[HEA] _____________________ ___ _ |___ ______________| | | | | | | _ | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | ____ _ _ _ _ ______ | | | || | | | / __ \ | | / \_/ \ | ___ \ | | | || |__ ____ | | / / \ | | /\ /\ \ | | \ \ | | | || _ \ | _ \ | | \ \__/ | | | |_|| | | |__/ / | | | || | | || |_|| | | \___/|_| |_| |_| | ____/ |_| | || | | || |__ | |____________________ | | _ |__||_| |_|\____/ |________________________| | | |_| | | Lighting Your Apple II Path On Delphi | | |_| >>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE: Y][K AND THE BEST OF THE A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS "Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Lamp! An Onipa'a Software Production Vol. 2, No. 12 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Publisher & Editor.......................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Internet Email....................................thelamp@sheppyware.net :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 15, 1999 OPENING PITCH Must've Travelled Down That Road Before ------------------------ [OPN] A FUNNY THING HAPPENED [FOR] The Heat Is On ------------------------------------------------- [HET] Miscellanea [MSC] Rumor Mill ----------------------------------------------------- [RMR] Public Postings [PUB] Best Of The Best ----------------------------------------------- [BOB] PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE Y][K ----------------------------------------------------------- [POP] EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] [*] [*] [*] READING THE LAMP! The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make """"""""""""""""" your reading easier. To use this system, load this issue into any word processor or text editor. In the index you will find something like: EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate [INN]. There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA]. :: DISCUSSED ON DELPHI :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: : : : If it ain't broke, give it a day or two : : : :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TONYW1 ::::::::::::: [EOA] [OPN]------------------------------ OPENING PITCH | ----------------------------------- From The Editor """"""""""""""" by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W. [thelamp@sheppyware.net] MUST'VE TRAVELLED DOWN THAT ROAD BEFORE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A word of explanation, and, I guess, subtle apology. This issue's editorial isn't about the Apple II. It's about me, and why it's time for me to move on from being your editor every month. It's been a long time since I've had a chance to rest. Typically the only rest I really get during a year is my annual trip to KansasFest--yes, you can rest by not sleeping for a week--and the occasional extended weekend trip to another island I take maybe three times every two years. Social workers are not known for making it to retirement age without some significant case of burnout, so every five months I make sure I do what I need to do to take care of myself. Everything in life was pretty settled for awhile too. I had my full-time job, my part-time job, my newsletter, my hobbies--I wasn't short on time, but I wasn't filled with excess either. I had a balance. Just enough of each. But balance doesn't last forever. You add one more thing on one side, and you're bound to tip over. And that's what's happened to me. I have many other things in my multiple lives that I want to do before I'm done, and in order to get to the things that could make me great, I have to give up some of the things that just make me good. And in this case, that's this newsletter. But this isn't just a case of what's best for me. If it was, I'd have been able to give it up a long time ago. This is also what's best for you. The past two months I haven't been able to live up to my own loose standards about what a "timely" publication should be, and that's just not acceptable. You deserve better. So with a tear and a sigh, I turn over my virtual reigns to Lyle. Here's to a better tomorrow for all of us. [*] [*] [*] Mahalo Means Thank You Department: it's no small task to say how much I appreciate what everyone has done for me, and it's not easy to thank those of you who mean so much to me, but I'll try anyway. Doug Cuff, Joe Kohn, Eric and Sarah Shepherd, Cindy Adams, Max Jones, Gary and Sue Utter, Steve Gozdziewski, Loren Damewood, Henrik Gudat, Tony Ward, Tony Diaz, Harold Hislop, Kirk Mitchell (my KFest roommate for the rest of the duration, I think), and anyone else I may have missed in my Apple II world--you have meant so much to me, I don't know what else to say but thanks. For everything. To my family who's put up with my obsession for 17 years now and who started me down this road with the Apple ][+, words can't express how much you mean to me. Without you, I would be far from the man I am today. And to all of you for reading: let's take the II into Y2K with style. [*] [*] [*] Aloha Means Goodbye Department: In this life I've enjoyed as your editor, I've seen things and gone places that I never imagined I'd be able to before. I've met the faithful at Avila and seen that which never was. I've had more fun than I can imagine and seen things I never thought I'd see, made friends from all over the world, and done what I'd only dreamed was possible. This is not to say I won't be here. I plan to still do the publishing side of things, and write the occasional column, both for _The Lamp!_ and for _Juiced.GS_. I also have a few other projects which you all might be interested in (and unfortunately, I can't really talk about right now). And I'll still be hanging out in Delphi A2 Conference during my free time. A lot. In the meantime, remember to love the people in your life like there's no tomorrow. Because when you come right down to it. . . There's not. Ryan thelamp@sheppyware.net ASCII ART BEGINS _________ _ _ _ |__ __| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___ ____ | | _____ __ ___ _ _ _____ | | | | | ___ \ / __ \ | | /____ \ | v v | | v ___ \ | | | | | | | | | /__\ \ | | ____| | | /\ /\ | | / \ \ | | | | | | | | | _____| | | / ___ | | || || | | | | | |_| | | | | | | | |_____ | |____ | |__| | | || || | | \___/ / _ |_| |_| |_| \______| |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/ |_| | | | | |_| ASCII ART ENDS [EOA] [OPN]------------------------------ A FUNNY THING HAPPENED. . . . | ----------------------------------- Checking out A2 on Delphi """"""""""""""""""""""""" by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W. [thelamp@sheppyware.net] * The Heat Is On * Miscellanea * Rumor Mill * Public Postings * Best Of The Best THE HEAT IS ON """""""""""""" [*] Apple Operating System ....... IN# vs. PR# [*] User Groups & Publications ....... EBay And Apple IIs [*] General Chatter ....... What Would You Ask Woz? [*] Telecommunications ....... Why Aren't You Using An OLR? MISCELLANEA """"""""""" REACHING THE GARAGE SALE APPLE II USER Hi Joe, """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" What's the best way for a Garage II user to get in touch with you these days? You know the type--they just got an Apple II at a garage sale, don't have internet access, but want to spend their hard-earned $50 on $5,000 worth of software. ;) Do you have a catalog you send to people by mail? Should I just forward the address to you? Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS, 27115, GO COM A2) >>>>> The only catalog that's 100% complete is spread across 22 issues of """"" the Shareware Solutions II newsletter. Then there's the web site (http://www.crl.com/~joko) which is not quite up to date. For those who don't have a modem, I do have a 3.5" Shareware Solutions II Catalog disk, and would be more than happy to mail that if you sent me the address of the "Garage II" user. That disk is not up to date either. Joe (JOE_KOHN, 27116, GO COM A2) <<<<< I'll drop the address to you by e-mail, but I don't know what good """"" a disk will do her--or a web address. I'm sure she doesn't have AppleWorks. She doesn't have web access. She just wants to get some old games and maybe an education program or two. I think that's your next untapped market, but you'll have to figure out some way to economically tell those people what you have, without using the web or a newsletter. A paper catalog may be the best bet. Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS, 27129, GO COM A2) >>>>> I'd think that having an up-to-date catalog, printed, and ready to """"" ship out to people looking for info might make a lot of sense. That's an untapped market. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 27134, GO COM A2) MORE TIPS ON ACCELERATING THE IIGS The stability is more related to the """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" cache chips, but A LOT more on the rest of the computer. ROM 01 motherboards make much more challenging environments I haven't had much luck at all with ROM 01's at all with over than 10MHz or so. Try some other SRAMs if you can get at them easily. Old 486 and early Pentium motherboards are a good source for SRAM (62256, 8x32). Tony (T_DIAZ, 27345, GO COM A2) AND THE IIGS CHECKERBOARD PATTERN MEANS WHAT? The main processor has a """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" problem. It could be bad, or it could just be dirt or corrosion in the socket, or it could be (if the previous owner had an accelerator card) that the processor chip has been inserted backwards. As you look at the motherboard from the front, the processor is a pretty large chip, near the midline of the board horizontally, and halfway between the midline and the bottom vertically. It should be labeled "65816". Note that this chip (like most of the others on the board) has a little notch on one end. That notch should be oriented towards the front of the case. If it's not, you've found your problem right there. If it is, and you feel competent to do this, you can pry that chip up a bit and push it down tight again. Be VERY careful with it, and don't take it out all the way, just loosen it and retighten it. If there is corrosion in the socket, that will usually take care of it. Do NOT have the machine turned on when you do this. :) It is good, however, to have it plugged in, and to touch the case of the power supply before you start, just to get rid of static.... If the chip is properly oriented, and tightening it doesn't help, then you'll likely need to replace it. (Hmmmm, you would get the same symptom if there was an accelerator card installed in the machine and it had a bad connection. If you DO have an accelerator, the procedure becomes more complicated, come back and let us know if that is the case.) Gary R. Utter (UTTER, 27363, GO COM A2) >>>>> It is not the socket soldered to the board, it's the pins in the """"" socket. Those CPU sockets are of the cheapest variety obtainable. The leads internally start like this: (Crude drawing time, this is a side view of a pin inserted in the socket) CPU LEAD | | ^ |/ | / | | PCB When the CPU lead is inserted it asserts pressure on the socket contact which pushes that diagonal part toward the bottom so they are in parallel with the socket lead pushing up against the inserted CPU lead. After it's been in there a while and removed, that socket lead does not spring back, but as long as only a DIP package CPU with *FLAT* leads is placed in there it will line up and work. When you place a ribbon cable DIP header in there with thicker leads, be they flat or semi rounded, they are much longer, much, MUCH stronger and they push down further in the CPU socket, and they make contact but when the CPU is placed back in the socket this is what happens: CPU LEAD | | ^ | | | | | | PCB Because the heftier Zip/TWGS connector forced it's way into that thing and pushed it further toward the outer edge of the CPU socket (inside). When a CPU is not put back, it's leads end up hitting further down on what is left of the angled part that is now almost straight down and will bend it just that much further. It may work still. However, the next time it's removed and replaced (the CPU chip) it pushes those cheap pins just that little bit more where several are not making good contact anymore and your IIgs motherboard does nothing more than play a stale game of chess when it is turned on. I have had this happen to brand new motherboards right out of the box in as few as three swaps. I've had others last for two years or more getting swapped out often. It's russian roulette. If your computer does the same thing with or without the CPU chip in the socket and you have been playing with Zip/TWGS cards then this is your problem. Even if your Zip GS seems to be working but is a bit flaky at times. The socket is many many times the thing that is causing it. I change the sockets with machine pin sockets and the problem goes away. Tony (T_DIAZ, 27474, GO COM A2) BUT IF YOUR MODEM DOESN'T INITIALIZE, HOW DO YOU GET THERE? I ran across """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" a site with a nice collection of modem init strings since this is something that frequently comes up. The site is { http://www.modemhelp.com/} The only thing is be careful since most of the init strings are for PC users. Any time an &D2 is used in the init string, it should be changed to &D0 (ampersand dee zero). This is specifically for Spectrum, Proterm, and Macintosh users. ANSITerm does some wacky stuff so I'm not sure what changes are needed for init strings to make them work. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 27400, GO COM A2) HOW DO I UPDATE ANIMASIA TO 1.1B1? The v1.1b1 update is the application """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" file, and simply replaces the original v1.0 application file. Nothing more needs to happen. You can remove the original v1.0 application file from your hard drive. If you ever need it again, you can get it from your original disk or in the original on-line archive. Max Jones Juiced.GS http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs (JUICEDGS, 27528, GO COM A2) WHY IS IT SO HARD TO DO A IIGS WEB BROWSER? Because we are not only """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" talking about GIF images, but JPEGs as well, not to mention Java applets, and the limited width and resolution of the IIgs screen, and the memory and speed limitations of the average IIgs. Most web pages these days would not look anything like they were intended on the IIgs screen even if you were prepared to sit and wait for twenty minutes while they drew themselves. As it stands, SIS displays web pages much as you get using Netscape or MIE if you turn off the graphics... We discussed this all at length a year or so back on Genie, but I guess it is time to air it all once more! Ewen Wannop - Speccie - Mon 29 Nov 1999 - 240 days till Y2KFest Delivered without using a IIgs by Spectrum 2.2 & Crock O' Gold 3.2 Bernie ][ the Rescue 2.5.1 woofing at 55Mhz on a G3/350 http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/ewannop/ (EWANNOP, 27515, GO COM A2) >>>>> Besides the references to a past discussion, I would just like to """"" add that you would have to find a programmer doing all the work for next to nothing. was a reasonable opportunity, maybe there were a few candidates for that job, but I doubt the current situation allows for such an undertaking. Too bad for the few remaining programmers (who might enjoy the job) and those few people who are buying regularly A2 stuff. (So yes Delphi is not really the right place to complain. :) Acid test: how much would you pay for it? regards, Henrik Woof Gudat woof woof (GUDATH, 27523, GO COM A2) >>>>> Besides all the technical difficulties, which have been discussed """"" at length in the past, most programmers have quite enough to do, trying to make a living and occasionally working on projects that have a chance of being completed satisfactorily. This project is clearly for a hobbyist with lots of time on his hands, and who is willing to give away the results. If you try to sell it for what it's worth, assuming that you can do it at all, you will get less than ten buyers. And you'll only get that many if you sell it for $20 or less. So figure on grossing less than $200. Still willing to try it? Go to it, tiger! We are all waiting. Oh, yeah, if you are not done by next July, we will all complain that you are too slow, and buy Macs or PCs, and then you will have no market at all. Any takers? -- Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Mon 29 Nov 99 7:52:12 pm cknoblo@novia.net - Via Spectrum v2.2 & Crock O' Gold v3.2 Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 240 days till Y][Kfest Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard. (CKNOBLO, 27535, GO COM A2) >>>>> If you're having a good time knocking together a web browser -- DO """"" IT! :) If you find programming boring and tedious, or you want to turn a profit, run and hide. :) The best and only real reason to write a program for the Apple II is for your own enjoyment. If you like it, go for it! If nothing else, you can learn just what you're capable of. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 27552, GO COM A2) >>>>> I whole heartedly agree. In fact, unless it is a lot of money I """"" don't see much motivation in doing something one dislikes. I enjoy programming at my job, otherwise I wouldn't do it. Now I just need to raise some money to buy some books and a decent IIgs compiler I need to start small, I think a browser is a bit beyond my reach. :) Dain Neater dneater@inebraska.com (STILLHAVEIT, 27554, GO COM A2) >>>>> In really round numbers, and for tasks like parsing the HTML and """"" drawing on the screen that don't require floating-point, figure the Apple IIGS is about 10%-15% as fast as your Mac. For floating-point it falls further behind, even when you are looking at a processor that doesn't have built-in floating-point, because it only has 16 bit registers and no barrel rolls to emulate floating-point using software. It also does floating-point calculations in-SANE, which slows things down even farther. Frankly, though, I don't think this is an issue. I disagree with the people that think a web browser would be too slow on an Apple IIGS. On a fast computer, most of the time is spent waiting on the modem. The Apple IIGS could spend that time doing something useful, so it would seem much faster than the processor speed would lead you to expect. I think a graphical web browser that supported 16 gray scales and horizontal screen scrolling (or perhaps a zoom feature) would be quite possible on the Apple IIGS. I just don't think it would be worth the investment of time to actually do it. But if this is a hobby project for you, go for it. Even if you don't finish, you'll have a good time and learn a lot. Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS, 27562, GO COM A2) IS IT TRUE A IIC TO IW I CABLE WORKS FOR NULL MODEM TRANSFER? It's true """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -if- the cable is wired for full two way communication and handshaking, and you have the correct gender DB25 on the IWI end attached to your other box, i.e. try it, it might work, if not, you've not lost anything. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Boycott Alamo! Please don't quote without permission. Delivered by Spectrum 2.2 and Crock O' Gold 3.0! (RSUENAGA, 27113, GO COM A2) RUMOR MILL """""""""" WHERE THE II WILL BE IN Y3K I was flipping the channels Sunday night and """"""""""""""""""""""""""" caught some of the futuristic (year 3000) cartoon, "Futurama". They were testing a new x-ray scope, and aimed it at Bender, an intelligent robot. They scanned his chest, stomach, head... and there in his brain was a chip marked 6502. Neat. :) -Ken (KEN_GAGNE, 27296, GO COM A2) FASTER DELPHI DOWNLOADS? MAYBE NOT "Beginning this evening, the maximum """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" speed download limitation has been effectively eliminated by setting it to 53Kbps." I'm not sure what that means, but it almost certainly won't bring telnet transfers up to the speed of ftp. All else being equal, a protocol transfer (ie. Zmodem) via telnet will always be slower, usually much slower, than either an ftp transfer or a protocol transfer via serial (dialup) connection. If some sort of speed bottleneck on Delphi's end has been fixed, then there might be an overall improvement in download speeds that would affect telnet more than dialups. Since all dialups to Delphi are 28.8Kbps or slower (I think), increasing the top speed on Delphi's end to 53Kbps won't help at all (assuming the original speed setting was not lower than 28.8Kbps.) But if you connect to your ISP at anything higher than whatever Delphi's speed was set to before (again I'm guessing 28.8Kbps) and telnet to Delphi, then the added speed will help a bit. But you'll still probably get a faster download on a 28.8Kbps serial connection than on a 53Kbps telnet connection. And ftp would beat them both. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Tony Ward, A2 Database Manager - Fri Nov 05, 1999 2:27:25 am [Delivered with Spectrum v2.2 and Crock O' Gold v3.2a] -- Give me chastity and continence, but not just now. (TONYW1, 27164, GO COM A2) THE II TAKES ITS PLACE And the Apple II is number 5 on The Dismal """""""""""""""""""""" Scientist's Top 25 Economic Events of the 20th Century list: { http://www.dismal.com/top25/t25_apple2.stm} -- Steve Reeves (REEVESST, 27199, GO COM A2) WAS THERE A GSHISEN COMPETITION AT KFEST 99? No, it never happened. Stan """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Marks and I had a friendly competition in his room one evening, and it was lots of fun. (Well, it was for me, anyway. Don't know if Stan was that amused since I kicked his butt a couple of times. :-)!!!!! ) It's clear to me that a GShisen tournament would be easy to pull off at KFest, and I plan to do that next summer. I'll even arrange some neat prizes for the winners. Here's how I think it would work ...... -- Choose a few GShisen game numbers that are fairly easy to solve in quick fashion. (I've been collecting some game numbers that I think would be good candidates for a competition.) Everyone would play the same game number on the same computer. (Of course, the players would not know what game number they are playing until =after= they play. The contest managers would control the environment.) -- Have several rounds of competition, perhaps three. Everyone competes in the preliminary round, and the players with the top ten times advance to the semi-final round. The players with the top five times then advance to the championship round. -- In the championship round, the players with the top three times are the winners, with the most valuable prizes going to best times. The winner would be crowned GShisen king, and forevermore be smothered with adulation and held in awe wherever he or she goes. How does that sound? Any suggestions for setting things up better? I think this sounds like fun. Let's make it happen at Y][2KFest in July, 2000!! Max Jones Juiced.GS http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs (JUICEDGS, 27502, GO COM A2) PUBLIC POSTINGS """"""""""""""" SHIFTY SURPRISE FROM SHEPPY Surprise! """"""""""""""""""""""""""" Shifty List, the popular Apple IIgs utility, has been updated to version 2.0.3 and is now available for the new low price of $15. Unlike past versions, the downloadable version is no longer crippled. The only changes in 2.0.3 beyond 2.0.2 are improvements to the installation process and corrections in the documentation. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 27175, GO COM A2) SORRY, SOLD OUT Shareware Solutions II no longer has any WebWorks GS """"""""""""""" manuals available. Joe Kohn (JOE_KOHN, 27197, GO COM A2) YOU'VE GOT SNAIL After a good year or so without a mailing address, I """""""""""""""" have a mailing address for SheppyWare-related purposes. Please note that stuff sent to this address will typically only be responded to if it's (a) really good, or (b) a SASE is included. Eric Shepherd PMB 439 1852 West 11th Street Tracy, CA 95376 United States of America Software payments should continue to go to Kagi as before. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 27172, GO COM A2) WEBWORKS GS NOW SHAREWARE WebWorks GS, the HTML editing solution for """"""""""""""""""""""""" Apple IIgs computers, has now been released as shareware. This new version, with a handful of bug fixes, can be downloaded in its complete and uncrippled form at . The price has been lowered from $20 to US $15. Registration can be done either by snail mail using the included registration form or online at . --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 27173, GO COM A2) LOST CLASSIC HITS A HOMER ONCE. . . I'm pleased to announce that the Lost """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Classics Project has recently received a change of classification status for Apple II software previously published by Kitchen Sink Software. Among the titles to be released are Kickstart, a volume copying and program launcher (now awaiting release in the databases), AccuDraw, Robot Assembly Lab, Amazing Window Gradebook, System II Developer's Kit, Easy II, and CADDRAW. Eric Bush, the owner of Kitchen Sink is in the process of readying these titles for distribution. As soon as they're available they'll be uploaded to the databases here and on the Trenco ftp site. Watch for release notices here, soon! :) Later...........Howard (HKATZ, 27263, GO COM A2) . . . AND TWICE I'm pleased to announce that the Lost Classics Project """"""""""""""" has now secured the reclassification of Deja II. Deja II allows a Macintosh user running at least OS7 to run their personal copy of AppleWorks 5 on their Mac, using most of the Mac's features, including the hard drive. Most of the user's favorite TimeOut applications and UltraMacros will also work from within the DejaII shell. Please remember this is a Macintosh program, and it does NOT supply AppleWorks 5 - the user must supply that in order for this program to work. DejaII has been reclassified with the permission of the authors, Randy Brandt and Mark Munz, and will be available for downloading here as soon as it's been reviewed and released by the librarian. This program will also be available for download from the trenco ftp site. Later..............Howard (HKATZ, 27352, GO COM A2) IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY """""""""""""""""""" ______ _____ ( ) ( ) ____________________________________________ | | / / ( ____________________________2000____) | | / / | | | |/ / | | II Infinitum!! | / | |______ | |\ \ | _______) __________ ________ ________ | | \ \ | | ( _____) ( ___) (__ __) | | \ \ | | | |__ \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | __) \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | |_____ ___\ \ | | (______) (________) (_______) (__________) (_________) |___| Help usher in the 21st century with the Apple II!! When: July 26-30, 2000 Where: Avila College, Kansas City, Missouri +++ The most important Apple II event of the year, Y ][ KFest (KFest 2000), is on our calendar again, and it's never too early to make sure it has a place on your calendar, too. Better yet, KFest is back with the same great prices as last year! Check out these rates, which include room and meals from Wednesday evening (dinner) on July 26, through Sunday morning (breakfast) on July 30. (Saturday evening dinner not included. That's KFesters' Night Out On The Town!) +++ Early Bird rates (good if you register BEFORE April 15) +++ Double room: $225 Single room: $275 Spouse rate (bring the spouse or son or daughter): $175 Registration only (no dorm room or meals): $175 +++ Regular Attendee rates (if you register AFTER April 15) +++ Double room: $275 Single room: $325 Spouse rate (bring the spouse or son or daughter): $225 Registration only (no dorm room or meals): $225 Those cool KFest "soft-wear" T-shirts will also be available again this year for $15, but ONLY if you order in advance. (See registration form below.) +++ Special Early Arrivals rate +++ Like last year, Y ][ KFest will start early for those who'd like to arrive a little sooner. Avila dorms will be available for occupancy on Tuesday night for a small extra fee. No formal activities will be planned, although the day may include the annual trek to KC Masterpiece Restaurant for some of that world-famous Kansas City barbecue! The rate for early arrivals (Tuesday night dorm room only): Double room: $25 Single room: $33 For attendees planning to arrive at the normal time on Wednesday, check-in will be from 1-4 pm. Check-out will be from 11 am-1 pm on Sunday. Current plans call for formal Y ][ KFest sessions to begin with dinner in the Avila cafeteria on Wednesday evening (time to be announced), followed by the traditional opening event, the Keynote Address. We've got some great plans again for that opening night activity. Stay tuned!! Computer sessions will be conducted on Thursday and Friday. Software and hardware demos are scheduled for Saturday morning, with a vendor fair slated for Saturday afternoon. Reminder: Meals included in the registration price are Wednesday dinner through Sunday breakfast, with the exception of Saturday dinner. On Saturday night, attendees can dine on their own at one of the many fine restaurants near the Avila campus, or join groups of KFesters at Jess & Jim's Steak House or other local favorites. All children under 18 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. *** Y ][ KFest this year is again being sponsored by InTrec Software, Inc., makers of ProTERM telecommunications software for the Apple II and Macintosh. If you have questions about Y ][ KFest, or wish to make suggestions, you can find answers via the Internet. Just send an email message to: kfest-help@kfest.org ... or visit the KFest World Wide Web page at: http://www.kfest.org If you're thinking about attending Y ][ KFest, please join the KFest Internet e-mail chat: To subscribe to the KFest Information Mailing List, send email to majordomo@kfest.org. In the BODY of the message, place the following text: subscribe kfest You will receive a confirmation e-mail. In order to be signed up for the list, you will have to respond to this confirmation as the instructions dictate. You will then be able send and read messages on the mailing list. ---[ The Form ]------------[ Cut Here ]----------[ Print Clearly ]--- Y ][ KFest Registration Form View and print this document using 9-point Monaco font (ProTERM default) or any other monospaced font such as Courier, CoPilot or Spectrum. Registering for Y ][ KFest <> By phone: - Call the InTrec sales office: 602/992-5515 - Be prepared to give the information requested in the KFest Registration Form below. <> Fax or email KFest Registration Form using a credit card number: - Complete the form below and send the KFest Registration Form. Email: (NOTE: email is not secure.) Fax: 602/992-0232 <> By postal mail: Credit card, check, Purchase Order or money order: - Print and fill out the KFest Registration Form. - Mail the form with the payment to: InTrec Software, Inc. Attn: KFest Registration 3035 E Topaz Cir Phoenix, Az 85028-4423 Checks and money orders must be on a USA bank and USA compatible funds. Registration Cost Check Applicable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Early Bird rates (before April 15) Double $225 [ ] Single $275 [ ] Spouse only $175 [ ] Off campus $175 [ ] Regular rates (after April 15 and at the door) Double room $275 [ ] Single room $325 [ ] Spouse only $225 [ ] Conference only $225 [ ] Early Arrival rates Double $25 [ ] Single $33 [ ] T-Shirts $15 ea May we send your registration confirmation via e-mail? [ ]Yes [ ]No If NO, how can we contact you for confirmation?:__________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Roommate preference: _____________________________________________________ Prefer a smoker/non-smoker. Check one: [ ] Smoke [ ] Non-smoke KFest Softwear: Order a memorable collectible Y ][ KFest T-Shirt? $15 ea Quantity: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Size: SML MED LRG XLRG 2XLRG 3XLRG Today's Date: ________/_________/_________ 1- Registration fee (see above dates & fees) ......... ______________ 2- Registration fee for spouse if applicable ......... ______________ 3- T-Shirts Quantity [ ] @ $15.00 ea) ............. ______________ 4- Sub-total of lines 1-3: ........................... ______________ 5- Arizona residents only add .07% tax: .............. ______________ 6- Total cost (total of lines 4-5): .................. ______________ Discover, Visa, Mastercard or American Express accepted. Checks & money orders must be payable to InTrec Software, and must be in US dollars from a US bank. _______________________________ ____________________________________ First Name Last Name ______________________________________________________________________ Organization (if applicable to Y ][ KFest) ______________________________________________________________________ Shipping Address ______________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________________________ _____________________ State/Province Zip+4 or Postal Code _______/_______________________ _______/_____________________________ Day Phone Eve Phone [______________________________________________________________________ Internet Mail Address [ ] [ / ] Credit Card Number (Mastercard-Visa-Discovery-Amex) Expiration Date ______________________________________________________________________ Name on Card (please print clearly) ______________________________________________________________________ Authorized Signature (If printed, and mailed or faxed.) If you feel that using a credit card number via email may not be secure, consider mailing via postal service, fax, or call voice to give the card number. Sponsored by: InTrec Software, Inc. 3035 E Topaz Circle Phoenix, AZ 85028-4423 Voc:602/992-1345 Fax:602/992-0232 ---[ End of Form ]-----------[ Cut Here ]---------[ Print Clearly ]--- (CINDYADAMS, 27387, GO COM A2) NINJAFORCE MASTERS THEIR OWN DOMAIN Ninjaforce, the makers of the """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Ninjaforce Megademo and the upcoming KABOOM! are proud to announce that their new website is online. It can be found at: { http://www.ninjaforce.com} Watch out for more exciting facts and features about KABOOM! Find background information about our past projects. Take a look behind the scenes of the Ninjaforce developer summit. -- Ninjaforce (JESSEBLUE, 27497, GO COM A2) BEST OF THE BEST """""""""""""""" 27198 8-NOV 23:39 General Chatter PC World's Top 10 Computers of All Time From: SHEPPY To: ALL The Apple II made #2 on PC World's top 10 computers of all time list: { http://www.applelinks.com/articles/1999/11/19991108115145.shtml} --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net [EOA] [A2P]------------------------------ A2Pro_DUCTIVITY | ----------------------------------- Checking out A2PRO on Delphi """""""""""""""""""""""""""" by Ryan M. Suenaga, B.A., M.S.W., L.S.W. [thelamp@sheppyware.net] CONTEMPLATING ANOTHER IIGS WEB BROWSER If I were going to write a web """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" browser for the IIgs (which I'm not, man, I hate text parsing!), I'd design it with an internal "threading" system, whereby my event loop would dispatch to subfunctions that would perform a few iterations per pass of various functions, like: EventLoop() { if (loading_new_page) { load_page_from_internet parse_page_into_internal_format rendering_page = true loading_new_page = false render_the_text } if (rendering_page) { for (i=0 to num_of_pictures) { convert_scanline_to_gs(i) draw_scanline(i) } } } This would display the page's text, then progressively render the graphics from the page in the background, so the user could be looking at, scrolling, even navigating the page, while the jpegs and gifs slowly decode, convert into a GS-friendly format, and draw them on the page. This way the user could either wait for the entire page to render, or just mouse through it. Obviously it's not a simple task, and you'd have some pages (especially those that don't include WIDTH and HEIGHT attributes on images) that would be a little trickier, but it could work. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2831, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> This is definitely the "right" way to do this. One sticky point is """"" would you want to download all graphics before this point or download graphics slowly during this time. I don't believe Marinetti has any kind of auto tuning. What happens is Marinetti will download and buffer graphics as fast as it can (making mouse movement and scrolling very sluggish since all the interrupt time is being used by Marinetti). The application then reads the TCP/IP data when it gets a chance into the application's work space. Then the application does it's stuff like decoding the picture data and store the uncompressed picture into a picture buffer and draw it on screen if that portion is visible. IMO, until Marinetti supports auto-tuning (retrieving network data only as fast the application can read it), one would be very disappointed with the results of this. You might get decent performance if using an emulated GS running at 50 mHz. Since I don't have access to one, I don't know how it would compare. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 2832, GO COM A2PRO) <<<<< But if you went ahead and prefetched all the graphics, it could be """"" more or less acceptable. Or fetch them one at a time, like: fetch main page render it fetch first graphic render it fetch next graphic render it etc. This would probably be reasonably acceptable. For that matter, you could easily enough have it a user preference how it was done. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2833, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> If you aren't too concerned about making the page look just like """"" Netscape or Internet Explorer, you could always download all the images and convert them in the background and make the image icons or alt tags in the web page you are viewing into links to the decoded images. This way you can have a graphic viewer take over the whole screen to be free to use 320 mode, 640 mode, grayscale or 4, 16, 256 or 3200 colours for displaying the image. You could even do a graphic viewer for viewing images with a Second Sight card. Another idea would be to make it so that clicking the icon or alt tag of the image will start the download and decode process rather than having them downloading in the background which might bog down slower machines. You could even put in a menu item to rerender the web page after you've downloaded and decoded the images so that it looks more Netscape or Internet Explorer like. Just a few more thoughts to throw into the pot. :-) Jeff Blakeney Dean of the Apple II University in A2Pro (JBLAKENEY, 2835, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> This is basically how SIS 1.1 does it (once TCP/IP works). A third """"" party viewer such as a NDA could then be used to view downloaded graphics. It would be relatively trivial to patch SIS so the current directory gets updated to the NDA via an IPC call. This provides a higher user satisfaction to find where the graphic was stored on the hard drive to view the graphic without hunting all over for it. This is not as nice as a built in viewer, though. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 2837, GO COM A2PRO) <<<<< What I'd do is have code that converted the graphics into a format """"" that would be able to fit into the page itself, with a special click (like Option-click) to bring up a full-screen dedicated view to give a better look at the picture, using more colors or whatever. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2836, GO COM A2PRO) <<<<< In theory, using Babelfish, it'd be relatively trivial to build-in """"" a graphic viewer. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2839, GO COM A2PRO) MAIL MUSINGS I am working on some email routines and have a pair of """""""""""" questions. I know that once I'm logged in to the pop server, STAT will give me a count of all of the messages. Question 1: How do I know if a message has been previously read or not? Question 2: How can I get the length of any individual message on the server? There'll be more to come. . . :) - Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- rsuenaga@apple2.org Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution (RSUENAGA, 2784, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> "Question 1: How do I know if a message has been previously read or """"" not?" There isn't supposed to be an easy way. A POP3 client is supposed to RETR the messages and then DELE them. All messages on a POP3 server would then be new messages. In Delphi's case, after you close your connection, the server will delete any messages you've RETR'd, even if you don't DELE them. You could use the RSET command after you've finished retrieving messages to make sure they stay on the server, but Delphi probably deletes mail after a certain number of days (30? 60?) anyway. So, considering all this, there are two ways to leave messages on the server and be able to tell what has been read. Method 1. Use the LAST command. LAST tells you the highest message number that was read. From RFC 1460: The POP3 server issues a positive response with a line containing the highest message number which accessed. Zero is returned in case no message in the maildrop has been accessed during previous transactions. A client may thereafter infer that messages, if any, numbered greater than the response to the LAST command are messages not yet accessed by the client. That was easy. What's the catch? There's two. One, Delphi will delete any retrieved messages, so the LAST command will always return 0. If you use RSET to keep the mail, you reset the message read counter, and LAST will again return 0. Other POP3 servers may not automatically delete read messages (my ISP's server doesn't), so you may have better luck. Which brings us to the second catch. The POP3 RFCs have been revised a few times, and the LAST command no longer exists. So, some servers have it implemented, while others don't. If it's there, great, if not, it isn't supposed to be. My ISP's POP3 server implements it, while yours may not. If it does work, it makes it easy for the client, since the read status is maintained by the server. Method 2. The "proper" way: the UIDL command. UIDL returns a unique id for the message number specified, or for all messages if no number was specified. Keep track of these UIDLs in a file, and compare them every time you check for new messages. If a UIDL in your file matches a UIDL for a message on the server, you've already read it. A bit more work for you, but it can be done. Okay, so there's a catch here, too. The UIDL command is an optional command as specified in the RFC, so once again, your POP3 server may or may not implement it. On the bright side, most servers have it, so it's your best bet. My recommendation: If possible, don't keep messages on the POP3 server, and you won't have to worry about it. "Question 2: How can I get the length of any individual message on the server?" Try the LIST command. Without a message number, it will give this type of result: LIST +OK 2 messages 1 1840 2 1950 If you specify a message number, it will give you the message size: LIST 1 +OK 1 1840 Hope this helps. Later, - Aaron (APULVER, 2785, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> Delphi doesn't delete messages if you don't use the DELE command. """"" However, Delphi does move them out of the NEWMAIL folder, so they're no longer retrievable via POP3. If you do use the DELE command, the message gets nuked. If you don't use it, then it's taking up space in your workspace on Delphi. I would not survive if my mail servers didn't support UIDL (all of mine do - I have my Delphi mail forwarded elsewhere for that reason). The main reason I use it is that I check my mail from a variety of places (from work, from a laptop while on the road, etc), but I want a complete database of my mail on my desktop machine at home. So the desktop machine deletes everything when it downloads the mail, all of the others are set up to leave it on the server. Dave Miller (JUSTDAVE, 2791, GO COM A2PRO) <<<<< So I guess that given these issues, I guess here are the """"" possibilities: (1) have the email program delete the mail immediately after it picks it up; (2) have the email program use UIDL to determine what's been read and what hasn't, knowing that it may not work in some cases; (3) have the email program always RSET after it's done. (3) is totally impractical. I'm more apt to do (1) because it's easier and less to configure, however I'd be more apt to do (2) if it were standard, but since it's not. . . . any comments? Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Editor and Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Boycott Alamo! Please don't quote without permission. Delivered by Spectrum 2.2 and Crock O' Gold 3.0! (RSUENAGA, 2792, GO COM A2PRO) HOW CLOSE TO ANSI C IS ORCA/C? ORCA/C is mostly ANSI C compliant (like """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 99.5%). I've never heard of that other C you mentioned, so can't say anything there. There's never been a C++ for the Apple II. I personally would like to have one just because I use C++ at work and am getting used to that programming style. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2790, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> Barring a bug here and there, and there are no real show-stoppers I """"" know of, the ORCA/C compiler is fully ANSI C compliant. The libraries are not; there are a couple of odd-balls that are missing. (Multibyte character support comes to mind, but then, there is no multibyte character support anywhere on the Apple IIGS.) There are some concessions to modern practice. ORCA/C does allow // comments, for example, even though no ANSI C compliant compiler is allowed to do so. In all cases like this one, ORCA/C provides pragmas that allow you to enable and disable the options. With all of them turned off, the compiler is fully compliant. As a point of fact, ORCA/C is actually _more_ picky about the ANSI C standard than most of the supposedly compliant compilers from the big companies. One of the members of the ANSI C standards committee used to beat on me when I strayed, and he also used ORCA/C to find faulty almost-compliant programs because ORCA/C would not allow many of the non-ANSI C "features", like // comments, that other compilers did allow, even though they were not supposed to. :) Mike Westerfield (BYTEWORKS, 2798, GO COM A2PRO) <<<<< In defense of "//" comments (and thank you again for adding support """"" for those, BTW :), most compilers that I use these days have an option for whether or not to allow them. I'd gotten so used to them, using CodeWarrior and other compilers on various platforms, that not having them in ORCA/C had become a huge pain in the neck -- especially after writing code for hours and hours then realizing all my comments were incompatible. :) --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2801, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> In further defense of "//" comments, BCPL and B (precursors to C) """"" used "//" comments (or so I've been told). The chances for a IIgs C++ compiler are pretty slim, but Orca/Pascal supports Object Pascal, which has classes (objects) and inheritance. Kelvin (KWS, 2802, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> "Barring a bug here and there, and there are no real show-stoppers """"" I know of, the ORCA/C compiler is fully ANSI C compliant. The libraries are not; there are a couple of odd-balls that are missing." The one that I've always missed is strftime(). I've often thought that in some ways it seemed a strange omission. As you mentioned, omitting wide character support I can understand. But there didn't seem to be any obvious problem with strftime, and it does make the programmer's life easier! "ORCA/C does allow // comments, for example, even though no ANSI C compliant compiler is allowed to do so." As others have said - thank you again for bending your principles and adding them! As the saying goes, "There's an exception to every rule", and sometimes that's a _good_ thing! -- Peter Watson -- Write to MSDOS disks on the Apple IIgs? -- Impossible! ;-) (PETERWATSON, 2803, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> strftime() really requires that the system supports time zones. The """"" IIgs didn't have any kind of time zone support until I wrote a toolbox to handle this. The toolset is far from complete to support everything strftime() does, but it would be cool if that capability gets added. The source code comes with the toolset for any budding programmers to add to its capability. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 2804, GO COM A2PRO) RESEARCHING THE IIGS I'm working on my Term Paper (Subject: """""""""""""""""""" Implementation of Multiple Disk Filing Systems in a Single Operating System using GS/OS FSTs as an example), and have the following question, for anyone who might be able to answer it: When discussing file structure, there are two considerations as I understand it: The internal file structure itself, and how the data is actually encoded on the disk media. My question is: Do the FSTs have anything to do with the encoding scheme, or are they strictly related to the internal file structure? I have most of the IIGS references, so a pointer to the appropriate page would be very helpful, if that's the easiest way to answer. Thanks ever so much. __________ | homas (TCOMPTER, 2819, GO COM A2PRO) >>>>> All the FSTs concern themselves with is the arrangement of """"" directory and file data on the disk. The physical encoding of the bytes on the disk is handled by the device driver for the drive in question. --- Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 2820, GO COM A2PRO) [EOA] [POP]------------------------------ PERSPECTIVE POSITIVE | ----------------------------------- RYAN'S POINT OF VIEW """""""""""""""""""" by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W, L.S.W. [rsuenaga@sheppyware.net] Y][K ~~~~ As the year 2000 approaches, our Apple IIs have served us longer than any could've imagined. Even the venerable IIgs, born in 1986, qualifies as a computer relic. Still, here we are--using TrueType fonts, printing on laser and inkjet printers, doing optical character recognition, surfing the Internet, exploring the wonders of TCP/IP, or just keeping out Christmas card lists and checking account statements up to date. While there are fewer Apple II supporters than ever, we're certainly nowhere near being out of ideas on how to use them, or ways to have fun with them. There are things that the Apple II can't do, that sentence has to be ended optimistically, as always, with the word "yet." And the Apple II lives on--even with virtually no new hardware and software produced for it, it continues on. I use mine daily as do countless others. And I use mine virtually, through emulation--the Apple ][ of tomorrow--using both _Bernie_ and _Ernie_. With one eye toward the past, and the other toward the future, we have to say that disaster or not, the Apple ][, just as it's been in the 70's, 80's, and 90's, will still be here in the 00's, however you pronounce it. :: DISCUSSED ON DELPHI ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: : : : No one watches until you make a mistake. : : : :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: LUMITECH :::::: [EOA] [INN]------------------------------ EXTRA INNINGS | ----------------------------------- About The Lamp! The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month in """"""""""""""" the Database of the II Scribe Forum on the Delphi online service (GO CUS 11). This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computers using Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes. Apple II Forever! * The Lamp! is (c) copyright 1999 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. All rights reserved. * To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to thelamp@sheppyware.net * Back issues of The Lamp! are available in the II Scribe Forum on Delphi as well as The Lamp! Home Page, http://lamp.sheppyware.net. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Inc., or Ryan M. Suenaga. Forum messages are reprinted verbatim and are included in this publication with permission from the individual authors. Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Inc. and Ryan M. Suenaga do not guarantee the accuracy or suitability of any information included herein. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy. Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Registered computer user groups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties may write the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [EOF]