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These programs originally appeared in the ADAM's LEAF of the Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) ADAM Users Group and are distributed by ADAM News Network.
Here are a couple of SmartBASIC programs that will let yo ur ADAM join in on your Holiday Season.
The first is "The ADAM Caroller" -- it plays any one of fo ur Christmas Carols you select from the main menu. Get your family and friends together and "sing along wit h ADAM". This program was downloaded from the ADAMania data library on CompuServe.
The second program appeared in Family Computing magazine . This "NEWYEAR" program has been updated for 1989. It f eatures an on-screen clock that you "set" on New Years Eve . ADAM will then count-down the time until 1989 at which time your ADAM will try to make more noise than you an d your party guests! It also plays an all time classic tune!
(p.s. you can update this program yourself, for 1990,91,92 etc. by changing the DATA statements in lines 2000 thr ough 2030)
Both programs should be typed in exactly as they appear, given a name, and saved to tape or disk. To "run" either of the programs, simply load SMARTBasic, do a CATALOG, and type run <filename>. Both have been tested and work just fine.
Enjoy....and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
"CAROLS"
5LOMEM :29000 10POKE 17059, 4:TEXT 11DIM b1(80), b2(80), d(80) 12POKE 28000, 58:POKE 28001, 102:POKE 28002, 109:POKE 28003, 211:POKE 28004, 255:POKE 28005, 20115HOME 16VTAB 3:HTAB 6:? "The Adam Caroller":?:? 20HTAB 2:? "1) We Three Kings":?:HTAB 2:? "2) Silent Night":? :HTAB 2:? "3) The First Noel"
25?:HTAB 2:? "4) O Come All Ye Faithful":?:HTAB 2:? "5) End" 26VTAB 20:? " Enter number of choice "; 30GET z 40ON z GOSUB 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 45RESTORE:GOTO 30 55STOP 100FOR x=1 TO 31:READ b1(x), b2(x), d(x):NEXT 110 nn=31 120GOSUB 10000 130RETURN 200FOR x=1 TO 31:READ b1, b2, d:NEXT 210 nn=46 220FOR x=1 TO nn:READ b1(x), b2(x), d(x):NEXT 230GOSUB 10000 240RETURN 300FOR x=1 TO 77:READ b1, b2, d:NEXT 310 nn=77 320FOR x=1 TO nn:READ b1(x), b2(x), d(x):NEXT 330GOSUB 10000 340RETURN 400FOR x=1 TO 154:READ b1, b2, d:NEXT 410 nn=62 420FOR x=1 TO nn:READ b1(x), b2(x), d(x):NEXT 430GOSUB 10000 440RETURN 500HOME:VTAB 8:HTAB 6:? "Merry Christmas!!":?:FOR de=1 TO 3000:NEXT 510VTAB 12:? " uh...":FOR de=1 TO 2000:NEXT:VTAB 15:? " is the hot cocoa ready yet??":END
999REM we 3 kings 1000DATA 135,8,600,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,300 1010DATA 130,11,300,136,10,300,130,11,300,136,12,600 1020DATA 135,8,600,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,300 1030DATA 130,11,300,136,10,300,130,11,300,136,12,600 1040DATA 136,10,600,136,10,300,135,9,600,135,9,300,135,8,600,135,8,300 1050DATA 128,7,300,143,7,300,135,8,300,135,9,300,135,8,300,135,9,300 1060DATA 136,10,600,130,11,300,136,12,900 1099REM silent night 1100DATA 136,10,900,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,1800 1110DATA 136,10,900,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,1800 1120DATA 128,7,1200,128,7,600,135,8,1800 1130DATA 143,7,1200,143,7,600,136,10,1800 1140DATA 135,9,1200,135,9,600,143,7,900,135,8,300,135,9,600 1150DATA 136,10,900,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,1800 1160DATA 135,9,1200,135,9,600,143,7,900,135,8,300,135,9,600 1170DATA 136,10,900,135,9,300,136,10,600,136,12,1800 1180DATA 128,7,1200,128,7,600,143,5,900,128,7,300,135,8,600,143,7,1200 1185DATA 132,6,1200,143,7,900,136,10,300,136,12,600 1190DATA 136,10,900,142,11,300,130,14,600,142,15,1800 1199REM the first noel 1200DATA 131,21,300,140,23,300,138,26,900,140,23,300,131,21,300,128,20,300 1210DATA 140,17,1200,142,15,300,130,14,300,132,13,600,130,14,300,142,15,600 1220DATA 140,17,1200,142,15,300,130,14,300,132,13,600,130,14,600,142,15,600,140,17,600
1230DATA 142,15,600,130,14,600,132,13,600,140,17,600,128,20,600,131,21,1200 1240DATA 131,21,300,140,23,300,138,26,900,140,23,300,131,21,300,128,20,300 1250DATA 140,17,1200,142,15,300,130,14,300,132,13,600,130,14,300,142,15,600 1260DATA 140,17,1200,142,15,300,130,14,300,132,13,600,130,14,600,142,15,600,140,17,600
1270DATA 142,15,600,130,14,600,132,13,600,140,17,600,128,20,600,131,21,1200 1275DATA 131,21,300,140,23,300,138,26,900,140,23,300,fl,21,300,128,20,300,140,17,1200
1280DATA 132,13,300,130,14,300,142,15,1200,142,15,600,140,17,1800 1285DATA 132,13,300,130,14,300,142,15,1200,142,15,600,140,17,1800,132,13,600,130,14,600,142,15,600
1290DATA 140,17,600,142,15,600,130,14,600,132,13,600,140,17,600,128,20,600,131,21,1800 1299REM o come all ye faithful 1300DATA 128,10,600,128,10,1200,132,13,600,128,10,600,143,8,1200 1310DATA 132,13,1200,143,7,600,143,8,600,143,7,600,134, 7,600,143,7,1200 1320DATA 143,8,600,128,10,600,128,10,1200,136,10,600,142,11,600 1330DATA 136,10,600,128,10,600,143,8,600,143,7,600,136,10,1200 1340DATA 142,11,900,132,13,300,132,13,2400,139,6,1200,134,7,600 1345DATA 143,7,600,134,7,1200,143,7,1200,143,8,600,143,7,600,128,10,600,143,8,600
1350DATA 136,10,900,142,11,300,132,13,600,128,10,600,128,10,600 1355DATA 136,10,600,128,10,600,143,8,600,128,10,1200,132,13,600,143,7,600 1360DATA 143,7,600,143,8,600,143,7,600,134,7,600,143,7,1200 1365DATA 143,8,600,143,7,600, 134,7,600,143,7,600,143,8,600,128,10,600 1370DATA 136,10,1200,128,10,600 ,134,7,600,143,7,1200,143,8,900,128,10,300,128,10,1500
10000FOR x=1 TO nn 10010POKE 28006, b1(x):CALL 28000 10020POKE 28006, b2(x):CALL 28000 10030POKE 28006, 144:CALL 28000 10040FOR d=1 TO d(x):NEXT d 10045IF (x=8 OR x=16) AND z=1 THEN de=300:GOSUB 11000 10046IF (x=17 OR x=19 OR x=21) AND z=1 THEN de=10:GOSUB 11000 10050IF z=2 AND (x=9 OR x=12 OR x=15 OR x=18 OR x=22) THEN de=10:GOSUB 11000 10060POKE 28006, 159:CALL 28000 10070NEXT x 10080POKE 28006, 159:CALL 28000 10090RETURN 11000POKE 28006, 159:CALL 28000 11010FOR d=1 TO de:NEXT 11020RETURN
"NEWYEAR89"
10LOMEM :29000: fl=0 20DIM bin(7), lt(30), f(30), s(30), d(30) 30FOR x=0 TO 7: bin(x)=2^x:NEXT x 40FOR x=1 TO 29:READ lt(x):NEXT x 50FOR x=1 TO 30:READ f(x), s(x), d(x):NEXT x 60FOR x=28000 TO 28005:READ ml:POKE x, ml:NEXT x 70POKE 28006, 255:CALL 28000 80HOME:? "TO SET THE COMPUTER CLOCK," 90? "PLEASE INPUT THE TIME IN" 100? "HOURS, MINUTES, AND SECONDS" 110? "(eg., 095502); THEN PRESS" 120? "<RETURN>.":? 130INPUT "WHAT TIME IS IT NOW?"; tim$ 140IF LEN(tim$)<>6 THEN 80 150 ts=0:FOR x=1 TO 6 160IF VAL(MID$(tim$, x, 1))=0 AND MID$(tim$, x, 1)<>"0" THEN ts=0: x=6 170NEXT x:IF ts=1 THEN 80 180 hrs=VAL(LEFT$(tim$, 2)) 190 min=VAL(MID$(tim$, 3, 2)) 200 sec=VAL(RIGHT$(tim$, 2)) 210IF hrs<1 OR hrs>12 OR min<0 OR min>59 OR sec<0 OR sec>59 THEN 80220 tim=hrs*3600+min*60+sec:HOME 230IF tim>=43195 AND tim<=43200 THEN 320 240FOR de=1 TO 908:NEXT de: tim=tim+1 250 hrs=INT(tim/3600) 260 min=INT((tim-hrs*3600)/60) 270 sec=tim-hrs*3600-min*60 280HTAB 13:VTAB 10 290? STR; ":"; CHR$(48*(min<10)); STR; 300? ":"; CHR$(48*(sec<10)); STR; " " 310GOTO 230 320GR 330FOR x=700 TO 100 STEP -10 340 pitch=112406/x: two=INT(pitch/16) 350 one=128+pitch-(two*16) 360POKE 28006, one:CALL 28000:POKE 28006, two 370CALL 28000:POKE 28006, 144:CALL 28000 380FOR d=1 TO 70-(x/10):NEXT d, x:POKE 28006, 159 390CALL 28000:FOR x=1 TO 50:GOSUB 1000:NEXT x 400COLOR =INT(RND(1)*15)+1 410FOR bitmap=1 TO 29: l=lt(bitmap) 420FOR q=7 TO 0 STEP -1:IF l<bin(q) THEN 490 430 l=l-bin(q) 440IF fl=1 THEN COLOR =INT(RND(1)*15)+1 450VLIN 4*(7-q)+2, 4*(7-q)+3 AT bitmap+4 460IF fl=1 THEN COLOR =INT(RND(1)*15)+1 470VLIN 4*(7-q)+4, 4*(7-q)+5 AT bitmap+4 480GOSUB 1000 490NEXT q, bitmap 500FOR x=1 TO 30:POKE 28006, f(x) 510CALL 28000:POKE 28006, s(x):CALL 28000 520POKE 28006, 144:CALL 28000 530FOR de=1 TO d(x)*200:NEXT de 540POKE 28006, 159:CALL 28000:NEXT x 550 fl= NOT fl:GOTO 330 1000POKE 28006, 240:CALL 28000 1010POKE 28006, 228:CALL 28000 1020FOR de=1 TO 20:NEXT de 1040POKE 28006, 255:CALL 28000:RETURN 2000DATA 0,0,129,255,1,0,0 2010DATA 0,224,160,161,255,1,0,0 2020DATA 0,239,145,145,239,0,0,0 2030DATA 0,224,160,161,255,1 3000DATA 141,35,2,141,26,3,135,28,1,141,26,2,132,21,2 3010DATA 142,23,3,133,25,1,142,23,2,132,21,1,142,23,1 3020DATA 141,26,3,141,26,1,132,21,2,142,17,2,143,15,6 3030DATA 143,15,2,142,17,3,132,21,1,132,21,2,141,26,2 3040DATA 142,23,3,133,25,1,142,23,2,132,21,1,142,23,1 3050DATA 141,26,3,142,31,1,142,31,2,141,35,2,141,26,6 4000DATA 58,102,109,211,255,201
ORPHANWARE 5665 MYERS ROAD AKRON, OH 44319WARNING--This drive modification should be attempted only by experienced computer service technicians. If you do not have extensive experience in computer servicing, have someone with the required experience do the work for you. Orphanware will not be responsible for the results of any modification not done by Orphanware. ESD CAUTION--This equipment is static sensitive and can be easily destroyed. If you do not know what you are doing, please take it to someone who can help you. Failure on an electronics project such as this can be traced to ESD damage in 75% of all instances. The 320K or 320 conversion kit is supplied without warranty. This is due to the fact that we at Orphanware have no control over the quality of work that is performed by the customer, nor do we have any way of knowing the condition of the drive prior to modification. We will replace for 30 days, any part supplied with this kit that fails do to defect in materials or workmanship. This includes the SYSTEM EPROM, the FUJITSU drive assembly and the 7405 IC. In order to be able to return any part, it must be in the same condition as when received by you. To accomplish this mod, remove the drive from service. Disassemble the drive by removing the top and 2 bottom covers. Then remove the 2 sheet metal screws that hold the front panel on and lay aside all the plastic parts for later reassembly. Next, remove the MPI drive section from the drive. Do this by disconnecting the 34 conductor ribbon cable from the drive assembly, disconnect the power connector, the green wire behind the ribbon cable and the sensor connector. Lay the drive assembly just removed aside. Now, remove the power connector for the drive controller board. Clip the blue wire at both connector ends. Next clip all 3 remaining wires at the center and splice in the 3 sections of wire provided. Use heat shrink to insulate the solder joints. Remove the the controller board from the frame assembly. Using a vice, crush the 4 indented areas of the frame where the screws to secure the drive mechanics are inserted. This should be crushed until it is flat. Now you will need to determine the part number for U4 on the controller board. If it is a 74LS05, you will need to replace it with the 7405 provided in the kit. Do this carefully as a great deal of damage can be done here.
Now, turn the controller board over and solder a piece of the provided 30 gauge wire from pin 34 of P5 to pin 2 of P4 (pin 1 is identified by a white dot). Now connect a section of wire from o73 P5 pin 32 to pin 8 of U3. Next connect a section of 30 gauge wire from U3 pins 9 an 10 to U6 pin 17. The first wire is for the disk present signal and the second 2 for side select.
Reinstall the controller board in modified frame assembly. Remove the system EPROM (U10) and replace with the provided system EPROM. Now, install the previously modified power connector. You will need to determine if the mechanics you have is equipped with a disk present switch. If not, you will need to locate an area suitable to mount the provided micro switch and connect the normally closed contact to a DC ground on the drive and the common contact to pin 34 on the drive plug that connects to the ribbon cable. This switch is adjusted so that a ground is applied to pin 34 when a disk is not present, and an open when a disk is in place. It is best so that the switch actuates when you make the last few degrees of rotation of the access handle. We have been using a hot glue gun to install them on the drives that we are doing here at Orphanware. **NOTE** installing this switch may invalidate the warranty on your drive. You are now ready to install the drive mechanics. Place them in the frame and connect the 34 pin ribbon cable and the power connector. (note that the power connector is keyed to go in only 1 way). Install the 4 screws removed earlier through the side tabs and tighten gently. The drive is now ready to test. Connect it as the first (and only) drive to the computer. Power up the system and put in the disc marked EOS/CP/M FORMAT UTILITIES. Pull reset and you should see a color screen announcing that the format utilities are being loaded. When the system turns control to you, install an unformatted disk in the drive and follow the documentation for the format. The drive should format the disk through block 319. You can then load basic and check the new disk for blocks left (you will be surprised at the space). Next, boot CP/M and run the file ABP25.COM from the utilities disk. Use the documentation from the disk to show you how to use it. Next, use the CFM.COM or FORMAT13.COM to format a double sided CP/M disk. When you do a STAT on the new drive with the double sided disk installed, you should get about 304K free space. IN CASE OF TROUBLE
Check all your work very carefully. If you can not find the problem, you can return the drive along with $45.00 $8.80 shipping to Orphanware for correction. If you have damaged the controller board, or there is evidence that improper procedures were used, we will bill you at the rate of $25.00 per hour for repairs. (Not to exceed $100.00 for labor) cost of parts. The drive mechanics will be replace free if it is determined that they have a defect in materials or workmanship (these were tested by FUJITSU and by Orphanware prior to you receiving them).
ADDED NOTES: 1. On almost all drives that you buy, (360 IBM PC XT compatible), you will have to change the address jumper from D1 to D0. Failure to do so will cause the drive to not work.
NOTE BY THE CONNECTION: With Orphanware no longer in business please do not send anything to them if there is a problem. If you cannot do the drive conversion or if you do and it doesn't work, leave me E-Mail here and I will suggest possible places for repair.
463 ADAM PUBLIC DOMAIN by Dean Roades
Jerry Vrancks has updated his 'Jerry's Best' volume. He has added Rem statements to make it easier to understand how the programs work, combined some programs, and added new ones. Jerry's programming is my favorite kind, to let his ADAM work to make his life easier. He said that some of the programs were as a result of a challenge. "Can your computer do that?" So Jerry would sit down and write a program to do it. Basic programmers can learn much by studying these programs and watching what they do. Keep up the good work, Jerry.
Readme1st file from Jerry's Best V2.0
Documentation of files on this tape. Also catalog tape for other programs.
HEATORCOOL - Calculates the heating and/or cooling load of a house. Read docHorC, also read REM statements. Remove REM statements to shorten program. You can also fast load (BSAVE) to cut down the load time.
DATASHEET - A print-out of the information needed to run HEATORCOOL.
THERMCOST - Calculates the cost of one heating therm (100,000 BTU's) for different types of heating fuels. Can also be used for a comparison fuel cost. You need to know the cost per fuel unit. Oil = gal.;Nat. gas = CCF; Electricity = KWH; etc. See what savings could be achieved by a more efficient heating system. Read REM statements.
CEMENTNEED - Calculates how much cement or concrete is need for a slab and/or footing. Read REM statements.
NUMERICAL - Puts whole numbers in numerical order. Read REM statements.
KWHCOST - Use the information form your electric bill to find the cost per kilowatt (KW = 1000 watts). It will also tell what an electrical appliance cost to run for one hour or day, but you must know the watts or both the voltage and amperage of the appliance.
EASYCOOL - Calculates the cooling load for a house with little input on your part. A rough estimation.
ROOMAC - Calculates what size window air conditioner is needed for a given size room.
ROOMHEAT - Heating requirements for a large room or area. Rough estimation.
WALKING - If you know the length of your stride and how many per minute, it will tell you how far you could walk in a given time.
AIRCOST - Use the information from the air conditioner name tag to find it's operational cost. Central or window units. You need to know the KWH cost.
PULLYSPEED - Tells what RPM a belt driven device is running. Pumps, fans, blower,etc.Read REM statements.
THI - Temperature Humidity Index Enter temperature and humidity. People with respiratory problems should stay indoors when it's 80 or above.
INSULATION - How much bag or roll insulation is needed to insulate an attic.
DRIPDRIP - Just how much is that dripping faucet costing? Count the drips for one minute and find out.
BURNWOOD2 - Will burning wood save money on heating cost? Read docBURN for program instructions.
LANDSIZE - Enter land or lot size to find the area in SQ. Ft. and ACRES
VOLUME - Gives the volume of a given size container. Cylinder or cubed in shape. Use inches only when giving container size. 1 ft. 3 in. x 6 1/4 in. would be 15 x 6.25
PRINTCATLG - Just another tape catalog print-out. Select the drive, no need to rerun program for each tape. Switch back and forth between drives. Can be modified for disk drives.
HELLO2 - A simple easy to modify menu program.
OHMSLAW - Figures all factors of electricity when only two are known. Read the REM statements.
Follow the program instructions.
463 ADAM PD Volumes are available for $4.00/disk, $5.00/DDP, postage included.
63 ADAM 8522 Hohman Ave. Munster, IN 46321n it's 80 or above.
WHAT IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF -34,300,433.3493 ?
WELL HERE IS AN EASIER ONE ...............
WHICH CAME FIRST THE PIRATE OR THE COPY PROTECTION ????? Obviously the Pirate came first and as a result of the Pirate we now have increasing copy protection. Several programmers have recently written on this subject and I want to say that I feel they are justified and I support them strongly.
In the beginning there was NO copy protected programs with Adam but the wide spread piracy in the Adam world soon changed this.
You must keep in mind that with Adam there is a much smaller user base than with many of the other computers. Therefore piracy has a much greater effect as this small potential market is made even smaller by Piracy.
I know some pirates and I know some programmers and the programmers are right. They are entitled to a right on their investment of time.
The Adam programmers are not rich, large companies. They are indiviudal Adam owners such as yourselves who are spending late evenings working on Adam programs when you or I are relaxing, watching TV, etc.
They are entitled to something for the harsh words and dirty looks they get from the family for ignoring them to spend time on programs for you & I to make our Adam more usable for us.
MY POSITION AS STATED BEFORE REMAINS: KILL A PIRATE FOR ADAM, ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT PIRACY. There is the backup problem and that is a legitimate concern. I feel that programmers would be better off raising their prices a FEW dollars and automatically including a back up with each order. That should satisfy the back up problem.
I would like to see some of those complaining about the copy protection spend many hours of their time for no return and not be upset about it.
There apparently is an even worse problem than the individual pirate, some programmers feel that some retailers are making unauthorized copies and selling them. The greater majority of Adam retailers are fine and honorable people, serving the Adam world well. However some programmers do feel that some retailers are taking short cuts.
On the subject of copy protection, I had proposed in the past that the software programmers join together. That they internally mark each disk so they can tell what disk came from where etc. If you then suspect a certain retailer as being a pirate, write down the internal coding, and also put the internal coding info in a sealed envelope and mail to yourself, so it will get post marked and do NOT open when it comes back. That way, we can prove in the future what the coding was and the time at which we established that fact. Then for the retail cost of your item, I will have an Adamite, not well known or associated with myself or you, place an order for that item from that retailer. He would forward it UNOPENED to you or myself and we would open the item in the presence of some impartial witness. Then if the coding showed it to be a pirated version, we would be set to take some action.
The action could include: (l) my making an attorney demand on the retailer for a full accounting, payment of royalties, etc.; (2) publishing this info in the Adam world and trying to isolate this retailer, Adamites should boycott him & his products; &/or (3) refering the matter to the authorities.
I would like to see the producers agree to work on such a plan or any other plan they may come up with.
I also had thought that each AUG and newsletter could make a condition of their membership or subscription that the subscriber-member, etc. agree not to condone, cooperate in or engage in piracy. Then if we caught an individual the groups &/or newsletters would be justified in dropping him as he broke his agreement with them and we could start isolating or cutting off these pirates from their Adam contacts. Again just a thought.
I have known both pirates and programmers and since working with several programmers on Adult items as well as general family stuff, realize what the programmers go thru for the very scant return.
I feel that if we solve the piracy problem, the copy protection problem will then disappear. To borrow that now old saying, IF OFFERED PIRATED SOFTWARE, JUST SAY NO.........
This is a problem which we can solve if we all work together on it. I suggest you read the articles of Ed Jenkins in August Adams Alive and Jim Walters in his Walters Software newsletter to also have the benefit of their thoughts on this matter.
