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Table of contents: |
| COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE Issue #3 | Home | Index | Magazine | ||||||
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| Articles in section: ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE |
| "ABOUT
CFDM" ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE THE FORMAT OF CFDM |
| Back to top |
"ABOUT CFDM" COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is dedicated to those who still enjoy running under RS DOS. It will deal with that format exclusively. A primary goal is to keep the COCO community strong. By providing a unique means of communication, maybe old fires will be rekindled as you and I share our knowledge and experiences! The success of this effort depends on each one who becomes a subscriber. Everyone must contribute his/ her two cents in the form of articles, programs, opinions, experiences, etc. If this happens we will all look forward to the next issue. (Check out the manual with your starter kit for details on how to submit material.) Now let's have some fun!!! =* |
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is the creation and property of Rick Cooper. It is distributed solely by RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE. The material which makes up each issue remains the property of the author(s) or contributor(s) unless an agreement has been made otherwise. COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE is dedicated exclusively to those who enjoy the COCO3 operating under RS DOS. It is hoped that this publication will encourage the continued usage of our favorite computer. Neither CFDM nor RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE will be responsible for the submission or publication of any material that does not belong to the submitter. WE DO NOT ADVOCATE OR SUPPORT PIRACY! =* |
THE FORMAT OF CFDM Each article in CFDM is limited to three screen
pages. A page is 16 lines with 52 characters per
line. Movement from page to page is executed by
pressing the CTRL key and then the page number (1,
2, or 3). When an article page is first displayed
or when moving to a new page, you will notice the
prompt in the upper left corner which says "ONE
MOMENT". This prompt occurs to let you know that
the page is being printed or adjusted. It also
occurs in ENTRY WRITER when you have pressed F1 for
delete or F2 for insert.
All entries in CFDM are text only. Graphics would
certainly be nice but you know how much disk storage
that would require!
=>
____________________________________________________
One feature that you can use for variety is the
text-color option. By pressing the CLEAR key you
can step thru the 64 available colors. The current
color will be saved and used when the article is
redisplayed. SHIFT and CLEAR lets you step thru the
colors in reverse.
You may edit the text of an article. First load the
original document. Next enter ENTRY WRITER and
select EDIT THE BUFFER. Make all the changes you
like in the usual manner. When you're finished
press BREAK. Choose SAVE from the SAVE MENU. Your
edited work will be saved under the same name. Your
old document will still be there too.
=>
____________________________________________________
There are three indicators to help readers travel
thru an entry. In the top lefthand corner you will
find the current page indicated. At the bottom of
each page we will find one of the following symbols.
(The meaning of the symbols are given.)
=> means there's another page.
=* means end of the article.
Adopt these symbols to help each user enjoy CFDM
even more.
I encourage submitters to use ENTRY WRITER in the
appropriate section for ALL submissions. THANKS!
=*
|
| Articles in section: ABOUT THIS ISSUE |
| CONTENTS...PART
1 CONTENTS...PART 2 CONTENTS...PART 3 PROGRAM DIRECTORY THIS MONTH'S COVER |
| Back to top |
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE (3)
1 "ABOUT CFDM"
2 ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE
3 THE FORMAT OF CFDM
ABOUT THIS ISSUE (5)
1 CONTENTS...PART 1
2 CONTENTS...PART 2
3 CONTENTS...PART 3
4 PROGRAM DIRECTORY
5 THIS MONTH'S COVER
ACTIVE COCO (2)
1 A New Section for CFDM
2 Looking for Support??
=>
____________________________________________________
ADVERTISEMENTS (6)
1 CFDM ACCESSORIES
2 CFDM SUBSCRIPTION
3 CLASSIFIED ADS
4 EXTRA COCO STUFF
5 UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #1
6 WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT OFFER #1
ARTICLES OF THE MONTH (2)
1 Anyone Can Do It
2 Deleting Database Records
COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY (2)
1 DESERT SUN
2 EL FARO
=>
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FAMILY TREE (10)
1 ANDREW KENNY
2 DANN MCCONNELL
3 DONALD ROBERTS GOOD, SR.
4 GEORGE CORBIN
5 JERRY ROBEY
6 JERRY SHAULIS
7 KEIRAN KENNY
8 LUIS E. TANON GARCIA
9 MIKE NADEAU
10 VIRGINIA HAWXHURST
(CONTINUED .. PART 2)
=*
|
FORUM (7)
1 America the Free
2 America the Free..Part II
3 COCO Users UNITE
4 CoCo's future vs OS-9 vs MS-DOS
5 I CAN'T DO WITHOUT...?
6 Our COCO
7 SAVE THE COCO
FROM THE EDITOR (3)
1 ASSEMBLING CFDM
2 KUDOS, NEEDS, AND COMING SOON
3 SOME USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS
=>
____________________________________________________
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (5)
1 A REAL BOO-BOO
2 Clear Key
3 MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU!
4 SUBSCRIPTION
5 WELCOME CFDM
POTPOURRI (5)
1 ! THE GREAT DEMO CONTEST !
2 A senior Citizen's Lament
3 GRAFIX.BAS - A DEMO
4 MISC IDEAS
5 Ram Drives
=>
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PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH (10)
1 3D TIC TAC TOE ages 3-10
2 40 TRACK CFDM
3 40 TRACK CFDM (READ FIRST)
4 A High Capacity LLISTing
5 CARDS 3x5
6 DTEST
7 HSCREEN2 the Easy Way
8 STRINGARTrminal Program
9 The Desert Puzzle
10 VUMASTER...GIFT FROM DAVID MILLS
(CONTINUED PART 3)
=*
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REVIEWS (3)
1 Orchestra 90 CC
2 PAINLESS WINDOWS
3 V-Term Terminal Program
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (12)
1 BRAIN EXERCISE + QUESTIONS
2 Coco Max 3 for VCR Titles
3 FD-502 Q2estion
4 GAMES
5 NEED HELP
6 Question about Dynacalc
7 RAM*CYRUS*ROM*SOKO-BAN*DRIVES
8 RS-DOS Basic & Hard Drive
9 SendFax Modem on a CoCo3?
=>
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10 TWO QUESTIONS
11 The Flip side
12 WHERE DID THE BLACK COME FROM?
=*
|
Here's a description of the files on the PROGRAM SIDE. File names preceeded by an asterisk are data files and not to be RUN or EXECed. NAME.........COMMAND..SECTION OR DESCRIPTION...... 3DTICTAC.TOE...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ C .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ CARDS3X5.BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ DESERT .BAS...RUN...ART GALLERY.................. * DESERT .NIB.........PIX FILE FOR DESERT.BAS...... DESERTPZ.BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ * DESERTPZ.NIB.........PIX FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS.... DTEST .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ EL FARO .BAS...RUN...ART GALLERY.................. * EL FARO .NIB.........PIX FILE FOR EL FARO.BAS..... * ENTRYCHK.CRD.........SAMPLE FOR CARDS3X5.BAS => ____________________________________________________ NAME COMMAND SECTION OR DESCRIPTION * FONT .BIN.........DATA FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS... FREE .BAS...RUN...FORUM..GRAPHIC FOR "AMERICA.. * FREE .NIB.........PIX FILE FOR FREE.BAS........ GRAFIX .BAS...RUN...POTPOURRI..GREAT DEMO CONTEST HSCR2EZE.BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ LLIST3C .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ * NIBLOADR.BIN.........PIX LOADER UTILITY........... * PUZDAT .DAT.........DATA FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS... * PUZZLE1 .NIB.........PIX FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS.... * SEQ0 .DAT.........DATA FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS... STRING1 .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ STRING2 .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ STRING3 .BAS...RUN...PROGRAMS OF MONTH............ * SWITCH .BIN.........UTILITY FILE FOR DESERTPZ.BAS VUMASTER.BIN...LOADM.PROGRAMS OF MONTH.......=* |
WINTER'S REFLECTION WINTER'S REFLECTION I THINK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.
I MADE THIS PICTURE ON A STILL WINTER AFTERNOON
TAKEN FROM AN AREA IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA. I USED
COCOMAX3 TO PAINT THIS PICTURE.
I AM HOPING SOMEDAY TO HAVE ARTISTS REALIZE
THAT COMPUTER ART IS AS MUCH AN ART MEDIUM AS IS
PAINT AND BRUSHES, PENCILS, CAMERAS AND PHOTOGRAPHY,
TWO DIMENSIONAL DESIGN, ETC. WITH THIS IN MIND, I
AM HOPING TO WRITE ABOUT THIS VERY SUBJECT SOMEDAY.
WOULD YOU PLEASE COMMENT ON THIS SUBJECT AND IF
INTERESTED CONTACT ME AT 717-538-3358. THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME.
=*
|
| Articles in section: ACTIVE COCO |
| A
New Section for CFDM Looking for Support?? |
| Back to top |
A New Section for CFDM This new section of CFDM replaces the apparently
less worthwhile ADDRESS CORRECTION section. Here's
were we hope to place information about active CoCo
clubs, BBSs, and other organizations which promote
the CoCo. If you use a bulletin board or belong to a
club, please let them know about CFDM and how their
organization can take advantage of this free
service.
Here's what we'd like from clubs:
- Club name, address, and meeting place and times;
- contact person, address, and phone (time to call);
- interests and special features of the club.
- CFDM would also be interested in publishing the
minutes from an occasional meeting. =>
____________________________________________________
Here's what we'd like from your BBS:
- BBS name, location, access number, hours;
- Sysop name, voice contact availability;
- system parameters;
- cost, special features, orientation.
CFDM would also be interested in publishing any
special interest reports from your BBS.
Hopefully we all have the same common interest, and
that is the preservation and strengthening of our
CoCo community!
=*
|
Looking for Support?? Looking for support?
Look to "Mid Iowa & Country CoCo" !!
Since 1984 we've helped users "Discovering the
Versatility of their CoCos". Our eight year record
speaks well to serving members out of town and out
of state. Presently we have members in 15 states
plus Canada. Plus clubs and some dealers. Our 90%
renewal rate says, "most all feel MI&CC is very
worthwhile".
Our "UPGRADE" newsletter on disk has become a real
hit. With MAX III graphics accompaning articles.
Ranging from RSDOS, Basic programming, hardware,
to OS-9 by James Jones of Microware. Editorials
you won't see in the big mags. (Appx 6 per yr)
Our "Power Packed Domain Library", is purposely
small compared to what's available. Because what =>
____________________________________________________
is in our library is carefully selected as "the
very Best Available"!
We have a Christian Software Sub-Chapter for those
interested.
Your free ads will be in the middle of a comunity
buying and selling CoCo equipment.
Have you noticed third party producers dropping
like flies in the late fall? The shrinking Rainbow?
Color Computer support is rapidly being, "Left up to
YOU"! As third party decreases a CoCo group is your
best support. We first recommend a local group.
If you want wider support...
Look to...Mid Iowa & Country CoCo
1238 48th Des Moines, IA 50311 (515) 279-2576
=*
____________________________________________________
Your membership will bring you all "Newsletter,
Library, voting, and other privilages for your
family household for a year.
Join up and see why even user groups by vote
sign up with a paid membership!
Mid Iowa & Country CoCo (non-profit group)
Annual membership: $12.00 US ($17.00 outside US)
($2.00 sample disk)
Terry Simons/ Treas. 1328 48th St.
Des Moines, IA 50311
Stay with a group that keeps you in touch!
