Byte Magazine Volume 09 Number 07 - Computers and Video

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Announcing a small imp

Itsl2"xll^"x2^'

It weighs less than 8 pounds*

And costs less than $1,300.**

Yet with 128K, the new Apple® lie Personal Computer is a lot bigger than it looks.

The He has ajull-size ke\ 'hoard

Because it's inherited all the talents of the eminently talented Apple He:

The versatility to run over 10,000 different software programs.

The ironclad reliability of the first tnieVLSI motherboard.

And the artistic ability of 16 high-resolution colors.

The He also has some talents of its very own

For instance, a

switchable 80/40

character display.

n .. , V, - Thin, mi t it?men with mbuiU-m

Switchable <M drive.

QWERTY/Dvorak keyboard.

A built-in half-high 143K singlesided disk drive.

Built-in serial ports for modems, printers and an extra half-high drive.

Even built-in 25^=:;- mousetronics so it's ready to use a mouse and all the new Apple II mouseware.

And our newest brainchild is certainly not an orphan.

You can grow it with a whole family of Apple II accessories and peripherals.

*^l

rovement on the Apple He

Including the new Apple Scribe—Apples first Hill-color print-on-anything printer for under $300, it can handle anything from business graphics to term papers.

The lie's father, of course, is the granddaddy of the whole personal computer industry the Apple He. Which, lest we forget, has quite a few improvements of its own this year.

The He can now use our ProFile™ hard disk— so it can store about 2400

pages of anything you'd like to remember.

Aid the Apple He is still the most expandable personal computer there is.

Jiuiiiiiiii ii'iiiiiMiiiiiiiiimini jmmiiiiL

—»•—.•-—••■

Built-in ports for making allthe'right connections.

You can increase its RAM to an elephantine 512K Add a Z-80 card to run CP/M™

In fact, you can grow it with enough cards and peripherals to run just about any family business. Like Saudi Arabia.

So you see, the only question is whether you need an expandable Applell.Asinlle.

Or a compact Apple II. As in lie.

Just visit your friendly authorized Apple dealer.

And tell them what size improvement you'd like.

means is llxit the lieCM atone weigl.is7.5 pounds. The powerpuck, monitor, an extra disk drive, a printer andseveralbricks will make the lie neigh more, Ourlowers um concernedthatyou might notbe able tojigure this one imtji^mnself** The ITCAs concerned tiboiit price Jiwig. Si> this^ \bu can fun' more ifyim really want to. Or less. © 198-t Apple Computer, Inc. .typle. tbeApple logo and/Wile tire trademarks of Apple Computer. Inc. CJ'jM iui trademark of Digital Research Inc. Rrran authorized Apple dealer nearest wit. call (800) 538-9696. In Canada, call (800) 268-7796 or (800) 268-7637.

" Don'I asterisks make)im suspicious as all get Out? Well, all llyis one make the lie neigh more. Our laiyers uvre concerned that you might not be

3LUME 9. NUMBER 7. 1984

CONTENTS

FEATURES

Introduction 119

Symphony: A Full-Orchestra Version of Lotus 1-2-3

by Rik ]admicek 121

Word processing and communications add to the power of this integrated program.

Ciarcias Circuit Cellar: A Musical Telephone Bell

by Steve Garcia 125

Steve's latest project can help you personalize the sound of your telephone and, in the process, learn about the telephone system.

The West Coast Faire by lerry Pournelle 136

The lord of the manor visits his favorite computer show.

An Ada Language Primer, Part 2: Tool Building in Ada

by Sabina H. Saib 139

The primer concludes with an exploration of more advanced programming techniques and a look at Janus Ada for microcomputers.

Kermit A File-Transfer Protocol for Universities. Part 2: States and Transitions. Heuristic Rules, and Examples

by Frank da Cruz and Bill Catchings 143

This method works on both microcomputers and mainframes.

THEME: VIDEO

Introduction 149

Electronic Encyclopedias by Peter R. Cook 151

Interactive video technologies help explore "the realm of worthwhile knowledge."

Televisions as Monitors by Ken Coach 171

There's a new generation of TV receivers that double as computer displays.

Computer Control of a Video Recorder by Cy Ttymony.. 179

You can extend the capabilities of your VCR with any sound-generating computer.

Videodiscs and Computers by Stan }arvis 187

Hardware, formats, and interfacing are discussed.

Controlling Videodiscs with Micros

by Rod Daynes and Steve Holder 207

Tips on getting started and a generic BASIC program for the Sony SMC-70 are presented.

REVIEWS

Reviewers Notebook 233

The Sage II and Sage IV Computers by Allen Munro... .235

Driven by the 32-/16-bit MC68000 chip, the Sage computers display the power of the p-System.

The Compaq Plus by Mark Dahmke 247

A key feature of this transportable computer is its shock-mounted. 10-megabyte fixed disk.

Xenix for the IBM PC XT

by Steven H. Barry and Randall ]acobson 255

Sritek offers a 68000-based multiuser system.

BITE

301

Turbo Pascal by Tom Wadlow 267

Borland International's new Pascal compiler is available in CP/M and PC-DOS versions.

Lisp for the Ibm Personal Computer

by Jordan Bortz and ]ohn Diamant 281

Integral Quality's IQLISP is compared with muLISP from The Soft Warehouse.

The Smith-Corona L-1000 Printer

by Richard S. Shuford 293

This daisy-wheel unit is appropriate for light-duty word processing or high-quality program listings.

Review Feedback

Readers react to previous reviews.

KERNEL

Introduction 303

Computing at Chaos Manor: The AT&T Computers

by ]erry Pournelle 305

The good doctor applauds the 3B2/300 and goes on to critique a plethora of products.

Chaos Manor Mail 328

Jerry's readers write, and he replies.

BYTE West Coast Trends in Telecommunications

by John Markoff 341

On-line search software and faster modems help personal computer users access specialized information on large databases.

BYTE Japan: Start-Up by William Raike. 361

BYTE's Tokyo correspondent reports on Seiko's wrist computer, the Akihabara district, and other news from across the Pacific.

Mathematical Recreations: Invariance

by Michael W. Ecker 365

Several number tricks are based on this principle

EDITORIAL: PATRONIZING THE NAIVE USER 6

MICROBYTES . . 9

Letters 14

Update 33

Whats New 44, 410

Ask BYTE 54

Clubs and Newsletters 69

Book Reviews 73

Event Queue 94

BYTE's Bugs 112

BYTE's Bits. 114

Books Received 406

Unclassified Ads 461

BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box, BOMB Results 462

Reader Service 463

sar\£

SMI yiBSumSdCA

I

247

JULY 1984 'BYTE 3

^^^B—

Circle 223 on inquiry card.

IBM® CO HP A TIBL £

ZENITH

DESKTOP PC 150 PORTABLE PC-160

• V

A

C, ON-SITE

SERVICE

X SET-UP

ASSISTANCE

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COLUMBIA BEHCHHRRK M1DEK+ ZENITH HHYES HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS OKI* GEMINI* NEOTTX DHTRSOUTH* BROTHER SILUER REED ♦ DTC

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SYSTEM INTEGRATION

SOFTUJRRE SUPPORT

SET-UP ASSISTANCE

MODEM TEST LINE

PPLE®

KOALA ORRNGE+TITAN QUODAAM TECMAA

i42*7BB4

3ATURDHY

11 Wast Grant Road Tucson, Arizona B5705

BYTE • JULY I984

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PUBLISHER

Philip Lemmons Gene w Simpson

managing editor associate publisher/production director

Gene Smarte ,ohn e HAyES

CONSULTING EDITORS PUBLISHER S ASSISTANT

STEVE ClARCIA DoR,s R Gamble

JERRY POURNELLE

SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITORS ADVERTISINg'sa'lES

RICHARD MALLOY. tev,»S , pETER HuEST fc

G. Michael Vose, Features c..,™. r„ ,j ■ ■ , ,• . •.

rnr-~~ «n „ Sandra Foster, Administrative Assistant

UREGG WILLIAMS

TECHNICAL EDITORS ADVERTING

THOMAS R. CLUNE DEBORAH P0RTER' Su""Vii0'

GLENN HARTWIC MARION CARLSON

RICHARD KRAIEWSK1 ,EANNE C|LLEY

Arthur A. Little Cathy A' r- Drew

Bruce Roberts Rob Mannings

Ken Sheldon 'eanna Reenstierna

Richard S. Shuford Lisa Wozmak

Iane Morrill Tazelaar Wai Chiu Li- Quality Control Manager

Stanley Wszola Linda I. Sweeney Advertising/Production Coordinator

Margaret Cook Gurney. Associate Julie Nelson

Alan Easton, Drafting

WEST COAST EDITORS CIRCULATION

Ezra Shapiro. Bureau Chief. San Francisco Gregory Spitzfaden, Director

Iohn Markoff. Senior Technical Editor. Palo Alto Andrew Jackson, Subscriptions Manager

Donna Osgood, Associate Editor. San Francisco Barbara Varnum, Assistant Manager

managing editor. user news phil dechert

George Bond Mary Emerson

USER NEWS EDITORS LOUISE MENEGUS

Anthony |. Lockwood, What's New Acnes E. Perry

Mark Welch, Microbytes Jennifer Price

Jane Varnum

contributing EDITORS ,AMES Bingham. Sin^-Cops Sales Manager

Dennis Allison, at large L|NDA ^RKE^ Miistant Mamger

Mark Dahmke, video, operating systems Carol Aho

Michael Ecker, mathematical recreations Claudette Carswell

Rik Jadrnicek. CAD. graphics, spreadsheets Edson Ware Mark Klein, communications

WILLIAM RAIKE. ]aPan "^fj "^^ ^Tu ,

Perry Sa.dman. computers and law °OUG WeBSTER' Dir<?r °> p««tt ^^

Robert Sterne, computers and law ViCKl Reynolds^ M^t,na Associate

Bruce Webster, software Nancy Giacalone. Assiste«t

Richard Willis at large Stephanie Warnesky, Graphic Arts Supervisor

Sharon Price, Graphic Arts Designer

copy editors Michele P. Verville, Research Manager

Elizabeth R, Cooper, Chief Patricia Akerley, Market Research Analyst

Dennis Barker Cynthia Damato, Reader Service Coordinator

Anne L. Fischer

Nancy Hayes accounting

Paula Noonan Daniel Rodrigues, Business Manager/Controller

Joan V. Roy Kenneth A. King, Assistant Controller

Bud Sadler Mary E, Fluhr, Accounting & D/P Manager

Warren Williamson Karen Burgess

Patricia Burke

assistants lyda clark

Pecgy Dunham Diane Henry

Martha Hicks Vern Rockwell

Faith Kluntz Linda Short

Beverly Jackson IoAnn Walter

Lisa Jo Steiner vicki Weston

art director traffic

Rosslyn A. Frick N. Scott Gagnon, Manner

Anthony Bennett

production Brian Higgins

David R. Anderson, Associate Director

Virginia Reardon. Production Manager RECEPTIONISTS

Michael ). Lonsky l. Ryan McCombs

Jan Muller Julie Ferry

Sherry McCarthy, Chief Typographer

Nan Fornal personnel/office manager

Len Lorette Cheryl A. Hurd Valerie Page Donna Sweeney

Editorial and Business Office: 70 Main Street. Peterborough. New Hampshire 03458. (603) 924-9281

West Coast Offices: McGraw-Hill. 425 Battery St.. San Francisco. CA 94111. (415) 362-4600. McGraw-Hill. 1000 Elwell Court. Palo Alto, CA 94303, (415) 964-0624,

h r '„a Officers of McGraw-Hill Publications Company; President: [ohn G. Wrede. Executive Vice Presidents: Paul F. McPherson, Operations: Walter

fc^i-Hr D Serwatka. Finance & Services. Senior Vice President-Editorial: Ralph R. Schulz. Senior Vice President Publishers: Harry L. Brown, David

I Hill '' McGratn' ,ames R- Pierce' Gene w Simpson, John E. Slater Vice President Publishers: Charlton H, Caihoun 111, Richard H. Larsen. |ohn W. Patten. Vice Presidents: Kemp Anderson, Business Systems Development; Shel F. Asen, Manufacturing: John A. Bunyan, Electronic Information

Services: George R. Elsinger, Circulation; Michael K. Hehir. Controller; Eric B. Herr, Planning and Development: H. Iohn Sweger. |r„ Marketing, Virginia

L. Williamson. Business Development. Officers of the Corporation: Harold W. McGraw, [r.. Chairman; loseph L. Dionne, President and Chief Executive Officer; Robert N. Landes. Senior Vice

President and Secretary: Ralph I Webb, Treasurer.

BYTE is published monthly by McGraw-Hill Inc. Founder: lames H. McGraw (1860-1948). Executive, editorial, circulation, and advertising offices: 70 Main St., Peterborough, NH 034 58, phone (603) 924-9281. Office hours; Mon-Thur 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM, Friday 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM, Eastern Time. Address subscriptions to BYTE Subscriptions. POB 590, Martinsville, N| 08836. Postmaster; send address changes. USPS Form 3 579. undeliverable copies, and fulfillment questions to BYTE Subscriptions. POB 596. Martinsville, N| 08836 Second-class postage paid at Peterborough. NH 03458 and additional mailing offices. USPS Publication No 528890 (ISSN 0360-5280). Postage paid at Winnipeg, Manitoba. Registration number 9321. Subscriptions are S21 for one year, S38 for two years, and S55 for three years in the USA and its possessions. In Canada and Mexico, S23 for one year. S42 for two years, S61 for three years. S69 for one year air delivery to Europe. 17.100 yen for one year surface delivery to lapan. S37 surface delivery elsewhere. Air delivery to selected areas at additional rates upon request. Single copy price is S3.50 in the USA and its possessions. S4.2 5 in Canada and Mexico. S4.50in Europe, and S5 elsewhere. Foreign subscriptions and sales should be remitted in United States funds drawn on a U.S. bank. Please allow six to eight weeks for delivery of first issue. Printed in the United States of America.

Address all editorial correspondence to the Editor. BYTE. POB 372. Hancock, NH 03449. Unacceptable manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by sufficient first-class postage. Not responsible for lost manuscripts or photos. Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of BYTE. Copyright © 1984 by McGraw-Hill Inc. All rights reserved. Trademark registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Where necessary, permission is granted by the copyright owner for libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC] to photocopy any article herein for the flat fee of SI.50 per copy of the article or any part thereof. Correspondence and payment should be sent directly to the CCC, 29 Congress St.. Salem. MA 01970. Specify ISSN 0360-5280/83. SI.50. Copying done for other than personal or internal reference use without the permission j^^. of McGraw-Hill Inc. is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the publisher. BYTE is available aflTUTft in microform from University Microfilms International, 300 North Zeeb Rd.. Dept. PR. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 or 18 Bedford Row, Dept. PR. yS^ff London WC1R 4EJ England. Subscription questions or problems should be addressed to: BYTE Subscriber Service, POB 328, Hancock, NH 03449

68000-based systems.

xfm

68000-based systems to fit your

Right from the pages of our catalog, we can deliver 68000-based supermicro systems to match virtually any application. ■ Including yours.

Here's how. Built on the IEEE-696(S-100) bus, Cromemco systems offer up to 21 board slots. And a family of 35 boards — CPU, memory and specialized I/O—to fill the slots any way ■ you choose. At the heart of each system is our 68000/Z-80 dual processor. Backed by as much as 16 Mb of error-correcting RAM. Full multi-tasking capability, to handle up to 16 terminals.

And that's just the beginning You can select single or dual floppies, 514" or 81' A 21 Mb 51/4" Winchester hard disk. And a ninetrack tape drive.

We can accommodate your taste for the exotic, too. With boards like our SMD interface that supports up to 1200 Mb of disk storage. An NTSC standard color graphics interface. A TV camera digitizer. A/D and D/A converters. An IEEE-488 bus interface. Communications. And more.

Then, if you're designing a distributed processing system, you'll want to take a look at our C-10 personal computer. The Z-80-based C-10 n serve our 68000-based systems

i powerful intelligent workstation in a distributed processing mode. Or as an independent personal computer with its own floppy storage.

and

'ons software.

That brings us to software. It starts with CROMEXfour UNIX"-like operating system that you're free to tailor to your application.

CROMIX can execute both 68000- and Z-80-based programs. So right along with your 68000-based packages, your system will accommodate a wide selection of CP/M® software written for the Z-80.

And our high-level language support is second to none. From a 68000 Macro Assembler. To 68000 FORTRAN 77, PASCAL, GSA-certified high-level COBOL, C and BASIC.

means business.

You see, when we say, "Just tell us what you need" we're not kidding.

You won't find another family of 68000-based microcomputers that can fit your needs as exactly as ours.

So if you're in the business of providing specialized computing solutions, you really should be doing business with Cromemco.

For a copy of our Systems Catalog, contact: Cromemco, Inc., 280 Bernardo Avenue, P.O. Box 74( Mountain View, CA 94039. (415)964-7400.

In Europe: Cromemco/GmbH, 6236Eschborne 1, Frankfurter Str. 33-35,

P.O. 5267, Frankfurt Main, Germany or Cromemco Ltd., The Cambridge House,

178-182 Upper Richmond Rd., Putney, London SW15 England.

Cromemco

•Cromemco and CROMIX are registered trademarks of Cromemco, Inc.w UNIX is a trademark of Bel! Laboratories. *CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research- ©1983, Cromemco, Inc.

Circle 93 on inquiry card.

EDITORIAL

Patronizing the Naive User

There is a lot of talk now about the naive user, what the naive user doesn't want, and the hazards from which the naive user must be protected. Unfortunately, some of the steps that computer companies take on behalf of the naive user show a misunderstanding of what "naive" means in this context.

Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: G. & C. Merriam Company, 1981) defines "naive" as follows: "I:

marked by unaffected simplicity: ARTLESS, INGENUOUS 2a: deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment: esp: CREDULOUS b: not previously subjected to experimentation or a particular experimental situation."

First-time users of computers are naive only in the last sense—they haven't been "subjected to" computers before. Yet many companies treat these new users as if they are simple-minded and deficient in judgment. In effect, such companies produce products that condescend to the people who buy them.

Writing For BYTE

BYTE continues to solicit and publish articles and reviews that keep you informed about what's new and important in microprocessor-based technology, and many of our articles are still written by you. the people directly involved with the field we report on. Details on querying us about article, productreview, and book-review ideas are listed below. We also welcome submissions (typed and double-spaced, pleasel to our Letters to the Editor column. Please contact us. via the appropriate department at: BYTE

POB 372 Hancock. NH 03449

(603) 924-9281

You may also want to call or write us (send a stamped, self-addressed business envelope) for our current author guidelines.

Articles

Because our editorial needs are very specific and subject to change, we prefer receiving query letters instead of completed articles. A query letter should contain one or two pages explaining the subject to be covered, its importance to the BYTE reader, and the focus of the proposed article; it should also contain a one- or two-page outline and a tentative first two pages of the proposed article. Query letters should be addressed to the features editor.

If you send us a completed article, we need double-spaced printed versions of the main text (up to 25 numbered pages) and all listings, figures, and tables: please label all items and place all captions on a separate page. Photos should be 35 mm (or larger) transparencies or 5- by 7-inch (or larger) prints. If possible, we would also like to receive magnetic copies of the text, listings, and tables on Apple DOS, IBM PC, Kaypro, or 8-inch CP/M disks; we will pay an additional S20 for this. The files should be standard ASCII text files and should not contain any nonprintable characters; we prefer files that use carriage returns only at the end of each paragraph. You should also include a stamped, selfaddressed return envelope of the appropriate size. Address these to the features editor.

Product Reviews

We frequently need good product reviewers and sometimes accept unsolicited reviews. BYTE product reviews must be fair, accurate, and comprehensive. Reviewers must have considerable experience in the microcomputer field. Writing experience is preferred but not required, and reviewers must have no financial connection to the company whose products are being reviewed. If you are interested in becoming a BYTE reviewer, send a letter to our product-review editor stating what computer products you own. what products you are interested in, and what writing experience you have.

Book Reviews

BYTE is always looking for qualified book reviewers. Submit queries and proposals accompanied by a resume, writing samples, or a list of computer-related interests and expertise to the book-review editor. Unsolicited book reviews also will be considered.

We pay competitive rates for articles and reviews and offer you the chance to share your expertise with hundreds of thousands of BYTE readers. Your comments and submissions are always welcome.

Apple's Macintosh is the best example of such a product. Macintosh will be nothing less than wonderful when it has two drives and more memory. It is without doubt the friendliest of today's computers. But it would be more friendly if it were less condescending.

Consider Macintosh's Reset button. Calling it a "programmer's switch" and hiding it inside the machine suggests that the naive user lacks sense enough to restart an appliance when all else fails. A recessed Reset button would have done the job nicely.

Macintosh's disk drive is more approachable than the Reset switch but is equally patronizing. Although the user can insert a disk whenever the drive is empty, the story changes once the disk is inside. The computer forces users— for their own good, of course—to pass a three-stage qualifying examination before the machine permits removal of a disk. First a user must select the icon of the disk, then select the File menu, and then select Eject. Only then does Macintosh consider returning the disk. The ensuing 10-second delay makes the user a humble petitioner before a mysterious and powerful computer. The whole process is especially annoying when the user has made the very human error of inserting the wrong disk in the first place.

Macintosh doesn't trust its users with a programming language, either. The absence of a built-in language gives users no means to attempt more direct control of the computer. Rather than inviting naive users to explore, this makes them think hard about paying extra to try something Apple Computer apparently believes they can't handle.

It's strange, in a way, to criticize Apple for going too far in the cause of friendliness. Most companies don't go far enough. This is a gentle reminder that truly friendly computers, like friendly humans, give their human friends credit for some intelligence.

—Phil lemmons, Editor in Chief

6 B YTE • IULY 1984

Wordstar Wordprocessing and SuperCak 3 Integrated Spreadsheet now included Free with all Seequa computers.

SEEQUA

SHOWS YOU HOW TO

GET AN

IBM PC

FOR JUST

8

%\i

IUU

BUY A CHAMELEON BY SEEQUA.

The Chameleon by Seequa does everything an IBM PC does. For about $2000 less than an IBM.

The Chameleon lets you run popular IBM software like Lotus® 1-2-3 ™ and dBase II.® It has a full 83 key keyboard just like an IBM. A disk drive like the IBM. And a bright 80 X 25 character screen just like an IBM.

But it's not just the Chameleon's similarities to the IBM that should interest you. Its advantages should, too. The Chameleon also has

The Chameleon by

SEEQUA

an 8 bit microprocessor that lets you run" any of the thousands of CP/M-8 programs available. It comes complete with two of the best programs around, Perfect Writer™ and Perfect Calc.™ It's portable. And you can plug it in and start computing the moment you unwrap it. So if you've been interested in an IBM personal computer, now you know where you can get one for $1995. Wherever they sell Chameleons.

COMPUTER

CORPORATION

8305 Telegraph Road Odenton, MD 21113

Chameleon shown with optional second disk drive.

To learn more about Seequa or for the location of the Seequa dealer

nearest you, call (800) 638-6066 or (301) 672-3600.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

Circle 276 on inquiry card.

)ULY 1984 -BYTE 7

Circuit-Board-Design Without the Tedium

smARTWORK™ lets the design

engineer create and revise

printed-circuit-board artwork

on the IBM Personal Computer.

Forget tape. Forget ruling. Forget waiting for a technician, draftsman, or the CAD department to get to your project. smARTWORK™ software turns your IBM Personal Computer into a professional, high-quality drafting tool. It gives you complete control over your circuit-board artwork —from start to finish.

smARTWORK™ is the only lowcost printed-circuit-board artwork editor with all these important advantages:

□ Complete interactive control over placement and routing

□ Quick correction and revision

□ Production-quality 2X artwork from pen-and-ink plotter

□ Prototype-quality 2X artwork from dot-matrix printer

□ Easy to learn and operate, yet capable of sophisticated layouts

□ Single-sided and doublesided printed-circuit boards up to 10 x 16 inches

□ Multicolor or black-andwhite display

□ 32 user selectable color combinations; coincident

points can be displayed w in contrasting colors.

□ Can use optional Microsoft Mouse as pointing device

smARTWORK™ transforms your IBM PC Into a CAD system for prlnted-clrcult-board artwork. Display modes Include both single-layer black and white and dual-layer color.

What makes smARTWORK™ so smart is that it understands electrical connections. Conductor spacing is always correct, lines don't become too narrow, and connecting lines do not intersect other conductors. smARTWORK™ can automatically find and draw the shortest route between two conductors. Or you can specify the route.

Twice scale hardcopy of your artwork is produced using the Epson dot-matrix printers or the Houston Instrument DMP-41 penand-ink plotter. Quick 1X check plot is also available from Epson printers.

Dual-layer color display of a 2" by 4" section of a 10" by 16" circuit board

The Smart Buy

At $895, smARTWORK™ is an exceptional value, particularly when compared to conventional engineering workstation costs.

Call or write us for more information on smARTWORK™ We'll be glad to tell you how smARTWORK™ helps us design our own circuit boards and what it can do for your business.

Send a purchase order, or major credit card number, and smARTWORK™ can be working for you next week.

System Requirements

□ IBM PC or XT with 192K RAM, 2 disk drives and DOS Version 2.0

D IBM Color/Graphics Adapter with RGB color or b&w monitor

D Epson MX-80/MX-100 or FX-80/ FX-100 dot-matrix printer

□ Houston Instrument DMP-41 pen-and-ink plotter (optional)

□ Microsoft Mouse (optional)

"smARTWORK" and 'Wintek" are trademarks of Wintek Corporation.

WINTEK CORPORATION, 1801 South St., Lafayette, IN 47904-2993, Phone: (317) 742-8428, Telex: 70-9079 (WINTEK CORP UD)

8 BYTE- JULY 1984 Circle 329 on inquiry card.

MICROBYTES

Staff-written highlights of late developments in the microcomputer industry.

COMDEX: Morrow Unveils Battery Portable

At the recent COMDEX trade show in Atlanta, Morrow introduced the Pivot, a 9-pound IBM-compatible portable computer with a built-in one-third-height 5 W-inch disk drive and room for a second. The $2500 base configuration also includes a 16-line LCD, 128K bytes of RAM (expandable to 512K), a 300-bps modem, and batteries that last for 5 hours. The computer will not fit in a briefcase and stands upright rather than flat; the keyboard flips down. Morrow says it will offer a 2 5-line LCD early next year.

COMDEX: Laser and Color Printers Get Attention

Hewlett-Packard's $3500 LaserJet, based on Canon's 300-dot-per-inch LBP-CX laser printer, wasn't the only Canon at COMDEX. Quality Micro Systems showed a $9995 version that can print graphics by emulating Tektronix graphics drivers.

Earlier, Personal Computer Products Inc., San Diego, CA, announced a laser-printer controller for the Canon printer; a laser printer with the controller could retail for about $3500. Apple is also expected to announce a laser printer based on the Canon.

Several color-graphics printers were unveiled quietly at COMDEX. Seiko Instruments, Milpitas, CA, showed a $12,000 printer with a resolution of 152 dots per inch; Gulton Industries introduced a $4950 seven-color thermal-transfer printer with a resolution of 100 dots per inch.

Epson's JX-80, an $800 160-cps seven-color dot-matrix printer, can use either a four-color ribbon or a standard Epson FX-80 black ribbon. Dataproducts has two new color printers: a $1695 200-cps model and a 400-cps model for $2195. C Itoh exhibited two seven-color dotmatrix printers, including a $2000 model with a 24-wire print head.

COMDEX: Makers Move to 3'/2-inch Drives

Citizen America Corp., a subsidiary of Citizen Watch, showed two 3'/2-inch floppy-disk drives that are only an inch high. Panasonic introduced both 3- and 3 '/2-inch drives, including a 1 W-inch-high 3'/2-inch drive. Janome, which exhibited a 3-inch disk drive last fall, added a 3'/2-inch drive. Mitsubishi also showed a 3'/2-inch drive.

New Telecommunications Products for the IBM PC

ModTech International, Salt Lake City, UT showed MasterLink at COMDEX, an $800 expansion board for the IBM PC. When you pick up the phone, ROM software automatically switches the computer from the current application to the on-board software. A $295 Night Owl option lets the system send and receive electronic mail unattended. Code-A-Phone, Portland, OR, showed the $700 Tel-A-Modem, a combination two-line telephone/modem allowing voice and data communications simultaneously. Both units include a 300/1200-bps modem. Three companies also unveiled internal 300/1200-bps modems for the IBM PC: Quadram's Quadmodem is priced at $595, Anderson Jacobson's PC Connection is $495, and U.S. Robotics' Personal Communicator is $499.

Demand Prompts Smaller, Higher-Capacity Hard Disks

Shugart and Cogito, which currently make 5- and 10-megabyte 5'/4-inch half-height hard-disk drives, are both expected to introduce 20-megabyte versions at NCG Mitsubishi showed a 20-megabyte 5!4-inch half-height drive at COMDEX, with a 1000-unit price of $875.

Microscience unveiled both a 10-megabyte half-height 3'/2-inch hard-disk drive and a 20-megabyte half-height 5 '4-inch drive. The recently formed Lapine Technology announced 5- and 10-megabyte 3'/2-inch drives. Atasi, which now sells a 46-megabyte 5'/4-inch hard-disk drive, exhibited a 75-megabyte version at COMDEX.

Dragon Industries, Hopkinton, MA, is selling 65- and 140-megabyte hard-disk systems for the IBM PC, priced at $4995 and $6995. Tallgrass Technologies added a $1995 60-megabyte tape drive that uses MS-DOS disk-access commands.

Dysan Corp. is now shipping Chocolate media to hard-disk manufacturers. Dysan says the product is a high-capacity alternative to the thin-film media now used in hard-disk drives.

(continued)

1ULY 1984 -BYTE

MICROBYTES

ACT Introduces New Apricot Computers

ACT was expected to introduce two new models of the 8086-based Apricot in late June. The Apricot Executive includes a 25-line LCD, a single 3'/2-inch disk drive, 512K bytes of RAM, a trackball/mouse, and a voice-recognition system for about $3000. The Apricot Fl is a $1600 system with 256K bytes of RAM and one 3'/2-inch disk drive. Both systems use an identical keyboard linked to the computer using either an infrared signal or a fiber-optic cable.

Two Firms Announce Speech Recognition for IBM PC

Microphonics Technology, Federal Way, WA, offers a $795 voice-recognition expansion board that can handle a 128-word vocabulary. Another speech-recognition system, the Speech Recognition Board from Interstate Voice Products of Orange, CA, will be introduced at NCC this month. The $1650 SRB will recognize up to 240 spoken commands. Either system can be used with off-the-shelf application programs on the IBM PC.

Digital Research Introduces Multiuser/Concurrent PC-DOS

Digital Research introduced StarLink, a $1695 expansion board for the IBM PC allowing you to link four terminals to the IBM PC using standard RS-232C cables. StarLink includes a version of Concurrent PC-DOS that allows the PC user to run up to four MS-DOS or CP/M-86 applications concurrently in addition to the program used on each terminal. Digital Research had originally planned an eight-terminal version of StarLink but delayed that product because of performance problems using the IBM's 8088 processor.

NANOBYTES

TTX Inc., Foster City, CA, has developed an interface/buffer allowing the Apple Macintosh to use a daisy-wheel printer. The TTX MACpac includes a 64K-byte print buffer and a 14-cps

printer for $895 Digital Equipment's LA100-PF is a $1595 240-cps dot-matrix printer

that uses removable cartridges to select fonts and to emulate Epson or IBM printers.... Harris announced the 80C88, a CMOS version of Intel's 8088 processor.. .. National Semiconductor has renamed its 32-bit processors the Series 32000 and has licensed Texas Instruments as a second source for that line.... The Neon Software Co. Inc., Middletown, CT, is selling IBM PC software on clothes hangers. Women's Ware includes Budgeting, Checkbook, Recipe, and other programs for $49.95 each.... Diamond Computer Systems Inc., Santa Clara, CA, offers a $695 board that allows the IBM PC to run CP/M or Apple II software.... Ericsson, a European telecommunications and information systems firm, will introduce an IBM PC-compatible computer.... WordTech Systems Inc. introduced

dB/Compiler, a $750 compiler for dBASE II IBM announced that it will sell enhanced

versions of Software Publishing Corporation's popular PFS: series for $129 to $149.... Sheet feeder prices drop: Multi-Matic, Philadelphia, PA, is selling a $395 sheet feeder, which also uses a $50 adapter for attachment to a specific printer. Brother offers a $269 sheet feeder for its $995 HR-25 daisy-wheel printer.... T.N.T. Software Inc., Round Lake, IL, is selling My Word!, a $25 WordStar-like word processor for the IBM PC. MBASIC source code is $25 extra... . VisiCorp has cut prices on all its products by about 50 percent and

introduced FlashCalc, a $99 spreadsheet for the Apple II. Modula Computer Systems,

Provo, UT, now offers Modula-2 compilers for UNIX and for the Macintosh, priced at $94 and $150. . .. Amlyn has announced a half-height 3.2-megabyte floppy-disk drive that is not compatible with the Drivetec/Kodak 3.3-megabyte drive, while Shugart Corp. and Phillips Peripherals have both introduced 1.6-megabyte half-height 5'/4-inch floppy-disk drives.... Strobe Inc., Mountain View, CA, announced a $995 8-pen plotter.... Hong Kong manufacturer Bond well Industrial Co. Inc. plans to buy Spectravideo and will add a $995 Z80-based portable computer with two single-sided disk drives and 128K bytes of RAM.... Workman and Associates' WRITE is not available for CP/M-86; this column reported in error that it was.... Tallgrass, Information Storage Inc., and CPT Corporation are jointly developing an optical disk drive.

:,'■

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10 BYTE' |ULY 1984

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"Dare to

Bouquets ...

I applaud the April editorial "A Call for Ethical Standards for Personal Computer Magazines" by Phil Lemmons (page 4).

As president of the National Office Machine Dealers Association, 1 represent one of the distribution channels that markets small systems to end users. Our members/dealers pride , themselves on their independence, objectivity, and the freedom to market whatever product we deem the best value for our customer.

By reinforcing your stand on objectivity, BYTE will continue to be the reference standard in our industry.

Keep up the good work!

John Kuchta Lincoln, NB

As a professional journalist and regular reader of a wide array of technology magazines, I applaud your stance on ethical standards for computer magazines.

The guidelines you set forth in your April editorial are absolute essentials for any journalistic endeavor. 1 sincerely hope that your spirit of professionalism will spread throughout the computer magazine industry.

Erik K. Meyer The Milwaukee Journal

Milwaukee, Wl

I enjoyed the April editorial on ethical standards for personal computer magazines. You ought to give article numbers to editorials, Ask BYTE, Chaos Manor Mail, Book Reviews, etc., so that readers can vote for or against them in BYTE's BOMB each month.

N.C. Webb Lincoln, MA

As a new subscriber to BYTE, 1 would like to commend you for your editorial in the April issue. Your objectivity in appraising both hardware and software is the prime reason I subscribe to BYTE.

Charles Mattson North Syracuse, NY

1 like your magazine. The April editorial by Phil Lemmons was heartening for me in its description of your commitment to honesty of content. As a microcomouter user I am delighted to be

cent issues of BYTE, I am impressed. To a certain extent, the letter writers might be viewed as quibblers. But on the other hand, they raised some points that led the authors of some articles to add information to their subjects that otherwise might not have come out.

Letters are one of the features I always read and they are especially educational when there are replies like yours.

Wayne L. St. John Carbondale, IL

and Brickbats

As a software author, I object to your aiding and abetting the violation of copyright laws by posting notices by people requesting software exchanges in your Unclassified Ads section. Such ads in essence read: "Send me copies of your programs, and I will send you copies of mine." I cannot believe that I am alone in my objection.

Schuyler M. Moore Los Angeles, CA

Please see the new advisory on Unclassified Ads.

Aw c'mon; your April cover would have us believe that God used a portable computer to create the world. What do you take your readers for? He would have used at least a mainframe. Next thing you'll try and tell us is that He didn't really want to rest on the seventh day but His system was down so He had to!

Roy Smart Hopewell Junction, NY

In last December's issue I expected to find a Cumulative Index as I had in previous years. I was disappointed when I saw that this service apparently had been discontinued. The index has particular value for the hobbyist and as a regular subscriber I recommend its continuance.

One more gripe: Despite the enthusiastic acceptance of the IBM PC there is still a large number of Apple computers in the hands of your readership and more are being sold every day Could you please consider this and give us Apple owners a more evenhanded share of your attention?

dex for 1983. We are working on a comprehensive new approach to make the indexes much more usable. Please bear with us. As to coverage of Apple products, we have previewed the Macintosh and the lie and have published such recent articles as Apple FAX, Macintosh Pascal. Macintosh BASIC, and a two-part data-acquisition system based on the Apple II. We also are publishing the BYTE Guide to Apple PCs in October. The Guide will be provided to all BYTE subscribers at no cost.

Few things in life bother me enough that 1 write a letter to the editor of a magazine. Unfortunately, I now must take word processor in hand and pen a letter of complaint about your fine publication. I have no complaint with the magazine itself or its editorial content: in fact, it is the only magazine I read cover to cover monthly.

My problem is with the circulation department. It drives me nuts to see the new issue of BYTE in the bookstores and on the magazine racks of local computer stores two weeks before I receive mine in the mail. A day or two 1 could live with, but not two weeks. I would like an explanation of this discrepancy.

It's no fun having my friends ask me if I've read an article in BYTE and having to tell them I still haven't gotten mine yet.

Robert Fruit No return address

The circulation department has taken several steps to speed delivery to subscribers, including arranging for drop shipments to different regions of the country. Let us know whether things improve.

Overlooked BASICS

Your features on BASIC in the April issue were very interesting, and I would like to add a couple of comments. HP BASIC, probably the most powerful BASIC for any microcomputer (especially as implemented on the Series 200 machines) was conspicuously absent. This BASIC is the only one that has found wide acceptance as a useful tool in the engineering community because of its powerful command structure and exceptional graphics commands that allow simple plotting and labeling of

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LETTERS

just return the numeric equivalent of a string but rather evaluates any legitimate BASIC expression in the argument and returns its value, so that

PRINT VAL (SIN(PI/4))

returns .70710 rather than 0 or an error. This makes entry of formulas into a program simple, because you can use

INPUT N5

sin ((x*2)/tan(y))

PRINT VAL NS

which will return the correct answer if x and y are defined.

In the discussions of "structured" versus "unstructured" programming, the GOTO statement is universally censured. Far worse than a GOTO is the universal use of obscure PEEK and POKE statements required by most microcomputer BASIC dialects to accomplish simple tasks.

Thanks for an interesting issue.

YP. O'Neil II Gilbert, AZ

variable cross-references and program flow, etc., for a total of about 330 functions. From the articles in the April issue, it appears that other companies have almost caught up with HP BASIC in a few areas and surpassed it in only one case (Macintosh BASIC). More recent HP computers are significantly improved over the 86. The 9816 ("200/16") offers every structure you could want for control of program flow but lacks the structured variables of Pascal and other newer languages. Although its variables are limited to arrays, the 200/16 can sort a string array with a single command. HP also has integrated a spreadsheet with the BASIC language on the 75 computer. Users can create their own VisiCalc functions as well as incorporate spreadsheet abilities into BASIC programs.

Some enhancements can only be implemented by a computer manufacturer. For example, the HP-86 has seven dedicated keys to control program debugging and execution (besides the 14 programmable function keys), optional ROMs that make additional functions always available (even without a disk drive), and perhaps most importantly, an operating en»or.t_that cnnnnrtg thp RA^ir lanpnape _

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LETTERS

the catch: After talking with the people at True BASIC Inc. and at Software Technology (authors of BetterBASIC), I have learned that these languages are not being planned for adaptation to the Apple II. And let's face it. the vast plurality of public schools use the Apple II. Are we to go on teaching bad habits to our beginning programmers? Pascal is certainly an alternative. But Pascal is intimidating and hard for many students to learn as their first language. Editing, compiling, executing, and re-editing to debug a program can severely test the patience of a young person.

Supposedly, the 6502 and Z80 processors are not "powerful" enough to handle the wonderful new BASICs. But even a low-end machine such as the Commodore 64 has a good choice of structured, "user-friendly" languages. Simon's BASIC allows many of the features of Pascal. And a relatively unknown language, COMAL, has been around for years on Commodore machines. COMAL is incrementally compiled and allows procedures and functions with global and local variables. It permits nested IFATHEN/ELSE statements and a wide variety of looping structures (REPEAT/UNTIL. WHILE/ ENDWHILE, and LOOP/EXIT/ENDLOOP). The Commodore 64 version also supports highresolution turtle-graphics commands and is available free in the public domain! It does not have fancy features such as "windows," but this is a luxury better suited for 16-bit processors that can address more memory.

It is indeed ironic that the Apple II, the most widely used and generally best-supported computer in our public schools, does not have a good language available for teaching beginning students. The best I've been able to come up with is Microsoft's GBASIC (running under CP/M), which has the WHILE/WEND loop but not much else in the way of structure. Digital's

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LETTERS

To Err Is Indeed Human

Greg Scragg's "criticism" (April Letters, page 20) of Douglas Davidson's "forgotten" sort ("Address Calculation: The Forgotten Sort,'' November 1983. page 494) demonstrates too much enthusiasm and too little familiarity with the subject area. He quotes Donald E. Knuth (The Art of Computer Programming) as proving that "no sort can work in time less than 0(n log n)." What Knuth clearly points out, but Mr. Scragg appears to have missed, is that this bound only holds for "sorting techniques which are based solely on an abstract linear ordering relation between keys" (Knuth, volume 3, 1st edition, page 181)—specifically excluding such methods as address calculation. In fact, Knuth describes the address calculation sort, concluding that "we have achieved a sorting method of order N, provided only that the keys are reasonably well spread out over their range" (Ibid, page 102)—precisely the claim Mr. Davidson makes. Mr. Davidson's article presents a simple, too often neglected algorithm with which many of BYTE's readers were likely unfamiliar. Mr. Scragg's letter is unjustified and inept, and seems unforgivable regardless of the state of his schooling.

Mike Dixon Ontario, Canada

This letter is representative of several we received regarding Mr. Scragg's criticism of Mr. Davidson's article.

ICONOLATRY

lb complete Gary Sanford's amusing "ultimate allegory" (April Letters, page 15), I suggest a passenger-driven mouse—nothing elaborate to begin with, say, 50cc with a 4-speed box (labeled N, S, E, and W). The posher PC pushers would soon rush in with add-ons: seat belts, "1 * my '^jft-^J' stickers, in-dash computers with submice,... There is (literally) no end to the possibilities.

Another aspect of Tom Houston's iconolatry ("The Allegory of Software," December 1983, page 210) puzzles me. I've often wondered why the drudgery of program development has not been enlivened by the use of video-game graphics 1 have in mind, for example, that instead of typing ERASE FILENAME it would be more fun to have all your FILENAMES floating around the screen in little boxes while you try to blast the right one with your joystick button. Much less user-mollycoddling than having mousey drag off naughty Freddy File to the trash can.

Stan Kelly-Bootle Mill Valley, CA

Design Flaws

Some of the examples and assertions of Mark Johnson and Allen Munro's "Pascal's Design

22 BYTE • IULY 1984

Flaws: Modula-2 Solutions and Pascal Patches" (March, page 371) are misleading or incorrect with respect to the Pascal language as defined by the International Standardization Organization (ISO Pascal). Standard Pascal:

1. does not have a built-in string type

2. allows short-circuited evaluation of Boolean expressions (implementationdependent)

3. includes, at level 1 of the standard, "open" array parameters (referred to as "conformant array parameters" in the standard)

4. defines an out-of-range case selector to be an error

Steve Brecher Software Supply Long Beach, CA

We thank Steve Brecher and others who have pointed out some of the ways that standard versions of the Pascal language {as developed by the ISO and the American National Standards Institute) address the Pascal design flaws we discussed.

One of the problems with talking about Pascal is making it clear which "standard" Pascal you are talking about. Our article pertained to the original definition of Pascal, as published in the Pascal User Manual and Report by Kathleen Jensen and Niklaus Wirth. We chose to discuss Pascal's problems in terms of UCSD Pascal because it is the most widely used implementation for microcomputers. Future Pascal implementations will undoubtedly be influenced by newer standards from the ISO and ANSI. Thus far, however, the user base for UCSD Pascal far exceeds that of other implementations.

Mark Johnson and Allen Munro Redondo Beach, CA

Ihe Spirit of Benchmarks

I enjoyed reading "STSC APL* Plus and IBM PC APL: Two APLs for the IBM PC" by Jacques Bensimon (March, page 246). Although STSC's APL*PLUS/PC is a very fine product, the soonto-be-released LP. SHARP APL/PC promises to contain the powerful operators, such as nested arrays, that most sophisticated APLers expect from their language I hope BYTE will have the opportunity to review LP. Sharp's upcoming product.

In response to page 2 50 of the article, Mr. Bensimon remarks "... a significantly modified algorithm to reduce execution time, which goes against the spirit of benchmarking" was used in an APL solution submitted by Michael Rowe and Donald Stoneburner (May 1983 Letters, page 8). As the Rowe half of the Rowe and Stoneburner solution, and as a professional who has been involved with many benchmarks of commercial systems, I cannot comment on what is the "spirit" of benchmarking, nor am I sure that benchmarks even have "spirits." What I would like to assure the fine readers of BYTE is that there is a purpose for doing benchmarks.

ILLUSTRATED BY IEREMY VARNUM

Circle 38 on inquiry card.

LETTERS

A benchmark's purpose is that of evaluating and quantifying the efficacy of hardware/software environments within a relevant range of use. A relevant range would be defined by the particular purpose of a benchmark. If a benchmark is performed to generate capacity planning decision information, the relevant range would be based on anticipated utilization; or if a benchmark is performed for systems tuning or performance analysis, the relevant range is based on present utilization. You can always make a benchmark look extremely bad or extremely good for a particular software/hardware environment, but a well-designed benchmark will strive to make representative use of the hardware/software environment by selecting commonly accepted and practiced programming techniques. Most professionals soon find and adopt efficient programming techniques and algorithms (count the times that you or a colleague has made the remark, "I have this routine running twice as fast and with half the code"). Thus, most benchmark designers take for granted that the average programmer is no dummy and therefore tests efficient and representative algorithms. The Rowe and Stoneburner solution is efficient (22 milliseconds for 10 iterations running on an IBM 3081) and makes use of commonly utilized APL programming techniques.

As for the "significantly modified" nature of our algorithm. I thank Mr. Bensimon for his opinion, but I do not concur. Conceptually, each alley of the Sieve of Eratosthenes can be thought of as a Boolean decision processor, in that a ball rolls down an alley (representing a particular number) and if it encounters a hole (representing the number's factorability by a previously derived prime) it is proven not to be prime. Our algorithm is true to this original construct, in that we generate a bit mask based on previously derived primes and perform a Boolean AND between this mask (representing the sieve holes) and a bit string (representing all possible numbers (alleys of the sieve)).

One additional note concerns bit-string implementations. PC versions of APL (and some other languages) do not universally implement true Boolean strings, in that a whole byte or integer is sometimes used per single bit. If this were the case, an algorithm that is highly dependent on Boolean operations may have highly variable results in relation to memory utilization and execution speed across software implementations. 1 have heard, but cannot confirm, that the first release of STSC's APL'PLUS did not have true bit strings, but that the current release does have true bit strings.

Michael C Rowe. Ph.D. Lewisville, TX

Simulation Languages

1 was very interested in the theme articles on simulation in the March issue, but rather disappointed by the sparse and vague references made to European, and especially British, developments in this field. This is surprising and unfortunate because considerable attention has

been paid in the United Kingdom to the use of existing (mainframe) simulation languages on microcomputers. This approach has two main advantages: the microcomputer-based system can be used without retraining personnel who are already familiar with the language; and a mainframe can be used if the model becomes too large for the microcomputer.

The languages that I refer to are the Extended Control and Simulation Language (ECSL). together with its associated code generator CAPS; SEE-WHY; and FORSSIGHT the current version of the original general-purpose simulation language, GSP (General Simulation Program), which was first used in 1958. All of these languages also support dynamic graphic display facilities on microcomputer systems. As far as I know, FORSSIGHT is not yet available in the United States, but ECSL and SEE-WHY are both actively marketed here.

These three languages use the powerful threephase activity cycle representation, sometimes called the "British" approach. This means that they can be used only for pure discrete event modeling purposes. This approach has the benefits of being easy to understand and code, and it eases certain modeling decisions.

I hope that this letter will draw your readers' attention to these languages, so that they will consider them when choosing a simulation language.

Robert I. Mills West Lafayette, IN

A Minor Problem

For someone who "writes extensively about computers," Ed Teja seems intent on coming across as a novice ("Compupro's System 816/C and System 68K—the Two and Only." March, page 214). His persistence in referring to the "68K bytes" of CompuPro's 68000 board is in strange contrast to the technical detail of the rest of the article. How could he possibly miss "68K" being an abbreviation for "68000"? And how can I possibly take seriously someone who makes such a flub?

Paul Robinson Framingham. MA

There was no "persistence in referring to the '68K bytes'of CompuPro's 68000 board.'' In one caption an editing change converted the declaration that this was a picture of the System 68K's central processing unit into the misstatement Mr. Robinson noted. I should have caught the error in the galleys. I didn't. Mea culpa.

Edward Teia Santa Cruz. CA

Comparing Compilers

I found Kaare Christian's "Inside a Computer: Notes on Optimization and Code Generation" (February, page 349) most intriguing, and I

[continued)

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LETTERS

rushed to my IBM PC to see what kind of optimized code Microsoft's 3.13 Pascal compiler produces for the Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm. [For more information see "Eratosthenes Revisited: Once More through the Sieve" by Jim Gilbreath and Gary Gilbreath. January 1983, page 283.J Eagerly comparing my .COD listing to the DRI and Intel listings. I saw a close correlation between Microsoft's and Intel's optimization strategies. My summary: Where Intel dedicates CS and

AX to somewhat specific functions, Microsoft seems to use AX generally. This results in five instructions (that the Intel code did not require) to load AX with the desired values. In one case, Microsoft saves an instruction adding directly to the count in memory, whereas Intel adds to and then stores AX. The bottom line is that Intel produces a tighter, faster Sieve, but not by much,

Because I use MS-DOS and do not have access to iRMX/86,1 was pleased to see how well

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Microsoft Pascal optimizes. Although some may be bothered by the fact that the Microsoft COD file is just a memo listing and not an assemblylanguage source that can be modified, this suits me just fine. Code that is not tinkered with is one less picket in the fence to come loose—or one less to be hammered up in the first place. The fact that the compiler does such a good job of optimizing is key to my happiness.

As Christian points out, the use of .COD lists is most helpful in analyzing alternative coding tactics. In one case, a piece of my Pascal source code looked redundant because a variable expression was explicitly stated in two consecutive lines. When I compiled this alongside an alternative that precomputed the expression, I discovered that the compiler carried the results of the expression evaluation to the second line, doing automatically, and in less code, what I attempted to achieve in my alternative.

As a final note, Christian's discussion of ways to beat the FOR loop control was most instructive. Microsoft, by the way, exhibits the same weakness that Intel does.

Chet Floyd Manhattan Beach, CA

Still More on the Mac

After reading the February issue on the Macintosh, I flipped through some old copies of Scientific American. An article in the June 1978 issue caught my eye: "The Earliest Precursor of Writing," in which Denise Schmandt-Besserat investigates pictographic versus ideographic origins of writing. It suddenly struck me that the Lisa and Macintosh represent a major step backward in the state of the art of recordkeeping, on the order of perhaps six millennia. Congratulations Apple! The computer, originally conceived of as a tool to expand the horizons of man's intelligence, is instead now encroaching upon it.

Thomas Litant Tokyo, Japan

There is an important difference between Macintosh's graphical images and those of prehistoric man. Mac's icons provide a method of controlling an interactive device, while prehistoric man's were for recording information.

Thank You

Several months ago 1 wrote to you asking if any of your readers would be interested in contributing programs to a book called Microcomputer Programs in Medicine.

The response from your readers was astounding. I received letters, postcards, packages of disks, and printouts from all over America, various parts of Canada, England, Ireland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Israel. Australia, Malaysia, and even one from mainland China.

I received phone calls in the middle of the night from people asking for details of the tar*

(continued)

24 BYTE • IULY 1984

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pending book.

As a result of this overwhelming response, the programs have now been published in book form in two volumes. Volume I contains scheduling and appointment programs, direct patient billing and accounts receivable programs, patient file retrieval, simple statistics (including standard deviation), graph drawing and curve fitting, and numeric and alphabetic sorting. Volume II contains programs for taking patient histories and history summarization, respiratory function, pediatric growth-percentile calculation, bar-graph drawing, etc.

The book is available from Computer Medica Corporation, Medical Software Company, 328 Main St., Center Moriches, NY U934.

I must thank your readers again for the fantastic response.

Derek Enlander, M.D. New York, NY

The Perfect Microcomputer

First, let me congratulate you for having the finest computer magazine and the finest consulting editors: Steve Ciarcia and Jerry Pournelle. I agree with their assessment of the industry as exemplified in the May issue.

I find the prevalent state of the microcomputer industry appalling. Although we have had two very powerful 16-bit processors available from the start of this decade (the MC68000 and the Z8000), they are not in most microcomputers and are underutilized in all but the most expensive. Mr. Ciarcia's Trump Card, for example, is a great addition to a PC. but why is it necessary? Did Intel and IBM conspire to offer America inferior technology? And why is the Z8000 such an underused chip?

