|
Table of contents: |
| COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE Issue #69 | Home | Index | Magazine | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| 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 |
| ABOUT
THIS MONTH'S COVER BONUS DISK DIRECTORY (#31) CONTENTS...PART 1 (i69) CONTENTS...PART 2 (i69) CONTENTS...PART 3 (i69) PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i69) |
| Back to top |
ABOUT THIS MONTH'S COVER Even at this time of year, you can find mountains
that still have snow on them. Out west, of course.
This mountain scenery might be typical of the area
around the Grand Tetons.
=*
|
Here's a description of the files on the BONUS DISK.
File names preceded by an asterisk are data files or
program files used by other programs. Do not RUN or
EXEC these files.
- SIDE 1 -
-- NAME..........COMMAND...SECTION OR DESCRIPTION
* BIGMAC .BMP.............HICOLOR IMAGE
HICOLOR .BAS....RUN......ARTICLES OF THE MONTH
* HICOLOR .BIN.............Used by HICOLOR.BAS
* REDCAR .BMP.............HICOLOR IMAGE
- SIDE 2 -
-- NAME..........COMMAND...SECTION OR DESCRIPTION
* ASTRNAUT.NIB.............Used by PUZZLES
BOOT .BAS....RUN......PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* COURTYRD.NIB.............Used by PUZZLES =>
____________________________________________________
* DESERT .NIB............. ALL
* GORILLA .NIB.............
* MNTRYBAY.NIB............. OF
* NIBLOADR.BIN.............
* OVERLAY .NIB............. THESE
* PUZDAT .DAT.............
* PUZTITLE.NIB............. FILES
* PUZZLE1 .NIB.............
* PUZZLE2 .NIB............. ARE
* ROSE .NIB.............
* SEQ0 .DAT............. USED
* SEQ1 .DAT.............
* SPACEWLK.NIB............. BY
* SWITCH .BIN.............
* WIZARD .NIB............. RICK'S PUZZLES
=*
|
ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE "ABOUT CFDM" ABOUT COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE ABOUT THIS ISSUE ABOUT THIS MONTH'S COVER BONUS DISK DIRECTORY (#31) CONTENTS...PART 1 (i69) CONTENTS...PART 2 (i69) CONTENTS...PART 3 (i69) PROGRAM DIRECTORY (i69) ACTIVE COCO COCO SOFTWARE SOURCES PA FEST PROJECTED ATTENDEES PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS I => ____________________________________________________ PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS II PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS III WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS ADVERTISEMENTS BUNCH OF GOODIES DISK SET C-III PAGES DESKTOP PUBLISHING CoCoNUTS by: Nickolas Marentes GATE CRASHER - NOW AVAILABLE PENNFEST 2000 PENNFEST 2000 SCHEDULE Select OS-9 Tools & Utilities Software from Sundog THE COCO3 EMULATOR ARTICLES OF THE MONTH => ____________________________________________________ COCO CHRONICLES 19 Even *MORE* colors on the CoCo! Even *MORE* colors part II PENNFEST 2000 - INTERVIEW PENNFEST 2000 - INTERVIEW PART 2 The Cracker Barrel The Hardware Store COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY A FORMAL GARDEN ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE CLONE CM3 ANIMATED MR. NOISY MR. SNEEZE Nintendo's MARIO (SEE PART 2) =* |
VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY FAMILY TREE Coco Experiences PART I Coco Experiences PART II HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? LOW SERIAL NUMBER COCO BATTLE Stories to Share FORUM ** PC Connections ** LAST MINUTE PENNFEST NEWS PennFest 2000 - 2 Month's Away PennFest 2000 highlights FROM THE EDITOR => ____________________________________________________ CFDM UPDATE - JUNE 2000 CFDM at PENNFEST 2000 Footnote on the Diskette KUDOS FOR ISSUE #69 News from the Net 06/00 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ** Great Job! ** KUDOS MAIL BAG EXCERPTS What's new with Ray! POTPOURRI ** On The Internet ** AFLAC BEDTIME => ____________________________________________________ DOG HAROLD MUSIC PLAYER PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH Flip STILL MORE PUZZLES The Bored Test Viva Las Vegas with CC3POKER REVIEWS 9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 1 9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 2 9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 3 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS (SEE PART 3) =* |
CoCo Games for the TRS-80
CoCo Historical Display
Robot Odessey
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART I
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART II
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART III
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART IV
=*
|
Here's a description of the files located on the
PROGRAM SIDE. File names preceded by an asterisk
are data files and should no be RUN or EXECed!
-- NAME..........COMMAND...SECTION OR DESCRIPTION
ALLEYCAT.BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
AMERICA4.BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
BEDTIME .BAS....RUN......POTPOURRI
* BEDTIME .NIB.............Used by BEDTIME.BAS
BELLS .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
BORED .BAS....RUN......PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
CC3POKER.BAS....RUN......PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* CC3POKER.DAT.............Used by CC3POKER.BAS
* CLONE .NIB.............ART GALLERY
DOG .BAS....RUN......POTPOURRI
DOLLY .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI =>
____________________________________________________
ELEPHANT.BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
FLIP .BAS....RUN......PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH
* FOOD .NIB.............ART GALLERY
* GARDEN .NIB.............ART GALLERY
GIRL .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
GO AWAY .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
HAROLD .BAS....RUN......POTPOURRI
* HAROLD .NIB.............Used by HAROLD.BAS
* LIGHT .NIB.............ART GALLERY
* MARIO .NIB.............ART GALLERY
MOOD2 .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
* MRNOISY .NIB.............ART GALLERY
* MRSNEEZE.NIB.............ART GALLERY
* NIBLOADR.BIN.............Used by NIBSHOW.BAS
NIBSHOW .BAS....RUN......ART GALLERY
OLD MAN2.BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI =>
____________________________________________________
PLAYER .BAS....RUN......POTPOURRI
ROSES2 .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
SAINTS2 .BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
SANFRAN2.BIN...LOADM.....POTPOURRI
* SCREEN05.NIB.............Used by STORY.BAS
* SCREEN06.NIB.............Used by DOG.BAS
STORY .BAS....RUN......POTPOURRI
=*
|
COCO SOFTWARE SOURCES A friend of mine (who also had a CoCo as his first
computer) found the following information on the
Internet. Since, I'm still not on the Internet, I
can't check this out, but I hope it will prove use-
ful to those of you who are.
Where, then, would I go if I wanted more cool soft-
ware for my very old computer? Here are some great
sites:
*Oldsoftware.com-- A comprehensive clearinghouse
for just about every old platform (Amiga, DOS,
Atari, Commodore 64, you name it).
*Adventure Game History-- A complete list of games
released for your Amiga, 8-bit Nintendo, Apple II,
Commodore 64, or old PC. This site doesn't =>
____________________________________________________
denote the availability of the software, but it
will let you know what's out there.
*Don Lancaster's Classic Electronic Collectibles--
Has both documentation and software.
*Ira Goldklanq's TRS-80 Revived Pages-- For the
Radio Shack classic, the TRS-80.
*Classic Video Game Collecting-- If you can't find
something specific, post your wish-list, or trade
with other classic computer aficionados.
*Come Back 64-- And, if all else fails, use an
emulator.
=*
|
PA FEST PROJECTED ATTENDEES The following is a list of individuals who "said"
they plan on attending PennFest 2000. Please keep
in mind that this is ONLY a "projected" attendee
list!
Steve Secord, Randy Weaver, Allen Huffman, John
Kowalski, Shanna Kowalski, Kenneth Baker, Kenneth
Baker, Janet Baker, Dave Poitras, Susan Poitras,
Kris Poitras, Kevin Mills, Brother Jeremy, Malcom
Cleveland, Russ LeBlang, Mike Guzzi, Tony Podraza,
Ray Watts, Jim Davis, Paul T. Barton, Todd Wallace,
Nickolas Marentes, Jason Reighard, James Jones, Karl
Sefcik, Patrick Ulland, Paul W. Zimbailia II, John
W. Linville, Kristine Linville, Kenneth Reighard,
Ron Bull, Diane Bull, Curtis L. Boyle, Ober Bower,
Susan Bower, David Hazelton, Sandy Hazelton, =>
____________________________________________________
Michelle Turner, Kevin H. Hobbes, Brian Schubring,
Kerry Hamilton, Sue Hamilton, Rebecca Hamilton, Fred
Kolesar, Steven Shamatski, Mrs. Shamatski, David E.
Deiter, Dona Hertel, Scott Griepentrog.
For the latest additions to this list please visit:
http://www.launch.net.au/-nickm/coco/
"-" = Tilde Symbol
=*
|
PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS
I RON BULL - BULLCO COMPUTERS / PENNFEST 2000
-------------------------------------------
The man behind the dream! When the Atlanta Fests
ceased, Ron wanted to continue the tradition. Penn
Fest 2000 is his 4th and last Pennfest and he as
always envisioned it to be his biggest and best.
With your support, his dream will become a reality.
NICKOLAS MARENTES - COCO DEVELOPER / PENNFEST 2000
--------------------------------------------------
Nickolas will be coming all the way from Australia
to help with the running of the Fest. He will also
have on sale his new CoCo3 game, Gate Crasher and
will be holding a seminar on its development. He
will also be running the "Aussie Raffle".
=>
____________________________________________________
JIM DAVIS - COCO FRIENDS DISK MAGAZINE (CFDM)
---------------------------------------------
Jim creates the only CoCo specific disk magazine,
CFDM. He is also the official distributor for all
the Sundog Software. Fulfill your CoCo software
collection with classics such as Kyum-Gai, Photon,
Contras, SoundTrax and more!
JOHN "SOCKMASTER" KOWALSKI - COCO DEVELOPER
-------------------------------------------
The man who never says it can't be done!! John
designed the 4Mhz accelerator, the Gloom 3D engine
and some of the most spectacular graphics demos.
This time, he will have his new CoCo3 animation and
a new 6000 HiColor display program!!
=>
____________________________________________________
ALLEN HUFFMAN - SUBETHA SOFTWARE AND COCOPS
-------------------------------------------
Allen will have his usual collection of custom made
badges and T-shirts for sale. He will also be taking
subscriptions to the CoCo Preservation Society news-
letter. Allen will also be holding a seminar about
the post Rainbow Fests and will include video.
RAY WATTS - GRIZZLY ENTERPRISES
-------------------------------
See how Ray has repacked his CoCo3 into a custom
case that includes a SCSI controller, 216Mb Hard
Disk, Zip Drive, Parallel Port, RTC. Also, make
sure you don't go home before seeing him transform
into a "real" grizzly (rubber mask version)!
(SEE PART II) =*
|
PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS
II KARL SEFCIK - BARGEMAN RESEARCH LABS
------------------------------------
Karl is mainly here to support the Fest and will
have a wealth of Star Trek and CD-I information for
anyone interested.
