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A 6.6. $(. A`8-@!8($Programmed For The Ol' Hackers Ataric9-@"g}9(% User Group Inc. By:Kris Holtegaarde00(' Modified By:Thomas J. Andrewsj666.,THE OL' HACKERS' ATARI U.h}G., INC. NEWSLETTERt67B:,%,.7<@8,y&-B:,6&7<,0 AU~ L 6. 67@,.#67,i}.C6-+@&,'@%@L67,.'A @#-A"P' H6.D1:MAINMENU.HLP$@5@j}A@H(}!A !A@h" A (" A(]B7t@d'@k}@d9A @E-@"V( Selection: ]6.2/ )/+"AU)"A&,*4A07"AUl}A`9."A&*B:,"6.$*. A0:0"A&6.7:,*2B:,"@p}A` A0/ +@-/(@TURN DISK OVER/-@/(@THEN PRESS ANY KEY5Aq}dAU)& A05% D:PROG.BASo+A%A @7-@@Q(NO PROGRAM THIS MONTr}Hc-@@oARB'(FLIP DISK AGAIN AND PRESS A KEY1 A08)B A6 (}-@ @ s}6( What's Your Pleasure?_B7t@d'@@d9-@@X(enu rint ead: _)8t}"@w((.( Main Menu....8 A"@AP8"@((.( Read File....8 u}AF.-B:,6. D1:**.TXT.67<,.7<,F A"@A )5@<(}F A5pv}  A4F:A,"A6*@@@4 A5P**"@e*F:A,"ApA!`pA @w}4@e*F:A,"Ap:(}L-@@p(Not In This Months News Letter! AF AF! A!`x} TA @'A@hT((} 짠򠠠 00(( ày} aB7t@d'@@d4@8(D@waF:Ad,"AFA5P F:@, z}@"A5  E(3(' 堒EAdAU ''F:Ad,"AU*T:,"A5@ {}%AdAU(}% A5 ZAdAU(0(Z($Press a Key or Trigger for Next File|} ''F:Ad,"AU*T:,"A5` *@@@'AdAU*$NA %6.D1:PRESSPRT.MNU*5}}G@@@N(}((6-C:hhhhh Ȅԩ`,!A@h!A " A@`~}(" A@@A @QB7t@d'@@d9-@@ J( Selection: Q)!!"}@i)"@eAH"@xAC,"@c' A@@A@TK AD(}3}D1:PRESSPRT.HLP= A5G A@KÛC6-@f6-@V!6-'6-36-@96-C AI0S6-F}:A,"A6E(! Viewing Complete Press Any KeyL)O$SÛDU (}-@@'"A8K(Your Pr}inter is Not On Line...U AFX<"Ap2(Printer Help File Not Found...< AFb= (}-@@3(}ERROR # F:A,= AFl A@-A $7@6-!"@e'6--6-7 AH@}F (}-"(PRINT STYLE?0( . DRAFTF(. DOUBLE STRIKE0)@6-&@d0 )!AH U (}}-3( PAGE COLUMNS & LINE SPACING?U(. 2 COLUMNS AT 6 LINES/INCHh%(. 2 COLUMNS AT 8 LINES/INCHG(. 3 COL}UMNS AT 6 LINES/INCHh(. 3 COLUMNS AT 8 LINES/INCH( )( @e)!@hAH@g6-@f6-@V'6}-@-6-C"@f)"@hO6-@[6-@g6-@v!@f6-$I (}-!( PAPER TYPE?}4(. CONTINUOUSI(. SINGLE SHEETS8( )( @e)!@fAIB"@f6-&'ÛL$/ 6-}6. D1:**.TXT6-%"/ A@E (}-@@>(dd, ven, or ll Pages?E)++@e*}@y*@iAPU (}-9(%LOADING BUFFER before Printing.....U(Use -P to Pause+(Use }-C to Cancel+-@= 6. 67,.67,.#6.)6.16-%=@w/ - A`6-'6-@@}/-"F:Ad,"A8" AU,F:Ad,"AF", A& &APAQAQ }67<,. AQ@67<,. AQ@67<,.! 6-%6-%@9 ! "F:Ad,"A8" }AU#,F:Ad,"AF", A$..'@"P:'@,*"@yASE%..'@P:'@,*}"@iASE(9 A&@P:,"9(@=2 "(GF6  '6-+",$%+",$+@}&,6(=:,PN (((":6-+",$@ %+",$@G*@'N*Z: 6-6-@@}-$6.*":6. _"F:Ad,"A8" AU`,F:Ad,"AF", Ad<67B:,%},.7<,)67B:,%,.7<,<67B:,%,.7<,n"6-?: <> <> The Battle of The Basic's (C) 1992 By Tom Hunt All rights reserved 0} Reprinted by OL'HACKERS AUG This article may be freely distributed, and included in user's groups newsle0}tters, and electronic magazines. There seems to be a universal language among computer users. It's the basi1}c programming language. Almost everybody had dabbled with basic, at one time or another. There are alot of 1}other programming languages available for the Atari 800/XL/E. Like C, Action!, Pascal, Logo, Pilot, Assembly, an1}d AVUE. But Basic remains popular, even today. Basics come in two major flavors. The first being th1}e interpretive type, and the second being the type that compiles the Basic source program. For those of you w1}ho are unfamiliar with these terms, an interpreter gets a chunk of tokenized program, and interprets it, one chunk a2} *-*-*-*-*-* WHATS THIS? MORE BONUS PROGRAMS?? Yes, as in the prior newsletters,we will always try t5}o give you a BONUSBASIC program, and even more, IF thereis room on the disk.Remember-look for any BONUS programs bygo5}ing to BASIC, list the DIRECTORY forthe name, then go to BASIC or to DOS L(BINARY LOAD [L]) in order to run the.OBJ or5} .COM machine language programs. PLUS, You will will still havethe two BASIC programs that you run bypushing the5 } Space Bar when in the MAINMENU, one on each side of the DISK.NOTE: On any [.OBJ or .COM] program youhave to check to5 } see if it is to be runwith our without BASIC! <><><> END <><><>4O *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+* NEWSLETTER REVIEWS by Alan Sharkis OHAUG Newslette9 }r Librarian We have just completed considerable work on the OHAUG Welcome Disk, a disk that we give to new membe9 }rs of the group to help them understand what we're all about. It includes samples of what can be accomplished w9}ith Atari 8-bit computers. The original disk showed a lot of care and hard labor by its creators, including9} president ALEX PIGNATO, but it was time for major revisions. Interesting, then, that among the newsletters we've9} received from other user groups are signs that their newsletters are undergoing a continuous revision proc9}ess. That's as it should be. Stagnation doesn't mirror the present and works against a healthy future. Some may call9} 8- BIT'ters fossils, but we're not. We're alive, adaptable, and still creating, as these club newsletters wi9}ll show. The LVAUG Newsletter for August, 1992 has made an attempt to dispell the dryness associated with user gro9}up newletters. Interspersed among the articles are little humorous sayings, cartoons, one-liners