90pSeptember 1984 Volume 7 Issue 9 Speech, handwriting and picture

Keyboard -free computing -a 12 -page guide How to program 3D graphics on the BBC Reviews-The stylish new Apple lic Sinclair QL: the finished version? Denmark DKr34.50, Greece Dra 245, Holland DFL8.50. Italy L4100,Spain Pts 360, Switzerland SFr7.40, Germany DM8.50, France Fr32.60, Canada C$4.50, Australia A$3.00, Singapore M$6.35, USA $3.95(D72162) BYNEXT YEAR, EVEN IRV MIGHT HAVE ONE. This is the Sanyo MBC555. range of peripheral equipment, a compre- The first high performance business hensive selection of software and a price tag 7Name machine of its kind to offer the compati- of less than £1,000 + VAT (MBC 550 £749+ Company bility and versatility of a true 16 -Bit business VAT) and you'll probably understand why micro for less than £1,000 + VAT* this package is so attractive. A revolutionary price for a revolution- But the real beauty of the MBC 555/550 Position in Company ary machine because with 128K RAM ex- series is that you don't have to wait until Address pandable to 256K RAM, both the twin drive next year for them. MBC555and the single drive MBC 550 have If you want to see these two innova- an 8 colour graphics capability (640 x 200 tive machines from Sanyo's proven range of dot resolution), an 8088 CPU for high-speed Micros phone LOGITEK on 0257 426644 or processing, a Centronics parallel printer STC on 0279 26777 or ICARUS on 01-485 Tel. no Pc 3 interface and free bundled software. 5574or clip the coupon and we'll show you Return to: Marketing Dept., Sanyo Marubeni (UK) Limited, Add to this the support of a compatible how to stay one step ahead Sanyo House, 8 Greycaine Road, Watford, Herts. .EXCLUDING MONITOR. SEE SANYO THEN DECIDE Circle No. 101 0141V SANYO PRACTICAL COMPUTING SEPT 100PICTURES Chris Bidmead checks out >NEWS the Wang Pic system, and explores HARDWARE NEWS the possibilities of picture input. 15Prestel on the BBC, more 611 INPUT NEWS communications developments, price A. ROUNDUP cuts and more new micros. Ian Stobie provides an overview of 24SOFTWARE NEWS some of the other interesting input IPractical software for the QL,devices now becoming available. dBase III announced, plus more integrated packages. >RE V I EUJS 2,IBM PC NEWS NJ IBM brings its portable to THE ADVANCED the U.K., and new look-alikes appear 73TANDY 2000 from Mad and Otrona. Software Tandy is one of the first to market an highlights include low prices and 80186 -based micro. How well does it project -planning packages. perform? MICROMOUSE RESULTS 7cOPEN ACCESS 2 John Billingsley reports on Paul Myerscough completes the British Championships held at the his two-part review of this integrated Computer Fair. package. THE POWER 8n%A OF OS -9 >FEATURES Chris Bidmead is impressed by this Unix -like operating system that runs STEREO IMAGES on 6809 -based micros. 86FOR THE BBC Get out your red and green glasses 5A IBM BOOKS and start programming in stereo. ffila Paul Myerscough reviews a selection of the many books 9,THE CLEAN arriving for IBM PC users. AI MACHINE Chris Naylor recommends you scrub down your motherboard. >REGULARS 9AFICTION HANDS-ON THE STY -X SOFTWARE 58SINCLAIR QL EDITORIAL - A teacher turns programmer and Glyn Moody tries to pin down the 5MSX INVADERS signs a lucrative contract. QL which, due to its continuing Are the Japanese going to sweep development, offers a moving target.aside British micro manufacturers? FEEDBACK 7Requests, advice, competition > INTEREST I NG results, and Boris Allan in a fix. INPUTS 3,CHIP -CHAT Ray Coles on the chip shortages currently causing problems. KEYBOARD -FREE 99COMPUTING fa PATENTS PROGRESS This month's special section looks 3 John Hooper reviews the beyond the mouse at new ways to technological advances revealed interact with micros. through patent applications. SPEECH 4C SOFTWARE WORKSHOP 00The Texas Instruments aMike Lewis tells you how speech system and other products to speed up sequential searching of show the potential of voice input. disc files. HANDWRITING APPLE IIc OPEN FILE 104Glyn Moody tries out 66TRANSPORTABLE 29Free programs for the pen- and finger -writing as interesting Roger Cullis takes the lid off Apple'sAcorn BBC, Apple, Commodore and ways to enter data. stylish new machine. Spectrum micros.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 3 IS THIS LEVEL OF RELIABILITY REALLY NECESSARY? ACCUTRACK

If you've ever lost data due to a faulty disk, you know how Distributed in the United Kingdom by: important reliability can be. Penbie International (C.A.) Ltd. That's why Accutrack disks are critically certified at 2-3 23 Addington Road times the error threshold of your system. Why they're Reading RG1 5PZ precision fabricated for higher signal quality, longer life and Berkshire less head wear. And why we take such extra steps as testing Tel: (734) 664361 single -density mini disks at double -density levels. So you don't have to worry about the reliability of your media. ACCUTRACK Accutrack disks. OEMs have specified them for years. You ft Dennison KYBE (UK) 9 Colonial Way can trust them for your data. Watford WD2 4JY Tel: (923) 50596 Telex: 923321 Offices and representatives worldwide Circle No. 102 Editorial MSX EDITORIAL 01-661 3609 Editor Jack Schofield Assistant Editors Ian Stobie invaders Glyn Moody SO FARthe Japanese have not made much is woefully out of date. It is based on the eight - Art Editor impact in the microcomputer business. A great bit Zilog Z-80 microprocessor, while all the Stephen Miller many people have bought Japanese cameras, exciting developments are taking place in the Production, Editor audio equipment, motor bikes and other 16 -bit and 32 -bit world. Basing the standard on John Liebmann consumer goods.Veryfewhave bought the Z-80 rather than,say,the 8086/8 - Sub -editor Japanese micros. favoured by the IBM PC and so many others - Carol Hammond If you believe the hype, all this is about to looks inept. Editorial Secretary change with the arrival of the MSX system. This is not to say there is no place for low- Sue Jordan Before Christmas the shops will be flooded priced Z-80 micros like the Amstrad CPC -464, Consultants orfor Chris Bidmead with standard MSX micros made by leading standardeight -bit CP/M business Peter Laurie consumer -products companies such as Canon, micros, and so on. But MSX is attempting Hitachi, Pioneer, Sony and Yamaha. something more dramatic. It is attempting to ADVERTISING 01-661 3612 The main selling point of the MSX system is sweep the world and establish a new standard. Advertisement Manager. compatibility. All the machines will comply A third problem is that there is almost no Ian Carter 01-661 3021 with a minimum hardware standard drawn up software available for MSX micros, and what Assistant Advertisement by Microsoft. Therefore, it is claimed, they will software there is looks very weak. This fact Manager all be able to run the same software and use the could undermine the whole operation. After Paul Braybrooke 01-661 8626 same peripherals. all,thereis no point in having access to Advertisement Executives standard software if the standard software is Chris Markiewicz 01-661 3633 This' is a very attractive idea. There is no Janet Thorpe 01-661 3468 doubt that the ready acceptance of micro - not worth having. Advertisement Secretary computing is being limited by the inability of The MSX invaders may well be a success. Julie Darvill one machine to run software designed for They at least have a proper Microsoft Basic, Midlands office: another. However, it is one thing to exploit an and come fully equipped with joystick ports, a David Harvett 021-356 4838 existing standard, such as the 35mm. film or cartridge slot, a printer port and other things Northern office: the long-playing record; it is quite another to that U.K. manufacturers can sting you for as Geoff Aikin 061-872 8861 establish such a standard in a rapidly changing extras. They will undoubtedly - like other Classified: market. Japanese consumer products - prove to be Claire Notley 01-661 8163 One problem with having 15 or 20 micros well made and reliable. And they will be PUBLISHING DIRECTOR that are essentially the same is that thisis delivered on time. Again, the contrast with Chris Hipwell boring. When you've seen one MSX micro, British and American products puts us to you've seen them all. Goodness knows what shame. Published by Electrical Electronic all - Press. Quadrant House. The Quadrant. theunfortunateeditorofWhat MSX? Butifthe MSX machines are not Sutton, SurreySM25AS. Tel: 01-661 magazine is going to write about - the position conquering, this does not mean the Japanese 3500. Telex/grams 892084 BiSPRS G. of the cursor control -keys, perhaps. Some have been beaten. Look inside many British Distributed by Business Press MSX micros come in prettier colours than and American micros and you will see Japanese International Ltd. Quadrant House. The Quadrant. Sutton. Surrey SM2 others.. . . chips and Japanese disc drives. Attached to 5AS. This is not like IBM PC compatibility, where these micros you may find Japanese televisions Subscriptions:'U.K. £13 per annum: different firms are competing to offer faster, or monitors, and Japanese printers - even Overseas £19 per annum;selling price in Eire subject to currency cheaper, prettier and more powerful versions Japanese portable computers. exchange fluctuations and VAT: of the same machine but without infringing We in the U.K. can be proud of our pioneer- airmail rates available on application IBM's copyright. The MSX machines are not ing work in microcomputing. But let's not rest to Subscription Manager. Business Press International Ltd. Oakfield competitors, merely clones. on our laurels. The real battle has hardly House. Perrymount Road. Haywards A second problem is that the MSX standard begun. Heath. Sussex RH16 3DH Tel. 0444 459188. Printed in Great Britain for the IIIII IIIIII proprietors Business Press I I I I I II International Ltd by Eden Ftshei 5 Yearsago... (Southend) Ltd. Southend-on-Sea olooccironuomoueopl. 1!',2U,'21200C1A0,200000C0 Typeset by Centrepoint Typesetters .30 , 1,363333,111.313,72 /.1.13 /3 0 1 In LondonEC1 As the cost of chips continues to fall, the number of low- The Acorn, in fact, has just over 1K of RAM on the Business Press International Ltd cost microcomputers available appears to rise in inverse processor board. Additional RAM can be added using an 1984 proportion, and one recent addition to the market is the expander board, together with one more 8K memory .Mould be authors are welcome to Acorn microcomputer. boards when they become available. send articles to the Editor but PCcan- It is a two -board unpackaged system from a company The two Acorn circuit boards are mounted one above not undertake to return them. Pay- called, somewhat confusingly, Acorn Computer, for £81 the other and are connected by a 20 -way cable. The lower ment is at £35 per published page. assembled and £70 in kit form. The Acorn also requires a board, which is also available separately as an industrial Submissions shouldbetypedor separate 5V power supply before it will blink into life. controller board, contains the CPU, 1K RAM, a 16 -way computerprinted and should include RAM I/O chip used by the keyboard, the monitor RAMs a tape or disc of any program. Hand In common with Apple, Pet, Kim and Aim -65 the Acorn written material is liable to delay and uses the 6502 processor from MOS Technology. It is and addresS decoding circuitry. Sockets for an additional error. capable of addressing up to 65K of memory if all address RAM I/O and 2K of EPROM are also included. Every effort is made to check articles PC Volume 2 Issue 9 lines are implemented on the processor board and listings but PC cannot guarantee !.; 1119101-1.L.,9999;93:93535q,s9,-,7,539999999..3;s9,99r4- 39999441991999991,11-.11 1, 1 ,6 3133 it 32 33 3333,3 3.111i,.11 13 that programs will run and can accept 1 1 3 11 , 12{.1>..If .f1431.[,1 1, no responsibility for any errors. COL sne

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 5 microFAST LATEST BARGAIN PRICES MONITORS DISK DRIVES TVIMONITORS DOT MATRIX

-,-----.1

----/-s ----- , /- if / J

-----____ / £280 Inc VAT Epson RX80 FIT £221.73 +VAT =f255 Microvitec 1451 £268.69 SPECIAL OFFER ITT RL2301 £280 +VAT =f309 3" Drives Star Gemini 10 £249 200K Single 40T £185 Star Delta 10 £365 Monochrome 400K Dual 40T £369 VARIOUS KDC FT -5001 f234 Sanyo DM2112 £75 Epson RX80 £219 Sanyo DM822 C2X £103 Epson RX80 FIT f255 Teco with Zoom £105 Epson FX80 £379 Torct Ext. Processor Mannesman MT80 f225 Colour Single +Software f299 Torch Ext. processor Microvitec 1431 £195 100K SID 40T £127 + software + twin drives £749 1431 (RGBIPALIAUDIO) £225 400K Mitsubishi 40180T £199 Computer Concepts ROMs Microvitec 1451114510L £309 DAISYWHEEL from£32 1451 (RGBIPALIAUDIO) f340 Acorn Business Software £24 Microvitec 1441 £499 Acorn Data Recorder £32 (High resolution Double Mobile Computer Work Station holds, plastic case) 800K Cumana 80T £409 micro, monitor, printer, drives + 800K Mitsubishi 40180T £489 storage space from£57 PROCESSORS

Floppy Disks 3" £4.50 Printer Stands £16 51" SIS 40T £1,80 Stacking units £23 51" DIS 40T £2.10 (also with lockable 51" DIS 80T £2.90 compartment)

Juki 6100 £326.08 Exit 2 from -Y7Uld Hoxton +VAT =f375 BBC Model B £338.26 UndergroundSt Square +VAT =f389 e JUKI 6100 £375 Silver Reed EXP500 £315 Ni Fde BBC Model B £389 Daisy Step 2000 £289 BBC Model B with DES £459 Old Street Acorn Z80 Ext. Processor £299 Plus Acorn Electron £199 JUKI Sheet Feeder £239 6.= Torch Unicorn Package P.O.A. 57 Homo Square London NI JUKI Tractor Feed £109

Serial Interface Conversions DISC INTERFACES 8143 - Epson £30 8148 - Epson (2k buffer XONIXOFF protocol) £65 JUKI £55 ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT Plus cables from £12 Prices shown are for cash & carry sales and are correct at time of going to press BUSINESS SYSTEMS Export price list available Mail order and credit cards accepted A.C.T. Apricot Kenda Mighty Oak £90 OPEN 9-6 Monday to Saturday Processors and Kenda Professional (double density) Business Systems £130 57 Hoxton Square assembled to your Opus double density £130 specification. price Acorn DFS Kit £97 London N1 dependent on equipment supplied. Tel: 01-729 1 778 Call us to discuss your MODEMS requirement.

Selection of acoustic couplers and mini -modems in stock BT approved micro/FAS T Portable models Low cost THE EXPERTS Circle No. 103 Feedback

first is rather small, and shouldwhich enables users to play all not have caused any problems.of the Coleco games, but that is Halfway down the third col-the only connection. 7 umn, the GetA should have Spectravideo Ltd, the U.K. Fair dea GetA$ distributor of all Spectravideo IN YOUR EDITORIAL "A fair deal" in the June issue, I believe The second error, on theproducts,isan independent you have lapsed into a form of self-delusion over the issues other hand, could well haveorganisation set up to market at stake. beenthecauseof muchand distributethecomplete A microcomputer is a manufactured article and, like all grievance. Also in the thirdrange of Spectravideo products such goods, has an economic selling price which depends column, the alteration to trans-in Great Britain. upon volume throughput at every stage of construction, fercontroltothepaddle With regard to the comments advertisingandselling.The softwarehassimilarly buttons was made about software availa- calculated sales economics, and the value of after -sales PEEK(42949)> 127 + (PEEK bility I would like to point out support is proportional to the individual customer's needs, (49250) > 127) that there are at present 38 soft- It should have had an extra pair while maintenance is most decidedly a cost-plus exercise. waretitlesavailablefrom The cost of an unsupported sale must therefore be of brackets, so: Spectravideo itself, and many (PEEK(42949)> 127) + (PEEK Britishsoftwarehousesare minimal, and any customer electing to take goods on this (49250) > 127) basis should be entitled to a minimal price structure for Philip Musk,converting existing programs every part of the system purchased. Godalming,or writing new titles for the Spectravideocomputers. Any other arrangement islittle different than being Surrey. In offered a piano at an artificially high price, supported by an addition, both the SV 318 and added "free offer" of five years' piano tuning and free SV 328 are compatible with sheet music, when one owns a tuning fork and wants the Sharper than CP/M, the largest library of instrument as support composing one's own music. software in the world. With an increasing'number of firms now offering micros a QL Keith Newman, with free software of an apparent value exceeding the cost Spectravideo Ltd, WHEN REPORTING the Bench- Morden, of the hardware - Sinclair and Advance, for instance - marks of the QL in your June overpriced services will eventually force a high proportion hardware news, your writer Surrey. of the new High Street micro -sharks back out of the says "the new machine emerges business.Meanwhile user over -friendlysoftwarewill . . . faster than all eight -bits gradually minimise the need for advice and support to the apart from the BBC Micro".Fixing level where an honest cottage industry cap fulfill demand. MightIpoint out that the Nor is this the end of the game. Regardless of whether the Sharp MZ-700 has the samenotation IBM PC is considered advanced technology, it is probably average as the QL and in all butIN THE DISCUSSION of whether true that its standardisation of hardware, operating system, one test is considerably faster.infix,prefix,or postfix no- disc format and Basic will bring stability to the market. It It is also faster than the BBC Btation should be used in Logo, I should also encourage look-alikes that will ensure every on Benchmarks 1 and 4. seem to remember - I think it aspect of the system is subject to healthy competition and B J Ford,was in the report of the Chil- lower prices. London NW10.tern Schools Logo experiment B A Martin, The editor replies: We have childrenoftensaid Solihull, - that not Benchmarked the Sharpaloud"50 forward",which West Midlands. MZ-700, but we will. they had to change to Forward The editor adds: The problem some dealers face is that 50. they sell micros as though they were record players - just Consider the drawing of a load thesoftware andallyour problems areover. Spectravideo square: in particular, consider Customers then find they have bought a piano they do not 328 the sequence of ideas involved. know how to play. So they go back to the dealer expecting We have to move, and first of free piano lessons. WITH REGARD to Fin Fahey'sall we have to work out how far Even today, dealers find that the knowledgeable "I only review of Spectravideo's 328to move - say, 50. At the end want a big discount" buyer often needs as much support as personal computer in Practicalof the move we turn through 90 the self-confessed ignoramus. Computing,June1984, I degrees, right or left. would like to point out some The sequence so far is big enough for Gemini's 512Krather glaring inaccuracies in50 UNITS 90 DEGREESRIGHT Missing the Ram disc board. In fact, 1 can'tthis article. where Units replaces the Logo think of a better way to put In the first paragraph, Spec-Forward, and it operates after 80 -Bus togetherareallypowerful,travideoisdescribedasathe event, rather than before; GLYN MOODY'S article on ex-versatile system. Mine is a lotsubsidiaryofColeco.ThisDegreesrightreplacesRight. pandablesystems was veryfaster than the safe but boringstatementistotallywrong.Units andDegreesrightuse disappointing. Has he neverheap IBM sells because you canSpectravideoisHong Kongpostfix notation rather than heard of Nasbus, also knownevenfita32 -bitarithmeticbased manufacturing companyLogo's prefix notation. as 80 -Bus? It has existed sinceprocessor if your applicationswith its international market- We have drawn a side and 1978, has over 28 cards avail-need it. ing headquarters in New York.have made a turn, but to draw a Chris Blackmore, square this sequence has to be able andisusedinseveral The company does manufac- Taunton,ture an adaptor for its machine (continued on next page) differentmanufacturers' Somerset. machines:Lucas-Nascom, Our Feedback columns offer readers the opportunity Gemini and Quantum, to name of bringing their computing experience and problems but a few. Basic Truth to the attention of others, as well as to seek our The amazing 10 Research advice or to make suggestions, which we are always Pluto graphics system connectsTWO ERRORS have been spotted happy to receive. Make sure you use Feedback - it is to 80 -Bus machines. Cards arein my article "Basic Truth", your chance to keep in touch. 8in. square, which is only justpublished December 1983. The

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Feedback

(continued from previous page) infix performed four times: SQUARE (2 + 3)*(4 - 5) Pin 2:transmit 50 UNITS 90 DEGREESRIGHT 4 prefix Pin 3: receive TIMES SQUARE MULT ADD 2 3 SUB 4 and the Timesisa postfix 5 Pin 4: RTS Repeat. What is repeated is theand post fix Pin 5: CTS portion from the beginning of 2 3 MORE 4 5 LESS Pin 7: ground the line, up to the parameter TIMESTOGETHER SQUARE whose value is 4. If there are Iprefer thefirst and third other commands to precede theversions. The firstisuseful repeated action sequence, thenbecause that is the way conven-The RS423 socket on theBBCMicro. possibly we can use squaretional arithmethics works, and brackets to delineate the extentthe third presents tasks in the The Sussex Universityin- least not with OS 1.2 and Basic of the repeated action. Fororder in which we solve them.structions are fine for a local 2. example The prefix form contravenesmicro but for a remote micro Graphics windows must be 35 DL (50 UNITS 90 DR) 4 the task ordering: the last taskthey are incorrect. The correctdefined relative to the current TIMES to be performed is Square, yetconnections are show in thegraphics origin, as can be seen where DL is short for degreesitisthefirsttasktobediagram; you do not need toby examination of the routine left: the names of actions areencountered. short circuit RTS and CTS asstarting at &CA39 in OS 1.2. not chosen for ease of use, they Finally, consider the list 2 3directed. Attempts to define off -screen are merely different to those of4, where we wish to add 1 on to The DIN sockets and plugsco-ordinatesarealwaysig- Logo for illustrative purposes.the value of the first in the list,on some machines and on somenored, even when three out of To construct a procedure tousing postfix cables allow the user to insertfour may be acceptable. VDU draw a square 2 3 4 FIRST 1 MORE ANSWERthe plug into the socket in two29, however, works on the ab- "SIDE USEDBY SQUARE It becomes a simple matter todifferent ways, thus potentiallysolute screen, as can be seen in :SIDE UNITS 90 DR 4 TIMES extract the second element inreversing the connections. its routine starting at &CAA2. FINISH andsotousesquare wethe list, because we start by re- M S Brooks, Adrian Stevenson, 100 SQUARE ducing the size of the list by one City & Guilds of Oxford. The ability of the postfix sy-element using Butfirst: London Institute, stem to provide a coherent2 3 4 BUT FIRST 1 MORE London WC1. ANSWER BBC word system is clear. Take the ex-It is known that this task pro- ample of a child who is askedducesslightproblemswith processing "You have five sweets, theninfix notation, so look at howHome somebody gives you one more.the task is expressed in a prefix accounts WHEN YOU carry reviews of How many will you have?" Wenotation software you have a duty to- can write this as PRINT ADD FIRST BUTFIRST THREE LINES were not wards your readers, many of 51 MORE ANSWER (2 3 4)1 included with the Spectrum whom may rely on reviews in or, equivalently Boris Allan, Home Accounts Budget deciding which alternative to 51 + PRINT Stockport,program published in the buy.I was therefore a little Postfix notation is the logical Cheshire. June issue. They are: concernedtoseeBarbara notation to use: it matches chil- 32let b = 0: let b$ = "O": let Conway's conclusion on the dren's thought patterns, and m$ = "last month" Wordsworth word-processing allows these thought patterns 33DIM c(20): DIM y$(20,5): software - PC, June 1984, to be discussed; also it leads toBBC comms DIM p$ (20,8) 34 let u = 0 saying - "domestic and light greater efficiency on the com-problems businessuserswillnotgo puter because it is more logical. wrong". Postfix notation is used, forWE RECENTLY had some diffi- Ibought Wordsworth for example, in Forth. culties trying to communicate domestic use, and in so doing I In prefix notation, the sweetsbetween the BBC Micro andVDU 24 went badly wrong. The system example would be written in aa Vax usinga multiplexer,THELETTERfrom SJ Stewardis cumbersome and virtually manner somewhat like modem and the Sussex Uni-intheJuneissueof PC,unworkable. It has some ad- PRINT ADD 5 1 versity Workstation chip. Onepurports to show a fault in thevance features, but since the which, I feel, does not have theproblem was that the BBC'soperation of VDU 24, whichbasicsystemissototally same clarity. Prefix notation isRS -423 socket is labelled incor-defines a graphics window, fol-impracticabletheyareef- not sequential;indeed,itis rectly in the BBC User Guidelowing the use of VDU 29 tofectively valueless. anti -sequential at times. Con-and the RTS and CTS pins aredefine a new graphics origin. Evensimplethingslike sider these three examples ofsometimes transposed. This fault does not exist,at (continued on page 13)

PSYCHOLOGICAL HIS FAMLY AND CHANCES CAN FRieNbS MAY Oc..S.AJRligi-feN A FEEL UNABLE PERSON GETS To COMPETE HOOKED ON WITH A MACHINE ComPuTeRS.. FOR AFFECTiON ANDATTENTION..

8 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Hewlett-Packard givesyour computer anew nsofexpression.

What can your plotter give you? You can produce graphics in a whole rainbow of colours - clipping in another pen and another colour is easy. There is a choice of line width and solid colours too. Produce Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Circuit Diagrams, Engineering Schematics, Floor Plans, Axonometrics -any kind of graphic image your computer can produce.

A picture can be worth more than a thousand words. And don't forget that they are compatible with just Computer graphics can convey complicated information at a about any personal computer available today -or likely to be glance -instead of forcing you to plough through tables of data. available in the future. Your personal or professional computer can generate all So find out more about giving your computer a new kinds of graphics -and now, with a new computer plotter from means of expression today. You can see one demonstrated at Hewlett Packard, you can turn those graphics into colourful your local Hewlett-Packard distributor. high quality graphic hard copy in minutes. Or send the coupon below: A diagram to show a complex process or component Send to: FREEPOST, Enquiry Section, Hewlett-Packard Ltd., Eskdale Road, more clearly than a description ever can. Charts to compare - Winnersh, Wokingham, Berkshire RGH OR. to let you spot trends and relationships instantly. I'd like to discover a new means of expression. Please send me more information And if you have presentations or reports to make; on Hewlett-Packard's colour graphics plotters. graphics will help make your point in a way a row of figures NAME never will. Plot onto paper -or onto overhead projection ADDRESS transparency film. Choose either the six -pen graphics plotter with A4 and My personal computer is: A3 capacity, or the 2 -pen A4 model. Both are surprisingly affordable -and they have all the 4-ipHEWLETT quality and reliability you would expect from one of the most LIF PC/02.1 important computer equipment manufacturers in the world. r PACKARD Circle No. 104 A complete workstation for thepriceofa homecomputer.

£239 Computer complete with green screen VDU (GT64) £349 Computer complete with colour monitor (CTM640)

CPC 464 Mott lb I.1fl&I atter 01 *0011. IIIL.. complete with monitor dataEorder It's mouthwatering. valuable prizes and contact with other 64K of RAM, 32K of ROM, a high Amstrad users. resolution green screen VDU, integral Whether you're interested in serious cassette data recorder, typewriter style commercial applications or simply a keyboard, numeric keypad and a very games fanatic, you'll want to join the fast extended BASIC. All for£239. (The Club. CPC464 is also available with a colour CPC464. Unlimited scope for expansion. We've thought of everything you're of the CPC464's high specification likely to need in the future. That's why and speedloading capability. Which there's a built-in parallel printer inter- means even complex programs can be face. A lowcost optionaldisk drive system includingCP/M * (with the op- loaded quickly. Business applications, educational tion to access 3000 programs) and programs and arcade games are all LOGO. Joystick port. And the virtually unlimited potential of the Z80 data bus designed to make maximum with sideways ROM support. use of CPC464's im- Finally, a power supplyand modu- pressive graphics, stereo sound and processing lator (MP -1) allows you to connect your CPC464 green screen VDU system toa abilities. colour TV. CPC464 colour monitor (CTM640) monitor instead of the green screen Amstrad. User Club. VDU for £349 complete). Members enjoy immediate benefits You'd be hard pressed to find a com-like the privilege card, Club binder, parable computer at that price let aloneregular magazine, competitions for the monitor and recorder. And the CPC464 comes complete and User ready -to -go. Just plug it in. AMSTRADclub 64K RAM (42K available). CPC 464 MEMBERSHIP NUMBER The low cost but powerful CPC464 is REGISTERED NAME equally at home in business and educa- Optional disk tional applications as it is running the EXPIRY DATE drive DDI-1 NOT TRANSFERABLE SEE MEMBERSHIP CONDITIONS FOR TERMS OF USE including interface household budget or playing games. CP/M* and LOGO £199.95 With 42K RAM available to BASIC, the opportunities for sophisticated and complex programming are consider- able. 80 column text display. The green screen VDU is purpose designed with a bright, crisp, 80 column text display that compares favourably with systems costing several times as much. Youcanprogramupto8 textwindows and there's a graphics window, too. Optional80columndotmatrixprinterDMP-1operatesatupto5Ocharacterspersecond.CombinedwiththeCPC464, The CPC464 has a typewriter style it offers a high performance text processing system for only £199.95. keyboard, large ENTRY key, sensibly positioned cursorkeys, numerickeypad for fast data entry and a full 8 -bit BOOTS CO WI ffir Dixons AND OTHER character set. COMPUTER Menzies RIIMBELOWS STORES If you think that sounds impressive, STRAD wait until you hear the 3 -voice, 7 -octave 'Trade mark Digital Research stereo output through a hi-fi amplifier ONE GREAT IDEA AFTER ANOTHER 1 I'd like to know more about the new CPC464 complete computer system. and speakers. Please send literature right away. Amsoft. High quality software. NAME ADDRESS A wide range of programs is already available and we're expanding it rap- POSTCODE idly. The software takes full advantage To: Amstrad Consumer Electronics plc, Brentwood House, 169 King's Road, LBrentwood, Essex CM14 4EF. Tel: Brentwood (0277) 228888. PC1 Circle No. 105 For a multi-user business system expandable to 16 screens you used to need a sizeable mini, say from DEC or Burroughs, with a hefty price -tag for hardware and software. with long time -scales. Micro's too small Micros, like Altos, Sage and Rair, 8 -bit or 16 -bit, are doomed by CPU degradation, being based on the time-sharing principle. PCs, like IBM and Apricot/Sirius, just aren't in this league at all, networked or otherwise.

multi-user system.. is just right SuperStar is a multi -processor system in which up to sixteen 16 -bit processors, each with up to 1Mb RAM, are integrated in an attractive desk -top unit. All users can work at full speed in genuine multi-user, multi -tasking mode with full file/record locking and spooling. At half the price of a mini and a give-away price for the world's largest selection of software, SuperStar is just right for any multi-user application. £5975 buys a complete 2 -user high- performance system, with 10Mb winchester and VDUs. Additional users for £995 each, including VDU and processor. Supports all CP/M and MS-DOS programs as well as the wide range of BROMCOM genuine multi- user software.

SuperStar is a trade mark of Bromley 417-421 Bromley Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 4PJ Computer Consultancy. CP/M is a Tel: 01-697 8933Telex 896691 TLX1RG trade mark of Digital Research. MS- DOS is a trade mark of MICROSOFT. OEM, Dealer and Overseas enquiries are welcomed. SuperStar-16 has a 16 -bit Master Processor which runs IMPOS (BROMCOM designed true 16 -bit controlling operating system). IMPOS supports CP/M, MS-DOS and shortly Xenis in slave processors in any combination and it W fully upward compatible with ACTION DPC/OS. Televideo MmmOST and TurboDOS, *Circle No. 106 ADVERTISEMEN I NEW "Feedback GENERATION MULTI- (continued from page 8) laying out a letter,with anWren PROCESSING address at top -right roughly SYSTEM lined up with the right-handdevelopment edge of the text, can only be IMPOS® (IntermixedMulti- I READ Chris Bidmead's achievedbycountinglineevaluation ofthe Wren processing Operating System) is lengths, subtracting from 80 upwards compatiblewith Computer system in the June TurboDOS, Televideoand then tediously typing in 60issue of PC, and would like to MmmOST, Action DPC/OSgaps before typing text. clear up a couple of points that Aftercomparingitwithhave since come to light. Wrens at Thom EMI Dynatel's and MP/M + CP/NETWordwise, which is simplicity software but with a difference. A cover to protect the screenTreorchy plant. itself to use, no truly consci-in transit is supplied with the Itiswritteninthehighly entious reviewer could suggest transportable language C which Wren and has been designed todoes mentionpossiblepro- that anyone should seriouslyhouse cables, discs and quick -duction delays. I am happy to runs in 16 -bit and 32 -bit master consider Wordsworth. In fact, processors with a much higher reference guides. A carryingtell you that production is now I should be interested to knowcaseisalso available as anwell under way, and we have no degreeofperformanceandif there are any satisfied users sophistication. extra, which houses the com-doubt that they will indeed sell of Wordsworth around, apartplete machine. Some changes"by the flock". Further, while others offerfrom the writer of the program. only CP/M80 or CP/M86 com- have been made to the sliding Terry Cartwright, I am so dissatisfied with mymechanism so that there is no Prism Technology patibility, IMPOS® supports adisc version of Wordsworth much wider choice of the most difficulty sliding the keyboard Holdings Ltd, that I would give it to anyonein and out. The production London EC1. popular operating systems forwilling to wrestle with it. theslaveprocessorsi.e. model now has a fan fitted at CP/M8 0, CP/M Plus, Rolf Clayton,the rear of the cabinet. CP/M 8 6 ,Concurrent London NW7. M-Tec (U.K.), which sup- plied BBC Basic (Z-80) for theCardbox-Plus CP/M8 6, MS-DOS andAS A USER of the Merlin Scribe XENIXallworkingsimul- Wren, is also producing a pro-NO, it's not Caxton's Cardbox- sharingcommonword-processing package ongramming manualforthe taneously my BBC Model B, I must take Plus in ROM on the Epson resources. Basic,andissupplyingitPX-8 - see PC July page 67. Barbara Conway to task fordirect. GENUINE MULTI- not being sufficiently enthu- Cardbox is written by us and Gerald Perry,published by Caxton Software; siasticaboutthisexcellent M-Tec, USER system. It is not merely idiot - Cardbox-Plusiswritten and Reepham,published by us, and it ENVIRONMENT proof, thank heavens, but also Norfolk. is a Same genericoperatingof limitless memory and easily specialversion of thisthat system (i.e. Digital Research vsupdated. The latestutilities forms the Portable Cardbox- MicroSoft)withinthesamedisc,version1.31,permits Plus on the PX-8. system have full genuine multi-automaticormanual pageTHE REVIEW Of our Wren Martin Kochanski, user facilities e.g. record / filenumbering, as well as headersExecutive System in the June Business Simulations Ltd, locking. and footers and easy changes to1984 issue of PC,while very Speldhurst, The factthatallpreviousthe printer instructions. positive about the machine, Kent. generationmulti -processing I would encourage anyone softwarewrittenwiththeseeking a versatilefirst-time constraint of 8 -bit instructionword-processingpackageto RML winner sets and, of course, a memoryconsider Merlin Scribe, which WINNER of the RML 480Z Suggested new languages size of 64Kbyte of RAM makesis very comprehensive despite languages competition whichincluded Vocal - Voice them rate very poorly againstits simplicity of use. The back- appeared in PC March and Oriented CommAnd IMPOS® whichhasbeenup from Merlin is excellent: I April issues is Peter McCleanLanguage; Magic - Multi- implemented with16 -bit andreceivedareplacementup- of Bejfast. The prize is a purpose Animated Graphics dated utilites disc free of charge 32 -bitinstructionsetsand disc -based 480Z computer Instruction Code; goal - 1Mbyte of memory space. Ofby return of post. The linked system with peripherals Games Oriented Application course higher processing powerdatabase systemisdue out and software donated Language, and Epilog - is an added bonus. Wide arashortly and will also be obtain- by Research Machines Ltd. Education Programming In networking over Ethernet is alsoable combined with Scribe on a In accordance with Peter's LOG, which was described supported. single chip. TM wishes the prize goes to his as the last word in logic T G Williams, school, the Christian languages. However, Peter SUPERSTAR 16 London SW12. BROMCOM® SuperStar Brothers' Grammar School, McClean's was the best 16TM is the first implementation Glen Road, Belfast. entry, combining the right of IMPOS®. Superstar TM is a Sorry! The correct answers to the answers with a good desk top system with integral questions about sweatshirt slogan, "Take a winchester of up to 80Mbyte \ oust- for the non- programming languages peek inside Practical andatapestreamerof appearance of the August were, in order: E C B B D B Computing" and a plausible 40Mbyte. Slave processors are issue of Practical A ECE. Among the many language acronym. Z80A with up to 128Kbytes or Computing, Volume 7 good sweatshirt slogans The large number of iAPX186 with up to 1Mbyte Issue 8. This wan due to an suggested in the tie -breaker entries we received for the RAM. A totalof16 Slave industrial dispute. were "I was a centrefold in competition has encouraged processorscanbeaccom- Subscriptions will be Practical Computing" , us to arrange more modated in any combination extended by one month, so and many variations on competitions for forthcoming whilethecurrentMaster each subscriber will still the"Programmers do it issues. Meanwhile thanks to processor is an 8086 with up to receive 12 issues of the logically", "Hackers do it bit everyone who entered, and to 1Mbyte of RAM. magazine. bybit" theme. Research Machines Ltd. For more information ring 01-697 8933 and ask for Bob Bartlett. PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 13 16BIT BUSINESS MICRO FROM FROM ONY

MBC 550 .111111 Single 51/4" floppy I disc drive £749 (+VAT) The new Sanyo 16 BIT small business micros...with tremendous potential for businesses of all sizes. 16 BIT 8088 CPU with powerful MS-DOS operating system 128K RAM expandable to 256K Centronics compatible parallel printer port Compact desk top design with detachable keyboard Optional high resolution green phosphor or colour monitor INC. SOFTWARE MBC 550 MBC 555 MBC 555 MS-DOS WORDSTAR MS-DOS WORDSTAR CALCSTAR Twin BASIC CALCSTAR BASIC MAILMERGE INFOSTAR 51/4" floppy disc drives EXTRA FROM ICARUS £999 (+ VAT) * Integrated sales, purchase and nominal ledger * 10 MB external hard disc accounts package available. * The backing of the nationwide Icarus dealer network * Choice of 160K (standard), 320K for application advice and installation. or 640K discs

Full details of the new Sanyo micros on request.

ICARUS COMPUTER SYSTEMS LTD, 39-51 Highgate Road, London NW5. Tel: 01-267 0177.Telex: 264209 Circle No. 107 14 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 News: hardware

Shorts Apricot abundance The Magnum lap -portable is an Australian micro ACT has launched two more running an 80186 processor, models inits Apricot range. with 256K RAM and several The Portable offers an 8086 ROM -based applications. processor, 256K RAM, a 3.5in. Cost is about £2,000. More 720K floppy,80- by 25 -line from the Australian Trade LCD in a two-piece machine Commission on 01-438 8561. weighing131b. together with avoicerecognitionsystem. DEC has cut the cost of a Bundled software includes MS- Rainbow 100B by nearly 20 DOS, voice -driven applications percent to £2,295. The price andanicon -typegraphics includes one year's package. The price is £1,695. maintenance. Details on The other machine is the F1, (0734) 868711. or the First One. This £1,000 A Centronics parallel micro has very similar specif- interface for the QL has icationstothePortable been produced by excluding a screen. The colour Cambridge Systems video output will work withinfraredmouse,whichcanrange, including Supercalc. Technology. The avarietyofmonitorsordouble as a trackball, and is Details of the machines and Q -Pi uses the expansion port television. also available for the Portable.of two local area networks, and costs £75 excluding In addition to RS -232 andBundled software includes MS-Point 7 and Point 32, can be VAT. Details on (0223) Centronicsports,thereis DOS, and threeapplicationobtained from ACT on 021-454 323302. provisionforacordlesspackagesfromtheSuper8585. Dragon Data has been sold to the Spanish company Eurohard. Plans for the backup. The full-size keyboardCommodore company's future Osborne has 10 function keys and four development have not been again special utility keys. MS-DOScomes released, but it seems likely is suppliedwithaword- that production of machines OSBORNE has optimisticallyprocessing package called Newthrough will be in Spain. named itsnew portable theWord. In addition to a bat- Encore, obviously hoping toteryrechargerthereisaMORE DETAILS On the new Oric has gone against the repeatthesuccessofthemains power unit provided asCommodore home micros current trend and increased Osborne 1. standard. described inJuly's Practical the price of the Atmos by The Encoreis IBM com- Pricing is uncertain at theComputingare available. The £20 to £189.95. Oric blames patible, with a CMOS 80086moment becauseoftheCommodore 16offers16K the worsening dollar processor, 128K RAM and anfluctuationsinthedollarRAM, and 32K ROM with the exchange rate. Details on integral 5.25in. floppy. Firstexchange rate, but the standardnewBasic3.5,andcosts (0990) 27641. models incorporated a 16 -linemodel will be under £2,000.£129.99,whichincludesa Disc -drive prices for the by 80 -column LCD, but itisUpgrades with two floppiescassette unit and four games. A RML 480Z have been cut by hoped to use a full 25 line by 80will be available later. specialHelpkeyhighlights 20 percent to £492, and for columns in the final version. More informationfromerrors in input lines. educational establishments Includingrechargeablebatt-Future Management (Portable The CommodorePlus4 to £399. Details on (0865) eries, the micro weighs aboutComputers) Ltd, 38 Tannersoccupiesthesamemiddle 249866. 101b. Drive,BlakelandsNorth,ground between games and Other featuresinclude anMiltonKeynes,Bucking-serious use as the QL. For lnmac offers a serial to integral autodial modem, and ahamshire. MK14 5LL.Tel:£249, the 64K RAM machine parallel converter, costing real-time' clockwithbattery(0908) 615274. comes with Basic 3.5. and the 3 £125. More information on (09285) 67551. Plus 1 suiteof application packages. The Televideo 804 is a The word-processing, multi -tasking system with a spreadsheet,databaseand 10Mbyte Winchester for graphics packages are held on a£3,910. Details on (09327) 32K ROM, and can be accessed 81266. instantaneously.Windowing techniques allow information A three -channel sound fromtwopackagestobe synthesiser for the 'Spectrum displayedsimultaneously. has been produced by Further details can be obtained DK'tronics. More on (0799) from Commodore dealers. 26350. Two more MSX machines have been launched by ICL PC Mitsubishi in Japan. The has added to its range ofmachines offer a basic 32K eight- and 16 -bit micros withof ROM and RAM together the launch of the Model 6. For with 16K of packages in ROM. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 15 News: hardware

(continued from previous page) virtual screen of 25 lines by 80 £1,995, the Model 6 offers ancolumns. End -user prices will 8088 running at 5MHz, withdepend on specific applications Communications 256K RAM asstandardand bundled software. autodial facility, and can expandable to1Mbyte, two Compunet download telesoftware from 782K discs, and two asynch- the Micronet 800 database. ronous serial ports. and The adaptor uses the Bundledinthepriceis Advance RS -423 port and one of the Concurrent CP/M-86 and Compucard sideways ROM sockets for Personal Basic. The system canadvice COMMODOREis launching a the viewdata telecomms be upgraded to the Model 16ALL ENQUIRIESabout the telesoftware service available ROM. Further information and Model 36. Advance 86 micro are being over standard telephone linescan he obtained from Vector Details from ICL, Bridgehandled by W H Smith at the through a modem. Services Marketing, London Road, House, Putney Bridge,followingaddress:John provided include the Denington Estate, Fulham, London SW6 3JX.Rowland, W H Smith & Son Software Park, where Wellingborough, North Telephone: 01-788 7272. Ltd, Strand House, New Fetter commercial software can be Hampshire NN8 2RL. Lane, London EC4A lAD. bought and downloaded, Telephone: (0933) 22895. Telephone: 01-358 0277. and the Jungle where subscribers can download Micronet for Acorns other users' programs as well as uploading their own the 64 coming and Apple cards in an attempt to sell it. MICRON' Iwill be available Other facilities include an for the Commodore 64 from going on the BBC electronic mailbox and August. As well as supplying THE XMEMbackplane for the software that enables a modem, Micronet provides ACORNhas retained the BBC a special plug-in ROM Micro contract for the nextBBC Micro allows up to five viewdata servces to be Apple expansion cards to be accessed. After an cartridge for downloading fouryearsstartinginSep- introductory period, more software from the database tember. It has announced thatused. It also offers 64K of extra RAM. The unit plugs into the retailing and information of Commodore programs. itwillbe concentrating on1MHz bus port, and is run services will be offered. The The cartridge costs £43 Model B production and that excluding VAT. The the BBC Model A will nofrom Basic or a machine -code modem costs £99.99 and program. initially the first year's standard price of £13 per longer be sold from September. subscription to Compunet is quarter is charged for the Acorn hasalsolaunched The cost to end -users will be about£300.Detailsfrom free. Micronet service. anexpansionunitforthe Subscribers have free Micronet has also Electron,which addsaXcalibur ComputersLtd, SpencerHouse, 3 Spencer access in the evenings and at announced a bundled deal Centronics interface, joystick weekends, and many parts whereby for a rental of £11 port and two slots from Acorn-Parade,Northampton NN1 5AB. Telephone: (0604) 21051. of the service are provided per month you get Prestel soft'snewcartridgesoft- without charge. Connection subscription, a Prism ware. The Plus -1 costs £59.90 is via the telephone network; VTX-5000 modem for the including VAT. there are 12 numbers, Spectrum and the The first six ROM cartridges covering the whole of appropriate software. includeSnapper,Starship England. Further Details from Micronet Command,theeducational information can be obtained 800, Telemap Limited, Tree of Knowledge and Lisp. froM Commodore Scriptor Court, 155 Cartridges cost £14.95, except Information Centre. Farringdon Road, London for Lisp which costs £39.95. Telephone: (0753) 79292. EC I R 3AD. Telephone: More informationcanbe Commodore hopes to add 01-278 3143. obtained from Vector a Prestel-like shopping Marketing,LondonRoad, service, Compucard. More DeningtonEstate,Welling- It will also be available via borough,NorthHampshire modems NN8 2RL. Telephone: (0933) a special modem for other micros. After an initial MORE MODEMSare gaining 22895. membership fee of £20 there BT approval. Oric has The Xmem offers five is no further charge. Prices announced a modem for the expansion slots and 64K RAM. of the goods offered are Atmos and Oric 1, costing Epson OEM guaranteed to be the lowest £100 including VAT. Details in Britain, with a refund on on (0990) 27641. lap portable any overpayment. Details The Portman multi -speed NEC office from Compucard on (95) modem from Interlekt offers EPSONisproducing alap - 53553. a range of transmission rates portable machine for OEMssystem from 75 baud to 1,200 baud. only. In design itis similar to The price is £175 excluding the PX-8 reviewed inPractical FOR £995excluding VAT, NEC BBC Prestel VAT. More on (0734) Computing,July1984. End -isofferingits 64K eight -bit PRESTELis now available on 589551. user applications will incorp-PC -8000,a100cpsmatrix the BBC Micro following the More up-market is orate options such as a micro -printer, two 350K disc drives, a launch of the Prestel Inmac's full duplex 1,200 cassette, 16K RAM cartridgecolour monitor and CP/M. adaptor, costing £113.85 baud modem for £565, or an backed by a lithium battery,The previous priceforthis including VAT. The unit automatic dialling version and a 64K ROM cartridge. configurationwas£1,600. plugs directly into the for £745. Details on (09285) The LCD displays eight linesDetails from NEC dealers, or telephone network, has an 67551. of 40 columns, but supports aNEC on 01-388 6100.

16 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 A COMPLETE COLOUR MICRO WITH NO HIDDEN EXTRAS FOR AROUND £499.

The title of 'genius' is not bestowed lightly on man or machine: those extra- ordinary qualities and powers of intellect rT a are rare. 411 a Einstein had them in full measure. 1 e, 1 aPi !.... let s. And so now does the new micro computer from Tatung, designed and built in Britain and appropriately named - Einstein. Einstein was created by Tatung, one - of the world's leading electronic companies, and given the capacity and the remarkable - capabilities to compete with computers costing far more. BUILT-IN EXPANSION PORTS Its simplicity of operation will appeal to the first time buyer Connection to both TV and optional colour monitor, most and to businessmen who don't want to lose staff to expensive and printers and other computers via RS232C interface. Also twin time-consuming training courses. At the same time its operating joystick ports, 8 bit user port, exclusive Tatung Pipe. system is both powerful and sophisticated to satisfy the most BUILT-IN FLEXIBILITY advanced requirements. Powerful Crystal BASIC. Multi-lingual plus ability to run CP/M.t For those who have outgrown their existing primitive BUILT-IN VERSATILE SOUND machine, the speed and capacity of the 500K built-in disc drive will Sound synthesiser facility includes chromatic music with three make all the difference. And for the small businessman, the ability voices. Substantial speaker with volume control. Provision for to store and retrieve all information in seconds will be as important speech synthesiser. as Einstein's built-in flexibility, which allows the system to grow Einstein has them all. Feature for feature, it meets the needs as the business develops. of the novice and the experienced operator, both at home and in BUILT-IN 80K MEMORY the office. Total memory capacity 80K RAM divided into 64K 'user' memory Einstein, designed and built in Britain, is a complete colour and 16K for colour graphics production. micro computer with no hidden extras. BUILT-IN DISC DRIVE And for under £500 is sheer genius. 500K 3" compact floppy disc drive. Potential for massive extra storage with a second 500K disc drive internally. BUILT-IN 16 COLOUR GRAPHICS High resolution graphic animation from 32 sprites (definable shapes), firitein ____1111111111116 vivid colours. SHEER GENIUS: AT WORK, AT HOME. DIAL 100 AND ASK FOR FREEFONE EINSTEIN FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST

Circle No. 108tCP/M is a trade mark of Digital Research Inc. IF IT ISN'T SANYO YOU COULD END UP FEELING LIKE THIS 421strange,somepeople don't knowan awful lot about Sanyo computers. They don't know that Sanyo make a complete range of micros from single 160KB disc drives to twin double -sided, double density 640KB disc drives. They don't know that Sanyo, unlike some manufac- turers, have a vast factory dedicated solely to designing and producing computers, thus ensuring the highest quality. They don't know about the huge range of standard application and specialist software available, let alone the powerful business systems package provided with every Sanyo micro They don't even take the time to fill in the coupon to find out the facts. Some people apparently are going to end up making a bit of amonkey of themselves. n SA NYCO Circle No. 109 SEE SANYQ THEN DECIDE RETURN TO: MARKETING DEPT, SANYO MARUBENI (UK) LIMITED, SANYO HOUSE, 8 GREYCAINE ROAD, WATFORD, HERTS.

NAME COMPANY POSITION IN COMPANY \DIALSS TEL. NO.

COMPUTERS SHOWN: MBC550, AND MBC4050, BOTH WITH 128KB RAM (EXPANDABLE TO 265KB). "No Compromise"with the Sprint 12/20 letter Quality Printer from the World's leaders in word-processing printers

d speed for business and 3. The widest range of easily professional use, interchangeable typefaces in Engineered by Qume for superb the industry print quality and reliability for 4. Uses Qume standard years of every day use Printwheels and Ribbons the - and the price is right most accessible range available Other important features - Accessories include - Optional Forms Tractor and Letter 1. Interface compatibility with Guide Qume (UK) Limited, most popular desktop computers ikagewaterClose, Reading, Berkshire RG31JT. i.e. Serial, Centronics Parallel Backed by flume's proven Tel: Reading (0734) 584646. Telex: 849706 or Qume Sprint 3 World -Wide Sales and Service A British Company of ITT 2. Compact design - user friendlyorganisation

Circle No. 256 News: software Software dispenserShorts Top Spectrum game THEProgram Express EDOS Football Manager is now terminal may soon replace the available for the Commodore racks of software cassettes in 64. Priced at £7.95 including stores like Menzies and Boots VAT, the game puts you in - EDOS standingfor the role of manager of a electronicdistributionof struggling fourth -division software.Builtarounda club. Can you escape dedicated 6809 -based relegation or win the F.A. computer,theterminalcan cup? You make managerial hold up to1,000 programs decisions before each game locally on its built-in 40Mbyte and then watch animated hard disc. highlights in wonderful When you gotobuya Commodore graphics. program the sales assistant will Contact: Addictive, 7A make a copy on the spot with Richmond Hill, the EDOS terminal, which islinkedby phonelinetoa The retailertypically pays Bournemouth, Dorset BH2 capable of producing cassettes,central Hewlett-Packard sys-about £100 a week to rent the 6EH. Telephone: (0202) discs and cartridges in a widetemlocatedinEdinburghEDOS system. More details 296404. range of formats. Every salewhich keeps a record of eachfrom Program Express Ltd, 23 iscarefullyloggedsothesaleaswellasregularly DalmenyStreet,Edinburgh Practicalc Il is a low-cost software house gets paid too. updating therange ofEH6 8PG. Telephone: 031-553 integrated word processor/ Each EDOS terminal isprograms held in the machine. 4709. spreadsheet/database for the Apple Ile and Ilc. It costs £69.95 including the product on sale sometime VAT. Details from Psion has taken advantage of Practicorp Ltd. dBase Ill after Christmas. The priceis the extra memory and real disc ASHTON-TATEhas announcedstill unannounced, but Sinclairdrives of the PC and Apricot to dBase III. Rewritten in the CResearch has indicated thatit improveonthefunctions Dulwich College is holding system programming languagewill be under £100. offeredbytheoriginal QL a second exhibition of to take full advantage of the MeanwhileDatacallerhassoftware. Xchange is priced at educational software and greater computing poweralreadyreleasedaspecialist£495 excluding VAT, with theequipment. To be held at offeredbymodern 16 -bitbusiness package for the QL.packages alsoavailable Dulwich College on October machines, dBase III can handleCalled Microquote, it is aimedseparately from £175. 26 and 27, it is open only to much larger volumes of dataat insurance brokers dealing in Details from Psion Systems teachers - no children. The than dBase the private car market. BrokersLtd, 22 Dorset Square, London main aim is to show teachers The dBase II language hastypeintheanswersto14 NW1 6QG,ortelephone the best of the available been retained, but an interactivequestions about theirclients,Teledata on 01-200 0200 and products, and only selected helpfacilitycalledAssistisand the system then displays aask for Xchange. companies have been invited added to aid the first-time user.listofthelowestquotes to exhibit. Entry will cost £1 Running under MS-DOS 2,calculated from policy details per person at the door or £2 dBaseIIIrequires256Koffrom over 60 insurers. Data - per school in advance. RAM and twin floppies or acaller will be issuing monthlyAmstrad and Contact: Educornp 84, hard -disc system. data updates on Microdrive. Dulwich College, London IBM PC and XT versions Microquote costs£295MSX SE21 7LD. shouldbeavailableimm-including VAT, with updatesassembler ediately,price £495. Existingcosting £43 per month. With a The second Your users can upgrade from dBase IIQL and monochrome monitorKUMAhas released versions of ComputerChristmas Fair is for £130. Details: Ashton-Tatethrown in, the price works outitsestablishedZen Z-80 taking place at Olympia in U.K.Ltd, Cofferidge Close,at£795including VAT.assembler for the Amstrad and London from November 30 Stony Stratford, Milton KeynesContact: Datacaller ComputerMSX home computers. Priced to December 2. Sponsored by MK1 I1BY. Telephone: (0908)Services Ltd, Rodney House,at£19.95includingVAT, Practical Computing'ssister 568866. King Street, Wigan, WN1 2BT.theZenpackagecomprises magazine YourComputer, Telephone: (0942) 496429. assembler,disassembler,text the exhibition concentrates editorand machine -code on home computers and is monitor, andissupplied on open to children. A large QL business cassette.Kuma intendsto number of exhibitors will be QL software release Zen for this year's other showing off their latest software new Z-80 based machine, the games software, and on last BACKING UP Sir Clive Sinclair'sfor IBM Tatung Einstein. year's evidence the fair will claim that the QL is a businessXCHANGE is Psion's full-blown DetailsoffurtherKuma be a good place to pick up machine, Sinclair Research hasversion ofits QL software,releases, including games, for bargain peripherals. More concludedadealtoputrewritten for the IBM PC andthe Amstrad, MSX and Einstein details from Reed Sagesoft's well-known accountsACT Apricot. Scheduled forfrom Kuma Computers Ltd, Exhibitions, Surrey House, 1 programonthemachine.release in September, the fourUnit12, HorseshoePark, Throwley Way, Sutton, Sagesoft is now rewriting thelinkedpackagescover wordHorseshoe Road, Pangbourne, Surrey SM1 4QQ. package to work with the QL'sprocessing, spreadsheet, data-BerkshireRG8 7JW.Tele- Telephone: 01-643 8040. Microdrives, and expect to havebase and graphics. phone: (07357) 4335.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 21 Microwaveannounces a newconcept in IBM sales: The immediately available PC. If you've wasted a lot of time lately ringing IBM dealers only to find they cannot give you a delivery date, try us! We will: Provide the widest range of software support. Newsflash - Offer comprehensive maintenance contracts. Pegasus Links to Multiplan & Delta Take pride in our unparalleled after -sales service. with Analyse and identify your requirements. report generator. Advise on your system needs. Supply and install your equipment.

,-,(11, 11kRI: DATABASE PACKAGES MULTI-USER PEGASUS £295.00 dBASE II- £375.00 Sales Ledger DMS- £195.00 Purchase Ledger Delta- £495.00 Nominal Ledger Everyman- £475.00 Invoicing Knowledge Man --£350.00 Order Processing WORD PROCESSORS Stock Control WordStar -£245.00 Payroll Microsoft Word/Mouse-£340.00 Job Costing Multimate- £340.00 11,\It1)1V.\10; Auditman -£1500.00 Wordcraft- £340.00 Minuteman -£750.00 Word Perfect -£425.00 BASIC SYSTEM OPEN ACCESS -LOTUS EATER Send telexes from IBM PC - IBM Personal Computer Only £475.00 £1750.00 64K RAM, Single sided Disk Drive Database APPLE LINK Spreadsheet Quadlink turns PC into Apple - Keyboard, Screen -£1567.00 3-D Graphics £495.00 IBM Personal Computer Word Processor ARABIC IBM PC 128K RAM, Win 360K Drives *Appointments Diary Conversion to Arabic- £590.00 Keyboard, Screen -£2087.00 Communications Arab Word Processor -£595.00 BUSINESS SYSTEM LOTUS 123-n75.00 PRINTERS FROM £250.00 IBM Personal Computer Database Epson FX-80/FX-100/LQ1500 256K RAM, Twin 360K Drives, Spreadsheet Brother HR15/HR25 Keyboard, Screen - £2299.00 Graphics NEC Spinwriter HARD DISK SYSTEM VARIOUS SELECTION Sheet Feeders Available IBM Personal Computer PC Ilator 2.0-£41.00 Typeface Catalogue Available 128K RAM, 10Mbyte Hard Disk, CBasic- £140.00 *Acoustic Hoods from £295.00 Single 360K Floppy Drive Keyboard, Screen -£4078.00 Pascal/MT+ £420.00 THE PROFESSIONALS Microsoft 'C' £384.00 Full training provided HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD Chess- £61.00 Free 12 months warranty Norton Utilities- £56.00 Additional Cost only £185.00 Backgammon- £35.00 Leasing deals arranged Highly competitive quotations COLOUR SYSTEMS Electronic Disk- £50.00 Long and short term rentals Additional Cost only £405.00 Copy II pc- £29.00

======

MINTOOkli Computer 1CROWARE BUSINESS SYSTEMS 537 Holloway Road London N19 5SS 01-263 1124 Telex 297598

IBM Authorised Dealer 14 Charles Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent 269 883

Circle No. 250 PCBulletin:news Ericsson PC ANOTHER new IBM PC look -400 -pixel graphics, plus special alikeisto be launched oncomms features yet to be an- September10bythe£2.3nounced. Itis being built in billionturnoverEricssonSweden to an Ericsson design, Group, best-known for IBM-unlike the Step One, which was compatible minicomputers andbought in from a Japanese telecommunications. Again itmanufacturer. Projected sales is claimed there will be a fullof the Ericsson PC run into range of six models, with fullhundreds of thousands. operational compatibility with Contact: Ericsson Informa- the IBM. tion Systems, 7 Gresham Street, The Ericsson PC uses an In-London EC2V 7BX.Tel: tel 8088 and has built-in 640- by01-606 0425.

