From: CRDGW2::CRDGW2::MRGATE::"SMTP::WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL::INFO-IBMPC-REQUEST" Date: 21-JUN-1991 18:28:32 Description: Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #152 From: INFO-IBMPC-REQUEST@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL@SMTP@CRDGW2 To: infopc@arisia@MRGATE Received: by crdgw1.ge.com (5.57/GE 1.100) id AA15435; Fri, 21 Jun 91 12:59:24 EDT Message-Id: <910619222050.V91N152@WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil> Date: Wed, 19 Jun 91 22:20:41 +0200 From: "Info-IBMPC Digest" Reply-To: Info-IBMPC@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.mil Subject: Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #152 To: "Info-IBMPC Distribution":;@WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL Info-IBMPC Digest Wed, 19 Jun 91 Volume 91 : Issue 152 Today's Editor: Gregory Hicks - Rota Spain Today's Topics: [comp.misc...] Anonymous FTP list Accessing the archives of INFO-IBMPC (2 msgs) Appliance or Light Controller Interface for a PC Data-PCS (Apple) Petition - My opinion Echoing a blank line (V91 #134) (2 msgs) hiding batch file contents and echoing blank lines Direct Access Streamer (V91 #132) List of Drives (v91, #133) MSDOS VER 5.0 Novell address list Postscript <--> ASCII VM/cms <----> PC Clocks Today's Queries: Ethernet File Transfers Info needed on directly programming the floppy controller PCs Which Don't Boot from the Floppy by Default Tektronics The $25 Network question Wanted: document converter MS-Word <-> FrameMaker Send Replies or notes for publication to: Send requests of an administrative nature (addition to, deletion from the distribution list, et al) to: Archives of past issues of the Info-IBMPC Digest are available by FTP only from WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL in directory PD2:. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 3 Jun 91 23:10:32 GMT From: odin@pilot.njin.net (Jon Granrose) Subject: [comp.misc...] Anonymous FTP list Keywords: anonymous ftp archive Archive-name: ftp/database/anonymous-ftp-list/1991-06-01 Archive: pilot.njin.net:/pub/ftp-list/ftp.list [128.6.7.38] Original-posting-by: odin@pilot.njin.net (Jon Granrose) Original-subject: Anonymous FTP list Reposted-by: emv@msen.com (Edward Vielmetti, MSEN) ****ATTENTION**** I am going to be away this summer (in Japan). This means that any updates you send me will not be implemented until I return. I will leave the list and mail server in place on pilot as usual, it just won't be being updated. However, June 1 is the last time the mailing list will be used. Otherwise I will have to worry about my mail file being full of bounced copies of the list and I am trying to keep it as small as possible. I am also using this break to start the beginning of the end of this list. Now that archie is available, I feel that there is no longer any need for this list. When I return in September I will put out one more list with all the updates of the summer and then one more with fixes. So you can look for the last anonymous ftp list from me on October 1, 1991. *************************************************************************** So what is archie? archie is a neat interactive database of anonymous ftp sites available via telnet and mail. There is a file called "archie" on pilot that is also available via the mail server. Take a look at that if you don't know what archie is. If you have any questions, comments, or anything else feel free to mail me, but please read the rest of this header first! This is my list of Internet sites accepting anonymous ftp. It is distributed automatically once each month. If you are sending this on to someone or in any other way providing this for someone else, please leave this header intact. Otherwise I get many questions which this would have answered. Feel free to make this list avail- able anywhere you like, as we all benefit from a freer flow of information. -- comp.archives file verification pilot.njin.net -rw-r--r-- 1 30750 21060 164146 Jun 3 07:01 /pub/ftp-list/ftp.list found anonymous-ftp-list ok pilot.njin.net:/pub/ftp-list/ftp.list ------------------------------ Date: 5 Jun 91 15:54:00 EDT From: "MCREE, JAMES F" <209507097@ucis.vill.edu> Subject: Accessing the archives of INFO-IBMPC Gregory, I just tried to FTP to WSMR-Simtel20.Army.Mil to get at the INFO-IBMPC archives, but I got a message saying "Connection refused." What did I do wrong or are the archives not currently available? Thanks for making INFO-IBMPC available, Jim. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Jun 91 08:19:27 MDT From: Gregory Hicks Subject: Accessing the archives of INFO-IBMPC Depends on when you tried it. The system goes down each WEDNESDAY for 4 hours from 6-10pm Eastern time (4-8pm local) for maintenance. That's about the only time you SHOULD get the 'connection refused' message. If the system goes down (as recently happened) unexpectedly, you'll also get the message. Other times, you'll get to the point where you finish logging in and be told "too many anonymous users at present. Please try again later." Regards, Gregory Hicks ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 09:39 EDT From: "Ed Harris, Academic Affairs, So Ct State U" Subject: Appliance or Light Controller Interface for a PC Jean-Serge Gagnon asks: > I want to build a card on a PC to do this with the appropriate > software, but I have pre-conceived ideas about it, so if there is > someone out there that knows of a card that already exists, then there > might be no need to re-invent the wheel, as they say! There is commercial software called X-10 which drives these modules from a pc; I think I remember it costing about $40 some years ago. You plug a small box into an ac outlet and into a serial port on your pc. When you invoke the program, a picture of a (your?) house appears on the monitor and you program each module however you want. When you are done you disconnect the box from the computer but leave it plugged into the wall, and it does the rest. It also has pushbuttons so you can drive the modules manually without changing the underlying program. Ed Southern Connecticut State U, New Haven, CT 06515 USA Tel: 1 (203) 397-4322 / Fax: 1 (203) 397-4207 ------------------------------ Date: 5 Jun 91 20:47:41 GMT From: emory!Dixie.Com!jgd@gatech.edu (John G. DeArmond) Subject: Data-PCS (Apple) Petition - My opinion >Having read Mr. Granroth's most recent posting to this newsgroup, I >feel it may be of value to offer the perspective from the "other side >of the telephone call", so to speak. >I explained that I was taking a conservative position, and simply was >calling as a courtesy to the institution, to ensure that their >interests were considered. >Bill Stevens >Apple Computer Am I the only one who is outraged by this behavior? Bill, perhaps you should tell us for how many POSITIVE letters did you take the conservative position and verify that the respective institutions "interests were considered?" Is the number zero? I thought so. This reminds me of old legal concept known as the "duck principle." It says: If it walks like a duck, If it quacks like a duck, If it swims like a duck, If it looks like a duck, You can call it a chicken all day long but it's still a duck! Similiarly, Bill, you can call it being "conservative" all you want; to the rest of us it is simply and not so subtly harrassment. Your actions have probably had an effect that you've not planned on. I've taken the trouble to write a letter opposing Apple (which I would not have bothered with before) and included in it a description of this incident. It hit the FAX to the FCC a little while ago. I hope that anyone else who is as outraged as I am will do the same. You guys should learn that those who live by the lawyers and harrassments must learn to take it too. John John De Armond, WD4OQC | "Purveyors of speed to the Trade" (tm) Rapid Deployment System, Inc. | Home of the Nidgets (tm) Marietta, Ga | {emory,uunet}!rsiatl!jgd | "Vote early, Vote often" ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 14:39:11 EDT From: Joe Morris Subject: Echoing a blank line In INFO-IBMPC 91:134 Bill Ball asks: >I have stumbled upon what seems to be an easy way to ECHO a blank line >in a batch file (I know this is a FAQ). type "echo", space, then alt-27 >(which shows up as a left arrow and is the escape character). It sure >seems to work. >[Only problem with echo'ing the ESC character is that ANSI.SYS starts >looking for keys to reprogram. Try doing ALT-277 (the NUL code). It >works as well. gph] You don't even have to use a nonprintable to do this. Just write the command as 'ECHO.' instead of 'ECHO' (note the period after the 'O'). In case you've got something against periods, you can also use comma, equal sign, colon, or semicolon. Joe Morris ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 16:28:18 EST From: Manjit Trehan Subject: Echoing a Blank Line (V91 #134) >I have stumbled upon what seems to be an easy way to ECHO a blank line >in a batch file (I know this is a FAQ). type "echo", space, then alt-27 >(which shows up as a left arrow and is the escape character). It sure >seems to work. >[Only problem with echo'ing the ESC character is that ANSI.SYS starts >looking for keys to reprogram. Try doing ALT-277 (the NUL code). It >works as well. gph] try the following without any spaces before the "." echo. . Manjit Trehan version 1.0 ITMS400@INDYCMS . . Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) . ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Jun 91 01:04:23 GMT From: craick@titan.trl.OZ.AU (John Craick) Subject: hiding batch file contents and echoing blank lines "Bill Ball" writes: >I have a batch file which I would like to make unreadable. I imagine >there is no trick to do this but if there is I sure would like to hear >about it. I know one possiblity would be to compile it. However IF this >is the only solution I would want to compile it exactly as is into as >small a program as possible. Any software out there to do this? >(what's available now in SIMTEL won't meet these requirements). >I have stumbled upon what seems to be an easy way to ECHO a blank line >in a batch file (I know this is a FAQ). There IS a utility called bat2exec.com which does convert batch files into .com files. I have a copy & it works nicely. The bad news is I have no idea where I got it from - unless is was out of one of the PC mags here in Oz. Most of their programs seem to come from the U.S. PC mag anyway so perhaps people can look there. For echoing blank lines in a batch file I use echo with just a backspace as the text. This avoids ansi waiting hopefully for an Esc sequence but you do need a text editor that will allow you to put ctrl charas literally in a file. Both qedit & Wordstar (ho ho) permit this. John Craick Telecom Research Labs, Melbourne, Oz P.S. A quick search of the simtel catalog shows a file bat2ex13.zip in . I think this may be the prog I'm talking about ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1991 16:12:31 PDT From: George_C._Burkitt.El_Segundo@xerox.com Subject: Direct Access Streamer (V91 #132) >Tue, 21 May 91 19:07:45 MEZ >Thomas >access the streamer via BIOS (int 13) or (less >preferably) directly through the FDD controller? I can't speak for the Colorado drive, but my floppy interface tape drive is recognized only after the driver is loaded (config.sys). The hardware is not the same as a real floppy, so the bios can't operate it directly. So I can't boot from it. Besides, it's so slow you would be reaching for your boot floppy, anyway. If the Colorado uses a software driver, it would be the same; if the driver is on a ROM in the drive, it would probably be functional during the boot. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 17:35:46 EDT From: moy@xp.psych.nyu.edu () Subject: List of Drives (v91, #133) A (long) list of various hard disks and their is published by: South Texas BBS I 713-894-5636 Ray Martin, sysop. Hope this helps! Moy Wong, Dept. of Psychology, New York University ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 14:10 EST From: Navin Ganeshan Subject: MSDOS VER 5.0 >I have recently heard that there apparently exists a beta release of a >new version of MSDOS, version 5.0. Does anybody have any further >information about this version and when the final product will be >released? >Regards, Frode >* Frode Weierud Phone : 41 22 7674794 * >* CERN, SL Fax : 41 22 7823676 * >* CH-1211 Geneva 23 E-mail : frode@cernvax.cern.ch * >* Switzerland or weierud@cernvm.cern.ch * > I was just talking to a friend who has seen the beta release of ver 5.0. I can't be sure about this info, but these are the features it supposedly has. o An UNDELETE utility similar to Norton's is integrated in the OS o A context-switching facility lets you swap applications to disk and load other apps. o Command History (with reloadable history files) o Extensive online help on dos commands and operations. o QUICKBASIC (version ?) is included as part of the package. o A full-screen text editor identical to QuickBasic's editor with multiple windows and mouse support. That is all I could find out so far. The biggest void here has to do with whether it supports multi-tasking or if it utilizes the protected mode of the 386. My friend thinks it doesn't..but he's not sure. Also, a lot is unclear about the context-switcher. It supposedly looks and feels like desqview, except that it can't multi-task apps. Again, I can't be really sure about any of this, and if anyone has heard more this product, I'd be interested... +-----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Navin S. Ganeshan | Bill_the_Cat \ Bitnet: NGANESHA@UDCVAX | | Academic Computing Services | for \ ZCSTIN01@UDCVM | | Univ. of DC, Wash DC. | President ! +------------------------| | Tel: (202) 282-7343 | "A fool and my money were once partners"| +-----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 8:21:44 EDT From: Robert Bloom AMCICP-IM 3775 Subject: Novell address list Karl: (since I have a weakness for graf ...) >Yes, I know, this is the IBM-PC discussion group. >My question is, is there also a Novell (LAN) discussion group? The Novell info list is at . *Don't* *Don't *Don't* send a request for addition to their mailing