and dialogs. Some9}, unfortunately, I've seen before, but you have to applaud their efforts. So must you applaud the efforts of E9}D BACHMAN who begins a great tutorial on SpartaDos. Ed's approach is interesting and effective. He t9}ells us what a command-line processor is, and then proceeds to explain SpartaDos commands, comparing them dir9}ectly to the more familiar Atari Dos menu choices. In this way, he shows how the syntax of SpartaDos varies fro9}m that of Atari Dos, and shows also how it may be more flexible in some situations. I'd like to see a three- way 9}or four-way comparison done at some time, however. Maybe a chart will do. There'd be Atari Dos, disk- based Sparta 9}(as Ed has done), SDX (which I favor in many situations) and one other (perhaps MyDos?) No, I'm not volunteerin9}g for this one, but it could be very useful. A reprint of Name Game by "THE OLD DOG", from NeoStag News. Jul9}y 1991, rounds out this issue. It's a humorous look at commonly-used initials. The JACG Newsletter fo9}r September, 1992 carries a first-page article by editor DAVID ARLINGTON that I agree (ur, half) with. Let me exp9}lain. Dave got a 130XE, two additional disk drives and a Commodore 1702 color monitor. Now he feels he's in editor h9 }eaven. I, too, like the 1702 monitor. I've admired them from afar for many years. I even secured one for OHAUG9!} two years before I was able to get my own. Now that I have my own, I have to agree with Dave. The characters are cl9"}ear, there's a tiny hint of artifacting that you have to go out of your way to find, and color purity is fantastic! Bu9#}t, keyboards are much more of a subjective matter. I'm typing this now on my 130XE, and I absolutely HATE the keyboard! 9$} In my mind, the best keyboard Atari 8- bit computers ever used was the one on my old 800. A second to that is th9%}e Focus 2001 that I use with my IBM clone. I know it's impossible to put an 800 keyboard into a 130XE, but I'm going to9&} investigate the TransKey. Still, if Dave is happy, I'm happy for him. I know the new system will help him produce a9'}nd fight fatigue at the same time. JOSEPH E. HICKSWA's column on the 8-bit meetings was interesting. It alluded t9(}o a method of tying two 8-bits with different power requirements together. SAM COREY (also an OHAUG memember) se9)}ems to feel that new magazine, The Atari Classics Magazine may draw vital resources and readership away from AIM9*} and Current Notes. I can't say that I agree with him, because Current Notes 8-bit editor RICK REASER is9+} actively soliciting articles on FidoNet, and has made several contacts in this way. AIM has an agreement 9,} to share articles with AC, and there is at least the potential that an AC article will appear in AIM and vi9-}ce versa. However, Sam does state that he will support AC and urges others to do the same. I can't agree more with tha9.}t. SAM also cites OHAUG as an 8-bit club that continues to have a growing membership, with members who actively part9/}icipate. If you'r an Ultima fan, you need to read DAVID ARLINGTON's column on that still-popular adventure g90}ame. Finally, JOSEPH E. HICSWA (another OHAUG member) writes two great articles dealing with BASIC programming. Way to 91}go, JOE. One is a listing that produces a beautiful graphics display in only 20 lines of code. The other deals w92}ith data statements. Nybbles and Bytes for November/December, 1992 mentions the OHAUG newsletters amo93}ng the DOMS that NWPAC President DALE WOOSTER is collecting for their library. We're honored, Dale. There are rep94}rints of the CHUCK SHWARK (CLAUG) article on caring for floppy disks, and the BOB WOOLLEY (SLCC) article on high speed95} sector skews, how they work, and when and where they can be used. MIKE BROWN tells us how to change the batter96}y in an RTime8 Cartridge. DALE WOOSTER ends with a column boosting Atari Classics Magazine. ACE of Syracuse News97}letter for November/December, 1992 brings us a couple of interesting discoveries made by TOM FECTEAU. Tom found 98}that the Sega Genesis controller works, though not perfectly, on an Atari 8- bit system. If you're a gamer, and yo99}u like the feel of this controller or are just curious, read this article. Tom also reports that the old Electr9:}onic Arts game, M.U.L.E., which fascinated many of us in the 8- bit world, has been updated and released for the9;} Nintendo system. THOMAS J. ANDREWS(stillanother OHAUG member reviewed the premier issue of Atari Classics Magazine. 9<}It's a very favorable review and, I feel, also an objective one. Tom also reminds us that the type-in programs that 9=} we found in ANTIC, ANALOG, and Compute! can now be found on CompuServe and GEnie. Thanks, Tom. The PSAN for Novemb9>}er/December, 1992 continues a series of reviews of European 8-bit software with a review of AD 2044 from Poland writ9?