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Table of contents: |
| COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE Issue #32 | Home | Index | Magazine | ||||||
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| Articles in section: ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE |
| "ABOUT
CFDM" ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE |
| 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! =* |
| Articles in section: ABOUT THIS ISSUE |
| CONTENTS...PART
1 (i32) CONTENTS...PART 2 (i32) PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i32) THIS MONTH'S COVER |
| Back to top |
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE (2)
1 "ABOUT CFDM"
2 ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE
ABOUT THIS ISSUE (4)
1 CONTENTS...PART 1 (i32)
2 CONTENTS...PART 2 (i32)
3 PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i32)
4 THIS MONTH'S COVER
ACTIVE COCO (5)
1 * VISIT TO THE HOME OF CFDM *
2 ANOTHER EMULATOR UPDATE!
3 COCO COLORING BOOK PROJECT
4 CoCo Emulator Update
5 New Address =>
____________________________________________________
ADVERTISEMENTS (7)
1 "PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTARE."
2 *JUMPIN' JIM'S ART DISK*
3 CFDM SUBSCRIPTION
4 COCO MAX III GRAPHICS
5 DOCS WANTED
6 PLAY SCRABBLE ON YOUR COCO-3!
7 The "UPGRADE" Disk Magazine
ARTICLES OF THE MONTH (2)
1 EXTENDING RIBBON LIFE!
2 High Tech or What?!
COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY (6)
1 COKE by Garry Spencer <g>
2 IT COULD HAPPEN =>
____________________________________________________
3 RICKS PLACE
4 THEXDER
5 The University of Tampa
6 VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY
FAMILY TREE (3)
1 CLARENCE BOWERS
2 PERRY FRIESEN
3 RAFAEL ORTIZ, FAMILY TREE
FORUM (4)
1 A MUSIC INSTRUCTION SERIES?
2 COCO EMULATOR FUND UPDATE
3 Ideas, Suggestions, and Wishes
4 THANK YOU--THANK YOU
=*
|
FROM THE EDITOR (2)
1 KUDOS <g> by Michael Lewis
2 RICK'S MESSAGE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR (9)
1 A Patience Pair 6 Correction
2 EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS
3 FD-500 Blues
4 HURRAY FOR EMULATOR & ACCOUNTANT
5 MORE EMULATOR 3 SUPPORT!
6 PARTS NEEDED!!!
7 POSSIBLE PROBLEM..and KUDOS!
8 THANKS FOR DATA FORM III!
9 The CoCo Registry
POTPOURRI (3) =>
____________________________________________________
1 *** SCORE BOARD ***
2 Bugler's Holiday
3 CFDM BABY by Mike Lewis <g>
PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH (7)
1 ** STRINGM1 **
2 COLORFACE..LEARN YOUR COLORS!
3 DECB 1.1 Rewrite, PART TWO.
4 DECB 1.1 Rewrite: "DECBREWR"
5 FLAGS for waving
6 STRINGART 10
7 WIDE PRINT Banner Maker
REVIEWS (3)
1 512 UPGRADES
2 THE COCO REGISTRY =>
____________________________________________________
3 THE CONTRAS
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (9)
1 ** GIF > CM3 > NIB **
2 Answer:GIF to CM3/NIB achieved
3 CFDM INDEX UPDATE ?
4 COLOR PROBLEM
5 EXTENDING RIBBON LIFE!
6 LOOKING for ZEBRA INC.
7 NEED HELP WITH MAX10
8 Reply: To Chairuth Bouphaphanh..
9 TO: HERB FORGER; FROM: THE RAT.
=*
|
Here's a description of the files on the PROGRAM/
SIDE. File names preceded by an asterisk are data
files and not to be RUN or EXECed!
NAME.........COMMAND..SECTION OR DESCRIPTION......
3FLAGS .BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* 3FLAGS .NIB........DATA FILE FOR 3FLAGS.BAS
BUGLERS .BAS..RUN...POTPOURRI (MUSIC)
* BUGLERS .BIN........DATA FILE FOR BUGLERS
COLORFAC.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* COYOTE .CM3........ACTIVE COCO
* DECBREWR.ASM........SOURCE CODE FOR DECBREWR.DEF
DECBREWR.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* DECBREWR.DEF........DATA FILE FOR DECBREWR.BAS
* DELPHI .TXT........DATA FILE FOR READELPH.BAS
* EMUL .TXT........DATA FILE FOR READEMUL.BAS =>
____________________________________________________
FLAGWAVR.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* NIBLOADR.BIN........PIX LOADER UTILITY
NIBSHOW .BAS..RUN...ART GALLERY
* RABBIT .BM3........ACTIVE COCO
READELPH.BAS..RUN...ACTIVE COCO
READEMUL.BAS..RUN...ACTIVE COCO
* RICKSPLC.NIB........ART GALLERY
* SP3 .BIN........DATA FILE FOR FLAGWAVR.BAS
* SPACE1 .NIB........ART GALLERY
STRING10.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
STRINGM1.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* TAMPA .NIB........ART GALLERY
* THEXDER .NIB........ADVERTISEMENTS
WIDE PRT.BAS..RUN...PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* WOOD .NIB........ACTIVE COCO
=*
|
Frosted Still Life This picture is different from the other
pictures in that it is sort of a still life.
I picked a picture and did a photogram of it.
A photogram is done by putting objects on the
the photographic paper and exposing it for
about 5 seconds. After I did that, I developed
it and framed it as a picture. The experiment
was to get it into the Coco 3. The only way
to do this was to digitize my photogram and
then save it under the MGE format for Colormax.
I then colored it in a one color palette and
titled it frosted as it looks like a field on
a frosty morning. I hope you enjoy this
picture.
........ Jim Gibbons =*
|
| Articles in section: ACTIVE COCO |
| *
VISIT TO THE HOME OF CFDM * ANOTHER EMULATOR UPDATE! ATLANTA COCOFEST V COCO COLORING BOOK PROJECT CoCo Emulator Update New Address |
| Back to top |
* VISIT TO THE HOME OF CFDM * On Saturday July 16th Muriel and I drove from
Nashville, TN, after visiting Opryland, to the "HOME
OF CFDM" -- RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE -- LIBERTY,KY
and home of Rick, Donna, Kristin, Kasey, & Kayla --
the COOPER FAMILY! We spent a most enjoyable three
hours -- seeing how CFDM is produced in the recroom
downstairs, getting to know one another over Pizza,
and planning for the CoCo Coloring Book Contest.
FIRST, if you ever plan to visit Rick, review
the MAP in CFDM Issue #16 -- note that their home is
on a street that is off of Highway 70 West just past
the intersection with Highway 127 -- need to make a
sharp right up the hill to their house on the left!
SECOND, if RICK will allow you -- plan to spend
more then three hours - much to see, learn and do in
the "HOME OF CFDM". =>
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As you enter the work area, you will see where
RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE ships from -- including
the top of the Ping-Pong Table! In the back right
corner is the Disk duplicating setup of two CoCos &
Drives - with a specially built wall bookcase to the
left to hold each Issue in its own compartment.
The smaller left half of the recroom houses the
Copying Machine, Editors Desk, and the CoCo3 to pro-
duce our *CFDM* - a PC with Hard Drive occupies the
main desk and is used for Business Functions. RICK
did a DEMO of the CoCo2 Emulator for me - and it was
GREAT!!! Called up one of my old favorite games from
the MENU - "PIPELINE" -- I may convert that to CoCo3
one of these days. He also DEMO'd THE COCO REGISTRY,
which I will order just as soon as it is available!
It makes use of the 96 bytes of screen that are =>
____________________________________________________
hidden to the right of the normal viewing area!
I also saw RAY BERNEY's "CFDM PATCH" that he
gave as PRIZES! They are SUPER and I plan to order
one today. I have a Windbreaker that I wear when I
do my daily walking -- it'll be on the front!
We must all THANK DONNA and the girls for allow
ing RICK to spend the necessary time to be so crea-
tive and to produce the CFDM for our pleasure. ART
HALLOCK is also to be congratulated for the prepara-
tion and improvement of HARDCOPY -- no one should be
without it!
Unfortunately our visit had to end as RICK had
to get back to work on Issue #31 and we had drive on
to Corydon,IN and HOME -- a total of 591 miles.
MURIEL & I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE
AT THE COOPERS "HOME OF CFDM" Godfrey =*
|
ANOTHER EMULATOR UPDATE! View text file associated with this article After receiving Perry Friesen's Emulator Update, I
contacted Jeff via Telenet. The communication can
be viewed on the Program/side by RUNning READELPH.
This and a more recent message from Jeff assured me
that Jeff fully intends to write a CoCo 3 Emulator!
Good news indeed and all the more reason to get our
Bounty Escrow finalized!! (Please help!)
Per transferring it from PC to CoCo: I edited the
file before leaving the PC, then:
- Used the Jeff's GWBASIC program PORT.BAS to move
the file from MSDOS to a CoCo Emulator virtual
disk.
=>
____________________________________________________
- Used Jeff's DSKINI command to copy it to a CoCo
disk. (Transfer as a BASIC ASCII data file.)
- Used the CoCo to COPY it to the CFDM master disk.
This was not much trouble at all!