Say I saw it on Rick's Disk and get:
an UPGRADE disk plus a Bonus disk via return mail!
|
| Articles in section: ADVERTISEMENTS |
| CFDM
ACCESSORIES CFDM SUBSCRIPTION CLASSIFIED ADS EXTRA COCO STUFF UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #1 WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT OFFER #1 |
| Back to top |
CFDM ACCESSORIES A very smart buy for single-sided disk drive users
is the flippie diskette. The SYNCOM PLATINUM SERIES
used for CFDM is a very good diskette....Rick
SYNCOM PLATINUM SERIES flippies........$8.00 per box
or
5 boxes SYNCOM PLATINUM SERIES flippies.......$35.00
MAILERS : plain white.........20 mailers for $7.00
SPECIAL: 2 boxes of flippies + 20 mailers....$20.00
PLEASE ADD $2 FOR S/H. COVERS ANY SIZE ORDER
RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE
P.O. BOX 276 Liberty, KY 42539 =*
|
CFDM SUBSCRIPTION Is your subscription running out? Here's how to
check:
On your mailing label next to your name is a number.
The number after the last dash (-) is the last
issue on your present subscription. Please don't
let your subscription expire.
WHEN YOU RESUBSCRIBE PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR ENTIRE
SUBSCRIPTION NUMBER. THIS HELPS ME LOCATE YOU IN
MY DATABASE!
A single issue of CFDM is $6. A 6 issue subscription
is only $30 (a savings of 6$).
COCOs FOREVER!! =*
|
CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE--ABOUT 50 ASSORTED PROGRAMS AND GAMES ON
DISK, ROM PACK, & CASSETTE. ALL ORIGINAL, NO COPYS.
ALSO TANDY HIGH RES. INTERFACE, & JOYSTICK SETS,
CAT. #26-3008A $5.00 EA. ALSO A MOUSE CAT.#26-3025,
A CASSETTE RECORDER, & A STEREO MUSIC SYNTHESIZER
AT $10.00 EA. ALSO I HAVE SEVERAL NEW COVERS FOR
COCO'S & DISK DRIVES, $1.00 EA. CALL OR WRITE (SASE)
FOR LIST & PRICES ALL PROGRAMS ARE ONES THAT COULD
BE BOUGHT FROM RADIO SHACK.
JIM STERNETT (313) 677-2418
3000 WOODLAND HILLS DR. APT. 14
ANN ARBOR, MI. 48108-2119
WANTED--RADIO SHACK DISK PROGRAM-EDTASM+. I AM ALSO
LOOKING FOR A PROGRAM THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO PUT AN
ACCESS PASSWORD ON A DISK..JIM STERNETT =*
|
EXTRA COCO STUFF I INHERITED THESE ITEMS IN A RS CLOSE UP.
SOMEONE OUT THERE NEEDS THEM: I WILL SELL,TRADE OR
WHATEVER!
1 EA. RS#26-1160 MINI DISK DRIVE, I THINK FOR A COCO
1 OR AN EARLY MODEL 2 OR 3 SERIES. COMES WITH A LONG
RIBBON CABLE FOR 5 OTHER DRIVES. PWR SUPPLY IS ON
EXTERNAL MOUNTED ON THE BACK WITH MINI-TOGGLE PWR
SWITCH. (DRIVE WILL NOT FIT IN A FD-502)
1 EA RS#26 03016 KEYBOARD, DARK GREY STYLE, ALSO FOR
OLD MODEL 2 ETC, I THINK!
1 EA COMPLETE (STORE DEMO) DESKMATE PROGRAM.....
=>
____________________________________________________
1 EA OS-9 HI-RES SCREEN DUMP UTILITIES PROGRAM
ALSO STORE DEMO.RS# 26-3221
IF ANYONE NEEDS THESE ITEMS, CALL OR WRITE ME AT;
DANN MCCONNELL
613 W PARK AVE
KELLOGG, IDAHO 83837
1-208-786-7641 EVENINGS PST
6PM TO 9PM
=*
|
UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #1 OVER $100 OF SOFTWARE FOR ONLY $33 + $2 S/H
"ALL RICK'S SOFTWARE"
1 CC3FLAGS..the best RISK playalike for COCO 3
2 VOCAB...a great Scrabble playalike
3 MASTER DIR...a very good disk cataloger (CC 1/2)
4 PROGRAMS FOR FRIENDS..3 educational + 1 game
5 The RAINBOW INDEXES..3 databases of RAINBOW info
6 NIB COMPRESSOR/RICK'S COCO GALLERY..graphics
compressor
7 GALLERY MAKER..make personalized COCO galleries
8 PUZZLES..8 Hi Res, 188 piece jig-saw puzzles
9 TETRA..my TETRIS playalike
10 MASTER DIR 3..fantastic disk cataloger for CC3
11 STEVE'S PICs..24 unbelievable Hscreen4 pictures
from Steve Ricketts =*
|
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT OFFER #1 ..I loved the "PUZZLE" game. The "clown" puzzle
took me over 4 hours one night to solve. It is a
marvelous program... re. MASTER DIRECTORY 3,"your
program presentation is fantastic to say the least..
easy on the eyes and real friendly...Y.L. Canada
With "THE RAINBOW INDEXES", you have accomplished
something that I have wanted to do for years...Your
"UNBELIEVABLE OFFER"...is just too good to pass up.
I already have CC3FLAGS and THE RAINBOW INDEXES, I
just have to try the rest of them...J.R.W. Arkansas
Haven't tried all the programs in your first "OFFER"
but the PUZZLE is terrific. I am now ordering your
2nd "UNBELIEVABLE OFFER"...R.S. California
=>
____________________________________________________
The indexes are GREAT!!...A.R. New York
...recently purchased CC3FLAGS from you and would
like to compliment you on an excellent program. My
family and I have gotten more pleasure out of
CC3FLAGS than many other games costing four times as
much...J.S. Wisconsin
..we received our software and are enjoying it very
much. I have a 16 year old daughter who loves
puzzles and is much impressed with yours..F.W. GA
I have "VOCAB" and "RAINBOW INDEXES", both of which
I use a lot. I really enjoy the speed and
"playability" of "VOCAB"...L.D. Iowa
=>
____________________________________________________
LOVE YOUR RAINBOW INDEXES...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...
AND REASONABLE PRICES...J.M.B. Canada
Thank you for the quick response to my recent order
for your "RAINBOW INDEXES". The programs are
excellent. ...concerning your "UNBELIEVABLE OFFER".
..enclosing a bank money order...looking forward to
receiving the software....S.M.B. Canada
Check out "UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #1" in this section!!
=*
|
| Articles in section: ARTICLES OF THE MONTH |
| Anyone
Can Do It Deleting Database Records |
| Back to top |
Anyone Can Do It I received a CoCo for Christmas about four years
ago. In the beginning I sat there looking at "Hi
I'm your Color Computer". How frustrating. Because
there was not much software available for the CoCo I
knew I would have to learn how to write programs so
I could use the computer.
Inch by inch page by page I gradually learned how
to write programs, using the book that came with the
CoCo, and articles that were in the "Rainbow".
I am very proud of what I have accomplished. I
did not go to college because I grew up in an era
that believed that girls did not need a college
education.
Computer programming in BASIC is fun. You keep
saying to yourself it CAN be done I just have to
figure out how. =>
____________________________________________________
I have written several programs in four years.
A program to keep track of my husband's small engine
business and inventory, one to do my checkbook and
budget, one to keep track of my art work, one for my
art supplies, and a list and label program, to
mention a few.
Some of my programs run under "BIG BASIC" which
extends the memory in the computer, because I ran
out of memory in my 128-K computer without it.
I guess what I am really trying to say is, "Anyone
Can Write a Program", even a 63 year old woman with
a high school education.
When you have finished your program you have a
program that will do what you want it to do not what
someone else wants it to do.
I am glad I received a CoCo for Christmas not =>
____________________________________________________
a Computer that had a lot of software available
=*
|
Deleting Database Records According to the CoCo Disk Manual page 150, the way
to delete a direct access file record requires three
steps. One, create a temporary file. Two, write
ALL the records except the one being deleted to the
temporary file. Three, delete the original file and
replace it with the temporary file. I find step two
very inefficient, especially for large files.
I've a way better to delete a record. Let's assume
a file of N records and that I want to delete record
number X. Step one, I write records X+1 to N to
record numbers X to N-1. Step two, I blank out
record N or I put a marker in record N. Now, the
next time I add records I start with record N,
perhaps finding record N by keying on the marker
I've added. I add record N using an edit =>
____________________________________________________
record routine or the add record routine.
My method has two distinct advantages. One, it's
faster especially if you are deleting a record near
the end of a large file. Typically you are deleting
records near the end of a file. Two, you can store
a larger database on one disk since you longer have
to allocate space for the temporary file.
Now it's obvious that CDFM readers are a quick and
nimble group of programmers, so I'll bet many of you
have a method of deleting records that's better than
mine. Let's hear from you.
=*
|
| Articles in section: COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY |
| DESERT
SUN EL FARO |
| Back to top |
DESERT SUN
My second attempt at computer art is a combination
of recollections of trips to Arizona and a little
bit of imagination. Please bear with me, I'm
learning as fast as I can. Desert Sun was also
created with CoCoMax 3 -- which, in my opinion, is
one of the best programs written for the CoCo 3 (and
that includes a lot of really great software).
I've learned a few tricks which may be old hat to
those who are experienced with CoCoMax 3, but I'd
like to share them for the benefit of some new-
comers who might be encouraged to give it a try.
First, I concur with James Gibbons who commented in
Issue 1 that the best way to use CoCoMax 3 is with
the smallest brush size and in the ZOOM mode. This
means working with individual pixels. Of course, =>
____________________________________________________
you can rough in some features full scale before
zooming in.
I found that, with some combinations of similar
colors or shades, there is not enough contrast to
see what you are doing. In addition, for some
colors, the cursor (which is a tiny dot in the ZOOM
mode) is just too hard to pick up. The solution to
both of these problems is to change the palette
color of the slot to a temporary one which contrasts
with the adjacent colors. Make your corrections,
additions, etc. and then return the desired color to
the slot. This has sure saved me a lot of eyestrain.
=*
|
EL FARO
This picture is called "EL FARO" and I draw it
using basic. I used Cocomax 3 to paint it and add
some details. "El FARO" (is lighthouse) is about 100
years old. It is one of the most beatifull places in
Boqueron, Puerto Rico.
=*
|
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME MY NAME IS ANDREW KENNY AND I LIVE IN CARY, IL
(ABOUT THIRTY MILES WEST OF CHICAGO). I AM TWENTY-
FOUR YEARS OLD AND WAS BORN IN DARBY, ENGLAND. MY
FAMILY MOVED TO AMERICA IN 1972.
UPON MY INTRODUCTION TO HOME COMPUTERS IN HIGH
SCHOOL I QUICKLY FELL IN LOVE. MY FIRST COMPUTER WAS
AN ORIGINAL COCO 16K BASIC (NOT EVEN EXTENDED)! OVER
THE YEARS I UPDATED AS THE NEW MODELS CAME OUT.
HAVING THE COCO AROUND IMPROVED MY UNDERSTANDING OF
BASIC AND I WAS SOON WRITING MY OWN PROGRAMS.
AMONG MY INTERESTS ARE: HEAVY METAL MUSIC (BLACK
SABBATH, MANOWAR..), WRITING HORROR AND DARK FANTASY
STORIES, WARGAMING AND ROLE PLAYING GAMES (AFTER-
MATH, LEGEND MAKER, CALL OF CTHULHU).