TONY PODRAZA - GLENSIDE COCO CLUB
---------------------------------
Tony is the Vice-President of the Glenside Color
Computer Club, probably the largest CoCo Club in
the world. They meet on the second Thursday of each
month at the Glendale Heights Public Library. Home
Page at: http://members.aol.com/clubbbs/glenside
KEN BAKER
--------- =>
____________________________________________________
Tandy may have abandoned us but Ken hasn't!! If you
are interested in buying a brand new, still boxed,
unused CoCo3, see Ken while he still has stock!
Nothing like a backup system to show the grandkids
in years to come!
BROTHER JEREMY - MONK-O-WARE
----------------------------
Using his "devine powers", Brother Jeremy has been
able to acquire the distribution rights of the
official OS-9 Level 2 upgrade. This version features
movable, resizeable windows. Also, if we say our
prayers, he may bless us with some of his musical
talents!
=>
____________________________________________________
PAUL ZIBAILIA
-------------
Looking for that odd or hard to find CoCo item? Good
chance that Paul may have it at a bargain price.
Pickup that classic CoCo product before it complete-
ly dissappears. Paul can also do a CoCo repack.
JASON REIGHARD - COCOMAN
------------------------
Some people just love to collect and Jason is one of
the best. He's so good, he's collected too much and
now needs to offload some of his extras. Jason will
have CoCo and non-CoCo computer items on sale for a
song. Check him out.
(SEE PART III) =*
|
PA FEST VENDORS & EXHIBITORS
III DAVID POITRAS
-------------
David has a very bad habit. He comes to these fests
with a loaded van of CoCo goodies, sells a ton of
them at the show, yet goes home again with a loaded
van. Go Figure!! David will be there with his wife
Susan and son Kris.
RUSS LE BLANG - COCO DEVELOPER
------------------------------
Russ is currently working on a new Windows 95/98/NT
based CoCo 1,2,3 emulator. He hopes to have a nearly
finished version on display at the Fest and will be
offering free copies. Don't miss his Saturday morn-
ing seminar for all the details.
=>
____________________________________________________
SCOTT GRIEPENTROG - BUY-COCO.COM
--------------------------------
Want to sell, trade or buy? Try Scott's online CoCo
shopping mall!
BRIAN SCHUBRING - MUSIC MEN
---------------------------
Brian will be bringing his repacked CoCo and his
Linux box (hopefully running Mike Knudsen's new port
of Ultimuse).
PAUL BARTON - COCO DEVELOPER **YET TO BE CONFIRMED**
----------------------------
Has created many facinating CoCo hardware add-ons.
Will have on display his NoCan3 add-on that gives
the CoCo real serial and parallel ports, 8Mb RAM, =>
____________________________________________________
4Mhz operation and more!
MALCOM CLEVELAND
----------------
CURRENTLY NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.
Please visit:
http://www.launch.net.au/-nickm/coco/
for the latest information on PennFest 2000.
"-" = Tilde Symbol in above address.
=*
|
WHERE TO SEND SUBMISSIONS Please send CFDM submissions to:
JIM DAVIS
c/o CFDM
P.O. BOX 1704
NIXA, MO. 65714
You may also send them via my E-Mail address at:
gearboxed@mindspring.com
Help continue to make CFDM possible by sending in
your submission today!!
=*
|
BUNCH OF GOODIES DISK SET Bunch of Goodies - CoCo 3 Disk Basic Programs
---------------------------------------------
Includes:
- The Projector 2.1 and enhancement files
- The Projector 2.0
- Spider-Hype: musical arcade game
- Pelieti: maze race game
- Plunk: disc drop game
- 5 HPRINT: fonts
- Wake-Up: floppy disk reviver
- Super-Mac: best MAC picture viewer for the CoCo
- The CoCo Dancer: fun demo
- Wild-Copy: wildcard COPY command patch for DECB2.1
- Auto-DOS: disk utility/patch =>
____________________________________________________
- Sample picture disk for Projector viewers
AND MORE...
Write to: Roger Taylor
810 Columbia 47
Magnolia, AR 71753
ONLY $3.00 (Three Dollars)
And you may pay after you receive your disks, if you
like.
Roger Taylor
CoCoTower@webtv.net
=*
|
C-III PAGES DESKTOP PUBLISHING ==========================================
* THE PREMIER DESKTOP PUBLISHING PROGRAM *
==========================================
=================
= C-III Pages =
=================
What is C-III Pages? C-III Pages is a program that
pulls together TEXT and GRAPHICS and gives one on
screen tools to format and layout the content. C-III
Pages has easy to use pull down menus, icons and
dialog boxes. It also has many useful drawing tools,
such as boxes, lines, polygons, rays, circles,
elipses, brush shapes or free draw.
BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!!! =>
____________________________________________________
You can also cut, copy, stamp or paste, flip,
enlarge, reduce, rotate, stretch, import any ASCII,
text, create columns, change fonts or invert text.
With C-III Pages you'll be able to create great
--> PAGES
--> FORMS
--> FLYERS
--> DOCUMENTS
--> GREETING CARDS
--> HANDOUT MATERIAL
--> AND CLUB MAGAZINES
Supports: MAX-10, PMODE1-4, Color Max 3, Color Max
Deluxe, RAT, Digitizer and now BMP! =>
____________________________________________________
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-------------------
- CoCo 3 w/128k/512k
- RGB or Composite/Monochrome Monitor
- A Minimum of 1 disk drive (two recommended)
- RSDOS, ADOS3, EXTENDED ADOS3, OWLDOS, 1meg Upgrade
- Tandy Hi-Res Joystick Interface
- Joystick or Mouse (mouse recommended)
- Printer, Epson, Gemini, Panasonic, DMP 105/106,
NX-1000 Series, CGP-220 b/w and others.
PRICE: $20 + $2 shipping for (3)Disks/55 page manual
Send check or money order to: JIM DAVIS
P.O. BOX 1704
NIXA, MO. 65714 =*
|
CoCoNUTS by: Nickolas Marentes CoCoNUTS - "Interviews with people who helped shape
the CoCo".
This book has interviews with the following people:
ALAN DEKOK - Nitros09, Smash
CHET SIMPSON - Gold Runner, Digger II
DALE LEAR - Fire Copter, Color Baseball, Scripsit II
DAVE EDSON - Tube Frenzy, Catch'em, Planet Raiders
ERIC CRICHLOW - Gold Runner 2000, Pro Gold Runner
ERIK GAVRILUK - Color Max, Color Max Deluxe
GLEN DAHLGREN - Sundog Software
GREG MILLER - Color Max, Color Max Deluxe
GREG L. ZUMWALT - Star Blaze, Malcom Mortar, RoBoCop
JEREMY SPILLER - Zenix, Crystal City
JOHN KOWALSKI - Boink Demo, Gloom Demo =>
____________________________________________________
KEVIN K. DARLING - Inside OS-9 Level II, Lvl.3 Upgrd
MARK SEIGEL - Tandy Head of CoCo 3 Development
RICK ADAMS - Temple of ROM, Shanghai, Delphiterm
STEVE HARTFORD - Sam Sleuth, Franchise, Maui Vice
Read about their development days, why they chose
the CoCo, secret "behind-the-scenes" info, and what
they are doing now.
This book is 118 pages and features many photos and
screenshots.
Only a limited number of books remain, so get yours
while supplies last. Available directly from Jim
Davis for the reasonable price of $15 + $3 s/h.
=*
|
GATE CRASHER - NOW AVAILABLE GATE CRASHER is a "Wolf3D" style game featuring full
360 degree 3D environment, explosive 2 channel digi-
tal interrupt driven sound and five levels of the
hottest action seen in a CoCo game for years!
GAME SCENARIO - It is an era of high technology,
an era of perfection, an era of the mind enhancing
Brain Implant Devices. Small microcontrollers im-
planted into the human skull acting as a "co-proc-
essor" to the brain. With this device, a persons
abilities are enhanced while disabilities removed.
Millions of people worldwide have undergone surgery
to have a device installed and reap the benefits of
an improved lifestyle.
"He who controls the mind, controls the world." =>
____________________________________________________
But there is now evidence to prove that there is
more to these devices than creating the perfect
human. Leaked information has revealed that each
implant has a means of remote control via the inter-
net providing a low orbit satellite system also own-
ed by the same company creating these implants. This
has been found to be used as a form of mind control
allowing the CEO of the company to control things
such as the outcome of an election, the buying
habits of consumers, even to invoke death!
You are the Gate Crasher and it is time to crash
this party, destroy all the computer data and defeat
the evil CEO himself!
=>
____________________________________________________
GAME REQUIREMENTS - A Tandy Color Computer 3 with
512K RAM and a disk drive.
This game WILL NOT run under the emulator due to
limitations in the emulator's CoCo 3 hardware emu-
lation.
PURCHASING INFORMATION - The full commercial game is
available for sale via Jim Davis for the reasonable
price of $20US. Jim is taking orders NOW!
Jim Davis
PO BOX 1704
Nixa, MO 65714
http://www.mindspring.com/-gearboxed/
("-" = Tilde Symbol) =*
|
PENNFEST 2000 P E N N F E S T 2 0 0 0
A 20TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION OF THE COLOR COMPUTER
WHEN - August 19-20, 2000.
WHERE - Holiday Inn, 1406 Beers School Road
Coraopolis, PA 15106
COST - $10 per day (children under 16 FREE)
Checkout the Official Website for all the Info
http://pennfest2000.launch.net.au
=*
|
PENNFEST 2000 SCHEDULE PENNFEST 2000 IS SCHEDULED TO RUN OVER THE TWO DAYS
OF AUGUST 19-20,2000. BELOW IS THE CURRENTLY PLANNED
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS. KEEP AN EYE ON THE OFFICIAL WEB
PAGE AT HTTP://PENNFEST2000.LAUNCH.NET.AU FOR THE
LATEST INFORMATION LEADING UP TO THE FEST ITSELF.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
08:30A EXHIBITION HALL DOORS OPEN
09:00A OFFICIAL FEST OPENING BY RON BULL
09:30A SEMINAR - RUSS LE BLANG, NEW COCO EMULATOR
11:00A SEMINAR - TO BE ANNOUNCED
12:00N LUNCH, HALL DOORS CLOSE FOR 1 HOUR
01:30P SEMINAR - TO BE ANNOUNCED
03:00P COCO TEAM TRIVIA COMPETITION
04:30P BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS, CAKE, RAFFLE + MORE!=>
____________________________________________________
05:30P EXHIBITION HALL CLOSED
06:00P OPEN FORUM DINNER
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
08:30A EXHIBITION HALL DOORS OPEN
09:00A SEMINAR - OBER BOWER, REPACKING A COCO
10:00A MORNING SERVICE WITH BROTHER JEREMY
11:00A SEMINAR - NICKOLAS MARENTES, GATE CRASHER
12:00N LUNCH - HALL DOORS CLOSE FOR ONE HOUR
01:30P SEMINAR - ALLEN HUFFMAN, COCOFEST HISTORY
02:30P NO-MINUMUM-BID AUCTION, BARGAINS TO BE HAD!