list to that adress. If you want to subscribe, send a one line message that says: SUBSCRIBE NOVELL to: LISTSERV%SUVM@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU and stand back. Way back. Last time I subscribed (~1 yr ago) it was averaging 20 substantial msgs per day, more on weekends. Don't check your mailbox for a couple of days, you'll have 100 msgs. Go away for a week and it'll be over 1MegByte of stuff to peruse. The old "taking a sip of water from a fire hydrant." But if you need expertise, that's where to get it. The combined gurus were able to solve a problem that bedeviled me for 6 months. rwb ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 91 08:52:49 PDT From: raymond@math.berkeley.edu (Raymond Chen) Subject: Postscript <--> ASCII Converting Postscript to ASCII is, in the general case, impossible unless you go to the trouble of writing your own postscript interpreter. Postscript is a full-fledged programming language, unlike most other PDLs; in fact, in the early days, people actually used a LaserWriter to perform numerical analysis, crunching numbers for a few hours, then print out its results as the output. (And you thought your Adobe Pagemaker files took a long time to print :-) ) Fortunately, most applications do not use Postscript to its full capability as a programming language. By studying the Postscript header an application X generates, it is often possible to write a customized X-Postscript-to-ASCII converter; I have done so with X=groff. It isn't hard, though there are some subtleties. The resulting output is rather horrendous, though, since most applications do not produce postscript with the intent of having it converted back to ASCII, so they insert all sorts of kerns and microspaces, which are impossible to mimic in ASCII. ------------------------------ Date: Wed Jun 5 09:51:38 1991 From: "Hernan Lobos *Mitzio*" Subject: VM/cms <----> PC hello friends , How I might read commands from CMS in a IBM-PC ? Any Software ? i.e : I would like to read the CMS the command : LISTFILE * * a1 (stack cant=queued() do i = 1 to cant pull fn.i ft.i . end and after ... i would like to do this in a PC, for do a command RECEIVE fn.i'.'ft.i fn.i ft.i (ascii crlf Second : Where I can get a REXX Compiler for PC's.? ( of Public Domain ) ------------------------------ Date: 5 Jun 91 09:17:00 GMT+109:13 From: "V70D::HUNTRESS" Subject: Clocks > I have an AT style clone running DOS 3.3. I use Bitcom as my >communications software. From time to time, the time represented on >the Bitcom screen is shown to be 12 to 20 hours ahead of what it should >be. When the time is wrong, that wrong time is also displayed when I >run Quattro. If I use the Time command in DOS I am also given that same wrong time. > This is the weird part. Some time later, without turning off or >rebooting the machine - the time has reverted back to the correct time. >This "problem" began when I started using Bitcom. I have a similar problem on an XT clone. Watching the time increment using a 1-2-3 spreadsheet I can see a bogus (i.e. off by many hours) hop in for one recalculation. I "fixed" this problem by reducing my clock speed from 10 Mhz to 4.77 Mhz. Turtle-slow but at least I get correct results. Since the time and date are mantained in RAM, I'm assuming I might have a marginal chip and not a bad motherboard. SEPARATE ISSUE: >Gary, first the bad news: No, no countdown timers in a PC. But the >good news: We can provide one! I'm sending under separate cover >(TOADBOOT.ZIP, uuencoded) a space-age timer just perfect for your >purposes (assuming delay ranges from 1 to 9 minutes). Yell directly to >me if any problems, more bells & whistles desired, etc. >David Kirschbaum >Toad Hall >kirsch@usasoc.soc.mil Thanks again David, it worked perfectly. | Gary Huntress | For a linear fit | | Naval Underwater Systems Center | obtain two data points | | Newport RI | | | (401) 841-2274 | The most common elements in the | | HUNTRESS@NUSC-NPT.NAVY.MIL | universe are hydrogen and stupidity | | I got reamed once for not having an OFFICIAL disclaimer: | | "This message does not represent the opinions or position | | of the Naval Underwater Systems Center." | | so there! | ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 10:11:45 EDT From: JML%FDACFSAN.