IF ANYONE IS IN THE AREA AND WOULD LIKE TO
EXCHANGE PROGRAMS, IDEAS, OR EVEN STORIES; DROP =>
____________________________________________________
ME A LINE AT:
ANDREW KENNY
354 ALMA TERRACE
CARY,IL 60013
=*
|
DANN MCCONNELL I WAS BORN IN BILLINGS MONTANA AND ATTENDED SCHOOL
THERE UNTIL GRADUATION IN 1957, THEN I MADE MY 1ST
MISTAKE, I JOINED THE US ARMY TO TRAVEL AND SEE THE
WORLD, AND BROTHER, DID I SEE THE WORLD! FROM EUROPE
TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND BACK. I WAS IN VHF RADIO THEN
SWITCHED OVER TO TROPO AND THEN TO INTELLIGENCE. I
MARRIED MY WIFE ELKE, A GERMAN THAT COOKS FANTASTIC,
I GUESS THATS WHY MY DOCTOR PUT ME ON A LOW FAT
DIET, CHUCKLE, WE HAVE TWO KIDS, MICHELLE AND
DARRELL WHO ARE BOTH ON THEIR OWN. I AM EMPLOYED BY
A LOCALLY-OWNED AUTO PARTS STORE CHAIN, AND HAVE
BEEN WORKING IN THAT CAPACITY FOR ALMOST 6 YEARS, I
RETIRED FROM THE ARMY IN 1981, AND BOUGHT MY FIRST
COMPUTER, IF YOU CALL A TIMEX/SINCLAIR A COMPUTER,
AFTER FIGHTING IT FOR A YEAR, I BOUGHT A COCO2, USED
A TV FOR A MONITOR, AND TAPE FOR STORAGE. =>
____________________________________________________
THEN WHEN THE LOCAL RS STORE MISORDERED A COCO3 THE
OWNER CALLED ME AND ASKED ME IF I WANTED A COCO3 FOR
HIS COST MINUS WHAT THE ORDERING PARTY HAD PAID DOWN
ON IT, I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE, AND FROM THEN ON I
ADDED A LITTLE AT A TIME, WHEN HE CLOSED THE STORE
LAST YEAR HE LITERALLY GAVE ME A PILE OF STUFF, SO
PLEASE SEE MY AD, OK, I NEED HELP WITH MY COCO AND I
KNOW SOME OF THE STUFF IS NEEDED IN THE COCO-LAND.
PRESENTLY I HAVE A COCO3, MULTI-PAK INTERFACE, FD-
502, DMP106 AND A CM-8 MONITOR, AND I'M HOOKED, BUT
LIKE YOU ALL, I HAVE NO OUTLET FOR MORE SOFTWARE OR
THE LIKES. I DON'T PROGRAM TO MUCH, ONLY CHANGING
PROGRAMS TO FIT MY NEEDS. I AM THE ADJUTANT OF OUR
LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, SO
I USE THE COCO ALOT PUBLISHING OUR NEWSLETTER.
=>
____________________________________________________
I LOOK FORWARD TO RICKS NEW DISK MAGAZINE, AND USING
IT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS MACHINE.
=*
|
DONALD ROBERTS GOOD, SR. ADDRESS 1 : 3858 N. BRYAN FRESNO, CA. 93722
ADDRESS 2 : P.O. BOX 13237 FRESNO, CA. 93794
TELEPHONE : 209/276-9119 OR 209/275-6301
BIRTHPLACE: CORINTH, IL. JUNE 28 1921
WORK STATS: RETIRED IN JUNE 1983, AT AGE 62.
FAMILY : WIFE, HELEN E. GOOD AND 4 STEP-DAUGHTERS
: SON, DON, JR. & HIS HALF-SISTER,MARGIE.
: DON, JR. HAS 1 BOY AND 2 GIRLS.
: MARGE HAS 1 BOY AND 1 GIRL.
HOBBIES : COMPUTER (COCO3-512K), 65 MEG.(RGB-DOS),
: FD-502, STAR NX-1001, CM-8, DISTO SC-1
: WITH 3-N-1 BOARD, AND EXT.-ADOS3 (EPROM)
: ,PSS-480 KEYBOARD, REALISTIC STERIO SYS.
I PURCHASED A COCO2 IN MARCH 1986. SINCE THEN, HAVE
ACQUIRED ALL RAINBOW MAGS/DISKS, & SOME TAPES. ALSO
HAVE VARIOUS AND SUNDRY PUBLIC DOMAIN AND =>
____________________________________________________
SHAREWARE SOFTWARE. I HAVE SEVERAL COMMERCIAL
SOFTWARE PACKAGES. WITH ALL OF THIS, AND TIME ON MY
HANDS, I HAVE NOT LEARNED TO PROGRAM. BUT AM HAVING
A GREAT TIME JUST TRYING. EXCUSE ME, RICK, BUT I DO
HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST IN OS-9 AND BASIC-09;
ESPECIALLY WITH THE 65 MEG HARDDRIVE. THE COCO3 WAS
PURCHASED IN 1988. THE NEAREST THING TO A 'COMPUTER'
THAT MY WIFE IS INTERESTED IN IS A WP-80 BROTHERS
WORD PROCESSOR. I WILL CORRESPOND WITH ANYONE WHO
IS INTERESTED IN SIMILAR SUBJECTS; COMPUTERS,
ELECTRONICS, ETC.
RICK, THANKS FOR THE INTRODUCTION TO YOUR ENTER-
PRISE. I AM SENDING THE ANNUAL FEE OF $30.00, AND BE
LIEVE IT TO BE A REWARDING ACTIVITY FOR EVERYONE
INVOLVED. AS I MENTIONED, I AM NOT A PROGRAMMER, BUT
WILL BE OF ANY ASSISTANCE POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME. =>
____________________________________________________
HELEN AND I OWN OUR HOME IN EAST TEXAS, ABOUT 125
MILES EAST OF DALLAS. WE ARE HERE IN CALIF. TO TAKE
CARE OF HER AGEING MOTHER (91 YRS). WE HOPE TO BE
ABLE TO RETURN HOME SOMEDAY. WE CAME HERE IN 1984.
P.S. I ALSO HAVE THE GRAPHIC PROGRAMS: COCOMAX III,
MAX-10, AND COLORMAX DELUXE. THERE IS S-O-O M-U-C-H
TO DO WITH THE COCO3, THAT IT IS DIFFICULT TO CHOOSE
ANY ONE THEME TO CONCENTRATE ON! WELL, BACK TO THE
DRAWING BOARD!!!
THANKS AGAIN, RICK.
=*
|
George Corbin My name is George Corbin. I am 41 and have a
wife named Susan, two children, Harry age 2, and
Elizabeth age 11. I am a native of Georgia. I have
been in the commercial shrimping industry most of
my life. Eight years ago I gave up the sea and moved
inland. I have been in manufactoring of metal com-
ponets since then.
I have had my CoCo since 1989. I have upgraded
to 512K, added disk-drives, a CMP monitor, and yes
OS-9. As you can guess, OS-9 was not my cup of tea.
I hope to add a printer soon. I am a self taught RS-
DOS programmer. I learned most of this from the Rain
bow. I still support the Rainbow and now CFDM. This
is really the shot in the arm that kept me from go-
ing to a MS-DOS machine. Thanks to Rick I hope to
stay in the CoCo community for years to come =>
____________________________________________________
I would like to learn more about assembly
language and the internal workings of my computer.
Most of my programming is in the form of data-bases.
I prefer programs of the Bill Barden style, down to
earth and useable. Don't get me wrong, I like games
and graphics too.
Along with my computing my other hobbies are,
gardening, working in my woodshop, and fishing. I
have a nice data-base for my flower collection that
I will submit when I pretty it up some.
If anyone feels that I can be of some help
please feel free to contact me at:
George Corbin
Rt 3 Box 138
Swainsboro, Ga. 30401 =*
|
Jerry Robey My name is Gerald "Jerry" Robey and I live in
Middletown, Md. with my wife Ann and one daughter,
Becky. I'm 39 years old and work as an Aviation
Technician/Supervisor with the state Medevac
Helicopters.
I have been using the COCO3 for about 4 years and
before that I had a COCO2 which I attempted an
upgrade to 64K. It worked, however, I melted the
Keyboard cable with the soldering iron! But, at the
same time, Tandy introduced the COCO3. Oh well, it
was a good excuse to buy the COCO3.
I don't program but have a ball keying in program
listings from Rainbow (when they did basic). I want
to learn programming, but time is limited. I have
done a little basic and some in DBASE III+. I have
set up a small network at work for maintenance =>
____________________________________________________
tracking and parts inventory on an IBM written in
Foxbase by an Aviation software firm.
I am in the Army Reserve where I practice being a
Drill Sergeant on weekends and 2 weeks a year. I'm
an E-7 and looking for E-8 soon (I hope).
My hobbies are, besides the COCO & the Reserves,
are running, weight training, camping and back-
packing. Looking forward to the new American Trail
which will go from coast to coast. I have done a
little of the Appalachian Trail.
Another interest of mine is my Family Tree which
I have done some work on. Fortunately, there was a
book written which covers my father's side back to
1750's. I am currently using an IBM program which
does pretty good but I would love to use the COCO if
anyone has a good program. =>
____________________________________________________
The CFDM is a great idea & am looking forward to
a long association with it. This is a great idea
whether for the COCO or any other computer. Look at
the savings on Magazine publication !
Keep up the good work !!!!!
Jerry Robey
7102 Silver Circle
Middletown, Md. 21769
=*
|
JERRY SHAULIS IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 80'S I WAS TRAINING TO BE A
MACHINIST. MANY OF THE MACHINES THAT I WOULD RUN
WOULD BE CONTROLLED BY A COMPUTER. I THOUGHT IT
WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO LEARN ABOUT COMPUTERS. I
BOUGHT A 16K COCO WITH THAT IDEA IN MIND.
I HAVE WRITTEN 2 MAJOR BASIC PROGRAMS, "A MAIL
LABELER FOR YOUR COCO" AND "BANK AND BUDGET" FEB.
1990 RAINBOW. I AM ABOUT TO COMPLETE MY 3RD MAJOR
BASIC PROGRAM "I DIDN'T FORGET" AND HOPE TO SUBMIT
IT SOON TO THE RAINBOW. I ALSO BUILT A ROM PORT
INTERFACE AND WROTE A PROGRAM TO CONNECT MY COCO TO
A HEATHKIT WEATHER COMPUTER. THE PROGRAM TO TALK TO
THE WEATHER COMPUTER CONTAINED A MACHINE LANGUAGE
SUBROUTINE. I HAVE LEARNED A LOT BUT STILL HAVE SO
MUCH TO LEARN. =>
____________________________________________________
I AM NOW A CNC MACHINIST AT HACH COMPANY. IT IS A
GOING COMPANY, DOUBLING IN SIZE ABOUT EVERY 4 YEARS.
THIS YEARS SALES (APRIL TO APRIL) SHOULD BE OVER 80
MILLION.
I GOT MARRIED 4 YEARS AGO FEB 14, 1988. WE NOW HAVE
A 19 MONTH OLD BOY. HE IS QUITE A BOY AND LOVES TO
PLAY ON MY COMPUTER.
MY OTHER INTERESTS ARE HIKING, CAMPING, CRAFTS,
ELECTRONICS, PHOTOGRAPHY, STAINED GLASS, LEATHER
TOOLING, AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST BIBLE STUDY.
WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND I
SPEND MOST OF MY TIME TRYING TO FIX IT THE WAY WE
WANT IT. TIME AND MONEY ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY. =>
____________________________________________________
I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING AND SHARING WITH CFDM
SUBSCRIBERS IN THE FUTURE ISSUES.