The system can be supplied later, other MS-DOS micros. Easy as Qed with 128K or 256K of RAM,Practicorp's ContactPracticorp,God- A NEW British integrated soft-expandable to 512K on thelow-cost dard Road, Whitehouse In- warepackagedesignedformain board. Two 5.25in. 360K dustrial Estate,, Ipswich IPI managersincludesadiary,floppy -disc drives are suppliedrange SNP. Telephone:(0473) addressbook,daybook,as standard, with a 10Mbyte 462721. calculator,telexformatter,hard disc option. The Mad -1PRACTICORP has launched a forms design and a projectalso includes built-in colourrange of three programs for the planner. The package is calledgraphics,aclock/calendar,IBM PC atunusually lowPC project Qed,for Quantec executivetwo RS -232C ports, Centronicsprices. Practiword, Practibase desktop. parallel printer port, and aand Practicalc IIIcost onlyplanning The packageisfullyin-12in. green or amber screen. £99.95 each. You can buy allMOST managers are involved tegrated,withentriesbeing The Mad -1 comes in two flatthree together for £249.95. Aswithprojectplanningand made via a day book and anboxes, with room for only onethey share a common com-meeting deadlines, whether it events file. The diary is thenIBM expansion card to slot inmand structure,itis claimedbe publishing a magazine or updatedautomatically,andsideways. A third expansionthat the programs can be usedlaunching a new computer or can be printed out. The addressbox can be added to provide aas an integrated system. simply completing a nuclear book allows the printing of ad-further four slots. Practiword and Practibasepower station. So the absence dress labels and, with a suitable Mad comes geographicallywill read and convert WordStarof project management soft- modem, the automatic diallingfrom Santa Clara, California,and dBase II files respectively.ware is strange. of phone numbers. The filingand acronymically fromPracticalc III, developed from Now the IBM PC user has a system offers up to 1,000 filingModular AdvancedDesign.the successful Commodore 64choice of four new packages. categories. The project plannerThe exclusive importer for thepackage,offersa999-byThefirstthreeareproject uses critical -path analysis, andU.K. and Eireis MBS225 -cell spreadsheet with built-managers,availablefrom can handle up to 150 separateMicrotex. Prices start at £2,785in colour graphic facilities andMicrosoft, Hoskyns, and Pete activities. plus VAT for a twin -floppytext processing, making itaand Pam respectively.The Qed costs £195 plus VAT,system with 128K. very powerful package. fourth is the integrated pack- but you do need a modem to Contact MBS Microtex, While the IBM PC versionsage, Qed. make the best use of it. 119-120 HighStreet,Eton,have comefirst,Practicorp Microsoft Project is an at- Contact Quantec Systems,Windsor, Berkshire SL4 6AN.planstomake therangetractive product, mainly be- 230/236 Lavender Hill, Lon-Telephone: (07535) 68171. available for the Apricot and,cause it looks and works just don SW11 1LE. Telephone: likethefamiliarMultiplan 01-223 7672. spreadsheet, but with a built-in calendar.Itis, intended for planning,schedulingand budgeting, and carriesover Mad -1 Multiplan'svaluable"what THE MAD -I claims both to be if?" facility. Data can be ex- fully compatible with the IBM changed with Multisoft Chart PC, and to offer significant for graphing. Microsoft Pro- improvements. It uses the Intel jectrequires a minimum of 80186 chip instead of the 8088, 128K of RAM and costs £199 and has a maximum graphics plus VAT. resolution of 720 by 350 pixels Hoskyns' offering iscalled instead of 640 by 200. Mad -1, the Intel 80186 -based 16 -bit micro from MBS Microtex. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 23 PCBulletin: news

(contiued from previous page) people to use the same PC, as theProject Manager Work- long as each has their own bench.Itisbasedona terminal. Gannt chart, integrated with a The U.S. price of Starlink is resourcespreadsheetand $1,650. European prices and dependency network diSplay. availability will be announced The screencan bescrolled this autumn. horizontally orverticallyto ContactDigitalResearch show up to 19 weeks or months (U.K.) Ltd, Oxford House, ofscheduling.Itcanalso OxfordStreet,Newbury, answer "what if?" questions. BerkshireRG131JB.Tel: The price of £1,250 plus VAT (0635) 35304. includes one year's support. The Harvard Project Manager is an American pro- duct from Harvard Software Hercules Inc.,imported by Pete and goes colour Pam.Itusescritical -path THE HERCULES graphics card analysis and program evalua- became popularbecauseit tionand review techniques,The Otrona 2001 transportable micro. enabled you to run mono- withabuilt-incalendar chrome graphics on the stan- feature.You planprojects Other optionsincludeansamples start to flow from thedard IBM monitor, and thus graphicallyusingmilestones8087 co -processor, and a ZilogIBMfactoryinGreenock, run Lotus 1-2-3 without buying and nodes, then print out aZ -80B for dual processor eight -Scotland. a colour monitor. But if you map of the final project, aand 16 -bit operation, a nylon The entry-level price of thewant colour,Hercules now schedule, a detail report, and acarry -case and a 3.51b. batteryPPC is £1,704 plus VAT for amakes a board that supplies it. status report including excep-pack. single -floppymodel without Advantages of the Hercules tions such as tasks likely to be Otrona Advanced Systemskeyboard. The keyboard, with Colour Card over the IBM late.TheHarvardProjectearned a good reputation for itsit special recess for the connec- equivalent are that it provides a Manager costs £349 plus VAT.verysmallbutexpensive parallel printer port, a light pen Contact:MicrosoftLtd,Attache portable, which was interface, and it takes up only a PiperHouse,HatchLane,toted around by the likes of half slot rather than a full-size Gary Kildall but never sold of- Windsor, Berkshire. expansion slot. The priceis Telephone:(07535)59951.ficially in the U.K. The 2001 is £199 plus VAT. Hoskyns Group Ltd, Africabeing sold by a new U.K. com- Contact Reflex Ltd, Well- House, 64/78 Kingsway, Lon-pany, Puma, at fairly attractive ington Industrial Estate, Bas- don WC2B 6BL. Telephone:prices: £2,155 plus VAT for the ingstokeRoad, Spencers 01-2421951.P&P Microfloppy -discsystem,and Wood, Reading.Telephone: DistributorsLtd, New Hall£3,3550 plus VAT with the (0734) 884611. Hey Road, Rossendale, Lan-hard disc. cashire BB4 6JG. Telephone: Contact Puma Ltd, West- (0706) 217744. wardHouse,LeighLane, ing cable, clips on to the front Bramshall,Uttoxeter,Staf-of the PPC to form its base.Ultrapak fordshire. Telephone: (08893)Since it has a different connec- Otrona 2001 3082. torfrom thestandard PCTHE ULTRAPAK expansion AFTER the portable and the keyboard,youcanhardlyboard offers a 132 -column by transportable, Otrona has in- avoid buying one for £185 plus44 -character display, as well vented a new type of micro, theIBM portable VAT. asthestandard80 -column convertible. IBM's PPC isinpartadisplay, so you can see more of The Otrona 2001 is a trans-ONLY a few months after theresponsetothesuccessofyour Lotus 1-2-3 or Multiplan portable micro that looks likeU.S. launch, IBM's own por-the Compaq transportable.spreadsheet. no other, but claims full opera-table version of the IBM PCWhether it can dent Compaq's Italsoprovidescolour tional compatibility with thehas been announced inthesales at such prices remains tographics, a Centronics parallel IBM PC. It features an IntelU.K. be seen. printer port, an RS -232C serial 8088, 128K of RAM expan- The Portable Personal Com- Contact yourlocal IBM -port,a clock calendar and dable to 640K, and a tiltableputerhasafive -slotmainauthorised dealer. VT -100terminalemulation. built-in 7in. amber screen. Discboard with an Intel 8088 pro- The price is £575 plus VAT. options include one or twocessor and 256K of RAM, ex- Contact MBS Plus, 119-120 half -height 5.25in. floppies orpandable to 512K.Ithas a High Street, Eton, Windsor, a 10Mbyte hard disc with shockbuilt-in 9in. amber display, and DR Starlink BerkshireSL4 6AN.Tel: mounting. one or two half -height 5.25in. DIGITAL RESEARCH hasjust(7535) 68171. attassissio Asatransportable,the360Kfloppy -discdrives.ItlaunchedStarlinkinthe Otrona measures 7in. by 15in.measures 20in. by 17in. by 8in.,U.S.A. It converts an IBM PC by l4in. and weighs about 191b.weighs 301b., and comes with aor XT into a multi-user system. with one drive. carrying bag. It comprises an expansion card When the built-in screen is The switchable power supplywith its own 8088 CPU and 64K flat and covered over, an op-meansitcancopewithof RAM and the Concurrent tional 12in. mono or 13in. col-110/1I5V and 50Hz or 60HzDOS version of CP/M. The our monitor can be stood onmains power. system requires 512K of main top of the system, providing a Initial supplies of the PPCmemory, and a hard discis configurationresemblingawillbesuppliedfromtherecommended. standard desk -top machine. U.S.A.,untilproduction Starlink enables up to five

24 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 INTERNATIONAL(agg,

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Circle No. 248 Printout extra T4 still topmouse John Billingsley reports on the British heats of the 1984 Euromouse contest. IT SEEMED a good idea at the time. In puts on a burst of speed. In 2min. 8s. it Madrid, a slick mouse ran to the centre found the centre the first time, then on the time after time in 31.4 seconds - until the next run in 57 seconds untouched. judges decided that it had become boring. Then the probelms started. Knownaim To make things more exciting, how about had found the shortest route, and covered adding one second to the best time for it in a mere 40 seconds, but it needed help each minute used of the15 minutes on one corner. Another run, and the same allowed for repeat runs? In the Euro- thing happened again. On each run, a mouse British finals at the Earls Court valuable minute was lost, adding a second Computer Fair the problem became clear. to the final score. Professor John Coles and Thea Coles Should Woodfield persevere in the hope of a clear run, or should he cut his losses came to judge the novice finals. As a past Alan Dibley receives his prize. President of the Institution of Electrical and hope that a score of 57 plus 7 seconds Engineers Professor Coles looked for asister magazines, while Fullyautomatixwould beat T4? The strain was beginning high standard in the mice. Alan Dibleytook away the third prize of a Micro Padto tell on Woodfield and on the mouse. added his experience as the creator of theprogrammable joystick interface. Twice the mouse started by running askew greatest number of mice. On Sunday, Finals day, Dibley's T4 andinto a corner, and he made a snap decision Tritac was the first mouse to run - butT5 started limbering up against Daveto retire with a score of 57 plus 8 seconds. not very far. LEDs twinkled and motorsWoodfield's Knownaim. All three are T4 set off, whipping around corners, led whirred, but the first corner was too muchtricycles of various sorts, and all show aby its black paper sensor shade. Three for it. Fullyautomatix came next but hadbrisk turn of speed on corners. Miketimes it ran foul of the walls and had to be to be withdrawn early. Boris arrived, andWestbrook, Chairman of the Computingrestarted, though learning more of the departedinhaste to perform runningand Control Division of IEE, came tomaze all the time. On the fourth run it repairs under the three -minute rule. judge and was joined by Chris Hipwell, reached the centre in 50 seconds, with only publisher of Practical Computing. five minutes spent. Dibley retired and the Thezeus now came in and ploddedcontest was over. Maze strategy around, curtseying on the corners, to Now Jerry took to the maze. A smallreach the centre in over nine minutes. ItNext stop Japan? furry creature with mechanical sensors, itwas stillhappily exploring the distant displayetI a good grasp of control theoryreaches of the maze when time ran out, Alan Dibley is now the proud owner of as it negotiated corners and straights withand the 15 -second penalty did not seem toanOric Atmos 48K computerwith ease. Correction was performed by a briefmake much difference to its achievement.membership of the Oric club. He will also reverse pulse on the appropriate motor, WithThezeusinthebackground,receive£300 from Oric towardshis and the resulting performance holds greatDibley displayed the finer points of T5. Intravelling expenses to represent Britain in promise. Unfortunately, maze strategypractice, T5 had not run quite staight.the Copenhagen European Finals at the was entirelylacking:having found aSome of the glue which fixed on theEuromicro conference in August. From serious glitch in the processor, the teamdriveshaft had penetrated into the bearingsthere the next stop could be Japan. had disconnected it. and a strip -down was needed. David Woodfield received £50 from Bill Urmenyi's Gonzales - no longer Thumper hadoverexerteditselfinPractical Computing, and the runner-up's Speedy but much more steady - turned inpractice, having reached the centre of abrass cheese. Alan Dibley insisted on a time of 3min. 16s. during practice butsimpler maze in57 seconds. Now itsharing with Bill Urmenyi the third prize was beset by indecision when its turnbehaved erratically with apparent batteryof £30 worth of books from Sunshine came. It performed an about-face moved atrouble, announcing "Back to squarePublications, while James Chidley and square or two, dithered and turned backone" as it slewed into a wall. Derek Hall seemed pleased to carry off a again - and again, and again. Apparently Itsplace was taken by Knownaim,copy each of my book, DIY Robotics and lockedintoaboutof , sentryduty,David Woodfield's sleektricycle withSensors. Gonzales was about to be lifted out for aaforward -mounted sensor boom. Now that it has been seen in action, the restart when it set off in another direction.Whenever it has reconnoitred a straight, tone -second -per -minuteruleseemsless Alas, indecision won out in the end, and If you are thinking of building a successful than had been hoped. It would Gonzales failed to reach its goal. micromouse of your own, write to John be a great pity to hazard the performance Gonzales did, however, win the Acorn Billingsley, Department of Electrical of a mouse representing months or even Electron firstprize,together with the Engineering, Portsmouth Polytechnic, years of effort on a snap decision made mounted piece of brass cheese.Jerry Portsmouth P01 3DJ for a copy of the under great pressure. The rule must go, carried off the second prize of £50, competition rules and dimensions of and the judges relied on to throw off any donated by Practical Computing and its the mouse and the maze. mouse which has become boring.

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 29 SON B Commodore Business Computer Systems

No

......

Adda Computers, London's leading Commodore dealer is offering a very special package deal' for Business. This is 710B computer with 128KB of memory, integral swivel your opportunity to get the hardware, software and peri- tilt monitor and detachable keyboard, 8250 dual floppy pherals that your company needs at an enormous saving. disk drive with 2 megabytes of disk storage capacity and the 1361 high speed dot matrix printer, plus cables, plugs We've packaged two systems to cover every -size of and 3 software packages (Superscript word processing, business. And each system is complete with SUPER- Superbase filing system and Calc Result spreadsheet). SCRIPT word processing, SUPERBASE filing system and the CALC RESULT spreadsheet program. Normally £3,484* Now £1,995 YOU SAVE £1,489 Come along to Adda and see the business systems and software on offer being demonstrated. We will also show 710B computer with integral monitor, 8250 dual disk you how, by adding the hugely successful PEGASUS drive, 6400 daisy wheel printer, plus cables and 3 software accounting system, you can rapidly transform your packages (as above). business accounting procedures, speeding up invoicing, improving stock control, reducing outstanding balances Normally £3,854* and providing regular management accounts. Now £2,495 YOU SAVE £1,359 * When bought as separate items All prices exc. VAT. If all this is not enough - if you are within 25 miles of our West London offices we will, FREE OF CHARGE, To: Adda Computers Ltd.. Unit 8, 1-7 Broomfield Road, deliver and install the system, give one days intro- West Ealing, London W13 9AP. ductory training and provide warranty service on -site. Please send me details of the Commodore 700 special offers. This offer gives you an ADDITIONAL SAVING OF UP I am interested in: 111 AccountingO Word processing Database TO £2751 (If purchased before 31st August, 1984.) CI Spreadsheet Circle No. 255 CALL US TODAY ON Name 01-997 6666 Title or return the coupon for further details. Company Address

Tel. No ANALOGUE MEASURING >NEXT MONTH UNITS FOR THE BBC MICRO AND EPSON PX8 >PIRTIFIcIAL EXCET EMU3 MONITORING UNIT(not PX8) £86.00 Measures temperature, light, resistance, power, INTELLIGENCE volts, current and time. (Leads and probes supplied) ESP, machine intelligence, natural language, Lisp, Prolog, Logo... is AI a dream or a nightmare? In E.C.G. HEART/PULSE MONITOR £86.00 the October issue special section we look into the Displays E.C.G. trace, both visual and audio pulse history of AI research, what's happening today in rate and personal details. fields such as expert systems, and how it could (Leads, pads and gel supplied) affect tomorrow. GAS DETECTOR INTERFACE (not PX8) £65.00 Measures concentration in p.p.m. of 6 different gases. >REV I EWS (Supplied with gas sensor in holder) A new, powerful British 80186 -based micro from PRESSURE TRANSDUCER INTERFACE £55.00 Casu hits the benchtest. We'll also be catching up ( ± 1 -1 000 p.s.i. I with ACT to provide an overview of the new Displays in p.s.i., N M2 or atmospheres. Specify range. machines. Plus, reviews of three IBM look-alikes, (Transducers extra) the Taiwanese -made Aviette PC -16, the Scottish - made PCi from Future Technologies, and the ITT P.H. PROBE INTERFACE £55.00 Xtra. For BBC owners we'll be reviewing the (0-1 4ph) languages available for this micro, plus Spectrum Uses R.S. standard PH probe and powders. (PH probe and powders extra) games and Atari books.

STRAIN GAUGE £55.00 Elasticity or compression up to 1 % strain. >AND MUCH MORE! (Strain gauge supplied) David Levy, fresh from his triumph against the FREQUENCY METER INTERFACE (not Cray, starts an important new series with an article PX8) £55.00 simulating human analysis with strategy games. (0-200Hz, 0-2kHz, 0-40kHz) Accuracy <0.5% For those who want to win friends and influence (Leads supplied) people, Andrew Brimble provides a program listing for personality testing, while for Commodore 64 OSCILLOSCOPE (not PX8) £86.00 programmers, Mike Hart presents a utility to (Response DC & AC to 5kHz or above) facilitate structured programming. Three ranges:- 0-1 OmV; 0-1 V; 0-10V Plus there will be our usual full range of features, (Leads Supplied) news, regular columns, free software in Open File and much, much more. All units are extremely accurate and have fully supporting software on 40 or 80 track disc or Make sure you don't miss the October issue of tape.Allwith a screen dump facilityand audio/visual variable alarm levels. Display is in graphical form, extra -height characters or tabular display with variable sample rate from 0.1 secs to 1,000 hrs with print out option. All prices exclusive of V.A.T.

BITS & BYTES 44 FORE STREET ILFRACOMBE On sale at W H Smith and all good newsagents NORTH DEVON after 19 September Tel: (0271) 62801 Contents may vary due to circumstances beyond our control and are subject to change without notice.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Circle No. 252 31 DOT MATRIX PRINTERS BBC MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEM BUSINESS SYSTEMS WE ARE AN OFFICIAL BBC COMPUTER DISTRIBUTOR DEALER ENQUIRIES ARE WELCOMED Acorn Electron £199 WE SUPPLY FREE 30 HOUR BASIC BOOK AND A DUST COVER WITH EACH COMPUTER

ALL PRINTERS HAVE CENTRONIC PARALLEL INTERFACE UNLESS 'Ito< ROM 8 modes of uberatronhill tio our hill vite keyhoarg internal OTHERWISE STATED. ALL PRINTERS HAVE HIRES. DOT epansions such as disc interface Wee,. syrdnr,,er Econet interface ADDRESSABLE GRAPHIC MODE. PLEASE SEND SAE FOR In snort itis a personal cOM1,1,, capahm 01 tikeanMnd ,inn a sm.. FULL DETAILS. BBC Mtcrocompttier Model B £348 VAT £399 BBC Mod B -disk interface £409 VAT £469

EPSON BBC Mod BEconet tnlerfacp (389 VAT £447 & pin teed 1344 VAT £395 FX 80 160 CPS IT wide kir. BBC Mod 8 - disk and Econet interlaces (450 VAT £517 FX 100 160 CPS 15' wide Inc & tract feed £431 VAT f495 BBC 1006 o.sk dove £230 VAT £264 £261t VAT £299 RX80 F T 100 CPS 10" wide loot &tract feed BBC duel 5006 disk drive £699 VAT £803 RX8OT 100 CPS 10- wide tractor teed £234 VAT £269 Torch 280 disk pack minding Z80 2nd L01500 200 CPS Letter gualily ter erocessor 641 RAM and CPN operating APRICOT - SIRIUS - SANYO VAT £33 8143 RS 23 Interface for FX and OX printers (29 --rotem Free Perfect Sottware £696 VAT £799 8148 RS232 Interface with 2K belle( non xolf £60 VAT £69 BBC Teletext receive eArigi £196 VA I £225 IBM - TEXAS - TORCH Ribbon Cartridge fra RX80 FX80 & MX80 L7 VAT £7 BBC cassette recorder and lead £26 vA, £29 Ribbon Cartridge for FX 100 & MX100 £12 VAT £13 Disk interlace kit thee titling, 84 VAT £96 Mod A to Mod B ripgrade kit 70 VAT E80 STAR Erging Charge tor A to 13 pomade kit £20 VAT £23 APRICOT Portable Executive Computer '16 Bit Micro 256K RAM u t Gemini 10X 120 CPS 107 wale fob & tract feed £200 VAT £229 16K memory upgrade kit £30 VAT £34 1 44 megabytes floppy disk storage 3'' Sony diskscr Portable brief cased Gemini 15X 120 CPS 15" widef nal & tract £295 VAT £339 Games paddles £11 VAT 112 styling Modem with auto dialler (optiorall hard disk optional Vast software Delta 10 160 CPS 10" wide loot & tract teed £327 VAT £375 12 Monochrome monitor in cahie £89 VAT f102 Abrary (compatible with Sinus 11 14 cabicr n Delta 15 160 CPS 15" wide trier & tract feed £414 VAT f475 Colour monitor Intl (199 VAT £22 pricot with Single Drive and Mohler £1690 VAT Radix -10 200 CPS. NLO 16K Buffer Par & User guide £10 VAT EIO Apricot with Double Drive and Monitor and serial interlace downloadable characters Econet interface if ree f !Minor £60 VAT £69 Free Printer or 2nd Monitor £1890 VAT incredible value al £431 VAT £495 Spch interlace tree Mono. (47 VAT £54 Radix -1515" wide version of Radix -10 £518 VAT £595 BBCee disk mantra, - tormatrag disk £30 VAT £34 Parallel printer cable E10 VAT £11 SANYO PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER BBC word processor iviewi £52 VAT £59 16 Bit Micro 128K RAM expandable to 256K Single or Double Disk Drive SEIKOSHA built in full colour graphics 1640 x 200 prxels in 8 colours) IBM compatible. E156 VAT £179 BBC Fourth language cassette I15 VAT £17 GP100A 50 CPS 10" wide tractor teed BBC Lisp language cassette £15 VAT £17 Free software Sanyo MBC 550 128K RAM single drive and f rod Yogwrxre GP250X 50 CPS la wide ,rat feed ser & par £196 ,VAT £225 Including_ Wordstar and Calcstar VAT E199 GP100VC 30CPS 10" wide. VIC 20 & 64 inter) £174 VAT Sanyo MBC555 128K double drive and free software motor ' GP500A 50 CPS 10'wide tractor feed 187 VAT £215 APPROVED ECONET SERVICE CENTRE Calcstar Inforstar Datastar etc t999 a- VAT GP550A 50 CPS 10" wide friction A tract WE STOCK A LARGE RANGE Of SOFTWARE FOR BBC MICRO £234 , VAT £269 INCLUDING ACORNSOF T BBC SOFTWARE LONGMANS SOFTWARE correspondenequalit SIRIUS 1 Sirius1 Computer with 128K RAM and 12 megabyte Floppy GP1OOAS Serialal interfayce ideal for Spectrum PLEASE SEND LARGE STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE £174 VAT £199 FOR FULL DETAILS disc storage including CP'M 86 MS DOS and with rnicrodrive Microsoft Basta £2195 VAT SHINWA CP80 80 CPS. ItY wide archon & tract feed £187 VAT £215 Spare ribbon cartridge for CP80 £6 VAT £6 ncludingC CP'ul1r86wAig 6iSK&Rfl'I'd'rOr'gE'1ars"1""te Floppy V9V:"V27-

RITEMAN TORCH Z80 2nd PROCESSOR TORCH £200 VAT £229 GESSO COMPUTER with colour monitor includes Twin 400K disks Torchnet Compact 120 CPS 80 col toot & tract feed Operating System free perfect software (perfeCt writer Perfect speller For only £347 VAT perfect tale perfect filer) Torchmad Plus (Electronic Maill Torch Mars CANON (Financial modelling with graphrost Torchtel (Viewdata Access System) PW1080A 160 CPS 10' wide 27 CPS NLO Executixe Aid Mena System) ...... werful Word £283 VAT £325 Torch 2nd Pro, 24 x 16 matrix , , Datel 600 (Link to outside mainframe services le ) k .i Id have used PW1156A 160 CPS 15 wide 27 CPS NLO ProCeSsori pert, r 11), mnefor making Mrs advert.. Peltedfder (A Database Ptogram) Perfect Telecom Gold) £2950 VAT 24 x 16 matrix £347 ,VAT E399 Cale Spread Sheet;It includes 64K memory Almost 60K available to user F Is inside BBC Computer TEXAS INSTRUMENTS PROFESSIONAL COMPUTER COLOUR PRINTERS TI 502 Dual 320KB Drives 256K RAM Up to 10 megabyte on board storage 3471 VAT £399 Seikosha 007006 7 colour 50 CPS printer /80 2nd Process - Perfect Software £347 VAT £399 Cr4"antebdTg,7bacZcr.',7,10V user Canon PJ1080A 7 colour 40 CPS ink let printer £391 VAT £449 computingaAlllo 011 Prooemao Porter, SoftwareDual 800K CPP40 40 column 4 colour battery operated {118 VAT £135 £695 VAT £799 !Optional) Price £2650 VAT MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS ARE AVAILABLE. ALL OUR PRINTERS HAVE 1 YEAR WARRANTY GUARANTEED LOWEST PRICES DAISYWHEEL PRINTERS COMPLETE WORDPROCESSING 1000/0 BBC COMPATIBLE MITSUBISHI SYSTEMS AND TEAC SLIMLINE DISK DRIVES INCLUDING DAISYWHEEL PRINTER From £695VAT

JUKI 6100 20 CPS BeDirectional Logic seeking 10 12 15 CP1 PS Spacing 2K buffer hex lling Daisywheel 1349 VAT £395 Singer sheet leader end £217' VAT £249 Tractor Unit E95 , VAT £109 RS 232 Interface £52 VAT £59 Spare Daisywheel El7 VAT £19

BROTHER HR -15 13 CPS Bi-directional. 10.12 15 CP1 PS £344 VAT £395 Keyboard Unit E139 VAT £159 1 hese drives are supplied ready cased with all thonecesary cables Single Sheet Feeder Unit £2t7' VAT £249 toimating program and User Guide Tractor Unit £95 - VAT £109 There are some very uselul Writhes included on forrnaling disc e g DISASSEMBLER This is 6502 machine code disassembler SYSTEM 1BBC Micro model B Wordwise. Phoenix monitor. Smith Corona DAISY STEP 2000 DUP To cOlay and rename a file 0,1 disc TP1 Daisywheel Printer Cassett Recorder - all the necessary cables and 20 CPS Unidirectional 10 12 15 CP1 £260 VAT £299 FORMAT Forrnating program for 40 & 80 tracks FREE This provides a disk usage analysts documentation £696 - VAT - E799.25 MDUMP Enables you to display and modify any pan of BBC rrIrrno, SMITH CORONA TP1 MERGE Merge a number of text files into one file SYSTEM 2. BBC Micro model 8 Disk Interface Phoenix Monitor. 1001( 12 CPS 10 12 CP1 to-imam:Immo 1:)08 vA. t £239 RELOCATE Downloads a basic program to &E00 Single Disk Drive Wordwise. Smith Corona Daisywheel Printer SDUMP Screen dump fur EPSON in all graphic modes all the necessary cables and documentation VERIFY verifies every sector on a disk Price only L895 VAT -£1029.25 MENU A flexible menu program SYSTEM 3. BBC Micro model B Disk Interfade. Phoenix Monitor. Dual PROFESSIONAL Single drive 100K 40 Irks singie Sided E147 ' VAT £169 Disk Drives 200K Wordwise- Smith Corona Daisywheel Printer all the Dual drive 200K 40 irks single sided £286 VAT £329 necessary cables and documentation Single drive 200K 40 Irks double Wed £173 VAT £199 Price £999 VAT £1148.85 MONITORS Dual drive 400K 40 Irks double sided £330 VAT £379 Single drive 400K 80 irks double sided £199 VAT £229 SYSTEM 4. BBC Micro model Disk Interface. Sanyo High -Res Green Single drive 4006 40 80 Irks switchable DS £217 VAT £249 Monitor. Wordwise (or view) Juki 6100 Daisywheel Printer Single 400K Deal drive 800K 80 Irks double sided £382 VAT £439 Disk Drive all the necessary cables and documentation Dual drive 8001 40 80 Irks switchable IDS `SANYO - VAT £469 £1049 VAT £1206.35 mi above doves are low power stimline (0 3 A typ at,12y and 0 4 A at 5, SYSTEM 5. BBC Mod B Micro Disk Interface. Sanyo High Res Greer, WICROVITEC Per drivel Normally extra power suppty is not required the BBC Computer Monitor Wordwise for view) Juki 6100 Daisywheel Printer. Dual Disk Drive 8006 all the necessary cables and documentation 1417CIPSIfOrS'AIN'T,liq,741;'84183O1d"ve NOT Price (1195 VAT - £1374.25 'FIDELITY 40 Track SS 00 disketts 110 Boxi £18 VAT E20

10 Track DS DD disketts (10 'Boxl £23 - VAT £26 `PHOENIX 80 Track SS DD diSkettS (10 Ron, C28 VAT f32 SYSTEM 6. Sanyo 16 Bit. IM6 pc Compatible Micro. 1286 RAM Sinetlegi816 Track DS DO disketts 110 Boll £30 VAT f34 Drive 160K Wordstar.Cali Star Sanyo High Res Green Monitor Juki AL L ABOVE DISKETT ARE CERTIFIED EITHER MEMOREX OR DETALIFF Daisywheel Printer all cable and cdocumentatione Only £1145+ VAT = £1316.75 SANYO Greco screen 18 MHZ Hi -Res DM8112 12 £05e ' £99 SYSTEM 7. Sanyo 16 Bit. IBM pc Compatible Micro 128K RAM. Dual Disk DM2112 12' Green screen 15 MHZ Monitor £66 vAT £75 Drives 3606 Wordstar Cale Slay Mailmerge. Intostar Spellstar Datastar. CD3I2S 14' OCR Normal Res Colour Monitor £173 VAT £199 VAT Sanyo High Res Green Monitor. Juki 6100 Daisywheel Printer and all CD3117 14' RGB Medium Res Colour Monitor £286 £329 YOUR CONTACTS AT AKHTER ARE necessary cables and documentation CD3115 14' RGB High Res Colour Monitor £391 y'AT £449 Price E1395VAT = E1604.25 MICORVITEC CUB DEALER 'BULK ENOUIRIES HAMAYUN MUGHAL 1431 MS 14' RGB Normai Res COI., Monitor (173 VAT £199 SYSTEM & All the componentS of System °but with Sanyo High Res Colour 1451 MS 14) RGB Medium Res Colour Montt., £321 VAT £369 TELEPHONE ORDERS PAULA HAVES Monitor and VVordstar with Colour Facilities 1441 MS 14' RGB High Res Colour Monitor 1417 VAT £479 DEALER ORDERS TONY GLOVER Price £1445+ VAT = 1661.75 BUSINESS SYSTEMS ENQUIRIES DENNIS SUTCH SYSTEM 9. All the coponts of System 7 but with Sanyo High Res Colour FIDELITY Colour Monitor EXPORT ENQUIRIES MAHAMAD EDIB CM14 14 RGB 9080 Composite sound col 18- VAT £215 Monitor and Wordstamr withne Colour Facilities ECONET SYSTEM TECHNICAL ENQUIRIES ALAN LAFFOLEY Price £1695+ VAT = 61949.25 PHOENIX ACCOUNTS CARON ANDREWS WE CAN ALSO SUPPLY PACKAGES WITH COMPONENTS OF YOUR Phoenix High Res I2 -Green Monitor t66 VAT £75 DESPATCH PAUL SWIFT Phoenix High Res 12 Amber Monitor Dia VAT £79 OWN CHOICE. PLEASE PHONE (0279) 412639 AND ASK FOR REPAIRS JOHN MAULE HAMAYUN MUGHAL FOR A PRICE

ORDERING INFORMATION: Access We accept ottimal order:, Iron UK Government and Education at& establishments Carriage is Free (UK only) for normal deliveryIf express delivery is required please add £8 00 VAT per parcel We accpet telephone on BarayandAccessCard pleasNSTiner g (0279) 443521 110 lines) All chequesmadepayable to'AKHTER I RUMENTS 1*W-1-TEREDIT1PUTEFi OROUP VISA N.B. ALL VAT INCLUDED PRICES ARE THE CORRECT PRICES. 11111111111111111 EXCL. VAT PRICES HAVE BEEN ROUNDED UP TO NEAREST POUND 2829BURNT MILL HARLOW, ESSEX CM20 2HU U.K OPENING HOURS: MON-FRI 9am-6.30pm. SAT 10am-5pm Tel HARLOW (0279) 443521Telex 818894 AKHTER G We welcome callers, no parking problems.

Circle No. 249 No, we're not exaggerating. characters and two levels of brackets.state drives concealed under its pro- Thanks to the Psion Organiser (that's Entries are typed in and displayedtective sliding case. the one on the right), you can now walkthe way you would write them. These matchbox -sized units are key around quite comfortably with a com- Moreover, you can go back and editto the open-ended power of the puter in your pocket. You can travel both data and formulae, even after theOrganiser, allowing you to create and on a bus without taking up two seats.calculation has been carried out. use an infinitely large personal and Or stroll through arevolving door So it's simple to correct entry mistakespermanent information base on 8K with confidence. and perform "what if" calculations. and 16K datapaks. In fact, you'll be carrying an expand- In addition, the time and date are Two 16K datapaks together give a able computer system with total storage of over 40,000 a microprocessor that's instantly accessible characters. significantly more advanced Additionally, either size of than those commonly found datapak can be used in con- in micros costing 20 times junction with any program as much. pack to produce unbeatable Unlike some of its larger processing power in your counterparts, however, the pocket. Organiser's simple language Comprehensive software and command structures ptograms. make it very easy to operate. Available immediately are Even for the computer novice. three plug-in 16K program An extremely efficient packs for financial, science filing system in your pocket. and maths applications, the The Psion Organiser beginning of a software comes complete with a plug- library. in datapak which can Sowhetheryou're involved permanently store over in management, engineering, 10,000 characters. Allowing technology, sales or account- you to enter such day-to-day ancy, there's a program pack information as diary engage- containing all the software ments, telephone numbers, you'll need for standard addresses, train times and computations and a lot more exchange rates. To name but besides. a few applications. Each program pack incorp- You can type in informa- orates a database containing tion and "SAVE" it in any essential specialist facts, form you want and retrieve it figures and formulae, plus quickly and simply with the (more importantly) a simple - "FIND" key. to -understand programming So you'll no longer have toOneway oranother,language. Enabling you to juggle with diaries, notebooks and - write your own software programs backs of old envelopes to keep YOU canhavea(up to 16K long) and run them off a yourself organised. datapak whenever needed. All entries can be computer in your sinwly amended by pocke In short, the Psion using the Organiser's editing facility. displayed at the touch of a button. Organiser is as functional as systems And since all data is permanently Expand your Organiser, but not 200 times its size. stored in the datapak, you'll never loseyour pocket. It's a computer with screen, key- it, even if the battery is disconnected. On receiving your Organiser you board, operating system and twin Carry out complex calculations -will find that it has two unique 'solid solid drives for data and program inply and swiftly. storage. Without plugging in any additional But, at £99.95, it's a lot less strain on software, the Organiser can carry out your pocket. calculations involving up to 200 PsionLtd.,22DorsetSquare,LondonNWI6QG.

TO: PSION LTD.. 2.2 Dorset Square, London NW I 6QG Please send me by registered mail QUANTITY PRICE P+ P TOTAL Signature. Please pn:IT Psion Organiser with 8K datapak £9995 +L2 50 Science Program Pack L29.95 +LI 50 Name: (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms) Maths Program Pack L29.95 +L1 50 Financial Program Pack L29.95 +LI 50 Address: 16K datapak L 19.95 +LI 25 8K datapak L.12.95 +LI 25 Postcode.

I enclose my cheque/Postal order made payable to Psion Ltd. To place an order over the telephone, ring (01) 200 0200anytime. or Please debit my credit card: (please tick appeopriate Pox I Psion Ltd., Reg No.1520131 England.Orders can only be accepted for delivery within the t h Please allow 14 days for delivery. Access 13arclayeardNisa0 American Express0 Diners Club El 0 If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your PsionOrganiser,retum it in good condition within seven daysP Card No: and well return your money in full and without question.

Circle No. 251 SOFTWARE INCLUDED HARDWARE DESCRIPTION

CP/M 801 6mHz Z8OB processor CP/M utilities 128k RAM System utilities Ultra fast 'cache' disks WORDSTAR2 One/two 5'/4" disk drives CALCSTAR2 Up to 1568k disk storage PERSONAL PEARLS Two RS232 serial ports On line HELP file Parallel printer port

lll /1111/1,11

The DASH -80, designed and assembled in Great Britain to exploit the vast range of CP/M based application software, provides a processor performance that exceeds that of most current 16 -bit systems and floppy disk access times as fast as those of many hard disks. The DASH -80 comes complete with a selection of powerful software tools including: WORDSTAR, the world's most popular word processor software, CALCSTAR, wordstar compatible electronic spreadsheet, PERSONAL PEARL, a powerful data base application generator.

DASH -80 processor prices (inclusive of software) start at - £1084.00 (RRP, excl VAT), DASH -10 terminal shown above -£ 560.00 (RRP, excl VAT).

For further information on the system, and for details and listings of disk and processor benchmarks, telephone or write to the address shown below:

PROCESSOR BENCHMARKS DISK BENCHMARKS BM1 BM2 BM3 BM4 BM5 BM6 BM7 BM8 DBM1 DBM2 DBM3 DBM4 DBM5 (aculabLT DASH -80 .73 2.4 6.6 6.5 7.0 12.7 20.2 34.3 0.6 4.3 4.2 3.8 3.7 IBM PC 1.2 4.8 11.7 12.2 13.4 23.3 37.4 30.0 3.8 21.2 20.8 12.7 10.4 Unit A, APRICOT 1.5 4.8 10.4 10.8 12.2 22.8 35.5 34.0 3.0 9.5 14.0 8.0 7.5 Station Approach, SIRIUS 1.7 5.4 11.1 11.5 13.6 26.2 40.1 29.0 2.5 37.0 37.0 12.0 12.0 Leighton Buzzard, Beds. LU7 7LY Trademarks: (1) Digital Research, (2) Micropro, (3) Relational Systems. Circle No. 257 0525 371393 ...... ORYXE. Imo 111.A.S. Nomm i NEE1NNEENNENNImmommummmomTEMS MICROCOMPUTER HARDWARE, SOFTWARE AND ACCESSORIES WITH FULL AFTER SALES SUPPORT

CP/M SOFTWARE SOFTWARE FOR IBM/PC BOARDS FOR IBM/PC

ABTEX SOFTWARE Please see CP/M listing. All AST RESEARCH Pertmaster* £625 Mega Plus 64K £285 ASHTON TATE products with an * will also run on Six Pack Plus 64K £285 DBase 11* £325 MS-DOS and PC -DOS and are 64K Chip Kit £78 Friday* £165 priced the same. MICROSOFT CAXTON ALPHA SOFTWARE SystemCard 64K £265 Cardbox* £185 Database Manager II £185 SystemCard 256K £425 Brainstorm* £275 ASHTON TATE Mouse £130 COMPSOFT DBase III £490 QUADRAM Compsoft DMS* £175 Framework £490 Quadboard 1164K £275 DMS Delta* £465 DIGITAL RESEARCH Quadlink £465 DIGITAL RESEARCH Concurrent CP/M-86 £225 HERCULES £195 Access Manager CP/M-86 +GSX £40 Graphic Card £325 Access Manager -86* £260 DR Draw £195 Display Manager £260 DR Graph £195 Display Manager -86* £320 Pascal MT+ £265 MONITORS CBasic £100 FOX & GELLER CBasic-86 £217 OZ: Management Control £310 KAGA RGB Vision III 12" £369 CBasic Compiler £334 IUS KAGA 12" HRGreen/Amber £135 CBasic Compiler -86* £375 Easy Writer I System £175 MICROVITEC CUB 65314" £375 £235 Pascal MT+ Easy Writer II System £260 SANYO SCM 14" VHR £425 Pascal MT+ 86 £395 MICROSOFT FOX & GELLER Fortran Compiler £235 dGraph* £165 Flight Simulator £40 PRINTERS d Util* £60 Word £260 Quickcode* £165 MICRORIM MICROPRO ANADEX DP9000B £899 R: Base 4000 £325 ANADEX DP9620B £1040 Calcstar* £95 LOTUS £338 BROTHER HR15 £445 Infostar +* Lotus 123 £325 Mailmerge* £120 CANON 1080A £319 Symphony £550 EPSON FX-80 £379 Wordstar* £215 SPI Wordstar Professional* £450 JUKI 6100 £359 Open Access £425 MT 80 £215 MICROSOFT SOFTWARE PUBLISHING Basic Compiler* £250 PFS:File £90 Basic Interpreter* £259 PFS:Graph £90 Fortran Compiler £369 PFS:Report £80 We cannot list all the Multiplan* £140 PFS:Write £90 products we carry- PEACHTREE SOFTWORD SYSTEMS Basic Accounting System Multimate £300 please call 01.636 0476 per module £300 SORCIM for further details. Business Management Systems Supercalc 3 £265 per module £550 Peachpack* £300 All products subject to availability. SORCIM CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital TeleVideo Supercalc* £105 Research, IBM is the registered Business Computers Supercalc 2* £165 trademark of International Business SuperWriter* £255 Machines. SAGESOFT AUTHORISED DEALER Sage Accounting* £350 HOW TO ORDER Sage Executive* £670 Simply write to Oryx, or telephone 01-636 0476 to discuss your requirements. Or ring 01-631 4341 without obligation to reach our technical hotline. Callers at our London Most popular machine Office -just off Oxford Street - are very welcome. Orders will be acknowledged by return formats are available. of post and goods will normally be despatched within 10 days. All products are supplied new and are sealed complete with manufacturer's documentation and factory warranties. All prices exclude VAT and are subject to change without notice. FREE DELIVERY IN THE UK FOR ORDERS OVER £200. All major credit cards are accepted. Oryx Systems (U.K.) Limited, Mappin House, 4 Winsley Street, London W1N 7AR. Telex: 28290 ORYXUK G (8) PC/9/84

ORYX- U.S. LEADERS IN TECHNOLOGY- NOW IN THE U.K.

Circle No. 110

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 35 THE D200 Near Letter Quality Printer from the New Force in Computer Printers SMITHCORONA Circle No. 111 DATA PRODUCTS An exciting new range of high quality printers style, size and resolution - including Near Letter has been created to bring speed, reliability and Quality - and boasts bit image, dot addressable flexibility to both the office and hqme user. The and block graphics. Vertical and horizontal tabs, D200 is a high -specification dot matrix model for proportional spacing, superscript and subscript outstanding results in the most demanding of features ensure superior presentation. applications. Fill in the coupon now and find out how you can Compatible to all business micros, PCs and make the most of your computer with a printer home computers, the D200 has a dual Centronics from Smith -Corona Data Products. parallel/RS232C serial interface plus IBM PC Fro: Smith -Corona Data Products, Unit 23, Northfield Industriall compatibility and Epson emulation. The buffer Estate, Beresford Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex HAO 1XP. has a 2K bytes capacity and can accept a 96 Please send me: downloadable character ASC II set. A free copy of the full colour printer brochure. A free list of my local dealers. Performing at a speed of 160 cps with 80 column Information on the Smith -Corona Data Products width (at 10 cpi), throughput is maximised by Roadshow (touring in September - don't miss it!) bi-directional text printing, logic -seeking and a Name choice of stationery handling (friction and tractor Company (if appropriate) feed are standard -a roll holder is available as an Address optional extra). Post code Tel. No The 6 -pitch D200 offers a wide variety of print LMake and model of computer used Pcj Smith -Corona Data Products, Unit 23, Northfield Industrial Estate, Beresford Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex HAO 1XP. Telephone: 01-900 1222 Chip -chat by Ray Coles Troubleat the chip shop Booming demand for microprocessors spells trouble for the micro builders but what about the manufacturers when the boom turns to bust? SO FAR 1984 has been a bad year for allwin through in times like these, becausevirtuallyimpossible,evenatinflated chip lovers. At the low -technology end ofthey deal directly with the semiconductorprices. the market, Chancellor of the Exchequermanufacturers and place orders for huge The most recent casualty is the Intel Nigel Lawson attacked chip consumers byquantities, which all makes life easy for80186, an advanced version of the 8086 slapping a 15 percent VAT levy on the salethe likes of Intel and Motorola. with many peripheral functions integrated of hot takeaway food. At the high- Equipmentmanufacturerswithanon to the chip. Although fairly new, the technology end many well-known semi-appetite for chips measured in hundreds 80186 has been an instant success with the conductor chips are virtually unobtainablerather than thousands, and which are designersof personal computers and due to a drastic shortage of manufacturingnormally constrained to buy their micro-engineeringworkstations.Following capacity. processors via a distributor, are having aearly yield problems, which reduced avail- Economists are the only people to gainrough time. In some cases their problem is ability and profit margin, Intelis now from the highly predictable boom and bustsimply late or patchy delivery, leading tounable to meet the exploding demand. cycles which afflict the semiconductorhalf -completed circuit boards on the shelf, Even in 1984, demand is calculated at market. But fortunately for all concerned,unfavourable production overheads andtwo or three million devices. Intel will be the yo-yoing demand variations are super-cash flow, pluslots of dissatisfied orlucky if it can make one million. Next year imposed upon a steadily increasing under-disillusioned customers. demand may be up to eight million, and lying trend, so most manufacturers are there is little hope of satisfying even half happy to weather the occasional storm. of that. One solution is a second source, Certainly there has been little clamour forBlack market and Intel has licensed AMD to built the any of the well -tried alternatives to a In the most severe cases, some devices 186 in its Texas plant, but production will market free-for-all, like the heavy-handed- particularly microprocessors - arenot be on stream until towards the end of bureaucraticcontroloftheEEC'sunobtainable by conventional routes. So1984. Meanwhile Intel itself is building Common Agriculture Policy for example.equipment manufacturers are forced tonew production lines in Israel and in New In such a dynamic, innovative area ofbuy key components at exorbitant prices Mexico. technology such market controlisason the black market or even to redesign Manufacturers committed to the 80186 unwelcome as it would be unworkable. So,their boards and their software to suitare understandably not too pleased with for the moment at least, there will be noanother microprocessor whichis morethe situation, particularly as Intel had microprocessor mountains or 64K RAMreadily available. Unfortunately the latterbeen considered to be a reasonably safe lakes. ploy could be self-defeating as well asbet in the past. Early users of the chip are At present, things are marvellous forexpensive. Judging by the number of man-being protected by Intel, which supplies mostsemiconductormanufacturers.ufacturers switching from the Intel 8051 their needs first, but all new orders for the Demand isso high that they can sellsingle -chip microcomputers to competing186 are being refused until1985 and everything they can make long before theydevices such as the Motorola 6801 and thedistributors are having a lean time with have made it, with the added advantageZilog A-8 which are currentlylessin only a trickle of devices going their way. that they can name their own price anddemand, there may be some nasty shocksMany manufacturers which have designed then double it. The recession, such as itin store for some companies. systems around the 186 are currently rede- was in the electronics industry, ended Intelcurrently heads the league ofsigning to use the older 8086, or swapping sometime in 1983. Since then demand hasmicroprocessormanufacturers, andis to the even newer 80286, which for some been skyrocketing to such an extent thattherefore causing most of the trouble. Itsunfathomable reason is easier to obtain at today a thriving black market exists for8088 eight/16-bit processor used in thethe moment. the supply of microprocessor and memoryIBM PC and, apparently, most other chips. business microcomputer systems, is beingGlut looming shipped by the million. But Intel seems to Desperate need be letting other less profitable production One thing is certain though; before too lines slip to satisfy the insatiable demandlong, in perhaps two or three years, the The situationisnice for the manu-for it.It may be because the companyget -rich -quick merchants attracted by the facturers, but every silver lining has amakes most profit on 8088 sales, or mayhighly profitable market situationwill cloud.Atthe momentthecloudis evenbebecauseithashigh -volumehave their new plants on stream, a glut will suspendedovertheheadsoftheguaranteed orders, negotiated before theoccur, and prices will drop through the equipment manufacturers, who desper-boom, which might in some cases befloor. By that time, of course, wise old ately need chips to feed their productionsubject to penalty clauses. Whatever theIntel will have a new whizz -bang product lines. It is the manufacturers with all thereason the effect is that the eight -bit 8085available, leaving the second division to, muscle, such as IBM and Sinclair, whichis very difficult to obtain, and the 8051squabble over the leftovers. 0

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Circle No. 112 38 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Patents progress How to barby John Hooper key problems Another look at recent advances in computer technology which are disclosed in British Patent Specifications. SHARP has been in the forefront of the moveproposed that the I/O control signals areortocorrectordeletetheoldones. to smaller and smaller computer devices,fed to the stores by a sufficient number of Each key sequence can be as long as witnessed by its PC series of truly pocketseparate devices so that no one devicememory permits, and is scrolled forwards computers. However, the company hascontrols more stores than contain n bits ofor backwards past a nine -character second often been slated for the inconvenience ofthe same word. display window, while the primary display its keyboards, which are either too small shows the related result of the calculation so for easy use or too big for a real pocket far. machine. ButinitsU.K. SpecificationInstant replay 2,125,199 Sharp proposes acompletely different type of keyboard. A problem with most simple calculatorsHello, world The keyboard has no separate keys.is that once a sequence of numbers and Insteadithas one or more long baroperators has been keyed in itis lost for Nam Tai, of Hong Kong, suggests in switches, each of which is associated withever, only the result being available. Casio,Specification2,125,996thatpocket several characters. Which character you setin Specification 2,125,588, proposes a newcalculatorsandcomputerscouldin- when you press the bar depends wheretype of calculator that can retain the key -corporateoneorseveraltransducers alongthebar you apply pressure. Apress sequence for instant display, replayenabling them to measure outside, real - suggested embodiment has two bars, oneand simultaneous recalculation. As the keyworldparameters,andthenperform giving the 26 letters of the alphabet, thesequence is replayed, so it can be modifiedcalculationswith the measured values. second giving numerals, punctuation andto add either new numbers or operators, (continued on next page) graphics characters. In case you press in the wrong place, so inputting the wrong character, Sharp has What you get for your money thoughtfully provided two extra keys that The British Patent System. like those of the other major industrial you can press to obtain the next character to countries, is intended to stimulate manufacture and encourage research the left or right as appropriate. and the dissemination of the results. It does this by holding out the promise of a form of monopoly in return for the full disclosure of ideas which might otherwise be kept secret. However, there are some conditions. First, the monopoly on offer is rather limited,both in scope and in time. Corruption As regards scope, what the patentee gets is the rightto be the sole user of the patented idea. Really it is the right to try, by action in the courts, to stop IBM,inSpecification2,125,590,is others from using the idea. concernedwiththeproblem ofdata The difference, which may seem rather slight, is significant. It is for the corruption. In big computers it is common patent owner to take action, and to sue the guilty party for infringement. to split a data word into its separate bits, The Crown will not initiate any enforcement. and store the bits in a row of bit locations in As concerns time, under the presentPatents Act the monopoly on offer a corresponding row of different storage can last, at the verylongest, only for 20 years from the date on which the devices - RAM chips, for instance. This Application was made, and the Patent may well not be granted until three enables very fast input/output, for at a or four years after that date. given signal the storage row inputs or However, the authorities believe that all monopolies, even patents, are a outputs a whole data word on to the data bad thing. So they have decreed that a patent will lapse, never to be bus in the time it takes to send or receive one recovered, unless they are paid annual renewal fees starting at the bit. beginning of the fifth year to keep it in force. The current fees roughly range Of course, if one of the control devices from £75 to £300 and are a great incentive to let patents die. providing the I/O signal fails, then several The second main type of condition is that the idea must meet four basic bits in a word can be lost, possibly beyond criteria. First, it must be the sort of invention for which patents can be the capacity of any error -correcting coding granted, which means no mere theories, aesthetic creations or schemes, in use. and no computer programs. Secondly, it must be new, never used or written IBM suggests a very simple solution to about anywhere in the world - you may well reinvent the wheel, but they such a problem. For any arrangement will not give you a patent for it. Thirdly, it must be inventive, more than just employing an error -correcting system that some clearly obvious development of an old idea. For example, four- and can cope with n bit errors per word, it is six -legged tables are known, you are unlikely to get a patent for a five -legged John Hooper is a Chartered table, even if it is strictly novel. Fourthly, it must be capable of being put Patent Agent who works in the into effect. You may dream up some super computer, but unless it is electronics industry technically feasible you will not get a patent.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 39 Patents progress

(continued from previous page) Then the force is transmitted appropriatelyautomatically navigate the aircraft but must allowthepilotamanualoverride. Transducer possibilities include wheels toto the switches, operating them in such a way as to indicate the particular plate areaGradually the more and more detailed provide the means to record distance; situations are considered, such as how to photocells, so the device becomes a lightpressed. Thus, pressing in the area at row 1 meter; and strain gauges, thereby mak-column 2 should activate both the topdeal with wind velocity changes, or respond switches, but leave the bottom two off. Thetocoursealterationsrequestedbya ingthecombinationintoaweighing subsidiary targeting computer. All along machine. switch outputs are fed to a simple decoding circuit, and this then transmits the signalthe way each new item of information is defining the touched area. logically tested against those other items it On a grander scale, RCA suggests that itsaffects together with the overall system The big picture touch -plate could overlay a CRT screen toparameters. provide it with a cheap form of touch The soft/hardware combination must be Teleram Specification2,126,387sensitivity. able to deal with natural - that is human discloses a part solution to the problems of - languageinputssothatuntrained getting a decent display on a small computer technicians can instruct the computer as to with, for example, a 4 by 80 LCD screen. what is happening. It must also generate Conventionallypartof themachine'sPlanemaker's Al hypotheses about the structure of the entity memory is configured like a full 24 by 80 relationshipmodelrepresentingthe Artificialintelligence now crops up CRT display, with the LCD screen acting as meaning of the available design data. a shallow window intothat memory.everywhere,includingintheavionics Teleram now suggests that the computerindustry.As Marconipointsoutin should be connectable to a proper CRTSpecification 2,126,762, the intricacies of display, and that the LCD and CRT shouldmodern avionics design are so complicatedNotatron operate in co-ordinated unison. that it can be impossible to test whether an aircraft'sentireelectronicssystemwill lain Sinclair discloses in Specification performsatisfactorily underallperm-2,126,764, an electronic notepad. Touch and go utations of events. To avoid potentially Basically a calcultor-style object, his idea disastrous results, Marconi proposes thatis to have a multi -line liquid crystal display InSpecification2,126,388 RCAthe creation of such a complex design bewith one full alphanumeric set of keys to proposes a novel type of touch -plate inputoverseen by data -handling soft/hardwarewrite each line, and to have a second set of device. One example described is a rigidusing natural language input. keys, one per line, to enable any line to be three by three square plate with nine touch As a design progresses, the computer isdeleted and the gap closed up if required. areas supported at is corners by four two -fedall the data as a logical series ofAdditionally. Sinclair suggests a priority position push switches. statements defining the requirements of thekey, so that each line can be assigned a RCA says that, depending on where thedesign sofar,starting with the mostpriorityvalue,thelinesthenbeing touch -plate is pushed, so the plate tilts.general. For example, the avionics willreordered accordingly.

Applying the68000family A one day conference in London Organised by the journal Microprocessors and Microsystems

If you are using, or thinking of using, the 68000 Motorola 68000 family of microprocessors, then 30 October 1984 is an important day for you. At the City Conference Centre in the heart of London, 68000 experts will describe how the 68000 family can be put to work in effective products. They will be looking at the entire 68000 range 68000 including the 68020. The guest speakers will explain about implementing expert systems, porting operating 0 systems and languages, and interfacing. 6800 There will be a supporting exhibition. For further information, contact: 68000 Danny Green, Conference Organiser, Butterworth Scientific Ltd., PO Box 63, Westbury House, Bury Street, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5BH, UK. 68000 Tel: (0483) 31261. Telex: 859556 SCITEC G

Circle No. 113 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 MN=

111111111111111111111111

It's easy to get the impression that the differences between micros are there to tie you down. How do you upgrade from 8 -bit Apple to today's 16 -bit micros, or copy files between different 16 -bit machines, without hours or even days of laborious data re-entry in. am moi - and all the dangers that entails? Please send me further details The answer is Pulsar File Transfer. It puts Apple, Sirius, Apricot and IBM straight onto Ion the Pulsar File Transfer: the same wavelength, transferring file type, text, binary or graphic information directly at up to 9,600 bits per second. NAME I With the correct combination of Pulsar File Transfer packages you have access to IPOSITION I complete software freedom between IBM-PC, Sirius and Apricot and instant transfer COMPANY of data from Apple. Multiple files can be sent or received with a single command, I while an in-built error -checking facility guarantees absolute accuracy. I For more information on the Pulsar connection just return the coupon. I ADDRESS I Vive la difference! Circle No. 114 I I ACT(IMsar) Ltd Ia 1 Iik0FREEPOST Birmingham B16 1BR or call 021-455 7000. TEL: MIN.J Rebalance this sh

The BBC Micro can now give an It enables even the most inexperienced astonishing new account of itself. users to feed all the data they need to use, Because with Acornsoft's new 16K and store on disc or cassette, into the BBC ViewSheet ROM, it develops a head forMicro. figures which can save you a vast amount You can nominate headings and sub- of arduous brainwork.. headings. And you can create barcharts to Imagine, for instance, that you had todisplay figures graphically. make several adjustments to a balance Ten windows for perfect vision. sheet. The sheer size of ViewSheet makes If you made those adjustments on it impossible for the whole sheet to be ViewSheet, it would revise the balance visible on the monitor at once. automatically in a split second. That's why ViewSheet has ten windows, Or imagine that you had to add 15%enabling you to see up to ten different VAT to every figure on a price list contain-sections of the sheet at any one time. ing 500 items. You can summon the windows onto ViewSheet can add the tax to each and every one of those items simultaneously. And once again, in virtually a second. As simple as pencil and paper. ViewSheet is a computer -based spreadsheet, the figure processing version of a word processor. With 255 columns in width and 255 rows in depth, it's also one of the largest spreadsheets on the market. Originating the sheet is aseasy as originating an ordinary worksheet with pencil and paper. Because ViewSheet comes with an easy -to -follow reference card. eetinonesecond.

the screen at the press of a key. making the most of the BBC Micro's You can cross-reference sections, or potential. And if you use it with the 6502 even reposition them on the sheet, when-second processor, you'll have no less than ever you need to. 30K of workspace in any mode. And you can print them out individ- For only £59.80, ually, as well as all together. you too can have figures like this. The possibilities are virtually endless. The ViewSheet ROM can be fitted by By creating special disc files from your BBC Micro dealer in less than three ViewSheet, you can link two or more minutes. And with its straightforward spreadsheets together.This means you can user guide, function build models much bigger than the BBC Micro's considerable memory. ViewSheet is also compatible with Acornsoft's View word-processing package. This enables you to pro- duce reports and documents which key card and refer- combine text and figures. ence card, it'll soon have you In addition, you can use juggling figures at lightning ViewSheet in speed. any screen Indeed, at only £59.80, it's mode, an invaluable asset for anyone involved in professional or personal finance, forecasts, formulae and analysis.

one,,,nr_ sa-eacinew kr me BBC ....me,o,ou

ViewSheet's operations and functions in brief. The operations supported by ViewSheet are: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponen- tation and bracketed operations. And the functions supported are: ABS, ACS, ASN, SIN, SGN, RAD, ATN, COS, DEG, EXP, INT, LN, LOG, PI, SQR, TAN, MIN, AVERAGE, MAX, CHOOSE, LOOKUP, COL, IF, READ, ROW and WRITE. ACORN SOFT do Vector Marketing, Denington Estate, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 2RL Tel: 0933 79300. Circle No. 115 They're here! Two of the world's most sophisticated, imaginative languages.

LOGO and micro -PROLOG. position, alter the direction it points in, and using simple English phrases. And then, you Now they're both available for the 48Kthen use it to create complex shapes, images can ask the computer questions relating to the Spectrum. So you can sample the programs or designs. database. thousands of computer owners can only talk With LOGO, you've the means to Your micro -PROLOG package includes a about! develop very imaginative ideas -and see the front-end program called SIMPLE (for new- LOGO and micro -PROLOG are exciting, results immediately! comers to the language), plus a User Manual new -generation languages. They let you The Sinclair version of LOGO comes with and 300 -page Primer. For more advanced create descriptive, imaginative and powerful two comprehensive manuals. It features users, a micro -PROLOG Reference Manual is programs. turtle graphics, colour and sound, and has full available separately at f9.95. And -for such sophisticated languages - list processing capabilities. It's also Microdrive- Without doubt, LOGO and micro -PROLOG they're available at astonishingly low prices:. compatible, and can control a mechanical set new standards for future computer f24.95 for micro -PROLOG and f39.95 for turtle or robot languages. You'll find them in major stores LOGO! micro -PROLOG lets you explore power- and all good computer shops -or from Griffin LOGO is a powerful programming ful aspects of artificial intelligence. & George, EJ. Arnold and EDCO. language based on logic. It's a fifth generation language, specially Sinclair Research Ltd, Camberley (0276) 685311. It's very easy to learn, so it's proved highly adapted from PROLOG -the language CD Sinclair, ZX and ZX Spectrum are trade marks of successful in schools. chosen by the Japanese for the next genera- Sinclair Research Ltd. LOGO puts you in command of a tion of artificial intelligence machines. graphic turtle' (a moving, on -screen cursor). Using micro -PROLOG, you develop a Each program instruction you make has a dialogue with your computer. First, it allows direct effect on the turtle. You can change its you to construct a database of relationships sire it Circle No. 116 Software workshop by Mike Lewis Bitmapsfor faster files Most popular computer applications involve a sequential search of disc files. We look at one way of speeding up this inherently slow process. YOU WOULD USE bit mapping if you wanted to carry out frequent searches of a file, based wholly or partly on fields that have a single binary value: yes/no flags, for ex- 1000 ' This is a skeleton program to demonstrate loading and using 1010 ' bit maps to speed up file searching. ample. The bit map is simply a string of 1020 binary digits, each of which corresponds 1030 ' An estate agent's file contains property records which include to one record in the file. The bit is set to 1 1040 ' (character) flags to indicate a garden, garage, and proximity if the relevant field in the corresponding 1050 ' to shops. We want to carry out searches for properties that 1060 ' meet these, and other, criteria. record contains a specified value, or 0 if it 1070 contains the opposite value. 1100 ' Assume NREC% is the number of records in the file 1120 1130 SIZE%=(NREC%+13)\14 'This is the size of each hit map Frequent searches (in 14-bit words) 1140 DIM MAPMSIZE%), MAP2USIZE%), MAP3%(SIZE%) Suppose that an estate agent has a pro- 'These arrays will hold the three pertyfilewhich shows, among other bit maps things, whether a property has a garden 1150 and/or a garage, and whether it is close to At this point, open the file and perform any other initialisation shops. Each record would include three 1160 fields,for garden, garage and shops 1170 Now we can load the bit maps respectively. These fields might contain Y 1200 MASK%=1: J1%=l: J2%=1: J3%=1 if the requirement can be met, N if it can- 1240 FOR COUNT%=1 TO NREC% not. Suppose, too, that the agent is called 'read the next record (whose record number is ) on to make frequent searches based on and unpack the relevant fields some or all of these three criteria, among 1250 IF GARDEN$="Y" THEN others. MAP1%(J17.)=1,1AE1i(.J1%) ORMASK% The firststepisto build up three 'Set a bit if there is a garden 1260 IF GARACES="Y" THEN separate bit maps, one each for garden, MAP2%(J2%)=MAP2%(J2%) OR MASK% garage and shops. This can be done in a 'or a garage single pass of the file, as the sample pro- 1270 IF SHOPS$="Y" THEN gram shows. Although this initial step will MAP3%(J3%)=MAP3%(J3%) OR MASK% be fairly time-consuming, it need only be 'or if close to shops 1260 IF MASK% = &H4000 THEN done once, at the start of the session, J1%=J1%+1; J2%=J2%+1: J3%=J3%+1: MASK%=1 rather than each time that the phone rings ELSE with a call from an anxious house buyer. MASK7=MASK%+MASK% 1290 'This sets the mask to successive powers of two until it reaches 2-14, Storage at which point it is reset and we move on to the next array entries A simple way of storing the bit map in 1300 NEXT COUNT% RAM is to use an array of 16 -bit integers. 2000 ' The top two bits of each integer can be ig- Now let us search for a property with (garden OR garage) AND nored in order to simplify the coding and close to shops, possibly along with other criteria. 2010 MASK%=1: J%=1 allow the use of a mask that takes the value 2020 FOR COUNT%=1 TO NREC%: of successive powers of 2. The most effi- IF ((MAP1%(J%) OR MAP2%(J%)) AND MAP3%(J%)) AND MASK% THEN cient way of generating powers of 2 is to start the mask at 1 and to add it repeatedly at this point we have a possible hit; you can read to itself. But the highest signed integer that the record and perform further tests on it 2030 IF MASK%=&H4000 THEN can be generated by a Basic arithmetic ex- J%=J%+1: MASK%=1 pression is 215- 1. Restricting the range to ELSE the bottom 14 bits of each integer avoids MASKZ=MASK%+MASK% anyproblemscausedbyarithmetic 2040 'set mask to next power of two or reset it when it reaches 2-14 overflow. 2050 NEXT COUNT% Of course, this use of 14 -bit integers is a limitation imposed by the language, rather than a part of the fundamental algorithm. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 45 Software workshop

have to be performed on those recordswould complicate the program that main- that are actually read. The lower the hittains the file, and you would run the risk rate based on yes/no fields, the greater theof the bit maps and the file becoming out time saving. of step. But it would cut down the time The technique is also a good exercise inneeded to initialise the searches, and in Bit using the logical operators And or Or. Thesome applications this might be worth the Or operator is used in conjunction with aextra programming needed. mask to set any bit within an integer. To set bit 0 the mask has the value 1; for bit 1List inversion ma asit is 2, for bit 2 it is 4, and for bit n it is 2n. For this purpose I am taking bit 0 as the Bit mapping is a special case of a techni- (continued from previous page) least significant bit. Hence the powers of 2que known as list inversion. A normal referred to earlier. data file is a list of records, each of which In other languages the problem might not Similarly, the And operator is used tohas certain characteristics. An inverted arise. In any case, you can use the full 16test the setting of any bit within an integer.list, by contrast, is a list of characteristics, bits by assigning actual hex values to theIf each of which has pointers to the records mask, but there would be no point in do- (integer And mask) that possess the characteristics. List inver- ing this unless storage space were veryis true, then the bit is set to 1, otherwise itsion is a powerful programming tool, and tight. is 0. You can also use And and Or - andI shall be returning to the subject in a Not - to link separate bit maps together, future column in this series. Speeded up as the example program shows. Here you are looking for a property that has Once the bit maps have been created dBase they are held in RAM throughout the ses- garden Or garage And shops sion. From now on, searches that involveYou only need to And the final result of department the three yes/no fields can be speeded upthis logical operation with the mask to ONE OF the great weaknesses of Ashton- by examining the bit maps first. Since thedetermine whether or not you have a hit, Tate's dBase II is its inability to handle bits have a one -for -one correspondencethus saving a lot of nested Ifs. arrays. If you have ever wanted to with the records it is necessary only to ac- A variation that you might like to con- check the validity of an input value cess those records that meet the yes/nosider is to store the bit maps on disc, rather against a pre -defined list you will criteria. This will save a great deal ofthan to build them up by sequentially pass- appreciate the problem. physical accessing, even if further testsing the file at the start of each session. This Suppose your operator input includes a three -letter geographical code, such as Ldn, Man, Gla, etc. You would like WordStar corner to check the entered value against a list I GET A LOT of letters from readers of manual for more details. The main of valid codes before you write it to this column, especially on the quirks drawback is that you will need to keep disc. One possibility is to use the and deficiencies of Micropro's two WordStars: a patched version for following construct, assuming Testcode WordStar. One problem that several double-spacing and a normal version contains the value to be checked: correspondents have raised is the for single-spacing. STOR "LDN MAN GLA BHM YRK EDN" TO OKCODES difficulty of printing both double- Write a program to send an escape IF @ (TESTCODE, OKCODES) = 0 spaced drafts and single-spaced final sequence to the printer for altering the error copies of the same document, without vertical line spacing. For Epson ELSE having to reform every paragraph in printers, you would need to send ok edit mode between the two printings. Escape, capital A, and decimal 24. This ENDIF This is an easy matter if you have a sets the spacing to 24/72 inches, which Unfortunately, this would fail to throw precision printer. You simply put is double-spacing. Run this program out any incomplete codes, like Ld or .LH 16 just before starting to print, making Ma, as well as such combinations as at the top of the document for double-sure the printer is switched on. To A B and M Y. spaced printing, and take it out again revert to single spacing, just switch the But there is a better way. Start by for single spacing. For other types of printer off and on again. assigning variable names that include printers there is no easy solution, Unfortunately, this method is not each of the valid codes. This is simply a but here are some possible methods: available for all printers. matter of storing any value to the Set the DIP switch or front panel The most elegant solution is the one appropriate variables: control, if any, on your printer that suggested by Richard Collings of North SORT " " TO TEST:LDN, TEST:MAN, says "Carriage Return implies London:It involves placing the TEST:GLA, TEST:BHM, TEST:YRK, Linefeed", or something similar. commands .PF ON and .LS 2 at the TEST:EDN Normally, this switch would be set Off,start of the text, which is then printed You can now use Type( ) to carry out to tell the printer that the software will with Mailmerge rather than the normal the test. This handy function, which is explicitly send a Linefeed at the start ofprint function. These commands tell only available in dBase version 2.4. and each line. Switching to On causes the Mailmerge to override the line -spacing above, returns a flag to indicate a printer to insert an extra Linefeed, thusthat was used during editing, and to variable's type, or the letter U for double-spacing the text. Most printers assume double-spacing instead. The undefined. only read DIP swiches on power -up, sotechnique will work equally well with STOR "TEST:" + TESTCODE TO you might need to switch the machine all printers, and has the added TH IS:ON E off and on again each time you alter advantage that it will automatically IF TYPE (&THIS:ONE) = "C" the switch. take care of page breaks, which the ok ELSE Patch an extra Linefeed character other methods do not. The one snag is error into the WordStar end -of -line that it does not produce extra blank ENDIF sequence, found at location PSCRLF: lines between paragraphs - but you Still a little clumsy perhaps, but it will in most versions. Check the installationcan't have everything. do the trick.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 rG. W. COMPUTERS LTD London's West End - Nationwide overnite service - More product ranges - Probably the widest selection of networks/micros/and printers WE OFFER ONE OF THE BEST 'SYSTEM DEALS' IN THE U.K. (save 1500.00 +) THE NEW DBMS 111.7 (series III of the world's first 'task -robot -programs')

G.W. COMPUTERS LTD - Tel: 01-631-4818 Contains the highest state of the art software available today FORMS/TEXT/CALCIDBMS IV - ALL IN ONE PROGRAM THE -"KEY" - 575.00.