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: Ethernet File Transfers We have a 3Com Ethernet LAN using CS/100 and CS/200 communication servers (about 80 of them) connected to various computers and terminals. Some of the people on the LAN have expressed a desire to transfer binary files to one another. The problem is that none of the file transfer protocols seem to work (using Procomm) on the LAN. The transfer seems to start ok, using any of the protocols, but either one or both of the computers seem to either hang up or time out. Does anyone have any ideas or default settings that I should be aware of? Kermit does work ok, but BBS's usually don't offer Kermit as a file transfer option. Any help would be appreciated. Joe Lyczak BITNET: JML@FDACFSAN ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 21:36:55 CDT From: cybrspc!roy@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail) Subject: Info needed on directly programming the floppy controller Summary: Reposted by Keith Petersen I'm trying to unearth info on programming the floppy controller directly, so I can do some non-DOS disk translation. I looked over the SIMTEL list, but couldn't seem to find anything directly related. I pulled down a few files (sector editors and the like), but all have failed to read these particular disks (Commodore 1581 format). TeleDisk can read them, so I know it's possible. Any ideas? Roy M. Silvernail | #include | (time for a roy%cybrspc@cs.umn.edu | main(){ | new clever cybrspc!roy@cs.umn.edu | float x=1; | mailsig roy@cybrspc.uucp(maybe!)| printf("Just my $%.2f.\n",x/50);} | quote, eh?) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1991 10:27 CST From: "John Nierengarten, Academic Computing, UW-River Falls" Subject: PCs Which Don't Boot from the Floppy by Default I have followed, with interest, the discussions on forcing PCs to boot from devices other than the floppy drive, the main purpose being containment of viruses. Mention was made of several computers which have a ROM BIOS which causes them to automatically boot from the hard disk. Does anyone know of any PCs, other than Zenith or Compaq, which have this (boot from hard disk by default, even if a floppy is present) as a standard feature? Or, alternatively, which ROM BIOS products support this technique? I am in the process of acquiring new machines for a student lab and have the opportunity to address the problem up front. Please send responses to my e-mail address below and I will summarize. |\ | |_\ | John Nierengarten, Director, Academic Computing Center \| \| University of Wisconsin - River Falls BITNET: ACS_JAN@UWRF Until June 30, 1991. Internet: John.A.Nierengarten@uwrf.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 16:38:38 GMT From: Gideon Subject: Tektronics Hello Everybody I have just received Tektronics plotter and printer types 4662 option 31 4695 and 4696 copier. Since they are all functioning, I would be grateful if someone could help me with Info or Ideas to attach any of them to a PC. Or any experience with a known Software will be appreciated. Thanks Gideon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 05 Jun 91 17:21:44 CDT From: Matt Johnson Subject: The $25 Network question Hello everyone, I am considering purchasing the $25 network, but would like more information on how it works. I'm looking for a cheap peer to peer network that offers complete device sharing, including printers, hard disks, modems, CD-ROMs, etc, between the systems. I assume that the $25 network uses a null modem cable and the serial ports on each computer. This sounds fine, but would one be able to access the 'other' serial port on the remote machine? ( i. e. dial out and receive calls from the modem on the remote machine) Also, what kind of transfer rates are possible with this configuration? Does the type of serial port chip make a difference on the speed. Thanks, +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Matt Johnson "If this was a real tag, it would| | South Dakota State University be funny." | |BITNET: CC64@SDSUMUS Call!! The 'What it Is' BBS. 605-697-6047 | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1991 06:14:36 GMT From: Ed.van.Leeuwen@tnofel.fel.tno.nl (Ed van Leeuwen) Subject: Wanted: document converter MS-Word <-> FrameMaker Keywords: document I would like to have information regarding software and/or software sources to convert MS-Word 5.0 documents to and from FrameMaker 2.1. Thanks in advance. Ed =============================================================================== Ed van Leeuwen | Ed W.A. van Leeuwen | Fysisch en Elektronisch Laboratorium | TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory TNO | Oude Waalsdorperweg 63 | Oude Waalsdorperweg 63 2597 AK 's-GRAVENHAGE | 2597 AK THE HAGUE | THE NETHERLANDS Postbus 96864 | P.O.Box 96864 2509 JG 's-GRAVENHAGE | 2509 JG THE HAGUE | THE NETHERLANDS | Telefoon 070 - 3264221 | Phone +31 70 3264221 Telefax 070 - 3280961 | Telefax +31 70 3280961 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ed.van.Leeuwen@fel.tno.nl =============================================================================== ------------------------------ End of Info-IBMPC Digest V91 #152 ********************************* -------