}ten by KIT CARSON (S*P*A*C*E). It's an adventure game with a most interesting history and us9@}er interface. I won't give it away, but just remember the changes that took place in Poland in the last few years ... 9A} KIT (otherwise known as Chris) also reviews MISJA and FRED, two more Polish games in an second column. You have t9B}o read this column to appreciate the situation with 8-bits and software production in Poland. How many explanation9C}s have you heard for the initials IBM? Well, DR. ANON E. MUSS (c'mon now!) has written a short column that cleverly 9D}puts many of these to work in a column called, "IBMitis - Have YOU got it?" I rolled on the floor laughing ove9E}r that one. JOHN PICKEN (G.C.A.C.E.) has a beautiful presentation of computer arithmetic that starts, natur9F}ally, with binary arithmetic, but includes binary-hexadecimal and hexadecimal-binary conversion, which is vital for 9G}any foray into the world of assembly-language programming. It also includes an often-overlooked explanation of BCD9H} (binary-coded decimal) notation. ACT and DEED for Winter, 1993 is the premier issue of a new newsletter which 9I} we welcome enthusiastically. It's a joint effort of ACT, the Affiliated Connecticut Groups. This is the organiza9J}tion that promotes the Connecticut AtariFest each summer, and is looking for greater 8-bit (hint, hint!) partici9K}pation. This issue reviews the last CT AtariFest, announces a swap meet to be held in Stamford on Tuesday, February 9L} 6, a plan to organize excursions for computer widows and other non-users in conjunction with the next CT 9M}AtariFest, and an article about a book store that actually sells four Atari-related magazines by DOUG FINCH. 9N} Commercial advertising abounds in this issue. We wish the Connecticut groups the best of luck on producing t9O}his fine newsletter, now billed as a quarterly, and eagerly await their spring offering. 8:16 for Fourth 9P}Quarter, 1992 features an article by TERRY CHAMBERLAIN on how to modify the German 8-bit Mah Jong game, 9Q}Taipei, so that it can be played with an ST mouse connected to the joystick port. A BASIC listing and assembly source9R} code accompany the article. THOMAS HOLZER runs down the options available to you if you wish to use a light 9S}gun with your 8-bit as well as reviewing all of the games specifically made for this controller. M9T}AX GERUM writes an elaborate review of DAVID RICHARDSON's Daisy Dot III Users Guide. This manual9U} is quite elaborate, is endorsed by ROY GOLDMAN, the author of DD III, and consists of 5 ARC'd DSSD disk9V}s or 9 SSSD unarc'd disks. In addition to a manual, there are extra fonts for all kinds of special purposes, and some 9W}of JOHN McGOWAN's conversion programs and utilities to use DDIII efficiently with TextPro. Perhaps the bes9X}t feature of the manual, says reviewer Gerum, is the fact that it is entirely in the public domain. This issue of 8:9Y}16 also includes the announcement of a new user group in England, to be known as AAUSAC, the Association of Atari Use9Z}rs in Schools and Colleges. (FR)ANTIC for December, 1992 is a holiday issue, and, as such, has almost no in9[}terest for outsiders. However, if you want to associate names and faces, there are photographs of several 9\}of the members reproduced in the issue. There is also mention of the old APX series, apparently being marketed by9]} B&C Computervisions with descriptions of some of the well-known titles. Between Bytes for December, 1992 goes throu9^}gh correspondence of interest the JACS has received. This issue produces two rather important letters. On9_}e is from the sysop of a military Atari Club BBS that is based in Japan. He desires equipment, software and magazin9`}es for swap. He also needs to know about the latest upgrades and modules of PRO. A second newsletter is from ED9a} GALVAN, editor of the ACCESS KEY (Sacramento, CA) stating that 8-bit interest in his club is declining and asking for9b} suggestions on keeping 8-bit interest alive. SHAWN POULSON writes a detailed article about interfacing a hard 9c}disk to an 8-bit. ROGER HELLER writes another one about telecommunications. The S.A.G.E. Scroll for De9d}cember, 1992 mentions OHAUG's newsletter again in JAMES GURIEL's 8-Bit Section. In fact, the column lacks9e} original writing by Jim, he states, for lack of time. How many of us have been there? At any rate, he reprint9f}s an article that we, in turn reprinted fromthe Mid-Florida Atari Computer Club Newsletter. It's CAROLYN HOGLIN9g}'s fine article on preparing documents wih AW+ that can be sued with WordStar or other 16-bit programs, together with9q} >b%DOS SYSb*)DUP SYSbSRAMDISK COMb[WELCOME SCRb;VNEWSLTR BASbHELP DOCbPRESSPRTMNUbPRESSPRTHLPb MAINMENUHLPbAUTORUN SYSbAUTORUN COMb<BGAMEMACTXTbCFBATTLE TXTbCBONUS TXTbl EOHNLREVTXTb$}DPRNTOOLTXTbVPRNTTOOLBASb;PICPRINTBASb6HNEWDISKTXTbGTIGERTWOPICbjFORMDOS1OBJbmFORMDOS2OBJbpGFORMDOSTXTHNEWDISKTXT some material on how to transfer these documents to other