FEATURES When you budget for a complete system of software you eventually end up with a host of Mbasic & word -star compatible 32000 records per filename packages like, Sales. Purchases, Nominal Data, Text, Calc. Mailshot, invoice, Order, 1400 character record sizes 20 main/200 sub fields per record. field Workflow, Personnel, and so on. The list is endless and the outlay several thousands of mathematical scratchpad. and record related formulae. pounds. record relational indexes, 'Jump -to' any of 3200 records per file. Features Design a form as wide as a window of 250 characters, long as needed. Cur- translateable to any language random/binary/key/multiple field sor movements are 'left, right, up, down. delete left. delete right, tab right - User-defineable reporting search. 'if -then' questioning left -up -down'. Paint your form as you like directly on the screen. field protection/classification. file protection/password entry. Text. Write a letter as you see it on the screen. edit it then simply enter P to print. either-or, same as, greater, smaller range match. not match. integer match. Calc. Set into the form, your data fields. "#n p # n 4" and specific file -related ac- sorts alpha/numeric any window sort speed 500 records per 20 seconds tivities, formulae and validation checks. Enter values and see the spread- 12 online tile architectures. endless 'either-or' matching sheet calculate itself. 240 fields using cross-referencing formulate/recall on selection criteria. Database. Search files for data to be inserted to fields specified. All the features of cross -record calculations. 13 interrogation question types DBMS III. explained elsewhere in our ad. 'Jump -to' any record in 12 files. short filing output/audit trails. Here's an example of an invoice you might design for your stationery .... You could User -define files/field words/sizes. "sale.mail.shots"; "production -process- design you own spreadsheet, order form, statement, wage docket, or any other kind of form that is required to fit your existing stationery. . -purchase/sales-analysis", -personnel-file"

DBMS III 7 new switch mode facility enables you to cross up to 12 different files (32000 r INVOICE <0> aaa a aaaa aava records per file) pre -selecting any of up to 20 fields per record/file for display/print output 1240 fields) in all. One massive enquiry can pass through 384,000 records To ntriintiatinonnitit From: G. W. Ltd #<2> riga tin ite cc ketiliinnan 55 Bedford Court Mans. a<3>li tinaaaa glint/ling/in Bedford Avenue # <4> a a a # a a/I a # a k a London W.C.1. You might have two files whose records are directly related to each other, so that the first it <5> Peace Tel: 01.636-8210 f Ile (say containing names and addresses) refers to the second file (say financial and other information relating to the same record numbers in the first file) directly. Then you can Date<6> a n,ti Tax point <7> Agent <8 > Plitt simply choose that in file1 you are interested in just the name and telephone numbers, whereas in file two. you are interested in the income, trading period and number of bran- QuantityDescription Cost Tax ches, information. Your enquiry can then pass through both files highlighting that informa- tion only. Actually there doesn't need to be a strict correlation between the same record <9> tin<10> tin /Inn knit/ anane<11>/tn <12> NN <13> NOW numbers in different files, and you can also just on JUMP command go to any record in any <14> it <15> n n n it it <16>a# <17> Ng <18> /0/In of the 32000 records in any one of the twelve files and carry on cross-referencing from there ------onwards andsoon Total.... <19> giit ice Tax....<20>/app

1 DBMS'S MACROS WORK FROM THE MOMENT YOU INSERT THE 'TASK DISK' IN THE COMPUTER items <1> to <5> internal command to request name, input, and then search an address file for details. items <6> to <7> 'request date input and validate. Simply design your file, give its fields your words. set up your report mask, and then enter item <8> request agent number and validate range. your records. Switch to 'automatic drive' and formulate any task you wish the program to item <9> request quantity, validate range. fulfil, the task is stored as a macro. Take a copy of the program on another 'task disk' and iterr, <10> request description, search file, accept, and calculate fields <11> from then on, the task disc will function without a single key -stroke. Think of a number of <12> <13>. if finished invoice then calculate fields <19> and <20> such 'task disks' such as "stock -re -order reports". "stock -valuation reports", analysis, "patient history analysis". "research -analysis"budgeting". "plus more?" Now comes the more valuable facility. You can provide the 'FORM' with file -related instruc- tions, not only to request a 'console' input for file search against names, and stock, but after the invoice is finished, the fields you have selected may be passed to related files.

Not only does this program surpass most of its kind that you might buy elsewhere, but if EG: Send fields <0>, <1>, <06>, <07>, < 11 >, <12>, <13>, <19>, <20>, to a you buy the hardware from us. then you get it - FREE DBMS II (WITHOUT MACROS) sales ledger. AND DBMS III ARE FULLY IMPLEMENTED UNDER CPM-86 (tm) AND MS-DOS (tm) ie: < Then send fields <9><10> , <11> to product analysis file. SIRIUS/VICTOR/IBM > DBMS II IS 395.00 (or 250.00 by mail order ex. training). DBMS II is Then send fields <0>, < 1 >, <7>, <19>, < 20 >to V.A.T. file. 575.00 (or 295.00 by mail order ex. training). Then send fields <10> ,< 11 > , <12 > , <13> to Nominal ledger. Do you see?

FPI".Telephones Telex 01-636 8210 892031 TWC G 01.631 4818 G.W.Computers incorporated in Boston. Mass. USA. Grama (Winter) Ltd. 55 Bedford Court Mans, Bedford Avenue, London WC1 G.W. Computers present the first unique "ASSM" The [A -Z1 Automated System Master Menu

[?] Program Application [2] Program Application

[A] DB General database [N] SYS System utility menu [B] DB Names/addresses BASCOM Basic compiler [C] DB Stock records [P] RBBS ! Remote bulletin [D] KEY Ledger records [0] DIAG Diagnostics [E] KEY Invoicing [R] SPOOL Print spooler [F] KEY Circular letters [S] OD Ramdrive [G] CRT Create forms/text [T] LEARN Learn PC -dos 2 [H] SC3 spreadsheet [U] OVER Overview of system [V] VOC ! Voice synthesis [I WS Word-processing [J] TLK Tele'communication [W] TELEX ! Telex system [K] XENO Read Nonhost disks [X] MNGMT # Management account [L] BASIC Interpreter [Y] PAY # Payroll [M] GAMES Selections [Z] Other specification >>» [2] «« The menu system is subject to change. Please note that items marked " #" are NOT supported directly by usNOR Included in the price. Items marked "!" ARE available through us but involve extra hardware. The main menu display can be changed by you to suit particularneeds, you only edit the PROGRAM name and APPLICATION to match that of the file on your system. The system menu functions in tree structured ms -dos sub -directories so that each application is self contained on onehard disk in the computer Minimum hardware specification (Any PC compatible computer with 320k ram and 1/2 floppy disks plus oneinternal 10 megabyte hard disk and any suitable printer of your choice. It is possible to acquire a system that runs the entire suite of packages on an IBM (tm)for under 6000.00. It's the best there is available at the price, so why not ask for a system brochure 'infopack'. You can leave youraddress on.our 24 hour answerphones. Prices are exc. V.A.T. All warranties are commercial 90 days, 12 month onsite quotations available on request. Stockists of: Corona, Compaq, Tava, Texas, IBM, Dec, Act, Intertec, Olivetti, North -star, Televideo, HP,Sanyo, Oki, Nec, Epson, Anadex, Qume, Dre, Diablo, Ricoh, Brother, Tally, Toshiba, Corvus, Syquest, Micropro, Microsoft, Digital, Sorcim and many others.

Circle No. 117

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 zl 7 Micro Business, the monthly journal forcomputer dealers, and ACT are organisinga major competition to find the Computer Dealerof the Year.

If you have an established, imaginativeand particularly successful approachto business computer dealership, you could become the Micro Business/ACTDealer of the Year. 1st Prize2nd Prize3rd Prize £1,000 I°.£500 £250 This easy to enter competitionis open to all home computer/ software dealers. Toenter telephone 01-661 3687to receive your entry form. Y°11

Electrical Electronic Press, Marketing Department, QuadrantHouse, The Quadrant, SUTTON, Surrey, SM2 5AS °If° pe0e111 If your microcomputer job involves managing information, you'll need a Compsoft Data Management System. It's your guarantee that computerisation will be a success. Compsoft are world leaders when it comes to easy to use database programs. There is nothing quite so genuinely user friendly, and nothing quite as powerful. And Compsoft were the winners of the 1983 RITA (Recognition of Information Technology Achievement) Awards 'Software Product of the Year'. We can give your *Computer the power to breeze through the management of any record keeping situation, - effortlessly, efficiently, and more accurately than you ever dreamed possible. From sales ledger to stock control, purchaser ledger to personnel, clubs to customers, and in a thousand other ways, we can lend a helping hand. You don't have to be a computer expert to use Compsoft's DMS or Delta. Both programs offer fast, accurate and elegant database power for both first time computer users and professional syst 'esigners. You owe it to yourself to know more. Either return the coupon to us, or simply telephonee o we'll send you a complete guide to our versatile database programs - today.

*Delta isavailable for almost any microcomputer with the MSDOS, PCDOS, CP/M, or MP/M operating systems, including IBM, DEC Rainbow, SIRIUS, XEROX, ICL, EPSON and many others.

DMS is also available for Commodore computers.

CompSoft DMS CompSoft DMS

Compsoft Limited me further details Hallams Court 414441611,'Company Shamley Green Nr Guildford, Surrey Contact England GU4 8QZ Address Telephone: Guildford (0483) 898545 VISA Telex: 859210 CMPSFT PC Tel No

Circle No. 118 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 4 9 his Novem ove your s

This year, pre -Christmas sales of home computers are November 30 to December 2. expected to exceed £340 million. And that's without software Sponsored by and add-ons. Which is why a stand at the Your Computer CHRISTMAS FAIR makes more sense than ever before. YOUR COMPUTER You'll get thousands of customers on a spending spree. Britain's leading home And this year, the Your Computer CHRISTMAS FAIR will be bigger, better and earlier than ever before. So you computer magazine. will get an even larger slice of a booming market. 11=111 1=111 IN= You'll get the benefit ofa mammoth ril'dlike to know more about taking a stand at promotion in top -selling computer magazines, YOUR COMPUTER CHRISTMAS FAIR. COMPUTER IPlease send me full details. national press and on radio. Citntmasfor Name You'll get all the comfort and convenience of I I the fabulous new Olympia 2 exhibition centre, Position right in the heart of London - Britain's biggest computer ICompany I market. Address Yet getting your share of this enormous market will cost less I I than you think. I Telephone I To find out full details, just fill in and post the coupon today. Send to IThe Advertisement Manager, Your Computer Christmas Fair, I Quadrant House The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 SAS LT 1 I 661- 3127 OrCompterangtmasfair Pt 11 NNE You'd havetospendover D000tobeatour V99 Second Processor. The BBC Micro is already one of the The 6502's extra power enables it to run fastest and most powerful micros around. more powerful software, such as that provided But with the addition of the 6502 Second with the Acorn Bitstick, which turns the BBC Processor, it becomes the fastest micro in its Micro into a versatile computer graphics piice range. station. In fact, it has a variety of features (To be fair to the opposition, their usually found only on much larger systems. £3000+ package includes a disc drive. But a It can also exploit the full potential of similar BBC Micro set-up with the 6502 Second local area networking through the Econet Processor will cost you less than a third!) system, with Level 2 -File Serving. The 6502 greatly expands the Micro's So to get the most from your BBC Micro, usable memory. Its 64K of RAM combines get the 6502 Second Processor. with the BBC Micro's 32K, for a total of 96K. The 6502 Second Processor is available It is supplied with its own special from your BBC stockist. For the address of version of BBC BASIC, called Hi -BASIC, your nearest which allows the maximum amount of this supplier, ring memory to be used for BASIC programs 01-200 0200. and variables. Other languages allow some If you wish to order or all of this memory to be used for by credit card, programs, and many will auto- phone 0993 79300 matically adjust themselves to during office hours. make maximum use of avail- able space. What's more, the 6502 uses the same microprocessor as the BBC Micro, but at a much higher speed.Which means programs can run up to 50% faster.

6502 Development Programs Technical Specifications (available seperately) The Second Processor operates at a clock rate of MASM: A 6502 macro -assembler. A full range of 3MHz. A version 1.2 MOS will need to be fitted macro facilities are provided, including looping into the BBC Micro before operating the 6502. recursive calls and conditional assembly. Integral power supply XREF: A cross-referencer to be used in conjunc- Measurements: 205mm x 345mm tion with MASM. Weight: 2.1 kg ViewEdit: A full screen editor based on the VIEW Colour: BBC Computer cream word processor. Construction: Moulded top and bottom to match TRACE: A 6502 trace package for de -bugging all BBC Computer profile. ABS injection moulded types of program. plastic. PRINT: A program to produce formatted Power in: 240v, 50Hz, 3w. assembly listings without using MASM. The package is provided with a 250 -page manual The BBC Microcomputer System. describing all the facilities provided by the system. Designed, produced and distributed by Acorn Computers Limited. Circle No. 119 EVEN THE PRICE WILL KEEP YOU IN This sleek, black Microvitec CUB medium resolution THEcombinedwithcolour the monitor Sinclair with hasoutstanding Q, beenL. AnBLACK designedability graphic to display to capabilities be totally 85 column compatible- at a textprice is that won't break the bank.

SpecificationCUB 1451/DQ3 Model: Tube Resolution (pixels) 14" Q RGBL Monitor TTL input BandwidthDot Pitch 653(H) x 585(V) 0 43mm 18 MHz Also available in Standard Resolution - version for only f225 Inc, VAT ara,4404040

4 4 ...... 7' .... 40

411111 040 1111

00 ...... 111 Aag#AP,_ 9 4 I I 41 b ---.._4`4-4(7. .4.. :eV ,-11-- ' 1, -000 \ ' ' ' ROVITEC 653 0000001000001.0000000000000000001000000i44000 0000000 -Th -Th A 0411000000.-Th00000000000000.0000000000 'ThThThTh 111 -1 '"`'- 11Th Microvitec PLC, Futures Way, Bolling Road, Bradford BD4 7TU, West Yorkshire. Tel: (0274) 390011. Telex: 517717 pdropmeelloP.1111011111114111041110411011011111110 -0'01000 *el PRICES THAT'LL KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR FEET! * Guarantees available * Wholesale prices! * Export facilities arranged * Superb stock of computers and peripherals * Express delivery RING 01-947 8562 Official suppliers to the U.K. government departments, British Telecom and many multi -national organisations. Alphacom 32 Printer £59.99 Brother HR15 £335.00 r I 1 I ! Brother HR25 £555.00 .M1 ------Daisy Step 2000 (20CPS) £246.00 Diablo 630 (API) £1320.00 Apricot 256K 1x315 D/D + Monitor £1249.00 EP 44 Personal Elec. Printer £195.00 Apricot 256K 2x315 D/D + Monitor £1399.00 Juki 6100 £335.00 Apricot 256K 2x720 D/D + Monitor £1549.00 Quen-Data Daisy Wheel Printer £235.00 Apricot 256K 10MB HD.D + Monitor £2235.00 Qume 11/40 (RO) £1190.00 Commodore 64 £152.18 Qume 9/45 (RO) £1590.00 Commodore VIC20 Starter pack £100.00 Qume Letter Pro 20 £599.00 Commodore SX 64 (Portable) £575.00 Richo RP1300 £899.00 Epson QX10 + RX80 + cable £1599.00 Richo RP1600 £1239.00 Epson Portable PX 8 £649.00 Smith Corona TP1 Daisy Wheel Printer . . £175.00 Epson Portable PX + RAM £799.00 Kaypro 2 £1199.00 Kaypro 10MB £2099.00 Oric Atmos 48K £145.00 Sanyo MBC555 2x160K D/D + Monitor £899.00 Sinclair Zx Spectrum 48K £100.00 Anadex DP 9000 £799.00 Sinclair 2x81 £33.00 Brother HR5 £130.00 Sirius 1 128K 1.2MB £1650.00 Canon PW1080A (NLQ) £299.00 Sirius '1' 256K 1.2 + 10.6MB £2950.00 Commodore MTS 801 £175.00 Televideo P.O.A. Commodore 1526 Printer £250.00 Epson RX8OT £199.00 Epson RX80 F/T £225.00 Epson FX80 £325.00 Epson RX100 F/T Printer £345.00 Commodore 1701 Colour Monitor £175.00 Epson FX100 F/T £425.00 Sanyo 2112 Green Screen 15MHZ £65.00 Mannesmann Tally MT80 £199.00 Sanyo 3125 Col. Med. Res 400PIX £175.00 Mannesmann Tally MT160 £399.00 Sanyo 3115 Col. V.Hi Res . 800PI £399.00 Mannesmann Tally MT180 £599.00 Commodore 1541 Disk Drive £156.52 OKI Microline 82A Printer £259.00 Oric Disk Drives £229.00 OKI Microline 83A £399.00 Sinclair Microdrives £50.00 OKI Microline 92 (P) £399.00 Keyboard £140.00 OKI Microline 84 (P) £635.00 Sinclair Interface '1' £50.00 Radix 10 (NLQ) £499.00 Commodore C2N Cassette £35.00 Seikosha GP100A £179.00 Software: Wordstar £250.00 Seikosha GP100VC £175.00 Sage Accounts £295.00 Shinwa CP80 F/T £185.00 All leading software names available PO.A. Star Gemini 10X £209.00 Tailormade software written by our inhouse software Star Delta 10 £319.00 team PO.A. TEC 1550 (P) £469.00 Keyboards, cable, interfaces, tractor feeds, sheet feeds, disks, software, up grades, listing paper, ribbons, daisy wheels IBM:- Telephonefor a quotationonyour available for most products. configurations. All prices excluding V.A.T. 1ff -71 = Spa House, 11-17 Worple Road, Wimbledon, London SW19 4JS Tel01-947 8562 TelexWOWICO 8955888

Circle No. 121 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 53 It makesotherpe seem atouch

t.:Zrx:`iN Sr 595 MS 9N

You're looking at the HP 150 Touch- the next job in hand. Be it editing or filing. screen personal computer. Using your 150, you can communi- And guess what. You're also looking cate with the largest computers. at its operating instructions. For instance, you can keep in touch Flex one finger and touch the screen. with corporate data bases on an HP 3000 Congratulations, you're through. The fig- or any of the major mainframes. ures you need are in front of you. If you want to alter them, don't let this computer And you need never be out of touch get in your way. Touch the actual figures, with the most popular software packages sit back and watch them change. Store the such as WordStar; VisiCalc* and Lotus results with another touch. 1-2-3! Because your 150 'shares a universal Presentation graphics? You've gues- system ofcomputer software- MS' m/DOS.* sed it, just lift a finger. It's the same with You can get immediate solutions

*WORDSTAR' IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MICROPRO INTERNATIONAL CORP. VISICALC IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF VISICORP, INC. LOTUSTM1-2-3

54 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 rsonal computers impersonal.

from your 150 without even touching its To: Enquiry Section, Personal Computers, keyboard. When you do, you'll find its ergo- Hewlett-Packard Limited, Eskdale Road, nomic design as unique as its Touchscreen. Winnersh, Wokingham, Berks. RG11 5DZ. A standard of perfection you'd expect Flame from Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest Position single supplier of electronic systems for test Company and measurement. Address_ But don't take our word for it. Test Postcode one today. Tomorrowit could be on your Telephone _Ext. desk. In person. HEWLETT Get in touch on 01-935 4424, orfill PACKARD in this coupon for your informationpack.

OPERATED. MSTWDOS IS A TRADEMARK OF MICROSOFT CORP IS A TRADEMARK OF LOTUS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. LOTUSTM1.2.3 TmIS KEY BOARD

55 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Circle No. 122 : :17

UNIVERSAL COMPUTER PRODUCTS MONITOR EPROM PROGRAMMEREPROM for 2716, 2732, 2764, 27128,2532 EPP' ERASER

This programmer can be very easily Gonne,- any microcomputer e g KINGSLEY OSIxP,PET, CBM, TT1S 80, EXIDY, SINTPC, EXORCISE I' biA7,COM, MAXBOARO, AMIGOS, ACOPrl Y0, APPLE, JUNIOR. SYM, CA, .:; ENTERPRISES t.I HMI, 2)( 81, ABC and COM Specialists in all kinds of floppy diskettes PRODUCTS for the CBM64! PRODUCTS for the VIC20! Mail Order Discs 80 -COLUMN! Prices are for boxes of 10 discs GRAFICCARD 32 kBytes Digital clock switchable Soft Sector Nashua Xidex Dysan CenTech Mispossibility of 80 column screen wliti fI .11 cased 5.25" Diskettes HiresCBM64.screen (also In colour) Grano pictures; g224gni,red to ..mp ore r con- 32 kB SS/SD.48 15.00 21.00 Upper line can be locked (for commecl, Rampack

lted con - SS/DD.48 16.00 18.00 22.00 21.-00

DS/DD.48 18.00 23.00 30.00 25.00 ADDED I wordprocessor lbe- able price from Z SS/DD.96 22.00 25.00 30.00_ 28.00 calculation program *Warning. Beware of DS/DD.96 23.00 30.00 38.00 34.00 - ilnlerlog imitation, 82.50 - of 2EFIO products' 8" Diskettes both CBM6481VIC20 HOME- AND BUSINESS SOFTWARE AVAILABLE SS/SD.48 20.00 25.00 FOR RAM AND COLUMN CARD! SS/DD.48 21.00 22.00 29.00 29.00 40180 COLUMN CARD DS/DD.48 22.00 26.00 33.00 33.00

Sony 3.5" (Apricot) Diskettes £36.00 64 k RAM + 2 k EPROM

Post Paid. Add VAT at 15% other ZERO products: Prices correct at time of going to press ePrinterbuffers,RS2328,centr. Please ask for details of: hard sector discs, Epromcopiers. business/educational accounts, More is coming discounts, formatting. eS°° All prices include VAT. Shipping costs £ 1.50 Supplier to schools, universities and KINGSLEY ENTERPRISES government departments. 87 Whitefield Road 101)1 We have good documentation 01 all our Stockton Heath CO' products, free of charge. Warrington ELECTRONICS Dealer inuiries invited. Tel: WA4 6NB 149 KINGSTREET ote°SeGellsaCII 0925 64207 GT. YARMOUTH NR30 2/L 6ISGS for 24 hour Dial -a -disc service TELEPHONE:(0493)-842023 Circle No. 123 Circle No. 124 CUBE BeebFLEX-6809 Second Processor for the BBC Microcomputer

CUBE BeebFLEX adds a 6809 second processor to the BBC Microcomputer running FLEX, the international standard 6809 disk operating system. It is supplied complete with 6809 CPU, 64kB DRAM, CUBE BeebFLEX 'sideways' ROM and supporting monitor ROM. CUBE BeebFLEX is housed in a self - powered beige metal enclosure. Two CUBE bus sockets are spare for extra analog or digitali/o,hi-res colour video, or EPROM programming. Larger CUBE Euroracks are available. The unit runs industry -standard 40 or 80 track 5.25" FLEX disks via the BBC Microcomputer. Connection to the BBC Micro is via the TUBE. It uses the standard BBC Micro disk interface and disk drives, which remain valid for standard BBC Micro purposes.

CUBE BeebFLEX can run a wide variety of FLEX programs - including macro -assemblers and cross -assemblers, compilers and cross -compilers, and high-level languages. including PL/9, 'C' and Extended BASIC. CUBE BeebFLEX is particularly suitable for machine code assembly both to 6809 and, via cross -assembly, to other microprocessors - including 68000.

The 6809 microprocessor has more instructions, more registers and more addressing modes than the 6502. It also generates relocatable code. As a result FLEX is particularly suitable for development applications.

CUU0990 CUBE BeebFLEX 6809 Second Processor Unit £359.00 ex. VAT FLX0920 FLEX operating system disk, with manual. for CUBE BeebFLEX £65.00 ex. VAT

All enquiries, via telephone, letter or magazine reply service, will receive our catalogue and associated sales literature. Manufacturers of the CUBE Range Control Universal Ltdof Industrial Microcomputer Systems 111 Andersons Court. Newnham Road. Cambridge CB3 9EZ. Tel: Cambridge (0223) 358757, Telex: 995801 GLOTX-G r Circle No. 125 56 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 SPFCTRRf//OEO FI2M1

With sophisticated 3 -channel ADSR sound, And for keen programmers, the easy -to -us high resolution sprite graphics and a rapidly and space saving extended BASIC gives total expanding I ibra ry ofsoftwa re, the Spectravideo control of all standard functions. SV 328 is all you'd expect in a great games machine. There's room to grow too-with a complete rangeofperipheralsalreadyavailable, A slick word processor -stylekeyboard, including some of the best joysticks in the CP/M* compatibilityandmassiveRAM business. (expandable to full144K) puts it in the business league. AtS262 the SV328 is great value for money!

Spectravideo SV 328: Memory -32K ROM expandable to 96K, 80K on board RAM Spectravideo Peripherals: Cassette Drive: Disk Drive - single: Disk Drive - double: Disk expandable to144K: Keyboard - full word processor type, 87 keys,10 function keys, built Drive - full BusinessPack: Mini Expander: Super Expander: Monitor: Printerwith Interface in cursor control: Graphics - 16 colours, 256x192 high resolution graphics, 32 sprites: Card: Centronics Interface: RS 232 Interface: 16K RAM Pack: 64K RAM Pack: 80 Column Sound -3 channels, 8 octaves per channel: CP/M compatibility - to over 3000 existing Card: Coleco Adaptor: Quick Shot Joysticks. software packages: Storage - cassette drive, 256K disk drive capacity. Suggested retail price - £262. Also available Spectravideo SV 318: Suggested retail price - £186. SNittliF11//0E17,. " CP/Mo revsfered nose mark of Digitol Research Inc

Tomorrows Computers -Today r To: Spectravideo Ltd,165 Garth Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 4LH Spectravideo Ltd, 165 Garth Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 411$ Telephone: 01-330 0101. Telex: 28704 MMH VANG I am interested in Spectravideo computers and peripherals. Please send me the latest reports together with a full technical specification brochure. Fill in the coupon today and we'll mail you a fulltechnical brochureand latesttest reports of the amazing Spectravideo range, or see it for yourself at: I Name: Caned away at DG Address: LEISURE spectru CENTRES and most leading computer stockists. Tel No STD Code: Circle No. 126 PC9,84 WHEN SIR CL1VE SINCLAIR launched hissurface. For the first time on a Sinclair latest wonder micro in January this yearmachine, a Reset buttonisprovided, he dubbed it the QL or Quantum Leap.located on the right side of the machine. Since then, the only leap that those waitingThere is still no on/off switch. Also on the for their QL have been aware of is the leapright are the two Microdrive units with of faith that it will eventually arrive. Thetheir openings facing forwards. On the left first machines went out in April - some-of the machine are a small power -on light time after the "delivery within 28 days"and the main peripheral add-on slot, as yet initially promised. The backlog was sti nowhere near being cleared in June. Ironically, it was just around this ti thatSinclairResearch andSirCli personally gave written assurances and Part III of the Fair Trading Act 1973 th they would not advertise delivery times goods which could not be kept. Th followed complaints arising out of ads f the Spectrum, ZX-81 and even ZX-80 to four years ago. Allowing April as the month of fir deliveries is being slightly generous. T machines that went out - the so-called F version - had their sleek good loo rather spoilt by the presence of a vu nerable-lookingplug-intothe RO expansion port at the top of the machin The kludge, as it came to be known, w part of the operating system that did n fit on to the EPROMs sitting inside t machine. This, along with the unfinish documentation, was the most obvious si that the QLs were not final versions. T first of these, the AH model, start arriving at the end of May. The QL is elegantly styled in matt bla plastic, very slightly textured and wi various "go faster" stripes etched into

Benchmarks The table shows the time in seconds taken to run eight standard routines. For a 68000 -family machine running at 7.5MHz the QL seems very slow. BM1 BM2 BM3 BM4 BM5 BM6 BM7 BM8 QL/AH - 68008 1.9 5.4 9.3 9.1 11.824.042.420.7 HP Series 200 Model 16 - 68000 0.2 0.6 1.4 1.6 1.7 2.8 4.3 15.0 3.5 BBC Model B - 6502 1.0 3.1 8.3 8.7 9.2 13.921.952.0 14.8 Spectrum - Z-80 4.8 8.7 21.1 20.424.055.380.7 253.058.5 Review

At the back there are two local areasound generation, and acts as an RS -232that the Microdrives will copy perfectly. network ports for use with QLAN, thereceiver.One of the ULAs controls In addition to the Psion application power socket, and portsfora high -display and memory and the other dealsprograms supplied on four Microdrive resolution colour monitor or colour TV. withtheMicrodrives,thelocalareacartridges, Sinclair supplies eight further Four sockets, identical to those now usednetwork, RS -232 transmission and theblank cartridges - four for backing up by BT for telephone jacks, provide tworeal-time clock. Unfortunately, there is nothe bundled software and four spares. RS -232 connections and two joystickon -board battery backup to the clock, so it Of our eight,four formatted without ports. The last slot, for plug-in ROMs, is isreal-time only when the machineis problems but threw up the message the one used on FB-version machines forrunning. Bad or changed medium part of the operating system. The power The Microdrives use precisely the samewhen used for copying the Psion pro- socket connects to a rather heavy externaltechnology as those of the Spectrum butgrams. A 50 percent failure rate does not power -supply unit,styled in a similarare functionally incompatible with them.augur well for the new medium. black plastic. The cartridge itself contains about five metres of thin video tape, joined up into aLack of RAM? Spartan layout continuous loop and specially lubricated to allow the tape to slip from the middle of In use, the Microdrives seem to find the Inside the QL the layout has a sparethe wound spool. The continuous formrelevant sectors reasonably fast, though appearance. Apart from the ULAs thatallows faster access to files, without thesome of the operations can take minutes. allow so much to be packed into relativelyneed for rewinding. But obviously theIt is hard to disentangle the extent to which few chips, the main chip is the 68008 at thenature of the technology means that thethis is caused by software problems, lack far left of the motherboard. The 68000risk of physical failure is higher than withof RAM and so on. The worst example we family of microprocessors has recentlydiscs. found duringthis review was the10 been completed by Motorola's launch of Sinclair claims a minimum capacity ofminutes it took to copy the Easel business the top of the range 68020 model, sporting85K. The exact figure varies from tape tographics across from the master to a blank the full 32 -bit structure throughout. Thetape, and depends partly on the extent tocartridge.Other Psion packages took 68008 is not so much sawn-off as corseted:which the tape has been stretched andseveral minutes. the processing is carried out with the fullgenerally massaged by the formatting It is hard to know quite what is causing 32 bits, but all data transfers are limited toprocess. After formatting is complete, thethe hold-ups until more details about eight bits. Clearly some of the processingnumber of usable sectors and the totalQDOS and the tape format used are forth- power is lost as conversions of data lengthnumber of sectors is displayed: 213/216coming.It may well prove possible to take place. seems a popular ratio.Unfortunately,bypass whatever problems there are. But 1 804 h

:Z4 lefott.t. or ox,21eories,

ff lotus hti I

A wide range of graphics options are available with Easel. Eight different graphs are available including bar graphs.

.411 The legend box can be moved around or deleted. Text can be entered at any point on a graph. ment overSinclair'spreviousefforts.and Control are adjacent on one side, and Opinions differ widely over its suitabilityShift and Enter on the other. It is all too SINCLAIR QLfor word-processing:Ifound itquiteeasy to mistake Enter for Shift, which can (continued from previous page) usable for touch typing, but a colleaguehave dire consequences. The cursor keys likened it to plunging your hand in a bowlare split rather awkwardly across the in their present form, such access timesof cold porridge. As ever, the only waycentral space bar. On the plus side, back- castdoubts overtheMicrodrives. to decide is to try it yourself, which isspace deletion, obtained by holding down Equally worrying is the pricing structurerather problematical with a mail-orderControl and the Cursor Left key, is easily being adopted by Sinclair. The quotedmachine. managed by one hand. price for end -users is £4.95: way over the In addition to the standard QWERTY On power -uptheopeningscreen comparablefigureforcassettes.Thekeys and five function keys there is apresents you with a choice of monitor or situationisjust as bad for softwareproper space bar - the first to appear on ascreen, selected by Fl and F2 respectively. houses, which may well be inhibited fromSinclairmachine - twoShiftkeys,The monitor mode divides the screen into plungingintoMicrodrivecartridgeControl, Alt, Tab, Escape and Enter. Onethree areas. The bottom screen, labelled 0, production of their programs. problem with the layout is that the Shiftis used for entering commands; the left- The consequencesof anyresulting hand upper screen displays a listing of the software starvation would be dire. The QL programenteredandtheright-hand is already backing a lot of outsiders, and it Specification portion shows theoutput.For some cannot risk falling down with its software CPU:Motorola68008 running at 7.5MHz reason best known to Sinclair, they are base. The QL is particularly vulnerable to RAM: 128K standard including 32K labelled 2 and 1 respectively. this because Sinclair has chosen not to video RAM; promised expansion to The Television display mode combines include a cassette port, presumably for 640K the listing and output screens in one. The fear of spoiling its professional image. ROM: 48K with 16K externally in FB listing appears in bright blue and is over- The keyboard is another aspect of the version, containing QDOS and written in red by output. Two basic modes up-market approach adopted by Sinclair SuperBasic are available: eight colours with 256 by with its new machine, and the company Weight: 1.388kg. excluding power supply 256 pixels, allowing 37 characters across, claims tohavespent£100,000on Dimensions: 138mm. (5.4in.) by 46mm. and four colours and 512 by 256 pixels designing it. Inevitably a membrane design (1.8in.); separate power supply with 74 characters. In the Monitor display is used, but the individually moulded rigid Keyboard: full-size 67 -key QWERTY mode 83 characters are available, of which plastic key tops represent a huge improve layout plus five function keys; the first four are lost on a TVset. membrane -pad switching operated by rigid plastic keys Mass storage: two built-in Microdrives; typical cartridge capacity 85K Interfaces: two RS -232s; two QLAN local monitor and TV ports; two joystick ports; ROM slot; main expansion slot Software in price: system software in ROM: Psion application packages Quill, Abacus, Easel and Archive on Microdrive cartridges. Price: £399 including VAT, plus £7.95 post and packing Manufacturer: Sinclair Research. Mail- order purchases from Freepost, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3BR; telephone: (0276) 686100; retail distribution due to begin in The tell -tale kludge is now extinct on September The bulky external power -supply unit final versions of the QL. mars the QL's sleek appearance.

The ULAs account for the QL's bare appearance inside, also space has been left for expansion peripherals to be slotted in.

60 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Review

The display is one of the least successful aspects of the QL. In the TV mode there is a lot of pulsing of the background and general lack of stability, lending a sub- aqua effect to the image. The characters are very difficult to read in the four-colour mode, and more so in black and white whereproblemsofdefinitionseem greater. Since SuperBasic is resident in ROM, the command line responds automatically to this language. QDOS, the proprietary operatingsystem,remainsessentially invisible to the end -user. Until Sinclair releases documentation it is hard to make any useful comments on the system. One disappointment is that it turns out that the much -vaunted multi -tasking will be availableonly from machine -code programs. Windows are offered, but there seems little you can do with them without the multi -tasking capability. Slow SuperBasic

As the Benchmarks show, SuperBasic is The QDOS command lists the files available on the Microdrive cartridge. The amount slow for a 68000 -based machine. Since theof free storage space left on tape is displayed in proportion to that used. 68008 is inherently a fast processor, even with its eight -bit data bus, it has beentasking, and as such will only be availablesense of it. First it translates the string suggested that the problem lies in theto machine -code programmers. "4" interpreter. It is certainly quite instructive Othermodishgraphicscommandsinto the number 4.0, adds it to 1.4, then to note the changes in the SuperBasicinclude some for a pseudo -turtle - that is,ignores the decimal fraction so that it can manual that have occurred since Januaryone that exists purely in terms of move-be assigned to an integer variable X%. as commands have come and gone or havements on the screen, rather than as a So the QL saves you from having to been renamed, providing some indicationphysicalrobot.Standard commandsworry about all those little details that of difficulties or second thoughts. includePendown,Move,Turn andmake programming sotiresome. Sinclair's new BasicisincompatibleTurnto. A Beep command can be invokedUnfortunately, it also encourages you to with the Spectrum's ZX Basic.It layswithtwo,five,six,sevenoreightbe sloppy and even incomprehensible in claim to its "Super" on the grounds ofparameters allowing variouslevels ofyourprogramminghabits,whichis beingstructured.Programs havetheenvelope specification. As with the BBC'spreciselythethingthatstructured ordered form characteristic of Pascal andEnvelope command, muchexperi-languages were designed to avoid. other structured languages, with neatlymentation will be needed to work out the A definitive assessment of SuperBasic matched For and End commands, andconsequences of small parameter changes.will have to wait for a definitive version; at Procedures and Functions tucked away atOnly one sound channel is provided. the moment it has a number of worrying the end of the listing. Other goodies on Windows, like all input/output com-bugs and bumps. Still,itis clear that offer include a Select, which allows amands, are handled using the concept of aSinclair is aiming high, and the eventual range of command options dependent onstream. Any device, such as the keyboard,possibilities could be very exciting. particular conditions, like Case in Pascal;Microdrives, Windows and Printer, can be The Psion software bundled with QL an If that has now acquired an Else inhooked up to a stream to accept data flowhas settled down to a slightly more stable addition to the Then; and an automaticand, where appropriate, provide input. Itstate. It was discussed in some detail in the line -numbering command, Auto. isthereforetheoreticallypossibletoMay issue of Practical Computing, though redirect printer output to a Microdrive. atthat time the programs were only Graphics Streams will also be important in access-running from ROM boards. ingperipherals when theyeventually A wide range of graphics commands areappear, and for sending out included. Paper and Ink select the coloursinformationoverthe QLAN net-Data exchange for each of the two modes available.work. Thefourpackagesofferword- Pixels, lines, arcs, circles and ellipses can All the standard maths functions areprocessing,spreadsheet,graphicsand all be drawn using single commands, andincluded, as well as an impressive floating-database applications. Each comes on a there is a Fill command to colour -in closedpoint range of - 10615 to 10615 with eightseparate Microdrive cartridge and their shapes in a swift and efficient way. Scrollsignificant figures. Even though struc-size is such that only one at a time can be and Pan allow the screen to be scrolled atured programming is supposed to avoidresidentin memory on the standard specified number of pixels up, down, leftthem, old favourites like Goto and Gosubmachine. Consequently the exchange of or right.This command can also beare still available. data between programsisnot entire- applied to any windows that have been In fact, there is a contradiction betweenlystraightforward,andcertainlynot created. the whole logical structured approach andinstantaneous. The Window command permitsasomeofSuperBasic'sfacilities.For The Quillword-processing package portion of the screen to be defined as anexample, it is very tolerant of mixed dataoffers all the standard features, and is independent area, which may be scrolledtypes.Youcanentersomethingasfully WYSIWYG. Asaresult,the and also display data directed towards it.horrendous as response time is often very slow as the Much of the power of the facility depends LET X% =1.4 + "4" machine struggles to reformat the text's on a full implementation of the multi -and SuperBasic will do its best to make (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 61 Review

asaslowbutusablewordpro - Although there are some eight different processor, offering most of the facilitieskinds of graph available, and colours can SINCLAIR QLlooked for in a package but not ideallybe changed for particular parts of them, (continued from previous page) suited to extensive use by good typists. Forthe overall variation is really quite small. on -screen appearance: perhaps the worstthe two -finger beginner or for occasionalOtherwise Easeliseasytouse,well offenders are the Replace mode and back-use in the home it should suffice. implemented and fast, considering the space deletion. One problem with deletion The spreadsheet program can be recom- graphic manipulations. A nice touch is the isthat you run too far ahead of themended with fewer reservations. It is quiteability to add text at any point on a graph. plodding cursor and so blot out some offast,againoffersallthestandard Perhaps the most interesting of the the previous word too. facilities, and adds a few of its own.Psion packages is Archive, the program- As partofthegeneralpolicyofParticularlyusefulistheabilitytomable database. Databases have tradition- command integration, editing throughoutmanipulate whole rows and columns usingally been heavy businessapplications the packages is carried out using the key-only thefirst entry as a label. Thus,rather than for the home user, but Archive strokes used by the Sup erBasic line editor,formulae like could well change all that. which islimited but serviceable. Help costs = sales *0.43 + 169 A default record format is available on screens, called up by pressing Fl, have toare legal. One slightly annoying featurewhich each field can be set up as required. be pulled in off a Microdrive cartridgefor those of us brought up on VisiCalc andNew records can be added by using the and, as with all Microdrive operations,its clones is the necessity of entering aInsert command, which allows the fields longish waits are involved. Even straight-number before using the cursor keys,to be filled in one by one, or Append, forward text entry can cause frenziedwhere the latter will serve on their own inwhere Let commands are used to assign accessing, and this only serves to slowthe older packages. There should be no values to particular fields. The command down the system's response time evenproblems in putting this package to serious linegenerallyinterpretsinputasa further.Loading newdocumentsis uses, and it measures up well against othercommand; where inputisrequired,a similarly frustrating: load times of min-stand-alone programs. second cursor appears in the upper part of utes are not uncommon even for small The Easel graphics package is the largestthe screen representing the record. documents. in terms of program size. Though super- Once a file has been set up, its contents Two major omissions are a mail -mergeficially the most impressive it is ultimatelycan be scanned using First, Next, Before facilityand any capabilityforprintprobably the least useful. Graphs can beand Last to pass from record to record. spooling -a shame when you remembercreatedatthekeyboardbydirectlyRecords with a particular field can be that the QL is billed as a multi -taskinginputting data, or data can be importedfound using the Select command. A file machine. Generally, Quill is best regardedfor other applications. (continued on page 64)

Crte

..1,;:k was. uctvli utter

*WA sr,2ctotz.te t.tt*E; ME:, mtc: 0A- z"Imilk4Ltestiiste

Abacus has a standard spreadsheet format. Portions of a spreadsheet can be incorporated into a document.

at tagtocik s4r t t44 t

ow* wane stoptibit twit I %wisp 2

The Import function is used to exchange data. Data can be displayed in a user -defined format.

62 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 with tremendous potential for businesses of all sizes

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PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 63 Review SINCLAIR Q1. (continued from page 62) can also be sorted on any of its fields in ascending or descending alphabetical or numerical order; it is possible to sort on two fields. The Locate command can then be used to search on part of a string, for example Sm, to find all names beginning with these letters. This allows a kind of wild -card facility. As well as using the default display - invoked,reasonablyenough,bythe command Display - itispossible to design alternative screen formats using the screen editor Sedit. Formats can be saved and loaded from Microdrives. When the Microdrive cartridge slots in the tape is pressed against the readlwrite head. Perhaps the most powerful feature of Archive is its ability to run procedures.created, and can then be called up using Despite all the delays and problems, These structured programs lookverythe Import command from the otherSinclair is confident that the QL is going to similar to a SuperBasic listing, but withoutapplications. On the other hand, passagebe a winner on the scale of its previous the line numbers. Using them you can runof data from Archive to Quill is not somachines. Sales targets are 250,000 this routines to search through files, print outstraightforward. Given thatitisnotyear and 750,000 next year. New manufac- mailing lists, merge, reorder and delete -possible to hold all packages in memoryturers are due to be announced soon, and in short, everything you would expectsimultaneously, this awkwardness is notthe American launch is planned for the from a fully programmable database. so critical; the main transfers are possibleautumn. Most of the SuperBasic commands likeand relatively easy. Perhaps things ought Getkey( ) and While are available, and theto be kept in context since the Psion pro- program handles procedure layout as ingrams are being bundled with a machineConclusions SuperBasic. Procedures may call otherfor a total of £400 and it would be procedures and can use local parameters.unreasonable to expect perfection. This one will run and run. When the Multiple files may be accessed by assigning The manuals arequite comprehen-bumps have been ironed out the QL will them distinct logical names. They aresive,withplentyofscreendumpsrepresent unbeatable value. defined when a file is Opened - whichand examples. The Introduction and The Microdrives are overpriced under - allows alterations - or Looked at, whichSuperBasic sections have been touched upperformers. It will not be long before is limited to read only. It is important toslightly between the FB and AH versions,third -party suppliers offer disc drives that Close files at the end of a session. but unfortunately some errors have/ beenreally will be a leap for the machine. Initial impressions are that Archive is acorrected only to be replaced by others. In The Psion programs are eminently powerful program. Its sorts and searchesparticular,thelinenumbers oftheusable for most home applications. Only on small files were fast, but how it wouldexample programs have been changed, butQuill lets the side down with its rather cope with larger files that exceed RAMnot consistently. The Keywords sectionsedate response. space might well be another matter. Theexplaining SuperBasic is useful but could SuperBasic seems to be a little wobbly procedural language is very powerful, ifbe fuller. atpresent.Thepotentialisthere, slightly daunting for the beginner. With the present so dubious, it mayespecially with the structuring and wide seem a little premature to consider therange of commands. It is also slow, which future, but there can be little doubt thatcould be a problem for Basic games. The Integration after a few more months' tidying up thelack of multi -tasking at this level is also One of the key features of the PsionQL will be a serviceable machine. Add-disappointing. suite is its claim to integration. CommandonspromisedfromSinclairarethe Initially there will be a shortage of integration, or the appearance of the512K RAM - guaranteed non -wobble -software, but the indications are that screens and the use of the function keys in aWinchester,modem andterminalsoftware writers are beavering away to a consistent fashion, is superficially quiteemulator, Centronics port and a non -cater for what will be a huge market. complete.However,Archiveis sub-thermalprinter.Thereisalsothe It is only too easy to knock aspects of stantially different in approach. All inputpossibility that an upgraded Microdrivethe QL, but the fact remains that for about is treated initially as command, whichwith a capacity of 1Mbyte will be released;£400 youaregettingamicro with must be entered in full, whereas in the otherunfortunatelythiswillyetagainbe potential, and four usable application three packages first letters suffice. incompatible with everything else. programs here and now. Despite claims to In Archive, all the command menus are The Psion packages are being slimmedthe contrary,itis no low -end business called up by successive presses of F3; indown further so that they can be crammedmachine hut an tip -market home micro. El Quill, there is a command Other whichon to a 128K ROM. This will improve takes you down to a further nested list ofperformance and free far more RAM. At commands. Matters are complicated bythe moment the 32K video RAM, together QLangers the fact that there are two commandswith the large programs, leaves precious beginning with F, namely Footer on thelittle user space. Psion has recently started Practical Computing is monitoring main list and Files on the subsidiary one. marketing the QL packages for other the state of the QL. If you find any More crucialisthelevelof datamachines like the IBM PC and Sirius bugs or bumps in the software, integration. Again, matters vary fromunder the name Xchange. As well as con - please send details to QLangers, package to package. The Export functioncurrency, they have additional features Practical Computing, Room L307, allows data to be passed from Abacus tolike mail -merge and print spooling - Quadrant House, The Quadrant, the other three packages relatively easily.some. of which may filter back to the QL Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. A file with the extension name of _EXP isone day.

64 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 GO 4th WITH NATIONWIDF

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66 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Review

OVER THE LAST four or five years I havegoal of making the Apple II a viablesituated in the centre of the machine. been developing increasingly close linkscomputer throughout the 1980s. With 128K Contrary toprevious Apple practice with a succession of Apple computers. Atof built-in RAM, the computer is ahead ofonly the processor and the ROMs are first, with one of the original Apple IIthe accepted rule that price/performancesocketed: all the other chips are soldered machines, it was an hour a day of borrowedratio decreases by 25 percent per annum. directly to the board. This reflects not only time during the lunch hour. Then a II + Unlike its predecessors the IIc is intendedthe increased reliability now expected from arrived to occupy my evenings. Next Ias a non -expandable computer and doessemiconductor devices, but also the desire acquired a He which took, on average, 10not possess any of the familiar expansionto make a portable machine more robust hours of each day and rather more atslots. Reinforcing this philosophy is theand able to withstand the shocks it will weekends. design of the case, which cannot be readilyexperience as it is carried about. All these computers had a number ofopened; the User Guide warns that the The keyboard layout isidentical with merits in common: they were bulky, theywarranty is invalidated if the user doesthat of the Apple He. There are 63 keys to beeped and their disc drives clattered. Thismanage to get inside. As compensation forimplement fully the ASCII character set, as meant that they were relegated to anotherthe non-expandibility, Apple has providedwell as Open Apple and Closed Apple keys room, and switched off from time to time. a comprehensive range of interfaces whichwhich serve a variety of functions. The The newly introduced IIc, however, doestake the place of the cards that users haveReset key is away from the main keyboard not enjoy such advantages. It is light and previously had to plug in to implement suchand operates only in conjunction with the compact, it possesses an almost silent built-basic functions as connecting a printer. Controlkey.NexttoResetare two in disc drive and it has a volume control switches, one for selecting 40- or 80 -column which can turn the beep down to a level display,theotherforselectingan which is acceptable in the average livingA look inside alternative characterset. On American room. Couple this with a neat monitor With the blessing of Apple we did openmachines this is a Dvorak keyboard layout, which perches comfortably on a coffeeup our review machine. On the right-handwhile on European versions it is a national table beside an armchair, and the excuse forside of the motherboard are 16 64K RAMlanguage character set, which in the U.K. not working an 18- or 20 -hour dayis chips, constituting the 128K of read-writeversion merely replaces the # with a £ sign. completely removed.Itshould carry amemory. The processor itself is at the frontA ribbon connector links the keyboard government health warning. edge, flanked by ROMs which contain theprinted -circuit board to a 34 -pin connector The IIc is the next stage in the evolutionmonitor, the Basic interpreter, keyboardon the motherboard. oftheAppleIIfrom theprototypedecoder and the display -control routines. The power supplyalsoreflectsthe originally produced by Mark Jobs andThe audio amplifier is contained in a singleportablenature of thecomputer. An Steve Wozniak back in 1976. It represents achip in the front left-hand corner and theexternal unit, housed in a plastic box styled major step towards the realisation of theinterface circuits are arranged on a busto match the computer, converts a.c. mains into 12V d.c. and plugs into a seven -pin DIN connector at the rear. The various Benchmarks voltages required by the individual chips are derived by a switching power supply The table shows the time in seconds to run eight standard Basic routines. Our which plugs into the motherboard. Benchmark routines test out various typical tasks, each repeating an appropriate set As well as the power -supply connector, of Basic statements 1,000 times. Timings for the Apple IIc are virtually identical to the rear of the case carries sockets for the those obtained with our Ile, despite the CMOS circuitry the Ilc uses. The Basic peripherals supported by the lIc. There are interpreter used was Applesoft. identical five -pin DIN sockets for serial BM1BM2BM3BM4BM5BM6BM7BM8 Av. printer and modem, an RCA socket for the Apple Ilc - CMOS 65CO2 12.7 8.8 16.2 18.0 19.8 29.2 45.4 105 31.9 monitor and three D -type sockets - nine- Apple Ile - 6502 12.7 8.8 16.2 18.1 19.7 29.245.6 105 31.9 pin for the mouse and game input, 25 -pin IBM PC -8088 1.2 4.8 11.7 12.2 13.423.337.4 30 16.8 for a second disc drive and 15 -pin for video Kaypro 10 -Z-80B 1.2 3.8 9.5 9.7 10.5 19.029.5 51 16.9 connection. The video socket provides Epson PX-8 - 3.5 7.1 18.3 18.020.739.0 61 88 32.0 comprehensive access to the display signals, CMOS Z-80 clone together with sound and d.c. power supply. An on/off switch is also provided. Ribbon connector The remaining major component inside the main case is a half -height Alps 5.25in. minifloppydisc -driveunit,accessed I I I 14 ion through a slot on the right-hand side. Like 11111111111111111111111 thekeyboard,itisconnectedtothe motherboard through a ribbon cable. There is very little free space inside the or-4pdialoompio case, though great care has been taken to ensure that heat can be dissipated freely. The carrying handle latches in a downward position to serve as a stand which holds the underside clear of the surface on which the computer is standing. The IIc uses CMOS chips, so one of the major sources of heat is friction between the floppy disc and its sleeve. (continued on next page)

Left: An acquisition from the Lisa and Mac, the mouse plugs into the rear.

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 67 usedforillegalprogramming.Theseinnovation is that the Basic interpreter will instructions are not present in the 65CO2, soaccept keywords typedinlowercase, APPLE Ilcsoftware which relies on them will not run.though when listed they appear in upper (continued from previous page) The complete list of 65CO2 op codes iscase. The IIc does not support Pascal 1.0 The memory map followsstandardshown intable1.Using the amendedfirmware protocols, so any user who has Apple II practice, with the proviso that theinstruction set, it is possible to save the Xnot upgraded will have to do so. Integer standard operating system is Prodos, whichand Y registers directly to the stack, usingBasic, if required, will have to be loaded has slightly different memory requirementsPHX and PHY, and by using STZ to zerofrom a DOS 3.3 System Master disc - but from DOS 3.3. different locations without an intermediatehurry if you want it, because the Ile is Slot assignments, which were availableLDA # $00. This produces much moreshipped with Prodos and Apple will not be for any peripheral on earlier Apple IIcompact code, which Apple has takensupporting DOS 3.3 much longer. machines are now taken up by dedicatedadvantageoftorewritethemonitor I/O circuits. As with the Ile, slot 0 has beenroutines. given to extra RAM - 16K of the 64K, To maintain compatibility with existingCasualties equivalent to the old language card. Slots 1software, the old entry points have been Built-in diagnostics are not provided. and 2 contain RS -232 serial interfaces forpreserved,andtheroutinesare nowAnother casualty is the cassette interface printerandmodelrespectively.Eachliberally sprinkled with the new commandand commands, whose memory allocation implements a subset of the Apple SuperBRA - Branch Relative Always.Itis has been given to the 80 -column routines. It Serial interface card but with differentpossible to upgrade the Apple He by isalsonotpossibletowritetothe default conditions. replacingthe 6502A processor with aannunciator outputs. On the plus side, Slot 3 correspondstothebuilt-in65CO2, but timing constraints prevent thisdouble high -resolution graphics of 560 by 80 -columnroutines.Functionally,thebeing done in an Apple II or II + . 192 pixels in 16 colours are now possible. circuitisequivalenttothe Apple He Like the lle, the Apple IIc provides forThe Applesoft interpreter does not support extended 80 -column card, providing anupper- and lower-case text. An interestingthis mode, which has to be implemented by extra 64K of memory mapped into the same address space as the main memory. Slot 4 contains interface circuitsfor a mouse whichcanbepluggedintoaDB-9 connector at the rear. Slot 6 is the disc interface, provided in the IIc by a single chip known as the IWM orIntegrated Woz Machine - Steve Wozniak designed the orginal DiskII interface. To booting from an external disc drive you perform a PR # 7 command, the equivalent of initialising a slot 7 device. As with other Apple II machines, the firmware controlling these I/O functions is contained within the address space $C100 to$C7FF, andthisisdedicatedto 80 -column routines. Major drawback Astute mathematicians will have noticed the omission of a reference toslot5 functions. The section of the Technical Reference Manual which describes the firmware routines merely allocates address $C500 as "reserved". I am sure that the universally accepted view outside Apple Computer Inc.will be thatthisspace should have been used to provide an Apple expansion bus connector, accessible from the rear of the case. This would have overcome the major drawback of the IIc, which is lack of an easy way of connecting a Z-80 to provide access to CP/M. Third - party suppliers are having to resort to methods such as using the RS -232 ports and video connector. Probing more deeply into the circuit of the Ile, another way in which it differs from its predecessors is that a 65CO2 has replaced the 6502 as processor. The 65CO2 is a redesigned, CMOS version of the earlier chip, and has several significant functional differences. There are 27 new instructions, new addressing modes and,for some functions, a different execution scheme. Withthe6502therewere some A sloton the right-hand side of the lic provides access to the half -height 5.25in. undocumented instructions which could be minifloppy disc -drive unit.

68 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Review

machine -language routines assembled at letter to display the corresponding icon. 86000 and called by ampersand commands The main application of the icons is in Specification &DG, &Pen,&Brush,&HColor = n,conjunctionwith a mouse,another &Bckgnd, &Dot At X,Y, and &Line Toacquisition from the Lisa and Mac. The CPU: eight -bit 65CO2, a CMOS variant of X,Y. mouse is intended as a user-friendly input the 6502, running at 1MHz device for what is basically menu -driven Memory: 128K RAM; 16K ROM Spin-off software. Moving the mouse over a surface containing monitor program and causes a captive ball within the mouse's Applesoft Basic Display: both 24 -line by 40 -column and One excitingspin-offfromApple'sbody to roll, which in turn rotates two discs 24 -line by 80 -column text modes; developmentworkonthe Lisaand on axes which are at right angles to one graphics modes - 40 by 48, 280 by Macintosh is to be found in the characteranother.Thisrotation isdetectedby 192, and 560 by 192; while preserving generatorROM. IntheoriginalIlephotocells, and translated by the mouse Apple Ile compatibility, the Ilc has character -generator ROM there are twofirmware in the Ilc into movements of a 16 -colour rather than eight -colour setsofinverseupper-casecharacters,pointer on a graphics screen. A microswitch graphics; the Ilc outputs display character codes 0 to 31 and 64 to 95. In theinthe mouse isused to trigger specific through a domestic TV, a monitor or new ROM, used in both the Ilc and in new actions such as the selection of a particular the promised LCD panel; standard system comes with TV adaptor Ilemachines,the upperset has beenoption in a menu. Keyboard: full-size QWERTY layout replaced by 32 graphics characters or icons. The AppleIlccomes with a com- keyboard with 63 keys These icons can be displayed using a simpleprehensive set of manuals, and great pains Discs: built-in 143K 5.25in. floppy -disc procedure from Basic by Poking 49162 havebeentakentoprovideaneasy drive, fully Apple II compatible; with any value, followed by a PR # 3 to turn introduction for the absolute newcomer to additional external 143K drive costs on 80-coumn firmware. Use the Inversecomputing. Experienced users will find that £230; third -party 10Mbyte hard -disc command to set the inverse mode. Then they can bypass most of the instructions unit available from Symbiotic you justPrintthe appropriate capital (continued on next page) Computer Systems Interfaces: mouse/joystick port, two RS -232C interfaces configured for modem and printer respectively, P11111111 11111 11111111' external disc interface, video -monitor 11111111111U MINH jack socket, RGB output, audio socket Portability: Ilc main unit weighs 3.4kg., (7.51b.) and is mains -powered via a 4suri. diimpoofamo fb power adaptor supplied with the system; main unit dimensions 305mm. (12in.) x 292mm. (11.5in.) x 64mm. (2.5in.) optional Apple Ilc monitor weighs 5.5kg., (111b.), optional flat -screen display panel about 1.4kg. (31b.) U.K. price: £925 plus VAT for Ilc with 128K and one built-in disc drive, TV Sockets are provided for peripherals such as a serial printer, modem, monitor and video. adaptor, power adaptor, Prodos and utilities, manual plus five tutorial and demo discs Hardware options: Apple Ilc 9in. green screen monitor, £140; monitor stand, £27; flat -panel liquid crystal display is promised for September 1984, price about £500, showing full 24 lines by 80 columns and high -resolution graphics; Ilc mouse costs £70 including Mousepaint drawing package; rechargeable battery pack has been announced by third -party supplier in the U.S. Software: Ilc comes with the Prodos operating system, utilities, and six training programs on disc, and Applesoft Basic in ROM; the Ilc runs Prodos software, and also most existing DOS 3.3 and Apple UCSD Pascal software without alteration; example products making full use of Ilc graphics and memory include Appleworks, £175, integrated word processing/spreadsheet/database; Apple Logo II, £75; Microsoft Multiplan, £159 Manufacturer: Apple Computer Inc., U.S.A.: Apple makes the Ilc at its plant in Ireland for the U.K. and European markets U.K. distribution: Apple Computer (U.K.) Ltd, Eastman Way, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 7HQ. Telephone: (0442) 60244. Available now. The Ilc comes with training programs on disc and a comprehensive set of manuals.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 69 Review

DO BNE 00 BRK 34 BIT Zero Page, X 68 PLA 9C STZ D1 CMP (Indirect). Y 01 ORA (Indirect. X) 35 AND Zero Page, X 69 ADC Immediate 9D STA Absolute. X D2 CMP (Zero Page) 02 NOP 36 ROL Zero Page. X 6A ROR 9E STZ Indirect, X D3 NOP 03 NOP 37 NOP 6B NOP 9F NOP D4 NOP 04 TSB Zero Page 38 SEC 6C JMP Indirect AO LDY Immediate D5 CMP Zero Page, X 05 ORA Zero Page 39 AND Absolute. Y 6D ADC Absolute Al LDA (Indirect, X) D6 DEC Zero Page. X 06 ASL Zero Page 3A DEA 6E ROR Absolute A2 LDX Immediate D7 NOP 07 NOP 3B NOP 6F NOP A3 NOP D8 CLD 08 PHP 3C BIT Absolute, X 70 BVS A4 LDY Zero Page D9 CMP Absolute, Y 09 ORA Immediate 3D AND Absolute, X 71 ADC (Indirect). Y A5 LDA Zero Page DA PHX OA ASL 3E ROL Absolute, X 72 ADC Zero Page A6 LDX Zero Page DB NOP OB NOP 3F NOP 73 NOP A7 NOP DC NOP OC TSB Absolute 40 RTI 74 STZ Zero Page, X A8 TAY DD CMP Absolute, X OD ORA Absolute 41 EOR (Indirect. X) 75 ADC Zero Page, X A9 LDA Immediate DE DEC Absolute, X OE ASL Absolute 42 NOP 76 ROR Zero Page. X AA TAX DF NOP OF NOP 43 NOP 77 NOP AB NOP 10 BPL 44 NOP 78 SEI AC LDY Absolute EO CPX Immediate SBC (Indirect), X 11 ORA (Indirect). Y 45 EOR Zero Page 79 ADC Absolute. Y AD LDA Absolute El 12 ORA (Zero Page) 46 LSR Zero Page 7A PLY AE LDX Absolute E2 NOP 13 NOP 47 NOP 7B NOP AF NOP E3 NOP 14 TRB Zero Page 48 PHA 7C JMP Absolute (X) BO BCS E4 CPX Zero Page E5 15 ORA Zero Page. X 49 EOR Immediate 7D ADC Absolute. X B1 LDA (Indirect). Y SBC Zero Page 16 ASL Zero Page. X 4A LSR 7E ROR Absolute. X B2 LDA (Zero Page) E6 INC Zero Page 17 NOP 4B NOP 7F NOP B3 NOP E7 NOP

18 CLC 4C JMP Absolute 80 BRA B4 LDY Zero Page. X E8 INX 19 ORA Absolute, Y 4D EOR Absolute 81 STA (Indirect. x) B5 LDA Zero Page. X E9 SBC Immediate 1A INA 4E LSR Absolute 82 NOP B6 LDX Zero Page. Y EA NOP 1B NOP 4F NOP 83 NOP B7 NOP EB NOP 1C TRB Absolute 50 BVC 84 STY Zero Page B8 CLV EC CPX Absolute 1D ORA Absolute, X 51 EOR (Indirect). Y 85 STA Zero Page B9 LDA Absolute. Y ED SBC Absolute 1E ASL Absolute, X 52 EOR (Zero Page) 86 STX Zero Page BA TSX EE INC Absolute 1F NOP 53 NOP 87 NOP BB NOP EF NOP 20 JSR Absolute 54 NOP 88 DEY BC LDY Absolute. X FO BED F1 21 AND (Indirect. X) 55 EOR Zero Page. X 89 BIT Immediate BD LDA Absolute, X SBC (Indirect), Y 22 NOP 56 LSR Zero Page. X 8A TXA BE LDX Absolute. Y F2 SBC (Zero Page) 23 NOP 57 NOP 8B NOP BF NOP F3 NOP 24 BIT Zero Page 58 CLI 8C STY Absolute CO CPY Immediate F4 NOP 25 AND Zero Page 59 EOR Absolute. Y 8D STA Absolute Cl CMP (Indirect. X) F5 SBC Zero Page, X 26 ROL Zero Page 5A PHY 8E STX Absolute C2 NOP F6 INC Zero Page. X 27 NOP 58 NOP 8F NOP C3 NOP F7 NOP 28 PLP 5C NOP 90 BCC C4 CPY Zero Page F8 SED 29 AND Immediate 5D EOR Absolute, X 91 STA (Indirect). Y C5 CMP Zero Page F9 SBC Absolute. Y 2A ROL 5E LSR Absolute, X 92 STA (Zero Page) C6 DEC Zero Page FA PLX 2B NOP 5F NOP 93 NOP C7 NOP FB NOP 2C BIT Absolute 60 RTS 94 STY Zero Page, X C8 INY FC NOP 2D AND Absolute 61 ADC (Indirect. X) 95 STA Zero Page. X C9 CMP Immediate FD SBC Absolute, X 2E ROL Absolute 62 NOP 96 STX Zero Page, Y CA DEX FE INC Absolute, X 2F NOP 63 NOP 97 NOP CB NOP FF NOP 30 BMI 64 STZ Zero Page 98 TYA CC CPY Absolute 31 AND (Indirect). se 65 ADC Zero Page 99 STA Absolute. Y CD CMP Absolute 32 AND Zero Page 66 ROR Zero Page 9A TXS CE DEC Absolute 33 NOP 67 NOP 9B NOP CF NOP

Table 1. Hexadecimal op codes for the 65CO2: new codes are shown in bold enhanced memory and built-in firmware. An integrated word processor/database/ APPLE I lc spreadsheet package called Appleworks is (continued from previous page) one,andisfeatured on thetutorial andget down toseriousapplications discs and is clearly destined to be a best straightaway, a process which is aided by seller. the set of tutorial discs accompanying the machine. The Apple II's huge software base has Conclusions always been one of its principal strengths and Apple has gone to great lengths to Though it is functionally very similar to ensure that virtually all existing software the Apple Ile, the IIc is a machine of the will run on the IIc. The exceptions are those mid -1980s. The Apple IIc is light, compact programs which do not use standard Apple and almost silent in operation; itis well entry points to the monitor and Basic engineered and very stylish in appearance. interpreterroutines,orhavespecial The Heisnotdesignedtobeas protection methods such as use of the expandable a system as the He, and it lacks undocumented6502opcodes.The the familiar Apple expansion slots inside Benchmark testsdisplay no significant the case. This will be a weakness in the eyes differences from those of the lle, which in of some users, but a good range of interface turn are identical to those of the II + . sockets are provided for external add-ons. In conjunction with the launch of the IIc, In the IIc Apple has a product which Applehasreleasedseveralsoftware probably will remain viable tillthe late packagestotakeadvantageoftheAt 3.4kg., the IIc is light and compact. 1980s.