JERRY SHAULIS
1906 BUENA VISTA PL.
LOVELAND, CO. 80538
=*
|
An Overaged CoConut I was born in the scorching south-west of Queensland
(Australia) but my family moved to the balmier clim-
ates of the Pacific coast while I was still in my
teens. I worked as an apprentice machinist in a shop
making steam engines and railroad coaches and served
in the navy as a radioman from 1939 to 1946.
After WW2 I got a degree in modern languages (French
and German) and worked until my early retirement as
an Immigration officer. Nearly the half of my ser-
vice was as Immigration Officer in Embassies abroad.
I retired in 1978.
I bought my first CoCo 1.1 in 1983 and began pro-
gramming in 1984. At first I thought I knew it all,
and began bombarding Rainbow with very long and com-
plicated programs. Looking at them now, I wonder how
I ever dared submit them. Still it was all good ==>
____________________________________________________
experience. Since then I have had quite a few pro-
grams published in Rainbow and I have made a lot of
good friends among contributors and readers and look
forward to getting to know CFDM contributors and
readers too.
Since I retired, my Dutch wife and I have moved to
and fro between Holland and Australia. We have been
back in Holland since September 1991 and intend to
stay here for a while.
My CoCos and bits and pieces arrived four months
after I left Australia so I am a little rusty but I
promised myself that I would submit my first program
to "CFDM". I hope the Editor (and you) like it.
=*
|
Luis E. Tanon Garcia Hi,
My name is Luis E. Tanon. I live in Puerto Rico, a
small island in the Caribbean. I am 17 years old,
and I have had my CoCo 3 since December of 1989. My
equipment consist of a 512k CoCo 3, a FD-502 drive,
a Citizen 120D printer, and I recently purchased a
Hayes 1200 modem,and a CM-8 monitor, which I hope to
receive very soon (I purchased this things from a
friend of mine from the USA).
Although I also like to use OS-9, I still like to
use RS-DOS for many of the things that I do with my
computer, and that's the reason I am writing this. I
love my CoCo. I have learned more about computers
from it and from reading the Rainbow, than what I
learned before purchasing it, or from the =>
____________________________________________________
computer programming course I took in school last
year. The CoCo also made me decide, that I want to
study Computers when I begin college on August of
this year. Well this is all. Thank you for your
attention, and sorry if my English is not very good,
but since we speak Spanish in P.R, I only know the
English I take in school and sometimes I forget some
things.
=*
|
Mike Nadeau Hello,
My name is Mike and I live in Waterville, Maine.
I've been a CoCoNut since 1982, when I purchased my
first CoCo1. I presently own a CoCo2 and 2 CoCo3's.
I use my CoCo's for work and play. I run a small
2-way radio repair business in which I use a CoCo3
to keep inventory, customer data, etc. I am also a
ham radio operator (my call is N1ENA) and I use a
CoCo3 on packet radio.
My main setup consists of: CoCo3, Multi-Pak,
3 FD-502 drives, RS-232 pak, Magnavox RGB monitor,
Star NX-1000 printer, Tandy DCM-212 modem, and an
AEA PK-88 packet controller. My next step is to add
a hard drive.
I get a lot of pressure from my friends to change
to a 'better' computer (IBM clone), but I've =>
____________________________________________________
never had a job for a computer that my CoCo couldn't
perform with less hassle and less cost. One thing an
IBM clone can do better than a CoCo is get sick from
one of the many viruses floating around! So, I'll
stick by my CoCo until I out-grow it... which won't
be anytime soon!
Mike Nadeau, N1ENA
28 King Street
Waterville, ME 04901-6320
=*
|
Family Tree Wife and Mother of four grown children and
grandmother of three.
I am an artist who paints landscapes and still
life mainly in oil. I have sold paintings to people
all over the USA and a few in Europe.
I belong to, and am treasurer of the
Leatherstocking Brush & Palette Club of Cooperstown.
We run a sales gallery in the summer in Cooperstown,
N.Y. (the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame). I also
teach art at my home one day a week.
We live in a log home we built in 1985.
My husband is a retired Volkswagen mechanic, who
is running a small engine repair shop just to keep
busy.
=*
|
| Articles in section: FORUM |
| America
the Free America the Free..Part II COCO Users UNITE CoCo's future vs OS-9 vs MS-DOS I CAN'T DO WITHOUT...? Our COCO SAVE THE COCO |
| Back to top |
America the Free
One Nation Under God We've come a long way my fellow Americans. Our educational systems have produced intelligence to new highs generally. If a law is passed and enough ignore it, it can't be enforced. The reality of a democracy is simply "whatever we the people want, we the people will have." Including: We want the right to leave our seat belts unfastened even though overwhelming figures show using them would most likely save serious injury or our lives. We want the freedom to ignore the grief of those who love us. We want the right to bash our heads on the pavement when riding our motor bikes. Masculinity and living stupidly are synonymous, aren't they? => ____________________________________________________ We want the right to own automatic assault weapons which have about as much to do with personal pro- tection and hunting firearms as owning a tank. After all the children in "our school" haven't been massacred yet. We want the right to use drugs even if we operate passenger trains...or at least be free of tests that would show us up despite the previous disasters caused. Anyway, it's the dealers not our fault. We seem to be losing the right to get drunk and kill people. Some group called M.A.D. is getting upset because of their dead children. We see many parents having the right to sexually molest their children upheld by some of the => ____________________________________________________ judges we intrust with making such decisions of wisdom. Freedom can very well be "another word for nothing left to lose." Above all else, our children are guaranteed freedom from seeing anything suggesting the reality of our God for seven of their 12 to 14 waking hours (as part of our higher education system). Go ahead and just chalk it up to irony. "As prayers became absent from our classrooms, drugs became more prevalent in the hallways." To omit God from a part of a child's day is to teach the omission of God. (Continued in America the Free Part II) =* |
America the Free..Part II Perhaps it is fitting that our high court has held
it's ok to desecrate our flag. As we balk at the
idea of our children saying, "one nation under God",
are we saying "hearing about God is like booze; you
need to be 18 or 21 to handle it?"
Personally, quoting chapter and verse for some
reason goes against the grain. I always feel like
someone is trying to be God to me. I do however very
seriously take to heart it's passages and their
meaning. It does appear Christ became very upset
when the children were prevented from seeing Him. I
remember something about a millstone about the neck
of those who would cause harm to children. Take a
look for yourself. See what you think?
=>
____________________________________________________
Printed with permission of Terry Simons and
THE MID IOWA & COUNTRY COCO
-- SEE TERRY'S ACCOMPANYING GRAPHICS "FREE.BAS" ---
=*
|
COCO Users UNITE The Future of the COCO ??
In Rick Cooper's HUMBLE yet ever so accurate
opinion, The future of the COCO is "US", the users.
We need everyone's support to keep COCO going. How
can this be done when the IBM compatibles dominate
the computer world? Everyone wants IBM because they
want to be compatible with the world. However, is
there another computer that one can purcahse for a
small amount of money and be able to use it from day
one? And after they learn more can add to it piece
by piece. It can be used for games, education,
relaxation, learn programming, and it can even be
used for business and networking. I think the reason
for the downfall of this wonderful computer is
Tandy's marketing it in the stores as a Game machine
along the lines of ATARI. =>
____________________________________________________
If they had used some of the programs addvertised
in Rainbow to run in the stores, this "little"
computer would be more popular than Commodore (which
also appears to be disappearing). Is it possible
that a large outcry from COCO-ist's by form of
letters, to Tandy might gain another look? I don't
know. I don't even know the extent of support from
the users. How many magazines does Rainbow sell a
month? It is obviously dwindling viewed by the size
of the magazine and the contents and advertisers.
I'm afraid that the only hope we have is to support
what we have until it all breaks down and can't get
repaired. We can no longer entice friends to the
COCO because one cannot even purchase a new COCO or
it's accessories. So, in summary, I think the future
looks bleak for the COCO unless someone =>
____________________________________________________
else starts selling the COCO and not a computer that
claims to do everything including IBM-DOS, RS-DOS,
OS-9, etc.
Kudo's to Rick Cooper and CFDM for "Keeping Hope
Alive" in our little world. Keep up the good work.
You may be the last "Friend" we have.
Jerry Robey
7102 Silver Circle
Middletown, Md. 21769
=*
|
CoCo's future vs OS-9 vs MS-DOS I recently received my first copy of this magazine,
and I read some of the comments about the future of
the CoCo. Now I want to give my opinion. Although I
still like to use RS-DOS and most of my programs run
on it, I also use OS-9 and like it very much. I am
not trying to persuade you to use OS-9, but the CoCo
is the last of the computers with a built-in basic
operating system and many of you don't want to learn
how to use OS-9, but are using MS-DOS machines. What
I want to say, is that you say that OS-9 is to
difficult to use, but use MS-DOS which is no easier
to learn.
I have used but OS-9 and MS-DOS,and OS-9 is better.
The only way you can run many programs at the same
time with MS-DOS, is if you have MS-DOS 5.0 or =>
____________________________________________________
Windows. Also OS9 is faster (even on the CoCo) and
easier to create programs, because it is modular in
design, and many other things that cannot be found
on MS-DOS. What I am trying to say is that instead
of buying a MS-DOS machine and leaving behind all of
the CoCo Community, invest some time in learning OS9
in your CoCo and later upgrade to one of the new
machines if you want. OS-9-68k is almost the same
as OS-9 on the CoCo. If we do this, then the CoCo
Community will last many more years to come. I am
not trying to push you into OS-9, but consider it
before thinking in purchasing a MS-DOS machine.
=*
|
I CAN'T DO WITHOUT...? There's been times that I have thought, "I spend too
much time on the computer. I really should sell all
this hardware and software and spend more time
smelling the roses!"
Then I would think, "But what would I do when I need
to type a letter or a test? I sure don't think I
could ever use a typewriter again! How about for
keeping records or calculating numbers for taxes,
etc. How about solving problems or for leisure time?
What would I ever do without my CoCo?" I'm surely
hooked!
After establishing that I can't do without my CoCo,
I think about the operating system. I really like
turning on my machine and within two seconds =>
____________________________________________________
I can start to type. (Try that with any other
operating system.) I can't do without Disk Basic!
As I stated in my review of EDTASM, I really enjoy
using assembly language! I certainly have not
mastered it, but I'm getting better! I can't do
without EDTASM!
Other programs I can't do without are COCO MAX 3, my
NIB COMPRESSOR, and the RAINBOW INDEXES!
I certainly can't give up my RGB monitor or my disk
drives!
And I still enjoy the RAINBOW! (Maybe it's getting
harder and anticipation not so great!) =>
____________________________________________________
So there you have it..the things I can't do without.
How about you dear Friends? Care to tell us about
your favorite programs, hardware add-ons, BBS, books
or magazines, or local club? We'd love to hear from
you!!
=*
|
Our COCO I have to agree with Rick on the outcome of our COCO
future, we have to make it go and go till we bring
it back to its original popularity, I for one have
fell in love with my COCO, I've watched it grow,
from a TV and a tape recorder with my COCO2, to what
I have now, thanks to many friends and RAINBOW I've
survived and HAVEN'T gone to MSDOS, even though I
have been pushed to do so. There are still enough
CoCoists out there to write programs, and improve
the ones we have, that alone should tell us, we
shall survive! My CoCo is User Friendly, thats not
the case with the MSDOS systems, at least I don't
think so! 10 minutes on a 386 and I'm a blithering
idiot, back slashes and codes galore, and THEY have
the gall to call my COCO3 a TOY?
=>
____________________________________________________
NO, I think I'll remain with my CoCo, and stay on
board with CFDM, I've learned more from 2 issues,
then I have in the last 10 years from books!