(The file reader I used is also a slightly modified
version of William Astle's handy program. Thanks to
William for his work!)
=*
|
ATLANTA COCOFEST V ***********************************
* *
* ANNOUNCING *
* *
* 5th Annual *
* *
* Atlanta CoCofest *
* *
* Holiday Inn, Northlake *
* *
* *
* October 1 & 2, 1994 *
* *
***********************************
=>
____________________________________________________
SHOW HOURS
Sat. Oct 1 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sun. Oct 2 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
VENDOR SETUP
Fri. Sept 30 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Sat. Oct 1 8:00 AM - 8:45 AM
ADMISSION $10.00 (Whole Show)
RESERVATIONS:
HOLIDAY INN, NORTHLAKE
(800) 465-4329 or (404) 938-1026
=>
____________________________________________________
SPONSORED BY:
ATLANTA COMPUTER SOCIETY
P.O. Box 80694
Atlanta, GA 30366
BBS: (404) 636-2991
=*
|
COCO COLORING BOOK PROJECT RICK:
I've completed a SIX page CoCo Coloring Book
based on DESERT WILDLIFE of the Southwest where my
Son Larry and his spouse Carol now operate a B&B in
TAOS, New Mexico called "THE BROOKS STREET INN". Do
you think that we could use this as part of a BONUS
Disk and also have a COLORING CONTEST among our Fri-
ends?
I would be glad to have all of the submissions
sent to me at my WINTER address (Nov 1,1994 till Mar
25,1995) -- I would make disks with coded COPIES of
the pictures to be sent to the JUDGE or JUDGES.
I will also supply the PRIZES to be awarded to
the FIVE best submissions. When we talk on July 2nd
I'll discuss the Prizes and then hopefully plan to
visit YOU and your FAMILY on Saturday July 16th!? =>
____________________________________________________
The nice thing about a CoCo Coloring Book is
that you don't have to stay within the lines -- you
may change the color of the lines or even move them!
You may add your own scenery to the background!
You can practice color mixing as we have been
reading about it in CFDM Issues #23 & #29 by NORM
BARSON!
You can test your abilities at 3-D Graphics as
demonstrated by JIM BENNETT in CFDM Issue #24!
If there is a good response to this First Color
ing Book, I would be glad to create another using a
different subject matter -- with hopefully a little
more color involved. Your Friend Godfrey
SEACHASE CONDO UNIT W303
17351 FRONT BEACH ROAD PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL 32413
(This month's pics are WOOD, COYOTE, and RABBIT.) =>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: There you have it in a nut shell. THE GREAT
COLORING BOOK CONTEST is now underway! On the back
of this disk you'll find the last 3 of the pictures
to be colored. Last issue, #31, contains the first
three. Choose any or all as your submission(s).
Just load the pictures into your CoCo MAX 3 and have
at it. (We've left the pictures in .CM3 format so
you can load directly into CoCo MAX 3.)
Godfrey and Muriel did visit on the 16th and brought
some very nice prizes. A DMP 105 printer (in the box
with docs), a CGP 115 with a box of paper (this is
the miniature color printer), and a CoCo cassette
player with about 50 blank tapes. GREAT PRIZES!
(DEADLINE IS DECEMBER 1st.) =*
|
CoCo Emulator Update View text file associated with this article Recently I found an update message on THE KEYBOARD
BBS from Jeff Vavasour concerning future plans for
the COCO EMULATOR.
The program side of this disk contains the text file
"COCOEMUL.TXT" You can read this BBS message by
running "READTXT" (by William Astle - used with per-
mission).
For those friends out there with modems, I am using
THE KEYBOARD BBS (1-403-246-6943) in Calgary,
Alberta. It carries the following CoCo related
echos and best of all it is absolutely FREE!!!
=>
____________________________________________________
* Calgary CoCo Club Echo
* CoCo Echo (Intl.)
* OS9 Echo (Intl.)
* PNW OS-9 Echo
* Intl. CoCo Club Echo
Speaking of active, lately I've been suffering from
M.C.O.S.D. (That's Multiple Computer Operating
Systems Disorder). As an example to get this text
file on disk I used my IBM modem with an offline
message reader to download all messages from the
above echos. I then saved the message as an ascii
text file to an IBM floppy. Next, I booted OS9 and
ran the PCDOS utility to transfer the file to an OS9
disk. I then ran the OS9 utility RSDOS to save the
file on a RSDOS disk. =>
____________________________________________________
And lastly, I used Simply Better to edit the text
for the text reader. Sometimes I find my fingers
doing all kinds of wierd key press combinations on
the wrong keyboard or wrong program, Oh well?!
Hope you find this bit of news on the CC Emulator
EXCITING!!!
=*
|
New Address I thought I better drop a note in CFDM to let all
my friends know I have a new address that's a little
bit closer to my job. Also my little venture made
it necessary to have a Box Number instead of my
home address, the home address is still OK but I
get it quicker at the Box Number. Thank You!
Dann McConnell
DBA DMAC Software
PO Box 340
Pinehurst, ID 83850-0340
=*
|
"PUBLIC DOMAIN
SOFTWARE." The following disks are now available from the
BINARY SYSTEMS Public Domain/Shareware/Freeware/
Orphanware library. The cost is $3.00 per diskette.
All diskettes are 35 Track, single sided. Two disk
sets may be shipped on flippies, at our discretion.
Until further notice, I will donate one third of
all purchases from this ad to the "CoCo 3 Emulator
Escrow Fund".
====================================================
#CC3GA-0001 :COSMIC AMBUSH, Plus DigiScan Slideshow
SHAREWARE DISK V1.0, By: Nickolas
Marentes. 128k CoCo 3, joystick and
disk drive. ONE DISK=$3.00.
#CC3GA-0002 :PACDUDE, BY:BRIAN O'NEILL. 128k CoCo 3,
joystick and disk drive. Also includes:
LDG'S ANIMATED DEMO II, 512k CoCo 3 &=>
____________________________________________________
disk drive. ONE DISK=$3.00.
#CC3GA-0003A:THE DUNGEON DEPTHS V1.5, by: Floyd
#CC3GA-0003B:Resler. 512k CoCo 3, joystick and at
least one disk drive. TWO DISKS=$6.00.
#CC3GA-0004A:GANTELET II V1.2, by: Roland Knight and
#CC3GA-0004B:Dave Dies. "ORPHANWARE". 128k CoCo 3,
disk drive and optional joysticks.
TWO DISKS=$6.00.
#CC3UT-0001 :THE PROJECTOR, Freeware Vr.2.0, by:
Roger Taylor. 128k CoCo 3 and at least
one disk drive. Also includes:
VIEW MASTER, by: David A. Mills. 128k
CoCo 3 and at least one disk drive.
ONE DISK=$3.00.
====================================================
=>
____________________________________________________
All orders must include payment in U.S. funds, made
payable to: Robert Allen Turner, PO Box 396,
Double Springs, AL 35553-0396 U.S.A.
ATTN: DEPT CFDM-AD01.
All prices include shipping in the U.S. and Canada.
Others, please add $1.00 additional shipping per
order. Mention this ad and receive a 10% discount
on any order from this ad. I will trade an entire
set of the above seven disks for any one of the
following on a first come basis: Tandy Hi-Resolution
Joystick Interface, Tandy Two-Button Mouse. Please
inquire before sending any of these devices to be
sure that I have not yet received them. THANK YOU.
=B0B= =*
|
*JUMPIN' JIM'S ART DISK* #1 - Mr. Art, 9 CM3 pix, Famous Art Funnies, 6 Max-
10 CLP files (including a certificate design),
Animated Theater, Color Doodler, and TRANSLAT
upgraded to handle NIB pictures too!
#2 - Keyboard Commander, 4 CM3 pix, Mr. Art, Famous
Art Funnies, random graphics, 30 CLP files in-
cluding bold caps and a newsletter design!
#3 - Animated Theater, Alpha-toon fonts for CM3, CM3
color mixing chart, BUGS!, Leonardo's Paintbox,
Paintbox Demos, Animated Spectrum, 5 animated
CM3 pix, and 4 CLP files.
- BONUS DISK with a program to create titles just
for Max-10!
(MORE)=>
____________________________________________________
#4 - 3 CM3 pix, Famous Art Funnies, Mr. Art, Identi-
fy the old car, 9 CLP files (including shaded
boxes), 16 CM3 background scenes, 2 CM3 scrap-
books, Leonardo's Paintbox 512K, animated dis-
play for titles and messages.
#5 - Will be issued October 1,1994
#6 - Will be issued December 1, 1994
All 6 flippy disks are loaded with graphics. The
entire set can be yours for only $24 plus your CFDM
mailing label ($30 without the label). You may order
issue 1 alone for $6 to see what it is like. Then if
you want the set, you can simply pay the balance.
(MORE)=>
____________________________________________________
If you like graphics (especially CoCo Max and Max-10
art), you'll really love the Art Disk!!!
Jim Bennett
118 Corlies Ave.
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
"A graphic is worth 1000 bytes!"
