[HEA] _____________________ ___ _ |___ ______________| | | | | | | _ | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | | | | || | | | ____ _ _ _ _ ______ | | | || | | | / __ \ | | / \_/ \ | ___ \ | | | || |__ ____ | | / / \ | | /\ /\ \ | | \ \ | | | || _ \ | _ \ | | \ \__/ | | | |_|| | | |__/ / | | | || | | || |_|| | | \___/|_| |_| |_| | ____/ |_| | || | | || |__ | |____________________ | | _ |__||_| |_|\____/ |________________________| | | |_| | | Lighting Your Apple II Path On Delphi | | |_| ----------------------------------- >>> WELCOME TO THE LAMP! <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AND THE BEST OF THE A2 AND A2PRO MESSAGE BOARDS "Teaching the Apple II user how to fish since 1998" :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Lamp! An Onipa'a Software Production Vol. 3, No. 6 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Publisher................................Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. Editor.....................................................Lyle Syverson Internet Email, Publisher.........................thelamp@sheppyware.net Internet Mail, Editor.................................lyle837@delphi.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 15, 2000 HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER The Bend in the River--------------------------------------------[OPN] KFest 2000 (Y][K Fest) Another Reason to go to KFest------------------------------------[ARG] KFest Programs Puzzle--------------------------------------------[KFP] Y][K Fest Registration Info--------------------------------------[GVO] A2 DISTILLATIONS Another Reason to go to KFest------------------------------------[ARG] KFest Programs Puzzle--------------------------------------------[KFP] Ultima I for the Apple IIGS--------------------------------------[UGS] Battery Failure in the IIGS?-------------------------------------[BFG] Ninjaforce Website Update----------------------------------------[NFW] Defender of the World in 2mg-------------------------------------[DTW] Where Can I Get Copies of _The Lamp!_----------------------------[CTL] New Apple II Web Site--------------------------------------------[NAW] Catalog of Apple Reference Numbers?------------------------------[CRN] Silvern Castle Update to 4.1-------------------------------------[SCU] The Lost Classics Project Scores Again---------------------------[LCA] The Lost Classics Project Scores Again... and Again--------------[LCB] ADSL and Marinetti-----------------------------------------------[AAM] A2P DISTILLATIONS Programing Ideas Needed------------------------------------------[PIN] Programming the Serial Port--------------------------------------[PSP] EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] [*] [*] [*] READING THE LAMP! The index system used by The Lamp! is designed to make """"""""""""""""" your reading easier. To use this system, load this issue into any word processor or text editor. In the index you will find something like: EXTRA INNINGS About The Lamp! ------------------------------------------------ [INN] To read this article, simply use your search or find command to locate [INN]. There is a similar tag at the end of each article: [EOA]. [OPN]------------------------------- HIGH ABOVE THE ROCK RIVER | ------------------------------------ From The Editor """"""""""""""" by Lyle Syverson The Bend in the River ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looking north from High Above The Rock River you will notice a bend in the river. A bend in a river or a curve in a road is exciting... you never know for certain what lies ahead. Kind of like your first KFest... or your next trip to KFest if you have been there before. I am looking forward to KFest. Hope to see _you_ there! [*] [*] [*] The bend in the river also reminds you of a "trip" to Delphi A2 and A2P. You never know just what you will find in the next visit. The pool of knowledge among those who frequent there reminds one of an encyclopedia of Apple II computers. [EOA] ASCII ART BEGINS _________ _ _ _ |__ __| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___ ____ | | _____ __ ___ _ _ _____ | | | | | ___ \ / __ \ | | /____ \ | v v | | v ___ \ | | | | | | | | | /__\ \ | | ____| | | /\ /\ | | / \ \ | | | | | | | | | _____| | | / ___ | | || || | | | | | |_| | | | | | | | |_____ | |____ | |__| | | || || | | \___/ / _ |_| |_| |_| \______| |______| \____^_| |_||_||_| | |\____/ |_| | | | | |_| ASCII ART ENDS [EOA] DISTILLATIONS from Delphi A2 """""""""""""""""""""""""""" by Lyle Syverson [ARG] ANOTHER REASON TO GO TO KFest """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" I want to see us have at least 60 people at KFest this year, so I'll make a deal: For every one person above 60 people that attend this KFest (as registered attendees, not including people that drop by for the vendor fair), I will give a discount of one dollar on any one product of mine bought from me at KFest. So, for example, if we have 65 registered attendees, anyone that buys something from me at KFest can take $5 off the price, and so forth. If we have 60 or fewer people, this discount doesn't apply. Additionally, I won't give refunds if the discount is higher than the price of the item purchased. The offer is only good for items purchased directly from me during KFest, and will not apply to Kagi sales during that time period. To be fair, I have to say that I reserve the right to make changes to or cancel this offer, although I don't plan to do it. Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31372, GO COM A2) [EOA] [KFP] KFest PROGRAMS PUZZLE """"""""""""""""""""" Here's the overdue match-up of the KFest sessions I posted a while ago, with the normal additions: AWGS - Stan Marks DTP - Max Jones Accelerator - Tony Diaz Unnamed - Geoff Weiss MusicWriter - Stan Marks Linux, The Apple II Cable Modem Adapter - Ryan Suenaga & Kirk Mitchell ProTERM Mac - Tips & Tricks - Jerry Cline & Dave Miller Lost Classics Update - Howard Katz Proterm Scripting, Programming, etc. - Jerry Cline & Dave Miller Unnamed - Eric Shepherd Keynote Address - Ryan Suenaga Roast - Eric Shepherd Yes, there are a few more things "in the works" that I can't tell you about, but we wanted to let you know a little about what you'll be missing if we don't get to see you there this year! There's still time to register, and increase the enrollment enough to qualify for Sheppy's special, generous offer - SO, just DO IT - NOW! Besides, we'd really miss you if you're not there, Steve (STEVE_G, 31620, GO COM A2) [EOA] [UGS] ULTIMA I FOR THE APPLE IIGS """"""""""""""""""""""""""" Ultima I for the Apple IIGS The First Age of Darkness _________________________________________________________________ In the early 1980s, Richard Garriott (aka Lord British) released "Ultima - The First Age of Darkness," an adventure game for the Apple II that took game players from the darkest dungeons to deepest space. The original Ultima was such a popular game that it spawned an unprecedented ten sequels; unfortunately, only Ultima I was ever, released for the Apple IIGS. In 1994, master IIGS programmer Bill Heineman assembled the same team that ported "Out of this World" to the IIGS in order to create an updated GS/OS version of Ultima I for the IIGS. With Super Hi Res graphics and a synthLAB-based musical soundtrack, Ultima I for the IIGS was brought to market by Vitesse, and it received critical acclaim from Apple IIGS game players. Sadly, Ultima I was available for sale for only a short time, as Vitesse is no longer in business. But, in order to assure that even new IIGS owners could partake in the same joys as previous generations of Apple II users, Bill Heineman and Joe Kohn have teamed up once again, and the IIGS version of Ultima I is once again available. From Shareware Solutions II. The cost of Ultima 1 for the Apple IIGS is $20. To purchase Ultima 1 for the Apple IIGS by credit card over the Internet, visit Shareware Solutions II's Online Store at http://order.kagi.com/?zs3 To purchase Ultima 1 for the Apple IIGS by check/money order, in US funds, send to: Joe Kohn Shareware Solutions II 166 Alpine St San Rafael, CA 94901 (JOE_KOHN, 31349, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" 31352 25-MAY 21:29 User Groups & Publications Shareware Solutions II (Re: Msg 31349) From: SHEPPY To: JOE_KOHN [Editor's note... Joe Kohn's message above has been edited to indicate] [that Ultima I is the only Ultima ever published for the Apple IIGS. ] [ "" ] [Therefore, this message from Sheppy has been edited by removing the ] [first sentence, "That's not true". ] Ultima 1, II, III, IV, and V were all available for the Apple II. Ultima II was the first game I ever played on an Apple II, and I've played all five of those. Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31352, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" That's true. I have all five. Apparently in 1990, when Origin was developing Ultima VI, the IIGS was their initial platform of choice. Work didn't get very far before Richard Garriot was convinced that the IIGS had no future and thus the platform change to the PC. Official word was that the Apple II series lacked the power to run Ultima VI (however we all know better). It's too bad, it would have been an interesting game for the IIGS. Mark Percival - Fri 26 May 2000 9:34:49 pm Delivered by Marinetti 2.0.1, Spectrum 2.3 and Crock O' Gold 3.3. Thank You Richard and Ewen! (PERCIM, 31368, GO COM A2) [EOA] [BFG] BATTERY FAILURE IN IIGS? """""""""""""""""""""""" Two days in a row, my GS has done the following: 1) reset the screen monitors back to default (blue). If I reset back to gray (my choice), then reboot, it goes back to default blue. 2) randomly sets the date and clock -- yesterday it was March 15, 1952; today it's March 11, 1995. (I had corrected the date in between these two to today, well - yesterday - but it reset the date again.) Both of these are control panel functions, so I'm wondering if they're indicative of what? battery failure perhaps? Janet L.... - Fri 11 Aug 1995 9:26:14 am Message delivered by Spectrum 2.2 and rushed to you by Crock O' Gold 3.0! (TITANBASE, 31419, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" The Control Panel settings _should_ be retained after making changes, performing a warm boot (Control-Apple-Reset) and throughout your entire session of using the computer. They should only be lost after powering down the computer and starting it back up again. The battery is only put into operation when main power is switched off--in fact this is why a IIgs that's used regularly will have a longer battery life span than one that frequently sits dormant or put in storage. One of the IIgs's I recently bought came with a dead battery. The Control Panel always returns to its default factory settings after I switch it off (that is all options are checked). The clock defaults to the year "04" if I remember right (1904 or 2004, probably the former). If your clock is displaying random years it could just be the battery failing and not yet drained completely, or the other possibility is some program is corrupting your Control Panel settings. I've seen it happen before. Then there are programs that like to change your Control Panel settings behind your back, Accolade's Test Drive II comes to mind. To be sure it's your battery at fault, do the following: 1) Turn on your IIgs; do not load any software from floppy or hardisk 2) Enter the Control Panel 3) Change the screen colors and adjust the clock correctly. 4) Exit Control Panel (so settings are saved) 5) Switch off main-power 6) Let IIgs remain *off* for an hour or so Switch it back on after letting it rest. Are your custom screen colors displayed? Is the clock showing the right time and date? If not, your battery needs to be replaced. Otherwise you may to want try switching it off and letting it rest overnight and see what happens. Battery replacement requires a 3.6v (1/2 sized AA) lithium battery. The ROM 3 motherboard is a simple swap, while the ROM 00/01 board will require clipping out the old battery and adding a new one with wire leads that wrap around the remaining "posts". Night Owl used to sell a kit replacement battery, though not sure if they still do or even if they're still in business. Mitchell Spector { cw308@torfree.net} (SPECTOR1, 31425, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" I realize many factors, as Mitch suggests up-topic, affect battery life. But I was wondering, what is the average lifespan of a IIGS battery? Max Jones Juiced.GS http://www.wbwip.com/juiced.gs (JUICEDGS, 31430, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" I would think the "average" IIgs battery would last 6-8 years. Apple said the IIgs battery has a life expectancy of 10 years. There were a number of reports of people saying they need to get a new battery within two years. My 1988 ROM 01 is still on the original battery (well beyond 10 years). The clock runs a little fast, but it is keeping time. I expect to one day turn my IIgs on and see that the battery died. I have been using Lithium for the last eight years or so for BRAM recovery in case of a battery failure. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 31431, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" My ROM1 battery is still going strong after 12 years, I've had it for about 9 years and I doubt it was changed in the first 3. At one stage I hadn't used the machine for about 4 years, while I ventured off track into the world of PC's, the GS's battery was still OK after all that time. On the other hand I bought another ROM1 recently and it's battery was as dead as a doornail. From memory I was getting dates of 1952 on that machine every time I switched it off then on. And a dead ROM3 I picked up recently had a good battery, although a little harder to tell if it was ever changed because they are just socketed, like the Mac's. I would say 10 years give or take a couple would be average. One more point, I have yet to see a GS's battery eat it's mother, unlike many 386 & 486 Pee Cee's. Mark. (LUKE65816, 31434, GO COM A2) [EOA] [NFW] NINJAFORCE WEBSITE UPDATE """"""""""""""""""""""""" May 29, 2000 Software Updates! Hot and fresh: Asimov, our famous disk image creation program, has undergone a major overhaul and is now capable of handling all Apple II and IIGS image file formats. Also, there have been some bugfixes on the NF Assembler, which now has its own info page. Check it out at: { http://www.ninjaforce.com} -- Jesse Blue / Ninjaforce E-MAIL: { jesseblue@ninjaforce.com} ICQ: 8895643 (JESSEBLUE, 31446, GO COM A2) [EOA] [DTW] DEFENDER OF THE WORLD in 2mg """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Hello, It is my pleasure to announce that Defender Of The World (DOTW) is now available in 2mg format for GS emulators at { http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~ongtw/iigs_software.html} DOTW has been tested to run fine on Sweet 16 running on BeOS (Intel). It should work on Bernie as well. -- personal musings It is an unspeakable joy to re-discover the world of the Apple IIGS through emulation after 4 years! No words can describe how I felt when I saw DOTW running for the very first time on Sweet 16 with the stereo title music blasting at my ears. (and before this, I had to go thru a series of creating new disk images, mounting and unmounting them on BeOS, etc... :P) The IIGS emulator Sweet16 (and I believe Bernie as well :) is truly state of the art! Now I have an emulated IIGS with 3 32MB HDs zipping along at 9 mhz. The next thing to do is to figure out a way to get all my ORCA compilers installed from my old (hopefully still alive) 3.5" disks. Then I can resume my IIGS programming. :) Thanks to Eric Shepherd for such a wonderful IIGS emulator. - dotw - (DOTW, 31453, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" BTW, I'm in the process of moving my home page. The new URLs are: My Personal Home Page { http://myhome.asia1.com/home/d/dotw} My Apple II Page { http://myhome.asia1.com/home/d/dotw/appleii.html} My Apple IIGS Software Page { http://myhome.asia1.com/home/d/dotw/iigs_software.html} The old URL will be defunked by the end of this month. Please update your links accordingly. - dotw - (DOTW, 31502, GO COM A2) [EOA] [CTL] WHERE CAN I GET COPIES OF _The Lamp!_ """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > BTW, where/how can I get copies of the Lamp? Either from the database of the IIScribe Forum for those with premium accounts (GO CUS 11) or back issues (page updated when I have time, which is pretty much never) at: http://lamp.sheppyware.net Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- rsuenaga@apple2.org Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution (RSUENAGA, 31492, GO COM A2) [EOA] [NAW] NEW Apple II WEB SITE """"""""""""""""""""" A new Apple II web site is now open. It's a little lean on content right now, but I expect it to grow fast over the coming weeks and months, and I welcome contributions of articles, reviews, press releases, and suggestions and tidbits that can help other Apple II users. The site is called A2Central.com (an homage, if you will, to A2-Central the newsletter, but not an intentional one -- there's a story about this on the site), and you can visit it at { http://www.a2central.com.} Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31524, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" Sheppy, Great job on the site so far. I was just going to request a review of Ultima I for the GS, I have played III on the NES(I know), IV and V on the ][, but was wondering just how the GS specific version of Ultima I was. I love getting things before I actually ask for them:) I have a IIGS gaming review I'd like to write:) Interested??? Thanks for your continuing Apple II support. Dain Neater (STILLHAVEIT, 31532, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" Email { contribute@a2central.com} and tell me what you'd like to write! :) Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31534, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" I've added a link for A2Central to my UG webpage, Sheppy. Hopefully, it'll help generate, in a some small way, extra traffic there. (One comment tho-- wny not put the A2web on it's own section rather than lump it in with publications?) Later............Howard (HKATZ, 31542, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" Because it's a publication or other online news site. :) BTW: I plan to set up a section to provide information about and contact information for user groups, so if there are any user group reps out there, please email { news@a2central.com} with information about your user group, including meeting schedules and locations, addresses and phone numbers, email and web sites, etc. Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31546, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" Excellent looking site Sheppy! I've set a bookmark. Mark Percival Montreal, Quebec, Canada An Apple II fanatic since 1979 (PERCIM, 31548, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" I've added a new User Group Locator section. Right now there's only one group listed; I hope other user groups will send information about themselves to { news@a2central.com} so I can include them in the list. Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 31549, GO COM A2) [EOA] [CRN] CATALOG OF APPLE REFERENCE NUMBERS? """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Is there available on line anywhere a list of all Apple Reference Numbers for their products (Hardware, Software and Books) Mainly for Apple II Series. for example: 699-0402 is an Apple Colour RGB Monitor 680-5017-C is an Apple II System Disk Version 3.2 etc. Mark. (LUKE65816, 31528, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" About the closest thing I can think of is the Apple Tech Info Library ("TIL" for short) that can be accessed through Apple Computer's web site at this URL: { http://til.info.apple.com:/techinfo.nsf/} Be sure to click on 'TIL Archive' when searching for most Apple II related products. Usually if you enter an Apple part number as your search query it'll help find the product in question and some description/tech info about it. I found an unusual looking cable in my boxes of parts recently, one end is mini-DIN8 and the other DE-9. I simply typed in the part number on the adapter and up came what I was looking for on TIL (it turns out to be a Mac Plus serial adapter, changing the connector type to match ports used by the Mac 128/512/512e). There's still more odd cables in my boxes, but unfortunately they're not made by Apple so I'll have to post about them here later on in hope of a definite answer. ;-) Mitchell Spector { cw308@torfree.net} (SPECTOR1, 31541, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" I had a look there, but it's not exactly what I was looking for. Plenty of useful info though. Mark. (LUKE65816, 31556, GO COM A2) [EOA] [SCU] SILVERN CASTLE UPDATE TO 4.1 """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Name: SCUPD41.BXY (Entertainment Software) Date: 10-JUN-2000 18:41 By: HKATZ Size: 202496 Inside this archive is Silvern Castle Update v4.1. This update only includes replacement files that should be copied into an existing Silvern Castle setup. This update includes an additional multi-level scenario: "Shades of the Past." Complete details can be found in the Tome of Knowledge on-disk documentation. Installation instructions are in the Read.Me.First file. Enjoy! Upload courtesy of Max Jones and Juiced.GS! (TONYW1, 31599, GO COM A2) [EOA] [LCA] THE LOST CLASSICS PROJECT SCORES AGAIN """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Name: BASICHELP.BXY (Productivity Software) Date: 10-JUN-2000 18:42 By: HKATZ Size: 66944 BASIC.Help gives AppleSoft program developers online information about BASIC operations. Some of the information includes AppleSoft errors, ProDOS errors, information on calling machine language, using graphics, logical operations, and more. Now released as Freeware by Gary E. Karcz and InSite Software via The Lost Classics Project. Our Thanks to Gareth Jones for his help with this archive. Please read the Freeware.Notice contained within this archive. ******************************* Name: BASHLPDOCS.BXY (Productivity Software) Date: 10-JUN-2000 18:42 By: HKATZ Size: 32640 This is the documentation file for Basic.Help. BASIC.Help gives AppleSoft program developers online information about BASIC operations. Some of the information includes AppleSoft errors, ProDOS errors, information on calling machine language, using graphics, logical operations, and more. Now released as Freeware by Gary E. Karcz and InSite Software via The Lost Classics Project. Our Thanks to Gareth Jones for his help with this archive. Please read the Freeware.Notice contained within this archive. (TONYW1, 31600, GO COM A2) [EOA] [LCB] THE LOST CLASSICS PROJECT SCORES AGAIN... AND AGAIN """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Name: BGLGRHDS33.BXY (Graphics and Sound) Date: 10-JUN-2000 18:58 By: HKATZ Size: 84352 Beagle Graphics is a graphics utility that lets you use the special feature built into the Apple //e & //c computers to display Double-Hi-Res images. It adds 33 commands for use with graphics manipulation when working with Double Hi-Res images, as well as accessing the 16 color palette. Both the DOS 3.3 and ProDOS versions of this program are covered in this release. This program has now been reclassified as Freeware, and is being released via The Lost Classics Project. Please see the freeware notice included in the program archive. This is the DOS 3.3 version of Beagle Graphics. You must unpack to a blank 5.25" disk. ******************************* Name: BGLGRPHPRDS.BXY (Graphics and Sound) Date: 10-JUN-2000 18:58 By: HKATZ Size: 64256 Beagle Graphics is a graphics utility that lets you use the special feature built into the Apple //e & //c computers to display Double Hi-Res images. It adds 33 commands for use with graphics manipulation when working with Double Hi-Res images, as well as accessing the 16 color palette. Both the DOS 3.3 and ProDOS versions of this program are covered in this release. This program has now been reclassified as Freeware, and is being released via The Lost Classics Project. Please see the freeware notice included in the program archive. This is the ProDOS version of Beagle Graphics. (TONYW1, 31601, GO COM A2) [EOA] [AAM] ADSL AND MARINETTI """""""""""""""""" As long as we're talking about SAM ... I'm due to get ADSL hooked up on Thursday. Is there anything tricky about getting Marinetti to use that instead of a dialup connection. I ask because, of course, I'd like to continue using SAM. -Gareth (GARETH, 31628, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" There's no straight forward way to use xDSL or cable modem with an Apple II. You would need some kind of router (see Geoff Weiss's excellent article in Juiced.GS awhile ago on one solution). I happen to be co-facilitating a session on doing something like this at KFest 2000. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- rsuenaga@apple2.org Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution (RSUENAGA, 31630, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" The cheapest solution would be to get an old 486, give it 4-8 megs of RAM, 1-2 gig hard drive, install Linux on it and use it for routing IP. Total price shouldn't be too much higher than $50. See { www.linuxrouter.org} for more details on this. My article was based on a $2500 router which is probably not worth using for your set up. If nothing else, it was a working proof of concept. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 31632, GO COM A2) <<<<< """"" This is my fault: I forgot to mention that the GS that I want to use with ADSL is running on an iMac with an assist from Bernie. That said, is it possible to get Marinetti to use the ADSL connection? -Gareth (GARETH, 31637, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" > This is my fault: I forgot to mention that the GS that I want to use with > ADSL is running on an iMac with an assist from Bernie. That said, is it > possible to get Marinetti to use the ADSL connection? Yes, exactly the same way you could get a real IIgs to do it. . . you'd need a serial port adapter and a router of some kind. Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W., L.S.W. -- rsuenaga@apple2.org Publisher, _The Lamp!_, published monthly on Delphi Posted by PTMM v2.5 - The integrated information solution (RSUENAGA, 31638, GO COM A2) >>>>> """"" > As long as we're talking about SAM ... I'm due to get ADSL hooked up on > Thursday. Is there anything tricky about getting Marinetti to use that > instead of a dialup connection. I ask because, of course, I'd like to > continue using SAM. Nothing tricky at all. Just connect your GS to the serial port of your Linux box... Carl Knoblock - Telephone Tech - Wed 14 Jun 00 5:33:55 pm cknoblo@home.com - Via Spectrum v2.3 & Crock O' Gold v3.2 Y][Kfest, July 26-30, 2000 - 42 days till Y][Kfest Using Marinetti 2.0.1 - Thank you, Richard. (CKNOBLO, 31643, GO COM A2) [EOA] [GVO] Y][K Fest Registration Info... meet old friends... meet new A2 friends... """"""""""""""""""""""""""" ______ _____ ( ) ( ) ____________________________________________ | | / / ( ____________________________2000____) | | / / | | | |/ / | | II Infinitum!! | / | |______ | |\ \ | _______) __________ ________ ________ | | \ \ | | ( _____) ( ___) (__ __) | | \ \ | | | |__ \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | __) \ \ | | | | \ \ | | | |_____ ___\ \ | | (______) (________) (_______) (__________) (_________) |___| Help usher in the 21st century with the Apple II!! When: July 26-30, 2000 Where: Avila College, Kansas City, Missouri +++ The most important Apple II event of the year, Y ][ KFest (KFest 2000), is on our calendar again, and it's never too early to make sure it has a place on your calendar, too. Better yet, KFest is back with the same great prices as last year! Check out these rates, which include room and meals from Wednesday evening (dinner) on July 26, through Sunday morning (breakfast) on July 30. (Saturday evening dinner not included. That's KFesters' Night Out On The Town!) +++ Early Bird rates (good if you register BEFORE April 15) +++ Double room: $225 Single room: $275 Spouse rate (bring the spouse or son or daughter): $175 Registration only (no dorm room or meals): $175 +++ Regular Attendee rates (if you register AFTER April 15) +++ Double room: $275 Single room: $325 Spouse rate (bring the spouse or son or daughter): $225 Registration only (no dorm room or meals): $225 Those cool KFest "soft-wear" T-shirts will also be available again this year for $15, but ONLY if you order in advance. (See registration form below.) +++ Special Early Arrivals rate +++ Like last year, Y ][ KFest will start early for those who'd like to arrive a little sooner. Avila dorms will be available for occupancy on Tuesday night for a small extra fee. No formal activities will be planned, although the day may include the annual trek to KC Masterpiece Restaurant for some of that world-famous Kansas City barbecue! The rate for early arrivals (Tuesday night dorm room only): Double room: $25 Single room: $33 For attendees planning to arrive at the normal time on Wednesday, check-in will be from 1-4 pm. Check-out will be from 11 am-1 pm on Sunday. Current plans call for formal Y ][ KFest sessions to begin with dinner in the Avila cafeteria on Wednesday evening (time to be announced), followed by the traditional opening event, the Keynote Address. We've got some great plans again for that opening night activity. Stay tuned!! Computer sessions will be conducted on Thursday and Friday. Software and hardware demos are scheduled for Saturday morning, with a vendor fair slated for Saturday afternoon. Reminder: Meals included in the registration price are Wednesday dinner through Sunday breakfast, with the exception of Saturday dinner. On Saturday night, attendees can dine on their own at one of the many fine restaurants near the Avila campus, or join groups of KFesters at Jess & Jim's Steak House or other local favorites. All children under 18 years must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. *** Y ][ KFest this year is again being sponsored by InTrec Software, Inc., makers of ProTERM telecommunications software for the Apple II and Macintosh. If you have questions about Y ][ KFest, or wish to make suggestions, you can find answers via the Internet. Just send an email message to: kfest-help@kfest.org ... or visit the KFest World Wide Web page at: http://www.kfest.org If you're thinking about attending Y ][ KFest, please join the KFest Internet e-mail chat: To subscribe to the KFest Information Mailing List, send email to majordomo@kfest.org. In the BODY of the message, place the following text: subscribe kfest You will receive a confirmation e-mail. In order to be signed up for the list, you will have to respond to this confirmation as the instructions dictate. You will then be able send and read messages on the mailing list. ---[ The Form ]------------[ Cut Here ]----------[ Print Clearly ]--- Y ][ KFest Registration Form View and print this document using 9-point Monaco font (ProTERM default) or any other monospaced font such as Courier, CoPilot