"Mac"
=*
|
SAVE THE COCO ONE WAY TO KEEP THE COCO COMMUNITY ALIVE IS TO
BUY! BUY! BUY! THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPANIES TO
CHOOSE FROM AND AN EVEN GREATER SELECTION OF
SOFTWARE. EDUCATION, GAMES, ADVENTURES, UTILITIES,
GRAPHICS AND COMMUNICATION ARE AMONG THE CHOICES.
PRICES RANGE FROM A FEW DOLLARS TO HUNDREDS OF
DOLLARS. I SEE NO REASON WHY PEOPLE ARE UNWILLING
TO BUY SOFTWARE OR SUPPORT VENDORS OTHER THAN RADIO
SHACK (LIKE A FRIEND OF MINE WHO HAS NEVER ORDERED
SOFTWARE VIA THE MAIL AND RARELY BUYS PRODUCT FROM
RADIO SHACK).
GRANTED ONE CAN WRITE SOFTWARE FOR PERSONAL USE
BUT WHAT ABOUT OTHERS' IDEAS? THEY MAY NOT BE BETTER
THAN YOUR OWN BUT THEY WILL GIVE YOU INSIGHT ON HOW
TO SOLVE A PROGRAMMING QUESTION.
=>
____________________________________________________
I HAVE OWNED A COCO FOR YEARS BUT DID NOT START
BUYING SOFTWARE THROUGH THE MAIL UNTIL RECENTLY. I
NOW REGRET THAT. EVERY TIME I LOOK AT AN OLD RAINBOW
MAGAZINE I REGRET NOT SUPPORTING A VENDOR WHO IS NO
LONGER AROUND. AND I REGRET NOT HAVING SOME OF THOSE
GREAT PROGRAMS.
=*
|
| Articles in section: FROM THE EDITOR |
| ASSEMBLING
CFDM KUDOS, NEEDS, AND COMING SOON SOME USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS |
| Back to top |
ASSEMBLING CFDM A pattern is finally beginning to evolve. This 3rd
issue of CFDM has been a little easier to assemble
than the previous two. After a couple of years I
should have the hang of it!
I've learned that listing the submissions as they
come in is most helpful. After processing the cover
and copying the permanent files, it's time to refer
to my list and add a few entries each day. Each time
I add a new entry, I get excited just thinking "Wait
until the Friends see this one!"
It occurred to me that the reader and I have two
different perspectives on CFDM. I see it in bits and
pieces, place them together and hope it fits in the
end. I jump from section to section and back =>
____________________________________________________
again as I add the entries.
The reader may take one of several approaches. Each
probably will develop a preference or curiosity
about what's going on in a certain section and head
for that one first. With RAINBOW I use to look at
the COCO GALLERY first, then LETTERS TO THE EDITOR,
and then either REVIEWS or PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH.
I suspect there are a few that take the first entry
to the last entry approach. This type of reader will
surely not miss a single thing!
Whichever approach you prefer, I hope you find CFDM
worth spending a few hours with each month. And
maybe you'll even return to previous issues =>
____________________________________________________
as we all seem to do with the RAINBOW!
One last comment. The other day I was thinking about
how the concepts and programming for CFDM developed.
It was almost spontaneous. And I have always felt
that it was a blessing from GOD! I know I would not
relish having to try to do it again from scratch!
Don't get me wrong, I know there are weaknesses. But
I will continue to hone a little bit each month as
time permits.
FINALLY..
I HOPE YOU ENJOY CFDM AS MUCH AS I ENJOY PUTTING IT
TOGETHER!
=*
|
KUDOS, NEEDS, AND COMING SOON Congratulations on the wonderful submissions that
you have contibuted to CFDM this month! And, there's
still some great stuff to start issue #4! Just wait
'til you see what's in store!
Some sections are in need of some beefing up. If
you haven't sent in your FAMILY TREE, please do so
now!! We also need entries for REVIEWS, THE FORUM,
POTPOURRI, and ACTIVE COCO.
COMING SOON!!...This should be exciting!..I have
been working on the capability of allowing some ML
(machine language) programs to RUN inside the
magazine side. The possiblities are games, demos,
and graphics (such as a comic section).
=>
____________________________________________________
If you are an assembly language programmer, I'd like
to encourage you to give this a try. Due to the
limited amount of memory that is available, the
following guidelines must be followed exactly.
1) Your program must reside in memory between $4200
and $5FFF.
2) You must use the graphics screen (memory units
$30-$33) for display.
3) RS BASIC, EXTENDED BASIC, & SUPER EXTENDED BASIC
may be called by your program as long as it does
not change any other portions of memory.
=>
____________________________________________________
4) Your submission should be accompanied with your
source code. (This allows me to check for
possible conflicts with the magazine. We don't
want to send out something that we will learn to
regret later.)
5) Your submission can be sent as a standard BIN.
I'll have to hand place it into the magazine.
6) Please no auto-executing files!
PS..I'm not quite ready for graphics yet..but..I'd
love to see some HSCREEN2 comics. Say one or two
box funnies (approx. 180 pixels X 80 pixels in
total size).
COME ON! DO SOMETHING GREAT!! =*
|
SOME USEFUL HINTS AND TIPS Sometimes I get a letter from a Friend who has run
across something of which I was not aware. The tips
and hints (and suggestions) below come from a
variety of sources.
- ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR NEW ISSUE OF CFDM!
- Virginia Hawxhurst found that the original
HARDCOPY would show an OS (out of string space
error) when she tried it to print issue #2. She
solved the problem by changing line 10 to read:
10 CLEAR 2400 ......THANKS VIRGINIA!
- Rick Porter reported that some disk drives will
not handle the faster step rate found in line 15
of the "C.BAS" driver. I have put a REM in =>
____________________________________________________
that line so future issues will not cause the
problem. If you wish to run at the faster rate
simply remove the REM in line 15 of issue #1 or
in line 180 of issue #2. THANKS RICK!
- PLEASE BE SURE TO MAKE A SUBMISSION DISK WHEN YOU
ARE PREPARING TO SEND SUBMISSIONS. Here's how:
1) Make a backup of your lastest issue of CFDM;
2) Load the PATCH program from any issue and RUN
it with your newly made backup copy in the
drive.
Simple eh? The reason for this is to keep you
from putting too many entries in a section that
may be nearly full. (Each section's directory will
hold only so many entries before writing over the
next section's directory.) =>
____________________________________________________
Here's the number of entries each directory will
hold: ABOUT CFDM-6, ABOUT THIS ISSUE-6, ACTIVE
COCO-6, ADS-18, ARTICLES OF MONTH-12, ART GALLERY-
12, FAMILY TREE-12, FORUM-18, FROM EDITOR-6,
LETTERS TO ED-18, POTPOURRI-12, PROGRAMS-18,
REVIEWS-12, Q & A-12.
- When resubscribing please include the number after
your name on your mailer. This helps me locate
you quickly. I am presently using a rather crude
database for names and addresses.
- Someone asked about submission deadlines. As close
as I can say at this time is: The current issue is
usually full by the 1st day of the month it is
scheduled to be mailed. =*
|
| Articles in section: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| A
REAL BOO-BOO Clear Key MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU! SUBSCRIPTION WELCOME CFDM |
| Back to top |
A REAL BOO-BOO Dear Rick
I feel like a complete Jerkus-CoConutus, first I
broke the #1 cardinal rule, I didn't make a copy of
Issue 2, and started messing around reading the
issue, then I read the letter on submissions, and
decided to try out PATCH, do I need to tell you what
happened? Chuckle, It didn't dawn on me what I did
till 'COPY' rang a bell, by then it was to late!
Rick, you don't know how much CFDM is going to help
me, I have struggled through the learning cycle, on
my own, virtually all my friends here are MSDOS
freaks, and no help to me! I have about a zillion ?
to submit over the next millenium, I sure hope =>
____________________________________________________
you have great success with CFDM and it helps out
our CoCo community. I've enclosed my Issue #2 in
hopes you would make me another copy, I've enclosed
the return postage too! Thanks Rick! CFDM has really
enlightened my life, and yes I find myself glued to
the machine more now! Ask my better/half, she really
notices!! Chuckle!!
"MAC"
RICK: Thanks MAC! I asked a personal question and
got a great endorsement for CFDM, a personal example
of why you should always backup, and found out that
my wife is not the only one who notices the time
spent on the COCO!!! =*
|
Clear Key Rick,
I think you are doing a great job of pulling
us all together. I know it is a tremendous amount of
work. I just wanted to thank you for the clear key
routine. I have a CMP monitor and some of the stuff
written for RGB is unreadable for me. The clear key
lets me choose what is best for my monitor.
Thanks again
George Corbin
=*
|
MY HAT IS OFF TO YOU! I wrote the driver and have edited the "Mid Iowa
& Counrty CoCo"'s UPGRADE newsletter on disk, since
1990. While each of our disk letters have their
own style. Let me say "YOURS REALLY LOOKS GREAT"!
The opening graphic by Jim Gibbons is fantastic!
From there your menus are easy to follow. The screen
displays are both attractive and easy to read. I
kinda like your "editor, writer" too. I would like
to see more in depth articles, but....I'm sure that
will come with time.
Rick, being a programmer myself, I just can't say
enough for the tremendous task, putting this all
together must have been. Now I gotta get off to look
at some more of the good stuff on the backside! Til
then, Terry g
=*
|
SUBSCRIPTION I recently purchased a backup COCO3 from a Radio
Shack warehouse for $25. Was I Happy? YES! Was I
sad? More sad than happy I'm afraid. This might be
the last COCO# I will ever see in the store. The
rest were being shipped out to never-never land. I
immediately inquired about other COCO accessories &
they promptly left me to help someone with a Tandy
5,000 or something.
Late last year I bought a used IBM-PC. Was I
excited? YES! Did I put away the ol' COCO like my
wife suggested? Maybe later I said. There they sat,
side by side. I played Shang-Hai, Tetris, I used
COCO MAX, COCO Graphics Designer, Max-10, and
Mikeyterm. On the IBM I used Pro-Write and a Family
Tree program. After all the IBM was compatible with
the one at work. Was I bored? Yes. =>
____________________________________________________
I got my latest issue of the RAINBOW "Newsletter"
and again, my heart was broken. Nothing in sight for
my ol' COCO. Maybe, I should put it away and spend
hundreds on equivalent software for the IBM. All was
lost.....Until.... I turned to page 10 of the RAIN-
BOW "Newspaper". Hope? Maybe? Oh, well, it was only
$6.00. What the heck.
I just recieved Vol 1 No 1 of CFDM. Was I excit-
ed? YOU DARN BETCHA!!!! I am happier than a barnyard
pig in mud on a rainy day !!
GIVE ME A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION.
Gerald "Jerry" Robey
7102 Silver Circle
Middletown, Md. 21769
RICK: VERY WELL PUT!! =*
|
WELCOME CFDM DEAR RICK,
I am very glad to have found a group of people who
are interested in CoCo in RS DOS. I am retired and
purchased my first CoCo 2 for my wife as a Christmas
gift, however I became more interested in it than
she did. A couple of years later I purchased a CoCo
3, CM-8 Monitor, Disk Drive and a DMP133 printer.
I don't do very much programing but I have quite a
few programs like Deskmate, Dynacalc, CoCo Max 10,
CoCo Graphics Designer Plus, etc. I enjoyed your
Bingo game on the Startup Disk. Keep up the good
work Rick, I will be looking forward to my next CFDM
Disk.
=*
|
| Articles in section: POTPOURRI |
| !
THE GREAT DEMO CONTEST ! A senior Citizen's Lament GRAFIX.BAS - A DEMO MISC IDEAS Ram Drives |
| Back to top |
! THE GREAT DEMO CONTEST ! Ever need to show that guy next door what your COCO
could do? We've seen some very impressive demos on
the COCO and now's the time to see what our COCO
FRIENDS can do. Let's have a contest!