=***
|
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. Or get 3 issues for only $16. A 6 issue subscription is only $30 (a savings of 6$). Back issues are available at the same rates. COCOs FOREVER!! =* |
COCO MAX III GRAPHICS ==================================================== Get the Picture! Introducing a collection of detailed pictures for COCO MAX III. Included are SIX DOUBLE PAGE pictures and TWO SINGLE PAGE pictures. A total of eight pictures for only ten dollars. See THEXDER in this month's ART GALLERY. ORDER NOW and "Get the whole picture" ALADDIN, ALADDIN2, BEAUTY, CONSTRUX, OPTIMUS, SUNSTREK, THEXDER, THE WALL...................$10.00 JEFF CHO 187 BRAMBLEBUSH RD STOUGHTON, MA 02072 :) =* |
DOCS WANTED WANTED: DOCUMENTION FOR "LEISURE SUIT LARRY" (OS-9)
WRITE:
MICHAEL LEWIS
1311 SECOND ST.
MOUNDSVILLE, WV.26041-1430
=*
|
PLAY SCRABBLE ON YOUR COCO-3! Requires 128K, Single Drive, Color Monitor or TV.
Two Joysticks and 32-column B/W printer optional.
Complete Documentation: How to use, modify play,
revise program, and learn computer's strategies.
Nine on-line Help Screens, including a Word List
from the Official SCRABBLE Player's Dictionary.
Hints For Next Move when you play the computer.
Brilliant board layout uses 10 colors on HSCREEN2
in 192-, 199-, and 225-line variations. Realistic
tiles show point values beside every letter.
=>
____________________________________________________
Easier play than any PC version available! Drag &
Drop tiles in your 2-D rack, then Point & Click
on the board where you want the word to begin.
Play against a friend or the CoCo; or just watch
two Robots duel it out at any of 15 Skill Levels.
Interrupt for help at any time. Stop the game,
save it to disk, and restart it later. Replay it
on the text screen (instant) or HSCREEN2 (a few
seconds). Print the screen at any round of play.
Sale Prices: Game $4.95, Documentation $3.95
Shipping and Handling USA $1.10
Canada/Mexico $1.70 Other $2.30
=>
____________________________________________________
Mail Orders To: Barry J. Mitchel
70 Longview Road
Reading, MA 01867
Check or Money Order only. Allow 2 weeks delivery.
=*
|
The "UPGRADE" Disk
Magazine Looking for good Coco Support?
Look to the:
"UPGRADE" Disk Magazine!
From: "Mid Iowa & Country CoCo"
Now in it's eighth year!
Three as a national Disk magazine.
With the UPGRADE National Disk magazine, we've
grown to be one of the largest CoCo outreaches! I
can say that firmly by the response from over 200
members in over 40 states and 5 provinces of Canada;
with others in Australia & England, we expect to be
around for a long, long time.
The "UPGRADE" Disk Magazine: =>
____________________________________________________
- Does not support OSK or computers not compatible
to CoCo. That we leave to those more qualified.
- Not hard copy, but can be dumped to your printer.
- Displays first rate 16 color H2 graphics, with
articles.
- Does keep you informed with news from around the
country. Including ads and recommendations of
better dealers.
- Does have OS-9 articles concerning the CoCo. We've
just started an excellent level II tutorial series
- Does have Basic program technique articles and
tutorials.
- Does carry a full variety of indepth articles and
reviews.
- Recently added "Marty's Memos" column by Marty
Goodman! =>
____________________________________________________
- We carry tips on where to buy CoCo hardware.
- Software is available thru our library. ($3/disk.)
Join the largest CoCo reach out. Join those who
write "Here's my renewal, I don't want to miss an
issue"! Just $16 keeps you in touch with the CoCo
community.
Your subscription includes: 1 year membership in
MI&CC and UPGRADE Disk magazine subscription.
Requires: 128K CC3, 1 drive, RGB or TV
$16 US $21 Canada $31 Foreign Air
Say "I say it in CFDM" and receive a surprise bonus
disk. Mid Iowa & Country CoCo (non-profit)
Terry Simons Editor/Treasurer
1328 48th Des Moines, IA 50311
(Include your phone & system information) =*
|
| Articles in section: ARTICLES OF THE MONTH |
| EXTENDING
RIBBON LIFE! High Tech or What?! |
| Back to top |
EXTENDING RIBBON LIFE! In Issue 29, James McNeill asked where to get ink
to extend the life of his ribbons. There is a better
way (and cheaper) for ribbons with or without
reinking pads, and for color ribbons as well. This
method has been described in The RAINBOW and in a
recent issue of Terry Simons' UPGRADE disk magazine.
You must first gently pry off the top cover of the
ribbon cartridge. It has a series of pins which snap
into the bottom section. When you lift off the cover
be careful not to disturb the gear mechanisms that
move the ribbon. Should they pop out, you may have
trouble putting them back properly.
Next, with an aerosol can of WD-40, spray the
ribbon a few times (with the wide spray, not thru
the small tube that comes with the can). If your
ribbon cartridge has a reinking sponge, give it =>
____________________________________________________
a shot, too. DO NOT spray too much! Snap the cover
back on, and set the cartridge aside for a day or
two. The WD-40 is an excellent solvent as well as a
lubricant. It lets the ink redistribute itself on
the ribbon (the printhead only uses the ink on the
center third of the ribbon).
When you use the ribbon again, you might find it
is still printing light -- in which case, go through
the procedure again. It is better to do it this way
rather than spraying too much initially. You will
soon get an idea of the proper amount to spray.
I use several ribbons in rotation. When one gets
too light, I put in the next ribbon and spray the
old one. I find this technique works very well, and
the treated ribbon prints almost as dark as a new
one. The ribbon can be renewed in this way a =>
____________________________________________________
number of times (I haven't been using this method
long enough to reach a limit). Keep an eye on your
ribbon, though. If it starts to get frayed or has
holes, discard it! It could cause damage to the pins
of the printhead.
I can attest to the fact that this technique
really works. A small can of WD-40 costs only a
couple of bucks -- much less than a new ribbon --
and it looks like it will last for a long time.
James, I hope this helps you. You don't have to
look for a new supply of ink!
=*
|
High Tech or What?! Hello everyone,
I just thought I'd bump us off the RSDos track for
a minute to relay some pretty cool info I learned
about.
I work for an aircraft company that has developed
a survalliance/war management aircraft known as the
E-8 JointSTARS. It was converted from a Boeing 707.
It features over twenty operator stations and
carries a state of the art synthetic appature radar.
This monster can actually use radar and satellites
to "see" past the curvature of the earth. (Radar is
normally line of sight, or, straight).
While I was working on the third prototype I had
the chance to kinda strike up a conversation with
one of the software engineers, about, of course,
computers. =>
____________________________________________________
Although he did sort of look at his feet when I
told him about my beloved Hugo, he did look up when
I said I was trying OS-9 on for size. Then he hit me
with, "oh yeah, we turned to OS-9 for a couple of
drivers we needed "!! We chatted for a while, he was
amazed that a 512k machine could do windows, me that
a multi billion dollar cutting edge aircraft used
the same lingo (a very small part) as my machine!
I did get in the parting shot though, he says
"it's a shame your little computer didn't keep its
support" and I said "it's also a shame your big
computer can't keep going with the same chips for
seven years like mine ". . .
Sorry it wasn't an RSDos tale, or even a Coco, but
it still tied in where it counted.
=*
|
| Articles in section: COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY |
| COKE
by Garry Spencer <g> IT COULD HAPPEN RICKS PLACE THEXDER The University of Tampa VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY |
| Back to top |
IT COULD HAPPEN
Hello everyone,
I'm not sure if it was the demise of a T.V.
favorite, Star Trek TNG or my conversations with my
ten year old about space and life on other planets
that spawned a series of Cocos in Space, but here is
one of them.
=*
|
RICKS PLACE
This cartoon is my first attempt at such a thing
and at first I decided NOT to submit it because I
found it a little dumb compared to others by our
CFDM friends. However with a little coaxing from my
friend Ray Berney, and a little adjustments by him,
here it is! NO COMMENTS PLEASE! Chuckle!! Use the
Gallery or NIBSHOW on the reverse to view it! No
RE-VIEWing of it either! Chuckle!!
Dann McConnell
=*
|
THEXDER
"THEXDER" is a double page picture, which I had to edit for NIBSHOW. Unfortunately, a large chunk of the picture is missing and you do not get "the whole picture". The picture was drawn from the package of Sierra's THEXDER and many "gamers" will recognize this futuristic robot hero. :) =* |
The University of Tampa
This is a view from the Hillsbourough River looking
west toward the setting sun. It's moorish architec-
ture has been a landmark of downtown Tampa for one
hundred years. It was built by Henry Plant as a
luxury hotel at the western terminal of his railroad
line. Part of it is now a museum with the original
furnishings collected by Mr. Plant from around the
world.
Garry Spencer
909 E. 26th Ave.
Tampa, FL 33605-1749
=*
|
VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY Please use NIBSHOW to view the .NIB pictures on this
month's disk. As you recall, NIBSHOW was featured
in issue #18 and a more complete documentation can
be found there. NIBSHOW is the contribution of our
Friend Stuart Wyss-Gallifent. Thanks Stuart!
After RUNning NIBSHOW, press D for a directory of
the NIB pictures on the disk. Use the arrow keys to
choose a picture and press the spacebar to view it.