or Spectrum. Registering for Y ][ KFest <> By phone: - Call the InTrec sales office: 602/992-5515 - Be prepared to give the information requested in the KFest Registration Form below. <> Fax or email KFest Registration Form using a credit card number: - Complete the form below and send the KFest Registration Form. Email: (NOTE: email is not secure.) Fax: 602/992-0232 <> By postal mail: Credit card, check, Purchase Order or money order: - Print and fill out the KFest Registration Form. - Mail the form with the payment to: InTrec Software, Inc. Attn: KFest Registration 3035 E Topaz Cir Phoenix, Az 85028-4423 Checks and money orders must be on a USA bank and USA compatible funds. Registration Cost Check Applicable ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Early Bird rates (before April 15) Double $225 [ ] Single $275 [ ] Spouse only $175 [ ] Off campus $175 [ ] Regular rates (after April 15 and at the door) Double room $275 [ ] Single room $325 [ ] Spouse only $225 [ ] Conference only $225 [ ] Early Arrival rates Double $25 [ ] Single $33 [ ] T-Shirts $15 ea May we send your registration confirmation via e-mail? [ ]Yes [ ]No If NO, how can we contact you for confirmation?:__________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Roommate preference: _____________________________________________________ Prefer a smoker/non-smoker. Check one: [ ] Smoke [ ] Non-smoke KFest Softwear: Order a memorable collectible Y ][ KFest T-Shirt? $15 ea Quantity: [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Size: SML MED LRG XLRG 2XLRG 3XLRG Today's Date: ________/_________/_________ 1- Registration fee (see above dates & fees) ......... ______________ 2- Registration fee for spouse if applicable ......... ______________ 3- T-Shirts Quantity [ ] @ $15.00 ea) ................ ______________ 4- Sub-total of lines 1-3: ........................... ______________ 5- Arizona residents only add .07% tax: .............. ______________ 6- Total cost (total of lines 4-5): .................. ______________ Discover, Visa, Mastercard or American Express accepted. Checks & money orders must be payable to InTrec Software, and must be in US dollars from a US bank. _______________________________ _____________________________________ First Name Last Name _____________________________________________________________________ Organization (if applicable to Y ][ KFest) _____________________________________________________________________ Shipping Address _____________________________________________________________________ City _______________________________________________ _____________________ State/Province Zip+4 or Postal Code _______/_______________________ _______/_____________________________ Day Phone Eve Phone [____________________________________________________________________ Internet Mail Address [ ] [ / ] Credit Card Number (Mastercard-Visa-Discovery-Amex) Expiration Date _____________________________________________________________________ Name on Card (please print clearly) _____________________________________________________________________ Authorized Signature (If printed, and mailed or faxed.) If you feel that using a credit card number via email may not be secure, consider mailing via postal service, fax, or call voice to give the card number. Sponsored by: InTrec Software, Inc. 3035 E Topaz Circle Phoenix, AZ 85028-4423 Voc:602/992-1345 Fax:602/992-0232 ---[ End of Form ]-----------[ Cut Here ]---------[ Print Clearly ]--- (CINDYADAMS, 27387, GO COM A2) [EOA] [A2P]------------------------------ A2Pro_DUCTIVITY | ----------------------------------- DISTILLATIONS from Delphi A2PRO """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" by Lyle Syverson [PIN] PROGRAMING IDEAS NEEDED """"""""""""""""""""""" Hi, all. I would like to begin to write a program for the IIGS, but need some ideas on how to start (hence the chosen topic). I want to write a wargame, similar to "Panzer General" in a desktop environment. I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to start graphically, though. I'm imagining a scrolling map, which of course would move under the current window, but should I be drawing each individual hex as the window scrolls, (using drawing commands) or would I be better off loading a picture file, and re-drawing it, and then drawing my units on top of it? Any advice would be appreciated. _________ | homas (TCOMPTER, 3044, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" Just to clarify the last message, the "model" for my game would be something like "ForestFire," a game released on SoftDISK GS oh-so-many years ago. It seems to me, (who has only written a few game utilities, etc in the desktop, or toolbox environment) the hardest part is the map -- scrolling it around, selecting units, moving units, etc. The game mechanics seem pretty straightforward. So can any of the experienced programmers out there give me a hint on how they would approach the map problem? Is there a certain section of the manuals (I have most of them) or any of Mike Westerfield's courses (I have most of them) that I could look in for ideas? Thanks again for any tips. __________ | homas (TCOMPTER, 3045, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" How fast do you want the scrolling to be? You can't do real-time x-y scrolling using the toolbox on a stock GS. I'm sure Nathan Mates has written a few messages on Delphi that mentions some of the theory to best do scrolling (and computer gaming in general). I would look over those. I would think you just have square tiles for each object. Since you are working on a hex grid, you would need two tile types for each graphic. One type would be where the hexagon is flat on top and the other is where the hexagon is pointy on top. This way, you can smoothly scroll sections of the window and only draw what needs to be drawn after a scroll. Without knowing anything else (size of spaces, the frequency of a graphic in a space, etc.), this is probably the best option. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 3046, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" > the hardest part is the map -- scrolling it around, selecting units... First thing I would try is to just draw everything and let QuickDraw clip it, then see if that is fast enough. Steve Reeves (REEVESST, 3047, GO COM A2P) <<<<< """"" Although, if you force scrolling to stay on a one-tile-size limit (ie, no scrolling parts of tiles into view), you can compute which tiles will be visible in a given view quite easily, and only draw those each frame of scrolling. Eric (Sheppy) Shepherd sheppy@sheppyware.net http://www.sheppyware.net (SHEPPY, 3048, GO COM A2P) [EOA] [PSP] PROGRAMMING THE SERIAL PORT """"""""""""""""""""""""""" What is the easiest way to input and output via the serial port from ORCA/M, ORCA/C or ORCA Basic? I have numerous external devices that I'd like to write programs for on my IIgs. These include PIC programmers, a weather station, a VLF WWVB clock and a NMEA compatible GPS receiver. All these devices come with PC software, but I want to write some IIgs compatible software under one of the ORCA languages. It seems that not many people use the serial port on the IIgs for anything other than a printer and modem (I hope I'm wrong!) What is the best way to get input and output via one of the serial ports? Do any drivers exist along the lines of the '.PRINTER' driver that comes with ORCA? Are there any programming examples available? Under GSOS can I use the GS serial port firmware? Is the buffering interrupts supported under GSOS? Really, all I need is a way to configure the port (baud, parity, etc.) and send and receive characters (including binary). The maximum baud rate I'm looking at here is probably 9600. What's the best way for me to proceed without "reinventing the wheel"? Tnx, Bob (BOBAF6C, 3022, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" > What is the easiest way to input and output via the serial port... I think the easiest language to use is Spectrum scripting. It has a very large set of commands to take advantage of the data coming from the serial port and to get data to the serial port. Geoff (SISGEOFF, 3024, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" If you have any sort of Unix background, GNO handles the GS serial ports in standard Unix fashion. Steve Reeves (REEVESST, 3025, GO COM A2P) <<<<< """"" Thanks for these inputs. I own, and have used Spectrum and am somewhat familiar with GNO, though I've not used it. Unfortunately, neither of these solutions will help me write a stand alone GS/OS based program that communicates with the serial port for standard RS-232 (RS-422) interfaced devices. I'm looking for a driver similar to the "PRINTER" driver that comes with ORCA, but allows input and output thru the serial port. I figured other people must be adding external goodies to their IIgs computers via the serial port, and that a serial port driver must already exist that would run under ORCA (or even Merlin Pro). I guess I'm wrong. The Apple IIe, and even more-so the Apple IIgs, is a good platform for things like PIC programmers, GPS measurements, realtime WWVB clocks, etc. It has all the speed needed for these applications. There are numerous programs available for our PeeCee buddies that handle the serial port and run these devices. I guess I could get an old PeeCee, but I'd rather use the Apple II. Bob (BOBAF6C, 3034, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" > I figured other people must be adding external goodies to their IIgs > computers via the serial port, and that a serial port driver must > already exist that would run under ORCA (or even Merlin Pro). There might be a few pieces of source code out there that you could use but I can't think of any "be all and end all" source file that would get regularly recommended. I believe most people just end up writing their own using information available in the hardware and firmware references, tech notes and other programming books and magazines. I remember when I first got a modem and didn't have any communications software, I tried to write a communications program from scratch and got a lot of good information from A2-Central (aka Open-Apple). However, I was using some firmware routines that were really slow and I never finished my program as I got better programs shortly after that. I just remembered that there is a program called NibbleTerm in Nibble magazine that was a communications program. The source from that might help you too if you happen to have that magazine. Sorry I couldn't give more direct help but if you do start working on your own routines or try to convert someone else's source and run into problems, don't hesitate to ask for help. Jeff Blakeney Dean of the Apple II University in the A2Pro forum (JBLAKENEY, 3036, GO COM A2P) <<<<< """"" Jeff, Thanks for your input. I have a pretty extensive collection of Open-Apple. I'll look through there some more. Somewhere I also have a stack of Nibble Magazines. I haven't tried them yet; most of those programs were written in BASIC with assembly routines when needed. I'll look for "NibbleTerm". Was this a IIgs native program or for the earlier eight-bit machines Some years back I wrote a bare-bones serial card driver for the //e. It was interrupt driven with a 256 byte buffer. It worked just fine at 4800 baud. I never tried it any faster. However, it was ProDOS based. I guess a good start would be for me to modify that program to work with the 8530 SCC chip and expand from there. I also found Apple IIgs Tech note # 18 that gives some good information. I guess the question is whether the firmware can handle 9600 bps communications, or should a program that goes directly to the serial chip be written. I assume that's how the "big-boys" do it. Tnx, Bob (BOBAF6C, 3037, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" > I haven't tried them yet; most of those programs were written in BASIC > with assembly routines when needed. I'll look for "NibbleTerm". Was this > a IIgs native program or for the earlier eight-bit machines NibbleTerm was an 8 bit program that used both Applesoft and assembly code. I'm pretty sure it had support for the IIgs serial ports as well as the Super Serial Card. > Some years back I wrote a bare-bones serial card driver for the //e. It > was interrupt driven with a 256 byte buffer. It worked just fine at 4800 > baud. I never tried it any faster. However, it was ProDOS based. I guess > a good start would be for me to modify that program to work with the > 8530 SCC chip and