HERE'S THE RULES:
1) Your demo must be your original work.
2) Your demo must work on a 128k COCO.
3) Your demo must use 10 or less granules of disk
space.
4) Make a backup of your starter diskette. Use the
ENTRY WRITER in the POTPOURRI section to enter
any instructions we need plus any interesting
facts about your demo. Kill all the files on the
disk, then copy your demo on the same side. =>
____________________________________________________
5) The deadline for receiving your demo is June 15.
As I receive demos, I will put as many as possible
on the current issue (space permitting). Issues #2,
#3, #4, and #5 will each have some demos (If you
send them in.).
With issue #5 each subscriber will receive a ballot
with the names of all entries. Please make your
decision, mark your ballot and return it to me by
August 1st. I will get a nice prize for the winner.
But we'll all be winners by doing a demo and seeing
all the others! Please don't be afraid to enter.
We're here to have some fun!!
=*
|
A senior Citizen's Lament Thought I'd let my doctor check me cause I
didn't feel just right.
All those aches and pains annoyed me and I
couldn't sleep at night.
He could find no real disorder, but he couldn't
let it rest.
What with Medicare and Blue Cross it wouldn't
hurt to do some test.
To the hospital he sent me
though I didn't feel that bad.
He arranged for them to give me every test
that could be had.
I was fluoroscoped and cystoscoped,
my aging frame displayed.
Stripped on an ice cole table
while my gizzards were x-rayed. =>
____________________________________________________
I was checked for worms and parasites
for fungus and the crud.
While they pierced me with long needles
taking samples of my blood.
Doctors came to check me over
probed and pushed and poked around.
And to make sure I was living
they wired me up for sound.
They have finally concluded;
(their results have filled a page.)
What I have will someday kill me,
My affliction is OLD AGE !
=*
|
GRAFIX.BAS Grafix.bas is a simple little program that uses a tiny machine language routine to increment all the palettes ahead by one color. This takes almost no time in comparison to using Basic. The program bounces a line around the screen and alternates the color. While it is moving, the palettes are all being incremented, leading to a neat display of color in motion. If you see a particular design you like, press the C key to pause the program. The colors will continue to move. Press C again to keep drawing. If the display gets too crowded or you don't like the random design, press R to reset the drawing. =* |
MISC IDEAS THE POTPOURRI SECTION SHOULD BE JUST THAT. A
MISC. COLLECTION OF ODDS AND ENDS; SURVEYS, IDEAS,
SCORES AND SO ON.
I AM INTERESTED IN KNOWING THE MOST POPULAR
GAME FOR THE COCO (MINE IS KYUM-GAI). IS THIS SURVEY
MATERIAL OR TOO TRIVIAL.
A SCOREBOARD FOR GAMES SIMILAR TO RAINBOW'S
WOULD ALSO BE NICE. BUT IT SHOULD HAVE ONLY HIGH
SCORES FOR THE MORE POPULAR GAMES. A QUESTION AND
ANSWER SECTION FOR ADVENTURE GAMES ALSO WOULD WORK
WELL.
RICK: WE WELCOME ANY OTHER IDEAS FOR THE POTPOURRI
SECTION. IF YOU HAVE A FAVORITE GAME TO RECCOMMEND,
LET US KNOW ABOUT IT! =*
|
Ram Drives I load my copy of the startup disk into ram.
then I keep my monthly issue in drive0. This allows
me to switch mediums without to much hassle when I
want to make an entry. At the end of the session I
just back the ram-disk up to a real drive for a mail
-in copy.
George Corbin
=*
|
3D TIC TAC TOE ages 3-10 3D TICTACTOE Is played on 3 (3X3) grids stacked on top of each other. The game is mainly designed for the "younger" COCO hackers. The "introduction screen" will prompt: <1> or <2> players. Press either "1" or "2". In the one player version you are playing against the computer, in the two player version against another player. In the first game played, player "1" goes first, thereafter the "looser" goes first. TWO PLAYERS. To avoid confusion (read fights), about who goes next, the "NEXT PLAYER" is indicated in the lower left side of the gameboard. Regardless, the program "knows" who is next and will place the appropiate piece on the board when ENTER is pressed. The "scoreboard is printed on the lower right side of the screen. <CTRL 2> => ____________________________________________________ The scoreboard will either read PLAYER 1 and PLAYER 2 or PLAYER 1 and COCO depending on which game you are playing. TO PLAY THE GAME: The four arrow keys move the cursor about the board. Each arrow key has a wrap around feature. Press the down arrow on the bottom row, and the cursor will move to the top row. Press the right arrow on the right side of the board, and the cursor moves to the left side of the board, but one row higher up etc. etc. Press ENTER to place your game piece on the board. The "CIRCLE" belongs to player 1 while the "X" belongs to player 2 or COCO. After either party "wins" a game. The winning combination is printed (HPUT) on the screen painted yellow. This gives you a change to see how "COCO" or the "other player" won. <CTRL 3> => ____________________________________________________ Chances of winning: Two players, you really have to be carefull here, even with two adults playing the game, it is real easy to overlook a possible "block" causing your opponent to win the game. One player and COCO. If an adult plays the game, nine out of ten, "whosoever goeth first winneth the game". For the younger set, COCO usually outscores them by about 30%. After a game is "won" press the SPACEBAR to clear the board. THE BOARD CANNOT BE CLEARED IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME. The font used on the HSCREEN was "stolen" from an IBM machine, and is now in the public domain use it if you like. A note of interest when I first wrote this game in 1984, it was 10 gran long. I re-wrote it for CFDM last week, it is now 3 grans long, plays faster and uses the HSCREEN.!! ENJOY ! =* |
40 TRACK CDFM RICK,
This 40 track program has been tested on Disk Basic
1.1 and 2.1 It will NOT install 40 tracks on
systems having a 35 track configuration in a ADOS3
eprom. However, 99% of all persons having ADOS have
their drives set at 40 tracks anyway. It is one of
THE MAIN REASONS people install ADOS.
The program will skip the installation of the 40
tracks if ADOS is present either enabled or disabled
since peek(&HD29D)<> 35 or 40. See start of program.
To conclude persons using ADOS configured for 35
tracks will not be able to use this as it stands.
However, I will research it some more, and try to
find the pokes for ADOS. (ADOS relocates DISK BASIC
and the normal romcalls will not work).
=>
____________________________________________________
As mentioned in our phone conversation, DO NOT re-
move the POKE&H400,189 in the inkey statement.
You test this location later on to skip the inkey
routine when the picture is displayed. If PEEK&H400
<>189 it will stop at the inkey and you will need
another keypress to goto the menu. You can of course
poke another value (M) for menu there as long as you
change the test also. When BREAK is pressed while
the menu is displayed, the program will give the
user the opportunity to set the drives back to 35
tracks if he/she so desires. This routine will be
skipped if ADOS is present. As far as the different
drives being able to handle 40 tracks, according to
Marty, there are no 35 track drives. Tandy changed
the ROM in the Coco's so they will only access 35
tracks,for reasons only Tandy knows for sure. =>
____________________________________________________
The left and right arrows in the BAUD select routine
have a wrap around feature. I tried auto key repeat,
but it was just to fast to keep up with and not
really needed with the "wraparound".
The inkey routines for key-repeat and click, are
what I call "selective inputs" They will only take a
"Y" or "N" anything else, besides BREAK is ignored.
You could if desired, poke a 255 in 41598 and 41599
during the input routine, and set it back to 3 later
In a lot of programs I write, specially those that
have "open" disk files, I disable the BREAK key, but
leave SHIFT/BREAK intact, just in case. THIS IS A 40
TRACK DISK. I added a STRING$(10,254) to the GAT on
TRACK17,2 to be compatible with what was there.
Since "C" is 2GRANS, FREE(0) WILL RETURN 0.
PEEK(&HA282) RETURNS 23 IF ADOS IS PRESENT.GEORGE >*
|
40 TRACK CFDM (READ FIRST) Just a few lines to explain that the program named C.BAS, found on the PROGRAM SIDE of CFDM, is a neat alternative driver for CFDM. Written by our good Friend, George Quellhorst, this driver can be used as an alternative to the C.BAS found on the MAGAZINE SIDE. You will immediately notice that this driver puts the CoCo in the 40 track mode. I had mentioned the possiblity of maybe moving in that direction with CFDM. I feel pretty sure that everyone would be compatible with this change. After trying George's C.BAS, let me know of any problems you might have. Now read "40 TRACK CFDM" for George's description. Thanks George! =* |
A High Capacity LLISTing A program called LLIST3C will be introduced here.
It provides a high capacity hard copy listing of any
RS BASIC program saved in ASCII on disk. The listing
is printed in 3 columns; each column is 32
compressed characters wide. LLIST3C is a simple
extension of LLIST2C, a program presented in a
previous CFDM article.
At the end of line 20 of LLIST3C is the POKE that
sets the printer baud rate. If your printer operates
at a rate other than 2400, you will have to adjust
the POKE accordingly. In line 40 is the printer
control code that turns on compressed printing.
Likewise, at the beginning of line 240 is the
printer control code that turns off compressed
printing. The codes are those used by most =>
____________________________________________________
Epson and Epson-compatible dot matrix printers. If
your printer uses different codes for turning
compressed printing on and off, you will have to
change lines 40 and 240, accordingly.
If a listing to be printed is very short, the
printout may only fill one or two columns of the
page. For longer listings, except possibly the last
page, each page will be printed in 3 columns.
Before you try LLIST3C, be sure to save the to be
LLISTed program in ASCII!
=*
|
CARDS 3x5 I often use 3x5 index cards for notes and check lists. The program CARDS3x5 makes generating such cards easy. The program is self prompting and provides for inputting card number and title for each card. If a card number is not desired then input a space and comma prior to inputting a title. If a title is not desired then input a space. You must decide whether you wish to print 40 or 80 characters per line before inputting any lines. The selection of the number of characters per line is made prior to printing. There is provision to input 14 lines of data per card. The extension CRD is assigned by the program. A sample data file titled ENTRYCHK/CRD is provided. The printer codes are for the Gemini 10x printer and remarks indicate the printer function. =* |
DTEST HOWDY RICK! WELL, JUST GOT MY COPY OF CFDM AND IT'S
LOOKING GOOD. (I'M STILL KINDA FIGURING OUT HOW TO
GET AROUND THE PROGRAM.) ANYWAY, AS PROMISED, I
THOUGHT I'D SEND YOU A SHORT PROGRAM I WROTE CALLED
"DTEST." DTEST WILL WRITE RANDOM DATA TO DISK
DRIVES AND RAMDISKS THEN READ THE DATA BACK. IF ANY
ERRORS ARE ENCOUNTERD, THE PROGRAM WILL HALT AND
PRINT THE DRIVE NUMBER WHERE THE ERROR WAS
ENCOUNTERED. I WROTE DTEST BACK WHEN I FIRST GOT
512K AND WAS HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING THE RAMDRIVES
TO WORK PROPERLY. IT'S A GOOD LITTLE PROGRAM AND
SOLVED MY PROBLEMS. (FUN TO WATCH TOO.) IN THE
FUTURE I'LL SEND SOME OF MY OTHER MORE ELABORATE
TINKERINGS ALONG. THANKS! ENJOY THE PROGRAM.
=*
|
HSCREEN2 the Easy Way As the title screen says, HSCR2EZE contains routines
that may help you make more attractive and effective
graphic screens. Taken in the order in which they
appear in the listing, here's how to use them.