Press BREAK to leave the picture. Press X at the
MAIN MENU to exit NIBSHOW.
=*
|
| Articles in section: FAMILY TREE |
| CLARENCE
BOWERS PERRY FRIESEN RAFAEL ORTIZ, FAMILY TREE |
| Back to top |
CLARENCE BOWERS A group of engineers I worked with got me interested
in the Color Computer back in 1983. As they upgraded
I bought their old CoCo I equipment. I got hooked on
the RAINBOW Magazine and within a short time had
purchased a CoCo 2. I used tapes for some time and
then got a couple of drives powered up and moved on.
I still was not satisfied and so purchased the CoCo3
and CM-8 monitor which I use today. I have a STAR
NX-1020 printer and hope to someday learn all that
such a machine can do for you.
I live with my wife of 43 years in Painesville, Ohio
near the southern shore of Lake Erie east of Cleve-
land. We have tw children, a son who is a medical
doctor and a daughter who is a VP in a small =>
____________________________________________________
telephone company in Denver. Two delightful grand-
children living locally complete the family.
I am of retirement age, but find my work with a
process instrumentation company still challenging
and so continue to be employed. I have a hobby of
hobbies with an interest in color photography, wood-
working, gardening and the Color Computer. I once
had a Ham license also as the result of having been
a radio operator in the Navy. I worked for a short
time as a computer programmer but found I did not
have the background and skill to follow that very
long. With an interest in electronics since high
school, the Color Computer has provided many hours
of enjoyment and education.
=>
____________________________________________________
Clarence Bowers
44 Wilmington Drive
Painesville, OH 44077
=*
|
Fresh out of the Box Well it's out of the box and into a new world. My
family and I have just endured a 600 mile move from
High Level, AB to Red Deer, AB. A town of 3000 to a
town of 60,000. What a change! Now where did I put
that manual, Oh well?!
I hope the new life in the city will not be too
rush, rush. I did manage to get both computer
systems onto the same desk since we are limited for
space at the moment. Hopefully our rented 4-plex
will be replaced by a nice house soon. Oh well it's
home sweet home for now. The new address is:
Perry Friesen
19A Cameron Cresent
Red Deer, AB T4P 2C9
=*
|
RAFAEL ORTIZ, FAMILY TREE Hi! I am 36 years old and still single. My only
girlfriend is my CoCo and it's been since 1990 that
I enjoy her company. My Tandy 128K keeps me busy
everytime I work on my desk. I like very much the
colors of my RGB CM-8 monitor...and it is practical
for me to have an FD-502 with two drives because
while I'm cooking my breakfast at the same time I'm
making backup copies of my favorite CFDM programs...
My DMP-107 printer it tricks me sometimes because I
always forget to set the printer before I start!!!
My multipak always reminds me to clean him up when
my programs hangg up, so I clean his connectors very
gently...
=>
____________________________________________________
I'm also a driver in the San Fernando Valley area
which is 15 miles north of Los Angeles. I transport
Senior Citizens every day to their doctors appoint-
ments and they're always happy!!!!
See you soon!!!!
Rafael Ortiz
4900 Woodman Blvd. #4
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818 986-3008
=*
|
| Articles in section: FORUM |
| A
MUSIC INSTRUCTION SERIES? COCO EMULATOR FUND UPDATE Ideas, Suggestions, and Wishes THANK YOU--THANK YOU |
| Back to top |
A MUSIC INSTRUCTION SERIES? I just finished listening to ROY ATKINS latest
music submissions from CFDM Issues #28 & #29 *STARS*
and *DANCE #5* -- SUPER!!!
When he talks about TEMPO changes in the Brahms
Hungarian Dances -- he means it! I have tried to do
various types of songs using "MUSIC3+" which I found
in the April 1991 Issue of THE RAINBOW by our friend
GEORGE QUELLHORST, but have not been too successful
in creating MUSIC that flows as smoothly as that of
ROY ATKINS, RAYMOND BERNEY And HERB SCHULER.
I would assume that there are others out there
that are creating musical transcriptions and are en-
countering similar difficulties and are not submitt-
ing their work to CFDM?
In CFDM ISSUE #20, which came out in February I
asked many QUESTIONS in my "MUSIC3+ - HELP!!!??" =>
____________________________________________________
Question to anyone -- so far (June, 1994) no answers
from any of our fine transcribers.
I would like to see a Series of HOW TO articles
appear in future Issues of CFDM to assist those of
us that are not musically trained, but do have the
desire to try our hand at creating additional music-
al files for the CoCo.
Since ROY knows how to handle the "TEMPO" need-
ed to transcribe exciting MUSIC, I would like him to
possibly submit at least one article to the Series.
I don't think that it has to be "ALL" done by a
single person -- spread the work and the knowledge.
LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE GOOD MUSIC FOR THE COCO
Godfrey J. Moll
1571 East Erie Apt 103
Springfield, MO 65804 =*
|
COCO EMULATOR FUND UPDATE In the last issue I published an accounting of the
CoCo 3 Emulator Bounty Escrow. We've made some
progress since then and I expect next month to have
received a substantial increase (at least I'm hoping
that will be the case). We need to get this fund up
to our $1000 goal so that we can give Jeff Vavasour
official notice of this bonus. I don't believe Jeff
will hesitate to put every effort to make the CoCo 3
Emulator program a reality as soon as possible when
he hears about this bonus! Here's how we stand:
Beginning Balance July 1994...............$285.00
Leslie Waltz 10.00
Loyal B. Gaskin 10.00
John B. Sayewich 5.00
Miguel Rios 25.00 =>
____________________________________________________
Robert Nicholson 5.00
Vic Neufeldt 25.00
Ending balance August 15,1994 365.00
Thanks to all those who have generously contributed
to the fund thus far. WE WILL VERY MUCH APPRECIATE
SEEING YOUR NAME ON THIS LIST SOON!!
=*
|
Ideas, Suggestions, and Wishes In response to Rick's request for entries...well,
here I am. I thought perhaps someone might want to
hear what I have to say; if not, hit BREAK now and
forever hold your peace.
In an effort to keep up with technology, I am
purchasing a big IBM 486 beast. This will not, how-
ever, diminish the importance of my CoCo. A CoCo III
emulator, in fact, would probrably greatly enhance
it.
A CoCo III emulator would probably be one of the
best pieces of software that ever happened to me. It
is exactly the kind of miracle I need to spark the
hope of a whole new generation for the CoCo. I sin-
cerely hope that someday my children and even my
grandchildren will find that this dusty old machine
is really a great thing. =>
____________________________________________________
As well, a CoCo III emulator would allow me to
share wonderful CoCo software with my IBM-wielding
friends--a big plus for both sides. Take COCO-MAX 3,
for example. In my opinion a very superior program.
To get a similar program with as many features on a
PC, you would have to spend at least 100 dollars,
perhaps as much as $300!! Buy a few programs like
that and you've spent as much on them as you did on
the computer!
So I plead with Jeff Vavasour and you other prog-
rammers out there, PLEASE make the CoCo III emulator
possible!
And, while you're at it, I've got a few suggest-
ions. It would be nice if you had the option of
using the mouse or a PC joystick. For some uses,
mouses just don't work as well. It would also =>
____________________________________________________
be nice if the emulator could make use of the sound
board (if any), and other peripherals such as modems
or MIDI devices. Nice, but not necessary if it would
be too difficult or take an excess amount of time.
And, though a real CoCo 4 will probably not be
possible, a 'virtual' one could be. The CoCo's oper-
ating system, processor speed, and capabilities
could be vastly improved through the emulator.
If you have any ideas, I encourage you to express
them, and to support the CoCo III emulator. Thanks
for listening to me ramble.
=*
|
THANK YOU--THANK YOU In an earlier issue of CFDM I made a request for two
items: an Electronic book and the software titled
"KIDRITER". I explained that I would like to have
these when I begin teaching at a Christian school in
September.
Well, the CoCo Friends REALLY came through. I re-
ceived 3 electronic books, 4 KIDWRITERS, and a col-
lection of other software appropriate for my need.
I want to thank everyone who responded. You have
helped me tremendously. I am very grateful to you.
I think that the important word in "CoCo Friends
Disk Magazine" is the word, "FRIENDS".
