DECUS U. S. C H A P T E R SI Gs APRIL I MAY JUNE \ Your best connection for: peer-to-peer interaction technical exchange DECEMBER DECUS Printed in the U.S.A. "The Following are Trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation" ALL-IN-1 PDP-11 TK50 CDA PRO/ Tool Kit ULTRIX CDD Q-BUS VAX DATATRIEVE RALLY VAXC DEC RD31 VAX DATATRIEVE DECnet Rdb/VMS VAXmate DECpage RK05 VAX8700 DECprinter RQDX3 VAX SCAN DECUS RS-422 VAX/ VMS DECUS logo RS-423 VMS DECwindows RSX-11 VT50 (et al.) Digital RT-11 VTlOO FMS SDI WPS LA50 (et al.) WPS-PLUS MicroVAX II Copyright©DECtJS and Digital Equipment Corporation 1990 All Rights Reserved The information in this document is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Digital Equip­ ment Corporation or DECUS. Digital Equipment Corporation and DECUS assume no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this document. It is assumed that all articles [or letters] submitted to the editor[s] of this newsletter are with the authors' permission to publish in any DECUS publication. The articles are the responsibility of the authors and, therefore, DECUS Digital Equipment Corporation, and the editor[s] assume no responsibility or liability for articles or information appearing in the document. The views herein expressed are [necessarily] those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DECUS or Digital Equipment Corporation. [Replies to any articles or editorials may be sent to the appropriate SIG editor or to the Newsletter chair. Editors' addresses may be found in the specific SIG sections. Replies can also be sent to the DECUS office.] BASIC is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation; BASIC is a trademark of Dartmouth College; Microsoft is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corpoyation; WordPerfect is a trademark of WordPerfect Corporation; TSX-PLUS is a trademark of S&H Computer Systems, Inc.; IBM..fis a registered trademark of International Business Machines; ACCENT R is a trademark of National Information Systems, Inc.; Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.; COBOL, MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines; MACworld, Macintosh are are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.; MOST is a trademark of H.B. Maynard; PostScript is a registered trademark of Adobe Systems, Inc.; UNIX is a registered trademark of American Telephone and Telegraph Company; X Window System is a trademark of Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Scribe is a trademark of UNILOGIC, Ltd. Production Staff: Clyde Poole: Communications Committee Chair The University of Texas at Austin Frank Borger: SIG Publications Chair Michael Reese Hospital Judy Mulvey: Publications Manager DECUS Judy Tessier: Phototypographer/Graphics Designer DECUS Address general correspondence to: Address editorial replies to: DECUS U.S. Chapter Frank R. Borger SIGs Newsletters Physics Division 219 Boston Post Road, BP02 Michael Reese Hospital Marlboro, MA 01752-4605 Lake Shore Dr. @31 St. Chicago, IL 60616 Circulation: 5160 GENERAL TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTIONS PAGE NO. GENERAL INTEREST .Dear DECUS Member . GI-1 DATATRIEVE SIG .DTR/4GL SIG Calender of Events for New Orleans. DTR-1 .Volunteers Needed at Symposia. DTR-2 .SMARTSTAR Working Group . DTR-2 .PowerHouse Working Group .. DTR-2 .FOCUS Working Group . DTR-2 .ORACLE Working Group . DTR-3 .Special Notice of DATATRIE VE-11 Bug and FIX. DTR-3 .Analysis of Special RALLY PIR Ballots . DTR-3 .Digital's Response to DECUS PIR Input . DTR-5 .ORACLE TIP - Screen 110 in Forms C User Exits . DTR-7 .Loading Data into a DATATRIEVE Domain when the Input Data is in Multiple Records: Extracting Help Levels from a HELP File . DTR-8 .Wombat Magic, Fall 1989 - Part 3 ..................... DTR-10 E-PUBS .The Editor's Screen . EP-1 .E-PUBS SIG Symposium Schedule New Orleans, LA .... EP-1 .E-Pubs Software Improvement Request and Wishlist Form .QU-1 EDUSIG .EDUSIG At The New Orleans Spring DECUS . EDU-1 .EDUSIG Steering Committee Election . EDU-1 .BITNET Mail at DECUS . EDU-2 GRAPmcs SIG .DECwindows Spring Symposium Sessions . GRA-1 .From the Editor ..... GRA-2 .From the Chair's Desk. GRA-2 .PostScript Programming. GRA-3 .GAPSIG Keynote Spring 1990. GRA-5 .A Quote ........... GRA-5 .Using ScriptPrinter Software for Conversions. GRA-5 .GAPSIG Roadmap . GRA-6 .DECwindows Comer....... GRA-10 .Hardcopy at the Spring Symposium GRA-11 LANGUAGES AND TOOLS SIG .Editor's Notes ....... L&T-1 .Fall 1989 SIG Tape Reviews . L&T-2 .Anaheim L&T Clinic Report . L&T-5 .Report of the January Meeting of P1103.9: The FORTRAN Binding to POSIX. L&T-7 .Quadword Integer Arithmetic . L&T-10 .Annual Report of DECUS Participation in ANSI X3Jll - C Standards . L&T-14 .Public Domain Working Group