The string A$ in line 30 contains 16 two-digit
palette values. The loop in line 40 scans A$ and
pokes these values into color slots 0 through 15.
Most of the first eight values are CoCo's default
values, but having all values in a single string
makes subsequent changes easier.
The subroutine in lines 80 - 140 allows you to put
long blocks of text into a single string. Set your
horizontal coordinate, B, vertical, C, text color
CL. Put your text into a string, ZL$, and then
GOSUB80. The default line length, LL, is established
as 40 in line 10. All values can be =>
____________________________________________________
varied in program as in lines 400 and 430. The
routine will give you wraparound so that words are
not split at line ends.
The subroutine, lines 150 - 290, allows you to type
text or values directly onto the graphic screen. To
type input following a prompt, as in line 460, GOSUB
150. To position input, set B, C and CL and then
GOSUB160. Depending on how far left your input
begins, you can input up to 39 characters in a
single line. Use the left arrow to backspace and
correct errors. Text is returned as V$ and values as
V.
Subroutine 300 puts multi-colored text on the screen
with a maximum length of 40 characters. As in line 4
30, set B and C, put your text into a string, A$,
and then GOSUB300. =>
____________________________________________________
Subroutine 320 is the eraser. Line 340 buffers a
strip of blank screen 319 by 8 pixels. This is
moved down the screen over the area to be erased.
Set the left and upper coordinates, H1 and C1, and
right and lower coordinates H2 and C2, and GOSUB320.
The two-column, 19 characters per line text in lines
700 and 710 is just a little conceit on my part but
it shows how flexible the routines can be.
=*
|
STRINGART In the '70s, stringart was all the rage. At craft
and hobby shops you could buy kits for ready-
designed projects or books which would allow you to
do your own. I went through a period, B.C. (before
computer), where it occupied my spare time. It was
especially handy when I was dragged off to my
mother-in-law's home for a long visit.
First, what is stringart? It consists of covering a
piece of wood with a fabric background, usually
velvet. Then, small nails or brads are set in the
wood in a predetermined pattern. Multiple layers of
colored strings or threads are then wrapped around
the nails in a sequence which determines the cover-
age of the background and forms the desired design
or picture. If thread is used, it is more =>
____________________________________________________
appropriately called thread design and gives finer,
more-detailed end results.
I have included three samples of thread design
translated to the CoCo 3. I should mention that none
of these designs is my creation, but were copied
from a booklet by Robert E. Gick, published in 1974.
It turned out that there were several drawbacks to
putting these on the computer. Surprisingly, the
resolution in HSCREEN2 is not enough to duplicate
thin thread. There is also the way the CoCo "steps"
along diagonal lines. Still, it was an interesting
exercise and the results are attractive.
STRING1 is a multilayer ellipse in which the con-
tinuous threads of color form tangents to =>
____________________________________________________
enclosed ellipses. Three layers were all that were
possible without obliterating the lower layers (in
the thread version, five layers are used). Pressing
<ENTER> when the design is complete will "restring"
the "nails" in new colors. STRING2 and STRING3 show
that not only can abstracts be created, but stylized
objects as well. In these latter two, no color
changes are included. When it's finished, it's
finished.
=*
|
The Desert Puzzle
One of the most popular programs in the UNBELIEVABLE
OFFER #1 from RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE is PUZZLES.
Using the techniques and programs from PUZZLES we
present THE DESERT PUZZLE. The PUZZLE program was
written by Rick Cooper and the fantastic art work is
by our good Friend James Gibbons.
The Desert Puzzle is a 188-piece jigsaw puzzle. Make
sure your joystick is plugged into the RIGHT JOYSTK
port before you begin. RUN "DESERTPZ". At the prompt
for MONITOR TYPE, press R for RGB or C for composite
monitor or TV. Now stand by while the data is being
loaded.
When the puzzle appears on the screen, you are ready
to begin. Move the joystick until you locate =>
____________________________________________________
the small cursor on the screen. The pieces appear
in the brown box at the bottom-center of the screen.
You may try to place the first piece by moving the
cursor to an empty piece on the screen and pressing
the fire button. If you want to move to the next
piece, press the right arrow key. You may move thru
the entire selection of pieces with the right arrow
or press the left arrow to move backwards to the
previous pieces.
When attempting to place pieces you will find that
an incorrect placement causes a beep. A correct
attempt will move the piece in the box to it's
proper place on the screen. A new piece will then
appear in the brown box.
=>
____________________________________________________
If you need help, press F2 to see the complete pix.
Press any key to return to the puzzle.
The puzzle edges may be changed to blue, if you
prefer. Press F1 to change the brown to blue. To go
back to brown press F1 again.
When you finish the puzzle the piece edges will
disappear. Press the spacebar to toggle the edges
overlay on and off.
That's all there is to it. Have fun! From Rick and
James.
=*
|
VUMASTER...GIFT FROM DAVID MILLS Back in January I received a letter from Jerry
Crabtree of West Virginia. In his letter Jerry
mentioned David Mills, author of the VUMASTER, as a
personal friend. Well over the last year I had
made several attempts to contact David without any
success. Now, out of nowhere, comes a direct line
to him.
Thru that contact I am able to bring to you, as a
gift from David, one of the best Public Domain
programs I have seen. VUMASTER is a graphics viewer
for CoCo pictures which have been saved under a
number of formats. You will now be able to load
pics saved in MGE, CM3, MAC, PMODE, PIX, TNY, and
ST. (Unfortunately David did not know about NIB.)
=>
____________________________________________________
The program is colorfully presented and so easy to
use. No operating instructions are needed other
than what is displayed on the VUMASTER screen. To
use VUMASTER simply LOADM "VUMASTER". (It boots by
itself so you won't have to type EXEC.) At the
opening screen you are prompted to place your
picture disk in the drive and press BREAK. You will
then see a directory of the files on the disk. Use
the arrow keys to highlight the picture you wish to
see. Next press ENTER. To return to the MENU press
BREAK.
David told me that he had sold his CoCo equipment to
finance an IBM compatible which his wife needed for
a class she was taking. Although he expressed some
interest in CFDM, he no longer has the means to join
us. =>
____________________________________________________
Once you experience VUMASTER, I believe you will
agree that this program was worth whatever price
you paid to join CFDM.
Many, many thanks to David Mills for so graciously
sharing this program with the CoCo Friends. I
failed to get David's address but his phone number
is below. If you appreciate his contribution,
please give him a ring!
(304) 429-1905
=*
|
| Articles in section: REVIEWS |
| Orchestra
90 CC PAINLESS WINDOWS V-Term Terminal Program |
| Back to top |
Orchestra 90 CC I have no experience with music synthesizers.
I only know that I enjoy music. I happened to pick
up the Orch 90CC music synthesizer at a closeout.
Not knowing what to expect, I plugged it into my
COCO and the stereo, booted up "William Tell
Overture" and the sound was unbelievable !!
Since then I have downloaded numerous songs that
were on DELPHI. There are some evenings that are
spent just sitting and listening to the wonderful
music that comes from this little box.
I am not a programmer, however, I have dabbled
with program listings, etc. The book that comes
with the synthesizer is very complete in it's instr-
uctions. If you enjoy music at all, buy this thing.
If there are any programmers out there that
program music, please continue. =>
____________________________________________________
There are a few songs that I would love to have
but, have not found on DELPHI, so contact me if you
have any interest in this.
Speaking of DELPHI, there are so many songs for
the Orch 90CC, that my wife gets tired of me being
on DELPHI.
TRY IT. YOU'LL LIKE IT !!!!!!!
=*
|
PAINLESS WINDOWS WINDOW MASTER V. 3.0 IS A GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE FOR THE COCO 3 (BOTH 128K AND ESPECIALLY 512K) OPERATING UNDER RSDOS -- OS9 IS NOT NEEDED! I HAVE BEEN USING IT SINCE I PURCHASED IT AT THE NEW JERSEY RAINBOWFEST ABOUT 4 YEARS BACK. IT IS SOLD BY LONG TIME COCO SUPPORTER CER-COMP LTD BY BILL VERGONA. IT WILL PROVIDE YOUR COCO WITH WINDOWS, ICONS, BUTTONS, PULL-DOWN MENUS AND THE ABILITY TO MOUSE AROUND WITH THE BEST OF THEM. IT COMES WITH A BUILT- IN PRINT SPOOLER AND EXTENDS BASIC BY ADDING OVER 50 COMMANDS AND FUNCTIONS TO SUPPORT THE WINDOWING INTERFACE AND ALLOWS OPENING UP TO 31 WINDOWS USING MULTIPLE FONTS IN NUMEROUS SIZES! A SIMPLE PAINT PROGRAM IS INCLUDED TO PROVIDE AN IDEA OF THE POWER OF THE SYSTEM. THE PROGRAM IS WELL SUPPORTED BY MR. VERGONA AND THERE IS EXCELLENT SUPPORT FOR => ____________________________________________________ THOSE WHO WISH TO MODIFY THEIR EXISTING SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS. WITHIN A WEEK OF OWNERSHIP I HAD MODIFIED A FAVORITE DISK FILE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM FOR THE WINDOW MASTER INTERFACE. NUMEROUS ACCESSORY PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING A COMPILER AND EDITOR ASSEMBLER, A WORD PROCESSOR AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM. IF THIS PROGRAM WERE WRITTEN FOR THE MS-DOS MACHINES, I BELIEVE THAT EITHER APPLE OR MICROSOFT WOULD SUE CER-COMP FOR INFRINGEMENT. I PERSONALLY HAVE GOTTEN A GREAT DEAL OF ENJOYMENT FROM THE PROGRAM AND HAVE OFTEN WISHED THAT TANDY HAD PURCHASED THE RIGHTS TO THE PROGRAM AND INCLUDED IT WITH EVERY COCO 3. THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS ME FROM GIVING IT A PERFECT SCORE IS THE FACT THAT THE PROGRAM IS COPY PROTECTED -- YOU CAN COPY THE ORIGINAL DISK AND KEEP IT AS A BACKUP BUT THE PROGRAMS WILL ONLY WORK IF COPIED => ____________________________________________________ ON TO THE ORIGINAL DISK. THIS IS KIND OF SCARY WHEN THE PROGRAM SELLS FOR $ 69.95 (WHICH INCLUDES BOTH 128K AND 512K VERSIONS). I SOMETIMES WORRY THAT IF THEY DECIDE NOT TO SUPPORT THE COCO IN THE FUTURE; I WOULD BE IN A TERRIBLE JAM IF MY ORIGINAL DISK GOT TRASHED. INCIDENTALLY, THE PROGRAM WILL SUPPORT A HARD DISK THOUGH I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY TESTED THAT FEATURE. OVERALL THE PROGRAM IS EVERY BIT AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED AND THEN SOME! CER-COMP LTD. CAN BE REACHED AT 5566 RICOCHET AVE., LAS VEGAS NEVADA 89110 AND THEIR TEL. # IS 702-452-0632. THEY USED TO RUN ADS IN THE RAINBOW MAGAZINE SO CHECK THE BACK ISSUES. WINDOW MASTER COULD WELL BE RSDOS'S ANSWER TO OS9 PROVIDING A COMMON USER INTERFACE FOR ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS BUT THE COPY PROTECTION WOULD HAVE TO GO AND THE PRICE SHOULD BE LOWERED. CHIAO! =* |
V-Term Terminal Program I am very impressed with this program! This is the best terminal program for RSDOS I have ever seen! All I could say to myself, when I first booted the program, was 'WOW!'... OK, I'm going to calm down and tell you why I like this program so much. First of all, V-Term supports the 80-column by 28-line (or 24-line) text screen. It also has an optional 640 by 255 4-color graphics screen, which requires 32K more memory than the hardware screen. Even while using the graphics screen, on a 512K CoCo3, it still has 416K of buffer to store data for uploads and downloads. You may wonder if your monitor can display 28-lines. My Magnavox 8CM515 did not display all 28-lines when I first tried it. I adjusted the vertical-height control and solved the problem. You can still use the normal => ____________________________________________________ 24-line screen, but without the on-screen status line displayed. With V-Term's on-screen status line, you can change any parameters without leaving the terminal screen. V-Term also has an alternate screen to view directories, buffers, etc. While viewing the alter- nate screen, the terminal screen is still receiving any input... no lost data! Since I am an amateur radio operator (my call is N1ENA), I use V-Term for packet radio and logging on to telephone BBS's. I have my default parameters set for packet. Whenever I want to switch to 'telephone' parameters, I select 'Load' from the Parameters menu and type 'LL' (which stands for Landline, my tele- phone parameters file). When I want to switch back to packet parameters, I do the same and type => ____________________________________________________ 'PKT' (for packet parameters). V-Term loads the file and sets my parameters accordingly, without having to reboot. The only thing I wish V-Term had is a text editor. It's not a big deal, because I put my word processor on the same disk as V-Term so I can switch between the two. Here's a summary of V-Term's other features: VT52, VT100 emulation; all 128 ASCII characters from keyboard; supports 4-pin port up to 2400-baud; sup- ports RS232 pak to 19200-baud; 15-entry autodialer; 10 programmable macros; compatible with ADOS; con- ference mode (split screen for packet); and more. V-Term is sold by: COCOPRO!, P.O. Box 763, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 =* |
BRAIN EXERCISE + QUESTIONS In this day and age when exercise is the password
and because I am a person who has to justify the
long hours I put into writing and editing my
programs, I have coined this phrase "Computer
programming is exercise for the brain".