70 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Special Advertisement Feature Spot the difference The answer's simple. A newcomer to the Scotchtint' SolarControlrangeof windowfilms.The new achromatic finish with the look thru' effect promises the virtual elimination of glare and the cutting down of punishing heat. So it's goodbye not only to wilting plants but also to complaints of fatigue, tension and headaches. It also prevents winter heat getting out. So your computer remains in a controlled environment without overtaxing your air conditioning unit. Clearly there's never been such a simple way of improving working conditions. Available For a really fast only through 3M, `Scotchtine is installed by experts PAGE PLUS without disruption to your office. 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Somewhere amongst the pages of this magazine there probably lies an ideal combination of hardware and software that would suit your needs, now and in the years to come. However, making sense of a large number of similar sounding claims and actually locating this elusive combination can often prove to be next to impossible. At Transam we have one of the widest ranges of business and portable micros in London. This enables us to explain,

demonstrate and compare systems and software and provide you with the advice you need to help you identify the most appropriate combination to suit your own particular needs. Apart from being authorised dealers for IBM, ACT, EPSON, SHARP, & NEC we also design and develop our own highly successful range of hardware and software, including the new WREN Executive System. To find your way out of the micro - technology maze you only have to locate our West End showroom, (which is why we have thoughtfully supplied the small map above). Transam IFMICROSYSTEMS LIMITED 59/61 Theobalds Road, LONDON WC1X 8SF Tel: 01-404 4554

THE TECHNOLOGY YOU WANT I THE ADVICE YOU NEED

Circle No. 132

72 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Review TANDY 2000 Glyn Moody tries out the newest addition to Tandy's flock and finds that despite its ugly duckling appearance the machine runs like a beauty. TANDYisfollowing Commodore in hedging all its bets in the micro game. Instead of opting for one processor or operating system, Tandy has launched systems based on 6809s, Z -80s, 8085s and 68000s, running variously under CP/M, TRS-DOS and Xenix. Latest addition to the stable is the Model 2000, an MS-DOS machine sporting the new and elusive 80186 Intel processor - see Chip -Chat page 37. Therestofthespecificationis undramatic: 128K RAM expandable to 768K,twohalf -height720K5.25in. floppies, keyboard and screen, for a cost of about £2,000. A 10Mbyte hard disc version is available for £3,678. No recesses The review system had high -resolution colour graphics, for which an extra board is required. The 14in. colour screen is very large and bulky and lacks any helpful recesses to grapple with, which makes it even more unmanageable. The main processor unit is also surprisingly large, and its general appearance is not helped by Tandy's ugly duckling styling. Apart from thediscdrives,the power and reset buttons are positioned sensibly at the front instead of being placed awkwardly at the rear. Unfortunately the design of the keyboard socket verges on the wilfully perverse: a DIN -type plug connects inside a deep recess that is inaccessible with the unit in normal use. At the rear, from left to right, are sockets for a monochrome TV, parallel interface and RS -232 port. To the left of the cooling fan and kettle -plug power socket are four removable slots used for additional boards. Inside is the corres- ponding card cage and the discs and power supply take up most of the remaining space. The motherboard is slotted under- neath, and is accessed by removing four screws, although Tandy discourages users from tampering directly with the innards.The main processor unit and colour monitor are large and bulky, and awkward to handle Similarly two screws release the main cover. On the review machine evidence of last- Benchmarks minute patching was apparent since a The table shows the time in seconds to run eightstandard Microsoft Basic routines. couple of EPROMs and a few straggling As the table shows, the Model 2000 is one of thefastest machines we have reviewed. wires were visible on the main circuit board. The overall design of the internal BM1BM2BM3BM4BM5BM6BM7BM8 Av. circuitry is robust and the review system Tandy Model 2000 0.5 2.0 4.3 4.7 5.2 9.5 13.8 13.7 6.7 worked first time when reassembled. - 80186 The keyboard shares the same unlovely HP Model 16 - 68000 0.2 0.6 1.4 1.6 1.7 2.8 4.3 15.0 3.5 rounded styling as the processor unit, and OEM Orion - 8086 0.6 2.1 4.8 4.9 5.8 10.5 16.7 13.0 7.3 uses novel roll -up legs for tilting. Apart IBM PC - 8088 1.2 4.8 11.7 12.2 13.4 23.337.4 30.0 16.8 (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 73 Review TANDY (continued from previous page) from standard Qwerty, thereare12 function keys, and a numeric pad which provides additional characters \ and - in default mode. With the number lock On, the numeric pad functions normally. The keys themselves are light and slightly shallow but should present no problems for word-processing applications. The main point of interest with the Model 2000 is clearly its processor, which Four removable slots for additionalboards lie next to the cooling fan. is one of the new generation of chips on the 8086 but with an extended instruction set and running at higher speeds - in this Specification Conclusions case 8MHz. The speed certainly shows up CPU:Intel 80186, running at 8MHz The 80186 is a neat chip but it is also in in performance: the Benchmarks are the Memory:128K RAM expandable to 768K; 128K, bootstrap only very short supplyandthere is a backlog of second fastest of any machine we have Display:12in. monochrome or 14in. orders for the Model 2000 in the U.S. So tested,beatenonly by thoseof the colour; 25 lines by 80 characters; 640 apart from the initial launch batch in the 68000 -based HP 16. Unfortunately this by 400 pixels; eight colours from a U.K., machines will be very hard to come power israther marred in Basic by a palette of 16 by. curious hobbling verticalscroll which Keyboard:12 function keys; numeric The Tandy will never win any beauty soon becomes tiring on the eyes. Microsoft keypad contests, despite its new styling. But if it is Basic and MS-DOS come bundled as Interfaces:RS -232, parallel port speed rather than looks that you are after, standard. Discs: one or two half -height 720K the 2000 offers good value for money. Additional cards slot in at the rear of the 5.25in. floppies Software in price:MS-DOS and Basic Thestandardsystemspecification machine and mate internally via edge - U.K. prices:twin floppy -disc £1,999 providesausablebusinessmachine, connectors. Current options available are ex. VAT, hard disc £3.678 ex. VAT. thoughthefootprintvergesonthe high -resolution monochrome or colour U.K. distribution:Tandy Corporation, excessive.Inparticular,thecolour graphics; memory up to 786K, the first Tameway Tower, Bridge Street, monitor is far too large so unless colour 128K of which is plugged directly on to the Walsall, West Midlands, WS1 ILA. facilities are vital, the monochrome option motherboard, and a mouse peripheral. Tel: (0922) 648181. Available now. is probably a better choice.

MICRO TO MICRO

FILE TRANSFER C4,4 **MK ri SWAPSYSTEM CONVERT YOUR 80 -BUS SYSTEM TO 16 BIT WITH A COSTGOLD ADD-ON PROCESSOR BOARD. Run CP/M-86. Read/Write IBM PC compatible discs. iA CA802 8MHz 8088 Processor 256K Bytes RAM serial port and real time clock EPROM based monitor Supports CP/M-86, concurrent CP/M-86 and MP/M-86 CA801 8MHz 8088 Processor IT/ 128K Bytes RAM EPROM based monitor Supports CP/M-86 "Get your microcomputers Can be expanded later to CA802 spec talking to each other!" CP/M-86forCA801/CA802, including utilities £199 SWAP allows you to transfer any programs and data between 2 computers of SPECIAL OFFER.... CA802 and CP/M-86 £695 different manufacture. SWAP consists of 2 floppy disks and a cable configured for your 2 chosen computers. Any combination is available from: Either 80 -bus format board enables retention of the Z80 card CA to run your existing software. Both cards will read or write IBM PC Apple (CP/M) Tandy II (CP/M) D=I IBM PC compatible discs & all Gemini formats. A 8088 bus Sirius DEC Rainbow Comart Communicator 11:1 expansion connector is also provided. Apricot ICL PC Epson QX10 All prices include p&p but exclude VAT at 15%. Superbrain Rair ECS 4500 CA801 & CA802 are available now. Orders to Costgold Televideo North Star Advantage Research, The Old School, Stretham, Cambridge CB6 3LD. The price of SWAP is £158 (£135 plus VAT and postage and packing). Please Tel (035 389) 282/3. specify your computers when ordering. Coming soon Concurrent CP/M-86. COSTGOLD RESEARCH, THE OLD SCHOOL, MERCATOR COMPUTER SYSTEMS LTD STRETHAM, CAMBRIDGE CB6 3LC. 3 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1NU. Telephone: (0272) 731079 IEIPCAUDIP Tel: (035 389) 600 Telex 44220 Comtel Ref 247 COMPUTER SYSTEMS

SWAP -SWAP -SWAP -SWAP -SWAP) Circle No. 134 Circle No. 133 74 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 LONDON COMPUTE CENTRE ----1 -I- olivetti SANYOIBM ---I liti M24 * -U'user COMPATIBLE Compatible & faster than IBM PC 16 bit 2 Drive System 128K £1,939 ,r3 10Mb Hard Disk (XT) £3,899 * runs most "Built-in Graphics & Colour /' non -graphic *Runs Flight Simulator, Lotus 1-2-3 on software mono or colour NorthShor* 11111111111111111111011111mmi *7 IBM slots 8088 CPU. 128K RAM (expandable to 256K) MSDOS "8 Mhz 8086 true 16 bit DIMENSION 550 1 Drive 160K £749 *550/160 2 Drives 160K ea £875 The IBM compatible multi-user system 555 2 Drives 160K ea £999 (up to 12 users). *550/360 2 Drives 360K ea £1,050 15Mb hard disk and 2 user stations *550/730 2 Drives 730K ea £1,199 16 bit 8086 128K RAM complete with VDU running IBM graphics *555/360 2 Drives 360K ea £1,390 2.4 Mb Disk storage ita £5,375' *555/730 2 Drives 730K ea £1,550 CP/M86 or MSDOS Each subsequent work station Green Screen £1,985 (8088 CPU 128K RAM) £1,275 *LCC upgrade Colour Display £2,595 *including 6 months on -site warranty, Monitor mono/ £125 colour from £350 LCC S ECIAL BUNDLEDOT MATRIX PORTABLES NEC APC RRP £1985 PRINTERS Compaq IBM Compat. from £1,795 Dot Matrix Printer RRP FREE Kaypro II from £1,095 Cables RRP FREE CANON 80 Col 160cps £319 Wordstar FREECANON 156 Col 160cps £399 HARD DISKS GEMINI 10X/15X 120cps £249/359 Multi Plan FREE EPSON FX80/FX100 160cps phone Hard Disks for IBM PC Sirius QX10, NEC You Pay £1985 10 Mb £1,545 EPSON LQ 1500 £980 15 Mb £1,695 Fujitsu DPL 24 240 CPS £1,295 20 Mb £1,995 apricot* DAISYWHEEL 10 Mb Tape Streamer IBM PC £995 5/10Mb Hard Disk £2,695/£2,995 PRINTERS PLOTTERS Floppy Version from £1,495 FLOWRITER 1600 60cps £1,600 Hewlett-Packard 74754A 6 Pen £1,401 New! Apricot 12" monitor with swivel Roland DXy 800 A3, 8 Pen £ 520 £195TEC F10 40cps £1,050 Tec F1500 25cps £450 MODEMS/MONITORS JUKI 18cps £399 Buzz Box. Direct Connect Modem £70 sinus 1 BROTHER HR/15/25 £445/C795 Sendata Accoustic Coupler £220 1.2 Mb Disk storage £2,195 Fujitsu SP320 48 CPS £980 2.4 Mb Disk storage £2,895 Philips 12" Green. Hi Res £85 10 Mb Disk storage £3,995 SHEET FEEDERS TAXAN 12" RGB Hi Res £399 LAP PORTABLES BDT 2 Tray Auto £595 ACCESSORIES BDT 3 Tray Auto £695 Floppy Disks Printer Buffers NEC 8201 16K £475BDT Single £375 Daisywheels Paper EPSON HX20 16K from £402Juki Sheet Feeder £239 Ribbons Labels TANDY 100 8K £433 Cables Computer cleaning kits Juki Tractor Feeder £99 Disk containers Acoustic Hoods EPSON PX8 £798Tractors (Qume RICOH, Tec) £139 SOFTWAR8/16 Bit The comprehensive range includes Looking fora fast, powerful easy -to -use Spreadsheet'

WORDSTAR £235 d BASE II £349 with integrated graphics and database for your SUPERCALC 111111 £190/£249 SPELLING CHECKER £80 WORD PROCESSING £ IBM PC, Sirius or Apricot Spellbinder 290 LANGUAGES MBasic 215 M ultimate " 332 235 Word w/Mouse 341 MBasic Compiler Aztec 'C' Compiler 195 Spellstar 134 Innovation 'C' 345 G ra mmatik 85 245 FINANCIAL PLANNING C Compiler M ultiplan 8/16 bit 175/143 Fortran 8/16 330 girLotus 1-2-3 £357 Cis Cobol/Forms 2 399/105 Pascal MT +/inc. INTEGRATED S/W inc. SPP 240/350 GRAPHICS Lotus 1-2-3 357 ACCOUNTING This US best selling software package has 4 standard IBM Open Access " 430 Pegasus from 275 FT. Moneywise 495 Exact 750 PC soft sectored 5.25" discs. One contains a tutorial, two Framework - 495 Pulsar from 195 D BASE CORNER are 1-2-3 system disc and its back-up copy, and the fourth Sage 375 FastBase inc. RPG 185 Friday 185 COMMUNICATIONS is a separate set of routines for printing graphic files Compsoft DMS Plus 195 Move -It 8/16 90 created by the main program. UTILITIES GRAPHICS Assembler + Tools Data Plot - 195 *on line help menu 8/16 140 DR Graph 206 Macro Assembler G raphplan 210 * fast data handling 8/16 140/99 ESS Plot 295 *easy error handling IBM PC DOS Only 33000 entries FORMATS: Superbrain. Teleyideo Sirius Sanyo. Osborne *good documentation Northstar. 8SD. DEC Epson OX -10 IBM ICL, H -P. XEROX, ALTOS. Apricot, NEC-APC & many more All prices are exclusive of VAT 43 Grafton Way, London W1P 5LA (Opposite Maples) Opening Hours: 10-7 Mon -Fri. 10.30-4 Sat. 01-387 4455 (4 lines) Telephone Answering Service After Office Hours Telex: 8953742

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 75 Circle No. 135 OPEN ACCESS The final part of Paul Myerscough's look at this integrated packagefor the PC.

WITH ITS windowed displays,well -screen to be created. The chosen mask isnot satisfactory,since once the query considered general design, context -sensitivedisplayed inits window, allowing full -commands are entered and invoked they Helpfacility,and well -producedscreen data entry. For Must Match fields acannot be modified. Neither can a Learned documentation, Open Access presents awindow may be °Kited showing validprocedure be edited, although it can be very good image. However, the wordentries from the matching file. interrupted for user input. processor and time -management software An impressive range of viewing options The Browse option divides the display examined in Practical Computing, July, areis enhanced by the four query commands: into two windows. A list of key values is not reason enough for buying the package.From, Select, Where and Order. Fromshown on the left and may be scrolled, or This month the remainingand moreindicates up to five files that are to besearched for a specific value or part value. significant functions, namely informationaccessed simultaneously; Select gives theThe key with the cursor against it has its management, spreadsheet and graphics,fields to be displayed; Where allows therecord's data field values displayed in the and communications are examined. entryofconditionalinformationforright-hand window. Alternative keys can be Information management sets out torelating files together and selecting recordsaccessed by a keyboard entry, and the data provideall thatis needed to create abased on keyfields;Order gives therecord displayed may be changed, deleted custom-built file -based system, includingrequired retrieval sequence. During entryor used as a template for adding a new input and enquiry screens, selection andof the commands Search will provide a listrecord. sort procedures, and reporting routines.of files or fields which can be copied into The Display option uses a screen mask to Software Products Internationalclaimsthe query command window by a singleshow one record at a time, page commnds superiority over some of the competition bykeystroke. being used to scroll through the file. List enabling files to be related by common data presents a set of records rather like a fields and by its structured query languageQuery window spreadsheet table with one record per line - suposedly a derivation of that available and horizontal scrolling where the record is to IBM mainframe users. Whileotherpackages oftenpresentlonger than the screen width. Individual Although the main menu has 21 options,Selection and Sort as separate proceduresrecords may be changed or deleted from Open Accessmaintainsitssimple -to -to be saved to disc and executed whenboth functions. Using query commands, operate image since they are implementedrequired, Open Access provides a queryfields from more than one file can be joined in a similar fashion. The easy -to -use feel iswindow after any file -access on the screen as one record. achieved by the use of windows and by thechosen. So to save a procedure you must The Update command provides a means four commands which make up the queryuse the Learn option. However, thisis to update records in batch mode without language. The user guide provides an adequate 18 -chapter tutorial covering most features, but the reference manual is not *PRACTICAL COMPUTING READER INQUIRIES* well structured for obtaining functional or technical information. A file may have up to 32,000 records each with 55 fields, of which 15 may be key fields, giving a maximum 1,024 bytes. The maximum undocumented field size seems to be 59 characters for text and up to 18 significant digits for decimal numbers. 500 A new file is created together with its screen mask. Heading text is typed free - 450 format within the window, while a data 400 field is indicated at the cursor position by hitting a function key. Another key opens a 300 window showing default characteristics for the field, which may be designated text, 200 number, decimal or date. Among the 10 field attributes there are some concessions to the need for validated 100 input. For example, Evaluated allows a We, single range check against input and Must 0 Match requires the entry to match a key field in another file, while Must Fill makes an entry mandatory. The process is simple, but to spread a display over more than one screenseemsimpossible,despitethe manual's assertion that up to eight screen pages are allowed. Data is added to a file through the Entry option. If a non-existent mask name is given then the design process is invoked, thusenablinganalternativeupdating Open Access can display data in the form of a three-dimensional bar graph.

76 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 IBM software review screen intervention. This operates on justtwo control breaks which must be wholetransactions. Learned procedures can be one field per invocation, but does allow thekey fields. Also it is possible to introduceused for any repetitive tasks, including the use of a simple conditional expression. Aserrors in entry expressions which preventuse of the simple query language. well as adjustments to numeric and textsuccessful printing. Despitebetteringsomestand-alone fields, such as replacement by a constant or Further utility functions are provided for packages Open Access falls short as a calculated value, Open Access also allowssorting a file, again on key fields only, heavyweight for system design.It lacks date arithmetic. modifying a file or increasing its size by more than basic input validation, the use of Data may be printed as a screen -maskcreating a new one, appending data frommultiple screens and extensive reporting dump from the List, Browse and Displayone file on to another, importing/exporting facilities. options, or as a formatted report, or usingfiles created by or to be used in external Itis clear that SPI's prime target for the Mailer option, which will merge fileprograms, transferring data to other OpenOpen Access is the Lotus 1-2-3 market. The dataintoa word -processorgeneratedAccessfunctions,andcheckingforspreadsheet is well developed as a piece of document. The Format command providesdamagedfilesand rebuildingindexes. software and, given that most products an easy way to enter formatted reportCommoninmanyotherfile -system haveallthebasicfeaturesrequired, requirements. A selected output devicepackages but not available in Open Accesscomparison comes down to ease of use and provides page -size characteristics to whichis the ability to password protect data and potential restrictions. theuseraddslineandpage -throwto build custom menus. The spreadsheet function is very simple information. to use. The basic size of the worksheet at A report is divided into a page header, aFailure 216 by 3,000 cells is beyond any normal page footer, the main body - printed for requirement and, because data is spooled to each input record - and totals. Each of the Fromthemanualtheutilitiesforand from disc, memory sizeisnot a sections is designed separately in full -screenhandling externalfiles seem good, butconstraint. mode. Thus on entering header definition,attempts to use them ended in failure. Text A requirement high on the priority list a display is created - with horizontalproduced using another word processorfor many users is a facility to import data to scrolling if the report pages are wider thanwas impossible to import to Open Access,the spreadsheet from an outside source. the screen - showing default headingand a specific option for reformatting andOpen Access uses its own interchange file values which may includedate,pageimporting dBase II records left only 14format called SIF, and provides utilities to number, file name and field names. Therecords out of a file of 200 by the time theconvert the more common DIF format as values may be moved through cursordata reached information management.well as dBase II files and text files to this. control or removed with a single keystroke,The manual suggests that problem files are There are some problems with these or edited or replaced by opening a Make editedusingthe wordprocessor,bututilities, which seemed to add spurious data Entry window and changing the entryimported fields are truncated and only theand then reporterrors.They can be attributes. first77charactersofarecordareovercome by editing the resultant SIF file, While the process of defining a report accessible. though the Open Access word processor is seems particularly neat and easy, there are Open Access information management isnext to useless for this task. However, some distinct restrictions. The use of workeasy to use. The facility to join up to fivepassing data to and from other Open fields for intermediate calculations is notfiles is good and can be compared withAccess modules is easy and efficient using particularly flexible, nor is the provision ofother packages' use of master files andthe Context option. The worksheet display shows 18 rows, with system information and the data input *PRACTICAL COMPUTING READER INQUIRIES* line below. A menu can be called up in EUROPE UE order to select from the 23 commands 500 500 available or, for those familiar with the n package,commands canbeinvoked 450 I. - 1 n directly.As throughout Open Access 400 r Iif context -sensitive Help is available. Cells in the worksheet have a whole range J) 350 L I of attributes that may easily be set by a e 300 Format command. They cover width up to ri 250 72 characters, justification, protected or 20 hidden values, flags requesting the cursor 150 to jump toacellorincludeitin consolidation,display/printattributes, 500 r 100 decimal precision up to nine places or a bar - 50 450 graph representation, and numeric editing 0 400 characteristics. The ability to request a L rounded or truncated result is the only n 350 missing option. REST q 300 Getting around the worksheet is made 500 easy by several features. The usual cursor - 1%) 250 it IOW controlkeys move the pointerto an 1 200 k' adjacent cell and the tab key allows the Vita entry of a specific co-ordinate. The model Lva 110 150 1 100 may be set up so that after data entry the iJ pointer stays where it is or moves to the next e J. emu t rn 50 Jai 1- cell across or the next cell down. In Auto tl PI 1 mode, through field attributes, the pointer 14 JFMAKIJA can be made to jump from one specific cell to another. issue month The Locate command reachesa particulartextvalue.Bydividinga Up to four different windows can be viewed at any one time. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 77 IBM software review

(continued from previous page) The formulae may also be printed with andata; Overlay combines several graphs worksheet into more than one windowoptional cross-reference list. producing,for example,alinegraph several sections may be viewed at once and The Goal -Seek function makes use ofsuperimposed on a bar chart; Windowed the pointer may be moved from one toNewton's algorithm to test different valuesshows up to 30, but more practically four or another. A name assigned to an area of theof an independent variable to give a statedfive graphs side by side on the screen; and worksheet may be used in place of co-targetvalueforarelatedfield.For3D producesathree-dimensionalbar ordinates for many of the commands, andexample,ifrevenueisdependent ongraph. the assignment of named data as indexes togrowth, and profit on revenue, when given Entries in the Chart Description window other named areas enables references like a target value for profits the system cancontrol headings, scale factors, the choice of one of three three -colour palettes for PROF IT[1 984] determine the required growth factor to meet this. charts, and the screen background colour. or Speed of operation depends much on theBy selecting the View command all aspects SA LARY[SM size of model in use. Larger worksheetsof each graph may be changed within the Numeric entries may be any combinationrequire constant disc access, and wheregeneral chart setting. So the outline and fill of constants, co-ordinates which may referthere is not room on disc for a workingcolour of a bar may be separately assigned toexternalworksheets,mathematicalcopy any restructuring commands will takefrom the current palette and the texture operators, and built-in functions. There aremore than five minutes. However, simplemay be changed from a block of colour to 17mathsfunctions,ninebusinessrecalculation is less alarming. stripes or something less solid. The style of functions, and several others including two a line graph may be changed, the size and types of table look -up as well as If -Then -U.S. modem position of elements of a windowed display Else constructs. may be altered, and the orientation of a 3D A powerful copy feature enables values, The OpenAccesscommunicationsbar chart may be changed. All such changes formulae and attributes to be transferredsoftware provides management of directand more are made by moving a pointer to from one part of the worksheet to another.connection and modem connection to othera part of the screen and selecting an option When formulae are involved it may operatesystems. As the U.S. modem protocol is notby hitting a function key. in relative or absolute mode and, mostcompatible with the rest of the world, there The print/slide window controls output usefully, in prompted mode where each co-issome work involvedusingtheto the printer and will store individual ordinate in a formula is prompted "relativeconfiguration option for setting the systemscreens to disc as a slide or in ASCII or absolute?". External models may beup for U.K. or European operation. Theformat. Slides can be linked together in a linked, enabling copying from one modeldistributor,Softsel,saysthisworkscarousel and called up in sequence, much as to another. successfully. For those with a U.S.-stylea slide show. The printed output on an Up tosix different windows can beHayes 1200 Smartmodem there is little toEpson printer looks good and comes in one created, of which four may be viewed atdo - just set up your Phone file, select aof three sizes. one time. They may show different parts ofnumber, and you are in business. Given theconstraintsdescribed,the the same worksheet, or up to three external Once communication is established usinggraphicssoftwareiseasytooperate worksheets, and may be used for displayinga modem or a direct RS -232 connection, anandpresentsunsophisticatedgraphics either data or formulae. The first row andoption puts the system in dumb terminalin an impressive and versatile manner. column of a sheet often contains headingmode and, provided a log file has been information, and the columns can beopened, all data received is stored to disc. locked so they always appear on the screenAt the end of a session the log may beConclusions while the rest of a sheet scrolls underneathdisplayed or printed. Open Access presents itself well, both in them. When two windows are connected, Alternatively,assumingcompatibleits documentation and on the screen. scrolling in one window causes automaticprotocols, files may be sent to a remote The word processor is an easy -to -use and scrolling in the second. system using the Up Load option. Whereefficienttool,butisshortontext - both ends a of the communications link areformatting options. usingOpen Accessamaster/slave Time management does not provide a What If? relationship can be established enabling theserious rival to the desk- or pocket -diary After data entry, recalculation of thesystemdesignatedasthemastertomanufacturers. model may be requested and made specificmanipulate files on the slave system. The information -management, facility is to a certain area of the worksheet. The In the background of all graphics activitya flexibleif somewhat lightweight file - Update command will apply a user inputis the Chart Description window which onbased system generator. formula to constant numeric entries acrossone screen holds the basic information Open Access's spreadsheet is a worthy an area of the worksheet. By combiningaffecting the output, and through whichcompetitor for Lotus 1-2-3. this feature with model reclaculation, Whatother windows are opened for various The graphics functions allow simple If? projections can be made. Reuse of thehousekeeping activities. business statistics to be presented in an Update command with = instead of a A set or level of up to 30 data values mayimpressive and versatile manner. formula restores the original values. be plotted to produce a graph. There are In conjunction with a U.S.-style Hayes Different models, provided they have athree basic kinds of graph: bar, line andSmartmodem, Open Accessprovides common format,can beconsolidatedpie. Up to 30 levels may be controlled fromready -to -runasynchronous comm- automatically into one. Open Access alsoone Chart Description window and savedupications.More effortisneeded provides for recursive consolidation whereto one disc file. A level is associated withifyou wanttomeet European thesheetstobeconsolidatedarethe chart by opening a window and enteringcommunications standards. consolidations themselves. a name and graph type. The documentation looks better than it Printing worksheet areasisstraight- Data is entered for each level through ais.It is good on tutorial text but lacks forward, most of the options being takendifferentwindow.Eachofalevel'sorganised technical information. care of in the printer set-up process - seepositions requires a level or class interval Overall, Open Access is easy to learn and part 1 of this review. The printer windowand a numeric value. Entries may be typedto use. As the first piece of software for a allows the selection of the output device,directly or transferred from a SIF filenew user it provides a good introduction to then heading text may be typed to appear atcreated by another Open Access functionwhat can be done on a personal computer. the top of the model. As much of the matrixor an external program. Softsel now quotes an end -user price of aspossibleisfittedacrossthe page; There are four types of output: Simple£450, making Open Access excellent value following columns appear on the next page.shows a basic graph for one level offor money.

78 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER

The appropriate system - C/WP stocks a wide range of single and multi-user microcomputers and will recommend the IBM PC for tasks suited for the PC. The best software - as well as expertise on Wordstar, DBase II and 1-2-3, C/WP stocks Accounting Software for both small and large businesses. Specialised software reqiiirements - C/WP offers tailored database applications using dBase Customers range from Harwell to Art Galleries. Buying the right components -C/WP has years of experience of selling modular systems and can provide a cost effective upgrade path. Installation - as well as providing on -site installation, C/WP guarantees to verify that every system is fully functional before the customer takes delivery. Warranty-alongside IBM's six month warranty, C/WP offers twelve months warranty on all elements of the system. Training-full training facilities are months. Tax reliefis available on these offered, featuring word processing, payments and C/WP can send you full accounting and cl Rase II. details. Maintenance - on -site maintenance is Immediate quotations - as well as available from the time ofinstallation and advising customers of the cost over the C/WP's policy is to guarantee to replace telephone we can send a written quotation equipment if it cannot be repaired the same day. promptly. Cost - system prices start at around Leasing- Customers can use the services .2,000. C/VVP's policy is to offer competitive ofLombard North Central and others to prices and a discount for payment with spread the cost over twelve to sixty order.

Willow House Willow Place c/wp London SW1P leTH I11,1 tethonsed COMPUTERS 7blephone: 01-828 9000 Circle No. 136 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 79 OS -9 DRAWS much of its inspiration from Unix, and if you know something about that operating system you should be able to pick up the rudiments of OS -9 fairly easily. MS-DOS users, too, will feel at home with many of the features. Like MS-DOS and Unix, OS -9 maintains treed directories and treats its devices like 9 files as far possible. OS -9 steers its way Motorola's 6809 is the Cinderella among eight -bit through the branches of the directory tree CPUs; Chris Bidmead investigates a late candidate for by keeping track of a pair of current direc- tories:the Executable Directory, which the role of Prince Charming. holds a fistful of runnable files, and thesoftware kludges which were required mean program,sounless you make special Data Directory, which is searched by athat the machine has to spend far too mucharrangementstwoseparateprograms currently executed program each time itof its processing time deciding whose turn itcannot coexist. The PIC programs used in tries to open an input file. is next. The 6809, on the other hand, wasOS -9 can be installed in any available This is an improvement on MS-DOS,born to the work, with a special instructionmemory space. The operating system's which only keeps track of a single, all-set that makes it simple to write everythingmemory manager keeps track on them in purposecurrentfileusingtheChdirinwhatiscalledposition -independentmuch the same way as a disc directory takes command, althoughitdoesallowcode, PIC. care of saved files. attachment of a second all-purpose file by In a conventional single -tasking oper- The operating system keeps a bit map at means of the Path command. The more ating system, programs always have to startaddresses 100 to11F. Instead of being specialistcommands usedby OS -9at the same fixed address: 100 hex forconsidered as 32 separate bytes, this patch corresponding to Chdir and Path are ChxCP/M. If you want to run a secondof RAM is treated as an array of single -bit or Change Executable Directory, and Chdprogram you have to lay it down in memoryflags, each marking the condition of a or Change Data Directory. over the locations occupied by the previous 256 -byte page of memory, so 32 bits can Unlike CP/M-80 or MS-DOS, OS -9 can hold more than asingle program in memory at any one time:itis a multi- The 6809 CPU tasking operating system. The programs share the processor by a method known as The 6809 chip is described in Dragon's glossy brochures as timeslicing . The activities of the processor "pseudo -16 -bit". That's a double misnomer; it is not a 16 -bit chip, and there are interrupted 60 times a second, and each is nothing pseudo about it. of these 1/60th of a second slices can The 6809 uses an external eight -bit data bus and more or less be allocatedindependently among the symmetrical 16 -bit registers manipulated by a small but powerful processes. At each 60Hz tick of the clock instruction set. Its 59 machine -code instructions can go a very long way the current process can be suspended and when complemented by 10 addressing modes and 24 sub -modes based on the attention of the CPU turned to the next indexing. process in the queue.Itall happens so Motorola has since carried the same philosophy of elegantly simple quickly thattotheuser the separate symmetry over to the 68000 family, but the earlier eight -bit chip has not programs seemtoberunningsimul- enjoyed anything like the same success. This is not because of any taneously. technical shortcomings - many independent commentators regard the Something of this kind was attempted by 6809 as the apotheosis of eight-bittery - but as a result of its Digital Research when it developed the unfortunately timed entry into a market where the 6502 and the Z-80 had MP/M operating system for the 8080 CPU. already taken tenacious hold, and when "eight -bit" has become in the Although many MP/M systems are still in public mind - quite wrongly - a synonym for "Stone Age". use today, the 8080 is not up to it. The The Dragon 64 business system OS -9 software can be run on a number of expensive copies it into the top 16K of RAM and then switches out micros and two very cheap ones - the Dragon and the the ROM. For most ordinary purposes the machine works Tandy Color Computer. exactly as though it were running the ROM Basic The resemblance between these two is not accidental. directly, but the Basic can be dismissed at any time to Motorola supplies two support chips with the 6809: the leave the full 64K available to the processor. The synchronous address multiplier to manage the memory, advantage of this very clean architecture is that the and the video display generator taking care of the personality of the machine can be completely screen. Between them these three chips virtually define transformed by loading a different operating system, the hardware, enabling Microsoft to supply the same leaving the quirks of the old games machine behind. version of Basic for both machines. The first stage of the 64's transformation into a The Dragon 64 differs from the primarily games - business system comes when you plug the disc adaptor playing Dragon 32 - reviewed in PC October 1982 - in into the cartridge slot and hang a floppy -disc drive on the having twice as much memory, as well as auto -repeat other end of it. When you power -up, the ROM detects the keys and an RS -232 serial interface mapped on to a presence of the disc adaptor cartridge if the disc drive is seven -pin DIN socket. Both machines have a full-sized, already powered, and loads directly into Dragondos. professional -style keyboard that curiously lacks Control You are now talking to the hardware through an and Escape keys. Efforts are made to replicate these enhanced Basic interpreter that is a version of Microsoft functions in software by combinations of the Clear and GWBasic with Paint, Line, Color and so forth. It has most Break keys, but not always consistently. of the standard statements: Renum, for example, is As in the 32, the Dragon 64 gives up 16K of its memory present in the 64's ROM; and Auto, together with some space to the built-in Basic interpreter. But rather than other commands, is added when the disc cartridge is using the ROM Basic directly, on powering -up the 64 plugged in.

80 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Software review

coverthewhole 64K ofaddressablecommands toplace other modulesinOS -9 is not always able to make the best use memory. If the flag is off, the page it rep-memory up to the capacity of the RAM. Allof its limited 64K playground. resents is free for assignment; if it is on thenthese commands are now active, and any of It is remarkable how little you appreciate that page has already been allocated, is athem can be run and rerun when theirsimple facilities until you are deprived of page of ROM or is unavailable for somename iscalled,until they are deliber-them. Up to now I have taken the AFN, other reason. ately disposed of by a process calledambiguousfilename,conventionsof There are two ways of using programs"unlinking". CP/M and MS-DOS for granted. The AFN under OS -9. If you invoke one from the This is impressive on a small machine,principle enables you to write something command line simply by typing its name,but the Dragon implementation hasitslike the effect is transient and the memorylimits. A fully fledged multi -tasking system COPY *.BAS manager throw its address away after it haswould manage disc and core memory,to copy all the Basic files such as Test.Bas, been run. Programs called like this behaveswapping files between the two as they areDemo. Bas and so forth. Similarly very like their equivalents on a single -needed. A lesscomprehensive system DEMO?. BAS tasking operating system. wouldatleastmanage core memorycan be used to copy all the files with names dynamically and shift the resident moduleslike Demol .Bas, and Programs held tokeepthemtogether,leavingthe COPY * . * maximum of contiguousfree memory.copies all files. Programs can be retained in RAM forOS -9 level1 as supplied by Dragon does There isa utility called DCopy that later use by calling them as a parameter ofneither of these things, so free memorycreates a batch file by reading a directory the Load command. The command tends to fragment as modules are loadedand constructing Copy instructions for and subsequently unlinked. Even thougheach of the files it finds there. Apart from LOAD DIR the total amount of memory availablethis, the lack of an ambiguous -naming for example, pulls the Dir module intomight be enough to load a requestedconvention means that OS -9 insists on all memory, leavesitthere and passesitsprogram, the memory manager will refusefile names being speltout.Itisalso address to the memory manager. Youtherequestifitdoesnot occupyaimpossible to look at subsets of dictionaries may then continue withfurther Loadcontinuous address space. In this respect, (continued on next page)

EDIT to ol, tt:t PRINT pr.nt tr SAVE RETURN - t.:, SAVE r< SAVE TO NARK - , RETURN r Inc ST ,LOORNPN to .t T.- syst:n s LOAD t 2, t, < r. ERASE F. SPECIAL tn.,. zr: t.r.t s TU- PASS c.,Tc5 05. t. ',Tins

The G051 routine brings lower-case text to the Dragon. The Stylograph word-processing menu.

Graphics is very fully catered for. Pictures are drawn fundamentally different from cassettes, and does not on eight logical screens that are separate from each have to wind through the sectors sequentially searching other and from the text sr,reen. Multiple paging makes it for data. very easy to experiment with animation by drawing The Basic commands FRead and FWrite appear when slightly different pictures on each page and flipping from you plug the disc interface into the cartridge socket. one to the other. Setting up programs like this is They handle disc data in a way that is particularly easy simplified by the command PCopy, which enables you toto use. The cartridge also adds other commands to Basic copy the contents of one page to another. Sprite -like like On Error Goto, Wait and Swap, bringing it up to the animation is also possible using Put and Get. 5.2 standard familiar on business machines since the which save and restore graphics to and from an array. beginning of the decade. Variable names can be any Sound is relatively elementary. There is only a single length, but unfortunately only the first two characters are sound generator, driven by the commands Sound and recognised. Play. It accepts a string that defines the melody Shortly after this review was written we heard that according to a few simple rules. Like the Atari, the Dragon Data had called in the receiver, and Dragon Dragon can also relay music direct from the cassette to machines will not have much of a future unless someone the TV audio output, controlling the tape with the Motor steps in swiftly to pick up the pieces. Though the initial On/Off command. success of the 32 was due to its lucky arrival at a time Dragondos runs on the 32 or 64 versions of the when other suppliers had underestimated the demand machine. It is a simple disc handler, and falls a long way for home computers, the Dragon Small Business System short of being what CP/M or MS-DOS users would reviewed here is in many respects the best eight -bit understand as an operating system as it remains firmly system ever to have passed through this office. If the based in Basic. But at least it recognises that discs are Dragon 64 is going out, itis certainly going with a bang.

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 81 the program, and again if a run-time errormoves or reiterated searches, and so is not is encountered. It is often useful to enter theeasy to use for large programs. debugger directly, and the manual suggests Otherlanguagessuppliedwiththe you do so by entering Control -C from theDragon were C and Pascal, which both keyboard. It is then that you remember thatappear to be full implementations. As with ther is no Control key, and stab fruitlesslyUnix, OS -9 C isoffered as a sort of (continued from previous page) about trying to find some alternative keyextension to the operating system, and orselectivelyerasefamiliesoffiles,combination. comes with a library of operating -system processes easily carried out under MS-DOS It turns out that the Clear key doubles ascalls. The Pascal can create p -code or and CP/M using the AFN convention. a Control key while Basic -09 is up, but fornative 6809 code, and has a number of The OS -9 manual has more than its fairsome reason the Clear -C combination stillesoteric extensions. A debugger is included, share of inconsistencies and givesthedoes nothing, and the only way of gettingalong with a profiler which spots the impression that nobody at Dragon has hadinto the debugger seems to be to enter themodules that get the most wear. Unfor- the time to go through it thoroughly toeditior and create a module called Debugtunately the language lacks the UCSD reconcile it to the hardware. For example,that consists of a single Pause statement.string -handlingrefinementsthathave when you try to change the speed of theThen Run Debug will do the trick. now been adopted as more or less stand- serial port with the line ardextensionsinmostotherPascal XMode /P1 BAUD= 2 Pseudo -compiler implementations. as documented, the baud rate remains The 6809 is an exciting prospect for the resolutely at 1,200. Altering the baud rate Basic -09 is more like Pascal than Basic,assembler programmer. The programmer's at Dragondos level with a primitive Pokebut manages to offer the best of bothmanual, complete with full details of the instruction worked fine,sothe OS -9worldsbybeingapseudo -compiler.system hooks, makes it easy for even the implementation must be at fault. Programs can be constructed with the helpraw beginner to write useful short programs Thereareotherplaceswheretheofthebuilt-ineditorand thenrunin assembly language. Dragon's behaviour departs as drasticallyimmediately. As you exit from the editor Microware's OS -9 editor, assembler and from the lines laid down by the manual.thepseudo -compilerisautomaticallydebugger are provided together on a disc None of them that I encountered seriouslyrun, breaking down the textual sourcethat is cheap enough at £50, but there are devalue the system, but all require the userstatements you haveconstructedintosome disappointingshortcomings.The to put in unpaid time to complete thewhatisknown asi-code - "i"forEdit works like a superset of the Edit built manufacturer's research and development"intermediate". into Basic -09,but forallits extended program. The editor is very smart in some ways. Iffeatures like macros and double buffer The Dragon's normal display is fairlyyou enter all the lines in lower case it siftshandling itisstill an old-fashioned line crude. All characters are in upper case, andthrough and turns Basic -09 keywords intoeditor which takes far too long to get to the best it can do to represent capitals is toupper case, at the same time indenting theknow. put them in inverse video. The OS -9 discline to show program structure. But as a The assembler is not very glamorous brings relief in the shape of a routine calledtext editorithas no facilities for blockeither. It cannot handle code macros and 0051 thatprovidesa graphics -drawn upper -and lower-case 51 -column by 24 -line Multi-user 05-9 device driver for the TV display. The Because of the way programs coexist in memory there is no theoretical definition is a compromise, and I found it restriction on the number of users acessing them. Microware provides a very hard to work with for any length of module. which can be Loaded like any other program, that allows the time. RS -232 port to serve as an additional terminal. We happily hooked a Cifer VDU to the Dragon this way, with intriguing results: true multi-user Advantage processing, with a colleague working at the Dragon keyboard and TV screen whileI programmed on the Cifer. One immediate advantage of PIC is that The crunch comes when the Dragon has to access the disc drives on because the separate modules are known to behalf of either user, at which point all the processing coagulates until the each other by way of the memory manager drives stop. In practice, then, this aspect of the Dragon will not be of much in the kernel, they can call each other with interest to business users, but with a little goodwill it is perfectly possible no need for explicit linking. This technique forms an importantpart of Basic -09, to use the Dragon as a shared resource between a pair of programmers Motorola's own highly structured Basic. developing small modules in, say, Basic -09. Basic -09's closest familiar equivalent is A factor that helps here is that code in OS -9 is re-entrant as well as BBC Basic, but whereas the procedure position -independent. If two users both need to use the same program, mechanism is simply an added feature to ordinarily they would each need a separate copy. But re-entrant design allows them to share the identical module in memory. When the time - that dialect, it is absolutely fundamental to slicing mechanism steps in to switch out the current user, the contents of Basic -09. Under Basic -09, procedures are developed and debugged as completely the 6809 registers are saved on the stack. One of these, the direct page separate modules and are knitted together register, is an eight -bit register that contains the address of a 256 -byte into one large program only as the final page of memory in which the data for that user is stored. When the second step. user is switched in and his or her register values are restored from the In BBC Basic, all variables are global stack, the direct page register will now contain the pointer to a different page of memory where the second user's data is being stored. unlessdeclaredLocal;inBasic -09all variables are strictly local to the procedure Machine -code -minded readers will be worrying that this shared stack they appear in, and there are no globals at might be a source of conflict. In fact, the 6809 has two stack pointers, one all. When you want to pass values between designed to be reserved for the system and a second for the user. At every time -slice the user stack pointer is replaced by that user's last stack modules you have todeclareexplicit Parameters to do so. address, as restored from the system stack. So as well as having separate Basic -09 consists of three main modules: pages of memory to store data, each use also has a distinct stack. By Basic itself, the Edit module and the Debug using different data this way each time the code is called, users can module. The Debug mode switches in auto- happily share the same program module - Basic -09, for instance - matically on meeting a Pause instruction in without conflict.

82 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Software review does not create relocatable libary modules.that header will actually display on eachto each customer. Itis considerably less The limitations of these two programs canpage of the screen, as well as appear inflexible than a relational database system, be overcome by hard work, and for theprint. Comma commands are roughlybut is simple to install and can cope with price represent a bargain for the user withequivalent to WordStar's dot commands. most business situations. more time than money to spend. Stylograph combines the functions of a Thedebuggerholdsanunpleasantword processor with a spelling checker and surprise for anyone who has used a CP/Ma mail -merging package. All this makes itScreen layout or MS-DOS system. CP/M's DDT istremendously goodvalueformoney, There is an editor for entering data into regarded as fairly rudimentary by modernalthough there are two snags. First, thefiles, but setting up the screen layout has to standards, but it has two features that Itechnique used by the Dragon hardware tobe done outside RMS, using Stylograph. would find it hard to live without whenscan the keyboard is a compromise thatThe system uses hashing, which requires emabarking on the exploration of a newdoes not always guarantee detection ofyou to guess at the maximum file size when chip.Itwilldissassemble object code, every key in a series of keys pressed in quick you are setting it up; access is liable to be turning it back into assembler mnemonicssuccession. Regrettably, the Dragon is notslow if your guess is wrong. You can search to help you analyse how your code isthebest choice of machine for wordfor records on an index field and obtain working, and it also has a simple assemblerprocessing by a reasonably fast typist. simplereports,includingorexcluding built into it. With DDT you can construct Secondly, Stylograph has a number ofrecords on particular criteria. shortstretchesofcode,haveyourdesign features that may irritate you if you RMS is not dBase II, but it may well take assembler -writing checked for syntax asare used to WordStar. It is page -orientated,you as far as you need to go. If you are you enter it in much the same way as Basicand the amount of text it will handle ispreparedtogetinvolvedinalittle does, and then run the code for testing. restricted by the size of available RAM. It isprogramming you can always extend its also built around the idea of modes - therefacilities by reverting to Basic -09. The is a mode for inserting text, another modeBasic-09/RMS interfaceisgreatly sim- Patience for moving the cursor, and a third modeplified by the fact that all the files it uses are Unfortunately OS -9'sDebug modelsthat removes the text from the screen andstraightforward text files. itself on Unix's ADB, a debugger thatgives you a menu of options for actions like Copy deadlines did not permit testing the knows nothing about assembler mnem-printing. Having to switch modes everyCash/VAT system, the Stock Recording onics. It will tell you the values of the bytestime you want to slip back over the text tosystem or the advance copies of the Sales making up a stretch of code, but if you wantmake changes isn't something that appealsLedge and Purchase Ledger, all supplied by to understand them as instructions you willto me. If it has any advantages for the user I Computer Support Services. I hope to be need a book of the 6809's instruction setcan't think what they are. abletoreporton themlaterifthe and a good deal more patience than I can Thereisnot muchtosayaboutnews of Dragon Data's future turns out to muster. DynaCalc. If you know spreadsheets thisbe hopeful. From the very clear documen- The application packages all have theone will give you pretty much everythingtationtheyappeartocomprisea snag that they oblige you to work with ayou expect to find. The G051 character setformidable accounting package for the television screen or monitor in conjuctionis particularly tough on the eyeballs whensmall to medium trader. Once the tricky with the existing keyboard. I would muchreading numbers, and this is where youquestion of future support for Dragon is prefer to do serious work on the machinereally need a decent monitor. settled, the bundle may be quite a bargain by way of a proper 80 -column by 24 -line RMS isatransactionaldatabase -at around £50 per program. VDU, likethe Cifer, but thereisnomanagement system that seems to be very provisionforreconfiguringthescreengood value for money. A transactional controls. database usefully extends the idea of aConclusions Asa WYSIWYG wordprocessorsimple flat file by allowing each record in Stylograph is more thorough than most.the file to attach an unlimited number of To competeagainsttherapidly For example,if you set up a headersecondary records to itself. For example,cheapening range of lower -end business instruction with the comma command you can create a file of customer names andmicros the full disc -based Dragon 64 system ,he have records of monthly accounts attachedhas to be cheap. It is - though not conclus- ively. The basic micro costs £225, and the drives make up the price to £614. With the OS -9 operating system at an astonishingly cheap £39.95 the total system cost adds up of a (v) ') Fludc.R,A rer,ory.itiss to around £650. I in'ECOEFIL 11F4VS T U-? To bring the system up to the equivalent of a CP/M system you would have to add 1- -v the editor, assembler and debugger package 2.-, TEn 7Firi FEE: r,,,F F.S. rA.,1 at £49.95, and you would also probably 4- 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 S- 1.615. 1.1S 1.1S 1.15 want Basic -09 for a further £59.95. For 6- rip something like £750 thisgives you a 7- Ins IN 10 10 10 10 10 10 8-as 0 10 comprehensive, self-sufficient system. The 8-teat 40 ZE. conventional business trio of a filer, a word 10-414ph.7n4 11- processor and a spreadsheet bring the total 12-lott,zs price to something close to £950, and you 13-oilcays .:S0 14- . . might be able to track down a secondhand .15- 10 1,:. 1.7 10 10 10 10 monochrome monitor for another £50, 16-.v. 17-undr.zs 10 10 1:4 making £1,000. 18- 4S .4 Compared to CP/M and MS-DOS the 19-*ttconc E*0 ::00S00 500 26-ash 1 amount of commercial software available to run on it is very limited, but what there is works well and is cheap - around £75 a package. Other languages to run under OS -9 at bargain prices are C and Pascal, OS -9's DynaCalc spreadsheet shows the commands available on the screen. costing around £80 each.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 83 The DY450, for example, has been testedto print Most printers continuously for well over 4,000 hours.That's six are so noisy that when they're months non-stop or, put anotherway, more than two working the rest of the officecomes to a grinding halt. working years. Not so with an Olivetti. And all seven printers in thenew Olivetti range Even when an Olivetti daisy wheelor dot matrix are fully compatible with the industry standard, printer is working at full speed, you can still hear a handle all popular software and offer excellentpaper pin drop. handling. Which is just as well, consideringevery Olivetti is So they won't causeany operating headaches tested to work for a lot longer than ordinary printers. whatsoever. Neither will they cause any financial headaches. F. Valerie Belfer, British Olivetti, Olivetti House, 86-88 UpperRichmond Road, Putney, London:1 As you'd expect from a company with our SW15 2UR. Tel: 01-785 6666. Please send me details on the new Olivetti range of printers. reputation for innovation and experience inprint NAME technology, we've learnt that the best doesn't have to COMPANY be the most expensive. POSITION Consequently, you'll find the price performance of ADDRESS an Olivetti printer is unbeatable. For more information on the new Olivetti printers, simply complete the coupon now. TEL: oia741t) ope We've kept quiet about them for long enough.L Circle No. 137 THE HYPE for a number of recent computer games has made much of their use of graphics, and in particular of "three- dimensional" graphics. With few excep- tions such programs use perspective for their effect: foreground objects appear larger than distant ones and partially

In depth obscure them. Impressive as such pictures can be, they are not truly stereoscopic in the way that films like Jaws 3 are, and the images do not leap out of the screen at you. In technical terms, they are not anaglyphs. There is no reason why an ordinary view home computer cannot display stereo pictures, and I have devised routines to do so on the BBC Micro. The most satis- factory results are obtained when drawing relatively simple wire -frame images. You need a colour TV or monitor to display them, of course, and you will have to wearfrom the two-colour spectacles, but the effect can be very impressive. Thebasictheoreticalapproachto drawing a three-dimensional picture of an object on a two-dimensional surface is to BC consider a single point on the object at a You can generate lifelike three-dimensional images time. For that point, which could appear in front of the screen or behind it, you using David Peckett's simple Basic routines. have to work out the two points on the The diagram in figure 1 shows twoequivalents of A and B for that one eye. screen which are directly in line with thepoints of the required three-dimensionalDoing the same thing for the operator's original point and each of the operator'simage: A is behind the screen and lowother eye generates two more points, A2 eyes. down;Bisin front of the screen andand B2, near to Al and B 1 .All that The right eye must then be persuaded tohigher up. A line drawn between the eyeremains is to persuade the first eye only to see only its associated point on the screen,and point A passes through the screensee Al and B1, and the second eye to see and the left eye to see only its point. If thisat Al, the point known as the two-A2 and B2. The brain will do all the clever can be done successfully, the operator'sdimensional transform of A on to thestuff of welding the two images together. brain will be fooled into thinking that it isscreen plane. Similarly a line from the eye Graphics on the BBC Micro are usually looking at the original point hanging inthrough point B hits the screen at Bl. described by co-ordinates which have their space. The points Al and B1 are the screenorigin in the bottom left-hand corner of Listingt 10REM ** Demons rate of ecte. of 280 temP=sin colour mixing 290 sinesin*cosl+cos*sinl 20REM :+:*byC> S Peckett 7:00 cow=cc,s*cosl-temP*sin1 7;0REM ** 11 May 1984 310 xl=x+radius*sin 40 720 yl=y+radius*cos 50MODE2' 3:30 REM ** Draw next. seeiment 60UDU27,1,0;0;0:0; :340 WIVE x, Y.

(0PROCdisc(470,650,1):REM**Red - 350 PLOT 85,x1 Yi RAPROCdisc(810,650,2):REM**Green 360 NEXT 90PROCdisc(640,360,4):REM Blue 7;70ENDPROC 100 REM ** Wait 110 A=GET Listing 2. 120 OD1_127,1,1;0:0:0: 19960 REM ** Code to control 3D 130 MODE7 19970 Fi:EM ** by D S Peckett 14n END 19980 150 19990 REM ** Set,_IF 3-D routines 160 REM ** Draw a disc, centre ?nOnn DEF PROCInit3D colour "col" 2001.0 DIM CursX(2),CursW.2),ex<2) 170 DEF PROCdisc(x,y,col) 0020 U[:'t) 29,640;5124:REM ** Centre 180 radius=350 orisin 190 GCOL 1,col:REM ** Mix colours 20030 19,1,1;0;:REM ** Left eye 200 stePs.=30 (red) 210 REM ** Set UP for fast circle 20040 1=2,2:40:1:REM ** Right eye drawing 220 sinleSINK2*PlzstePs) 2005A UDU 19,3,3)::REM ** Both eYee. 230 cos1=COSC2*PI/stePe) (yellow) 240 sin=0:cose1 20060 ScreenWidth=12:REM :+::+.Srreen width 250 MOVE x7y+radius in inches 260 FOR I7-:=1 TO steps 2nn7n EyeZ1=30:REM :+:* Viewing distance 270 REM ** ComPute next angle ,f.inches)

86 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Stereo graphics

image. The positions can be called xsr,ys for the right eye and xs1, ys for the left eye. Because the eyes are level, the two Y co- ordinates are identical. Figure 2 shows the basic layout for calculating ys, as seen from the right and with the viewing eyes ezGUs from the screen. From the geometry of the similar triangles ISO and IAB ysiez = y/(ez + z) and ys =y*ez/(ey+z) Figure 3 shows the view from above, with the eyes set 2ex apart. For the right eye, the triangles RSQ and RAB are similar, so ex)/ez = (x - ex)/(ez + z) and xsr = ex + (x - ex)* ez/(ez + z) For the left eye, the important triangles are LTP and LAC, so (xs, + ex)/e2 = (x + ex)/(ez + z) and xs1 = - ex + (x + ex)* ez/(ez + z) The equations for xs, and xs1 are very similar - the difference is only in the sign Figure 1. of ex - which simplifies matters when it comes to working out xsi and xs,.. the screen. This is the system which BBCline, and positive Z behind the screen. It is These formulae specify where to plot Basic's graphics commands use. For three-convenient to work in BBC graphics units,points for each eye, but the problem dimensional graphics, however, it is moreGUs, which means that the screen is 1,280remains of separating the image intended convenient to have the origin at the centreGUs wide and 1,024 GUs high. From nowfor the left eye from that intended for the of the screen, especially as a Z-axis ison, it will also be assumed that the pictureright eye. The answer is to plot each image required - in addition to the usual X- andis being viewed from a point in front of thein a different primary colour. Y-axes - to define distances behind andmiddle of the screen, with the operator's Try displaying three patterns on the in front of the screen. eyes level - that is, along the X-axis. screen, one in each of the additive primary Positive X co-ordinates are defined as Now you have to calculate where on thecolours red, green and blue. If you view being to the right of the screen centre line,screen to put the two images representingthem through a filter which is in one of the positive Y co-ordinates above the centrethe point x,y,z on the three-dimensional (continued on page 89)

20080 E.,.:ie2=EveZ1*1280/ScreenWidth:REM ** 20320 REM :+*: Handle relative movements - Convert to Gil convert to absolute .20090 EveX1=3:REN ** Distance between 20330 IF(:n AND 4)=0 eYes - inches x=x+LastX,v=Y+LastY:z=z+LastZ:n=n OR 4 20100 P:,leX=EveX1*1280/ScreenWidth:REN ** 20340 REM ** Save new position in screen Cc.nvert to GM co-ords 20110 ex<1)=-E9eX D.10 2:ex<2>=EveX DIU 2 20350 LastX=x:LastY=y:LastZ=z :20120 REM ** Initialize starting values 20360 REM ** Allow for offset drawing 20130 OffsetX=0:OfforetY=0:0ffetZ=0 point 20140 LastX=0:LastY=0:Last7=0 207:70 x=x+Off=..etX:v=Y+Off-7etY:z=z+Off.:et 20150 ENDPROC 20160 20380 FOR Colour=1 TO 2 20170 REM ** 3-D "MOOE" command 20390 GCOL 1,rolour:REM ** Use "OR" 20180 DEF PROCMove3D,CursY

If you answer YES to any of the above, then (i) MI 11111111" IMIIIIIIII move on. IIIIM

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88 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Circle No. 138 Stereo graphics

(continued from page 87) and eyes. The other system constants arefillingroutinesarenotprovided. three colours you will only see the patternzeroed, including OffsetX, OffsetY and ProcPlot3Dfirstsetsupitsbasic displayed in the corresponding colour; theOf fsetZ. parameters and checks n for validity. For other twowilldisappear. Two-colour The Offset commands allows you toeacheyecolourifthendoesa spectacleswillthereforeseparatetheoffset the origin of your drawing awayGCo1 1, colour to give the correct, Ored images for the left and right eyes. Thefrom the system originatthe screenmixing for line overlaps, moves to the last mixed colours yellow, magenta and cyancentre. Set up the values of Offset to thecursor position, calculates the new cursor each correspond to a pair of primaries, aszero point you wish to draw from, and theposition, and draws a line to it.It uses shown in table 1. Where the two eyes'procedures will automatically shift theFNPosX and FNPosY to calculate the patterns meet, the intersections can bethree-dimensional image to where youcorrect screen positions. The commands made visible to both eyes by displaying thewant it. ProcMove3D and ProcDraw3D act just appropriate mixed colours. Once the system has been set up with thelike Move and Draw in Basic, except that You can use any pair of primaries forleft and right cursors at the screen centre,you must provide the Z co-ordinate as well the right and left displays, as long as theProcPlot3D(n,x,y,z)actsasadirectas the X and Y. crossing points are always coloured appro-counterpart of the Basic command Plot To see what three-dimensional images priately. The traditional red and green aren,x,y. The variable n can take on exactlythe routines are capable of producing, largely arbitrary. The display you set from thesamevalues,withsimilarmean entertheproceduredefinitionsand listing 1 will show you all the possible com-ings, except that the space-and triangle FNdefinitions from listing 2, followed by binationsand howthecoloursmix listing 3. When run, the program selects together. Primary 1 Primary 2 Mixture Mode 1 and uses Proclnit to set up the Listing 2 gives the code to display three- red green yellow system. It then waits for your commands. red blue magenta Proclnit creates separate text and graphics dimensionalpictures.Thefirstpart, green blue cyan Proclnit3D, sets up the system and must windows for the display, allowing you to be executed before anything is drawn. ItTable 1. Mixing additive primaries. (continued on next page) defines the small arrays which are used and sets up the system constants. The three-dimensional graphics system must be used in at least a four-colour display mode, such as Mode 1 or Mode 5. Lines 20030 to 20050 set up the colours to be used. I selected red for the left eye and green for the right eye simply because they happened to be the colours of my viewing glasses. Use the physical colour numbers which apply to your system - see page 224 of the BBC User Guide. The various system constants are then set up and converted into graphics units. You must enter values for Screenwidth, EyeZ1 and EyeX 1 to suit your own display (continued from page 87) 2121.-.31211D 1130*KEYSPROCPYRi:4M:M 0510 REM ** Position 3D cur n 1140*KEY9PROCSPIRAL:M Y-axis 1150EHDPROC 20520 DEF FHPos,y,z) 1990 20530 ..,-(EyeZ*y)sEyeZ+z) 2000DEF PROCLIHES 201011ff.::etX=0:Off....etY=0:Of1`-,,:etZ=0 Listing 3. 2020CLG 113REM ** Code to draw 3D "anaslyehs" 2030PROC:L -300,0 on EEC microcomeuter 2040PROCL1-150, -200) 20 REM ** by D.S Peckett 20!=.10 PROCL:0, -500) 30 REM :+:*11 May 1984 2060PROCL :200,-700) 40, 2070P ROC:L.:400 -900) 50 MODE1 2080ENDPROC 60 PROCIrt :4*: :[ n: ialize demo 2090 70 END 2100REM * Draw a 300 GU yertiral 990 line 1000 DEF PROCInit 2110DEF PROC1_KX,2) 1010 DIM PX5),PY(5),PZK5>:REM**For 21..20PROCMoye3D

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 89 Stereo graphics

(continued from previous page) adjusting the tint control. It may also help to view the picture in a dim light. You may CursX(2), CursY(2) - present position of type in commands at the bottom of the left and right cursors screen while looking at the top. It then setsfind that Mode 5 works better than Mode ex(2) - distances, measured in GUs, of up the red function keys f0 to f2 to make it1: the broader lines help. left and right eyes from axis alittleeasier for you to enter three- Do not try to display very complicated EyeX - distance between eyes, in GUs dimensional commands directly. Keys f6pictures. If there are too many lines on the EyeX1 - distance between eyes, in to f9 are programmed to call up the fourscreen, the whole thing breaks down into a inches demonstration routines. confusing jumble. To display text, use EyeZ - distance of eyes from screen, in ProcLines draws a line 300 GUs, high inColour 3 so that the characters appear in GUs several positions on the screen. It appearsthe plane of the screen. EyeZ1 - distance of eyes from screen, Not everyone can accommodate their in inches to come towards you as it moves from left LastX/Y/Z - last 3D point drawn to right. ProcCube draws a wire -frameeyes to the three-dimensional picture, but OffsetX/Y/Z - dummy origin of drawing cube, initially at the centre of the screen.if you can,itspossibilities are almost Screenwidth - width of monitor screen, Try changing the OffsetX/Y/Z values atendless. Why not try to write games, even in inches line 3010 to see how putting the cube insimple bat -and -ball ones, which move in different positions affects the display. and outof the screen? Table 2. Major system variables. ProcPyram draws a kind of pyramid looming out of the screen at you. The effect of a shape hanging in mid-air can be quite uncanny. Again, alter the Offsets to see the effect of changes. You can also change the Data at lines 4180 to 4220 to affectthepyramid'sshape.Finally, ProcSpiralattemptstoshowaline spiralling from behind the screen to a posi- tion in front of it. If you look at it without the coloured spectacles, you can see very well how the two primary colours are mixed whenever lines cross. For the best results itis essential that your viewing glasses have good, strong, primary colours in their lenses. If either eye has more than a hint of the wrong picture, the illusion will collapse. You must also ensure that your monitor gives the best picture for the purpose. It is sometimes helpful to set the brightness and contrast rather lower than normal. If you are using a TV, set the colour control very high and,if you have one,try (continued from previous page)

O-4 PR1:.11:_1?rai.,131:1)< 7.7, 4170REM ** Each poi nt 1n X-Y- order 3100P0:010:10 raw3D 300,100,600 ) 4180DATA 0,0,-500 110PROCDraw3D 300, -300,600) 4.190DATA 400,150,100 3120PROCDraw1D<-7'%00, -300,600) 4200DATA -200,350,500 3130PR1_}1._:Moye3D 100 , -300, 0) 421 0DATA -500,150,200 3140PROCDrao3DC300,-100,600) 4220bOTA 126,350.-400 3150PR04::1'loye3D,:.300,300,0) 4990 3460PROODraw1DC300,300,600> 5000DEF PROCSPIRAL 3170PROCMoYe3D-100,300,0) 5010Of fsetX=0: Of fse tY=100: Of fsetZ=0 31800R000raw1D-300,100,600) 5020CL6 3190ENDRROC 5030 ncrement=30: REM ** Steps per 3990 circle 4000[:'EE PROOPYROM 5040 :=.z r',1 nc=SIW.2*PIsi ncremept): cos roc-=. 4010CLG COS< 2*P1i ncrement) 40206ff,,:etX=0;:OffsetY=0::0 fset2= -200 5050 si n=0: cos=1: REM ** Star t i r-1,3 yalue 46.130RESTORE 41S13:REM 4:.+ Read Yertices 5060 rad i us=200: REM *:*: Rad i us o f 4040FOR I%=1 TO spi ra I curye 5:READ PX,PWA%),PZ) 5110 sin=sin*cosinc+cos*sininc 4100 FOR I%=1 TO 4 5120 cos=cos*cosinc-sindumm9*sininc 4110 PROCMoye3D

4160 REM 4'::+ Data for p9ram d yer ices 5150 ENDPROC

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Access/Barclaycard/Cheque No If you do not wish to cut out form send order separately Telephone orders any time - we do the rest 34 Cannonbury Avenue, Pinner, Middx HA5 ITS sizes: 01-868 9548 6 x 6; 8.75 x 8.75 PinnerWordpro CircleNo. 141 Circle No. 140 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 91 YOU MAY WELL have a dirty machine without even knowing it; you might simply think that your computer has gone wrong. For example, I use an Apple II which has been working tirelessly, unlike its owner, since1979. Anditwasstillworking tirelessly when I decided to shove in a few extraboards and run CP/M onit. clean However, upon plugging in the Z-80 card, 80 -column card and 16 RAM card it ceased to work properly. Everything would be going fine until, say, a BDos Err on P occurred and, even if CP/M purists insist that, with only two drives connected, I had not got a P to have machine a BDos Err on, it was still the sort of error Dust and dirt can cause your computer to thatoccurred. Anditoccurredwith malfunction. Chris Naylor dons his overalls as he sufficient frequency to wreck all chances of carrying out useful work. tells you how to keep your micro in peak condition. Fix it! Clearly, since it was once working and then was not, the new boards were at fault. Then followed a sequence of events well known tocomputer users.Itinvolves packing the machine up into the box it came in and wandering the length and breadth of the land with computer in hand in order to dump the offending goodies on the counters of certain retailers with the request that they fixit or replace itat once. Said retailers were, by and large, helpful and sympathetic. Cards were replaced as requested. But, at the end of each day, the errors still kept on coming, as they did after three more expeditions of the same kind. However, onthefourthexpedition, whenIvisiteda firm withaservice department and an engineer, someone commented that the machine itself was not altogether clean. An observation probably inspired because it was necessary to scrape away the dust in order to read the legends on the chips. Could it not be, it was suggested, that a little dirt might be causing a build-up of stray inductive capacitance on the board which, when appropriately loaded, might lead to timing errors thereby causing the machine to conk out? Nonsense, I retorted. Trycheckingthepowersupplyor something sensible instead. Dirt is the cause But, as the checking proceeded and more and more components were found to be intrinsically without fault, the rumour of dirt as the main cause began to gain ground in my mind. However, like most people with computers, I do not like parting with mine. So the obvious thing to do was to go home and clean it myself. The process of cleaning began gingerly. A Kleenex soaked in isopropyl alcohol removed much of the dust from the motherboard. But still no improvement showed. And,withfailure,came an increasing boldness. After ripping out the motherboard and purchasing a litre of

92 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Maintenance

wrong, though less frequently than before. Beware! So the motherboard was ripped from the Do not dismantle your machine unless you are absolutely sure that you machine once more, the kitchen sink filled know how to put it back together again. with warm water and Fairy Liquid, every Never get any solvents near the keyboard switches - once in they rarely chip was pulled from the board, and the come out again, leaving you with a defunct key switch. Replacing key whole lot was immersed and gone over with switches requires expertise with a soldering iron. a soft scrubbing brush. Do not try to clean the power -supply unit. It is unlikely to be too much The chips were dropped into a jug of Goddards Silver Dip, their pins pristine. troubled by dirt and often containsstrange, non -digital components. Come the end of the day, everything was The commonest cause of disc trouble iscigarette ash so you could try reassembled and dried with a hairdryer. giving up smoking - some hope, with problems such as these on your Switching on, it worked and hasn't gone mind! However, you should atleast give up smoking when using isopropyl wrong since and, ifit had gone wrong alcohol, unless you want to take up flying as well. again, the next step would have been to A useful purchase would be a dust cover for the machine to help keep it sling it in the washing machine selecting dust -free in the first place. super wash for fast coloureds toseewhat Never add or remove any components while the power is switched on to that did to it. the machine. Switch off the power; touch earth to dispel static; then, and The moral of the story is that if your only then, can you touch the machine's components. machine is not working it may be because it's dirty, even if the failures look somehow isopropyl alcohol, the entire motherboardwhere. On pulling the chips, I noted thatregular enough to suggest another cause. got a good soaking. Fitting it back into thethe pins of many were not dirty, but black.The reason why my machine failed on machine gave some improvement, but notScrubbing them with isopropyl alcohol didinserting three new cards was probably not enough and failures still occurred. not seem to help but throwing them awaybecause the cards were faulty but because Ripping the board out again it got aand buying new chips did. theychangedtheloadingonthe better soaking - only this time I pulled out Replacing the board again showed amotherboard in such a way as to make every chip in sight so that the goodness ofdistinct improvement in behaviour. But notpreviously unnoticeable dirt appear to have isopropyl alcohol could penetrate every-an entireimprovement. Things still wentelectrical significance. Cleaning your micro Remove the motherboard and take out all the chips. afterwards to get rid of anything which might be left Make a note of the positions of all cable connectors andover. the positions and orientations of all chips so that, having Take care in handling chips. Some are prone to static it, you are sure you can reassemble it. It is charges such as you may have about your person. Try to not sufficient to know what sockets take which chips; avoid touching the pins atalland try earthing yourself by make sure you know which way the dots on the chips touching a water pipe or the case of your power supply, face. if it is earthed, before touching the chips. If you want you Clean the motherboard using isopropyl alcohol and a can earth yourself by winding a piece of wire around soft brush. Do not soak any boards for any length of timeyour wrist and taking that to earth as a precaution. But, in anything in case the tracks start to lift. Do not clean if you do this, take every precaution to see that you do the board with a toothbrush or anything made of nylon not come into contact with any live wiring while you are as isopropyl alcohol can react with some nylons. I used so earthed. the Hi Fi Parastat from Cecil Watts as a brush. A camel- Be careful on removing and replacingchipsnot to hair brush is also suitable. When brushing the board bend or break any of the pins. So, if you are using a down make sure that you do not bash any components, screwdriver to lever them out work at one end then the such as the capacitors, too hard. other and so on until it comes out gently. Straighten any Many people speak out against using water in any bent pins before replacing the chips. form for cleaning electrical components, pointing to the Dry everything. A hair dryer can be useful but some fact that it is rather dirty - containing things like people advise against warm air which might cause the calcium and flouride, which might at some stage react board to shrink and expand, so cracking the tracks. Cold with the board. air is safest. Carbon tetrachloride seems a suitable alternative to Clean the peripheral slots and connectors. Apart from isopropyl alcohol, but all cellulose- or acrylic -based using isopropyl alcohol and a brush, the best technique cleaners should be avoided like the plague because theyinvolves going over all connectors with a rubber. Shaping will dissolve the board, the IC sockets and just about the rubber into a point can help get it into the slots everything else in sight, leaving you with something thatthemselves. A rubber can remove fingermarks which looks a little bit like warm toffee. Methylated spirits has isopropyl alcohol will not shift. the disadvantage of leaving a slight residue. Clean the rest of the machine. That way it looks nicer The big advantage of isopropyl alcohol is that it leavesand there is less dust and dirt around to be absorbed. no residue which can react with anything. So if you do You could use warm water and Fairy Liquid, or Duraglit clean any part using something else, always try to finishand Brasso for cleaning shiny plastics. the job off with isopropyl alcohol to get rid of whatever If you have adiscdrive or tape recorder, isopropyl the previous cleaner has left. Isopropyl alcohol can be alcohol can be used for cleaning heads, tapes and discs. bought over the counter at a chemists and costs £2 to £3But always use a lint -free cloth to avoid scratching the for 500c.c. surfaces. Commercial disc cleaners consist of isopropyl Clean the chips using isopropyl alcohol. If that does alcohol plus a high price tag. Cotton buds can be useful not work, fine emery paper will get the pins clean. Also for getting at tape leads. Ingredients sold commercially Goddards Silver Dip works well because many chips havefor cleaning hi-fi tape equipment will generally befinefor silver-plated legs. But, again, clean with isopropyl alcoholcleaning disc equipment.