expand from there. That sounds like a plan. Especially as it is you own code. You'll be a little more familiar with the programming style so it won't take as long to figure out what the program is doing. :-) > I guess the question is whether the firmware can handle 9600 bps > communications, or should a program that goes directly to the serial > chip be written. I assume that's how the "big-boys" do it. I'm pretty sure the firmware routines can handle data at 19,200 bps but probably not at a sustained rate. If you are just sending or receiving small bursts or a steady stream of data with an overall rate less than 19,200 bps you would probably be okay. However, I do believe most serious communications software goes directly to the hardware. If you aren't worried about distributing this program to others then you might not have to worry about supporting other interfaces besides the IIgs serial ports. Anyways, it sounds like you have some information and a direction so I'll leave you to it. Have fun. Jeff Blakeney Dean of the Apple II University in the A2Pro forum (JBLAKENEY, 3039, GO COM A2P) <<<<< """"" Re: Programming the Serial Port under GSOS and ORCA (I just typed in a long reply, but when I went to post it the net was acting up and all was lost. This time I'm typing it off-line and trying cut and paste!) Over the weekend I got some time to do some reading and playing with ORCA and the serial port. There was some success but one problem remains. Perhaps someone could shed some light on the cause. Under GSOS the system creates generic drivers when regular drivers don't exist. The generic drivers created for the two serial ports are .DEV2 and .DEV3 for the modem and printer ports respectively. In the past I've never been able to do anything with these drivers. However, the other day I tried TYPIng a test file and using redirection to .DEV3 to see what happens under the ORCA shell: TYPE filename > .DEV3 ...resulted in the printer (an old Imagewriter II) producing output. It was all on one line, but after adding the proper serial port firmware command (Cntl-I LE, I believe) the printer responded correctly. With that success, I tried sending and receiving to a serial device using the modem port. The serial device I was using is a Motorola Oncore 12 GPS evaluation board. In NMEA mode it runs at 4800 bps and receives and sends text strings terminated with a CR and LF. Once sent the proper command the board will send out a line of about 63 - 67 text characters once per second. I wrote a short program in ORCA/C that opens .DEV2 for writing, resets the serial port by sending Cntl-A R, and sends the proper command out the serial port. The second part of the program reopens .DEV2 for reading and reads and numbers 20 lines of data from the GPS, printing each line to the screen. I ran the first part of the program and could see I was sending data to the GPS receiver, though it was not responding. Evidently ORCA/C converts the newline character from a LF to a CR so two CRs were being sent. The GPS won't respond until it receives the CRLF combination. After checking the ORCA/C documentation I found that the port must be opened for "wb" write binary, to preserve the newline (LF) character. When this was done I was able to send commands to the GPS and it would respond properly! Next, I tried the second part of the program. On the first attempt it seemed to freeze the computer (I'm very impatient!) After checking my program and finding all in order I tried it again and waited. The GPS was currently to output once every 5 seconds. After about a minute and 20 seconds the first fifteen lines showed up on the screen, all at once! After another similar period of time the remaining 5 lines showed up and the program terminated normally. The data received was intact and looked good. I was getting input, but for some reason it was being buffered and not available to the program until approximately 1K of data was received. My program reads the data using the fgets() function. I also tried the fgetc() function, collecting the characters into a string with the same results. I turned off buffering in the control panel, and the only change was that I started to lose characters between the two blocks of input. Does anyone have any idea what is buffering the stream of data? Is it a function of ORCA/C or the .DEV2 driver. Any suggestions would be appreciated. If I can get this figured out, the serial port should be usable for things like PIC programmers, GPS, etc. without having to write a serial driver. (more to come, I hope) Cheers, Bob (BOBAF6C, 3050, GO COM A2P) >>>>> """"" ORCA/C's stdio library routines use a 1024-byte buffer by default. Call setvbuf() to change this. Steve Reeves (REEVESST, 3051, GO COM A2P) <<<<< """"" I guess I missed this. Thanks, I'll give this a try. Bob (BOBAF6C, 3052, GO COM A2P) [EOA] [INN]------------------------------ EXTRA INNINGS | ----------------------------------- About The Lamp! The Lamp! is published on the fifteenth of every month in """"""""""""""" the Database of the II Scribe Forum on the Delphi online service (GO CUS 11). This publication produced entirely with real or emulated Apple II computers using Appleworks 5.1 and Hermes. Apple II Forever! * The Lamp! is (c) copyright 2000 by Ryan M. Suenaga, M.S.W. All rights reserved. * To reach The Lamp! on Internet email send mail to thelamp@sheppyware.net * Back issues of The Lamp! are available in the II Scribe Forum on Delphi as well as The Lamp! Home Page, http://lamp.sheppyware.net. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Inc., Ryan M. Suenaga, or Lyle Syverson. Forum messages are reprinted verbatim and are included in this publication with permission from the individual authors. Delphi Online Services, Syndicomm, Inc., Ryan M. Suenaga, and Lyle Syverson do not guarantee the accuracy or suitability of any information included herein. We reserve the right to edit all letters and copy. Material published in this edition may not be reprinted without the expressed written consent of the publisher. Registered computer user groups, not for profit publications , and other interested parties may write the publisher to apply for permission to reprint any or all material. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< [EOF]