QUESTIONS
How can I incorporate into my programs a command
to print the directory to the screen in 2 columns?
At the point I want to use the directory I am using
WIDTH80.
How can I incorporate into my programs a RUN
"boot"? All of my programs have to be loaded with
LOAD "NAME/PRG",R. =>
____________________________________________________
How do I get a file off this STARTUP disk?
RICK: Virginia I'll leave the first questions for
our Friends. The last one was made possible by one
of the new features in issue #2. Please see the
documentation under "NEW FEATURES FOR CFDM" in the
"ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE" section.
=*
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Coco Max 3 for VCR Titles In response to Herb Schuler's question I use the
following procedures to generate title screens.
Compose the screens in Max 3 using various Fonts,
colors and graphics. I am no artist so I sometimes
import PMODE4 pics and add color. When a screen is
complete Click on SCROLL PAGE in the OPTIONS menu.
Then save the screen to disk without a border by
pressing "shift" and "up-arrow". This will save the
screen as SCREEN x. (x is the screen number and will
be incremented automatically on subsequent saves.)
After desired number of screens are saved run
COCOSHOW from the DEMO disk. Follow the prompts and
set up the desired sequence of screens and the
duration. I input a long duration and use the space
bar to change screens. Connect the VIDEO IN jack on
the VCR to the VIDEO jack (NOT the TV jack marked =>
____________________________________________________
RF on the Coco 3. Place the INPUT SELECT switch on
the VCR to LINE. If you do not have a INPUT SELECT
switch then connecting a cable to the VIDEO IN plug
ensures the LINE MODE. You can view the screens if
the TV is tuned to the VCR output channel (3 or 4).
Run COCOSHOW until the first screen appears and
then start the recorder. Change screens by pressing
the space bar on the Coco. I have a video enhancer/
processor which allows two VCR inputs plus music and
mike inputs. This allows me to add music or voice
comment to the title screens.Additionally I can fade
out the last screen and fade in the movie. If you
don't have a fade capability (most camcorders do)
make the last title screen solid black. This avoids
a abrupt change from title to picture. COCOSHOW sort
of melts the succeding picture over the screen =>
____________________________________________________
for a pleasant effect. If you have any comments,
questions or just want to discuss some of my
successes and failures please write to:
Bob Griffard
129 Stage Rd.
Newport News, VA 23606
=*
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FD-502 Q2estion I have a stupid question, I have read in articles
that both sides of the disk can be accessed on my
FD-502, I have tried and tried to do so but I have
to flip the disk to do so! Is there someway to do
what I want? HELP!!!
Second stupid question, (I gotta quit this), I read
in RAINBOW magazine, excuse me, tabloid, that I HAVE
to modify my Multi-pak for use on a CoCo-3, am I
missing something? Mine works great, but will it
self-destruct if I don't have it modified?
D. McConnell
613 W Park Ave
Kellogg, ID 83837 =*
|
GAMES Someone know where is the central computer in the
game Thexder. I reached level 30 but didn't found
it. Where it is ? Do you know where I can buy the
game Larry Suit 1 for the Coco3. (radio shack and
sierra-on-line don't have it) ?
=*
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NEED HELP I AM LOOKING FOR A PROGRAM THAT WILL PUT A CODE NAME ON A DISK, SO THAT THE DISK CANNOT BE ACCESSED UNLESS THE CODE NAME IS ENTERED FIRST. I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE OPTION OF USING DIFFERENT CODE NAMES. WHAT I NEED TO KNOW, IS WHERE CAN I GET SUCH A PROGRAM? RICK: Jim, if you don't mind delving into the world of disk (program) protection, I recommend SUPER DISK from the SPORTSware PACKAGE. It's available from me in the UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #2 for $33 + $2 s/h or as a stand-alone for $15 + $2 s/h (special price for Friends). The documentation is very well done by Mr. Paul Olmstead (25 pages) and comes with a number of utilities to help you protect your work! =* |
Question about Dynacalc I have a problem with Dynacalc that I hope someone
can help me solve. Maybe Herb Schuler will have the
answer to my question. I purchased Dynacalc when
Radio Shack started selling out their CoCo programs.
I have a CoCo 3 (128K), CM-8 Monitor, FD-502 double
disk Drive, and a DMP-133 Printer.
When I get a worksheet designed and use the /P it
goes to Text File OK but I cannot make it go to the
printer. The /P command is supposed to send it to
Text File or Printer Output. How do you control
where it goes?
=*
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RAM*CYRUS*ROM*SOKO-BAN*DRIVES A: Rick; The Disto "SUPER RAM 3" works great with your "CFDM", thank you. A: Jim; I have been using the "CYRUS" chess game on the CoCo2 and now only on the CoCo3 so I was very surprised to read that the cartridge does not work on the 3 machine. Do not despair there is a fix!! A Rom Pak to Disk transfer program is in the RBW Dec87 p152 and the specific patch for "CYRUS" is in the Mar88 RBW p166. Q: Now can anyone out there in CoCoLand show us how to save the chess games to Disk instead of Tape? Please turn the page for "SOKO-BAN" and More => ____________________________________________________ Q: What is the patch to get "SOKO-BAN" to Disk? This game is a challenge at every level. I had to get all 50 levels done before letting "SOKO" take a rest. Q: Rick; What is your opinion of the "EDTASM+" Rom Pak ported to Disk? Q: Is there any harm to use the RS501 Disk Drive Controller wih the RS502 Drives and vice versa. RICK: Henry I have not tried EDTASM+ from Rom Pak, so I can't comment. I was fortunate enough to get a disk version on sale about 3 years ago. =* |
RS-DOS Basic & Hard Drive Is a hard drive compatible with a COCO3 and
Basic? It seems I read somewhere that only OS-9
could be used with a COCO and hard drive.
I would appreciate any information on this
subject.
Jerry Robey
7102 Silver Circle
Middletown, Md. 21769
RICK: Jerry, COCOPRO is now advertising a harddrive
that appears to be compatible with RS-Dos. See the
ad in April's RAINBOW (p.9).
=*
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SendFax Modem on a CoCo3? I was wondering if anyone has ever used a SendFax
modem on a CoCo3. It would be nice to be able to
type in a document and FAX it without having to put
it on paper then put it in a FAX machine. I see the
SendFax modems advertised as having PC or MAC soft-
ware included, but I don't want to change computers
just to use FAX. Any information about this will be
appreciated! Thanks!
=*
|
TWO QUESTIONS CAN ANYONE OUT THERE HELP ME FIND MORE WARGAMES
FOR THE COCO? I OWN WARGAME DESIGNER AND COMPANY
COMMANDER AND KNOW ABOUT SUNDOG'S GAME. ANY OTHERS
OUT THERE?
I OWN DIECOM'S GANTELET GAME BUT IT DOES NOT
WORK ON THE COCO3. I HATE TO PULL OUT MY COCO2 JUST
TO PLAY ONE GAME. DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A PATCH?
=*
RICK: HAVE YOU TRIED MY CC3FLAGS? THIS IS A RISK
PLAYALIKE AVAILABLE IN UNBELIEVABLE OFFER #1 FOR $33
+ $2 S/H OR BY ITSELF FOR $10 + $2 S/H. I'VE HAD A
LOT OF COMPLIMENTS ON IT!
|
The Flip side I noticed a few programs on the flipside of Issue 2
that weren't mentioned on the MAG side,ie..NAME,MENU
3 and another, was this a mistake or did I miss the
wagon ?
I have a DESKMATE program that I started to use the
file card system, after about 24 hours work filing
my members, I found out that I can't get 2400BPS for
my DMP106 printer, I really don't want to change the
printer and all my programs to match it, so what to
do? I've searched for a disk based filing system, a
nd haven't found one, any suggestions?
Dann McConnell
RICK: NAME, MENU3, and LPOKE are program examples
from Charles Gibson's article on using =>
____________________________________________________
the LPOKE command. Check out the article in the
ARTICLES OF THE MONTH section. It's titled "GETTING
ACQUAINTED WITH LPOKE".
=*
|
WHERE DID THE BLACK COME FROM? In my program LIVLINES (Issue 2), I deliberately
omitted black from the randomization of the color
(Line 140, for example: CL=RND(14)). Slot 15 is
color 0, black. Yet occasionally, a set of lines is
drawn in black. If I BREAK the program when it
occurs and check the value of variable CL, it is
usually 4, which should be color 4, red brown.
This does not appear to happen only with my com-
puter, as I had a friend confirm the behavior on his
CoCo 3. Does anyone know why this is happening? I
would be grateful if someone could explain it for
me.
RICK: Norm I worked with LIVLINES for awhile and
witnessed what seems to be the color black =>
____________________________________________________
being used in palette slot 4 instead of the brownish
-red (color 4). I checked to make sure your program
wasn't changing the colors. It wasn't. I checked to
make sure that the byte on the screen was palette 4.
It was. I did a few other experiments and it sure
looked like black to me.
Then I remembered reading that some colors make
other colors show up better than others. I think it
is probably referred to as "intensity". Using this
idea I changed the line you sent the program to on
BREAK to a little loop like this:
1000 PALETTE 0,0: REM MAKE THE BACKGROUND BLACK
1010 IF INKEY$="" THEN 1010
1020 PALETTE 0,63: REM MAKE BACKGROUND WHITE =>
____________________________________________________
1030 IF INKEY$="" THEN 1030
1040 GOTO 1000
This caused the background color to change from
white to black and back to black as I pressed a key.
Guess what? When the background was white the brown-
red looked black. When the background was black the
true brown-red color showed up very clearly. (Or
should I say "intensely"?) Since the brown-red is
color #4, it is dark to begin with. Color 0 (black)
makes it show up true to form.
I'm sure Friends like James Gibbons and Virginia
Hawxhurst can explain this better than I.
=*
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