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 93 STY -X SOFTWARE Iisten, you've got to believe me . .. read. Good quality card. I was surprised. Well, I don't need to go on telling you im Oh, I know, you think I'm crazy. I canI'd done a few little things, programs to about that conversation. If you're see already you want to get away from me.teach the principal parts of Latin verbs. I'dnot in education yourself maybe you've Look, I'm not begging for money. This suittried them on children. Little wretches werenever head of Timetable. It was a great I'm wearing, it came from Saville Row.too stupid to understand anything butsuccess. Every school in the country must You can tell, can't you? That's my AstonSpace Invaders, but maybe one of them had have bought one. And Mr Ferry said that I Martin out there in front of the pub. I'vebeen talking about my programs at home.deserved all the credit, so I got the royalties. got all the money in the world. I'll buy youPerhaps that's how Mr Ferry had heard of I gave up my job at that school PDQ. a drink, any drink you want, I'll give youme.Ifelt pretty chuffed.I got up andLeft them in the middle of term, in fact. money, just say what you want, but you'veswitched on the light. Damned if I was going to spend another got to listen to me, you've got to believe "How can I help you? I'm afraid it isn'tminute in a classroom with those kids if I me . .. very comfortable here. Perhaps we .. ." didn't have to. The school wasn't very nice Two yearsago, I wasateacher. "This is fine," Mr Ferry said. "I likeabout it. Was I glad to get out of that pface! Nottingham. No Saville Row suits and no So I worked from home after that.I Aston Martins up there, I can tell you. I never seemed to get any ideas, though. My used to teach Latin, that wasn't so bad. by Jean Miles wife was always wanting me to do this and Then the school went comprehensive, they do that, and the childen would have been made me teach classical studies, history, all underfoot all the time if I hadn't clouted sorts of stuff. I couldn't keep order anybeing around computers. Yes, we admirethem pretty solidly. One afternoon Mr more. The kids were bored, they gave meyour work. I hope I can persuade you toFerry turned up again. hell, it was hell. sign a contract with us." "I'm sorry I haven't sent you anything One consolation, though. We had a good "A contract? Well .. ." lately, sir," I said. "I've been working on computer department, and I got interested "It needn't interfere with your worksomething, but .. ." early on. I used to stay after school a lot,here," he said. "If you want to go on "Don't you worry," he said. "We're working on programs. The caretaker let meteaching, that's alright with us. We'll givevery pleased with you, very pleased indeed. stay late whenever I wanted. you £10,000 a year and I think we canI've just dropped round for a chat. I always That's how it started. I was working latearrange that the tax man won't hear aboutlike to talk computers with a real expert." one evening. It was getting dark but I wasit. You'll want some computing equipment I felt really nervous. All that money and I too busy to get up and switch on the light. Iat home. An IBM PC perhaps? You namehadn't really done anything yet: was this just went on by the light from the screen.it. All we require is your signature here.leading up to some bad news? You know how it is? And suddenly, thereExclusive rights to your .. ." He started poking atthe computer was this guy. I hadn't heard him come in, I took that paper out of his hand so fastkeyboard."Here's an ideaI've been but there he was. he didn't get a chance to finish talking. Ipushing around a bit," he said. "For a took a look at the top page and there it all was, justas he said: £10,000 a year, Egilalinnagglig=computing equipment, exclusive rights to magiewsmognes We'll give you £10,000 a any software I wrote, royalties for me of 85 I knew the form by then, I per cent on the purchase price of all sales. year and I think we can There were a couple of lines of small print knew I didn't have arrange that the tax man but I didn't bother. For terms like that, I'd anything to worry about. sign anything. I'd probably sign my soul won't hear about it. You'll away. But I wasn't too glad to want some computing So I signed, and he folded up the paper see him, all the same. equipment at home. An and slipped it into his pocket. Something about him "Have you ever thought of trying to do a IBM PC perhaps? You program that would work out the school made me feel name it. timetable?" he asked. "It's an idea I've uncomfortable. been amusing myself with." NONEENSEMBEN j "It's not possible," I said. "No one'sMEMBINENICONIE been able to come up with a timetable "Foster?" he said. program that will fit in a micro." game. Look - you set up some little red "That's me. What can I do for you? I'm He took up my pencil and sketched athings like this, and then you .. ." afraid the office will be closed by now." flow chart. "The user has to type in all the It didn't take much looking to see it was a "Quite all right, Mr Foster. It's you I'veschool requirements. We'd use prompts,really good idea, something absolutely come to see. Your work here has come tolike this ... It would take an hour or so thenew. I mean, you may not have heard of our attention." And he handed me hisfirst time. Much quicker after that. ThenTimetable, but you must have heard of business card. the computer would work out the wholeDante. Everybody in the whole world has "Luke Ferry. STY -X SOFTWARE" ittimetable. I've done some of the code." been playing it for the last year. They did a

94 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Fiction version for the big arcade machines, but it really runs better on a home micro. It was Luke Ferry's idea, as I just told you, but he said I'd done all the work and that I had to have all the royalties and that meant I was really rich. So I left Nottingham and came down hereto London. The wife wasn't pleased. Kept whining about taking the kids away from a school they liked, and she didn't want to leave her garden, one thing after another. We bought a nice flat not far from here, no bloody garden, best part of Kensington. If she wants flowers she can walk in the lousy park. Sent the children to the best boarding schools in the book to get some peace and quiet for my work. I was at the computer all day, not feeling too well, put on a bit of weight,still couldn't come up with anything. A few months ago Ferry turned up again. Well, I knew the form by then. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about. But I wasn't too glad to see him, all the same. Something about him made me uncomfortable. He was pleased with himself that day. And well he might be. That time, the little trick he had up his sleeve was a realworld-beater.Literally. A voice - recognition and translation program. The very thing all those artificial intelligence boffins had been working on for years. They didn't get there - Luke Ferry did. Gave me the the credit again, but I didn't deserve it.It was all him. Wonderfully simple idea once you saw it. Interpreter, we call the program. I know you've heard of it. Everybody has. And I know what you're thinking: if I wrote Interpreter, I must be George Foster. Sir George Foster to you, since the last Honours List. That's right. That's who I am. I live alone now, just around the corner from here. Left the wife a couple of weeks ago, couldn't take the whining any more. Lady Foster, for Christ's sake.

So that's my story, up until yester- day.Notquitewhat youwere expecting, is it? Not exactly a hard luck story. I haven't asked you for anything, have I? Want another drink, before I tell you the end? Anything you say. Have another of these cigars. It's hard to say it. I'm a rational man. I'm sure you are too. I mean, people used to believe these things, but it's all rubbish, isn't it? I've been working too hard. I just imagined it all. I just imagined that Luke Ferry came back last night and it wasn't pleasant at all. I kept smelling fire and his teeth were pointed like something out of a goddamned horror movie and he said I had sold him my soul and he was here to collect. Icould have 24 hours, he said. Find someone. Tell them my story. If I can find someone to believe me, he'd let me off. Don't go away.I know what you're thinking, but it's true, every word I said is true. Don't go away. It's getting dark, Don't go away . . .

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MOUSE CONTROLLED OPERATION EASY TO USE The Mouse makes text editing and command selection simpler and faster. Word's 'UNDO' command lets you restore your STYLE SHEETS document to the state it was before you executed the last command. Style sheets let you set up repeatedly used documents instantly. A two line menu is constantly displayed. You can store line spacing, typestyle positioning and page format, ready All commands are in English and easily to be recalled by two key strokes. understandable. FORMATTING And there is a help facility, so that when a point Pages can be formatted on -screen to new column widths and page lengths. needs clarifying, the help key will display the A rule can be displayed at the top of the screen for easy and accurate relevant information on the screen. adjustment of page width. All this plus a window facility makes Word with Mouse the modern approach to word processing.

PRO PASCAL: In addition to the features of Standard Pascal, the Pro Pascal, language has a number of extensions which are FORTRAN important for "real world" programming: dynamic strings for character and text manipulation, long integers and random-access file handling for data processing applications, single and double precision floating-point arithmetic for scientific work, an assembler -level interface for system programmers, a separate compilation of program segments for building libraries of commonly -used procedures allowing large object programs to be constructed. Pro Pascal is a 3 -pass compiler, converting source programs into relocatable machine -code form. The operation of the compiler is easy to use, and a one line command is all that is normally needed to convert a source file into an executable program. PRO FORTRAN: Pro Fortran is a complete implementation of Fortran 66, Program in one operating system and you with a number of the features from the later Fortran 77. It allows the programmer to use very fast REAL, are source code compatible with the others! DOUBLE PRECISION and COMPLEX arithmetic and functions. It comprises of a 2 -pass compiler with a number of compile -time options including storage map, overflow checks, checks for non-standard features etc. The Pro Fortran run-time library allows an execution speed and accuracy which are second to none amongst high level languageimplementations. Floating-point formats are IEEE draft standard. Pro Fortran's linker accepts files in relocatable binary form. Large files can be produced because linking is disc -to -discand paging techniques are used. Both Pro Pascal and Pro Fortran have been developed in the UK. The packages include a compiler, linker, librarian,run-time library, a source cross-referencer, and a utility to configure the software to suit variations,such as differing disc capacities. By Prospero Software

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Ian Stobie introduces our feature on alternatives to the keyboard andmouse. ALL THE FUSS about mice over the last year has focused attention on the task of making computers easier to use. At the moment the standard QWERTY key- board, developed over 100 years ago for the early typewriter, is still the main way computers are controlled and most data is entered. In this special section we look at the most promising alternatives, concen- trating particularly on voice, handwriting and picture input. The present conventional system of computer use, even with a mouse sup- plementing the keyboard, still sticks to the basic arrangement of using the hands to input to the machine and the eyes to read output off a screen or off paper. This may not be the most natural way of doing things. We interact with other people and watching and listening for their response; we also write them notes, often in a barely legible scrawl, and show them things. of the potential of voice input requires thelarge additional step. A fulldictation An obvious approach to making com-solution of difficult artificial intelligencesystem needs to recognise a much larger puters more usable is to make interactingproblems. number of words than the mouse -level with them more likeinteracting with Existing voice -input systems generallyvoice -control system. Obviously the user people. There are probably limits to howrequire you totrain your systemtowill expect to find this vocabulary in the far this can go, and here itis useful torecognise a restricted set of words orsystem when it is purchased, so it must not make adistinctionbetween inputtingphrases.You canthentriggeryourbe upset by differencesinindividual commands tocontrol the system andmachine into some pre -designatedre-pronuciation. To transcribe into a text inputting the masses of data. sponse by saying the appropriate word ordata format such as ASCII, the system Innovation is likely to take place mostphrase. This sort of voice system is useful,must also know how to spell, and how to rapidly in the way systems are controlled.though only at a very similar level to thedistinguish between like -sounding words. A mouse is good for controlling systemsmouse; it is fine for control but not muchHumans make such decisions by analysing by letting you point to pictures and datause for entering data. context, so oven the apparently simple on the screen. It is also good for entering Alsoalreadyavailablearesimpletask of transcribing dictationrequires datawhichalreadytakesagraphicdictation systems which store speech byintelligence. form, but it is not much good for enteringrepresenting the sound. Such systems do The computers of science fiction, such numbers and text. not have the ability to transcribe spokenas Blake Seven's Orac and K-9 from Dr The handwriting input tablet has somewords into ASCII text, and thisis anWho, go further and actually extract potential as an alternative to the keyboardimportant limitation. To be more than anmeaning from the words spoken to them. in inputting numbers and text, and may beexpensive alternative to the tape recorder aSinceindividualhumanbeingstake more natural to many people. Althoughvoice -input system must be able to convertseveral years learning to do this, and since handwriting does not seemidealforvoice into a form usable by ordinarythe processes involved are a long way from controlling systems, handwriting tabletsapplication software. being understood, natural -seeming voice set up with tick boxes work well in some Most present-day picture -input systemsinteractions with computers must still be a applications. Voice does wellin bothwork at a similar level and have similarlong way off in practice. areas; itis a natural medium for givinglimitations. Images of things placed in What is more, natural communication commands, and is also potentially suitedfront of a camera are stored merely as bitbetween people involves several senses at to inputting masses of data. patterns. They can be reproduced andthe same time, and itis always to some Of these alternatives, voice input seemsmanipulated to a degree, but hold much ofextent two-way. As a person speaks they to have the greatest potential. The voice -the information lockedintoapurelymonitor the effect they are having in based telephone system already exists, andgraphic image which is not usable by otherseveral ways, visually as well as aurally. once computer systems can accept voice itapplication programs. The truly user-friendly computer of the provides an instant worldwide network of To extractfullbenefit *from bothfuturewillbe multi -channel andwill input terminals. But the full developmentpicture- and voice -input systems requires aanswer back.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 99 Opensesame Much to the consternation of his colleagues, Ian Stobie has taken toshouting at his micro as he tries out Texas Instruments' Speech Command System. UNTIL RECENTLY voice -input systems have beenlittlemore thantoys.Although speech is probably the main way humans communicate with each other, getting a computer to recognise what a person is saying has turned out to be very difficult. Now, really for the first time, genuinely useful speech -input products are coming on to the market. Speech add-on systems aimed atthe general office user have recently appeared for the IBM PC, Texas Professional and other machines. Now ACT has launchedthefirstpersonal computer with speech input as a standard feature, the new Apricot portable. All systems currently on the market work with a limited vocabularly, typically between 50 and 500 words, which they need to know in advance. Furthermore, they can not cope reliably with unknown speakers: each new user has to train theA headset or any standard microphone system to understand their own specificcan be used as the input device. pronounciation. Systems which can understand normalwasnotasdisturbingtopassers-by. human conversation are still a long way There are in fact several things you can off, but the current technology does allowdo with the Speech Command System, speech recognition. The system waits untilincluding speech output, but the most you say something you have trainedituseful is what Texas terms the transparent to expect, and then carries out a pre-keyboard. It works by equating a spoken determined action. word or short phrase with a string of up to We have had a Texas Instruments40 ASCII characters. When you speak into Professional Computer inthe office tothe microphone the word will then act like review,equipped with the TI Speecha. function key, sending the string of Command System, SCS. The SCS option ischaracters to the computer exactly as if on sale in the U.K. and costs £1,250. Foryou had typed them in at the keyboard. this you get a card containing the speech - Wherethecharactersareactually recognition hardware, which plugs intocomingfromhasnoeffectontheroutineprocessofusingpackages one of the Professional's expansion slots,application program you are running, andenhanced with voice. SCS comes with a set software on disc and a headset. you can still use the keyboard. With anyof utilities for setting things up. After particular package you will typically useturning on the Professional and booting vocabularies of upto 50 words andMS-DOS, you type SCS and the utilities TI hardware phrases,associating them withpartic-menu comes up. Having selectedthe We were using the SCS with a TIularly common command sequences fortransparentkeyboardoption,ifa Professional with 10Mbyte hard disc andindeed anything you habitually type. vocabulary already exists for the package colour graphics, costing £4,495. At least The software supplied with SCS on discyou are interested in you can just type its two floppy drives and 256K of RAM areincludespre -definedvocabulariesforname. required to support SCS; a minimumBasic, MS-DOS, Multiplan, Easywriter, We have reproduced a screen dump configuration with monochrome monitorLotus 1-2-3 and several other packages,showing part of a Lotus 1-2-3 vocabularly cost £2,295. At present TI has no plans toand utilities to create your own new vocab-as displayed by the SCS utility. On the left- offer the speech command system for useularies. In this lies the major advantage ofhand side are the phrases, on the right the with any other manufacturer's hardware. good speech -recognition systems over theLotus command sequences. You can type A microphone, will plug into a socketmouse - itwill work with any existingin alterations or delete any vocabulary ontheSCScard.Any standardpackage that uses the keyboard BIOS in aentry orall of them. Creating a new microphone will do; we tried out one from normal way. To work with a mouse, mostvocabularyusesthissameon -screen a Tandy store, as well as the lightweightpackageshavetobesubstantiallyeditor. headset supplied by TI. TI says that SCSrewritten. Being able to choose at any time To train the system to recognise a new will work with a cordless radio -linkedbetween using a voice command and usinguser you hit the Enrol All function key. microphone, and will be able to acceptkeystrokes is also an advantage. The system highlights each phrase in turn, input from the phone. We found that the Using the system in practice splits intoand you say it into the microphone. It can headset proved the most practical;itis the occasional task of setting it up for atake several passes to get a good match on lesssusceptibletoexternalnoise andnew user or a new application, and theall the phrases. It is up to you how reliable

100 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Speech input

Other speech -input products To be truly useful in a general office environment a Add-on boards for eight -bit micros are generally less speech -input system must be able to work with powerful in raw hardware terms, but can still offer a ordinary, unaltered, commercial software packages. At useful transparent keyboard capability. VMC's Voice present, this ability is confined mostly to the more Input Module for the Apple II, for instance, has an eight- expensive systems. The products discussed here all bit Motorola 6803 processor on board, 4K of software in claim to be able to do this, and mostly come with ROM, and 8K of RAM to hold the user's utterances and vocabularies already set up for common business their associated ASCII character strings. packages like Lotus 1-2-3 or WordStar. The VIM accommodates vocabularies of up to 160 The Votan Voice Card for the IBM PC functions in a words or phrases, according to the manufacturer, Voice similar way to the TI system. Your utterances generate Machine Communications Inc. The price of £885 plus appropriate ASCII strings as if from the keyboard. WhatVAT includes headset and a disc with VisiCalc and you get for your £1,950 plus VAT is the plug-in card other vacabularies already set up. In the U.K. the VMC itself, a microphone, a speaker and utility software on VIM is available from Cascade Graphics. Voice Input disc. A telephone modem is also included, though Ltd offers a competing Apple II board from Scott Votan's U.K. distributer Voice Input Ltd, says it has notInstruments, priced at around £825 plus VAT. yet received BT approval. Some speech -input systems take the form of Another product for the IBM PC is Vocalink, availableseparate extension boxes rather than add-on cards, from Kode in the U.K. It costs slightly less at £1,570 plugging into an RS -232 port. This approach gives plus VAT, but this price does not include microphone, compatibility across a wide range of eight- and 16 -bit speaker or modem, Vocalink again offers a transparent personal computers, and will also work with larger keyboard facility, and comes with vocabularies and systems using separate display terminals. Examples utilities on disc. are the Interstate Electronics SYS-300, available in the Both products aim to use as few system resources asU.K. from Kode, which costs £1,900, and the Votan possible on the IBM PC so your other software will run Terminal, obtainable from Voice Input Ltd, which costs normally. They are virtually separate computers in their£3,250 plus VAT. Both units have their own 16 -bit own right. Vocalink, for instance, comes with 128K of processors and substantial amounts of memory, and RAM, 32K of software in ROM and has its own on -boardoffer sophisticated features including transparent 16 -bit Intel 80186 chip. keyboard emulation.

Left: The Votan VTR 6000 Terminal can be plugged into an RS -232 port

you back into your normal vocabularly. Chain vocabularies like this is also the way to increase the number of words available to you. Up to nine vocabularies can be used in any one application, which gives you 450 words or phrases if you are prepared to accept a half -second delay whenever you switch vocabularies.In practice there is not much point exceeding 50 words for most applications, because you have to remember them. A small vocabulary withawell-chosensetis usually better than an over -elaborate one. you want any particular phrase to be - There are some problems, although they The reason there is any limitation on the more samples the SCS has to workcan be overcome with a little thought. Onevocabulary size is that the voice template with the better. The Test option lets youof the virtues of SCS is that it can detectcreated by the SCS to correspond with check how good the currentfitis;it command wordseveniftheyareeachphrase takes up an appreciable highlights each phrase in colour as you sayembeddedinotherspeech."Well I amount of memory. Heavy memory use is it, the particular colour indicating howsuppose it's about time to Reformat, oha general characteristic to all present-day unambiguous the match is. trusty computer" works just as well asspeech -recognition systems andisone Inpractice, enrolment ofatypical"Reformat". However, "Don't Reformatofthefundamentalproblemstobe package vocabulary of 40 or 50 words- Aaagh!" also reformats. overcome.Beforeanythinglikea takes about 10 minutes. Each user has to Apart from watching what you say orcompletely speech -driven word processor, go through this enrolling process beforeleaving particularly lethal commands tofor example, can become a reality either they can use a vocabulary, with a differentyour fingers, you can get round thismemory prices will have to fall dramat- name, for each user. Vocabularies can beproblem to some extent by creating lower -ically or a conceptual breakthrough will printedouttoremindyouwhichlevel vocabularies. The system allows youhave to occur. commands are in the vocabulary. to have among your 50 words or phrases Forroutineuseof voice -enhancedthe name of other vocabularies. When youToys experience packages itis probably best to set up ansay one of these, here is a half -second ordinary MS-DOS batch file to pull in thedelay after which another 50 words replace TIhas,infact,developedan appropriate vocabulary and invoke thethose you were working with. exceptionally compact method of repres- speech command system. The package For instance, you could put all yourenting speech, drawing on its experience comes up in the same way as normal, andmost destructive commands ina sub -with the Speak n'Spell learning toys. One can be usedinthe normal way.If,vocabulary called Restricted. To delete asecond of speech typically takes 1,200 bits however, you say "Format" your fingersfile you might than say something like:using the TI method, as against prob- willnothavetotypeyour normal"Restricted(pause)KillFile(pause)ably20,000bitspersecondfora formatting command sequence. Unrestricted", The last word here gets (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 101 Speech input

(continued from previous page) straightforward sampling method of digital encoding capable of the same discrimination. This not only saves space, but it makes possible the accurate real-time matchingofthe50phrasesinthe vocabulary against what is being said. Chip developed The SCS card contains a processor chip specially developed by TIfor speech applications, the TI 320 DSP. It is a 16 -bit processor optimised for fast 32 -bit wide artithmetic. The microphone signal is first processed by filters which isolate the most significantpartof the spoken sound spectrum. This is then analysed against a 12 -parameter model of how the vocal tract produces sound. A heavily computation - Kode's Interstate Electronics SYS-300 will work with larger systems using separate intensive analysis technique called lineardisplay terminals, as well as with personal computers. predictive coding is used to derive the parameter values from the signal. In theroboticvoice.The age of mechanisednot frustrated by software designed to be space of each second 50 sets of parameterstelephone junk mailis about to dawn.user-friendly to beginners. are collected and stored. The TI SCS utilities are fairly easy to The same hardware is obviously suitable use, and features like the TI Professional's for voice output, since what is stored are colour capabilities are used well. the values necessary to resynthesise yourConclusions Speech output is well used in the SCS voice. The TI system is equipped with a Despite the limitations,voiceinput hasdemo program, but this facility seems loud -speaker,andSCScomeswith reached the stage where it has to be taken likely to be of little practical interest until dictation utilities which let you store andseriously. In fact, speech input is in manyfurther products emerge to link the system play back your own spoken messages on waysbetterthan themuch -vaunted into the phone network. disc or, more usefully, incorporate them in mouse. your own Basic programs. The Texas Instruments Speech Command System looks like one of the Suppliers Telephone system better modern voice -recognition systems. For ordinary office use the transparent Cascade Graphics Ltd, Burford House, 179-181 Lower Richmond Road, TIhasaTelephoneManagementkeyboardfeature,which uses voice commands supplementkeyboard Richmond, Surrey TW9 4LN. System awaiting BT approval. Used in to Telephone: 01-878 4072 conjunction with SCS it will let you enterintput, looks the most useful facility. Kode Ltd, Station Road, Caine, data or control your system down the Most MS-DOS software can be set up to Wiltshire SN11 OJR. Telephone: (0249) phone.Withthissystem,computer -work under voice control with the TI 813771 generated spoken messages will come intosystem. Unlike a mouse, SCS does not Texas Instruments Ltd, International their own. The TI system looks like beingrequire specially written software. Data System Division, Manton Lane, capable of ringing up 150 people from a Since all keyboard commands can still Bedford MK41 7PA. Telephone: (0234) phone list and telling them things in abe used normally, experienced users are 67466 ex. 3722 Voice Input Ltd, 7 The Quay, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire PE17 4AR. Vocabulary Name: E:LOTUS002 Description: LOTUS DEMO Telephone: (0480) 301852

Phrase Equivalent Keystrokes

1 LET'S GET STARTED 123^OD 2 CONTINUE /^18^18^18 3 MONTHLY FORECAST /FRFORECAST^OD 4 ANNUALIZED SALES /GNUMONTHLY^00 5 QUARTERLY FIGURES /GNU1QPROD^OD 6 STATUS REPORT /FRINVENTOR^OD 7 SORT BY /DS 8 ON HAND DA10.Z17^0DPF10"ODD^ODG 9 INVENTORY ANALYSIS /GNUOHANAL^OD 10 PROBLEM ACCOUNTS /FRACCOUNTS^OD

Options: Fl - Next Screen F4 - Enroll All E - Enroll A - Add Entry F2 - Prev Screen F5 - Update All U - Update D - Delete Entry F12 - Line Select F6 - Test M - Modify Entry Active Line: Mic/Speaker Headset Phone ESC/BRK -Main SCS Menu

Screendump of transparent keyboard vocabulary utility.

102 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 SOFTWARE CENTRE CP/M CP/M-86 MSDOS

MICROPRO SOFTWARE SYSTEM PLANSTAR: Advanced financial planning £295 WORDSTAR: Best selling professional Word Processing software; On DATABASE MANAGEMENT screen formatting, Block manipulation, File read/write, Simultaneous FORMULA II: Unique information management system with excep- Editing and Printing £295 tionalcapabilitiesfor ApplicationGeneration.Multiplefilesand MAILMERGE: Enhancement for document personalisation and mailing applications £145 indexes,transactionprocessing,interactive,no programming language SPELLSTAR: Enhancement for checking spelling and maintaining required £450 spelling dictionaries £145 dBASE II: The most popular of data management systems, very powerful STARINDEX: Useful package for creation of Table of Contents, Index, application generator £437 Wordstar toimprove document ListofFigures.Interfacesto QUICKCODE: Add-on facility for dBASE programmers to speed development presentation quickly and easily £116 INFOSTAR: Impressive Data Base system combining the power of process by generating dBASE command files £200 Datastar with the flexibility of Reportstar £295 dGRAPH: Extremely useful program for graphical representation of dBASE and DATASTAR: Screen based Data Entry, vetting and retrieval system. user created data files £200 Screen formats under user control £175 dUTIL: Utility to speed up dBASE execution £69 REPORTSTAR: Powerful report generator, provides much needed enhancement toDatastarforreport production and transaction CARDBOX: Highly popular electronic card index system. Easy to use, with processing £210 powerful retrieval facilities £155 CALCSTAR: Electronic spreadsheet with interfaces toall MicroPro FRIDAY: End user file management system from the authors of dBASE II. File products £116 definition, input and reporting under user control £195 OPEN ACCESS: Multi -function Executives Information System £450 NB: Combination prices - WS/MM RETRIEVE II: Information Management with unique features £495 £390, WS/MM/SP/SI £495 Telesystems Ltd The Geans, 3 Wycombe Road, Prestwood. Bucks., HP16 ON2 Tel: 02406 6365

LANGUAGES UTILITIES Microsoft CP/M MSDOS Digital Research CP/M CP/M-PCDOS ASCOM: The most flexible asynchronous communications package available to 86 the micro world. Interactive. batch. menu -driven. Available for CP/M, CP/M-86, MSIPCDOS. £140 BSTAM: Simple communications program for exchanging files between CP/M £279 £279 £107 £232 BASIC Interpreter CBASIC Interpreter systems £140 BASIC Compiler £295 £303 CBASIC Compiler £357 £429 £429 TRANSFER: System for exchanging files between CP/M systems. Provided with FORTRAN Compiler £399 £279 PASCAL/MT+ £250 £429 £429 full 8080 source code £130 COBOL Compiler £549£575 C Compiler £250 £250 CONVMS: Operating system converter. Runs MSDOS programs under CP/M-86 £70 CCompiler £399 PERSONAL BASIC Int £107 CONVCP: Operating system converter. Runs CP/M-86 programs under MSDOS PASCAL CIS COBOL £425 £425 229 £70 FORMS -2 BUSINESS BASIC £469 £110 £110 ASSEMBLER PLUS: Disassembler lot 8080 and Z80 programs. . £143 Comp DISKEDIT: Facility for editing disk held data by sector. Invaluable aid £70 MACRO ASSEMBLER £159 £99 FILESHARE £250 £425 IBM-CP/M COMPATIBILITY: Set of programs that enable IBM 3740 disks to be used on GPM, permitting transfer of files to/from IBM mainframes £110 SPP: Speed Programming Package for use with Pascal/MT+ £143 SUPERSOFT C Comp£185 £185 SUPERSOFT BASIC £200 £200 1 XLT86: Converts 8080 assembler code to 8086 E106 Compilr EM80/86: Emulator to run CP/M software under CP/M-86 £70 PRO FORTRAN £220£320 PASCAL £220 £320 £320 DISPLAY MANAGER: Screen handling productivity aid for Digital Research compilers £286 ACCESS MANAGER: File handling productivity aid for Digital Research compilers

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APPLICATIONS MULTIPLAN: Exceptional electronic worksheet from Microsoft £159 MISCELLANEOUS MULTI -TOOL WORD: Microsoft's advanced Word Processor CP/M 2.2: Standard operating system on 8" disk £107 with optional Mouse for added flexibility 1299 CP/M-86: Standard 16 -bit operating system £179 SUPERCALC: Fast action spreadsheet and planning aid ...£200 SUPERSORT: Full function Sort/Merge/Selection package ABSTAT: Powerful statistics package £295 £145 GRAPHSTAT: Versatile statistics and graphics package for the 1 MSORT: Standalone and COBOL hosted Sort package... £ -40 £195 Epson QX10, IBM-PC and Sirius MAGSAM: MBASIC utility to provide multi -key ISAM file ALIAS ACCOUNTS: Fullyintegrated accounts system with inbuilt hooks to dBASE II £1200 faciltities £130 ALIAS PAYROLL/SSP: Standalone or integrated system with TOUCH 'N' GO: Teach yourself keyboard skills £40 optional links to ALIAS accounts each £600 MICROSOFT MOUSE: Mouse, interface card and software RCS LEDGERS: Sales, Purchase, Nominal ledgers in MBASIC £149 source code each £300 OPTIMISER: Interactive Linear Programming package£325 RCS PAYROLL: Full function, highly used package £500 PROSTAR TRAINING GUIDE: Independent instruction on the STATISTICS PACK: Over 25 easily used routines in MBASIC use of MicroPro 'STAR' products £30 £120 MATHS PACKAGE: Interactive routines (40+) in MBASIC £120

PLEASE CALL FOR FULL LIST PRICES EXCLUDE VAT DEALER ENQUIRIES INVITED Circle No. 144 CHOOSINGan input mode is largely a matter of horses for courses. However appropriate voice input may be for command sequences and even eventually for continuous text, as a means of inputting streams of numbers it is probably slower than direct keyboard entry. Similarly, visual input systems score riteon when complex non -alphabeticor non - Glyn Moody discovers the difficulties current numeric informationisbeing handled, technology has in coping with an age-old method of though they lose outinaccuracy and density of storage. communication. Using handwritten input might seem anselect lower case by touching a commandintelligent terminal to micros or minis. ideal way for interfacing with a micro.area with a pen.Also you can draw Currentusersincludegovernment After all, no special skills are required, andcharacters larger than the grid box size; thedepartments,thepolice and insurance unlike voice input,for example, whereterminal simply establishes the centre of companies,allof which have ahigh surounding noise can cause problems, theregravity of the input and places a normal -throughput of standard forms. Businesses are no problems of background environ-sized character at that point. using such fixed inputs may find that the ment. In fact, current technology imposes Forms can be set up by marking offMicropad's A5 size can handle their needs. severe constraints on the use of such input.squares on the grid. You can then link Although drawing pads have been availablesome of them together using the calcula-Slow and precise for some time which allow line drawing, tionfacility.The processisrelatively space infilling and basic geometrical figures straightforward and the user is prompted However, whether they really need this to be combined with text entry, adding thethroughout. The final forms can be savedkind of direct handling of information is necessary degree of intelligence needed toto disc and coded under a two -characterdebatable. On the plus side, it does allow recognise and distinguish alphanumericame. Forms are pulled into the terminal'susers without specific computer training to characters represents a considerable leap. one -page memory by writing the code oninput data into databases; the prompts are the pad. Once entry is complete, the data isreasonably self-explanatory, and there is stored to disc 1.: the same way. little that can go wrong either mechanically Grid entry The host computer, which was an IBMor in terms of system crashes. But the pad Sohandwrittencharacter -recognitionPC in the review, is used only initially toentry technique is rather slow: letters must systemslimitseverelytherangeofdownload the software held on disc, and tobe formed carefully and precisely, and acceptable input.Apart from definingstore formats and completed data. Theerrors corrected. basic letter and number shapes, even thevarious fields' data can be accessed by Similar constraints and considerations order in which pen strokes are entered andotherprogramsjustlikeastandardapply to Pencept's Penpad, distributed in their direction - up or down - may bedatabase application. The Micropad usesthe U.K. by Kode. A micro such as the IBM prescribed. A common technique is to use aan RS -232port,and can actasanPC is used as a host computer, and a card is grid entry system that allows for greater control over variations in input. Quest's Micropad terminal adopts such an approach. A grid of 16 by 32 squares lies on a touch -sensitive pad. Text is entered using, say, pen or pencil, and a hand rest is provided to insulate the pad from direct hand pressure. Various templates can be called from memory and overlaid on the A5 -sized grid. Typicallytheyconsistofaccounts information slips, registration forms and the like. Fields are set up as with database applications. Information can be entered anywhere on a form, in any order. The field selectedisdisplayed on a32 -character single -line LCD, where itis also named. Malformed characters are signalled here by ?signs, and you can correct simply by overwriting. Fields can be defined as alphabetical only, mixed, numeric, right justified and centred. The terminal's 16 -bit TI 9900 chip checks that the input matches the pre- selected option. More impressively, the variousfiguresentered throughout the FINGERINPUT 48 CHARACTERS form can be totalledautomaticallyto A A F1F KTK P p 1.1 U Z Z 4 4 919 = ) another field, rather like defining relations B G& Q Viv 00 55 -= : between cells on a spreadsheet. In this way C C H H 1v1;1\/1 R R WIW 1 1 6 6 % liSPC_ you cansetup asalesinvoice,say, where the total and VAT are calculated D 0 I 1 N111\1 SS XX 2 2 7`7 - - r,2/17 automaticallyandenteredinthe E EJ:i016TTYY3388**(tt appropriate spaces. On thecharacter -recognitionside, Casio'spocket -sized PF.8000 accepts finger -written input of text and data, operating additional features include a lower-caseeither as a calculator or a memo pad. The table shows the range of drawing styles facility. You enter text as normal, andrecognised by the machine.

104 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Handwritten input availablethatoccupiesoneofthe freehand sketching. The Penpad scores in program attempts to analyse the entire expansion slots. Unlike the Micropad, theallowing the normal facilities of line, circle, input as a single letter. Penpad uses a magnetic pen. A pulsedrectangle drawing and colour infills to be Various options such as freehand, circles magnetic field generated in the head of the usedalongside acharacter -recognition and colour changes are selected from a pen, which connects to the pad by a thinsystem. command area on the pad, which may be flexible wire, allows the position of the As the illustration shows, Penpad caneither a horizontal or vertical band. A pen above the pad to be detected. A mix pictorial input with alphanumeric char-command template is laid over the band microswitchdetectswhenthepen is acters in a wide range of sizes. The letter or and is calibrated before use by marking actually in contact with the writing surface, numberisinputonthepadatthe three of its corners with the magnetic pen. and when input is to be accepted. appropriate position, and drawn to scale.Touching the appropriate area on the The capacity to hover over the pad, asThe computer attempts to recognise thetemplate then activates various command distinct from moving over its surface, ischaracter and redrawsitto the nearest options. utilised in a full -colour graphics capability. standard size. For larger characters this is As with Micropad, the templates can be Such freehand drawing options have been rather crude but with practice words can beset up from a utilites program which is used available for some time on many homebuilt up. However, itis not possible toto define specific functions for a particular micros, and offer the possibility of rough input whole words at a time because thearea. Also like Micropad, you can set up the whole active area of the pad with a grid structure in which characters can be placed Suppliers and for standard forms. The actual grid size is prices softwareprogrammable. Alower-case capability is available through the use of MICROPAD half -height characters: they appear in the Supplier: Quest Micropad, School Lane, entry box in normal lower-case characters. Ford Industrial Estate, Eastleigh, Templateshavebeenproducedfor Hampshire S05 3YY. Telephone: standard applications like Lotus 1-2-3 to (04215) 66321 allow comands and datatobeinput Price: standard system £995, intelligent directly. The commands are called up either system £1,295; prices exclude VAT, and both systems require host by writing the first letter of a command, or computer. Software for IBM PC, by using the magnetic pen as a mouse. The Sirius, etc. supplied free. mouse functionis produced by holding down a small switch on the pen; in other PENPAD functions this can also act as a Carriage Supplier: Kode Ltd, Station Road, Return or Enter key. Caine, Wiltshire, SN11 OJR. Telephone: (0249) 813771 Price: Penpad 200, terminal with screen, A4 work area £1,985; Penpad 320, for IBM PC, £750; all prices excluding VAT. The I1 in. by 11 in. workpad can take A4 sheetseitherverticallyorhorizontally, CASIO PF-8000 allowingmoreflexibilitythanwith The touch -sensitive Quest Micropad is Micropad and over twice the usable area. divided into a 16 by 32 grid, and text is Supplier: Casio Electronics Ltd, Unit 6, written in pen or pencil on an A5 overlay. 1,000 North Circular Road, London The magnetic pen will function through Unrecognisable characters can be NW2 7JD Telephone 01-450 9131 about 30 sheets of ordinary paper - that is corrected simply by overwriting. Price: £59.95 including VAT up to 0.25in. A standard RS -232 interface is used to link up with the host machine. The control card contains a 10MHz 68000 chip with 128K ROM for dynamic character recognition in real time, as well as 128K RAM. In addition to the Penpad designed as a plug-in card for the IBM PC, there are also versions with and without screens that are designed to function as terminals to other micros, via the RS -232, and to minis and mainframes. At the other end of the spectrum is Casio's PF-8000, which could well prove to be thisyear's executive toy. A pocket calculator -cum -computer, it offers all the standard arithmetical functions together with a small alphanumeric memory. The input mode is precisely the same as for the Micropad and Penpad. As with the two micro -based systems, upper-case letters can be recognised within certain prescribed variations. The order the letter strokes are entered is crucial. You enter them by moving your index finger over a special touch -sensitive pad, which replacestheconventionalkeyboard. Characters appear on a 12 -digit LCD the Input to the Pencept Penpad is analysed letter -by -letter by the host computer, which contrast of which can be adjusted by a reproduces it in one of several standard sizes. It also accepts freehand input and knob at the side. provides graphics facilities such as circle drawing and colour infill. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 105 Handwritten input

(continued from previous page) themselvesare ambiguous. For afull content but the precise details of the input There are two main modes of operation.handwriting input system, a program thatthat are crucial. For example, it is not only As a straightforward calculator, figures cantakes account of what is being written asthe final form of the signature but the be entered by touching sections on thewell as how it is being written is necessary.individual pen strokes, their speed and even touch pad which correspond to particularAs yet, the problem of natural -languagetheir pressure that go to define its unique numbers, or the finger stroke mode can berecognitionby computers remains un-characteristics. A pen pad unit is ideal for invoked and numbers drawn on the wholesolved. Computersstillhave difficultyexamining them, and it seems likely that its touch region. One advanced feature is thecoping with ambiguities like "Time fliesuse in this area will increase. ability to calculate directly in this mode.like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." Figures and arithmetical operations are It is unlikely, too, that handwritten inputExtended range entered in sequence; entering the sign thenwill be appropriate by the time this occurs implements the calculation. anyway.Voicerecognitiondrawson Otherdevelopmentsincludeforeign The non -calculator mode, which alwayssimilar techniques of pattern recognition,charactersets. Obvious choices are the utilises full alphanumeric touch pad, hasand taken with the same type of intelligentRussian, Cyrillic and Japanese alphabets. two main facilities. One is a straighforwardappreciation of context could provide theAt the moment only the smaller set of memo that allows up to 929 characters to benatural interface for most uses.Visual Katakan characters is contemplated; the far stored. The other is a telephone directoryinputs will obviously remain appropriatelarger group of Kanji letters will doubtless holding up to 253 entries of names andfor complex graphical details, and evenfollow. Since the Kanji character set is too numbers, which are automatically sortedform -filling applications are likely to belarge to be incorporated on a conventional into alphabetical order. Output can besuperseded by direct verbal input. keyboard, direct handwritten entries would either sequential, or by direct search, or by Until suchtime, pen pads and therepresent a real advance in input capability, initialletter.Information can alsobe associated letter -recognition techniques arerather than a mere alternative, as with enteredintheSecretmode, whereby likelytodevelop more intosignature - present systems working with the Roman informationiscoded with a passwordverification methods, where itis not thealphabet. which must be keyed in to access that data. A rs; 4 ,t The Command keyallowsvarious HIRE'S WHAT I SAW ---- system parameters to be displayed and V .1 That sure looks like an A to we altered. For instance, the finger input speed fTh co yx .22 NAJ can be adjusted on a scale from I to 9, a 0 A 3 '3 ;- t4Iw Now About Trying To Print .' buzzer can be switched on and off, and the E rc 0 0 4y Some Letters In The Big Bowes..: amount of memory capacity used and the 17 e REPIEMBIER amount remaining shown. 6 Print upper case letters only C. 6- 6, Q Stay in the boxes Avoid extra squiggles Hit and miss 54- \-1 -j-t- 27 7 Don't trace over r 5 8 ??, Touch YES when you're ready The PF-8000 uses CMOS technology and 3" 1'I-7 -1, 99 5 ispowered by two removable lithium The Pencept Penpad is remarkably Input is matched against a store of batteries as well as one memory backup tolerant of the vagaries of handwriting. standard letter forms. battery. The whole unit weighs only 106g. and measures 5in. by 3in. Like the more sophisticated devices discussed, letter input is rather slow and can be hit and miss at times. Here at least the finger -pad entry serves a purpose:forlimited entry of memos and telephone details it probably scoresovertheimpracticalkeyboards normally offered on the credit-card sized calculator/computers. However, the question remains to what extent this form of input is and will become viable. Straight text entry is far too slow and laborious with the present technology. The system comes intoits own when standard forms with similarly structured information are being handled. The details can befedinby relativelyuntrained operators, and the data saved to a central database. Even common transactions like saleslendthemselvestothiskind of application.For example,someretail stores are experimenting with pen tablets as a means of direct stock control at point of sale.Detailsare entered by thesales assistant,andthedataisprocessed centrally where accounts and stocks are adjusted accordingly. The real breakthrough will come when the basic mechanical technology of data capture using pen pads is married to some kind of artificial intelligence. Deciphering aThe Penpad accepts inputs from a magnetic stylus. A microswitch in the head written word can often depend onitsdetects when it is in contact with the pad's surface, and a small button on the side context, where the baroque scribbles byallows it to be used in a mouse -like way.

106 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 /fyou arethinking of buying morethanonePC- think again about Jarogate's MP5 the CP/M multiprocessor

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DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOMED. Circle No. 145 CP M and MP 'M are Trade Marks of Digital Research Getting the image across Chris Bidmead experiments with Wang's micro that can can digitise an image and print it out again. Is it more than a very expensive photocopier? UNLIKE OLIVETTI with its M-24, Wang is out at up to 12 pages a minute. The Lis -12 Despite data -compression techniques not countering the huge threat of IBM inis smart and at around £22,000 it shouldthat Wang prefers to keep secret, image the PC market with an "if you can't beatbe. It includes software that can enhancestoragestill demands a great deal of 'em, join 'em" philosophy. The Wangthe 200 dots per inch resolution to whichmemory. Each one takes between 40K and Professional computer is not IBM PCimages are internally stored in the Pic by100K of RAM or disc space. So you will be compatible, and Wang's strategy is to selldeducing intermediate pixel densities andlucky to store seven images per floppy, that difference. The Pic, or Professionalproducing a final print resolution of 300and cannot expect to get more than 100 Image Computer, is an extension of thedots per inch. It also has its own built-inimages on the Winchester. WPC that represents a large investment ongallery of character sets, including the Wang's part in software and hardwarefamiliar Courier, Gothic, Prestige EliteEveryday use development to play that difference to theand others, with results that are superior hilt. to an IBM golf -ball typewriter. The Pic is designed for everyday use by The simpler system we saw demon-officestaff with no special computer strated uses a modest thermal printerknowledge. The whole system runs under Expanded chassis costing a mere £1,500. Its 200 dots per inch MS-DOS, but it is possible to ignore this Thebasic WPC wasreviewedbypictures can be run off at around five fact since all the functions can be accessed Practical Computing in the July 1983pages a minute, depending on the densitythrough a hierarchy of menus. The main issue. A Pic system can be built up from it,of the image. Specially treated thermalPic menu givesan option of image but on the equipment demonstrated to uspaper is fed through the machine from aprocessing, image composition, entry to the standard five -slot chassis had beenroll, and torn off against a bar. the menu for integrated applications like replaced by an expanded chassis with eight system slots. The eight -slot box is bigger and heavier, and because of this Wang's ergonomic selling feature of being able to hang the chassis over the side of your desk is not encouraged. On thedemonstration version I saw the chassis was firmly parked under a desk. Since it measured 59cm. by 25cm. by 38cm. and weighed 14kg.,it certainly was not something to move around the office very often. On the expanded chassis the on/off switch has moved from the back of the machine to share the front panel with the 5.25in. disc -drive slot and the 10Mbyte hard disc. Inside, the 128K of RAM on the motherboard has been expanded by a further512Ktoaccommodatethe considerable demands made on memory by interfaces to a monitor and to a scanner. The scanner heightisadjustable to anything between 37cm. and 58cm. above thedesktop,and photographsverti- cally downwards.Itspower supplyis American, and at present there are no plans to change it, so a transformer has to be added to make the adaptation to British power supplies. The system is available with a laser printer, the Lis -I2, to give a printed image resolution of 300 dots per inch, printed Based on the Wang Professional computer, the Pic includes a highresolution monitor.

108 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Picture input

word processing, making local communi- imagesizeisachievedby means ofimage can be photographed. Foldaway cations, or accessing the remaining PCaningenioussystemoftenusedin arms lever out on either side of the lens to software,eitherthrougha menu orprofessional rostrum cameras. When youposition a pair of quartz -iodine lamps directly by way of the DOS commandpress a button marked Target on the headabout 2ft.apart above the image for processor. of the scanner a light is projected downbalanced lighting. The scan can be started Wang micros sell to customers who havethroughthelens,producing aneither by pressing a button on the scanner beenbroughtupon Wang wordilluminated grid on the material to behead or from the keyboard by pressing the processors, and the WPC's keyboard iscopied. A knurled knob on the stem raisesInsertkey. The quartz -iodine copying therefore very word -processor orientated.or lowers the head until the grid is takinglights come on and the image is visibly It has not been specially adapted for thein the required amount of the image, andbuilt up line by line on the screen, scrolling Picfunctions,and inconsequence athe final focus adjustment is made bywhen the bottom line of the screen is number of the single -keystroke commandsrotating the lens until the image of the gridreached. The process of image capture are hardly intuitive. Hitting the Goto keyis crisp. takes between four and 10 seconds. from the main menu fetches an extended When the lens is in focus with the light When thelightsgo outtheimage directory of the disc contents, showing thetravelling down on to the target, it will alsoremains onthescreenand you can file name, which can be up to 35 charactersbe in focus when it travels in the reversescroll back over it in much the same way as long; the document type, for example,direction from the target on to the camera. reading backwards over a body of text in a Formfill, Image, Notebook, Database,A small lever on the head with positionsword processor. Our newly captured copy WP Document and so forth; plus there is amarked from 0 to 10 can be used to limitof the Sun was perfectly legible in this separate field for the author's name andthe scan to select only portions of theform, although because we had selected for comments. Notable by their absencewhole image, its numbers correspondingText mode rather than Photo mode the from a system of this price and quality areto numbers that appear on the projectedphotographs were of thestarkhigh - fields to record the dates when documentsgrid. contrast quality associated with photo- were created and last updated. Anything up to a size of 1 lin. by 14in.copying. If photographs had been our can be copied, as long as it is reasonablyprime interest we could have used the Reminders contrastyand twodimensional.ThePhoto mode, but Wang was not able to system canpickout andstore,fordemonstrate this at the time of writing. We picked the image -creation optioninstance, a bar graph printed in a trade and gave the image the name Demo, atpaper,signaturesonacontract,a Limited which point the screen cleared, displayingnewspaper article or a handwritten entry the title at the top and reserving four linesin a card index. One limitation was the inability of the at the bottom for a menu of further By flicking a small toggle switch on thesystem to show the image on the screen options, namely Half Page,Portrait,scanner head from Text to Photo it canprior to capture asa straightforward Positive and Help. The Help key can bealso cope with photographs. Instead ofmonochrome televisionpicture,which used to fill the screen with reminders ofstoring them in a way that maps a single bitwould have been useful to adjust the setup what the menu options do. to each pixel of the camera, by settingto eliminate slight highlighting problems In default of anything better to offer theaside three bits for each pixel it can savedue to ambient lighting.Specular re- scanner we slipped a copy of the Sun on topictures in eight levels of grey. flection from the surface of the copy can the baseboard. Focusing and selecting the One more step is necessary before theoccasionally white out areas of the image, or where the highlight intensity is great, create dark areas due to signal inversion in the television camera. Wang says that this would not be a problem inpractice because the imager setup would be in a permanent position in the office, where ambient lighting would be predictable and controlled. While the image is still on the screen, a menu on the bottom four lines gives you the option of switching intofull -page display, which squeezes the image down so thatthewholepagefitsintothe dimensions of the screen. Legibilityis greatly reduced but this mode isvery useful for studying the overall layout. A quarter -page option allows you to blow up a portion of the captured image to four times the size in order to study detail. You can alsoflipthe image sideways, or convert the image to negative, for looking at, say, engineering drawings. In any of such modes it is possible to scroll up, down and sideways in either direction to the limits of the image. At this stage the image is still only held inRAMand has yet to be sent to the disc. Byhittingthe Cancel key and thenthe Execute key,which must bealittle confusing to the non -computer user, a thin horizontal line can be sent scanning down thescreen,writingthe image tothe Scanner height is adjustable. It photographs vertically downwards. (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 109 (continued from previous page) limited opportunity to alter the sizingto search for somebody called Smith or Winchester drive. Like the original imageaccording to the position of the imagerSmythe. Neither is there any provision for capture, the whole process takes betweenhead at the time of data capture, there issearching for specific words found in four and 10 seconds. The screen then goesno way of rescaling the picture once it iscombination,orwithinaparticular blank and presents a screen that offers youinside the system. The abilityof thenumber of characters from each other: for a return to the image you were lastMacintosh to pull and push images as ifexample if you wanted to find every record working on, or by hitting the Previousthey were printed on the surface of awhere Wang appears within 100 words of key, an exit into the main index. balloon is beyond the present capabilitiesthe word Image. Some of the new free- By returning to the same Pic menu fromof the Pic. form database systems available under which you select Image Creation, you can However, the image can be resited onceMS-DOS and CP/M, like Zyindex from get into Word Processing mode to beginit has been placed in the text, by againZylab, and Program-Makarna's Search writing a text document by moving thesummoning upthehigh -intensityand Find, allow searches on far more cursor down over a list of options asrectangle to box the image and shifting itsophisticatedcriteria,and Wang's follows: Image, Notebook, Voice, WPacross the page. Image and text are linkedNotebookisadisappointmentin Document, Glossary, Text, Compositeonly by an address pointer, which appears comparison. Formsfill,Database,Dictionary.Theto the user as a small Up Arrow text Voiceoptionrelatestoa modemcharacter. To remove the image from thePrompts attachment still awaiting British Telecomtext you position the cursor over the Up approval and yet to be announced byArrow and delete it as though it were an If more than one record matching the Wang. ordinary character. In other setions of thesearch criterion exists a prompt appears to The WP Document options loads asoftware the Up Arrow is used with thetell you. The only point of departure from special version of the standard Wang wordsame meaning and can appear as astandard WPC Notebook software is in processor with additional code to take carereminder that a picture is associated withthe provision made for associating images of image manipulation. Text is created inthe text. with the text. Here the arrangement differs the usual way, but at any point an image Image handling has also been added infrom the word processor: the images are can be selected from the disc and a part ofto the WPC Notebook and Databasenot interleaved with the text, which has the it, or all of it, inserted into the text. Unlikesoftware. As its name implies, Notebookadvantage of helping to speed up the image/text manipulation on a system likeserves as a free -form database system,business of flicking through a series of the Macintosh, the image and the textallowing the user to enter text from theentries in search of a particular set of data. remain in completely separate parts of thekeyboard without any constraint of fieldInstead the presence of an Up Arrow memory, although they appear to benames or field length. The individual advises the user that an image is attached combined on the screen. This has therecords, all of varying sizes, are separatedand it can be brought to the screen by advantage that the image can be easilyfrom each other by a border of dashes andpositioning the cursor over the Up Arrow moved relativetothetext,or evenasterisksbut otherwise the Notebook and hitting a single key. overlayed on it. Subsequently deleting orscreen resembles a screenful of word- Thedemonstration Notebookcon- moving the image does not affect the text,processing text. tained a series of notes taken about job andviceversa.Suchindependence The Notebook records can be searchedapplicantsastheymighthavebeen remains even after the combined text andfor particular string patterns, upper- andtranscribed into the computer from a image has been saved to disc; the two arelower-caselettersbeingregardedas dictating machine. But the job applicants only indissolubly united when they areidentical for this purpose, although therehad each sent in résumés, some typed, printed out. is no provision for including wild -cardsome handwritten,so the transcribed The menu at the bottom of the page ischaracters, such as using notes for each applicant included an Up used to pull in the image by way of an SM*TH Arrow pointing toan image of the intermediate stage, Composite, which is called from the main menu. The required image is retrieved line by line from the Winchester into the composite buffer, and reappears on the screen. Choosing the Cut option from the menu at the bottom of the screen, where options aredenotedby two -figurenumbers, producesahighlightedrectanglethe dimensions of which can be altered by using the arithmetic keys on the keyboard. The Plus key widens the rectangle, the Minus key shortens it and the Multiply and Divide keys respectively increase and decrease its height. The ordinary cursor keys are used to position the rectangle over the image. The Execute key then returns you to the text, with the square inserted at the point where you left the text cursor. Its position can be adjusted relative to the text until it is where you want it and hitting Cancel returns you to full word processing with the image in place. Additional text can then be written around the image, or ever superimposed onit,providingausefulway of captioning. Although the Pic has provisions for selecting portions of the image, and gives a Images can be any combination of text, handwritten notes, drawings or photographs.

110 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Picture input

résumés. Further pencilled notes scribbledvia that one into a third and so on. The Integrated Database menu offers on the résumés by the interviewer were The Wang Pic thus represents an almostthe following options: Access Data, Edit also perfectly legibleonthestoredcomplete merging of text and image. It isDefinition,SelectDefinition,Create image. not quite complete because one of the firstRecord Definition,Create New Formsfill is a program that allows dataquestions the lay user is bound to ask isDefinition,Change Database (Replc), to be entered at the computer keyboard"Why can't the machine translate writtenSelect Option (Execute) and Exit (Cancel). and typed directly into an image of adocumentimagesintotextI can As with Formsfill, databases can be printed form that has been previouslymanipulate with the word processor?"arrangedhierarchicallyandthetree photographed andstored.The demo-Unfortunatelythekind of character -structure is made clear by the way their nstrationdata had beencollectedbyrecognition computation this requires isnames appear in indented form in the capturing the image of a standard officestillinits infancy. Although Wang isdirectoryof databases,whichis form and using it to supply the layout andputting in a lot of development time intoconfusingly called the Index. The database field structure for screen entry from thethe subject, it seems likely that somethingdoes not use highlighting or inverted video keyboard. more beefy than the existing Pic hardwareto distinguish between field names and will be needed. data, which makes data entry and retrieval Indulgence? However, image to ASCII translation ismore confusing than it need be. not as necessary as it first seems, and the The advantages of this rather expensiveFormsfill option demonstrates how farAdvantages way of setting up a form on the computeryou can go without it. You do not have to are not immediately obvious, but there is atranslate a field called Employee Name The advantage of the Database over the case to be made for the technique. In ainto ASCII for the database system toNotebook is that Boolean manipulations company where some departments are notrecognise it as a tag. It is enough for thecan be applied to search criteria, and wild computerised, computer -filled forms cansoftware to supply an internal field name,cards can be used. Field values, whether easily be mixed with handwritten forms. Ifwhich the user need never know, andambiguous or explicit, can be Anded or forms have to go out to the general publicdetermine when data is to be connected toOred with each other, using a space and in the shape of invoices or insurancethe tag from the position it is typed in onthe vertical -bar character respectively as dockets, company logos and fine print canthe screen. operators. Numeric values can be com- beincludedasnecessarywithout A similar philosophy applies to thepared against supplied limits, the colon additional programming. Setting -up timestructured database which, unfortunately,being used to denote a range of two values. can be saved where complicated forms isstilla separate module of Wang'sFor example you could look for people that are already being used around theintegrated suite. In a large conventionalwith salaries lying between £12,000 and officeareconvertedtocomputerdatabase system it may not be required or£15,000 by specifying 12000:15000 in the inputting, with the assurance that staffbe practical to be able to search on everysalary field. Alternatively a range of dates willnotbedisconcertedby anysingle field. So the fields you will not becan be used, bearing in mind that the date rearrangement of the traditionalfield on might as well be images astype is in U.S. format. layout. However, customers should havetext.In effect what the Pic structured The structured database file I saw was more than just this one use for the Pic if itdatabase system doesistotietextualbuilt up from what might have been part isto be more than a very expensivecaptions to the stored images, and allowof an estate agent's records. Vendor's indulgence. searchingonthecaptions.Suchanname, address and a brief description of Formsfill can also be used to set up a approach makes it possible to create a largethe property were held in conventional transactional database. By establishingindexed database system very quickly fromASCII record. But an additional field one of the fields as an image field itis existingtypewritten,printedorevencalled Image offered a gateway into a pair possible to link it to a second form, and handwritten material. of images attached to each records: one showing the property in plan, the other 40114 WV fiP depicting a front view derived from a photograph or architect's drawing. Again, you can blow up a quarter of the image to erest fill the whole screen and you can intensify doubt Macthor lighten the dark pixels for maximum inease legibility. a see -saw day on :change markets. production fo itrelinquished Conclusions lefin gains, which BY JOHN LLOYD AND IAN HARI:MAYES ed anxiety about The Pic is scheduled to be available in S interest rates.FORECASTS BY Mr Ianrequire annual economic gr the U.K. in November, but at £13,000 for U S. economicMacGregor, the National Coalof 6 to 8 per cent - a 11 the demonstration system, it is not for the Boardchairman,thatannualwhich themost bullish Goi deep -mined coal productionmeet minister has never wcasual home user. But with video camera ling wouldriseto125mtonnes technology rapidly simplifying around the Mr Arthur Scargill, concept of photo RAM chips, it certainly "minimum " over the next tenNational Union of Minewor years were greeted with scepti-president,attackedMr points the way that affordable hardware cism in Whitehall-and by MIG regor's commentsfronmight be going in the near future. own officials-yesterday. differentangle when he The system has potential but most of the Current annual production ofthat his forecast of a smactivities I saw demonstrated could have deepmined coalis about 100mmorehighlypaidworklbeen carried out with an ordinary hard tonnes. Anadditional 15mwould mean that" we ar disc PC and a photocopier. The Wang PC tonnescomes fromopencasttarget for more and moreleft me withthe powerfulsensethat mines. filet." NCB officialsprivately were perhaps we can find surprising new ways of He said Mr MacGregor usingourexistingequipment.Ifthis astonished at their chief's pre -thp language. of " nna whn thought saves you £13,000, donations can Sample output from the thermal printer. always reach me via this magazine.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 11 1 ACT's new apricot Portable is the first personal computer on the market which comes withspeechrecognitionasaACT backs voice standard feature. Costing £1,695 for an 8086 -based system with flat LCD screen, 256K of RAM and single 720K disc drive, the portable comes complete with a micro- phone andbundledsoftwarewhich includes two voice -driven packages. ACT says the voice -input system can alsobesetuptoworkwithmost commercial MS-DOS packages,with spoken words producing character strings asif they were being typed in at the keyboard. A vocabulary of 64 words can be active at any one time, and according to ACT upto64 vocabulariescanbe swapped in with minimal delay from disc. The ACT portable also features an unusual double -sided mouse which can be used as a trackball if you turn it over. Both the mouse, which is available as an option, and the system's keyboard use a cordless infrared link to connect to the main unit. Detailsfrom ACT (U.K.)Ltd, Shenstone House,Dudley Road, Halesowen, West Midlands B63 3NT. Telephone: 021-501 2284.

founts come built-inwiththe system. Omni -Reader Interfacesoftwaretoallow Omni - OMNI-READER lets you input ordinary type-Reader to be used to input text directly to written or printed text into any computerpackages using non -ASCII formats like equippedwithanRS -232interface.Lotus 1-2-3 and WordStar will also be Scheduled for availability in the U.K. availableforthe IBM PC,Apricot, before the autumn, the price of £400,Macintosh, Apple II and BBC computer. excluding VAT, places Omni -Reader wellContact Oberon International, Unit A2, 2 withintherangeof many personalHallRoad,Maylands Wood Estate, computer users. Hemel Hempstead,Hertfordshire. Omni -Reader consists of a flat board onTelephone: (0442) 3803. users the prices of which are generally the to which you clip the document you want same as for Maltron keyboards. Details read, and a stylus containing a reading from PCD Maltron Ltd, 15 Orchard Lane, head. You enter text by moving the stylus EastMolesey,Surrey KT8 OBN. line by line through the text. After eachAlternative Telephone: 01-398 3265. line the Omni -Reader beeps to confirm thatthelinehassuccessfullybeen keyboard converted to ASCII. VERSIONS of the Maltron keyboard are Omni -Reader is capable of reading mostavailable for the BBC computer, Apple II,Video camera typed or printed founts as long as it is firstPied Piper and Research Machines 380Z given a sample of text writtenintheand 480Z. interface appropriate order with which to calibrate Proponents of the Maltron keyboardIMAGES from video camera, disc or VCR itself. Omni -Reader'smanufacturer,say it is both easy to learn and much fastercan be transferred to the BBC or RML Oberon, saysitwill be supplying pre-in use than the conventional QWERTY380Z computers with Data Harvests's defined founts in popular disc formatslayout keyboard. This is not difficult tovideo cameainterface.Costing£174 which will allow faster data entry speeds upbelieve since the original purpose of theexcluding VAT, the product consists of an toabout20cps.FourstandardQWERTY layout when it was devised,interface box and software on disc. over 100 years ago was to slow down The box converts signals from the video typistsbecause earlymechanical typewriters were easily jammed. The alternative Maltron layout divides the keys into two sculpted groups for the fingers, and two separate groups for the thumbs. The letters which occur most OBE 0INTERNATIONAL frequently in English text are placed under the normal finger and thumb resting - positions for speed. BBC and Pied Piper Maltron keyboards cost £175 plus VAT, Apple and RML version £295 plus VAT. PCD Maltron also makes single-handedand mouth -stick operated keyboards for disabled computer

11 2 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Input news source into a 220- by 312 -pixel computer image, taking four seconds to process one image. Colour information in the original is ignored but the system creates a false colour image based on discriminating 64 levels of light intensity. The disc contains utilitiesto change the colour palette, manipulate the image in various ways and output it to printer or disc. Details from Data Harvest Ltd, 28 Lake Street, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 8RX. Telephone: (0525) 373666.