REMEMBER............PIRACY IS ADAM'S WAY OF SAYING GOODBYE....... Barry Wilson (ST.L.AUG; Adam News Network).
(Part 5)
Note from the SYSOP: The call letters for the BBS have recently changed from TC to AN. When logging on to the BBS or sending mail to another user, you will need to use the characters AN along with the correct account number. Make note of this in your records for future reference.
The PRIVATE MAIL AREA
By Alan Neeley
Continuing on with my discussion of the SLC ADAM-LINK BBS, I will now move on to the Private Mail Area. Each user who has an account with the BBS, has their own private mailbox that can be accessed from this area (each user's mailbox can hold a total of 5 messages). You can also go to this area to find out who the other users are that call the system, and to create and send mail to another user's mailbox.
Upon first logging on to the BBS, you will be notified if you have any mail waiting. This happens at a point just before you are sent to the MAIN area of the BBS. If you have any mail waiting, a message is sent that tells you how many messages are waiting in your mailbox. If you don't have any mail, no message will be displayed.
To get to the Private Mail Area, you must first be at the MAIN prompt (or central point of the BBS). Then, enter ing a M and pressing RETURN, will take the user to the Private Mail Area. When you first arrive at the Private Mail Area, you are again informed if you have any messages waiting.
The prompt that is displayed once you are in the mail area is: EMS: (that stands for Electronic Mail Subsystem). When this prompt is present, you can always enter a ? to bring up a menu of the commands that are available in the Private Mail area. We will discuss each of the commands available in this area but first, here is a list of the com mands (as they currently appear in the menu on the BBS):
Electronic mail subsystem:
S Send mail to another user R Reply to last message read Rx Reply to message x x Read specific message x UI User information subsystem
Special commands:
RETURN - reads next message SPACEBAR - aborts all text reading CONTROL S - pauses text display
Commands available from any level:
F Feedback to system operator O Logoff system + Fast logoff U Re-Read system rules I System Configurations Q Quit from subsystem TD Local time/date information ST Your current call status H System Help file
_______________________________________
READING MAIL
It is very easy to read your mail. All you need to do is press the RETURN key and the first message left in your mailbox will be displayed. After that message has been read (if you have any more mail left), you can continue to press the RETURN key to read the next message in line.
You can also read a specific message by simply entering its number at the EMS: prompt and pressing the RETURN key. For example, say you have 3 messages in your mailbox and wish to skip over messages 1 and 2 and begin reading #3. All that is needed is to enter 3 at the EMS: prompt, press RETURN, and the 3rd message will be displayed.
When reading your mail, you will notice that each message is 'stamped' with a heading. This heading contains such information as: the handle of the user who sent you the message, their ID#, The time & date it was left, and the subject of the message. The heading is then followed by the actual message.
Keep in mind that you can always PAUSE the screen display so you can read your message by entering CONTROL S. You can also abort reading the message at any time by pressing the SPACEBAR.
DELETING MAIL
If you were observant when reading the list of commands I provided earlier, you would have noticed that there is no command listed for deleting your mail. Actually, The Q for Quit command has a feature built into it that prompts you to delete your mail. If you enter a Y at this prompt, all mail in your mailbox will be deleted. If you enter a N, it will be saved for future use. Please delete the mail if it is not needed for future use.
RESPONDING TO MAIL
If you decide that you would like to
reply to a message that has been left in
your mailbox, this is EASY too! At the
EMS: prompt, You can simply enter a R
and press RETURN if the message you wish
to reply to was the last one read.
If you wish to reply to a specific message (whether it was the last one read or not), you can enter the message's number after the R and then press RETURN. For example, say you have 3 messages in your mailbox and you have just gone through and read each of them. You could easily respond to the first message read by entering R1 and then pressing RETURN.
After you have selected either method of the above RESPOND command, you will be prompted to enter the subject of the RESPONSE. Type in a brief subject (without any COMMAS in it) and then press RETURN. At this point, you will be taken to the A-NET text editor (prev iously discussed in an earlier issue) where you can type in your actual reply message.
SENDING MAIL
The S command is used to Send mail to another user. Although it is similar to the R command that we just discussed, you must at least know the user's Handle or ID# before you can send them mail.
After you have entered the S command from the EMS: prompt, you will be asked to enter the handle or ID# of the user you wish to send mail to. After a mo ment, you will be prompted to enter the subject of the message. Enter the sub ject, press RETURN, and you will be taken to the A-NET text editor so that you can type in your message.
There are two ways you can ABORT sending a message that you have started (whether you use the R or the S command). First, when asked for the subject of the mes sage, you can just press the RETURN and you will be taken back to the EMS: prompt. Second, if you have already entered the A-NET text editor, you can use the dot command '.A' to return to the EMS: prompt.
USER INFORMATION
The UI command is used to find out in formation about the other user's who call the BBS. Among other things, it provides such information as each user's name, their handle, and their ID# (very helpful if you wish to send mail to someone).
After the UI command has been entered, you will be told the total amount of users who call the BBS (there are cur rently 136 callers). Next you will be asked which account number you would like the listing to start at. Enter the number of the account you want to start at (if you wish to start from the begin ning, just enter a 1) and then press RETURN.
In a moment, the listing will start beginning with the account number you have selected. The listing can be abor ted at any time by pressing the SPACE BAR. The following is a sample of what information is given from each account:
Login ID# : (AN1) Handle : ALAN Terminal : COLECO ADAM FC From : SALT LAKE CITY, UT Area Code : (801) Last Call : Mon Oct 3, 1988 9:33 PM Access : (10) Sysop Real Name : ALAN NEELEY
That's all there is to know about the Private Mail Area. All the other commands on the menu have been previously discussed. In the next WorkSHOP, we will talk about the A-NET BBS's Data Library.
Using the SLC ADAM-LINK BBS (Part 6) The DATA LIBRARY By Alan Neeley
For those of you who aren't familiar with what one is, a DATA LIBRARY is a place where text files and programs can be shared by the users who call the system. The programs and files are UP LOADED to the BBS by the users and system operators so that the other users can DOWNLOAD them for use on their computer. Programs found in a Data Library are usually Public Domain (unless stated otherwise) and can be freely distributed amongst friends and other computer owners.
Unfortunately, The A-NET BBS's weakest point is its Data Library. This is main ly due to the ignorance of the author of the program (also the author of this article) towards the subject of File Transferring and its internal workings. Hopefully, someday I will be successful in providing all of the standard features that so many would like to see!
A-NET's main weakness is that it DOES NOT offer XMODEM file transferring. This protocol is one of the standards used in the telecommunications world and almost every BBS and telecommunications program offers it. The only file transfer protocol offered by A-NET is the ASCII protocol (the same protocol used by the ADAMLink II telecommunica tions program). Other weaknesses include the fact that uploading is extremely slow and that ADAMLink II is the only program available to ADAM owners that can successfully upload a file.
Despite these weaknesses though, A-NET's data library is functional and there are a lot of good files and programs that can be taken from there. The remainder of this article will be dedicated to providing information that will help you get the MOST out of this area.
Like we have learned with all the other areas that the A-NET system has to offer; to get to the Data Library, the user must first be at the BBS's main prompt (known as the central point of the BBS). Once there, type in UD and press RETURN to be taken to the Data Library Area. If you've visited the Data Library before and know a specific UD board that you would like to go directly to, you can do so by entering the board's number after the UD command before pressing the RETURN key (Ex. entering UD3 will take you directly to UD board 3).
Upon arrival to the Data Library Area, the user is notified what UD board they are entering (if just the UD command is used without a number, the BBS defaults to UD board 1). The user is also in formed who the SubOp is and how many files there are on the particular board that is being entered. Here is an example of what could be seen:
U/D-Board #1 ADAM General:
"LEEPER": SubOp
(10 files / -7318 Kilobytes free)
UD/1:
Notice that the prompt used by the Data Library Area is UD/x: (where x is a number that represents which UD board you are currently visiting). You can switch to any of the other available boards by entering its number at the UD/x: prompt.
By entering ? (and pressing RETURN) at this prompt, a menu or list of commands available in the Data Library Area can be displayed. Here is an example of what this menu looks like:
Data Library Commands:
D Download a file UF Upload file Ax About a specific file S Scan current library section L List available libraries
Special Commands:
CONTROL S pauses downloads CONTROL X saves uploads CONTROL C aborts uploads/downloads
Commands available from any level:
Q Quit from subsystem O Log-Off system + Fast log-off F Feedback to System Operator I System configurations U Re-read system rules TD Local Time/Date information ST Your current call Status H System Help file
_______________________________________
Let's go through and take a look at the commands that are used specifically for the Data Library Area. These include the commands that are used for downloading and uploading files as well as some others. We will not discuss the general commands that can be accessed from any level (they were discussed in Part 3 of this article found in issue #10).
DOWNLOADING
The DOWNLOAD feature gets used the most in the Data Library Area. Keep in mind that A-NET's Data Library only supports the ASCII or 'TEXT capture' file transfer protocol so the telecommunica tions program used must offer this protocol before files can be downloaded (most of those available for ADAM do offer this feature).
The D command is used to start the DOWN LOAD process. After this command has been entered, you will be asked to enter the number of the file that you wish to receive (see the section in this article labeled FINDING FILES). After entering the number, a brief explanation of the file that has been chosen will be dis played along with a prompt asking if the correct file has been chosen to receive. If it is not, a N can be entered and the process will be aborted returning the user to the UD prompt. If it is the correct file, a Y is entered and the process will continue on.
As the download process continues on, the user will get a message that says STAND BY and then another that says OPENING BUFFER. Next a prompt is displayed like this:
(A to abort) Press RETURN when ready:
This is the final step before the file that has been chosen will actually be sent. The user is given their last chance to abort the process by entering an A at this prompt. If the user is sure that this is the file that they wish to receive, then THIS IS THE POINT where they must go tell their telecommunica tions program to get ready to receive the file (each telecommunications program has its own methods to start this process so I won't go into this - refer to the program's manual).
Once the user has the telecommunications program ready to receive the file, the RETURN key is pressed (while in terminal mode). The file then begins to be trans mitted by the BBS. If for any reason the transmission needs to be paused, the CONTROL and S keys can be pressed to stop the text display. Pressing any key will continue the transmission again. If the download process needs to be aborted after the file transfer has begun, the CONTROL and C keys can be pressed. If the transfer is completed or aborted, the RETURN key will need to be pressed to return to the UD prompt.
UPLOADING
The UF command is used to start the
UPLOAD process. The ONLY telecommunica
tions program that is currently capable
of successfully uploading a file to an
A-NET BBS is the ADAMLink II software.
If any other software is used, it is not
likely that the upload will be success
ful. Only an 'A type' of file should be
uploaded to the BBS (this type of file
includes: SmartBASIC programs, ADAMCalc
Spreadsheets, SmartLOGO programs, and
most types of text files).
After the UF command has been entered, the user is prompted to enter the name of the file that will be uploaded. The maximum amount of characters that can be used in the filename is six. The RETURN key is pressed to enter the filename. The system will then check to see if the filename that is used is OK. If it is, the process will continue on (if not, the user is returned to the UD prompt).
Once a successful filename has been
entered, the user is asked to enter a P
if the file to be uploaded is a program
or S if the file is a text file. This is
really not vital to the process but is
simply there to let others know what
kind of file it is. After this choice
has been made the following message is
displayed:
CONTROL X saves transfer CONTROL C aborts transfer
Start transfer in 15 seconds...
At this point the user should go tell the ADAMLink II software to begin trans mitting the file. If something goes wrong during the process, the user can abort the upload process by pressing the CONTROL and C keys. If everything is successful and the file is completely transmitted, the user must press the CONTROL and X keys to tell the BBS to save the file. IMPORTANT: sometimes the above CONTROL commands must be entered several times in rapid succession to get them to perform.
With the UPLOAD completed and successfully saved, the user will then be prompted to enter a brief description of what was uploaded (a maximum of 40 characters). After a description has been entered and the RETURN key pressed, the user's record will be updated crediting them for the upload and the file will be added to the Data Library.
FINDING FILES
So how do you determine what files are available in the Data Library? There are three commands that are useful to find out more about what is available.
First, the L command is used to List the UD boards that are available to the user. When this command is entered, the number of each board is listed along with the name of each board (the name helps the user decide what type of files can be found there). A prompt is also displayed that tells the user to enter the number of the board that is desired at the UD/x prompt.
The S command is used to Scan or list the files available in the current board the user is visiting. When using this command, the number of each file is displayed along with the name of each file. Other useful information is in cluded like the size of the file (in bytes), and what type of file it is (P for program or S for sequential text file). The total amount of files that can be found on a single board is ten.
If the user would like to find out additional information about a file, the A command can be used. This command requires that you include a number after it (the number of the file that you wish to have more information on). When this command is used, the name and type of file are included as well as the handle and ID # of the person who uploaded the file. The date that the file was uploaded is also shown along with a brief description of the file.
IN CONCLUSION...
There! That's all there is to know about how to make use of the Data Library. In fact, this article concludes a series of articles that I have included over the past six issues on how to get the most out of the A-NET BBS system. I hope you have enjoyed it and have found what was shared useful. As time goes by it is imminent that there will be changes made to the A-NET system. Most minor changes will be posted on the BBS but if any major changes should happen, it is most likely that I will include additional articles on this system in the future.
We owe a lot to our newsletter publishers who have done so much to keep ADAM alive and to expand its capabilities for all of us. It would be great if we had one big international publication which would combine articles from all the other publications and be issued, say, quarterly. It has been discussed, but we don't have it. We do now have the next best thing, however. That's a sort of Associated Press service for ADAM news. It's called ANN (ADAM News Network). The original idea was to provide newsletter editors will on-disk articles for use in their publications. And it still provides that service. But it's also now open to all ADAMites. When I first considered it, the $35 yearly subscription seemed high in comparison with newsletter rates. But for that you get 24 disks all packed with ready-to-print articles, reviews, workshops, programs, vendor information, and columns. It's an excellent source of far more articles than any individual newsletter can carry.
You can subscribe to this treasure trove of ADAM information by sending your subscription check to:
Barry Wilson 12967 Weatherfield Drive St. Louis, MO 63l46
NOTE: On tape costs $2/tape additional
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I'M NO ARTIST (part four)
by Solomon M. Swift
NON-WYSIWYG GRAPHICS DESIGN:
Though WYSIWYG graphics design is generally easier for the computer artist to work with, non-WYSIWYG graphics design programs can offer comparable, if not superior, output capabilities. We have two such excellent programs available for the ADAM owner. Both are by Walters Software, "The Print Works" and "Label Works". Without onscreen previewing, design requires some forethought; but, the printed results can be quite impressive.
The Print Works has four basic output options (banners, greeting cards, letterheads, and signs) for your ADAM and a dot matrix printer. To generate these creations you have three design tools: borders, clip art, and fonts. The package is compatible with CLIPPER clip art and FontPOWER font sets; you can print fonts and clips in three sizes: standard, double, and quadruple. With the fonts you can select left or center line justification.
Label Works is a utility for creating address and diskette labels with graphics and text. It uses CLIPPER clip art and the DMP's built-in typefaces for text. You have four typeface/pitch options: elite, italics, expanded and compressed. You select the print options individually for each text line. The address label option will handle up to a 200 entry database.
COMMERCIAL SUPPORT GRAPHICS:
Support graphics entails a variety of file types: clip art, font sets, paintbrushes, sprites, sprite fonts, and larger full-screen graphics. The single largest collection of support graphics is the debut production by EyeZod Graphics, PowerTOOLS. This disk is packed with OVER 90 FILES and contains hundreds of individual graphics. I consider it sine qua non for PowerPAINT users. In fact, I use it so much myself that I keep it in the same diskette sleeve with my personal copy of PowerPAINT. The package includes the Christmas Tree Construction Set, lots of paintbrushes and clip art, three unique sprite font sets, a huge variety of sprite borders and background fillers, and several other useful graphics tools.
PaintAIDE by DIGITAL EXPRESS includes over three dozen font files for use in SmartBASIC, Z80 programs, and PowerPAINT. The package also lets you customize some aspects of PowerPAINT.
Next month we'll finish the commercial support graphics and take a look at some of the public domain offerings.
RECOVERING LOST PROGRAMS:
WHAT YOU CAN DO IF YOU WERE
TOO LAZY TO KEEP A BACKUP
by Michael McGrath
On March 15, (the ides of March) three days before the regional science fair, I was working on my science fair project. My project happens to be in computer science, so I was busy programming with my Adam computer. That night I revised my project a lot, so, like any good programmer would, I prepared to make several bAckups of this new version. I did this by first destroying my old backups, so that I could make them into new backups. This should have worked just fine, but somewhere along the line, I accidentally put the master copy of my science fair project into the disk drive, and erased the first 96 blocks of the disk.
Whoops! First I double checked to make sure that I really had destroyed the first 96 blocks of my master disk, and tha4 I was not just imagining things. Then I checked to see if I had really initialized all of my old backups, and looked on the floor to see I might have dropped an old backup and accidentally skipped initializing it. Nope.
This situation might not occur very often, but it sure hurts when it does. So now I'll tell you how you can get yourself out of a mess like this. I had to get all of the infor- mation on that disk back in three days, and I knew of two ways that this could be done: 1) write it all over again, or 2) try to recover the information from the ruined disk. Because I had put about 300 hours of work into writing what was on that disk, and because there are only 72 hours for every three days, I selected the second option.
From what I learned so far, a disk is basically divided into three parts: the boot block, the directory blocks, and the blocks where files are stored (I not sure what the technical name for them is). The boot block is block zero, and after that comes the directory blocks, and after that comes the files. What we are interested in right now are the director9 blocks. When you tell the computer to load a certain file, the computer looks in the directory to find where that file is located on your disk. If the file you named in not listed in the directory, or the directory tells the computer that the file is located in a place where it isn't, the file cannot be loaded. When I accidentally destroyed the first 96 blocks of my disk, I wiped out the directory blocks; so even though most of my files were still on the disk, the computer was unable to load them. To get them back, I had to rewrite the directory.
Two programs proved essential in the recovery of my data. The first one was the program Uncle Ernie's Toolkit. The seco.d one was Filemanager by Tony Morehen. The first step to recovering your data is to make a complete backup of your ruined disk. When I say complete, I mean that you should do a block copy of the entire ruined disk onto a new disk® Next, use Uncle Ernie's Toolkit to search all over your ruined disk for the files that you want to recover. This can be done with Uncle Ernie's Tool- kit using the BLOCKPEEK option. If you are searching for a BASIC file, it should bE easy to find. This is because BASIC files are stored in ASCII format, and you will be able to see the exact contents of the file. If you are searching for a file that is stored in binary format, the search will be much harder. Some- times you just have to make a good guess at where the file is located. Once you have found the file on your disk, take note of the following things:
1) The block that the file starts in.
2) The number of blocks that file covers.
3) The number of bytes which are used in the last block.
I found that numbers one and two are pretty easy to find out; it's number three that's tough.
Once you've got all this informa- tion, you are ready to start using Filemanager. Filemanager has a very nice feature in it, which lets you edit and create your own directories. It is really very easy to use, and I won't bother to explain how to use it in detail. Once you boot up Fileman- ager, press Smartkey 1 for options. Then select the Edit Directory option. You should have the names of the files that you want to recover, the blocks that they start in, the number of blocks that they occupy, and the number of bytes used in the last block; enter all this in the appropriate spaces. Once you have finished writing your new directory, save it to the BACKUP of your ruined disk.
Now here's the comes the part which can be either happy or heart- breaking. Try to load one of your programs. If everything in the direc- tory is set correctly, the file should load just fine. If not, some strange things might start to happen, so make sure that you are using a backup. I found that when the file did not load, my printer would usually start printing random charac- ters, or that my data drives would suddenly start spinning. If it doesn't work (and on the first try, it probably won't), then try again. As I've already said, finding the number of bytes being used in the last block is hard, and that is probably what you have wrong.
The process of recovering all my files took me two days, because I was very unfamiliar with what I had to do. If it ever happens again, it will probably take less time. However, since March 15 I have been keeping double backups of all my important programs. Backups are by far the safest and easiest way to keep from losing important data.
(Words to live by!..Ed)
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
by
Gene Manning
When Jack asked me to write an arti- cle for the Club Newsletter, my first question was, "Who me?" I know nothing about writing, let alone using some of the great programs at my disposal, i.e., WORDSTAR and VDE, neither of which I`ve learned to fully use.
Since joining AWAUG about two years ago, I`ve learned a lot of things and amassed a lot of good informa- tion. I learned from people like yourselves and a great deal from our President and Vice-President whom I`ll give a lot of credit to.
Some of the things I`ve have learned on my own; others, I learned by asking questions. I was always told when I was in the Navy that the only dumb question was the one you didn`t ask so I started to ask them. I had a lot of them! I remember my first AWAUG meeting: my first question to Peter was, "How do you draw a circle?" You know, two years later I haven`t the foggiest idea what he was talking about (you talked over my head, Pete, when you said the word Math). If you`re like me, directions are insufficient; pictures are neces- sary before I`ll understand.
Most of this article will be directed at those who are at my level of learning; to others it will be old hat. One of the things I have learned is how to run a program that is on a $ifferent drive then your current drive. For instance, if you are on M drive and you have an RLE on M drive that you want to convert to a text file so that you can print it out, it would go like this: M>B:RLETXT fn<CR>. This will do all the conversion of the RLE file on your RAM drive which is much faster. Now this may look like it doesn`t work but I can assure you it worked for me. I have four picture files hanging on my wall 4hat I converted and printed. You are on M drive, your RLETXT.COM file is on B drive and the converted RLE file will go to your RAM drive after it has been converted to a text file. This really works. For some things I have learned that the only way to learn about it was to try it; just wade right in up to your waist. Let me tell you that that statement is true, as I once downloaded a program named Basic.Com. Not knowing what the program was, I decided to try it on for size and before I realized what I was doing, I had effectively redone into SmartBASIC about three of my best tapes. Here I might add, do not forget to make backups of your most important tapes. Fortunately, I had made backups of these tapes so there wasn`t a loss.
Then there was the time that I decid- ed to try out my new Power Supply. I set the Power Supply up right on top of my TAPE box and gue3s what tapes I had in the box? You guessed it, four or five computer tapes, three game tapes, one utility tape and my CP/M tape along with my backup of the aforementioned CP/M tape. So I learned a lesson that day after having to replace the lost tapes.
If you want to see something ter- rific, just logon to the BBS and go into one of the file sections. Any one will do. Type DK C*.* and sit back and watch Adam and our BBS do their thIng. They will effectively Batch copy all files starting with the letter "C" (seems to me that another command such as RB or some- thing has to be entered into your modem program to enable the batch receive mode..Ed). Just insert the letter of the alphabet that you want and Adam will copy all files starting with that letter. So far I`ve man- aged to copy approximately 25 or 30 files off the BBS in about a total of 15 to 20 minutes. That's about 2/3 of the CPM1 files and about 1/2 the CPM2 files and I am going to go for the rest of them.