=*
|
| Articles in section: FROM THE EDITOR |
| KUDOS
<g> by Michael Lewis RICK'S MESSAGE |
| Back to top |
|
<< ATLANTA COMPUTER SOCIETY >> << NORM BARSON >> << JIM BENNETT >> << RAY BERNEY >> << CLARENCE BOWERS >> << JEFF CHO >> << VINCENT CARDILLO JR >> << H ALLEN CURTIS >> << HERB FORGER >> << PERRY FRIESEN >> << CLYDE GANO >> << JIM GIBBONS >> << KEIRAN KENNY >> << TERRY LARAWAY >> << MICHAEL LEWIS >> << DAN MAGUIRE >> << DANN MCCONNELL >> << BETTY MCCORMICK >> << BARRY MITCHEL >> << GODFREY MOLL >> << VIC NEUFELDT >> << D W NORMAN >> << RAFAEL ORTIZ >> << MIGUEL A RIOS >> << CHARLIE ROUND >> << HERB SCHULER >> << TERRY SIMONS >> << GARRY SPENCER >> << MARCUS SPRINGER >> << KENNEY TREVINO >> << ROBERT A TURNER >> << LESLIE WALTZ >> << SALLY WARDLOW >> << JONATHAN WEBER >> << STUART WYSS-GALLIFENT >> << DON WYZANOWSKI >> |
RICK'S MESSAGE It's August 15th as I write this entry and my school
will be starting one week from today. And yes I'm
dreading getting back to the grind! Although I've
had no vacation this summer, I feel like alot has
been accomplished. The CoCo Registry project has
consumed much of my time but I can tell it has been
very worthwhile. We're recieving orders and mail
from new CoCoists and from those who haven't been
with us for awhile. This project has seen a number
of other publications, clubs, and businesses come
together to support the project and I believe the
best is yet to come. I was very excited to be able
to send out a great product, The CoCo Registry, to
more than 70 CoCoists so far. And I'm very much
looking forward to receiving some feedback very
soon! =>
____________________________________________________
Also the CoCo 3 Emulator is being very well received
and the news from Jeff is very promising. The bonus
fund for Jeff is growing slowly but surely and I
believe that too will pick up. (It's really up to
the CoCo Friends to make this come true.) Over 60
have ordered the CoCo 2 Emulator!
You will notice that I've taken some space from the
Magazine/Side to put in some good-sized graphics, so
this issue is just about full. I hope you'll enjoy
these graphics as much as I have. Thanks to everyone
who has answered my plea for material. I've recently
stated that I will never again brag about how much
material we have on hand. This causes folks to say
I'd send something but he's got too much already..=>
____________________________________________________
Well there's never too much material!! I hope some
of you will honor us with reviews on The CoCo
Registry and CoCo Accountant 3 soon. Also I'd like
to see a review of Terry Simons new OS9 Home Pac. I
know Terry is very proud of Chris Dekker's work on
it! --- EVERYONE CONTINUE TO HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!!
----------------------------------------------------
(Can you tell me where this scripture came from?)
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he
hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
=*
|
A Patience Pair 6 Correction Hi Rick,
On July 28, 1994, I discovered two bugs "of a
feather" in PP6. They can be eliminated as follows:
Replace the number 10 at the end of Line 21 with the
number 9. Change the final character of Line 124
from 6 to 4.
PP6 owners are not very likely to have met with
either bug. They only occurred when a player changed
his or her mind about quitting 10-20-30 or Monte
Carlo.
=*
|
EXCERPTS FROM LETTERS Dear Rick,
I would like to renew my subscription, and I would
also like to purchase the Emulator II. What a great
idea! I hope there will soon be an Emulator III.
- D. W. Norman, Ottawa, ONT
----------------------------------------------------
Dear Friend,
....
I can't wait to receive my copy of the Registry.
What a great idea!!
Thank you for including a Bible verse in each CFDM.
- Clyde Gano, Quakertown, PA
----------------------------------------------------
Hi Rick,
...I came to a very quick decision: write a letter
and a check...The CoCo Accountant 3 sounds great =>
____________________________________________________
and as it says, the price is an Unbelievable deal.
...I also want to get The CoCo Registry program with
2 updates.
- Herb Forger, Norwalk, CT
----------------------------------------------------
Hello Rick,
Enclosed..15 Registry sheets from our fest. (Have
been sending them out with each of my orders.).....
I'm going to take you up on the 'FREE' advertising
on the Registry disk...
Also I want to sign up for the Registry disk and
CoCo Accountant 3. (I've waited a long time for this
one. Thanks for finding it.)
- Terry Laraway, Bremerton, WA
----------------------------------------------------
=>
____________________________________________________
Hi Rick,
..I wanted to thank Jim (Bennett) for making DATA
FORM III available to all of us. ...been relatively
dissatisfied with my database program and DATA FORM
III gives me the flexibility I want in designing my
own files and fields, So, I'm thrilled to receive
it via CFDM...
..I think issue #30 was especially good because it
contained more than the normal amount of things that
instantly interest me.
..Please send me that CoCo-Accountant III package.
- Herb Schuler, Woodbury, NJ
----------------------------------------------------
RICK: Thanks to all who write! I really enjoy your
letters and wish I could publish all of them in
their entirety!! =*
|
FD-500 Blues RICK: As you will see, I am managing to keep going
despite difficulties with my drive. I hope you will
be able to spread my appeal for a replacement part.
While working on this disk I had a few bad hours.
Nothing would copy or backup and I could not format
a disk with DSKINI or CCTOOLS. After trying every-
thing I stopped and went to work to give the whole
drive a good cleanup.
That didn't help much at first but then I remembered
the sort of "cup" under the wheel on the turntable.
I tilted it up and went to work with a cotton bud
stick and alcohol. The soot was really deep, but I
was soon back in business.
Keiran - 7/27/94 =>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: I hope someone can help Keiran with his disk
problems. I really don't know enough about hardware
to know what to send. I sent one replacement drive,
but it was the right kind and it got broken in the
mail. If you send anything, pack it with EXTRA care!
Keiran is probably our most prolific programmer and
we need to keep him busy! Here's his address:
Keiran Kenny
van Montfoortlaan 31
2596 SP
The Hague, Holland
=*
|
HURRAY FOR EMULATOR &
ACCOUNTANT Rick,
I've been looking for something just like this
CoCo Accountant III.
- Betty McCormick, Las Vegas, NV
----------------------------------------------------
Hi Rick,
I have made several backups of the CoCo-Accountant 3
and since I'll be away for a few days, will take the
manual to review. From what I've read so far, it
looks like a great program. I can hardly wait to get
back to try it out!
Terry's UPGRADE, Jumpin Jim's Art disk, Rick's CFDM,
and the CoCo Registry are all due within the =>
____________________________________________________
next few weeks! I will be busy the rest of the
summer!
- Charlie Round, Erie, MI
----------------------------------------------------
Dear Rick,
I was happy to receive your mailing. I am still
spending an extreme amount of time outside the
country and do not have much time for the computer.
I am, however interested in the CoCo II Emulator. I
am enclosing my check for five dollars. Should the
CoCo III Emulator become available, I would also
like to take advantage of that software also.
My regards to all the CoCo family out there.
- Don Wyzanowski, Mineral Springs, NC =>
____________________________________________________
Dear Rick,
...Evenings usually find me relaxing with this CoCo
-- I'd find it difficult to do without....
There are many of your contibutors that I'd like to
oneday write to, and mention how I enjoy their
programs. Perhaps it would be better to include that
stuff in a "Review" for CFDM,....Anyway, please
include me on your list for the CoCo Registry disk.
Enclosed is a check for $12 for the Registry and
some extra for the fund for the CoCo III Emulator --
hope he does it.
- Vic Neufeldt, Beaverton, OR
-----
RICK: Thanks all!! =*
|
MORE EMULATOR 3 SUPPORT! Dear Rick,
Thank you for your promptness in sending me the
replacement disk containing the files for Colour
Computer II Emulator. I have installed in the hard
disk and it works!
I have been able to copy some programs to the hard
disk of the PC and they work fine, but there are
other programs which I have not been able to
"retrieve".
I believe it is a great program and now I have no
doubt we all should support and encourage Jeff
Vavasour to procede with his once considered project
to create the Emulator for CoCo III. I am =>
____________________________________________________
enclosing a personal check on the amount of $25 to
be added to the "CoCo 3 Emulator Bounty Escrow".
...Please keep us informed about the progress in the
Emulator for CoCo 3.
Sincerely,
Miguel A. Rios
-----
RICK: Thanks for your report and for your donation
Miguel! Jeff's latest communication stated his
commitment to doing the CoCo 3 Emulator...and that's
great news. I know it will take time. I believe the
sooner we reach our $1000 goal and are able to make
our announcement, the sooner we'll see results! =*
|
PARTS NEEDED!!! Thank you for the shipment of discs and the copy of
CFDM. I enjoyed it very much, also than you for your
earlier letter. In the future you will receive
submissions from me for CFDM. I really believe that
CFDM is the best idea that I have heard of in the
CoCo community since the start of Rainbow Magazine.
I hope that we can all keep it going. So keep up the
good work. I also have a question for you.
One of my FD-502 disc drives is down. The head motor
is burnt out. Tandy Repair cannot repair it or find
me another one. Do you or someone you know have a
disc unit that does not work, that I could buy for
parts? Just the insert unit only, not the case or
controller. Thank you very much.
- Marcus Springer =>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: Thanks for all your kind comments Marcus! And
I hope someone will be able to help you with your
disk drive problem very soon!!
Here's the address:
Marcus Springer
101 South Central Avenue
Connersville, IN 47331
=*
|
POSSIBLE PROBLEM..and KUDOS! Hi Rick,
Issue #31 worked well except for SQEZLOAD.BAS.
The difficulty was an NE error at line 12 where a
LOADM "SQEZLOAD" was attempted with "SQEZLOAD.BIN"
on the disk. Adding the aforementioned file to the
disk may present a serious problem since the disk
appears to be full already.