05:00P EXHIBITION HALL CLOSED, END OF PENNFEST 2000
=*
|
Select OS-9 Tools &
Utilities + LEVEL II TOOLS - A collection of tools for use in
the OS-9 environment that helps simplify tasks and
create more productivity. - $5
+ TOOLS II - A set of 27 useful tools for the OS-9
Level II user. Contains utilities for: windowing
features, easier use of file management, changes
and conversions, multitasking, more power and flexi-
bility in writing script files, I/O system control
and a full feature command line calculator. - $5
+ DISK MANAGER TREE - A comprehensive file manage-
ment for your OS-9 disks, with a graphic "Tree dis-
play". Works with any type of OS-9 disk device, such
as Ramdisks, Harddisks, Floppies, etc. - $5
=>
____________________________________________________
+ THE ZAPPER - A utility that allows you to patch
files as well as entire disks directly. Displays
files in a format similar to the dump command that
comes with OS-9. Edit the file or disk in either
hexadecimal or ASCII. - $5
+ MULTI MENU - A Multi-View compatible menu utility
that allows you to define your own menus for use in
the Multi-View environment. - $5
+ DATA WINDOWS - A complete database handling pack-
age for the CoCo 3. Allows you to create and main-
tain databases on your CoCo with windows. - $5
+ DATA MERGER - A document processing system that
allows you to incorporate Data Windows Data into =>
____________________________________________________
your documents. The documents can be created with
any OS-9 word processor. - $5
+ PRESTO PARTNER - A full featured NOTE PAD, CALEN-
DAR, PHONE BOOK, with CLOCK and MACRO-KEYS. - $5
+ NEWSPAPER09 - A full featured DeskTop Publishing
package for the CoCo 3 and OS-9 Level 2. Add graph-
ics, arrange story blocks and type up articles. Uses
an easy to follow assembly line approach for ease of
use. *Includes NEWS FONTS, a set of 20 new fonts all
in one complete package. - $8
To Order, send check/money order to: JIM DAVIS
Please be sure to include PO BOX 1704
$2 s/h for entire order. NIXA, MO 65714 =*
|
Software from Sundog Games from Sundog Systems:
--------------------------
o CRYSTAL CITY (action/arcade)
o PHOTON (puzzle/strategy)
o ZENIX (action/arcade)
o THE CONTRAS (action/arcade)
o QUEST FOR THELDA (action/adventure)
o IN QUEST OF THE STARLORD (adventure)
o KYUM-GAI (RSDOS) (action/fighting)
o KYUM-GAI (OS-9) (action/fighting)
o WARRIOR KING (action/fighting)
o WAR MONGER (wargame/simulation)
Applications from Sundog Systems:
---------------------------------
o GRAFEXPRESS 2.0 (programming/development) =>
____________________________________________________
o SOUNDTRAX (sound sequencing system)
o SOUNDTRAX INSTRUMENT DISK SET (requires SOUNDTRAX)
All of the above listed application and game titles
are only $5ea. + $2 s/h for entire order.
To order, send check/money order to:
JIM DAVIS
PO BOX 1704
NIXA, MO 65714
=*
|
THE COCO3 EMULATOR Arguably the best CoCo-related software ever! Jeff
recently reported that over 300 copies of the CoCo3
emulator have been purchased!!
If you have a PC and a CoCo3 software collection,
you will find this an invaluable piece of software.
The price is only $25.00. The utilities that come
with the emulator are well worth the $25.00 by
themselves.
ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY...SEND CASH, CHECK OR MONEY
ORDER FOR $25 TO:
RICK'S COMPUTER ENTERPRISE
P.O. BOX 276 LIBERTY, KY 42539 =*
|
COCO CHRONICLES 19 THE EIGHTH YEAR (Jul'87 - Jun'88)
Jul'87:
Aug'87:
Sep'87:
Oct'87:
Nov'87:
Dec'87:
Jan'88:
Feb'88: SPECTRUM PROJECTS runs its last ads.
Mar'88:
Apr'88:
May'88:
Jun'88:
THE NINETH YEAR (Jul'88 - Jun'89) =>
____________________________________________________
Jul'88: COMPUTERWARE runs its last ad in RBW.
Aug'88:
Sep'88:
Oct'88:
Nov'88:
Dec'88: MICROCOM ads up to 6 pages!
Jan'89:
Feb'89:
Mar'89:
Apr'89:
May'89: MICRO WORKS runs its last ad.
Jun'89:
THE TENTH YEAR (Jul'89 - Jun'90)
=>
____________________________________________________
Jul'89:
Aug'89: Rainbow advertisers down to 40. Extended
ADOS-3 announced by Spectrosystems.
Sep'89: Advertisers Index switches to multiple ad
entries instead of single entry with multi-
ple pages. Makes it look like more advertis-
ers.
Oct'89: New Jersey Rainbowfest (20-22)! This will be
the L A S T Rainbowfest held in New Jersey.
Nov'89: Rainbow runs Readers Survey!
Dec'89:
Jan'90: Plans announced for the publication of a
book (due out in late summer/early fall)
titled "An Affectionate History Of The Tandy
Color Computer".
Feb'90: =*
|
Even *MORE* colors on the CoCo! It's been a while, but I finally got around to adding the *more* colorful modes to HiColor. The old version used a combination of tricks: -Palette switching every scan line to display all 64 palettes on the screen simultaneously. -Draws two unique graphics pages and switches rapid- ly between them to simulate more colors. -Error diffusion between pixels to smooth out diffe- ences between colors and simulate more colors. -'Agressive' dithering in Extended mode which can mix even dissimilar colors to create in-between colors. (Normal dither uses traditional dithering.) All those tricks combined allowed HiColor to display images with 1000 simultaneous colors on screen when using 'Extended Mix' dithering and 343 colors when=> ____________________________________________________ using normal dithering. The program also has options to disable techniques to generate a variety of other color depths all way down to 'ordinary 16 color' screens. It's neat to see what an image looks like in 16 colors, then again in 343 colors, etc.. Now, the newest version of HiColor also allows you to use 4 graphics screen modes to display even more colors than before! With all the features turned on, the old 2-screen 343 color mode now becomes a 2197 color mode when using 4 screens, and the 2-screen 1000 color mode becomes 6859 colors with 4 screens! Remember, these are simultaneously viewable colors so we can actually have all 6859 colors displayed at once! Too bad that true-color BMP images are too => ____________________________________________________ large to actually fit on a CoCo floppy disk, so we have to settle for 256 color BMP images (for now!). But even 256 color images look better in 6859 colors because the CoCo can now display colors closer to the BMP file's original 256 color palette which is actually selected from a total of 16 million colors. Maybe next article, I'll have come up with a way to import 16 million color images into the CoCo :) Another new addition to HiColor is the 'E' command which lets you enable or disable error diffusion. I added this in just to show the visible difference between the different modes. When it's turned off, you only get the 'nearest' colors being displayed so you see exactly how many shades are on screen.[NEXT] |
Even *MORE* colors part II Here's how the modes break down into categories: ############## # of CoCo palettes on screen ## ********* # of Graphics screens used ## * XXXX Method of dithering (Normal/Extend) --##---*----XX-------------------------------------- = 16 / 1 / norm = 16 colors, 4 shades of grey = = 64 / 1 / norm = 64 colors, 4 shades of grey = = 16 / 2 / norm = 49 colors, 7 shades of grey = = 16 / 2 / ext = 136 colors, 10 shades of grey = = 64 / 2 / norm = 343 colors, 7 shades of grey = = 64 / 2 / ext = 1000 colors, 10 shades of grey = = 64 / 4 / norm = 2197 colors, 13 shades of grey = = 64 / 4 / ext = 6859 colors, 19 shades of grey = ---------------------------------------------------- The 4 screen modes need more memory, so only work on 512K machines - sorry! There are also a number of=> ____________________________________________________ other modes not listed here. Most of which work like the 49 color mode, which is like a palette based mode - it can show 49 out of 343 colors. That's why it actually looks better than the 64color mode which is limited to only those 64 palettes. Okay, here's the bad news! The new 4 screen modes are slower. It takes twice as much computational power to generate than the 2 screen modes, and about 4 times as much as 1 screen modes. Here's how slow they are: 16 and 64 color modes take 1:33 minutes. 49 and 343 take 2:41 minutes. 136 & 1000 take 10:55 minutes.(!) 2197 takes 5:22 minutes and 6859 colors takes a whopping 21:45 minutes to generate! Be pre- pared to read a book and have some coffee when view- ing the 6859 color mode! In all that you may have noticed an oddity, 2197 is FASTER than 1000 colors.> ____________________________________________________ It's actually twice as fast! How can that be? Well, the reason is that the 1000 color mode uses Extended mixing and the 2197 mode uses normal dithering. The Extended mixing mode is very intensive - it really tries a *LOT* harder to create colors out of thin air. That's why it can generate more colors than the normal dither mode when using the same number of screens. The good news is that 2197 colors is faster than the old 1000 color mode from the old version of HiColor! 6859 is too slow for anything other an seeing that it can be done, but the 2197 mode is fast enough not to drive you crazy. I've included two pictures to view this time: REDCAR and BIGMAC/BMP. Both look *very* nice in 2197 color mode. See what your CoCo can do and try them! =* |
PENNFEST 2000 - INTERVIEW The following is an interview of Nickolas Marentes, PennFest 2000 co-organiser to see what drives him to organise and attend a CoCoFest so far away from his home in Australia! JIM: Since your return to the CoCo arena, you have been quite active. What has been your motivation that has led to your involvement as co-organiser? NICK: I returned to the CoCo about 3 years ago. Since then, I firstly released "Pac-man - The Tribute" for the CoCo3. This was followed by my book of interviews titled "CoCoNUTS". Just recently I completed another commercial CoCo3 game titled "Gate Crasher". And now I am co-organising what I hope to be the largest CoCoFest in recent years. => ____________________________________________________ Why am I doing all this? Because I love it! Living so far away from where the real CoCo action was in the 80's, I missed many opportunities to be involved in the community. Now with the internet, it has brought it all much closer. For me, the CoCo World appears larger than what it did back then now that the internet has been able to bring even those few CoCo users left together. I've met some great people in the CoCo community via the net. JIM:When did preparations for PennFest 2000 start? NICK: Even before PennFest 99 was over, Ron Bull had a dream to have PennFest 2000 as his last and biggest Fest. It was to be the CoCo's 20th birthday, "The Big Birthday Bash" as he put it. So I guess => ____________________________________________________ you can say that planning started at least a year and a half ago. Right after PennFest 99, Ron and I created a draft of the PennFest 2000 schedule and it has remained much the same today. JIM: What is the most difficult aspect of the preparations? NICK: That would definately be, getting the word out to people! Back in the "hey days" of the CoCo, we had various magazines that allowed information to reach a large percentage of the CoCo community. Also most of the CoCo community is now composed of ex-CoCo users who basically like to "keep in touch". They're not actually users anymore. Most now use a PC or MAC as their primary machine. (SEE PART 2) =* |