Report . L&T-14 .Annual Standards Report, X3J4 COBOL . L&T-17 .Project Management Working Group Report L&T-18 NETWORKS SIG .From the Editor's Cobweb, Judi Mandl . .NTW-1 .Network Working Groups, Dennis Jensen. .NTW-1 .The Last of the Best Node Names (I Think), Rick Carter . .NTW-2 .DEQNA Upgrade Program .NTW-5 .DATAGRAM ....................... .QU-5 OFFICE AUTOMATION SIG .From the Editor . OA-1 .Some Thoughnts on Office Automation . OA-2 .File Cabinet Bookmark . OA-3 .Maintaining Permanent Symbols .... OA-5 .Corrections on 'INITIAL DEFAULTS' Article. OA-8 .WPS-PLUS FORUM: Wasted Sheets! . OA-9 .Needed: Session Chairs! . OA-10 .System Improvement Request Form. .QU-7 .VTX Working Group Volunteer Application. .QU-9 .VTX Working Group Wishlist Questionnaire . QU-11 .VTX Working Group Masters Application. QU-13 PERSONAL COMPUTER SIG .PRO Section, By Gary Rice . PC-1 .Workstations Section, By Mark Sebem .. PC-2 .Rainbow Section, By Dr. Thomas Warren. PC-4 .Macintosh Section, By Kent Behrends. PC-12 .PCSA Section, By Anita Uhler...... PC-12 .Questionnaire for MacintoshNAX Interconnectivity QU-15 RSX SIG .Editor's Corner............. RSX/IAS-1 .Submitting Articles to the Multi-Tasker . RSX/IAS-3 .Bulletin Board Notes .... RSX!IAS-4 .RSXJIAS Hall of Fame . RSXIIAS-5 .Kludge-o-matic Task Zapper. RSXJIAS-8 .DECUS Europe 88 RSX Q&A . RSX/IAS-10 RT SIG .From the Editor ............... RT-1 .Disk Benchmarks, CFP . RT-2 .Double-Sided Double-Density Floppy Handler . RT-4 .Autobauding and TSX-Plus . RT-14 .On the Subject of Communications Problems . RT-15 UNISIG .From the Editor . UNI-1 .Frequently Asked Questions. UNI-1 .How do I get the Current Directory into my prompt? . UNI-1 .How do I Redirect STDOUT and STDERR Separately in CSH?. UNI-2 .What does {awk, grep, fgrep, egrep, biff, cat, gecos, nroff, troff, tee, bss} Stand For? . UNI-2 VAX SIG .Editor's Note ........ VAX-2 .The Art of Troubleshooting . VAX-3 .Fall 1989 SIG Tape Review . VAX-8 .Virtual News. VAX-17 .System Improvement Request Submission Form . QU-19 LIBRARY .Library Reviews . .LIB-1 ii SIG INFORMATION SECTION .Special Interest Committee List. .SIC-1 QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION .E-Pubs Software Improvement Request and Wishlist Form .QU-1 .HMS Submission Form . .QU-3 .Networks DATAGRAM . .QU-5 .OA System Improvement Request Form . .QU-7 .OA VTX Working Group Volunteer Application. .QU-9 .OA VTX Working Group Wishlist Questionnaire . QU-11 .OA VTX Working Group Masters Application ... QU-13 .PC Questionnaire . QU-15 .VAX System Improvement Request Submission Form QU-19 SUBSCRIPTION AND MEMBERSHIP FORMS .Newsletter Order Form . S&M-1 .Application for Membership . S&M-3 iii Dear DECOS Member, The other day a friend of mine from one of the SIGs dropped by, and we got to discussing how computers have changed over the years. Being a wise old bi rd, he said that minis and micros had revolutionized the field. I didn't agree, and told him I thought there were too many computers and too many different sys terns out there, and that every time someone like Steve Jobs comes out with another mini or micro, I groan, "Oh no, not again!" I don't know about his place, but minis and micros are multiplying like rabbits in out department. The terminal I am using to write this has an RS232 switch box connected to it. I can select either the PDPll/44 running RSX/IAS, the small PDPll in my office running RT, or The VAX down the hall running VMS. That's 3 different operating systems, and three significantly different file structures, one a flat, single user structure, one almost a 2-deep tree structure, and the third a full tree structure. That small PDPll in my office also has a VTOS and an LA34 connected to it. I'll occasionally be running DEC diagnostics on it, using it to trouble shoot boards removed from the other PDPll computers that we service in our department. Total, 4 systems, and another file structure. Next to my terminal is a PC clone that's doing remote monitoring of an x­ ray machine downstairs. That PC makes running that therapy machine easier, and it really helps with some service problems, but when I switch to the PC I again have to swith mental gears, and deal with another file system. (Anybody that designs a full tree sturcture file system and then leaves out version numbers should be shot, but that's for another editorial.) Total, 5 systems and still another file structure. To make matters worse, on the bench behind me are a couple of different micro based systems. One of the boxes will soon interface our new therapy machine to or VAX computers for computer verification of proper patient treatment. The other is a single board system with built in basic and digital and A/D capabilities which I am incorporating into a special dosimetry system.