machines. Jim follows this column with a report on his vi9r}sit to a swap meet run by another club. That's an interesting story by itself. The MUG Newsletter for Decem9s}ber, 1992 is rather thick. Some of that thickness, happily, is contributed by the Atari News section written by th9t}e members of NAPCO. NAPCO's offerings have been a little slim of late, and I'm glad they have recovered, though I am9u} a bit at odds with the bitterness and pessimism expressed in the longest article. This article is the first in 9v}a series by DC Signorini that outlines his, and AUA's position regarding that controversy that erupted in the P9w}ittsburgh area. Early in the article, Derek says that he is finished badmouthing Atari, yet he concludes with the opini9x}on that the ST is a dead-end platform and that serious users should look to the MacIntosh and Intel-based machines.9y} History since then, with regard to the STe line and the projected Falcon, may prove him in a minority positi9z}on. But, his bitterness can be explained quite easily, as we follow his and his groups noble efforts against pira9{}cy. Of more 8-bit specific interest is an article by THOMAS J. ANDREWS, reprinted from the ACE of Syracuse Newsle9|}tter about such essential utilities as BASICON.COM, Custom Print, Print Star, and Multi- AUTORUN. The LIAUG Light 9} <><><> PRINT TOOL 9.0 PRINT TOOL 9.0 --- a multi-purpose printer utility for Ep=~}son or Gemini printers. Program and text by: Charles F. Johnson CIS # 75066,404 (PROGRAM IS ON THIS DIS=}K) PRINT TOOL is a BASIC program that will let you print out any ATASCII text file with its CTRL gra=}phics characters and all the other special ATARI characters just as they appear on screen. It lets you use any charac=}ter set that you wish (as long as it is stored in the standard 9 sector form used by most character editor programs), a=}nd will also print the date, author, and a nice boxed title at the beginning of the printout. This program is =}especially good for printing files that have been printed to disk with PaperClip or SpeedScript. PRINT TOOL also le=}ts you print out a directory listing in 2, 4, or 6 columns, or enter a line of text to be printed at any point. Ther=}e are three sizes of text available; all use the entire ATARI font or any alternate font you wish. You may al=}so choose between three line spacing settings. PRINT TOOL is designed for the Epson or Star Micronics (Gemini) printer=}s. Using PRINT TOOL. When you run PRINT TOOL, the first thing you see is the OPTION MENU. Belo=}w the menu are several lines which will hold pertinent information as you use the program. The menu selections=} are: 1...Disk Directory. This command will display the directory of drive one or two in a double column form=}at, and then ask for a filename to print. If you want to print a text file from that disk just enter its name, w=}ith no D: specifier. If you're just looking at the directory or the file you want to print isn't on that disk, hit RET=}URN and you will go back to the OPTION MENU. 2...Print Directory. This will print the directory of drive one or=} two in the currently selected print mode (see change Print Mode). 3...Load Character Set. This command enables yo=}u to load a character set file from drive one or two. The new character set will then be used during any printi=}ng as well as displayed on screen. This option also allows you to return to the default Atari font. 4...T=}ype a Line. You may enter a line of text (up to three physical lines) to be printed in the current print mode =}and character set. Any characters may be used. 5...Enter Filename. This option lets you enter the name of an ATA=}SCII text file to be printed. If you want to print out a BASIC program with all of its special characters, you shoul=}d first LIST it to disk and then use PRINT TOOL to print the LISTed file. A SAVEd BASIC program is in a tokenized for=}m, so if you try to print that, you're bound to have problems. Some word processors will allow you to print=} text to a disk file, which can then be printed with PRINT TOOL (say, with a nice redefined font). 6...Enter Title. =} Lets you enter a title for the file you wish to print. The title will be printed with a border around it, at the top o=}f the listing. 7...Enter Author. Lets you give yourself (or whoever) credit at the top of your printout. 8...Enter =}Date. The date will be printed on the same line as the filename and author information. 9...Change Print Mode. =} This option allows you to set character size and line spacing. The character size will determine how many col=}umns are used when you print a directory listing; 2, 4, or 6. 