PENNFEST 2000 - INTERVIEW PART 2 JIM: Are you expecting a large crowd? NICK: I'd LIKE a large crowd but the reality is that there are not enough CoCo people out there anymore. I figure that there is probably about 100 people who are still active in the CoCo community. One cannot expect all 100 of those people to attend. There are many factors that prevent them from doing so such as work commitments, family commitments and distance from the Fest. Depending on how you count the number of people, I would expect at least 150 entries. This is counted over the 2 days. If you talk about number of individuals, then half this to get 75. The more people that turn up, the more fun it will be. We want this to be a celebration of 20 years of the CoCo and we want as many CoCo people there to make=> ____________________________________________________ it a memorable event. Ron and I have worked VERY hard to get the information out to everyone but we could certainly do with some help. If people would spread the word to other CoCo enthusiasts, even ex-CoCo enthusiasts, that may help to increase the numbers and make this the event the CoCo deserves. JIM: What do you believe the future of the CoCo is after PennFest 2000? Unfortunately, it appears to be on the downslide. I would love to be proven wrong. We are talking about an 8-bit computer system that has been discontinued almost 10 years ago. This is another reason why I hope that PennFest 2000 is a success, to give the CoCo one final dance. =* |
The Cracker Barrel My wife's oldest son is a partner of a sucess- ful graphics firm in Providence, RI. In the foyer of their offices they have a glass case containing old Macs running graphics. So, when he asked us what we wanted for Christmas, we jokingly said a Mac. When Christmas arrived, we had this huge carton which had iMAC logos all over it. We laughed at this "joke" of putting an old Mac in a iMAC box, but opened it up to find a blueberry 64mb 350mHz iMAC. So we spent January setting it up, loading software, then going online (for the first time). Of course, in the pro- cess, we also added an inkjet printer and a scanner. Throughout all this, we suffered every mistake and problem you could imagine. I loaded World Book three times because I couldn't find it in the system and also had two seperate internet accounts by => ____________________________________________________ accident. Then, when we corrected the internet mess, we installed a new EMail carrier without realizing that the installation program did not remove the old one. Some of you out there probably remember the re- sults of that fiasco when you tried to reply to me. All of this was happening to me with what was con- sidered to be the most "user friendly" computer ever made. By the time all this was straightened out, I totally crashed the iMAC by trying to print a 62 page color document without adjusting memory. Now we had to begin all over. Anyhow, every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, I would walk away from the curs- ed thing muttering, "I am not stupid ... I am NOT stupid" and go over to my friendly Grizzly CoCo, caress it gently and pull out the OS-9 L2 Upgrade. The source code provided with the upgrade was => ____________________________________________________ decompiled so the variables had no names, just numbers like I0018 for an integer and S0007 for a string. From this I tried to determine what every variable did then rewrite the code to escape the "demo" atmosphere and do only the things I wanted. I ended up with a 2-toned gray window with 3-D effects and a menu bar with a "Grizzly" menu includ- ed coming up on about 25% of a dark blue background screen. The window can be moved and/or expanded and it can call up other similar windows called GWord, GPlan, GFile, etc. These windows can also call up the MColor window from the demo if you want to change the color scheme. Anyhow I've since added a Super Drive to the iMAC for downloading CoCostuff and all is working well. AND "I am not stupid, I am NOT STUPID" ... I don't think ... =* |
The Hardware Store From a CoCo standpoint, this is sort of a "blue
funk" period for me. The hardware store seems to be
going belly up, resources are getting scarce and the
shelves are getting empty. There are many reasons
for these feelings. Here are some of them:
1. Last issue I wrote about a small, cheap print
buffer from MECI. Before Jim even got the disk out,
MECI's stock was depleted .... soooo .....
2. I wrote of Terry Laraway as a probable source
for the buffer and many other hard-to-get items. So
I just happened to communicate with Terry and find
out that he doesn't do much with the CoCo anymore
and that all his goodies are in storage (so, best of
luck in all future endeavors, Terry).
3. I found a source of power supplies at BGMicro
in Texas that were perfect for the Grizzly CoCo =>
____________________________________________________
and I bought several. They are in a plastic case and
a 5pin DIN plug furnishes the power through an 18"
cable. They can be used external to the CoCo this
way, or the board can be removed from the case and
installed inside the CoCo. Anyhow, I was going to
write about it except BGMicro is now out of stock!
4. I've been waiting for Mark Marlette to finish
his Cloud-9 2 megabyte RAM for the CoCo so I could
review it and cram a couple into the Grizzly and the
Grizzly MK1 but he keeps delaying (hurry up Mark!).
5. Also been waiting to see if Paul Barton would
either describe the fabrication or sell some of the
great work he has been doing. That hasn't happened.
6. The last PENNFest is coming up. This will be
the last chance for me to meet and be with CoConuts.
7. There has been no feedback. The constraints=>
____________________________________________________
of using Entry Writer have prevented writing long,
clear instructions. Yet, noone has wrote or EMailed
me for explanations, clarifications or diagrams.
So as I wallow in self-pity :-( and drown in a
puddle of tears ;-) I'm finishing completing some
applications in movable, resizable, overlapping
windows using Brother Jeremy's (Kevin Darling's) OS9
upgrade (they are called GrizzlyMate). However, that
is OS9. The story of how I began doing GrizzlyMate,
though,is worth telling. So, if you want to listen,
we can all sit around the cracker barrel for another
"Downeast" yarn (that's a sea-story that starts with
eeayuhh, reckon you ain't heard this'un).
=*
|
| Articles in section: COCO FRIENDS ART GALLERY |
| A
FORMAL GARDEN ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE CLONE CM3 ANIMATED MR. NOISY MR. SNEEZE Nintendo's MARIO VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY |
| Back to top |
A FORMAL GARDEN
The idea of a formal garden as a subject came from
a picture in a restaurant. However, I hadn't yet
started when I found another picture in a Sunday
paper on the same theme but more suitable. The final
result is a modification which allowed me to use
more colors.
(Select GARDEN in NIBSHOW on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
ANOTHER LIGHTHOUSE
Lighthouses are fascinating subjects, mostly
because of the surrounding scenery. This is the
third one I've done, and all are quite different.
This one came from a greeting card. I was particu-
larly attracted to it because it represents a night
view. I hope I've done it justice.
(Select LIGHT in NIBSHOW on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
CLONE
Bob Barker always ends "THE PRICE IS RIGHT" by say-
ing, "Have your pet spayed or neutered". In order to
keep the animal population in check, that is a good
idea. However, how about one particular pet that has
become part of your life, and now runs the house! He
or she is now the boss. I know this is true in many
homes. If the pet should die, crying would follow.
If the pet would be CLONED, it could stay with you
as long as you lived. Call me a nut, but it is some-
thing to think about! ENOUGH SAID!!
HJM 05-19-2000
(Select CLONE in NIBSHOW on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
CM3 ANIMATED
Love the CM3 and MAX-10. The CM3 gives a BRIGHT
COLOR to the monitor and transfers to the disk quite
well. Here is a BLACK and WHITE picture I COLORED,
and ANIMATED. I HOPE Y'all like it as much as I
liked making it! I would be VERY HAPPY if anyone
could send me some CM3 BLACK and WHITE GRAPHICS that
I might be able to use. Remember...I spend almost
all of my day at the old COCO3!
H.J.M. 1-30-2000
MOEN1@WEBTV.NET
FAX:412-373-1309
(Select "FOOD" in NIBSHOW to view Harold's ANIMATED
GRAPHIC of Garfield and Odie on the back side of
this disk.) =*
|
MR. NOISY
I was trying to find some new subject matter to
draw in CoCo Max III and ran across an interesting
mix of characters to re-create. Children's author
Roger Hargreaves began a series of books in 1971
called Mr. Men. Each of the Mr. Men characters has
a unique trait and name to match their particular
personality.
For the first installment I'd like to introduce
MR. NOISY! He's friendly and happy, but is just so
NOISY! No matter what he says or does, you're going
to hear him do it! He's loud and proud, but his
story finds a lesson of life, that maybe sometimes
he shouldn't be so NOISY?
The Mr. Men characters are colorful, very easy to =>
____________________________________________________
draw and my picture represents the actual size
of the mini book covers. As an adult, the Mr. Men
series of books probably won't stimulate your read-
ing interest! Hopefully, you'll still enjoy seeing
the various characters as I introduce them via CoCo
Max and CFDM. If you have young children or grand-
children, then the series of books may be worth a
look, as they're easy readers and usually sell for
under $3. A word of caution though, like so many
children's characters, Mr. Men were also subject
to a vast marketing of toys and collectibles! Also,
in 1981 Roger introduced the Little Miss series of
books and wrote several other children's books over
the years.
Sadly, Roger Hargreaves died in 1988, but his =>
____________________________________________________
Mr. Men live on and are known around the world.
(You'll find MRNOISY on side 2 of this disk, use
NIBSHOW to view him.)
=*
|
MR. SNEEZE
Here's the second Mr. Men installment featuring
MR. SNEEZE. The main dilemma surrounding MR. SNEEZE
is his constant sneezing. He comes from a land where
it's always cold and out of a desire not to "sneeze"
anymore, he travels in search of a cure.
(Select MRSNEEZE in NIBSHOW on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
Nintendo's MARIO
It goes with out saying that Mario has paved a deep, memorable path in video game history and in the video game market. With the exception of maybe Pac- Man, he's very likely the most recognized and famous of all video game characters (and plumbers). He's certainly been one of the most consumer friendly! Mario's rise to the top has progressed over many years and through many different games. Whether he's dodging perils with Luigi or trying to save the Princess, he always manages to overcome the enemies and come out on top. The most memorable encounter that comes to mind is with that menacing gorilla Donkey Kong! When Mario learned that Pauline was kidnapped, he jumped into action and puttered his way up the platforms for => ____________________________________________________ the rescue. This of course proved to not be a simple task! As Mario dodged the many perils that Donkey Kong unleased, not only was the rescue of Pauline drawing near...but his ascent to video game stardom was growing one step (and barrel leap) at a time. Mario's major success and fame came with the release of Super Mario Brothers. This mid-eighties mega-hit not only made video game history, but also helped Nintendo lock in a solid #1 spot in the video game market with their 8bit system. Following the "crash and burn" Atari era, video gamers were ready for a new system and Nintendo delivered the goods. The rest is video game history and my CFDM Art Gallery submission! :) (Select MARIO in NIBSHOW on side 2 of this disk.) =* |
VIEWING THE CFDM ART GALLERY In order to view the .NIB pictures in this month's
Art Gallery, please RUN "NIBSHOW.BAS".