Having owned three personal computers. I am ready to buy again, but this time I have some specific criteria in mind. I would like a 16-bit processor, at least 512K bytes of RAM expandable to at least 2 megabytes, two disk drives of at least 512K bytes each, multiuser capability, a good operating system with plenty of software, and an under-$3000 price tag.

Guess what? There are none. Two computers that come close are the Sage and the Pinnacle. The Sage is a little too expensive at present, and the Pinnacle needs software. But why are there no Z8000 machines? I believe there are many computer sophisticates such as myself who would buy such a machine.

Richard H. Knop Kansas City, MO

Mumps

I read with interest ionathan Javitt's article "Computerizing a Medical Office" (May, page 171). I have been involved in this field from both a programming and a medical perspective for over five years. I am in particular agreement with the seven-step approach Dr. Javitt recommends for effective use of computers within a

(continued)

26 BYTE • JULY 1984

HIGH PERFORMANCE

IT'S WHAT'S UNDER THE

III

THAT COUNTS

Take a close look under the hood of a Datasouth printer. Inspect for loose parts, cheap fittings. Search for things that show more concern for speed on the assembly line than the communications line.

You won't find them. Instead you'll find the source of the Datasouth reputation: design, engineering and materials dedicated exclusively to high performance value.

Now look closer.

MORE THAN THE HUM OF ITS PARTS

Count the moving parts in a Datasouth printer. You won't find many. Most of those are dedicated to transporting the printhead and the paper from point to point with optimum speed and accuracy, while the rest of the printer sits quietly with the motionless authority of a Stonehenge.

And thinks.

Under the hood of every Datasouth printer is a highly intelligent microprocessor. Its sophisticated brainwork elimi nates the need for many parts still common in other printers, and optimizes carriage and paper travel so the printhead intelligently follows the shortest path from one printable character to the next. So more work gets done with less strain on the machinery.

MODULAR MAINTENANCE

Datasouth design simplicity assures easy maintenance. All control electronics are on a single printed circuit board. The 9 wire printhead is rated at over 500 million characters, and is easily replaced in minutes.

Everything that matters is easy to reach, right there under the hood. Even the cartridge ribbon, rated at 3 to 4 million characters, snaps into place in seconds.

JUST TURN THE KEY

Datasouth printers are easily driven by virtually any mini or microcomputer. The fully instrumented dashboard allows the user to program up to 50 different applications features at the touch of a few buttons. Meanwhile, the digital readout shows everything from programming prompts to line count.

TAKE YOUR CHOICE

Datasouth reliability comes in two high performance models. The DS180 is a legendary workhorse that delivers crisp data quality printing at 180 CPS. The new multimode DS220 cruises at 220 CPS for high speed data printing and at 40 CPS for letter quality word processing. Both models print precision dot-addressable graphics.

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1YTE 27

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'Partial List

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LETTERS

bia Data Products Inc. did not have a servicing agreement in effect with Bell & Howell for the VP until lanuary 1, 1984. In all fairness, the people I dealt with did their best to get my machine fixed—they just didn't have any idea how much it would cost. It came to $811.06.

Why? It's simple. Servicing consists of replacing the motherboard at $630 plus tax. plus two hours of labor at $64 per hour. While this may be an acceptable way of performing service for a business, the individual consumer simply can't

afford it. It is equivalent to replacing the engine whenever your car won't start. How many of us would own cars under that condition? Therefore. 1 have some suggestions for the individual owner: (1) Find a reputable serviceman who will fix what's wrong with your machine (not just replace boards) before you buy it. Buy only what you know can be serviced reasonably. Many users groups know of such people and could put you in contact with them. (2) If you know nothing about computers or electronics and

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can't find a suitable serviceman, then buy a service contract from your dealer or a reputable service organization.

As for me, I'm going to buy one of every chip on the motherboard (which will cost less than a service contract) and fix it myself the next time it fails.

Michael W. Fitzpatrick Westerlo. NY

The Origin of "Bugs"

Several recent magazine articles and a book [The Naked Computer) have suggested that the words "bug" and "debug." used in relation to computers and computer programs, originated because a moth flew into the relays of the Mark I at Harvard.

Though this incident undoubtedly occurred, the meaning of the word bug is at least a hundred years older. For example, here is an excerpt from a letter written by Thomas Alva Edison to Theodore Puskas, Edison's representative in France, on November 13, 1878:

I have the right principle and am on the right track, but time, hard work, and some good luck are necessary too. It has been just so in all of my inventions. The first step is an intuition, and comes with a burst, then difficulties arise—this thing gives out and then that—Bugs^as such little faults and difficulties are called—show themselves and months of intense watching, study and labor are requisite before commercial successor failure—is certainly reached.

John Lord Santa Monica. CA

In Praise of the Mac

As an engineer, I have been using mainframe computer and minicomputers for the last 2 5 years. I have always viewed the microcomputer industry as being characterized largely by trash software running on trash hardware. For the past few years there has been frantic activity but little forward progress. For this reason, I find it sad to read all the letters nitpicking the Apple Macintosh. Perhaps these writers are proud of their ability to remember that < cntl >< alt > Q moves the cursor left two characters (or was it three characters?) and are intimidated by the thought that soon anyone will be able to use a computer. In developing the Macintosh, Apple has done something unique in the microcomputer field—combined excellent hardware with excellent software. I think that Apple's pursuit of excellence is far more important to the future of microcomputing than the temporary difference between 128K bytes and 512K bytes of memory. This letter was, of course, composed on my new Mac. For the first time in 2 5 years, I am having fun using a computer.

George Root Boulder, CO ■

32 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 84 on inquiry card.

READ

ONLY

A review of the IBM Personal Computer family. Sum mer 1984

UP AND RUNNING

And Swimming, Building, and Baking. Building and baking?They don't produce gold medal winners, but they do figure in staging the Olympic games. So do 200 IBM Personal Computers (including software) that are part of IBM's sponsorship of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In fact, IBM PCs are hard at work in both sports and administration.

PCs are involved in a wide range of planning and analytical activities, though they don't provide official results of the various athletic events. Some events, for example, use the IBM PC to determine how competitors are seeded—who competes against whom. In other events, such as archery, the PC simplifies the complex task of recording scores and compiling statistics for each athlete as the competition progresses.

In events like gymnastics that depend on points awarded by judges, statistics can be kept on the PCs to analyze scoring consistency. Also, a whole range of information about individual athletes, past Olympics, and

world and national records, both past and present, can be quickly recalled and compared with the help of the IBM PC.

Last but not least, administration. Spreadsheet programs, such as IBM's Multiplan'", were used on the PC for planning and forecasting by nearly every administrative department, from Construction to Ticketing. The same departments speed up some of their day-to-day accounting tasks with the help of the PC and IBM accounting packages.

Departments with specific software needs developed special packages with the assistance of a programmer whose services are part of IBM's Olympic sponsorship. Specially designed programs include database management applications to help handle transportation requirements and inventory control programs to keep track of sports equipment and personnel records.

In short, there's hardly an area of planning and staging the 1984 Summer Olympics that the IBM Personal Computer doesn't play a part in. Maybe there should be medals for administration.

Multiplan is a U.S. trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

ON THE STOREFRONT

A Shorter Distance between PC Points. We're all familiar with the feeling of being lost in the growing maze of new computer products. IBM has opened a path through that maze, straight to the information and answers you need about IBM Personal

Computer Products—information about a specific software package or hardware configuration and answers to technical questions.

The key to entering this new information path is the IBM Customer Support System (CSS) at your authorized IBM Personal Computer retail dealer or IBM Product Center. Dealers in over 300 cities throughout all 50 states use the Customer Support Sys

tem, which includes a nationwide communications network, to help give you instantaneous computer-age service support that's unmatched by any other computer manufacturer. Colorful Stops along the Way. More than 1,700 authorized IBM dealers have access to a permanent and continually updated directory of IBM Personal Computer product information in IBM's Customer Support System. For a sharp color display of the type and level of information you want, visit your dealer or IBM Product Center and choose from lists of options displayed on an IBM PC color monitor. There are choices that guide you quickly and easily from product directories to indepth product demonstrations and configuration information.

Since knowing how to take the first step is often a problem, CSS gives you a variety of possible starting points. By selecting the appropriate category—such as printers or business software—you can move to a list of specific products and then to the

Information from CSS with simple one-key commands

product demonstration you want. If you know a product name to begin with—Word Proof, for example—CSS will make an alphabetic search for it. To keep you up-to-date, there's also a special listing for new product announcements.

You can browse through the CSS displays at your own pace, pausing at a given spot or moving quickly backward or forward by using simple onekey commands that are always displayed at the bottom of the screen. One of these commands enables you to make print-outs of any information you wish to save for future reference.

The IBM PC family's color graphics capabilities make the CSS software demonstrations especially impressive. The Multiplan demonstration, for example, consists of several consecutive screens of information. Each screen is split vertically, with representative sections of the actual program on the left and explanatory text on the right. By the time you've seen the entire demonstration, you'll have a good idea of both what the program can do for you and how it does it. Answers at the End of the Line. Over 1,000 authorized IBM retail dealers and IBM Product Centers are linked through their Customer Sup

port System to the IBM Information Network. This nationwide communications capability helps your dealer give you fast, efficient service. Warranty claims, for instance, can be handled through CSS with a minimum of paperwork and delay. Dealers also use the network to communicate with 'other dealers and with IBM to keep abreast of the latest product and service information.

In addition, the CSS network is your gateway to technical information about the IBM Personal Computer family of products. IBM maintains a database on a 3033 mainframe in Tampa, Florida, that your dealer can use to answer—within minutes—a wide range of questions. If the solution isn't on hand in the database, your question can be submitted through CSS to a technical support staff in Boca Raton. There, it will be analyzed and an answer returned through CSS to your dealer.

The information used to answer your inquiry is added to the CSS database, where it will be immediately available for anyone else with a similar question. Your technical inquiries therefore contribute to the growth of the Customer Support System. Its online product information, color graphics displays, and advanced communications all have a single purpose—to help you get the most out of your investment in IBM Personal Computer hardware and software products.

HARDWARE NEWS

Color. There's color news for the IBM PC, IBM PC XT, and IBM Portable PC in the form of the IBM Personal Computer Color Printer. It's a high-performance, dot matrix printer that can print charts, graphics, artwork, and text in up to eight colors. The Color Printer produces color graphics that can enhance the appearance of your reports and presentations and make the information they contain even easiertounderstand.lt can also type directly onto overhead transparencies.

The IBM PC Color Printer's range of performance features make it especially well suited for heavy-use/ high-productivity applications. A near letter quality printing mode is standard. Printing speeds of up to 200

characters per second can help save time. So can programmable automatic control of print requirements such as print mode, line spacing, and margin and tab setting. These programmable features act as an extension of many software products—word processing programs, for instance—and can be initiated with just a few keystrokes.

A final feature for those who like a personal touch. You can use the Color Printer to personalize your documents by varying the printing modes, character spacing, and boldness. This allows you to differentiate

The IBM PC Color Printer

among headlines, subheads, and quotations and even to print math and science equations.

The Big Crunch. Not long ago, computing and number crunching were nearly synonymous. Personal computers and software for everything from office management to agriculture changed that, but the need for heavy number crunching has hardly disappeared. If it's still a part of your computer workload, the IBM Personal Computer 8087 Math Co-processor can help speed up your calculations.

The 8087 is a floating point coprocessor that multiplies, divides, adds, subtracts, exponentiates, and performs trigonometric and logarithmic functions. It works together with the PC's 8088 processor to improve the execution speed of floating point operations by as much as 10:1. The Math Co-processor increases calculation speeds so greatly because it makes floating point operations a hardware rather than a software function.

In addition to increasing the speed—and often the level of precision—of statistical and analytical math packages, the Math Co-processor can improve the display speed of graphics and video games. It also significantly improves high-level language execution time, and is designed to work with the APL Interpreter and the version 2.0 Pascal and FORTRAN Compilersdiscussed next in this issue.

WHAT'S THE PROGRAM

We Speak Your Language. IBM Personal Computers are shameless polyglots. They can handle most of the popular programming languages you want to work with. Much of the credit for their versatility goes to the IBM Disk Operating System (DOS) 2.10. This updated version of DOS 2.00 was developed to provide support for the IBM PCjr as well as for the IBM PC, PC XT, and IBM Portable PC. So all members of the IBM Personal Computer family are united by a single master program that provides the required support between their hardware and a wide range of application programs.

More to our present linguistic point, the DOS 2.10 diskette contains two programs, Disk BASIC and Advanced BASIC, to help you write your own programs on an IBM PC. (IBM PCjr BASIC—a separate, optional cartridge—provides this support for the PCjr.) Disk BASIC adds DOS file support, date, time of day, and communications capabilities to the BASIC language that comes with every personal computer from IBM. Advanced BASIC adds advanced key trapping and advanced graphics—including viewports, windows, and paint tiling—plus music and other capabilities.

DOS has other features that help simplify advanced program development and design, including a line editor, a linker, background printing, and chaining of commands. For help with writing and editing particularly sophisticated BASIC programs, there's the BASIC Programming Development System, a software package that consists of two programs and four utilities. The first program includes aText File Editor and a Structured BASIC Pre-processor; the second includes a BASIC Formatter and a BASIC Cross Reference.

Native Translators Available. The IBM BASIC Compiler compiles or translates the BASIC programs you've written, down to native object code so they'll run on your IBM PC. And BASIC is just the beginning. DOS also provides the support you need to develop and run programs using the IBM Personal Computer Macro Assembler or the FORTRAN, COBOL, and Pascal Compilers.*

Two of these, the FORTRAN and

Pascal Compilers, are available in recently updated versions. IBM PC Pascal 2.0 is based on the ISO standard, and IBM PC FORTRAN 2.0 conforms to the ANSI-77 standard subset level. Both new versions feature improved arithmetic capabilities, and both support the IBM 8087 Math Co-processor for greatly increased speed in processing floating point calculations. (For more about the Math Co-processor, see "Hardware News" in this issue of Read Only.)

In addition, versions 2.0 of the FORTRAN and Pascal Compilers feature a Library Manager for creating user-defined libraries and provide easy access to all files in any subdirectory through DOS path support. FORTRAN 2.0 supports linking of object modules with subroutines written in Pascal 2.0 and vice versa. Both new versions support linking of object modules with subroutines written in IBM PC Macro Assembler.

There's a bargain in store for those who already own the 1.0 versions of these compilers: you have the option of buying an upgrade to the 2.0 version at a substantial savings from the full 2.0 price.

To ensure that your programming reach doesn't exceed your grasp, the IBM PC APL Interpreter enables you to write and edit your own programs in APL. It can also be used to exchange data files and workspace between your IBM PC and many mainframe computers*

Finally, if you're inclined to make serious use of the IBM PC's array of programming aids, we suggest that you also take a look at the recently announced IBM PC Sort program. It provides support for data types and file organizations used by the IBM DOS-supported languages mentioned

A.

Application development tools from IBM

above and can significantly speed and streamline your programming efforts. IBM PC Sort can be used as a stand-alone utility, integrated into a batch job stream, or invoked directly from a COBOL program via the Sort verb. It can sort records from a data file

or files, merge multiple input files, selectively include or exclude records, and create an output file containing the records, pointers, or keys from the input files. There are no arbitrary limits in IBM PC Sort for file size, record length, number of keys, or number of input files.

'BASIC Compiler and Macro Assembler will run on the IBM PCjr. APL Interpreter will not. Although the IBM PCjr does not support FORTRAN, COBOL, and Pascal Compilers, most of their output will run on the PCjr if there is sufficient storage.

Now Get Organized. The IBM PC's

ability to run a wide variety of commercially available programs and to help you develop your own applications may result in a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that you'll be able to satisfy your application requirements. The bad news is that you'll probably be the one responsible for keeping track of your growing library of programs. If, as we've often found, enthusiasm outstrips organization, you may find yourself falling behind—especially if you're working in an area, such as

Animation Creation software from IBM

small business finance or education, where programs multiply rapidly.

Fortunately, help is in sight, in the form of Fixed Disk Organizer, an IBM software package that does just what its name suggests.

Fixed Disk Organizer has a master menu that lets you sort out your various application programs by category—word processing, spreadsheet, communications, and so on. You can tailor the menu to your specific application needs by adding new menu categories, revising or deleting existing categories, or changing titles. The master menu allows you to review all the programs stored on your fixed disk at a glance and to call them up quickly with just a couple of keystrokes.

Fixed Disk Organizer also helps protect sensitive data by allowing you to create passwords and restrict access. It also enables you to write a

L

string of complex DOS commands into a batch file and execute them whenever you want simply by selecting that file from the menu. And in case part of your organizational problems stem from not always remembering just how things are organized, you can use Fixed Disk Organizer to establish Help files as a reminder.

So we're all in trouble—no more excuses for not being organized. Moving Pictures and Mathematical Castles. Let's not forget that there's more to life than programming, compiling, and getting organized. There's also software from IBM for pure enjoyment and for enjoyable education. Two such packages are Animation Creation and Adventures in Math.

Adventures in Math incorporates math drills into an adventure game with vivid color _y graphics of a castle and its passageways and treasures. To find the way out—and to uncover as many treasures as possible along the way—children (or particularly skillful adults) have to solve basic math problems. The program's difficulty level increases as you solve the problems you're confronted with.

Using Animation Creation, you or your children can draw your own pictures and watch them come to life. To draw pictures, you select from 254 computer characters and position them on your screen. Add color by choosing any of 16 foreground and 8 background colors. Then, by slightly repositioning the images on successive screens, you can create animation.

Next stop, Hollywood.

The Guide, published twice a year, is a catalog that contains clear, concise descriptions of IBM PC, IBM PC XT, IBM PCjr, and IBM Portable PC systems. It also reviews printers, video displays, expansion units, and all other IBM PC hardware products. A separate section of The Guide contains articles on IBM PC software packages.

Both hardware and software articles are illustrated

fiH

i ', 1 I

HARDCOPY

You Can't Enjoy the Game without a Program. Earlier in this issue (see "On the Storefront"), we discussed the Customer Support System for online information about IBM Personal Computer products. Much of that information is also available in two publications: The Guide, a directory of Personal Computer offerings from IBM, and The Library, a directory of IBM Personal Computer software offerings. If you want to enjoy the personal computer game, these are the "programs" you need to do it.

with annotated color photographs—of key screens for the software packages—and start with charts that provide quick product overviews. Other noteworthy features include sample configuration tables for all three systems and a closing section on Sales and Service Support.

The Library, updated quarterly, presents an overview in booklet form of the entire IBM PC software product line. It presents the software by category, with sections on Operating Systems and Languages, Personal Productivity, Communications, Business, Education, and Entertainment. Program descriptions are brief and to the point. Each includes a short overview, program highlights, and system requirements. There's also a chart at

the end of the booklet that shows at a glance which programs are compatible with the IBM PCjr. Or the Hardware without a Manual. If The Guide and The Library are the general road maps to IBM PC products, the Technical Reference and Hardware Maintenance and Service manuals'—now available in newly updated versions—are the detailed maps of downtown. It's not a trip everyone wants to take, but if you do, these are the right directions.

There's a three-volume Technical Reference set for the PC and another for the PC XT and Portable PC. These manuals include the functional specifications for the system units and for the options and adaptors in the IBM PC product line. The Hardware Maintenance and Service manual details many aspects of troubleshooting a personal computer from IBM. It includes a parts catalog, a section on preventive maintenance, and instructions for identifying the failure of a replacement unit.

'These manuals are intended for use by technically qualified service personnel.

TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

If you use Personal EditorIBM's full-screen editor for writing programs and brief documents—but find yourself displaying the Help file whenever you forget a function key assignment, here's a little help from the fellow forgetful.

Function key assignments can easily be displayed on the command line of your Personal Editor screen by assigning Fl to display the unmodified keys and alt+Fl to display the alt+Fx keys. You can then assign the Help function to alt+H, although you probably won't need it nearly as often as before.

The macro for the Fl assignment can be written as follows: def fl = [cursor command] [begin line] 'F: 2 = Save 3 = File 4 = Quit 5=Erase 6 = EraseEOL 7 = Print 8 = Switch 9=InsL 10=Ins&Indt' [cursor data].

For more information about IBM Personal Computer products, see your authorized IBM Personal Computer dealer or IBM Product Center. To learn where, call 800-447-4700. In Alaska and Hawaii, 800-447-0890.

© 1984 International Business Machines Corporation Little Tramp character licensed by Bubbles Inc., s.a.

UPDATE

Feedback

Pascal p-System Upgrade for PC XT

Maura Smith. SofTech Microsystems' director of communications, commented on James P. Reed's letter to the editor "Watch the Fine Print" (February, page 24). In his letter, Mr. Reed related his surprise when he discovered that neither UCSD Pascal p-System's program nor data files can be stored on an IBM PC XT's fixed disk.

Ms. Smith wants BYTE readers to know that SofTech Microsystems offers an upgrade kit to solve fixed-disk problems such as Mr. Reed's. This upgrade allows you to store both programs and data on the IBM PC XT's hard disk, and it lets you partition a disk among various operating systems.

The upgrade is available through SofTech's end-user sales department for $20. The address is SofTech Microsystems, 16885 West Bernardo Dr.. San Diego, CA 92127, (619) 451-1230.

Developments^

Product News

QDP Computer Systems of Cleveland, Ohio, has announced a 15 percent price reduction on its entire line of QDP-300 business and industrial desktop micros. Prices begin at $3495 for a single-user system with two floppy-disk drives and 128K bytes of RAM.

ASHTONTATE'S dBASE II database-management system will now be bundled with Kaypro 4 and 10 computers shipped after April 4. according to Kaypro Corporation. In a related development. Kaypro revamped the software package that comes with each of its computers. The new bundle features Digital Research's CP/M 2.2 and MicroPro International's WordStar, MailMerge, CalcStar, and MBASIC Incidentally, if you're wondering why Kaypro changed the name of the Kaypro II to Kaypro 2, a company spokesperson explained that it was because people kept asking to see a Kaypro eleven.

MICROPRO International, the San Rafael, California, applications-software developer, has announced that its WordStar Professional package is available for the Tandy 2000. The Professional package is made up of the WordStar word processor, the CorrectStar spelling corrector, the MailMerge file- and data-merging program, and Starlndex, which creates tables of contents and alphabetized indexes. MicroPro claims to have sold 800.000 copies of WordStar.

LOTUS Development Corporation's 1-2-3 is now available for the IBM PCjr. The Cambridge, Massachusetts, software developer has set the suggested price for this integrated package at $495.

SOFTWORD Systems Inc. has changed its name to MultiMate International Corporation. According to a company spokesperson, the public's recognition of the name MultiMate is higher than its recall of the name SoftWord Systems. This is due to the fact that the name of each of the company's products begins with the word "MultiMate." The word "International" reflects the company's expanding overseas customer base. MultiMate International, which produces word processors and database and list managers, maintains corporate headquarters in East Hartford, Connecticut.

TERRAPIN LOGO'S suggested retail price has been reduced to $99.95. according to a recent announcement by its Cambridge, Massachusetts-based publisher, Terrapin Inc.

LEADING EDGE Products of Needham, Massachusetts, has reduced the price of its Leading Edge Word Processor to $200, in response to IBM's announcement that it will market a version of Displaywriter for the PC.

Network Updates Database Serves Financiers

Invest/Net. billed as the insider's trading monitor, is said to feature complete up-to-the-minute information showing the buys, sells, and options exercises of corporate insiders, including senior officers, directors, or owners of 10 percent or more of a corporation's stock. You can also browse the entire list of stocks traded in the United States, scan specific industry groups, and assemble data covering any period of time. A talk-back feature lets you communicate with Invest/Net or other users. The transactions are taken from the records of the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the New York and American stock exchanges.

Invest/Net can be accessed by any personal computer or terminal equipped with a 300- or 1200-bps modem. Most commands require a single keystroke, and a help facility is on line, it's available in more than 240 cities worldwide. For contract fees, contact Financial Information On-Line—Invest/Net, 99 Northwest 183rd St,. North Miami, FL 33169. (305) 652-1710.

Collectibles On Line

The Collector's Data Service, a database for collectors and connoisseurs, went on line last

month. This service provides an exchange for buyers and sellers of such sought-after items as oriental rugs, exotic real estate, works of art, classic cars, antiques, and other collectibles. Lists of stolen properties are carried, along with newsletters, event calendars, and show and auction listings. Additional features include on-thespot credit validations and low-cost classified notices.

Access is via Tymnet. Further information is available from the Collector's Data Service Ltd.. 420 West Mercer. Seattle, WA 98119, (800) 435-0100; in Washington, (206) 281-7273.

Pharmaceuticals Focus of New Network

GTE Telenet Communications Corporation and Fisher Stevens Inc. have introduced PHYCOM (Physicians Communications). PHYCOM is reported to be the first on-line version of the Physicians Desk Reference, which contains information on nearly 1000 trade-named pharmaceutical products, product profiles, details of patients' reactions, abstracts of papers by physicians with prescribing experience, and a bibliography of clinical studies.

Up and running since early April, PHYCOM provides daily news bulletins on medical and regulatory developments from the Bureau of National Affairs. A special emphasis is placed on government health-care rulings and medicolegal decisions. A request service enables doctors to contact sponsoring drug companies for product literature or samples, order reprints of published papers, and register for seminars and symposia.

Most of PHYCOM's information can be obtained free of charge, because the cost of providing this service is shared by the sponsoring companies. PHYCOM is available through GTE Telenet's MINET medical-information network. For further information, contact GTE Telenet Communications Corp., 8229 Boone Blvd., Vienna, VA 22180, (703) 442-1000.

Electronic Mail System for Deaf Uses Standard Telephone

Subscribers access the Deaf Electronic Mail Service's (Deaf-EMS's) computer through their TTY or TTD (teletyping devices) in the same manner they would place a call to a friend. Serving as a community bulletin board and electronic mail system for the hearing impaired in the Seattle, Washington, area. Deaf-EMS provides users with mailboxes and schedules of such events as captioned films, national deaf sports, and local club and service organization announcements. Health, safety, and other public-service announcements are covered.

(continued)

]ULY 1984 'BYTE 33

UPDATE

Developed by Silent Software Services, DeafEMS does not require users to purchase additional equipment or modify their hardware. Deaf-EMS's interface converts the 5-bit Baudot TTY letter code to the 7-bit ASCII code used by its computer, which facilitates ease of use.

Silent Software Services was founded by Paul Stefurak of Seattle. Deaf since birth, Mr. Stefurak earned a degree in mathematics from Gallaudet College for the Deaf in Washington, D.C. For more information contact Silent Software Services. 3864 Beach Dr. SW, Seattle. WA 98116, (206) 937-5386 (voice or TTY).

Interaction

Analyses Can Be Risky Business, But Maybe Not That Risky

Professor William Lyons from the University of Tennessee's political science department wrote us suggesting the possibility of a "substantive error" in Pat Macaluso's article "A Risky Business—An Introduction to Monte Carlo Venture Analysis'' (March, page 179). We wrote to Mr. Macaluso requesting his opinion on the issues raised by the professor. Here are some excerpts from both letters.

"Pat Macaluso." writes Professor Lyons, "gives the strong impression that one makes estimates of the standard error of the sample means of a particular size drawn from a population only through repeated sampling. In fact, one would not use the sample standard deviation of SI 3,400 if one had conducted one sample, as is suggested on page 190: 'If we had made only one run of 2000 samples, we would have little idea of how we were doing. The large standard deviation of SI 3.400 would have left us with a range of about SI4,000 to S41.000 in which to expect the average in 2 out of 3 chances.'"

Professor Lyons contends that you would not use the standard deviation of the cases in such a manner. In his opinion, the appropriate technique would be to use an estimate of the standard deviation of the means. You can estimate this by dividing the standard deviation of the one sample taken (i.e., SI3,400) by the square root of the sample size minus one [V(2000-1)|. This phenomenon lets researchers make estimates of population parameters after having conducted a single sample.

In his reply. Pat Macaluso agrees with Professor Lyons that you should not use a sample standard deviation as an estimate of the population value, and he confirms that you should first divide by the square root of the sample size. The purpose of the 10-run method used in the article, notes Mr. Macaluso, was to get a fix on the sample size. Consequently, he asserts the validity of the use of sample standard deviations in that context.

He does, however, differ with what he sees as Professor Lyons's suggestion that you could do as well by making a single run of N samples. Such an avenue may be justifiable for a survey where sampling is expensive, but it would be unwise when sampling a model on a computer. "Suppose we made a single run of 200 samples," suggests Mr. Macaluso. "A typical result

34 B YTE • IULY 1984

would be about $27,600 plus or minus 950 ... not bad for a two-thirds chance of bracketing the true (model) average. It could well satisfy an analyst. Still, the 10-run method requires a sample size of 2000 and uses the averages from 10 runs of 200 samples each to approximate the population parameters. My approach makes allowance for the iffy nature of the model, the number of variables, and the economy of sampling on a computer.

"The analyst can see how data that are often skewed settle down to a fairly normal sampling distribution with diminishing variation. This makes the process more understandable and helps settle on a larger, yet more practical, sample size. Managers risking large sums of money appreciate the conservatism of this approach."

Internal Circuitry Compensates for Possible Bug

David L. Gaissert, an evaluation engineer with NCR Corporation in Peachtree City. Georgia, spotted a bug in the BASIC program accompanying |oe D. Blagg's article "A Low-Cost, Low Write-Voltage EEPROM" (February, page 343) and is concerned about a possible error in the circuit Mr, Blagg described.

In listing 1 on page 344, the program does not increment the EEPROM address pointer, which is the variable P. This results in programming all 2048 bytes of RAM into a single address, 14336. To correct this problem, add this line to the program: 265 P=P+1.

While scrutinizing Mr. Blagg's example of interfacing the 52Bl3 EEPROM to a Z80-based system, Mr. Gaissert noticed that a one-shot was used to extend the Z80's bus-write pulse to a nominal 10 milliseconds. He felt that the interface does not have provisions for latching the data until the write pulse times out. The integrity of the data to be written would then be lost even before the EEPROM had a chance to complete the programming process.

Mr. Blagg has informed us that this would be true when programming a conventional PROM, such as the 2716, but not with Seeq Technology's 52B13 EEPROM. Seeq's chip has its own data-latching network as a part of its internal circuitry. Once it detects the leading edge of WE. the 52B13 latches in all other input signals, including data, addresses, CE, CC. and C>E. The system controller only has to maintain the WE signal during the write cycle after the latches are activated. This feature was one of the reasons Mr. Blagg found the chip so easy to use.

While on the sub|ect of Seeq Technology. Mr. Blagg provided us with some supplementary materials to pass on to you. Seeq is producing the 52B13 (at the time Mr. Blagg wrote his article, only production samples were available). It's distributed nationwide by Schweber Electronics, lericho Turnpike. Westbury, NY 11590, (516) 334-7474, which maintains outlets in 30 cities. At press time, the 52B13 is available in 350- and 250-nanosecond versions for S23 or $27.50 each (quantity 1 to 24). Seeq Technology is located at 1849 Fortune Dr., San lose. CA 95131. (408) 942-1990.

[continued)

roland DG manufactures a complete line of high quality monitors, each designed to suit specific uses and applications, from composite monochrome and color monitors to monochrome TTL-signal monitors (ideally suited for use with the IBM PC).

MODEL

Composite

Color

Monitor

MODEL

MB121G

Monochrome

Composite

Monitor

(available in

Amber or Green)

MODEL

MB122A

Monochrome TTL-Signal Monitor (available in Amber or Green)

Circle 267 on inquiry card.

Free and Easy

Using a Business Plotter is difficult and expensive, right? Wrong! That's the way things used to be. Roland DG's new hardware/software package not only makes plotting easy, it also makes part of the deal free!

During the months of April, May and June with the purchase of a Roland DG DXY-800 8-Pen X-Y Plotter, you get the KeyChart Presentation Graphics Software to run the plotter—Absolutely Free! A savings of $375.00.

At the heart of the package is the Roland DG DXY-800 X-Y Plotter, (the lowest priced 8-pen plotter on the market). The DXY-800 is an 8-pen intelligent plotter offering an 11" x 17" plot bed, Centronics parallel and RS-232 serial interfaces, and can also be used in either a horizontal or vertical (60

degree inclined) position, to

conserve your desk-top space. Use regular paper or even acetate to produce overhead projection graphics.

Next add KeyChart, probably the quickest, and easiest software program for generating presentation-quality business graphics. You don' have to be a programmer to use KeyChart. It is completely menu-driven and can provide automatic default values for every characteristic. Load in your data from the keyboard, or from almost any electronic spreadsheet, including Lotus 1-2-3.

^(^la

D JL K

eyChart graphics software is high-quality, quick, and easy.

w

hynot ' take the work out of your next business presentation?

thanks to Roland DG, KeyChart can come to you for free.

oland DG's DXY-800 KeyChart package is available for most popular personal computers. Just plug it in, and within minutes you'll be creating the kind of graphics you thought A^*w might take

J >5^^. days of pro

gramming. All of this comes to you for the DXY-800's normal low retail price of $995.00. KeyChart, normally priced at $375.00 is included at no additional cost. For those who don't need multi-pens, Roland DG also makes a single pen plotter (the DX Y-101), also bundled with KeyChart for only $750.00 Why not let the Roland DG graphics system improve the quality of your business presentations? But you'd better hurry, this kind of free and easy dealing isn't going to last forever, just until June 30th. For a dealer near you contact: Roland DG, 7200 Dominion Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90040,(213)685-5141.

KevChart is a trademark of SoftKey Software Products inc. Lotus and 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Development Corp.

Roland DG

JULY 1984 -BYTE 35

»

*DATAEA5E is a true winner

— on technical merit alone,

DATAEA5E would put dBASE II

out of business."

Business Computer Systems

April 1984

LjAIA' r< >\ 1=1 the ''■' '■st complete information .> ,jnrj,^-nipnt system available While literally

er simple soluii ■')■, {i, < omple* business information needs, • ,,yf' re../if.,»;-., from our clients application develjpers jrid the media confirm DATAEA5E as the only prr.(1u< t which delivers on this promise

"DATAEA5E received the highest 'Overall Evaluation' rating of the five fully relational programs tested by Software Digest in its report on 20 IBM PQ database and file management programs appeanng in the March 1984 issue of The Ratings newsletter"

The Ratings Newsletter Software Digest, 1984

Thousands of business clients worldwide large and small say DATAEA5E increases productivity And that is why, in a few short months,

DATAEA5E has become a top-seller within the Eortune 500 companies

"What took five man-months of development with dBA5E II, was accomplished in two weeks with DATAEA5E"

Bob Scavullo, President

Moesis Computing Company

"DATAEA5E enabled us to change files, records and reports with no fear of losing data — / can't begin to put a value on that"

Peter J. Mewcombe, Corp. MIS Manager General Defense Corporation

here are some of the features that mahe DATAEA5E the best buy on the market today

• Layout your forms on the srrppn

• Connect any number of fnc

• Access functions with single keystrokes.

• Modify records and design cu

DATAEASE dBASEII® R:basem power-base™

Features Menu driven with built-in commands

t •

Full application development functions

» •

Applications can be modified by user

Menus can be defined by user

Over 200 fields/record & characters/field

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1984 Software Solutions, Inc.

UPDATE

Bug in Early 8088 Arises Later, Reader and Author Explain Fix

BYTE reader Martin Janzen of PBSC Software in Winnipeg, Manitoba, found J. Eric Roskos's' article "Writing Device Drivers for MS-DOS 2.0: Using landon TM100-4 Drives" to be both interesting and informative. (See February, page

370.) However, the routines in which a local stack is created for the device driver, listing 2 on page 374. concerned him. It seemed to Mr. Janzen that the two groups of instructions (i.e., to switch to a local stack and to switch back to the DOS stack) could produce unpredictable results, such as overwriting areas of memory or storing registers in nonexistent memory.

Listing 1: Martin Ianzen's solution to prevent unwanted interrupts from disrupting critical sections.

dev strategy:

'switch to local stack

di

turn off interrupts

mov spsavsp

save DOSs stack pointer ...

mov sssavss

... and stack segment regs

mov ax.cs

set up a local stack in this

mov ssax

code segment

mov sp.offset stkbot

bottom of local stack

stl

allow interrupts to occur

:switch back to DOSs

stack

cli

turn off interrupts

mov ss.sssav

restore DOSs stack segment

mov sp.spsav

... and stack pointer

sti

allow interrupts to occur

ret

after ret' instruction

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"Each Igroup of instructions] makes up a critical section: a sequence of instructions which may not be interrupted," explains Mr. Janzen. "For example, if an interrupt were to occur after the MOV SS.AX instruction had been executed, but before the MOV SP, OFFSET STKBOT instruction, the interrupt mechanism would push the CS and IP registers onto a stack pointed to by the new value of the SS register and the old value of the SP register."

Mr. Janzen's solution (see listing l) is to surround each critical section with CLI (clear interrupt flag) and STI (set interrupt flag) instructions. This prevents the interrupts from being processed until the critical section is complete and the stack has been moved.

"If a critical section occurs inside an interrupthandling routine." says Mr. Janzen, "then the interrupts will already be disabled when the routine receives control. Provided that the routine never executes an STI instruction, the critical section will always execute correctly. However, it is not good to leave interrupts disabled for too long, so this method is not practical for any but the shortest interrupt handlers."

"Whenever a MOV or POP instruction is executed specifying a segment register as the destination," says Mr. Roskos. "interrupts are automatically suppressed until after the next instruction is executed. Intel designed the instructions this way ... to handle the case Mr. Janzen describes. Thus, it is not necessary to surround the sequence MOV SS, AX ... with a CLI/STl pair |because| the first of the two instructions will cause interrupts to be ignored until after the second of the two is executed."

Mr. Roskos stressed that Mr. lanzen could well have found that the program did not work on his machine. He told us that the problem existed in some of the older IBM PCs. which had a bug in the 8088s microcode. Long after writing his article. Mr. Roskos came across Will Fastie's "Tracing a Bug in the 8088" (PC Tick lourml, September-October 1983, page 106). The article described an error in the 8088 processor that was shipped with some of the earlier IBM PCs. This bug prevented the disabling of interrupts following a MOV or POP to the stack segment from working correctly—precisely the difficulty encountered by Mr. Janzen. Mr. Roskos verified the error by using an old 8088 microprocessor he had, but he defended his program as being correct according to Intel's specifications for the 8088 microprocessor. In addition, it works with all IBM PCs, except for those few early releases with the faulty microcode.

Although Mr. Ianzen's solution is workable for machines with a defective 8088, Mr. Roskos offers a caveat regarding the use of CLI/STl pairs to protect stack switching. In some routines the interrupts must remain disabled and that using a CLI/STl pair turns on interrupts at the end of the critical section you're protecting. This can cause complications if the protected section resides inside a larger block of code that is supposed to be run with the interrupts off.

If such a situation as described here were to arise and you wanted to protect the stack switches, you must first verify that the interrupts will always be on at the start of the critical sec

[continued)

38 B YTE • IULY 1984

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UPDATE

tion. Otherwise, you'll re-enable them, producing errors. Often this can be avoided by turning off the interrupts (using PUSHF/CLI/ POPF) and then restoring them to their previous state. In the case of a stack switch, this won't work, so you must analyze the code before adding CLI/STI to the program. Our thanks to Mr. lanzen and Mr. Roskos.

Statement Draws Fire, Authors Stand By Words

Nicholas Ourusoff, associate professor of computer science at Lander College in Greenwood, South Carolina, disagreed with a statement made by Mark C. Johnson and Allen Munro, authors of "Pascal's Design Flaws: Modula-2 Solutions and Pascal Patches" (March, page 371). He objected to their assertion that"... the Pascal-language definition does not permit... short-circuited evaluation—cessation of the evaluation when the expression is false."

lb back his argument. Mr. Ourusoff sent us this quote from the second edition of lensen and Wirth's Pascal User Manual and Report (Springer-Verlag. 1978):

Boolean expressions have the property that their value may be known before the entire expression has been evaluated. Assume, for example, that x=0. Then

(x>0) and {x< 10)

is already known to be false after computation of the first factor, and the second need not be evaluated. The rules of Pascal neither require nor forbid the evaluation of the second part in such cases.

"In general," concludes Mr. Ourusoff, "lensen and Wirth have little to say about implementation of Pascal in this book, being mainly concerned with the language definition itself. In Boolean expressions, however |and contrary to what Johnson and Munro state), implementors of Pascal are explicitly given the freedom to use short-circuited evaluation if they choose."

Mark lohnson and Allen Munro agreed their statement was somewhat misleading. What they had intended to say was "the definition does not provide ... short-circuited evaluation."

They do, however, stand by their statement. They counter Mr. Ourusoff's accusation by completing the quote from lensen and Wirth: "This means that the programmer must assure that the second part is well defined."

They feel that Jensen and Wirth were telling programmers that they should assume that short-circuited evaluation will not be provided by the implementation.

Skeleton Credited to Wrong Body

An editing error in the March BYTE incorrectly credited David Zeltzer's picture "lumping Skeleton" to the wrong organization. (See "Simulating Reality with Computer Graphics," by Peter R. SOrensen, page 106.) Mr. Zeltzer did his work at Ohio State University's Computer Graphics Research Group, with the support of the National Science Foundation. ■

40 BYTE • JULY 1984

onna

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Format: IBM PC. XT and 100% cornpaHblea

PC-DOS 2.0 Vorslon: 1.0

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You've never seen anything like it.

dBASE III™ can handle over a billion records per file, limited only by your computer system. You can have up to ten files open, for sophisticated applications programs.

When you have two related files,information in one can be accessed based upon data in the other.

dBASE III now handles procedures, parameter passing and automatic variables. You can include up to 32 procedures in a single file. With lightning speed. Because once a file is opened, it stays open. And procedures are accessed directly.

Easier than ever.

dBASE III uses powerful yet simple commands that are the next best thing to speaking English.

If you're unsure of a command, HELP will tell you what to ask for.

If you don't know what command comes next, a command assistant does. All you have to know is what you want it to do.

Our new tutorial/manual will have you entering and viewing data in minutes rather than reading for hours.

Circle 29 on inquiry card.

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dBASE III isn't just fast. It's ultra-fast. Operating. And sorting. Even faster, is no sorting. Because dBASE III keeps your records in order so you really don't have to sort anything. Unless you want to. Then watch out!

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©Ashton-Tate 1984. All rights reserved. dBASE III is a trademark and dBASE II is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 43

WHAT'S NEW

Advanced Personal Computer Has UNIX

NEC Information Systems' Advanced Personal Computer III is an IBM PC compatible offering UNIX functionality. The MS-DOS operating system and GW BASIC are standard, and the multitasking, single-user UNIX System III operating system is

available with special memorymanagement hardware.

Three basic Advanced Personal Computer III configurations are offered: a single 320Kbyte floppy-disk drive system; a dual-drive system; and a system with an integrated 10-megabyte Winchester-disk and a single

floppy-disk drive. All models have an 8-MHz NEC PD8086 (16-bit) microprocessor. 128K bytes of RAM. 8K bytes of nonvolatile CMOS memory, and 32K bytes of ROM for bootstrapping, diagnostics, and ROM BIOS. I/O facilities are made up of a Centronics parallel interface, an RS-232C port with both asynchronous and synchronous communications at speeds of up to 9600 bps. and monochrome and color (RGB) monitor interfaces. A hardware calendar/clock and IBM character sets are supplied.

The Advanced Personal Computer Ill's 61-key IBM Selectrictype keyboard is supplemented with a numeric keypad, cursorcontrol keys, calculation keys, and 12 user-definable function keys that can be used in five modes for 60 total programmed definitions. Both monochrome and color systems use 14-inch, reduced-glare monitors. The display format is 2 5 lines by 80 columns; character cells are 8 by 16 pixels. Graphics resolution is 640 by 400 pixels. The graphics option gives the system 64 K bytes (monochrome) or 192K bytes (color) of dedicated memory. Each pixel can have any one of eight colors. The monochrome and graphics subsystems are based on the NEC

7220 graphics-display controller.

Other options include up to 640K bytes of RAM. RS-232C and IEEE-488 interfaces, a memory-management unit that protects multitasking operations in the UNIX environment, and joystick interfaces and sound effects. The system runs all generic MS-DOS software in IBM 5^4-inch formats; a complete list of available applications software is available through CompuServe and The Source.

A 256K-byte Advanced Personal Computer III with the floppy-/hard-disk combination. UNIX software, and UNIX hardware costs $5320. The UNIX software features a C compiler. RAND editor and Berkeley UNIX editor, 8087 coprocessor and emulation, coresidence with MS-DOS on hard disk, file transfers to and from MS-DOS, and C-Shell from Berkeley UNIX. The single-drive system with a 14-inch monochrome monitor is $1995. A monochrome system with the hard- and floppy-disk combination is $3995. For more information, contact NEC Information Systems Inc., 1414 Massachusetts Ave., Boxborough, MA 01719. (617) 264-8000. Circle 500 on inquiry card.

Inexpensive Optical-Character Reader for Micros

The Omni-Reader from Oberon International is an inexpensive opticalcharacter reader for microcomputers. It links to your computer or word processor in the same manner as a telephone modem. Omni-Reader is operated manually and is reportedly faster than top-rated typists. It reads at less than 4 seconds per line.

Omni-Reader consists of a light-sensitive scanning head, a specially grated ruler, and in

telligent software. You pass the head over a line of text, using the ruler to facilitate accurate registration on the line. The special grating on the ruler is sensed so as to determine how fast and in which direction you are scanning a line. This method captures a series of vertical slices across the line of characters. These characters are analyzed by a dedicated microprocessor that uses a number of algorithms to process a line of recognized text for transmis

sion to your computer. The algorithms allow the software to discern a variety of type fonts and learn nonstandard fonts.

Omni-Reader's suggested retai price will be under $500. For more information, contact Oberon International. Suite 630, LB 48. 552 5 MacArthur Blvd.. Irving. TX 75062. (214) 2 52-8453. In the United Kingdom, the address is 47 Romney St., London SW, England; tel: 44 1 222 0518. Circle 501 on inquiry card.

44 BYTE- JULY 1984

V

9A

DAIAACQUISITION SOFTWARE THAT SIANS TWO WORLDS

Now one IBM PC can direct high speed acquisition of analog signals, and simultaneously read and control instruments on the IEEE^488 bus. Connect your analog signals to the Keithley DAS Series 500 Measurement and Control System; connect IEEE-488 instruments to our new Plus500 Instrument Control System. The same software environment controls both interfaces at the same time.

■ Soft500andnewPlus500 software make measurement and control accessible. Soft500 and Plus500 software are enhancements of BASIC, the language of personal computing. As easy to use as BASIC itself, Soft500 and Plus500 add

Circle 172 on inquiry card.

powerful data acquisition and control capabilities to a higher level language.

■ You can trust the data. SofSOO's foreground/background scheduling carefully times multiple tasks to ensure that successive readings from the same channel maintain precisely the same sampling interval. And there's still time for simultaneous data analysis.

■ The Series 500 is fully modular. Seventeen modules form an extensive and growing family that supports analog input, analog output, digital I/O, current loop output, pulse counting, and AC/DC relay control. And now the Plus500 Instrument Control System allows simultaneous access to the IEEE488 bus as well.

■ Quality manufacturing, quality service.

The Series 500 is built like an instrument It has the highest accuracy, the lowest noise, and the best thermal stability of any personal computer based data acquisition workstation. That's why it comes with a one-year warranty and a free product support hotline.

■ For more information

Call us toll free at 1-800-552-1115. In Massachusetts, call 617^23-7780. We'd like to tell you more about the Series 500 measurement and control family. 349 Congress Street Boston, Massachusetts 02210

KEITHLEY

IULY 1984 -BYTE 45

WHAT'S NEW

Otrona's PC-Compatible Portable Easily Converts to Desktop Computer

inches wide, and 14 inches deep.

Expansion options include a 10-megabyte internal hard-disk drive, a second 514-inch floppydisk drive, up to 640K bytes of RAM. a 4.77-MHz Z80B microprocessor with CP/M. an 8087 mathematic coprocessor, realtime clock, internal 300/ 1200-bps auto-dial modem, high-resolution (640 by 200) graphics board, and additional asynchronous and synchronous I/O ports. A 7-inch P-31 greenphosphor monitor, a 12-inch color display, a dot-matrix printer, DC power supply, a travel pack, and a PCcompatible expansion chassis are also available. Otrona offers Microsoft MS-DOS version 2.1 with Disk Manager 2 and GW BASIC. CP/M 2.2. and BAS1C-80 Plus as system software.

The Otrona 2001 is available for immediate delivery. For the name of your nearest dealer, contact Otrona Advanced Systems Corp.. 4725 Walnut St.. Boulder. CO 80301. (800) 525-7550: in Colorado. (303) 444-8100. Circle 502 on inquiry card.

^^^^^^S^^^^^^^h

The Otrona 2001. a portable computer that easily converts to a desktop system, is fully compatible with the IBM PC Its architecture offers three PC-compatible expansion slots, and its operational compatibility embraces all IBM software, such as Lotus 1-2-3 and Multiplan.

The basic Otrona 2001. retailing for $2495. comes with a single 48-tpi 360K-byte floppydisk drive, a 4.77-MHz 8088 microprocessor. 128K bytes of RAM with parity, 64K bytes of

ROM with diagnostics, a 7-inch amber flat-screen display, a serial RS-232C asynchronous port, a parallel port, and a composite-video/RGB external monitor interface. The lowprofile. 84-key DIN 30-mm keyboard is equipped with 10 function keys, a 15-key numeric pad. uppercase/lowercase LED indicators, and a 16-keystroke buffer. The display format is 80 by 25 with a standard resolution of 640 by 200 pixels. The Otrona 2001 weighs 19 pounds and measures 7 inches high. 15

StarUnk Expands IBM PC Into Multiuser Micro

A hardware/software combination to expand the IBM PC into a multiuser system. StarLink from Digital Research provides a low-cost alternative to purchasing multiple computers. With StarLink. you can connect four terminals or microcomputers to your IBM PC. with users sharing files, data, and applications.

StarLink is made up of an 8088-based board. 64K bytes of RAM. and Concurrent PC-DOS (see announcement on page 50). Its on-board RS-232C interface lets you use the IBM PC along with terminals, modems, and computers from other manufacturers. The operating system has protection and filelocking functions.

StarLink can run such applications programs as WordStar. MBA Accounting, and Multiplan. It requires an IBM PC. PC XT. or PC compatible with 512K bytes of RAM. The list price is $1695. Contact Digital Research Inc.. 160 Central Ave.. Pacific Grove. CA 93950. (408) 649-3896. Circle 503 on inquiry card.

Light Pen Works with Apples

The Gibson Light Pen. available from Koala, lets you create and manipulate objects on the Apple's screen. It's easy to judge and control the Gibson Light Pen because it comes in direct contact with the screen. Color can be added or changed as often as you like, and you can choose from a variety of presupplied colors and patterns to paint areas of your art.

The heart of the Gibson Light Pen is software Four programs come with the pen. and Koala intends to expand software offerings in the future. The programs are PenPainter. PenAnimator. PenMusician. and PenDesigner. PenPainter is a color graphics program for artistic applications PenAnimator serves as an introduction to animated computer graphics It lets you create 20 frames of animation

that can be cycled through the monitor. PenMusician shows you how to score simple melodies. It uses the Light Pen for moving notes across the staff lines, and it plays back the melodies. PenDesigner is a black-and-white line art program for technical or business graphics. It provides the means for producing professional-quality graphics.

The Gibson Light Pen is currently being shipped for the Apple II series System requirements are 64K bytes of RAM. Applesoft in ROM. DOS 3.3. a disk drive, and a monitor. Versions for the Commodore 64 and the IBM PC and PCjr are expected by year's end. It lists for $249. Further information is available from Koala Technologies Corp.. 3100 Patrick Henry Dr.. Santa Clara. CA 95052-8100. (408) 986-8866. Circle 504 on inquiry card.

46 BYTE- IULY 1984

This is THE PASCAL COMPILER You've Been Hearing About

VERSION

WMi M IIWi'TI'MIHB'"

"It's almost certainly better an IBM's Pascal for the PC... Recommended." Jerry Pournelle Byte, May 1984

$49.95

"If you don't have CP/M [for your Apple], Turbo Pascal is reason enough to buy it." Gary Hara Softalk Apple, May 198

If you have the slightest interest in Pascal... buy it." Bruce Webster, Softalk IBM, March, 1984

And Now It's Even Better Than You've Heard!

• Windowing (IBM PC, XT, jr. or true compatibles)

• Color, Sound and Graphics Support (IBM PC, XT, jr. or true compatibles)

• Optional 8087 Support (available at an additional charge)

• Automatic Overlays

• A Full-Screen Editor that's even better than ever

• Full Heap Management—via dispose procedure

• Full Support of Operating System Facilities

• No license fees. You can sell the programs you write with Turbo Pascal without extra cost. Yes. We still include Microcalc . . . the sample spreadsheet written with Turbo Pascal. You can study the source code to learn how a spreadsheet is written . . . it's right on the disk * And, if you're running Turbo Pascal with the 8087 option, you'll never have seen a spreadsheet calculate this fast before!

*Except Commodore 64 CP/M.

Order Your Copy of TURBO PASCAL® VERSION 2.0 Today

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Turbo Pascal 2.0 $49.95 + $5.00

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Address:

City/State/Zip: Telephone:

California residents add 6% sales tax. Outside U.S.A. add $15.00 (If outside of U.S.A. payment must be by bank draft payable in the U.S. and in U.S. dollars.) Sorry, no C.O.D. or Purchase Orders. cl5

WHAT'S NEW

Clout Inquiry Option for R:base

Microrim's Clout is a natural-language inquiry option for the R:base Series of relational database-management systems. It lets you pose questions to your database in free-form English words and phrases without fussing with command syntax or database structures. Clout incorporates expert system theory and naturallanguage techniques from artificial-intelligence technology. It extends the power of the R:base Select command by allowing you to retrieve information from up to five files. Upon installation. Clout reads the attributes in an existing database and adds them to its built-in 200-word dictionary. It then lets you build on the dictionary with synonyms for words or operations associated with the database.