Spectrum speech recognition MICRO COMMAND lets you control the SinclairSpectrum withspoken com- The Griffin and George tracers cost £6 mands. Priced at £50 including VAT, itInput lab weights fortheBBC version,£48forthe consists of a box which plugs into the back MICROSCALE is an electronic balance whichSpectrum - prices exclude VAT - and connects directly to the BBC computer.come with cassette -based software to shade Weights up to 1,000g. can be measuredand scale plus other image manipulations. with a resolution oflg.while smaller Details from: Griffin and George, 285 weights can be measured with a resolutionEalingRoad,Alperton,Wembley, of 0.1g. Middlesex HAO IHJ. Telephone: 01-997 Microscale costs £149 excluding VAT.3344. Contact: Cherlyn Electronics Ltd, 22 High Street,Histon, Cambridge CB4 4DJ. Telephone: (022023) 4062. Trackball THE Wico trackball for the Atari and Commodore computers will mainly be used Spectrum tracer forgames,butformanyserious EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIER Griffin andapplications it provides superior control to George offers digital tracers for both thethe joystick. It costs £45. Spectrum and BBC micros. They let you Details of Wico products from COL copy original artwork and illustrationsLtd, CGL House,GoldingsHill, into your computer, and can be used forLoughton, Essex IGlO 2RR. Telephone: freehand drawing. 01-508 5600. of the computer, a microphone, and a cassette containing utilities and a voice - controlled game. Micro Command cannot beusedwithunmodifiedexisting software, but you can write your own Basic programs to work with it. Contact: Orion Data Ltd, 3 Cavendish Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 1RN. Telephone:(0273) 672994.

Commodore 64 video imaging A COMMODORE 64 version of Digithurst's popular Microsight digital imaging system has joined BBC, Sirius, IBM, Apple II, Research Machines and HP Model 16 versions already on the market. Costing £495 excluding VAT, the Commodore 64 versionconsistsofavideocamera, interface box and software. The software lets you perform measure- ments and manipulations on the image, and will work on a cassette as well as disc - based Commodore 64 system.Details from Digithurst Ltd, Leaden Hill, Orwell, Royston,HertfordshireSG8 5QH. Telephone: (0223) 208926.

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 113 LiMicroSight1:1 FORTH= TOTAL CONTROL

FORTH programs are instantlypor- Application Development Systems tableacrossthemostpopular include FORTH with virtual microprocessors. memory, multi -tasking, assembler, utilities, and full documentation. FORTH isinteractive and 20 timesZ80 or 8080 FORTH - CPM 2.2.160 faster than BASIC. 8086 FORTH - CPM-86, MSDOSf95 PC/FORTH - PC1DOS, CPM-86.195 8086 FORTH -83 - CPM-86, MSDOS FORTHprograms arestructured, £120 modular, and easy to maintain. PC/FORTH-83 PCIDOS, CCPM £120 68000 FORTH - CPM-68K £190 FORTH gives control of all interrupts, MicroSight I on the BBC model B includes:- memory locations, and ito ports. FORTH+ has 32 -bit stacks and direct- A CCTV camera with lens and tripod. ly accessesthewhole address FORTH application programs can be space of the processor. MicroEye vision interface 256 x 300 resolution converted to turnkey programs. with 8 bit video plus all cables. PC/FORTH+ f 190

Fully documented hardware and software. 8086 FORTH+ f 190 FORTH Cross Compilers can generate 68000 FORTH+ £290 MicroSight software package with area perimeter ROMmable code for: 6502, 6809, routines as well as disk and printer dumps. 68000, 8080, Z80, 8086, 6800,Extension Packages include floating

Hi Res software package with mode 0 display, 680113, 1802, Z8, 8070, Z8000, point, cross compilers, 8087 sup- disk and printer dumps and thresholding. 99xxx, LSI-11 port, colour graphics, databases .... We are the FORTH specialists, we also stock a large range of books, listings, Package using mode 2 high quality display. All for £495 + VAT and implementations for machines ranging from Spectrums to VAXes. MicroScale An image processing package with editing area and MicroProcessor Engineering Ltd 21Hanley Road Shirley perimetercalculations,dimensioning,windowing, Southampton SOt SAP threshold and contrast setting. £295 + VAT .J -Pc Tel. 0703 775482 wIPoolAces.% Micro Eye Visioninterface256 x 300 resolution 256 grey Circle No. 148 levels with full documentation and software for BBC Sirius, IBM, Apple, RML, CBM etc. £295 + VAT DATARACK a complete desk -top storage system for 5' ," floppies Dimensions only approx 210 x 150 x 150mm * DATARACK holds up to (£7.99 40 5'," floppy disks * Each disk held safely upright including MicroScale II VAT & P/P * Transparent lid for easy identification of disks Image analysis for the IBM PC with:- * Available in chocolate -brown rigid plastic with Object area measurement (absolute and %) a clear plastic lid

Perimeter measurement to user defined scaling BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE User definable and standard windows. / To: Teleotech Engineering. Dept. DR 75a Upper Gloucester Road, Disk and printer dumps. Brighton, East Sussex BN1 3LQ. Telephone (0273) 24970

Dimensioning and object counting. Please send disk storage box(es) at £7.99 each (includes VAT & P&P) Fully documented C software. £1950 + VAT Also available for Hewlett Packard and Sirius. Name For further details contact:- Address

Post Code GI RsTThe image analysis people T I enclose a cheque/PO for £ Digithurst Ltd. Leaden Hill, Orwell, Royston, Signature Herts. SG8 5QH Telephone (0223) 208926 1 Circle No. 147 Circle No. 149

114 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 FLOPPY DICK'S' 'N' RIBBONS FLOPPY DISK SAYS: "We are amaxellHouse simply because today they are the best for specification and reliability at new low prices. Every disk is certified 1000/o error free with lifetime guarantee". FLOPPY DICK SAYS "Make a good impression with MX ribbons" (HITACHI) Multistrike Ribbons Each Correctable Ribbons Each maxell.For maximum reliablity Diablo Hy -type II £1.79 Facit 8000 £2.49 5.25" Mini disks 1-8 box 9+ box Qume I Sprint 3/5 etc 1.59 Olivetti ET121 etc 1.79 MD1-DD ss dd 48 tpi £20.99 £19.99 Ricoh 1600 1.79 Olympia ES100 etc 1.99 MD1-D 2 -disk twinpack 4.99 post free NEC Spinwriter 2.09 Xerox 610 1.99 MD2-D ds dd 48 tpi 28.99 27.99 Wang A5 1.89 IBM 82C Golf ball 1.19 MD2-D 2 -disk twinpack 6.99 post free IBM Tech III 2.19 Juki black blue, red, 1.19 MD1-DD ss quad 96 tpi 28.99 27.99 green, brown MD2-DD ds quad 96 tpi 38.99 37.99 Lift -Off Tapes £0.75 MD2-HD ds 96 tpi 1.6 m/byte 49.99 47.99 Nylon fabric Ribbons Each FLOPPY DICK SAYS Postage & packing per 10 disks 0.75 f.o.c. Oki Microline 80,82,83,92,93 1.09 "We are big in Oki Microline 84 84A 2.49 31" Microdisks from Maxell 99 £29.49 BROTHER (ribbons)": Qume I/IBM 6240 2.29 prices on request 3" Compact disks Diablo Hy -Type II 1.79 ORDER PROCEDURES: Government, CF2 100 tpi £45.99 £44.99 Walters WM2000 for schools 5.39 councils, universities, schools, etc. NEC Spinwriter 2.49 send/phone your order and we will 8" Floppy disks allow 30 days payment terms. If an FD1-128 ss sd 128 bytes £25.49 £24.49 Olympia ES100 2.89 invoice is needed to raise a cheque, FD1-XD ss dd soft 27.49 26.49 Epson 80 2.79 pleasesay.**Alldiskswill be Epson 100 5.99 dispatch within 24 hours; ribbons FD2-128 ds sd 128 bytes 35.49 34.49 usually within 3 days depending on FD2-XD/ds dd soft 34.99 33.49 Epson 100 refills 2.49 Centronics 700 Zip -pack 1.69 stock situation.-In emergencies, FD2-256D/ds dd soft 34.49 33.49 askfordelivery charge quote.** 512D/1024D Centronics 150 3.99 REMEMBER - ifinany doubt, Postage & packing per 10 disks 1.50 f.o.c. RIBBON postage & packing: £1.75 ask.**. FLOPPY DICK SAYS: "Asking dumb questions iseasierthan DAISYWHEELS from £3.35 each Prices EXCLUDE VAT correcting dumb mistakes". We stock ALL Maxell 3", 51 and 8" disks PLUS extensive range of ribbons, printwheels, disk storage and other related pro- ducts. Call Lawrence or Jenny on 0483 273152 for information or a quote: 24 -hour answering service. LOWER BARRIHURST HOUSE, DUNSFOLD ROAD, FREEPOST, COMPUTER CRANLEIGH, SURREY, GU6 8BR MXSUPPLIES Tel: (0483) 52 Telex: 859111 Circle No. 150

Games Programming I rI,/sot, 040,N, The ZX ERIC SOLOMON Programmers At last... a book for the personal computer owner setting out to design and write Companion games programs Written in a manner JOHN readily accessible to the novice, Games and CATHERINE GRANT Programming will appeal to all programmers who, weary of the plethora of 'arcade' For anyone wondering whether games, are looking for greater intellectual to buy a personal computer, or challenge in their play. With 25 years of for those who wish to realise the computing experience and a string of full potential of the machine they successful games to his credit (including already own, this book will be -an Waddington's Black Box), Eric Solomon has ideal companion. It gives been able to draw on a wealth of completely up-to-date advice knowledge when preparing his latest book and information on the design Paperback £7.50 net and writing of programs for the latest ZX model, the ZX Spectrum. Paperback £6.95 net Text Processing A. COLIN DAY A clear introduction for both novices and professionals to the programming needed for processing letters, word and sentences Pascal and Fortran 77 are examined to see how well they match up to the basic requirements and SNOBOL 4 is introduced as an example of a language particularly well -suited to text programming. Hard covers £14.00 net Cambridge Computer Science Texts 20 Paperback £5.95 net CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Shaftesbury Road,Cambridge CB2 2RU, England Circle No. 151 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 115 Y 013 1;.*VIM1033\3 0 114 0 BBC MICRO 1111055 V01..,11111£1* -USER SUPPORT- 10 ISSUES OF BEEBUG MAGAZINE MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS 30 EXCITING GAMES AND VISUAL PROGRAMS 43 SOFTWARE REVIEWS 33 HARDWARE REVIEWS 16 BOOK REVIEWS 150 HINTS AND TIPS 25 APPLICATION PROGRAMS SERIES OF ARTICLES FOR BEGINNERS MANY ADVANCED TECHNICAL ARTICLES NEWS AND PRODUCT INFORMATION PLUS SPECIAL OFFERS BIG DISCOUNTS ON A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS EVENTS BRAIN TEASERS LOCAL CLUBS FULL MAGAZINE INDEX

A YEARS SUBSCRIPTION WOULD HAVE BOUGHT YOU ALL THIS Figures based on the 10 issues of BEEBUG Volume2. BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN FOR VOLUME THREE

BEEBUG PUBLICATIONS LTD. PO BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS PLEASE ENROL ME FOR VOLUME 3 of BEEBUG AT £9.90 (10 ISSUES) BEEBUG HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED NAME FOR TWO YEARS AND NOW HAS OVER 25,000 MEMBERS. IT OFFERS ADDRESS TOTAL USER SUPPORT TO ALL BBC AMOUNT ENCLOSED MICRO USERS. PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES MADE PAYABLE TO BEEBUG PUBLICATIONS LTD. AND SEND TO:- DEPT 5 PO BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS. (DISTRIBUTION AGENTS FOR BEEBUG) Circle No. 152 MORE SHOCKING NEWS! (limited period clearances) EPSON Printers from £185 SHINWA Printers £165 DISCS (BASF) 5" 25" &8" £1.00 each DISC CASES (Holds 10) £1.50 each BBC Printer Leads £10.00 each DATAPRODUCTS 8010 Call for price DAISYWHEEL Printers from £255 DATAPRODUCTS 8010 Printer £360 Phone 0962 66191 for All prices ex VAT and subject to availability. MORE SHOCKING NEWS Nationwide delivery £5 per parcel. DISCS from £1.00 JNNL micro miracles 50A Stockbridge Road. Winchester. Hants S022 6RL England Circle No. 153 Circle No. 154 116 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Compact system for professionals OA -

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Any personal computer can help to create spreadsheet information in pie charts, bar charts reports with text and graphics. and graphs. But imagine a personal computer with a The Rainbow 100+ is the only personal unique application that lets you combine text, computer that lets you link Silicon Office with graphics and spreadsheet in one operation. Lotus 1-2-3. That allows you to link the word processing Phone our Customer Information Centre power of Silicon Office with the graphics and on (0256) 59299 for further information or the spreadsheet of Lotus 1-2-3: name and address of your nearest Digital dealer. That lets you transfer information from And set your imagination free. N NN N Silicon Office automatically to Lotus 1-2-3. dUlg That gives you reports with text, tables and The world's largest manufacturer of minicomputers. *Lotus 1-2-3 is the registered trademark of the Lotus Development Corporation. Circle No. 155 COMBINE TEXT, SPREADSHEET AND GRAPHICS IN ONE OPERATION. ONLY WITH THE RAINBOW Onenamestands out for quality and value sum mom

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EXTENDED GRADE ONE VERSION Computing Services Ltd., Important new Hawkshead features. Design House, your own applic- Hope Street, ations. Upgrades Glossop, from version 2 Derbyshire available. Brochure available on request. SK13 9SB Dealer enquiries Tel: 045-74 63819/ welcomr 66680

Circle No. 158

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 121 £189.95 You won't get a +VAT = £218.44 120 CPS BI-DIRECTIONAL LOGIC SEEKING FRICTION TRACTOR AND ROLL dirty Macintosh Stair HOLDER STANDARD DOWNLOADABLE CHARACTERS ULTRA HIGH RESOLUTION 80 from us COLS. IBM PC VERSION NOW AVAILABLE But we'll expose the very latest in Apple 32 Technology and show you how you can use it in your business Gemini -1 OX CALL US NOW FOR FREE CONSULTATION AND A CHANCE TO SAMPLE OUR WIDE RANGE OF APPLE, 14 Inch APRICOT, SIRIUS, EPSON, IBM, BBC & LISA SYSTEMS Colour Monitor PLUS - FIDELITY we can now reveal the new portable Apple//c. 1 2MHZVIDEO BANDWIDTH RGB AND COMPOSITE VIDEO *STOP PRESS* Low Price Apple// + /// Systems £169.95 Our educational prices start from£499 + VAT = 195.44 -call for details and copy of our latest newsletter P.S. Call for news on the new Apricots LOOK! (or)ozwin computers NEW LOWER PRICES ON 236Imperial Drive, Rayners Lane, Harrow, EPSON STAR & BROTHER Middlesex. Tel: 01-429 1060. DAISYWHEEL PRINTERS BROTHER HR 15 £349.95 + VAT = £402.44 Circle No. 130 JUKI 6100 £325.00 + VAT = £373.75 DAISY STEP 2000 £225.00 + VAT = £258.75 STAR POWERTYPE £328.95 + VAT = £378.29 EPSON DX 100 £369.95 + VAT = £425.44 AT LAST! A SENSIBLE DOT MATRIX PRINTERS PRINTER STAND AT A EPSON RX 80 £198.95 + VAT = £228.79 EPSON RX 80 F/T £228.95 + VAT = £263.29 EPSON RX 100 £384.95 + VAT = £442.69 SENSIBLE PRICE EPSON FX 80 £319.95 + VAT= £367.94 EPSON FX 100 £498.95 + VAT= £573.79 STAR GEMINI -10X - £189.95 + VAT= £218.44 STAR DELTA 10 £319.95 + VAT= £367.94 STAR RADIX 10 £498.95 + VAT = £573.79

THERMAL MATRIXPRINTERS STAR STX 80 £129.95 + VAT = £149.44 BROTHER HR 5 £129.95 + VAT= £149.44 BROTHER EP 44 £216.95+ VAT= £249.49

Cables - Paper - Ribbons - Sheet Feeders Tractor Feeds - Interfaces - Call for Best Prices Patents Pending. Stands neatly on a desk top. el Printout stacks tidily in the tray. Supply paper locates underneath the printer - can CREDIT CARD stay in its carton for convenience. Sturdy design, brandy HOT LINE white finish only. 10 Discounts for multiple orders. Accommodates most makes of 80 -character printers 01-482 1711 including EPSON MX80 MICROLINE80 Please add £10 + VAT for delivery. Send coupon or telephone for details. Post your cheques/POs to: Advanced Resources. St. Gabriels, Much Birch, Hereford HR2 8HY. DATASTAR SYSTEMS UK Telephone: 10981) 540 262 Unicorn House 182 Royal College Street Please send leaflet and order form for the Advanced Printer Stand. London NW1 9NN Name Telex 295931 UNICOM G Address. TAX-FREE EXPORT & DEALER

PC9184 ENQUIRIES WELCOME State Printer Model Circle No. 128 Circle No. 129 122 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!

Mkt:1E0'84 13-16 NOVEMBER1984 OLYMPIA, LONDON Britain's biggest professional computershow.

123 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 TRANSFORMS THE CWOCCE 64 INTO A FULL FEATURED PROFESSIONAL DATABASE SYSTEM, WITH UP TO 1000 CHARACTERS PER RECORD ON UP TO 4 SCREENS... AND UP TO 128 ITEMS PER RECORD, DEFINABLE AS KEY. TEXT, NUMERIC. CONSTANT, RESULT OF DATE. IN FILES OF UP TO 16M CHARACTERS! SUPERBASE 64 EVEN HAS A SPREADSHEET AND CALCULATOR CAPABILITY. CALENDAR FUNCTIONS. EASY INPUT FROM WORDPRCCESSOR 09 JACK 2 DATA FILES. BOTH WAU -DRIVEN AM) PROGRAM OPTIONS. SORTING/SEARCHING, FULLY DEFINABLE OUTPUTS... SUPERBASE 64 IS ESSENTIAL IF YOU WANT THE MOST FROM YOUR 64! SUPPLIED ON 1541 DISK WITH EXCELLENT TUTORIAL/REFERENCE MANUAL PLUS AUDIO LEARNING TAPE... AND THERE'S A WIDE CHOICE OF "GET -YOU -GOING" FOR THEIBM-PC APPLICATION STARTER PACKS AT ONLY £9.95 EACH! -, Oul PRICE f.3,9115 188.00

e ice` YOUR PROGRAMS AT LAST, AN Brilliant new integrated software program sweeping WILL REALLY EASY -TO -USE TAKE OFF WITH DTL JETPACK! FIGARO YET POWERFUL the USA now available in the UK. FULLY CONRATIBLE WITH BASIC. JETPACK NUNERIC DATABASE, WITH A FULL RANGE COMPILES BASIC PROGRAMS INTO MACHINE OF BUILT-IN STATISTICAL FUNCTIONS. COCE, RUNNING UP TO 25 TINES FASTER PLUS FORECASTING. CALCULATION AND THE FIRST TO FEATURE SIMULTANEOUSLY, ON A AN, EVEN USING UP TO HALF AS WM MIXED HI-RES/TEXT GRAPHICS. SUPPLIED MEMORY... AND IT ACCEPTS EXTENDED ON DISK WITH CLEAR. COMTREHENSIVE SINGLE SCREEN, ALL WITHOUT CHANGING DISCS BASIC AND MACHINE CODE ROUTINES TOO! MANUAL. FUNCTION -KEY OVERLAY, DEMO PROGRAM. OR LEAVING PROGRAMS: CO PRICE (DISK)L.39:15£35.95 OLR PRICE L961.25 £75.00 * VIZAWRITE 64 IS A HIGH-PERFORMANCE. DATA BASE WITH ICONS & ZOOM LOW-COST WORD PROCESSOR. WITH ON -SCREEN LOCATION CV1zavVfite 6 4 FORMATTING. THAT TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE 64's COLOUR, GRAPHICS AND PENURY FEATURES... AND SUPPORTS VIRTUALLY * WORD PROCESSING ANY PRINTER, WITH A COMPREHENSIVE AND EASY -TO -FOLLOW USER REFERENCE MANJAL, VIZWRITE IS THE ULTIMATE PERSONAL COMPUTER WORD PROCESSOR! AVAILABLE ON * SPREADSHEET CALCULATIONS £78). DISK(L19-95 £68) OR WITH VIZASPELL(L9415 £85) CARTRIDGE(L1391/5 * CHARTING

WANT IT TOMORROW? CALL US TODAY! ON 01-546-7256 Offers unlimited potential as a business tool. VIZASPELL (DISK) 1.54,15/49.95 MULTIPLAN (US) (DISK) 1-7.9-:45 167.95 VIZASTAR (DISK) 1.9.9,15189.00 PRACTICALC (DISK)139.95 Useitforinvoicing, quoting, maillists,standard DTL JETPACK (TAPE) 114:/5113.95 PRACTICALC (TAPE) 1.39-:95134.95 EASYSCRIPT (DISK) 1.26:170165.00 MASTER 64 (DISK)1.14-5:00 164.95 letters, order processing etc. EASYSPELL (DISK) 1.59:00141.95 THE TOOL (CART) SA9-:95139.95 SIMON'S BASIC (CART) 1S6:00141.95 HOMEBASE 1-4 (DISK) 117.95 ASSEMBLER 64 (DISK) 124:95121.95 PRINTLINK 64 INTERFACE 129.95 GET FULL DDETAILS BY CALLING 0777-708555 SOLE DISTRIBUTOR: HYTEK SOFTWARE PRICES INCLUDE 151 VAT AND ARE CORRECT ON GOING TO PRESS. HALLCROFT IND. EST. ORDER BY POST OR PHONE, USING CHEQUE, ACCESS/BARCLAY CARD OR RETFORD, NOTTS OFFICIAL ORDER. DESPATCH IS BY Ai1E0 DN22 7SS. SAME -DAY 1ST CLASS POST, PRE- PAID ORDERS FREE. PRODUCT DATA AVAILABLE ON REQUEST. REFA30 Ware

LAKESIDE HOUSE. KINGSTON HILL, SURREY. KT2 70T.TEL 01-546-7256 Circle No. 160 Circle No. 159

56 Maple Drive, East Grinstead. West Sussex RH19 3URTel: (0342) 313427 Telex: 957547 1311111S5ibusiness systems ltd. COMP-APP-ABLE/IBM PC/XT APPLE COMPATIBLE PERIPHERALS! COMPATIBLE DEVICES JUST COMPARE OUR PRICES!!! III UPGRADE OR BUILD YOUR OWN 128K RAM card with manual £89.95 Disk drive controllercard £29.95 SYSTEM 1 - PC 16 (M/2) 16K RAM (Language card) £32.95 Mother board with 256K RAM extendable to 1024KB. Prov,- 80 Column card £32.95 slur for 48KB PROM. 8088 main processor with 8087 (math) coprocessor as option. 2 xDSIDD5" floppy drives (500KB 80 column card with software control 40180 £39.95 unformatted)with controller (can handle4 drives). 80 column card for 11e £44.95 Monochrome adaptor with printer port. 12" Hi-res Green 80 column card for 11e with 64K RAM £84.95 Monotor 720 x 350. 83 -Key Keyboard 00 function keysy £ 7.95 Switching power supply,. 0105, CDP/M and BASIC with 80)40 column switch manuals supplied. PC -16operations manual. PRICE 80 column inverse video switch £ 4.95 £1395.00 Z8O CP/M card £29.95 SYSTEM 2 - PC 16 XT (M/1) ITT 2020 version of Z80 card £69.50 As above but only single DSIDD floppy drive -one hard disk controller, (can control 2 drives). One 12MBWinchester Paralell printer card (centronics compatible) £29.95=so unformatted capacity £2219.00 Printer Buffer card (32K graphic dump) SYSTEM3 -PC 16 E84'95 Printer Buffer card (64K graphic dump) £1295 Mother board with and 8087 coprocessor option. Multifunction card includes 256KB RAM, Calendar/clock, £34.95 RS 232 Serial interface card paralell printer port, one RS -232 serial port, second serial NISC/PALconverter with UHF modulator £32.95 port option. Colour/Graphics adaptor. Floppy controller for EPROMBlower card (blows 2716,2732,2764) £39.95 up to 4 drives. 2 DSIDD flcppy drives (500KB unformattedl. £64.95 Switching power supply. 8.3 -key Keyboard. XIOS, C-CPIM86 A -DID -A Converter, 16 channel, set time 75 microsecs and BASIC. C-CP/M-86 users guide and programmers TIME 11 card, hrs,mins,secs,year,month,date £44.95 guide BASIC reference manual and operations manual. Interger Basic card £29.95 PRICE: 81449.00 Four port ((0 twin 6522 card £34.95 SYSTEM 4 -PC 16 XT (NI1) As above but only single DSIDD floppy drive. Hard disk controller for 2 drives. One 12MB Win- FD -100 Disk Drive (capacity 160KB) £159.95 chester (unformatted capacity). PRICE: £2299.00 FD -200 Disk Drive (capacity 320KB) £122.95 HD -1 10MB HARD DISK £1049.95 Mother board PC 16-N101(5 slots, 2 layer No RAM) £259 Joystick, 2 control buttons £ 9.95 Mother board PC 16-N102 (8 slots, 2 layer No RAM £289 Sanyo 12" Green Monitor £64.95 Mother board PC 164104 (7 slots, 2 layer, 128KB RAM) £359 £64.95 Mother board PC 16-B103(8 slots, 4 layer 128KB RAM) £395 Kohn 12" 18MHz High res. Green Monitor £89.95 Multifunction/Graphics adaptor £179 Apple Compatible Power Supply £44.95 Monochrome adaptor with printer port £199 ASC 11 encoded keyboard with lower case £34.50 £345 AC cooling fan £17.00 14" High Resolution RGB Monitor 12" High Resolution Green Monitor £ 89 Additional prices on application including: Communications card, Super -Serial 64KB RAM extend module £ 69 card, Music card, Microsoft card, IEEE -488 Interface GPIB card, 6809, Wild card, DS/DD Floppy disk drive (unformatted capacity 500KB) £155 RGB card, Grappler + , Grappler + Buffer, 7710 asynchronous serial interface Winchester disk drive adaptor £379 and many more. Computer consumables supplied. Winchester Disk Drive (unformatted capacity 12MB £699 IBM compatible Keyboard (83 keys) £ 89 Add 15% VAT unles indicated. Orders less than £50 add £2.00 carriage. Orders Keytronic 5150 Keyboard £169 greater than £50 carriage free. Terms CWO. Dealer enquiries welcome. MONEY IBM compatible Switching Power Supply £ 99 BACK GUARANTEE. Additional Serial port Kit for Multifunction card £ 24 CALL NOW! (0342) 313427 Floppy disk drive Controller card (can handle 4 drive) £ 99

Circle No. 161

124 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Ifyouhave been waiting for printer prices to fall ~THE WAIT IS OVER!!

80 cols, 80 cps, SHINWA CTI CP80IDEAL FOR friction/tractor feed, parallel interface SCREEN DUMPS AND PROGRAM LISTING

The most popular 80 CPS Matrix Printer available! Designed to be Epson compatible, with all the same features. * FRICTION & TRACTOR AS STANDARD * 80 CPS * B/ -DIRECTIONAL, LOGIC SEEKING * TRUE DESCENDERS * HI-RES BIT IMAGE + BLOCK GRAPHIC PRINTOUT MODES * SUB & SUPER SCRIPTS - FOR USE WITH * ITALIC PRINTING * AUTO UNDERLINING POPULAR MICRO'S * CONDENSED AND EMPHASISED PRINTING INCLUDING * EXPANDED AND DOUBLE STRIKE PRINTING BBC, IBM * COMPACT LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN SIRIUS, APRICOT ADVANCE 8.6, ETC * OPTIONAL INTERFACES FOR SPECTRUM, QL, APPLE Ilc, CB64

THE KEVAKI 100% GUARANTEE IDEAL FOR QUALITY PRINTOUT - full 1 yr. no quibble warranty DAISYSTEP 2000 - 14 day Money Back Guarantee A new low cost, low noise, fully featured Daisywheel Printer. -Delivery within 7 days subject to availability. * WORDSTAR COMPATIBLE * QUME COMPATIBLE RIBBONS AND DAISYWHEELS * 20 CPS MAXIMUM *10, 12, AND 15 CHARACTERS Telephone Credit Card Orders welcome. PER INCH * PLATEN LENGTH: 13" * INTERFACE: PARALLEL - Personal Collection welcome, Monday CENTRONICS, OPTIONAL RS232 * WEIGHT: 9.5 kg. to Saturday - 9.00 am until 7.00 pm. * OPTIONAL INTERFACES FOR SPECTRUM, QL, *Up to £1000 Instant Credit available, APPLE Ilc, CBM 64 full written details on application.

To: Keyaki Ltd, Enterprise House, 44 Terrace Road, Walton -on Thames, Surrey KT12 2SD

Please send me Shinwa CTI CP80 printers at

£213.85 inc. VAT & £8 Del.

and/or Daisystep 2000 printers at £271.35 inc. VAT & £8 Del.

Name Address

Postcode Telephone - FOR USE WITH POPULAR MICRO'S Tick box for details of Cablellnterface options INCLUDING - BBC, IBM etc. Tick box for details of Instant Credit up to £1000 SIRIUS, APRICOT, ADVANCE 8.6, ETC

U. U UU I enclose my cheque no. for £ EMMEN MN MEM EI MENNE ME E MEE MEN MINN MOON MEM NOM Please charge my Access/Barclaycard Card No. viiiMEE MEM U. ME ME NEE iii EMI EMMEN iiNNE MEN NE MM U IMENEM11111 IIIMMIll IMMEINIMI MONNE MENEM MENEM Signature LIMITED Circle No. 162 Enterprise House, 44 Terrace Road, Walton -on -Thames, . AL\ PC9 Surrey. KT12 2SD Tel: 09322 42777 T RADE & EDUCATIONAL ENQUIRIES WELCOME HOW 110 COM13Ill COT 11

Prices of our business computersshake hands and say goodbye. currently start at £1,395. Get in touch with ACT Computer - If buying one saves you only £40 a World right now. At worst, all it will cost week it will pay for itself within a year. you is a little time. And we won't sell you one unless At best, you could gain a great deal. we can prove it will pay for itself. CAN COMPUTERWORLD BE IMPARTIAL? HOW CAN WE PROVE YOU'LL PROFIT? Frankly, no. We are backed by ACT Our consultants will listen whilewho make the fastest selling range of you explain how your business works.16 bit computers in Britain. Having defined the task, they match We believe their award -winning the appropriate software program withApricot range of computers and the the most suitable computer. top selling Sirius (over 25,000 sold in Then they will show you how youthe UK) are the best 16 bit computersI could use it to improve efficiency, saveavailable. time and boost the bottom line. We would like to show you why If they can't poki they're easier to use produce a case that INN and better value convinces you that than anything you computer will pay for itself care to mention. long before it is outdated, We also stock a full WE TALK BUSINESS, NOT COMPUTERS.

BRISTOL 1 Clifton Heights, Triangle West, Bristol. Tel: 0272 277104 CAMBRIDGE Mitcham's Corner, 1 Milton Road, Cambridge. Tel: 0223 66444 CRAWL Tel: 031-337 9870 ENFIELD 489 Hertford Road, Enfield. Tel: 01-805 0903 GLASGOW Anderston Centre, Argyle Street, Glasgow. Tel: 041-221 8413 LIV Reading. Tel: 0734 508787 SHREWSBURY Park House, 38 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury. Tel: 0743 68167 SOUTHAMPTON 5 London Road, Southampton. 1 Hazeldine House, Telford Town Centre. Tel: 0952 506664 WOLV Certainly, ACT is in the vanguard of new product developmentThey have the best team of development engineers and designers in the world. They are devoted to the idea of keeping a year ahead of the field with new products. Which provides a bit of a safety margin. For example, we've just introduced the amazingly user friendlyApricotF1com- puter and the new Apricot Super Portable. But when all is said and done there is only one question. Will it pay you to buy a computer? range of peripheral equipment for use If so, you'll amortise the cost ina with our computers. very short period whether you need And nobody in Britain has a largerthe cheapest Apricot computer priced library of published business softwarearound £1,000 or a multi-user system than we do, with the Pulsar and Apricotcosting many times as much. ranges. Call one of the numbers below and We will provide training for your arrange to meet an ACT ComputerWorld staff and continuing after -sales supportconsultant. He will clarify the issues in the form of advice on getting the and give you a straight answer. best from your equipment And how to If you prefer, send in the coupon add to it and we will send you more information. And in the event of technical trouble, ACT ComputerWorld Limited, ComputerWorld House, 43 CalthorPel Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 1TS. Tel: 021-455 8484. ACT provide a repair and maintenance Please send me further details on the Apricot range of products. O Please send me further details of the other products and services you service. can offer my business. E Please keep me informed of future events at my nearest ComputerWorld store. WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BUY? Name New developments seem to appear Position almost weekly in computers. And people Company often hesitate to buy fearing that some- Address thing better will come out just as they've put their cash down. Telephone No. PC9/84

4 High Street, Crawley. Tel: 0293 543301. DERBY 10 Friar Gate, Derby. Tel: 0332 43090 EDINBURGH West Coates House, 90 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh. )0,0L Churchill House, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool. Tel: 051-2361112 NUNEATON 46 Church Street, Nuneaton. Tel: 0203 328967 READING 70-72 Kings Road, )703 336344 STOCKPORT 68-70 Lower Hillgate, Stockport. Tel: 061-480 2822 SWINDON 8 Sheep Street, Highworth, Swindon. Tel: 0793 762449 TELFORD -IAM PION Security House, Cleveland Street, Wolverhampton. Tel: 712121. Circle No. 163 Anycolouryouwant...

anblack.

Anadex DP -9725B four-colour printers

128 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Circle No. 164 ANY colour you want-and black of course. That's the Anadex DP -9725B new full colour printer. >OPEtil FILE Dreary diagrams are revitalised and words and figures PRArT HLCOMPUTING are highlighted to emphasise important points. These are what Open File .FF3BC most offices need today. And monitors Anadex designed the machine to CIRCLE give good print quality and high Apple John Harris 130PLOTTER speeds at low cost, using a Atari Jack SchofieldP Cowley gets you going round in 4- colour ribbon and dual -pass BBC Nicholas McCutcheoncircles with his nifty circle utility capability. The advanced technical Commodore Mike Todd program. features offered are: -a brisk Dragon Ian Stobie DE -REM Epson HX-20 John Wellsman A short routine to save 240 cps., operating modes that IBM PC Jack Schofield131 include data processing, draft and space in memory by removing Rem Newbrain David Wattstatements from listings and replacing correspondence quality and high Tandy John Wellsman them with backspace characters. resolution graphics at 144 dots/in. Research Machines Ian Stobie VULTURES VDU colour displays from Sharp John Hooper J R Gallimore supplies a John Wellsman131 the IBM PC colour system are Sinclair bloodthirsty game in which you take effortlessly transferred to hard pot shots at grisly birds of prey. copy by means of a free diskette Open File is the part of the magazine supplied with the DP -9725B. written by the readers of Practical >APPLE Computing. All aspects of And a printhead life of more microcomputing are covered, from VOCABULARY TEST than 500 million characters- that games to serious business software 137A pair of programs to adds up to a lot of colour...and a and utilities. Fully -debugged help you improve your knowledge of touch of class. programs can be submitted for any and try out your expertise in a micro, and for standard CP/M foreign language. For further details of your machines such as the Osborne and nearest supplier, contact Anadex Superbrain. Programs can be in machine code or any language. at the address below: >SINCLAIR Submissions should include a brief description which explains what your FRUIT Anadex Ltd., Weaver House, program does, and how it does it.If 140MACHINE Station Road, Hook, Basingstoke, possible it should be typed, with Paul McPherson has devised this very Hants. RG27 9JY lines double-spaced. We need a fast game so that you can gamble printed program listing. Hand-written without losing money. Tel: (025672) 3401 Tlx: 858762 listings cannot be accepted. A tape or disc of the program helps ifit is in 145 a standard format. CHARACTERS When printing listings, please Mark Sanderson's program for any remember to use d new ribbon or Spectrum allows you to print any double -intensity printing - faint ASCII or user -defined character on listings reproduce badly. Use plain the screen as pixel co-ordinates. paper only, and try to list the program across either a 35 -character or a 70 -character width. Also, make )COMMODORE sure all special graphics or inverse - video characters are either listed 14-,PET POKES correctly or else include Rem II PROBLEM statements to explain them fully. Save tiresome fiddling around when Each program listing, tape or disc loading programs written on the 64 must have your name and address on into the Pet with this machine -code it, or we cannot promise its safe program. return. We pay at least for any Y BTOHAER6D4 BLEEP programs used. or £35 per page and 147FOR pro rata for part pages. A short program to reassure Anadex when keying in. Send your contribution to: FO,RMATTE Open File, Practical Computing, 147LISTINGSD Quadrant House, The Quadrant, A chance to tidy up your listings Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. with Rune Nordberg's helpful program.

129 Circle plotter A FAST machine -code circle utility has been from Basic with a parameter block. The graphics units submitted by P Cowley of Bath. Theparametersmustbeintegersorthe yo/o - the y co-ordinate of the centre in program will allow user designation ofprogram emits a bleep. It plots 100 circles graphics units circles or arcs of circles of around 1/20thof varying arcs and colours then prints theThe machine code is assembled above of a second per call on average. average time taken to plot each one. Himem, which is moved down to make The program is set in a test bed which The parameter block of the Call Circleroom for it. It is simple to amend the first resides at the bottom of the listing. Thestatement needs five integers: few linesof the program to put the first part of the program assembles thesolo - the start angle of the arc, machine code in Basic variable space using machine code above Himem and sets up a measured anti -clockwise from three Dimcircle512.Zero -page memory table of values for sin x. Setting up the trig o'clock in units of 10 degrees locations &70 to &7E are used by the tablestakesafew seconds,thentheao7o - the angle of arc to be plotted, program. program is ready to be called by a user heading anti -clockwise in units of 10 Inadditiontoprovidingacircle - program. degrees drawing utility, the program also provides The test bed section illustrates the use ofr% - the circle radius in graphics units a useful fast sine and cosine routine, and a the machine -code routine by callingitxolo - the x co-ordinate of the centre in 16 -bit multiply.

Circle plotter. 10 REM **************************** 530 JSR nextint 1040TAX * * 540 LDY #0 1050INX 20 REM ** 550 LDA (TRIG),Y 1060TXA * * 560 STA YCENT 1070DEC ANGLE \reduce angle 30 REM ** Circle Utility (M/C) 570 INY 1080BPL LOOP \untiL finished * * 580 LDA (TRIG),Y 1090RTS \return to BASIC 40 REM ** by P.H.Cowley Oct 83 590 STA YCENT+1 1100 ** 600 JMP circlel 1110.XPLOT \first part of 50 REM ** 610 1120LDA #25 \VDL125,X,... * * 620 .nextint \subroutine to 1130JSR OSWRCH 60 REM **************************** 630 LDA &601,X \save address of 1140TXA 640 STA TRIG \next integer 1150JSR OSWRCH 70 650 LDA &602,X \parameter in 1160CLC 80 REM Set up space for machine cod 660 STA TRIG+1 \zero page memory 1170 e 670 LDA &603,X \TRIG is used as 1180LDA XCENT \next part of VDU 90 MODE1 680 CMP #4 \scratch pad 1190ADC RESULT+1\is x offset 100 HIMEM=HIMEM-512 690 BNE errorl 1200JSR OSWRCH \from centre 110 0%=HIMEM 700 RTS 1210LDA XCENT+1 120 *KEY100LDIMMODE41MHIMEM=HIMEM-51 710 1220ADC RESULT+2 21M 720 .errorl \entry for branch 1230JSR OSWRCH \two bytes worth .. 130 oswrch=1SFFEE 730 PLA \from subroutine 1240RTS 140 START=&70:ANGLE=&71 740 PLA \ditch return addres 1250 150 CRAD=&72:XCENT=&74:YCENT=&76 1260.YPLOT \last part of 160 TRIG=&78 750 .error \normal entry 1270CLC \VDU instruction 170 RESULT=&7A 760 LDA #7 1280LDA YCENT \is y coordinate 180 SIGN=PE 770 JMP OSWRCH 1290ADC RESULT+1\offset from 190 FOR opt=0 TO 2 STEP 2 780 RTS 1300JSR OSWRCH \centre 200 P%=0% 790 1310LDA YCENT+1 210 C 800 .circle1 \circle routine 1320ADC RESULT+2 220 OPT opt 810 LDA START \proper starts 1330JSR OSWRCH \last byte! 230 .circle \get data from 820 JSR cos \here 1340RTS 240 LDA &600 \parameter block 830 JSR RMULT 1350 250 CMP #5 \and put into 840 LDX #4 \X=4 ready for plot 1360.MULTIPLY1 \unsigned multiply 260 BNE error \zero page memory 4 1370LDA #0 270 LDX #0 850 JSR XPLOT \move to circumferen 1380STA RESULT 280 JSR nextint ce 1390STA RESULT+1 290 LDY #0 860 LDA START 1400STA RESULT+2 300 LDA (TRIG),Y 870 JSR sin 1410STA RESULT+3 310 STA START 880 JSR RMULT 1420LOX #16 320 LDX #3 890 JSR YPLOT 1430.LOOP1 330 JSR nextint 900 1440LSR TRIG+1 \multiplicand is 340 LDY #0 910 LDA START \main loop 1450ROR TRIG \output of trig tabl 350 LDA (TRIG),Y 920 .LOOP \plot 5 round the ar e 360 STA ANGLE 1460BCC ZERO 370 LDX #6 930 PHA 1470LDA RESULT+2 380 JSR nextint 940 JSR cos \x=xcent+radius cos( 1480CLC 390 LDA (TRIG),Y angle) 1490ADC CRAD \multiplyer is 400 STA CRAD 950 JSR RMULT \gives radius cos(an 1500STA RESULT+2\circle radius 410 INY yle) 1510LDA RESULT+3 420 LDA (TRIG),Y 960 LDX #5 1520ADC CRAD+1 430 STA CRAD+1 970 JSR XPLOT \adds on xcent and p 1530STA RESULT+3 440 LDX #9 lots 1540.ZERO 450 JSR nextint 980 PLA 1550ROR RESULT+3 460 LDY #0 990 PHA 1560ROR RESULT+2 470 LDA (TRIG),Y 1000 JSR sin \y=ycent+radius sin( 1570ROR RESULT+1 480 STA XCENT angle) 1580ROR RESULT 490 INY 1010 JSR RMULT \gives radius sin(an 1590DEX 500 LDA (TRIG),Y gLe) 1600BNE LOOP1 510 STA XCENT+1 1020 JSR YPLOT \completes the plot 1610RTS 520 LDX #12 1030 PLA 1620

130 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 by Nicholas McCutcheon

(continued from facing page) 1940LDA #0 2260.TABLE \set pointer for BAS 1630.RMULT \signed multiply 1950SBC RESULT+2 IC 1640LDA #0 1960STA RESULT+2 2270 ] 1650STA SIGN 1970LDA #0 2280NEXT 1660BIT TRIG+1 1980SBC RESULT+3 2290 1670BPL PLUS 1990STA RESULT+3 2300REM Set up trig table 1680DEC SIGN \make negative 2000.return 2310FOR I%=0 TO 72 STEP2 1690SEC 2010RTS 2320sin%=256*SINRAD(5*I%)+0.5 1700SBC TRIG 2020 2330TABLEII%=sin% 1710STA TRIG 2030.OSWRCH 2340NEXT 1720LDA #0 2040PHP 2350 1730SBC TRIG+1 2050JSR oswrcn 2360REM End of circle utility. 1740STA TRIG+1 2060PLP 2370REM Demonstration follows. 1750CLC 2070RTS 2380T=0 1760.PLUS 2080 2390CLS 1770ADC TRIG 2090.cos \trig look up 2400FOR I=1 TO 100 1780JSR MULTIPLY1 2100CLC \add 90 degrees 2410GCOLO,RND(4) 1790BIT SIGN '\test sign 2110ADC #9 \for cos 2420s%=RND(37)-1 :REM start angle 0- 1800BPL return 2120.sin 360 1810SEC 2130CMP #37 \make sure angle 2430 a%=RND(37)-1 :REM arc angle 0-36 1820LDA #0 2140BCC continue\is in range 0 1830SBC RESULT \complement if 2150SBC #36 2440 r%=RND(500) :REM radius 1-500 1840STA RESULT \negative 2160JMP sin 2450 x%=RND(1200) :REM x coordinate o 1850BPL pos 2170.continue f centre 1860LDA #1 2180ASL A \multiply by 2 2460 y%=RND(1000) :REM y coordinate o 1870BPL neg 2190TAY f centre 1880.pos 2200LDA TABLE,Y \and get value 2470TIME=0 1890LOA #0 2210STA TRIG \from tables 2480CALLcircle,sX,A,r%,x%,y% 1900.neg 2220INY \and save in zero 2490T=T+TIME 1910LDA #0 2230LDA TABLE,Y \page TRIG 2500NEXT 1920SBC RESULT+1 2240STA TRIG+1 \in 2 bytes 2510PRINT T/10000 1930STA RESULT+1 2250RTS 2520END

10 REMThis is testing De -REM which swoops over to the left-hand corner De -Rem where it builds a nest. The vulture then will be replaced with proceeds to hatch chicks. From now on, the The De -Rem routine from N Whitfield coin must be looked after, the vultures shot of Winchester removes Rem statements 10 Thisis testing De -REM The program asks how many Rems youin order to gain points and the chicks from listings and replaces them with three blasted out of the sky as they descend from wishtochangethenchanges back-spavce characters. This has the effect them,the nest. You must not allow three chicks to of printing the Basic tokenised Rem andreporting at the end as to how many itreach the ground. To fire at the vultures them printing the text on top of it. managed to change. The program runs Any Rem statements in your programterribly slowly, so if you have a longyou hit Return. The coin gets heavier each time you hit it that are followed by three or more spaces,program to De -Rem,setthe program such as running and sit back and relax. so it is best not to pepper it with shots but rather to hit it occasionally while waiting De -Rem. to pot the vultures. When the vultures have been shot, they fall to the ground and 10 REM PROGRAM TO 'REMOVE' REM ST ATEMENTS Vultures litter the bottom of the screen with a red 20 INPUT"CHANGE HOW MANY REMS",RR sludge. Fortunately the sludge does not 30 R=0 J R Gallimore of Ashorne, Warwick has accumulate beyond one level so you can be 40 FOR N=PAGE TO TOP sure of still having enough space to hit the 50 IF ?N=U4 AND N?1 = 32 AND N?2 = come up with a particularly gory game. 32 AND N?3 = 32 THEN FOR N1=1 TO 3: N You are the controller of a gun which you coin. ?N1=127:NEXT N1: R=R+1 move anti -clockwise by pressing Z and The program will run in a 32K machine 60 IF R=RR THEN N=TOP clockwise by pressing X. with Page set to &E00. Disc users can load 70 NEXTN itfrom disc with Page at &1900 and 80 PRINTR;" REMS CHANGED" At first you are busy trying to keep a coin 90 END in the air until suddenly from the top right- relocate the program to &E00 before hand corner of the screen comes a vulture running it.

Vultures. 210ENDPROC 39001123,238,24,36,66,153,153,66,36,2 10REM VULTURES 220REM ************** 4 20REM <<<<<<<>>>>>>» 230DEFPROCDEFINE 400m23,240,0,0,56,248,252,6,3,1 30REM 240m23,224,60,126,255,255,255,255,1 410VDU23,241,0,15,31,127,127,255,191, 40REM JR Gallimore 29/6/83 26,60 0 50MODE7:PROCINSTRUCTIONS:PROCDEFINE 250m23,225,7,15,30,60,120,240,224,1 420VDU23,242,0,0,192,224,248,254,128, 60REPEATMODE2:COLOUR4:VDU23;8202;0;0 92 0 ;0; 260m23,226,224,240,120,60,30,15,7,3 430VDU23,243,36,36,60,24,24,153,219,2 70PROCINIT:PROCSCREEN 270M23,227,60,126,255,255,255,255,1 19 80PROCLOOP:SOUND1,4,100,30 26,60 440VDU23,244,219,255,255,126,60,60,24 90IFCHNO%=3 PROCCHICKATTACK 280M23,228,0,0,0,31,31,31,159,255 ,24 100FORI=1T05000:NEXT:MODE7:PROCEND 290VDU23,229,0,0,0,248,248,248,249,25 450m23,245,24,24,24,24,60,60,24,24 110UNTILTRUE=FALSE 5 460Vpu23,246,0,0,0,0,0,15,31,255 120END 300VDU23,230,16,22,16,8,7,0,7,9 470VDU23,247,36,36,189,219,255,255,25 130REM *** MAIN LOOP* * * 310VDU23,231,8,104,8,16,224,0,224,144 5,255 140DEFPROCLOOP:REPEAT 320VDU23,232,16,16,16,20,20,20,20,20 480VDU23,248,0,0,0,0,0,240,248,255 150PROCCOIN:PROCAIM:PROCFIRE 330VDU23,233,8,8,8,40,40,40,40,40 490VD023,254,159,81,34,116,184,79,32, 160IFRND(100)=1 AND CHICK%=0 VULT%=1 340VDU23,234,28,28,28,28,4,4,8,16 60 170IFRND(100)=1 AND VULT%=0 AND NEST% 350VD023,235,63,63,32,32,32,32,16,8 500VDU23,255,132,76,41,158,156,234,9, CHICKX=1 360VDU23,236,17,18,20,28,28,28,124,12 120 180IF VULT% PROCVULTURE 4 510VDU23,253,6,15,8,104,248,216,176,2 190IF CHICK% PROCCHICK 370VDU23,237,136,72,40,56,56,56,62,62 24 200UNTILDEAD% 380VDU23,239,0,0,0,7,28,112,224,224 (conninhylmlnext page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 131 > B B C

(cmunnhq//romprevirmov.2c) 520 VDU23,252,132,73,46,20,58,73,140,1 SXSC(1) PRINT'CHR$136"CONGRATUL 690 IFXCOINX>1136 XCOINX=1137 1240 IFVULTDEADX PROCVULTDEAD:ENDPROC ATIONS!";CHR$137;"You have a Hiscore.":E 700 IFYCOINX>993 YCOINX=994 1250 IFXVULTX=1087 MOVE1024,992:GCOL3,5 LSEPRINT'CHRS136CHR$134SPC7"Hit H to see 710 IFYCOINX<64 DEADX=1:ENDPROC :PRINTVULTS;:XVULTX=1024:ENDPROC hiscores":GOT01710 720 XVELX=XVELX+2*((XCOINX<96)+(XCOINX 1260 IFXVULTX<>256 MOVEXVULTX,992:GCOL3 1660 PRINT'"Enter your name." ":*FX15,1 >1136))*XVELX ,5:PRINTVULT$;:XVULTX=XVULTX-64:MOVEXVUL 1670 REPEATAS=GETS:IFAS=CHR$127:NAMES=" 730 YVEL=YVEL+2*(YCOINX>985)*YVEL TX,992:PRINTVULTS;:ENDPROC ":VDU7:ELSENAMES=NAMES+AS 740 COINS=CHRS(RND(4)+223) 1270 M0VE256,992:GCOL3,5:PRINTVULTS;:XV 1680 IFLEN(NAMES)=16 ANDA$<>CHR$13 VDU7 750 MOVEXCOINX,YCOINX:PRINTCOINS ULTX=1087:VULTX=0 :NAMES=LEFTS(NAMES,15) 760 ENDPROC 1280 IFNESTX ENDPROC:ELSENESTX=1:GCOLO, 1690 PRINTTAB(0,19)CHRS129NAME$;" 770 REM ************** 5:MOVE64,992:VDU254,255,254:SOUND2,4,0,3 ":UNTILAS=CHR$13 780 DEFPROCINIT 1290 GCOL0,7:MOVE64,1024:V5U253,253,253 1700 PROCTABLE:ENDPROC 790 ENVELOPE1,1,127,-4,0,1,10,20,127,0 :SOUND1,1,100,30:ENDPROC 1710 *FX15,1 ,-2,-4,100,126 1300 REM ************** 1720 PRINT'"SPC9"Hit P to play again." 800 ENVELOPE2,1,50,10,-1,3,10,100,127, 1310 DEFPROCVULTHIT :REPEATAS=GETS:UNTILAS="P" OR AS="H" 1,0,-3,100,126 1320 SOUND2,2,53,4:SOUND2,3,53,25:GCOL3p1R73c0 IFAS="P" ENDPROC:ELSEPROCTABLE:END 810 ENVELOPE3,1,127,-1,0,1,250,0,10,0, ,5:MOVEXVULTX,992:PRINTVULTS;:VULTDEADX= 0,-2,50,100 1740 REM ************** 820 ENVELOPE4,1,10,-5,-5,10,5,5,127,0, 1330 ENDPROC 1750 DEFPROCINSTRUCTIONS 0,-2,75,75 1340 REM ******** ****** 1760 VDU23;8202;0;0;0; 830 XCOINX=640:YCOINX=128:XVELX=20:YVE 1350 DEFPROCVULTDEAD 1770 FORI=1702:PRINTTAB(8)CHR$133;CHR$1

L=15:GRAV=-.1:DEADX=0:COINS="":VULTX=0 1360 IFYVULTX=992 MOVEXVULTX+64,961:GC057;CHR$132;CHRS141;"V u l t u r e s "; 840 VULTDEADX=0:YVULTX=992:VULTDEADS=C L3,5:PRINTVULTDEADS:YVULTX=961:XVULTX=XV CHR$156:NEXT HRS243+CHRS8+CHR$10+CHRS244+CHRS8+CHR$10ULTX+64:ENDPROC 1780 PRINT'" The object of the game +CHR$245:NAMES="":NESTX=0 1370 MOVEXVULTX,YVULTX:GCOL3,5:PRINTVUL is to shoot down as many vultures as po 850 XAIMPOSX=1216:YAIMPOSX=128:XVULTX= TDEADS; ssible while keeping a coin in the air. 1087:VULTS=CHR$240+CHR$241+CHR$242 1380 YVULTX=YVULTX-48:IFYVULTX=97 MOVEX The coin iskept up by shooting it." 860 SPLODGES=CHR$246+CHR$247+CHR$248:VVULTX-64,64:GCOL1,1:PRINTSPLODGES;:SOUND 1790 PRINT" The vultures are busy b =0:TIME=0:T=0:SC=0:CHICKX=0:CHNOX=0 0,-15,150,6:VULTDEADX=0:VULTX=0:XVULTX=1 uilding their nest and then feeding 870 ENDPROC 087:YVULTX=992:ENDPROC their chickswhich hop out of the nest ev 880 REM ************** 1390 MOVEXVULTX,YVULTX:PRINTVULTDEADS; ery now and then. These must be destro 890 DEFPROCAIM 1400 ENDPROC yed since 3 chicks on the ground means d 900 IFNOT(INKEY(-98)+INKEY(-67)) ENDPR 1410 REM ************** eath."; OC 1420 DEFPROCCHICK 1800 PRINT" As time passes the chick 910 IF(INKEY(-98)ANDXAIMPOSX=256)0R(IN 1430 IFXVULTX=1087 YVULTX=992:XVULTX=32s grow and become heavier and heavier.. KEY(-67)ANDYAIMPOSX=128) ENDPROC 0:GCOL3,7:MOVEXVULTX,YVULTX:VDU253:ENDPR 920 GC0L3,3:M0VEXAIMPOSX,YAIMPOSX:VDU2 OC 1810 PRINT" Beware, do not fill the 38 1440 GCOL3,7:MOVEXVULTX,YVULTX:VDU253 coin with lead as its weight increases 930 IFINKEY(-98) XAIMPOSX=XAIMPOSX+64* 1450 IFYVULTX<96 CHICKX=0:SOUND3,2,200, every time it is hit." (YAIMPOSX=1024):YAIMPOSX=YAIMPOSX-64*(XA 1:MOVEXVULTX,64:GCOL0,7:VDU253:YVULTX=99 1820 PRINT" Aim the gun using 'X' f IMPOSX=1216) 2:CHNOX=CHNOX+1:DEADX=(CHNOX=3):CHICKX(C or clockwise & 'Z'for anticloc 940 IFINKEY(-67) YAIMPOSX=YAIMP0SX+64* HNOX)=XVULTX:XVULTX=1087:ENDPROC kwise movements." (XAIMPOSX=1216):XAIMPOSX=XAIMPOSX-64*(YA 1460 XVULTX=XVULTX+10:YVULTX=YVULTX+125 1830 PRINT" Hit RETURN to fire." IMPOSX=1024) *GRAV:MOVEXVULTX,YVULTX:VDU253 1840 PRINT"HAPPY HUNTING!" 950 MOVEXAIMPOSX,YAIMPOSX:VDU238 1470 ENDPROC 1850 PRINT'CHR$136;" Hit any key to 960 ENDPROC 1480 REM ************** start" 970 REM ************** 1490 DEFPROCCHICKATTACK 1860 *FX15,1 980 DEFPROCFIRE 1500 GCOL3,6:MOVEXCOINX,YCOINX:PRINTCOI 1870 *FX220,0 990 IF(NOTINKEY(-74)) OR TIME"" SC(0)=SC:SCS(0)=NAMES: =XCOINX+32:AX=XAIMPOSX+32:BX=YAIMPOSX-16 J,I:VDU8,251:NEXTA FORA=0707:FORB=A+1 T08:IFSC(A)>SC(B)THEN :YX=YCOINX-16 1530 FORA=2T01 STEP-1:M0VE448-A*64,64:VSTORE=SC(A):STORES=SCS(A):SC(A)=SC(B):SC 1030 YC=M*(XX-AX)+BX:XC=1/M*(YX-BX)+AX DU251 S(A)=SCS(B):SC(B)=STORE:SCS(B)=STORES 1040 IF(YXYC-18)0R(XX"" NEXTB,A 36 AND XX>XC-36) PROCHIT:ENDPROC 2*(3-A)*I,64+(3-A)*I:VDU251:NEXTJ,I:VDU8 1940 FORI=1T02:PRINTSPC3;:VDU129,141:PR 1050 IFCHICKX YX=YVULTX-16:XX=XVULTX+32 ,251:NEXTA INT" Vulture Hiscores":NEXTI :YC=M*(XX-AX)+BX:XC=1/M*(YX-BX)+AX:IF(YX 1550 MOVE256,128:VDU251:FORI=17032:FORJ 1950 PRINT":FORI=8T01 STEP-1:PRINT9-I; YC-18)0R(XXX =1T02:MOVE256-4*I,128+I:VDU251:NEXTJ,I:VSPC(3);SC(I);STRINGS((10-LEN(STRS(SC(I)) C-36) PROCHITCHICK:ENDPROC DU8,251 )),".");SCS(I)':NEXT 1060 IF VULTX=1 ANDVULTDEADX=0 ANDXAIMP 1560 ENDPROC 1960 PRINT'CHR$136"Hit P to play again" OSX<1216 AND XAIMPOSX>=XVULTX AND XAIMPO 1570 REM ************** 1970 REPEATUNTILGETS="P":ENDPROC

132 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Start collectingnow.

It's no picnic choosing software. to handle all your book-keeping and You thumb through the computerword processors to take the tedium magazines (can you believe there out of typing. are over 100 ofthem?) and wind up And that's just for starters. thoroughly muddled. We've got over 600 dealers up and At Pulsar, we've done the donkeydown the country who'll willingly work for you. come up with technical advice and We've hand picked the world's topplenty of service back-up later. notch business software and listed Just cut the coupon and we'll send the lot in our Pulsar catalogue. In it,you all the bumph. you'll find everything you need to Fo: ACT (Pulsar) Ltd.,FREEPOST,Birmingham B161BR or calldid- 455 7000. Please send me the Pulsar Software Catalogue. help you out in the office. Name There are databases to compile I Address reports and make filing simpler, I$qt spreadsheets for financial and statist- Telephone No ical calculations, accounting systems Pulsar is part of ACT, Britain's leading 16 -bit business micro company. I Circle No. 165 The Graduate.

The first IBM PC compatible upgrade for the BBC model Bmicro. From only £764.00 thenewTorch Graduate will upgrade yourBBC' Model B toapowerful 16 bit businesscomputer TECHNICALaSPECIFICATION 8088 16 -bit processor running at 5 Mhz 128K or 256K RAM MSTm-DOS operating system customised to IBM compatibility Model 0400 - Single, double sided, Disc and hardware compatible high density disc drive (320K formatted) by the Graduate models. Each with the IBM PC, the Graduate is Model 0800 - Twin, double sided, high model comes complete with a well density disc drives (640K formatted) the latest addition to the Torch Integral stabilised power supply written user/technical manual and range of BBC upgrades. It's 2 IBM PC compatible hardware connecting leads. MSTm-DOS operating system is expansion buses customised to IBM compatibility Software compatibility allows Lotus Just plug it in 1-2-3 and all popular IBM PC business Unlike other add-ons there is allowing exploration of the massive programs to run without modification, range of IBM compatible business subject to the constraints of the BBC no need to open the BBC to make software, programming aids, keyboard and display the connection. The compact and compilers and languages universally Disc interface is not required tidy Graduate models simply plug in Keyboard text and graphics supplied by to the 1MgHz bus on the Model B. available from most major software BBC Model B houses. Within minutes you can be up and THE GRADUATE running with an IBM PC compatible Introduction to system that really means business. MS' -DOS user who wants real 16 bit power The range The Graduate offers two levels from his Model B. of upgrade, the G400 and the Add 256K RAM, 640K disc G800, both with 128K on board More data storage storage and IBM PC compatibility user memory as standard A step up from the 0400 is the to the BBC Micro for less than (optionally 256K). This can be G800 which offers twin, double £1,000. increased to 1.2 Mbytes with an sided 320K disc drives for extra dataGraduate G400 (128K) £764 inc.VAT IBM compatible expansion board. storage. Both the 0400 and the Graduate 0400 (256K) £815 inc.VAT The 0400, contains a single, G800 provide the possibility of Graduate G800 (128K) £949 inc.VAT double sided 320K formatted disc further expansion for networking, Graduate G800 (256K) £999 inc.VAT drive and provides the low cost modems, etc.,via the IBM For further information introduction to MST"' -DOS for the compatible hardware slots providedcomplete the coupon today. TORCH COMPUTERS Lighting the way ahead. Torch Computers Limited Abberley House, Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5LQ. Telephone (0223) 841000. Telex 818841 TORCH G.