The next thing I want to learn is Machine Language. I still have a ways to go before I can think about learning something that is as deep as I know it can be but I`m determined to learn it. It may take me awhile but I`ll get there eventually. You should try some of the things I`ve talked about, I think that you`ll enjoy them as muchAas I did. I have also learned to make my own tapes self-booting. All I had to do was follow directions!
I`ll leave you with this one thought, you never stop learning and you never get to old to learn. There are a l¯t of swell guys in our club. Some of them aren`t physically present like our BBS benefactors BJ and Tony Morehan. Guys like our club President (a great guy) Bob Blair, Peter Hartzler and of course who can fo²get people like Jack MacKenn (lots of people can, particu- larly when he's hunting for news- letter articles..Ed) and Les Wilsey and all of the rest I`ve left out (unintentional of course) are good sources of knowled'e. You can learn from these guys if only you just ask. They are more that happy to help you.
Editor's note: In my opinion, Gene Manning typifies what our club is all about; try, fail, get help & try again, finally get it right, and then pas your experience on to others so that they might learn. You've writ- ten a fine article, Gene, that will be a big help to us when we get discouraged! In the words of that famous country phil/sopher, R. Miller, "Knuckle down, buckle down, DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!" JM
LET'S TALK!
Computer to Computer
by
Jack MacKenn
Many of us that have modems on our Adams feel that computer to computer communication is relatively easy. After an uncertain start, we read an easy-to-follow article such as Ralph Mason's in the last issue, fire up our MEX (or IMP, Madam7, or even AdamLINK), call our local friendly BBS and have a nice session. We read messages, post messages, and even upload & download files from time to time. After a few sessions, we have the procedures down pat and wonder why we were hesitant about getting started. After all, there's nothing to this!
That's the way I felt. Then one day at work, it became evident that we would start transferring files elec- tronically between our offices in Dahlgren, Va. & White Oak, Md. No sweat....or was it? It occurred to me that all of my computer to comput- er communications had been done with a bulletin board, i.e., a computer with special software set up to answer and service incoming calls. That's not the same as calling "just" another computer nor the same as having another computer call you. It was apparent that I needed to do some studying.
I use an MS-DOS version of MEX at work, so it seemed that learning to talk computer-to-computer could be accomplished on my Adam. I posted a message on our BBS requesting assist- ance. No one responded with any helpful ideas but Gene Manning volun- teered to help out and learn along with me. We set up a schedule for a Sunday afternoon attempt (lowest phone rates). Gene was using the internal Adam modem while I was up on my external Avatek 2400. We both started using MEX. It didn't work. We couldn't get our modems to talk to each other. We tried several differ- ent combinations but failed each time. In retrospect, the biggest problem was getting one modem to answer the other. I believe AdamLINK has a Smartkey labeled ANSWER but I was determined to use MEX (I don't have an MS-DOS version of AdamLINK, you see). After many tries and learning a lot of things NOT to do, Gene and I decided that we had en- riched the phone company enough for one afternoon and called a halt.
My problem still existed...how to transfer files electronically. The folks at the White Oak were modem transfer novices also. They knew a little and, after the session with Gene, I felt a knew a little. We decided it was time to try. One factor in our favor was that we were using identical Hayes-compatible 2400 bps modems. We decided they would initiate the call. My modem would answer. After the session with Gene, I read the instruction book that came with my Avatek (now there's a radical idea..read the manual!) and discov- ered there were at least two ways to set up your modem to automatically answer an incoming call. The first is to set one of DIP switches. The second is to set the S0 register to answer after n number of rings. I don't like flipping DIP switches so setting the register was the way for me. Changing the S0 register (or any other register) is fairly easy. With your Hayes-compatible modem on and your communications program in the terminal mode, issue the command ATS0=2 <cr>. This tells the modem to answer after the second ring. The response on your screen should be "OK". If your modem has an AA (auto-answer) light, this light should now be on. Your modem will now answer every incoming call after the second ring and issue a loud burst of computer stuff that will be recognized by the calling modem. [Note that EVERY call will be an- swered by your modem now, even a normal call from, say, your mother-in-law who would receive a rather rude blast in her ear from your modem. I have often considered setting this up during the dinner hour to handle telephone solicitors.] After setting my modem in the AA mode, the call came and a connection was made. (By the way, the folks at White Oak were using PROCOMM). I typed in HELLO...wait a minute!! How come I don't see it?? They type HELLO back, I see that. Interesting, we read each other but not ourselves. Turns out we're both in the terminal mode with no echo. This is discon- certing, I like to see what I'm typing. The options are two; both parties must be in the terminal mode with local echo (the L command in MEX) or one party must be in the full duplex mode (the E command in MEX) while the other is in the terminal mode. We decide that I will go into the E mode. This is easy, get back to the command mode (ESC E) and then enter E<cr>. This will put you in the terminal mode with full echo. I did it and it worked fine. Turns out that was the hard part. Once we got to that point, uploading and down- loading were easy...practically the same as working with our BBS. If I was sending them a file, I would go to command mode (ESC E), type S file- name<cr> and wait for them to start receiving. If I was receiving a file, I would go to command mode, type R filename<cr> and wait for the file to come. The one big difference I noticed when receiving is that I did not know how big the file was until the transfer was complete. At the end of the transfer, I returned to the terminal mode (with full echo) to confirm that the transfer looked good at both ends.
Since that time, several files in excess of 100k have been transfered both ways without difficulty. One other thing we learned was that it was much more efficient to crunch the files before transmission to save on long distance charges. We use an archiving program very similar to the public domain CPM archiving programs available to us in the Adam world.
All this leads to a fairly simple set of instructions for talking computer-to-computer. First, both modems should be set to the same speed. This is easy; for example if a 1200 bps modem is calling a 2400 bps modem, the 2400 modem should be driven by MEX12 instead of MEX24. Second, the receiving modem needs to be set for Auto-answer. Third, it should be determined who is going to provide the echo. I recommend the receiving end provide the echo. There is a small problem here. My MEX does funny things if I go into the terminal mode with full echo if a connection has not been established. I get around that by establishing the connection in the terminal mode then switching to full echo mode (ESC E then E<cr>). At this point, you can chat and transfer files to your heart's content. At the end of the session, your modem can be reset to the non-answer mode by entering ATS0=0<cr> from the terminal mode. Turning the modem off will accomplish the same thing. NOTE: changing the register setting of your modem will only last for that session, i.e., until you turn your modem off. If you want to make the register changes permanent, the changes need to be written to the modem's non-volatile memory by adding &W to the register change command. For example, enter- ing the command ATS0=2&W will cause your modem to be in the auto-answer mode (2 rings) every time you turn the modem on. It will remain that way until it's changed back by the command ATS0=0&W.
During the time I was learning the above, Gene was busy trying to figure it out. He was able to establish an Adam to Adam link with Les Wilsey. Gene called me one Friday evening and we finally established our own Adam to Adam link at 1200 bps. We chatted and successfully transferred a file each way. I learned a lot from this entire exercise that helped me at work as well as allowing me to make better use of my Adam. It was an excellent example of our club members helping each other to learn.
The procedures written above are certainly not the only way to commu- nicate computer-to-computer. They may not even be the best way, but they worked for me and they should work for you.
ARMCHAIR SPELUNKING
Welcome to the world of falling boulders, glittering diamonds, exploding fireflies and butterflies, and expanding amoebas. You, as your alter-ego Rockford, have to dig tunnels as you collect diamonds and avoid the falling boulders and persistent fireflies, who are doing their best to ruin your day. There are sixteen different caves in this game.
GAME OBJECTIVE
The objective of Boulder Dash is to search each cave, collecting as many diamonds as you can in each one. In particular, you need to collect the indicated number of diamonds(to the left of the diamond icon at the top of the screen) before your time runs out. As soon as you do this the tunnels you have dug flash brightly to let you know that the door to the mysterious escape tunnel is open, and that you can now gain access to the next cave.
The number to the right of the diamond icon indicates the number of points you get for each diamond you collect. Once you have collected the designated number of diamonds, that number is increased. This means that if you keep collecting diamonds after the escape tunnel appears, you receive extra points.
However, because you also receive bonus points equal to the number of seconds remaining on your clock, it may be to your advantage to make for the escape tunnel rather than collecting more diamonds. In any event, your clock keeps ticking, and your primary object is to advance to the next level before you run out of time.
As you proceed in your quest, you can traverse existing tunnels or dig your own. But beware of falling boulders or diamonds. They can crush an unsuspecting Rockford before he has a chance to flee.
CONTROLS
After you load the disk or tape, Adam's CPM prompt will appear. Type BOLDERDA and hit return and Adam's CPM system will load the Boulder Dash game. You should then see the musical title screen, push the # key to go to the option screen. From there choose your skill and cave using the joystick(See below), then push 1 or 2 on the keypad for one or two players and the game begins. To pause the game, press 0 on the keypad, press 8 to resume play. # restarts the game to the title screen at any time.
Push the * button each time your Rockford gets killed to begin play with another Rockford at that same cave, until all your Rockfords run out, then the game is over. You can also push * to get another Rockford, if yours becomes trapped in boulders with no way out.
Boulder Dash will keep you on your toes. Not only do you have to deal with falling boulders, but you also have to block growing amoebas, transform butterflies, outmaneuver fireflies, and overcome other obstacles.
You start off with three chances, or Rockfords. You receive a bonus Rockford after every 500 points. When you receive a bonus Rockford, the tunnels you have created will shimmer. The 16 caves in the game are numbered 1 through 16. Each cave has five difficulty levels. You can select your starting cave by moving the joystick left or right, and the difficulty level by moving the joystick up or down when you are on the menu screen. The greater the difficulty level the less time you have and the more diamonds you have to collect.
At difficulty levels 1-3 you can choose to start at cave 1, 6,11 or 16 while at difficulty levels 4 and 5 you must start with cave 1. After making a selection, press one or two on the keypad for one or two players and that starts the game.
PLAYABLE INTERMISSIONS??(maybe?)???: In the new Commodore 64 and Apple versions of Boulder Dash you can play four short interactive puzzles after completing caves, 4, 8, 12 and 16. There is no penalty for not playing or losing the intermissions. If you complete a playable intermissions successfully you get a bonus Rockford. I don't know if our version of Boulder Dash has this feature. If it does, let everyone know. I'm including it's description in case it's actually in our game. If we do have the playable intermissions they might not be at the same cave numbers as mentioned above, since the order of some of our rooms are different from the Commodore and Apple versions, although I think we do have all the same rooms, they are not all in the same order.(See THE CAVES below)If our version of Boulder Dash doesn't have these intermissions, then just ignore this paragraph.
GAME ELEMENTS
ROCKFORD-This adventurous fellow is the hero of the game, and to tell you the truth, this guy is a little bit hyper-active. He loves to race around all the time, collecting diamonds as fast as his little feet will carry him. But if you make him stand still, he will look at you impatiently, blink his eyes and tap one of his feet to let you know he wants to get moving again, and soon!! Rockford has the power to dig through the earth as he collects the diamonds he finds along the way. He can push single boulders horizontally if there is nothing to block the path. Rockford can stand directly under a boulder without being crushed, but if a boulder or diamond falls on him, you can kiss him goodbye. BOULDERS-The rocks are subject to the law of gravity. They fall straight down if unsupported, and they topple off underlying objects if there is nothing to block their way. Experimentation is the best way to learn the physics of this game.
DIAMONDS-You have to collect the required number of gleaming diamonds in order to to exit one cave and advance to the next. You can create additional diamonds several different ways. For example, transforming butterflies, suffocating amoebas, or dropping boulders through an Enchanted Wall will all create additional diamonds. When you have collected the required number of diamonds a flash lets you know that the escape door is now operational. The escape door pulsates when in that state so you can find it more easily. FIREFLIES-Beware the deadly fireflies, they will explode on contact with Rockford. Their behavior is predictable, since they only move along the edges of the exposed areas. Try turning the tables on them by dropping boulders on them, which causes them to blow up. This comes in handy when you need to demolish a wall to gain access to some diamonds.
BUTTERFLIES-The colorful butterflies behave much like fireflies, except they fly in the opposite direction of the fireflies and they turn into diamonds when they explode. They will explode on contact with Rockford, so watch out!! AMOEBA-The amoeba is a blob that bubbles and grows through earth and air. Rockford can touch it without harm, although fireflies and butterflies explode when they come into contact with it. When Rockford surrounds the amoeba with rocks, it runs out of growing space, suffocates and turns into diamonds. However, if the ameoba grows too large, about 200 squares, it turns into boulders. And if your Rockford should get trapped in an amoeba, he will not live to see another cave.
ENCHANTED WALL-This looks like any other wall, except when it is hit by a falling boulder it vibrates for short time. During this period, any boulders that fall on it are magically transformed into diamonds but only if there is empty space below the wall. It will also turn diamonds into boulders if they drop through it. Once the enchantment phase is complete, it cant be reactivated in the same round. TITANIUM WALL-This exterior wall is an indestructible boundry to play action. Rockford can only exit to the next cave through the escape door.
ESCAPE DOOR-Initially the escape door looks like a portion of the Titanium Wall. After Rockford has collected the required number of diamonds, it is activated and begins to flash. At this point you can exit, provided you do so before time runs out. TIME-Each cave is timed. The time counter flashes and a tone sounds to warn you when you have 10 seconds left to play.
STRATEGY TIPS/HINTS
(Something tells me we should have sold these seperately)
Rockford-He can affect an object that is next to him without moving into it. Keep the joystick button depressed and move the joystick in the direction of the object or earth you wish to affect. Rockford will not move, but the object will react. Boulders-You may sometimes find yourself digging or moving downwards only to realize that a boulder has been toppled by your movement and is about to land on you. The only way to avoid losing your Rockford in these situations is to move quickly to the left or right, out of the boulders way. Rockford runs as fast as a boulder falls, so it will never catch up to him unless you hesitate or stop.
Exit-As soon as you have collected the required amount of diamonds for the particular cave, the exit is revealed. At this time you can decide whether to go for bonus diamonds or to exit for the time bonus points. Make sure you know the locations of the escape doors so you can reach it each time before the time runs out.
THE CAVES
(Note:You may want to try it on your own before consulting these hints) Each one of these descriptions is a different room. The known room number for each description is written in the parenthesis before the title of each room. As you discover which rooms are which, fill in the number next to the room which fits each of these descriptions left that are not yet numbered. All of these rooms should be in our game, but the order of some rooms are different in our version of this game from the new Commodore and Apple versions. See if you can match the room titles and descriptions with the actual numbers in our game!
(01)-Pick up diamonds and exit before time is up. (02)-Rooms-Pick up diamonds, but this time you have to move boulders to get all the diamonds.
(03)-Maze-Pick up diamonds. You must get every diamond to exit. ( )-Butterflies-In this cave you have to create diamonds. Do so by dropping boulders on butterflies. Sounds awful but it works.
( )-Guards-The diamonds are there for the grabbing but they are guarded by the deadly fireflies. (06)-Firefly Den-Each firefly is guarding a diamond. ( )-Amoeba-Surround the amoeba with boulder to limit its growth. This will cause it to suffocate (look, its only an amoeba), and turn into a new diamond. Pick up diamonds as before.
( )-Enchanted Wall-Activate by dropping a boulder on it. Create new diamonds by dropping boulders through the Wall and the ground beneath it. ( )-Greed-You have to get a lot of diamonds here. Its a good thing there are so many of them.
( )-Tracks-Get the diamonds and avoid the fireflies. (11)-Crowd-You have to move a lot of boulders around in some tight places. ( )-Walls-You have to blast through walls to get at some of the diamonds. Try dropping a boulder on a firefly at the right time and place.
(16)-Apocalypse-Bring the butterflies and amoeba together and watch the diamonds fly. ( )-Zigzag-Magically transform the butterflies into diamonds, but don't waste any boulders and watch out for the fireflies.
( )-Funnel-There is an Enchanted Wall at the bottom of the rock tunnel. ( )-Enchanted Boxes-The top of each square room is an Enchanted Wall, but you'll have to blast your way inside.
Have fun!!!!
by Dean Roades Editor - 463 ADAM User Group Newsletter Associate Editor - ADAM News Network
A recent article in one of the ADAM newsletters (no names) was vaguely supportive of the ADAM News Network, but the last paragraph was very critical of ADAM newsletters that use many items from ANN. That editor felt that there was not enough individuality, that many of these newsletters look alike, with only the names different. "I can understand using an article or two to fill in; and I can understand using an article that everyone needs." As one of these so-called look alikes (and proud of it), I felt the need to respond.
I started 463 ADAM in August of 1987. I began sending each member a letter every month to remind them of the meeting. I gradually added information on vendors, what was happening at the meetings and other information as it came to my attention. By August of 1988, the letter had developed into a newsletter of sorts, 2 pages, plus some reprints. The development has been steady. Recently, our membership voted to increase dues in order to add more pages to our newsletter, (meaning more ANN articles). Now I'm proud to publish a 20+ page newsletter that serves the needs of our group. The key here is "serves the needs of our group".
463 ADAM is a small, mainly novice group. We have no 'experts'. We do the best we can, but are unable to generate the individuality of information mentioned above. As founder of our group, I feel it is my responsibility to assist our members in learning more about ADAM. I cannot program like Sol Swift or Tony Morhen. Rich Clee, Thomas Keene and Barry Wilson can write in a way I only aspire to. Graphics? Mine are quickly forgotten when Pat Herrington or Ricki Gerlach are around. I know less about CP/M than Barry, but I can count on IEAUG and Ron Collins to know all about it. Hardware projects are best left to Big John Lingrel or Mark Gordon and others. LOGO, telecommunications, machine language, GODOS, etc. There are people in each field who know much more than I. By now, you are asking "What can you do?". The answer is ORGANIZE. I may not know the answer, but I DO know where to find it. And I can find it in ANN.
Most of our members receive our newsletter and maybe one other. They do not know that our newsletter looks a lot like someone else's. Why should they care? As long as our newsletter "serves the needs of our group". They are grateful that I have access to the great minds of ADAM. If they had to rely on 'individual' articles written by me, no one would learn anything.
463 ADAM trades with a number of other newsletters, a common practice within the community. I read them all, and I do notice many are using the same articles from ANN. The point is, these newsletters were not written for ME, they were written for members of that club. That editor felt that the articles included would "serve the needs of the group".
The important point I am trying to make is: Each newsletter must be judged on it's own, not compared to any other. How can anyone suggest that a poor article, written 'individualy' by an editor not familar with the subject, is better than one from the ANN pool, written by an expert?
Your comments are welcome on this subject.
Dean Roades 463 ADAM 8522 Hohman Ave. Munster, IN 46321
Jan. promote Feb. Contest Feb. Weight Contest. Winner Lola Cowan PSAN, 2nd Jeff Jodoin AWAUG, 3rd Jeff Wilson SLAUG.
SPONSORS: AWAUG (for BJ), SOFTWORKS FACTORY AND AWAUG.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SPONSORSHIP. Plug them in your newsletters, BBSs, AUG meetings, etc.
Mar. promote Ugliest Sysop/Editor Contest. April UGLIEST SYSOP/EDITOR CONTEST.
SPONSORS: WALTERS SOFTWARE & SOFTWORKS FACTORY SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SPONSORSHIP. Plug them in your newsletters, BBSs, AUG meetings, etc.
May promote Convention contest. June Convention contest. Best suggestions for ADAMCON02, such as program ideas, promotional ideas, etc. Any suggestions to help make ADAMCON02 a success.
SPONSORS: WALTERS SOFTWARE, ADAM SOFTWARE SUPPORT, PHOENIX 2000 AND PRACTICAL PROGRAMS. SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SPONSORSHIP. Plug them in your newsletters, BBSs, AUG meetings, etc.
July Promote August Contest Contest
August Contest Contest. Best suggestion for future contests. SPONSORS: WALTERS SOFTWARE, ADAM SOFTWARE SUPPORT, PHOENIX 2000 AND PRACTICAL PROGRAMS.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SPONSORSHIP. Plug them in your newsletters, BBSs, AUG meetings, etc.
Sept. promote WALTERS SOFTWARE CONTESTS
Oct. WALTERS SOFTWARE CONTEST. James Walters will pick out his personal favorite three Walters Software programs, you only have to guess which ones they are . SPONSORED BY WALTERS SOFTWARE AND WALTERS SOFTWARE.
Nov. Promote Dec. contest Dec. Contest (probably winner of Contest Contest)
SPONSORS: WALTERS SOFTWARE, ADAM SOFTWARE SUPPORT, PHOENIX 2000 AND PRACTICAL PROGRAMS.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SPONSORSHIP. Plug them in your newsletters, BBSs, AUG meetings, etc.
Please push and support all contests. They are for ADAM'S BENEFIT and YOUR benefit. We need to keep Adam interest up and alive, we need to let all feel they can participate in Adam regardless of their technical knowledge or skill, we need a feeling of family, community, group, etc.
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS who help make these contests possible. Let them know you appreciate them.
Barry Wilson
Take a stroll though BABYLAND PARK with one of the Cabbage Patch kids. Can you help them get back to the entrance? Its exercise time for Anna Lee. . So stretch your muscles and get ready for a workout. This adventures no picnic.
As you stroll through the park, youll encounter obstacles they never told you about in the Cabbage Patch. Youll leap onto floating lily pads, jump over cabbages and bouncing balls, and hop over puddles so deep they could float a ship. And thats the easy part. By the time you get back to the Park Entrance, youll know just what kind of physical shape youre really in. Are you ready for the workout??
More than fifty screens Ah sunshine. Fresh air. Enjoy it now because once you get into the park, youll be too busy to notice. Move the control stick left or right to make Anna Lee walk away from the entrance and into the park.
Anna Lee has to be back at the entrance before dark. When that blue bar at the top of the scene turns orange, youll have to leave the park, so dont dawdle. Big girls dont cry. But Cabbage Patch kids do. When ANna Lee falls down she will cry for few seconds before getting back to the action. Ah, Cant blame her...
Leaping lily pads, take a swing, ahead a cabbage and boing.... Jump over obstacles. On the trampoline screen, take a running jump to land on the first one, then press the button while moving the control stick toward the next trampoling to make her move. To make her jump high and get the apple for more points just push the fire button without moving her to a different trampoline and she will jump higher.
Jump between the puddles and watch out for flying fish later...On the fountains time your jumps when the water is at its lowest point and when one spray is at the same level as another to jump from one to the other. Watch out for fire, jump over it and watch out for the bee... You start with three kids. At end of each round you get 2000 bonus points if you made it to the entrance in time. You get one bonus kid at 10,000 points and another one every 20,000 points after.
Have fun...