Clout has the ability to search through the database to retrieve records based on adjectives or qualifying words, and it allows

you to define words in terms of the result of computations or data manipulation. Clout can be used with any R:base database. You can add approximately 500 words of your own. Information requests incorporated into Clout can take almost any form possible, including arithmetic expressions, uppercase/lowercase characters, singular or plural words, and any standard verb conjugation. Other features include an automatic spelling checker, automatic report formatting, menu-driven functions, and more than 60 Help screens.

Clout requires an MS- or PCDOS 1.1 or higher system with 2 56K bytes of memory. Although Clout will operate on a dual-disk-drive micro, a harddisk system is recommended. Any 80- or 132-column ASCII printer can be used. Clout is S195. For complete details, contact Microrim Inc., 1750 112th Ave. NE, Bellevue. WA 98004, (206) 453-6017. Circle 505 on inquiry card.

Low-Cost

Screen Graphics for PC

Fontrix 2.0 is a low-cost, extended-screen graphics software package for IBM PC and PC XT computers. Fontrix, first introduced for the Apple more than a year ago, gives your monitor a window on a large graphic worksheet, moving across nearly 23 times the area and resolution of a single screen (up to 115 screens with a hard disk). Its drawing and painting routines work with both a keyboard and a mouse.

Among Fontrix's programming tools are elastic lines, rectangular area fills, freehand drawing, and the ability to capture, move, and replicate portions of the screen. Text can be intermingled with graphics. The italic and bold functions are automatic, and you can change fonts at any time. It comes with 11 fonts and with a font editor capable of creating a variety of characters, including special symbols. The font editor provides a 48- by 48-pixel character cell environment and offers

such features as copy and overlay.

Fontrix's graphics dump prints single and extended graphics on most popular dot-matrix printers, including Epson, Mannesmann Tally, NEC, C Itoh, and Okidata. The dump features independent horizontal and vertical magnifications, 90-degree rotation, justifications, and multiple copies.

Optional libraries of additional fonts are available. Each volume contains 10 fonts. The five volumes of the library list for S20 each. The Apple version of Fontrix. which costs S75, requires 48K bytes of RAM. Applesoft in ROM. and a disk drive. It works with the Apple II Plus, He, and III. The IBM Personal Computer version requires 256K bytes of memory, a graphics board, and PC-DOS 2.0. It lists for SI25. Contact Data Transforms Inc., 616 Washington St., Denver, CO 80203, (303) 832-1501. Circle 506 on inquiry card.

Please Database System Is Easy to Use

First-time users of Please, Hayes Microcomputer Products' database-management system for the IBM Personal Computer, can create a database shortly after they sit down at the keyboard according to the manufacturer. A menudriven package, Please has 999 characters per field, 99 fields per record, 2000 characters per record, and the ability to accommodate several million records per database, depending on your system's capacity. It lets you quickly change the structure of the database, merge and copy databases, and transfer data rapidly. Four different field types let you shape output to specific needs, and Please gives you the option of setting your screen formats and field characteristics.

Please has an Import/Export feature that transfers data to and from other sources, such as Lotus 1-2-3. dBASE II, Friday!, and VisiCalc. Instructions for

inputting data from these and other popular programs are provided in the operator's manual. For one-time needs, Quick List retrieves selected information from a database according to specific criteria. Output Plans, comprising List. Form, Replacement, and Export functions, manipulate selected information. The List Output Plan produces columns of information from a database, while the Form function allows data to be printed in a predetermined location on a form or mailing label. Replacement makes mass deletions, and Export sends information to spreadsheets, word-processing files, and other programs.

Pleases Define mode lets you create new fields in the Output Plans based on files within the record. While the original record remains on screen. Dial automatically calls a telephone number from the record using Hayes Smartmodem. Additional

features include nine-digit decimal precision, a maximum of nine screens per record, and on-line Help facilities. Optional applications templates expand Please further. These templates focus on such common database-management needs as mailing lists, contacts, appointments, and household records.

Please requires a 128K-byte IBM PC equipped with a mono

chrome or color monitor and either a pair of double-sided, double-density drives or a harddisk drive. It costs $349. The applications templates list for S29.95. For the name of your nearest dealer, contact Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc., 5923 Peachtree Industrial Blvd., Norcross, GA 30092. (404) 449-8791. Circle 507 on inquiry card.

48 BYTE • 1ULY 1984

Now you can buy flexible disks with a five year warranty from Control Data.

A lot of companies make diskettes. But Control Data also makes disk drives. In fact, we're the leading independent supplier of disk drives to computer manufacturers.

Now we ve put our expertise into a truly superior line: StorageMaster diskettes from Control Data.

You can choose from a com

Circle 82 on inquiry card.

plete line of premium 8" and 5.25" diskettes in single or double densities, single or double-sided. And each diskette is 100% certified and backed by a 5 year warranty. So you can depend on them to perform for years to come.

Look for StorageMaster diskettes at your local computer store or ask for them from your computer supplies distributor.

Or give us a call toll-free at 1-800/328-6207 (in Minnesota call 612/853-8065) and we'll tell you where to find StorageMaster diskettes.

<3©

CONTRpL DATA

IULY 1984 'BYTE 49

WHAT'S NEW

Kit Extends PCjr Up to 512K

dBASE III: Relational DBM for 16-Bit Computers

The Drive Two Enhancement Package is a twopiece, snap-on expansion kit for the IBM PCjr. Manufactured by Rapport Corporation, this kit extends the capabilities of the 64K-byte, single-drive PCjr to those of a dual-drive IBM PC. With the Drive Two, you can run virtually any software designed for the PC as well as PCjr software.

The Drive Two kit comes with a 360K-byte floppy-disk drive, a clock/calendar with battery backup, a parallel printer port, and an expansion slot for in

creasing the PCjr's RAM to 512K bytes. Once installed, this package lets you operate PCDOS 1.1, 2.1, or 2.0. Installation is said to take less than 10 minutes, requiring only a flathead screwdriver. The kit snaps on top and to the side of the PCjr box and uses the original PC|r cover.

The Drive Two Enhancement Package costs S675. For more details, contact Rapport Corp., Suite 213, 80 South Redwood Rd., North Salt Lake City, UT 84054. (801) 292-9454. Circle 508 on inquiry card.

Ashton-Tate has introduced dBASE 111, a relational DBM (database manager) for 16-bit microcomputers. With dBASE 111, you can enter, manipulate, and retrieve large volumes of data as well as develop custom applications programs to put that information to work. Its storage capabilities, limited only by your computer, can be as high as 2 billion records per file with 128 fields per database. As many as 10 database files can be simultaneously operated.

At the same time, Fox & Geller (604 Market St., Elmwood Park, N| 07407) has announced that it is supplying Quickcode III. dUTIL III, and dGRAPH 111 versions of its dBASE enhancements. Quickcode is an applications generator that uses the dBASE programming language. dUTIL is a general utility program, and dGRAPH sorts, averages, and totals dBASE data and displays it graphically.

dBASE III provides fast sorting and indexing of stored data and color displays. Its user interface features a command assistance mode that guides novices through the most common areas of the database. Full online, context-sensitive help is available at the press of a key. Written in C from the ground up, dBASE III uses the same English-like commands as its predecessor. dBASE II, with

only minor modifications and enhancements for new functions and program changes. It also uses the dBASE programming language, which lets you develop your own applications programs. It's compatible with Framework and dBASE II. Miscellaneous features include variable-length text files of up to 4K bytes per entry, 4000 bytes per record (fixed length), 512K bytes per record (variable length), 15.9 digits of numerical precision, full-screen data entry and modification, and report and mailing-list generation.

dBASE 111 currently runs on the IBM PC, PC XT, and all IBM PC compatibles. Minimum system requirements are 2 56K bytes of RAM. dual 5 '/4-inch 360K-byte floppy-disk drives, a monochrome or color display, PC-DOS 2.0, and an 80-column printer. It will also work with a single floppy-disk and one fixed-disk drive. Available this month, it will list for S695. A take-home sampler tutorial can be obtained for $9.95. Owners of dBASE II wishing to upgrade to dBASE III should contact authorized dealers before July 31 for details on a preferential pricing program. Prices for the Fox & Geller programs had not been announced at press time. Contact Ashton-Tate, 10150 West lefferson Blvd., Culver City. CA 90230. (213) 204-5570. Circle 509 on inquiry card.

Multitasking Concurrent PC-DOS to Be Available in Third Quarter

Digital Research has announced that its longawaited Concurrent PCDOS will be shipped during the third quarter of this year. Pricing has been set at $295.

Of particular note to our corporate readers is Concurrent PC-DOS's ability to run as many as four PC-DOS or CP/M applications programs simultaneously, thereby making it a suitable productivity tool for team-working environments. It also runs most popular PC-DOS applications packages, such as Lotus 1-2-3. dBASE II, WordStar, MultiMate, and SuperCalc 3.

50 BYTE" JULY 1984

Concurrent PC-DOS works by presenting you with menus that outline a series of tasks to perform. The menu serves two functions. First, it guides the operator through all the system's resources and applications while tending to such control commands as copy, print, and delete files. The second function lets you create your own menus and compose special commands for custom-designed Help screens.

A communications capability lets you work on one application while the IBM PC receives information from an external

database. Concurrent PC-DOS has a window capability that permits simultaneous monitoring of four applications. Windows can be positioned anywhere on screen, scrolled, or sized to display the important parts of the application. Information can be cut and pasted from applications by placing the window over the appropriate data.

Advanced productivity tools supplied include a print spooler. Rolodex, and a twouser function. The print spooler lets you queue up documents to be printed while other tasks

are printing. Rolodex is a sorting and searching program for lists of names, addresses, and other pertinent data. The twouser function offers a remote dial-up link.

An IBM PC or PC-compatible system with 2 56K bytes of memory and two floppy-disk drives is required. For maximum efficiency, 512K bytes of memory and a hard disk are recommended. The $295 list price includes documentation. Contact Digital Research Inc.. 160 Central Ave.. Pacific Grove, CA 93950, (408) 649-3896. Circle 510 on inquiry card.

[continued on page 410) Circle 302 on inquiry card. —►

Our Family Tree Is Growing Again

Mt< II \ \\\,

itts i. IK K' YV

HI) ( l( t ,u Indue lai

board! AZ-80CPU (4 or 6 MHz); 16KROM, and up to 8K RAM provide intelligence required to relieve disk I O burden from host system CPU. Round out your multi-processing system with an integrated mass storage backup controller.

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SBC -1 A II III III pi (H esslllg slave board ( ompiilci vvilb Z-80CPU (4oi i.MH/i, 2 serial ports, 2 parallel ports, and up to 128K RAM. Provides unique 2K FIFO buffering for system block data transfers. When used with TurboDOS or MDZ/OS the results are phenomenal!

7

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TELETEK

WANTED

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE THIS HESS!

If you've ever found yourself searching for a calculator, notepad or appointment book

when you've got a computer right in front of you, men you know

the absurd situation we're illustrating.

\^gr

Sure, there are clumsy little programs you can boot up to accomplish one or the other of these tasks... but that's generally meant first stepping out of the software you're working with.

What's always been needed is one powerful piece of software, occupying only afewK, that would be tucked away in an unused part of RAM no matter what program you're running.

Whether you were rum|ng dBasell, Lotus 1-2-3, WordStar or even Turbo Pascal© ... it would always

be ready for lightning-fast use. You could just hit a

button and open a window for a notepad, another for

a calculator. Hit the button, again, and your work

would be saved to disk and you'd be right back in

your original software!

While we're at it, it should also have a perpetual

calendar linked to a datebook. And even an autodialer,

with a built-in phonebook.

Is this piece of software possible? At a price you can

afford ... now?

Something totally new in applications

software from Borland,

the folks who make

lurbo Pascal©

JUST A KEYSTROKE AWAY. .

NO MATTER WHAT SOFTWARE YOU'RE RUNNING!

• A CALCULATOR

• A NOTEPAD

• AN APPOINTMENT CALENDAR

• AN AUTO DIALER

• AN ASCD TABLE

• AND MUCH MORE ALL AT ONCE ... OR ONE AT A TIME.

ANYWHERE ON THE SCREEN YOU UKE. ANOTHER KEYSTROKE, AND YOU'RE RIGHTWHERE YOU LEFT OFF IN YOUR ORIGINAL PROGRAM! (you never really left!)

t J .» .• J ,• .» f » .» I $ •* 1X«.» • i.r ••! i ft

r| t t * • i • » » » < i»

SIDEKICK

INTRODUCTORY OFFER

$49.95

Available only for the IBM PC, XT, jr. and Compatibles.

NOW... Whether you're working in dBasell, Lotos 12 3, WordStar or whatever... You'll have your SIDEKICK®, too!

Something brand new. Crafted in Assembly language as carefully as Borland's famous Turbo Pascal®, so that it's lightning-fast and as compact as only Borland knows how to make it! With a notepad that has a full-screen editor that saves your notes to disk. You can even swap information back and forth between your applications software

d your^Sidekick.

|>pose you're working with a spreadsheet, and you suddenly have an important idea, Just hit the button, a window opens, you write the note and hit the button again. You're right back where you left off in the spreadsheet.

Need to make a phone call? Whether the number is in an existing database, your own Sidekick phone directory, or you've just typed it on the screen ... put the cursor next to the number, hit the keystroke, and Sidekick dials for you!*

There's lots more, too. You can move the Sidekick windows anywhere on the screen you like. And you can have as many on screen at a time as you need. We designed it because we needed :t If you've ever been writing a report and needed to do a quick calculation, or jot down a note, then you

Understand Why. -Only with Hayes Smartmodem and ampuMes

VOL CAN ORDER YOUR COPY OF SIDEKICK© TODAY!

For Visa and MasterCard orders call Toll Free 1-800-227-2400 ext 953 in California 1-800-772-2666 ext 953

(lines open 24 hours, 7 days a week) Dealer and Distributor Inquiries Welcome 408-438-8400

SIDEKICK* $49.95

(plus $5.00 shipping and handling • Shipped UPS)

Check □ Money Order D

VISA D MasterCard D

Card* ,

.Expiration Date

Please be sure your computer is an IBM PC, XT, jr., or true compatible!

NAME ; •''■" '

ADDRESS

CITY/STATE/ZIP TELEPHONE

California residents add 6% sales tax. Outside USA. add $15.00. (If outside of USA. payment must be by bank draft payable in the U.S. and in U.S. dollars.) Sorry, no COD. or Purchase Orders

S C15

BORIPHD

INTERNATIONAL

Borland International 4113 Scotts Valley Drive Scotts Valley, California 95066 TELEX: 172373 L--/

Circle 42 on inquiry card.

dBase II is a trademark of AshtonTate. WordStar is a trademark of MicroPro. Lotus 1-2-3 is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation.

ASK BYTE

Conducted by Steve Garcia Power-Line Pollution

Dear Steve.

I enjoyed reading "Keep Power-Line Pollution Out of Your Computer" in the December 1983 BYTE. A definite need exists for such protection devices to be utilized with computer equipment. However, when I contacted Radio Shack about the components, the only item available was the four-outlet power strip. The MOVs (metal-oxide varistors) have been back-ordered for months, and the EMI/RF1 (electromagnetic interference/radio-frequency interference) filter is a discontinued item. Do you have any suggestions for an alternate EMI/RFI filter?

Lee E. Anderson Rockville. MD

Radio Shack still sells the V130LA10A MOV transient protectors (part number 2 76-570). but it could not anticipate the demand caused by my article In fact, I was surprised by the number of letters received on this subject. It's nice to know that many of you are interested in powerline protection.

I chose the Radio Shack MOVs because they were easily obtainable, but you can contact several other sources. The V130LA10A. which is manufactured by General Electric, should be available from a GE distributor or electronic parts supply house. Also. Panasonic and General Instrument manufacture similar units.

The Panasonic ERZ-C14DK201 is available as part P7063 from Digi-Key Corporation, Highway 32 South. POB 677. Thief River Falls. MN 56701. (800) 346-5144. The General Instrument part SI4K130 is available from Active Electronics. POB 8000. Westborough. MA 01581. (800) 343-0874.

Several manufacturers produce power-line filters that are suitable for your applications. They include Corcom Inc., 1600 Winchester Rd.. Libertyville. IL 60048. (312) 680-7400. type 5VB1 or 5VB3: Cornell-DubilierElectronics, 150 Avenue L. Newark, NJ 07105. (201) 589-7500. type APF511L; Delta Electronic Industry USA. 1355 Yosemite Way. Hayward. CA 94545. (415) 785-5231. type 05DBAG5; and Potter Company. POB 337. Wesson. MS 39191. (601) 643-2215. type 600A5.

These filters are equivalent to Radio Shack part number 2 73-100. Write the manufacturers for additional information and the address of your nearest supplier—Steve

Dear Steve.

Will a big transient lead to an MOV "suicide" while it is protecting my system? If so. how big? Also, how can I tell that the MOVs need to be replaced?

How much of my upstream wiring will be protected against transients by MOVs on a power strip with a line cord 3 feet long (as in figure la on page 43 of the December 1983 BYTE)?

Finally. 1 understand that an EMI/RFI line filter protects only downstream. Does EMI/RFI filtering affect upstream transient clamping by MOVs?

N. C. Webb Lincoln, MA

MOVs have an energy rating expressed in joules or watt-seconds, but the actual energy absorbed is a function of the applied transient waveform. Also, a device with a lower clamping voltage will absorb less energy. Therefore, it is difficult to give a specific failure value.

MOVs are rugged devices conservatively rated and exhibit a low failure rate when properly selected. Still, they do fail, and their failure characteristics should be considered. MOVs initially fail in a short-circuit mode when subjected to transients beyond their peak ratings. Short<ircuit failures also occur when MOVs are operated at steady-state voltages in excess of their voltage ratings.

When a device short<ircuits, it can demand large amounts of energy input, and failure occurs by rupturing of the package and expulsion of material. This miniexplosion can be minimized by a fuse in series with the MOV to open the circuit when such failure occurs. Locating the MOV away from other components will avoid damage from packaging material.

In answer to your second question, since the MOVs are in parallel across the AC line, they should, in theory, provide protection to any device connected to it. However, the AC wiring has inductance and capacitance and will present different impedances to various transients. Assumptions as to the effective length can be made, but it is safer to have the MOVs close to the device requiring protection.

Lastly, the EMI/RFI filters do not affect the upstream clamping ability of an MOV. Conversely, the EMI/RFI filters tend to reduce the transient voltage levels downstream of the line and make the MOVs work somewhat easier. The components in the filter are usually not damaged by transient voltages— Steve

Dear Steve.

I was unable to-find GE part VI30LA10A at Radio Shack—sold out for many weeks!—and had to-get V130LA20A units. Does the "10A" stand for 10 amperes (A) and the "20A" for 20 A? In terms of transient protection, what is the gain, or loss, from the use of V130LA20A units rather than the V130LA10A units?

Elbert S. Maloney Pompano Beach. FL

The GE MOV-II varistors such as the VI30LA10A described in my article use the following model number nomenclature:

V the GE MOV varistor

130 the applied RMS (root mean

square) voltage LA product series (LA for radial

leads) 10 pulse energy rating A clamping voltage

The 130 volts (V) indicates that it would be suitable for a standard 117-V AC line and allow for an overvoltage of 10 percent. The pulse energy rating of 10 indicates that the MOV has a maximum allowable energy rating of 38 joules for a single noncomplex impulse of 10/1000 microsecond (/is). The clamping voltage is the peak terminal voltage measured with an applied 8/20-fiS impulse current of 50 A.

The V130LA20A has a pulse energy rating of 70 joules and a clamping voltage of 340 V with a peak current of 100 A. It is an excellent substitute and will result in a higher safety factor.—Steve

Dear Steve.

Perhaps I'm paranoid, but I live on top of Little Mountain in the Great Smokies. This area is pretty high by Connecticut standards, and lightning strikes are a frequent occurrence. For example. I've lost three white pines to lightning in the past few years, and I've seen a 200-watt light bulb explode in my summer home when a surge came down the power line: fortunately, nothing else was turned on at the time. When I built a permanent home, I went all out on lightning protection. Here are a couple of hints you might find useful.

First, a careless reader of the "How Lightning Strikes" text box (December 1983, page 38) might get the impression that one rod is enough. I had a professional lightning rod installer do my home. He put a rod every six feet along all the ridge lines, tied them all together with cable, fastened that to all the other metal on the roof, and brought the cable down to three separate grounding rods. You should see the purple glow in the air during electrical storms. Something is definitely happening up there on the roof, but I haven't had a strike.

Second, my electrician was able to install a lightning arrester on the power-line side of my meter box. I don't know what's inside but am glad to have it there.

Since you live in Connecticut, I can see why you wrote, "Blackouts generally affect only a small number of utility customers. . .and generally last less than 10 seconds." It just ain't so here in the Great Smokies. I suspect many

[continued)

54 BYTE- JULY 1984

Circle 297 on inquiry card. —►

n the Hard Disk Jungle Tallgrass Clears

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^S8S

sKSy^iiW^

In today's hard disk jungle, Tallgrass clears a path by offering high performance, integrated mass storage solutions for the IBM® PC/XT, the T.I. Professional and related computers.

TALLGRASS INNOVATIVE FEATURES

MASS STORAGE SYSTEMS with formatted HardFile™ capacities of 6, 12, 20, 35 and 70 Mb, all with built-in tape backup. CONVENIENT INTEGRAL TAPE BACKUP SYSTEM allows rapid tape "image" streaming, or incremental file-by-file backup and restore on ANSI standard inexpensive data cartridges, instead of the usual floppies, video cassettes, or low-capacity removable Winchester devices. NETWORK READY and fully compatible with networks such as PCnet®and EtherShare™ HIGH RELIABILITY with dual directory and read-after-write verify options. A dedicated landing zone, where the read/write heads reside when the disk is idle, provides data protection during powerdowns and transportation.

Follow the Tallgrass path to your local computer dealer and watch your personal computer transform into a powerful data processing system.

Available from COMPUTERLAND® Entre® Computer Centers, MicroAge® Computer Stores and other participating computer dealers.

New!

IBM-XT Cartridge

Tape Backup

World Headquarters: Tallgrass Technologies Corp. ,11100 W. 82nd St. Overland Park, KS 66214/913/492-6002'Telex: 215406 TBYT UK

Canadian Headquarters: Tallgrass Technologies (Canada), 1775 Meverside Drive Mississauga, Ontario, Canada I.4V 1H2 /416/673-3244

European Distributor: CPS Computer Group, LTD Birmingham, England B276BH/(021) 7073866

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Tallgrass Technologies

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of Orchid Technology

Circle 322 on inquiry card.

ULTRATERM?

JUST ASK THE PROFESSIONALS!

With the wide variety of peripherals available, it's difficult to evaluate the quality of accessories for your Apple. Listen to what the professionals say about UltraTerm.

BYTE—FEB. '84

"Overall, the UltraTerm display card is one of the best peripheral devices I have seen to enhance the display capabilities of the Apple."—P. Callamaras

SOFTALK—SEPT. '83

"The UltraTerm shines brightest in use with spreadsheets and word processors."

COMPUTER RETAILING — FEB. '84

"The UltraTerm is a high quality investment for anyone who has an Apple product and wants to add to it."

PEELINGS II—VOL. 4. NO. 8 '83

"The UltraTerm will be the new industry standard for Apple video display cards. The availability of the extra modes will enhance almost any software product that uses the text screen."

PERSONAL COMPUTING -MAY '83

"Perhaps the most impressive achievement of the UltraTerm expansion board is that the character set it produces is so sharp that its difficult to see the dots that make up each character."

The experts agree—the UltraTerm is one of the best display devices for Apple computers.

Videx Inc.

1105 NE Circle Blvd.

Corvallis, OR 97330

(503) 758-0521

ASK BYTE

others who live at the end of their power lines have learned it isn't true for them either. I've learned to be careful. I never use my computer during storms, and I back up frequently—even on cloudless days. But I'd like an uninterruptible power supply. The problem is, 1 don't know how to select a good one. For example, I'd like the AC to come from the (trickle-charged) battery all the time, because I've been told that even momentary glitches can mess up some computers.

If you'd write something on this topic, I will appreciate it. A Circuit Cellar design would give us something to have faith in.

Charles R. Blair Sr. Townsend, TN

You are indeed correct that more than one lightning rod is required for a roof or other large structure. The down line should be dressed away from the house to prevent any arc-over in the event of a strike, and multiple grounds are a good idea. I have seen installations where the soil itself was treated with salts to improve conductivity.

General Electric manufactures a device known as the Home Lightning Protector, which is designed to mount at the weatherhead or meter housing of the AC line. It uses a Thyrite element to clamp surges at about 650 V and should be installed by a licensed electrician. The device number is 9L15BC002, and it can be obtained from an electrical supply house. Another unit is the Square D Model 19200-10. and similar units are available from other manufacturers.

I have had many requests for an uninterruptible power supply and am considering an article for a low-cost unit. Watch for it.—Steve

Dear Steve,

1 use a Universal Data Systems 103LP modem that is powered by the telephone line. When an electrical storm is in the vicinity, my connection to the computer has been lost several times shortly after lightning flashed several miles away. Once a nearby strike not only made me lose the computer connection, it also erased the memory in my LA34 DECwriter. Do power surges affect this kind of modem, and can 1 build a surge protector for my telephone line similar to the power-line protector you described in the December 1983 issue?

Germain Boer Nashville, TN

Power surges can affect any equipment and cause damages ranging from simple loss of memory to complete destruction. Solid-state devices are much more susceptible to transient voltage surges and noise. While the telephone lines use protection devices such as carbon gaps, gas tubes, and heat coils, solid-state circuitry is still vulnerable. The V130LA10A MOVs that were used for power-line protection can also protect the telephone lines. They are applied in the same manner as for power lines (line to line and from each line to ground), but check with your local telephone company before connecting any nonapproved components.—Steve

Dear Steve,

I'm a pretty fair amateur electrician. Would it be possible to wire in some suppression where the power lines enter the house and thus afford protection throughout? What would you use? Would high-surge lines (air-conditioner circuit, etc.) have to be isolated? How? It seems to me that wiring something into the circuitbreaker panel, if it's workable, is a lot more elegant, and likely to be cheaper, than scattering power strips around the house.

John Carl Bowers Bronx, NY

Devices such as the GE Home Lightning Protector connect across the power line at the service entrance to reduce the amplitude of large transients and lightning surges. These are twopole, three-wire units designed for 120/240-V single-phase service. They mount in a 16-inch knockout in the service entrance box or at the weatherhead. Available at an electrical supply house, they are in the $20 range. Because they clip at voltages higher than the MOVs described in my article, the MOVs should still be used— Steve

Bank Switching

Dear Steve,

In writing about the Fujitsu Micro I6s ("A Machine for All Processors: The Fujitsu Micro 16s," June 1983 BYTE, page 150), Wayne Clingingsmith says on page 156, "In slot 2 of the standard unit is an 8-bit Z80A microprocessor board. It operates at 4 MHz and has memorybank-selection circuitry that enables it to address the full 24-bit (16-megabyte) address space of the Micro 16s." How does Fujitsu do that? What is bank-selection circuitry?

The manual accompanying my CompuPro CPU-Z says that an OUTput of CI, for example, to port FD will enable memory on page CI and disable memory on all the other pages. I understand that, but I am completely terrified by the thought of even trying to write a routine callable from several pages with a RETurn to the proper page. How do you assign a 24-bit address to a LABEL in assembler code?

Jack H. Hayes Maryville, TN

Yes, it is possible to address 16 megabytes of memory with an 8-bit Z80 processor. As you seem to suspect, however, it's not all available at the same time. Actually, on the S-100 machines that have 24 address lines, it's more usual to use the upper 8 address lines to select one of eight 64K-byte blocks for a maximum of only 512K bytes. This way, you can treat each line as a chip-select (block-select) line and wire the chip-select line on each board to a specific address line on the bus. A circuit to do this is given in the book interfacing to S-100 (IEEE 696) Microcomputers by Sol Libes and Mark Garetz (Osborne/McGraw-Hill). The bank address is then output to a port (apparently port FD on your CompuPro system) and used to latch the

(continued)

56 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 314 on inquiry card. —►

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ASK BYTE

appropriate bank-select line to an active state. There are limitations on the addressability of programs and data in this extra memory, too. For example, you can't write routines that are directly callable from your main program if you switch 64K-byte blocks. It is much easier to handle the block switching if you switch only 32K or 48K bytes at a time and keep control of this with the lower I6K bytes that don't get switched. This can be made easier by using the PHANTOM line that is available on some S-IOO sys

tems to control a smaller block of memory.

If more memory is required, a more complicated bank-switching logic can be implemented to emulate the segmentation used in the 3086/8088 family of processors. This will allow addressing a full 16 megabytes in blocks as small as 256 bytes with 24 address lines.

A number of books discuss design of systems like this. I suggest you browse through the computer book section at a library or some of the larger book stores.—Steve

What do you get when you cross 1200 baud, free on-line time, and extra features at a price Hayes can't match?

Data Rate?

The MultiModem gives you a choice— either 1200 or 300 bits per second. So you can go on-line with the information utilities. Check out bulletin boards. Dial into corporate mainframes. Swap files with friends.

On-L/ne Time?

With the MultiModem you get CompuServe's DemoPak, a free twohour demonstration of their service, and up to seven more free hours if you subscribe. You also get a $50 credit towards NewsNet's business newsletter

Features & Price?

Of course, the MultiModem gives you automatic dial, answer, and disconnect. Gives you the Hayescompatibility you need to support popular communications software programs like Crosstalk, Data Capture, our own MultiCom PC, and dozens of others. Gives you a two-year warranty, tops in the industry.

Trademarks MultiModem. MultiCom PC: Multi-Teen Systems, inc —CompuServe: CompuServe Information Setvrces anH &R Block company—NewsNet NewsNel. Inc —Crosstalk Mrcfostut. Inc —Data Capture Southeastern Software—Smartmodem Hayes Microcomputer Products. Inc

58 BYTE • JULY I984

MultiModem.

But Better?

Yes. The MultiModem gives you features the Hayes Smartmodem 1200'" can't match. Features like dial-tone and busysignal detection for more accurate dialing and redialing. Like a battery-backed memory for six phone numbers. All at a retail price of just $549—compared to $699 for the Smartmodem.

What do you get? The new MultiModem, from Multi-Tech Systems. Isn't this the answer you've been looking for?

For the name of your local distributor, write Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., 82 Second Avenue S.E., New Brighton, MN 55112. Or call us at (612)631-3550.

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Circle 230 on inquiry card.

Foreign Character Generators

Dear Steve,

Do you know where I can find a foreign-language character generator for either an IBM PC or a Hewlett-Packard Model 16?

Yong Nanacara Reading, PA

Several programs are available for the IBM PC that may serve your purpose. Charactergenerator programs that let you generate and save your own character sets for screen display include Lenitext from Duncan Atwell Computerized Technologies Inc.. 1200 Salem Ave.. Hillside. NI07205: Font Editor from Versa Computing Inc.. 3541 Old Conejo Rd.. #104. Newbury Park. CA 91320; and Graphic Character Editor from C &C Software. 54 Sonoma Ave.. Coleta. CA 93117.

The following program, which was reviewed in the January 1984 PC magazine, contains a large number of character sets that can be printed with an Epson or an IBM Graphic dotmatrix printer: Fancy Font from SoftCraft, 8726 Sepulveda #1641. Los Angeles. CA 90045.

Word processors that have foreign-language character sets include Arabic-WP. MultilingualWP and TYanslator Aid System, all produced by Economic Insights. 416 Center St.. Washington Grove. MD 20880.

I suggest you contact these companies or your local computer store for information about the capabilities of the programs—Steve

Infrared Links

Dear Steve,

I have a few questions for you. Do you know of any units that can provide a good two-way RF link between a computer and a terminal? Are you doing any more work on infrared links?

Also, with more computers running on batteries these days, how about a circuit that can indicate not only low or high voltages but also the presence of spikes and dropouts that may have caused a system error or crash?

David Smith Mil ford. IA

I haven't heard of any low-cost RF data-communications equipment that would be satisfactory for a terminal-to-computer link, but one similar application is the Atari wireless joystick interface. The infrared or optical links seem to be getting more attention lately, with Fujitsu developing an infrared modem and a hand-held computer from Canon with an infrared printer interface in the works. And. of course, the IBM PCjr has an optical keyboard link.

Infrared light or visible light using LEDs and photo diodes or transistors seem like optimum media for this application because they avoid the potential for all sorts of RF interference problems that can arise with radio links. For

(umlimed)

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ASK BYTE

rest Mims III has written several articles in Computers and Electronics (formerly Popular Electronics) on data communications using LEDs and photo transistors. See the October and November 1983 issues for two articles of particular interest.

It is not usual to find voltage transients in the power circuitry of battery-operated equipment unless they are caused by faulty wiring, such as loose connections, bad solder joints, and the like. Batteries are sometimes used as filters in low-voltage equipment because of their extremely high capacitance, so we should not find crashes caused by any battery problems except low voltage If you have been having problems of this type, you may have a problem with bad connections or insufficient decoupling between circuit elements It is common practice to use decoupling capacitors of 0.01 to 0.1 microfarad from the V+ terminal to common ground at each IC to prevent noise generation on the supply bus—Steve

MS-DOS versus PC-DOS

Dear Steve.

I have a Canon AS-100 that runs MS-DOS programs. I use "Copy F: to Copy A:" to bring an IBM PC program over to the Canon. A good many times it works, but a lot of times 1 experience total failure. Isn't PC-DOS different from MS-DOS? I saw a program that lets you execute a PC-DOS program through a CP/M-86 environment. Are the CP/M-86 calls similar to PC-DOS calls? Can CP/M-86 address certain parts of the BIOS (basic inputfoutput system) ROM (read-only memory) that regular MS-DOS can't address?

Second. 1 have a lot of programs in BASIC and recognize that UNIX will be the dominant operating system of the future How can I transport the BASIC programs into a UNIX environment? Are there emulators that recognize BASIC and convert it into the C language?

Finally, can the Micro D-Cam (September and October 1983 BYTE) be used to read typewritten invoices and automatically enter data into a computer, thus eliminating the use of a keyboard?

Arthur Brandmein Flushing. NY

Your questions regarding software transfer between the IBM and Canon computers relate more to differences in their BIOS structures than to differences in their operating systems per se PC-DOS and MS-DOS are somewhat different internally. MS-DOS is designed to be installed in many types of machines with different I/O devices, while PC-DOS was written for one specific machine with most of the BIOS in ROM. Functionally, however, the two are the same. Software written for the IBM PC has a good chance of running on some "compatible" 8088/ 8086 machines if it does not bypass the DOS I/O calls, use the IBM's ROM BIOS functions or. worse yet. output directly to port addresses or access screen memory directly.

{continued)

62 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 178 on inquiry card.

THE BUFFER DID IT.

Who Stole The 1500 Letters From The Computer?

Let's just say you've got to send a letter to 1500 different people. Would you like to spend 22.5 hours* or 60 seconds of

,-.ss$Kl

>

S*

^ ^

&

** *&

v**°

f

computer time?

With a gardenvariety buffer, the computer has to mix, merge and send 1500

addresses and 1500 letters to the buffer. Trouble is, most buffers only store about 32 letters. So after 32 letters, the computer's down until the printer's done. Altogether, you're talking 22.5 hours.

In the case of our new (not to mention amazing) ^ there s „ ShuffleBuffer, fA,at's hanm^ computer time

^cr***- is6°

Oejjeve ' anuscJ"ipts, report seconds "***» Y0u'ai^myw flat.

'* °— Just give

ShuffleBuffer one form letter and your address list, and it takes care of the mixing, the merging, and the printing. But that's not all ShuffleBuffer's stolen from the computer. Oh, no.

Who Changed and Rearranged The Facts?

Again, ShuffleBuffer's the culprit. You want to move paragraph #1 down where #3 is? Want to add a chart or picture? No

problem. No mystery, either. Any buffer can give you FIFO, basic first-in, first-out printing. And some

Circle 159 on inquiry card.

\Bf*

buffers offer By-Pass; the ability to interrupt long jobs for short ones. But only ShuffleBuffer has what we call Random Access Printing — the brains to move stored information around on its way to the printer. Something only a computer could do before. Comes in especially handy if you do lots of printing. Or lengthy manuscripts Or voluminous green and white spread sheets. And by the way, ShuffleBuffer does store up to 128K of information and gives you a By-Pass mode, too.

And Who Spilled The Beans 239 Times?

Most buffers can't tell the printer to duplicate. If they can, they only offer a start/stop switch, which means you're the one who has to count to 239. Turn your back on your buffer, and your printer might shoot out a room full of copies. ShuffleBuffer, however, does control quantity. Tell it the amount, and it counts the copies. By itself.

Who Wants You To Catch A ShuffleBuffer In Action?

You guessed it. We do. Just go to your local computer dealer and ask him to show you a ShuffleBuffer at work. Or, you can call us •$ at (215) 667-1713, and

&

0\»'

(P3

we'll clue you in on all the facts directly.

.**

* Based on an average 4000 character letter & 128K buffer.

1Mb <*» «**

pear HaTOi*

l«s m«i '***

So, What's The Catch?

There isn't any Sleuth around. You won't find another buffer that's as slick a character as this one. You also won't find one that's friendly with any parallel or serial computer/printer combination. This is the world's only universal buffer. With a brain.

^ShuffleBuffer

IS

The Buffer with a Brain

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IULY I984 -BYTE 63

Circle 54 on inquiry card.

WHY

JOHNNY

CAN!

READ

HIS

OWN

CODE

Johnny's A Good Programmer, Even Brilliant,

""'-Johnny works in 8080/Z80assembly language, with a conventional assembler. That can make yesterday's brilliance today's garble, a maze of mnemonics and a jumble of meaningless labels. Johnny's program is less than self-explanatory— even for Johnny.

Johnny could read his own code if he used SMAL/80—the superassembler—and so can you. SMAL/80 boosts your program's clarity and your productivity by giving you:

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■ Complete control over your processor— because SMAL/80 is a true assembler, it doesn't reduce execution speed or burden your program with its own runtime routines.

SMAL/80, the assembler that handles like a high-level language, lets you do it right the first time, and lets you read and understand your work afterward—the next day or a year later. Users say SMAL/80 has doubled and even tripled their output of quality code. But don't take our word for it—TRY IT!

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64 BYTE' IULY 1984

ASK BYTE

Most of the PC-DOS calls perform the same functions as the corresponding CP/M-86 BDOS calls. MS-DOS was originally written to provide as much upward compatibility with CP/M-80 as possible. This was done to simplify the translation of existing software, but MS-DOS. PC-DOS. and CP/M-86 all have additional functions, in some of which we find considerable differences between MS-DOS/PC-DOS and CP/M-86. Another difference is that PC-DOS accesses DOS calls through INT 33, while CP/M-86 uses INT 244, and generally uses different interrupt numbers for most other BIOS functions as well. In other words, while PC-DOS uses all the IBM ROM BIOS functions. CP/M-86 brings its own BIOS in.

The answer to your next question involves some speculation. First, UNIX or a similar operating system may well become popular for larger business microcomputers, but it isn't universally accepted that it will take over the personal computer field. Second, if UNIX does become popular for personal computers, it seems a fair bet that Microsoft and Digital Research will provide compatible BASIC interpreters and compilers. Therefore, you probably shouldn't be too concerned about transporting your BASIC programs. Also, you should know that while C was originally written in the UNIX environment, it is now available for MS-DOS and CP/M-86.

Lastly, yes. the Micro-D Cam can. in principle, be used to enter typewritten data directly into the computer. The picture is stored as a bitmapped image much the same as any monochrome graphics display, so a picture could be transferred into a block of memory in the computer and processed to translate the bit patterns into letters and numbers. In practice, however, this turns out to be fairly difficult to do with a high degree of reliability for several reasons having to do with varying sizes, locations, and orientation of the character images. It would be a fun programming project though—Steve

Memory Access Time

Dear Steve.

My query involves processor speed versus memory access time. The higher the processor clock rate, the more instructions that can be executed in a given time. This is of no avail, however, if the processor has to wait for slow memory. Without any instruction buffering between the fetching and execution of an instruction, the simple equation would seem to hold, for no wait states:

memory access time = 1/instruction execution rate

The instruction execution rate depends on the processor clock speed and may be one instruction per clock cycle. Nowadays, it is not that simple with pipelined architectures, instruction buffering, and memory management.

The problem is that, with various claims and counterclaims by different manufacturers, it

becomes difficult to determine what memory access time is required for a particular processor to operate at a particular clock rate. Would you be able to determine the access time required for the more popular processors to operate with no wait states at a set clock rate?

Paul Shields Dampier. Western Australia

Even though it might seem that the required memory access time for the simpler processors would be simply l/instruction rate, it is really not that simple. Only in some 4-bit processors do we find instructions that execute in one clock cycle. For example, the shortest instructions vary from two cycles in the 6500. 6800, and 8086 series processors to four cycles in the Z80 and 8080 families.

A look at some timing diagrams for memory chips and various processors will show that actual read or write time can be as little as about one-and-a-half clock cycles, but the timing must allow for the data coming out from memory to become stable and for the processor to see the data long enough for a stable reading. The times required for this vary between different models of the same processor as well as between different types. The time for data to be valid at the memory output also varies. Thus, the only safe way to determine the access time is to obtain data on the processors and memory chips you are interested in and work out the timing. This information can be obtained from data sheets and application notes that are sometimes available from the manufacturers or from some of the advertisers in BYTE.

Two good sources for information on most of the available microprocessors are the Osborne Four and Eight Bit Microprocessor Handbook and the Osborne Sixteen-Bit Microprocessor Handbook by Adam Osborne (Osborne/McCraw-Hill). A number of other good books deal in depth with specific processor families. You might read these for background if you need it—Steve

Upgrading S-100 Standards

Dear Steve,

I have an IMSA1 8080 that 1 would like to upgrade to 2 56K or 512K bytes of RAM. I'm hoping that you can help me.

Can I replace my Z80 board with a Cromemco Z80/68000 dual-processor board and use 2 56K- or 512K-byte memory boards on my system? What about CompuPro 8085/8088 and 8086/8087, 68000, and I/O and memory boards? Is it possible to use 16-bit boards from other manufacturers?

Thank you for your help.

Akbar Fassihy Lanroodi Tehran, Iran

The advantage of an S-100 system is that it is very versatile and can be upgraded easily. Now that the IEEE has established an S-100 bus standard, boards from one manufacturer should

(continued)

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Circle 198 on inquiry card

IULY 1984 'BYTE 65

ASK BYTE

work with boards from any other manufacturer that uses the standard. It is now possible, for example, to purchase a Cromemco processor, an SD Systems RAM board, and a CompuPro floppy-disk controller and expect them to work properly together.

There are some problems in upgrading an old system that may not have IEEE-696-compatible boards because some old S-IOO boards used signals that do not agree with the new standard.

For example, new processor and memory boards use lines 58 and 60 to determine if a 16-bit or an 8-bit memory transfer will take place on the bus. Older boards that do not have these signals may not work properly with new IEEE-696 boards. If you have some of these older boards and want to use them with a new system, it is possible to modify them to meet the new standard. A good reference book on this subject is Interfacing to S-100 (IEEE 696)

J. ~.A fJM

Turn any Touch-Tone " phone into a remote data entry terminal

By combining the capabilities of an intelligent modem with a DTMF to ASCII converter, Teltone has unlocked countless opportunities for you. With a Teleport 300 on your computer, you can use any TouchTone " phone in the country as a remote data entry terminal, or, if you wish, a control panel.

Imagine the possibilities: Branch office order entry, Inventory control, Remote control of environmental systems. Data logging. Emergency access to process control systems, Credit card authorizations, etc. The list goes on and on.

Its a full-featured smart modem

The Teleport 300is a fully equipped intelligent modem: Bell 103J compatible, auto answer and originate, with tone and pulse repertory dialing and call progress indications. It'smenudrivenanduserprogrammable. An internal buffer lets the

Teleport handle DTE speeds from 75 to 9600 baud.

Teleport delivers front end hardware security

You can program the Teleport 300 to respond only to a pre-determined seriesof DTMF signals. Unless the correct DTMF tones are detected, callers are not connected to your computer. It's an effective hardware barrier in front of any soft ware security scheme you may be using to protect valuable programs and data.

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Microcomputers by Sol Libes and Mark Garetz (Osborne/McGraw-Hill).

Before upgrading your system, it would be beneficial to review the newer products from the many companies now manufacturing S-100 boards so that an optimum system can be selected. The Priority One Electronics engineering selection guide is a good source of this type of information because it covers a wide selection of S-100 products from a variety of manufacturers. This selection guide can be obtained from Priority One Electronics. 9161 Deering Ave. Chatsworth. CA 91311

Another source of reference material for the S-100 bus is Microsystems magazine, which covers the S-100 bus and CP/M subjects. The September 1983 issue should be of special interest to you because it contains an article on converting an IMSAI system to use the CompuPro 8085/8088 dual-processor board. The same issue also has an article on running N-DOS as a COM file under CP/M with an N'-to-CP/M file-transfer facility. Volumes of Microsystems magazine can be obtained from Microsystems. CN 1987. Morristown. Nl 07960. —Steve

Microprocessors

Dear Steve.

Is there a single publication that contains a listing of the computers that use a specific type of microprocessor? If not, could you list several microcomputers that use the 68000 chip?

Nadder Sarshad Edison. NJ

The October 1983 Radio Electronics featured a comprehensive computer buying guide, listing computers by price range The tables of specifications showed the microprocessor, operating system, and specific features of each unit. Back issues of the magazine may be obtained from Gernsback Publications Inc.. 200 Park Ave. South. New York. NY 10003.

Several microcomputers utilizing the Motorola M68000 chip include Apple's Lisa and Macintosh. Hewlett-Packard"s HP-200. Radio Shacks TRS-80 Model 16. the Sage II. and Sords Model M6S.-Steve ■

IN "ASK BYTE, Steve Garcia answers questions on any area of microcomputing. The most representative guestions received each month will be answered and published. Do you have a nagging problem? Send your inquiry to:

Ask BYTE

do Steve Ciarcia

POB 582

Glastonbury. CT 06033 Due to the high volume of inquiries, personal replies cannot be given. All letters and photographs become the property of Srpve Ciarcia and cannot be returned Be sure to include Ask BYTE" in the address.

66

BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 304 on inquiry card.

LOOK WHO BUYS SOFTWARE FROM US!

If you order software from us, you're in good company. You see, some of our best customers are America's biggest corporations.

Maybe they're attracted by our low, low prices (big companies are price-conscious too!). Or maybe when you're an "IBM" you're looking for something extra. Like the personal service, giant inventory, and indepth technical support you'll

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You see, when you call us, we'll take care of you like our business depends on it. Because it does. Which means when you place an order, you can be sure we'll fill it promptly. And that our unique Order Tracking System™ is keeping tabs on your order every step of the way.

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WordStar PROF PAK $389

lotus-1-2-3 $329

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$109

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$ 99

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Word

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$ 59

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$129

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$139

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WE ALSO CARRY HUNDREDS OF OTHER PRODUCTS!

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TO ORDER CALL TOLL FREE: 800-227-4587 or 415-644-3611

□ We guarantee our products

against manufacturing defects. l . Quantity discounts available

through our National Accounts Program. D Purchase orders accepted. Please

call in advance. [ 3 Prompt U.P.S. or federal Express shipping.

Overnight delivery available. Call for snip

D

■me charges.

'all for free catalog and other low software

Circle 3 on inquiry card.

n Wo do not add surcharge for credit card purchases.

D Prices may change.

n International orders welcome:

Telex #751743 800-SOFTWARE UD.

[ i CompuServe Key Word "GO-EH"

IULY 1984 • BYTE 67

HIGH TECHNOLOGY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

Dot Matrix Printers

C. Itoh Prowriter (8510) $ 369.88

C. Itoh Prowriter-2, (136 col) 589.88

C. Itoh Prowriter BPI 439.88

C. Itoh HotDot 509.88

C. Itoh HotDot-2 (136 col) 729.88

Epson RX/FX/LQ Series CALL

Inforunner Riteman 309.88

Mannesmann Tally 160-L 629.88

Mannesmann Tally 180-L 879.88

Mannesmann Tally Spirit-80 329.88

Okidata Microline 82A/83A CALL

Okidata Microline 84 Step II CALL

Okidata Microline 92 469.88

Okidata Microline 93 769.88

92/93/84 Plug-n-Play ROMs for graphic

compatibility with IBM-PC CALL

Star Micronics Gemini 10X 299.88

Star Micronics Gemini 15X 429.88

Star Micronics Delta 10 439.88

Star Micronics Delta 15 589.88

Star Micronics Radix 10/15 CALL

Toshiba P-1351 1689.88

Toshiba P-1351 Tractor 169.88

Letter-Quality Printers

C. Itoh A-10 Starwriter (18 cps) * 549.88

C. ltohF-10Starwriter(40cps) 1079.88

C. Itoh F-10 Printmaster(55 cps) ... 1379.88

Diabo Series Printers CALL

NEC 2010/2030 (18 cps) 749.88

NEC 2050 tor IBM-PC (18 cps) 899.88

NEC 3530 (33 cps) 1429.88

NEC 3550 for IBM-PC (33 cps) 1779.88

NEC 7710/7730 (50 cps) 1939.88

Qume Series Printers CALL

Silver Reed EXP-770 (25 cps) 979.88

Silver Reed EXP-550 (17 cps) 559.88

Silver Reed EXP-500 (12 cps) 439.88

Smith Corona Memory Correct III Messenger

(12 cps) w/interface module 589.88

Star Micronics PowerType (18 cps) CALL

Modems

Hayes Micromodem He $ 259.88

Hayes Smartmodem 300 239.88

Hayes Smartmodem 1200 559.88

Hayes 1200B (IBM-PC) 479.88

Novation AppleCat 300 baud 229.88

Novation AppleCat 1200 baud 419.88

Novation SmartCat 103, 300bd 169.88

Novation SmartCat 212,1200bd 409.88

Novation Access 1 -2-3 (IBM-PC) 409.88

USR Password, 1200 baud 369.88

USR PC 1200 baud Modem/Multifunction

board W/64-256K, clock, parallel port

&Telpacsoftware CALL

Monitors

Amdek 300G (green) * 144.88

Amdek300A (amber) 159.88

Amdek 31OA (TTL, amber) 179.88

Amdek Color-1 + 319.88

Amdek Color-2+ (12" RGB) 459.88

NEC JB-1205M (amber) 159.88

NEC JB-1201M (green) 759.88

Princeton Graphics HX-12 509.88

Princeton Graphics Max-12 199.88

Quadram QuadChrome 529.88

Roland DG-121 (green/amber) 149.88

Roland DG-122 (green/amber) * 79.88

USI Pi-3 (12" amber) J79.88

IBM-PC Peripherals

64K Memory (4164/200ns) 9/pkg. ...$79.88

AST MegaPlusll (64K) 289.88

AST SixPak Plus (64K) 299.88

Hercules Graphics Card 379.88

Keytronics 5151 219.88

Microsoft Mouse (parallel) 149.88

Mouse Systems PC-Mouse 219.88

Paradise MultiDisplay 479.88

NEW Quadram 384K Quadboard CALL

Quadram Quad 512 + (64K) 239.88

Quadram QuadColor-1 219.88

Quadram QuadColor-2 229.88

Quadram QuadVue (monochrome) CALL

Quadram Parallel Card, RS-232C Card or

Clock/Calendar Card 79.88

Tandon TM 100-2 (DSDD) 229.88

Titan Cygnus I/O (parallel) 149.88

Titan Cygnus I/O (RS-232) 169.88

TG Joystick 59.88

Apple Peripherals

ALS CP/M Plus Card (CP/M 3.0) ...$ 329.88

AMT MicroDrive (half height) 219.88

RanaElite-1 Disk Drive 259.88

TBL Cooling Fan 59.88

TBL Disk Drive Controller 69.88

Titan Accelerator II 469.88

Titan Memory Boards CALL

Videx VideoTerm 239.88

Videx UltraTerm (80/160 column).... 289.88 Videx Enhancer II 109.88

Kensington Macintosh Starter Pak (swivel

stand/surge protector/dust cover) 69.88

Kensington Macintosh Modem CALL

Macintosh Software CALL

Accessories

NEW! Apple lie Cables * CALL

NEW! Macintosh Cables CALL

EPD Lemon/Lime/Orange/Peach CALL

Flip-n-File Diskette Box CALL

Grappler+ Printer Card & cable 109.88

Kensington MicroSaver (4-plug) 59.88

Monitor Stand (tilt/swivel) 39.88

Pkasso-U Printer Card & cable 129.88

Printer Cables 29.88

Quadram Microfazer Print Buffers CALL

Trace 80 col Sound Trap 129.88

Trace 132 col Sound Trap 189.88

80 Column Printer Stand 39.88

132 Column Printer Stand 49.88

2-Way Printer Switch Box 109.88

4-Way Printer Switch Box 159.88

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if you live in the New England area (or plan to visit there), you should drop by our Discount Computer Store. We're about one hour's drive from Boston, the ocean or the White Mountains From Boston, just go up Route 3 to Nashua, NH, and take Exit 7W (Route 101 A). We're 5.1 miles from that exit, in Amherst NH. Take the next right after you see the Dexter Shoe factory outlet store.