The Graduate is manufactured by Torch Computers under licence from Data Technologies Ltd.

rTo:Torch Computers Ltd., Abberley House, GreatShelfordl Cambridge CB2 5LQ. Telephone (0223) 841000 Please send further information on the Graduate and the address of my nearest dealer. Name Address

Post Code Telephone PC9 L. Circle No. 166 For VIC-20 8K Solo play Turbo -cassette Can learning really b New from HesWare this much fun?

3 games for the 3-9s! GAME 1: letters and numbers rain down the screen; the child finds the matching keys before the images escape. GAME 2: colourful objects have to be matched fast by tapping out the right words. GAME 3: words flash on -screen 10 00 the child must choose the matching picture. There are 4 different levels of difficulty, with high scores winning bonus rounds.

Ci Be q II)itAL give t KIDSN 1 2 3 4 5 weemommeor KEYS BOAT

C7Computer Keyboard fun 'Kids on Keys' introduces youngsters to keyboard controls, helping them to learn by identifying numbers, letters and words. Colourful graphics, action -deadlines and / lively music keep them coming back

for more. fic A11,

..S7VVYAVIEt7

cHesWareTurbotape All the speed of adisk-drive,disk -drive, but not the cost. This program will load at -amazingly - in under a minute. For your copy of 'Kids onKeys'

(Cat. No. HSEA 43). Available Method of payment To: Thorn EMI Computer Software from all good computer soft- By cheque or PO (no cash) made Distributors, 296 Farnborough Road, ware stockists. payable to TECS Farnborough, Hants., GU14 7NF. Send me (tick as required) BAR(I AVCAAP Li By Access or Phone: (0252) 518364. III E My local stockist's address El Barclaycard Name Your full list of games Address copy/ies of this game 1 L 1E11111111111d Enter card no. Sign below: at £14.95 each £ : p THORN EM Computer +single P&P sum : 30p Credit card sales: UK buyers only. Software : Distributors Total to send £ p Response within 21 days. APC2 COMPUTER SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTORS FOR: CREATIVE SPARKS / HESWARE / IUS / MAINSTREET / TOTL / DATAMASTER / HUMAN EDG Circle No. 16 :>APPLE by John Harris Vocabulary test A PAIR of programs, one for storing aand terminated by No More. Vocabularystatements, is also offered, with about 90 vocabularylistinany language andTest then tests the victim with the preparedSpanishconjugationsembedded.The another for applying it as a test, has beenlists.Word batches of 50to60 arenumber of these may be varied by adjusting submitted by one JackSchofieldofrecommended, and many such test -filesN in line 122. While in the word test two Alicante. The Vocabulary Maker preparesmay be prepared in order to provide achancesareofferedper word before a test -file of words translated from onecomprehensive teaching aid. moving, in the verb test the conjugation language to another. It allows corrections An independent verb learning programmust be completed correctly before passing to be made after each six words are enteredwiththelanguagebuiltintoDataon.

Vocabulary Maker.

]LOAD VOCABULARY MAKER 2048PRINT 2400 PRINT (111(J) ]LIST 2050PRINT "FILE A SUITABLE NAME 2405PRINT 8$(31 2410NEXT J

1990 HOME 2052PRINT : PRINT 2420PRINT D$1"CLOSE";N$ 2000 PRINT " VOCABULARY MAKER 2070 I = I + 1 2450 END 2090PRINT "TYPE WORD NO.";11": 3000 HOME

2001 PRINT " 3010 FOR J = (I - 5) TO I 2100 INPUT "";A$(1) 3020 PRINT J1". ";A$(J) 2005 REM PROGRAM TO MAKE UP A TE 2101 IF Af(I) = "NO MORE" GOTO 2 3030 PRINT "...."18,(J) XT FILE 200 3040 NEXT J 2006 REM OF WORDS AND THEIR IRAN 2105 PRINT 3050 INVERSE : PRINT "ARE THEY 0 SLAT IONS 2110 PRINT "TYPE THE TRANSLATION K?-TYPE 'Y' OR 'N': NORMAL 2010 DIM A$(100),B$(100) : INPUT AN$

2012 I = 0 2115 INPUT "";B$(1) 3060 IF AN$ < > "V" AND AN$ < 20200$ = CHR$ (4): REM CRTLD 2125 IF I / 5 = INT (I / 5) THEN "N" THEN 3050 2030 PRINT "ABOUT 50 WORDS ARE A GOSUB 3000: GOTO 2070 3070 IF AN$ = "Y" THENRETURN

SUITABLE NUMBER" 2126 PRINT : GOTO 2070 3080PRINT "WHICH NUMBER IS WRON 2032 PRINT 2200 I = I - 1 G?": INPUT NU

2034 PRINT "TO HAVE ON EACH FILE 2201 PRINT : PRINT 3090 IF NU < (I- 5) OR NU > I THEN

. TYPE IN EACH" 2300 PRINT "WHAT FILE NAME? E.G. 3080 2036 PRINT SPANISH VOCABULARY -1" 3100HOME 2038 PRINT "WORD FOLLOWED BY 'RE 2305 PRINT 3110PRINT "TYPE WORD NO.";NU;" TURN' THEN ITS" 2310 INPUT N$ 2040 PRINT 2340 PRINT D$1"OPEN";N$ 3120 INPUT " "1A$(NU) 2042 PRINT "TRANSLATION. TYPE 'N 2350 PRINT DWDELETE";N$ 3130PRINT "TYPE THE TRANSLATION 0 MORE' WHEN" 2360 PRINT DWOPEN";N$ : 2044 PRINT 2370 PRINT D$1"WRITE";N$ 3135 INPUT " ";B$(NU) 2046 PRINT "SUFFICIENT WORDS FOR 2380 PRINT I 3140 GOTO 3000 A FILE. GIVE THE" 2390 FOR J = 1 TO I

Vocabulary Test.

5: PRINT T" OUT OF 10" 300 PRINT : PRINT "PRESS '0' AND ]LOAD VOCABULARY TEST 930 VTAB 12: PRINT "DO YOU WANT: ]LIST 'RETURN' TO CONTINUE": INPUT 0$:IF QS < > "0" THEN 300 50 HOME 931 VTAB 14: HTAB 5: PRINT "1.70 : GOTO 930 52 PRINT VOCABULARY TES 310 HOME BE TESTED ON THIS FILE?" 415 FOR J = 1 TO I:C(J) = 0: NEXT 932 VTAB 16: HTAB 5: PRINT "2.AN 53 PRINT J OTHER FILE?" 419T = 0 933 VTAB 18: HTAB 5: PRINT "3.70 54 PRINT 420 FOR K = 1 TO 10 SEE THE WORDS ON THIS FILE? 1 56 PRINT "TYPE IN THE NAME OF TH 430N = INT ( RND (1). I) E APPROPRIATE" 432 IF C(N) = 1 THEN 430 935 VTAB 20: HTAB 5: PRINT "4.NO 57 PRINT 434C(N) = 1 MORE?" 58 PRINT "VOCABULARY FILE WHEN R 450 HOME : VTAB 10: HTAB 5: PRINT 937 VTAB 22: HTAB 5:INPUT "TYPE EQUESTED" K" "Af(N) 1,2,3 OR 4 ";G$ 59 PRINT 460 VTAB 12: HTAB 5:INPUT ".... 939 IF 8$ > "4" THEN 937 PRINT "YOU WILL BE GIVEN 10 W 60 "113$ 2000 HOME ORDS-" 470 IF B$ = 05(N) THEN GOSUB 10 2010 FOR J = 1 TO I 63 PRINT 00: GOTO 520 2020 PRINT Ji: HTAB 4: PRINT A111( 64 PRINT "TYPE IN THEIR TRANSLAT 471 IF BS = "-" THEN GOTO 495 ION (THEN RETURN)" 475 VTAB 14: HTAB 5: PRINT "SORR J);: HTAB 25: PRINT 1111D(J) 2030 IF J/ 20 = INT (J / 20) THEN 65 PRINT Y,THAT IS WRONG.TRY AGAIN" VTAB 16: HTAB 5:INPUT ".... PRINT PRINT "PRESS '0' AN 66 PRINT "TYPE '-'IF YOU DO NOT 480 D'RETURN'TO CONTINUE": INPUT KNOW THE ANSWER" "1B$ Of:IF Q$ < ) "O" THEN 2030 : IF B$ = 13$(N) THEN GOSUB 10 67 PRINT PRINT 485 2040NEXT J 90 DIM A$(100),B$(1001 00: GOTO 520 2050PRINT : PRINT "PRESS 'Q' AN 486 IF BS = "-" THEN GOTO 495 91 DIM C(100) D 'RETURN' TOCONTINUE": INPUT 100 CHR$ (4): REM CTRLD 490 VTAB 18: HTAB 5: PRINT "WRON 0$ = 0$:IF Q$ < > "Q" THEN 2050 110 INPUT "NAME OF VOCABULARY FI G AGAIN,I AM AFRAID" LE? ";2$ 495 VTAB 20: HTAB 5: PRINT "THE 2060 RETURN 120 PRINT D$1"OPEN"11$ ANSWER IS..."13$(N) 941 IF 8$ "1" THEN 415 130 PRINT DWREAD";Z$ 500 FOR L = 1 TO 3000: NEXT 943 IF 0$ = "2" THEN 110 945 IF G$ = "3" THEN GOSUB 2000 140 INPUT I 520 NEXT K : HOME : GOTO 930 160 FOR J = 1 TO I 900 HOME 170 INPUT A$(J) 910 IF I = 10 THENVTAB 10: HTAB 950 END 180 INPUT EM(J) 5: PRINT "10 OUT OF 10,WELL 1000T = T 1: VTAB 18: HTAB 5: FLASH 190 NEXT J DONE" s PRINT "CORRECT": NORMAL 200 PRINT DWCLOSE";Z$ 920 IF T < > 10 THEN VTAB 10: HTAB 1010 FOR L = 1 TO 3000: NEXT : RETURN

(continued on page 139)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 137 Sinclair QL: User Guide Microcomputer Microcomputer Speech by Lionel Fleetwood Speech Synthesis Synthesis and Whatever your requirements, the and Recognition Sinclair QL User Guide will help you Recognition by Adrian Poulton to get the most out of your new purchase - or to decide if you should Computerised speech synthesis and purchase a QL. its counterpart, speech recognition, It shows how to produce letters, are emerging as one of the most keep records, prepare accounts and important technologies of the mid - draw useful graphs. Examples are 1980s. This book explains the drawn from real life and each section origins of artificial speech and can be used independently. shows you how to make your micro Throughout the book the language is speak to the world and how you can clear and jargon -free. speak back to it!

0 905104 92 7 180pp £7.50 0 905104 39 0 202pp £7.95 d Programs That Write Practical COBOL for Programs Microcomputers by Chris Naylor by Kevin Sullivan In this thought -provoking book Chris BASIC is a fine language, but most Naylor explains exactly what a business applications use COBOL, program generator is and exactly which is now widely available for all what it can and cannot do. popular microcomputers. And, it's With the emphasis on the business not a difficult language to learn: user, he examines the situations Kevin Sullivan takes you from commonly found in any program- writing the simplest possible ming project and shows the inter- COBOL program, through the use action between the problem to be and design of screen layout, right up solved and the software tools avail- to handling all types of file. able to implement any solution.

0 905104 43 9 226pp £7.95 0 905104 60 9 160pp £6.95 Operating Systems: Computer Based A User Friendly Guide Learning: Practical by Alan Trevennor Microcomputer A 'friendly' guide that uses the Methods widely -used Digital Equipment Corporation's operating systems for by Graham Beech its examples and spans the range of This is a definitive but practical book large minicomputers, all the way for all those wishing to educate, down to the new micros. learn or train with the help of a After describing the major com- microcomputer. To instil confidence, ponents of all operating systems, the there is a comprehensive review of author describes how files are existing successful applications. handled, error handling, hardware These all use affordable micro- features and optimisation of hard- computers, and so can you! ware and operating systems. 0 905104 66 8 180pp £8.50 0 905104 45 5 302pp £8.50

All About Computer - The Universal ,pors=new methodte Aided Design and Equation Solver Manufacture by Noel Kantaris and 1r by James Fellows Patrick F. Howden ecucton Confused about CAD/CAM? Then, Equation solving is an art or science soiver this is where to start. No more needed by many categories of seminars, no piles of books and people. This book proposes, in leaflets. Read this book and you will simple terms, a new easy to under- Noel Kantans be able to understand all of the stand method which will solve Patnck f Hayden important concepts that are so equations encountered in any field of necessary when you are endeavour. The new method is responsible for installing computer presented with a series of program aided design/manufacture listings for Apple and BBC equipment. computers.

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MARKETED BY JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, BAFFINS LANE, CHICHESTER, SUSSEX P019 IUD, ENGLAND Circle No. 168 138 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 >APPLE

(continued from page 137)

Spanish Verb Test. 2005 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF PEDIR(I) GAIS,PONGAN ,PIDO,PIDES,PIDE,PEDIMOS.PED 2041 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF QUERER,QU ]LOAD SPANVERBTEST IS,FIDEN IERA, QUIERAS, QUIERA, QUERAMOS ]LIST 2006 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF DAR(TO G ,QUERAIS,QUIERAN 80 S = - 16336 IVE).DOY,DAS,DA,DAMOS,DAIS,D 2042 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF SABER,SEP 90 DIM 8$(100,7) AN A, SEPAS, SEPA, SEPAMOS, SEPAIS, 100 HOME 2007 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF DECIR(TO SEPAN 101 PRINT "(IF ADDING MORE DATA, SAY),DIGO,DICES.DICE,DECIMO 2043 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF SALIR,SAL REMEMBER TO" S, DECIS, DICEN GA, SALGAS, SALGA, SALGAMOS, SAL 102 PRINT "CHANGE N IN LINE 122) 2008 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF ESTAR(TO GAIS, SALGAN FOR K = 1 TO 1000: NEXT K BE), ESTOY, ESTAS,ESTA,ESTAMO 2044 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF SER,SEA,S S,ESTAIS,ESTAN EAS,SEA,SEAMOS,SEAIS, SEAN 103 HOME 2009 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF HABER(TO 2045 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF VER,VEA,V 110 Z. = HAVE),HE,HAS,HA,HEMOS,HABEI EAS,VEA,VEAMOS,VEAIS.VEAN 120 Z = 50 S, HAN 2046 DATA IMPERFECT OF MIRAR,MIR 121 Y = 800 2010 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF HACER(TO ABA, MIRABAS, MIRABA, MIRABAMOS 122 N = 77 DO),HAGO,HACES,HACE.HACEMOS ,MIRABAIS,MIRABAN 140 FOR I= 1 TO N HACEIS,HACEN 2047 DATA IMPERFECT OF COMER,COM 142 FOR J = 1 TO 7 2011 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF IR(TO GO IA, COMIAS,COMIA,COMIAMOS, COM 150 READ B5(I,J) ),VOY,VAS,VA,VAMOS,VAIS.VAN IAIS,COMIAN NEXT J 160 2012 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF OIR(TO H 2048 DATA IMPERFECT OF VIVIR,VIV 162 NEXT I EAR),0160,0YES,OYE,OIMOS.OIS IA, VIVIAS, VIVIA, VIVIAMOS, VIV 169 SPEED= 100 ,OVEN IAIS, VIVIAN VTAB 10: PRINT "A LIST OF TH 170 2013 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF PONER(TO 2049 DATA IMPERFECT OF SER.ERA,E E VERBS IN DATA FOLLOWS PUT),PONGO,PONES,PONE,PONEM RAS, ERA, ERAMOS,ERAIS, ERAN 2050 DATA IMPERFECT OF IR,IBA,IB OS,PONEIS,PONEN 171 PRINT : PRINT "THERE ARE "(N AS,IBA,IDAMOS,IBAIS,IBAN VERBS IN DATA" 2014 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF SABER(TO KNOW),SE,SABES,SABE.SABEMOS 2051 DATA IMPERFECT OF VER.VEIA, 172 PRINT PRINT "IF YOU WANT A VEIAS, VEIA, VEIAMOS, VEIAIS, VE ,SABEIS,SABEN PARTICULAR VERB-" IAN 2015 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF SALIR(TO 173 PRINT : PRINT "THEN REMEMBER 2052 DATA PRET.OF MIRAR.MIRE,MIR ITS NUMBER" GO OUT),SALGO,SALES,SALE,SA LIMOS, SALIS, SALEN ASTE,MIRO,MIRAMOS, MIRASTEIS, 175 SPEED= 255 MIRARON 189 HOME 2016 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF SER(TO B E),SOY,ERES,ES,SOMOS,SOIS,S0 2053DATA PRET.OF COMER.COMI,COM 190 FOR I= I TO N ISTE,COMIO,COMIMOS, COMISTEIS N 192 IF I / 20 = INT (I / 20) THEN ,COM1ERON PRINT PRINT "PRESS'O'AND' 2017 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF TENER(TO HAVE),TENGO,TIENES,TIENE,TE 2054 DATA PRE.OF VIVIR,VIVI,VIVI RETURN'TO CONTINUE": INPUT C STE, VIVID, VIVIMOS,VIVISTEIS, NEMOS, TENEIS, TIENEN $: IF C. < "Q" THEN 192 VIVIERON 195 PRINT I;: HTAB 5: PRINT B$(1 2018 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF TRAER(TO CARRY), TRAIGO, TRAES, TRAE, TR 2055DATA PRET.OF PEDIR.PEDI,PED ,1) ISTE,PIDIO, PEDIMOS,PEDISTEIS AEMOS, TRAEIS, TRAEN 199 NEXT I ,FIDIERON 210 PRINT : PRINT "PRESS'Q'AND'R 2019 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF VENIR(TO COME),VENGO,VIENES,VIENE,VE 2056 DATA PRET.OF DORMIR.DORMI,D ETURN'TO CONTINUE" ORMISTE, DURMIO,DORMIMOS, DORM NIMOS,VENIS, VIENEN 211 INPUT C$:IF C$ < > THEN ISTEIS,DURMIERON 2020 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF VER(TO S 211 2057 EE),VEO,VES,VE,VEMOS,VEIS,VE DATA PRET.OF SENTIR,SENTI,S 290 HOME VTAB 10: SPEED= 100: PRINT ENTISTE,SINTIO, SENTIMOS, SENT N "DO YOU WANT:-" ISTEIS, SINTIERON 2021 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF MIRAR,MIR 292 PRINT : PRINT HTAB 5: PRINT 2058 DATA PRET.OF ANDAR,ANDUVE,A "I.A PARTICULAR VERB?" E,MIRES,MIRE,MIREMOS,MIREIS, MIREN NDUV ISTE, ANDUVO,ANDUVIMOS, AN 294 PRINT : HTAB 5: PRINT DUVISTEIS,ANDUVIERON ANDOM CHOICE?" 2022 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF COMER,COM 2059 DATA PRET.OF CAER,CAI,CAIST 296 PRINT : PRINT "TYPE '1' OR A, COMAS, COMA, COMAMOS, COMAIS, E,CAYO,CAIMOS, CAISTEIS, CAYER 2' (AND 'RETURN')" COMAN > 2 OR B < 0 THEN 2023 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF VIVIR.VIV ON 297 INPUT B:IF B DATA FRET.OF CONDUCIR.CONDU 297 A,VIVAS,VIVA, VI VAMOS, VIVAIS, 2060 JE, CONDUJ ISTE, CONDUJO, CONDUJ IF B = 2 THEN A = INT ( RND VIVAN 298 IMOS, CONDUJISTEIS,CONDUJERON (1) N)+ 1: GOTO 305 2024 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF MOSTRAR,M 299 HOME VTAB 10: SPEED= 100: PRINT UESTRE, MUESTRES, MUESTRE, MOST "WHICH NO. DO YOU WANT? REMOS, MOSTREIS, MUESTREN 2061 DATA PRET.OF DAR,DI,DISTE,D 2025 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF PENSAR,PI IO, DIMOS, DISTEIS,DIERON ENSE, PIENSES, PIENSE, PENSEMOS 2062 DATA PRET.OF DECIR,DIJE,DIJ 300 INPUT A ISTE,DIJO,DIJIMOS,DIJISTEIS. IF A < 1 OR A > N THEN 300 ,PENSEIS,PIENSEN 305 DIJERON 310 SPEED= 255 2026 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF PEDIR,PID 2063 DATA PRET.OF ESTAR,ESTUVE,E 320 HOME A, PIDAS, PIDA,PIDAMOS,PIDAIS, PI DAN STUVISTE, ESTUVO,ESTUVIMOS,ES 330 PRINT B$(A,1) TUVISTEIS,ESTUVIERON 340 FOR J = 2 TO 7 2027 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF DORMIR,DU ERMA, DUERMAS, DUERMA, DORMAMOS 2064 DATA PRET.OF HABER,HUBE,HUB 345 VTAB 5 + J: HTAB 5:INPUT A$ ISTE,HUBO,HUBIMOS,HUBISTEIS. (J): IF AS(J) < > B.(A,J) THEN ,DORMAIS,DUERMAN HUBIERON GOSUB 1000: GOTO 345 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF SENTIR,SI 2028 2065 DATA PRET.OF HACER.HICE,HIC NEXT J 350 ENTA, SIENTAS, SIENTA,SENTAMOS ISTE,HIZO,HICIMOS,HICISTEIS, VTAB 15: PRINT "FOR THE SAME ,SENTAIS,SIENTAN 360 HICIERON AGAIN TYPE '1'" 2029 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF CAER,CAIG DATA PRET.OF IR,FUI,FUISTE, VTAB 17: PRINT "TO SEE THE L 2066 362 A,CAIGAS,CAIGA, CAIGAMOS,CAIG FUE,FUIMOS,FUISTEIS.FUERON IST OF VERBS TYPE '2'" AIS. CAIGAN 2067 DATA PRET.OF MORIR,MORI,MOR 364 VTAB 19: PRINT "IF FED -UP TY 2030 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF DAR,DE,DE ISTE,MURIO,MORIMOS,MORISTEIS S, DE, DEMOS, DEIS. DEN ,MURIERON 366 VTAB 21: PRINT "FOR VERB CHO 2031 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF DECIR,DIG 2068 DATA PRET.OF OIR.01,0ISTE,0 SEN AT RANDOM TYPE '4'" A, DIGAS, DIGA, DIGAMOS,DIGAIS. YO,OIMOS,OISTEIS,OYERON : IF B > 4 THEN 380 PRINT INPUT B: DIGAN 2069 DATA PRET.OF PODER,PUDE,FUD 380 2032 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF ESTAR,EST ISTE,PUDO,PUDIMOS,PUDISTEIS, 390 IF B = 1 THEN 320 E, ESTES, ESTE, ESTEMOS, ESTEIS, PUDIERON 400 IF B = 2 THEN 189 ESTEN 2070 DATA PRET.OF PONER,PUSE,PUS 405 IF B = 4 THEN A = INT ( RND 2033 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF HABER,HAY ISTE,PUSO, PUSIMOS,PUSISTEIS, (1) N)+1: GOTO 305 A,HAYAS,HAYA,HAYAMOS,HAYAIS, PUSIERON 410 HOME : PRINT "HASTA LUEGO MAYAN 2071 DATA PRET.OF QUERER.QUISE,Q 420 END 2034 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF RACER, HAG UISISTE,QUISO,QUISIMOS,QUISI A,HAGAS.HAGA.HAGAMOS,HAGAIS, 1000 FOR K = 1 TO Z:SOUND = PEEK STEIS,QUISIERON HAGAN (S)- PEEK (5) + PEEK (S)- 2072 DATA PRET.OF SABER,SUPE,SUP PEEK (S)+ PEEK (S)- PEEK 2035 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF IR.VAYA,V ISTE, SUPO, SUPIMOS,SUPISTEIS, (S): NEXT K: VTAB 5 + J: HTAB AYAS,VAYA, VAYAMOS, VAYAIS, VAY SUPIERON 30: PRINT "NO'": FOR K = 1 TO AN 2073 DATA PRET.OF SER,FUI,FUISTE Y: NEXT K: VTAB 5 + J: PRINT 2036 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF MORIR.MUE ,FUE,FUIMOS,FUISTEIS,FUERON Z$: RETURN RA, MUERAS, MUERA, MORAMOS,MORA 2074 DATA PRET.OF TENER.TUVE,TUV 2001 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF MIRAR,MI IS, MUERAN ISTE, TUVO, TUVIMOS, TUVISTEIS, RO.MIRAS,MIRA,MIRAMOS,MIRAIS 2037 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF OIR.OIGA, ,MIRAN OIGAS,OIGA,OIGAMOS,OIGAIS,01 TUVIERON DATA PRET.OF TRAER,TRAJE,TR 2002 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF COMER,CO GAN 2075 AJISTE, TRAJO, TRAJIMOS, TRAJIS MO, COMES, COME, COMEMOS, COMEIS 2038 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF OLER,HUEL ,COMEN A,HUELAS,HUELA,OLAMOS,OLAIS, TEIS, TRAJERON DATA PRET.OF VENIR,VINE,VIN 2003 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF VIVIR,VI HUELAN 2076 VO,VIVES, VIVE,VIVIMOS,VIVIS, 2039 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF PODER,FUE ISTE, VINO, VINIMOS,VINISTEIS, VIVEN DA, PUEDAS, PUEDA, PODAMOS, PODA VINIERON 2004 DATA PRES.INDIC.OF MOSTRAR( IS, PUEDAN 2077 DATA PRET.OF VER,VI,VISTE,V UE),MUESTRO,MUESTRAS,MUESTRA 2040 DATA PRES.SUBJ.OF PONER,FON IO, VIMOS, VISTEIS, VIERON ,MOSTRAMOS,MOSTRAIS.MUESTRAN GA,PONGAS,PONGA,PONGAMOS,PON

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 139 I N C: LI F' by John Wellsman Fruit machine THIS GAME by Paul McPherson ofthe user -defined graphics as binary values, An easy way of translating binary into Aberdeen is, if anything, a little too fast.which take up about four times the spacedecimal is to enter the variable as binary Suspense is90 percent of the fun ofof decimal values and are not reallyand then execute a gambling, and if it is all over in a flash thenecessary for user -defined graphics. The Print < variable > attraction is greatly diminished. main advantage of using binary is the easeYou can use this and the other seven values Paul McPherson has stored his data forof defining the effect. to define the graphic.

Fruit machine.

1 REM NT AT 12,5;"E 2-: FOR f=-50 TO 5 0: BEEP .01,f: NEXT f:PRINT AT S RV;..1 12,5;" ": OVER 1: CIRCLE 52,76 4 ,15: OVER 0: LET m=0: PRINT AT 6 5 REM MIIMIIMIMMSIIZIEMIIIIUEIO ,4; OVER 0;- ": GO TO 3010 5 3999 10 GO SUB 9500: REM GRAPHICS 4000 REM Mang 15 GO SUB 8000: REM VARIBLES 4001 17 GO SUB 6000: REM TITLE 4010 CLS : PRINT AT 11,0; -YOU'RE 20 GO SUB 7000: REM SCREEN BROKE !": BEEP 1,-10: BEEP lz-e. 30 INPUT --: PAUSE 0 BEEP 1,-30 40 IF INKEY$=-M- OR INKEY$=-N- 40200: INPUT -DO YOU WANT ANOTHER

THEN CLS : PRINT RT 11,0; INK at GAME 7-;x$ " YOU TAKE ";mon;"p HOME 4.030 IF x$(1)= -y- THEN RUN !-: GO SUB 4020 4040 CLS : PRINT AT 11,3;"I HOPE 50 LET mon=mon-5 YOU ENYOYED PLAYING": PAUSE 100 60 PRINT AT 19,7; INK 7;" CL5 : BORDER 7: PAPER 7:INK 0 PRINT AT 19,10 -LEN 5TR$ mon; IN CL5 K 7;mon sses STOP 66 IF s$(1) <>"n'" THEN LET b$(1 Escicog ) =a$ (INT (RND*4)+1) 6000 REM( EUWITui 66 IF s$(2)<>"n" THEN LET b$(2 5001 )=a$(INT (RND*4) +1) 6005 BORDER 5: PAPER 5:INK 1: 67 IF s$(3)<>"n" THEN LET b$(3 LS )=a$(INT (RND*4) +1) 6010 PRINT AT 1,0; PAPER 70 GO SUB 1000 T MACHINE - 6;"FRUI 1000 FOR F=I TO 3: FOR h=1 TO 4 6020 PRINT AT 5,0,- IN FRUIT MR IF s$(r)="n" THEN GO TO 103 CHINE YOU TRY TO WIN AS MUCH M 01005 prtgx AS YOU CAN" 1010 INK 6: PRINT AT PAINT ON THE ONEARMEDEmN h) 6,2+2*r;a1( DIT. 1015 NEXT h EACH GO COSTS Sp. 1020 PRINT AT 6,2+2*r;b$(r) 1030 NEXT r PRESS ANY KEY TOROL 2010 IF b$(1)="6" ANDb$(2)=b$(1. ) AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN LET OR -N- TO STOP On+20: GO TO 3000 mon=m 6040 PRINT -"PRESS A NEY TO 2020 IF b$(1)="c-AND b$ r2> =bsrs 5TRRT-: PAUSE 0 ) AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN LET mon=m 5500 PAUSE 200 on+30: GO TO 3000 6500 RETURN 2040 IF b$(1)= -E- AND b$(2)=b$(1 69,PQ 1 AND bit(3)=b$(1) THEN LET mon=m On+40: GO TO 3000 7000 REM MeaggeWEEERISI 2060 IF b$(1)="F" AND b$C2J=b$(1 7001 INK 7: C AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN LET mon=m 7010 BORDER 0: PAPER 0: on+200: GO TO 3000 L5 : PRINT AT 1,10; INK 6; PAPER 3000 IF b$(1)= -B- AND b$(2)=b$(1 70203; -FRUIT PRINT MACHINE"RT 5,17; INK 4; PAPER ) AND b$f3)=b$(1) THEN LET m=2 0;RT 7,17; INK 6;" B B B = 20 3002 IF b$(1)= -C- AND b$(2)=b$(1 p ";RT 9,17;INK 3," C C C = 3 ) AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN LET m=3 Op -;RT 11,17; INK 4;" E E E = 3004 IF b$(1)= -E- AND b$(2)=b$(1 40p - ) AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN LET M=4 7030 PRINT AT 17,21; FLASH 1;-1_0174 3006 IF b$(1)= -F- AND b$(2)=b$flLET m=20 CKPOT"; FLASH 0;RT 18,17;RT 19,1 ) AND b$(3)=b$(1) THEN 7; PAPER 0;INK 5;-FFF= £ 3007 IF m>0 THEN GOSUB 3499 2 " 3010 PRINT AT 19,2;INK 7;"CASH 7070 PLOT 20,48: DRAW 0,88: DRAW ";AT 1'4,10 -LEN 5TR$ mon;mon: IF 63,0, -PI: DRAW 0,-88: PLOT 12,4 mon=0 THEN GO TO 4000 8: DRAW 79,0: DRAW 0,-7: DRAW 7, 3020 BEEP .1,RND*50: BEEP .1,RND 0: DRAW -93,0: PLOT 12,48: DRAW *50: GO TO 30 0,-7: DRAW -7,0: DRAW 0,-7: DRAW 34.99 IF m=20 THEN GO TO 3510 93,0: DRAW 0,7 3500 CIRCLE 52,76,15: PRINT AT 1 7080 PLOT 0,34: DRAW 103,0: DRAW 2,5;m; -0p"; FOR f=I TO 50: BEEP 0,-23: DRAW -103,0: DRAW 0,23 .01,f: NEXT f:PRINT AT 12,5;- 7090 PLOT 24,112: DRAW 55,0: DRR ": OVER 1:CIRCLE 52,76,15: OVE W 0,23: DRAW -55,0: DRAW 0,-23 R 0: LET M=0 7100 PRINT RT 19,2; -CASH "imoni" 3505 RETURN p" ' 3510 PRINT AT 6,4; FLASH 1; OVER 7110 PLOT 32,95: DRAW 39,0: DRFiLI -: 1;" CIRCLE 52,76,15: PRI (continued on page 145)

140 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 CAN THERE BE A MORE POWERFUL ARGUMENT THAN OUR 600 INSTALLED NETWORKS?

INNER LONDONEDUCATION AUTHORITY

A.E.R. E.HARWELL KLAND4. BLOOD PRODUCTS LABORATO HNOLOGY CENTL HERTFORDSHIRE EDUCATION CHESTER BEAT TV LABORATOR AUTHORITY BIRMINGHAM OLTCATION AUTHORITY MARCONI OXFORD UNIVERSITY SUFFOLK COUNTY COUNCIL NORTH TYNESIDE MRC CRYOBIOLOGYGROUP METROPOLITAN B.C. (CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY) NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY TLSTER POLYTECHNIC LEICESTER T ATIVrp.;i7--- CROYDON !TEC inpvFRI EY

Fr he computer has made UNIQUE UPGRADE I itself at home in our offices, PATHS laboratories and classrooms. The RML microcomputer In fact, the big problem system evolves effortlessly today is providing enough from stand-alone station into hands-on facilities for every- multi-user configuration. body. That's why so many En route to the full schools, colleges and busi- CHAIN network, our new nesses are installing computer Shared -Disc System provides networks, to distribute the low-cost facilities to several computer facilities cost-effectively THE RML CHAIN NETWORK users simultaneously from one disc - to more users at a time. IS DIFFERENT drive unit. At least, that's the theory. With its powerful 380Z server So if you are thinking of a THE RML CHAIN NETWORK unit and high -specification 480Z multi-user upgrade, look at the RML - SIMPLICITY ITSELF work stations, you can get it up andCHAIN network before you buy. In practice, an effective local running without any exotic bolt -on It's the one that has proved itself - area network can be hard to achieveextras. 600 times over. if the machines you start with were You'll find it easy to use, fully - For details contact Tina Davies originally designed for single -user interactive, and above all reliable. at the address below. home computing (as many institu- In fact, the CHAIN network tions have already learned). They will support up to 16 simultaneous RESEARCH MACHINES need extra chips, special clock boxesusers at a lower all -in price than .%)1( II NIS and power supplies, and often competitors' machines with far Sales Office: Mill Street, Oxford. liberal use of the soldering iron. inferior performance. Tel. Oxford (0865) 249866

Circle No. 169 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 141 DON'T DEAL WITH THE REST, DEAL WITH THE BEST The market leaders!...

ATA IS EXPANDING' ATA IS EXPANDING! Geographically and our product AppleIle range. We can supply the complete range of hardware and software for AppleIlc Apple,Apricot,Sirius,Hewlett- Macintosh Packard and IBM peripherals. to Do you sell micros successfully? Call for LIP If so we would like to talk to you. 01-833 Ring Ann Rossi (0727) 34361 Export specialists - ring or telex 0742-700802 for details!

.with recognised professional support

IBM Peripherals & Software Wordstar 270 Multimate 299 Select 320 QBase 105 dBaseII 350 Friday 160 Cardbox 175 PFS 85 PFS Report 80 tili 1,161111111\\\\ PFS Write 85 Lotus 1-2-3 355 Apple II Systems TkI Solver 205 Apple Ile 64K plus Disk Drive Supercalc I 125 and Controller 695 Supercalc II 185 Apple Ile 64K plus Supercalc III 259 DVO Disk Drives and Visicalc 159 Monitor Ile 949 CPM/86 39 Apple Ilc 128K plus Personal Basic 95 Apple Hardware Monitor Ilc 924 Apple Ile 429 Apple Ilc 829 Macintosh System Macintosh 1699 Macintosh pws 1 Apple III 1890 Imagewriter, MacWrite BARGAIN BOX Disk Drive Ile + Controller 250 and MacPaint 1995 Disk Drive Ile - Controller 199 We have a selection of demonstration hardware and Disk Drive Ilc 219 Apricot Systems Two Disk Drives software for sale. Disk Drive Macintosh 339 HP 125 Personal Office Computer 1 508 Apple Monitor Ile 130 S/S & monitor 1499 Two Disk Drives D/S & monitor HP -86A 1340 Apple Monitor Ilc 130 1674 HP 87 2300 1 2" Hi -Res Green Display 99 HP-87/XM 2343 Printers Plotters lmagewriter 10" carriage 345 Hewlett-Packard HP7470 749 lmagewriter 1 5" carriage 495 Hewlett-Packard HP7475 1399 25% OFF ABOVE PRICES Imagewriter Accessory Kit Ile 36 Apple Daisy Wheel Printer 1170 Epson RX80 100 Cps 229 Export specialists- ring or telex for details Epson RX80 FT 259 Epson RX100 399 Epson FX80 160 Cps 349 TERMS AND CONDITIONS CHEQUES WITH ORDERS Epson FX100 160 Cps 499 Please allow 10 days for clearance. PLC's, public Ricoh 1300 Flow Writer 1 150 For delivery please add £0-£199+ f5, £200-£1499+ £13, sector etc 30.days credit available on official Ricoh RP1600 1499 orders, subject to 5% credit charge. Silver Reed Exp 500 299 £1500 + 1'/2%. Brother HR15 399 CASH/CHEQUES WITH ORDER "SI Accessories OFFEREN Apple 80 Col Card 75 ATA - LONDON 4 Albion Hse, SPECIAL SCRE Apple 80 Col Card Extended 175 1 Back Hill, London EC1. 01-833 0041 TOUCH IEEE - 488 Interface card 235 HP1 50 Parallel Interface Card 95 Telex 25102 CHACOM G COMPUTERS Super Serial Card 105 FORDETAILS Joystick Ilc 34 ATA-SHEFFIELD 72 Eldon Street, PHONE Numeric Keypad Ile 85 Sheffield, S1 4GT. (0742) 700802 NW. Apple Mouse II 120 Microsoft Card (280 CP/m) 219 Telex 54 57 4 Keyzone Parallel Card 54 Keyzone Serial Card 82 ATA - WALES Cwrt-Y-Gaer, Keyzone 80 Col Card Ile 45 Wolvesnewton, Gwent, NP6 6PR, Keyzone 80 Col Card Ext Ile 79 Keyzone Fan with Antisurge 38 Wales, 0 291 5-3 74 Grappler + 105 ATA - POTTERS BAR 197 High Steet, Whole range of other products available! Potters Bar, Herts (0707) 57113 PRICES EXCLUSIVE OF VAT AND CURRENT AT TIME OF PRINTING.

Circle No. 247 142 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 When Every Minute Counts...Count On The Powerfool TRS-80TH Model 100! A Fully Portable Microcomputer Workstation With Up To 32K Memory

Our sensational TRS-80 Portable Computer is so portable - that wherever you are it's like having your office with you! It provides a convenient workstation_ for executives, managers, researchers, students - in fact anyone who wants immediate computing power wherever they go! Because it works on batteries - and the 8 or 24K memory (expandable to 32K) is retained by internal Nickel Cadmium batteries - you really can make the most of every minute - writing those urgent reports, or drafting those letters - and they'll type themselves up just as soon as you get back to base and connect it to a HIGH compatible printer! TECHNOLOGY SERIES Take A Look At Some of The Superb Features Complete nterface Capability Too! It has five built-in programs that mean you can use it as a personal word You can connect it to any Tandy dot-matrix, processor, address book or appointment calendar - and with its built-in daisy wheel or graphics printer via the parallel TELCOM program and an optional acoustic coupler, you'll also get instant interface - or another microcomputer or mainframe, communication via your telephone. With its full-size typewriter keyboard, via its RS -232C interface! and an 8 -line by 40 character liquid crystal display too, you've everything you need to begin computing on the go - without wasting a proverbial minute! 8K Model 100. Catalogue No. 26-3801 £499.00 24K Model 100. Catalogue No. 26-3802 £649.00 Tandy 8K RAM Expansion. Catalogue No. 26-3816 £79.95* COMPUTER CENTRE *Installation required, not inluded. Prices Include V.A.T. Send For Further Information to: Take A Look At Tandy, Today! Computer Marketing, Tandy Corporation (Branch UK),.°) Tameway Tower, Bridge Street, Walsall, Visit your local store or dealer and I West Midlands. WS1 11A. Tel: 0922-648181 ask about our expanding range of microcomputers and software - we service what we sell! IAddress See Yellow Pages For Address Of Store Nearest You Post Code Tel. No. PC9 Circle No. 170 Little Brothers should beseenbut not heard.

REGLILAR,CONDENSED, Olt EXTENDED FACES.

CUT SI IIr A4 OR ROI 1I PAPER.

BATTERY OR MAINS OPERATED.

A maxim which eloquently describes the BrotherRS -232C interface, the HR -5 is compatible with BBC, HR -5. Spectrum, Oric, Dragon, Atari and most other home Less than a footacross, it's nonetheless loaded withcomputers and popular software. features. Perfectly portable, the battery or mains operated The little printer that's low on decibels. HR -5 weighs less than 4 lbs, and has a starting price There's one thing the FIR -5 won't give you. of only £159.95 (inc. VAT). Earache. Which is really something to shout about. For the annoying 'clickety clack' many printers PLEASE SEND ME MORE DETAILS OF THE REMARKABLE BROTHER produce is mercifully absent from the FIR -5. HR -5 PRINTER. Quietly efficient, it delivers high definition NAMF

dot matrix text over 80 columns at 30 characters per ADDRESS second (maximum). Text or graphics with ease. The HR -5 also has something of an artistic bent Being capable of producing uni-directional TEL NO graphics and chart images together with bi-directional AVAILABLE FROM: BOOTS, RYMANS, WILDINGS, SELFRIDGES AND ALL. text What's more it will hone down characters into GOOD COMPUTER EQUIPMENT STOCKISTS. a condensed face, or extend them for added emphasis. At home with home computers. Incorporating either a Centronics parallel or

DEPT P, BROTHER OFFICE EQUIPMENT DIVISION, JONES + BROTHER, SHEPLEY STREET, GUIDE BRIDGE, AUDENSHAW, MANCHESTER M34 5JD TEL:061 330 6531(10 LINES) 061 330 0111(6 LINES) 061 330 3036 (4 LINES).TELEX: 669092. BROTHER INDUSTRIES LTD., NAGOYA, JAPAN. Circle No. 171

144 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 . / '"INI LH1F.

(continued from page 140) 0,-39: DRAW -39,0: DRAW 0,39 N 00001110,81N 00111110,BIN 1111 7200 PLOT 64,53: DRAW 0,20,PI: D1100,8/N 11110000 RAW 12,23: DRAW 7,0: DRAW 0,40: 9030 DATA BIN 01000100,BIN 01101 DRAW -7,0,PI: DRAW 0,-40: DRAW 7000,6IN e0elelee,s1N 06010110 81 ,cfs: DRAW -8,-33 N 00110000,BIN01111000 0111 7210 RETURN 1000,BIN 00110000 ,BIN 7999 9040 DATA 0,BIN 00001000,BIN 001 11110,BIN 01111111,81N 01111111, 8000REM MMIAMMEHM 51N00111110,81N 00011100,81N e 8001 001000 8003DIM b$(3) 9050 DATA 0,0,BIN00111100,SIN 8005LET at =0 1111110,255,BIN 01111110,81N 001 8010LET a$="BCEF- 11100,0 8020LET mon=150 9060 DATA BIN 00001000,BIN 00011 8025LET s$=" 100,8IN 00011100,BIN 00111110,61 8030RETURN N01111111,BIN 00001000,BIN 0000 8999 1000,0 9000 REM 9499 9001 9500 REM _ISE 9010 DATA BIN 00000100,BIN 000019501 000,BIN 00111110,BIN 01111111,BI9505 FOR F=USR "a" TO USR N 01111111,BIN 01111111,BIN 00119510 READ z: POKE F,z 1110,BIN 00011100 cimin NEXT F: RETURN 9020 DATA BIN 00000011,61N 000009998 SAVE "F/MACHINE" LINE 1:ST 011,BIN 00000111,BIN 00000111,81OP

have made a mistake, the program mayposition. The maximum Y co-ordinate is Precise characters crash and you will have to type it in again.191 and the maximum X co-ordinate is Normally, ASCIIoruser -defined When you run the program the first255. Point 0,0 isin the top left-hand characters can only be printed on thequestion it asks is for the starting addresscorner. screen in text positions by Tabbing. Whenof the machine -language code. If you have The third valueisthe code of the used in conjunction with graphics, theno other requirements, for 16K use 32300character that is to be printed. The fourth positioningbecomesimprecise.Markand for 48K machines use 65000. and fifth values relate to the way the Sanderson of St. Andrews, Scotland has You will then be asked if you want toprogram prints the character. sent a machine -code program, suitable forsave the program and the machine code. There are three different numbers you any Spectrum, which will print any ASCIIYou should have already saved the Basiccan Poke into these addresses: 0, 168 or or user -defined character on the screen atprogram so answer No until you know that176. It is best to experiment with them to pixel co-ordinates. you have entered it correctly. find the different effects. To set the colour The routine is in the form of a Basic The program then shows five memoryof the character, use the Basic colour machine -code loader. Having typed in thelocations. Into the first two Poke the Y andcommands before you run the machine - Basic code, save it before running it. If youX co-ordinates respectively of the screencode program.

Precise characters. 10 DATA 243,33,0,91,6.16,54,0, 80 LET b=INT (a/255): LET c=a- 35,15,251,58,16,91,230/7,17,0,91 (256*b) :POKE 23730, (C-1) :POKE ,95,42,18,91,125,41,41,41,254,14 23731,b 4,48,6,237,75.54,92,24,3,1,215,2 90 FOR F=0 TO 215 50,9,1,8,0 100 READ b 110 POKE (a+f),b 20 DATA 237,175,58,17,91,230,7 120 NEXT f ,79,52,8,145,79,58,17,91,203,63, 130 PRINT ,,"Do you want to say 203,83,203,53,50,22,91,58,15,91, e thiS programand the code ?fy/n 203,53,203,63,203,63,50,21,91,24 140 INPUT a$ 5,197,60,71,245,58,141 150 IF a$= -y- THEN GO TO 230 150 CLS 30 DATA 92,79,58,22,91,17,32,0 170 PRINT - The addresses to P ,38,0,111,25,16,253,17,224,87,25OKE are" , 113,254,31,40,3,35,113,43,71,24 180 PRINT "23312 with Y coo 1,254,24,40,12,17,32,0,25,113,12rdinate Of character - 0,254,31,40,2,35 190 PRINT"23313 with X coordirt ate of character- 40 DATA 113,193,241,33,0,91,5, 200 PRINT-23314 with code numb 2.197,229,205,158,14,58,22,91,95er of character- ,22,0,25,235,225,6,6,197,229,128 210 PRINT a+172;" ,a+187;- w , 111.38.0,121,254,0,40,4,55,41,1ith the printing type numb 6,253,14,235,70,176 er" 220 STOP 50 DATA 235,18,58,22,91,254,31 230PRINT "Inputprogram name '40,9,125,213,19,235,70,176,235, 240 INPUT a$ 18,209,20,225,35,193,15,213,58,2 250 SAVE a$ LINE 0 1,91,254,23,40,9,50,33,8,91,193, 260 SAVE a$CODE a,215 16,183,251,201,193,251,201 270 PRINT -"reposition thetap e for verification" 60 PRINT "What is the starting 280 VERIFY a$ address of the code 7- 290 VERIP'Y a$CODE as215 70 INPUT a 300 GO TO 160

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 145 CAMEL PRODUCTS EPROM PROGRAMMER Isn't it time you stopped tLMT LAST! for the Spectrum user. Put your programs, utilities, Assemblers into GAl EPROMS for instant load from the unique ROM -SP 35 running your computer CC at printer speed?

ROM -SP for Spectrum Ingenious unit for Spectrum, with 2 X 28 pin sockets and a Reset button allows In ten seconds, your computer can output upp to 16K of Basic or M/C program to RUN or LOAD instantly from-0 EPROMS. Cabled connector and full extender card. NOTE: Does not disable Sinclair ROM. £29.95on enough print data to keep your printer busy PROMER-SP for Spectrum A brand new Spectrum programmer for 2764/128. Zero insertion force socket & for five minutes, or longer. software on tape. Delivery Jan. 84. Order now at £29.95 c7;PROMER 81-S for Spectrum 2The very popular PROMER-81 for the ZX81 has been adapted to theSpectrum cc and the pnce kept low. £22.95 ccROM -81 Provides two 24 pin sockets for up to 8K of EPROM memory in the 8-16K area. Can use 2516/32 or 2716/32 £14.95 Instead of waiting around for the printer, PROMER-81 At last! A low cost reliable programmer for 2516/32, 2716/32 EPROMS. Re- you could install a print buffer, and free your quires 4 X PP3 batteries for a regulated 25 volts. Remarkably priced at/19.95 DHOBI 1 UV ERASER computer for its next task in seconds. Compact. Mains powered. Safe. Fully cased. Up to 3 EPROMS 118.95 Cn DHOBI 2 With automatic timer £22.35-t7 PRINT -SP NEW for Spectrum Centronics Interface with standard centronics cable. Plus FREE introductory offer, SPWRITE text processor. £3125 NIKE NEW for Spectruni/ZX81/ATMOS Print buffers take care of the printing cesimple to use nickel -cadmium back-up power supply unit providing over 30 minutes extra LIFE in the even of mains failure. £17.35 - and the waiting. And the more you print, BLOPROM-SP cc A uniquely the more time a buffer will save.

sophisticated c-, 0 EPROM CA ce PROGRAMMER 22

35Eprom programmer for the 2516, 2716/32/32A/64/64A/28/128A, STATUS NO OF SYSTEM -HEX Buffers for any combination of micro and printer/ cc EPROM TYPE -VISE LL yes even the 64A/128A from RAM START ODOR -4000 Intel. Check, Read, Progam & EPROM ST ADOR - 0000 plotter. Internal buffers forEpson printers; Apple Verify all or part of Eprom. JOB LENGTH - 1000 So immensely user friendly you'll TASK - CHECK Computers. In -line' buffers for IBM PC, Sirius, WHICH TASK DO YOU WISH TO DO hardly need the manual. WI CHECK THAT EPROM IS CLEAN Designed for the beginner but 0) READ THE CONTENTS OF EPROM INTO Commodore 20/40/80 series, Super Brain, BBC, RAM includes a single key entry route Y) BLOW AN EPROM WITH DATA FROM for the professional. Supplied as RAM Tandy, etc. U) VERIFY THAT EPROM DATA IS THE SAME firmware, the m/c driver routine AS IN RAM alone is worth more than the O TO OIJIT fl TO RESTART' priceof BLOPROM-SP. No muCODES AVAILABLE Personality Cards, or D H POR WXYZ Data transfer in RS232c serial, Centronics- other additions, just a Spectrum. Several inbuilt safety features. On- board Vpp generation. 28pin ZIF socket. Cabled connector and parallel, IEEE -488 formats. Protocol conversion. extender plug. ABS case. £89.95 RAM sizes from 2K to 256K BLOPHOM-81 £79.9522 As above but for ZX81. Programs 2516, 2716/32/32A/64 & 27128 22 onDREAM -81 64K Rampack with link options to disable 0-8-16K. Plus a 28 pin EPROM socket 35 for 2716, 2732/2764 and 27128. In an ABS case with an LED indicator. £.59.95 OMEMIC-81 0 -4K CMOS RAM with lithium battery. Easy SAVEing, 10yr storage and instant retrieval of programs. 129.95 A)Line Computer Systems CRAMIC-81 16K CMOS RAM with lithium battery to Co -exist in same memory area as 1 Church Farm Lane, ordinary RAM. £79.95 INTRODUCING MULTEPROM TBA Willoughby Waterleys, The most economical, sophisticated gang copier in the world. Based on BLOPROM. Leicestershire LE8 3UD. PRINTER/MONITOR ACCESSORIES MSB Monitor Stand for BBC 17"X12"X3.75" Telephone: P&P £3.50 £19.95 PSS Standard printer stands for OKI. Peatling Magna (053 758) 486 Epson etc. 15"X12"X4.5". £3.50 £16.95 PSC-3 for Epson MX -100 etc. 21"X14"X3.75". P&P £3.50 £22.95 POT Printer Output Tray for 11" fanfold paper Talk to the specialists. P&P £3.50 £16.95 We have the answers. UK. VAT extra. No VAT on exports P+ P UK Free Europe +5% - Overseas +10% TLX 81574 CML Cambridge Memeletrames ltdOneMilton Rd.Cambudge C84 WY Tel 10223) 314 814 2 Circle No. 172 Circle No. 173 146 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 by MikeTodd Pet Pokes problem THERE ARE a variety of techniques avail- Pet problem. able to allow programs written on the 100;F25`.:5 THEN 10:0 needed frequently. F Halliday provides a solution in the 1020POKE S.A: C=C+A: S=S -1-1:GOTO 1010 form of a simple machine -code program 1030IF A<>CTHEN PRINT"CHECFSUM ERROR";END which requires only a single command to do the necessary adjustments to allow 64 1050POKE 52187t POKE 5?= 127 programs to be listed on a Pet. The program in the listing is run on a 1060A=FRE (0 Pet and then any 64 programs, once 1070NEW loaded, just require SYS 32700 '?elerin iTi169.1,162,4,133,71,134 to make them available forlisting or 2010DATA32,162,8,133,33,134,34 modifying. 7020 The program maynotworkon DATA160,0,165,33,197,42,208 programs which have been tampered with 2030DATA17,165,34,197,43,208,11 to protect them, nor willit work on 7.7g14171 DATA32,182,180 machine -code programs. In addition, the DATA165,43,56.233.4,133,43,96 program is written for Basic 4 Pets, but by 2060DATA177,33,145,31,230,31,230 changing lines 2040 and 2090 as follows, it 2070DATA 208,223,230,32,230.34 will work with Basic 2. 2040 DATA 32,66,196 20thDATA76,204,127 2090 DATA 5991 7090DATA6091 Keyboard bleep Keyboardbleep. 1 REM ******************************* for the 64 2 REM * * A program forthe Commodore 64 3 REM * KEYBOARD BLEEP FOR THE 64 * which provides a simple keyboard bleep 4 REM * every time a key is pressed comes from Mr Rawalls of Chepstow. 5 REM ******************************* It places the necessary machine code in- to memory starting at 40704 and resets the 10 POF,E 52,159: POFE 56,159 top of memory pointers, hooks the routine 20 S=40704 inand thenerasesitselfleavingthe machine -code program operating. The 30 FOR I=S TO 8+73 program intercepts the keyboard routine 40 READ A: POKE I.A: G=C+A vectored through locations 655 and 656 50 NEXT and works reasonably well, although there are times when a double bleep is sounded. 60 READ A 70 IF A<>C THEN PRINT"DATA ERROR":STOP Formatting 80 SYS40765 listings While Basic is a fairly easy language to 90 NEW use, the resulting programs can be cluttered and difficult to read. This is especially true 100 DATA64,8,72,138,72,152,72,165 when the program contains lines with many 101 DATA197,205,0,159,240,38,141,0 statements. But now Rune Nordberg has helped matters by writingaformatter 102 DATA159,169,0,141,24,212,169,2 program which reads the program from a 103 DATA141,6,212,169,65,141,1,212 discfileandprintsit outsuitably 104 DATA169,75,141,0,212,169,33,141 formatted. 105 DATA4,212,169,32,141,4,212,169,4 The listing of the program itself has been 106 DATA141,24,212,104,168,104,170 formatted to show how easy the result is to read. Each separate statement is printed on 107 DATA104,40,76,72,235,120,169,1 a new line, with each For loop indented two 108 DATA141,143,2,169,159,141,144,2 spaces. Obviously, the program would be 109 DATA88,96 entered in the normal way. 110 DATA8266 There are no Gotos inthe program. (continued on page 149)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 147 THE GREAT SUMMER SALE DOUBLE VER WORD 100K( APT )1200K( DENSITY )BBC DRIVE DFS ONLY £110+VAT=£126.50 THE WORD PROCESSOR Carriage £B extra For Microcomputers running CP/MTM 'EDUCATION ORDERS WELCOME! 'DEALER AND EXPORT You will not believe the power of Word ENQUIRIES INVITED processing software that VER-WORD can bring to your machine. easy to learn and use what you see is what you get ideal separate command and edit modes powerful block text commands sophisticated column manipulation Slimline, half height, top quality disk drive from CHINON, Japan featuring full microprocessor control (no LSI gimmick!), quietest mail merging included operator and lowest power requirement in the industry (+ 5V @ 450 mA and + 12V @ 190 mA). Write now for full specification brochure. Beautifully boxed in metal case and in matching BBC colour and supplied complete with: Orders are being * Disk Drive Cable and Power Lead accepted for the * Formatter Disk following hardware: VERWOOD SYSTEMS * DFS Manual Osborne Verwood House Televideo High Street, TELEPHONE FOR INCREDIBLE PRICES IN FULL RANGE OF BBC DRIVES! Wordset West Haddon, Compucorp (CP/M) Northants NN6 7AP. micronix computersLtd 0Suite 2. 26 Charing Cross Road, London WC2. TeL 01-2400213/0217. Telex. 293173 VILORD G CP/MTM is a registered trade mark of Digital Research, Inc. Circle No. 245 Circle No. 244 DISK DIRECT isil\s\sse0.1RI VI ore zol wabash Maxell Dysan SS/SD 48TPI Mll 1.26 BEST VALUE SS/DD 48TPI M13 1.48 MD1D 1.54 104/1D 1.77 DS/DD 48TPI M14 1.66 MD2D 2.29 104/2D 2.61 SS/DD 96TPP M15 1.90 MD1DD 2.10 204/1D 2.61 DS/DD 96TPI M16 2.16 MD2DD 3.22 204/2D 3.28

SPECIFY SECTORING SOFT/10/16 PRICES FOR 100+ ON REQUEST ORDER. THE SIMPLE WAY - Remember! The once you see includes No carriage charges carnage. No hidden extras! BY MAIL Clip whole coupon. Enclose cheque or postal order for total of goods 1- required and send to FREEPOST address shown. Your goods will be despatched NAME Daytime tel. no. immediately the payment has been processed. BY PHONE Call us with your Credit Card Number (Access or Barclaycard) and your goods will be despatched directly to you. IADDRESS

ORDER Qty Part No & Description Price

I DM DIRECT Disk Direct, Freepost, Dept. G.C., Woking GU22 9BR. ADD VAT at 15% Telephone (04862) 26626. TOTAL L /IMMO 40111111111 111 111111 NNW 4411.111 Circle No. 246 148 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 r ft t11111DOPE

(continued from page 147) remains 1E10 and the loop continues.omitstheBasic4 keywords Concat, stead, For -Next loops are used to simulate To exit, the loop variable is set to aDOpen, DClose,Record,header, Do -Until or Do -Forever with the start andnumber higher than 1E10. Selecting theCollect, Backup, Copy, Append, DSave, finish values set to a value greater than thevariable B, which is initialised to 2E10,DLoad, Catalog, Rename, Scratch and maximum complete integer that can beforces the loop to exit on encounteringDirectory. They could be added fairly easi- represented. This is set in the variable A toNext. ly if you need them, in which case the cons- a value of 1E10; when itis incremented The Data statements in lines 9910 totant 75 in lines 1010 and 1200 must be inthe For -Next loopitsvalue9950 contain the Basic keywords. The list changed to 90.

Formatting listings.