After RUNing NIBSHOW, you will need to press the <D>
key for the directory listing of NIB pictures on the
disk. Use the <ARROW KEYS> to choose a picture and
press the <SPACE BAR> to view it. After viewing a
picture, use the <BREAK> key to clear it. To leave
NIBSHOW, press the <X> key from the MAIN SCREEN.
NIBSHOW is a contribution by Stuart Wyss-Gallifent
and was featured on CFDM Issue #18, along with more
complete documentation. Thanks Stuart!
=*
|
| Articles in section: FAMILY TREE |
| Coco
Experiences PART I Coco Experiences PART II HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? LOW SERIAL NUMBER COCO BATTLE Stories to Share |
| Back to top |
Coco Experiences PART I We all have had Coco experiences we would like to share. Here are some of mine: I was part of a group of 4 people at work who were very interested in getting one of the new computers being offered by Radio Shack, Texas Instruments, Atari, etc. We spent a few weeks gathering data and decided on the Coco as our machine. We bought a 16K Coco1, tape recorder and a few program paks from Radio Shack about 3 months after it was introduced. We set the computer up at work in a break room, and played with it at lunch times. I subscribed to Rain- bow and every other Coco related magazine as they came out. Our next purchase was one of Mark Data's text => ____________________________________________________ adventures, Black Sanctum. That one got me hooked. I decided it would be fun to write an adventure game myself, just for our little group. I bought my own 32K Coco and wrote an adventure I called Shipwrek. When my other computer friends played it, they loved it and said I should try to market the game. I wrote to DSL Computer Products and to Tom Mix, not knowing at the time that licensing agreements would be so sticky. But eventually, both companies agreed to market the game, and did so for over a year. My roy- alties only amounted to a couple of hundred dollars, but was that ever a good feeling to have one of my programs advertised and sold! I kept in contact with Tom Mix for a couple of years after that. During this time, I really liked to => ____________________________________________________ play the arcade game Qix, and asked Tom if he was planning to come out with a Coco version. He said no, but asked me if I would write it for him. I had been learning to program in assembly on the Coco, so I took this on as a challenge. I faced three immedi- ate problems. The first was how to make the anima- tion appear as a swirling figure. The second was how to determine which part of the game board to color as captured territory when the player successfully enclosed an area. The third, was to develop good sound effects to enhance the game. The first two problems were solved fairly quickly, but I was too new to assembly programming to have knowledge to solve the third problem. This difficulty, coupled with becoming a first-time father, really slowed down development. (SEE PART II) =* |
Coco Experiences PART II Tom liked my initial prototype and encouraged me to
keep going, but time was just not available, so I
suggested he contact another programmer. About 6
months later, he was selling a very well done ver-
sion of Qix.
I tried writing articles for Rainbow magazine, but
at first they were all rejected. I wrote a series
for Color Computer News Magazine, and had quite a
few of my programs accepted by T&D Software.
Finally, Rainbow began publishing some of my submis-
sions, but Rainbow was beginning to shrink. I wrote
a letter to Lonnie near the end, and he published
this letter in his column at or near the end of
Rainbow's publication run. He was nice enough to
even send me a framed print of that editorial. =>
____________________________________________________
It's hanging on my wall over my 266 Pentium II PC
clone.
Those days were wonderful! Unfortunately many young
people now will never have the chance I had back in
the heyday of microcomputers. It was an open field.
Anyone with an idea and some time could produce some
program or article that could be enjoyed by many
people. Now programs are so large they require one
or more CD's to hold all the bloat, and authors of
articles are highly paid computer gurus such as John
Dvorak, Jim Seymour, Bill Machrone and others.
I have purchased a tremendous amount of original
Coco software over the years, and have subscribed
to Rainbow-on-disk, T&D Software, Chromasette, =>
____________________________________________________
etc., so my collection of Coco software is huge.
One of my biggest fears is loss of all this nostal-
gia due to bit-erosion on the disks and tapes. I
have ordered one of the IDE interfaces. Hopefully
someone with the time and energy will be able to
write a driver for this interface so that all of
my non-OS9 software can be backed up.
Even though my kids, now ages 17, 15 and 10, enjoy
the PC and all the really cool games that can be
found for it, they still start up the Coco and play
Pooyan, and even some of my old simple ones like
RaceHorse, Pillbox, etc.
-- Steve Ostrom -- =*
|
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? Have you ever heard the expression, "I'd rather be
lucky than good."?
Well, that's how it worked out for me. I was attend-
ing a Fort Worth CoCo Users Group meeting one night
at the downtown library, right in the shadows of
Tandy Towers. After the meeting, several of us went
to a nearby Whataburger and continued the CoCo-talk
while we stuffed our faces. A fellow at the table I
was sitting was telling us about some really low
serial numbered CoCo1s that he'd seen up at the
Radio Shack Outlet Store. He said that he thought
he'd seen a Serial #000001 CoCo 1 up there, but he
wasn't sure.
North of Fort Worth there was (and probably still =>
____________________________________________________
is) a place called Radio Shack Outlet Store (or
Center, it's been too long.) At the time it was
basically a regular Radio Shack except that it had
a huge section where they had tons of old Tandy/Rad-
io shack 'stuff'. Printers, computers, radio, moni-
tors, TVs, etc, etc...you name it, if it was Tandy/
Radio Shack, it was probably there.
Anyway, the next day after the FW CoCo Users Group
meeting, I took off a few hours from Garland, TX,
and drove back over to the Outlet Store in Fort
Worth. I quickly found the racks of CoCo1s and
started going through them, checking each of its
serial number. Deep in the stacks of CoCo1s, I
eventually found Ser. #000001 and #000010. I paid
less than $50 total for both of them. I still have=>
____________________________________________________
both. Both still run, last time I checked anyway.
While I didn't buy it (#000001) when it was new, I
believe that I'm the only owner it's had outside of
the Tandy/RS repair center. That's where I think
#000001 lived its life before it was relegated to
the Outlet Store racks which is probably the last
stop before being dumped in a FW landfill somewhere.
I'm sure that most of the stuff on the 'used' racks
was eventually dumped somewhere.
Thankfully, CoCo 1 Ser. #000001 wasn't, we have it
for ourselves and our posterity.
Lee Veal
=*
|
LOW SERIAL NUMBER COCO BATTLE Several battles of "Who Has the Lowest Serial Number
CoCo" have been trumped by the serial number 000001
CoCo that I have. Other 'low-number owners' have the
wind taken out of their sails when #000001 comes to
the party. (A #000030 or so pales.)
I've taken it to and displayed it at several CoCo
Fests. I even took it to the last actual Rainbow
Fest, too. At one or more of the fests I'd even fire
it up and start a program running. I think one time
I had it finding prime numbers or something like
that, it's been a long time.
BTW, it's a rev. C board, so I don't know if any of
the D-board upgrades would work on it. Rest easy,
though, even if they would work, I wouldn't =>
____________________________________________________
adulterate this units pristine nature.
Lee Veal
=*
|
Stories to Share If you have an interesting CoCo story from the past
or present that you'd like to share, we'd love to
hear it! I'm sure we've all had at least one unique
experience or story worth sharing. The one facet of
the CoCo that has been the "pillar of strength" for
this system is the the strong Community History.
The early days of the CoCo spawned many activities,
built many friendships and created unity among its
users. This coupled with the vast amount of CoCo
User Groups and Clubs that formed really provided
the opportunity to watch history unfold, along with
the opportunity to share it with other CoCo Users.
Unfortunately, we don't have the benefit of monthly
get-togethers and such, so the interactiveness =>
____________________________________________________
with other users is often lost. Also, none of us are
getting any 'younger'. Yes, it's true even some of
the most memorable tales of the CoCo can be forgott-
en and lose their place in time. Help keep the mem-
ories and good times we've had with our CoCo alive
for others to enjoy!
=*
|
| Articles in section: FORUM |
| **
PC Connections ** LAST MINUTE PENNFEST NEWS PennFest 2000 - 2 Month's Away PennFest 2000 highlights |
| Back to top |
** PC Connections ** Would you like to Power Up your CoCo3? Then you
need to pay a visit to Roger Hallman's Web Page at:
http://www.mindspring.com/-rogerjh ("-" = Tilde)
Hit the 'Hardware' button and you'll have a Web Page
titled 'Why not put a hard drive inside your coco's
case?' He provides photos showing the location of
the IDE Card and the Hard Drive and full instruction
as to how he did it. If you get stuck, he offers to
answer your e-mail questions: rogerjh@mindspring.com
The Home Page starts with a button 'Fests' that
will take you to 27 photos from the '99 Chicago Fest
of thumbnail size arranged like photo slides. Click
on a picture and it Downloads very quickly in full=>
____________________________________________________
size.
The next button is 'C-III' a premier desktop
publishing program for the CoCo3.
This program was created by Roger and Walter
Bayer after several years work and was sold by
Coless Computer Design and is now available from
Jim Davis Editor of CFDM! You have to see and use
it to find out just how advanced a system a CoCo3
can be! It was written to operate on a 128K machine,
but has many added features to utilize 512K if
available on your CoCo3.
The next button is 'Software', where 21 pro-
grams are available for Downloading. Since I only
use the Emulator, I only tested one Demo Program =>
____________________________________________________
- it worked great!!
The final button is 'Links', which will connect
you with five of the Best CoCo Web Pages on the WWW
Internet!
Enjoy your CoCo programs -- Godfrey
=*
|
LAST MINUTE PENNFEST NEWS - CURTIS BOYLE SEMINAR We have finalised the Saturday afternoon seminar with Curtis Boyle. Curtis will be bringing along his TC9 to demonstrate and will talk about his projects such as NitrOS9, the PLAY command and GShell. Curtis will also be presenting us with another "sur- prise" performance during the birthday celebrations on Saturday afternoon. - EXCLUSIVE! THE COCO4!! We all know Frank Hogg Laboratories successor to the CoCo3, the TC9. What many do not know of is another computer that was being co-developed between => ____________________________________________________ Frank Hogg Laboratories and Ken-Ton Electronics (Joe Scinta). A prototype exists and information is scarce at the moment, but it had a 4 position card cage and a fifth external slot for a ROM PAK, and IBM AT keyboard interface, Dual Comm board for mouse and modem, 2 x 80 meg hard drives. It currently is not operational but Joe Scinta is hoping to resurrect it in time for the Fest. Other exciting Ken-Ton products that will be avail- able for sale at the Fest: Various CoCo2's and 3's, many with built in RS-232 packs using a "underwear cable". Various "Hard Drive Specialist" floppy con- trollers, 80 Meg hard drives, SCSI controllers and other products which Ken-Ton never released...such=> ____________________________________________________ as the "SCHMODEM"...a 3k baud modem that utilizes the csave and cload function over the phone line. - FREE GIFT! Thanks to James Jones, we will have approximately 100 copies of Peter Dibble's book, "OS-9 Insights" to give away at the door to anyone who is interest- ed. It is the old revision but a bargain just the same! - TWO WEEKS TILL DEADLINE Only two weeks to go till the deadline for advance admission payments, advance t-shirt orders and for any CoCo celebrities to notify their attendance. =* |
PennFest 2000 - 2 Month's Away Hello fellow CoCo enthusiasts!