In fact, we're near a lot of New Hampshire's factory outlet stores, and with no sales tax you can save a bundle on computer equipment, shoes and whatever else strikes your fancy. We have several systems on display, as well as printers modems and monitors, all at the same prices you see in our ads And if you can't fit a purchase into your car, don't worry...we'll ship it free anywhere in the 48 contiguous states

No matter where you live—Boston or San Francisco—You don't have to strike out into the wilderness to save money. Take a short drive or drop us a line for the best advice and the best price on peripherals today.

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is shipped from our warehouse I CODs accepted up to $1000 (add $10 for COD

handling). Payable with certified check money

order or cash.

I Full manufacturer's warranty on all products sold

II -year extended warranty service is now available for many products (just ask us)

I Sorry, no APO/FPO or foreign orders

HIGH TECHNOLOGY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

THE BOTTOM LINE

MILFORD, NH 03055-0423 □ TELEPHONE (603) 881-9855

68 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 43 on inquiry card.

CLUBS & NEWSLETTERS

• INTERESTED IN MSX?

The MSX Interest Group (MIG) keeps members up to date with the latest developments on the MSX graphics standard, which is currently supported by several American and Japanese computer manufacturers. A newsletter is produced each month. Annual dues are SI 5. Write to MSX Interest Group, Room 1009. 3 50 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10011.

• CANYON DE CHELLY-FOUR CORNERS USERS GROUP. The Four Corners Users Group is primarily made up of Commodore users, but users of other computers are encouraged to join. They meet bimonthly at one of the Chinle, Arizona, public schools. All group meetings serve users in the Four Corners area and the Central Navajo Indian Reservation. The club is currently seeking public-domain bulletin-board system (BBS) software for CBM 8032 or Commodore-64 computers with a 2031-, 8050-. or 4040-based disk. For information, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Canyon de Chelly—Four Corners Users Group, Calumet Consulting, Box 1945. Chinle. AZ 86503. (602) 674-3421.

• CHAOS ON BBS

The BBS of the Capitol Hill Atari Owners' Society (CHAOS) in Lansing, Michigan, is open from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. at (517) 373-6788. The club maintains a public-domain software library, produces a nonprofit newsletter, meets monthly, and houses several special-interest groups. Annual dues are S12. For details or the library's listing, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Treasurer, CHAOS, POB 16132, Lansing, Ml 48901.

• LISA NEWSLETTER NOW INCORPORATES THE MAC Semaphore Signal a newsletter about Apple's Lisa, has expanded to include coverage of the Macintosh computer. The newsletter is

created, edited, and printed using a Lisa. Any users in the United States who submit the serial number of their Lisa or Macintosh can qualify for a free subscription. Other readers can subscribe for S10 (10 issues). S20 overseas. Contact Semaphore Signal. 207 Granada Dr., Aptos. CA 95003. (408) 688-9200.

• MILWAUKEE'S BLINKIN CURSOR. Blinkin Cursor is the newsletter of the IBM Personal Computer Users Group, an assembly of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area computer users interested in the IBM and compatible machines. The twice-monthly meetings feature hardware and software demonstrations and questionand-answer sessions for beginners. The newsletter runs a list of current members. For further details, contact Blinkin Cursor. POB 305, Elm Grove, Wl 53122,

• MAC S1G IN APPLE PI

The Washington Apple Pi (WAP) has formed a special-interest group for owners of the Macintosh computer. The group will hold tutorials, distribute software from its public-domain library, and publish articles about the Mac in its monthly newsletter. In addition, 75 qualified volunteers man a hot line to handle questions from members on specific programs, peripherals, and programming languages. Membership is $2 5. For office hours, next-meeting details, and general information, contact the Washington Apple Pi, Suite 201. 8227 Woodmont Ave, Bethesda, MD 20814, (301) 654-8060.

• CBR ON LINE

The Computer Book Review (CBR}, produced bimonthly, runs more than 100 annotated reviews of recently published computer

books under such categories as applications, business, communications, history, software, juvenile, introductions, references, languages, and specific brands of computers. An electronic version of CBR. on line with NewsNet, is issued biweekly. CBR also covers trade news, book ratings, and graphics. Subscription rates are $15 annually; a foreign subscription is $25. For information on subscriptions via NewsNet call (800) 345-1301. To subscribe to the hard copy, contact the Computer Book Review. 73 5 Ekekela Place, Honolulu, HI 96817.

• MEDICAL, COMMERCIAL, AND INDUSTRIAL MUMPS, One language that meets the requirements of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is MUMPS, or the Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System. This programming language doubles as a database-management system with applications in more than 4000 medical, commercial, and industrial installations around the world. Its user group contains almost 1000 members. In addition to producing a quarterly newsletter, the club sponsors seminars and holds annual conferences for programmers and nonprogrammers interested in furthering their knowledge of MUMPS. For membership details, contact the MUMPS Users Group. Suite 308. 4321 Hartwick Rd., College Park, MD 20740, (301) 779-6555.

• THE MAC IN BCS

The newest special-interest group to branch from the Boston Computer Society (BCS) is the Macintosh Users Group. Novice and technical people constitute the audience that meets each month to witness

CLUBS & NEWSLETTERS is a forum for letting BYTE readers know what is happening in the microcomputing community. Emphasis will be given to electronic bulletinboard services, club-sponsored classes, community-help projects, field trips, and other activities outside of routine meetings. Of course, we will continue to list new clubs, their addresses and contact persons, and other information of interest. To list events on schedule, we must receive your information at least four months in advance. Send information to BYTE. Clubs & Newsletters. POB 372, Hancock, NH 03449,

demonstrations, presentations, and discussions about peripherals, software, and uses of the Macintosh. Call lack Hodgson for meeting locations and further details at (617) 354-7899. or contact the Boston Computer Society, Macintosh Users Group, One Center Plaza, Boston. MA 02108, (617) 367-8080,

• TEXAS HAS HEART The Heart of Texas (HOT) TRS-80 Club meets at 7 p.m. each month in Waco. Texas, to discuss computer languages, peripherals, operating systems, and applications for all models of Radio Shack TRS-80 computers including, I, II, III, 4, 12, 16, 100, Color Computer, Micro CoCo, and the Pocket Computer. Membership dues are $10 and include a subscription to the monthly newsletter and voting privileges; an associate membership of $6 entitles you to receive the newsletter only. For information, contact HOT TRS-80 Club. POB 1923, Waco. TX 76703.

• COAST-TO-COAST MS-DOS. Oriented toward users of MSDOS-based computers. SIG-86 is an international 8086 MS-DOS users group that produces newsletters and public-domain software, runs a bulletin-board system, and maintains a software library. The 300-bps (bitper-second) BBS can be reached at (617) 842-1435; the 1200-bps BBS is (617) 842-1712. Both are open from 11 p.m. to

6 p.m. Eastern time. Membership is $18 a year. For details, contact loseph Boykin, 47-4 Sheridan Dr.. Shrewsbury, MA 01545, (617) 845-1074, or Frank Warren, 2 5190 Cypress Ave. #213, Hayward, CA 94 544, (415) 785-7499.

• ITALIAN COMPUTERiSTS RALLY, Members of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry work on the applications of personal computers to the clinical laboratory. The newsletter. Bio

\continued)

JULY 1984 -BYTE 69

ANNOUNCING

EMACS FORTHE IBM PC

UniPress

Product

UPDATE

UniPress is pleased to announce the availability of MS-DOS EMACS to supplement our existing UN IX and VMS versions. MS-DOS EMACS is full-function Gosling EMACS, including compiled MLISP, macros, command undo and much more.

UniPress Gosling EMACS: The famous multi-window full-screen editor. Edit several files at once. Interprocess communication on UNIX and VMS. Extensible via macros and the built-in compiled MLISP language.

UniPress Gosling EMACS: The ultimate programmer's tool: C, Pascal and MLISP language assist. EMACS manages execution of Unix makefiles, and automatically points to lines containing errors in the source code. Keys can be bound as desired, macros can be named, customized MLISP routines can supplement the many included packages, and much more!

UniPress Gosling EMACS: Use EMACS as your session manager — Divide your screen into a "shell window" to run commands, and one or more source file windows.

ALSO NEW! MINIMACS — Special efficiency conscious EMACS. Faster and smaller; includes all standard editing features, keybinding, and multiple windows.

PRICES: UNIX: $395/Binary; $995/Source VMS: $2500/Binary; $7000/Source MS-DOS: $375/Binary; $995/Source (Requires at least 384K)

UNIPRESS OFFERS A FULL LINE OF SOFTWARE FOR UNIX, VMS AND MS-DOS.

Lattice® C compilers to the 8086-family; both native and cross. Write programs on your mainframe for execution on the IBM-PC, etc. (Cross compilers for UNIX and VMS.)

Q-CALC — extraordinary UNIX spreadsheet.

LEX — Powerful interactive UNIX word processor.

PHACT — Multi-keyed ISAM database record manager for UNIX and MS-DOS.

OTHER UNIPRESS PRODUCTS:

Full UNIX System V operating system for the Apple LISA, /RDB The Menu System, UniCalc, and more.

Call or write for more information.

UniPress Sof twore, Inc.

2025 Lincoln Highway, Rt. 27, Suite 312, Edison, NJ 08817

201-985-8000 • Order Desk: 800-222-0550 (outside NJ)

Telex: 709418

Mastercard and Visa

Unix is a trademark of Bell Laboratories • VMS is a trademark of Digital

Equipment Corp. • MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft • Lattice and

UniCalcareregistered trademarks of Lattice Inc. • IBM-PC is a trademark of IBM.

CLUBS & NEWSLETTERS

chimica Clinica Notiziario SIBioC runs book reviews and other items of interest to its 3000-reader circulation. For details, contact Societa Italiana di Biochimica Clinica, Sede e Redazione: via Keplero. 10-20124 Milan, Italy.

• CADD. A NEWSLETTER FOR EDUCATORS, CADD. a monthly newsletter, is designed to provide educators with information, articles, and tips for teaching computer-aided design and drafting more effectively. One section in the newsletter, called "CADD Without a System," gives an instructor material and advice for helping the student develop qualities the computer industry seeks. For a free issue, write to CADD, POB 906028, Tulsa, OK 74112, (918) 832-7124.

• AND FORTH TO CANADA The Southern Ontario Chapter of the FORTH Interest Group meets periodically and sponsors conferences that include presentations, business meetings, and discussions. For details about the group, contact Dr. N. Solntseff, Unit for Computer Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1. Canada, (416) 52 5-9140, ext. 2065.

• FOR CHAMELEONS AROUND THE WORLD, The most frequently asked questions directed at Seequa's technicians will be answered in a monthly publication produced by the International Chameleon User Group (1CUG), which is backed by Seequa. It features a listing of new software for the Chameleon and references to public-domain software for MSDOS. CP/M-86. and CP/M-80. Questions can be sent along with the S18 annual membership fee to loe Verzino, ICUG, POB 265, Dewitt, NY 13214, (315) 446-2763.

• SAGE COMMUNICATION LINK, The purpose of the Sage Users Group is to share information and provide an environment to develop members' proficiency and knowledge of microcomputing. The group holds general meetings for an information exchange: sponsors a bulletin-board/database system: maintains software and technical libraries: and updates information about the group's

current events. It also produces a newsletter to enhance the group's communication links. For details, contact Randy Scott, Sage Computer, 4905 Energy Way, Reno, NV 89502, (702) 322-6868.

• WORLD TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEWS, International Networks is a monthly newsletter covering the technology and policy of world telecommunications. It analyzes significant security questions confronting the future of electronic mail and database networks. An annual subscription is S375. Write to international Networks. POB 187, Moulton Hill Rd., Monson, MA 01057, (413) 267-5171.

• COLORFUL MEETINGS The Alachua Color Computer Users Group meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Operations Center located behind the Kelly Power Plant in Gainesville, Florida. Interested persons can contact Al Kirk, 4617 Southeast 2nd Place, Gainesville, FL 32601, (904) 377-6285. or George McDonald, Route 2, POB 530, Alachua, FL 32615. (904) 462-5392.

• HUDSON VALLEY COMPUTER1STS. The Hudson Valley Personal Computing Club is a nonprofit organization that promotes interest in public-domain software available for the IBM Personal Computer. The club is a forum for information sharing, personal computer education, computer literacy, and user support. Monthly meetings are held at Ulster County Community College. Stone Ridge Campus. Stone Ridge, New York. Contact the Hudson Valley Personal Computing Club. HVM. Box 6057, Kingston, NY 12401.

• LOCAL GOVERNMENT APPLICATIONS, Local governments, private companies, and consultants that are interested in the local-government/microcomputer market can request a complimentary copy of a monthly newsletter. Government Microcomputer letter. It focuses on news and software and hardware applications. City and county policies on the use of microcomputers are also covered. For subscription details or a free copy, write to Government Microcomputer Letter. POB 16645. Tampa. FL 33687. ■

70 B YTE • JULY 1984

Circle 316 on inquiry card.

When Lotus wanted

better graphics

for 1-2-3, they

chose a better

graphics card-HERCULES.

And then we became a standard.

When the IBM" PC was introduced over 2 years ago, the talented people at Lotus realized that it was limited by a lack of high resolution graphics. They knew that this was going to have an adverse effect on 1-2-3's graphics. And Lotus didn't want anything to hold back their revolutionary software.

So they turned to Hercules.

Lotus recognized that the Hercules Graphics Card delivered the performance they wanted. It offered high quality text and high resolution graphics on IBM's monochrome display. It completely replaced the IBM monochrome card. And it didn't cost an arm and a leg.

Since then, Hercules has sold a lot of Graphics Cards. So many that the Hercules Graphics Card has become the high resolution standard for the IBM PC. And this means that there is more high resolution graphics software available for Hercules than for any other graphics card you can buy.

Software like Microsoft" Word. Our high resolution makes Word's text much sharper and easier on your eyes. And there are other programs for business graphics, computer aided design, terminal emulation and programming. Call for our free information kit. See why the company that made the first graphics card for the IBM PC still makes the best.

Hercules. We're strong on graphics. 800 255 5550 Ext. 408

Address: Hercules. 2550 Ninth St, Berkeley, CA H47NI Ph: 415 540-HOOOTelex: 75*668 Features: IBM monochrome display graphics resolution of 720xH4H; parallel printer port: text mode software compatibility; free software for programming; 2 year warranty. Foreign distributors: CompuServe/ Canada; Keflex/U.K.; Computer 2000/W. (Jermany; E»Bsoft/France; SourceWare/Australia. Trademarks/Owners: Hercules/Hercules Computer Techncilogy; Microsoft/Microsoft Corp; 1 BM/International Business Machines; Lotus & l-2-:i/l.otus Development.

Circle 149 on inquiry card. 1ULY 1984 'BYTE; 71

PGS introduces the no-compromise monitor to meet your no-compromise needs.

Monochrome

And, for price/perfc a monochrome mohito; introducing the MAX-12: hew amber monitor that's As, easy on the eyes as it is oh /our budget.

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AH three PGS monitors are engineered for no-compromise performance to provide you with a cleaner, sharper image than any other monitor in the same price class. The HX-12 and the SR-12 both feature uncompromising color convergence for crisp whites without color bleed. The MAX-12 offers impressive clarity in a monochrome monitor with easy-onthe-eyes amber phosphor.

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BOOK REVIEWS

ALGORITHMS

Robert Sedgewick, Addison-Wesley,

Reading, MA: 1983. 550 pages. $30.95

FORTH FUNDAMENTALS

Volume 1. C Kevin McCabe. dilithium

Press, Beaverton, OR: 1983, 248 pages,

$16.95

THE UNIX OPERATING SYSTEM Kaare Christian, John Wiley and Sons, New York: 1983, 318 pages. $26.95

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE APPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS Walter Reitman, ed.. Ablex Publishing, Norwood, NJ: 1984, 343 pages, $37.50

Algorithms

Reviewed by Michael O'Neill

Awhile ago I read a summary by Robert Sedgewick of his doctoral dissertation on the fastest general-purpose sorting routine known, "Implementing Quicksort Programs," in Communications of the Association for Computing Machinery (volume 21, number 10, October 1978, page 847). 1 was impressed that the author did not deal only with the abstract details of the algorithm, but that he also covered the concrete aspects of its implementation. Furthermore, the tricks, trade-offs, and fine points he presented were general enough to be useful in most programming environments. And the writing style was clear and concise.

So when Algorithms was published. I was curious to see if the author would keep up the good work. I found that this book is as impressive as the aforementioned summary.

Algorithm Conversion

Sedgewick's stated goal is to teach "... a large number of the most important algorithms used on computers today well enough to be able to use and appreciate them."

The key phrases in the above quote are "large number" and "use." Professor Sedgewick deals with a staggering

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number of algorithms. The book treats a wider range of subjects than any other single work I have seen. The seven major sections are: Mathematical Algorithms. Sorting, Searching, String Processing, Geometric Algorithms, Graph Algorithms, and Advanced Topics. The book covers a number of topics not usually dealt with by introductory texts: curve fitting, integration, parsing (language translation), cryptology, linear programming, and the fast Fourier transform. And these are intended to be used (and useful). The author tries to give the reader the knowledge needed to convert a given algorithm into a working program, and he provides basic information about how fast the program can be expected to run.

Limitations

The ambitious scope of the book implies that some trade-offs had to be made. The author usually only presents the basic form of each algorithm as a fully written-out program: he discusses fine points, tricks, and useful modifications but leaves their detailed implementation to the reader. He keeps theoretical discussion to a minimum. And while there is some introductory

material on how to compute running times, he generally confines theoretical considerations to semi-intuitive treatments of running time and correctness questions.

Even with these limitations, the author has tried to pack a lot of information into 5 50 pages. Professor Sedgewick is in the unenviable position of making his exposition coherent and comprehensible without wasting words. The chapters are short: Quicksort is covered in 11 pages: parsing in 13. Thus, Algorithms is densely written. Information content is high, repetition is low, and there is ample cross-referencing. While there are some chapters on numerical algorithms that are rough going, I think the author has succeeded in making Algorithms work within these constraints.

A few warnings are in order, however. Because many of the implementation details are left to the reader and because the book is somewhat dense, it is neither a cookbook nor a reference work. The style also precludes skimming and diving into the text at random.

My only major criticism of Algorithms is a lack of coordinated references. The author gives only 5 or 10 references for each major section of the book, without indicating which one refers to the further information you may seek on a given subject. More extensive referencing (including references in the text) would add little to the length of the book but would make it possible to locate further information about specific algorithms.

Prerequisites

This book is not for beginners: a reader should have moderate programming experience and, I feel, should already have some basic knowledge of data structures. A more detailed list of what the prospective reader should know may be found on page 3 of the book itself.

By keeping theoretical detail to a minimum, by presenting a unified treatment

{continued)

JULY 1984 • BYTE 73

BOOK REVIEWS

of a wide variety of algorithms, and by treating implementation details with sufficient generality, Robert Sedgewick has written a work that will be useful to many practical programmers.

FORTH Fundamentals-Volume i Reviewed by E. Francis Avila

Until the introduction of C. Kevin McCabe's FORTH FundamentalsVolume 1, textbook-quality FORTH programming books that were both well written and logically organized were in short supply.

McCabe's treatise has been sorely needed for many years. (FORTH was created by Charles Moore almost 15 years ago.) However, this book is not for those with little programming experience. For the novice programmer, 1 would still recommend the perennial mainstay, Leo Brodie's Starting FORTH (see review in September 1983 BYTE, page 494). But for the seasoned pro

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grammer looking for a professionally written dissertation of FORTH's operation, McCabe's book is indispensable.

Improving the Image

The author treats his subject matter in much the same style that college texts

cover material: technical, calculating, and concise. A book of this kind is needed if FORTH is to proceed beyond a fanatic's realm (a frequent stigma assigned to FORTH programmers) and be taken seriously in the world of professional programming. But because of an absence of professionally written texts on FORTH to date, many college computer-science departments have shunned teaching this versatile language. While McCabe's book is not intended as a college text, it is a beginning.

McCabe writes with an authority and assurance that can only come from an intimate knowledge of the subject. In contrast, it could be said that Leo Brodie never fully understood the language's intricacies and subtleties. This is not to deny that Mr. Brodie was the first to pen a readable book on FORTH; instead it is to acknowledge that his enterprise was a beginning point of

[continued)

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)ULY 1984 • BYTE 75

BOOK REVIEWS

FORTH books and succeeding works should improve upon this early text. McCabe accomplishes that task.

A Lot to Offer

The language FORTH is made up of words contained in a vocabulary. These words represent specific programming operations and functions. The language is supplied with a set of core vocabulary words with which the programmer begins. As a programmer becomes proficient with the language, he normally develops extensions of the core to perform new and complex tasks. The purpose of a FORTH text is to examine and describe the function and use of each word. McCabe's job, therefore, is to describe each core word in complete detail, and he manages to do this admirably.

Organization is the Key

The author's greatest strengths are his organization of the subject matter, his

straightforward writing style, and his knowledge of the language. Organization is an important point since FORTH is based on a word vocabulary. Each new word introduced generally builds upon previous words. McCabe provides a logical progression of the FORTH vocabulary, emphasizing important words with exercises for the reader to try. In general, his exercises worked on my system using a FORTH-79 language. As each new word is introduced in the book, McCabe lets the reader know immediately on which standard the word is based. This is a real plus. A criticism of Brodie's Starting FORTH was that his book was based on PolyFORTH, a unique version of FORTH not in keeping with the proposed standards (more on that later); consequently, not all exercises would work properly, if at all. Several of Brodie's FORTH words are not available in the two most popular versions of the language, FIG-FORTH and FORTH-79.

Difficulty with Detail

McCabe's weak point lies in the detail of complex subjects. For instance, the initial subjects in the beginning chapters—the stack, stack words, numeric operations, conditionals, and the likeare treated in careful detail but, as the book progresses. McCabe appears to be in a hurry to arrive at the end. 1 don't believe he spent as much time on the more complex aspects of FORTH as he did on the basics. This is unfortunate because it has been my experience that. in time, most users will master the operation of the stack and postfix notation, but some of the more elusive aspects of FORTH are a source of continual confusion. These include compilation, the vocabulary, array structures, floating-point math, multitasking, disk operation, and others.

Perhaps the most difficult aspect to understand in FORTH is the dictionary,

{continued)

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BOOK REVIEWS

dictionary fields, and linking. While McCabe devotes an entire chapter to this complex and confusing subject, I feel he would have done well to double his effort here, leading the novice FORTH programmer through more clearly mapped examples of dictionary operation. The examples he provides appear correct, but the chapter must be read more than once to fully grasp the content.

Contrary to claims made by FORTH advocates, FORTH is not an easy language to learn, especially for those unfamiliar with computer hardware concepts—an absolute necessity with FORTH. Starting FORTH takes a more fundamental, almost simplistic, approach to the language, and thus Brodie's book is best for the beginner. For instance, because Brodie assumes his readers do not know what constitutes a byte of memory, he explains it in detail, complete with drawings. McCabe does not bother.

Make no mistake, while FORTH is much more difficult to learn than BASIC once mastered it is far easier and quicker to program in than most other popular languages; this is especially true in input/output-intensive applications.

Many Standards

One last observation. FORTH is still in the evolutionary stages of development. (I feel it always will be. due to its nature.) It can rightly be described as a roll-yourown programming language, and while there are standards, there are more unofficial variations to these standards than computer systems. This makes the job of writing a complete, accurate book covering FORTH an almost impossible task, in my opinion. McCabe wisely avoids the politics of FORTH standards and simply notes the differences between the more popular versions, generally FIG-FORTH and FORTH-79. It's obvious, however, which standard

McCabe believes in. His book convinced me that FIG-FORTH, not the original form of FORTH, is the only way to go. As new standards emerge (FORTH-83 is the latest), less and less flexibility is available to the programmer in terms of custom implementations.

1 am only reviewing the first of two volumes. The second is simply a detailed glossary of FORTH and provides a quick, expanded reference source of the language. In Volume 1, McCabe makes few references to Volume 2. Al* though the companion glossary is nice to have, I do not feel it is worth the retail cost.

Despite its flaws, FORTH FundamentalsVolume 1 is a must for the serious FORTH programmer who requires an intimate understanding of the inner workings of this complex and versatile language. What is needed next is a FORTH applications book—McCabe just might be the one to do it.

[continued]

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Your Apple's telephone goes anywhere the phone lines go. Hayes modems allow your Apple to communicate with any Bell-103 type modem over ordinary telephone lines. You simply connect directly into a modular phone jack to perform both Touch-Tone® and pulse dialing. Hayes Smartmodem 300 and Micromodem lie both transmit at 110 or 300 bits per second, in either half or full duplex.

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Smartmodem 300 and Smartcom [ are trademarks and Micromodem He is a registered trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products. Inc. Apple is a registered trademark, and ProDOS is a ttademark of Apple Computer. Inc Touch-Tone is a registered service mark of American Telephone and Telegraph CP/M is a registered trademark of DigitalResearch. Inc - 1984 Hayes Microcomputer Products. Inc.

YOU DON'T

H^/ETO

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TO ADD ON.

With some computers, the more you do, the more you have to add on.

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Corona builds memory expansion (up to 512K) and high-resolution graphics right into the mam Jboard. I hat saves you money And expansion slots. Plus, our 128K standard memory and IbM® compatibility let you run thousands of software packages right out of the box. The net result is a PC that grows on you. Painlessly.

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JULY 1984 -BYTE 81

BOOK REVIEWS

The UNIX Operating System Reviewed by Irene Pasternack

When I first looked at The UNIX Operating System by Kaare Christian, the only thing I could say was "Why another UNIX book?" 1 read this book in order to answer that question and discovered that, yes, there is an audience for the book.

Christian's book is well suited for the person with experience using another computer system who needs to learn about UNIX, It provides a conceptual overview rather than a tutorial for beginners. The first few chapters on history and fundamentals take up only 13 pages, so I actually read them instead of skipping them and missing some important concept. The second section, "Advanced UNIX System Topics," provides clear descriptions, examples, and relevant concepts on topics that any serious UNIX user needs to understand: shell programming, C make, Source Code Control System, yacc and lex.

system manager and programmers' utilities, and the UNIX kernel.

For Several Levels

The UNIX Operating System is also suitable for those who are learning UNIX as their first operating system but are beyond the basics. It fills in the concepts behind newly familiar commands and explains what your local system administrator or programmer is doing in a way a newcomer to computers can understand. It should be read after a class or practice with introductory books such as The UNIX Primer Plus by Mitchell Waite and Donald Martin (Howard W. Sams and Co., 1983) or A User Guide to the UNIX System by lean Yates and Rebecca Thomas (Osborne/McGraw-Hill. 1982).

Appendixes include an abridged user's manual and a glossary of UNIXspecific terms. Christian does an excellent job of orienting you to what is relevant and what you should ignore, whether you are a novice, a programmer, or a system administrator.

The second chapter jumps into the UNIX system basics with a short warning to get you situated: "The UNIX System is harder to use than a toaster, but then it does more than a toaster. Learning the UNIX System is somewhat like learning a complex skill such as swimming or bicycle riding. At first none of your reflexes seem appropriate but eventually the skill is mastered."

People who consider themselves UNIX experts will probably remember this challenging phase of learning UNIX. The UNIX system, with all its built-in utilities and library functions, is an awesome tool that requires patience and an understanding of computers before you can learn how to use it. This book is designed to show you the major capabilities of this tool, rather than to teach you how to use it.

The following chapter covers the shell. For those uninitiated in UNIX, the shell is the part of the system that interprets your commands and acts on them. For

{continued)

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An enhanced UNIX™ operating system. And the cash bonuses you'll earn when you sell your UNIXcompatible applications with an HP system.

Those are compelling reasons to participate in HP's special program for software companies.

We have a whole range of products that can run UNIX, from our popular line of MC 68000-based machines to our powerful 32-bit systems. And we'll be expanding that range all the time.

While we're giving you a wider choice of products for your programs, we're also making it even easier for you to write them.

We've developed an especially powerful version of the industry standard UNIX, called HP-UX. Its enhancements provide for graphics, data base management and networking, to name just a few.

When you team up with HP, you have our full service organization behind you. Our factory and field support teams are dedicated to problem

solving. So, if you or your customers have any questions about HP-UX, just give us a call. We're ready to help.

And we're ready to make your efforts very rewarding. When your customer buys an HP system because of your application, we'll give you a cash bonus of 30% of your software's sales price — up to 6% of the net HP system's price. Our only restriction is that, to qualify for the bonus, your software must sell for at least $10,000.

There are lots of other good reasons to write HP-compatible software for UNIX or any of our other operating systems.To find out all about them, write to Hewlett-Packard, Attn: Gwen Miller, Dept. 57190,19447 Pruneridge Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014. In Europe, contact Henk van Lammeren, Hewlett-Packard Nederlands B.V., Dept.57190,P.O. Box 529,1180 AM Amstelveen, The Netherlands.

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IULY 1984

■ YTE 83

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BOOK REVIEWS

example, a common action would be to load and execute a requested program, directing its input and output streams to specific files or to the terminal. The UNIX shell also has the capabilities of performing conditional commands. Because of this, it can essentially be used as an interpretive programming language. Christian discusses the shell's capabilities and presents many examples of ways it can be used.

The structure of the UNIX file system is presented from a user's point of view. Many of the utility programs that are presented include the text editor, a few basic utilities for handling your directory and files, finding out what's going on. and formatting text.

Advanced Topics

"Advanced UNIX System Topics" is the second part of the book and it will delight programmers and systems administrators without completely overwhelming more casual users. Topics covered include make and Source Code Control System, advanced shell use, security, C, programmer's utilities, yacc, lex, system manager's utilities, and the kernel. These topics are not usually covered in books on UNIX but are important for anyone intending to do serious work with UNIX. Each new topic is introduced with a description of why it is important and the concepts behind relevant commands. Examples show format, how to use the commands, and alternative ways to accomplish a goal.

Although I am a fairly sophisticated UNIX user, I found that conceptual holes in my knowledge were filled. A less experienced UNIX user, approaching these topics for the first time, found the concepts and explanations understandable. This is quite a feat considering the levels of complexity of yacc, lex, shell programming, the kernel, and C.

Christian's explanations of yacc and lex are good examples of the quality of the book for both novice and experienced users. For the novice, the concepts and need for recognizing a command language are explained and the commands are demystified. For the experienced user, enough information is provided to begin using lexical analysis and parsing for useful tasks.

I found the description of the UNIX kernel fascinating because it explains

(continued)

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Less

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If you do word processing on your personal computer, you probably know that there are many programs for sale to help you with your spelling. But the biggest spelling error you'll ever make is paying too much for your spelling correction software. The Random House ProofReader gives you less for your money — less trouble, that is, and fewer spelling errors. The Random House ProofReader is based on the world famous Random House Dictionary. It contains up to 80,000 words, depending on your disk capacity. You can add new words with the touch of a key. It shows you the error and the sentence it's in. It instantly suggests corrections. It even rechecks your corrections. And it costs half as much as other programs with far less power. The Random House ProofReader is compatible with all CP/M 2.2®, MS-DOS® and IBM Personal Computer® systems.

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Random House and the House design are registered trademarks of Random House, Int. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. IBM and IBM Personal Computer are registered trademarks of International Business Machines, Inc. MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft. Inc.

86 BYTE • IULY 1984

BOOK REVIEWS

why UNIX works as it does. Because L'.ie user never interacts directly with the kernel, it is rarely covered in UNIX books. The kernel is the master behindthe-scenes organizer, scheduling processes, allocating disk storage and memory, and supervising data transmission between peripheral devices and the main processing unit. This section explains why you have to reboot and what happens inside the computer when you start up your system. It explains how processes are handled, relating the concepts of parent/child processes, multiuser timesharing, block and character I/O, all the way to the functioning of the kernel.

Errors

As with every book on UNIX that I've seen so far, there are a few technical errors. In the chapter called "Check File Systems," the command volcopy is explained as an alternative way to back up files on Version 7, but it is not available on the Version 7 I use. Christian also errs with the phrase, "only the system is allowed to write in directory files." Any users with write permission for a directory can write in the directory file. Occasionally, introductory paragraphs contain generalizations that are not completely accurate. For example: "Many UNIX Systems have several text editors, most of which resemble. . ." ed, is misleading. Most people use a screen rather than a line editor, and only one of the popular screen editors is related to the line editor, ed.

Altogether, The UNIX Operating System is a well-written and useful book for those who are switching to UNIX from other systems or who are familiar with UNIX basics. It contains conceptual information and a wide range of topics not found in other recently published books on the UNIX operating system.

Artificial Intelligence Applications

for Business

Reviewed by Hunter Alexander

Artificial intelligence (AI) interests people in business both as a tool for performing tasks that could not have been done before and as a new way of approaching old problems. Walter Reitman has edited the May 1983 proceedings of the New York University (NYU) Symposium relevant to this topic and

they are published in Artificial Intelligence Applications for Business.

According to one contributor, in 1978 Schlumberger Ltd. of New York City began recruiting and equipping an AI group. To date, it has spent more than $21 million on researching improved techniques for locating gas and oil (the dipmeter project). Texas Instruments, Amoco, and Standard Oil of Ohio have similar programs. The fifteenth chapter, entitled "Market Trends in Artificial Intelligence," by Howard Austin, delves into this aggressive AI marketplace where, at present, large amounts of money are being spent, both by business and by the government. One knowledgeable AI businessman, Eamon Barret of Smart Systems Technology in McLean, Virginia, estimates that $300 million will be spent on AI in 1984. The book contains many such facts arranged in useful charts showing who's who on AI, how much money has been invested in certain projects, which people to contact, and what telephone numbers to call. Other tables list all known AI investors and contacts and their telephone numbers.

The book by itself will not help business people in developing a program that will enhance the company's productivity. Rather it is designed to bring the business person up to the speed of the AI industry.

A Sample Program

This book is divided into three parts: expert systems, natural language, and the future of the AI marketplace. Adrian Walker's chapter on "Databases, Expert Systems and Prolog," takes us inside IBM's San lose research laboratory. He explains how Plantdoc, a naturallanguage system, diagnoses ailments that you enter about houseplants and then recommends remedies. Because Plantdoc is one of the easiest applications to explain, it serves as a good example of how people can enhance their businesses with increased service or productivity facilitated by an AI program. Although the program could be for home use, a customer can allegedly enter a plant store and describe a plant's symptoms, such as yellow leaves that are dropping off. The clerk then enters this information, the ailment is diagnosed, and the computer responds

(continued)

Gifford

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It's great when multiple local and off site users can run any 8- or 16-bit CP/M or MP/M™ program. It's even better when they can share expensive resources like printers, hard disks, and tape drives. Best of all is when they can share your most precious resource—data. Gifford has been delivering systems with all these features for over two years.

But sometimes data is sensitive. How do you keep people from taking more than their fair share?

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With our new security features, you can control what resources and data are shared.

Gifford's proprietary security enhancements include user login with encrypted passwords, control over access rights of modem users, secure electronic mail, and the ability to restrict users to specified terminals, programs, and directory areas. Plus, an audit log utility that keeps a permanent record of system activity. And you also get all the standard security features of Digital Research's MP/M-86™

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And since your Virtual Terminal can run any 8- or 16-bit CP/M or MP/M program, you can choose the best programs for your job from the biggest software library in the world. It's easierthan 1, 2, 3!

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IULY 1984 -BYTE 87

How to pick up the most portable computer for your money.

The advantages of a portable computer.

Personal computers.

No matter where you are or what you do, you can see how they're changing your world. If you've done any reading on the subject, you know that there are a d izzying array of personal computers on the market today, all with differing features, capabilities, sizes, and prices.

If you're planning to buy a personal computer, consider the advantages of a portable computer. Today, the portable computer can offer the same capabilities as a desk-top model, yet give you options that go far beyond your desk: If you work at home, a portable can free you of the cost of separate computers for your home and office. A portable computer can make any business trip infinitely more productive. And outside the office, a portable can also become an educational tool for your family.

The benefits of a portable computer go as far as you can take it.

Weigh the differences.

When looking at portable computers, keep in mind the three P's: power, price, and portability. Every portable computer design is the result of trade-offs between these three factors.

At one end of the spectrum you'll find small, inexpensive lap models with very limited capabilities, and at the other, relatively large and bulky portables with desk-top computer power, costing up to thousands of dollars more.

Within this broad range, however, exceptions do exist. Whatever your needs, remember: you're looking for the model with the most power and features at the lowest possible weight and price. A portable like the Visual Commuter.™

The Visual Commuter: two computers for the price of one.

Commuter is a breakthrough in portable computers. In only 16 pounds (half the weight of comparable portables), and for only $1995, Commuter offers you the same features as a powerful desk-top computer: a 16-bit 8088 processor.

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A portable without IBM* PC compatibility is no bargain.

Any computer, no matter how advanced, is only as good as the software that goes into it. And in micro-computers, IBM PC compatible software sets the standard. The success of the IBM Personal Computer and the resulting IBM PC compatible software industry means that today's most innovative, powerful, and useful programming is being written expressly for the IBM PC. And only a truly IBM PC compatible can take advantage of it.

Commuter offers a level of IBM PC compatibility unsurpassed inaportable or desk-top computer. With the IBM PC compatible MS-DOS™ operating system and GVV Basic.™ A full 83 key keyboard with a layout identical to the IBM PC. 5V4" floppy disks that are interchangeable with the IBM PC. Built-in IBM compatible color graphics and monochrome support. There's even a port for the IBM PC expansion chassis. And unlike many so-called IBM PC compatibles, Commuter can run virtually all of the software written specifically for the IBM PC.

No computer makes $1995 go farther.

For $1995, Commuter not only gives you desk-top power and features, it does it in only 16 pounds. And at 3 V2" x 18" x 15" with built-in handle and carrying case, you can take it anywhere you'd take a briefcase.

For more information on Commuter, call 1-800-847-8252 (in MA call 1-800-462-5554), or write Visual Computer Incorporated, 135 Maple Street, Marlboro, MA 01752. Or visit your local Commuter dealer today.

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Visual Computer Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Visual Technology Incorporated. COMMUTER is a trademark ot Visual Computer Incorporated. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. MS-DOS and CW Basic are trademarks of Microsoft Corporal ion.

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BOOK REVIEWS

with the appropriate remedy. On a less simplistic note, a similar procedure could be programmed for diagnosing what ails something as complex as a nuclear power plant, though we would certainly require a great deal of trust in the system and its information. Dr. Walker also tells how the Prolog language, used extensively in Al, provides powerful and practical means for integrating techniques in databases and expert systems. Digital Equipment Corporation, for example, has used expert systems to replace manuals and oldfashioned dumb databases. The corporation is presently automating manufacturing and assembly.

Other papers describe several applications that include knowledge-based systems, expert systems, natural-language interfaces, advisory systems, robotics, and intelligent database software.

This is no easy task. For a computer to interact with you it must be able to solve problems, answer questions, and recognize and respond to misconceptions. According to the authors of Chapter 12, Webber and Finin, there are four discernible types of user misconceptions: one, "that something exists"; two, "that something can participate in some relation"; three, a misconception about an object's type; and four, "that some event can occur." Further, there are times when even the user does not know how to answer or what information to supply. In these cases, the interactive process requires that the systems extract from the user the required data. "Without these capabilities," Webber and Finin claim, "interactive problemsolving systems will never be more than laboratory toys."

A Certain Future

Yet every discussion of Al should include some guesses about the future. The editor, Reitman. sees an increasing amount of Al software houses backed by venture capital from various sources. In the long run, Al is building and will continue to market software because certain professionals can benefit from it. "If there is a population of people who regularly buy knowledge or who could buy knowledge to avoid costly problems or who routinely perform tedious knowledge-based inference in their work, conjecture is that a commen

surate knowledge system product would appeal to that market."

The opinions and stylistic problems in this book call for the reader to forgive these authors, because they are explorers of a new galaxy. Some of them will undoubtedly find more oil and copper, diagnose more diseases, invest wisely in the stock market, or maybe even win a space war.

Audience

This book would help someone setting up an artificial language department in a company, preparing to buy an Al product, and preparing to hire an Al consultant. A venture capitalist pondering an investment in Al would make a better transaction after reading this book. Someone planning to perform Al consulting, programming, or related work would do well to read Reitman. A professor teaching Al might hesitate to assign this book because of the price, but it will probably be on reserve in many libraries.

The contributors are all established experts. Reitman himself has drawn conclusions for readers to entertain about Al. He started 1983 teaching at NYU Graduate School of Business Administration. He organized or helped organize a conference on Al. The conference was a hit. Reitman got an offer he could not refuse. He now works for Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the more successfull Al firms and contractor for the Navy and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).

Reitman considers that people considering incorporating Al in their firms encounter two obstacles. He has attempted to address the first with the symposium proceedings, namely, "figuring out what Al is." The second matter takes more grappling: determining how a firm should apply Al. Because no two firms are alike, each one must decide on its specific expectations, answering questions such as: Do you want tg implement Al for marketing or productivity? Will you design your applications or rent them? How far do you want this new implementation to extend?

Reitman suggests the next steps after symposia are books and articles; seminars; consultants; product, service, and development firms; demonstrations; in

[continued)

90

I YT E • IULY 1984

REPORT ON NEW PEMPHERAl HARDWARE

CHOOSING A

SERIAL INTERFACE FOR

YOUR APPLE COMPUTER

The "Second Serial Hardware Decision"...

Once you've selected the right serial printer or modem for your Apple* system, your hardware decisions are over for a while. Right?

Wrong, of course! You still have to decide on an interface card. This "second serial hardware decision" is an important one—one made much simpler

MS

SERlALL Printer/Modem Interface

by seriALL™, the new serial interface for Apple computers. At a significantly lower cost than Apple's own serial card —$159.00 vs $195.00—seriALL gives you a bunch more features. Practical, everyday features, not useless extras.

For one, seriALL is the only interface that provides graphics capabilities for serial printers including Apple's new dot matrix Imagewriter™.

&K

Graphics capabilities for serial printers

seriALL also offers 27 easy commands for text formatting and screen dumps, making it the most intelligent serial interface you can use with an Apple.

Equally important, seriALL gives you complete communications interfacing capability. You can use it for modems or in the special terminal mode for timesharing and talking to other computers.

In fact, seriALL completely emulates the Apple serial card as a communications interface.

No additional software or hardware modification is required.

Finally, consider the quality. seriALL's five-year warranty is proof that this interface is built to work long and hard. No other serial card is backed by a guarantee like this.

After comparing seriALL feature-for-feature with other serial interface products, we think you'll agree—seriALL truly is the Do-It-All serial card for Apple computers.

Available from Practical Peripherals—makers of MICROBUFFER™ PROCLOCK™, PRinterface™, and GraphiCardti

"Apple and Imagewriter are registered trademarks of Apple Computers, Inc.

See us at mmPRACTICAL

ncc 84 mPERIPHERALS

Booth D3100! 31245 La Baya Dr., Westlake Village, CA 9I362 • (818) 991-8200 • TWX 910-336-5431

Circle 248 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 91

A Jungle In There? Help Is Here:

ETI's

Office Management System

If your office has a way of getting overgrown with bulging files and paperwork, here at last is a clear cut way back to civilization.

The ETI Office Management System is an integrated office software program that is easy to use and easy to adapt to <t QQ95 your needs. And at *P*7** only $99.95, you don't have to be a big game hunter to afford it.

Whether it's used for file management, word processing, forms design or generating reports, the ETI Office

Management System is easy to operate. By using the built-in prompts and instructional guides, anyone in the office can become productive in minutes, without overheating their pith helmet.

And, the Office Management System grows with your needs. Its flexibility is limited only by the specific needs of your office.

To find out more about the flexible, easy-to-use and inexpensive ETI Office Management System, use our reply number or phone or write ETI.

ALSO FROM ETI

Proiecl Control Structured Development

System $295.00

Personnel System $95 00

System $49 95

Micro-Reminder $2995

ETI

OFFICE

MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM

ETI • 5848 EXECUTIVE DRIVE LANSING. Ml 48910 • (517) 887-2480

Requires IBM Personal Computer 128K ot RAM monochrome display one disk drive PC-DOS IBM and PC-DOS are trademarks of International Business Machines Price subject to change wilhout notice

BOOK REVIEWS

house projects; cost; availability; and management style.

TFie Controversy

"A rule-based approach may encourage a false sense of security in capturing expertise," we are told. This book both warns where the pitfalls are as well as brags about the successes of Al.

Coping with uncertainty is a concern shared by many. This book-explains how some AI products have succeeded in coping better than any intuitive devices we have used in the past.

In the last chapter Reitman warns of the shortcomings of Al. Apparently, it has not yet lived up to the promise of its academic acolytes.

Questions about natural language and artificial intelligence seldom produce crisp answers. (To speculate, UFO reports began about the same time as Al research.) Some interesting results have been achieved; books come out; conferences are held. But people in business are left with the feeling that the shortage of substantial answers can be expensive. Other reports on AI can also be expensive, but this book is one of a kind and may help defer costly errors. ■

Michael O'Neill (2227 Dwighl Way #4, Berkeley, CA 94704) is interested in mathematics, electronics, and music.

E. Francis Avila (POB 401, Auburn. CA 95603) is director of communications at Litton Engineering Labs in Grass Valley. California.

\rene Pasternack is managing director of Specialized Systems Consultants (POB 7, Northgate Station. Seattle. WA 98125) and teaches UNIX seminars. She is also Chairperson of the Seattle Area UNIX Users Croup.

Hunter Alexander (4520 King St. #404, Alexandria. VA 22302, (703) 820-8304) is BYTE's Washington correspondent whose interest in AI is supplemented by past experience as a researcher in the Office of Naval intelligence. He was also a consultant on defense and translator of technical Russian material.

'• BYTE is always looking for qualified book reviewers. .

• Submit queries and proposals accompanied by a ; ; resume, writing samples, or a list of computer-related ; '. interests and expertise to Book Review Editor. POB :

• 372. Hancock, NH 03449. '

92 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 120 on inquiry card.

We Made It Powerful. But We Kept It Simple.

Until now, IBM PC users looking for a data base manager had to make an unappetizing choice: Multifile systems so powerful they're difficult to use. Or single file systems so simple they can't be used to do much.

Until we cooked up Power-base.1M

Power-base is the only multifile data base manager powerful enough to get the job done, yet simple enough to be mastered in one sitting. Even if you've never used a computer.

There are no languages to learn, no commands to memorize. To tell Power-base what you want, simply keep choosing from the menu which never goes away, yet never gets in the way. To make a change, simply make another choice. And the unique DataZOOM™ gives you the power to move rapidly from file to file, right to the piece of information you need.

Software Digest awarded Power-base the highest "overall evaluation" after testing twenty IBM PC data management programs for the March 1984 issue of The Ratings Newsletter.

It's hard to make a simpler choice than Power-base. Especially with a suggested retail price so easy to digest: $395.

Get a taste of Power-base for yourself. For a demonstration copy, send us $10. It's refundable when you purchase Power-base at your local participating ComputerLand or other authorized dealer.

Powerbase Systems, Inc., (Dept. A), 12 West 37th St., NY, NY 10018. (212) 947-3590

power

with datazoopm

Requires 256K for either IBM PC with 2 drives or XT and compatibles

IBM Personal Computer and IBM PC are registered trademarks nl the IBM Corporation.

Circle 247 on inquiry card.

Power-base and DataZOOM are trademarks of Powerbase Systems, Inc.

IULY 1984 • BYT E 93

EVENT QUEUE

)uly 1984

• C UNIX COURSES Courses in C Language and UNIX, Concord, MA, Somers Point, N|. and College Park, MD, Three five-day courses are offered: "C Programming Workshop," "Advanced C Topics Seminar," and "UNIX Workshop." Contact loan Hall, Plum Hall Inc.. 1 Spruce Ave, Cardiff. N| 08232, (609) 927-3770. July-August

• DATABASE SEMINARS SoftwareBanc Seminars, various sites in the U.S. and Canada. Such seminars as "Problem Solving with 1-2-3." "dBASE II." and "Exploring UNIX" are planned. Contact SoftwareBanc Inc., 661 Massachusetts Ave.. Arlington, MA 02174, (800) 451

2 502; in Massachusetts, (617) 641-1241. July-August

• DBM SEMINARS

Digital Consulting Associates Classes and Seminars, various sites in the U.S. Seminars and classes on information centers, database administration, and other microcomputer topics. Contact Digital Consulting Associates Inc.. 339 Salem St.. Wakefield, MA 01880, (617) 246-4850. July-August

• ENGINEERING SUMMER CONFERENCES. Chrysler Center. North Campus, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Topics include aerospace, chemical, electrical, nuclear, marine, metallurgical, mechanical/automotive, industrial, and computer, information, and control engineering. Fees range from S450 to S1000. depending on course length. Contact Engineering Summer Conferences. 200 Chrysler CenterNorth Campus. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Ml 48109, (313) 764-8490. July-August

• WORKSHOPS FOR EDUCATORS. Compuworkshops Computer Seminars for Educators, various locations in California. Among the seminars offered are "Designing Educational Courseware," "Com

puter Literacy for Educators," and "How to Set Up a Computer-Based Education Program in Your School or District." Each course is S50. Contact Compukids of Seal Beach, Rossmoor Shopping Center, 12385 Seal Beach Blvd.. Seal Beach. CA 90740. (213) 430-7226; in West Los Angeles, (213) 473-8002; in Tarzana, (213) 343-4008; and in Rancho Bernardo/San Diego, (619) 451-1742. July-August

• DEC SEMINARS Technical and Management Seminars for Professionals, various sites in the U.S. Subject areas: system-performance management, networking, personal computing, applications design and programming, real-time applications design, and management development. On-site seminars can be arranged. Contact Educational Services, Seminar Programs BUO/E58. Digital Equipment Corp.. 12 Crosby Dr., Bedford, MA 01730, (617) 2764949. July-September

• EFFICIENT COMPUTING TECHNIQUES. Microcomputers: Techniques for Improving Your Computer Efficiency. Valley Inn and Tavern, Waterville Valley. NH. Four intensive two-day seminars: "Microcomputers: Programming in BASIC," "Introduction to VisiCalc," "Micro Database Applications," and "Engineering and Management Applications." Tuition is S495, or $679 with meals and lodging. Contact New Hampshire College, Resource Center, 2 500 North River Rd„ Manchester, NH 03104, (603) 668-2211, ext. 175. July-September

• MANAGERIAL SEMINARS Computer Competence Seminars, Boston University Metropolitan College, Boston, MA. A series of hands-on presentations tailored for managers who know little or nothing about computers and for those who wish to sharpen their computing skills. On the docket are "PCs for Improving Financial Analysis

and Decision Support." "Personal Computers for Sales and Marketing Professionals," and many others. Fees range from $225 to $595. In-house programs can be organized. Contact loan Merrick, University Seminar Center, Suite 415, 850 Boylston St.. Chestnut Hill, MA 02167, (617) 738-5020. July-September

• RAINBOW SEMINARS All-Hands-On, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, New York City, and San Francisco, CA. A series of applications seminars featuring the DEC Rainbow 100. Contact Carol Ericson, BUO/E50, Educational Services. Digital Equipment Corp., 12 Crosby Dr.. Bedford. MA 01730. (617) 276-4572. July-September

• HIGH-TECH TUTORIALS Tutorial Short Courses from Hellman Associates, London, England, and various sites in the U.S. Among the courses offered are "VLSI Design," "Digita Control," and "Error Correction.' Fees are generally $895. Contact Hellman Associates Inc., Suite 300, 299 California Ave, Palo Alto. CA 94306, (415) 328-4091. \uly-October

• PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION Seminars from the Institute for Professional Education, various sites in the U.S. Programs in statistics, management, simulation and modeling, personal computers, and computer science. Contact the Institute for Professional Education, POB 756, Arlington. VA 22216, (703) 527-8700. July-December

• NCC

The 1984 National Computer Conference—NCC. Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV. Professional-development seminars, more than 650 exhibits, and nearly 100 technical sessions. Contact the American Federation of Information Processing Societies Inc., 1899 Preston White Dr., Reston, VA 22091, (703) 620-8926. ]uly 9-12

• FIBER-OPTIC METHODS Fiber and Integrated Optics. San Diego. CA. Course topics: single- and multimode fiber cabling, photo detectors, receiver and repeater technology, and optical-fiber sensors. The fee is $875. Contact Continuing Engineering Education, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, (800) 424-9773; in the District of Columbia, (202) 676-6106. July 9-13

• SPECIAL EDUCATION INSTITUTE, Microcomputers in Special Education: Today's Challenge, Lesley College, Cambridge, MA. Subjects: Logo, software evaluation, administrative applications, and model programs. Technical expertise not required. Contact |oy Nikkei. Lesley College. 29 Everett St.. Cambridge. MA 02238, (617) 868-9600. July 16-20

• SIMULATION CONFERENCE Summer Computer Simulation Conference-SCSC '84. Copley Plaza Hotel, Boston. MA. Technical sessions, papers, panel discussions, exhibits, and tutorials. Contact Charles Pratt, Simulation Councils Inc., POB 2228. La Jolla, CA 92038. (619) 459-3888. \uly 23-25

• SIGGRAPH

ACM SIGGRAPH '84, Minneapolis, MN. Technical papers, panel discussions, a design show, film and video presentations, and nearly 30 courses. Contact SIGGRAPH '84 Conference Office, 111 East Wacker Dr., Chicago. IL 60601. (312) 644-6610. July 23-27

• INTERFACING TIPS FOR TEACHERS, Microcomputerbased Instrumentation for Schools, Middletown, OH, An introductory, hands-on workshop for college and secondary teachers. Contact Bill Rouse, 301 McGuffey Hall, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, (513) 5292141. July 23-August 2

{continued)

94 BYTE • JULY 1984

Introducing the capability the world has been waiting tor. A single personal computer able to handle Apple," IBM, " TRS-80,® I NIX'" and CP/M® based software.