Ever have a problem with your car, take it to the repair shop only to find that there it works perfectly, then bring it home and find you have the problem again? Well, that's my problem with Dirsort V2, an improved version of the directory sorting (alphabetical or sequential) program Dirsort.
I've used the old Dirsort many times with no problem. But Dirsort V2--I can't get it to work at all. So I asked my wife to try it. She got the same problem: It goes through all the motions and finally tells you "Directory now alphabetized." But you catalog it only to find out that it did no such thing. The directory remains as it was--unalphabetized. Aha! There's a flaw in the program, I concluded. I returned it to Terry Fowler since it was on his Utility llF PD volume.
Terry tried it and found it to work perfectly. But anyway, he sent it on to Gary Hoosier, who wrote the new program version and Gary tested it on various length directories. All worked perfectly. But for me, and my wife, it still didn't work at all. I tried over and over, using different disks and tapes.
Terry suggested that the problem might be with the disk I was trying to alphabetize. So I sent him one of the disks along with my copy of the Dirsort V2 program. He sent my disk back, with the directory perfectly alphabetized, along with my Dirsort V2 program, saying it works perfectly. So I tried again, and again, and again. And so did my wife. Still the same. It goes through all the motions and says all the right things, but does nothing.
Perhaps I should follow the advice that says: "If at first you don't succeed, don't be a persistent damn fool--quit!" But if I persist, maybe I'll learn something. Maybe someone can explain what I'm doing wrong. Anyway, here's what I'm doing step-by-step:
Boot SmartBASIC (disk drive 1). Remove Basic and insert Utility 11F disk. BRUN dirsortV2. Ignore error message and RUN Smartkey III (Disk drive 1) Smartkey I (alphabetize) (It now goes through all the steps) Final go ahead to replace old directory? y/n? y (yes) Operating light on disk drive comes on. Program tells me: Directory now alphabetized.
It seems so simple and straightforward. But then I catalog it only to find the directory is not alphabetized. I'm stumped! Any assistance appreciated. --John S. Harris, l05 Burning Tree Lane, Boca Raton, FL 3343l. Phone (407) 392-6592.
This article originally appeared in the ADAM's LEAF, Newsletter of the Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) ADAM Users Group and is supplied by ADAM News Network.
Here is a little "utility" program that you can use with your ADAM. It will provide a menu that allows you to CATALOG, DELETE, LOADRUN, LOCK, RECOVER, RENAME, & UNLOCK your SmartBASIC files. I downloaded this program, named ++FILEMGR.BAS, from the Data Library (#9) on CompuServe. This is a file manipulation program that has the "look & feel" of many commercial quality programs.
The difference is that you can "do" this program yourself! In looking at the program, you may wish to customize it's operations and create your "own" utilities & functions. For example, a simple change would be to the SPEED setting in line #6 from 140 to suit your own liking (0-255). Other changes could involve adjustments to the menu key functions, if you are so inclined.
Although there are about 150 lines to enter, they are very short & easy to type. In fact, you should have the program "up & running" within an hour. You can save it as a HELLO program that it will "run" automatically when you load BASIC into your ADAM.
Thanks to the program authors (see lines 2040 & 2050) and CIS for having it in their data libraries. I'm sure you'll enjoy this nifty little program. (note: this is NOT the commercial FILEMANAGER V2.1.)
By Dave Sands
Gleanings is a collection of items from the newsletter exchanges and ADAM News Network received by the club.
Here are three newsletters for the ADAM that you may find interesting; two have introductory offers. Norman R. Castro, 809 W. 33rd Avenue, Bellevue, NE. USA 68005 publishes the Omaha Adam Users Club newsletter, and will send you a free copy for only two First Class postage stamps. ( He would probably like two US quarters from Canadians.) Subscriptions are $8 U.S.
Thanks to Norm (via ANN) for several of Gleanings' items this month. Norm also says: METRO is the newsletter of the Metro Orlando ADAM Users Group, editor Patricia Herrington, 1003 Oak Lane, Apoka, FL. USA 32703. Send 45 cents US for a sample copy.
And, THE newsletter for ADAM CP/M users is from the Inland Empire ADAM Users Group, 3141E Palmyra Ave. Orange, CA. USA 92669. Editor is Thomas Keene and it's $18 U.S. per year. A source of public domain ADAM CP/M format software is Sound Potentials, Box 46, Brackney, PA. USA 18812. Their catalog is $2 U.S.
Two ADAM supply sources are: The ADAM Connection, Box 562, Champlain, NY, USA 12919, Phone (518) 298-8193, and EVE Electronics, at E.E.S. Companies, 2 Vernon Street, Suite 404, Framingham, MA. USA 01701. Phone is (508) 650-1872. Their catalog is free. And finally, here's a tip from Norm for Speedywrite V.2 program users: you can do underlining, Bold, and automatic centering in Speedywrite on your ADAM printer by hitting Control-v and typing in the codes.
Moving along, here's a strange new contest for you: The ADAM News Network is asking you to guess weight, in whole numbers, of a mixed group of ADAM activists, and win either a $20 coupon for software from the Softworks Factory or a PIA2 board (the parallel interface that lets you hook up a dot matrix printer) from the Akron BBS. You enter by phoning in a guess to an ADAM BBS system. Enter by February 28. Guess: the total combined weight of: Al Fitzgerald, St. Louis AUG BBS sysop, plus, the shipping weight of a complete ADAM system, plus, Bob Blair, AWAUG sysop, plus, Barry Wilson, who runs the ADAM News Network, plus, Barry's Cat, plus, Big John Lingrel, Akron BBS sysop, plus, Larry Overman, SOCA BBS sysop, plus, Tony Patterson, Softworks Factory, plus, Rob Friedman, Compuserve sysop, plus Ricki Gerlach, Gerlach Family Software, Eagle BBS sysop, plus Sol Swift, Softworks Factory, plus, Allan Neeley, Editor and sysop, Adam Link of Utah, and Warren Foster, SOCA and his three grandchildren (one unborn).
Got that? Any guess will obviously do, since no-one has any better information than anyone else in this contest, unless you happen to know Barry's Cat personally, for example. The ADAM International Media newsletter this month has pictures and write-up on Powermate, the hard disk drive setup for the ADAM. This thing is real! From the instructions, using a hard disk on an ADAM will be practically identical to one on any other computer. Both the standard ADAM system (EOS) and a new system, TDOS, run on the hard disk. Sizes from 10 to 30 Megabytes are available, at prices from $399 to $699 U.S, complete with serial and parallel ports, cables and software and interface.
One of the most exciting things about hard disks is the speed at which they work -- large programs just appear, with no waiting while the disk spins or the cassette runs. And runs. SmartBASIC from the hard disk is up in 2 seconds, AIM says. The supply of Coleco disk drives has dried up again, AIM says, and at the price of two disk drives --$400 to $450, for 160K each, the hard disk is a far better deal. Their catalog is available for a SASE and 52 cents U.S. for postage. Adam's House, Route 2, Box 2756, Pearland, Texas, USA 77501.
The ADAM User-Friendly Group of Ottawa reports that GO-DOS 1.1 "is actually being shipped." Sol Swift decided to release it subject to upgrades in view of the long time people have been waiting. If you're one of them, here you go again. The AUFG newsletter contains two articles on programming, both written by members. Guy LaForest tells how to change the INIT commands in SmartBASIC, and Guy Cousineau discusses DIM, DEF,LIST and DEL.
And here is more ADAM Software Support, and that's their name. They are at 8125 W. Catherine, Chicago, IL. USA 60656. They supply Gerlach Family Software, A & S Software, Graftex Software, Wizards Lair, and PD, and are looking for software to distribute. One program caught my eye: "Learning Turkish with ADAM." Hard to top that one, but maybe you can do it. ###
Through the miracle of genetic engineering the Bio-Gene Co. is proud to offer the first in its line of Grow you own items, the Grow Your Own Computer.
Scientific break throughs in the bio-genetic engineering field as well as improved cloning techniques has led to this mirace of modern science.
By gene splicing methods the source code for the Adam Computer was genetically spliced into the DNA molecular structure of carrot plants.
This allows you to plant these hy-bred carrot seeds in a specially prepared mixture of various plastics, metals and alloys, water daily and in just 2 short weeks you will notice an orange colored Adam Computer start to poke its head through the ground.
For this special introductary offer, send the coupon located on page 88 of this newsletter (thats one way to make you read the whole newsletter) along with your CASH payment of $ll,000.00 plus shipping & handling.
You may think $ll,000.00 sounds high for a computer but not when you consider that you can always replant cuttings from your computer to grow more computers. Memory filled, just discard and regrown a new fully available memory computer. Computer locked up, discard and regrow. The possibilities are endless.
Why buy a memory expansion card when you can put TWO seeds in the same planting and get twice the memory.
LIMITED TIME OFFER ONLY TO READERS OF THIS NEWSLETTER.
SEND $ll,000.00 CASH (no pennies please) to: GROW YOUR OWN ITEMS POBX 333333, San Quentin Ca. 00700.
B & R Handyman Series Vol.1 HOW TO INSTALL A SUSPENDED CEILING review by John Carroll
This is my first review to write and consider myself very lucky to have such an excellent program to start with. The format and program are professionally done. I was impressed right from the open screen. I found it very easy to follow and left no question in my mind that I could easily install a drop ceiling. It offers you printer options and a printout of tools and supplies needed to do the complete job. There are also some important tips. The graphics make it a complete package and a must have for the home handyman or handywomen. I would certainly be interested in seeing more of The Handyman Series. A+
How to hang a suspended ceiling is the topic of Volume 1 of a series called "The Handy Man" developed by R. J. Gerlach Family Software, PO Box l75, Ft. Campbell, KY 42223-0175. It's a self-booting Basic, menu-driven, easy to use program. Graphics illustrate various aspects of the ceiling installation process. And there's a tool and material checklist which you can print out.
The instructions are attractively presented and easy to understand. If there is one drawback it would be lack of an option to printout the instructions.
Without a hardcopy, I can see myself running back and forth from the room where I'm installing that suspended ceiling to the computer in order to review the next step in the process. In summary, I find this instructional material does not require the number crunching and other functions that a computer handles so well.
A book that could be taken to the work site for periodic review during the construction process would seem to be a better medium for this how-to presentation than a computer.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: JOHN AFTER READING YOUR REVIEW, I POINTED OUT THE PRINT OUT PROBLEM TO THE AUTHOR RICKI GERLACH, RICKI SAID: TO PRINT OUT ALL INSTRUCTIONS, JUST PRESS CONTROL P PRIOR TO RUNNING IT, ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERED THE MAIN MENU].
HAPPY CLIPS Vols. 1 & 10 from Gerlach Family Software review by John Carroll
Here is clip art that is different, a varity that you don't often see. They include Signs of the Zodiac, military insignias, a assortment of animals and much more. The clips are well done and have a variety of uses. You could really personalize your labels. You never have enough clips and these would be a welcome addition to your library. A
HARDWARE MODIFICATIONS
by Dean Roades
I'm not much when it comes to working inside the computer, as I don't know much about electronics, but I DO like to tinker around. I am able to solder a little and can usually get things back together when I take them apart. I made some modifications to my ADAM recently and would like to pass along what I learned. If you try these modifications, PLEASE be careful. There is always the chance of messing up your system.
POWER SUPPLY COVER
On my last birthday, I received a power supply cover and light. (How did they know?? Could it have been the order form I filled out and left on the coffee table??) I wondered how the power supply could run cooler if it was enclosed, but I was also concered about the dust that was collecting on it from leaving it open. It turns out that the cover is made of thin aluminum and, attached to the heat sink on the back of the PS, helps draw the heat away. The cover is very easy. Following the directions, I put several layers of electrical tape over the capacitors and transformer (to prevent short circuts). Then remove two screws from each side of the PS, line up the holes in the cover, and replace the screws. That's all there is to it.
The light is a little more work. I don't know if it is always necessary to add this. I turn my system on with a power outlet strip. My power supply is tucked under my desk, in the back, so I can't see the light anyway. To install the light, turn the PS over and remove the small cover. Mount the light just under the on-off switch and run the leads thru the grommet that is there. Solder the leads, making sure that no loose wires will touch the cover and short out. Replace the cover and you are done.
Both jobs can be done in under a half hour (less if you know what you are doing). It really make the PS look nice, and I have been having less trouble with my second ADAM since I added the cover. I highly recommend this for all those with bare power supplies.
FULL STROKE KEYPAD
I have mentioned several times the keypads I bought from a surplus electronics house. The keypad is the same as the one used in the WICO game controllers. I have been wanting to get one hooked up to use with PowerPAINT, because the mylar 'keys' on the Coleco game controller are very slow to work with. (For those who may not know, in PowerPAINT you can use the game controller keypad instead of the Smart keys and function keys.) I originally intended to build a wooden case for the keypad, but then I thought if I could fit it into a standard controller case, it would fit into the holder on the side of the keyboard. I am happy to report success!! The only drawback is that the joystick is not hooked up. This is fine for my purposes, since I use the cursor keys most of the time. This new arrangement will make a perfect companion to the mouse I hope to get in the future.
The modification is mostly trial and error, but I will try to explain what I did. I opened up a controller and removed the components. I cut out the cross-hatch where the old keypad was. I had to cut away a little more on one side to make the keypad fit. To close the case, I cut out two of the posts that the screws go into to hold the case closed. (No problem, there are two left which are enough to do the job. I drilled two holes just below the joystick and mounted push button switches (SPST Normally open) to use inplace of the fire buttons. (In PowerPAINT, these correspond to the Escape and Return keys.) After all this was in place, I soldered the wires from the original controller cord to the proper locations. The keypad came with a black, coiled cord, but the original looked better. I ran into a minor problem here. The wires were not the same color in both cords.
WICO COLECO White Brown Purple Red Orange Orange Blue Yellow Green Green Red Blue Yellow Grey
Be careful to note where the wire were originally so you can solder the new ones in the right place. When all the connections were made, I pulled the fire buttons off the original controller components and glued them into the place they belonged. They don'y DO anything, it just looks nicer than leaving a couple of holes in the sides. I tried to glue the joytick post in place, but it quickly came loose. I opened the case and put a piece of foam under it to keep it from rattling. Again, no function, it just looks better.
DISK DRIVES
The standard 160k disk drives are in very short supply, as you know if you are looking for one. I have 2 160k drives and between our newsletter and my work with the ADAM news Network, they get quite a workout. My biggest fear is a breakdown. In an effort to minimize the risk, I purchased the drive mechanics for a 160k from ADAM's House. What I received was a single unit that contained the drive motor, heads, front door, and other electronics. At first it looked like a complete drive, but of course it wasn't. In order to test it to be sure it worked, I installed it into my No.2 drive. It was easier to do than I expected. I opened the case, unplugged and removed the drive mechanics. Take care to notice where all the plugs are attached. I installed the new unit, replaced the case, and I was back in business.
All the moving parts are in this package (the parts most likely to fail), so I am confident that if there is ever a problem, I will be back up and running very quickly. The cast is slightly less than sending the drive out for repair, but the main advantage is TIME.
I know that these modifications seem very minor to some of our ADAM experts. I hope I have not bored you to much. At the same time, I hope I have suitably impressed some novices and perhaps given them the confidence to try some of their own changes. After all, the name of the game is to make your ADAM better or easier to use. I have done both for my system.
Dean Roades - Editor - 463 ADAM 8522 Hohman Ave. Munster, IN 46321
Get down and dirty! Reach miners trapped miles under the surface of the earth! Use the Prop-pack to maneuver through a maze of mineshafts. Blast vile vermin with the Microlaser Beam! Dynamite walls! Negotiate across the lethal Lava flow! Rescue all the miners you can before running out of lives or power!!
Plug a Coleco controller into port one. In addition you can use a regular joystick in Port Two. To select one of five games, press buttons 1-5 on the keypad. The higher the number, the greater the challenge.
To start, move the joystick .
To pause at any time, press the * on the controller keypad. Press again to resume play. RESERVES. Begin with one life in use and three in reserve. Acquire an additional life, to a max of six in reserve, for every 20,000 points earned.
POWER GAUGE. Power begins to diminish when you move the control stick or joystick after Rod Hero appears on the screen. If power runs out and a reserve life remains, you return to the top of that same level. Game ends when you run out of lives.
VARIATIONS-Game number 1 starts at level 1. Two starts at level five, Three starts at level nine, four start at level 13, and five starts at level 17. All following levels are random and no level number appears on the screen. In games 1-4, the word PRO appears in place of the level number after 20.
EQUIPMENT CHECK. Prop-pack. To fly up or run or fly left or right, move control stick in that direction. To hover, tap control stick or joystick forward. To fly down a shaft, step off ledge. Microlaser beam. Your helmet's beam can blast creatures or slice through small walls. Press joystick or left fire button, hold down for continuous fire.
Dynamite. Each of the six sticks you begin with can blow up all or part of a small wall. Land and move near wall. To place and ignite. Press controller right side button. In using the joystick, pull towards you. Move fast or be blown up!! Raft. Ride the raft across the river whenever it appears. Lanterns. Be careful. Touch or shoot out a lantern and that section of the mine goes dark.
SCORING
Shoot a critter-50 points Each dynamite stick remaining when a miner is rescued-50 points. Dynamite a wall-75 points Rescue miner-1000 points Earn points for every unit of power left when a miner is rescued. The higher the level number, the more each power unit is worth. Youve saved the day when the score reaches 1,000,000.
HINTS
Keep to the left to avoid hitting lanterns when descending in shafts.
If you run out of dynamite you can use your laser beam to break down walls, it just takes longer. Watch your time. It runs out fast on the harder levels.
Have fun.
So you just bought the ADAM Home Computer System and would like to know how to use the word processor. This series of articles is for the beginner who would like to know how to use the system. Most of this information will not be new to most of you. The beginner may have the joy of learning about the word processing capabilites by him/herself just exploring and poking around. I know that doing this series of articles has made me more aware of all the different features. All of this information should be somewhere in all your manuals.
When you turn on the ADAM, you have an electronic typewriter until you press the top left hand corner key which activates the word processing unit. Hence the key is labelled ESCAPE/WP. The obvious advantage of the word processor over the electronic typewriter is that you can alter your text before you print it out. What is that vertical bar on the screen? The bar represents the space on the page on which your text shall be printed. The 11 refers to 11 inches which is the length of your standard letter size paper. By pressing SmartKEY [I], you can generate different options pertaining to Margin, Tab. etc.
By pressing [I] again (Type of Paper), you can change from the standard 11 inch length of paper to the 14 inch length of legal paper. Your bar will change in length, and the number will change to 14 on the top. ADAM was designed so that you can print on whatever paper you have available. Once you have chosen your size of paper, press [VI] (Done). Perhaps you would like to use an odd sized sheet of paper. Even a postcard. Place your postcard along the left hand side of the printer through the roller. Make sure you will not print on the nice picture. Turning off the ADAM and turning it on will activate your Electronic Typewriter. Next, press the space bar and notice that the printer head moves right a space at a time. Press the space bar until the printer head reaches an imaginary margin you would like the postcard to have.
Press (1) WP, (2) [I] Margin etc., (3) [II] Horizontal Margin, (4) [III] for Left, or [IV] for Right margin. The white marker on the screen will tell you at what position you are at. Next, move the margin (dark line along the top markings) until it underlaps the white marker. You have just set your horizontal margins. If you wish to set your vertical margins as well, press [V] (To Vertical Margins). Press [IV] (Bottom Margin). Then use the arrow keys to bring up the bottom margin. Your bar will stay the same length, but your bottom marker will move up as you use the arrow keys. (I found that I get approximately 18 typed lines in 3 inches.) Space according to your needs. Then press [IV] (Done). You have before you the markings along the top to mark your width and the side bar with its markings to tell you the length you have available. You can write as many postcards as you want now. Your settings will return to their preset values when you turn your ADAM off. So, before you turn your ADAM off, you can record your postcards --using the Store/Get key and the SmartKEYs and your datapack or disk-- and print them out later. When you print them out, don't worry about setting margins. All the previous planning will come out in printed copy.
We appreciate the time and effort JEFF SYLVA has taken to prepare these "Home-Made" game Docs.
Have Fun!!
For the JUNE l990 Conest, the best suggestion to improve &/or help make ADAMCON02 better as decided by Convention officials or their designates will win the June contest. The 2nd best suggestion will also win a prize.
Prizes are choice of: (l) $20.00 Software from Walters Software Co.; (2) $ 20.00 Software from Adam Software Support; (3) Disk from Phoenix 2000 Co. (upto $20.00 value); (4) Practical Utilities 3 Disk Set from Practical Programs ($25.95 value).
ENTRIES MUST BE SENT IN WRITING TO:
Richard Clee 21 Rondale Blvd. Toronto Ont. M6A lH6 CANADA
[From USA, 30 cents per ounce postage rather than 25 cents]
A.N.N. [ADAM NEWS NETWORK] CONTEST RULES:
l. Contest Rules are subject to change without notice before, during and/or after any ANN Contest at the sole option of ANN. 2. ANN reserves the right to substitute, change or modify prizes at any time, before, during or after contest.
3. In case of ties, ANN reserves the right to divide the prize between those who are tied, to substition or change the prize or to break the tie in any way or manner chosen by ANN , all of which shall be at the sole option of ANN. 4. Contests will run for the month indicated by ANN in the USA and for the month indicated by ANN and for the month immediately prior to such month in Canada only, to allow for delays in communication with Canadian AUGS.
5. ONLY entries which are recieved by Richard Clee not later than l5 days after the contest ends and post marked not later than the day after the day the contest ends shall be eligible for prizes. 6. It is the obligation of the participating groups to send the entries to Richard Clee . It is NOT the obligation of Richard Clee to download these entries from BBSs nor to take any positive action to see that entries are received by or sent to Richard Clee .
8. A.N.N. contests are made possible in part by those sponsoring them and donating prizes. Please patronize these groups and let them know that you appreciate their sponsorship of the contests. 9. The purpose of A.N.N. contests is to promote interest and activity in and with the ADAM computer; to give individual Adamites, especially those not in AUGS and isolated, a sense of community or belonging; to make adam computer use fun; and other such good and noble purposes.
This is an X-rated sexually-oriented text type game by Adultware (no further identification in the demo) for the adult male. After the title screen, you are asked a number of questions: What is your age group? Are you aware that this is a sexually oriented game? Do you know it is male-oriented? That it contains strong language?
Answer that you're under 20, or "no" to any of the other questions and the program aborts, leaving you with a flashing screen until you reboot or cut it off. Otherwise you get screen after screen of text telling you about going to a hidden mansion to pursue your desires and fantasies.
You start off with a sum of money and a sexuality rating, and depending on your answers, your rating rises or drops, as does your money. You score or lose. Personally, I found this game a loser either way. Subject matter aside, it's rather sophomoric and not very amusing.
Not recommended.
Don't take part in the ADAM WARS without a fully battle trained MERCENARY FOR HIRE on your side.
