Volume Ill.iv TIM MISOSYS QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 1989 Volume ffl.iv The Blurb 2 Advertising Rates 3 PD Software Librarian 3 Hard drive Update 4 XLR8er Update 4 Letters to the Editor 5 ROMC Availability 6 Resource: Bulletin Boards 12 Resource: Computer Clubs 13 Resource: Companies 13 News Releases 13 DOS Subjects 18 LDOS Topics 17 LSDOS Topics 21 XLR8er/Graphics/Rapidos problem Solved! 42 MSDOS Topics 48 3.5" Floppy Differences explained 50 The Language Forum 52 An "interview" with Niklaus Wirth, from usenet 52 Checking for a file from Model 4 BASIC, by C. A. Ainsworth - 54 Logic in the C Language, by Ken Peck 55 MISOSYS Products Tidbits 59 Little Brother Data Base 63 MC C-Compiler 67 On-line Help with PRO-WAM, by Jeff Joseph 73 The Hardware Corner 78 Keep your printer clean and oiled, by C. A. Ainsworth 79 Surviving the HARD DISK crash, by Ken Strickler 89 Hardware Tinkering, by Richard R. King 95 List of Advertisors Anitek Software Products 46 Cornucopia Software, Inc. 15 Frank Slinkman MP Hypersoft IRC Microdex Corporation 45 MISOSYS, Inc. 45,49,51,58,76 Pacific Computer Exchange 76 Powersoft 16,17 TfMaker Research Company 15 The File Cabinet 15 TRSTimes magazine MP The Blurb - 1 - The Blurb Volume Ill.iv THE MISOSYS QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 1989 Volume Ill,iv Postal Union mail. There is a $5 charge because it takes up so much of my time. for each inquiry except under certain cir- As there is always room for improvement, cumstances (the sender did not receive a your input is always welcome. I have return receipt for which the required fee made attempts over the years to integrate was paid at the time of mailing, among the readers' suggestions into the 'look' of others concerning express mail, as well as TMQ. After all, it's your publication too. insured mail between the United States Thanks for being there. and Canada). Packages sent outside of the United States are usually sent via the The following piece relates to the forum Postal Service. I can either be at risk by on CompuServe sponsoredby MISOSYS. sending a second shipment on a claim of Don't tell me you never knew that Com- non-receipt prior to the waiting (and search) puServe had a forum devoted to the TRS- period, or use other carriers at a much 80 lineup and MISOSYS products? Well greater cost for foreign shipments. This where have you been? Support? That's subject is under discussion due to an ex- what it's been there for, folks! tremely irate individual in Canada who has been shipped a product twice and for which I have not yet received confirma- Message Base Contest! tion of receipt. Anyone out there have any Fm Joe Kyle-DiPietropaolo: Attention ideas? Points to Ponder All!!! Justin case you haven't noticed, the messages here have been slowly creeping Can we talk??? Right now I'm looking at Don't forget the vacation season is com- up towards that magic mark of a hundred a stack of mail approximately two feet ing up soon. So here's some advance thousand messages, that's 100,000 mes- high. Believe me, all of it will not get notification as to when MIS OSYS will be sages posted here since this Forum was answered. There is just not enough profit closed for business. We'll be shut down founded. left in this business to hire someone just to from June 30th until July 5th inclusive. staff a position to answer all of the cards We'll also be closed from August 7th In honor of this glorious occasion, we're and letters I receive. I try to do the best I through 11th. Hours of operation from running a special contest. Specifically, can. Support of our products comes from June 1st through September 1st will be here's the rules: reading our manuals, reading TMQ, rais- 9am-5pm EDST. I hope you all take some ing questions on our CompuServe forum, time to enjoy the summer. And for the 1)Upload to Library 16- Open Forum a folks down under who experience winter checking in with Computer Clubs, asking short text file that contains your guess as your friends, and trying once or twice when we up here have summer, don't let to the exact date and time that will be before you pick up the phone or draft a the snow get you down; there's always stamped on message number 100,000 here letter - generally incomplete to ascertain skiing, skating, and building snow folk - in the LDOSjTRSDOS6 Forum. Only the problem. I continue get requests for not to mention shovelling, slipping, and guess files stamped with a date prior to assistance on