The Dimension 681 KM) Professional Personal Computer does it all. It actually contains the microprocessors found in all of today's popular personal computers. And a dramatic innovation creates the environment that lets these systems function merely by plugging in the software

Add to this the incredible power of a M bit MC68(XX) microprocessor w ith up to 16 megabytes of random access memory.

Dimension has the power of a mainframe at a personal computer price. It's obviously the best value you can find. I'or more information ask your dealer or call us at (21-t) 630-2562 for the name of your nearest dealer.

dimension

(CRT not included)

68000

A product of

Micro Craft Corporation

4747 Irving Blvd.. Suite 241

Dallas, Texas 75247. c WS3

Circle 211 on inquiry card.

«■■*■

-rjr rr r r r.t * •

-»: " ^"" W""':^;"

■■■W-v.. v.W.Jj .,..-.. .M....„

Icrn.iiuMi.il riusinots Machines CurpoMtuin; IKS SO is .1 Bell I armramrien. Inc.. CI' M is u registered ir.Klcni.uk ol DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

LMC's 32-Bit Virtual Memory MegaMicro Is The-State-Of-The-Art UNIX Microcomputer

LMC's 32-bit MegaMicro provides mainframe or super-minicomputer performance at prices competitive with today's far less powerful 8- and 16-bit microcomputers. This is made possible by use of the next generation of logic chips-the National Semiconductor 16000-series. LMC MegaMicros incorporate: the NS16032 central processing unit which has true 32-bit internal logic and internal data path configured on the IEEE 796 multibus; demand-paged virtual memory implemented in hardware; and hardware 64-bit double-precision floating-point arithmetic.

The LMC MegaMicro is supplied with HCR's UNITY* which is a full implementation of UNIX** and includes the Berkeley 4.1 enhancements to take advantage of demand-paged virtual memory. Also included are C and FORTRAN. Typical multiuser systems with 33 megs, of fast (30 ms. average access time) Winchester disk storage, a half meg. of RAM, virtual memory, hardware floating-point arithmetic, UNIX, C, and FORTRAN 77 are available for $20,000 (and even less with quantity or OEM discounts).

* UNITY is a Trademark of Human Computing Resources. "UNIX is a Trademark of Bell Laboratories.

LMC MegaMicros The Logical Alternative™

INC

The Logical Microcomputer Company

4200 W. Diversey, Chicago, IL60639(312) 282.9667

111

II 1 A member of The Marmon Group of companies

96 BYTE- JULY 1984 Circle 187 on inquiry card.

EVENT QUEUE

• HEATH/ZENITH USERS MEET International Heath/Zenith Users' Group Conference, Pheasant Run Resort. St. Charles. IL. Contact the Heath Users' Group. Hilltop Rd.. St. loseph. Ml 49085, (616) 982-3463.

)uly 27-29

• MICROS IN EDUCATION Stanford Institute on Microcomputers in Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. An intensive session that provides the background necessary to serve as a school or district resource person. Hands-on programming, word processing, and administrative computing. Contact Stanford Institute on Microcomputers in Education. POB K, Stanford, CA 94305, (415) 322-4640. lulu 30-August 31

• WORKSTATION IN OFFICE EXPLAINED. Software and Hardware for Interactive Workstations. Washington, DC. Demonstrates how to solve business problems by using distributed information systems. The design, operations, components, and possible results of a communications workstation will be explored. Tuition: $695. Contact Continuing Engineering Education, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, (800) 424-9773; in the District of Columbia, (202) 676-6106. lulu 30-August 1

• ROBOTICS STRATEGIES Robot Manipulators, Computer Vision, and Automated Assembly, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. This short course emphasizes ways of developing strategies for solving such robotic problems as sensing, spatial reasoning, and manipulation. Existing industrial robots and binary-vision systems will be covered. Contact the Director of the Summer Session, Room El9-356, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139. )ulu 30-August 3

August 1984

• SME CONFERENCES & EXPOS. Conferences and Expositions from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, various sites in the U.S. and around the world. A calendar is available. Contact the Public Relations Department, Society of

Manufacturing Engineers, One SME Dr., POB 930, Dearborn, Ml 48121, (313) 271-0777. August

• SCHOOL COMPUTER COORDINATORS, The Computer: Extension of the Human Mind, Center for Advanced Technology in Education. University of Oregon, Eugene. For individuals responsible for the use of computers and emerging technologies at the school and district levels. Pre- and postconference workshops. Registration is $95. Contact Summer Conference Office, College of Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403. August 1-3

• SHOW FOR TARHEELS Great Southern Computer Show, Civic Center, Charlotte, NC Hardware, software, peripherals, and accessories for the home and office. Seminars and workshops. Contact Great Southern Computer Shows, POB 655. lacksonville, FL 32201, (904) 356-1044. August 2-4

• HOME AND OFFICE The First Annual Tampa Bay Computer Show & Office Equipment Exposition, Curtis Hixon Convention Center, Tampa, FL. Hardware, software, accessories, and peripherals for industry and home. Contact CompuShows Inc. POB 3315. Annapolis, MD 21403, (800) 368-2066; in Annapolis, (301) 263-8044; in Baltimore, 269-7694; in the District of Columbia, 261-1047. August 2-5

• Al INVESTIGATED

The National Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Performing Arts Center. University of Texas, Austin. Seminars, exhibits, and panel discussions. Registration for American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) members is $100; nonmembers pay $140. Contact Claudia C Mazzetti, AAAI. 445 Burgess Dr., Menlo Park, CA 9402 5. (415) 328-3123. August 6-10

• COMPUTERS IN ENGINEERING. The 1984 ASME International Computers in Engineering Conference and Exhibit, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas. NV. More than 60 panel discussions and paper sessions. Product exhibits. Contact American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 345 East

{continued)

Circle 277 on inquiry card. —►

ion: SemiDisk.

v- 11

At , v

Kwhat the doctor ordered!

&t> • v..v

•. v •*

« '

If you've been patient" with slow disk drives for too long, SemiDisk will relieve your suffering.

Fast-acting.

The SemiDisk, a super fast disk emulator, stores and retrieves data much faster than either a floppy or hard disk. This is especially useful with programs such as editors, assemblers, compilers, spelling checkers, and large capacity data base managers.

Easy to apply.

Installation is as easy as plugging the SemiDisk into an empty slot of your computer, booting up normally, and running the installation software provided. No assembly language programming is required.

Comes in regular and extra-strength.

SemiDisk I is the standard model for S-100, for use with CP/M* 2.2 SemiDisk II is just as easy to use.

and offers extra speed and flexibility for custom S-100 applications There are also SemiDisks for TRS-80 Model II, IBM PC, and Epson QX10

Contains gentle buffers.

CP/M*80 Installation software

includes SemiSpool, which temporarily stores print data in the SemiDisk, and continuously feeds the printer as it becomes ready for data. This buffering action allows the computer to be ready for other uses immediately after issuing a print command, while the printer is printing

No blackouts: A cure for emulator amnesia.

The optional Battery Backup Unit (BBU) plugs into the SemiDisk, and supplies power even when the computer is off. It contains a battery which keeps the data alive during prolonged power outages of four hours or more.

Stops head-aches.

Unlike a hard disk, which can. crash' its head on the rapidly rotating disk surface, and a floppy, which grinds the disk constantly, the SemiDisk has no moving parts to break or wear out No buzzing, clicking, grinding, or other noise Just ultra-fast, silent data transfer

Won't bruise your wallet.

And now the really good news! SemiDisk's price won't raise your blood pressure.

SemiDisk I, S-100

SemiDisk II. S-100 SemiDisk, TRS-80 II SemiDisk. IBM PC SemiDisk, Epson QX10

512K. 1Mbyte *995 11^95

*124S 12095

1995 II~95

1945 $1795 1995

SEMIDISK

SemiDisk Systems, Inc.

P.O. Box GG. Beaverton, Oregon 97075

503-6-12-3100

CHI 503 M6-SM0 for CBRS VI and 583 775 «3« tor t.BBS PCS, tx.ih Sem.D.sk equipped a StMNfDttk, SemiSrxval jf.jdcm.irkN of ScmiDtak System! C f M iridc-trurk of [)IRIut Research

i boards | )M 12SQ hjud

To help you communicate more clearly. To make tough subjects easy To make work go faster. To visualize, really visualize what you have in mind.

Pictures of your ideas. Produced by Mindset? A new breed of hardware that gives you the next generation of mouse-driven graphic

Intel's true 16-bit 80186 microprocessor.Two custom VLSI processors for high speed, high resolution bit-mapped graphics from 320 x 200 pixels in 16 colors. Runs Lumena™ and other professional graphic design programs, IBM PC software, and the next generation of icon-based, mouse-driven, windowed software.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation Lumena is a trademark of Time Arts.

98 B YTE • IULY 1984

power today. More impressive graphics than any we could show you on this page.

You can draw ideas. You can plot and rotate dimensional designs. Even change their perspective.

You can create charts, diagrams and layouts with brilliant clarity from Mindset's palette of 512 colors.

Mindset works, thinks and plays as fast as your mind. It runs IBM® PC software at blazing speed. Never puts your mind on hold.

Always goes with the idea flow.

Mindset's price? About one-third less than an IBM PC.

Bring us the programs you're using today Try them on Mindset. Watch your ideas pop on the screen the way they come to your mind. Quickly. Completely. Your ideas never looked so good. So fast.

Call 1-800-447-4700 for your nearest Mindset dealer.

Mindset: The possibilities are endless.

INTRODUCING MINDSET

Circle 227 on inquiry card.

Mindset Corporation, 617 North Mary Sunnyvale, California 94086 IULY 1984 -BYTE 99

Main/Frames

from

$175

Wow! JO Models'

' 70 Models of Enclosures ' Assembled and tested

■ Quasi-Coax Motherboards

■ Power Supply „

■ Card cage and guides '" Fan, line, cord, (use, power & reset switches

Disk Enclosures From $100

$499

8" Floppy Main/Frame

$275

8" Disc Enclosure

MORE BANG FOR THE BUCK

Phase/80 8" Floppy Main/Frame

$370 "

Slim Line 8" Floppy Main/Frame

Write or call for our brochure which includes our \{7 application note: U

"Making micros,better than any ol' box computer" jd

INTEGR4ND

8620 Roosevelt Ave. • Visalia, CA 93291 209/651-1203 We accept BankAmericard/Visa and MasterCharge g

32 Page

Free Fakt

Pakt Catalog

EVENT QUEUE

47th St., New York. NY 10017. (212) 705-7100. August 12-16

• MICROS & VOC EDUCATION Microcomputers and High Technology in Vocational Education Conference, Vocational Studies Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Concurrent sessions, formal classes, presentations, speeches, and videotaped programs. Preregistration fee is $55, or $65 at the door. Contact Dr. Judith Rodenstein, 964 Educational Sciences Building, University of Wisconsin, 102 5 West Johnson St., Madison, Wl 53706, (608) 263-4367.

August 13-16

• COMPUTERS AND BIOLOGY The Fourth Annual Notre Dame Short Course Series: Computers in Biology, University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame, IN. Three concurrent short courses: "Computers in Bioeducation." "Microcomputers in Classroom and Laboratory," and "Computerized Data Analysis in Biological Research." Technical expertise is not required. Tuition is $450. Contact Theodore J. Crovello, Biocomputing Short Course Coordinator, Department of Biology. University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame. IN 46556, (219) 239-7496. August 13-17

• COMPUTING IN SCHOOLS The Third Annual Harvard Institute on Computing in Schools, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA. Designed for educators and administrators. Software demonstrations and group discussions will be featured. Prior computer experience not required. Contact Institute on Computing in Schools, Programs in Professional Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 339 Gutman Library, Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 495-3572. August 13-17

• PROGRAM COMPUTER GAMES, Programming Games on Computers, Salzburg Inn, Stowe, VT. Presented by Monty Newborn and David Levy, computer-game experts, this course is designed to show you how to program a computer to play chess, bridge, othello, checkers, and blackjack. Ability to program in BASIC, FORTRAN, or Pascal is advised. The fee is $550. Contact Dr. Monty

Newborn. 4874 Westmount Ave.. Westmount, Quebec H3Y 1Y1. Canada, or call (514) 481-1766. August 13-17

• COMPUTERS, GRAPHICS, AND BUILDING, Computers/ Graphics in the Building Process—BP '84, Embarcadero Center, Hyatt Regency San Francisco, CA. Exhibit of equipment and services, tutorials, and technical sessions exploring the theme "The Building Process in Transition." Contact Conference Director, BP '84, Suite 333, 2033 M St. NW Washington, DC 20036, (202) 775-9556.

August 19-23

• ADA COURSE, Hands-On Programming in Ada. Washington, DC. Upon completion students will be able to design, code, and test Ada programs in an interactive environment. Enrollment is limited to individuals with programming experience in at least one high-level language. The fee is $875. Contact Continuing Engineering Education, George Washington University, Washington. DC 20052, (800) 424-9773: in the District of Columbia, (202) 676-6106.

August 20-24

• PROGRAM COMPUTER GAMES, Programming Games on Computers, Salzburg Inn, Stowe, VT. See August 13-17. August 20-24

• COMPUTERFEST/HAMFEST The Central Pennsylvania Repeater Association Eleventh Annual Hamfest/Computerfest. Hershey. PA. Indoor dealer and flea-market areas. Registration is $3. Children and spouses free. Contact Timothy R. Fanus, WB3DNA. 6140 Chambers Hill Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17111, (717) 564-0897 (noon to 8 p.m.). August 26

• INFO CENTER CONFERENCE Information Center Conference and Exposition. Sheraton Boston and Hynes Auditorium, Boston, MA. More than 60 educational sessions on hardware, software, and organizational topics of interest to information-center managers will be featured. Contact Warren/ Weingarten Publications, 38 Chauncy St., Boston. MA 02111. (617) 542-0146. August 26-30

(continued)

100 BYTE- IULY 1984

Circle 158 on inquiry card.

Better Business

BASIC

Finally! A BASIC compiler that means business.

Microsoft® Business BASIC Compiler allows you to create professional applications for MS-DOS systems that are so fast your users will never know they were written in BASIC.

Because the compiler produces native code, your software will run three to ten times faster than the same interpreted programs.

But speed isn't everything. Microsoft's Business BASIC also has busiMICROSOFT, ness savvy

The High Performance Software DaSeCl On the

de facto standard Microsoft BASIC, it includes a rich set of extensions:

Decimal floating point arithmetic (14-digit precision-BCD format) for extremely accurate dollars and cents calculations.

Two types of arrays provide maximum program flexibility: static arrays for speed, dynamic arrays for expandability.

Over twenty string handling functions provide sophisticated character manipulation capa

bilities. Strings can be up to 32K bytes.

Multi-line functions and subprograms allow you to define routines with local or globally defined variables.

Separate module compilation means complex programs can be broken down into smaller units. Coupling multiple modules together permits creation of very large programs, up to one megabyte.

Call 800-426-9400 to order

the better Business BASIC.

$600*

In Washington State, call 206828-8088. Ask for operator A5, who will rush you your order, send you more information, or give you the name of your nearest dealer to see Microsoft Business BASIC in action.

*Price exclusive of handling and Washington State sales tax. Microsoft is a registered trademark and MS is a trademark oi Microsoft Corporation

LOOK NO FURTHER!

well get you low prices and fast service, or else!

ALPHA OMEGA

Circle 17 on inquiry card.

COMPUTER PRODUCTS

COMPUTERS

TAVA PC IBM Compatible, 128K, 3-320K Drives, Parallel Port,

Monitor $1989

SANYO MBC 555 w/software 1049 SANYO MBC 555-2 w/software1420 IBM PC 64K, 2-320K Drives, Color Graphics Board, DOS 2.1, Amdek 300G 2669

DISKETTES

SCOTCH 3M SSDD $23

MAXELL MD2 DSDD 39

PRINTERS

C. ITOH 8510 P. 120 cps . SAVE

EPSON FX80 160 cps $495

EPSON FX100 160 cps 695

OKIDATA Microline 92 160 cps425 OKIDATA Microline 93 160 cps699

BMC BX-80 Printer 259

GEMINI 10X 120 cps 275

GEMINI 15X 120 cps 409

NEC 3550 35 cps L/Q SAVE

JUKI 6100 L/Q 18 cps 445

C. ITOH F-10 40 cps 1075

MODEMS

HAYES Smartmodem 1200 482 HAYES Smartmodem 1200B . .425

HAYES Micromodem lie 249

ANCHOR A. Mark I 300 Baud . .81 ANCHOR A. Mark XI 300/1200 269

MONITORS

TAXAN 12" Amber $115

GORILLA 12" Green 85

AMDEK 31OA for IBM PC 169

AMDEK 300G 12" Green 135

AMDEK 300A 12" Amber 145

AMDEK Color I 13" 305

PRINCETON HX-12 RGB 495

BMC 13" Color 219

APPLE PERIPHERALS & SOFTWARE

VIDEX Videoterm 80C

w/softswitch $209

VIDEX Ultraterm 279

MICROSOFT 16K RAMcard 69

MICROSOFT 280 Softcard 245

MICROSOFT Premium Pack . .479 MICROSOFT Premium Softcard

HE 345

KRAFT & TG Joystick 45

HAYES Mach II Joystick 99

PROMETHIUS V2 Height Drives195 WIZARD IPI Parallel Interface . .75

PROMETHIUS Versacard 149

EPS Keyboard 289

KENSINGTON Systemsaver... 68 COOL & TIME (fan, surge, clock)75

KOALA Pad 93

PFS Filing System 81

PFS Report 81

DBase II 389

Wordstar 249

Home Accountant SAVE

Multiplan 165

DB Master Version 4 249

DB Utility 1 or 2 95

Magic Window II 109

Zaxxon 29

Choplifter 25

Zorkl/ll/lll 28

Wizardry 39

Sublogic Pinball 27

IBM PERIPHERALS & SOFTWARE

TANDON TM100-2 360K . . $219 PANASONIC Vi Height 360K

Drives 179

MICROSOFT Mouse 139

QUADRAM Quadboard w/64K .269

QUADRAM Quadlink SAVE

QUADRAM Quadcolor I 209

64K RAM Kit 200 ns 55

AST 6-pack plus 279

STB w/64K clock, par, serial,

game 295

HAYES Mach II Joystick 35

MAYNARD Int. 10MB Hard Disk999

rBASE 289

Home Accountant + SAVE

Multimate 329

PFS Filing System 89

PFS Report 81

Lotus 1,2,3 319

DBase II 389

Friday 189

Wordstar 259

Wordstar Propack w/Mailmrg,

Spellstar 349

Multiplan 165

Flight Simulator 33

Deadline 38

Zork l/ll/lll 28

Hundreds of available items. Call for complete pricing information. We do not charge for VISA or MASTERCARD.

ii$ 345-4422

VISA'

4847 La Montana Circle, Tarzana, CA 91356

AH products are in factory sealed packages We guarantee all 'terns lor 30 days Within this period, detective merchandise returns must be accompanied by RMA number All other returns will be subject lo a 10% restocking fee For prepaid orders ihere will be a 3% shippingr^aige;5%f0fUPSBIueLabel;$5.0t)minimum.allordersoutsHleUS all 5a« shipping There will be an additional $4 00 surcharge on CO 0 orders. Cashor Cashiers Jhec* is required on COD orders CaM residents add 6 5% sales tax Prices subject to change without notoce

EVENT QUEUE

• PCB TECHNICAL SEMINAR The 1984 Printed Circuit Fabrication Technical Seminar, Boston, MA. Contact Donna Esposito. PMS Industries, 625 Sims Industrial Blvd., Alpharetta, GA 30201. (404) 475-1818. August 27-29

• EUROMICRO

The Tenth Annual Euromicro Symposium—Euromicro 84, Copenhagen, Denmark. One of the largest European computer events. Euromicro features speeches, tutorials, and technical sessions. Also featured will be the annual Euromouse contest in which robotic mice zip through a maze, racing against time and foreign competitors. Contact Euromicro, p/a TH Twente, Department INF, Room A306. POB 217. 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands; tel: (31) (53) 338799; Telex: 44200 THES. August 27-30

September 1984

• ERGONOMICS CONFERENCE World Conference on Ergonomics in Computer Systems, various sites throughout the U.S. and Europe. Ergonomic experts and computer professionals and users will exchange information and observations. Contact Computer Psychology Inc., 54 East Main St.. POB 16. Mendham, NJ 07945, (201) 543-9009, In Europe, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson. LM Ericssons vag 4-8, S-1262 5 Stockholm, Sweden: tel: (8) 7190000. September-October

• SHOWS IN GERMANY Chip Microcomputer Weeks, various sites throughout West Germany. Microcomputer products, trends, and applications will be demonstrated. Sponsored by Chip, a leading German computer magazine. Contact Network GmbH, An der Friedenseiche 10, D-3050 Wunstorf 2, Bundesrepublik Deutschland (West Germany); tel: (0 50 33) 10 56; Telex: 92 45 45. In England, Network Events Ltd., Printers Mews, Market Hill, Buckingham MK18 1JX, England; tel: (02 80) 81 52 26: Telex: 83111. September-November

• INTEL WORKSHOPS Microcomputer Workshops,

various sites throughout the U.S. and Canada. Intel, the semiconductor memory manufacturer, is offering more than 20 workshops on microprocessor applications. A brochure is available. Contact Customer Training. Intel Corp., 27 Industrial Ave., Chelmsford. MA 01824-3688. (617) 256-1374. September-December

• IBM SYSTEMS SHOW The IBM System User Show, Olympia 2. London. England, Covers the full spectrum of IBM mainframes, minicomputers, and microcomputers. A focus on business. Contact EMAP International Exhibitions Ltd., 8 Herbal Hill. London ECIR SIR England: tel: 01 837 3699. September 3-5

• Al IN EUROPE

The Sixth European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Pisa, Italy. Covers programming languages, expert systems, natural-language processing, robotics, and computer vision. Tutorials. Contact the Programme Chairman, Institute of Educational Technology, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, England. In Italy. Stefano A. Cerri. Dipartmento di Informatica. Universita di Pisa, Corso Italia, 40, Pisa 56100, Italy: tel: Pisa 40862/3/4; Telex: CNUCE 500371, September 5-7

• SOFTWARE ONLY

The Second Annual National Software Show. Convention Center, Anaheim. CA. An exposition and conference devoted solely to microcomputer software. Contact Raging Bear Productions Inc., Suite 175, 21 Tamal Vista Dr.. Corte Madera, CA 9492 5. (800) 732-2300: in California. (415) 924-1194. September 5-7

• COMPUTER INTERFACING FOR SCIENCE. Personal Computer and STD Computer Interfacing for Scientific Instrument Automation, Washington, DC. A hands-on workshop costing S395. Contact Dr. Linda Leffel. C.E.C. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Blacksburg. VA 24061, (703) 961-4848. September 6-8

• MOTION CONTROL SEMINAR. Electronic Motion Control Seminar. Boston, MA.

[continued)

Capable COBOL.

For over twenty years, COBOL has proved it can handle the most awesome data handling requirements of the business world.

And Microsoft® COBOL^ brings this power to the MS-DOS environment in an even more flexible version. It's the ideal choice for transporting and adapting the thousands of mainframe and minicomputer programs now on the market.

Microsoft COBOL was designed after the ANSI COBOL standard. Its quality and performance has been fully certified by the GSA.

Microsoft COBOL includes a complete set of file handling MICROSOFT, facilities includ

The High Performance Software mg SUppOIt tOr

sequential, line sequential, relative and B+ tree indexed sequential (ISAM) files.

The advanced screen handling features, compatible with Data General® make it easy to create forms and menus for interactive user programs. Direct cursor positioning, highlighting, automatic format conversion, projected

fields, and automatic field skip are just some of the capabilities.

An interactive source code debugging tool allows you to step through your program in symbolic form. There is no need to wade through object code and addresses in memory to see what is going on. It's a complete development package.

Applications developed with the compiler can be distributed without a runtime support charge.

Like all Microsoft languages, the standard linking interface makes it easy to combine assembly language subroutines.

Call 800-426-9400 to order the capable COBOL. $700*

In Washington State, call 206828-8088. Ask for operator A5, who will rush you your order, send you more information, or give you the name of your nearest dealer to see Microsoft COBOL in action.

*Price exclusive of handling and Washington State sales tax.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and MS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation

Data General is a registered trademark of Data General Corporation.

Yxir System Deserves The Best!

fey Tronic Keyboards.

To enhance the performance of your personal computer or computer terminal, ask your dealer for a plug-compatible Key Tronic keyboard.

Key Tronic Corporation is the world's largest independent manufacturer of computer keyboards.

Key Tronic keyboards are engineered for performance and reliability, and are backed by a 14-year tradition of manufacturing excellence. All Key Tronic plug-compatible keyboards feature:

• Familiar typewriter key locations and legends

• Low-profile design

• Solid-state capacitive switches

• Positive tactile feedback Each production element, from printed

circuit boards to keytops is generated inhouse to insure high quality.

So ask your computer dealer for a hands-on demonstration of a Key Tronic keyboard.

Call Toll Free 1-800-262-6006 for the retailer closest to you. (7 am-3 pm Pacific Time). Warranty information may be obtained by writing to the address below.

IMy.tronlo 1

IM>!v»it»utl Strip I

KB 5151 and 5151jr — The Professional Series

KB 5151 is plug-compatible with the IBM * PC and XT.

KB 5151 jr is plug-compatible with the IBM PCjr*. Both

are available in DVORAK and foreign layouts, and specia

models are made for the handicapped.

Suggested Retail Price: $255.00

1

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THE RESPONSIVE KEYBOARD COMPANY"

Circle 173 on inquiry card.

Come see us at NCC Booth #B4206 Department E • P.O. Box 14687 • Spokane, WA 99214 (U.S.A.) • (509) 928-8000

KB 5150 and 5150 jr —The Professional Series KB 5150 is plug-compatible with the IBM* PC and XT. KB 5150 jr. is plug-compatible with the IBM PC jr.* Both are available in DVORAK and foreign layouts, and a special model is made for the handicapped. Suggested Retail Price: $209.00

'IBM and PC jr. are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation. *Apple II is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. 'DEC VT-100 is a registered trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation.

'Televideo-925 is a registered trademark of Tetevideo

Systems, Inc. 'Radio Shack is a registered trademark of Tandy

Corporation.

Circle 20 on inquiry card.

SUPER APPLE® COMPATIBLE

SUPERIOR TO APPLE. COMPARE FEATURES

AMERICAN SUPER COMPUTERS Elite 4

1. Dual CPU's 6502 & Z80, 64K RAM

2. Runs APPLE & CPM, detached keyboard

3. Numeric keypad, 90 key keyboard

4. No copyright problems, completely legal

5. SAVES YOU LOTS OF MONEY! ONLY $499 Disk Drive $199 - Controller $49 -Monitor $109

Complete System: Computer + Controller + Drive + Monitor ONLY $839

WE HAVE ALL APPLE CARDS - CALL! SAVE!

Phone American Super Computers (919) 883-1105

CflMPtJTFFIK

Advanced Dtqiul Z80B 6Mh/

Supe< S../128 W/PS NET/I

$ 565

Super Slave-6/128

499

CompuproSieC Demo <1 only) S139

Morrow D120

2578

Headslart VPU-128

ge 2298

BVI PC Copy of IBM PC

1895

Alios &B6 20 5-User

5925

Televideo BOO

1267

Televideo 806/20

4816

Sanyo 550

784

Polo 80188

Zenith ZF 151-21

2072

Eagle PC Spirit II

CALL

NEC PC 8201A

635

TERMINALS

Telev.deo910

S 419

Televideo 924

614

Televideo 925

Televideo 970

935

Adds 3A'

447

998

2enith Z 29

655

Visual 50

565

MUM IOHS

BMC BM 12AUW

109

BMC Amber

llfl

BMC Color

246

Amdek Color-I 11 Demo)

164

Super Quai.iy Supf

"£*

■ITV

Smith-Corona TP

S 246

TEC A10

550

NEC 2010

785

Televideo TP-720P

419

Silver Heed 500P

442

PRINTERS DOT MA

ma

3B3

420

Micropnsm Oludata80Par

415

CALL

Okidala 92 Pa.

CALL

Tally Spirit

331

Anadex 9500B

946

lonal Business Machines/Con

3 Godboul Company

We Sell Entire Line Of Most Compaines

Call For Latest Prices, Shipping & Availabilty

Factory Warranties - WE BEAT PRICES!

WHICH COMPUTER IS BEST? - FREE BROCHURE

AMERICAN

4167 Kivett Dr., Jamestown, North Carolina 27282 Phone: (919) 883-1105 or (919) 889-4577

Prices & Specifications subject to change

High Quality \

NDC SERIES

100/200

DISK CONTROLLER

KEY FEATURES

• Full sector buffering

• Logical sector addressing

• Multiple sector, cylinder operation

• 11 bit burst ECC

• Self-diagnostic capability

• Automatic sector alternation for the diffective sectors

• Automatic Error Retry

• Industry Standurd SASI l/F

National Computer Ltd.

EVENT QUEUE

UASON OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA PH0NE:|408|734-1006 FAX:(408I744-0709

AKEBONO BLDG. 2-6-12 IWAMOTO-CHO CHIYODA-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN PHONE: (03)863-6705 TLXJ27542 FAX:(03)864-4581

Sponsored by the Electronic Motion Control Association. Contact EMCA Headquarters, Suite 1200, 230 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60601, (312) 372-9800. September 10-11

• ELECTRONICS SHOWS Midcon 84 and Mini/Micro Southwest 84, Dallas, TX. Concurrent conferences exploring practical applications and the state of the art of electronics, including computers, graphics, and networks. Contact Electronic Conventions Management. 8110 Airport Blvd.. Los Angeles. CA 90045, (213) 772-2965. September 11-13

• UNIX EXPOSITION

UNIX Systems Expo/84, Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. Exhibits from more than 200 vendors of UNIX-related products and services, as well as presentations and panel discussions. Contact Computer Faire Inc.. 181 Wells Ave., Newton, MA 02159. (617) 965-8350. September 11-14

• EUROPEAN COMPUTER GRAPHICS, Eurographics '84—The Fifth Annual European Computer Graphics Congress, Copenhagen, Denmark. A congress with an international lineup of speakers and product exhibits. Contact Kenness International, 1 Park Ave., New York, NY 10016, (800) 235-6400: in New York. (2121 684-2010. September 12-14

• SOFTWARE EXPO

The Fifth Annual Software/Expo. Hyatt Regency, Chicago, IL. A conference and exposition. Contact Software/Expo. Suite 205. 2400 East Devon Ave, Des Plaines, IL 60018, (312) 299-3131. September 12-14

• TECHNOLOGY FOR DISABLED, Computer Technology for the Handicapped. Raddison South Hotel, Minneapolis, MN. A national conference and exhibit for special education, rehabilitation, and medical professionals. Presentations and workshops. Registration is $150 before September 1; $175 after. Admission to the exhibit floor only is $3. Contact Closing the Gap. POB 68, Henderson, MN 56044, (612) 665-6573 or (612) 341-8299. September 13-16

• GULF COAST COMPUTING The Heart of Texas Computer Show, Bayfront Plaza. Corpus Christi. Seminars and displays. Contact Heart of Texas Computer Show, POB 12094. San Antonio. TX 78212. (512) 681-2248. September 14-16

• PEOPLE AND COMPUTERS The 1984 SME World Congress on Human Aspects of Automation. Hotel du Pare, Montreal. Quebec, Canada. Contact Society of Manufacturing Engineers, One SME Dr., POB 930, Dearborn, Ml 48121, (312) 271-1500, ext. 369. September 16-19

• COMPUTERS AND MODERN WORLD, COMPCON Fall 84, Hyatt Regency Crystal City, Arlington, VA. Tutorials, panels, demonstrations, sessions, and papers will explore the theme "Small Computer (R)Evolution." Contact COMPCON Fall 84. IEEE Computer Society, POB 639, Silver Spring, MD 20901, (301) 589-8142. September 16-20

• MEDICINE, BIOLOGY, ENGINEERING, The ThirtySeventh Annual Conference on Engineering in Medicine and Biology, Los Angeles Hilton, Los Angeles, CA. Papers, short courses, and scientific and commercial exhibits will be featured. Contact The Alliance for Engineering in Medicine and Biology, Suite 402, 4405 EastWest Highway, Bethesda, MD 20814. September 17-19

• ADA WORKSHOP Future Ada Environment Workshop, Miramar Hotel Bythe-Sea, Santa Barbara, CA. Workshops, addresses, presentations, working groups, and discussions. Registration: $400 to $700 depending on room choice. Contact ACM AdaTEC Future Ada Environment Workshop, TRW R2/1134, One Space Park. Redondo Beach. CA 90278, or register directly with Carolyn Gannon, GRC, POB 6770, Santa Barbara, CA 93160. September 17-20

• KENTUCK1ANA EXHIBITION CompuFest '84, Commonwealth Convention Center, Louisville, KY Computer consultant services and approximately 100 hardware, software, peripheral, and word-processing system vendors will display exhibits.

{continued)

106

BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 231 on inquiry card.

Choose From 3

Hard Disc Drive Systems That Convert Your IBM* PC To Perform Like The PC XT!

Our Winchester hard Disc Drive Systems offer 10 Mega-bytes of formated capacity, are internally installed and use available power!

Maynard Electronics introduces three Winchester hard Disc Drive Systems — the only drive systems to offer you 10 Megabytes of formatted capacity with complete internal installation! These systems offer the user countless benefits and features: capability of booting off the hard disc; additional functions while requiring only one card slot in your PC; and, use of available power, thereby preventing overheating problems which have affected other drives. Handling heavyweight data was never easier.

All three systems are quality engineered and worK with DOS

2.0 without any special software drivers and also run with other operating systems designed to make use of the XT hard drive system. All you need is the IBM* DOS 2.0 Manual and you're ready to run!

Each system is equipped with a low-power hard disc drive, complete software, cable, a SandStar™ Card and Hard Disc Controller Module. SandStar™ is the first family of modular peripherals created for the IBM* PC. 5imple instructions for easy installation are included and all components are backed by an Unconditional One Year Parts and Labor Guarantee.

WS1

W5 2

W5 3

II

This 5y5tem is equipped with the 5and5tar" Multifunction card. In addition to the hard Disc Controller Module, you can add up to three other 5and5tar" Modules while using only one card slot The following modules are available: Serial Fort Parallel Port Clock Calendar, Game Adaptor, and Prototyping Module.

This 5ystem is equipped with the 5and5tar" Floppy Drive Controller Card. The Card can control, in addition to the hard Disc Drive, two floppy drives mounted inside your PC and optionally two additional 5'A" or 8" drives mounted externally. This leaves three system slots for other expansion boards.

This 5ystem is equipped with the 5and5tar * Memory Card. In addition to controlling the hard Disc Drive, the Memory Card allows you to add 64K bytes to 576K bytes of memory using only one card slot

>xpand your PC to perform like the PC XT, one of our Winchester Hard c Drive Systems is right for you. And if you have already made the ■e decision to install any of Maynard's SandStar' Cards, the idStar Hard Disc Controller Module may be purchased separately.

ORDER, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL DEALER OR DISTRIBUTOR.

MAYNARD ELECTRONICS

400 East 5emoran Blvd. Casselberry, Florida 32707 30S/331-6402

We make modern times better.

MOW! Compatible

with - COMPAQ!**

"co«,

8a

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'03,

Circle 216 on inquiry card.

r DISCOUNT PRICES i COMPUTERS & EQUIPMENT

COMPUTERS

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f FRANKLIN

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ACE 1000 COMPUTER ACE 1200 COMPUTER

IBM COMPATIBLES

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BOTEK

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Price List * Information Kit

Call For Your Discount Prices

Since 1978

Micro Management Systems, Inc.

2803 Thomuvillc Road Eatt

Cairo, Georgia 31728

(912) 377-7120

A Software Implementation within Your Product Hardware

If you manufacture a computer system or a computer based product, allow it to EMULATE COMMUNICATE by installing one or more of Systems Strategies "C" Language based communication packages.

• 3270 SNA SDLC Emulation

• 3270 BSC Emulation

• 2780 3780 HASP Emulation

• X.25 Levels 1.2.3 Communication

You can purchase these "C" Language packages with source code and license to distribute in your hardware product. Each package is available either "Port it Yourself with instruction manual and training or ported to your hardware by Systems Strategies' communications staff.

Systems Strategies/Advanced Technology Division Specialists in Data Communications Software

Systems Strategies Inc.

225 West 34th Street

New York, New York 10001

(212) 279-8400

EVENT QUEUE

Technical sessions will be offered. A full day's worth of seminars costs SI 5. Registration fee is S2. Contact the Kentucky Society of CPAs. 310 West Liberty St.. Louisville, KY 40202, (502) 589-9239, September 18-20

• PARISIAN COMPUTING The Thirty-Fifth SICOBInternational Exhibition of Data Processing, Teleprocessing, Communication, Office Procedures, and Office Systems. CNIT, Paris-La Defense, Paris, France. Microprocessing and videotex will be major highlights of the exhibition. International visitors presenting their passports will have a special reception room. Some of the congresses and conferences will feature simultaneous interpretation in English and French. Contact International Trade Exhibitions in France, 8 West 40th St., New York, NY 10018, (212) 869-1720. September 19-28

• EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCE The First North Carolina Educational Microcomputer Conference, Benton Convention Center and Hyatt Hotel, Winston-Salem. Educational sessions, hands-on workshops, and product displays. A network of various computers will be set up. Contact leanette Gann, NC Regional Education Center. POB 21889, Greensboro, NC 27420, (919) 379-5764. September 20-21

• DOCUMENTATION METHODS How to Document a Computer System, Holiday Inn—Thomas Circle, Washington, DC, and Hyatt Cherry Hill. Cherry Hill, NJ. A series of documentation procedures will be presented. The fee is $15 5. Contact Technical Communications Associates, Suite 210, 12 50 Oakmead Parkway. Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (800) 227-3800. ext. 977; in California. (408) 737-2665. September 21 and September 24, respectively

• PACIFIC COAST FAIR

The Fifth Annual Pacific Coast Computer Fair, Robson Square Media Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This event

features exhibits, user-group displays, and more than two dozen speakers. Workshops, presentations, and panels will discuss the Apple Macintosh, MS-DOS, software and hardware marketing, publishing, Modula-2, and graphics. Admission is $4 per day. Contact Pacific Coast Computer Fair Association, POB 80866, South Burnaby, British Columbia V5H 3YI, Canada, (604) 581-6877. September 22-23

• GRAPHICS STANDARD COURSE, Introduction to GKS. Hyatt Regency Hotel, Austin, TX. A course on the Graphics Kernel System (GKS) standard. The fee is S495. Contact Nova Graphics International Corp., 1015 Bee Cave Woods. Austin, TX 78746. (512) 327-9300. September 24-25

• ASIAN COMPUTER SHOW The Fifth South East Asia Regional Computer Conference and Exhibition and Hong Kong Computer 84, Hong Kong Exhibition Centre, China Resources Building, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Contact Cahners Exposition Group, 7315 Wisconsin Ave., POB 70007, Washington, DC 20088. (301) 657-3090. September 24-27

• COMPUTERS. COMMUNICATIONS, AND CONTROL Eurocon 84—The Sixth European Conference on Electrotechnics, Brighton, England, A conference that seeks to identify the impact of computerbased technology on communications and control. Contact Manager, Conference Services, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Savoy Place. London WC2R 0BL, England; tel: 01-240 1871, ext. 222; Telex; 261176. September 26-28

• MID-ATLANTIC SHOW The Fifth Annual Mid-Atlantic Computer Show and Office Equipment Exposition. Convention Center, Washington, DC. Contact CompuShows Inc., POB 3315, Annapolis, MD 21403, (800) 368-2066; Annapolis, (301) 263-8044; Baltimore, 269-7694; District of Columbia, 261-1047. September 27-30. ■

IF YOU WANT your organization's public activities listed in BYTE's Event Queue, we need to know about them at least four months in advance. Send information about computer conferences, seminars, workshops, and courses to Event Queue. BYTE Publications. POB 379, Hancock. NH 03449.

108 BYTE" IULY 1984

Circle 296 on inquiry card.

. THE YOU WILL MAKE ISWH

', r-T^= a f MI £ffi it fcl fl MB I] $M Ml*Tk? 1

UTYQitlBMPC!

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QUADBOARD BRINGS OUT THE BEST.

Quadboard, the multifunction board from Quadram brings out the best. It's the board that's been around the longest. And just keeps on getting better.

THE PERFECT" 10:'

Quadboard doesn't waste space. It combines 10 of the most needed PC functions onto one board to leave lots of room for expansion. You get all this:

1. Memory expansion to 384K in increments of 64K with full parity checking standard.

2. A parallel port for printers and other parallel devices (addressable as LPT1 or LPT2).

3. A serial port (RS-232C adapter) for plotters, modems, letter quality printers and other serial devices.

4. A game port for joy sticks and paddles.

5. An I/O bracket to organize expansion port connectors.

6. A battery powered chronograph for an up-to-date internal clock/ calendar.

7. Quad RAM Drive* to set up multiple RAM drives in memory.

8. MasterSpool * for a software print buffer.

9. Qswap* to swap printers without changing cables.

10. MasterCache* a disk caching system that speeds up programs that frequently read data from a disk.

THE SOFTWARE MASTER.

Part of Quadboard s success is QuadMaster II, the best utility software package around. The one that's updated regularly to help you get more than ever out of your PC. No other combination can offer you more.

QUADBOARD®

THE PERFECT DECISION

A QUALITY DECISION.

Quadboard is the number one option board for the IBM PC. First in performance, dependability and reliability. It all adds up to Quality, from Quadram. A company you can count on today. fM And tomorrow.

Before you fill another slot, consider Quadboard by Quadram. It's l QUWWM C&iMnYJ the best board for the job.

'Included as part of QuadMaster II software.

^COPYRIGHT 1984 QUADRAM CORPORATION

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

QUADBOARD IS A REG TRADEMARK OF QUADRAM

CORPORATION

IBM PC. and IBM PCXTare registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.

QUADRAM

J An Intelligent Systems Company

4355 International Blvd./Norcross, Ga. 30093

(404) 923-6666/TWX 810-766-4915 (QUADRAM NCRS)

INTERNATIONAL OFFICES

inter quadram Ltd. 442 Bath Road Slough. England SH6B6 Tel 6286-63865 Tlx 847155 Aunema G Interquadram GmbH Fasanenweg 7 6092 Kelsterbach. West Germany Tel 6107-3089 T!x 417770 Seva G Interquadram s.a.r.l. 41. Rue Ybry, 92522 Neuilly Tel 758-1240 Tlx 630842 Iso Bur Chevco Computing 6581 Kitimat Road. Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5N-2X5 Tel 416-821-7600

Circle 257 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984

109

TheTeleVideo IBM PC The best hardware for

TeleVideo versus IBM. Make a few simple comparisons and you'll find there is no comparison.

RUNS IBM SOFTWARE.

With the TeleVideo" IBM Compatible line—PC, XT and portable computers—you'll get the most out of all the most popular software written for the IBM" PC—more than 3,000 programs.

Because every TeleVideo Personal Computer offers the highest level of IBM compatibility on the market

THE BEST HARDWARE FOR THE BEST PRICE

Features Tele-PC

IBM PC

Tele-XT

IBM XT

Monitor YES

OPTIONAL

YES

OPTIONAL

Screen Size 14"

12"

14"

12"

Tilt Screen YES

NO

YES

NO

Quiet Operation YES (NO FAN)

NO

YES

NO

Memory 128K

128K OPTION

256K

256K OPTION

Graphics Display Yfc (640x200 resolution) Y"

OPTIONAL

YES

OPTIONAL

Printer Port YES

OPTIONAL

YES

OPTIONAL

Communication Port YES

OPTIONAL

YES

YES

MS™-DOS/BASIC* YES

OPTIONAL

YES

OPTIONAL

System Expansion Slot YES

YES

YES

YES

RGB and Video Port YES

OPTIONAL

YES

OPTIONAL

Typical System Price $2995

$3843

$4995

$5754

compatibles, the Best software.

and has the standard —not optional —features you need to take full advantage of every job your software can do.

Study the chart at the left. It proves thatTeleVideo—not IBMoffers the best hardware for the best price.

Note thatTeleVideo's ergonomic superiority over IBM extends from fully sculpted keys and a comfortable palm rest to a 14-inch, no glare screen that tilts at a touch.

THE BEST MICROCHIPS.

What is perhaps most impressive about the TeleVideo IBM PC Compatible can be found deep within its circuitry. We use the same 8088 central processing unit that runs an IBM PC. But we also employ new VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) microchips that are designed and built exclusively for TeleVideo. These interface more efficiently with the powerful 8088 and yield numerous benefits.

THE BEST PORTABLE FOR THE BEST PRICE.

For example, our tiny custom chips do the work of many of the larger, "more expensive circuit boards in an IBM PC. So we can offer a computer system that comes in one attractive, integrated case, is ready to run and occupies less desk space. A computer that edges out IBM's added-cost component system for reliability, ease of service and purchase simplicity.

Fewer circuit boards to cool also allowed us to eliminate the noisy, irritating fan IBM and most other PCs force you to put Up with. And TeleVideo compatibles accept

Features

TPCII COMPAQ

High Capacity Storage 2nd Disk Drive Quiet Operation (No Fan) Ergonomic Display Communication Port International Power Supply MS™-DOS 2.11 Graphics Display

YES NO YES OPTIONAL YES NO YES NO YES OPTIONAL

YES NO YES YES

Typical System Price

$2995 $3710

any IBM hardware options without modification.

THE BEST LINE.

But theTele-PC is only one element of the TeleVideo IBM PC Compatible line.

THE BEST MANUFACTURER.

The TeleVideo IBM PC Compatible line is made by the world leader in multi-user computer systems and the number one independent manufacturer of terminals.

The TeleVideo XT is the best hardware for users of popular IBM XT software who would appreciate an extra 10 megabytes of storage capacity along with the advantages listed on the preceding chart.

As the chart above demonstrates, our portable IBM compatible computer, theTPC 11, is far and away better hardware than COMPAQ™ Better hardware—standard—at a better price.

Our compatibles are available at participating ComputerLand and Entre (call 800-HI-ENTRE) dealers or you may call 800-538-8725 for the dealer nearest you. In California, call 800-345-8008.

Before you invest, make a few simple comparisons. You'll find that TeleVideo-not IBM or COMPAQ —has the best hardware for the best software. At the best price.

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines. MS is a trademark of MicroSoft Corporation. GW Basic is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. COMPAQ is a trademark of COMPAQ Computer Corporation.

TeleVideo

Personal Computers

0LTeleVideo Systems, Inc.

Circle 303 on inquiry card.

Circle 39 on inquiry card.

The BDS C Compiler...

"Performance: Excellent.

Documentation: Excellent.

Ease of Use: Excellent."

That's what InfoWorld said when we introduced the BDS C Compiler four years ago. Today, the updated BDS Version 1.5 is even better.

First, the BDS is still the fastest CPM/80-C compiler available anywhere.

Next, the new revised user's guide comes complete with tutorials, hints, error messages and an easy-to-use index — the perfect manual for beginner or seasoned pro.

Plus, the following, all for one price: Upgraded file searching ability for all compiler/linkage system files. Enhanced file I/O mechanism that lets you manipulate files anywhere in your system. Support system for float and long via library functions. An interactive symbolic debugger. Dynamic overlays. Full source code for libraries and run-time package. Sample programs include utilities and games.

Don't waste another minute on a slow language processor. Order now.

Complete Package (two 8"SSDD disks, 181-page manual): $150. Free shipping on prepaid orders inside USA. VISA/MC, C.O.D.'s, rush orders accepted. Call for information on other

disk formats.

BDS C is designed lor use with CP'M-80 operating systems, version 2 2 or higher It is not currently available tor CP/M-86 or MS- DOS.

BD Software, Inc. P.O. Box 2368 Cambridge. MA 02238 (617) 576-3828

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PRINTERS

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Okidata92P 439

93P 747

Prowriter 349

HP Ink Jet 499

MONITORS

Amdek310A 159

300 135

Princeton HX 12 479

Sakata SC100 Color 259

Taxan Amber 119

Vision 3 449

Zenith123 12 Green 95

122 12 Amber....95 135 13 Color....459

MODEMS

Hayes 1200 479

1200B 399

MM //e 210

300 baud 199

Novation Apple Cat 2 259

Promodem 1200 369

Signalman Mark I 81

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Juki 6100 $419

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Tandon TM 100-2 219

Panasonic 320K 179

Teac 55 B 320K 189

STBGraphix Plus .... 259

RIO+ 259

Super RIO 279

Microsoft Multiplan 1 79

Lotus 1-2-3 289

AST 6 Pak 269

Mega+ 269

Quadboard 0K 219

Hercules Graphics Card..369 Dbase II 379

APPLE PRODUCTS

Micro Sci A2 Drives 1 89

Rana Elite I 219

Teac Drive 210

Chinon Drive 179

Videx 80 col w/softswitch.189

Ultraterm 179

Grapples 119

Grappler Work-alike 69

Buffered 16K....109

16K Ram 50

System Saver Fan 69

Microsoft Prem //e 289

SoftcardCPM.229

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Basic 109

Apricorn Serial Card 69

Koala Graphic Tablet 74

Z-80 Card 59

Ascii Express Professional.89

Maxell S/S 29

D/S 39

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BYTE'S BUGS

Readers Catch Bugs in Real-Time Article

The lengthy code accompanying Dr. David K. Broadwell's article "Real-Time Clocks and PC-DOS 2.0" (January, page 442) received considerable scrutiny from BYTE readers. One reader. Larry Waibel. caught a bug in the [NIT (i.e., initialization) code at the end of Dr. Broadwell's system clock/driver program, which is based on the IBM PC macro-assembly language. In an attempt to pass to the operating system the end of the permanent part of his program with an offset of 0 and the breakpoint in the segment register, Dr. Broadwell added a few bytes to the segment

register. The result was that the program gobbled up 12K bytes of extra memory The fix is shown here in listing 1.

Listing 2 shows you how to maneuver the INIT section to force it to a paragraph boundary and an offset of 0.

Another problem occurs because the operating system will try to verify its Write to the clock chip after the VERIFY-ON command is executed. This issues a command to output with verify to the driver. Bill Anderson suggests a fix: Remove the OUT_VERIFY: label from the Error Return Stack and place it adjacent to OUTPUT

Listing 1. The excessive appetite of the INIT code program cart be curbed with this patch.

section of Dr.

Broadwell's

INIT

MOV DX.OFFSET INIT

MOV ES:BR__ADDR_0|BX],DX

MOV ES:BR__ADDR_1|BXZ).CS

;make that the break address

lOFFSET OF END :SEGMENT OF END

Listing 2. The INIT section can be forced to a paragraph boundary and an offset of 0 passed using these maneuvers.

CSEG SEGMENT PARA PUBLIC CODE'

START

IF (S- START) MOD 16 ORG ($-START + 16 ENDIF

PUSH CS

POP AX

MOV DXOFFSET INIT

MOV CL.4

SHR DX.CL

ADD AX.DX

; gives paragraph bound for ref

;adjust to para boundary HS-START) MOD 16)

MOV ES:WORD PTR BR_J\DDR_0|BX],0 MOV ES:BR_^DDR_I[BX].AX

;get bytes to here ;get ready for div by 16 xonvert to paragraphs iplus current code segment

Communications Failure

An editing error resulted in an inaccurate description of the Frobco-Development System in May's What's New (page 514). It works in conjunction with the CoIecoVision console to develop prototype software. Its cartridge adapter will operate on either the CoIecoVision console or the Adam computer. Any program in the interface unit can be read, modified, and run through the

CoIecoVision. The system allows users to access the ColecoVision's memory space and I/O channels, and the manual provides information and a disassembled listing of the ColecoVision's operating system. The 32K-byte interface box plugs into the CoIecoVision and not the Adam. A Coleco cartridge, however, may play on either machine. ■

: YT E • IULY 1984

Circle 75 on inquiry card.

WAIT REDUCTION MADE EASY.

You know how hard it is to wait for the printer to finish before using the computer again. It's wasteful! Counter productive!

The solution: simply install Microbuffer™ printer buffer into the system, in seconds. And you can print and process simultaneously.

With one swift command, all printing data is dumped to the Microbuffer—it handles the printer and frees the computer for other functions.

Presto! Instant wait reduction.

Microbuffer II and 11+ for the Apple II, 11+, and lie computers.

Microbuffer II comes in either a serial or a parallel version with 16K or 32K of RAM. Microbuffer II + , available with 16K, 32K or 64K, has both serial and parallel capabilities, so you can control two different printers at once. The Microbuffer II + has on board high resolution graphics routines for 37 popular printers, and all include expanded graphics capabilities and text formatting in addition to the inherent benefit of letting you use your computer while your printer is Working.

Microbuffer In-line for virtually any computer/printer combination.

These are stand-alone units that install In-line between virtually any computer and printer.

Besides printer buffering, the In-line serial interface (MBIS) can be used to efficiently transmit data from the computer to almost any device using a serial RS-232C interface. The parallel Microbuffer In-line (MBIP) is built exclusively for parallel interfacing, and works exceptionally well in virtually any parallel computer and any parallel printer.

Each of the stand-alone models have controls for making multiple copies (up to 255). With the pause control, printing may be halted at any point and continued later—it will pick up right where it left off. Even while you are printing copies of a document, additional files can be sent to the buffer and they will be processed in turn. Both

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come with either 32K or 64K of RAM, and are easily upgradable up to 256K for processing greater amounts of data.