Godfrey Moll's DIGI-FUN really warmed my heart
(diamond, club, and spade, too). Equally pleasing
was the fact that Logan Bleckley III took the time
to telephone me from Georgia to tell me how much he
enjoys FASCINATION.
Best regards.
Allen Curtis =>
____________________________________________________
-----
RICK: Thanks for the advice on SQEZLOAD! It is
true that there's not room on the regular issue disk
for the SQEZLOAD.BIN file. My intention was for
those desiring to make a collection of the SQZ files
to place these files, SQEZLOAD.BAS, and SQEZLOAD.BIN
on a separate disk. I hope none experienced major
difficulties from my instructions!!
Thanks Allen
=*
|
THANKS FOR DATA FORM III! Jim Bennett: Thanks loads for the DATA FORM III program. It is exactly what I was looking for to keep the membership and executive board addresses and other specs in files. This also will be a great help when we have our annual Christmas card and other sales going. Our advertisers (we call them sponsors) will be able to be listed, shuffled, and printed out very nicely. A special not: We at the Joanne Marie Cardillo Memorial Fund for Music Therapy, raised over two thousand dollars this year for (2) scholarships and (6) special music achievement awards to students in area schools. Thanks again for your help. Vince Cardillo Jr =* |
The CoCo Registry Rick,
I just had to say what a GREAT idea the Coco
Registry is. It is truly something that people like
me need. As far as I can tell I'm the only Coco Dude
around these parts of Florida, and I have a scant
few addresses to write people.
The hard part is getting the responses needed.
It has been presented to make entry as easy as
possible. If all goes right, unwavering followers
will be better informed and the wavering may be
solidified. So hey people, Respond!
On this note I have one further question. As I
have been busily posting flyers for the upcoming
Atlanta Fest (Oct.1&2, oops, a plug!) at our local
Radio Shacks, I've written my phone number
=>
____________________________________________________
at the bottom as the contact guy. Knowing that
responses are few, if I get any I was wondering if I
could let them Register also. This would be after I
find them legit, of course.
Thanks, and keep up the terrific work!
Coco Onward!
-----
RICK: Sure Dan, that's great! The Registry has been
very well recieved. Well over 200 forms have been
returned to me at this time and many are from folks
not currently subscribing to CFDM. And many, with
very good intentions, have tried to be helpful by
either sending in forms they've had others fill out
or even by sending surveys they've done themselves.
The problem with NOT HAVING THE PERSON FILL OUT =>
____________________________________________________
AN OFFICIAL FORM is that I don't get the type of
info I need for everyone to have an opportunity to
have a true record. So...if you have someone who
wants to be in the Registry, give them a copy of the
actual form..or..just let me know and I'll send them
one.
Speaking of the Registry, this program (disk) is not
just for CoCo companies. You as an individual CoCo
user will enjoy it every bit as much as a CoCo
company! Please try it! And be sure you are in it
by returning your form to me!
=*
|
| Articles in section: POTPOURRI |
| ***
SCORE BOARD *** Bugler's Holiday CFDM BABY by Mike Lewis <g> |
| Back to top |
Here's a new feature for POTPOURRI, a scoreboard for
those who enjoy playing CoCo games. Each month I'll
include the score of anyone who thinks they have
done well on a CoCo game. It doesn't have to be the
high score, but the high score will be noted as
well. So let's see what games you like to play and
how you're doing.
====================================================
SCORE BOARD
====================================================
Name Game Current High
----------------------------------------------------
Jeffrey Cho Photon 49 levels 51
Godfrey Moll EZACES 115 115
Jonathan Weber Rogue 4964 gold p. 4964
Jonathan Weber Digger 31600 31600 =>
____________________________________________________
Jeffrey Cho Contras WON WON
Jeffrey Cho Thelda WON WON
----------------------------------------------------
Come on..SEND IN THOSE SCORES!!
=*
|
Bugler's Holiday After finally typing in MUSIC3+ and de-bugging
all of my typing errors, I decided to give it (and
myself) a real challenge. I got out a piece of music
that I used to enjoy playing on my trumpet during my
high school days....Bugler's Holiday. I was pretty
impressed with the results, if I do say so myself!
Due to the complexity of this number, the music
file that resulted takes 5 granules of disk space
and will not play on the player program that I had
previously submitted to CFDM. It WILL, however, run
with the loader that appears on the back of this
disk as well as with George Quellhorst's MUSIC3+ and
his PLAYER.BAS, which appeared in a recent issue of
CFDM! The POKE in the loader that allows this long
file to load was taken from George's PLAYER.BAS.
Run BUGLERS.BAS from the back side. *=
|
** STRINGM1 ** SORRY NORM -- I just had to try my hand at STRINGART
using YOUR Program as a starting point. I purchased
a Metal String Art Picture of a BUFFALO at a Crafts
Fair a few years ago -- sooo I thought that I'd try
my hand at making a Computer Stringart Picture. More
complicated than I realized! I read your instruc-
tions, but ended up with my Buffalo too far to the
left in the frame -- so number by number I moved him
to the middle.
I learned a lot about programming on the CoCo3,
while selecting colors and rearranging things. I'll
be looking forward to your future STRINGART Submis-
sions. Created a Disk -- just for STRINGART!
GODFREY J. MOLL
1571 EAST ERIE APT 103
SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804 =*
|
COLORFACE..LEARN YOUR COLORS! Here's COLORFAC, a program for youngsters to learn
to identify their colors. COLORFAC is one of the
collection of educational programs Sally sent CFDM
recently. Sally's programs are a delight as you
already know and this one is particularly cute as
well as effective.
The listing for COLORFAC was featured in HARDCOPY,
issue #31. Hope you had fun typing it in!
=*
|
DECB 1.1 Rewrite, PART TWO. The next option will be: PATCH PCLEAR TO ALLOW THE
USE OF PCLEAR 0 Y/N?: If you select this option,
PCLEAR 0 will not result in an FC? ERROR, but will
instead, perform a PCLEAR 0.
ACTIVATE TRUE LOWERCASE Y/N?: If you answer Y to
this prompt, it will activate the 32 column screen
true lowercase abilities.
SET DECB TO ACCESS DOUBLE SIDED DRIVES Y/N?: If you
answer Y to this prompt, the rewritten DECB will be
able to access double sided drives, with drive 0
set up as 0/2 and drive 1 set up as 1/3.
SET DRIVE STEP RATE TO 6MS Y/N?: Y to this prompt
will result in the 6MS drive step rate.
SET DECB TO ACCESS 40 TRACK DISK DRIVES Y/N?: If you
answer Y to this prompt, the rewritten DECB will be
set to access 40 tracks on the disk. =>
____________________________________________________
The final prompt is: SAVE THIS AS THE DEFAULT
SETTING Y/N?: If you answer Y to this prompt,
the "DECBREWR/DEF" file will be rewritten to disk
to reflect the selections that you have made to the
previous prompts.
After all prompts have been answered, the program
will rewrite the DOS with DECB 1.1. If you selected
the COCO 2 mode, you will see the 1.1 message. You
will find that, in this mode, more COCO 2 programs
will now be compatible with the COCO 3. If you did
not select the COCO 2 mode, you will see the 2.1
message. The rewritten DECB is RESET protected and
it should hopefully solve any incompatibility
problems that you may have experienced with your
DOS. The file "DECBREWR.ASM" is a Disk Edtasm source
file that will give you a hint as to how this =>
____________________________________________________
program works. Do not try to assemble and EXEC this
source file, however. It will not work without some
additional preparations.
THE END
=*
|
DECB 1.1 Rewrite:
"DECBREWR" I saw a plea for help in an issue of the Glenside
CoCo 123 newsletter. This was from a fellow who was
using Extended ADOS 3. The problem was that Disk
Edtasm from Tandy would not boot, even after the
Extended ADOS 3 command: DISABLE:DLOAD. I'm not sure
exactly why this happens, but I do know that the
"DOS.BIN" software, which is part of the Disk Edtasm
system, is very touchy. It is not even compatible
with a ram disk.
Anyway, to remedy the situation, I decided to
create a software routine that would rewrite a copy
of Disk Extended BASIC 1.1 into the CoCo, even if
you are using another DOS. Once installed, whatever
custom DOS you are using is overwritten. This
routine also RESET protects itself, so pressing the
RESET button will not disable it. =>
____________________________________________________
The program is "DECBREWR.BAS". It contains an
embedded binary file, and as such, it should never
be saved in the ASCII format, or it will be useless.
When you RUN the program, you will be presented
with the following options, in this order:
USE DEFAULT SETTINGS Y/N?: If you answer Y to this
prompt, the remainder of the prompts will be skipped
and the program will load in the "DECBREWR.DEF"
file which contains the defaults. It will then
install the DECB 1.1 and any requested patches as
noted below.
PLACE COCO 3 IN COCO 2 MODE Y/N?: This option will
only be presented if you are using a COCO 3. This is
a patch that I developed. I looked through the COCO
3 SERVICE MANUAL at the GIME/ACVC specifications &
determined what registers and ports, as well as =>
____________________________________________________
what values needed to be placed into these ports to
make the COCO 3 'think' more like a COCO 2. So, if
this option is selected, the program will first
transfer the contents of the COLOR BASIC and EXT.
COLOR BASIC ROMs to RAM, ignoring the COCO 3 ROM
code. This, in effect disables all COCO 3 commands.
