
drawn for those games AS SOON AFTER THE DRAWING AS
POSSIBLE!
At this time I am willing to pay $10 to the first person
in each of the following states who sends me the "history"
listed in 1.) above. (Please send a "crashmail" message
before you send the data to insure that you are indeed the
first.)
ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, D.C.,
ILLINOIS, IOWA, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN,
MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, "N.NEW ENGLAND,"
OHIO, OREGON, RHODE ISLAND, WASHINGTON &
WEST VIRGINIA
As for 2.) I am unable to promise any payment at this time,
however, if the concept is sold it may mean payment for
this information in the near future!
Please direct all inquiries to me, John Penberthy at
129/200, 129/28, or voice 412-364-3951.
FIDO lost one of it's own on Friday. Don Brauns, Sysop 102/631,
died, after a long running battle with Lupus and heart disease,
on the morning of July 10th, 1987.
Don was well known to most of us as the Sysop of Rainbow Data
Systems FIDO and one of the pioneers of the FIDO network. He
helped many of us to become part of the FIDO family. His loss
will leave an empty spot in all of our lives.
He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
A wake will be held on Sunday, 19 July, 1987 at Shakeys in Culver
City at the corner of Sepulveda and Jefferson at 2 P.M.
All cards should be sent to:
The Brauns Family
c/o S. Wilson (102/941)
11032 Plainview Ave.
Tujunga, CA 91042
A memorial fund for the children has been established at:
The Don Brauns Memorial Fund
c/o Donald J. Brauns
Miles Way P.O.Box 9
St. Leonard, MD 20635
1 Aug 1987
Third Annual BBS Picnic in Edison, NJ. Please register before
July 10th. Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for 12 and under,
free for 5 and under. Contact John Kelley at 107/331 for
details.
20 Aug 1987
Start of the Fourth International FidoNet Conference, to be
held at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.
Contact Brian Hughes at 109/634 for more information. This is
FidoNet's big annual get-together, and is your chance to meet
all the people you've been talking with all this time. We're
hoping to see you there!
24 Aug 1989
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
If you have something which you would like to see on this
FidoNews 4-27 Page 36 20 Jul 1987
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
Utility authors: Please help keep this list as current as
possible by reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our
intent to list all utilities here, only those which verge on
necessity.
OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FORM
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FIDONET CONFERENCE
RADISSON MARK PLAZA HOTEL
ALEXANDRIA, VA.
AUGUST 20 - 23, 1987
Name _________________________________ Date _____________
Address ______________________________
City & State _________________________
Phone (Voice) ________________________
Net/Node Number ______________________
Phone (Data) _________________________
Number in Your Party _________________
Staying at the Radisson? _____________
Number of Rooms? _____________________
Arrival Date? ________________________
Departure Date? ______________________
Registration Fees: How Many Total
Full Conference $60.00 each ________ $________
Late registration $10.00 each ________ $________
(after Aug. 1)
Friday Night Banquet $30.00 each ________ $________
Saturday Luncheon $16.50 each ________ $________
Total Amount Included (Registration and Meals) $________
IFNA MEMBERS ONLY:
How many in your party will
be attending the Sunday morning
Board of Directors meeting? ________
Send your registration form and a check or money order to:
Fourth International FidoNet Conference
212 E. Capitol St., Washington, D.C. 20003
Attn: Brian H. Hughes -- voice: (202) 543-4200
This registration form does not include hotel accomodations. If
you wish to stay at the Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel, please contact
them directly and mention you are with the FidoNet Conference.
Conference room rates are $80/night for single or double
occupancy, and $20/night for an extra cot.
Radisson Mark Plaza Hotel
5000 Seminary Rd., Alexandria, Va. 22311
1-800-228-9822
The IFNA publications can be obtained by downloading from Fido
1/10 or other FidoNet compatible systems, or by purchasing them
directly from IFNA. We ask that all our IFNA Committee Chairmen
provide us with the latest versions of each publication, but we
can make no written guarantees.
Membership for the International FidoNet Association
Membership in IFNA is open to any individual or organization that
pays an annual specified membership fee. IFNA serves the
international FidoNet-compatible electronic mail community to
increase worldwide communications. **
Name _________________________________ Date ________
Address ______________________________
City & State _________________________
Country_______________________________
Phone (Voice) ________________________
Net/Node Number ______________________
Board Name____________________________
Phone (Data) _________________________
Baud Rate Supported___________________
Board Restrictions____________________
Special Interests_____________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Is there some area where you would be
willing to help out in FidoNet?_______
______________________________________
______________________________________
Send your membership form and a check or money order for $25 to:
International FidoNet Association
P. O. Box 41143
St Louis, Missouri 63141
USA
Thank you for your membership! Your participation will help to
insure the future of FidoNet.
** Please NOTE that IFNA is a general not-for-profit organization
in formation and Articles of Association and By-Laws were adopted
by the membership in January 1987. An Elections Committee has
been established to fill positions outlined in the By-Laws for
the Board of Directors. An IFNA Echomail Conference has been
established on FidoNet to assist the Elections Committee. We
welcome your input on this Conference.