Previous experience includes Indo-China, South America, Angola, Grenada and many other war zones.
We supply all our own weapons, bullets, uniforms, transportation, etc. You pay only a single price on all of this.
We fight software producers, hardware producers, sysops, newsletter editors, officers of AUGS, and if you want just plain old individual Adam owners. We have no preference. No Adamite too small to be destroyed. NO Adamite too big to be run out of business.
The Adam Wars have gone on too long. This is because most fight the wars themselves, something they have not been trained to do since birth.
MERCENTARIES FOR HIRE as part of their standard contract give up their children at birth, so that they may be trained starting at the end of 2 days in battle, death, destruction, killing, plunder and other subjects taught at the Mercenary for Hire School of Higher Education.
Exceptional students are sent to the Mercenary School of Arts, Death and Science where they take Adam War related courses, such as....... Lies l0l, Rumors l0l & l02, Price Cutting 20l, Advanced Price Cutting 30l, Theft of Ideas l0l,201,30l, Software Piracy 101, Advanced Software Piracy 20l, Advanced Advanced Software Piracy 30l, Hardware copying 20l,202,30l,302.
As you can see we are especially prepared to fight the ADAM WARS FOR YOU.
SO call today, l-800-KILL-ADAM.
(John Harris writes regularly for the Metropolitan Orlando AUG newsletter.)
Visi-Sprite 6.5 review...
You may have done, as I have on several occasions, shelled out $20 or $25 for a program that seemed to hold great promise, but which when in hand, didn't deliver as expected, and is thereby setting on the back shelf gathering dust. Well, Joe Waters of Albuquerque, N.M., offers a way for you to avoid such a predicament. From the PC community, he has adapted the idea of "Crippleware."
Before you shell out $22.95 for Joe's new Visi-Sprite 6.5 sprite editor program, you can get a first hand look at what it offers for just $3. For that you'll get a PD version called Visi-Sprite 6.0. It's a crippled version of 6.5--it won't enable you to carry out the many editing functions of 6.5, but it gives you a demonstration of what's available on that program.
The PD demo will be available through vendors such as NIAD and will be uploaded onto several bulletin boards. Or you can get a copy by sending $3 to: Joe Waters, 13009 Gray Hills Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87lll.
Then if you like what you see, you can get the full-featured 6.5 version with a 20-page instruction manual for $22.95. Visi-Sprite 6.5 is the latest, enhanced version of the ADAM sprite editor.
Features include:
--Ability to access up to 32 single-color animated sprites, or 8 four-color sprites simultaneously. --Support for standard ADAM printer, as well as Centronics parallel interface, including support for those printers which support the expanded ANSI graphics character set.
--Advanced media options, allowing the user to pull "sprite overlay files" out of Coleco cartridges and super games. To boot the program, simply put the media in any drive and pull the computer reset switch.
After about 40 seconds (it's a rather long program), the main menu will appear: Sprite edit, Mass storage, Erase sprites, or Quit are the opening options. The entire program is menu and SmartKey driven and easy to use.
Handy Man review...
How to hang a suspended ceiling is the topic of Volume 1 of a series called "The Handy Man" developed by R. J. Gerlach Family Software, PO Box l75, Ft. Campbell, KY 42223-0175. It's a self-booting Basic, menu-driven, easy to use program. Graphics illustrate various aspects of the ceiling installation process. And there's a tool and material checklist which you can print out.
The instructions are attractively presented and easy to understand. If there is one drawback it would be lack of an option to printout the instructions.
Without a hardcopy, I can see myself running back and forth from the room where I'm installing that suspended ceiling to the computer in order to review the next step in the process. In summary, I find this instructional material does not require the number crunching and other functions that a computer handles so well.
A book that could be taken to the work site for periodic review during the construction process would seem to be a better medium for this how-to presentation than a computer.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: JOHN AFTER READING YOUR REVIEW, I POINTED OUT THE PRINT OUT PROBLEM TO THE AUTHOR RICKI GERLACH, RICKI SAID: TO PRINT OUT ALL INSTRUCTIONS, JUST PRESS CONTROL P PRIOR TO RUNNING IT, ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERED THE MAIN MENU].
ADAM News Network...
We owe a lot to our newsletter publishers who have done so much to keep ADAM alive and to expand its capabilities for all of us. It would be great if we had one big international publication which would combine articles from all the other publications and be issued, say, quarterly. It has been discussed, but we don't have it.
We do now have the next best thing, however. That's a sort of Associated Press service for ADAM news. It's called ANN (ADAM News Network). The original idea was to provide newsletter editors will on-disk articles for use in their publications. And it still provides that service.
But it's also now open to all ADAMites. When I first considered it, the $35 yearly subscription seemed high in comparison with newsletter rates. But for that you get 24 disks all packed with ready-to-print articles, reviews, workshops, programs, vendor information, and columns. It's an excellent source of far more articles than any individual newsletter can carry.
You can subscribe to this treasure trove of ADAM information by sending your subscription check to: Barry Wilson 12967 Weatherfield Drive St. Louis, MO 63l46
Dirsort V2 review...
Ever have a problem with your car, take it to the repair shop only to find that there it works perfectly, then bring it home and find you have the problem again? Well, that's my problem with Dirsort V2, an improved version of the directory sorting (alphabetical or sequential) program Dirsort.
I've used the old Dirsort many times with no problem. But Dirsort V2--I can't get it to work at all. So I asked my wife to try it. She got the same problem: It goes through all the motions and finally tells you "Directory now alphabetized." But you catalog it only to find out that it did no such thing. The directory remains as it was--unalphabetized. Aha! There's a flaw in the program, I concluded. I returned it to Terry Fowler since it was on his Utility llF PD volume.
Terry tried it and found it to work perfectly. But anyway, he sent it on to Gary Hoosier, who wrote the new program version and Gary tested it on various length directories. All worked perfectly. But for me, and my wife, it still didn't work at all. I tried over and over, using different disks and tapes.
Terry suggested that the problem might be with the disk I was trying to alphabetize. So I sent him one of the disks along with my copy of the Dirsort V2 program. He sent my disk back, with the directory perfectly alphabetized, along with my Dirsort V2 program, saying it works perfectly. So I tried again, and again, and again. And so did my wife. Still the same. It goes through all the motions and says all the right things, but does nothing.
Perhaps I should follow the advice that says: "If at first you don't succeed, don't be a persistent damn fool--quit!" But if I persist, maybe I'll learn something. Maybe someone can explain what I'm doing wrong. Anyway, here's what I'm doing step-by-step:
Boot SmartBASIC (disk drive 1). Remove Basic and insert Utility 11F disk. BRUN dirsortV2. Ignore error message and RUN Smartkey III (Disk drive 1) Smartkey I (alphabetize) (It now goes through all the steps) Final go ahead to replace old directory? y/n? y (yes) Operating light on disk drive comes on. Program tells me: Directory now alphabetized. It seems so simple and straightforward. But then I catalog it only to find the directory is not alphabetized. I'm stumped!
Any assistance appreciated. --John S. Harris, l05 Burning Tree Lane, Boca Raton, FL 3343l. Phone (407) 392-6592.
Madam's Mansion review...
This is an X-rated sexually-oriented text type game by Adultware (no further identification in the demo) for the adult male. After the title screen, you are asked a number of questions: What is your age group? Are you aware that this is a sexually oriented game? Do you know it is male-oriented? That it contains strong language?
Answer that you're under 20, or "no" to any of the other questions and the program aborts, leaving you with a flashing screen until you reboot or cut it off. Otherwise you get screen after screen of text telling you about going to a hidden mansion to pursue your desires and fantasies.
You start off with a sum of money and a sexuality rating, and depending on your answers, your rating rises or drops, as does your money. You score or lose. Personally, I found this game a loser either way. Subject matter aside, it's rather sophomoric and not very entertaining.
Not recommended.
By Dave Sands. This article originally appeared in the ADAM's LEAF of the Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) ADAM Users Group. and is supplied by ADAM News Network.
NewsMAKER, by Strategic Software of New Jersey, calls itself "The Complete and Fully Integrated Electronic Publishing System for the ADAM Family Computer." For $29.95 (U.S.) it could also call itself the biggest bargain in desktop publishing anywhere, anytime.
NewsMAKER uses what the ADAM came with to do a job that's pretty impressive, especially considering the price of anything else calling itself "desktop publishing." And, since the ADAM comes with its own printer, a little program that loads from datapacks, runs on BASIC and prints out a formatted, designed on the screen 8.5 by 11 inch sheet on that printer is a great thing to have available.
It is always easy to be negative about anything, and there are some problems with NewsMAKER, but I"m happy to have it, and I produced a lot of the pages of the ADAM's LEAF with it. I used a simple but effective two column style with lines justified left and right that gave a finished and professional look and didn't take a lot of work. Here's a short run through of a page production on NewsMAKER. Once loaded, the program presents a rectangular outline in standard business letter proportions. This is the only page size NewsMAKER offers. Two menu lines supply one word prompts -- Edit, Contents, New, Output, etc. Selecting New in the Edit mode lets you create boxes of any size within the page outline by using the Arrow keys to control a cursor. These boxes, which will usually be columns, will determine your final type layout on the paper. Another prompt, Contents, leads you to NewsMAKER's text creation screen. This is really a SmartBASIC text screen. Type in copy, using the rudimentary word processing controls supplied, and use SmartKEY II to return to Edit mode. NewsMAKER uses SmartKEYS only in this text entry mode. All other commands can be selected by using the spacebar, or, more quickly, by typing the first letter of each command word. "E" for Edit, for example.
Once your copy is created, you should Save and then select Print to go into NewsPRINT mode, which uses the ADAM printer. I understand a dot matrix printer patch is now available for the program. A daisy wheel printer like the ADAM's can't compete with a dot matrix (or laser) printer in graphics, but NewsMAKER tries. It offers two headline fonts (sizes), a library of illustrations -- flags, etc., and will accept Signshop graphics. My program has yet to print out anything I've created in headline or graphics, however.
In laying out this review for the LEAF, I created 13 separate blocks, three picture and 10 text. This is pushing it, though and my usual NewsMAKER page is two columns with no decorations. Page formats can be stored as files and called up for use as wanted, a considerable time-saver. You must create a block first to be able to enter any text or picture. NewsMAKER has no way of telling you how full your blocks are when you are entering copy. Blocks can be set as Open or Closed. Open blocks will accept text that overflows the previous block, but there is a one page limit -- NewsMAKER can't create more than one page. The View command lets you check how full blocks are with a screen image of your formatted page.
My biggest problem with NewsMAKER, in two years of using it to produce the ADAM's LEAF, EAUG's newsletter, is in its inability to "import" files. When I get an article for the LEAF on disk/tape/modem, I cannot use it in NewsMAKER without completely retyping it. Without being able to import files, pages must often be completed by cutting and pasting after printing out. This is really a simple way to get the result you need, and I do it regularly, but it ain't desktop publishing. A major bug is that NewsMAKER overprints material from one file onto the next if you print pages in succession; it doesn't clear the memory after printing. That slows down page production.
The instruction book is adequate, but could certainly enhance the program more than it does. NewsMAKER is not quick, loading and running different portions takes minutes, not the "moments" the instructions constantly refer to. Count on seven minutes to load, five to change to NewsPRINT mode. Printing out is half the speed of SmartWRITER, in one direction only. As a regular user of NewsMAKER, I'd like to see a Version 2 that would let me use SmartWRITER and modem files, know where I was in the column or block when typing, and give me a better screen display than the present mode. It also desperately needs some kind of guides on the screen to allow you to create consistent sizes of columns or blocks. NewsMAKER's text entry system needs refinement, too. And the bottom line is that I'd be willing to pay more than $29.95 to get an improved version.
If you're doing a newsletter or handouts for a church, community league, candidate, or computer club on your ADAM, you have to have this program. It's the only thing of its kind for the ADAM, and reasonably simple to learn and use. NewsMAKER, in short, is an elementary, but useful "desktop publishing" program that uses the ADAM's capabilities fully and produces an acceptable product.
.
SignSHOP GRAPHICS
DESIGNING A PICTURE: Designing graphics is only limited by your imagination and a little ability to draw. Very little ability to draw.
First, you have to start out with an idea, or a design for a picture you want to get into ADAM.
Doing Low-Res on SignSHOP requires us to remember some basic rules: 1. The width may only be 50 squares 2. The height may only be 50 squares 3. Each square on the paper represent one pixel in ADAM. 4. SignSHOP does not have the ability to place two pictures next to each other like the Hi-Res programs.
DRAWING YOUR PICTURE: First pencil your design onto the graph paper. Then fill in the boxes or squares where the pencil line crosses. after you have done this, set it about three feet from you, and look at it. You might want to make some changes prior to programing it into ADAM.
Once you have decided that the graph paper picture is what you want, the next step is to number the squares, both across the top, and down the side. This is to help you when you load it into ADAM. See example (A).
SignSHOP PROGRAMING: Now you load SignSHOP, and enter the picture editor. Place the (X) in every location you have a box or square filled in on the graph paper. You can keep track of where you are in SignSHOP with the numbers you placed across the top and down the side of the graph paper, so your picture will print out the way you want it to in SignSHOP.
Use the rough draft print option (Smartkey II), while in the editor, to see if you have all the X's in the right spots, before you save it. Once saved, sometimes going back to the editor will add or delete some pixels, and cause more work for you. A much easier way to edit a picture you saved in SignSHOP is it use the ADAM Smartwriter word processor mode, pull the picture up, and add a capital X or a dash (-) to replace the X, and save under the same name. This is the method we use to edit a picture already saved in SignSHOP, and it works much faster. Just remember, that it FIRST MUST BE SAVED USING SignSHOP.
HI-RES graphics has a set of rules different from SignSHOP.
1. Screen size is limited to to 256 pixels across and 192 pixels up and down.
2. Bigger is not necessary better.
3. The ideal picture size when starting out does not exceed 5632 pixels. Don't let this number worry you. This number represents twenty-two grids 16 pixels by 16 pixels, which is a good size picture.
Drawing Your Picture: As in SignSHOP, you first have to draw your picture on graph paper. After you have drawn it, fill in all the boxes or squares that you have drawn over, to determine where the pixels are to be.
Once you have your picture graphed onto paper, we have to 'process' the paper for programing. To do this, we number the squares across the top from 1 to 16, beginning at the first column where you have a square filled in. When you reach 16, start over with 1 and number to 16 again. Continue to do this, until you have numbered all the squares across the top. Do the same thing down the side as you did across the top. When you are finished, you should have a grid-work of boxes, with 16 x 16 squares. See example (B).
Once this is completed, you are ready to program the picture using SmartLOGO.
SmartLOGO:
Setup:
We use SmartLOGO to initally set up ADAM for hi-res graphics. To do this, the following steps are taken:
1. insert SmartLOGO into ADAM and pull computer reset.
2. When prompt appears, enter "N" .
3. Type " ERALL CS HT RECYCLE " this clears the memory of all unneeded procedures, and starts with a clean memory.
4. Remove SmartLOGO and replace with a empty Data Pack or Disk.
SmartLOGO Program: To set up ADAM initally, we first must tell ADAM we want to use certain shapes and have these loaded for us. The inital program we use is as follows:
TO SETUP1 PUTSH 1 :G1 PUTSH 2 :G2 PUTSH 3 :G3 PUTSH 4 :G4 PUTSH 5 :G5 PUTSH 6 :G6 PUTSH 7 :G7 PUTSH 8 :G8 PUTSH 9 :G9 PUTSH 10 :G10 PUTSH 11 :G11 END
TO SETUP2 PUTSH 12 :G12 PUTSH 13 :G13 PUTSH 14 :G14 PUTSH 15 :G15 PUTSH 16 :G16 PUTSH 17 :G17 PUTSH 18 :G18 PUTSH 19 :G19 PUTSH 20 :G20 PUTSH 21 :G21 PUTSH 22 :G22 END
TO SETUP3 TELL 1 SETSH 1 TELL 2 SETSH 2 TELL 3 SETSH 3 TELL 4 SETSH 4 TELL 5 SETSH 5 TELL 6 SETSH 6 TELL 7 SETSH 7 TELL 8 SETSH 8 TELL 9 SETSH 9 TELL 10 SETSH 10 TELL 11 SETSH 11 END
TO SETUP4 TELL 12 SETSH 12 TELL 13 SETSH 13 TELL 14 SETSH 14 TELL 15 SETSH 15 TELL 16 SETSH 16 TELL 17 SETSH 17 TELL 18 SETSH 18 TELL 19 SETSH 19 TELL 20 SETSH 20 TELL 21 SETSH 21 TELL 22 SETSH 22 END
TO START CS TELL ALL PU HOME SETPC 1 SETUP1 SETUP2 SETUP3 SETUP4 END
Now we are ready to start getting out drawing into ADAM using SmartLOGO.
Drawing in SmartLOGO:
To draw in SmartLOGO, we use the shape editor, and reshape the turtles. This way we can draw fine details and place them where we want them.
To enter the shape editor, for the first 16 x 16 grid on our graph paper, we enter the following:
ES 1
A 16 x 16 grid will now appear, with a design in it. To clear the grid, push the key labeled 'CLEAR' on the upper right of your key board.
Now, you fill in the grid, to match your first grid, To do this, you use the arrow (cursor) keys to move the cursor to the box you want to fill in, and push Home Key to fill in. If you decide you want the box clean, push the Home Key again, and the box is empty. once you have the first grid completed, you have to push [ Smartkey VI ] to save the shape. Now you have to save the data into your program, before you go on to the next grid. Failure to complete this next procedure will cause you to loss the shape you just made. To save the shape into your program, we use the following entry:
MAKE "G1 GETSH 1
Now, your shape, from grid one, is installed into your program, as the 'G1' in the procedure 'TO SETUP1'.
You now can go to your next 16 x 16 grid, by calling it up, as:
ES 2
Once again clear the grid with [CLEAR] key, and redesign it to match your own grid. Save it as you did the first one. Remember that when you save it, name it for the next grid:
MAKE "G2 GETSH 2
Failure to use the correct numbers will cause you to change the wrong shapes and might loss the grid you just completed.
Once you have all your girds designed, and saved, it's time to put them all together as a picture. To do this you have to write another procedure. For our example, we have four grids, so we will write a procedure or program for this example. Remember, that a grid is 16 x 16. So when you place them on the screen, you must place the 16 spaces apart.
Since our picture shows Tex, we will call our procedure Tex. The program would look as follows:
TO TEX START (this calls up our start up program) TELL 1 PD STAMP PU (this puts grid one down) TELL 2 RT 90 FD 16 PD STAMP PU (this puts grid 2 16 spaces right of grid 1) TELL 3 BK 16 PD STAMP PU (this puts grid 3 down 16 spaces) TELL 4 BK 16 RT 90 FD 16 PD STAMP PU (this puts grid 4 under grid 2) END
WITHOUT NOTES THE PROGRAM IS AS FOLLOWS:
TO TEX START TELL 1 PD STAMP PU TELL 2 RT 90 FD 16 PD STAMP PU TELL 3 BK 16 PD STAMP PU TELL 4 BK 16 RT 90 FD 16 PD STAMP PU END
Now, just enter the following:
TEX
and the picture will appear.
TELL 1 is your first grid. PD tells the grid you want to put the pen down. STAMP is like an ink stamp, imprints the picture on the screen. PU tells the grid to pick up the ink again. FD 16 and BK 16 tells the grid to move forward or back 16. RT 90 tells the grid to face that direction. All grids are facing the top of the screen when starting out, all are in the center.
You now are ready to proceed to saving the picture to use in PowerPAINT.
SAVING SmartLOGO Pictures:
There are two methods to save a SmartLOGO picture. We use both. The first method, saves all procedures. This is nice, as now you have the basic program, for all future pictures. All thats required is to call up a picture, use the editor (ES and a number) change the shapes, save it, and call the picture by a new name, and presto, another picture.
To save all procedures, to a disk or Data Pack, enter:
SAVE "TEXLOGO (TEXLOGO is a name you pick to call it)
Now all procedures are saved. This can not be used by PowerPAINT. So we must save it another way. To make it available to PowerPAINT, enter:
SAVEPICT "TEXPIC (Once again, you name it whatever you want)
the picture is now saved in a format that can be used by PowerPAINT.
NEW PICTURES:
Once you have the picture saved, you may want to continue with another picture. All you have to do, is erase the TEX procedure, and reuse START and the four SETUP procedures. To erase the TEX procedure enter:
ER [TEX]
If you want to check if it is erased, just enter POTS and all procedures in memory will print out.
It is recommended to save the picture under both procedures, incase you want to edit it later. To see if the picture is in memory on disk or tape, enter:
LOADPICT "TEXPIC
and the picture will load from disk, and go on the screen. To load the other procedures, enter:
LOAD "TEXLOGO
You will see the procedures load, and once the cursor comes back, you may enter:
TEX
and the picture should appear.
In order to put your picture into SmartBASIC, you will need the data from your SmartLOGO picture. To get this, you must have your printer on, with paper in it. Fanfold is best, as procedures are long in SmartLOGO.
To turn on the printer in SmartLOGO, enter:
PRINTER
To get the data to print, enter:
POALL
once all data is printed, turn off the printer by:
NOPRINTER
The data just typed will look strange, but what is important for SmartBASIC are at the end, labeled
MAKE "G1 [ 32 numbers inside brackets] MAKE "G2 [ 32 numbers inside brackets]
These G numbers are your grids as you numbered them, and the data inside the brackets make up the 16 x 16 grid square. Save the data for use in SmartBASIC.
PowerPAINT and SmartLOGO Files:
Once saved, you can load PowerPAINT. When loaded, remove the disk and insert the LOGO files. Push the STORE/GET key, and then SmartKey V to read the disk. Now get the file you want, remember that only pictures stored with the [ SAVEPICT ] command will show on the screen. If you try to recover another file stored with only the [ SAVE ] command in SmartLOGO ADAM will think it's a RLE picture and you will get trash on the screen.
Once the picture is on the screen, you need to do a global background color change, to prevent any color bleeding problems that came over from SmartLOGO. You now have the picture you designed, in PowerPAINT and can edit it more, add color, or whatever, and save it as a .HRP or a PowerPAINT picture. 32 numbers inside brackets]
My name is Jackie and I am a 12 (almost 13) year old girl. I have my dads Kaypro II computer he lets me use. He got a Tandy 1000EX a few months ago, but he uses it all the time and does not want m e to use it. I have my own ADAM I bought at a yard sale last year. I paid 25 dollars for it. It has only one tape drive and I do not have many programs for it. It works good. So does the printer. I ha
ve been using it for my homework. I also use my dads Kaypro for homework. My dad also has a TI-99/4A he lets me use to play games. I found your name and address in the Computer Shopper. Your ad sai d you have the same computer I use. I would like to write to any kids in your club. I want to learn more about the computers and how I can use them. I will write to both boys and girls. Age 9 to 15 wi
ll be OK. Please ask the kids to write to me. Thank you. My dad says he used to live in Wisconsin where it is cold and there is snow all winter. He said I would not like to live where it is cold b
ecause of all the clothes I would have to wear to keep warm. I would like to know what it is like to live in the cold and snow in the winter. Is it fun? How do you get to school or can you stay home w hen it snows? I would like that! Thank you for putting your ad in the Computer Shopper. Thank you for asking your kids to write to me.