01000 REM *4* LIST 02150 NEXT 01010 CO$ = CHR$(0): A211'70 X% = F%-F1%+I%-I1%: C1$ IF IN$ = 00$ THEN OP$ = LEFT$COP$,LEN(OP$) L% = 6 -1) A = 1E10: 02170 PRINT#4,SFC(XLEFT$(0P$,58-X%): B = 2E10: GOSLIB 9410 DIM C$(75) 02180 IF NOT(LEN(OP$) D. 58-X%) 00TO 2195 01100 PRINT "MIST": 02190 PPINT#4,SPC(14+F%+1.%).;RIGHT$(0P$,LEN(OP$) PRINT "ENTER NAME OF PROGRAM TO BE LISTED. GOSUB 9410 INPUT "PGM NAME' M$ 02195 IF INS = 01$ THEN PRINT#4,SPC(14); 01110 PRINT "ENTER TODAYS DATE.", 02200 IF INS = CO$ THEN J = B INPUT "DATE",D$ 02210 NEXT: 01120 PRINT "MITHE PGM TO BE LISTED MUST BE ON THE" NEXT 01130 PRINT "DISC IN DRIVE 0 AND THE PRINTERS PAPER" 01140 PRINT "MUST BE FITTED SO THAT THE PRINTER HEAD" 01150 PRINT "IS ON TOP OF PAGE.": 09400 REM *** LINECOUNT PRINT "MIT RETURN WHEN READY." 09410 LX = L%+1 01160 FORI=ATOA: 09420 IF NOT(L% 67) GOTO 9440 GET IN$: 094:30 FOR I = 1 TO 8: IF INS = CHR$(13) THEN I= B PRINT#4: 01170 NEXT NEXT: 01200 FOR I= 0 TO 75: L% = 4 READ C$(1): 09440 RETURN NEXT 01300 OPEN 4,4: OPEN 15,8,15: 09500 REM *** READ -1 PRINT#15,"I0": 09510 GET#8,IN$: GOSUB 9710 GOSUB 9710: 01310 OPEN 8,8,80:"+NW,P,R": IF INS = "" THEN INS = CO$ GOSUB 9710: 09520 RETURN GOSUB 9610 01400 FOR I= 1 TO 4: PRINT#4: NEXT 09600 REM *** READ -2 01410 PRINT#4,SPC(8);CHR$(1);N$;CHR$(129),D$: 09610 GET#8,INS: PRINT#4 GOSUB 9710: GET#8,INS, 02000 FORI=ATOA: GOSUB 9710: I% = 0: GOSUB 9610 IF INS <9 "" THEN RETURN 02010 GOSUB 9510: 09620 GOSUB 9810: X% = ASC(IN$): END GOSUB 951(1: LNS = STR$(X%+ASCON$)*256) 09700 REM *** ERROR PRINT#4,SPC(8)RIGHT$("0000"+RIGHTMN$,LEN 09710 INPUT#15,ENS,EMS,ETS,ESS: 5)" IF ENS = "00" THEN RETURN 02030 FORJ=ATOA: 09720 PRINT "misK ERROR": OP$ = PRINT "MOERRORNF: ";ENS: OX = 0: PRINT "ERROR: "Et'14: Fl% = 0: 09730 IF NOT

PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 149 !SOFT PASCAL If you want it tomorrow . . OC9PAC call us today Quality ZX SPECTRUM Software 01-455 9823 HISOFT PASCAL 4T Using the .. I haven't seen any other compiler that could match Hisoft's Pascal" .. COMPUTERS/CALCULATORS/PLOTTERS Spectrum Micro - Autumn 1983 "This is a very impressive product . . . of benefit to any Spectrum programmer .. ." David HEWLET PACKARD CE 158 RS232 and Cent IF £130.80 Bolton ZX COMPUTING Aug/Sept 1983 £199.00 CE 150 printer cassette IF £130.00 HP 4 1CV (SCI Comp Cat Just two comments fromfulllengthreviewsofour powerfulandvirtuallyfull HP 4 1 CX (Computer) £205.00CE 159 8K Add on mem with BATE79.00 implementation of Standard Pascal. The advantages of using Pascal are well-known - HP 4 1C (Card Reader) £129.95CE 152 Cassette £36.00 HP 4 1C Printer 82143A £230.00 fast, self-doumenting, and above all, structured programs and now, with Hisoft Pascal, MZ-8080AEU Exp Unit £86.00 you can reap all these benefits on a wide range of home computers, including the 48K HP 4 1C Printer 82162A £300.00PC 1251 (Computer) £64.00 HP 4 1C Cassette drive £290.00 Sinclair Spectrum! Hisoft Pascal produces programs that run typically 40 times faster than HP 16C (Hex Con) £84.00CE125 I/F for above £79.00 equivalent ZX BASIC programs and, sometimes, up to 1,000 times faster! HP 1 5C (Adv Soil New HP 150 personal office computer Hisoft Pascal supports FOR . DO, WHILE .. DO, REPEAT ... UNTIL, CASE ... OF, £410.00terminal unit or upgradable with disc HP 71 C (portable computer) E2300.00 INTEGERs, REALs, CHARacters, RECORDs, POINTERs, SETs, ARRAYs etc. etc. - it HP Plotter 7470A RS232 or HP1 B drives to 14.7M bytes Epson OX -10 (desk top comp) £1599.00 is not a Tiny Pascal but a virtually full implementation of the language allowing the user to £799.00 develop true high-level language skills while attaining e ecution speed close to that of £1390.00EPSON HX20 Briefcase computer. 16K HP 6 Pen Plotter 7475A machine code. Complete with a 70 -page manual. Mannesman Pixy Plotter £495.00expandable. Serial and RS232 interface. SHARP £375 PC 1 500 Pocket Computer £13o.ocrEPSON PX-8 (portable 64K HISOFT DEVPAC 3 Computer/Word Processor) £775.00 PL 5000 Portable Computer £1190.00 "... DEVPAC is most highly recommended. The documentation is first class." Your WORD PROCESSING PRINTERS/MONITORS Computer May 1983 . it you write programs in machine code, buy DEVPAC- it is the best currently on the NEC 2010/2030 (20CPS) £645.00 BROTHER. *Highly Recommended* market." Adam Denning, ZX SOFT in Which Micro September 1983 7710 RS232/7730 Centronics HR1 £445.00 Two comments from reviews of earlier versions of DEVPAC - now we have DEVPAC 3 £1499.00 Serial or Centronics - available: a powerful Z80 assembler with conditional assembly, assembly from tape (to NEC 2050 (IBM/PC Compatablel HR15 (3K Buffer 18 CPS) £329.00 £750.00 HR25 13K Buffer 25 CPS) £549.00 enable generation of very large code files), ORG, EOU, DEFB, DEFS, DEFW, DEFM, SILVER REED labels of any length - in fact all you need for fast (3,000 lines per minute) and powerful EXP 500 (1 2CPS) £299.00DIABLO 630' assembly programming. But it doesn't stop there: DEVPAC 3 also includes an incredible EXP 770 (31CPS-2K Buffer) £850.006201R0) £650.00 debugger/dis-assembler giving you a 'front panel' display of the Z80 system and allowing Sheet feeder for above £199.00 630(ECS) £1850.00 extensive debugging of your machine -code program, including single -stepping programs 630(API) (IBM COM) £1400.00 QUME EVEN IN ROM!! Open up the secrets of low-level programming with DEVPAC 3. 630(KSR) 9/45 RO-FFP £1550.00 Prices: Tractor ( £1315.00 9)55 R0-FFP £1900.00 Hisoft Pascal 4T (ZX SPECTRUM) £25 inclusive 11/40 RO (Also IBM-PC) £1185.00 FI (NewBrain, SHARP M2700 etc) £35 plus VAT HEEL TEC STARWRITER` Hisoft DEVPAC 3 (ZX SPECTRUM) £14 inclusive F 1 0-55 CPS (serial/parallel) £13 PSON DX 100113CPS) (NewBrain £25 inclusive Tractor (Bi-Dil £399.00 ***STOP PRESS*** Hisoft Pascal for the SPECTRUM now comes complete with a Sheet Feeder Turtle Graphics package allowing fast and easy production of comples graphic displays Mechanical Sheet F eet Feeder RUTISHAUSER OLYMPIA £800.00Sheet Feeders and Tractors for: ESW 103 Qume, Diablo, NEC, Ricoh, TEC HISOFT TOSHIB Starwriter, Olivetti, etc. From £99.00 180 High Street North The all Word Dunstable Process") raft/Data Processing printerRICOH Beds LU6 tAT using a - 24 wire prinrhead to give Model RP 1300 (S) (4K Buffer) ..E895.00 Tel: (0582) 696421 exceptionally high letter quality output Flowriter (8K) PR 1600 £1244.00 IBM-PC Version f 1500.00 COLOUR MONITORS from £220 Mechanical Sheet Feeder £459.00 Circle No. 177 Monochrome Monitors from £54.00Tractor Feed £138.00 DOT MATRIX PRINTERS OKI SEIKOSHA GP700A Colour£349.00 M82A (120 CPS) £240.00 HOW THE NEW M92P 1160 CPS)..£379.00 GP-100A/VIC 20 £175.00 Tractor £50.00 MANNESMAN TALLY M83A112 CPS) £420MT80 (80 CPS) £195.00 NOVV E ACT WILL I1 20cps Friction, removeable Tractor and MT160 1160 CPS) £41 7.00 RS232 and Centre/Par standard) MT180 1160 CPS -132 Col) £590.00 AFFECT YOU M84P (200 CPS) £650 AVAI[f`BL ANADEX EPSON DP -9000 B/1180 CPS) £850.00 Epson RX8OT (100cps) £195.00 DP -9500 B/11180 CPS) £893.00Epson FX80 (160cps) £324.00 DP -9625B/1240 CPS) £1155.00 Epson RX8OFT £220.00 BROTHER Keyboard £210.00 EP22 Portable (Ideal for Atari/CommodoreEpson FX100FT 160cps) £430.00 A Guide to the 64/Vic Nec PC8201/sharp. PC1500 Etc. Epson RX100FT (100cps-136col.) £399.00 Printer/Typewriter/Calculator.... £130.00 £885.00 EP44 (16 CPS) £189.00Epson L0.1500 (200cps) HR 5 (30 CPS) £129.00Epson I/F and accessories from £29.50 Data Protection TECHNICAL ADVICE 1 If you require help in selecting correct PRINTER/SHEETFEEDER/MONITOR/SOFTWARE PROGRAMME or even I/F CABLE for your existing Act computer Tel our HOT LINE 01-455 9824 Written by Dr. Nigel Savage of Trent DIGITEK ACCESSORIES FOR APPLE COMPUTERS Polytechnic and Prof. Chris Edwards of 64K RAM £149.00 RS232High Speed SetLFcard £85.00 I 128K RAM CARD £299.00 Screen master80 £129.00 I Cranfield Institute of Technology this PALColour Encoder E79.00 I/FCards for Epson/Nec/ Expander card £89.00 Tec Microline £98.00 L280 latest book in the "Instant Guide" series SOFTWARE from Financial Training Publications will This is only a selection of programmes available - telephone us for your specific tell you how and why the new act will requirements. ArPLE II/e IBM/COMPAQ affect you. Mailmerge V.3.3 £125.00 Wordstar V.3.35 £270.00 Wordstar V.3.31 £270.00 Mailmerge V.3.24 £125.00 Wordstar/Mailmerge/Spellstar£406.00 Lotus 1-2-3 £325.00 ACT -APRICOT Symphoney £450.00 120 PAGES£6.95 Pulsar-Wordstar £250.00 dBase II (CP/M86) E295.00 Mail Merge £75.00 (INCLUDING THE ACT) Superwriter £250.00 GOODS FULLY GUARANTEED Other forthcoming "Instant Guides" PRICES EXCLUDING VAT AND P + P. A Guide to The Insolvency Act Company end Government orders accepted by phone. A Guide to The Companies Act Consolidation Barclaycard Access Visa accepted by phone. A Guide to The Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act Tel.: 01-455 9823 A Guide to The Police and Criminal Evidence Act

IVIOUN TA INDENE Available from bookshops and Financial Training Publications Limited, 22 Cowper Street London EC2 Avenue House, 131 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UT. Tel: 01-603 4688 Circle No. 176 Circle No. 178

150 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Withsomuch software to choose from how do you make the right choice? If you think choosing business software is software products truly worthy of the title as easy as shelling peas you have probably "software leader"- products that offer the user 7enclose £4-50 annual subscription already used the WHS SOFTEAM catalogue. reliability, efficiency and value for money. Also fee. Please rush me your latest Any microcomputer user will know that finding listed are the micro hardware leaders for which catalogue and five further editions at the right software is even more difficult than this software is recommended together with two month intervals. accredited computer dealers nationwide who finding the right hardware. We've scored a first Name on both counts. Our WHS SOFTEAM business can supply your needs. But this is only the start. software with hardware catalogue is the first W.H. Smith has set up a warehouse and Position British publication bringing together both distribution facility, backed up by advice and software and hardware in this way. Logical technical support, to furnish these Company when you think about it for what good dealers with everything is one without the other. they need to look after your Address The WHS SOFTEAM interests. business catalogue is available Our interest can be now from W.H. Smith major summed up in five words. branches and station bookstalls. Advice, supply, after sales WHSMITH Alternatively a year's subscription service. Surely that's your (6 issues) is available direct from 2 interest too! us, post paid, to your office desk. The WHS SOFTEAM Pop into your local W.H. aitaref business catalogue is the one Smith branch or return this single reference source for software coupon today. It will probably SOFTEAM and hardware you will ever need. It be one of the best investments LBUSINESS SOFTWARE contains full details of only those you make this year.

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151 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 SUSS BOX The DUPLEX SUSS -BOX and DUPLEX SUSS ADAPTOR have TOP VALUE from been designed to enable the less NEC. skilled computer user to have a better understanding of the correct working connection between a computer and a peripheraL such as a printer This is achieved by using the commonly used signals (wires) of the RS232C serial data cable specification, a matrix block and special connector pins By inserting the connector pins into the SUSS BOX's matrix block at the axis of two incoming signals the user can quickly establish a firm connection The signals are muted into the SUSS - BOX by two 25 way D type connectors I x :ftIfn 2.4Mb! femaleI x male The SUSS,BOX also provides a lamp for each signal to show its condition when connected inline. ie High or low

\trossalmg.1"11. the ADVANCED Personal Computer (APC) suss -ADAPTOR from only £1,735+ vat 'When the user has achieved the correct Pm out between a micro computer and a printer the DUPLEX SUSS BOOK including free NEC dot printer + MSDOS or CPM SUSS -ADAPTOR should be used as a permanent -2ndedition- or free MSDOS + WORDSTAR + MULTIPLAN means of connection This is done by 'transposing the II the user specifically wishes to connect a correct matru, block pm -layout already established microcomputer to the OCTET or HERMIT STANDARD FEATURES with the SUSS -BOX onto the matrix -block of the SUSS typewriter/printer then refer to ADAPTOR, and then =tailing the SUSS -ADAPTOR in DUPLEX's SUSS -BOOK for details between the computer and Sumter SPEED: full 5 MHz 8086 16 bit processor (true 16 bit data). on various microcomputer CAPACITY:One or two ONE MEGABYTE 8" disks (1.2 Mb each under MSDOS) cable Pin -outs' MEMORY: 129k user RAM + screen RAM + system ROM + battery -backed £29.95 c, IC, non-volatile RAM & clock/calendar. £0.65 OPERATING SYSTEMS: MSDOS or CPM-86 or CONCURRENT DOS (CPM). +f 1.00 p&p P&P HIGH RESOLUTION: 8 x 19 dot character screen definition, (25 lines of 80 + VAT characters + 26th system status line), 12 inch green screen. AWARD WINNING NEC 7220 graphic chip in character mode. 256 standard character set includes maths/greek & graphic symbols. ADDITIONAL 256 USER - PROGRAMMABLE shape character set(s). DETACHABLE KEYBOARD: Fast buffered 61 key + 25 key numeric/cursor pad + South-SO High Strout. Stock. Eau. 044 98W. 7.10277 841011 22 dual mode function keys with labelling facility (16 of which will each hold two 1/ character user -defined strings). bildkmda/North -2 Loire L. Dualca Butooll. Mr. Lutkuleurth, Loicoolorohleo LE17 SIP. 741 0855 284398 SERIAL RS -232: Up to 19,200 baud synch/asynch. PARALLEL printer. All prices are based on cash, with -order SUPERB MANUALS: operating level to full technical spec (US written). INEW COMPACTNESS: 19 inches wide, 24 inches deep, 14 inches high. PRICE: unbelieveable for the quality of this product from the mini -computer division of NEC (world's 3rd largest micro manufacturer). OPTIONAL EXTRA FEATURES EXPANDABLE USER MEMORY: in 128k units to 6540k RAM. HARD DISKS: one/two (10-20 MB formatted), floppies ideal for backup. * 8 COLOUR SCREEN: (standard software uses colour optionally). @CRON-FEY VERY HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS: 640 x 475 x 8 colour screen from 1024 x 1024 x 3 bit mapped array (384k extra RAM!). Hardware draw, pan & zoom using 2nd NEC 7220 controller. Fast! Macro shape generation etc. 32 BIT HARDWARE ARITHMETIC PROCESSOR: 8087. SALES * CONCURRENT CPM NOW AVAILABLE. REPRESENTATIVE 8 BIT Z80 CARD NOW AVAILABLE for dual standard 8 & 16 bit. SOFTWARE CUSTOMISED software packages to your requirements for less than the price of a required for the typical inflexible standard package - details on request. ACCOUNTS: Own bespoke packages at two levels, SYSTEMATICS, PEACHTREE. North of England WORD PROCESSING: NEC Benchmark, Spellbinder, Wordstar, etc. DATABASE: DBASE II, Rescue, Datastar, Friday! etc. Leading computer peripheral equipment distributor LANGUAGES: C, CB -86, CBASIC-86, Microsoft BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN, requires field Sales Representative to join our rapidly PASCAL, PLJ1. expanding sales team. COMMUNICATIONS: Asynch, IBM: Bisync 3780, 3270, HASP. Previoussellingexperiencewithinthecomputer industry would be an advantage but is not essential as Brighton Computer product training will be given.

A matureattitudeisrequiredtogether withthe Centre necessarypersonalityandabilitytocommunicate 130 Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 3LG effectively at all organisational levels. (0273) 673114 Mon -Sat 10am-6pm Good basic salary plus commission and company car. Please send me further details of the NEC APC. Micropute Name Company Catherine Street, Address MACCLESFIELD, Tel Cheshire, SK 11 6QY. Application Telephone No: Macclesfield 615384 PC/8/84

152 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 UNBELIEVABLE SAVINGS ** COMPUTERS - ** DAISYWHEEL ** EX VAT EX VAT APRICOT 256K 315Kx2 MONITOR £1425.00 ANADEX DP-6500500cps £2019.00 ** PRINTERS ** APRICOT 256K 720Kx2 MONITOR £1625.00 ANADEX WP -6000 £1808.00 APRICOT Xi 256k 5MB MONITOR £2175.00 BROTHER EP44 £199.00 EX VAT APRICOT Xi 256k 10MB MONITOR £2295.00 BROTHER HR5 £129.00 APRICOT Optional 12in MONITOR £220.00 CANON PW1080A 160cps(NLO) £279.00 BROTHER HR1 £445.00 CIFER 9000 Multi User 21MB £5095.00 CANON PW1156A 160cps(NLQ) £339.00 BROTHER HR15 £329.00 COMMODORE 8250 DISK DRIVE £785.00 EPSON RX 80T 100cps £195.00 BROTHER HR15 Keyboard £135.00 COMMODORE 8296 £695.00 EPSON RX 80F/T 100cps £220.00 BROTHER HR15 Sheet feeder £185.00 COMMODORE SX-64 PORTABLE £675.00 EPSON FX 80 160cps £324.00 BROTHER HR15 Tractor Feed £62.00 COMMODORE 64 £152.17 EPSON FX 100F/T 160cps £430.00 BROTHER HR25 £549.00 COMMODORE DISK 1541 £165.21 EPSON LQ 1500200cps(N LO) £895.00 CANON AP400 KSR £760.00 COMMODORE IBEK PARALLEL INTERFACE £59.50 HONEYWELL POA DAISYSTEP 200020cps £240.00 COMMODORE 1530 C2N CASSETTE £32.00 MANNESMANNMT80 80cps £199.00 DIABLO 630 API £1315.00 COMPAQ £1895.00 MANNESMAN MT180160cps(NLQ) £590.00 DIABLO Sheet Feeder £490.00 EPSON QX10 £1600.00 NEC PINWRITER POA FUJITSU SP830 RO(S)80cps £1195.00 JUKI 610018cps £325.00 KAYPRO II £945.00 NEWBURY DRE 8850 3001pm £2095.00 KAYPRO 10MB £1995.00 NEWBURY DRE 8925240cps £1385.00 NEC 2010 Serial 20cps £645.00 OLIVETTI M20 160KB 2x320KB Drives £1295.00 OKI 82A 120cps £255.00 NEC 2030 Parallel 20cps £645.00 OLIVETTI M24 128KB 2x360KB Drives £1658.00 OKI 84A 200cps £630.00 NEC 3510 Serial 35cps £1149.00 OLIVETTI M24 128KB 10MB Hard Disk £3315.00 OKI OK192P 160cps £379.00 NEC 3530 Parallel 35cps £1149.00 OKI OK12410P 350cps NEC 7710 Serial 55cps £1499.00 OSBORNE I £1175.00 £1535.00 SAGE 118,1V POA SEIKOSHA GP100A £165.00 NEC 7730 Parallel 55cps £1499.00 SANYO MBC 555128K 2x160K Drives £795.00 SHINWA CP80 Model II FT £175.00 OLYMPIA ESW103 £825.00 SIRIUS 256K 10MB £2850.00 STAR DELTA 10160cps £329.00 QUME 11/40 RO £1185.00 SIRIUS 256K 2.4MB £2095.00 STAR DELTA 15160cps £445.00 QUME 11/55 RO £1370.00 SIRIUS 128K 1.2MB £1545.00 STAR GEMIN11OX 120cps £199.00 QUME 9/45 RO £1550.00 SIRIUS Memory Expansions from £222.00 STAR GEMIN115X 120cps £295.00 QUME 9/55 RO £1900.00 SIRIUS Express Accelerator Boards POA STAR RADIX 10200cps(NLQ) £449.00 RICOH RP1300S £895.00 PLUS 5 External Hard Disk Drives POA STAR RADIX 15200cps(NLQ) £549.00 RICOH RP1600S £1190.00 TEC 1550120cps £465.00 RICOH RP1600S FLOWRITER 8k £1249.00 TOSHIBA TH2100H 192cps £1275.00 RICOH RP1600S FLOWRITER 8k **VDU's & TERMINALS** TREND 930200cps NLQ 80cps £1350.00 IBM PC £1299.00 RICOH RP1600S Sheet Feeder £459.00 CIFER T4 £760.00 RICOH RP1600S Tractor £138.00 HAZELTINE ESPRIT Fixed Keyboard £395.00 SILVER REED EXP550 (P)16cps £570.00 QUME QVT 103 (VT100 VT131) £695.00 SMITH TELEVIDEO 910 £489.00 MAYFAIR CORONA TP1 12cps £195.00 TEC STARWRITER F104040cps£895.00 ** SOFTWARE ** MICROS TEC STARWRITER F105555cps £1235.00 TEC Sheetfeeder £459.00 ALL MAJOR SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SUPPLIED AT BLENHEIM HOUSE. PODMORE ROAD, LONDON SW18 1AJ TEC Tractor £138.00 LOW COST UCHIDA DWX-305(S or P)18cps £230.00 Plus: Not only do we offer top quality products at low TEL: 01-870 3255 prices. We also support and develop Software with We accept official orders from UK Government and ** PLOTTERS ** the assistance of our long established software Educational Establishments. Mail Order and Export MANNESMANN PIXY PLOTTER £495.00 dept. Enquiries welcome. Callers by appointment. GOULD PLOTTER POA

Circle No. 179 nBACKLIPyourtroubles inyourold CLIP bag! CLIP Compressed Library Interchange Program CP/M CPM 86 MS DOS MS DOS 2-0£95.00 Backs up a Winchester CLIP offers effortless backup. on to floppies. Compresses text or data to You can prepare new commands using less than half size. a question and answer routine. Then Large files can span multiple name each command for later use: discs. to run it, the name is enough. Selective backup or retrieval, on an *NEW* CLIP has its own menu, with inclusive or exclusive basis. seven prepared commands. Customise the commands if you wish, or edit CLIP has no equal in reputation, the menu text with a word processor. convenience, power or economy. Or keep the standard forms. All CLIP comes standard with Winchester your housekeeping - save/restore/ systems supplied by CIFER SYSTEMS, review - by pressing two keys. RESEARCH MACHINES and OLYMPIA. Put a CLIP in your Winchester now! All prices excl. VAT, post free in U.K. Most popular disc formats from stock. KEELE CODES LTD University of Keele, Keele, Staffordshire, U.K. Tel: (0782] 629221 Telex: 36113 9 Circle No. 180 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 DESPITE the high standard of documenta- tion that accompanies the IBM PC, a secondary text can be a big help in becom- ing familiar with the machine. A year ago there were few books to choose from, but now the situation is quite different. From January to May 1984 more than 150 IBM PC books were published in the United econd States, and the prospect is of a further 300 before the year-end. Leo Scanlon's The IBM PC Made Easy is aimed at the naive user and skips through discussions of the PC's com- ponents and the use of Basic and DOS. inions LikeScanlon'swork onassembler programming,thisbooklacksim- agination:itisshort on explanatory diagrams and long on information copied from the IBM manuals. The ABC's of the IBM PC by Joan Laselle and Carol Ramsey is aimed at the same audience, but onthe itsstyle makes foreasier reading. A discussion on WordStar and VisiCalc edges Basic out of the contents. Not every Osborne/McGraw-Hill book is outstanding, but often they are way ahead of the crowd. Your IBM PC Made IBM PC Easy by Jonathan Sachs is no exception. IBM's micro has attracted authors by the hundred. Space forbids the description this book warrants: expect 160 pages of practical Paul Myerscough samples some of their efforts. lessons for the new user, 100 pages onappreciate his cheerful style. His earliervarious Bugs, Instructions, Variables and resources from RAM chips to software tobook, Inside the IBM PC, despite someother friends. If this appeals, then the consultants, and a further 100 pages ofprinting errors, successfully describes formany illustrations will help you relive your reference information with topicslikeprogrammers a selective tour of hardwarechildhood and learn a little Basic at the "Moving your PC", "Dealing with Diskandoperating -systemfeaturesusingsame time. Errors", and a good chapter on systemPascal,Basicandassembler.Discs Debugging a program without a cross- error messages. Recommended! containing many oftheapplicationsreference of variables and line numbers is described may be bought separately, butan unnecessarily arduous task. The IBM are overpriced and not entirely compatiblePC Guide by James Kelly is a cheerful with DOS -2. introduction to the IBM PC and Basic The first edition of the Goldsteins' bookprogramming and comes complete with a simplyentitled IBM PC becameadisc containing example programs from moderately popular Basic tutor. Nowthe text and some useful utilities, including slightly improved and packaged with aa cross-referencing program. Alongside disc containing the example programs, it isthis, the Basic cross-reference utility CRF still aimed at the new programmer. Withfrom Sumar Corporation, seems poor regularreviews and exercisestotestvalue at £29.27. understanding, it is a reasonable starting Assembler for the IBM PC and PC -XT point for the beginner. Advanced Basicby Peter Abel is a welcome addition to and Beyond by Larry Goldstein followsthose books reviewed in the February 1984 the same format and, word-for-word,issue of Practical Computing, providing a duplicates parts of the last book. well -pacedtutorialforthose new to IBM PC Basic Programming by Haskellassembler programming. Each chapter and Jackson is a good introduction to thebuilds on the previous one, adding a few The biggestchallengewitha newsubject. With the authority of a studentmoreinstructions,andendswith computerisinlearningaboutthetext,itsonly drawback - for thoseexcercisestotestthereader's under- operatingsystem.The IBM PC -DOSwithout a colour monitor - will be thestanding. The emphasis is on the task of Handbook by Richard King is written foremphasis on graphics programming. IBMlearning assembler instructions and the those whoalreadyknow computerBasic by Payne and Beck highlights theuse of the IBM Macro assembler, rather essentials and plan to make use of DOSproblem -solving aspects of programming.than on thesystem hardware or on interruptsintheir programming. ThisIts condescending, wordy style may suitbuilding useful applications. book provides a comprehensive guide tosomeone new to computing but this book Those planning to use Pascal for the thesystematthislevel,aswellasis not much use as reference work as itfirst time could do worse than consult providing a few chapters on the DOSlacks an alphabetic index. Pascal for the IBM Personal Computer by commands. Rodnay Zakshasproduced manyTed Lewis. The most popular versions on Peter Norton, as an American magazinecomputer books of varying quality. Yourthe IBM PC are IBM's own product and columnist, must hold a record for theFirst IBM PC Program, with the yellow -UCSD Pascal, which is reputedly poorly fewest facts per thousands words of anybrick road of the keyboard leading to adocumented, and IBM's own product. popular technical writer. Despite this, MS-distant fairy castle on the cover, looks likeLike most versions of Pascal these two DOS and PC -DOS User's Guide is a usefulsomething from the nursery. Inside youhave their own idiosyncrasies, and the book that will appeal to those with ameet the cartoon characters Dino theauthor successfully holds them apart. non -technicalbackground who mightProgrammer, the Programming Snake,There is a tutorial which takes the reader

154 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 Book reviews

from basicslike "Whatisa Pascal Program?" to coding for some useful The IBM PC Made Easy by Leo J Scanlon. Published by Prentice -Hall applications, including a file -sort program International, £14.35. ISBN 0 13 448465 7 andasimple accounts -receivable The ABC's of the IBM PC by Joan Lasselle and Carol Ramsey. Published by program. Sybex, £9.95. ISBN 0 89588 102 0 Communications and interfacing are subjects of interesttothe technically The IBM Personal Computer Made Easy by Robert M Rinder. Published by curious as well as to those with a scientific Monarch Press/Macmillan Press, £8.95. ISBN 0 333 36834 7 problem to solve. James Coffron in The, Your IBM PC Made Easy by Jonathan Sachs. Published by Osborne/McGraw- IBM PC Connectionaddressesthe Hill, £10.75. ISBN 0 88134 112 6 computer novice withalittleunder- standingofBasicprogramming.His The IBM PC -DOS Handbook by Richard Allen King. Published by Sybex, £12.95. vehicle for introducing I/O is the CMS ISBN 0 89588 103 9 I/O board which, using a set of LEDs, MS-DOS and PC -DOS User's Guide by Peter Norton. Published by Prentice -Hall provides a visual confirmation of the International, £8.95. ISBN 0 13 60475 9 results of I/O programming. Through discussionofsimpleprojectsfor Inside the IBM PC by Peter Norton. Published by Brady/Prentice-Hall computer -controlled homesecurity, International, £16.95; two discs £63.54 extra. ISBN 0 89303 556 4 speechsynthesisandanalogue -digital IBM PC by Larry Joel Goldstein and Martin Goldstein. Published by applications he describes basic hardware Brady/Prentice-Hall International, £39.08 including discs. ISBN 0 89303 530 0 and software design requirements. Lewis Eggebrecht was involved as a Advanced Basic and Beyond for the IBM PC by Larry Joel Goldstein. Published team leader in the design of the IBM PC. by Brady/Prentice-Hall International, £17.95. ISBN 0 89303 324 3 His book Interfacing to the IBM Personal IBM PC Basic Programming by Richard Haskell and Glenn A Jackson. Published Computer is,as one would expect, an by Spectrum/Prentice-Hall International, £12.55. ISBN 0 13 448424 X authoritative guide to the resources and requirements of the machine. His style is IBM Basic by Donald T Payne and William R Beck. Published by concise, and for the experienced designer Spectrum/Prentice-Hall International, £14.35. ISBN 0 13 448688 9 or for those with a particular project in Your First IBM PC Program by Rodnay Zaks. Published by Sybex. ISBN 0 89588 mind this is an excellent reference book. 171 3 Communications and Networking for the IBM PC by Jordan and Churchill The IBM PC Guide by James E Kelly, jr. Published by Dell/Banbury, £23.95, aims to "bridge the gap between the including disc. ISBN 0 440 03946 0 fundamentals of communication and the Assembler for the IBM PC and PC -XT by Peter Abel. Published by practical aspects of making it work". Reston/Prentice-Hall International, £20.85. ISBN 0 8359 0110 6 With quite a different emphasis from the previous two books, this provides a broad Pascal for the IBM Personal Computer by Ted G Lewis. Published by Addison- introductiontothesubjectinnon- Wesley, £9.95. ISBN 0 201 05464 7 technical terms that any newcomer to the The IBM PC Connection by James W Coffron. Published by Sybex ISBN 0 89588 subjectshouldunderstand,answering 127 6 questions such as What is a modem?, How (continued on next page) (continued on next page)

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 155 Book reviews

(continued from previous page) Interfacing to the IBM Personal Computer by Lewis C Eggebrecht. Published by Second Sams/Prentice-Hall International, £13.55. ISBN 0 672 22027 X Communications and Networks for the IBM PC by Larry E Jordan and Bruce opinions Churchill. Published by Brady/Prentice-Hall International, £17.05. ISBN 0 89303 385 5 Basic Programming for the IBM Personal Computer with Technical Applications on the by Victor Kassab. Published by Prentice -Hall, £14.35. ISBN 0 13 066218 6 The IBM Personal Computer Handbook edited by Dzintar E Dravnieks. IBM PC Published by Prism Press, £16.95 hardback, £11.95 paperback ISBN 0 907061 45 1 (continued from previous page) does serial transfer work?, What is Lan? A Guide to the Best Business Software for the IBM PC by Richard C Dorf. By page 70 of Basic Programming for Published by Addison-Wesley, £10.95. ISBN 0 201 11025 6 the IBM Personal Computerwith The Best of IBM PC Software by Stanley R Trost. Published by Sybex, £12.95. Technical Applications, Victor Kassab has ISBN 0 89588 104 7 covered not only most of theBasic commands but also an introduction to Business Applications for the IBM Personal Computer by Steven M Zimmerman computers, flow charting and structured and Leo M Conrad. Brady/Prentice-Hall International, £16.15. ISBN 0 89303 programming. He continues with func- 243 3 tions,complexnumbers,processing Business Problem Solving with the IBM PC & XT. by Leon A Wortman. arrays, plotting data, three-dimensional Published by Brady/Prentice-Hall International, £17.95. ISBN 0 89303 082 4 graphics, string manipulation, files and interfacing. His terse style is refreshing in Software Solutions for the IBM PC by Thomas H Willmott. Publishedb. an area where repetition and long drawn- Spectrum/Prentice-Hall International, £13.45. ISBN 0 13 822387 4 out explanations are the norm. Accountant's Basic Programming for the IBM PC by Alan J Parker. Published by Among the many books aimed at the Reston/Prentice-Hall International, £15.25. ISBN 0 8359 0035 5 business user Dzintar Dravnieks' IBM Personal Computer Handbook standsassessment of what package suits themConradpresentsasuiteofsimple out. It incorporates an absorbing 200 -pagebest, although both books might help inaccounting programs and a set of business directory of software, hardware, books,creating a short list of possibilities. routines that includes loan amortisation, accessories and U.S.suppliers with a Dorf's rather irrelevant introductorydepreciation,paybackanalysisand 40 -page U.K. supplement, which followschapters leave even less space for packageregressionanalysis.Its200 pages of sections on learning about the IBM PC,descriptions and he uses 130 words todetailed discussion of the operation of the and on buying and using it. This is the firstdescribe VisiCalc whereas Trost uses 2,500programs isperhaps excessivefor the book I have seen that presents allas- andTrostclearlywinshands downsystemspresented, and theseemingly pects of apersonal computer withoutfor providing better software reviews.obligatory introductory chapter on the demanding prior technical knowledge ofProbably the best customer for theseIBM PC is unnecessary. The 70 pages the reader or a tremendous tolerance ofbooks is not the single systems user but theof code may be typed in, or you can repetition. Neither does the reader need todealer or the PC support manager whosave yourself the trouble and buy the be sat in front of a keyboard, or even be aneeds to fend off difficult users wanting toaccompanying disc. While the programs computer owner. know why they should use Lotus 1-2-3 andmay fulfiltheirfunctions they do not A shorthistoryofcomputing is not Context MBA. present a sophisticated user -view, and the followed by a discussion of the IBM PC One of my current clients has recentlyprogramming style could be bettered. and its main components. The chapterstandardised on the IBM PC for personal Business Problem Solving with the IBM "What to Buy and How to Buy it"computing. The support manager's officePC & XT by Wortman contains some contains some excellent advice, includingis usually crammed with pristine machines30 routines from the curious "Appraising the recommendation: "Even though you awaiting delivery to the user departments,thePerformanceofEmployeesand are quite certain that you have made up each one with a standard set of manualsManagers, to the not very useful Sortlist", your mind (to buy the IBM PC) . . . wait and software: always Basic, always Lotuswhich orders up to50 itemsof 30 100 days." The spreadsheet is possibly the 1-2-3, often WordStar and occasionallycharacterslongtypedinfromthe most popular application on a micro-dBase II. Perhaps Software Solutions forkeyboard. Both Basic and Pascal code is computer, but until it has been seen inthe IBM PC by Thomas Willmot shouldpresented and the coding standard seems operation the whole concept may be hardbe there too because this book provides areasonably good.Perhaps thenovice tograsp.Therelevantchapterin guide toall these packages as well asprogrammer may find a few lines of code Dravnieks' book gives the reader a good VisiCalc and BPS Business Graphics. to borrow from here. understanding of the principles and uses Willmot's style is light and easy, and Accountant's Basic Programming for of these programs, highlighting some of requiresthe reader to be satatthethe IBM PC by Parker,unlikethe the key differences between the mostcomputer in order to follow through theprevious two, is a Basic tutor. The word popular packages available. examples provided. Each chapter is a one -"accountant" in the title does not mean A Guide to the Best Business Softwareto two-hour tour of some of the featuresthat it provides a full suite of accounting for the IBM PC by Dorf and The Best ofof one package. There are no esoteric tipsprograms, but rather that the example IBM PC Software by Trost both attempt about using more advanced functions, butprograms used in the text are business to summarise the main features of athe author presents a balanced overvieworientated. The chapters are structured selection of software packages. In 200thatexpresses aclearoutline of thewell and use summary tables and flow pages Dorf covers around 100 items, product. charts, together with detailed discussion including games and programming lang- The remaining books are for the Basicoftheproblemprograms.Student uages; Trost only tackles half that numberprogrammer or would-be programmer.exercises follow each section, and it is easy in 340 pages. Inevitably the descriptionsBusinessApplications forthe IBMto imagine this book being used as a basis are too brief for users to make a detailedPersonal Computer by Zimmerman andfor a commercial course. 0

156 PRACTICAL COMPUTINGSeptember 1984 Imagine if supermtirkets wereorganised hke computershows.

It seems strange that the term 'supermarket' is often Eight shows in one used to describe computer shows - when in fact nothing At last there's a show geared towards making the could be further from the truth. buyer's visit as profitable as possible. To this end Bic. '85 is A supermarket's attraction is that it has a wide choice essentially eight shows in one, consisting of the following of products arranged in logical, sensible categories. modules: Single User Systems, Multi -User Systems, In other words unlike every computer show bar one Peripherals & Components, Communications, Graphics, - B.I.T.'85. Media & Supplies, Software & Portables. Each module will Exclusive volume -buying audience enable the visitor to pinpoint each product category with a Aimed exclusively at professional buyers, integrators maximum of ease and a minimum of wasted time. and traders B.I.T. has been designed so that exhibitors can sit Forget the specialist shows - BIT. '85 incorporates down and talk about discounts, delivery and service. In the them all. Complete the coupon and well tell you more about no-nonsense, relaxed atmosphere the emphasis is on buying the first in a new generation of computer shows. not browsing.

ComputEr Show and ConfErEncE for BUYERS INTEGRATORS AND TRADERS 26-29 March 1985 NEC Birmingham

THE SHAPE OF SHOWS TO COME. BIT. '85 Cahners Exhibitions Ltd, Chatsworth House, 59 London Road, Twickenham, TW1 3SZ . Please tick:

I Please send me exhibitor information Please send me visitor information Name Position I

Company Address

Post Code Tel No. Telephone Claire Notley on 01-6618163 ADVERTISEMENT RATES Copy Date

Display Rates Micro Ads. Shopwindow advertisements for the October £16.50 per single Linage 30p per edition will be accepted up to 24th August Column Centimetre word minimum of Minimum 5cm x 1 col subject to space being available. £16.50 per scc 20 words. One Insertion Prepayable. Three Insertions £15.75 per scc Post to Six Insertions £15.50 per scc Practical Computing, Classified Nine Insertions £15.00 per scc Department, Room H211, Quadrant House, Twelve Insertions £14.50 per scc The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS.

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL Superbiris SERC CASE STUDENTSHIP IN EXPERT CHATTERBOX III SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT FOR MACHINE "Listen creep,I am the leader For ZX81 - MAINTENANCE SPECTRUM LANEUS TO sEco,y,pzivAgR ',OUPLE.. BBC ry The award is for three years leading to a Ph.D. APP 80 1, APPLE E 81_' v-IND The project will be jointly supervised between NASCOM k T ri the Information Technology Research Centre VIC/PET/64 SEL (Director:Mr.J.F.BaldwinofBristol (Please state) University) and the CEGB, Bristol. PITCH o0431k. Sy NEWS ! air),.) The project will follow on from an existing EXCLUIVE! CONTROL successfulproject todevelop an expert systems language shell, called FRIL (Fuzzy CHATTERBOX II TM can say anything! Relational Inference Language) which has Genuine phoneme synthesis - not just recorded MICROMODS LTD., been implemented if n the language FORTH on speech - hence unlimited vocabulary. 53 ACTON RD., LONGEATON. NOTTINGHAM an IBM PC. Programmable pitch for more natural intonation 101 1FR. Tel: 0602-724264 32 Applicants with a first class or good upper (exclusive to Wm Stuart Systems)- solid tone secondclasshonours degreeinthe sound - integral beep/music amplifier. PLUS expansion socket for BIG EARS I Circle No. 190 technological or Mathematical Sciences will voice recognition system. Full instructions be considered. technical notes and software supplied with this For further information apply to outstanding educational unit. MICROCOMPUTER INSURANCE Mr. J.F. Baldwin, ITRC, DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME University of Bristol, Comprehensive cover at a reasonable Queen's Building, As seen on BBC TV "Computer Programme premium: Bristol BSB 1TR. 56 *BIG EARS* s,QQ.,,, All Risks Cover (incl. Transit) - up Circle No. 193 SPEECH 'c, to £8,000 for £20 INPUT FOR ANY Increased Cost of Working - to COMPUTER ...... _ reinstate lost data SCIENTIFIC SUBROUTINE Hugely successful Speech Regnition System. LIBRARY complete with microphone, software and full Breakdown & Derangement - instructions. ONLY £49 VOLUME 1 - STATISTICS AND FITTING FUNCTIONS BUILT TESTED 8. GUARANTEED alternative to maintenance agree- Mean, SD, normal distribution, partial expectation, PLEASE STATE COMPUTER: UK101 , ment Chauvenets criterion, least squares fit to polynomial SPECTRUM, ATOM, NASCOM2, Vic 20, Micron, and arbitrary function, repetitive least squares fits, ZX80/81, PET, TRS80, MZ80K, APPLE II, BBC MICRO Write with details of equipment to: covariance matrix, chi -squared statistic, matrix inver- sion, solution of linear simultaneous equations. ZX81 /SPECTRUM NEW! Geoffrey Hoodless & Associates VOLUME 2 - LINEAR PROGRAMMING MUSIC SYNTHESISER (Stereo) VIBRATO Freepost (no stamp required) Reduction of a simplex tableau, integer programming, CONTROL parital integer programming, conversational linear pro- +16 LINE CONTROL PORT Woking gramming systems, least cost mix problem. Play 3 -pan music, sound effects, drums etc. Full control of attack, decay and frequency. Surrey GU21 3BR VOLUME 3 - FURTHER STATISTICS InpuVOutput lines provide control and monitor Tel: Woking (04862) 61082 (24 hrs) 14 Ranking, quantiles, frequency, correlation coefficient, facility for Home Security, Robot Control, Model T, chi -squared and F distributions and their inverses, T Railway etc. etc. Works with or without 16K RAM. test, chi -squared test, Wilcoxson test, linear and multi- Full instructions/software included. Circle No. 191 AMAZING VALUE ple regression, ANOVA 1 -way and 2 -way. Add keyboard to make a live performance AT ONLY polyphonic synthesiser! VOLUME 4 - TRANSFORMATIONS AND SORTING ALGORITHMS Note: up to 3 units can be used simultaneously; £19.50 KM Enhance Fourier and Fast Fourier transforms, numerical integra- giving 9 music channels 8 481,'0 lines £25.50 (BUILT) tion and differentiation, harmonic analysis, interpola- teskpleS, Exchangesort,. raw' tion,coordinatetransformations. THE COMPOSER TALKING HANGMAN etel\cb-O"cabes Quicksort, Shellsort, Tree sort. Synthesiser Music For Chatterbox Dives, Programme. The classic game C05-09 All routines are written in BASIC for easy implementa- Enter: play apart harmony clams its "dimsIncludes Chailikog, 20090 tion on any machine. demonstrations with a dry vocal 414. yourSub c\ded) or (SoectrumtZXBI Immune.. £7 accompaniment (Spectrum)£6 Cornpustar (Double-, wg.)or Machine readable source code E75 + VAT per volume (Most disk formats now available) Adaptors CR noUde 1 CaC MbitelaPe t\ Manuals including full source listings with implementa- ZX ARP/DRUMSEO=---- CHROMACODE?????? 13 `...nit VOlTaa" e socket Fascinating synthesiser l-.= Can you defuse the bomb by Oin tion notes and documentation £25 per volume demonstrations. Generates--- cracking the secret Back NdaPt9c automatic sequences and ,-.--..= combination before time runs sip° Bus wItti CPIM TO DEC FILE TRANSFER plays from keyboard. Some out? Wtth Chatterbox voice Cab\ e ward el.. (Spectrum) -£6 output (Spectrum) £6 onctestecAdder MB Software to read and write RT-1 1 format RX01disket- \nterface or tesunder CP/M. Supplied on 8" SSSD diskette - 5 10 £25+VAT. rr£16 SuPe°°13c'131°45 o6ve Boxes COLOUR MODULATOR ACT APRICOT VT100 TERMINAL EMULATOR 505 tn, PAL UHF out (not for ZX) BUILT £22 Cover Allows the APRICOT to act as a terminal with file Please add VAT at 15% to prices. All enquiries Gral)1csB°31'dsP\astc transmission and reception E 50 + VAT Barclay/Access orders accepted by telephone S.A.E. please Write or phone for further information on any of our For further Ouarley Down House deo products. WILLIAM Cholderton 1714 contact MICRO LOGIC CONSULTANTS LTD. STUART n !! 'YX ,i1So09.relo,...-423cr z .1417.1 11 57, Station Rd., Southwater, Horsham, SYSTEMS Ltd t.'ei 6 W. Sussex RH13 7110 Telephone 0403 731818 51 37 11eIG°611671°L':01-ii71-7°.5n8111151264209 39-51 elex. Circle No. 195 Circle No. 192 Circle No. 194 158 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 ammo*

dBASE II - by Ashton Tate is the top selling database EXCITING NEW package.Butitfrom AQUA ComputingLtd,the dBASE specialists. dBASE II £375.00 Disk Storage from £3.99 OBPIus £125.00 DBFLIST £30.00 WABASH DISKETTES DBAccel £50.00 dBASE II User' Guide £22.00 Everyman's Database Primer 112.00 from £1.13 DISK Any one of the last 4 items is FREE if you buy your Price list from copy of dBASE II from AQUA by July 1.

DBPIus COMPRESEESIDECOMPRESSES dBASEII Disk Direct files to 30140% of original size; SORTS any dBASE II Freepost DIRECT file up to 15 times faster; MODIFIES structures easily Flip'n'File 1 5 illustrated Woking GU22 9BR - complete with manual. Pays foritselfina few Available for 10, 15, 25, 50 disks Tel: 04862 26626 43 weeks. lir Are your files scattered over several disks? DBFLIST Circle No. 199 compiles a master catalogue of all your dBASE files. Can save you hours of searching for that 'Lost file'. DYSAN DISKS DBAccel converts dBASE II. CMD file(s) into a single from 1.47 TELEVIDEO level format for much faster execution; Overlay control VERBATIM can beselective.Programsizeis onlyby EQUIPMENT limited DATA LIFE available memory. Reduces rAning times by upto from £1.51 As new and under 50%. maintenance contract dBASE II User's Guide is one of the best manuals on Ribbons for dBASE II; Has sold over 17,000 copiesin the US; MX100£5.98/ea TS815/40 £5550. TRS 806/20 £3000. WrittenbyArthurGreen, a leading US experton IBM82C£9.50/doz TS 806/10 £2500.TS 800A £900 dBASE courses. In stock now. Lift off tapes£5.98/doz VAT extra dBASE II Beginner's Guide, published by Ashton Tate, Price List From Contact Mr Lando is essential for every serious dBASE II user. Disk Direct on For software products (DBASE II,DBPlus, DBFLIST, Freepost DIRECT and DBAccell add VAT to prices. Specify machine and Woking GU 2 2 9BR diskette format (MOD, 5.25" or 8"). No extras for Tel: 0486 2-2 66 2 6 01-580 1654. 49 packing or postage in UK; add £5.00 for overseas. Fur Nr42 ther details available on all products. Pay by Cheque, Circle No. 200 Circle No. 203 PO, Access or VISA. Send to: Build Your Own PC AQUA COMPUTING LTD (Dept PC5), 10 Barley Mow PC/XT compatible mother board (blank) £99.95 Sell your programs with Passage, London W4 4PH (Phone: 01.994 64771. B&T with 1 28K Bytes of RAM £599 colourinlaycards and addthatprofessional Circle No. 196 Full range of PC compatible boards available. sales appeal from as little Strip Unit £1499.00 as £28 per1,000. PC/XT compatible mother board with 128K bytes A.W.P. are the specialist RAM (expandable on boardto256K),eight trade colour printers for IS YOUR MAINS BUGGING YOU? bothAudio expansion slots, keyboard, case and power supply. and Com- Mains -borne interference causes annoying data putercassetteinlay corruption and program crashes. Voltage spikes Basic Unit £1899.00 cards. They are produced and power surges can cause permanent damage. Asstripunit,plusone320Kdiscand in two types the deluxe Protect YOUR equipment:- colour/graphics card. finish (min.1,000) and the standard finish (min. PROTECT-ADAPTA with 3 1 3Amp sockets, ab- Upgraded Unit £3499.00 8,0001. As basic unit, plus 1 OM byte hard disc sorbs power -line spikes and surges. £13.95 for Details and samples from A.W.P. Ltd. 5 Bexley 1st, £9.95 for 2nd. (p&p 85p) * FREE delivery within UK' All prices fully inclusive Squ., Salford, Manchester. 061832 4533. 41 4 -WAY SUPPRESSOR UNIT 11341with4 Dealer enquiries welcome. sockets,spikeabsorberandsuppressors. The Trade Colour Printers £23.95 for 1st, £19.95 for 2nd. (p&p f 1.50) CONGUIN SOFTWARE Circle No. 204 14 GOODWOOD CLOSE, MORDEN, SURREY, SM4 5AW PROFESSIONAL SUPPRESSOR UNITI3A1 Multi- NO CALLERS PLEASE. PHONE 0524 381423 45 stagefilternetworks, high power spike ab- sorbers, and earth -line choke - the best! £34.95 SCIENTIFIC PROGR. PACKAGE for 1st, £29.95 for 2nd. (p&p £21 Circle No. 201

All units to BS613, also for hi-fi, videos, office equip. etc. NON-LINEAR MODEL

compare ESTIMATION!!

VAX Co. Hogarth HouselF), Porchester Rd., northern Nottingham. NG3 6LE 30 computers .. Circle No. 197 Written in HP -86I87 BASIC considerate,

DISKETTES competitive and VERBATIM 51" VERBATIM B" Estimate your unilinear/linear SSDD BOX 10£21.80 SSSD BOX 10£30.60 committed! SSDD BOX 10£30.90 mathematical model containing

DSDD BOX 10£31.00 DSDD BOX 10£36.10 several independent variables.

Prices include delivery but exclude VAT THE Optimalize unlinear/linear functions SPECIAL OFFER - COMPUTER TABLE FOR HOME Showroom for all containing several independent OR OFFICE. 2 TIER FULLY ADJUSTABLE IN TEAK variables. OAK OR WHITE MELAMIME. the £36.50 leading + VAT micros Estimate time-serie (process) models. For full price list phone BBC.Electron * Sinclair * VIC64 or write * Dragon * Printers * Disk Drives User satisfactiory.

Plenty of Software Modified Simplex method COBRA * Books/Games*Help & Advice Office & Data Products Ltd., * Secondhand Computers Lichfield House, Write for demo-discette and manual. 21, High Street, Churchtreld Rd northern Telephone FRODSHAM Arc H. Bjornsgaard Amblecote, FRODSHAMChes.computers Stourbridge, DY8 4DE WA66RD '52835110 Leiv Tronstadsv. 18 7000 Tr. heim. Norway. 54 Tel: 03843 74880 2 1 THE computer centre of theNORTH n Circle No. 198 Circle No. 202 Circle No. 205 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 159 INTERFACE PROBLEMS? PRINTER for BBC. RS232 interface 180 CPS EGHAM QUADRUPLE HEIGHT, FULL WIDTH Bidirectional.Dotmatrix7 x 9.True COMPUTER STORE FOR You can now connect almost ANY computer to ... almost descenders. Buffered. Various band rates. 0 BBCINECISANYOIEPSON ANY printer. Adjustable traktors ideal for users requiring SPECIAL OFFERS f Ex. VAT Allows connection of parallel printers to serial computers, and is UNIVERSALLY COMPATIBLE. If you change your fast continuous pritning.Phone. SYSTEMS BBC Model T1 339 computer or your printer, you need not change your Crowthorne (0344) 776894. Ad No.35M Lpahelds - NEC 8291A and interface. Epson HX20 from 450 EspeciallysuitableforEPSON HX20, NEWBRAIN, JUPITURE ACE users club. s.a.e. details. Full Micros - Sanyos MBC 550 from 749 SINCLAIR INTERFACE 1, OL etc... John Noyce, p.o. box 450, Brighton BN1 Full System - NEC PC8800 , Printer Alternatively, state which computer you have, and we will 8G R. from 995 supply the interface complete with BOTH leads. Uses CMOS and runs off batteries, small size, includes expertofferstowriteyour STORE BK Chips for NEC PC 8200iTandy 100 49 printer connector and 1m of lead... DBASE 2 PRINTERS NEC PC 8023 FOot Matrix, 120 cps 199 All for only £59.95 application program or help you write your Juki 6100 Daisywheel 349 Also available: SWITCHABLE INTERFACES... own. Reasonable Rates R.Smith(0342) MONITORS PHILLIPS V7001 12" 18 MHz Mona 69 SERIAL to 2 -WAY CENTRONICS £84.95 313883 Sussex. Ad No.37M SERIAL to 4 -WAY SERIAL £59.95 CUB Microvitec Strd. Res. 14" Colour 199 SERIAL to SERIAL plus CENTRONICS £84.95 CROSS ASSEMBLER for 6801 6805 6809 NEC 14" High Resolution Colour 399 please add £25 per additional way. processors. Fast. BBC or Pet. disc or tape. Fidelity MTV100 Monitor/TB 199 Most combinations of SERIAL I CENTRONICS available. Please enquire about your particular combination. Editor included. Tape £15 or s.a.e. details. DISCS CUMANA CSX100 Disc Drive 149 M.J.Tyler2Park View, Cashes Green, LARGE RANGE OF SOFTWARE, BOOKS AND MEDIA AT LOW Please enquire about our range ofsoftware for the NewBrain. Stroud, Glos. 045-36-77257. RPICES All the above prices include VAT postage and packing in (COMPUTER ELECTRONICS LTD, EUROPE. Please address orders and enquiries to: NASCOM 2 32K RAM B, Kenilworth case, 193 HIGH STREET, fan,zeap ontape,basictoolkit,odd TYEPRO LIMITED, 30 CAMPKIN ROAD, CAMBRIDGE CB4 EGHAM SURREY TW20 9E0. 2NG software manuals, £300, new b/w monitor P SAT 9.00 - 6.00 TEL: EGHAM (0784) 38838 53 TELEPHONE: DAY 0255 422087. EVE 0223322394 38 £60. K. Black, Cholsey, Oxon. Tel: (0491) Circle No. 209 651543 (Evenings). Circle No. 206 TUSCAN S100 2x5/ Disks CM P 2.2 dBase II Wordstar ect. 64k RAM 80x24 video. Epsom MX80 printer all £700 o.n.o. Tel. Pete Bristol REPAIRS & SERVICE APPLE Aft. 426193. * COMPUTERS (Business & Personal) COMPATIBLE WANTED, SOL Computer. Please ring (0272) * DISC DRIVES (5/ & 8") PEniyar 737222. For sale: 4 M6 Ice Winchester drive, PERIPHERALSsmismsr £750 o.n.o. (Cost c. £1500)(0272)737222. For * VDU's salesuperbrain, DQD &Diablo630 six * MONITORS NMI Daisywheelprinter.Both less than Freewithordersover £50.00, voucherfor months old. £3000 o.n.o. (cost £4370) (0272) * PRINTERS "microledger"accountingsoftwareworth 737222. * S100 BOARDS £50.00 NEWBRAIN software specialist. Wordrite II * EPROM PROGRAMMING DISK DRIVES word-processing £70.00. Mailmann / Wor- T1 National Panasonic half height drive, 1 27K 1 79.00 dritell for personalised mail / shots, £100.00. * MAINTENANCE CONTACTS T2 As T1, but double sided, twice capacity, 254K 249.00 SS Software, 18 Fernbank Drive, Sheffield S31 9HG Ad No.53M 48 hour service for alignment HD 11 0 MByte hard drive, Basic, CP/M 1095.00 and test of disc drives PERIPHERAL CARDS AND EXTRAS - MANY BBC KEYPAD 25 -key addon. S.A.E.for PRICE REDUCTIONS details to extron 16 Priory Park Bradford on A.N. ELECTRONIC & COMPUTER Four port I/O, twin 6522 card 39.50 Avon. Ad No.48M Printer/buffer card. 32K, graphic dump 89.50 ANIMATED MUSICAL Flashcard and Spell- SERVICES LTD A -D card, 1 6 channel, < 100 microsecs conv'n 69.00 ing Program for Commodore 64. Developed 130B North Lane, Aldershot, Hants Clock card, time/date/control intervals 49.00 in collaboration with school and educa- Disc controller card, 1 3/16 sector 35.00 tional Psychologist. Suitable 11- 7 years. Tel: Aldershot (0252) 25608 16 Z80 card, runs all CP/M 32.00 Cassette £4.50 disc £7.00. Toddlersoft, 1 Circle No. 207 ITT2020 version of 280 card 69.50 Cat Lane, Ewelme Oxon OX9 6HX. Printer card. Centronics I/F. inc. cable 38.50 Ad No.48 RS232 serial card, including cable 37.00 1 6K RAM card, adds 1 6K, loads Pascal 36.00 The Incredible Epsom writer card, blows most Eproms 44.00 KINGSLEY HULK 80 column card for II plus 42.00 (£25 + VAT) 80 column card for Ile 49.50 80 column card for Ile with extra 64K RAM 89.50 ENTERPRISES HULK is the poor man's knowledge engineer. 80/40 column switch 8.50 Knowledge engineering is the new approach to 80 column card inverse video chip 6.00 software design which underlies the success of Joystick, 2 control buttons 11.95 Specialists in all kinds of floppy diskettes 49.50 recent knowledge -based expert systems. ASCII encoded keyboard, inc. 1 /case, auto repeat Mail Order Discs The HULK package (so called because it Help Fan, A.C. operated keeps your Apple COOL 22.95 Prices are for boxes of 10 discs Uncover Latent Knowledge) offers users of the Monitor, 12" green screen, SANYO 69.50 Soft Sec- BBC and Torch microcomputers a low-cost 2.95 route into knowledge engineering. It will enable Peanut T-shirt, Tell the World! (state S.M.LI tor Nashua Xidex DysanCenTech you to build up and test a set of decision rules PRINTERS Mannesrnan-Tally 80cps 199.00 5.25" Diskettes which canbeusedforpredictionor SS/SD 48 15.00 21.00 Daisystep, Daisywheel, 20cps 259.00 classification. SS/DD 48 16.00 18.00 22.00 21.00 Thus HULK takes the donkey work out of Peanut KGP40 column, 2 colour, inc. I/F card 99.00 DS/DD 48 18.00 23.00 30.00 25.00 developing a 'knowledge base'. Think of it as a NEW PEANUT PC2000 BUSINESS/EDUCATION SS/DD 96 23.00 30.00 38.00 34.00 research assistant. COMPUTER PEANUT present their new top specifica- DS/DD 96 23.00 30.00 38.00 34.00 This is what the Practical Computing software tion computer with full features: twin disk drives, three review said about HULK: microprocessors, 64K RAM expandable to 192K. Standard 8" Diskettes "It is very quick and interactive and justifies its SS/SD 48 20.00 25.00 I/Fincluded: RGB monitor, PAL monitor, monochrome name -itdoes help uncoverlatent SS/DD 48 21.00 22.00 29.00 29.00 monitor, Centronicsprinter.Serial RS232. Languages. knowledge." DS/DD 48 22.00 26.00 33.00 33.00 "It can genuinely help people to make sound Basic. Pascal CP/M, Forth, Logo, etc., available. decisions - and bad decision are extremely Sony 3.5" (Apricot) Diskettes £36.00 Upgradeable with all standard Apple peripherals. Post Paid. Add VAT at 15% costlyin many enterprises." (March 1984 Enquire for full details 795.00 issue.) Prices correct at time of going to press HULK is available at £ 2 8. 7 5 including VAT for Carriage: under £100 add £3: over £100 add £5: Please ask for details of hard sector discs, BBC/B(preferablywithdisks)or Torch Printers/monitors add £7 business/educational accounts microcomputers. We will also make it available VAT add 1 5% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE discounts, formatting. for the QL as soon as Uncle Clive lets us have one! Cheque/PO with order from: PEANUT COMPUTER KINGSLEY ENTERPRISES Warm Boot Limited Unit 22G Low Mill 87 Whitefield Road 40 Bowling Green Lane DEWSBURY WF1 3 3LX Stockton Heath London EC1R ONE Tel. 109241 499366 Ext.G Warrington (Also distributed by Brainstorm Computer 07 ACCESS WELCOME - SEND FOR CATALOGUE WA4 6NB 0925 64207 Solutions, London N7) Free PEANUT T-shirt with all orders over £50. State S.M. L. r 29 now 35 39 Circle No. 208 Circle No. 210 Circle No. 211

160 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 DATEK 763 (8K) Phototypesetting editing NASCOM2 HOUSED with 12"vdu psu 5 -slot keyboard.Papertapemodel.Purchased m/board 48K ram firmware in 9x2732. Disc DISK COPYING SERVICE 1976 c. £4,500, now £100 o.n.o. Telephone interface. 30cps termiprinter. Offers around Geoffrey Pick on (0474) 534251 Ext 48 £400. Stamford 56338 Moving data and program files from TABS SOFTWARE. Excellent integrated (or ENIGMA MZ-80K machine code business one machine to another is oftenmade stand alone) modules. System generation, security program 300 characters per minute difficult because different sales, pruchase, nominal ledgers, stock operation. No operator keyword hassle. manufacturers have adopteddifferent control, invoice compiler, job costing, fast Auto decipher on tape input. Each cassette disk format standards. data entry and word processor linking to pair has unique wheel set up. £22.50 per mailing list. Assitance available. £800 o.n.o. pair.GilHayward TheBarn Amroth We can copy your files to and from Visicalc £130 for Commodore 8032/8096 Narberth Dyfed SA67 8NP over 250 disk formats including and 8050 phone 0292 313476 CP/M, CP/M-86, MS -DOE,pc -nos,ISIS, STUDY BOOKKEEPING and accounts at APPLE, SIRIUS, TORCH, APRICOT, HP150, COMMODORE PET, 32K large keyboard, home using our '0' level cassette course. DEC RT-11, and IBM BEF. new rom. Built in: soundbox, stop and reset also short courses on computer buttons. Complete with tape unit, gamesprogramming, wages, paye,vat.Trevor Disks are normally despatched on the books etc. £200 o.n.o. Tel. Eric 0225 Bath Burton,Bunbury,Cheshire CW6 9SX. day they are received. 67770 Daytime. Telephone: 0829 260868 9"B/VV MONITOR £49.14"Colour TV/ APPLE COMPATIBLE ITT 2020, 48K, disk Our charge is £10.00 + disk + VAT. monitor RGB £239. Apple disk drives £99ea. drive, RS232 interface,Hitachi monitor, Special prices for quantities. Microline 80 printer £150. Centronics 779 Texas800printer,loadsofsoftware printer £150. Apple II level 1 service kit £499 including Visicalc, Visidex, £500, will split For more information call us. o.n.o. Pitney Bowes 1831 folding machine021 351 7129. £499 o.n.o. Telephone (0293) 514984 day orPET 16K CBM 4016, recorder, programs and (0293) 882859 evenings. GREY MATI.LAI manuals £395 o.n.o. Clacton 60255) 860231. 4PriggiVeadow,Ashburton,Devon 7171370F COMMODORE 8032 computer £445 o.n.o.After 7pm TEL. (0364)53499 10 8050 disk £495 o.n.o. Inc. cables etc. Good ACT SIRIUS. 1.2mb disk capacity, MS-DOS, 1 condition. Phone Robin 01-767 7611. CP/M-86, perfect condition, save £629 on Circle No. 212 APRICOT 4 months old two disk drive ascurrent price. £1895. Tel: Waltham Cross new £1195 o.n.o. Phone Robin 01 767 7611. (Herts) 31157. When replying to "THE FLEXIBLE link to your desk top. 24KOCTOPUS BARGAIN -superb twin Classified advertisements, (expandable) of portable memory for only processor computer runs 8 & 16 bit software £349.00 (retail £650 + ).TRS-80, mod. 100 MS-DOS CP/M-86/80 can read IBM discs. readers are recommended with accessories, only a few months old New April 1984 used once only. Genuine to take steps to protect and in 1st class condition. Phone Mike onreason for sale - cost £2290. £1800 plus their interests before (01) 741 9157 (evngs. pse) for details." vat. Mornings only 0202 512765. sending money.

MICRO ADS. Order Form

Classified Rates Please insert the following advertisement in Practical Computing LINAGE Lineage 30p per word Minimum 20 words prepayable. Cost per insertions

Display Adverts. 1 Ins.t/2 InS. t./ Rate per single column Centimetre: £16.50 £6.00 £5.50 Minimum 5 cm SERIES Discounts £7.50 £7.00 Available on request. Contact: Claire Notley on £9.00 £8.50 01-661 8163. £10.50 £10.00 Method of Payment £12.00 £11.50 Cheques etc should be made payable to BUSINESS PRESS i£13.50 £13.00 INTERNATIONAL LTD. and crossed. I enclose herewith cheque/PO for 1£15.00 !£14.50

Post to: ,./ tick number of Box No. Required YES/NO insertions required Cut out the order form and return together with your remittance to: Classified Department, NAME (Please include initials) Practical Computing, Room H211, Quadrant House, ADDRESS The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS. Conditions of Acceptance Micro Ads are accepted from Private readers only and must be submitted on (or a photocopy of) THIS FORM SHOULD BE RETURNED BY 24TH AUGUST FOR THE OCTOBER ISSUE this order form. All Advertisements must be prepaid. Company Registered Number: 151537(ENGLAND). Registered Office: Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, SurreySM2 5AS. 1.11 MI ME 11.1 MB ME ME ME NM

PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 161 Advertisement Index

A Dennison Kybe Corp 4 M S A -Line Computers 146 Digital Equipment 118,119 Marcol Cabinets 162 SCI (UK) 38 ACT Computerworld 126,127 Digitask 124 Mayfair Micros 153 Sanyo Marubeni IFC ACT Pulsar 41,133 Digithurst 114 Mercator Management Group 74 Sanyo Marubeni 18,19 Acorn Computers 42,43 Disking International 25,26,27 Micro Business 48,152 Sinclair Research 44 Aculab Ltd 34,121 Duplex (South) Ltd 152 Micro Miracles 116 Smith Corona 36 Adda Computers 30 Micro Peripherals Ltd IBC Software Ltd BC Advanced Resources 122 Microfast Insta Software 6 Spectravideo 57 Akhter Ltd 32 F Micronix 148 Swan Packaging 91 Amstrad 10,11 Financial Training Pub 150 Microprocessor Eng Ltd 114 Anadex Ltd 128,129 Micropute 152 Microvitec 52 ATA Ltd 142,51 G Tandy 143 GW Computers 47 Microware 22 Mountaindene Ltd 150 Tatung (UK) Ltd 17 B Grade 1 Computing Sery 121 Teams Systems Group Ltd 91 BIT 85 157 MPI Ltd 96,97 114 116 MX Computer Supplies 115 Teleotech Eng Bee Bug Telesystems Ltd 103 31 H Bits & Bytes (Computers) Thorn EMI 136 Brighton Computer Centre 152Hisoft 150 Hewlett Packard 9,54,55 N Torch Computers 134,135 British Olivetti 84,85 Nationwide Dealer Group 65 Transam 72 Bromcom Ltd 12,13Hytek Software 124 Brother Industries Ltd 144 Butterworth Scientific 40 0 V Icarus 14,63 Opus Supplies 98 Vaser 28 C Interam 88 Oryx 35 Verwood Systems 148 C/WP Services 79 Ozwise 122 Calco Software 124J Cambridge Micro Elec 146Jarogate 107 P Cambridge Univ Press 115John Wiley & Sons Ltd 138 Page Plus 71 WBM Business 148 Casu Electronics 117 Pinner Wordpro 91 WHS Softeam 151 Compec 84 123 Psion 33 Worldwide Computers 53 Compsoft 49 K Control Universal 56 Keele Codes 153 Costgold Research 74Keyaki 125 Q Kingsley Enterprises 56 Qume 20 YCO Xmas Fair 50 D Data Efficiency 120 L R Datastar Systems 122London Computer Centre 75 Research Machines 141 Zero Electronics 56 COMPUTER CABINETS AND HOUSING UNITS From only £13 + delivery

Send SAE for colour brochure illustrating our range of Computer Housing Units and Cabinets

MARCOL CABINETS PO Box 69, High Street, Southampton Tel: 0703 731168 (24 hr answering)

Circle No. 258 162 PRACTICAL COMPUTING September 1984 available for around The Art of £399* Daisywheel Printing/ /

The new Juki Model 6100 letter quality daisy wheel printer, has full features you'd expect to find on a more expensive printer. FEATURES: It can support word processing and graphic functions, print 20 CPS and use a simple drop -in daisy wheel. *20 CPS (max.) print speed The 6100 has 10112115 pitch, proportional spacing, utilizes IBM *Bold and shadow printing *Subscripts standard Selectric ribbons, has 2K buffer memory, parallel interface both tractor feed and serial interface are available as options. and superscripts * Wordstar compatible *Auto That's only the beginning - Best of all, the low -noise Juki 6100 underlining *Diablo protocols *Standard 2K buffer is extremely reliable. *1 year parts and labour warranty *Comprehensive user You can pay more, but you can't buy better than the Juki 6100. friendly manual * 10, 12 & 15 CPI + proportional spacing *RRP ex. VAT

Call your local dealer NOW for full information on the Juki 6100 Daisywheel Printer or clip this coupon and we'll send you brochures micro and print samples. Peripherals lid `THE POWER BEHIND THE PRINTED WORD' Address 69 The Street, Basing, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 OBY Telephone: Basingstoke (0256) 3232 (12 lines) Telex: 859669 MICROP G Facsimile 0256 61570 Tel. No Circle No. 241 PC9 How do you see the role of the Armed with this information, software you buy? Could your view and with the expert individual guid- be perhaps too narrow? If so, your ance Software personnel canoffer, business may not be benefitting fully you've got a winning combination to from your hardware investment. set your business on the right road. At Software Limited, we publish And that could be a revelation. a catalogue that will shine a bright, More to choose from broad light on the possibilities open The only choice to make to you. Telephone 01 833 1173/6 We believe it's the most compre- 01 833 2601/2 01 278 1371/2 I hensive and detailed catalogue avail- No 2 Alice Owen Technology CentreSoftware able. In short, the state of the art today. 251 Goswell Road, London EC1N 7JQLimited Operating Systems: CP/M 80, CP/M 86, MS DOS & PC DOS Circle No. 242