It's only 2 month's till PennFest 2000 and over this
period, I will be putting up frequent reminders and
event updates on the internet. I apologize to anyone
who feels that this should not be the place to "ad-
vertise" but frankly, I believe it would be a crime
on our behalf if we did not spread the word to as
many CoCo users about the last PennFest. Ron Bull
and I have been putting in a mammoth effort to make
it as good as it can be given the size of the CoCo
Community nowadays. We certainly are not expecting
to cover all our costs on this one. This is a Fest
we are conducting for the CoCo Community and without
an effort on your part, it will be a failure.
=>
____________________________________________________
Looking at how things have been shaping up, it looks
as if it's going to be a good one with the list of
attendees climbing weekly. I thank all those who
have helped be letting us know their plans to attend
and especially those who have helped us financially
with advance admission payments and T-shirt sales.
I urge anyone interested to start organizing their
accomodation early so as to avoid disappointment
on the day. I have a list of hotels nearby the Fest
site on the official web site. Also, don't forget
that the deadline for advance payment of admission
and T-shirts is JULY 15th. After this, we must -
"close the doors" so as to have time to prepare the
printed badges, t-shirts and the 4 page Fest guide
before I embark on my flight to the Fest. =>
____________________________________________________
Remember that you save 25% on your admission plus
you get a name badge PRINTED with your name (not
hand written) and a chance to win an authentic
Australian aboriginal boomerang. :)
Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions for the
Fest, please let me know at: nickm@launch.net.au
The time is getting close when it will be too late
to implement anything extra...so hurry if your have
ideas.
Nick - 06/15/00
PennFest 2000 co-organizer
Official site: http://pennfest2000.launch.net.au =*
|
PennFest 2000 highlights PennFest 2000 will be the LAST PennFest hosted by
Ron Bull. This Fest will be a reunion celebration of
20 years of the Color Computer. We invite everyone
who is interested in the Color Computer to join us
in the festivities. Some of the show features and
highlights are:
FAMOUS CELEBRITIES
Meet famous people of the CoCo community such as
Kevin Darling as they tell us of their time
developing for and supporting the Color Computer.
SEMINAR TALKS
See Russ Le Blang demonstrate his new Windows =>
____________________________________________________
based CoCo 1/2/3 emulator, Nickolas Marentes will
explain the inner workings of his new game GATE
CRASHER, Allen Huffman's talk about the post
Rainbow CoCoFests and Ober Bower explains how to
repack a CoCo into a PC case.
VENDORS AND EXHIBITORS
All sorts of classic CoCo hardware and software will
be available at bargain prices. Meet and talk with
some of the advertisers you see on the web.
NO-MINIMUM-BID AUCTION
Sunday afternoon is where the serious buyers join
and bid for a large variety of CoCo hardware and =>
____________________________________________________
software at bargain basement prices.
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS
Where the Fest hits overdrive! After officially
cutting the CoCo cake, it's on with the party!
Party games such as CoCo Team Trivia and music with
Brother Jeremy.
ADMISSION FEE
Admission price is $10 per day. (Children Free)
Vendors tables are $45 for both days (Inc Admission)
Contact Ron Bull at: (717) 834-4314 for details.
=*
|
| Articles in section: FROM THE EDITOR |
| CFDM
UPDATE - JUNE 2000 CFDM at PENNFEST 2000 Footnote on the Diskette KUDOS FOR ISSUE #69 News from the Net 06/00 |
| Back to top |
CFDM UPDATE - JUNE 2000 Hello Everyone,
Alas, CFDM #69 is FINALLY here. As
I've stated in previous issues, the magazine won't
go out until its as full as possible. Due to submis-
sion material coming in at such a slow rate, it's
very difficult to keep things on schedule. Our last
issue marked our first issue of 2000. It also marked
the achievement of getting CFDM to the year 2000.
June is the last issue on our 4th quarterly year.
This is also the time I have to evaluate whether or
not CFDM can continue? Here is my objective with re-
gard to CFDM. With PennFest 2000 just a short time
away, I feel it would be a VERY positive thing to
have CFDM a part of the celebration. I also feel
that the September issue of CFDM (#70) would be a =>
____________________________________________________
good way to report on the activities and events that
take place at PennFest. Remember, this is also the
LAST PennFest and I feel it deserves ample coverage
and consideration. So, issue #70 (September) should
be our "post" PennFest 2000 issue.
Now there's issue #71 (December). This issue would
be the FINAL issue of CFDM. This issue would give
members one last opportunity to send in submission
material, letters and one last chance for them to
contribute their input into CFDM. There have been
MANY good years of CFDM and it would be great to
hear what they've meant to you. By finishing out
CFDM in December, we not only achieved our goal of
making it to the year 2000, but we'll have made it
"through" the year 2000! =>
____________________________________________________
CFDM was oringinally distributed on a monthly basis
and later became quarterly. I see no sense in scal-
ing down any further. I would rather stop production
of CFDM on our own terms and not run every last bit
of breath out of it. I also have to consider the
people helping me. They have families and other ob-
ligations to consider as well. So we stand at having
two more issues of CFDM (September and December).
This means that the subscription renewal rate for
CFDM/HARDCOPY will only be $15. An E-Mail subscrip-
tion will only cost $5 (or $12 w/HardCopy).
You've "hung-on" this long, I hope you'll join me
in making CFDM go out in style. Hope to see you at
PennFest 2000! Have a Great Summer, Jim =*
|
CFDM at PENNFEST 2000 Just a quick note to let everyone know that I will
in fact be representing CFDM at the upcoming PENN-
FEST 2000 celebration. Last year Nickolas Marentes
flew all the way from Australia to attend the PENN-
FEST and this year is no exception, he'll once again
make the LONG trip to the states. Once he's here,
I'll quickly get him en route to the corn fields...
er..I mean Fest!
Also, my good friend Godfrey Moll will be making
the long trip with us! So you can be expecting...
Moe, Larry and Curly at PENNFEST 2000.
(You decide who's who in that analogy.) :)
=*
|
Footnote on the Diskette ...don't let what you cannot do interfere with what
you can do.
...a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
...ulcers are what you get from mountain climbing
over mole hills.
...when all is said and done, there is usually more
said than done.
=*
|
KUDOS FOR ISSUE #69 This issue of CFDM was made possible by the help
and input from the following individuals:
Norm Barson, Ray Berney, Curtis Boyle, Quentin
Brewer, Ron Bull, Rick Cooper, Jim Gerrie, Glenside
Color Computer Club, Roger Hallman, Arthur Hallock,
Clarence W. Harriman, Gary James, John Kowalski,
Russ LeBlang, Nickolas Marentes, Mark Marlette,
Harold J. Moenich, Godfrey Moll, Vic Neufeldt,
Steve Ostrom, Dave Poitras, George Quellhorst, Al
Santos, Steve Secord, Jefferson Taft, Roger Taylor,
Lee Veal, Ray Watts and Stuart Wyss-Gallifent.
THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!! THANKS!!
=*
|
News from the Net 06/00 Here are some of the latest CoCo happenings that are currently of interest in the "Online CoCo Com- munity". Be sure to visit Curtis Boyle's Homepage for inform- ation about the new NitrOS9 only, GSHELL 1.26 FINAL that was publicly released at the Chicago CoCoFest on May 20th. http://www.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca/-af960/ The RETURN of COCO page has been updated! http://coco.vintagegaming.com/ Return of Coco V0.83a alpha released! (Saturday, April 22nd, 2000) Mostly bug fixes this time: ROC now works with 'Patched' Coco 3 ROM Image. Addi- tional error handling and reworking of ROM Identifi- cation -- clears up a crash that was occuring with=> ____________________________________________________ poorly sized ROM Images. Reworked PIA emulation. Re- worked Internal memory scheme to support Coco 3 GIME chip -- not available from emulation just yet! Pal- ette handling for Coco 3 emulation in progress. Sorry for the long delay between .83a and .83. John Kowalski (Sock Master) has posted a GIME regis- ter reference on his Home Page located at: http://www.axess.com/twilight/sock/ Dave Poitras has a CoCo Home Page underway at: http://www.dpoitras.com (which will probably be the easiest CoCo URL to remember!) The Official PENNFEST 2000 Web Site is alive and kicking at: http://pennfest2000.launch.net.au => ____________________________________________________ The Glenside Color Computer Club's web page recently posted that the 9th Annual "Last" Chicago CoCoFEST held on May 20 & 21, 2000 had more than 60 attendees at the show! The Glenside Color Computer Club will see you August 19 & 20 at PennFest 2000! Also, by the time you read this I'll hopefully have a few pictures from the 9th Annual "Last" Chicago CoCoFEST posted to my web page at: http://mindspring.com/-gearboxed/ Replace all "-"'s in this article with a tilde. =* |
| Articles in section: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| **
Great Job! ** KUDOS MAIL BAG EXCERPTS What's new with Ray! |
| Back to top |
** Great Job! ** Jim:
I want you to know that I certainly appreciate
the GREAT JOB you've done in continuing Rick's CFDM
to the middle of the Year 2000!! If this were MTV we
would have a scene with a crowd cheering.
I know that you are still thinking about whether
there should be further Issues of CFDM to complete
the Year 2000. I also know just how much WORK goes
into the Preparation of these wonderful Issues that
are now going out to a smaller and smaller group of
CoCoNuts. I just wish the Emulator situation were in
better resolution to satisfy the PC users that might
want to get into Programming that is easier to com-
prehend. Too many just want to 'point and click'.
Whatever your decision you can count on my sup-
port -- CoCoNut Godfrey =>
____________________________________________________
----
JIM:
----
Hi Godfrey,
I appreciate the kind words and sup-
port you, and others have given me since my involv-
ment in this project. After much thought, my inten-
tion is to finish out 2000 with the final CFDM Issue
to be distributed in December. With the upcoming
PennFest in August, I really feel it would be an in-
justice NOT to have proper coverage of this historic
Fest. A lot of planning and time have been put into
preparing for the CoCo's 20th Anniversary and I feel
CFDM should be a part of the celebration as well.