Jackie Kinsey P.O.Box 4063, Riverside, CA. USA 92
The ANN contests are sponsored by the following and we are deeply appreciative of their assistance and generousity.
PLEASE BE SURE TO PATRONIZE THESE DEALERS/PROGRAMMERS AND LET THEM KNOW YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT OF ANN AND ANN CONTESTS.
Walters Software, our oldest and strongest supporter.
Phoenix 2000 (Sol Swift) who is a new sponsor.
Practical Programs who are a new sponsor.
Adam Software Support: Who are both a sponsor and help publicize ANN in their mailings.
We do appreciate them and they do help make ANN and its contests possible.
Do let them know you appreciate them and do patronize them whenever you have a chance. They are at least willing to give back to ADAM something rather than just taking.
Barry Wilson
The pi symbols should be removed. They are artifacts from either the x-modem download or the CPM to EOS conversion.
Micro Innovations
12503 King's Lake Drive
Reston, Virginia 22091
April 14, 1990
Micro Innovations is pleased to announce their new Multipurpose Interface Board (Part number: MIB2) for the Coleco Adam computer. The MIB2 provides two RS-232 serial ports, a Centronics compatible parallel printer port, and an E&T Software compatible memory expander board control port.
One of the RS-232 serial ports is set up for direct connection of a CRT terminal or a serial interface printer. The other is set up for the direct connection of an external modem. However, by using a null modem cable, either serial port can have a CRT terminal, a serial printer, or an external modem connected. The serial ports are compatible with the serial ports on all Micro Innovations Powermate products. Communica- tions programs are provided to use the interface board with an external modem. Also provided are port and pin definitions for the patching of other programs or for the development of custom programs to use the serial ports.
The parallel printer port is located at the standard Adam printer port address and is compatible with all known Adam software. The memory expansion board control port provides the E&T Software MegaRAM card and the Orphanware memory expander boards with the control signal to switch memory banks. It is compatible with all known Adam memory expander products.
Micro Innovations also provides several software programs with MIB2. Included are two versions of TDOS version 4.5 from AJM Software of Ottawa, Canada. One version is for a floppy disk based system (no hard disk) and the other is for an Orphanware hard disk based system. No Powermate version is provided as Powermate comes with a similiar interface board and all necessary software. Also provided is an EOS printer patch program and the MEX, IMP, and ZMP communication packages, modified to use the MIB2 modem port with an external modem.
MIB2 installs in the center expansion slot inside the Adam (expansion slot #2). The ribbon cables exit the left side of the Adam. It is recommended that a small slot (about 2" long and 1/8" wide) be cut along the left side of the top cover to allow them to neatly exit the computer.
Micro Innovations will begin shipping MIB2 around the first of May, 1990. Introductory pricing is set at $69.95 retail. Peripheral cables are sold separately for $9.95 each or can be made from standard insulation displacment connection (IDC) ribbon cable and connectors. MIB2 will also be available through Adam's House of Pearland, Texas and through other reputable dealers. If Micro Innovation products don't appear in your favorite dealer's catalog, ask them to inquire about carrying them. Each MIB2 comes with a 90 day warantee and is completely assembled, tested, and ready to use.
Micro Innovations also manufactures the Powermate line of hard/floppy disk add-on products. Powermate provides all the capabilities of MIB2, along with one or two 10, 20, or 40 MB hard disk drives and one or two 360 KB or 720 KB floppy disk drives. Prices range from $399.00 for a Powermate 2/10 (two drive enclosure with a single 10 MB hard disk) to $699.00 for a Powermate 4/40 (four drive enclosure with a single 40 MB hard disk). Floppy disk drives can be added for $100.00 each and second hard disk drives can be added for $125.00 (10 MB), $200.00 (20 MB) and $275.00 (40 MB). See the Powermate data sheet for information on that product line.
To place an order for MIB2 or for Powermate or to request additional information on either, contact Mark Gordon at Micro Innovations, 12503 King's Lake Drive, Reston, Virginia, 22091 - (703) 620-1372; or Terry Fowler at Adam's House, Route 2 Box 2756, Pearland, Texas, 77581 - (713) 482-5040. Normal Micro Innovations business hours are 6:30 through 9:30 PM, Monday through Friday. A telephone answering machine will record requests for assistance or information outside the normal business hours.
Orders can also be placed (and information can be requested and downloaded) through the Micro Innovations Bulletin Board at (703) 264-3908. BBS hours are 6:30 PM through 6:30 AM, Monday through Friday and around the clock on weekends and holidays. The BBS telephone line is used by Mrs. Mark Gordon for her business activities during the normal 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM business hours during the week. Please do not call the BBS during those hours.
by Dean Roades
Barry Wilson, Editor, Founder, Publisher, Numero Uno, The Big Cheese, Mr. Big, The Head Honcho, etc. of ANN has announced the first ever promotion within the ranks of the network. I have been bestowed with the title of Associate Editor. It is an honor that I am clearly not worthy of, but I will do my best to fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities.
Some of the duties that I will be performing in this capacity are: 1. Represent ANN at ADAMCON 02 in Toronto. 2. Create the READMETWO files for the monthly ANN disks. 3. Any and all activities to; Promote ADAM, Promote ANN, Ferret out and destroy pirates.
4. Other duties as directed by Barry.
In case you are wondering what perks go along with this position, I will try to list a few of them: 1. Salary is doubled. (You math wizards will, no doubt, point out that $0 times 2 is still $0, but you are missing the point.)
2. Key to the Executive Washroom. (Handy for when I get locked out during the beer party.) 3. Use of my car whenever I want. (I also get to charge the gas to my credit card)
4. Lifetime membership in the ADAM News Network. 5. Unlimited expense account. (As long as I pay the bill each month.) 6. Corner Office. (Unless my wife redecorates.) The list goes on and on, but you get the idea. Again, I am truly honored and will strive to justify the confidence Barry has shown in me.
best of my abilities.
public domain and copyright
By Dave Sands
This article originally appeared in the Edmonton Alberta ADAM Users Group Newsletter the ADAM's Leaf and is supplied to ADAM News Network. One of the phrases we use quite loosely as computer owners is "public domain." Another topic usually characterized by our ignorance of exactly what we mean is "copyright."
That's why I was interested and absorbed by an article by Richard Clee in the Metro Toronto ADAM Group (MTAG) newsletter. Clee deals with our two subjects in a very informative manner. As president of MTAG and a strong anti-piracy crusader, he means what he says. Where I've quoted him, it's in quotes, otherwise I have paraphrased or added my own material. And incidentally, in crediting Clee and the MTAG, I've abided by the rules -- the newsletter carries a notice allowing the reprinting of original material provided credit is given to the writer and MTAG, which illustrates one of the major points exactly: something physical, like a VCR, or aspirin, can be patented. But an article, or computer software is really an idea:
"The physical form isn't important; physically one book or cassette or print is much like any other. The creative value lies in the idea. And since thought is not one of those things you can put in a can or sit on a shelf, the rules protecting it are different. They are called copyright, and they protect what is termed intellectual property." And thus, the article, program, idea is the creator's property and he can make conditions for its use: credit in this case, payment in others. The creator can decide not to profit from his work, but that doesn't make it "public domain."
"Strictly speaking, 'public domain" materials are those so old that the copyright on them has expired...Most of what is termed public domain in computer use isn't, rather it is material on which the copyright is released or not enforced." As Clee says, copyright lasts for the life of the author plus 50 years, and since personal computers have been around only about ten, no copyrights can have expired.
What does this mean to an ADAM owner; isn't Coleco out of business anyway ? Much of the software Coleco sold was "licenced" by them; they never owned it at all, just owned the right to sell an ADAM version: the program still belongs to the original owner, and it's still copyrighted. What about Coleco's original material ? It's not clear:
"It is said by those who claim to know that when Coleco dropped the ADAM, they made a public declaration that they would not prosecute infringement of copyright on their in-house, unreleased material. This is said to include Smartbasic V 2.0, Adamlink II, the DaVinci graphics program, and a number of others. It does not include ADAMCalc, Smartfiler, Smart Letters and Forms, Recipe Filer, Expertype or any other issued programmes. CP/M 2.2. was not owned by Coleco; they issued their version under licence." But there are a lot of 'public domain" programs that never were Coleco or anyone else's. How does that work ?
Citing a tax preparation program written by his wife as an example, he says this program was donated to the MTAG public domain collection. Since other users will likely expand and improve the original, very soon the donated program will be far better than any one person's individual efforts could make it, but all will be able to use it. "Everyone will benefit from the co-operative effort. Thus many programmes in the public domain were put there by someone who had to do the work anyway and decided to share it."
The reasons for sharing are varied and not important compared to the results: "...somehow, somewhere, the creator of the programme believes that he will get a better return for his efforts by not claiming any visible payment for his work. But technically though we may call it public domain, it isn't -- the copyright is still there; it has just been declined."
So the bottom line on public domain is that: "software only comes into the public domain through a positive public declaration by the creator or his agent."
So if it was being sold, or still is being sold, or is marked copyright, it isn't "public domain." One of the reasons for public domain donations is altruism, the reason Mrs. Clee donated the program, and probably the reason we all do good things without expectation of (earthly) reward. But altruism is not a corporate virtue, and corporations like Apple, Microsoft and IBM, and thousands like them, have a very serious interest in copyright and piracy, and have a very serious method of enforcing their interests: a new Canadian copyright law, and the RCMP. When a school board in Quebec fired a teacher who blew the whistle on her employers for using Apple Macs with illegal software, it all hit the fan for the school board, not the teacher. The penalties are gross: maximum five years, million dollars fine. The RCMP don't give a .... about Coleco, but Apple and IBM get their respect.
And eventually...they get their man: " So if you're allergic to the police pawing through your disks, and nasty days in nasty courtrooms, don't copy software and don't buy from people who do." ###
TO: ALL
FROM: Mark Gordon AWAUG 127
SUBJ: New Product Release
Micro Innovations has just announced the release of a new product for the Adam computer. The MIB2 (Multipurpose Interface Board 2) is a dual serial, single parallel I/O board with a memory expander board control port on it. It will be available around
the first of May and is fully compatible with the Powermate products. File "PR_MIB2.ASC" contains the full text of the press release. It has been uploaded to the board. Also file "PR_PM5.ASC" has an updated Powermate press release.
Press any key A10131 10:02 Apr-15-1990
TO: ALL
FROM: Mark Gordon AWAUG 127
SUBJ: New MI BBS hours
Bowing to pressure from Powermate owners, the Micro Innovations BBS will now operate extended hours. The BBS will be up from 6:30 PM to 6:30 AM, Monday through Friday and 24 hours on weekends and holidays. The board will be down during the day for my
wife to use the telephone line for her business transactions. Please do not call the BBS during the 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM time period, Monday through Friday. As usual the BBS will have the latest Powermate software and documentation for interested parties
to download. In addition, the public domain software distributed with Powermate is also on line. Additional PD software contributions are appreciated. You can join on-line and there is no upload/download ratio enforced (despite what the sign-off message says).
Press any key A10132 10:02 Apr-15-1990
TO: Jack MacKenn
FROM: Mark Gordon AWAUG 127
SUBJ: Newsletter
Jack - I just uploaded two files to the BBS containing Micro Innovations press releases. One is a revised Powermate press release. The other is a new product. Please feel free to run one or both in the next AWAUG newsletter, if you find the material
appropriate. If you choose to do so, you should be the first newsletter to announce the new product.....Mark
Press any key A10133 10:02 Apr-15-1990
TO: ALL
FROM: Mark Gordon AWAUG 127
SUBJ: Hard Disk Interface
I have been asked by several individuals to sell the Powermate interface board separate from the external enclosre. However, we do not sell it separately for the following reasons. First, the interface board is just that - it interfaces the Adam to the
hard/floppy disk controller card mounted in the external chassis. The interface board by itself won't be able to control a hard disk. Second, I believe in producing a quality product. Powermate was designed to be a "turnkey" system - just plug it in
and go. I carefully select the component parts that make up a Powermate. I can't guarantee the quality of the product if I supply only the hard disk controller and leave it up to the buyer to provide whatever hard disk and power supply he or she can scrounge up. It also makes support a problem. I am willing to test and utilize parts provided by the buyer, if they are quality parts (normally this means the hard and/or floppy disk drives only). I have done this a couple of times and will continue to
offer the option. I discount the unit by my cost for the parts substituted. For those of you looking for serial interfaces, I've just introduced the MIB. tcnan w serial, one parallel, and one memory expansion board control port. See file "PR_MIB2.ASC" for a full press release on that product.
by Bob Currie
Of the Edmonton ADAM Users Group, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Anyone wanting to write, say, a guess-the number game, will need some way of generating a number that is not predictable. Fortunately, SmartBASIC has a command called "RND(x)" which returns a random n umber or a series of random numbers and these numbers are not predictable - the first time around. If one "runs" the program a second time, one gets exactly the same set of numbers.
For example, type in and run the following short program:
10 FOR i=1 TO 5 20 a=RND(1) 30 PRINT a 40 NEXT i 50 END
The set of numbers generated are:
.732004777 .425420012 .0831831896 .705190617 .69693043
Every time that we "run" this program, we will get exactly the same set of numbers shown above, even if we change the 1 in line 20 to a 12 or any other positive integer value. This is because RND(x) does not generate true random numbers. RND(x) uses a mathematical formula which is built into SmartBASIC and this formula uses the same seed (or starting number) every time a basic program using it is "run".
SmartBASIC does provide a way to get a different set of numbers when we run this program.
Add this line to our program:
5 x = -1 : a = RND(x)
"RUN" the program now and you will get:
.0966934073 .805508261 .897540095 .327457077 .120182341
Ah! A different set of numbers. But wait. If we "RUN" the program again, we get:
.0966934073 .805508261 .897540095 .327457077 .120182341
Yup, the same set of numbers as the last time we ran the program.
If we change line 5 to read:
5 x = -2 : a = RND(x)
and "run" the program again, we will get a different set of numbers than when we had a -1 in line 5. But every time that we run the program with -2 in the RND(x) statement, we will always get the same set of numbers generated. The negative number is called a seed number and SmartBASIC allows a range from -1 to about -1.7E+38. Each of the numbers in this range will produce a different random number. Therefore, if a way can be found to produce a seed number in an unpredictable manner, the RND(x) function can produce a number or set of numbers which are always different than the last time the program was run.
One way of doing this is to have the program ask the user to input a number, any number. This can work, but if he/she inputs a number that was used before then the same set of random numbers will be generated as for the last time that seed number was used.
Another way to generate a bit more unpredictable seed number is to set up a FOR-NEXT or a GOTO loop that looks for a keyboard or a fire-button activation. For example, the LOTO 649 program on the E.A.U.G. Basic Utilities tape tests for when the right fire button has been pressed and uses the counter number at that point in time as the seed for the random number generator.
If you would like to try this out, add the following lines to our little program:
5 GOSUB 1000 : a=RND(x) 1000 HOME: PRINT: PRINT 1100 PRINT "Press right fire button to": PRINT "begin" 1200 FOR i = 1 TO 500000 1300 IF PDL(9)=1 THEN x=-i : REM make a note of the loop counter at which the button was pressed and convert it to a negative number for the RND(x) function.1400 IF x=-i THEN i=500001 :REM to ensure that we close the for-next loop before returning from the gosub . 1500 NEXT i : PRINT: RETURN
The above routine checks for when the right fire button on joystick key press, then add lines 5 and 1000 as above and the following lines which illustrate the use of a GOTO loop similar to that described by Rod Appleby on page 4, Vol 2, Issue 3 of ADAM'S LEAF:
1100 PRINT "Press any key to begin" 1200 q = 16150 : r = peek(q) : POKE q,255 : REM disable SmartBASIC poke limitation 1300 POKE 64885,0 : REM clear the keyboard status indicator 1400 POKE q,r : REM restore the poke limitation 1500 IF PEEK(64885) =0 then x=x-1 : GOTO 1500 : REM keep looking at the keyboard status indicator until a result other than zero tells us that a key was pressed1600 RETURN : REM we've got our seed number, now let's go back
Both of last two techniques go a long way towards giving a truly unpredictable or random number. However, they are not foolproof. With a little practice, it is possible to type in "run" and hit "return" and "any key" (or "fire button") and get the same set of numbers two or three times in a row. Next issue, I will describe a technique that should improve on the "randomness" of the number even more. At the same time, I will clean up a few loose ends about the RND(x) function.
Also iF you find an item or article that we had before and slipped by me, delete it, or whatever, thanks. Barry
README
Format:
all items on this disk are in SmartWRITER, and formatted into a 35-letter-count column, unless otherwise specified in this README. This is a 160K Coleco disk.
FileMGRprg:
a CIS download by Joe Botto of the ++FileManager program. From the Edmonton (Alberta,Canada) ADAM Users group newsletter the ADAM's LEAF and supplied by ADAM News Network. Please credit author, newsletter and ANN when using.
GleanFEB90:
the Gleanings Column from the February, 1990 ADAM's LEAF of the EAUG. A collection of items of ADAM general interest drawn from ANN and newsletter sources.
NEWMKR REV (Newsmaker Review) a review of the Strategic Software program by Dave Sands. From the ADAM's LEAF of the Edmonton ADAM Users Group.
IntroSMWRT (introduction to SmartWRITER) a column for the novice ADAM owner on the word processor. One of a series. By Arnold Urbonas. From the ADAM's LEAF of the EAUG. Supplied by ANN.
2XMASprogs (2 Christmas season programs) One plays four common carols and the other does a count-down to the new year. Both use the ADAM sound capabilities well.Programs contributed by Joe Botto, one a Compuserve download, the other a Family Computing program revised and updated. Instructions for updating to 1991 included. This material originally appeared in the ADAM's LEAF of the EAUG. Supplied by ANN.
penpalWTD (pen pal wanted) this article in NewsMAKER format (must be run under NewsMAKER to print out properly) contains a letter received by the EAUG in Dec.88 from a young ADAM user in Riverside, CA.
windchill:
A program adaptation for ADAM from TRS-80 Basic. Determines windchill factors from inputs. SmartWRITER format. By Bob Currie. Originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG. Supplied by ANN.
randoms:
A random numbers from SmartBASIC V.1 instructional piece. By Bob Currie. SmartWRITER. The article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG and is supplied by ANN.
revSMRTDSK (review, SMARTDSK) a review and tips for use of the Walter's Software cartridge utility. By Bob Stroud. SmartWRITER format. The article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG and is supplied by ANN. ribbons; an item on ribbon cartridge reloading. By Dave Sands. SmartWRITER format. The article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG and is supplied by ANN.
SPDYtips (Speedywrite 2 tips) brief review and tips for using the database in the program. By Tony Wong.SmartWRITER format. The article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG and is supplied by ANN.
Pubdomain (public domain) a report on an article by Richard Clee ofthe the Metro Toronton ADAM Group. Written by Dave Sands. SmartWRITER format. The article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the EAUG and is supplied by ANN.
Note to Barry: personal communication.
[1/25/90]
To help provide a pool or source of Adam information for the newsletters, BBSs,etc., to help unite Adamites in matters of common interest and to assist the rapid widespread flow of information are the purposes of A.N.N.
Presently the following REQUIREMENTS are in effect for using & being a part of this system:
l. YOU MUST GIVE PROPER CREDIT TO THE GROUP, ORGANIZATION AND THE INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR of any material taken from here. Failure to do so may result in your being excluded from this system.
2. To help cut down my time & expenses in producing these monthly mailings each person on the mailing list is REQUIRED to make copies and distribute to at least one other person or group (WHICH I WILL ASSIGN TO YOU) or upto THREE copies & remailings.
3. IF you would prefer to pay a cash fee rather than do a remailing, the charge if $ 35.00 per year. THIS IS THE SAME CHARGE AS TO INDIVIDUAL ADAMITES on a subscription basis.
4. BBS SYSOPS ARE ASKED TO UPLOAD TO THEIR AND OTHER ADAM BBSs ANY INFORMATION WHICH APPEARS TO BE OF INTEREST OR IMPORTANCE. This can take the place of your doing a remailing. YOU are invited to upload the entire mailing as one or two large files on your BBS for downing loading etc.
5. YOU ARE REQUESTED TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH your newsletter editor, your BBS sysop, your members & officers.
6. WHILE it is felt that information included is correct and accurate, I take no responsibility for its accuracy, correctness, content, suggestions,etc. and you should use the same at your own risk.
7. IF you do not wish to continue ïn the mailing list, please inform me so you name can be removed and someone else be added in your place.
8. IT IS NOW A REQUIREMENT THAT YOU SUBMIT ITEMS TO ME (Minimum of l item per 2 months) OR YOU USE A.N.N. ITEMS in your newsletter, on BBS,etc. (Minimum of l item per 2 months) to continue to receive A.N.N.
9. Disks, collections of articles, items, etc. are CONSIDERED AS COPYRIGHTED. distribution. THIS IS THE ONLY AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTION.
I hope this will serve to encourage other Adamites to write for several different newsletters. Most of the newsletters do not have a large overlap of coverage or subscribers and therefore no newsletter is really hurt by the items appearing in several newsletters.
Your suggestions are always welcome. I encourage you all to support the ADAM BBS NET pioneered by BJ, Larry Overman(So.Cal) and Bob Blair A(AWAUG-Wash.DC) which is exchanging messages & information from the various BBSs on a weekly basis.
Best regards, Barry A. Wilson
ESPECIALLY READ THE FILES WITH *** IN FRONT OF THEIR NAME. THEY CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE A.N.N. SYSTEM AS WELL AS MATTERS REQUIRING YOUR ATTENTION.
It is important that credit be given to: Author, Source (User Group, BBS, etc), and ADAM News Network.
***BUSINESS***: (IF this file is on the disk, read it as it contains important information on the ANN system and failure to read & respond where appropriate can mean you will no longer remain on the distribution list.
***READMETWO:*** This file which gives a summary or info on the other files. Prepared by Dean Roades of 463 ADAM.
JUNE_CON H Barry Wilson ANN Information on the June Contest. PLEASE PUSH!!
PRIZES H Barry Wilson ANN Wonder where the prizes for the ANN contests come from? Check this out.
ZZZZ H Barry Wilson ANN You won't want to sleep thru this one!
CONTESTS H Barry Wilson ANN Schedule of future ANN Contests.
===========================================================
From the Edmonton (Alberta,Canada) ADAM Users group newsletter the ADAM's LEAF and supplied by ADAM News Network. Please credit author, newsletter and ANN when using.