Next, it disables the MMU, sets the upper RAM
vectors to 'constant mode' and performs a few other
little modifications to tell the COCO 3 that it is a
COCO 2. It then rewrites the DOS with DECB 1.1 and
whatever patches may be requested as listed below.
If you select this option, you will NOT be able to
use any COCO 3 software. You must either turn the
COCO 3 off then back on or use POKE 113,0:DLOAD to
return to COCO 3 mode.
PLEASE SEE PART TWO. =*
|
FLAGS for waving
In a Max 10 letter to Jim McNeill I pasted a US flag to embellish my wish for a pleasant Fourth of July. I had the clip available from the CoCo Graphic Designer Plus pixettes. I wanted to paste an Austra- lian flag too but none was available, so I had to make one. The result in black and white was satis- factory so I tried a color version. That looked OK if slightly inaccurate (the stars are officially seven-pointers). But flags are for waving so, in 3FLAGS/NIB there are three: one static and two waving. Run 3FLAGS/BAS to load 3FLAGS/NIB and press a key to run FLAGWAVR/BAS. This uses Mike Hoke's SUPERPUT3 to put the three images onto the screen in rapid succession. SP3/BIN and NIBLOADR/BIN should be on the same disk. => ____________________________________________________ You can vary the apparent wind force by changing the value 250 in the delay loop in line 50. I would hope that a US Friend will provide a proudly waving star-spangled banner to mark some appropriate future occasion. If you can load my 3FLAGS onto a CM3 screen, you will have models in the right positions and dimensions for storage in SP3 memory blocks. If you draw your flags the same dimensions and in the same positions as mine, you can then use the SUPERPUT3 command lines (110 plus) in FLAGWAVR to provide the animation. =* |
STRINGART 10 Here is another in my series of stringart for the
CoCo. Even with a simple one-color "string" on a
contrasting background, you can get a recognizable
picture. But -- just to be sure you could tell what
it was supposed to be, I put a title on it. By now,
I've described the procedure sufficiently so that I
don't have to give any more detail. RUN"STRING10" on
the program side.
Norm Barson
7 Ridge Court
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
(908) 254-7767
=*
|
WIDE PRINT Banner Maker I once had a program that printed out the best looking wide benners sideways on my BJ300 inkjet printer. But since then, I have either lost or erased it. Just great. So, I decided to write my own WIDE PRT banner maker program. First, I had to find the right font to enlarge and use. (I'm too awkward to design my own) MAXFONT's 'FUTURA' font was perfect for the upper case letters. And 'ROMAN' x3 was clear enough for the numbers. Along with " " (SPACE), these 37 characters should provide all you need for large banners for any occasion. I left out some symbols and punctuation because I was trying to keep the program as short as possible. If you need to add these necessary characters to the program, it's real easy to add them. Yourself. I'm sure somebody will. Right, StuMadMikeNormMacRick? =* |
| Articles in section: REVIEWS |
| 512
UPGRADES THE COCO REGISTRY THE CONTRAS |
| Back to top |
512 UPGRADES There are several upgrade kits available for the
CoCo 3 that will give you 512K of memory. I have
heard that all the upgrades are equally reliable
and easy to install. The installation that I have
done to 2 CoCo's required that I remove a chip, in-
sert a small "satellite" board, and clip a couple
wires. The instructions were so easy to understand
that it was virtually impossible for me to mess up.
There are also people who will do the installation
for a moderate cost. Terry Laraway comes to mind
first.
Most CoCo-ists already have upgraded to 512K but
there are just a few who still operate with only
=>
____________________________________________________
128K of memory. Perhaps they haven't been convinced
that the upgrade is necessary or justified.
If you happen to be one of these people, I strongly
advise you to upgrade for the following reasons:
1. There are many programs such as CoCo Max III and
Max-10 that run much faster and more smoothly if
you have 512K.
2. More and more people are writing programs that
require 512K. Many of these appear in CFDM. If
you only have 128K, you can't use these programs.
3. Right now the upgrade chips are still available
=>
____________________________________________________
at a moderate price. This won't be true forever.
4. Upgrading to 512K will not do any damage to your
CoCo. It will only make it better.
So, if you haven't upgaded your CoCo yet, there is
no better time than the present. You won't be dis-
appointed when you do. You will notice a significant
improvement in the operation of your CoCo. The im-
provement may not be 100% apparent immediately, but
the more you use your CoCo, the more you'll appreci-
ate the convenience and speed of 512K.
=***
|
THE COCO REGISTRY In my mail today was a package from Rick's. Opening
it, I discovered a bright colored flippie. "The CoCo
Registry", First issue.
I popped it in the drive and typed RUN "CR". I
always hafta see if it's also ADOS compatible...sure
nuff it is. It comes on screen and says, "one moment
please". Well, it should say "several moments...",
because it loads the entire data file, Two hundred
and Sixty Two CoCoists. Gosh Rick..do you do all
this in 128K? May I first off say, "my hats off
Rick. That's quite a piece of programming!"
The template consists of various boxes or windows,
displaying a column of names, a window showing the
highlighted person's name, address, Phone #, etc. =>
____________________________________________________
Another has an impressive list of magazines and
groups, underlining which group/mag the person
supports. Another displays system information of the
supporter. And still another has a search/print on
various formats by your direction. Oh yeah, it does
come with printed docs. But it's so user friendly I
didn't find a need for them.
If you're asking how can you get all this on one
screen? You can't, it's just too much. But with a
128 column screen you can switch from side to side
with the arrow keys. This leaves room for overlap
and still a very convenient read of the 128 columns.
If you're thinking this would be good for dealers
only...perhaps you're forgetting, there may well =>
____________________________________________________
be a CoCo user living around the corner from you in
your own town! Or several!
First off: be a part of the CoCo Community. To get
on the list is "free". Send a SASE to:
Rick's Computer Enterprise
PO Box 276 Liberty, KY 42539
He'll send you the form.
This is bound to grow as fests and clubs start up
fuller in the fall. There will be more issues. The
cost? Check with Rick. Like most things he offers..
it'll be a bargain. (Rick: $12 for the initial disk
plus the two updates.)
=*
|
THE CONTRAS When I first saw THE CONTRAS in a Sundog ad, I
quickly sent in money to buy it. Unfortunately, the
game was not available and I waited several months.
Impatient as I am, I changed my order. Luckily, I
later learned that Rick was selling the Sundog soft-
ware and bought it for almost 1/3 the price. The
gameplay is simple and the manual is easy to read.
Basically, your mission is to shoot anything that
stands in your path. The concept is not new, but
this game is different.
Those of you familiar with Nintendo, might
recognize this as a spinoff of the popular game
CONTRA. The game is a faithful interpretation. The
play is incredibly fast and the animation is smooth
=>
____________________________________________________
The speed and animation is most notable when your
character does flips to avoid bullets, jump over
pits, and avoid obstacles. The scrolling is also
incredibly smooth. THE CONTRAS offers a 320x225
hardware scrolling screen. The background music is
exciting and is perfect for the game. The sound
effects are better than average. The machine gun
sounds very realistic! And the ending is incredible,
but I won't spoil it for you.
THE CONTRAS is action packed and is ALMOST
perfect. One major problem with the game is in the
two player mode. The game often "freezes" for an
unacceptable length of time, either that or it
crashes when a player dies. BUT, this is only in the
=>
____________________________________________________
two player mode; it performs flawlessly in single
player mode! Overall, this is an extaordinary
program for the CoCo, and is well worth the $18
price from Rick. It is a must for all COCOists.
THE CONTRAS requires a 512K CoCo 3, a two button
joystick, and some free time, because this game is
addicting, even after you win.
:) =*
|
** GIF > CM3 > NIB ** Both CHARLIE ROUND and DANN McCONNELL were in-
terested in converting IBM/GIF Pictures to CM3 & NIB
to view on their faithful CoCo's! ART HALLOCK has to
be the authority in this area!! In 1993 he assisted
me in being able to have my friend Stewart Campbell,
who switched to the PC, send me pictures. He gave me
programs that would transfer /GIF files to /CM3 by
way of the /MGE format. You must first have a copy
of the COCOUTIL Program that ONLY runs on the PC!
The only problem that we had was that this pro-
gram would NOT format a COCO Disk -- 35 Tracks -- I
had to send him formatted disks -- now if you have
both a CoCo and a PC -- no problem!
ART SAVEs the picture as a /TIF file, converts
it from VGA 256 color file to a 16 color file, crops
it to fit on a CoCo screen, converts it to =>
____________________________________________________
standard interlaced /GIF file, and then ports it to
an RSDOS disk using COCOUTIL on the PC.
The programs used are MGE2CM3/BAS by JEFF BUTLER
and CC3GIF/BIN by CHRIS BABCOCK -- both available on
DELPHI. TOOLDATA/BIN is needed to decipher the /MGE
format and TRANSLAT/BAS is used to write the /CM3
files. ColorMaxIII will LOAD a /GIF picture and will
SAVE as /MGE or /GIF, if you want to go back to the
PC. The /GIF picture for the CoCo must be in ONLY 16
colors and 320 X 200.