0...Print File. This is where you go after you have ev=}erything set up the way you want it. If you haven't already entered a filename to print, you will be asked for one. I=}f you just press RETURN you will exit to the OPTION MENU. The lines beneath the Option Menu display print size and l=}ine spacing, the name of the file you have chosen to print, and whatever data you have entered for Title, Author, and D=}ate. PRINT TOOL sets your printer's "skip over perforation" feature so that you'll have nice, separate pages i=}n a long listing. I've found this program to be very useful --- I'm sure you will too. Address comments via Com=}puserve to Charles F. Johnson 75066,404. <><>end<><><J**P0P1P2P3MDLVDLPDDLTDLPDLBDLPOKCRSINNSAVMSSMENLMARGNFILPFNPSSPTITLEADNCHOICADZMPA}INORCNVINOUTMODSPLITEMPHLPRTGNDNUFNULFCNDIRFNCHBAPMBASPTVVTSTARDLISA} A} !"A}#$%&'()*+,-./01A}23456789:;<=> Ԡ̠A}ƮӠ(}s;@,;@,;@,;@,;@A},;@,;@,;@,;@,;@,} A 2Πՠ<@)6-?:<A`&):@:A}1,*@:2,='@$! (>:,6.D67,.>:,!$ŠӠ&6-F:B2y,&"@A@AdAA}U$ҠԠƠΠ(6-?:<<%,(}%6-?:<<,($B"6-?:<<%A <A<,((}?6-?::,>:,>:,!'6.-6-7 A^$hˠҠrH"(ˠ٠H6-?:<A`:%A(,$ AA}@$% 6-@ Ap%- HF:@,"@ -@!$+F:,",H-@!$+A}F:,"@!,1(1F:@, @ )F:, @!A p-@@ :( Press to finish directoryL-A}@@!p(Press à to enter filename )@'A 6-A Ap AA}p( -@ % A($ԠҠ""(Ԡ٠V(  A}@6-+"@,$@%+",$%V6-?:<A`:@4,A>:@4, to use the A}normal ATARI font.* )'>:,01*>:,02*>:,0A*$#>:,4A AVA$#$" 6.D67,.>:,"67,A}.:E%(Enter character set filename.+4(>;B4E$v67@,. 6-%@* Ap;@A}v6-?:<AP<@<AR<$AV<AV<A$,36-?:C:hhhLV,<@,$0AV3$A}ŠŠ4"(ŠŠ4( E$(Enter a line to print below.E((maximum - 3 physicalA} lines)F-(%Press on a blank line to exit.0(F6-?:<A`o*("Press Ԡ to entA}er a new line.S($Press Ԡ to reprint this line.o(Press Π to exit.H A@"$R"@AA}\66-A@ Ap%-@,(6 APfԠŠpN(Filename to print? >7(( to exitA})>E4K6-N$z! 6.!B:,")B:,"A  7<,4D:6.7, 6-''7<,4D1:)7<,4D2A}:A 07 6.6.D67,.=:,(67,.:767@,. 6-6- ! $B6-?:<<<<,&-@@A}6( B-@$( !6-?:<<,$$ŬҬŠ;( ҠŠ1(EntA}er your title below:4(;(> 4$5 6. 67A ,.#67,.,6.56-B:,Q -67%,.A}:67@@%,.>:@:7,,%A(,M67@x%,.Q ]67%,.#67@9,.767@A%,.I67@wA},.]67@y%,.$B( ҠŠ.(Enter the date below:1(8(>?B$G(ҠҠ3(A}Enter author info below:6(=(>DG$$ԠŠ.' @ '-@ @8T(ԠԠA}ź9(堠T(B9(9(L*-A}@@*( V& )& @:1,)!@:4,Ap`6-&@Hj.>:,41"6. 40 Col. LargeA}.6-@ut/>:,42#6.40 Col. Medium/6-@v~/>:,43#6.80 Col. Medium/6-@v/>:,44#6.A}160 Col. Small/6-A" A-@ @T(ԠŠǺ9(蠠T(A}蠠8(蠠8( ! ) @:1,)!@:3,!$%>:,416.A}1/6 in.%6.2%>:,426.1/8 in.%6.0&>:,436.1/9 in.&6.A$ԠŠ4 A}((ԠŠ4A;6-?:<A`:A}AU,z 6-z6-?:<A <<A<AR<B2V<<B2W<<B2X<<B2H<@D<B2I<Av<AY<@FA},*@A'B7tA*$C*6-?:<%<<%@<<%@<,26-%@6-%@C$̠A}ǠӠ40,34,29,34,35,9D:PRINTOOL.BAS@; House for January, 1993 contains a reprint from Z*NET of January, 1992 of an article on announcing and describin9}g The Black Box from CSS. This is very informative, particularly if you are looking for a hard drive interf9}ace for your Atari. *+*+*+*+*+*+*+* End *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*e, particularly if you are looking for a hard drive interf8> "}uv[qMAINMODENAMEPR1PR2PR3FILETEMPDUMPFILFFPIDUMPRPRSCPICSTBKCRCRCRDKEPADUMP2DUMP1PE}RTGRFJJ== & AU @ E}E} 5!" SAVE "D:PICPRINT.BAS" ##THIS PROGRAM WILL DISPLAY ANDPRINT KOALA TYPE PICTE}URES(2 THIS PROGRAM WILL NOT WORK<""WITH MONKEY WRENCH INSTALLEDFPss;A0,;@a,;@,;AF}r,;Ar,;Ar,;A ,;@,;Ax,;Ax,U;@,;@,Z1 +AR@F}1A@_Q0@@@70@@@Q0@@@d%%(} IN TF}HE PUBLIC DOMAINe$$(fc#(ĠɠԠC(c(F}ŠҠg##(i##(ĠҠj##(F}kW( WHICH PRINTER*( PSON9( EMINIE( ECW( ROWRITERm!(ENTER YOUR CHOICE!F}n@4E)4G)4N)4P6(@ A p @sx!!PUT DISK I/O SUBROUTINES IN PAF}GE FOUR CASSETTE BUFFER.ee162,16,169,0,157,72,3,169,0,157,73,3,32,86,228,192,0,48,9,238,31,4,208,3,238,32,4,96,104,F}104,96%-A$AT"!% !!DUMP$ IS A MACHINE LANGUAGEROUTINE THAT DOES THESCREEN DUMF}PIT ALSO USES THE FIRST 20!!BYTES OF PAGE 1 (0100,0110)DUMP1$ IS FOR EPSON TYPES""DUMP2$ IS FOR NEC, PROWF }RITERcc67@,.PhhhhhhhϩР˅ѥϭiͭi88שϭcc67@F },.PiͭiΥ) JJ)  q͑JJѥ8%%67Aa,.(̅ХД`cF }c67@,.PhhhhhhhϩР˅ѥϭiͭi88שϭcc67@,.PiͭiF }Υ)  JJ) q͑JJѥ8%%67Aa,.(̅ХД`!!MODE$ IF }S A MACHINE LANGUAGE""ROUTINE TO CHANGE GRAPHICS 8TO GRAPHICS MODE E",GG6.=h01eeAF}O ݩ֩N`6@!!MAIN$ IS A MACHINE LANGUAGEJ ROUTINE TO DECOMPRESS .PICTFILES AND DISPLAY F}THEMr|ww67@,.dhBDE   D    F} ww67A,.d!  XY X!  FD))   F}ww67A,.d ]GPee`/ee(e--67F}A,.eee`##67A<A,.>:@4,##67AW<AW,.>:@4,READ DF}ISK DIRECTORYAND STORE .PIC FILENAMESff(^ Hit [RETURN] to see if this disk contains any pictures that canF} be printed!L*(!IF NONE, INSERT THE PICTURE DISK.H( THEN PRESS ΠL46-@4@@F}D:*.PIC+ 6. 67A ,. +67@,.@$$7@<@,0 A`16F}7@<@,.D:167@,..PIC*67@$&@,.*6-%@& @7A06-&@F}:@DNNOW GET WHICH PICTUREXTO PRINTblA +2( } ŠӠΠӠˠ5(A6-F}v-@6.7$@&@,UB-++'@&P:'@,, ? ,$@ '@%@N @F}U(  (- ))(!ENTER '0' TO CATALOG A NEW DISK9 A 5("WHICH PICTURE DO YOU WANT TO PRINTF}9"A!A 6.7$@&@, 6.-@B:,)7<,0 )67B:,%F}@,.7<,  @@!+@%@!6-?:C:,, 6-?:C:,,@ *F} РҠҠӛ4>H AR A`\.@.@@P:a2 4EF}6-C:,'(@@326.Lb2 4G6-C:,'(@@326.Lc7 4N6-C:,*(@T1F}6[Q76.S0772d7 4P6-C:,*(@T16[Q76.S0772f7 6.67Ar,.+67@,.16.76F}.p 6-C:,6-C:,zΠϠҠЛ7%6-F:@,%F:@,$AV7AdAUKF }-@9,F:Ad,AU/'AAdAUK A P*6-A$@@%%*6-?:<<<, 0(F!}@(@ 0(@(@ (@  B'g"@+F"}" A THIS ROUTINE CHANGESTHE GRAY SCALES36-@6-@'6-@36-@F#}3+@%@2!6-?:C:,,3AR@{!A@p$+&@,?A@p$+&@,]A @F$}p$+&@,{A@p$+&@, (}6-@--6-F:A`,%F:Aa,$AV%As--6-F:@F%},%F:@,$AV&AW-@7-@$@$%@O%%@@$@S W +F&}%@@e+%@@5%@F:%@,5%@F:%@,K@x2%@&P:'F'}AV,$AVK%@P:'AV,8@.