Microbuffer/E for Epson printers.

Fully compatible with Epson MX, FX, RX, and IBM-PC series printers, these easy-toinstall boards simply plug inside the printer.

For parallel interfaces, the Microbuffer models MBP-16K and MBP-64K are available.

For serial interfacing, Microbuffer models MBS-8K and MBS-32/64K are available. The MBS-8K supports both hardware and software (X-ON/X-OFF) handshaking; the MBS-32/64K supports three handshaking configurations (hardware, software X-ON/X-OFF and ETX/ACK).

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

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Circle 249 on inquiry card.

]ULY I984 "BYTE

113

Circle 15 on inquiry card.

QUALITY PARTS AT DISCOUNT PRICES!

SUB-MINIATURE DTYPE CONNECTOR

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SOLDER TYPE SUB-MINIATURE CONNECTORS USED FOR COMPUTER HOOK UPS

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DB-15 SOCKET DB-15H00D DB-25PLUG DB-25 SOCKET DB-25HOOD

"PARALLEL" PRINTER CONNECTOR

SOLDER STYLE 36 PIN MALF USED ON ■'PARALLEL" $5.50 EACH ^ATA CABLES.

KEY ASSEMBLY

5 KEY

J$1.00 EACH

CONTAINS 5 SINGLE-POLE NORMALLY OPEN SWITCHES MEASURES 3V LONG

6 KEY

$1.25 EACH

CONTAINS 6 SINGLE-POLE NORMALLY OPEN SWITCHES MEASURES iV LONG.

fl

CRYSTAL

CASE STYLE HC33/U 2 MHZ

$3.50 EACH

METAL OXIDE VARISTER

G.E. "V130LA10A 120 VOLTS, V DIAMETER.

120V INDICATOR

NEON INDICATOR RATED 120 V 1/3 W MOUNTS IN 5/16" HOLE RED LENS

75« EACH

10 FOR $7.00 100 FOR $65 00

MINIATURE TOGGLE SWITCHES

ALL ARE RATED 5 AMPS @ 125 VAC

S.P.D.T. (on-on)

PC. STYLE, |

NON-THREADEDl BUSHING £3

75C EACH I

10 FOR $7.00 Jtj

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non-threadedIJ

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10 FOR $7 00 > «

PC LUGS, THREADED | BUSHING $1.00 EACH l 10 FOR $9.00U 100 FOR $80 00

S.P.D.T. (on-off-on) m

SOLDER LUG TERMINALS $1.00 EACH 10 FOR $900 100 FOR $8000

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(on-on)

SOLDER LUG , TERMINALS $2.00 EACH

10 FOR $19 00 ' 100 FOR $180.00

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EDGE CONNECTORS

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CONTACTS

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SWITCHES ON FULLY INTERLOCKING ASSEMBLY. 3' a" BETWEEN MOUNTING CENTERS $2.50 EACH

5 STATION NON-INTERLOCKING

SAME AS ABOVE, EXCEPT

EACH SWITCH OPERATES

INDEPENDENTLY

$2.50 EACH

URCHASING AGENT

COMPUTERS

Alios 586-20 vWo term.

586-40 w/o term

986-40 WTftJ term

68000-12

Compupro Godbout"'

Sys.816A RAM 17"

Sys.816ARAM2T

Sys. 816AH*

Sys.816C*

Sys. 816CH*

Sys. 816D*

Sys. 816F(CPU286)

'Completely Assembled

5,725 7.063 8,403 10,068

4,378 4,489 6,283 6,462 8,324 9,402 12,737

COMPUTERS

ZenithZF-110-22 2,685

ZW-110-32 4,176

IBM PC Compatibles

ZF-151-22 ZFA 161-22 ZW-151-2

2,565 2,553 3,912

M Drive-H

Pragmatic 20 meg.. 8"

Pragmatic 40 meg., 6

Columbia Sys , 2-320K

Sys.. 12 meg.

Sys.. portable

MolecularSMS 10 meg.

16X,30meg NECAPCH03

APC-H12Graphics Special Soft packs APC-H26, 10 meg. 8201 portable 8801A, System Northstar Advantage w/Dual Floppies w/5 meg.

1,100

2.990 4,686 2,779 4,119 2,320 4,900 12,593 2,999 618 747 2,172

01 N1U 2

2.249 3.299 4,350 0,454 338

Onyx 8001 \1U 20, 256K

8002 MU20, 512K

C5002A.256K, 14M. 9,022

Sanyo 555. W/2-160K 1,100

555-2. VW2-320K 1,375

Tava CALL

Televideo TS-1605 PC 2,356

TPC-1,port. 1,643

TPC-2. port 2.356

HARD DISKS

Corvus 12 meg. w/ml 2,299

Davong, 5 meg Univ. 1.525

32 meg. Umv 3.040

Iomega 10 meg 2,091

Mountain Computer

10 meg. internal 1,701

35 meg. external 3.484

Tallgrass 12 meg. w/iape 2.670

35meg w/tape 4.337

IBM & PERIPHERALS

IBM PC 64K mono. 2-360K 2.950 XT CALL

Keytronics 5150 keyboard 189 5151 keyboard 239

MODEMS

MONITORS

Amdek Color IV A Color IV T NEC 1410 RGB Princeton RGB w/cable

PRINTERS

Diablo 630API Fujitsu 830, 80 cps IDS Prism 132. w/color Juki 6100 NEC 2010

3550

7710 Okidata Printronix P300 Oantex 7065 Qume ii/40w/mierlace Tally 160L. w/tractor

180L, w/tractor Texas Instr. TI810 basic

TI855 Toshiba P-1340 P-1350 P-1351 Transtar 120 PorS

PLOTTERS

DMP40 DMP41 DMP42 Hi-Pad

1,615

2.140

1,548

487

718

1,584

1,799

CALL

5.900

1.575

1,395

569

784

1,499

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408

Anadex9625B. parallel Brother, DX-15P Dataproducts 83004 Datasouth DS-220

439 5.921 1,568

Strobe M 100

TERMINALS

DEC VT100

Freedom 200

Hazeltine Esprit II

QumeOVT102A QVT103A

Televideo 924 925 950

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1.529 580 520 542

CALL FOR YOUR PRICE ON ANY OF OUR 7,000 OTHER PRODUCTS.

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THE

PURCHASING AGENT, INC.

2444 Old Middlefield Way, Suite J Mountain View, CA 94043 (415) 964-8222

114

B YTE • IULY 1984

Circle 254 on inquiry card.

BYTES BITS

Search for Marketable Programs

Independent Software Evaluation Services has announced its Great Software Search for Atari and Commodore 64 computers. The purpose of the search is to find effective software that has not yet been marketed. Search winners are awarded $1000 worth of hardware for their machine. Winning entries are also submitted to software publishers for evaluation and possible marketing.

The deadline for the Great Atari Software Search is July 31. The Great Commodore 64 Software Search runs through Halloween. Before submitting your program, obtain a Software Submission Package from Independent Software Evaluation Services, POB 27463, Minneapolis, MN 55427.

Microcomputer Software Directory for Administrators and Educators

The Guidance and Counseling Directory of Microcomputer Software was developed by the Santa Clara County Office of Education for school administrators and educators. This directory describes and lists the required hardware and specifications for more than 100 computer programs. If you'd like more information about this directory, write to laney H. Powers, Career/Vocational Education/ Guidance Department. Santa Clara County Office of Education. Mail Code 236. 100 Skyport Dr., San lose, CA 95115.

ANSI Seeks Comments on International Standards

The American National Standards Institute is seeking comments on a number of Draft International Standards (DISs) on information systems, which are currently being considered for approval by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

ISO DISs can be obtained from ANSI's International Sales Department. All orders must incljde titles, corresponding ISO Draft International Standard numbers, and remittance. Comments should be sent to Daniel W. Smith, American National Standards Institute, 1430 Broad

way. New York. NY 10018. Comments will be collated and transmitted to the U.S. Technical Advisory Group that prepares the American position for ISO work on information systems. The following is a partial list of ISO DISs being considered.

• ISO/DIS 7069. Small Computerlo-Computer Peripheral Bus Interface—Data Transfer Between Computer and Peripherals. Price: $29. Forward comments by August 11. This D1S is designed to facilitate the compatibility and common use of equipment produced by different manufacturers as well as the interchangeability of such equipment between different systems. It contains the functional, electrical, and mechanical specifications that have to be met for full compatibility of all equipment in a computer at interconnection points.

• ISO/DIS 8278/1, Data Communications—Network Service Definition. Price: $40. Forward comments by August 11. This is one standard in a series involving the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Basic Reference Model. It is designed to facilitate the convergence of capabilities offered by subnetwork providers. It specifies the characteristics of a conceptual Network Service and supplements the Reference Model in guiding the development of Network Layer protocols.

User-Supported Spreadsheet

Freecalc is a user-supported electronic-spreadsheet program for the IBM PC. It has 100 rows and columns and provides a number of basic formulas that help both novices and experts create a spreadsheet. Freecalc lets you point the cursor to the cells to be included in the formula, and it has an area for you to enter your own formulas. Freecalc comes with three sample spreadsheets and a tutorial. It requires 128K bytes of RAM for PC-DOS 1.1 and 192K bytes of RAM for PC-DOS 2.0 and 2.1. It's available for $35. or you can send a formatted blank disk to the author and make a contribution at a later date. Contact Steve Stilwell. Stilwell Software Products, 16403 North 43rd Dr. Glendale. AZ 85306. ■

,

MEMORIES ■ SHOULD • AL -BE-MADE-LIKETHIS—

All memories are good memories when they come from Cumana. Available for the Apple, Dragon, British Broadcasting Corporation and IBM personal computers, Cumana slimline disk drives are designed and manufactured to the highest standards to give outstanding performance and quiet operation.

Supplied with an extended 12 months warranty and fully assembled and tested before packaging, Cumana slimline drives are available in single and dual versions. All power and interface cables are supplied with the drives to enable you to plug in, switch on and go!

I

CUMANA!

The best name in memory

Cumana, Inc., Orangewood Business Center, 1701 East Edinger, Suite E12, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Call: (714) 953-7622. Cumana Ltd., Pines Trading Estate, Broad Street, Guildford. Surrey, England. Tel: (0483) 503121. Telex: 859380.

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer is manufactured under licence by Acorn Computers Limited. Acorn is a registered trademark of Acorn Computers International PLC

Dragon is a registered trademark of Dragon Data Ltd. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

^fc

Introducing a pocketfli of miracles.

It's the new BASF Qualimetric™ 3.5" Micro FlexyDisk® Its name is a lot bigger than its size, and a lot smaller than its capacity-one astounding megabyte. Our new Micro fits into more than shirt pockets. It fits into several of the hottest new small portable personal computers - like Apple ™ Computer's new Macintosh™ and Lisa™ 2 and Hewlett-Packard's HP-150 Touchscreen PC.

The Qualimetric part is what makes our Micro FlexyDisk different from the others that will inevitably follow. It indicates a new standard in design, production, inspection, and testing. This standard enables us to warranty the Micro for a lifetime? No more, no less. In addition, we certify that each bit of even' byte on or between every track on each Micro FlexyDisk is 100% error-free. That's

*Contact BASF for a copy of our warranty Circle 36 on inquiry card.

because we know, while each Micro FlexyDisk may only cost a couple of bucks, the hours and brain cells you put into it are priceless.

For those occasions when you need more than a pocketful of miracles, we provide a handy and virtually earthquake-proof 5-pack. It's sized to slip easily into your briefcase, handbag, or backpack.

For a plethora of technical details about our new Micro FlexyDisk and even more important information on where to buy it, call toll-free. 1-800-343-4600.

Celebrating 50 years of magnetic recording

El BASF

J. w

I y y

4\

V

. ■

T

-»^v^.,,. . . .. . . . ^imm^'sm^mmmmatmlitmm

%fomM'i'**»*i

BYTE

Symphony: A Full-Orchestra Version of Lotus 1-2-3

by ¥Ak \admicek 121

A Musical Telephone Bell

by Steve Garcia 125

The West Coast Faire

by terry Pournelle 136

An Ada Language Primer, Part 2: Tool Building in Ada

by Sabina H. Saib 139

Kermit: A File-Transfer Protocol for Universities, Part 2: States and Transitions, Heuristic Rules, and Examples

by Frank da Cruz and Bill Catchings 143

Features

THIS SUMMER'S HOTTEST BATTLE won't be between rival baseball teams or even rival football leagues, but between the purveyors of integrated software. Lotus Development Corporation's Symphony takes on Ashton-Tate's Framework while Ovation Technologies' Ovation, Business Solutions' Jack2, Peachtree's Decision Manager, and many lesser contenders scramble to offer personal computer users more action. To find out what drives this important new technology, we begin examining window-based, multifunction software this month with a product preview of Symphony. Contributing Editor Rik ladrnicek's examination of Lotus 1-2-3's heir apparent catalogs a list of impressive functions; a future review will assess whether the added capabilities encumber or enhance an already successful product.

This month's trip to Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar finds BYTE's resident tinkerer putting together a sound circuit that can give your telephone a distinctive chime instead of a standard ring. As usual, Steve's work might be a springboard for other projects, such as adding music to a doorbell, dashboard, or digital alarm clock.

The BYTE Computer Show held in Chicago's McCormick Place in May gave Steve Ciarcia and (erry Pournelle an opportunity to visit and talk with readers. The crowds around the BYTE booth indicated that one or the other of these popular editors was holding court. If you've not yet made it to a consumer-oriented computer show, you'll appreciate Pournelle's feature on the West Coast Computer Faire, held this past March in San Francisco. Jerry reports with his usual flair and eye for interesting products.

The first computer language invented by a committee, COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language), will be 2 5 years old next year. Labeled archaic by most programmers, COBOL applications nevertheless number in the tens of thousands and constitute the bulk of the nation's data-processing industry output. Will the newest committee-generated language, the Department of Defense's Ada, fulfill a similar legacy 25 years from now? Last month's beginning primer on Ada explored the language's modular, unitized structure and control statements. In this month's concluding installment, author Sabina H. Saib puts together an Ada toolbox of useful functions along with the source code (written in a microcomputer subset of Ada called lanus Ada] of all the examples illustrated in both parts of the series.

Kermit, the file-transfer protocol discussed last month in an Education theme article, is investigated further this month in the second of two installments. Last month's introduction examined how this protocol, developed at Columbia University, facilitates communication among micro-, mini-, and mainframe computers. Frank da Cruz and Bill Catchings discuss states, transitions, and heuristic rules and provide a sample sequence of packets from an actual file transfer.

Next month, we'll have a product preview of Framework and we begin a two-part examination of the new 16-bit version of the 6502 microprocessor as Steve Hendrix chronicles the specs of the 65816. Also, Senior Technical Editor Gregg Williams discusses the use of software toolkits and David Hinnant reports on benchmarking UNIX systems.

—G. Michael Vose. Senior Technical Editor, Features

JULY 1984

iYTE 119

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We have the lowest prices for ©Sanyo 550s

*

"Our prices this month ore lower thon ony odvertised in this mogozine for the Sanyo 550/550-2 series. Give us o coll - we'll tell you the lowest advertised price I and the poge No., and our price will be ot least $10 less. To find out why the Sanyo 550 is the "hot" micro of 1984 ask for our new Sanyo brochure.

SANYO

ALTOS

Special sole on "4-digit" Sanyo computers. All Include dual drives. Dosic. Wordstar, Cakstar. Mail merge, Spellstar and Infosfar. Plus prices include a Sanyo 5000 letter quality printer (may be deducted for $200 credit). The 11 50's have dual 320K drives, the 1250s ond 4050s feature 1.2 megabytes of formatted storage.

All Sanyo systems hove a full one year warranty on the main board. 90 days on everything else, ond con be serviced at over 50 service centers nationwide (quantities limited). 1150w/CP/M .... $1695 1250w/CP/M .... $2095 4050 w/CP/M-86 .. $2149,,

TERMINALS

From the lowest-priced duol-ftoppy multiuser systems to true 16-blf 10 Mnz. mulfi user systems. Local service available via TRW. We will configure, test and install your systems for an additional charge (coll for prices).

560-20 $3629

580-40 $5099

586-20 $5925

566-40 $7395

6000 Series Colt

NEC PC-8201A

Columbia

Now even lower prices!

Don't buy a clone alone when you con get one with MS-DOS. CP/M/65. Basica, Perfect WriterTM, Perfect SpellerTM, Perfect CalcTM, Perfect FiierTM, Fast Graphs, Home Acc't Plus, Space Commanders, o tutorial ond nationwide Bell ond Howelt service. (Prices for 1600 series include video cord ond keyboord).

V.P $2249

Xtra 128K Installed .... $100

$449

1600-1 $2499

1600-4 (10mb) $3695

PRINTERS

/ \

?%.

ADDS

VIEWPOINT .... S449

Wyse 50 $499

Also great prices on rhe Viewpoint 60. Wyse, Televideo. Altos. Zenith ond Qume terminals.

PLOTTERS

HI DMP-29 $1795

HI DMP-40 $745

HI DMP-41 $2340

MODEMS Password

300/1200 $309

Hayes 1200 $509

Hayes 300 $209

Mark XII $249

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617 N. Scoffsdale Road. Suite D, Scottsdale, Arizona 65257

~ (602) 941-5656

Call 6-5 Mon.-Fri. Closed July 1-8 for Summer Vacation

■*Jfc

■ M'^L We PorticiPQte in arbitration for business ond customers through rhe Better Business Bureau of Moricopo County

SERVICE/ORDERING

INTEGRATION: Prices listed are for new equipment in facrory sealed boxes with manufacturer's! I warranty. We will pretest your equipment, integrate yout system, configure your software, provide! I special cobles, etc.. tot an additional charge. Call for prices. 1

I ORDERING: MAIL ORDER ONLY. If you plan to visit us call for an appointment. Prices listed orel I for cash and include 3% cash discount. No C.O.D.'s or A.P.O.'s. We sell on o Net 30 basis to Fortune 1200| | companies ond Univetslties. P.O.'s add 2%/Vlso, Mastercard add 3%. Az. residents add 6%. Prices! I subject to change, product subject to availability. Petsonal/Compony checks rake 3 weeks to cleat! | 0-20% testocking fee for returned merchandise. Shipping is extra -products ore f.o.b. point of shipment! I Software Is sold only with systems ond is not worrantied for suitability. Registered trademarks: Wordsrar-I I MicroPro International: CP/M and MP/M Digital Research; Televideo-Televideo Systems. Inc.

Tolly Spirit $298

Tolly 160/L $599

Tally 180/L $777

Okidata92 $180 Off

Okidqra 93 $290 Off

Plug N' Ploy FREE

Gemini 10X $115 Off

Gemini 15X $140 Off

Prism 132

all opts $1449

Toshiba 1351 $151'

Epson

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Silver Reed 500 .... $409 Silver Reed 550 .... $529

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NEC 3550 $1595

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DTC 380Z $995

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COLOR MONITORS

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Amdek Color 1 $274

Roland CD-141 $319

Now you can hove twice the resolution of an Okldota 92 for about the same price. Buy an Okldata 62 at the retail price of $349 ond we'll install on OK-Writer enhancement for $70. You'll hove the perfect double duty printer with 120 c.p.s. in draft mode ond an 18x17 resolution in corespondence mode - plus o serial port. Call tot print sample. Qkl 82 w/Ok-Wrlfer

$419

PREVIEW

SYMPHONY

A FULLORCHESTRA

VERSION OF LOTUS 1-2-3

BY RlK JADRNICEK

Editors Note: The following is a BYTE product preview. It is not a review. We provide this advance look at this new product because we feel it is significant. A complete review will follow in a subsequent issue.

Symphony is a full-fledged integrated package created by Lotus Development Corporation. The name is an allusion to the original product's likeness to a chamber music group, while the new one's features are numerous and varied. It is priced at $695 and current Lotus 1-2-3 users can upgrade to Symphony for $200.

1 am an experienced Lotus 1-2-3 user and 1 recently secluded myself in a room with a large pot of coffee, an IBM PC. and Symphony. Here is what 1 discovered.

In a nutshell. Symphony includes and improves upon the Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet, graphics, and database capabilities while adding new word-processing and data communications environments. All this is enhanced by powerful macro files and the Symphony command language.

TThe Master Environment

A 256-column by 8192-row spreadsheet is the master environment for the SHEET (spread

(continued)

Rik \admicek is president of Micro Flow (POB 1147, Mill Valley. CA 94942). a microcomputing consulting firm. When he isn't writing or playing with micros. Rik likes sailing and traveling.

IULY 1984 -BYTE

121

C?:

sheet), DOC (word processing), GRAPH (business graphics), COMM (data communications), and FORM (database) subenvironments of Symphony.

Like Lotus 1-2-3, the whole work environment is still memory-bound. With a 2 56K-byte IBM PC, Symphony showed 187,270 bytes free for modeling. I was able to fill 8 columns by 192 5 rows with an 8-digit number (that's 29 singlespaced, typewritten, 81^ by 11 pages)— to take full advantage of Symphony, I would need more RAM (random-access read/write memory). (Lotus recommends a minimum of 320K bytes of RAM for Symphony.—Eds.)

You can create and name any number of windows overlooking this workspace. Each window can operate as one subenvironment (for example, as a spreadsheet). The same window can then be changed to another subenvironment. Within the same window you might start out typing a letter, then change that window environment to a spreadsheet to enter some formulas, then change back to the document environment to continue the letter.

Window names can be up to 15 characters long and include spaces. The layout of the windows can be as small as one character or as large as the screen. They can be freely moved around the screen and can be piled on top of each other like papers on a desktop, or even filed away for later use. While paging from one window to the next, you can zoom into the window of your choice, making it fill the.monitor screen. You can even completely eliminate window borders or you can change them to solid lines to give your integrated model a customized appearance.

Since all the windows and subenvironments you create overlook one master environment, the entire scenario is interactive. At your option, any changes you make in one window will be reflected in the others. In fact, in the process of developing formulas you can move from window to window picking up variables. Different windows can be formatted independently, and you can restrict the area they look upon. It's easy to switch among various environments, share data among environments, and use several environments simultaneously, thus achieving a high level of integration.

Photo 2: A full complement of Symphony menus, beginning with a start-up menu followed by spreadsheet, communications, word processing, database, graph, and a window-management menu.

3 ^ i m

mmymevi systea unites tk> various Syapbosy KOtble ... A, users c«» si«altasteo«sly dispiay spreadsheets, BCiHssssts, tarns, graphs, si " ossvgnieni layouts kith on i

Photo 3: A text sample in a word-processing window.

122 B YTE • JULY 1984

Services and Environment Menus

Most of the commands used with Symphony are divided into two groups: services and menus. Pressing the F10 key on the IBM PC will present a set of tiered menus for the current active environment. For example, if you are in a window with the spreadsheet environment active, pressing the F10 key will give you access to the commands pertaining only to spreadsheets. A window with the DOC environment active would display the command menu used for word processing. The menus are therefore less complex and more focused on the task at hand.

Pressing the F9 key on the IBM PC displays the service menu giving you access to the commands common to all windows. You can then manipulate windows or disk files and configure the printer or program defaults. Within the services menu, cells can be protected and the entire worksheet can be locked against the editing of protected cells. A user-defined password is needed to unlock the spreadsheet.

Special application utilities can be attached to Symphony from the services menu. One such application is the DOS (disk operating system) window. This enables you to return to DOS with two keystrokes. When you execute those two keystrokes, the screen blanks and the A > prompt appears. You can run DOS utilities or even another program, RAM permitting. Typing "exit" at the A> prompt takes you out of DOS and returns you to Symphony.

Setting Sheets

Symphony lets you create Setting sheets to hold default values for printer settings and characteristics of the various environment windows. For example, you can create and store a variety of Setting sheets, each describing a different printer or printout format. A catalog of the sheets is kept for your review and selection for different applications. Communications parameters, database designs, graph specifications, word-processor formats, and spreadsheet characteristics all have Setting sheets.

The sheets are filled out by selecting options from menus similar to the command menus. When making the choices, the screen goes blank briefly and the Setting sheet reappears to reflect the changes. Each sheet created serves as a recap and can be dynamically updated, so you are seeing all values and changes as they are made. The use of Setting sheets further simplifies use of the program.

The special numeric pad keys have been put to good use in Symphony. All of them are used and the functions they perform are consistent from environment to environment. The scroll key actually warrants scrolling. In the document environment, it permits jumping 2 5 percent of a page in horizontal and vertical directions. In the spreadsheet environment, you can easily move to the end of data, column, or row. Lotus Development makes good use of the special beys on the IBM PC, especially the function keys (see figure 1). This,

Most commands are divided into two groups: services and menus.

coupled with the more focused menus of Symphony, speeds up the process of model building considerably and minimizes confusion.

The Spreadsheet Environment

The spreadsheet capabilities of Symphony are certainly not diluted. Lotus 1-2-3 is in full force and includes some new tricks. Global formats, recalculation order (including iteration count), title fixes, and global column widths are now conveniently displayed together in a Setting sheet. As you change the values, the full-screen Setting sheet changes dynamically—a real treat.

Remember that any window can become a spreadsheet environment and all windows are viewports onto the same master spreadsheet. When in the spreadsheet environment, only the menu items neccessary for spreadsheet development are presented. Copying, moving, and erasing cells, ranges, and blocks is a breeze. Direct access is given to spreadsheet-oriented graphics and database commands to develop the Setting sheets for those environments (see graphics and database environments).

(continued on page 372)

Photo 4: A Setting window for communications parameters.

Photo 5: A Symphony database form.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 123

The lean, mean

plotting machine

from Houston

Instrument

Houston Instrument's brand new servo driven DMP-51 is the fastest drum plotter we've designed to date. This superb plotter offers a pen speed of up to 22 inches/second; programmable accelerations, and a pen-on-paper resolution of 1/1000 of an inch! That means you'll turn out quality 17" x 22" and 22"x 34" drawings a lot faster, increasing your firm's productivity and profitability.

Now, for more good news. The DMP-51, priced at $4,495*, is as fast as other plotters costing three times more. At that price, you can afford to put a DMP-51 at individual drafting work stations.

This is the professional plotter that meets the needs—and the budgets—of all companies, large or small.

The DMP-51 is intelligent, too. The DMP-51 can execute complex graphics operations from the simplest commands. A mechanical/architectural version, the DMP-52, with its 18" x 24" and 24" x 36" paper size, is available for the same price from Houston Instrument.

So, watch our new plotter in action ... it won't take much time to realize it's the best buy for your money. For the name, address and phone number of your nearest dealer or distributor, write Houston Instrument, 8500 Cameron Rd., Austin,Texas, 78753. You can also call 1-800-531-5205 or 1-512-835-0900 (Texas residents). In Europe, contact Houston Instrument Belgium NV, Rochesterlaan 6, 8240 Gistel, Belgium. Tel: 059-27-74-45. Tlx: 846-81399.

"Suggested U.S. retail price

4P014

DdoddsSodq m

instrument

Circle 155 on inquiry card.

CIARCTAS CIRCUIT CELLAR

A Musical Telephone Bell

Personalizing

About a month ago, I was visiting an IC (integrated circuit) manufacturer that produces a line of communica-—""'w ^w,~ — tjon ancj voice-synthesis chips, among others. Ol VOUr I was there to get some firsthand information

1 r on some new chips that will be the heart of

telephone a low<ost Circuit Cellar voice-recognition project coming later this year. ■MMNMMMPMi The visit started like most business meetings I'm used to: it included a tour of the facility, BY STEVE GARCIA discussions with the technical staff, and lunch. After returning from lunch, a group of us were standing in the corridor adjacent to a large divided office area deciding who should be part of the next meeting when a phone rang in the middle of the room. Everyone immediately stopped talking and looked toward their section of the office as the phone rang again.

They glanced at each other again as one said, "Is that my phone or yours?"

The consensus was, "It must be yours, it doesn't sound like mine."

I watched as all four started walking toward their offices. About halfway there, each one stopped dead and turned around. With a somewhat exasperated sigh, one of them said, "It was George's phone."

"It gets so frustrating. All the bells sound alike, and with the acoustics in here it's impossible to tell whose phone it is unless you're within 10 feet of it."

The others shared the same expression of annoyance as the discussion shifted from electronics-related topics to an area of more immediate concern: Why can't telephone manufacturers make different-sounding bells for phones? It would seem that in a freeenterprise system, adept at producing pet rocks and Cabbage Patch dolls, a custom telephone bell would be trivial.

While I didn't make any pledge to solve this problem, I recognized legitimate concerns and decided to intervene electronically. Therefore, projects on talking robots, automatic houses, and rainmaking machines will have to be put off for another month as I try to build a better mousetrap.

I hope that this month's project will solve the auditory confusion in an office or at least Copyright (c) 1984 Steven A. Garcia. All rights reserved.

add a little spice to an otherwise boring telephone. Rather than just ring, the Circuit Cellar Whimsi-Bell plays the first few bars of 2 5 preselected tunes. Instead of hearing an annoying metallic clamor, you can be greeted by the theme to Star Wars, or perhaps you would prefer the "William Tell Overture."

Cleverly disguised in this whimsical project is a discussion of the telephone system. My intention is to help you understand characteristics and specifications that govern the telephone products you purchase or the telephone interfaces you might build. It also sets the stage for future Circuit Cellar projects dealing with telephone lines.

Reading between the lines, however, you'll soon realize that the central theme is not musical phones but rather ring detection and auto-answering the phone by computer. It may seem like a trivial consideration, but the environment is hostile and connection restrictions abound. First, a little about the phone system.

The Status Quo Telephone

Essentially, the characteristics of the telephone have been unchanged for 90 years. It originally used a carbon microphone and electromagnetic earphone with a capacitiveIy coupled electromagnetic ringer triggered from a hand-turned magneto. Today's Western Electric phones incorporate many of the same materials, and new electronic phones merely simulate their archaic predecessors. For example, the characteristic impedance of the early Edison phones was 600 ohms, and today's electronic units must still abide by this specification.

The design and use of telephone equipment are dominated by line resistance. When you wish to answer or initiate a telephone call, the only requirement is to place a load across the

(continued)

Steve Garcia (pronounced "see-ARE-see-ah") is an electronics engineer and computer consultant with experience in process control, digital design, nuclear instrumentation, and product development. He is the author of several books about electronics. You can write to him at POB 582. Glastonbury. CT 06033.

IULY 1984

i YTE

125

phone lines (between tip and ring). The handset, or the data-access arrangement (DAA) in either your modem or your auto-dialer, will cause a DC current flow of approximately 2 5 to 30 milliamperes (mA). A current-sensing relay at the telephone company then signals the system that you are "off hook." If it is an outgoing call, you will receive a dial tone; if it is an incoming call, the ringing will stop and you will be connected to the incoming party.

The on-hook voltage between tip and ring of the telephone line is approximately 48 volts (V) DC. It is generally supplied by a battery from the telephone office and can range from 42.75 to 52.5 V. Tip and ring have nothing to do with the telephone ring itself; they refer to the plugs that the operators used to connect callers many years before automatic dial exchanges. The original system had large arrays of connection jacks with operators who would physically insert patch-cord jumpers between initiating and receiving calls. The two conductor patch cords made their electrical connection to the tip-and-ring portion of the plug. The tip connection was usually ground. (Anything designed for connection to the telephone line should not be polarity sensitive. Polarity is sometimes reversed, and 200-V test voltages are sometimes placed on the line.)

Once the line is captured, an off-hook situation exists and a dial tone will be heard in approximately a second. The dial tone actually consists of two tones: 350 Hz and 440 Hz. If you are contemplating building a computer-activated

5V

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automatic dialer, a tone decoder should be incorporated to signal the computer that dialing can commence. It will also signal you when the call has terminated if it was not initiated at your end. (If you want to get elaborate, the awful sound that the phone company blares at you to attract your attention when you forget to hang up a phone consists of four tones: 1400 Hz, 2060 Hz, 2450 Hz, and 2600 Hz. Pulsed at a rate of 5 Hz, it is called the receiver off-hook tone.)

Dialing

Most residential telephones in this country still use mechanical pulse dialers. When you turn and release the telephone dial, the current in the telephone line through the off-hook relay is interrupted by the number of times indicated on the dial position. These dial pulses are issued at approximately 10 pulses per second (pps)—some exchanges will accept up to 21 pps—with

Photo 1: Whimsi-Bell attaches to the tip and ring wires in parallel with your phone.

about a 60/40 percent on-/off-hook duty cycle. Nine breaks in succession are interpreted as a "9" digit, and three breaks define a "3" digit.

The separation of digits is determined by the interdigit time. Any succession of pulses occurring more than 750 milliseconds (ms) after the last pulse are considered part of the next digit. For example, if you send five pulses at 10 pps, wait 200 ms and send three more pulses, the telephone company will interpret this as the single digit "8." If you had waited 750 ms between transmissions, they would have been interpreted as the two digits "5" and "3."

The latest innovation in the telephone system is Touch-Tone, the registered trademark for AT&T's dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) communication. The pulses go only as far as the local exchange office. From there, and throughout the rest of the telephone system, DTMF tones are used to direct calls.

The advantages of DTMF are increased dialing speed and, more important, the ability to transmit data. DTMF tones are sent with a minimum duration of 50 ms and an interdigit time of 45 ms. A seven-digit number on a pulsedial system would take 11 seconds versus less than 1 second for DTMF.

I won't dwell on DTMF because it is covered in detail in my "Build a Touch Tone Decoder for Remote Control" on page 42 of the December 1981 BYTE.

The Busy and Ring Signals

Again, if you intend to build an autodialer at some point, you should incorporate some means to recognize a busy signal. The busy signal consists of two tones, 440 Hz and 620 Hz, that are on for 0.5 second, then off for 0.5 second. Either the tones themselves can be recognized, or the unique 50/50 0.5-second duty cycle can be monitored.

When your telephone rings, it is the result of a high AC voltage being ap

(continued)

126 B YTE • JULY 1984

Sheet Feeders By Rutishauser.

Swiss-Made Quality. Competitive Prices.

Rutishauser. Remember the name. Our precision sheet feeders save you time. And Money. Rutishauser products are made to exacting standards of Swiss craftsmanship. Built to perform. Built to last. Tune after time after time. Rutishauser. The very best in document and forms handling equipment... electronic or mechanical... for word and data processing systems.

MECHANICAL SHEET FEEDER

(2:00)

Automatic feeding. Simple and easy to install and load. No special software, switches, controls, or adjustments needed.

PROGRAMMABLE DOUBLE BIN FEEDER (11:00)

Flexible control and consistently reliable performance — with or without electronic commands. Operator programmable, with remote/local modes. Also reacts to mechanical or electrical bill selection. Circle 269 on inquiry card.

BI-DIRECTIONAL FORMS TRACTOR (9:00)

Trouble-free handling for accurate continuous forms feeding. Fits any standard word/data processing printer.

SINGLE BIN SHEET FEEDER

(3:00)

One of the most widely used single bin feeders in the world. Automatic. Compact. Lightweight. A powerful microprocessor controls paper position and insertion.

DOUBLE BIN SHEET FEEDER

(12:00)

Interchangeable and software compatible with our demand sheet feeder model. Each sheet fed upon command. Ample capacity with room for 450 sheets.

DEMAND SHEF:T FEEDER (10:00)

Feeds sheets upon command by printer system. Accommodates virtually any size paper or type of form.

FRONT FEED DEVICE (1:00)

Programmed insertion of forms for complex applications. Handles preprinted forms, ledger cards and other single or multipart documents.

Rutishauser sheet feeders are available for leading letter-quality printers. Rutishauser. Swiss standards of lasting value. Call us at (214) 343-9154 (USA) or (00-41-1) 926 46 00 (International). Isn't it... about time?

Rutishauser of America, Inc. 10345 Brockwood Rd. Dallas, Texas 75238

(An affiliate of Rutishauser Data AG.)

tTTffliMJ/Z'JI

Swiss-Made Quality You Can Afford

IULY 1984 • B YTE 127

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Figure 2: Texas Instruments CMOS ring-detector chips. (2a) Block diagram of the TCM1501A, TCM1505A, TCM1506A, and TCM1512A versions. (2b) Block diagram of the TCM1520A version.

If you are building a computer-activated automatic dialer, use a tone decoder to signal the computer.

plied to the telephone lines. The voltage is capacitively coupled to the electromagnetic bell. When you are initiating a call and you hear a ringing in the earpiece, you are not hearing the ringing voltage. Instead, you are hearing a pair of tones, 440 Hz and 480 Hz, used by the phone company for signaling. The on/off duty cycle depends on the exchange being dialed. When the ringing stops, it usually means the call has been completed or that you are irrevocably lost among the trunk lines.

Ring Detection

The solution to the problem described earlier is a ring detector. Rather than try to change all the bells in an office, it is a relatively simple matter to monitor the telephone line in parallel with the existing phone (with its bell turned low or off) and generate a different sound corresponding to the incoming ring signal. This new sound can be a buzzer, a slightly different bell, or an entirely new electronic signaling device. The actual alerting mechanism is secondary. It is all triggered by a circuit called a ring detector.

The incoming ring is the highest nontest voltage encountered on the telephone line. The normal on-hook condition is a high-impedance state with approximately 50 V DC between tip and ring. When the phone rings (usually 2 seconds on and 4 seconds off), it is because an additional 86 V AC of ringing voltage has been superimposed on the line. This 20 Hz ±3 Hz signal is passed through a capacitor to the telephone bell, causing it to ring. While 86 V AC is nominal, the ringing voltage can vary from 65 to 130 V AC, and the DC component can appear as much as 70 V negative.

Because the ringing voltage is so different from other telephone signals, a ring detector is simple in theory to construct. The simplest ring-detector circuit (shown in figure 1) consists of a neon lamp and a phototransistor. Neon lamps such as the NE-2 have a turn-on threshold of about 65 V and therefore would respond only to the higher ringing

{continued)

128 BYTE

IULY 1984

Your financial records. Confidential plans. Personal correspondence When you record it on Verbatim flexible disks, you always get back exactly what you recorded. That's because Verbatim disks are certified 100% errorfree. And backed by a warranty to assure performance: Verex,™ 1 year Datalife• 5 years, Optima Series,® 17 years. No wonder one out of every four disks sold is made by Verbatim, making ours the world's best-selling disks.

For your nearest Verbatim dealer, call toll-free 800-538-1793. In California or outside the U.S., call collect (408)737-7771.

Because Verbatim always handles your most sensitive information with the utmost discretion.

\ferbatim8

Nothing's better than a Verbatim response.

Circle 320 on inquiry card.

We'll repeat your most sensitive information

word for word.

voltages. When the neon lamp lights, it in turn causes the transistor to conduct and triggers the one-shot.

Variations on this circuit employing LED (light-emitting diode) optoisolators and level-detection circuits are available, but a price is paid for simplicity. The telephone line is not an ideal environment and contains many aberrations that can lead to false triggering by crude ring detectors. Just the action of going on hook or off hook (also called tapping) generates local line transients that are sufficient to cause a neon bulb or LED to fire. We can add more components or compensate for these peculiarities in our communications software, but, fortunately, alternatives exist.

Specially Designed Ring-Detector Chips

Texas Instruments produces a line of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) ring-detector chips that offer all the necessary features. (See figures 2 a and 2 b.)

The normal installation of the ringdetector chip uses a capacitor and a 2.2K-ohm resistor connected between the detector and the line. The network formed by the DC-blocking capacitor, current-limiting resistor, and full-wave bridge rectifier supplies power to the IC from the phone lines. The rectified AC signal is filtered by a 10-microfarad (/*F) capacitor attached between pins 6 and 7. The value of this capacitor determines the minimum input voltage and turn-on time of the ring detector. It is also used to suppress response to dial tapping (tapping is a false triggering of the bell due to transient-producing pulses on the phone line, usually from rotary-dial phones).

In use, the ring-detector IC stays in standby mode until the incoming

(continued)

Photo 2: A view inside the Whimsi-Bell prototype. The doorbell synthesizer chip can play 2 5 different tunes.

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130 B YTE • JULY 1984

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voltage between pins 1 and 8 exceeds 8.9 V (remember, the off-hook condition is a DC voltage on the line, and the series DC-blocking capacitor prevents the ring detector from seeing this voltage). While in standby mode, the impedance is approximately 1 megohm. When the voltage exceeds 8.9 V, the IC begins to conduct. This energy is not transferred to the load, however, until the input reaches 17 V. Should the input voltage continue to rise beyond a predetermined limit (a transient instead of a true bell signal), an internal highcurrent SCR (silicon-controlled rectifier)

is triggered. The excess energy is dissipated in the 2.2K-ohm series resistor.

Two versions of the ring detectors are supplied by Texas Instruments. Models TCM1501 A, TCM1505A, TCM1506A, and TCM1512 A are detector tone drivers intended for use as electronic alternatives to the standard electromagnetic telephone bell. These chips incorporate an oscillator and a power audio-generator section to drive a piezoelectric transducer or speaker. Figure 3 demonstrates a typical circuit.

The TCM1520A is a ring detector only. It has a +5-V output signifying the ring

signal rather than an audio output. The TCM1520A is best utilized in autoanswer modems. Figure 4 demonstrates a two-chip circuit that provides an optoisolated ring-detection signal that can be connected to a computer. When a ring signal is applied, the 10-/xF capacitor charges until it passes the 17-V threshold. At that point, pin 4 outputs + 5 V, which in turn drives the LED side of an optocoupler. The illuminated LED causes the transistor portion of the optocoupler to saturate, providing a low true signal to the computer. The computer, on recognizing a valid ring, gives

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PROG. CNTR. (F2)

1—H.

C

c

8

PROGRAM

ROM

S12 X 12

RTCC

MCLR

PIC1655A PINOUT TOP VIEW

w

RTCCC

•1

28

]mclr

Vddl"

2

27

]osc

VxxC

3

26

]CLK0UT

vssC

4

25

]RC7

TEST[

5

24

]RC6

RA0[

e

23

]RC5

RAl[

22

]RC4

RA2[

8

21

]RC3

RA3[

9

20

TRC2

RB0[

10

19

]RC1

RB1[

11

18

]RC0

RB2[

12

17

]RB7

RB3[

13

16

]RB6

RB4 [

14

15

]RB5

•RA0-3

AV

-3

-1350

PINOUT

TOP VIEW

•1

W

28

gnd£

J RESET

VddC

2

27

] OSC

vDD[

3

26

]CLK0UT

gnd[

4

25

] TUNE SELECT A

gnd[

5

24

]TUNE SELECT B

PLAY l[

6

23

]TUNE SELECT C

PLAY 2 [

7

22

]TUNE SELECT D

CAPTEST [

8

21

] TUNE SELECT E

TUNE SELECT 4[

9

20

] TUNE SELECT 1

NEXT TUNE[

10

19

]TUNE SELECT 2

DISCRG [

11

18

] TUNE SELECT 3

ON/OFF[

12

17

] RESTART

ENVELOPE[

13

16

] SWITCH GROUP SELECT

TUNE OUTPUT [

14

15

] TUNE SELECT STROBE

Figure 6: Block diagram of the General Instrument AY-3-1350 tone synthesizer.

132 BYTE • JULY 1984

an off-hook signal to the DAA or the modem to answer the phone.

Back to the Initial Problem

The office situation described earlier can be easily solved for one or two individuals with the one-chip circuit shown in figure 3. Here, a TCM1512A is used to drive a speaker. The circuit is connected in parallel to an existing phone that has had the bell disconnected or turned down. Rl sets the frequency of the "bell"; R2 sets its volume. When the phone rings, a different kind of bell is heard.

Such a circuit might be useful in some applications. Beyond a few installed in a large room, however, the same confusion would arise. Instead, a more varied signaling device must be employed.

A variety of alternatives comes to mind. Once you've detected the ring, virtually any triggerable event can occur. Initially, I thought it might be cute to attach a voice synthesizer or other equally nonstandard signaling device. However, I'd rather reserve voice synthesizers for more serious purposes. Instead, in the name of cost-effectiveness and mass production, I opted for Whimsi-Bell.

Whimsi-Bell

The Circuit Cellar Whimsi-Bell, shown in photos 1 and 2 and schematically diagramed in figure 5, combines a ring detector and a sophisticated microprocessor-controlled doorbell synthesizer. The phone is connected to the WhimsiBell through a Y-junction phone-line connector. When the phone rings, it plays the first few bars of one of 25 tunes or three chimes. The switchselectable repertoire is listed in table 1. The circuit also includes an optoisolated output so you can connect the device to a computer as well.

The heart of Whimsi-Bell is the General Instrument AY-3-1350 tone synthesizer, which is actually a PIC 1655A 8-bit microcomputer that has been specifically mask-programmed as an electronic doorbell chime. Blockdiagramed in figure 6, the PIC 1655A includes thirty-two 8-bit RAM (randomaccess read/write memory) registers, 512 by 12 bits of program ROM (readonly memory), an on-board oscillator and real-time clock, and 20 I/O (input/output) lines on a single chip. The chip runs on + 5 V.

The Whimsi-Bell is powered by a 9-V battery and consumes virtually no power until it is triggered by a ringdetect signal from IC2. This signal turns power on to IC1 through Ql. Ql is sus

tained for the musical period regardless of the length of the ring by the on/off signal, IC1 pin 12. The chip shuts itself off when it has concluded playing.

The ring-detect signal is attached to one of three points in the circuit (A, B, or C), depending upon the combination of tones you wish. All 2 5 tunes are accessible if the connection is to point A. The chimes are selected by opening all the selection switches and connecting the ring-detect input to one of the three input terminals. If A, it will play the Westminster chime; if B, it will play the simple chime; if C it will play the descending-octave chime.

With the ring-detector connection at point A, where all 25 tunes are available, a particular tune is selected on the 10-position DIP (dual-inline package) switch SW1. SW1 positions 1 through 5 are assigned to selection codes A through E; SW1 positions 6 through 10 are assigned to selection codes 0 through 4. To select the Star Wars theme, D4, positions 4 and 10 would be closed (all others open). Every time the phone rings, that tune will be played.

The 25 tunes average nine notes each. The tunes are stored internally as a series of notes with a stop code following the last note in each tune. Each 8-bit note comprises a 5-bit pitch value and 3-bit duration. Two-and-a-half octaves of notes can be accommodated, with the durations ranging from a sixteenth note to a whole note. (I mention this only because the AY-3-1350 can be configured for external ROM should you care to play the entire "StarSpangled Banner" when the phone rings. Contact General Instrument for an application note describing this procedure.)

There are two potentiometer adjustments. RIO varies the processor clock speed about 1 MHz to set the pitch. The other adjustment potentiometer. R12, varies the charging time on C7 to set the speed at which the notes are played.

The output of IC1 is a combination of signals. The actual tune output comes from pin 14, while pin 13 serves as an envelope generator to control the volume. A three-transistor amplifier directly drives an 8-ohm speaker.

In Conclusion

This month's project is a little less taxing than the 99-chip Trump Card from the last two months. Nonetheless, ring detection and the telephone system are important subjects for discussion.

While I don't think everyone is going to want a Whimsi-Bell attached to their phone, all the people who have heard

Table 1: TUnes and switch settings for

the Whimsi-Bell.

Switch TUne

Switch Tune

A0 Toreador

A3

0 Sole Mio

BO William Tell

B3

Santa Lucia

CO Halleluiah Chorus

C3

The End

DO Star-Spangled

D3

Blue Danube

Banner

E3

Brahms Lullaby

E0 Yankee Doodle

AI |ohn Brown's Body

A4

Hells Bells

Bl Clementine

B4

lingle Bells

CI God Save the

C4

La Vie en Rose

Queen

D4

Star Wars

Dl Colonel Bogey

E4

Beethoven's Ninth

El Marseillaise

A2 America. America

B2 Deutschland Leid

C2 Wedding March

D2 Beethoven's Fifth

E2 Augustine

my prototype have been amused enough to want one, if only as a unique conversation piece. More important, I'm encouraged by all the experimenters who have built one of the Circuit Cellar modem projects and see this as a means to add auto-answering.

Next Month

I'll be answering some of the questions I've been asked about my previous projects. In September, I'll present the Circuit Cellar AC Power Monitor. ■

Editor's Note: Steve often refers to previous Circuit Cellar Articles. Most of these past articles are available in reprint books from BYTE Books, McGraw-Hill Book Co., POB 400, Hightstown, N| 08250.

Ciarcias Circuit Cellar. Volume I covers articles that appeared in BYTE from September 1977 through November 1978. Volume II covers December 1978 through June 1980. Volume III covers July 1980 through December 1981. Volume IV covers January 1982 through June 1983.

To receive a complete list of Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar project kits, circle 100 on the readerservice inquiry card at the back of the magazine.

The following item is available from

The Micromint Inc. 561 Willow Ave. Cedarhurst, NY 11516 (800) 645-3479 for orders (203) 871-6170 for information

Whimsi-Bell kit. Includes printed-circuit board, ICs, and all discrete components, as described in figure 5. Case and battery are not included $49

Please include S3 for shipping and handling in the continental United States, $10 elsewhere. New York residents please include 7 percent sales tax.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 133

Only one company can show you so many And it isn't IBM.

Monochrome text. Color graphics.

Even a new super display adapter that provides

the Best of Both, on one board.

Connect your PC to peripherals like a

modem or printer, with the added

efficiency of print spooling.

IBM today sets the standard in personal computers.

But what happens when you want to expand your PC's capability to something beyond standard?

That's when you have to look beyond IBM. To the one company that offers the widest range of products to make your PC work more powerfully, more efficiently.

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Meanwhile, for great basic performance, we also offer PC/Monochrome™ and PC/Color Graphics™ display adapters engineered to deliver the same quality as IBM's own standard adapters.

Only Persyst offers you so much choice.

Memory and multifunction boards. Persyst has the most flexible ways to expand your PC.

Here again, Persyst offers a unique array of products to expand your PC beyond the IBM standard.

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Choose either Time Spectrum™ with up to 512K, or Time Spectrum™ SB384 with up to 384K RAM. Other functions include a bidirectional parallel port and async serial ports to link your PC with printers, modems and instrumentation. Calendar clock. Game port. Plus, Wait-Less Printing™ print spooling and Insta-Drive™ RAM disk software.

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TIME SPECTRUM SB384

134

JULY 1984 • BYTE

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288

2-22-84

11:24a

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2-24-84

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615

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1818

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liVH'f

(nap

Memory expansion to let your PC utilize the most sophisticated software.

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«■■

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WAIT-LESS PRINTING.

INSTA-DRIVE, PC/EDIT" SOFTWARE

DEC RAINBOW MEMORY MODULE

Circle 348 for Dealer Inquiries. Circle 349 for End-User Inquiries.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 135

The Heath/Zenith Z-150 computer.

THE

WEST

COAST

FAIRE

by Jerry Pournelle

The lord of the Manor visits his favorite computer show

The West Coast Computer Faire is my favorite computer show; how can a big publishing company like Prentice-Hall put it on the way Jim Warren did? Of course it can't and it didn't, but in justice, ]im Warren wouldn't have been able to keep it up, either. For better or worse, the micro industry has changed. Oh, sure, there are still some pretty good products for sale in the little booths along the walls, but there were fewer than in the old days for the simple reason that the big outfits also have a lot of incredible new stuff, and it's a lot harder for a newcomer to compete.

This Faire was to be four days long, with Wednesday as set-up day. I went up Tuesday evening to spend some time with some of the BYTE editors. Wednesday morning I went down to the Faire office. The press room wasn't set up, but I hadn't expected it to be. I went to exhibitor registration and asked for a press badge.

They'd never heard of press badges. Hah, thought I. Changes. Warren always let us get in early. Set-up day is a good time for interviews and private demonstrations before the crowds arrive. These people don't understand that. Ruining the Faire, they are. . . Someone sent for David Sudkin. He listened for a mo

ment, said "Sure!" and produced a big red "TEMPORARY" badge. End of problem. I wandered in to talk to people.

As usual, set-up day is a study in controlled chaos. The big companies like MicroPro, Apple, and IBM have professional set-up crews working with the local San Francisco exposition services people. The smaller outfits are on their own.

At least they used to be. This year the unionized exposition troops were greedier than usual. In the past they'd let a small booth owner carry his own stuff; this year they socked everyone for a couple of hundred bucks to let them unload their trucks. It's a good racket: $200 to carry 10 boxes a hundred feet or so.

Eating the Seed Corn

It's also a stupid racket, like eating the seed corn, because some of the smaller outfits won't come back. Indeed, all day Wednesday the talk among exhibitors was that it was time to get the Faire out of San Francisco and into a friendlier city. More than half the exhibitors I talked with swore they wouldn't be back next year.

There were a lot fewer, anyway. That is: there was a lot of space rented. Not quite as much as last year: no one was on the garbage-collection platform, and the

136 BYTE- IULY 1984

chair-storage area, otherwise known as the Black Hole of Calcutta, hadn't been rented, but everything else had been, including the two side halls that used to hold seminars and speeches.

Instead of lots of small exhibits, there were fewer, but much larger, setups. Three of the biggest were in a row: IBM, Apple, and Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC).

Wednesday ended with the traditional "after set-up" party thrown by Compute*, magazine. As usual, there were more press people than exhibitors snarfing up the hors d'oeuvres and free beer. We also noted that there was no exhibitors' lounge: that location had been rented by Apple to let people get hands-on experience with Macintosh, or maybe it was IBM doing the same thing with PC and PCjr. The party was in the concession area—and unlike last year, there were no chairs and tables, just food service counters, with booths across a narrow aisle from them. I pitied the people who had those booths.

When I left on Wednesday night, it was a scene of pure chaos. On Thursday morning, the miracle had happened again: everything was set up. I headed upstairs to the Workman and Associates booth for coffee.