This will ALSO give CFDM Members a final chance to
send in some final words, comments or submissions =>
____________________________________________________
for the Final December 2000 Issue. This year will
also be the Last PennFest, so the clock is "ticking-
down" and there are only a few chances left for CoCo
users to make their mark in the CoCo Community. It's
time to meet up with fellow CoCo users and celebrate
the CoCo's 20th Anniversary! (There's gonna be CAKE
too!!) :)
=*
|
KUDOS Since JIM is always thanking COCONUTS for sending in
material, I thought I should thank him and anyone
who helps him. KUDOS with a capital "K"! I do not
know why any COCONUT would want to drop out of CFDM,
and I hope some former members will some day return.
If my CoCo3 would die, I don't know what would
become of me?
I just want to say,
THANKS, THANKS, THANKS for GOOD OLD CFDM!
Harold
----
JIM:
----
Hi Harold, =>
____________________________________________________
Thanks for the "Thanks"! :) I would also like to
thank-you personally for ALL the great submissions
and letters you've sent over the years. Long before
I took the reins of CFDM, Harold has been a most
faithful supporter of CFDM. I know Rick appreciated
all your support just as I have. I'm always looking
forward to seeing what you've used your imagination
and CoCo to "cook-up"! Harold, we'll be exchanging
disks long after CFDM and for many years to come!!
=*
|
MAIL BAG EXCERPTS Dear Jim,
I hadn't realized that "moving" could be
such a hassle. We're still at it -- cleaning out and
adding insulation to attic, moving debris to nearby
dumpster, sorting, sorting, etc, etc. Maybe I'm just
getting too old for stuff like that -- my wife says,
"Throw it all out!" No Way.
Anyway, here's my renewal for another series...
(if you're so inclined), maybe one of these days...
Vic Neufeldt
Beaverton, OR.
----------------------------------------------------
Jim,
Enclosed you will find payment for a copy =>
____________________________________________________
of Nickolas Marentes' "Gate Crasher". Looking for-
ward to receiving it.
Jim Gerrie
St. Catharines, Ontario
----------------------------------------------------
Jim,
Enclosed is a check for Nickolas' Gate Crasher
and his Five Program Collection. I will look forward
to receiving both. Thanks, Jim for keeping this
alive for all of us that still remember what it was
like back then, and for all the newcomers who are
discovering the joys of the Coco even today.
Steven Ostrom
Minnetonka, MN. =>
____________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------
Dear Jim,
Please accept my check for renewal of my
annual subscription year 2000.
Clarence W. Harriman
Bedford, MA.
----------------------------------------------------
Hi Jim,
I'm enclosing a check for Nick's Gate Crasher
and for four of the Star NX-1020 color ribbons.
Norm Barson
East Brunswick, NJ.
----------------------------------------------------
=*
|
What's new with Ray! Hi Jim,
Sorry if the Hardware Store sounds a little
down in the mouth. My source of sheet polystyrene
also seems to have dried up right in the middle of
the Grizzly MK1. Also, can't find anything in RSDOS
to review ... oh, no ... as I write this note the
sound you hear will be a dolt swat right across the
side of my head ... there IS SOMETHING to review!!!
It will have to wait until next issue now. Now if I
can only find one more project to write about. Can't
wait to show off GrizzlyMate and Gmate at the PENN
FEST. As far as I know, no one else has written any-
thing for gfx2/windows portion of the Level 2 Up-
grade.
At least the iMAC and accessories are =>
____________________________________________________
working well .. finally. Bought a Super Disk for
mass storage backup but, primarily because I can
download to 720k PC formatted disks. Most of the
downloads can be exploded prior to the disk by using
Stuffit Expander on the iMAC. Then I can just con-
vert it with PCDOS under OS-9 and, if necessary,
convert it further with RSDOS. Besides the iMAC,
Doralee's son also gave us an "outmoded" copy of
Photoshop 3.1 and access to the free portion of his
account of clipboard art and photos. Am working on
a design for 10 to 15 tee shirts with "Happy Birth-
day from Grizzly Enterprises" motif.
Anyhow, Jim, it will be great to see you all one
last time in August. Until then, take care.
Cheers, Ray Watts =>
____________________________________________________
----------------------------------------------------
JIM:
----
Hi Ray!
Always good to hear from you. There's
bound to be some slow days at the Hardware Store.
Finding new projects and materials to complete them
can be a real challenge with the CoCo. I'm confident
that there are brighter days ahead. I really have
appreciated all the great articles and reviews that
you've sent in for CFDM. Simply put, without your
efforts there very likely would have been NO Hard-
ware projects in the pages of CFDM. I'm happy to
hear you've tamed the iMAC, now we'll need to do
something about that "Grizzly" come August!
See you at the Fest Ray! =*
|
| Articles in section: POTPOURRI |
| **
On The Internet! ** AFLAC BEDTIME DOG HAROLD MUSIC PLAYER |
| Back to top |
** On The Internet! ** I couldn't believe what I found on the Internet
recently when I did a Yahoo Search using coco3! It
took me to 'Computer Songs and Poems' based on a
collection by Stefan Hansgen from Karlsrule, Germany
and formatted in HTML by Jenny Preece.
The link actually took me directly to a Song
authored by Tony Duell from Bristol England.
If you want to communicate with him:
ard@siva.bristol.ac.uk
The title of the song is: I'm a CoCo3 from Tandy
and is Sung to the Tune of I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy
He offers the following Intro: The Tandy Color
Computer 3 (CoCo 3) was probably one of the cheapest
ever machines that could run a multi-tasking, multi-
user operating system. =>
____________________________________________________
I'm a CoCo3 from Tandy
I'm a CoCo Three from Tandy
Hi Res Graphics do or die
A custom GIME in place of my SAM
OS-9 will really fly
I've a Multi-PAK interface
Disk and R S 2 3 2
CoCo System multi-user
with a C compiler
And full BASIC-09 too
Now lets all get together and sing the CoCo3
song!!! Hope you enjoy it..
=>
____________________________________________________
On the Web page Tony goes on to explain what the
various acronyms are.
GIME - The custom chip that handled address
translations: Graphics, Interrupts, Memory, Enhance-
ments.
SAM - The chip in the older CoCo that handled
memory refresh and graphic address generation: Syn-
chronous Address Multiplier.
Multi-PAK interface - A box that was originally
designed to allow 4 games cartridges to be plugged
in at once.
OS-9 and BASIC-09 - operating system and struc-
tured basic produced by Microware for the CoCo.
Let's sing it again.... Godfrey
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/1418
GJMOLL@aol.com =*
|
AFLAC
I get most of my ideas for PROGRAMS using GRAPHICS
and SPEECH from the TV. This setup is used by an
insurance company called "AFLAC". A duck yells
"AFLAC" to two men talking about insurance. This
type of insurance is supplemental insurance. I hope
Y'all have seen this on TV, so that it will seem
as funny to you as it does to me. Since this is
04-30-2000, my wife and me will be dancing around
the "MAYPOLL" tomorrow...how about you?
'BYE NOW'
HJM 04-30-2000
(RUN "STORY.BAS" on the back side of this disk.)
=*
|
BEDTIME
This picture should have been called "WIFE", and NOT
"BEDTIME". Since I spend so much of my time on the
CoCo3 and Internet, my wife has to chase me to bed.
If I were PAID for all of this time, I would be very
RICH says MY DEAR WIFE. I hope I never get tired of
drawing with the mouse...LONG LIVE THE MOUSE! Are
there some other COCONUTS out there CHASED TO BED
too?!
Harold
05-22-2000
(To see Harold's picture, RUN "BEDTIME.BAS" on the
back side of this disk. If you have a SPEECH-SOUND
PAK for your CoCo, have that plugged in as well!)
=*
|
DOG
After many years of trying, I think I have tamed the
"MOUSE". This PROGRAM has the two characters drawn
by ME! I have always used GRAPHICS done by someone
else. Please let me know if it was worth my effort.
If this one is ok, I shall attempt to draw more.
Until I hear from you COCONUTS...see you IN THE
FUNNY PAPER.
Harold
05-03-2000
(RUN "DOG.BAS" on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
HAROLD
Hello to all of you COCONUTS where ever you might
live. This Saturday, 04-08-2000, is a VERY COLD and
DREARY day, but I am so busy on my COCO3, that I do
not mind. I do my COCOING from a wheelchair, but I
am getting used to it. I believe like my dear grand-
mother used to say, "There is always someone worse
off than you."...how true. I need help, I would ap-
preciate any information concerning DIGITIZING
GRAPHICS. See you in the next CFDM.
HJM 04-08-2000
(RUN "HAROLD.BAS" on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
MUSIC PLAYER Music is good for the soul, so they say, so here are
a few I transcribed...PLUS two I found somewhere...
BELLS and ELEPHANT. If these "MAKE IT", I might try
to transcribe some more. I know there are a lot of
transcribers out there, so let's here some good
music!
Until I hear the music,
Harold
04-14-2000
(You'll find Harold's Songs on side 2 of this disk.
The music files can be LOADMed and EXECed or you
can use George Quellhorst's MUSIC PLAYER to select
and play the songs. The MUSIC PLAYER program can
also be found on side 2 of this disk. Simply RUN
"PLAYER.BAS") =*
|
| Articles in section: PROGRAMS OF THE MONTH |
| Flip STILL MORE PUZZLES The Bored Test Viva Las Vegas with CC3POKER |
| Back to top |
Flip How well can you call a coin flip? Try out with this
one-liner.
(RUN "FLIP.BAS" on side 2 of this disk.)
=*
|
STILL MORE PUZZLES
I still have more pictures adapted for Rick's
PUZZLES, so here are eight more. As I've said
before, I have no idea of the sources or who did the
original artwork. But, they are worth looking at
even if you don't take the time to work on them as
puzzles. For those of you who do like solving the
puzzles, you'll find them challenging.
(RUN"BOOT/BAS on side 2 of the Bonus Disk.)
=*
|
The Bored Test Are you so smart, that you can pass any test? Well,
buster, have I got a difficult test for you! See if
you can pass the Bored Test.
(RUN "BORED.BAS" on the back side of this disk.)
=*
|
Viva Las Vegas with CC3POKER Gary James wrote this program (along with myself) to assist a gambler friend to keep from playing the casino video poker machines. To demonstrate how awful the odds are with these games, CC3POKER was created. After the first version, the program was enhanced with sound and variable odds. To start the game, run the BASIC program <CC3POKER>. For a time, data will load from CC3POKER/DAT. Then you are asked the type of monitor you are using. The odds change with the number of hands you choose. To hold cards, you use the numbered keys (1-5). I hope you have as much fun playing the game as I did helping write it...good luck! (CC3POKER is located on side 2 of this disk.) =* |
| Articles in section: REVIEWS |
| 9th
Chicago CoCo Fest PART 1 9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 2 9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 3 |
| Back to top |
9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 1 As many already know, the 9th Annual "Last" Chicago
CoCo Fest took place on May 20 & 21, 2000. There
wasn't a whole lot of talk or promotion prior to
the Fest, but it did manage to come together to
some degree. What follows is a brief rundown of
Vendors/Attendees that were present:
- Bargeman Research Labs - Karl Sefcik was of course
there. Karl never misses a Fest and is always one of
the first to show support towards the weekends acti-
vities. I also know that Karl passed on attending
another event to be at this years Fest. I'm still
waiting to hear what color his new "electric" car
is, as this question was looming over us during the
Fest!