@@K:8 A@x#Q*("} F(} PRESS RINT OR ENU OR IEW.Q(" CHOOSE COLOR TO CHANGE. (1-4)(**(! 1 2 3 428@F)}.@@K:8 A0<)@@I"@)"A?(!} PRESS ANY KEY TO STOP PRINTINGI AF*}PA!!"@w)"A A B-"@)"A# A- A F$$(} BLACK = 1 2 3 4 5 = WHITEP!!(F+} CHOOSE NEW SHADE. (1-5)Z33(PRESENT SHADE FOR COLOR #&@H IS _@edV"@I( )@F,}.6-&@HLA@p$+&@I,V AnV"@P( )@.6-&@HLA@p$+&@IF-},V AxV"@Q( )@.6-&@HLA @p$+&@I,V AV"@R( )F.}@.6-&@HLA@p$+&@I,V Ai%2@A@@9-@@ = _F/}2@i A1#A%#-A`Ac'"-1 1#A%#-AdAgF0}'"-1 1#A%#-AhAq'"-1 1#A%#-ArAu'"-1 $F1}DATA FOR GRAY SCALES15,15,15,1510,5,10,510,0,5,0 2,0,8,0 0,0,0,0PRINTER ERROR RF2}OUTINE",,($SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE PRINTER!,%%2@A@@6-@@  @%%2@F3}J-@A T APrw)+@%@%@2)6-?:C:,,{!F4}A@p$+&@,?A@p$+&@,]A @p$+&@,{A@p$+&@,-F5}@A $D:PICPRINT.BAS$+&@,]A @p$+&@,{A@p$+&@,-D- ()()() NEW DISK N/L's -by ALEX PIGNATO, member OL' HACKERS A.U.G. NY Want to keep your 8 BIT hJ7}umming along with the newest? If so, you must subscribe to two new English entries from EUROPE. I have digested J8}issues 1 to 6 of NOSAUG; 71 WALKER Rd.; TORRY; ABERDEEN; AB1 3DL; SCOTLAND). I have also digested issues 1J9} and 2 of TWAUG; P.O. Box # 8; WALLSEND; TYNE & WEAR; NE2B 6DQ; ENGLAND. I can truly tell you that they were J:} very satisfying meals for us hungry 8 BIT lovers. You have to see them to really appreciate the versitility J;} of the 8 BIT. The graphics are top drawer, the information gleaned from the articles runs the gamut for neJ<}w to old users. Gamers are not forgotten either, so that you have a true cross section of the 8 BIT. Like reading J=}ANTIC or ANALOG magazine, only it comes to you as a disk. The text when printed, reads like the magazine articles onlyJ>} BETTER. They have LOADS of NEW stuff, mostly from EUROPE, that we on this side of the lake have never seen. As the J?}editor of the OL' HACKERS newsletter, I think I can truly evaluate a good disk newsletter when I see one, J@}and both of the above mentioned newsletters get my hearty WELL DONE. If you are a member of a users group, ask JA} your club to subscribe. You will be doing yourself an injustice if you don't get these scarce sources of 8 BIT materiJB}al. I suggest you send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope to both of these disk newsletters and ask how yoJC}u or your group, can purchase a subscription. You will not be sorry you did, take it from an 8 BIT lover. JD} <><><>an purchase a subscription. You will not be sorry you did, take it from an 8 BIT lover. HV ?< "b"&fb"%T@j&!" 2033UUNV}QCO wݏ (PUTU>0??UUEUQ  w*"*@UPNW}*(UjhdTQU> wݏ  @PPࠨ* UjdTQUE w7(NX}  @P@PTj)O?0Gw݆ ("( @P@PTTj)NY}3w7 *@PTP@@*XPP7wݍ *@PTUNZ}P@@ZXP w (* B@PEAQPTUA(w7 w݇ ("*JBTPN[}EAQPTU ( w7(* *@TP@X* 7w݆ (* (*@PTN\}PX* w7(* (P**w݂  (* (*PX**N]}w7* * 7w݁ (* * * w7( "(  7w ݄N^} ( (* (  !w7( ( (  7w!ݍ  ("(* %! "w(*  N_}TP@pt w"݌ ( *  TP!"w7 "( (*" $VZYEpw"ݍ **"$VN`}Ywtr@s wp*((* AEuw҃ ݄ "(* wB wt@(*Na}7(  ( DEEpw݃ ݉  (* ( Ew wtvp@ 7 w7Nb}(B@3w݂܈ =  B@w7 ( (Bh@*(7wp  7w݂( Nc} ݇  w77w7 (pw݁  ݂ ( (6w7*(pw6Nd} * 9w7*3w9݂* :w7w9݂ `w``w` ݂ ( (6w7*(pw6LO33BJD3E V0 BHID3E V0d 02BJD3E V 028?30QB JD f}3E VB0HID3E V0 BHIhD3E V@ BLV A 223cc g}i(2:] `) 93 ӠԠBX`ERROR WRITING MEM.SAV - Y TO RUN DOS!332u3` h}ˌӭ@H@I@@h@`}SmartRAM-II DOS 2.5 D8:1050 EMULATORby Tim Patrick, COPYRIGHT 1989 ANTIC i}ĠҠˠšD1:DUP.SYSD8:MEM.SAVD8:cgko0LATORby Tim Patrick, COPYRIGHT 1989 ANTICS4&5)?Ң794q484 4 \`).(8 @ ҩb \Lb`zH~ zRk}c}jh'zc}jh'!< (=!xHhem~'xHhem~@Hz~!zH~&zKJ!'?#:!'hezM~E"4RHe!'#!'zhMPj'!Z!'Z!' !c!4z!'hjJjm~!'MmRl}~j@x J  k y  k R hez" zB k @ KmHhKc"~k~ k 4&zKJ!'?#:!'hezM~E"4RHe!'#!'zhMPj'!Z!'Z!' !c!4z!'hjJjm~!'MmP94'5)?Ң794q484 4 \`).(8 @ ҩb \Lb`'zc}jVn}h'!J<(=!'xHhem~x'xHhem~'xHhem~!zhMPj!'Z!'Z!'n( -*>!!'zH~&zKJ![!hezM~E"RHe![!hjJjm~!Mm~j@x 'J  k yVo}  k R zBhez" zB k @ zBKmHhKcb~k~" k 4!'Z!'n( -*>!!'zH~&zKJ![!hezM~E"RHe![!hjJjm~!Mm~j@x 'J  k yT: FORMAT/DOS/DUP/RAMDISK IN 1 OPERATION by ALEX PIGNATO, member of THE OL' HACKERS ATARI USERS GROUP, Inc. NY BOTH ofZq} these programs will be found on this disk! If you are like me, You hate to have to do the necessary typing toZr} FORMAT a new disk, prior to using it. Its a drudgery that must be done on each new disk. Wouldn't you like to FORMAT,Zs} add DOS.SYS, DUP.SYS, and RAMDISK.COM to your disks all in one operation, and at the same time, just handle the diskZt} once? Sounds too good to be true? Here is how you can do it, BUT, ONLY IF YOU HAVE TWO DISK DRIVES!. On thZu}is disk will be found a program called FORMDOS1.OBJ, which has all the commands to do the job, simply and very eZv}fficiently. To use it, load a DOS.SYS disk, and then copy RAMDISK.COM on this disk. Then type [E] (RENAME) and theZw}n rename FORMDOS1.OBJ to AUTORUN.SYS. Now, before you load and boot the disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS (the renZx}amed FORMDOS.OBJ) in DRIVE #1, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #2, then