2XMASprogs A (2 Christmas season programs) One plays four common carols and the other does a count-down to the new year. Both use the ADAM sound capabilities well.Programs contributed by Joe Botto, one a Compuserve download, the other a Family Computing program revised and updated. Instructions for updating to 1991 included.
randoms A Bob Currie. A random numbers from SmartBASIC V.1 instructional piece.
revSMRTDSK H Bob Stroud (review, SMARTDSK) a review and tips for use of the Walter's Software cartridge utility.
SPDYtips A Tony Wong (Speedywrite 2 tips) brief review and tips for using the database in the program.
pubdomain H Dave Sands (public domain) a report on an article by Richard Clee ofthe the Metro Toronton ADAM Group.
===========================================================
THE FOLLOWING WAS DOWNLOADED FROM THE AWAUG BBS, 24 HRS. 202-561-2475 and appeared and is going to appear in the excellent AWAUG newsletter. We thank AWAUG for sharing this information with us.
AWAUGART01 A Michael McGrath AWAUG Recovering lost files.
AWAUGART02 A Gene Manning AWAUG "New Kid on the Block" Thoughts from a relatively new ADAMite on CP/M.
AWAUGART03 A Jack MacKenn AWAUG "Let's Talk - Computer to Computer"
TECH_NOTE H Frank Bobro AWAUG A fix for some audio problems Frank was having.
===========================================================
The following files are from "The Harris File" by John Harris, published in the May 1990 MOAUG newsletter.
VisiSprite H A review of VisiSPRITE 6.5 from Joe Waters.
HandyMan_1 H A review of Vol 1 of the Handyman series by Ricki Gerlach.
Madam_XXX H A review of Madam's Mansion by Adultware.
ANN_Review H An overview of the ADAM News Network.
Dirsort_V2 H A plea for help with Dirsort V2.
Col_Ending H Where to write John with comments.
Merged_Col H All of the above Harris files in a single file for ease of handling.
artist04 H Soloman Swift Part four of Sol's column on graphics.
ThatsRICH A Rich Lefko MOAUG Rich's column titled "Memory Intensive" reviewing 'U-MATCH-EM and Super Parrot by Phoenix 2000.
===========================================================
The following files were originally published in the May 1990 463 ADAM newsletter. Written by Dean Roades unless noted.
Promotion A A letter of appreciation for the recent promotion to Associate Editor of ANN.
HDWRmods A Some modifications made to ADAM to make it easier to work with.
463PDvol8 A Information on the 463 ADAM Public Domain Vol #8 - "Jerry's Best".
SHOPPER A The SHOPPER column with information on ADAM suppliers.
HANDYMAN H Jerry Vrancks 463 ADAM A review of The Handyman by Ricki Gerlach.
===========================================================
HappyClips H John Carrol A review of "Happy Clips Vol #1 - 10 by Gerlach Family Software.
SMILES A AWAUG A continuation of the "FACES" file from the 8912ANN-1 disk which was a Barry Patch Award winner. TRANSLATE H Hardnose Harry A translation guide to common French computer phrases. This will be a great help to those going to ADAMCON 02. (Special thanks to Don Gutman)
CLONES A Dean Roades ANN A response to someone who thinks that local newsletters are looking like clones.
This article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, ADAM Users Group and is supplied to you by ADAM News Network, the letter A and the number 4. If you're looking for a new ribbon for your printer, here's where I found my latest one.
Stationers are office products suppliers, and while they don't carry ADAM ribbons any more, if they ever did, they often have sales,and I found offered " Diablo Compatible " ribbons at 3.39, regular 6.69. The ribbon is for the Hytype II, which means it won't fit in the ADAM printer as you buy it, the plastic case is wrong. BUT, the ribbon inside is perfect for the ADAM. Open the case, extract the ribbon pancake, strip off about a metre, or a yard, to make the ribbon pancake fit into the ADAM ribbon case, and it will fit instantly over the ribbon supply pin in the ADAM cassette. Threading the ribbon into the cassette is fussy but simple work, and the spring is usually good as it is. Opening these cassettes should be done carefully, with a sharp, thin blade. It's a little fuss to attach the ribbon on the take-up side, and you may have to wash your hands to get the ink off, but the new ribbon is longer, darker, and sure is cheaper than an ADAM ribbon, if and when you can find them.
Speaking of finding them: in Canada, try Princess Auto. Mail and phone orders are taken at any Princess Auto and they have a toll-free order phone; 1-800-665-8685.They take VISA and Mastercard, money orders and cheques and ship COD. ADAM ribbons are ITEM 0725648 and they are $10.99 each.
Other sources, all U.S.,and U.S. dollar prices, are;
Adam's House, Route 2, Box 2756, Pearland, TX. 77581. Ribbons are $5.95
Alpha-One, 1671 East 16th Street,Suite 146, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11229, Ribbons $5.50.
M.W. Ruth Co., 3100 West Chapel St.,Cherry Hill, N.J. 08002, Ribbons $5.50.
NIAD (members only) Box 1317, Lisle, IL.60532, Ribbons $4.95.
Reedy Software, Box 129, Lowell, MI. 49331, Ribbons $5.95.
S.M. Video, Box 3189, Oakton, VA. 22124, Ribbons $6.95.
Softworks Factory, Box 732, Ocean Springs, MS. 39654. Ribbons $5.25.
Thanks to ADVISA and the Puget Sound ADAM Network for the U.S. addresses. ###
by Bob Stroud
This article originally appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the Edmonton ADAM Users Group and is distributed by the ADAM News Network. This hardware item resembles a game cartridge and it actually fits into the normal cartridge slot. It can stay there permanently when you are not using the computer for playing games.
It is necessary to have at least a 64K memory expander to use this unit. In fact the bigger your expander the more useful the SMARTDSK cartridge will be. After turning onb your system, pulling the cartridge reset switch will boot the program and the first SMARTDSK screen will come up. It will indicate the size of ramdisk available, thus giving you an idea of the usable memory.
Through use of the SMARTKEYS you are easily guided through the various operations provided. The second screen allows the options of either saving the contents of the ramdisk, loading the ramdisk from any other drive, or a third option, to continue. Three other options then appear, Boot SmartDSK, Boot drive, or Boot program. Secondary screens give you choices of the various drives. Through these various options it is possible to load a number of different programs into the ramdisk memory and load or boot them almost instantly on demand. I have found for example that by using another Walters's Software program: "PrBOOT", which on tape can hold SmartBASIC V1, SmartBASIC V2, ADAMCalc, SmartFILER, ADAMLink, and SmartLOGO all these can be loaded automaticallyfrom the PrBOOT media using the load ramdisk feature. Any of these programs then become available merely by booting the SmartDSK cartridge again and selecting the appropriate program. I have experienced difficulty in booting SmartFILER however.
The fact that once loaded all the ramdisk memory stays intact, even if you reset the the system though the normal reset switch, is a great plus. Only if the power is turned off, or another program destroys the contents by using the memory expander will the programs in the ramdisk be lost. Another excellent feature of the SmartDSK cartridge is the ability to save any of the programs you set up in the ramdisk with the save ramdisk feature.
I have also found that it is very useful to be able to set up a tape or disk which has SmartBASIC and files of all my favorite SmartBASIC utility programs. I arrange these to come up on screen through a Hello menu program. After loading this by means of SmartDSKM to the ramdisk these programs are readily available whenever you are programming or using SnmartBASIC. Overall I would rate this a very useful addition to your ADAM system IF you have a memory expander. Programs all boot or load very fast from the ramdisk and once you have done the initial work of planning and setting up your ramdisk contents, there is a great saving of time, and wear and tear on the normal drives.
The price when I purchased this item was $29.95 U.S. and I think well worth it. I have used most of the items created by Walter's Software, and I have always been well pleased with both their products and their service. I highly recommend this particular item and their other software. ###
THE 463 ADAM SHOPPER
ADAMLINK of UTAH
Complete line of ADAM hardware, software and supplies.
2337 South 600 East Salt Lake City, Utah, 84106 (801) 484-5114 Voice - 9AM - 5PM MST M-F BBS - 6PM - 7AM MST Sat-Sun + Holidays
ALLIED BUSINESS MACHINES
Primarily an office supply outfit, they list ADAM hardware; Printers, keyboards, power supplies, complete ADAMs (less printer, w/ power supply) and disk drives(?). 9281 Earl St., La Mesa, CA, 92042 (619) 461-6361 (Fax 461-4882)
MANUALS
Norman Castro has crisp, reduced copies for almost every software manual and game instruction. He is also starting to offer reduced copies of early ADAM newsletters as fast as he can obtain reprint permission. If there is any documentation you need, contact Norm. 809 West 33rd Ave. Bellevue, NE 68005
The Softworks Factory
According to the April 90 MOAUG newsletter, Sol Swift is no longer associated with TSF. I do not know if Tony Patterson is continuing TSF on his own. More information as it becomes available.
PHOENIX 2000
Also from 4/90 MOAUG. Sol Swift's new company is Phoenix 2000. Along with the new company is his new newsletter, "ADAM COMPUTING TODAY". Pat Herrington of MOAUG has seen an advance copy of "ACT" and reports that it is 23 pages long (including advertising) and will be published twice a month. GODOS 1.1 has been released and should be in the mail to those who ordered. I hope to have the new newsletter at the meeting. Phoenix 2000, PO Box 1292, Kings Mtn, NC, 28086
64k MEMORY EXPANDERS
(4/90 MOAUG)
- ADAMS HOUSE - $29.95
Route 2, Box 2756
Pearland TX 77581
(713) 482-5040
(3/90 NIAD Advertisement)
- S.M. Video - $29.95
PO Box 3189
Oakton, VA 22124
(703) 620-4485
If you do not have a memory expander, I suggest you get one now. These are the lowest prices I've seen and with the price of chips going up and down quickly, these prices may not last. More and more ADAM software is being released that requires at least 64k additional memory. You don't want to miss any of the new software.
¯POWERMATE¯
With the shortage of ADAM disk drives, the only way to get a disk drive may soon be the Powermate. A Powermate 2 with 20 meg Hard Drive, and 5-1/4" floppy drive is $599.00. A lot of money, but if the ADAM double sided drives were available, it would be about the same cost. For more information contact: Micro Innovations 12503 King's Lake Dr. Reston, VA
The Whole Smiley Face Catalog
(various net.artists)
EMOTIONS:
Basic Positive Emotions:
:-) yer standard smiley face
:-> alternate mouth
:^) alternate nose...
(:-) smiley big-face
):-) smiley big-face
:-D said with a smile
8-| eyes wide with surprise
:-o wow!
:-v speaking
:-, smirk
|-) laughing
|-D laughing
:-P tongue hanging out in anticipation
M:-) saluting (symbol of respect)
$-) just won the lottery or winning big at Las Vegas
Kiss, Kiss!
P-) getting fresh
;-) getting fresh (2):-x kiss kiss
Wink, Wink...
;-) wink ( take this message with a grain of salt),-} wry and winking :-7 after a wry statement
Basic Non-Committal Emotions:
:-\ undecided
:-i semi-smiley
:-/ lefty undecided smiley
|-) asleep (boredom)
|I asleep (boredom)
:-| "have an ordinary day" smiley
:-I puzzled
:-T keeping a straight face
{} a 'no comment' message
:-# submitter's lips are sealed
:-x "my lips are sealed" smiley
:-P has a secret to tell you
:-Y a quiet aside
M-),:X),:-M sees no evil, hears no evil, speaks no evil
Basic Unhappiness:
:-( yer standard frowning face
):-( unsmiley big-face
:-O worried
:-o shocked
:-C just totally unbelieving
:-V shout
:-[ pouting
&.(.. crying
---...--- - S.O.S
:-w speak with forked tongue
:-r sticking tongue out
&-| tearful
:-c real unhappy
:-| grim
:-P sticking out tongue (symbol of disrespect)
:-o shocked
:-(O) yelling
:~( has had his nose put out of joint
:-@ screaming
:-< real sad
:-* oops!
:-c bummed out
:-e disappointed
(:-( unsmiley frowning
:-8( condescending stare
(:-# message concerning something that shouldnt have been said...
:-d lefty smiley razzing you
(:-\ VERY sad...
(:-... heart-breaking message...
:-t cross
:-< same
Anger:
>:-< mad
(:-& angry...
:-8( has condescending stare
:-@ extremely angry
>-< absolutely livid!!
:-|| anger
|-O bored by the article that you submitted
>:-( sick and tired of reading this nonsense
~:-( particularly angry
:-] expressing biting sarcasm
:-[ expressing biting criticism
Illness:
(:-$ ill...
:-(*) sick of recent netnews and is about to vomit
:-( has read too many 'smiley' articles
:-{~ read too many toilet paper articles before lunch
:-'| has a cold
:-R has the flu
%') just finished a fifth of lunch
Overwork/Overparty Emotions:
:*) drunk
:-& tongue-tied
8-O has taken too many nodoz to work on thesis
|-( late night messages
%-) has been staring at the terminal for 36 hours
:-* just ate a sour pickle
%-<I> drunk with laughter
Personality Traits:
|:-| excessively rigid
(:I egghead
<:I dunce
=:-) a hosehead
O:-) face with halo- acting very innocent
<:-) dumb questions
:-[ un-smiley blockhead
:-] blockhead
<:-) conehead
I:-) blockhead
*8=(: blubbering idiot
:-D talks too much
(:<) blabber mouth
(:-D blabber mouth
:-% talking out of both sides of mouth
APPEARANCE:
Facial Hair of All Varieties:
(:-) bald
|:-) has heavy eyebrows
:-} has beard
:-% has beard
:-)} has goatee/beard
:-@ beard has permanent wave *or* was drawn by Picasso
(:-{~ a message from a person with a beard
:-{ has mustache
:-{) has moustache
:-#| bushy mustache
:-=) older smiley with mustache
%-) with long bangs
(-) needing a haircut
{ :-) hair parted in the middle
}:-) above in an updraft
&:-) message from a person with curly hair
@:-) message from a person with wavy hair
{ :-) has new hair style
{ :-{)} has new hair style, mustache and beard
-:-) sports a mohawk and admires Mr. T
=:-) long hair
3:-) curly hair
[:-) flattop
?:-) wavy hair, parted on right
*:-) electric hair
{(:-) wearing toupee }(:-( wearing toupee in wind
{{-}}} a refugee from the '60's
Clothing, Glasses, Etc.
(:-|K- formal message
:-)8 well dressed
:-X has bow tie
g-) ponce-nez glasses
::-) wears glasses
(8-) message from a person wearing glasses...
8-) wears glasses
B-) wears horn-rims
8:-) wears glasses on forehead
B-)-[< wearing sunglasses and swimming trunk
%-) message about people with broken glasses
R-) has broken glasses
8-) wears glasses
B-) wears sunglasses
B-| wearing cheap sunglasses
%-) crossed-eyed '-) only has a left eye, which is closed .-] one-eyed smilely .-) has one eye ?-( about people with a black eye ':-) shaved off one of his eyebrows this morning
@:I wears turban
\:-) wears a french hat
d:-) baseball player (hat on sideways)
+(:-) propeller beanie
[:-) listening to walkman thingy
Mouths:
:-v talking head
:-$ face with it's mouth wired shut
:-9 licking it's lips
:-B drooling
:-)' tends to drool
:-6 after eating something sour
:-* after eating something bitter
:-q trying to touch its tongue to its nose
:-a lefty smilely touching tongue to nose
:-o singing national anthem
:-7 talks out of side of mouth
:-{} wears lipstick
:-# has been punched in the mouth
:-b left-pointing tongue smiley
:-" pursing lips
:-(=) message about people with big teeth
:-# has braces
:-{#} messages teasing people about their braces
:-E has major dental problems
Smokers::-G- smokes cigarettes
Noses:
:~) has ugly nose (needs nose job)
:u) funny-looking left nose
:>) has big nose
:n) funny-looking right nose
:~) pointy nose (righty)
:v) left-pointing nose
:^| broken nose
(:^( message concerning people with broken noses
:^) messages teasing people about their noses
(:+) has a big nose...
:=) has two noses
:%)% has acne
Male & Female:
8:-) a little girl
:-)-}8 a big girl
O>-<|= messages of interest to women
o>8<|= messages about interesting women
(:-) : 8- male
(:-) : -8 male on the make
(8-( : -8 masked rapist
(:-[ : 8- male sadist
(:-] : 8- male masochist
*:-} 8 * female
*:-} 8 O female on the make
*:-} 8 0 female wearing chastity belt
*:-} 8 8- transvestite
(:-) : 8=== John Holmes
$:-} 8 * female prostitute
$:-) : 8- male prostitute
[:-) : * gay female (butch)
*:-} : 8- gay male (fem)
/*:-} * big momma
\/
(:-) ? has had a sex change
Other Appearance:
:-))) very overweight
~:o baby
:-: mutant
[:-] a message concerning a square head
:< midget unsmiley
:> midget
invisible manC:-) has large brain capacity
ETHNICITY:
=0== message about mexican on a railroad!
=t== message about mexican run over by train
>|-> message from China...
<|-)= chinese
<|-(= chinese and doesn't like this article
|-) chinese
_:^) Indian
@:-) Indian (East)
*\:-) Scottish
<:-) Vietnamese peasant (unlikely)
](-[3 Viking
(-: Australian
:<() African tribesman
>:^( headhunter (Amazon style)
I8${} Ubangi - bone in nose
X8-{} Ubangi's wife
*8-O Ubangi's child
i:o Ubangi's baby
HOBBIES & OCCUPATIONS:
+<:-| message from a monk/nun...
:-0 orator
8-) swimmer
:-% banker
*(H-) downhill skier
=:-) punk-rocker
=:-#} punk with a mustache....
>B=) punk rocker
=:-( (real punk rocker
ETHNICITY:
=0== me
Format: Adam Word-Processor
Title: SpeedyWrite2 Tips
By Tony WongAfter hours and hours of reading the manual and using the program, I think I am going to like this one, (but, ADAM SmartWriter is still my favorite, because of the many years that I have used it.)
There is no doubt, SpeedyWrite2 is faster than the standard ADAM word-processor in a lot of ways, especially in edit mode, delete function, text scrolling, plus you can easily choose the printer you want to use, ADAM or Dot Matrix. The convenience is what I like.
On top of that, you can rename the file while you are in SpeedyWrite2 mode, you can't do that with ADAM Word-processor and that is a plus. I especially like the Pocket Data-Base features. You will appreciate this P-Dbase a lot if you do as I did.
The Pocket data-base has ten screens which you can modify to suit your own needs; I set up mine as follows:
# Screen> 1. Main Menu (Hit Tab key with No. 1-9 to access.)
I usually store the Pocket Data-Base in the Ram Drive. Whenever I need a name or address of an ADAM software dealer to correspond with, all I need to do is hit the WILDCARD then press the TAB key with 4, and all the dealers addresses are in front of me. No more searching for the catalog just trying to find an address, now that is fast and easy.
You can easily make up your own pocket data base, but here is a little hint you might find useful. Before you try to create your own P-Dbase, have in mind what you want it to be. Then create your P-Dbase page after page BUT with no information put in yet; once you store that screen, you can easily put in the data. The reason is if you put in a lot of infomation and you suddenly press the wrong key, you may never recover the lost data; doing it the other way around is a precaution, or until you absolutely know what you are doing. ###
A10226 10:38 May-02-1990
TO: ALL FROM: FRANK BOBRO
SUBJ: Power Supply
I have recently Found A problem with the power to my Adam. It seemed that every so often the audio would break up and then everything would lock up. I found that if the power cord (From Printer) was moved, the problem could be simulated. It turns out that the solder joints on the small board that mates with the 9 pin printer cable were bad. I just re- sldered and it works fine. Hope this'll help someone.
^ U-MATCH-EM is a concentration-type memory matching game. Players alternate turns flipping over two tiles on a very colorful playing field consisting of 40 tiles in all. If the two exposed tiles match they are removed and the player gets a point and another turn.
^ U-MATCH-EM comes on a self-booting medium. One or two may play and in the single player option your opponent is ADAM. All game play is accomplished by using the game controllers, either or both, or you may use the keyboard cursor and return keys.
^ After booting you are greeted by a PHOENIX 2000 message and then the main game play screen is loaded. Here, you can choose between three different types of objects to match. These are: Alphabet shapes, Object shapes, and Abstract shapes. Choosing any option takes you to a second option of standard or preview play. Preview play allows the players to view the entire exposed game board for twenty seconds before they are covered with tiles. After making either choice the tiles appear and the game is ready. Pressing the escape key at any time will dump your current game and take you back to the game option screen.
^ I found this game to be FAR more challenging than I first thought it would be. The alphabet shapes are probably the easiest to match mainly because they can be memorized and are familiar. The abstract shapes were very hard to do and my wife Nancy and I had quite a few laughs trying to match them up. Yes, she beat me!!
^ Don't let the simple concept behind U-MATCH-EM delude you into thinking it's not a challenge, because it WILL challenge you!
^ Super Parrot is another memory type game, very similar to SIMON. ^ After self-booting the game play screen appears. The game play screen consists of four colored tiles with arrows on them pointing in the four compass directions. Once again game play is accomplished with the hand controllers or the keyboard.
^ When Super Parrot starts you have two versions to choose from: ADD-A-NOTE and NEW NOTES.
^ In ADD-A-NOTE ADAM will sound a musical note and flash a color arrow on the screen. You, in turn, play the note back by tapping the appropiate arrow key on the keyboard or by moving the joystick in the proper direction. For each correct playback you give, one additional note is added, making an ever-increasing sequence of notes. I got up to 26 on level 1 and it was tough! Super Parrot will accomodate up to a 400 note sequence! If you miss, ADAM will play back the sequence, slowly, twice.
^ The other option, NEW NOTES, will give you an entirely new sequence each time. It is far more "memory intensive" than ADD-A-NOTE.
^ Each option has a slow, moderate, or fast note play speed option and each has nine levels of difficulty.
^ All in all, two simple but very challenging games and both require only a standard ADAM.
^ I highly recommend both games. Each is $12.95, and available from: ^
PHOENIX 2000
P.O. BOX 1292
KINGS MTN, NC
28086
l. Ne mettez pas ce croissant dans mon lecteur de disques, s'il vous plait. Please do not insert that croissant into my disk drive.
2. Bonjour, je m'appelle ***. Hello, my name is ***. [Substitute your name for *** or if you are with someone else's spouse, John Smith or Jane Doe]
3. Il semble que mon disque dur est tombe en panne. Pouvez-vous me preter une capsule de cyanure ? My hard disk appears to have crashed. Can you loan me a cyanide pill ?
4. Est-ce un souris dans votra poche, ou est-ce que ca vous donne plasir de me voir ? Is that a mouse in your pocket or are you just happy to see me ?