=>
____________________________________________________
- CJB Enterprises - Carl Boll was fortunate enough
to be able to atttend this year's Fest despite a
very busy schedule. Those who know Carl certainly
know about his involvement in the IDE Project. If
you are among those who've paid for their board, you
very likely could have picked it up at this Fest.
- Cloud-9 - Mark Marlette & family were in attend-
ace and the Cloud-9 booth was where most of the
action was throughout the weekend. If you want high
quality products like the SCSI Interface, an AT Key-
board Adapter and RAM kits, this is where to get it.
Mark also did on-site installation of 6309's and
with soldering iron in-hand, would have been able
to take care of your CoCo's hardware needs.
=>
____________________________________________________
- CoCo Friends Disk Magazine - My father and I once
again represented CFDM at the Fest. We had the usual
mix of products that everyone is familiar with like,
CFDM, CoCoPro, Sundog, etc. The "new" product in our
booth was of course Nickolas Marentes' GATE CRASHER.
Interested gamers had the chance to play the DEMO
and purchase the full version. In addition, copies
of CoCoNUTS and the Nickolas Marentes Collection
were also available for purchase. Roger Hallman also
joined us in our booth with a neat WAV playing IDE
setup...that "should have been" running all weekend!
- FWD Computing - Frank and Carol Davis were once
again in attendance. They always have a great selec-
tion of classic computer wares to buy. They offer a
wide range from Amiga, Commodore, etc.(SEE PART 2)=*
|
9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 2 They also have a good selection of software and CD
collections for these systems and their emulators.
If you wanted a really nice Chicago CoCo Fest mouse
pad or t-shirt, they had these items available as
well.
- Hawksoft - Long-time CoCo Vendors Chris and Nancy
Hawks were in attendance, offering a wide range of
products like the Hawksoft Hi-Res Interface and
support for the MM1.
- Ken Baker - The largest Color Computer distributor
in the world! If you want a brand new CoCo 3, this
is the guy to contact. He also has plastic project
boxes, cassette recorders and mini b/w TV's.
=>
____________________________________________________
- Luckey Corner - Howard Luckey had a good selection
of used CoCo wares at bargain prices. Howard is a
longh time Glenside and CoCo Fest supporter and it
was good seeing him there.
- Monk-O-Ware - Brother Jeremy had the OS-9 Level 2
Upgrade available and had a nice display of CoCo's
with various hardware configurations.
- Music Men - Despite sounding like more than one
person, it was only Brian Schubring running things.
Brian had his repacked CoCo set up to bring a nice
music mix to the show.
- STG.NET / BUYCOCO.COM - Scott Griepentrog was once
again in attendance at the Fest. Scott is what =>
____________________________________________________
you'd call the "gadget" guy at the show. He always
has some new electronic gizmo to show off. This year
he had a HUGE lot of CoCo hardware and software for
sale at bargain prices.
- Strongware - John and Charles Strong were once
again reunited at the Chicago Fest (along with their
new wives). I never got around to seeing exactly
what was in their booth, but did manage to pick up
some really nice Chicago CoCo Fest and Team OS-9
magnets from John.
I believe that's the list of Vendors that were pre-
sent at the Fest. I'm not positive though, as there
wasn't a Fest guide for this year's show like in
past years. (SEE PART 3) =*
|
9th Chicago CoCo Fest PART 3 I'm also not aware of any seminars that took place?
If there was, someone else will have to fill us in
on what was missed. My father and I were pretty worn
out by Saturday night and missed the after hours
musical get together that took place. Someone who
attended that will have to fill us in on any details
as well. The no-minimum-bid auction managed to clear
out a fair amount of CoCo "stuff" from the tables.
The Glenside web page said about 60 people attended
this years Fest, which sounds about right. All and
all we had a good time and enjoyed the weekend. The
real ingredient missing from the Fest was people!
More Vendors and Attendees were needed! A bit more
Pre-Fest Promotion and Fest Guide would have made
things nicer! None the less, the word has it that =>
____________________________________________________
there will be yet another Fest next year. The 10th
Annual "Last" Chicago CoCo Fest? -- we'll see?
=*
|
CoCo Games for the TRS-80 I was wondering if anyone might be able to tell me
where I may be able to purchase games for the TRS-80
Color Computer. I'm looking for the following games:
Dino Wars and Clowns & Balloons
If anyone can help, I'd greatly appreciate it!
Thanks,
Quentin
QBREWER@AOL.COM
=*
|
CoCo Historical Display I am still looking for someone who has a first model
and second model gray case CoCo1 and a large white
case CoCo2 to bring to the Fest for us to use as
part of the CoCo Historical Display. If you have
one that you could bring, please let me know.
Nick - nickm@launch.net.au
or Jim Davis - gearboxed@mindspring.com
=*
|
Robot Odessey I was able to find Robot Odessey for the Tandy 1000,
but cannot locate the CoCo 2 version. Can anyone out
there help me locate this game. I had the game when
I was about 7 on my TRS-80 and I never beat it to
get my satisfaction. I would like to find it and
finally beat it! Any help would be appreciated!
Thank-You,
Jeff Taft
finmaltlqr@yahoo.com
=*
|
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART I I've long been a "cartridge collector" for many
of the different computer and video game platforms.
The Color Computer has long been a part of this col-
lection! On my web page I keep a master list of all
the titles that were sold by TANDY/RADIO SHACK, but
is limited to just titles that are in my collection.
Also, included on the list is other information
such as Copyrights, Radio Shack Catalog Numbers and
whether or not I have the Instruction Manual. Why
keep such a list? Well, it's a good way to keep
track of my collection, while also providing refer-
ence for other cartridge collectors that may never
have been CoCo Users. In the future I'll hopefully
be able to give each title a "RARITY RATING", which
has been done with the majority of cartridges for
other computer and video game platforms. =>
____________________________________________________
So is our beloved CoCo getting so old that items
such as cartridges are getting "Collectible"? Well,
YES, the CoCo is starting to show its age and find-
ing certain HARDWARE and SOFTWARE components can be
a difficult task. None the less, I think CoCo cart-
ridges fall in the "Collectible" category better
than the "Valuable" category! Given some time, I'm
confident that even CoCo cartridges will find their
niche in the Collectible Market. So until the CoCo
cartridge becomes a keepsake, I'll continue to add
to my collection while it's a cheap investment!
Whether or not they EVER become valuable, really
makes no difference to me personally. As they say,
"the thrill is in the hunt"!
(SEE TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART II) =*
|
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART II Label Cartridge RS/TANDY
Copyright Title Catalog #
--------- ---------- ---------
1987 A Mazing World of Malcom Mortar 26-3160
1984 Alphabet Zoo 26-3170
1983 Androne 26-3096
1984 Appliance and Light Controller 26-3142
1987 Arkanoid 26-3043
1981 Art Gallery 26-3061
1983 Atom 26-3149
1981 Audio Spectrum Analyzer 26-3156
1980 Backgammon 26-3059
1980 Bingo Math 26-3150
1982 Bridge Tutor 26-3158
1981 Bustout 26-3056
1982 Canyon Climber 26-3089=>
____________________________________________________
1981 Castle Guard 26-3079
1988 Castle of Tharoggad 26-3159
1980 Checkers 26-3055
1980 Chess 26-3050
1980 Clowns & Balloons 26-3087
1983 Color Baseball 26-3095
1981 Color Cubes 26-3075
1981 Color File 26-3103
1986 Color File II 26-3110
1981 Color Scripsit 26-3105
1986 Color Scripsit II 26-3109
1981 Crosswords 26-3082
1984 Cyrus World Class Chess 26-3064
1984 Demolition Derby 26-3044
1984 Demon Attack 26-3099
1980 Diagnostics 26-3019=>
____________________________________________________
1985 Don Pan 26-3097
1982 Doubleback 26-3091
1983 Downland 26-3046
1984 Dragon Fire 26-3098
1982 Dungeons of Daggorath 26-3093
1982 EDTASM+ 26-3250
1980 Football 26-3053
1984 Fraction Fever 26-3169
1982 Galactic Attack 26-3066
1988 GFL Championship Football II 26-3172
1982 Gin Champion 26-3083
1983 Gomoku / Renju 26-3069
1982 Graphic Pak 26-3157
1981 Handyman 26-3154
(SEE TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART III) =*
|
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART III Label Cartridge RS/TANDY
Copyright Title Catalog #
--------- --------- ---------
1984 Kids On Keys 26-3167
1988 Math Tutor 26-3148
1982 Mega-Bug 26-3076
1981 Microbes 26-3085
1988 Mind-Roll 26-3100
1981 Monster Maze 26-3081
1980 Music 26-3151
1983 Panic Button 26-3147
1980 Personal Finance 26-3101
1983 Personal Finance II 26-3106
1980 Pinball 26-3052
1981 Polaris 26-3065
1982 Poltergeist 26-3073=>
____________________________________________________
1981 Popcorn 26-3090
1989 Predator 26-3165
1981 Project Nebula 26-3063
1980 Quasar Commander 26-3051
1987 Rad Warrior 26-3162
1989 Rampage 26-3174
1983 Reactoid 26-3092
1988 RoboCop 26-3164
1981 Robot Battle 26-3070
1981 Roman Checkers 26-3071
1987 Shanghai 26-3084
1982 Shooting Gallery 26-3088
1988 Silpheed 26-3054
1981 Skiing 26-3058
1983 Slay The Nereis 26-3086
1988 Soko-Ban 26-3161=>
____________________________________________________
1981 Space Assault 26-3060
1981 Spectaculator 26-3104
1983 Spidercide 26-3049
1987 Springster 26-3078
1983 Star Blaze 26-3094
1983 Stellar Life Line 26-3047
1988 Super Pitfall 26-3171
1984 Temple of Rom 26-3045
1981 Tennis 26-3080
1988 Tetris 26-3163
1987 Thexder 26-3072
1983 TRS-80 Color Logo 26-2722
1988 TypeMate 26-3155
1980 Typing Tutor 26-3152
(SEE TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART IV) =*
|
TRS-80 ROMPAKS PART IV Label Cartridge RS/TANDY
Copyright Title Catalog #
--------- --------- ---------
1981 Videotex 26-2222
1981 Wildcatting 26-3067
-END-
----------------------------------------------------
Cartridges I'm missing in my collection, that are
NOT on this list:
7 Card Stud 26-3074
CC Editor Assembler 26-3250
Dino Wars 26-3057
Kinder Comp 26-????
Micro Painter 26-3077
List Maintained At:
http://www.mindspring.com/-gearboxed/ ("-"=Tilde) =*
|