boot up the disk with the new AUTORUNZy}.SYS in DRIVE #1, then sit back and watch the fun. Do not do anything more at this point. The screen will quicklZz}y give you a warning that this program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM on DRIVE #2. The drive will Z{} go on and the disk in DRIVE #2 will first be FORMATTED, then DOS.SYS and DUP.SYS will be added, then RAMDISK.Z|}COM will also be added. This will all be done without you doing any typing. Following the above, DRIVE #1 willZ}} automatically activate, and the DANGER WARNING that the program is about to FORMAT, add DOS/DUP & RAMDISK.COM Z~} to DRIVE #2, will be printed on screen. You now have a few seconds to take out the disk in DRIVE #2, which has beeZ}n FORMATTED etc. TURN IT OVER (be sure disk has been NOTCHED), and insert (side 2) the new blank unformatted disk in DZ}RIVE #2. DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE! Once again sit back and watch the new disk being FORMATTED, with DOS/DUP, Z} and RAMDISK.COM put on the disk, and all done without any typing on your part. This process will go on as long aZ}s you keep feeding blank unformatted disks in DRIVE #2. When you want to stop the procedure, all you do is hit [RESET] Z}when the DANGER etc. etc. sequence comes on screen. Remember to keep the disk with your new AUTORUN.SYS on iZ}t as your Master Disk for whenever you want to prepare a bunch of disks in advance of your using them. Also on Z}this disk you should find a program called FORMDOS2.OBJ. This program will do the reverse of the above. It will Z}work from DRIVE #2, and format disks in DRIVE #1. You must first load a disk with DOS/DUP on it, then insert the disZ}k with FORMDOS2.OBJ, and rename it AUTORUN.SYS using [E]. Then put this disk with the new AUTORUN.SYS inZ} drive #2, put in a blank unformatted disk in DRIVE #1. You should still have DOS on screen. Now, hit [L] and type Z} "D2:AUTORUN.SYS", and the process will once again start over as outlined above. A final thought. I suggest thaZ}t you put FORMDOS1.OBJ on side 1 of a MASTER DISK, along with RAMDISK.COM, and put FORMDOS2.OBJ on side 2 along with Z}RAMDISK.COM, and then only use this MASTER DISK whenever YOU WANT TO FORMAT A WHOLE BATCH OF DISKS! OF DISKS!O FORMAT A Xr THEN PRESS  A`^(}MORE FONTS?(Y/N)!+ 3 ()()() NEW DISK N/L's -by ALEX PIGNATO, member OHAUG Want to keep your 8 BIT humming along with the ^}newest? If so, you must subscribe to two new English entries from EUROPE. I have digested issues 1 to 6 of NOSAUG; 71 WALKER ^}t a time. Almost like a human language interpreter, it must translate the source code into something the compu2}ter's CPU can understand. And more importantly, it does this while your program is running! A compiler, on th2}e other hand, will translate your Basic program into something your computer's CPU can understand, called2} machine language. It does this once, and saves the compiled Basic program out to disk, usually with a ".COM" or ".OBJ"2} file extension. Occasionally you will find a compiler which generates what is known as pseudo- code, or "p-c2}ode". But since none of the Basics reviewed here uses pseudo- code, we won't cover that here. The Basic's reviewed in th2}is article are as follows: Interpreters: Atari Basic Revision C Basic XE Turbo Basic XL 1.4 CTH FastBasic 2.0 Tur2}bo Basic 3.2q Compilers: MMG Compiler Turbo Basic XL In this article I will attempt to touch upon several o2}f the most popular Basic language programs, and briefly describe what I feel are each one's strong points. I will also 2}be describing how each of them performed a simple benchmark program I made. First of all, about the benchmark prog2}ram. The benchmark program I made was no scientific marvel. It made no attempt to measure "drhystones" or "w2}hetstones", which are pretty alien to most Basic users. Instead, I made my program access certain functions of Basic,2} which your own programs would most likely be accessing. The program also benchmarked how long it took each Basic to2} perform a GOSUB loop, and a FOR/TO/NEXT loop. Here's a list of the functions and tests which my benchmark prog2}ram tested these Basic's with. LOOP TEST, 500 ITERATIONS GOSUB TEST, 400 ITERATIONS SIN(X) TEST, 50 ITERATIONS COS(2}X) TEST, 100 ITERATIONS SQR(X) TEST, 30 ITERATIONS ATN(X) TEST, 30 ITERATIONS 2^X TEST, 30 ITERATIONS X/.2 TEST, 2002} ITERATIONS The benchmark program used the real-time clock inside my 800XL to time how long it took for each B2}asic to perform each test, along with the amount of time to run all the tests together. The total time to run all th2}e tests is interesting, because since the results of each test were printed out to the screen, it indicates 2}how efficient each Basic's print-to-screen routine is. The following table is formatted for 80 columns, and show2}s the average total time each Basic used to run through the entire benchmark