No coffee. The union people had not only forced Barry to pay for work he hadn't needed, but they'd lost the box containing vital parts to the coffee maker. Mornings are not endurable without coffee: you might as well sack a city. Eventually I found some in the press room, but by then I was thoroughly prepared to make this my last Faire.

Enter the Populace

At 11:00 the doors opened and the crowds came in.

There were quite a few people. Not as many as we had on the first day last year, but a respectable number— and this was, after all, Thursday. Last year the Faire was only three days and opened on Friday.

They were interested people, too. Fewer hackers—but a lot of customers. As I made my hurried cruise through the aisles, it seemed that more people were buying things. Barry Workman confirmed that when I got upstairs. There were a lot more serious customers.

All the presentations were well attended, too. The panels for hackers and hobbyists had plenty of those, but the panels for newcomers and users had crowds, too. The "All Star" speeches, which featured Bill Gates, Gary Kildall, Bill Godbout, Steve Wozniak, Adam Osborne, and, somehow inserted into this rarified atmosphere, me, were all crowded with attentive people who asked intelligent questions. This was a serious crowd.

By Thursday night it was pretty well confirmed: there were some glitches and justified complaints, but the new staff was trying hard to take care of the problems. This was a different Faire, but it was still a good one.

Barry Workman sells a line of CP/M software, including WRITE, my favorite text editor. He had more sales the first two days than he did during the entire Faire last year. Others report the same, and that's not just software vendors. The people at the Priority One booth had lots of

business, and when they announced a big sale on CompuPro 40-megabyte hard disks (like mine), there was something approaching a feeding frenzy. Even vendors of computer furniture reported big sales.

I expect there are several reasons for this. The state of the economy didn't hurt, of course. More important, though, more people have microcomputers, so they're ready to buy software and accessories. Whatever the reason, they were buying, and by Saturday night I could tell the exhibitors by their satisfied smiles.

Some Hits

There wasn't much new and exciting stuff. The best hardware wasn't at the Faire at all: Richard Ohran, of Modula Computers Inc., was on a panel about Modula-2 with me. He brought a couple of the U.S.-built modifications of Niklaus Wirth's Lilith computer, but they could only be seen in his hotel room. Naturally, I went. It's wonderful. It has fabulous graphics capability, better than Macintosh or even the (alas, late and lamented) Diser Modula Engine, except that the Modula Computer Lilith has a Winchester hard disk and a 5'/4-inch floppy disk—much nicer than the goofy Honeywell-Bull "washing machine" hard-disk cartridge that came with the Diser.

The Modula-2 panel was interesting, if a bit frustrating. Panelists were Ohran, Tony Gorrengourt of Logitech, John M. Craig, formerly of Diser and now with Ohran's company, and Joel McCormick of Volition Systems. I'd been asked to be chairman: since I was going to the panel anyway, this gave me a good seat, although I didn't have much to say. We had a good crowd, every seat taken; there's a lot of interest in Modula-2.

Tony Gorrengourt led off with a neat presentation on the philosophy of Modula-2. Then John Craig described the U.S. version of the Lilith machine. Joel McCormick promised that Volition Systems would get the 68000 native code Modula-2 compiler finished Real Soon Now. Richard Ohran described the public-domain Modula Research Institute compiler (for the IBM PC), which is available for $40. (Useful if you're interested in Modula-2: alas, not really in shape for doing much practical programming.)

We were also able to announce that in early March a group met in Zurich to form the International Modula Users' Association, and we even agreed on some standards for the language and library modules. With any luck, we won't have a proliferation of dialects and libraries the way things went for Pascal.

Turbo!

One very hot item was Borland International's Turbo Pascal, which was on a show special at $46.95, not much under the standard $49.95, but low enough to attract

{continued on page 376)

}erru Poumelle holds a doctorate in psychology and is a sciencefiction writer who also earns a comfortable living writing about computers present and future.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 137

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THIS IS THE SECOND PART of the two-part Ada language primer that began in last month's issue of BYTE. The first part was an introduction to the fundamental structures of Ada. In part 2, I'll cover more advanced programming techniques and explore Janus Ada, a partial Ada for microcomputers. This primer is closely modeled on "A C Language Primer" by lames Joyce, published in BYTE in August and September of 1983.

One of the reasons Ada may become very popular is its ability to package subprograms. The packaging of functions and operators enables programmers to write clean, expressive programs, as in this example:

-copyc. ada -Copy input to output with text_io; use text _io; procedure copy is

c : character; begin loop get(c); put(c);

if end of line then

new_line; end if; end loop; exception

when end_error = > null; end copy;

This program copies characters until an end-of-file condition is

reached, end of file is one of

many predefined functions available in the text io package. (See

"An Ada Language Primer, Part 1" for an introduction to Ada and the text io package.)

Such definitions make a program far more readable than using tests such as while c <> char$(26) loop or other obscure means for end of file. By stating before the program that we want

to access the package text io, we

can use these predefined procedures and functions.

A proper Ada program is organized into packages that normally contain data, user-defined

types, and subprograms. There is also a main procedure, which may be called main or some name meaningful to the application. In our example, our main program's name is copy. As we saw in part 1 of this primer, one organizational scheme divides up an Ada program into subprograms that are called by the main program.

In part 2, we will cover the concept of tool building—code that can be used as general-purpose subprograms.

Strings

Ada contains a built-in procedure, in the package text io, to

let an entire line of text read into the computer. To demon

1_j/~\ 1N v_j w/\x_j EL

PRIMER

PART 2

TOOL

BUILDING

IN ADA

BY Sabina H. Saib

strate the elegance of building tools from simpler subprograms, however, we will define such a program based on the primitive procedure get for characters. With this procedure, you can build a procedure that reads a line of input and package it as a procedure, named get my_line in a package

named my_package. Then you can use the procedure whenever the need arises. The next two examples develop a slightly

modified version of the get line

function found on page 26 of Kernighan and Ritchie's book The C Programming language (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1978); also see "A C Language Primer, Part 2: Tool Building in C" by James Joyce (September 1983 BYTE).

The first example focuses on strings, which are defined as an array of characters in Ada. The program is written as a main program named get line.

! -.fin Ho/f i mmbci <>i

■ : i ■(.■!■■ ii : I

put (line(i)); end loop; end geLline;

-A

B

--getline.ada

-input and display a line

with text_io; use text io;

procedure geLline is limit : constant := 80; subtype index_type is

integer range 0..limit; index : index_type := 0; c : character; line : string (1..limit) := (others = > "); begin for i in 1..limit loop begin -set exception block get (c); index := i; line (index) := c;

if end of line then -G

index := i + 1; line (index) := ascii.cr; exit; end if; exception -exit from loop when end of file when end_error = > index := index + 1; line (index) := ascii.cr; exit; end; -for exception block end loop;

-line formed, display it for i in 1..index loop -H

The example begins by defining a compile time constant named limit, which is set to 80 in line A. This value is used in the definition of a subtype in line B and in the definition of an object in line C Line B defines an integer subtype for variables that have values between 0 and limit. Such a variable is index, which is used to keep track of how many characters are read into the object named line.

{continued)

4— Circle 176 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 139

line is defined in line C as a string of length limit. It is initially set to all blanks by the assignment to (others = > ") in line D. This expression is called an aggregate. Aggregates are very useful in setting arrays (or parts of arrays) to some chosen value. This line also demonstrates the power of Ada initialization expressions.

The other declaration in this program is for the object named c, a character variable used in calls to the primitive procedure get.

The executable part of the program consists of two loops. One loop inputs the data character by character and the other loop displays the characters in a line. Line E defines a for loop, which has a loop parameter i that can step between 1 and limit. The loop has two conditions that can result in an early exit. In line F, a block is set up so that an end-of-file exception causes the loop to exit. In line G, a test is made

if an end of line has been read. In either case, a carriage

return is saved in the next character position. The example shows that there are also predefined character names for certain characters; for example, ascii.cr signifies a carriage return. In fact, all ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) characters can be referred to by their symbolic values or by their designated names, such as If for line feed and del for delete.

In analyzing the first loop, it is apparent that there are three conditions that can stop the loop:

•the loop parameter i has reached limit •an end-of-file marker has been read •a carriage return has been read

Line H defines the for loop used to display the line by letting the loop parameter i take on the values between 1 and index. For each value of i, the character in line(i) is displayed with the primitive procedure put.

After writing a program such as the preceding example, you should take some time to rethink the problem. Where possible, it is better to avoid the exit statement: it adds paths to the program, resulting in an unstructured program. The example that follows is written in a better style and performs essentially the same function.

-getline2.ada

-input and display a line

with text io; use text io;

procedure get line is

limit : constant := 80; ~A

subtype index_type is

integer range 0..limit; -B

index : index_type := 0; c : character := "; line : string (1..limit)

:= (others => "); -C

begin while index < limit and c /= ascii.cr and

c /= ascii.eot loop -D

begin -set exception block get (c);

index := index + 1; line (index) := c;

if end of line then

c := ascii.cr; index := index + 1; line (index) := ascii.cr: end if; exception

-set character when end of file when end_error = > c := ascii.eot; index := index + 1; line (index) := ascii.cr; end; -for exception block end loop;

-line formed, display it for i in 1..index loop -E

put (line(i)); end loop; end get line;

The major difference between the two programs is the while loop for inputting the data. The while statement explicitly states all of the conditions for staying in the loop. This is preferable to searching for exit statements. If all conditions for staying in the loop are satisfied, the program increments the index variable, stores the character, and reads another character.

Another method uses a special character to designate the end of the string. This is done in the C language and could be done in Ada as well, but such conventions do not yet exist in Ada. The following example takes such an approach by using a carriage return to end the string. The example illustrates the use of strings as arguments to a subprogram. The code in the inner loops of the previous example are packaged in procedures named get_my_line and put_my_line.

-mypackage.ada

-subprograms to input and display a line

with text io; use text io;

package my_package is

limit: constant := 80;

subtype index_type is

integer range 0..limit;

-to read a line into a string

procedure get_my_line (line : out string;

length : out index_type; -to display a line

procedure put_my_line (line : in string); end my_package;

package body my_package is -to read a line into a string procedure get_my_line (line : out string; length : out index_type) is index : index_type := 0; c : character := "; begin line := (L.line'last => "); while index < limit and c /= ascii.cr and c /= ascii.eot loop begin -set exception block get (c);

index := index + 1; line (index) := c;

if end of line then

c := ascii.cr; index := index + 1; line (index) := ascii.cr; end if; exception

140 B YTE • JULY 1984

-set character when end of file when encLerror = > c := ascii.eot; index := index + 1; line (index) := asciLcr; end; -for exception block end loop; length := index; end get__my_line;

-to display a line

procedure put_my_line (line : in string) is

index : index_type := 1; begin while line (index) /= ascii.cr and index < limit loop put (line(index)); index := index + 1; end loop; new_line; end put_my_Jine; end my_package;

with text io, my_package;

use text io, my_ package;

procedure main is

my_string : string (1..limit);

alLdone : constant := 1;

length : index_type := 0; begin

put (" Program to copy lines from input to output");

new_line;

put (" Terminate program by entering just");

put (" a carriage return.");

new_line;

while length /= alLdone loop get_my_line (my_string, length); put_my_line (my_string);

end loop; end main;

In packaging the subprograms, we first write a package specification, which contains any types appropriate to the package and specifications for the subprograms contained in the package. Our package, named my_package, has one type, the definition for index_type; one constant, limit, to define the string length; and two subprograms. get_my_line is defined as a procedure with two parameters: one for the string and one for the length of the line. put_my_line is defined as a procedure with one parameter. We need not specify the length of the string passed as a parameter to each subprogram. We need only specify the type of the parameter as string and whether the subprogram uses it as an input or an output.

Simple parameters in Ada are passed not as addresses but as values. This protects against side effects in subprograms. Furthermore, parameters declared as "in" cannot be assigned a value in a subprogram. For efficiency, when an array is passed as a parameter, the address of the array may be passed instead of the value of the contents of the array.

To compile and execute the program on a VAX computer with the New York University (NYU) Ada/Ed compiler, we type $ ada mypackage. After starting execution, the program prompts us with

Begin Ada execution

Program to copy lines from input to output Terminate program by entering just a carriage return.

>

If we type This is some normal data, followed by a carriage return or an end-of-file signal (which is normally Control-Z), we will see

>This is some normal data. This is some normal data. >"Z

Execution complete Execution time: 185 seconds l-code statements executed: 718

$

Two lines appear as a result of the program execution. The first echoes your input from the operating system. The second is from the combination of get my_line and

put my line. The input was terminated with a Control-Z,

which appears as "Z. The actual execution time shows that this is an experimental compiler not intended to execute "real" programs. This compiler was produced to demonstrate that an Ada compiler could be written with a reasonable amount of effort and to provide an early experimental compiler for researchers investigating Ada. Near the end of this article, there is a section that shows the time taken to execute the same program on an IBM Personal Computer using one of the partial compilers. This example provides a better indication of the time that can be expected with one of the early partial compilers.

Case Statements

The last control structure we'll discuss is the case statement. which lets us use a multiway decision via an elegant construct. The following example of a simple, suggestive help system for NYU Ada/Ed offers an introduction to case statements.

-case.ada

-Demonstrate case statement

with text io; use text io;

package help_package is

-send instructions to display

procedure greet;

-receive response

-filtering out tabs, blanks, and carriage returns

procedure get_response (c : out character);

-show help messages

type help topic type is (ada_help, syntax_help,

library help, error help);

procedure help (help topic : help_topic type);

end help_package;

package body help_package is -send instructions to display procedure greet is begin

put (" On line help for Ada programmers ");

new_line; new_line;

put (" Type For help about ");

new_line;

put ("

new_line;

(continued on page 386)

JULY 1984 'BYTE 141

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KERMIT:

A FILE-TRANSFER

PROTOCOL FOR UNIVERSITIES

PART 2: STATES AND TRANSITIONS, HEURISTIC RULES, AND EXAMPLES

by Frank da Cruz and Bill Catchings

THE KERMIT file-transfer protocol was developed at Columbia University primarily for downloading files from mainframes to microcomputers, but it has evolved into a comprehensive communication system for transferring data between numerous types of computers. Kermit is inexpensive and reliable, uses RS-232C asynchronous serial communications to exchange packets of information, and has error checking for reliable transmission of files and information.

By defining a common subset of different computers' communication capabilities, Kermit sets up the minimum standards for communication between two systems. Numerous advanced features and options make Kermit powerful and flexible; many parameters can be changed, and it can even be set up as a simple network file server. Kermit is a portable protocol that is compatible with and has already been implemented on many operating systems and brands of computers.

In part I we covered the design considerations and specifications for the Kermit protocol, from the different ways systems handle files and information to

Kermit Off Campus

Although best known in educational circles, Kermit is equally suited to use by corporations, government agencies, and other organizations using a variety of large and small computers.

the encoding, error detection, and layout for the packets of information. This concluding part presents the states and transitions that take place in the Send and Receive File modes, rules that improve the performance and reliability of Kermit, examples of packets and a transfer session, the user interface, and future developments for Kermit.

Frank da Cruz is the manager of systems integration at the Columbia University Center for Computing Activities (612 West \\5th St.. New York. NY 10025) and is also planning the university's move toward personal computing in the coming years. Bill Catchings is the chief systems programmer of the file-transfer protocol and its principal designer.

Protocol States and Transitions

The Kermit protocol can be described as a set of states and a set of transitions that define, for a given event, what action to take and what new state to change to. The inherent simplicity of the design, particularly the requirement that each packet must be acknowledged, reduces the number of states and actions and the amount of state information that must be maintained to a minimum. Figure 1 shows a simplified version of a state diagram for Kermit receiving a file.

The receiver initially starts out in the Receive Init state and waits for the other side to send a Send Init packet. If any other packet is received or the Send Init does not arrive within the time-out interval, a NAK (negative acknowledge) is sent. Time-outs or NAKs can occur up to a threshold that, when exceeded for a particular packet, causes the protocol to assume that the connection has become unusable and to give up. After the Send Init arrives, the state becomes Receive File; Kermit waits for a File

{continued)

JULY 1984

1YTE 143

Header packet containing the name of the file that is to come. When the File Header arrives. Kermit opens a new file using the name provided (perhaps transformed to suit local naming conventions or to avoid a name collision) and switches to the Receive Data state. Kermit then receives the contents of the file, until an EOF (end of file) packet arrives. At that point. Kermit switches back to the Receive File state. If another file is to be sent, another File Header packet will follow, otherwise an EOT (end of transmission) packet will terminate the transfer. The distinction between EOF and EOT, plus the File Header itself, allows files to be sent in groups. EOF marks the end of a file; EOT marks the end of a group. This dis

tinction also allows the two sides to disconnect cleanly: the EOF must be acknowledged before the sender will believe the file has been transmitted correctly; the EOT will follow, but if the ACK (acknowledge) sent in response to the EOT is lost, no harm will be done since both sides are terminating anyway. For simplicity, some transitions are not shown in figure 1:

• If in any state a bad packet is received or a time-out occurs, a null transition back to the same state occurs, with a NAK for the expected packet.

• In any state an error may occur that can cause the transfer to terminate. For instance, the target disk

Receive Inlt

Get EOT Packet

Get Seno inlt Packet

Done ■*

Receive File

Get File Header Packet

Receive Data

Get EOF Packet

Get Data Packet

Figure 1: A simple state diagram for Kermit receiving files.

Figure 2: A simple state diagram for Kermit sending files.

es t

seno EOF Packet

/

Send Init

o Sent

1

Get

GC

)0d ACK

f

Send EOT

Send File

J

1

Get

G

300 ACK

\

send Data

S

Get

G

>0d ACK

12 3 15

6 7 6 9 10 11

MAXL

TIME

NPAD

PADC

EOL

QCTL

QBIN

CHKT

REPT

Reserved

Figure 3: The setup parameters in the DATA field of the Send \nit packet of the Kermit protocol.

might fill up. The side that encountered the error sends an error packet containing an informative error message and quits. Upon receipt of the error packet, the other side displays the message on the screen (if it is in control of the screen) and also quits.

• Actions that are taken on each transition, such as opening a file when a File Header packet is received, are not shown; in particular, each packet successfully received is acknowledged with an ACK.

The state transitions for a sending Kermit are similar (see figure 2). In each state, instead of waiting for particular packet types, Kermit sends the appropriate packet and waits for an ACK. If the ACK does not arrive within the allotted time, or a NAK appears instead of an ACK, the same packet is retransmitted. A send operation begins with a Send Init packet, includes one or more files starting with a File Header, followed by one or more data packets and then an EOF. When all the specified files have been sent, an EOT packet closes the connection and terminates the operation.

Base-level Kermit provides that during any particular transaction the sender is the master and the receiver is the slave. These roles may be reversed in the next transaction; any Kermit implementation is capable of acting as either the master or slave. In addition, mainframe implementations may also be put in a kind of permanent slave, or server, mode in which all commands come in command packets from the master, or user, Kermit.

Initial Connection

To allow a diverse group of computers to communicate with one another, an exchange takes place during the initial connection in which the two sides configure each other. The sending Kermit includes setup parameters in its Send Init packet, and the receiving Kermit responds with an ACK packet containing the corresponding parameters as they apply to itself. The DATA field of the Send Init packet is shown in figure 3. The fields are as follows ("I" and "you" are used to distinguish the two sides). Fields are encoded printably using the char function (ASCII [American National Standard Code for Information Interchange] value 32) unless indicated otherwise:

MAXL—The maximum-length packet I want to receive, a number up to 94. You respond with the maximum you

144 BYTE- IULY 1984

want me to send. This allows systems to adjust to each other's buffer sizes or to the condition of the transmission medium.

TIME—The number of seconds after which I want you to time me out while waiting for a packet from me. You respond with the amount of time I should wait for packets from you. This allows the two sides to accommodate different line speeds or other factors that could cause timing problems.

NPAD—The number of padding characters 1 want to precede each incoming packet; you respond in kind. Padding may be necessary for a halfduplex system that requires some time to change the direction of transmission.

PADC—The control character I need for padding, if any, modified by XOR with 64 to make it printable. You respond in kind. Normally the null character (NUL), some systems use the delete character (DEL). This field is ignored if the value NPAD is zero. EOL—The character I need to terminate an incoming packet, if any. You respond in kind. Most systems that require a line terminator for terminal input accept a carriage return for this purpose. (Can you see the catch-22 here?)

QCTL-The printable ASCII character I will use to quote control characters or prefix characters, normally #. You respond with the one you will use. QBIN-The printable ASCII character 1 want to use to quote (prefix) characters that have the eighth bit set, for transmitting binary files when one or both systems cannot use the parity bit for data. Since this kind of quoting increases both processor and transmission overhead, it is normally to be avoided. CHKT-Check type, the method for detecting errors. 1 for singlecharacter checksum (the normal method), 2 for two-character checksum, 3 for three-character CRCCCITT If your response agrees, the designated method will be used; otherwise, the single-character checksum will be used. Other check types may also be added. REPT—The prefix character I will use to indicate a repeated character. This can be any printable character other than blank (which denotes no repeat count prefix), but - is recommended. If you don't respond identically, repeat counts will not be done. Groups of four or more identical characters may be transmitted more

efficiently using a repeat count, although an individual implementation may wish to set a higher threshold.

CAPAS—An extendable bit mask encoded printably, to indicate whether certain advanced capabilities, such as file-attribute packets, are supported.

Reserved Fields—The next four fields are reserved for future use. Those wishing to add their own parameters to the initial connection exchange should start at the fifth field after the capability mask in order to remain compatible with other Kermit programs.

Naturally, the three prefix characters must be distinct and should be chosen to be uncommonly used printable characters to minimize further overhead from having to prefix them when they are found in the data.

The trailing fields in the DATA field may be omitted, in which case they will assume appropriate defaults. Defaults for intermediate fields can be selected by setting those fields to blanks. Every parameter has an appropriate default. In fact, the entire DATA field of the Send Init packet or its ACK may be left empty to accept all defaults. The more exotic parameters are at the end and reflect more recent developments in the Kermit protocol; earlier implementations can still communicate with newer ones, since there will not be agreement to use these options. The Send Init mechanism preserves compatibility from the earliest Kermit to the most recent.

There is no protracted negotiation; everything must be settled in a single exchange. Some parameters, however, are outside the scope of this exchange and must be set even before the first packet is sent. For instance, if the receiving computer can read only characters with odd parity, but the sending computer sends them with even parity, the Send Init packet will never arrive successfully. In cases like this, the user may have to issue some preliminary commands to inform one or both Kermit programs about the vagaries of the other system. Another example is the packet terminator (EOL) mentioned above—if the receiving Kermit requires one that the sending Kermit doesn't know about, the Send Init will never get through.

For these reasons, most implementations of Kermit provide SET commands for all the parameters listed above and some others as well.

During initial connection, an exchange takes place between the computers using Kermit in which the two sides configure each other.

Rules and Heuristics

During a file transfer, one Kermit sends information packets—file headers, data, and so forth—and the other Kermit sends only ACKs or NAKs in response. The most important rule in the Kermit protocol is wait for a response before sending the next packet. This prevents buffer overruns and allows participation by halfduplex systems. Of course, Kermit should not wait forever; a time-out should occur after a few seconds if the expected packet has not arrived. Upon time-out, a sending Kermit retransmits the current packet; a receiving Kermit reacknowledges the current packet or negatively acknowledges the expected one.

Some interesting heuristics are used in Kermit to boost efficiency and improve error recovery. A number of important rules take care of the cases when packets are lost in transmission. The first can be stated as a NAK for the next packet implies an ACK for the current packet. A NAK with packet number n+ 1 means the receiving Kermit got packet n, sent an ACK that was never received, and, not knowing that the ACK didn't get through (since we don't acknowledge an ACK), is now waiting for packet h+1, which was never sent. In this case, we simply send packet n+ 1. An important exception is when the missing ACK is for a Send Init packet; do you see why? The next rule, acknowledge and discard redundant packets, handles the situation where the same packet arrives again. The sending Kermit timed out waiting for an ACK that was sent but lost and retransmitted the packet. The receiver must discard the redundant data and acknowledge the packet again; to do otherwise could have undesirable effects, such as adding the same data to a file twice or opening the same file multiple times. Note that the situation resulting from a lost ACK depends upon which side times out first.

Kermit must handle another situation arising from possible lost packets: nega

(conlinmd on page 400)

IULY 1984

IYTE 145

We wrote the book on portability

In nine different languages.

^^^^^^^^^^^^™^™^^^™^™^™"^~ ~

8080/8085/Z80

CP/M

MP/MII

8086/8088/80186 CP/M-86 Concurrent CP/M™

8086/8088 IBM PC DOS

8086/8088 MS DOS

MC-68000 CP/M-68K

FORTRAN-77

J

J

y

TBA

C BASIC Compiler

y

J

J

y

y

Pascal/MT+

y

J

J

y

y

Level II COBOL

J

J

J

y

TBA

PL/I

j

J

J

y

TBA

C

J

■J

y

V

Assembler Plus Tools

j

/

J

y

TBA

Access Manager

y

J

J

y

TBA

Display Manager

y

J

J

y

TBA

micro/SPF

J

y

y

COBOL Animator

^

J

>

y

TBA /

Personal BASIC

4

TBA I

Dr. Logo

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Q> CX

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ODIOITAl RESEARCH

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lb every software developer who'd written off portability as an impossible dream, Digital Research humbly announces a few monumental breakthroughs.

We not only offer languages that are portable from 8 to 16 to the 32-bit chips of the future, they're portable across all popular operating systems, too. What's more, we supply the broadest range of quality languages and development tools available today. And will tomorrow.

So rest assured. Whether you design applications at a major corporation, plan to become a major corporation or just qualify as a hobbyist, you only have to write it once.

Simply pick the Digital Research language that's right for you. From Personal BASIC™ to Digital Research FORTRAN-77.™ The newest member of our remarkable family.

To complement languages, we offer a complete workshop of development tools. Our Display Manager™and Access Manager™ simplify the design of screen displays and data bases. So you spend less time and effort.

If you write in COBOL, our Animator™source level debugger will get your software running in record time.

And for programmers skilled with IBM mainframe SPF, we offer micro/SPF.™ An editor that helps turn your invaluable experience into valuable new software applications.

At Digital Research, we work as hard for you after the sale as we do to get the sale. With backup like quality documentation, software updates and a phone line to our technical support team.

With so much productivity and service to draw on, it's small wonder IBM chose our languages for its IBMTC, XT and the new IBM 3270/PC.

For more information, or the name of the Digital

Research retailer nearest you, call 800-227-1617, ext. 400. In California, 800-772-3545, ext. 400. Or call your IBM representative directly.

micro/SPF is a trademark of Phaser Systems, Inc. Animator and Level II Cobol are trademarks of Micro Focus, Ltd, IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, The Digital Research logo and products are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Digital Research Inc. ©1984 Digital Research Inc. All rights reserved

IIDJ DIGITAL RESEARCH

We make computers work.'

Circle 104 on inquiry card.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 147

BUTE

Video

Electronic Encyclopedias

by Peter R. Cook 151

Televisions as Monitors

by Ken Coach 171

Computer Control of a Video Recorder

by Cy Tymony 179

Videodiscs and Computers

by Stan }arvis 187

Controlling Videodiscs with Micros

by Rod Daynes and Steve Holder 207

COMPUTERS AND VIDEO appear to offer an endless variety of combinations, as this month's cover by Robert Tinney depicts. With an increase in higher-power communication satellites that require smaller, less-expensive user antennas and electronics, and with the melding of television receivers and microprocessors, we might look ahead to the day when worldwide person-to-person visual as well as aural communication is based on personal computers and not on a direct descendant of Mr. Bell's original invention. "Bulletin Boards in Space," described by John Markoff in the May BYTE West Coast column (page 88), may give way to worldwide electronic conferencing and conventioning by adding television cameras to the growing list of common personal computer user options.

Many videotex, work-alike, and other interactive cable-television-based systems already exist. With the proliferation of coaxial-cable interconnection and its high-speed data-transmission capabilities, more and more homes and businesses could be linked via computercontrolled video instead of the restricted-bandwidth, audio-frequency-based systems now in use.

Shopping via computer is already a reality in some areas. With television- or presentationlevel graphics, perhaps complicated and expensive encoding schemes could become unnecessary because you might be able to view the person to whom your message is directed. And as Rich Malloy, our product-review editor, stated in the July 1983 BYTE in his introduction to the Videotex theme, the printing presses might stop and BYTE could be delivered to you electronically.

Though with us for over a generation, until recently hardware costs made computer and video interactivity limited and expensive. In recent years, dramatic advances in digital electronics and large-scale integration (LSI) have made personal computers, videocassette recorders (VCRs), and videodiscs available to anyone with a down-to-earth application or interest in learning. In this issue, we present articles on a wide range of topics related to computers and video.

Peter R. Cook's article, "Electronic Encyclopedias," explores something that all of the major encyclopedia publishers have talked about for several years: how to develop an "intelligent encyclopedia" that uses natural means of accessing and using knowledge. Included with this article is contributing editor Mark Dahmke's look at "An Ideal Video Peripheral," a glimpse at how personal computers and videodiscs might communicate more efficiently.

In '"televisions as Monitors," Ken Coach describes some of the characteristics common to the new generation of television receivers that can double as microcomputer video monitors.

If you already have an inexpensive VCR with limited or no programming capabilities or are considering purchasing one, Cy Tymony's "Computer Control of a Video Recorder" should be particulary interesting. This construction project enables you to use your micro as a programmable control center for your VCR.

Stan Jarvis's "Videodiscs and Computers" takes a look at the videodisc industry, its evolution, and the myriad of companies and equipment facing personal computer owners.

As an example of what you can do with a CAV (frame-addressable) videodisc. Rod Daynes and Steve Holder designed a game around a generic version in "Controlling Videodiscs with Micros." They used the videodisc support commands available in the Sony SMC-70 computer.

—Gene Smarte, Managing Editor

JULY 1984 -BYTE 149

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THEME

ELECTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIAS

by Peter R. Cook

Interactive video technologies help explore "the realm of worthwhile knowledge"

ENCYCLOPEDIAS EVOKE special memories for most people. When you were a child, you probably did research for essays and class projects, looked for "naughty" words and pictures, struggled through dull facts about dead people, or discovered fascinating facts in articles from "Aardvark" to "Zygote." Later on, maybe you used an encyclopedia to solve crossword puzzles, to help a child with homework, or to look up the location of a vacation spot or an unfamiliar country mentioned in the news.

Now there is a whole new range of associations that most people wouldn't normally connect with an encyclopedia: on-line databases, videotex systems, and laser videodiscs—new interactive technologies that, at first glance, might appear to be the very antithesis of the traditional printed encyclopedia. But major electronic publishing companies are beginning to create a new generation of encyclopedias, powerful informational/educational tools that can interact through, and with, all of these new media.

As part of a long-range development plan, Grolier is creating a massive encyclopedic database of text and audiovisual materials that can be accessed and manipulated using interactive technologies. The two major components of this plan, the text database and the audiovisual database, currently are be

ing developed along separate but convergent tracks—one utilizes on-line or videotex technology, the other utilizes videodisc technology.

In this article, 1 will review both development tracks, observing from the publisher's point of view how information is enhanced by delivery via new interactive technologies. But let's begin with a look at encyclopedias delivered via a traditional interactive medium—the book. Though new technologies should not slavishly imitate those that preceded them, there is much to be gained by using the book metaphor for building the foundation of an information tool that utilizes the full power of interactive video technologies.

According to an entry in the Academic American Encyclopedia (AAE), a printed genera] encyclopedia "attempts to present the entire realm of worthwhile knowledge: the humanities and literature: fine, applied, and performing arts: science and technology: history and

Peter R. Cook is vice president of creative services for Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. (95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016). He is responsible for coordinating the development of that firm's Multi-Component Electronic Encyclopedia, which is intended to combine videodisc and videotex technology. Cook spent five years at Arete Publishing Co., producing the Academic American Encyclopedia.

social sciences: critical issues such as bioethics and civil rights: and select data on significant places and persons."

Mechanics and economics tend to limit the size of a printed encyclopedia's "realm of worthwhile knowledge": of necessity, the information itself is synthesized and summarized. Distillation and outlining of knowledge, along with broad coverage, make a general encyclopedia—whether it be in 1, 20, or 30 volumes—a useful reference tool.

The reference characteristics of encyclopedias are what brought about their rather unnatural, usually alphabetical, information structure. There is no inherent logic in grouping "Aardvark" with "Alvar Aalto" and "Hank Aaron," although such curious juxtapositions often create wonderfully serendipitous discoveries. Diverse subjects are thrown together for no reason other than the fact that an alphabetical, dictionary-like organization improves access to information. Some encyclopedias still cling to the earlier thematic approach in which related information is grouped together. Thematic groupings make it possible for information to be viewed in a broader context, but highly specific facts are harder to locate.

Alphabetical encyclopedias compensate for the seemingly arbitrary arrangement of their articles by using in

(conlinued)

JULY 1984

i YTE

151

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Nicolet

ENCYCLOPEDIA

tegrated cross-references that indicate the presence of related articles and draw connections between the various realms of knowledge. In its current (fifteenth) edition, the Encyclopedia Britannica attempts to overcome the shortcomings of this alphabetic tyranny by breaking the set into three resources: Propaedia, a one-volume overview of knowledge; Macropcedia. a collection of in-depth articles (many of considerable length) on broad areas of knowledge; and Micropcedia, containing very short articles as well as discrete, specific facts. The attempt, however, is thwarted by the awkwardness of three integrated, but separate, resources.

While encyclopedias may have to struggle with the drawbacks of their own unique organizations, they also exhibit the positive characteristics of the printed book. Books are physical entities, portable random-access devices. Their organization is universally recognized: pages, chapters, tables of contents, prefaces, introductions, indexes, bibliographies, etc. They are the framework of written language. Other characteristics inherent in books let you browse through them easily and give you a sense of scale and place. You know how to navigate in a book.

But the book also has its limitations. It is a fixed medium: once printed, it cannot be changed. The only way for a user to update a printed encyclopedia is to buy a new one, write notes in the margin, or purchase the yearbook that most encyclopedia publishers issue annually to maintain the currency of existing sets. The information is also fixed in that it cannot be dynamically rearranged for the user's convenience. Comparing all the articles on dinosaurs, for example, might require accessing more than a dozen volumes. Information access is also limited by the specificity of the article titles and by the quality of the index—nonindexed information is almost the equivalent of no information. Finally, no matter how descriptive the text or how informative the illustrations, no printed encyclopedia can capture the power of a place, person, or event more vividly than an audiovisual medium. Yet the printed encyclopedia is, and will continue to be, a highly valued information resource for most people.

(continued)

152 B YTE • JULY 1984

Circle 234 on inquiry card.

TEK

2213A/2215A

60 MHZ OSCILLOSCOPES

THE PERFORMANCE/ PRICE STANDARD

Tek's best-selling

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The 60 MHz 2213 and dual time base 2215 have been the most popular scopes in Tektronix history. Now, Tek introduces an 'A" Series update with more than 25 sped fication and feature enhancements— things you have asked for such as single sweep—all included at no added cost.

A brighter display and new vertical amplifier design provides sharp, crisp traces. That makes the 2213A/ 2215A a prime candidate for tasks like TV troubleshooting and testing, where fast sweeps are typical.

New features include 10 MHz bandwidth limit switch, separate A/B dual intensity controls (2215A only), and poweron light: additions custom ers have suggested for

Specification enhancement

2213/2215 "A" Series

2213/2215

CRT brightness

14 kv accel. potential

10 kv accel. potential

Vertical accuracy

3%, 0°to50°C

3%, +20°to30°C

Chop rate

500 kHz

250 kHz

Input capacitance

20 pF

30 pF

CMRR

10to1 at 25 MHz

10 to 1 at 10 MHz

Channel isolation

100:1 at 25 MHz

Not specified

A Trigger sensitivity (int)

0.3 div at 5 MHz

0 4 div at 2 MHz

TV triggering

1.0 div compos sync

2.0 div compos, sync

Sweep accuracy (in

10X)

4%, 15°to35°C

5%,20°to30°C

Delay jitter

20,000 to 1 (2215A) 10,000 to 1 (2213A)

10,000 to 1 (2215) 5,000 to 1 (2213)

Holdoff Range

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giving these scopes the final measure of convenience.

Triggering, sweep accuracy, CMRR and many more major specifications are better than ever. Check the performance chart: not bad for scopes already considered the leaders in their class!

The price: still $1200* for the 2213A, $1450* for the 2215A. Or, step up to the 100 MHz 2235 for just $1650*! You can order, obtain literature, or get expert technical advice, through Tek's National Marketing Center. Direct orders include operator manuals, two 10X probes, 15-day return policy, world-wide service backup and comprehensive 3-year warranty.

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Tektronix

COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

Copyright ^1984, Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. TTA-438

ENCYCLOPEDIA

Now consider an electronic encyclopedia that uses the full power of new interactive media and is designed to meet the needs of a new generation of users.

Electronic Reference Work

In 1982, Grolier acquired the rights to the Academic American Encyclopedia, a new 20-volume general-reference work designed for use in homes and schools. Containing approximately 30,000 articles and 9 million words, the AAE is characterized by its currency and its short entry format (its articles have an average length of approximately 300 words). For us it had the additional virtue of being typeset entirely with computerized equipment, and thus it could be converted for on-line dissemination. The electronic edition of the AAE has been in existence for two years and is currently available to over 2 50,000 online and videotex subscribers through existing information utilities. These include services such as CompuServe, Dow Jones News/Retrieval, BRS, Dialog,

and Vu/Text. We also distribute through NAPLPS (North American Presentation-Level-Protocol Syntax, or "naplips") graphics-based systems: Viewtron, Keycom, and Times Mirror's Gateway (which uses Telidon graphics, a forerunner of NAPLPS). Users accessing the encyclopedia remain customers of the information utility, which in turn pays Grolier a royalty.

The encyclopedia's inherent data structure has to be adapted to the display characteristics and access protocols of individual systems. Because these system requirements have a considerable effect on how the user interacts with the encyclopedia, it is worth reviewing some samples at length, beginning with the less complex, and consequently less powerful, systems.

Viewtron: An ASCII/NAPLPS Hybrid

Viewtron, operated by Viewdata Corp. of America (a Knight-Ridder subsidiary), is the first commercial videotex service to use NAPLPS color graphics, which

Photo 1: A Viewtron subscriber selects the Academic American Encyclopedia (AAE) from one of the many submenus that list the several hundred topic areas available through the service and is then linked via a communications "gateway" (la) to the AAE database {\b). housed on the computer of Vu/Text in Philadelphia. The user types in a search term—in this case "videotex"— (1c) and the system searches for an encyclopedia article with that title. \n photo Id, the system displays the first screen of information. While the user is accessing information from the AAE, the screen display is in a dual mode: a static NAPLPS color border surrounding an active "window" for the encyclopedia's ASCII text.

can be accessed only by AT&T's Sceptre terminal. This regional service is now available in just three Florida counties; if successful, however, the service will become available in major cities around the country.

Viewtron is a relatively simple menudriven system that stores most of its databases on preexisting frames. However, because the AAE is a large database (by videotex standards), it is actually accessed through a communications gateway. The AAE text is housed on computers at Vu/Text (another KnightRidder subsidiary) in Philadelphia; the computers are linked by dedicated line to the Viewtron host in Miami. A user accessing the system is connected via the gateway as soon as he selects the AAE from a menu (see photos la through Id). The videotex terminal "paints" the appropriate NAPLPS frame, but it has an active window for displaying the ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) text from the Vu/Text gateway. The user is then prompted to type in a search term, which is matched against the AAE's 30,000 article titles. If an exact match exists, the system displays the first 15 lines of the article and the user can "page" through the rest at his own pace. If the search term is too broad. a number of articles are selected. For example, if just "Lincoln" is entered for information on Abraham Lincoln, the system locates all articles with the word "Lincoln" in the title, including "Lincoln, Nebraska" and "Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts." The first article is displayed with the qualifier "1 of n [articles!," ar)d the subscriber can then use the system's "browse" function to scan the first frame of each article.

ASCII (Non-Graphic) Videotex Services

Dow Jones News/Retrieval and CompuServe are both consumer-oriented information utilities that primarily use keyword and menu-driven access. A subscriber logging onto Dow Jones News/ Retrieval is guided to the AAE via names and enters a search term or query that is matched against article headings. If the search term is in more than one heading, the system generates a menu, listing all of the articles, and the user selects from this (see figures la

[continued)

154 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 333 on inquiry card.

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156 BYTE • JULY 1984

ENCYCLOPEDIA

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TEAC or Panasonic floppies. These half-height floppies are perfect for your PC, PPC, or XT. Call for trade-in prices on full-height floppies.

New 28 pin EPROM programmer. Now Apparat has a new Prom Blaster for the PC, XT, PPC and PCjr to program most 28 pin EPROMS (including the 2764, 128, 256), in addition to our original Prom Blaster that programs most 24 pin EPROMS ...each $129. We also make an EPROM cartridge for the PCjr to accept your newly programmed EPROMS.

PPC and PCjr. Apparat has developed new products for the IBM Portable PC. Now available is a 256K RAM card and a Combo card (P & S). Both fit the PPC short slots. New for the PCjr is a 128K RAM card and a Combo jr card (P & elk). Both fit the side attachment.

Other Apparat add-ons. RAM cards for the PC and XT—64K $189, expandable to 512K. COMBO II card for the PC and XT, 5 functions on one card—$189. CRAMBO card for the PC piggybacks COMBO II on 64K RAM card—$359.64K internal PRINT SPOOLER with parallel interface— $299. Stand-alone at $319.

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ENTER QUERY

SEARCH TERM ENTERED BY USER

USER ACTION ■ TO ENTER SEARCH TERM

Figure la: A subscriber to Dow \ones News/Retrieval can access information in the encyclopedia by typing in his search term or query. In this case, the search term is "Brazil'.'

through le). If the selected article is long, an additional menu (or series of menus) is shown, providing a numbered outline of the contents. Thus, the user can select the most appropriate section without having to page through the entire article.

Dow Jones News/Retrieval also lists the number of pages or screens of text in each article and lets the viewer know which page he is viewing (2 of 14, etc.). CompuServe gives each page an individual number, which can be used in conjunction with the GO command to go directly to the page, bypassing the intermediate menu stages. As useful as these features are, menu-driven systems are limited. Access is through the article title only, which doesn't open up the full potential of an electronic encyclopedia.

Free Text Databases

Two much more powerful on-line database systems are BRS and Dialog. Considerably more expensive than the consumer databases, BRS and Dialog use free text search procedures in which every word in the database is indexed and therefore can be searched.

When accessing via BRS, a search term or query is entered using the required command language. However, if the search term is not properly qualified, the system may locate far too many occurrences to be helpful. For example, a search for "Einstein" produced several

hundred "hits" (occurrences) of the word in 69 articles throughout the encyclopedia (see figures 2 a through 2 c). But the search can be narrowed down by using Boolean operators such as and, which combines two search terms in the same article; same, which combines two terms in the same paragraph; with, which combines them in the same sentence; and adj. which requires the two terms be directly adjacent. If what I really want to find out about Einstein is when he moved to Princeton, I would phrase the search as: "Einstein same Princeton," which means I'm looking for the paragraphs in which both of the words appear. This narrows the hits down to just two paragraphs, which can be quickly displayed. These paragraphs tell me that Einstein moved to Princeton in 1933 and that he died there in 1955.

This simple example doesn't really illustrate the full retrieval capabilities of free text systems. They can be powerful tools in the hands of an experienced researcher or librarian. On the other hand, their complex command syntax and Boolean search logic make them too complex for easy access by most untrained users.

In an effort to broaden the appeal and usage of their services, BRS and Dialog have both introduced easier-to-use and less expensive off-peak services: BRS After Dark and Knowledge Index, respectively. Communications software is

(continued)

Circle 23 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 -BYTE

157

ENCYCLOPEDIA

ENTER QUERY

FOR

BRAZIL

BRAZIL CURRENT

BRAZIL NUT

BRAZILIAN LITERATURE

BRAZILWOOD

PRESS RETURN TO VIEW THE SELECTIONS AGAIN OR ENTER A NEW QUERY

NUMBER OF -PAGES LISTING BRAZIL" ARTICLES

LIST OF ARTICLES WITH "BRAZIL" IN THE TITLE

USER'S SELECTION

NUMBER OF -MENU PAGES

Brazil LAND AND RESOURCES

Climate

Vegetation and Animal Life

Soils

Drainage

Resources PEOPLE

Demography

Ethnic Mix

Language and Religion

Education and Health

Arts

OUTLINE OF ARTICLES CONTENTS MAIOR SECTIONS

USER ACTION - FOR NEXT PAGE

Figures lb and 1c: In the top screen, the system generated a menu listing all the articles with '"Brazil" in the title. The bottom screen shows that the article on the country of Brazil (selection #1 on the top screen) was selected and the first page of an outline of the article's major sections is displayed.

also being introduced; Sci-Mate and InSearch simplify command procedures and enable the user to develop a search strategy before going on line. Such efforts are the first steps in what will undoubtedly be a series of software products aimed at making these information utilities (including Dow Jones News/ Retrieval and CompuServe) more powerful and easier to use.

Earlier I used the printed book as an example of a medium with which we are manifestly familiar; the reason for our familiarity is that the structure and conventions of books have been evolving for centuries. On-line databases have been in use for little more than a decade, and it is only in the last two or three years that large numbers of untrained users have started accessing them. Consequently, the learning curve for everyone—system operators, information providers, and end users—is particularly steep. There is still much to be learned about how users interact with electronic information utilities, what kinds of displays are best, what accessing protocols and commands are most effective and easy to learn, and what information is most appropriate.

Enlarging the Database

The electronic edition of the AAE is already quite different from its printed parent. Updated twice a year instead of annually, it has no physical growth limitations, unlike the printed work. We intend to use this essentially unlimited capacity for growth: to respond directly to users' needs; to reflect areas of strong current interest; to broaden the

(continued)

BYTE COVERS

The prints shown at left are beautiful Collector Edition Byte Covers, strictly limited to 750 prints each, and signed and numbered by the artist, Robert Tinney. Each print is 18 in. x 22 in., and is accompanied by its own Certificate of Authenticity. To order, use the coupon below. Visa and MasterCard orders may call 1-504-272-7266.

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158 B YTE • IULY 1984

THE MI-286 DUAL CPU BOARD IS AT LEAST TWICE AS FAST AS COMPUPRO'S 8085/88... AND IT'S A DIRECT REPLACEMENT!

The 20 second revolution. It only takes about 20 seconds to bring your S-100 system up to its ultimate speed/ power potential. Just pull out the old fashioned 8085/88 board and plug the MI-286 in its place. That's all there is to it. You're off and running with more power than ever before.

The 80286 and Z-80H.The MI-286 is the first dual-CPU board using the new, high speed Intel 80286 coupled with a Z-80H. It is designed for use with a variety of operating systems, including MP/M 8-16. It will support all your current 8086/88 and Z-80/8085 software. It can accommodate an optional 80287 math co-processor. In short, it gives you the best of both worlds.

Add more users. The MI-286. It improves throughput so dramatically you can add those extra users you've always wanted. It carries S-100 technology to its logical limit. And it only costs $1395!*

Upgrade your S-100.The MI-286 is only one of Macrotech's products designed to maximize the performance of your S-100 system. The MAX Dynamic Memory gives you up to 1 Mbyte of memory for your system memory

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Circle 193 on inquiry card.

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In England: Fulcrum (Europe) (0621) 828-763 / MP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research *Math coprocessor extra

tey&v*

ENCYCLOPEDIA

PACE 2 OF 2

14

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

15

Agriculture and Forestry

16

Mining and Manufacturing

17

Transportation and Trade

18

GOVERNMENT

19

HISTORY

20

Bibliography

21

See Also

22

FACT BOX

OUTLINE ICONTINUEDI

PAGE HISTORY

Vicente iPINZONl, a Spaniard, touched the northern coast of Brazil in 1500. In the same year Pedro CABRAL claimed the land for Portugal, based on the Treaty of TORDESILLAS (14941. The first permanent Portuguese settlement ISao Vicente in Sao Paulo state), however, was not founded until 1532. French Huguenots briefly settled at Rio de laneiro. and the Dutch ruled at Recife from 1630 to 1654. The demand for sugar in Europe led to the establishment of sugarcane plantations along the northeast coast

TOTAL NUMBER OF " PACES IN HISTORY SECTION

FIRST PORTION OF TEXT IN HISTORY SECTION

USER ACTION " FOR NEXT PAGE

Figures Id and le: \n the top screen, the outline started in figure \c is continued, bottom screen, the user has chosen #19, the history section, and the first "page" is displayed.

In the

database so it is more appropriate to different age and interest levels; and to develop satellite databases designed to interact with the encyclopedia.

Responding to users' needs: An electronic encyclopedia has a unique advantage over its print counterpart because it is possible to "capture" such key parts of the information transaction as search terms and usage time. Analyzing the captured data can reveal shortcomings, whether in the form of inadequate article headings or missing information. Such data also reveals areas of high and low interest—a useful guide for database growth.

Reflecting areas of strong current interest: Printed encyclopedias contain little information of transitory interest. It will be a long time before the Britannica has an article on Michael Jackson. This isn't necessarily because encyclopedia editors disdain popular culture. The physical limitations of the printed work make it difficult and costly to insert large numbers of new articles each year. Space has to be found for each new article, usually at the expense of other articles. Further, an article of fleeting interest may create a difficult hole to fill when its importance diminishes.

This is not the case with an electronic edition, in which articles can be added to and deleted from the database with considerable ease. For example, coverage of the Olympic Games and athletes can grow in anticipation of this year's meeting in Los Angeles. Next year the coverage can be reduced. An electronic encyclopedia can be a truly responsive, dynamic reference work.

(continued)

ULTRA-RES™ GRAPHICS

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a family of graphic controllers for IBM-PC / XT and S-100 systems

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160 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 47 on inquiry card.

h>::'):A:^""pUp-:ihA'

You can count on 3M diskettes. Day after day.

Just like the sun, you can rely on 3M diskettes every day. At 3M, reliability is built into every diskette. We've been in the computer media business for over 30 years. And we've never settled in. We're constantly improving and perfecting our product line, from computer tape and data cartridges to floppy disks. 3M diskettes are made at 3M. That way, we have complete control over the entire manufacturing process. And you can have complete confidence in the reliability of every 3M diskette you buy. Look in the Yellow Pages under Computer Supplies and Parts for the 3M distributor nearest you. In Canada, write 3M Canada, Inc., London, Ontario. If it's worth remembering, it's worth 3M diskettes.

Circle 310 on inquiry card.

3M hears you.

3M

ENCYCLOPEDIA

(2a)

BRS - SEARCH MODE ENTER QUERY:

i: Einstein

RESULT 69

SEARCH TERM ENTERED BY USER

NUMBER OF ARTICLES CONTAINING THE SEARCH TERM

Figure 2a: On powerful on-line database systems such as BRS, every word in the encyclopedia is indexed and therefore can be searched. Here, the search term "Einstein" was located in 69 articles.

(2b)

BRS - SEARCH MODE ENTRY QUERY:

2: Einstein same Princeton _

RESULT I

SEARCH TERM ENTERED BY USER

NUMBER OF ARTICLES -CONTAINING THE SEARCH TERM

PRINT COMMAND ENTERED BY USER

PRINT QUERY #2. IUST PARAGRAPHS IN WHICH HITS OCCURRED

Figure 2b: Because of the large number of articles, the search was narrowed by using the Boolean operator "same'.' The new search term, "Einstein same Princeton',1 located only one article in which both words appear in the same paragraph.

Expanding for a broader audience: In its present form, the AAE spans a wide range of age and interest levels. As stated in its preface, the AAE is "for students from junior high school, high school, or college and for the inquisitive adult." By expanding that base to include young children and advanced scholars, the resulting database will be several times larger than the printed encyclopedia and will be capable of responding appropriately to the user's age and

interests.

Satellite databases: Grolier has recently completed the first of a series of satellite database products designed to interact with, and be enhanced by, the electronic encyclopedia. Whiz-Quiz is a menu-driven educational game that directs the player to the AAE to find out more about a topic. We believe that children in particular will be compelled by this mechanism to explore the encyclopedia.

The User Interface

Regardless of what shape or direction a database takes, the key to its use and value is the user interface. The user interacts with the electronic encyclopedia on several distinct levels:

entry level: logging onto a system and getting to the database search level: entering a search term to locate a specific article (or group of articles)

retrieval level: once the relevant article is located, finding and retrieving the required information manipulation level: getting the information in the form of a printout, writing words down directly from the screen, or simply remembering the facts exit level: leaving the database

The first and last levels are entirely the province of the system's operator and, in any event, are not an obstacle to most users. The search and retrieval levels, however, are areas of major concern because that is where the user works most closely with the system. The information-manipulation level will become increasingly important as software is written to take full advantage of encyclopedic databases.

The best way to analyze potential improvements at the search level is to return to the book metaphor. As an access device, a book is very forgiving. When you look something up in an index, you usually don't need to know the exact spelling to locate it. Likewise, you sometimes use a dictionary because you can't spell a word but have no problem locating it.

Databases are not so forgiving. A misspelled search term, no matter how close to the correct word, cannot be used to locate the required article. Some systems attempt to overcome this by providing a function called truncation. On Dow lones News/Retrieval, for example, all you have to enter for an article on Zbigniew Brzezinski is "BRZ—a nice feature, but not the complete solution. The problem isn't just misspelling: children in particular tend to use plurals for certain common nouns: cats, dogs, trees, dinosaurs, etc. This is not a problem in a printed reference work: however, when entered on a videotex system, the search terms will fail to match

{continued)

162 BYTE • JULY 1984

LOMAS DATA PRODUCTS PRESENTS:

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■ 8 Mhz 80186 processor

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LIGHTNING ONE" 10 MHZ

COMPUPRO CPU86/87 10 MHZ

LIGHTNING 286

6 MHZ

THUNDER 186

8 MHZ

ASSEMBLY-TIME (SEC.)