5. Pouvez-vous me donner le numero de telephone avee lequel je peux dans le programme informatique du gouvernement ? Can you give me the correct phone number to break into the top government computer systems ?
6. On vend la meme chose moins chere la-bas. They sell the same thing down the street for a lot less.
7. 64 K? Mon chat a une memoire plus grande que cal ! 64 K ? My cat has more memory !
8. C'est un prix tres raisonable pour une imprimante. Est-ce que c'est tombe d'un camion ? That is a very reasonable price for a printer. Did it fall off a truck ??
9. Est-ce que c'est maiment un modem, ce truc-la? Trois cent baud, c'est tout ? Pas de probleme. Je peux le porter moi-meme . You call that a modem. Only 300 baud ? That's okay, I'll walk it over.
l0. Ca n'est pas possible, en parlant anatoimquement. That is not anatomically possible.
Hard Nosed Harry, with special thanks to Dan Gutman who lives in New Jersey and writes a syndicated column on computers.
by Bally Midway
You're raing your BAJA BUGGER over dangerous and treacherous roads. But your opponents aren't just trying to win the race, they're trying to make it the last race you ever run. To stay alive, jump your BAJA BUGGER and land on top of your opponents. Earn points by collecting flags, balloons and other prizes along the course. Watch out for TOASTERS,PICK-UP TRUCKS,FLAG CARS, TANKS, WEDGE CARS and other deadly opponents. They'll try to collide with you...and if they do, you're dead!
Fasten your seat belt and get ready for the widest strip of road you've ever been crazy enough to drive.
Use controller to choose one or two players.
1=1 player easy game 4=2 players, easy game 3=1 player, hard game 6=2 players, hard game * replays same game 0 pauses the game Use four way joystick control to maneuver your BAJA BUGGER over the course. Joystick up, increases speed Joystick Down, decreases speed Joystick left turn left Joystick RIght turn right
Press the fire button to make your car jump. You can jump in place, from one road to another, or from point to point on the same road.
NOTE: The BAJA BUGGER can only jump while moving forward. If you pull back on the joystick control while jumping the car will accelerate backwards until the jump action is completed. This is important because you may want to move backward to collect flag and other prizes.
The screen shows various treacherous roads which scroll from the top of the screen to the bottom. Flags are collected simply by driving over them. Flags turn white when you pick them up. The colored ones are the ones you still need to pick up. A flag display at the top of the screen indicates the number of flags you've collected. The course has at least two lanes that zig zag across the screen and will intersect along the way. Some roads might lead to maps which let you jump across stretches of broken roads and some roads lead to dead ends.
If you jump and land off the road at any point, you lose one of your five cars. After your fifth car is destroyed the game is over.
The number of cars you have left is indicated by little white cars in center of your screen. The courses become more difficult to survive as you progress from one round to the next, up to road five. After five, rounds will repeat beginning with 1 and repeating through five. When all ten flags have been collected you advance to the next, more difficult road.
The round counter goes to 99 in upper rightcorner of the screen As your BAJA BUGGER travels, you will encounter various opponents along the way. They may come from behind or may be moving in front of you at a slower or faster speed. You earn points for successfully jumping on top of them. If you collide with any opponents or jump off the track, you lose one of your BAJA BUGGERS.
SCORING
Score for player 1 top left Score for player 2 top right Collect flag...100 Balloon...600 Ice Cream Cone...600 Cherries...600 Jump on opponent...400 In addition the speed and distance you cover in a certain period of time could earn you bonus points.....10
If you jump on a flag car carrying a colored flag, youll get points for jumping on an opponent and for collecting a flag too. After you have completed one level of play, a display will indicate the time it took to complete that course. If your elapsed time falls into one of the five bonus levels shown on the screen at that time, that bonus will flash for three seconds and will be added to your score. The game will then go to the next harder round.
60 seconds and over...no bonus.
Have Fun!!!
You may have done, as I have on several occasions, shelled out $20 or $25 for a program that seemed to hold great promise, but which when in hand, didn't deliver as expected, and is thereby setting on the back shelf gathering dust. Well, Joe Waters of Albuquerque, N.M., offers a way for you to avoid such a predicament. From the PC community, he has adapted the idea of "Crippleware."
Before you shell out $22.95 for Joe's new Visi-Sprite 6.5 sprite editor program, you can get a first hand look at what it offers for just $3. For that you'll get a PD version called Visi-Sprite 6.0. It's a crippled version of 6.5--it won't enable you to carry out the many editing functions of 6.5, but it gives you a demonstration of what's available on that program.
The PD demo will be available through vendors such as NIAD and will be uploaded onto several bulletin boards. Or you can get a copy by sending $3 to: Joe Waters, 13009 Gray Hills Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87lll.
Then if you like what you see, you can get the full-featured 6.5 version with a 20-page instruction manual for $22.95. Visi-Sprite 6.5 is the latest, enhanced version of the ADAM sprite editor. Features include: --Ability to access up to 32 single-color animated sprites, or 8 four-color sprites simultaneously.
--Support for standard ADAM printer, as well as Centronics parallel interface, including support for those printers which support the expanded ANSI graphics character set. --Advanced media options, allowing the user to pull "sprite overlay files" out of Coleco cartridges and super games.
To boot the program, simply put the media in any drive and pull the computer reset switch. After about 40 seconds (it's a rather long program), the main menu will appear: Sprite edit, Mass storage, Erase sprites, or Quit are the opening options.
The entire program is menu and SmartKey driven and easy to use. , Albuquerque, NM 87lll.
By Bob Currie
This program appeared in the ADAM's Leaf of the Edmonton ADAM Users Group and is distributed by ADAM News Network. This program determines the wind chill factor for a given temperature and wind speed. The comments about the weather given by the program are reasonable but may not be exact. As is usual when typing in a copyrighted program which appears in a magazine, the acknowledgements should be typed in as well.
100REM ******************** 110REM * TRS-80 MODEL III * 115REM * MICROCOMPUTER * 117REM * PROGRAM * 120REM * TO DETERMINE * 130REM * EQUIVALENT * 135REM * WIND CHILL * 137REM * TEMPERATURE FROM * 140REM * WIND VELOCITY * 145REM * AND TEMPERATURE * 147REM * INPUTS * 150REM * * 160REM *BY J.L. CRANMER JR* 170REM * VAN HORN, TEXAS * 172REM * * 174REM * PUBLISHED IN * 176REM * 80 MICRO, JAN/83 * 178REM * * 180REM * ADAPTED FOR ADAM * 182REM * BY BOB CURRIE * 184REM * EDMONTON, ALBERTA* 186REM ******************** 190REM 200HOME:? 210? " WIND CHILL FACTOR" 220? 230? "TEMPERATURE AND WIND VELOCITY" 240? "CAN BE ENTERED IN METRIC"; " OR":? "U.S. UNITS":? 250? "<1> for metric OR " 255? "<2> for U.S.":? 260INPUT a 270IF a<1 OR a>2 THEN VTAB 11:? " TRY AGAIN":VTAB 11:GOTO 260 280IF a=1 THEN GOTO 360 290?:? "ENTER AIR TEMPERATURE IN":? "DEGREES FAHRENHEIT" 300INPUT tf 310 tt=(5*(tf-32))/9 320?:? "ENTER WIND VELOCITY IN":? "MILES PER HOUR" 330INPUT vm 340 v=vm*.447 350GOTO 400 360?:? "ENTER AIR TEMPERATURE IN":? "DEGREES CENTIGRADE" 370INPUT tt 380?:? "ENTER WIND VELOCITY IN":? "KILOMETERS PER HOUR" 390INPUT vv: v=vv/3.6:REM CHANGE KM/HR TO M/SEC FOR CALCULATION 400 hh=(33-tt)*(10.45+(10*v^.5)-v) 410IF v<=1.788 THEN ta=tt:GOTO 430 420 ta=33-(hh/22.034) 430IF a=2 THEN ft=(9*ta/5)+32 435 h=hh:IF v<=2.5 THEN h=(33-tt)*(10.45+(10*2.5^.5)-2.5) 440IF h<=200 THEN a$="HOT" 450IF h>200 AND h<=400 THEN a$="PLEASANT" 460IF h>400 AND h<=600 THEN a$="COOL" 470IF h>600 AND h<=800 THEN a$="VERY COOL" 480IF h>600 AND h<=1000 THEN a$="COLD" 490IF h>1000 AND h<=1200 THEN a$="VERY COLD" 500IF h>1200 AND h<=1400 THEN a$="BITTERLY COLD" 510IF h>1400 AND h<=2000 THEN a$="OUTSIDE EXPOSURE DIASGREEABLE" 520IF h>2000 AND h<=2300 THEN a$="OUTSIDE EXPOSURE DANGEROUS" 530IF h>2300 THEN a$="OUTSIDE SURVIVAL UNCERTAIN" 540HOME 550IF a=1 THEN GOTO 610 560? "OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS: ":? tf; " DEGREES "; "FAHRENHEIT" 570?:? "WIND VELOCITY IS: ":? vm; " MILES PER HOUR" 580? 585 ft=INT(ft) 590? "EQUIVALENT OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE":? "IS: "; ft; " DEGREES FAHRENHEIT"600GOTO 645 610? "OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE IS: ":? tt; " DEGREES CENTIGRADE" 620?:? "WIND VELOCITY IS: ":? vv; " KILOMETERS PER HOUR" 630? 635 ta=INT(ta) 640? "EQUIVALENT OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE":? "IS "; ta; " DEGREES CENTIGRADE"
645? 650? "OUTSIDE CONDITIONS ARE: ":?:INVERSE:? a$:NORMAL 660?:? "RUN AGAIN? Y/N: "; :INPUT b$:IF b$="y" OR b$="Y" THEN GOTO 200 680END
PREFACE: Due to financial reasons primarily and certainly not due to a lack of interest or desire, I will most likely again be unable to attend ADAMCON.
Being self-employed and being a one person operation, when I am not working, nothing gets done, the work piles up and is waiting when I get back but worse than that is the fact that if the work is not turned out I receive no income. I get no regular check from an employer but only from clients when and as I do their work. So attending AdamCon means loss of several days income. When this is added to a daughter in college and the resultant expenses, it makes attendance difficult.
:) Of course, you always could take up a collection from the Adam community. :)
THEREFORE, I must rely upon you, my good Adam friends to carry the A.N.N. message to ADAMCON and to try to see that much of the A.N.N. Agenda can be accomplished. I know that I am placing this mission in very capable and good hands, YOURS.
My very good friend and able associate Dean Roades, President of 463 AUG and Associate Editor of ANN will be attending the convention. Please work with him to accomplish as much of the ANN Agenda as possible. THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE FUTURE OF ADAM.
Please do your best to see how much of the following can be accomplished or at least started.
IF you cannot support all of these, then support those you can. If you feel very strongly about some of them and want to take over the leadership or fight for them, that is GREAT, just step in and give it your best, let me know if I can help.
Try to accomplish these matters in private with a minimum of pressure amd a good deal of tact and sensitivity. Where that fails do not hesitate to accomplish these matters in a public forum still using tact and sensitivity but also the pressure of public opinion and peer pressure. REMEMBER WE ARE WORKING FOR A NOBLE PURPOSE THE FURTHERANCE OF ADAM AND ADAMITES.
IF YOU ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN SOME OF THESE ITEMS, CONTACT RICHARD CLEE % METRO-TORONTO AUG OR MONTE NEECE % METRO-ORLAND AUG (addresses in ANN.ADDRESS file) and let them know you would like to see these discussed at ADAMCON.
AGENDA: (Not in order of importance).
l. PUSH ANN Subscriptions. (These help keep the system running).
2. PUSH ANN Library Disks (same).
3. Encourage NEWSLETTER EDITORS AND AUGS TO:
a. Provide information to ANN on disk. b. Use ANN information. c. Exchange newsletters with all groups not currently involved in exchanges. d. Support ANN contests and projects. e. To increase their newsletter production by 5-l5 newsletters per issue to be sent to random Adamites to try to bring them back into the mainstream and into active Adam participation. [SEE # 6 BELOW]
4. Encourage BBS SYSOPS TO:
a. Provide information to ANN on disk. b. Use ANN information. c. Call other BBSs from time to time to exchange info & ideas. d. Support ANN contests and projects.
5. Encourage Companies, Dealers, Hardware/software producers AND ESPECIALLY FAYE DEERE WHO WRITES NATIONALLY FOR VULCAN COMPUTER BUYERS GUIDE to:
a. Provide information to ANN on disk. b. Use ANN information. c. Sponsor ANN contests and projects by donating prizes, etc. d. Support ANN contests and projects.
VERY IMPORTANT THAT FAYE DEERE IN HER NATIONAL COLUMN IN VULCAN COMPUTER BUYER GUIDE GAVE ANN INFO, ANN SUBSCRIPTION & LIBRARY INFO AND IN GENERAL PUSH ANN.
e. [See # 6: to periodically publish a list of AUGS & BBSs, addresses & phone numbers as part of their ads or mail outs]VERY IMPORTANT THAT FAYE DEERE WOULD DO THIS PERIODICALLY IN VULCAN COMPUTER BUYERS GUIDE COLUMN.
6. Encourage (Start privately but go very public if necessary) Jay Forman and Ruth Co. to make their huge Adam mailing list available to ANN and the Adam community so that we may try to recover and save isolated Adamites. [SEE # 4 Above, each newsletter could increase their production and send to some of these on Jay's list each month to try to let them know ADAM LIVES and wants them back]. Encourage Jay Forman to PRINT in his catalogs a page which lists All the local AUGS and their addresses as well as the ADAM BBSs. This will allow us to reach many isolated Adamites and will also let them know where we are and where to get help. [Try this privately but I feel this is important enough to go public if no results privately]
[See #5e. Also encourage other dealers, suppliers, etc. to print similar listings in their ads and mail outs]
7. For ADAMCON03, I would like to see Chicago (If NIAD will give its active support) or the West Coast to allow easier access to ADAMCON to those in the western portions of the US and Canada. [Maybe I can even make it to Chicago]. 8. Encourage all editors, sysops, AUG officers, dealers, producers, etc. to cooperate and work with other Adamites. We can accomplish much if we work together. Further they may have a pet project at some future time and want help from others.
9. PIRACY AGAIN. I know that some of you are tired of hearing about piracy BUT it does cause concern to our software producers and we cannot afford to lose any of our software producers. I would like to see the convention, if nothing else, take a public stand against piracy.
I would like to see the newsletter editors and sysops agree to publically name and urge all Adamites to isolate and have nothing to do with known pirates. Unless it is felt this will just give them publicity and put them in contact with those low lifes who patronize such scum. I would like to see the software producers agree to join a joint venture to search out, gain evidence against and hopefully put pirates out of business.
I have been doing this on my own with the assistance of Dean Roades. When we become aware of a pirate, we purchase some pirated software, then I have the company involved verify that it is an illegal copy, then the pirate gets copies of the evidence against him along with an attorney letter demanding he cease, etc. To continue this project we need little known adamites to make the purchases, support (repayment of expenses ) by the software producers, and condemnation of the pirates by all adamites.
Interestingly enough out of the first 3 companies approached with evidence of piracy of their products, one did not bother to respond to me, one told me to mind my own business and let him take care of his own products but the third was very supportive and cooperative. Piracy causes copy protection which frustrates all of us as we cannot back up our own legally purchased software, etc.
Our efforts so far have caused one pirate to give his Adam to the Salvation Army and get out of the pirate business.
l0. CONCEPT which needs developing. I would like to see $200 raised ($l0 per AUG, 20 AUGs, money from suppliers, extra $2-3 charge on convention registration, whatever). Each year there would be a competition of sorts ,where Adamites interested in developing software or hardware could put their proposals and proposed projects before a committee (of ? AUG officers, hardware producers, software producers, whatever). This committee could award upto $l00 for a hardware project and upto $l00 for a software project. They also could divide the $l00.00 among several projects.
In this way we could encourage those willing to undertake development of new software, hardware, etc. for Adam with some funds to help at least pay for their project costs and perhaps insure them a small return on their time investment. As I said I have this vague vision and it needs some refinement but I would like to see some discussion of this idea or even see the idea put into effect at the convention.
It ALSO NEEDS SOMEONE to take charge of this idea and pursue it and develope it. ANY VOLUNTEERS ?????? 11. Anothe vague idea which needs DEVELOPMENT and SOMEONE to take charge of it, AGAIN ANY VOLUNTEERS ???????
As AWAUG and some other groups now have, I would like to see a HARDWARE HOTLINE and a SOFTWARE HOTLINE, staffed by knowledgible volunteers, this would be a place where Adamites (especially isolated Adamites) could call (it would cost them the long distance charges) and ask these knowledgible volunteers questions about hardware or software problems. We do lose some Adamites who run into problems, do not know what to do, where to write or call and just junk their Adam. I would feel we could use at least 3 people on each hot line. Some could be dealers, who would indirectly gain some benefit, possible sales from this service, which is fine, they would deserve it, also any knowledgible Adamite could volunteer for this. It might work out to rotate it or change those manning the hotline from time to time, so that the burden would be spread out, etc.
The hours, etc. would be upto the volunteers who could make it convenient or workable for themselves. If we can pull this off, I would like to see ALL newsletters, BBSs, dealers (especially Ruth Co. catalog) list these hotline numbers, so we can reach as many Adamites as possible. [Comments above about listing AUGS, BBSs, apply to hotline listings]
12. Another vague idea which NEEDS some VOLUNTEER to take it and run with it. A combined AUG mailing list. The membership and mailing lists of ALL AUGS should be combined in a data base (which one is best ?? SmartFiler, some CP/M based data base or what. IF CP/M it has to be usble by CP/M illiterates such as myself). This would require volunteers to head the project and coordinate things, volunteers to type in the various enteries, make copies, etc. This data base would be made available to those AUGS that participated in compling it. Any dealers which contributed their own mailing lists, would also receive a copy. Copies would be available to others at a LOW price, just enough to pay back some of the expenses.
I would like to see this data base used for things like joint projects, convention information, periodic mass mailings that AUGS may want to undertake (Similar to the 1200+ Nov.89 newsletters ST.Louis AUG sent out in an attempt to bring some isolated adamites back into the fold, etc.). The list would be made available to dealers, suppliers, etc. so their ads and mailings could reach as many Adamites as possible. We DO want each dealer, supplier, etc. to make sales and profits so that they will continue working for and on Adam. Jay Forman could give us a great start on this project by giving us his mailing list.
l3. This is in keeping with the previously expressed idea that all ADAM suppliers, national newsletters, Ruth Co., etc. be very strongly encouraged to periodically print a list of ADAM AUGS and ADAM BBSS, so that we may make ourselves available to isolated Adamites and keep them with Adam.
In that same concept Faye Deere should be very strongly encouraged to do the same in her monthly Vulcan Computer Buyers Guide Column. We need to let those isolated Adamites reading this column know where local AUGS, BBSS, etc. are located. Faye shouldn also be strongly encouraged to push ANN , ANN subscriptions and ANN Library in her column. This would be a great help in keeping ANN alive and well and in bringing back some of the isolated Adamites.
I am sure Faye will help us do this for she is a good Adamite and also when Faye asked us to help her try to save HER column in Computer Shopper we wrote letters, published editorials, etc. When Faye asked s to publicize her new column in Vulcan Computer Buyers Guide, we again did all we could.
I am sure that Faye will return the favor and assist in spreading the word about ANN, local AUGS, local BBSs, etc.
ANN MESSAGE(S):
l. Let those who are working for Adam, be they dealers, sysops, hardware/software producers, newsletter editors, AUG officers, etc. know that you appreciate them and their efforts WHILE they are still with us. Do not wait until they have quit Adam to mourn their less, encourage them now so they will stay. We all like to hear praise, support, etc.
2. Treat each other , All Adamites with respect and sensitivity. Many are very sensitive and take offense easily. Try to be kind to each other. Step in when others are insensitive or harsh and let them know that there are other ways to accomplish what they are attempting. [BE KIND AND GENTLE OR HARD NOSED HARRY WILL SHOW UP AT YOUR DOOR ONE DAY AND KICK THE CP/M OUT OF YOU]
3. Its ok to be critical but try a more friendly, lighter touch. [OR HARD NOSED HARRY AND I WILL BREAK YOUR ARMS, AND STUMP YOUR DISK DRIVE INTO THE GROUND]
4. Cooperate and work with other Adamites. We can accomplish much if we work together. Further you may have a pet project at some future time and want help from others.
5. There are NO stupid questions. All should be encouraged to ask whatever questions about ADAM they have, this is important. Rather than someone give up on ADAM because he cannot do something he wants, we should encourage questions of all types. All should try to take the time to answer all questions, stupid or not about ADAM. We cannot afford to lose Adamites.
For if Lyle of NIAD, Sol of DEI, Terry Fowler of Adam House, etc. had not taken the time to answer MY stupid questions in the past, I would not be active in Adam nor writing this to you. Encourage everyone, help everyone, all are important to Adam.
6. NO group is an island to itself. Try to imagine how long you could keep your Adam functioning IF you had NO access to any source of supply, questions, information, newsletters, etc. but your local AUG and your local AUG had no outside access also. Some of us tend to think only of themselves and their local group. The dealers, suppliers, software/hardware producers will leave Adam if they do not have a large enough market. NO local group can support these people by itself.
All groups are important in the scheme of things and are important in keeping Adam accessories, supplies, hardware, software, etc. available to all of us.
7. ENCOURAGE LOCAL AUGS, the survival of the present ones and the development of new local AUGS. The local AUG is the backbone of ADAM. If a person or group expresses any interest in starting a local AUG, encourage them in every way possible. Give them some free PD software to start a club library, give them advice, give them access to your newsletter to pattern theirs after; allow them to freely produce your newsletter until they can keep one running on their own.
Let them know about ANN so we can keep them informed.
8. Never turn your back on a Pirate.
9. Never give a Pirate an even break.
10. Do not participate in the Adam Wars. Make love not war. Peace. What if they gave a war and no one showed up.
ll. Don't be so serious, tomorrow will be a better day. Keep off the grass, do not litter, do not x-ray, fold, staple or mutilate.
12. The best part of the Adam Computer and the most valuable accessory that come with it are the other Adam Owners [I think Pat Herrington told me that she first heard this from Jim Clements of LAUGH)
13. Adam is alive and well and lives in the heart of the (Adam) user. John Carroll (Phil.PA).
l4. IF YOU or YOUR GROUP WANTS TO BE NUMBER ONE, ALWAYS FIRST, HAVE THE SCOOPS, ETC. one sad day you will find this wish come true as YOUR group will be number one (out of one), always first (among itself) and have the scoops as their will be no other groups left. TRY TO BE BIGGER THAN YOU ARE, think of the larger picture, the whole Adam community. Work with and help other groups.
l5. The sadest words of paper and pen (or disk and pen) IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
l6. A chain (the Adam community) is no stronger than its weakest link, help all groups, help all Adamites, work together.
Barry Wilson
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