program. The time recorded is in jiffie2}s, or 60ths of a second. ------------------------------------- Average Total Time Test For Interpreted Basic 2}------------------------------------- BASIC USED| ATARI| BASIC XE| CTHFB| TB XL| TB 3.2Q | | 1889| 455| 2}778| 364| 364| ------------------------------------- Average Total Time Test For Compiled Basic ---------------2}---------------------- COMPILER USED | MMG | TB XL| | 1416| 300| Now for a brief examination a2}bout each interpreted Basic performed. ATARI BASIC The version of Atari Basic used was revision C. R2}esults of the benchmark program shouldn't differ if ran on revision B. Atari Basic came in last in the benchmark test.2} Didn't surprise you, did it? However, I don't want to "beat up" on good old Atari Basic too bad. You have to2} remember when it was designed, and that it fits neatly into 8k of memory. BASIC XE This is a Basic sold2} by ICD, and before that by OSS. It has many fine features which weren't accessed by the benchmark program. One of t2}hese features is the fact that it can use banked ram on machines with more than 64k. For running the benchmark pr2}ogram, it had all extension loaded in, and FAST was set to ON. It finished second. CTH FASTBASIC This is a2} shareware Basic, sold by my company, CTH Enterprises. It came in third. It features a built-in screen accelerator, an2}d a built-in fast floating point math package. It should be noted that the numerical results printed out as the res2}ult of each individual test varied from the other Basic's. This is because of the custom fast floating point package. 2}It is more accurate than any of the other Basics tested. TURBO BASIC XL, and TURBO BASIC 3.2q These two Basic's ti2}ed for first place! Turbo Basic XL will only run on XL/E computers. It uses the ram that is underneath the opera2}ting system rom, in the $C000 through $FFFF address area. Unfortunately, Sparta dos 3.2d also wants to use th2}is area for itself, making Turbo Basic XL incompatible with it. Turbo Basic 3.2q is a variation of Turbo Basic 2} 400/800, originally written for the old Atari 400's and 800's. The 3.2q version was made so that it is fully com2}patible with Sparta dos 3.2d. It supports all the same functions that Turbo Basic XL has, except for the BRUN and 2}BLOAD functions. However, these can be easily done with XIO's. Now for a brief examination about how t2}he compiled Basic's performed. MMG COMPILER When program compilation starts, you have the option of includ2}ing either the integer or the floating point math package into your program. Integer math is much faster than flo2}ating point math. However, integer math cannot handle functions that require a floating decimal point, such as ma2}ny of the individual tests within the benchmark program require. To be fair, if I had made a benchmark program based upon 2}integer math, and had included the integer math package into the compiled code, the MMG compiled Basic program w2}ould have fared much better. But in real world programs, floating point math is used more often than integer math. That2}'s why I included floating point math functions into the benchmark program. One of the big advantage2}s of using the MMG compiler, is that it produces object code which will run under any dos. Another advantage is i2}f you actually DO have a program which only uses integer math. You can include the integer math package into your com2}piled code, producing a very fast running program. TURBO BASIC XL This is the winner, in the compiler categor2}y. It came in at a blazing 300 jiffies for the average run time of the entire benchmark program. There is 2} one major detraction from this otherwise excellent compiler. Neither the compiler, or the compiled co2}de it produces, will run under Sparta dos 3.2d. It functions just fine under Sparta dos X, MyDos, and Atari dos 22}.0/2.5. So, which basic is the best? It depends upon what you want to do. I'm sure that it is fairly obvious that2} each Basic has its own strong points, and their own weaknesses. But for all out speed, Turbo Basic wins, hands down!2} **** If you would like to download the benchmark program, you may do so from the bbs listed a2}t the end of this article.: Closer To Home BBS- 419-368-4413 24 Hours/7 Days- 300/1200/2400 << END >>0vRd.; TORRY; ABERDEEN; AB1 3DL; SCOTLAND). I have also digested issues 1 and 2 of TWAUG; P.O. Box # 8; WALLSEND; TYNE & WEAR;^} NE2B 6DQ; ENGLAND. I can truly tell you that they were very satisfying meals for us hungry 8 BIT lovers. You have to s^}ee them to really appreciate the versitility of the 8 BIT. The graphics are top drawer, the information gleaned from the arti^}cles runs the gamut for new to old users. Gamers are not forgotten either, so that you have a true cross section of the 8 BIT^}. Like reading ANTIC or ANALOG magazine, only it comes to you as a disk. The text when printed, reads like the magazine artic^}