The June (p182) Issue of THE RAINBOW has an art-
icle by MARTY GOODMAN on the Transferring of ASCII
text from MS-DOS disks to CoCo disks - a lot of info
on the procedure and problems. In the July (p176)
Issue he speaks to the reverse procedure.
I know that RICK did the "CASTLE" as seen in =>
____________________________________________________
CFDM Issue #14.
TERRY LARAWAY is another authority on the trans-
fering from one format to another.
Hope that those of you with access to PC /GIF
Pictures will do a few for CFDM and share them with
your CoCo Friends. If at all possible, when you re-
duce the 256 colors to 16 -- try to use the Anima-
tion Palette slots 12, 13, 14, 15 for ONLY ONE Color
so that the PUZZLE makers can use your Pictures dir-
ectly in RICK'S PUZZLE Program. That limits you to
ONLY 13 Colors -- SORRY, but MANY THANKS!!!
GODFREY J. MOLL
1571 EAST ERIE APT 103
SPRINGFIELD, MO 65804 =*
|
Answer:GIF to CM3/NIB achieved To DMAC & Charlie Round:
I have sucessfully transferred .GIF graphics to
.CM3, even though it was a triathalon. I use a
program called GIFVIEW. It has an option to save the
picture as a .MGE, .VEF or .HRS file. I save it as
.MGE, then load CM3's TRANSLATe program to load the
.MGE back into HSCREEN2. Save it as a .CM3 file.
Then I do whatever I need to do with it. NIB it or
whatever.
I find that it works best when you use INTERLACED
picture files. NON-INTERACED pictures don't load the
proper colors nor proper detail needed.
Write or call me if you need information.
=*
|
CFDM INDEX UPDATE ? I HAVE FOUND THE "CFDM INDEX" TO BE A VERY USEFUL
PROGRAM,AND MANY THANKS TO THE GUYS WHO WROTE IT.
WHEN WILL IT BE UPDATED ?
MICHAEL LEWIS
1311 SECOND ST.
MOUNDSVILLE, WV. 26041-1430
-----
RICK: Thanks for the KUDOS Mike! Friend Norm Barson
has continued to work on the CFDM INDEX and we hope
to be able to include an update on a Bonus Disk with
issue #36. I have found the INDEX invaluable in
locating past articles and programs in back issues!
I believe Norm deserves a lot of credit for this!=*
|
COLOR PROBLEM I have several games and other programs which
are supposed to be in color, but when run, they only
appear in black & white. One even asks if the
screen is red or blue--and it's grey! If it's any
help, I have an RGB monitor, and some of the pro-
grams are Deskmate and Interbank Incident. Please
brighten my world!!
Jonathan Weber
1862 West Street
Reese, MI 48757
(517) 868-3110
=*
|
EXTENDING RIBBON LIFE! In Issue 29, James McNeill asked where to get ink
to extend the life of his ribbons. There is a better
way (and cheaper) for ribbons with or without
reinking pads, and for color ribbons as well. This
method has been described in The RAINBOW and in a
recent issue of Terry Simons' UPGRADE disk magazine.
You must first gently pry off the top cover of the
ribbon cartridge. It has a series of pins which snap
into the bottom section. When you lift off the cover
be careful not to disturb the gear mechanisms that
move the ribbon. Should they pop out, you may have
trouble putting them back properly.
Next, with an aerosol can of WD-40, spray the
ribbon a few times (with the wide spray, not thru
the small tube that comes with the can). If your
ribbon cartridge has a reinking sponge, give it =>
____________________________________________________
a shot, too. DO NOT spray too much! Snap the cover
back on, and set the cartridge aside for a day or
two. The WD-40 is an excellent solvent as well as a
lubricant. It lets the ink redistribute itself on
the ribbon (the printhead only uses the ink on the
center third of the ribbon).
When you use the ribbon again, you might find it
is still printing light -- in which case, go through
the procedure again. It is better to do it this way
rather than spraying too much initially. You will
soon get an idea of the proper amount to spray.
I use several ribbons in rotation. When one gets
too light, I put in the next ribbon and spray the
old one. I find this technique works very well, and
the treated ribbon prints almost as dark as a new
one. The ribbon can be renewed in this way a =>
____________________________________________________
number of times (I haven't been using this method
long enough to reach a limit). Keep an eye on your
ribbon, though. If it starts to get frayed or has
holes, discard it! It could cause damage to the pins
of the printhead.
I can attest to the fact that this technique
really works. A small can of WD-40 costs only a
couple of bucks -- much less than a new ribbon --
and it looks like it will last for a long time.
James, I hope this helps you. You don't have to
look for a new supply of ink!
=*
|
LOOKING for ZEBRA INC. Anyone know of a new address for ZEBRA? I sent
two letters out and got them back, if they went
belly up, did some one buy them out? I still want
to purchase FIRST AWARD with all Documents, and
PICTURE DISKS 4,5,6. Anyone knowing thier locale or
new adress let me know or answer in CFDM.
(d) I dropped a d! Chuckle!
Dann McConnell
PO Bx 340
Pinehurst ID 83850-0340
=*
|
NEED HELP WITH MAX10 Rafael recently got the Phone Fest 3 auction package
with MAX10. He has written the following about a
problem he has discovered. The only copy of MAX10
that I have has not been a help in assisting Rafael.
If anyone can shed light on the problem, please do!
----------------------------------------------------
Hi Rick,
My best wishes for you and your family!! I'm
taking a break so I have some time to write you;
according to what we talked over the phone. I
believe the MAX10 Dictionary Disk has a program
missing. I've received:
- MAX10 Word Processing Manual
- MAX10 Word Procssing Diskette
- MAX10 Dictionary Disk
- MAX10 Font Disks #1 and #2 =>
____________________________________________________
According to what the manual says on page 4,
a backup copy of MAX10 should be placed in Drive
zero and..
- Type RUN "CONFIG" and Press ENTER.Then follow
the instructions on the screen and select:
- Type of display (I select CM8 monitor.)
- Text & Background colors
- Type of hi-res interface. (TANDY)
- Drive used for clipboard. (Drive 0)
- Dictionary drive. (Drive 1)
- Baud Rate. (600 baud)
- Proper printer driver. (DMP 105)
Well I've tried and I cannot load the dictionary
or load the fonts. I get a message that says I
need to obtain the Speller Upgrade Disk to use =>
____________________________________________________
the dictionary. On page 37 it says I need to
put the dictionary disk in drive zero and type
RUN "UPGRADE". The "UPGRADE" program is not on
the disk's directory..
My CoCo 3 is a 512K, RGB CM-8, multipak,
FD-502 dual drives (drive 0 is 35 track, drive
1 is double sided, 40 track).
Can anyone help Rafael??
Rafael Ortiz
4900 Woodman #4
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Tel: 818 986-3008
HI DARLA!! =*
|
Reply: To Chairuth Bouphaphanh.. To: Chairuth Bouphaphanh
Speech Systems: 38 W. Deerpath Road,
Batavia Illinois 60510
Phone No. 1-(312)-879-6880
COCO 3 COMPATIBILITY
Through good software and hardware engineering, and
a little LUCK, all Speech Systems products are
compatible without modification with the Tandy
COCO 3 execpt:...
=>
____________________________________________________
EARS
1. Turn computer on.
2. EXEC 57360 or EXEC &HE010
now continue as indicated in the manual.
3. LOADM "EARS"
4. EXEC
5. etc.
=>
____________________________________________________
SUPER VOICE CARTRIDGE
The SUPER VOICE CARTRIDGE requires both a hardware
and software modification to work with the COCO 3.
Versions of the SUPER VOICE CARTRIDGE that are
compatible with the COCO's 1, 2, and 3 were shipped
in late Febuary of 1988 or 1989. I don't know which.
Those people wanting to upgrade, could return their
SUPER VOICE CARTRIDGE with $20.00 + $3.00 P&H after
the end of Febuary back then.
The price included both the new software and
hardware modifications.
I'm sorry that I could not be of more help to you.
Signed: Kenney Trevino =*
|
T0: HERB F0RGER; FR0M: THE RAT. In CFDM, Vol 1, Issue 26, Herb Forger asked how to
reproduce those strange characters that appeared
in a previous Q&A entry by yours truly. Well, my
friend, I discovered those codes quite by accident.
It seems that the CUTILS.BIN will produce that
character by using [SHIFT] in conjunction with any
of the following keys: [ALT], [CTRL], and that
little 'a' in the circle looking doohickey next to
the [CLEAR] key that can't be typed since it is the
HELP key. You can also produce a funny looking BOLD
lowercase 'v' character via [SHIFT] [F2]. I am not
sure what the ASCII code is that represents these
characters, however, it is probably below 32. That
would explain why your Panasonic printer locked up.
When you tried to print the file, the printer
received this character control code which =>
____________________________________________________
probably put it into some sort of loop or perhaps
the graphics mode. Good thing there are no 'self-
destruct' character codes, eh? Thanks for asking,
Your Friend,
Robert Allen Turner.
* = * = * = * = * =
-----
RICK: Thanks for your explanation Bob! I have tried
to edit out these characters since Arthur Hallock
tells me that they play havoc when trying to make
HARDCOPY.
(Guess what the "* = " above use to be?)
=*
|