matters totally unrelated to sliding. the calendar date that the message base MISOSYS. I get phone calls on my 800 hits 100,000 will be considered. One guess order line asking for the telephone num- Finally, this issue turned out to be a fat per customer. ber of Aerocomp, or Anitek, or Tandy one. Even so, it is over my limit of 80 Customer Support (I don'teven know that pages (limit for mailing weight). But the 2)In the event that message number 100,000 one). I get calls and letters asking how to last issue was a tad short, and ads are is a (P)rivate message, the first non-(P)rivate do something in PROFILE, SuperScrip- helping to pay the postage, so I may just message after 100,000 will be substituted. sit, or General Ledger. Please spread the break even. In order to keep it from being excessively over, I had to eliminate a word that MISOSYS is not a general 3) The top three closest guesses will re- resource for supporting software which planned chapter on ' 'Applications for the User". Starting off Volume IV, my-next ceive prizes, and there will be a prize for is not published by MISOSYS - or the both the author and the recipient of the Model 4 in general. issue will be heavy in programs. I also plan to include my Technical Corner magic message 100,000. Turning to another sore spot of mine, I am continuing the articles on Computer Math. So keep a look out for the Fall issue. 4)In the event that I detect any tampering beginning to wonder how we still permit by folks trying to make the messages the postal service to continue their "op- As a post script, this issue completes three scroll abnormally fast, or leaving trivial eration". According to the International messages, I reserve the right to change the Mail Manual, Issue 6 effective October 5, years of publishing effort. I think TMQ has come a long way since that first issue rules anyway I darn well want to. Please, 1988, [USPS] customers must wait 60 let's keep it clean! days for items sent by air [90 days for in 1986. The level of subscriptions has items sent by service] before initiating never met my expectations, but get some an inquiry [for non-delivery] regarding joy out of doing this publication. I better, The Blurb -2- The Blurb Volume Ill.iv THE MISOSYS QUARTERLY - Spring/Summer 1989 Volume ffl.iv quickly. I usually wait about a month DISK NOTES 3.4 after TMQ is mailed before sending out renewal notices. Each issue of THE MISOSYS QUARTERLY usually contains program listings, patch listings, and other references to files we TMQ advertising have placed onto a disk. DISK NOTES 3.4 corresponds to this issue of TMQ. If If you are interested in reaching a dedi- you want to obtain all of the patches and cated TRS-80 audience, consider THE all of the listings, you may conveniently MISOSYS QUARTERLY. If you have a purchase a copy. Due to the abundance of TRS-80 Model III or 4 related product to textual material included in this issue, sell, you can reach these buyers by plac- there was no space for the five or so ing your advertisement in our publica- BBS' and Clubs programs I wanted to publish. So DN3.4 tion. TMQ is read world-wide. Our sub- will have lots of free space. I set aside space in TMQ as a service to the scribers are predominantly in the United States; however, we do have a significant Model 1/111/4 community of users to pub- DISK NOTES is priced at$ 10 Plus S&H. licize the following three things: a list of number in Canada, Europe, and Austra- The S&H charges are $2 for US, Canada, lia. phone numbers of companies still serv- and Mexico, $3 elsewhere. If you pur- icing and supporting this market, a list of chase DISK NOTES 3.4 with the coupon public computer bulletin boards, and a Note that this issue contains a consider- which accompanies this TMQ issue, you list of computer clubs which support the able response from the 'advertising' can save $2.50; the cost then being only TRS-80 user. The responses received to community. Perhaps I made the rates too $7.50 + S&H. date appear in the Letters to the Editor low! Anyway, I'll keep them as they are. column (note that the list of 'Resource: Please mention TMQ when you call or Companies' was generated by me). Mail write to these folks; they deserve your me any additions, deletions, or changes. support. Current space rates are as fol- lows: Out of print TMQ's available Full page $125 For out of print issues, we are providing Half page $75 back issues of THE MISOSYS QUAR- TMQ Schedule Quarter page $50 TERLY via copier reprint.