47

55

41

48

RATIO TO 10 MHZ LIGHTNING ONE

1.00

1.17

.88

1.02

BOARD SET COST LIST PRICE AS TESTED

$2545.00

$3040.00

$3290.00

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COST PERFORMANCE

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1.14

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2 serial, 2 parallel ports, battery protected clock calendar, Hard disk controller host interface PRICE $325.00

■ LDP 128/256K DYNAMIC RAM

Advanced dynamic RAM with LSI controller for failsafe operation, parity PRICE 128K—$495.00, 256K—$295.00

■ RAM67 HIGH PERFORMANCE STATIC RAM

High speed (100ns) low power CMOS static RAM. 128K bytes, extended addressing PRICE $995.00

■ LDP72 FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLER

Single/double density, single/double sided disks, both 8" and 5 1/4" inch drives simultaneously .... PRICE $275.00

*CP/M-86. MP/M-86and CONCURRENTCP/M-86 are trademarks of Digital Research.

**MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft

***Lighming One is a trademark of Lomas Data Products, Inc.

****PC-DOS is a tradmark of IBM

Circle 189 on inquiry card.

■ LIGHTNING 286-80286 CPU BOARD

Offers 4 times the performance of a 5MHZ 8086 CPU while maintaining software compatibility. PRICE $1395.00

■ OCTAPORT 8 PORT SERIAL BOARD

8 serial ports 0 to 19200 baud operation real time clock interrupt. Ideal for multi-user systems such as MP/M-86* . . .

PRICE $395.00

All of LDP boards are fully tested to exacting standards and carry a one year warranty. We specialize in 16-bit products & support the four major operating systems for 16-bit processors: CP/M-86*, MP/M-86, CONCURRENT CP/M-86*, and MS-DOS (PC-DOS).

Dealer inquiries invited.

LOMAS DATA PRODUCTS, INC. D 66 Hopkinton Road, Westboro, MA 01581 □ (617) 366-6434 □ Telex: 4996272

JULY 1984 'BYTE 163

Circle 311 on inquiry card.

More speed, more memory workspace from the people who lifted the 64K limit.

In 1981, we introduced our famous Saturn RAM card to boost the Apple's memory by 32K. Now, there are 64K and 128K versions for added power.

Increased RAM lets you run bigger programs, and our VisiCalc81 expansion software provides a dramatic expansion of workspace memory. Also, the extra memory can work as a pseudo disk for instant access. (No more 20-second searches!) The Saturn RAM board is a super aid for advanced word processing, data base management, spread sheet, and accounting applications. And perfect with PASCAL, CP/M®, and BASIC.

Use our easily installed cards in combination—and get a whopping 220K of VisiCalc workspace on the Apple He. Or sensational enhancements on Apple II, II +, Franklin, Basis and most Apple compatibles. We even have software that increases your Apple's memory in BASIC programming up to 4 megabytes!

This kind of performance requires sophisticated bank switching and supporting software that we originated, proved, and improved. Buy from the leader!

Let us help you expand your Apple's productivity For information on our RAM boards and other Titan microcomputer products, see your computer dealer or contact: Titan Technologies, Inc., P.O. Box 8050, Ann Arbor, MI 48107; Telephone (313) 973-8422.

Sales and Marketing by The MARKETING RESOURCE GROUP, Costa Mesa, CA.

1 Titan

TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. VisiCalc is a registered trademark of VisiCorp, Inc. CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research, Inc.

ENCYCLOPEDIA

Tl Einstein, Albert

- ARTICLE TITLE

I of 14. The German-American physicist Albert Einstein, b. Ulm, Germany. Mar 14, 1879. d. Princeton. N.J., Apr 18. 1955, contributed more than any other scientist to the 20th-century vision of physical reality. In the wake of World War I. Einstein's theories—especially his theory of relativity—seemed to many people to point to a pure quality of human thought, one far removed from the war and its aftermath. Seldom has a scientist received such public attention for having cultivated the fruit of pure learning.

4 of 14. By 1909, Einstein was recognized throughout German-speaking Europe as a leading scientific thinker. In quick succession he held professorships at the German University of Prague and at the Zurich Polytechnic. In 1914 he advanced to the most prestigious and best-paying post that a theoretical physicist could hold in central Europe: professor at the Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft in Berlin. Although Einstein held a cross-appointment at the University of Berlin, from this time on he never again taught regular university courses. Einstein remained on the staff at Berlin until 1933. from which time until his death (19551 he held an analogous research position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.|.

END OF DOCUMENTS IN LIST

ARTICLE CONTAINS 14 PARAGRAPHS; ONLY PARAGRAPHS I AND 4 CONTAIN "EINSTEIN" AND PRINCETON

Figure 2c: Having located the one article in which both "Einstein" and "Princeton" appear in the same paragraph, a string of print commands displays the text of that paragraph on the screen.

the exact article titles, which are singular.

First-time users, especially children, make repeated errors when entering search terms. Analysis of the search terms for one of the videotex services reveals that about one-third of all terms failed to locate an article. In approximately 90 percent of those cases, the information existed but errors (misspellings, use of plurals, incorrect positioning of names) prevented the user from finding it, at least on the first try.

Clearly, the unforgiving nature of search-term entry on videotex systems is a frustrating inadequacy that can be improved by the system operators. At the same time, the information provider has a responsibility. Other aids to access are required. Current videotex systems allow only keyword access to article headings. There is no on-line index, and today's videotex systems do not have the full text-indexing capabilities of BRS and Dialog. Clearly, the specific entry headings need to be broadened so that the same information is available via several different search terms. An on-line index would broaden access still further, especially when combined with a thesaurus function.

Free text systems are not restricted to keyword access. Rather, the user can

focus his search language to a highly specific degree, examining the body of knowledge with precision. The price of that precision is a high degree of practice and skill.

In the long term, both keyword and free text access to large databases probably will give way to search languages with a high degree of artificial intelligence (Al). At present, when you search for information in an encyclopedia, particularly on videotex systems, you have to think about its likely location. You cannot interrogate the database, but this is exactly what you should be able to do, posing such questions as: Who wrote The Crapes of Wrath? How many Nobel Prize winners went to Harvard? Where do icebergs come from?

Answers to all these questions can be found eventually with current systems, but a fully developed database incorporating Al search techniques would take you directly to the sources.

Having located an article, the user begins to read it. The "window" into the encyclopedia's massive database is a television or monitor. The text display (depending on the service and the enduser's hardware) varies from 16 lines by 32 characters per line (approximately 85 words) to 25 lines by 80 characters per

{continued)

164 BYTE • IULY 1984

You don't need a computer to talk to another computer.

DISPLAY (VP3012D). High performance, 12" diagonal, non-glare, green phosphor screen.

RESIDENT MENUS. User-friendly

terminal set-up and

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DIRECT CONNECT MODEM

Built-in, 300 baud, originate/answer/auto answer.

AUTO DIAL. Tone or pulse dialing of up to 26 stored phone numbers, voice or data base calls.

AUTO-LOG-ON. Enters information automatically after auto dialing

VIDEO OUTPUT. Selectable 80 or 40 characters x 24 lines on standard monitor.

TV OUTPUT. Displays

40 characters x 24 lines

on Ch. 3/Ch. 4 of standard TV set.

MEMORY BACKUP. Minimum 48-hour storage of directory, logon and other parameters without plug-in power. No batteries required.

FUNCTION KEYS. User programmable or downloadable from host computer.

APT VP4801

The new RCA APT (All Purpose Terminal) expands your data communications capabilities

for a lot less money.

For business, professional and personal data communications, you'll find more user-friendly features and greater communications capabilities in the RCA APT than in other terminals selling for up to three times the price.

The new APT terminals are ideally suited to multi-data base time sharing and dedicated, direct computer-connected applications. They feature menu-controlled operation and a programmable "personality" to match specific communications requirements for your data bases.

A single keypress can dial a stored number, send the log-on sequence on the host computer, and return terminal control to the user. Password protection prevents unauthorized access to designated numbers. APT can also be used as an autodialer for voice communications.

OTHER FEATURES RS232C port for direct computer connections at data rates to 9600 baud, or for connecting high speed modems and other accessories. Parallel printer port for hard copy. Numeric keypad, can dial phone numbers not in terminal directory. Built-in speaker with adjustable volume control for audio monitoring of phone line. Smooth scroll display. Automatic screen blanking to reduce possibility of burn. Briefcase size: 17" x 7" x 2". Weight: under 4 lbs.

Quite simply, matching features with price, there is no other professional quality terminal available today that can do as much at such low cost.

APT terminals list for $498, in your choice of full stroke or membrane keyboard versions. Either style is also available with a display monitor for $697 list. The data display monitor alone, VP3012D, $199 list.

For more information—or to order—call 800722-0094. In Penna., call 717-295-6922. Or write for fully descriptive brochure to RCA Data Communications Products, New Holland Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17604. OEM and dealer pricing available. The new RCA APT. Expansive. Not expensive.

APTVP3801.

Flexible membrane keyboard version designed for travel and hostile environments.

Circle 350 on inquiry card.

RC/1

JULY 1984 -BYTE 165

ENCYCLOPEDIA

An Ideal Video Peripheral

As a software consultant, my major complaint with most of the popular videodisc players is that they communicate with computers very poorly. Typically, the videodisc player is treated as a printer or a plotter; the user has to deal with commands that may or may not be ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) format and may or may not be logical and consistent.

The Disoovision (now Pioneer) model 7820 had a command set that looked like a selection of random numbers. The codes to send the numerals 0 through 9 were: 3F. OF, 8F, 4F. 2F AF 6F, IF 9F, and 5E in that order. In addition, the 7820 had an IEEE-488 external interface that wasn't compatible with most microcomputers. In an attempted remedy, Discovision built a serial converter box to change the IEEE-488 protocol to and from RS-232C levels. What they came up with was a protocol converter with a 1-byte buffer that could easily be overrun, erasing the last command before it could get to the player.

Even if the translation and protocol conversion problems are ironed out eventually, a programmer is still faced with a stiff challenge in trying to get the status and frame number back from the player. Some players won't give out this information at all. Ones that do return strangely encoded bytes that take many instructions to untangle. On some players the frame number comes back as a 2-byte integer, on another it comes back as four ASCII digits in hexadecimal, and on still another it shows up as five-decimal ASCII digits. Any software expected to run on more than one model of videodisc player has to account for all of these differences. Timing seems to be the worst problem with interfaces. Data sent to the player at serial-port speeds just can't control a fast videodisc player in the manner required by modern interactive applications. Some new players offer parallel ports, but many computers (e.g., the IBM Personal Computer) don't support full bidirectional interfaces. IBM claims that its Centronics port is "parallel input and output." However, if you check the circuit

by Mark Dahmke ♦

diagram, you will see that it isn't. It is wired so that reading the port returns only what was last sent.

Newer videodisc players operate at floppy-disk and, in some cases, hard-disk speeds. Some have worst-case access times of 2 to 3 seconds. Within a year or two. 1 expect to see write-once, multipleread videodiscs with interfaces to let them be used as archives. (Some current videodiscs can hold gigabytes of data.) For this to work, however, the interface

will have to be smart enough to recover the stored data and fast enough to return it to main memory at magnetic-disk speeds. This technique can work, as shown by the fact that it is already being used in several hard-disk backup systems for videotape recording equipment. In these disk-to-tape systems, the data from the disk is recorded redundantly in the scan lines of a National Television System Committee (NTSC) signal, which is then recorded on videotape. While this prac

personal «_ computer v

GRAPHICS

DISPLAY

INTERFACE

VIDEO

OVERLAY

CIRCUIT

.NTSC/RGB 'MONITOR

VIDEODISC PLAYER

•

VIDEODISC INTERFACE ADAPTER

<^>

FROM/TO PLAYER

FRAME

STATUS

52300

COMMAND BUFFER

OVERLAY MODE

0100U00

TO/FROM COMPUTER

Figure 1: The hardware configuration for an intelligent videodisc player.

166 BYTE- JULY 1984

Circle 63 on inquiry card.

ENCYCLOPEDIA

TV CAMERA

OR

OTHER VIDEO

SOURCE

PERSONAL' COMPUTER.

0

GRAPHICS

FRAME BUFFER

1024 BY 1024 BY 16 BITS

0

COLOR MONITOR

n

DIGITAL VIDEODISC PLAYER (WRITE-ONCE. MULTIPLE READ)

PLAYER-TO-HOST INTERFACE

-READ/WRITE CONTROL -BLOCK DATA TRANSFERS

■ .-":'

c

Figure 2: A second-generation interface built around digital television.

tice could easily be transferred to videodisc hardware, much of the videodisc would be wasted and not used to its full potential. The developing direct-digital recording techniques will remedy this problem by maximizing use of the disc recording surface.

Loading software into a personal computer from a videodisc as if it were a floppy disk would greatly enhance educational applications. For example, audiovisual and computer-graphics course material (all orchestrated by an authoring language) could be combined and loaded into a personal computer from the first part of a videodisc while just the audiovisual portion is stored separately on the remainder of the videodisc. A development system would consist of the videodisc player and other end-product hardware, but the graphics and curriculum-specific data, or "courseware," would be developed on attached floppydisk or hard-disk systems.

Figure 1 shows one possible hardware configuration for a first-generation intelligent player. The main feature of the design is the videodisc interface adapter, which would plug'into an expansion slot on the microcomputer. The interface adapter gives the programmer tight control over the timing of the player and also controls the video overlay circuit.

As digital television and audio reproduction become affordable and popular (1 estimate that this will take five to seven years), we'll be able to define the formats that will let personal computers store and retrieve video images and sound. We'll be able to create high-resolution computer graphics and synthesized music on personal computers and write it onto a write-once videodisc peripheral. We'll then be able to play it back through digital television sets. Alternately, digital television images could be recorded from TV sets onto a videodisc and then retrieved, displayed, or processed on personal computers.

Figure 2 shows a second-generation interface built around digital television. As 32-bit processors become faster, and memory bandwidth greater, it will be possible to directly manipulate highresolution images that come from the videodisc or are created directly by the microcomputer. The video output from the TV camera can be routed to a digital television for viewing, or the output can be held in the graphics frame buffer for further modification and processing.

Mark Dahmke. a contributing editor for BYTE. is a software consultant and heads MCD Consulting Inc. He can be contacted at POB 80266, Lincoln, NE 68501.

COMPU

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JULY 1984 'BYTE

167

ENCYCLOPEDIA

Photo 2a: The "Bodydisc" is an experimental project designed to test the feasibility of delivering encyclopedia information via a laser disc. The disc incorporates several user aids and orientation features, such as this chapter on how to use the disc.

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Photo 2b: Another orientation feature of the "Bodydisc" is the inclusion of several strategically placed "You Are Here" screens.

line (approximately 330 words). By contrast, the printed AAE contains 1500 words per page, and pages can be viewed two at a time. Clearly, current video-display technologies are capable

of only the most myopic view of a large text database, which is why it is all the more important to be able to rapidly shift the view, to be able to browse and move around in an article quickly and

easily.

But there is a need for other orientation tools, such as sequential numbering of article pages (which Dow Jones News/Retrieval has) as well as individual numbering of pages (which CompuServe has).

A recent study of a group of eighthgraders' use of the videotex AAE produced some interesting findings. While the students searched for articles and moved around in them with varying degrees of proficiency, they confined their activities to finding information rather than using it. They actually read and manipulated the information later as printouts, which could be studied at leisure, marked up, and incorporated into their research projects. In fact, I suspect that many of our users who have access to a printer do their serious reading in ink-on-paper form.

This doesn't mean that no one reads text from the screen. Graphics-oriented videotex systems, such as Viewtron, are based on the assumption that subscribers will read from the screen. This is fine for news summaries. But the real utility of an electronic encyclopedia won't be realized until people can access, manipulate, and reorganize significant amounts of information electronically using such powerful information tools as word processors, database managers, and graphics programs.

Electronic Knowledge Land

Grolier is working on some of the refinements 1 have been describing. We believe that, having freed encyclopedia information from the artificial constraints of the alphabet and the physical constraints of the book, we should be able to reshape and reorganize that information. We want to put it to new uses. We want to create a reference tool that can interact with other information tools. Additionally, we're trying to build a conceptual framework—an outline of knowledge—for intellectual pursuit and stimulation. At present, this new "knowledge land" is largely uncharted, although major landmarks are known. We hope that videotex systems will have the navigational tools to explore it fully, and that software producers will have

[continued)

168 B YTE • IULY 1984

FEATURES INCLUDE:

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CP/M86 is a registered trademark of Digital Research, inc. UCSDp is a registered trademark of Softech Microsystems

IBM PC is a registered trademark of IBM Corp. Visicalc is a registered trademark of Visicorp

ENCYCLOPEDIA

(2c)

! I1I3UPB(HELOT l*LF

Ch/

DISC CONTENTS i US ING THE DISC

\. o

INDEX

PART 111 :ON1EN!

Photo 2c: This photo shows one of the Help screens on the "Bodydisc'.' The user can get additional assistance when needed.

created the manipulation tools to exploit it fully.

A Videodisc Encyclopedia

The videodisc is another interactive medium that we believe is applicable to encyclopedia information. The ability to randomly access any frame, combined with the disc's dense storage capacity (54,000 frames per side on a laser disc) and its inherent audiovisual properties, make it a particularly powerful publishing medium. As part of a joint venture with Long

man, a British publisher, Grolier recently produced a pilot disc. The pilot was developed as a test vehicle to determine how the organization, content, and audiovisual treatment of encyclopedia material might best be accomplished. Long before the pilot went into production, we had concluded that we would need a lot of discs to encompass all the information contained in a general encyclopedia. This led us to ask ourselves how each disc should be organized so that it could be both a stand-alone information resource and a

part of an integrated series. We decided to organize each disc around a specific theme or subject area. The pilot is part of what will eventually be a two-sided disc devoted to the human body (see photos 2a through 2c).

Each thematic videodisc will be a selfcontained information resource. The discs will not attempt to be the equivalent of a printed reference work. Rather, each disc will "illuminate" knowledge areas, conveying through audiovisual means only the essence of a subject.

Designed for use with a standard consumer laser videodisc player under normal keypad control, the discs will become considerably more versatile resources under microcomputer control. While the number of combined microcomputer/videodisc applications has increased substantially in the last two years—applications that include training, point of purchase, education, and games—there are few truly "generic" discs for which software can be written.

Grolier is developing two electronic databases, one in text form and one in audiovisual form. These two databases are being developed separately so that each can take advantage of the separately developing markets for on-line/ videotex and videodisc products. But both databases will ultimately be brought together (although whether through telecommunications or local mass storage is yet to be determined). The result should be an innovative informational/educational resource: an encyclopedia that is appropriate to the media and appropriate to the times.B

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170 B YTE • IULY 1984

Circle 89 on inquiry card.

THEME

TELEVISIONS AS MONITORS

by Ken Coach

Aw introduction to a new generation of television receivers that double as monitors

SOME HOME COMPUTERS will operate quite nicely with just a normal television set, as you probably know if you've usurped the family TV or dug out the old black-and-white set from the basement. But sooner or later, you'll probably want to upgrade to a monitor. If you are using your computer for word processing or 80-column applications, a television set just can't give you the same resolution that a monitor can.

If you are interested in using your computer only to display text or data, you'll need a monochrome monitor for an 80-column screen. You can choose green, amber, or black-on-white video displays to help reduce eyestrain.

If you use your computer for more varied tasks, however, and if you are interested in other television peripherals, such as a videocassette recorder (VCR) or videodisc, you probably will be considering an upgraded color system.

Computer Resolution

Resolution begins in your computer's ROM (read-only memory) and depends on how large a dot matrix the ROM character generator uses to produce letters or graphics. The matrix can vary from 35 dots, which produces a character 5 dots wide by 7 dots high, up to a matrix that contains more than 300 dots. The more dots, the higher the resolution and the more clearly defined

the characters. One of the most common arrays is a 63-dot matrix (7 by 9).

When the matrix for each character is displayed on a TV or monitor, its sharpness can depend on the following factors:

Bandwidth is the rate at which the screen is redrawn (or refreshed). It is measured in millions of cycles a second (MHz). Television sets normally have a bandwidth of about 4.5 MHz, while monitors can have bandwidths as high as 50 MHz. In fact, the actual bandwidth of most TV receivers is not more than about 3.8 MHz, which is adequate for the evening news but not really good enough for a computer display.

As a rule, you can expect to get about 80 horizontal lines of resolution for every MHz of bandwidth. Remember that a TV screen has 525 lines but that the viewed image amounts to only 343 lines.

TV producers make sure most of the action takes place in the center of the screen because TV manufacturers have a built-in "overscan" that compensates for the deterioration of some of your

Ken Coach has been a newspaper and TV journalist for 14 years. A cofounder of Orcavision Computer Software, he is now an independent computer writer and consultant. He can be reachedat 228 East \3th St.. #21, New York. NY 10003.

set's parts, which might make the picture smaller than the screen. Unfortunately, that further reduces the number of lines available for computer use.

Resolution can also depend on the way a TV or monitor interlaces its picture. The 525 horizontal lines on a TV screen (called the raster) are ideally broken down so that each "frame" on the screen is made up of two scans of 262 Vi lines each. In order for that to work, each of the two fields must be perfectly interlaced so that the lines of one fall exactly between the lines of the other. Thirty frames are drawn on the screen each second, and each one has two fields.

Not all TVs can accommodate an interlaced 52 5-line raster (nor can all computers, for that matter), so many units use a 260-line noninterlaced raster that lowers the quality of resolution.

A monitor with a high number of scan lines would still be limited by, for example, an Atari computer that sends out 191 visible scan lines.

If you use a 35-dot matrix (5 by 7), it will take at least 7 scan lines to draw the character. When you add space between lines and perhaps an underline option, it can take 10 or 12 lines to draw the character. That means that a 260line raster can display only about 20

(continue^

IULY 1984 -BYTE 171

TELEVISION

lines of characters on the screen.

Color convergence is yet another aspect that can affect resolution. Convergence is the degree of accuracy with which each of the three color guns shoot the electron beam onto the screen. If you look closely at the screen and detect little color halos or rings around some characters, the convergence needs adjustment.

The other contributor to resolution is dot pitch, the space between the red, green, and blue phosphor dots on the screen.

Dot pitch is measured in millimeters (mm), and the smaller the pitch, the more dots are on the screen and the better the resolution. A high-resolution color monitor may have a dot pitch under 0.50 mm, but the dot pitch of an ordinary TV can be as much as twice that.

High resolution is obviously alluring, but don't be seduced by it. Make sure your computer can produce the resolution to take full advantage of the monitor you have in mind; otherwise, you may be throwing away money.

RGB vs. Composite

The letters "RGB" are kicked around quite a lot when people discuss monitors these days. They mean, of course, "red, green, blue," the basic colors that all TV sets use to produce a color picture.

The color signal standard known as "composite" video as defined by the National Television System Committee ■ (NTSC) allows for the transmission of red, green, and blue together as one signal that is then split with a device known as a "comb filter." In early TV sets, the signal coming in was "chopped" and alternately diverted to red, green, or blue phosphor dots.

Some composite sets, such as the Sony Trinitron, use three separate electron guns to shoot the separate red, green, and blue signals, which is a great improvement, but there is still just one composite signal coming into the set. With an RGB monitor, however, each of the three colors has its own signal to control the electrons hitting the video screen. The result is a sharper image and more clearly defined color intensities.

Two types of RGB systems are currently in use: analog and digital. The analog

signal is delivered directly to the video gun, illuminating the phosphor screen dots in sync with the raster-scan pattern. This produces an almost unlimited variation in colors and brightness levels.

A digital RGB system is more restricted in its color range. Instead of sending the actual signal, a digital system works through a microprocessor and sends the instructions for the color scan.

To date, most home computers must be adapted to work with an RGB monitor. However, some computers, such as the IBM PCjr, are equipped with builtin RGB capability. As a result, some monitors and TVs are being produced with both composite and RGB inputs to allow the use of either system.

Monitors vs. Televisions

Since monitors seem to do less than television receivers, you might wonder why they cost more. The reason is that a monitor is actually designed to do more than a normal TV set: it has been developed specifically to display signals from your computer or video recorder or videodisc player. In fact, some units let you integrate functions from one of those media to another. You can use your computer, for example, as a character generator to produce text that can be superimposed on a VCR image.

Monitors are likely to have a much greater bandwidth than receivers, which means better resolution. They are generally built to more exacting specifications, since there is not the automatic loss of quality inherent when a video signal is broadcast.

Another advantage is that monitors often have controls that TV sets lack or controls in more convenient locations for frequent adjustments. Some new color composite video monitors, for example, have color-kill switches to produce a monochrome display to make text reading easier or a reverse-video switch to produce a black-on-white display.

Brightness and contrast controls on monitors are generally located at the front of the unit, and some monitors have centering controls to adjust the picture.

Some new monitors, following the lead of the stereo industry, are being billed as "component" televisions. In fact, component TV will probably start

to take off when stereo TV broadcasting becomes more widespread.

Several manufacturers are working on stereo TV tuner/receivers that will be out late this year. Another approach is a TV tuner that would use a standard home stereo system to amplify the stereo signals.

Teletext and videotex services providing everything from banking to televised catalog shopping at home are expected to increase in the next few years as well. That will increase demand for higher-quality home monitors.

While an RGB monitor provides the best resolution and can operate with some computers, video players, and cable systems, composite video is still an option.

Picking up standard broadcast signals still requires a composite video system. As a result, many monitors are being made with the option of RGB or composite video to allow for a wider variety of use.

Future Technology

One of the problems with any computer-related technology is that you can't tell if it will be obsolete within a year or two. lust as the mouse seems ready to change some of the basic concepts of home computing, a new technology will radically change our expectations for a computer monitor. Manufacturers of a flat-screen TV technology, for example, are about two years away from making serious inroads in the computer field. Although some portable computers have come out with flat displays, they provide only a few lines rather than a full screen.

One approach, the liquid-crystal display (LCD), works on the principle of varying the electric current applied to crystals, which makes them either clear or opaque. An LCD depends on light being reflected back from the crystals. It does not produce light on its own and therefore can be used only in a well-lit area.

A different sort of flat-screen application, the electroluminescent display, consists of a layer of zinc sulfide and manganese between two glass panels that have extremely thin, closely spaced wires imbedded in them. An electric current can produce pixels where a horizontal and vertical wire intersect.

{continued)

172 B YTE • IULY 1984

CP/M SOFTWARE

APPLE/ FRANKLIN

ASHTON-TATE

d Base II $

189

BEAGLE BROS.

Apple Mechanic $

DOS Boss

Utility City

22 17 ??

BRODERBUND

Bank Street Writer ... $

CDEX Each Prog $

CENTRAL POINT

Copy II + $

CONTINENTAL

SOFTWARE $

DOW JONES $

45 45

34

Coll

Call ....

LOGO CORNER

Krell Logo $

Terrapin Logo S

75

99 J

MICROPRO

Wordstar (Sp. w/CP/M

Card, 70 col.. 64K) ... $ 329

MICROSOFT

Multiplan(DOS).

Cobol-80

Fortran-80

Tasc Compiler... A.L.D.S

. 139

499

145

119

79

PEACHTREE $ Call

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING

PFS: Series, each $ 79

SYSTEMS PLUS (Z80 req.) Landlord $ 375

VISICORP $ Call

ENERTRONICS

Energraphics (3-D CAD symbol generator, cursor drawing, computer programming, statistics/ surface drawing, electrical circuit/mechanical/architectural design) ... $ 265

Please call — We carry

an extensive inventory...

COMPUVIEW

DIGITAL RESEARCH

ASHTON-TATE

HUMAN SOFT

FOX & GELLER

SOFTWARE BANC

ANDERSON-BELL

TYLOG SYSTEMS

LEXISOFT

MICROPRO

PEACHTREE

MICROSOFT

MICROSTUF

NORTHWEST ANALYTICAL

OASIS

ORGANIC SOFTWARE

PRO/TEM SOFTWARE

SORCIM

SUPERSOFT

IBM PC

ALPHA SOFTWARE

Data Base Mgr. II $

Apple-IBM Connection AUTODESK

Autocad

CENTRAL POINT

Copy II PC

DIGITAL RESEARCH

Concurrent CP/M 86

DR Logo $ Call

DOW JONES

Market Analyzer $

Market Manager

ECO-SOFT Microstat $

GRAPHIC/MOSAIC

SOFTWARE Super Chartman II.... $ Super Chartman IV . ..

LIFETREE Volkswriter Deluxe. ... $

MDBS, INC. Knowledge Man $

MICROPRO

Wordstar $

Infostar $

PaklWVMM/SVINDX) $

MICRORIM R-Base $ 299

179

169

. $ Call

. $ 34

. $ 225

215 189

Call

299 199

179

329

265 265

Call

MICROSOFT

Multiplan $

Basic Compiler 249

MICROSTUF

Crosstalk $ 109

PEACHTREE

PeachText 5000 $ 249

SORCIM

Supercalc III $ Call

STAR SOFTWARE

Accounting Partner ... $ 289

SYSTEMS PLUS

Landlord (prop mgmt) $ 375 Runtime Basic (req'd for above) .... 45

.. .and many more.

99

79

249

MACINTOSH CORNER

Ashton-Tate

dBase II $

Friday

Continental Software

Home Accountant .. $ Microsoft

Microsoft Basic $

Multiplan

Software Publishing

PFS; File-Report . ea $ Davong Disk Drives . $ Coll Kensington Microware

Sw.vel $ 29

Surge Suppressor... 45

Modem 399

Maxell 31/;" diskettes $ Call Memorex diskettes .5 49

95

(display cards

Amdek MAI Card.

.$ 420

Fredericks/Plantronics Colorplus..

.$ Call

Hercules

Graphics Board . . .

.$ 359

lean a r

Graphic Master .. .

.$ 499

Paradise/USI

Display Card (clr/monochrome) .

.$ 399

APPLE/

FRANKLIN

BOARDS

ALS CP/M Card S 279

ALS Z-Cardll 120

CCS 7710 Asynch Ser.. S 119

Eart Side Wild Card II $ 117

Microsoft 16K Ramcard $ 69

Softcard 219

Premium Softcard (HE) . 335

Microtek Dumpling 16 . $ 169

IBM/PC

*

BOARDS

L

AST RESEARCH

Six Pak Plus (exp 384K, Ser, Par, Clk) $

279

MegaPlus 64K, (Cl/Cal Ser Port, 512K capacity w/Megapak) $

269

Extra ports available lor Megaplus and I/O Plus II (Game, P/S) $

40

Megapok 256K upgrade for Megaplus $

Col

I/O Plus II (Cl/Cal

and Ser Port)

115

MAYNARD ELECTRONICS $

Cal

QUADRAM $

Col

TECMAR $

Cal

XEDEX/MICROLOG

Baby Blue $

Baby Blue II

325 525

Haye«

Smartmodem 300 $ Call

Smartmodem 1200 $ Call

Novation

Apple-Cat II $ 259

PC Cat (w/Crosstalk) ...$ Call US Robotics

Auto Dial 300/1200....$ 459

Password 325

We offer the following complete systems w/ full support on our technical line?

> Franklin 1000 & 1200

> Corona

» NEC APC & 8800

> Columbia

> Televideo

> Hyperion

MONITORS

Amdek

300A Am $ 149

Color II + 425

NEC JB1201 -12" Gr ... $ Coll

JB1260-12"Gr 119

JC1216RGBCIr 435

PGS HX 12" RGBCIr ..$ Coll

Mox 12 I Coll

Sanyo 8112 12" HR Gr $ Call

SONY

Profeel 12" $ Call

Profeel 19" $ Call

Profeel 25" $ Call

laxan

KG 12N-UY 12" HRAm KG 12N-12" HR Gr . ... RGB Vision 1 12" LR Clr RGB Vision 3 12" HR Clr

139 132 323 459

DISK DRIVES

CDC 1800

.$ 229

Corona 5 MB Hard .. Corona 10 MB Hard .

. 1,395 . 1.795

Davong 10/15/20 MB. landon TM 100-2 ....

.$ Cal .$ 209

HALF HIGHS

Matsushita

Panasonic

Shugart

Super 5 (Apple)

Teac w/brackets

$ 199

199

225

$ Call

$ 210

PRINTERS

IDS/Data Products

Prism 80 (w/4 optionsl.. $1,399

MicroPrism $ Call

Mannesmann Tally

MT160L $ 569

MT180L $ 810

Spirit $ 315

NEC 3550 $1,650

Siemens Ink Jet $ Call

Star Micronics $ Call

Teletex T1014 $ 499

Transtar

T-130P/S $ 665

T-315 P Dot Matrix .... 489 T-120P/S 475

JULY SPECIALS PANASONIC

CT160 monitor (Dual mode, direct-etched non-glare 10" screen, built-in audio, clr. comp. graphics or b/w data display) $ 249

OKIDATA - 93 Parallel (Print text, charts, graphs and illustrations on variety of forms. Standard roller platen accommodates friction & tractor feed forms up to 16" wide. Long life head $ 699

Check May, 1984 BYTE ad for more products, or call toll free!

ORDER TOLL FREE — OUTSIDE WISCONSIN — 1-800-826-1589

Please:

► Wisconsin residents add 5% for sales tax.

► Add $4.00 for shipping, handling and insurance for software.

► For multiple items, hardware or accessories add 2'/}% for shipping, handling and insurance.

► Vi% discount for cash payments.

► Foreign — add 15% handling & shipping for prepayment. (Int'l money order.)

► Prices are subject to change without notice.

► All items subject to availability,

We Welcome:

► Visa, MasterCharge & American Express. (No charge for credit cards.)

► Corporate, government and educational accounts. (For additional discounting, please ask for special accounts desk.)

► COD (Add $2.00 per shipment. Cash or certified check required.]

► Checks. (Allow 1-2 weeks for clearing.)

Working Hours:

Monday-Friday 8:30-6:00 Saturday 10=00-2:00 • Central Time

"For technical information, order status and in Wisconsin, please call 715-848-1374.

Circle 240 on inquiry card.

ORYX SYSTEMS, INC.

CRAFTSMEN OF THE NEW TECHNOLOGY

$

425 First Street PO. Box 1961 Wausau, Wl 54401

Int'l Telex: 260181 ORYX SYS WAU

JULY 1984 -BYTE 173

TELEVISION

So far. flat-screen displays are being used mainly for text. Their major disadvantages are limited resolution and high cost, problems manufacturers are working to solve.

Still another approach involves redesigning the video display rather than finding a replacement for it. The Sony Watchman was a significant development in the miniaturization of a screen, but more significant to computer applications may be the recently released pocket television from Sinclair Research in England.

The Sinclair pocket TV is not presently suitable for computer applications because of its size, but the technology holds promise for the future.

The Sinclair TV uses a cathode-ray tube with an electron gun on the side rather than the rear, as in conventional TV picture tubes. The company is now working on a color version of the pocket-size TV and is also developing larger flat-screen technology. The socalled "picture frame" display that's thin enough to hang on a wall may have great potential for computer applications.

A Monitor Sampling

It would take a good-size book to compare the many monitors and television sets on the market today. Even a straight listing of specifications is deceiving, since our perception of color is highly subjective.

The best approach when shopping around is to look at as many different monitors as possible, preferably hooked up to your own computer or one like it. Monitor size, features, and price range are all personal decisions. What follows is a sampling of Borne of the monitors that are presently available.

Panasonic

Panasonic has split itself into two companies: an industrial division aimed at business and high-end computer monitor use and a consumer division that makes televisions for the home (including computer, VCR, and cable use).

The newest product from the industrial division is the DT-H103 monitor, which became available in April at a suggested price of $750. The 10-inch (diagonal) display is meant to be a desktop monitor for IBM, Apple III, NEC, or Panasonic's own "Sr. Partner"

computers.

The DT-H103 uses a high-resolution screen and can be used with either composite or RGB input. The monitor also has a reverse-video switch that allows black-on-white word processing and a centering lever to adjust the picture.

Picture quality is exceptional, and the monitor is appropriate for any massmarket computer now available. The 80character, 25-line screen has a resolution of 760 by 570 pixels. An etched screen virtually eliminates reflected glare.

Some people will probably find the 10-inch screen too small for comfort. The company plans to release a 14-inch version this summer, but it will not have quite as good resolution. Panasonic officials say that increasing picture quality is expensive and that, since the demand is still not that high, the cost of an equivalent 14-inch unit would be prohibitive.

For someone with an inexpensive home computer, Panasonic offers a more modest monitor for about $400. Though this unit has only a 40 by 25 character display, one feature will be welcomed by anyone who has tried to use a word-processing program on the Commodore 64—a color-kill switch that makes for a sharp black-and-white display for easier text reading.

For a complete home TV/VCR/computer system package, Panasonic's consumer division offers the Omni series. These sets are intended to compete with Sony's Profeel product line. The most interesting unit in the series is the CTF-1465R, which will retail for about $680. It has a built-in TV tuner as well as VCR, cable, computer and even IBM interface connections. You can choose between composite and RGB signals. It also has remote control, an on-screen clock, and even a timer to turn off the late show after you nod off.

Meant as a multiuse receiver monitor, it has a very good picture with a 0.42 mm dot pitch and more than 3 50 lines of horizontal resolution in the composite mode.

You might prefer to wait until the 1495 monitor is released this summer. Although that unit is essentially the same as the CTF-1465R without a tuner, it also has the ability to display teletext and videotex.

Sony

Any discussion of top-of-the-line monitors for the home market must include the Sony Profeel series. Over the years, Sony has built a reputation of trustworthiness that results in many people buying its products without even considering anything else. Sony products have been among the best since the company's Trinitron series popularized a single-gun approach to composite video.

The latest models in the KX monitor series take advantage of the Trinitron technology and add both analog and digital RGB capability. In addition, the company has released an interface accessory so that the monitors can be used with an IBM PC

The monitors, called "component TVs," are designed to provide access to computers, videodisc players, VCRs, cable TVs, arid future stereo broadcasts.

Without tuner, interface, or stereo speakers, the 19-inch model costs about $850 and the 25-inch set costs about $1500.

The 19-inch monitor has an excellent picture with more than 3 50 lines of horizontal resolution on its composite input and more than 4 50 lines on the RGB input. The monitor will accept digital and analog RGB signals, which makes it capable of accepting teletext or videotex signals.

The unit has a built-in stereo amplifier with 5 watts per channel stereo output for external speakers. Picture contrast adjusts automatically to compensate for changes in the video signal.

The monitor is a good all-purpose unit for someone who might want it to display a spreadsheet program one day and the latest VCR program the next. If your taste is more to the VCR and videogames, though, you might prefer the 25-inch monitor. A larger screen, however, can be hard on the eyes if you plan to do a lot of programming or word processing.

Teknika

One Japanese monitor manufacturer preparing to increase its impact on the American market is Teknika. The company presold all of its initial stock of the MJ-22, which is a 13-inch RGB/composite monitor.

(continued)

174 BYTE • IULY 1984

*

STOP STRUGGLING WITH SPREADSHEETS!

THERE'S AN EASIER WAY TO DO YOUR BUSINESS PLANNING: PROHN.

If you don't have days, or even hours, to do projections with a spreadsheet, consider this:

There is now a highly specialized software tool expressly for the business person who needs the answers more than the workout. TIME-CONSUMING WORK ALREADY DONE FOR YOU

If you want to do forecasts and budgets, return on equity, discounted cashflows, net present values, capital expenditure analysis, interest calculations, depreciation comparisons or taxation scheduling without setting up the mathematical calculations or laying out a spreadsheet, you need Profin.

Profin is an easy-to-use (menu driven) program which leads you through your business analysis step by step. You simply answer the questions as they appear on the screen.

REPORTS AUTOMATICALLY LAID OUT

Once you've completed entry, you'll be able to see any or all of the following reports laid out for you:

• income statements • tax schedules

• interest schedules • returns on equity

• capital expenditures • discounted cashflows

• and balance sheets. You can then make any changes to any of the information already entered and look at revised reports.

And you can automatically load your Profin reports onto a Multiplan, VisiCalc, SuperCalc or Lotus 1-2-3 screen (or any other spreadsheet that reads D.I.F. files) to carry out further manipulations.

SPECIALIZED HELP FOR BUSY PEOPLE

Think of it this way: spreadsheets are great for the hobbyist who gains satisfaction from hours in front of the screen. But if you're a business person with little computer experience and even less spare time, you need the specialized tool: Profin.

Available under $300 for CP/M-80, MS-DOS, and IBM PC-DOS from your local retailer.

Also available: PLANFIN. For sales, marketing and other executives who just want simple forecasts and budgets, Planfin gives you operating income statements plus net income and discounted cashflow reports in less than 15 minutes. Under $200.

ITM

BUS I NESS

SOFTWARE

□ Please send me more information about how Profin and Planfin beat the spreadsheets for budgets and forecasts.

Name

Address

City/State/Zip_

Computer Brand Owned or Planned to Buy

BTi

Mail to: Business Software, Inc. 12021 Wilshire Blvd., #194 Los Angeles, CA 90025

Circle 44 for Dealer inquiries. Circle 45 tor End-User inquiries.

TELEVISION

The first of a series of monitors that Teknika plans to release, the MJ-22 is priced at $539. It has a 0.50 mm dot pitch and 320 lines of resolution in the composite mode. The Teknika monitor is compatible with IBM and Apple RGB boards and with virtually all home computers in the composite mode. For its price, the Teknika is an excellent monitor and probably more than adequate for most home computer users.

By the end of this year, the company will release a high-end monitor with greater resolution and a 0.31 mm dot pitch. That unit, the MJ-40, will have a suggested retail price of $650.

Although other companies deny it, Teknika officials predict that monitor prices will come down as consumer interest in the product grows and production increases. The other factor, of course, is pressure from competitors to lower prices or improve quality. Happily for anyone who may be in the market for a monitor, Teknika may be starting to apply that pressure.

NEC

Anyone who has already considered purchasing a high-quality monitor is familiar with NEC. Recently, the company brought out two new monitors in what it calls its "91" series.

The CM-1991A and CM-2591A are, respectively, a 19-inch RGB monitor that sells for $850 and a 25-inch RGB monitor for $1100.

These monitors can be used with either analog or digital RGB signals. They have a dot pitch of 0.70 mm with 370 lines of horizontal resolution and are designed to be compatible with a number of computers, including the IBM PC. A built-in intensity control allows the monitors to take advantage of the color potential of the IBM PC.

In addition, the circuitry will let users combine a video source with characters or graphics created by their PCs. This could be used, for example, to create titles and superimpose them onto a VCR recording.

NEC also has a 13-inch receiver with RGB capabilities. It carries a suggested list price of $599 and has a dot pitch of 0.50 mm with 330 lines of horizontal resolution. The CT-1305A offers the same control functions as the more expensive units and wireless remote control.

176 B YTE • JULY 1984

Proton

Proton's 600M, a composite monitor, proves that a high-quality color monitor doesn't have to be RGB.

The 19-inch color unit boasts better quality than conventional component TV. According to company specs, the 600M has large filter capacitors and a stable power supply that reduces fluctuations in the DC voltage. The result is a truer black that produces better color. The Proton also claims to have less overscan, about 5 percent compared to 20 percent on other models.

Of interest to computer users is the Proton's linearity and convergence. The 600M has more windings than is usual on the wire coil deflection yoke. That means stronger, more precise magnetic control can be used to deflect the electron beams for straighter lines near the perimeters of the picture tube. The same yoke design helps convergence, and the company says color fringing is eliminated.

The 600M has a horizontal resolution of 370 lines. Company officials are quick to point out that it also has a video frequency response of about 4.7 MHz. Broadcast video generally drops off at about 4.2 MHz.

The 600M retails for about $650, and, although it has no special controls or connections for computer use, it would fit well to a component system containing a computer. Proton also makes a tuner and a monitor/receiver.

For those who simply must have RGB, Proton recently released the 602 M for $1050. It is identical in performance to the 600M but is a 2 5-inch color monitor. In addition to an RGB input, the 602 M has a more powerful stereo amplifier, separate video/audio inputs, and a video output.

And More

Presently, 20 or so manufacturers make color monitors for computer use, and even more will soon enter the market. A monitor is one of the fastest selling computer peripherals, and increased competition may mean lower prices and new technological developments.

Some other representative manufacturers of RGB and composite color monitors include Amdek, Conrac, Electrohome, Sakata, Sanyo, Taxan, USI, and Zenith. ■

Where to buy Toshiba's P1351 and P1340 printers:

EASTERN

CYBER/SOURCE Southfietd. Ml Columbus. OH Pittsburgh, PA

(313)353-8660 (614)4519559 (412)323 6265

DIGITAL ENTRY SYSTEMS Waltham, MA

(617)899-6111

GENERAL BUSINESS COMPUTERS. INC Cherry Hill, NJ

(609) 424-6500

MICROAMERICA Framingham, MA

(800)343-4411 In MA (617) 877-8500

MONROE DISTRIBUTING COMPANY Cleveland, OH

(216)781-4600

R & D/CAMELOT ASSOCIATES, INC. Northampton, MA

(413) 253-7378

ROBEC DISTRIBUTORS Montgomeryville. PA

(215) 368-9300

CENTRAL/SOUTHERN

B&W DISTRIBUTORS St Louis, MO

(314) 569-2450

COMPU SHOP Rchardson, TX

(214) 783-1252

CRYSTAL COMPUTERS, INC Lenexa, KS St Louis, MO

(800)541-3030 (913)541-1711 (314)434-2667

CYBER/SOURCE Atlanta, GA Chicago, IL Indianapolis, IN Nashville, TN

(404) 422-2029 (312) 789-3366 (317)845-3461 (615)255-4030

EASTERN COMPUTERS Virginia Beach, VA

(804) 340-2496

KALTRONICS DISTRIBUTORS, INC Northbrook, IL

(312)291 1220

MICROAMERICA Schaumburg, IL Tampa, FL

Norcross. GA

Rockville, MD

MICROUNITED, INC Forest Park, IL

(800) 323-6827 In IL (600) 942-4690

(813)623-6526 In FL (800) 282-3385

(800)241-8566 In GA (404) 441-0515

(800)638-6621 In MD (800) 492-2949

(312)771-1550

ONE STOP MICROPRODUCTS South Bend, IN

(219)277-4972

PRICE ELECTRONICS CORPORATION Glenview. IL

(312) 998-6400

SYCOM DISTRIBUTING COMPANY Norcross, GA

(404)441-3451 (800) 241-8579

SYSPRINT, INC, Sarasota, FL

(813)924-8278

TEK-AIDS INDUSTRIES. INC.

Arlington Heights, IL

(312)870-7400 or (800) 323-4138

ZAMOISKI COMPANY Baltimore, MD

(301)644-2900

WESTERN

BYTE INDUSTRIES, INC Hayward. CA

(415) 783-8272 or (800) FOR BYTE

COMPUTER RESOURCES Inglewood. CO

(303)771-8930

CYBER/SOURCE Denver, CO Houston, TX

(303) 744-2461 (713)956-1423

CYPRESS DISTRIBUTING COMPANY, INC San Jose, CA

(408) 297-9800

GRIFFIN COMPUTER SALES, INC Carrollton, TX

(214)446-6701

MICROAMERICA Carson. CA Richardson. TX

MICROWARE DISTRIBUTORS, INC Aloha. OR Bellevue, WA

(800)421-1485 In CA (800) 262-4212

(800) 527 3261 In TX (800) 442-5847

(503) 642-7679 (206)451-8586

PGI CORPORATION Tempe, AZ

(602)967-1421 or (800) 528-1415

PREMIER SOURCE DISTRIBUTING Irvine, CA

(714)261-2011

SMC INTECH SYSTEMS CORP Carrollton, TX

(214)446-9055

SYSPRINT, INC.

Richardson, TX

(214)669 3666

CANADA

IRWIN ELECTRONICS

Etobicoke, Ontario (416) 533-2777

In Ontario/Quebec (800) 268-1701

Outside Ontario/Quebec (800) 268-1732

OR THESE TOSHIBA AMERICA, INC. REGIONAL OFFICES:

EASTERN

CENTRAL/SOUTHERN

WESTERN

(201)326-9777

(314)991-0751 (714)250-0151

TOSHIBA

Circle 3I2 on inquiry card.

Two ways to show off

your IBM PC.

There's no better way to show off your IBM PC - or any other micro - than with the new line of Toshiba printers.They offer stateof-the - art features, high reliability and low price.

P1351 The new Toshiba P1351 printer has a unique high-density 24-pin dot-matrix print head. It lets you print crisp, clean letter copy at 100 cps, draft copy at 192 cps. And with the software-selectable downloading fonts, you get to pick from a variety of type styles.

The P1351 has more stuff to show. Like 180 x 180 dots-per

inch high-resolution graphics, 132-columnwidth platen (great for spreadsheets and Lotus™ 1-2-3™ data processing and graphics), Qume SPRINT 5™ emulation, and a choice of either a forms tractor or automatic sheet feeder.

P1340 For considerably less, the new P1340 gives you just a little less. But it still has the same highdensity 24-pin dot-matrix print head, the 180 x 180 dots-per-inch graphics resolution, and the Qume SPRINT 5 emulation. In addition to true proportional spacing and a

In Touch with Tomorrow

TOSHIBA

Information Systems Division,TOSHIBA AMERICA, INC.

built-in forms tractor. Whichever printer you choose, nationwide service within 24 hours by Western Union technicians is available.

So the choice is yours. But when you choose Toshiba, you know you're putting on the best show possible.

For more information, call one of the distributors listed on the adjacent page.

IBM PC to P1340 and P1351 graphics utilizes PaperScreen and the IBM PC with color graphics adapter. IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines. Lotus and 1-2-3 are trademarks of Lotus Development Corporation. SPRINT 5 is a trademark of Qume Corporation.

© 1984 Toshiba America, Inc.

Circle 313 on inquiry card

IULY 1984 • BYTE 177

THE PRINTER TO PICK WHEN THE PACE QUICKENS.

It's happening all over the PC and micro worlds.

You're getting hit with a ton of increased throughput requirements. Your applications are generating a deluge of paper. You need more printer speed. A lot more.

You're also looking for more professional-looking presentations so you need better print quality. A lot better.

Who's got the best of both worlds for you?

Okidata's Pacemark 2350 and 2410 dot matrix printers.

They'll not only help you keep pace with your world, they'll help you set new and exciting ones. In print speed. In print quality. And in vastly increased compatibility and capability.

Take throughput. The 2350 and 2410 can quickly get you out of the waiting game to where you're really cranking it out. And with flexibility, too: up to 5 pages per minute.

But wait. Cranking what out, you may ask? A single, restrictive printing mode? No way. The 2410 can give you DP, draft,

and a correspondence quality that truly rivals the daisywheel.

And the 2350 and 2410 can both print at up to 350 cps. While producing 120 to 420 lines a minute for you. With bidirectional printing and short line seeking logic. And both high speed horizontal and vertical slew.

PC COMPATIBILITY. SOFTWARE COMPATIBILITY.

The 2350 and 2410 use industry standard interfaces making them hardware compatible with most mini and microsystems on the market today. In addition, they are supported on the menus of most of the important software being offered to microsystem users like Visicalc, Lotus 1,2,3, DBASE 2, Peachtree 500 and General Ledger, Multi-Mate WP, Wordstar, etcetera, etcetera.

But wait, there's more. Like an outstanding all points addressable graphics capability with 144 x 144 dots per inch resolution.

Two color printing for highlighting. Down line loadable font sets for flexibility.

Subscripts and superscripts so your scientific and technical usage won't bog down. Six-part forms handling. The capability to print 132 columns on eight-inch paper using 17.1 characters per inch to save paper costs and make output easier to handle.

And—so that you can depend on getting all that good stuff, all the time—a mean time between failure of 2200 hours. A mean time to repair of only 30 minutes. An average printhead life of 200,000,000 characters. And an industry low warranty claim rate of less than 2%.

No doubt about it, the quicker the pace at your place, the more you need Pacemark from our place. For more information, call toll free 1-800-OKIDATA. In Newjersev, 609-235-2600. Or write OKIDATA, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054.

> > >

IIBIl

Circle 238 on inquiry card.

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THEME

COMPUTER

CONTROL OF A

VIDEO RECORDER

BY CY TYMONY

Extend the capabilities of a VCR with any sound-generating computer

SHORTLY AFTER I acquired a VCR (videocassette recorder), a Realistic Model 10 with one-event programmability, I became frustrated playing the morning "programming game." Should I record this show or that show? I felt somewhat limited having only one programming option, especially when I compared the capabilities of more expensive systems that can be programmed for multiple events on different channels. I decided I would control my VCR with my TRS-80 Color Computer.

This project is designed for VCRs that have varactor tuners. You can recognize this type of recorder by the way you change its channels. If you turn a dial to select a channel, then your VCR has a dial (or turret) tuner. If you use softtouch control switches, a keyboard control, or an up/down-counter control, then your VCR has a varactor tuner. For our purpose of controlling a VCR's functioning via a computer, the varactortuned unit is required because it uses an electrical signal instead of physically moving switches to select channels. (For more information on VCR tuning techniques, see references 1 and 2.)

Interface Hardware

By connecting external switches in parallel to the VCR's record, stop, and channel-selection switches (as shown in figure 1), you can control the VCR's functions with LM567 tone decoder ICs (integrated circuits). If your VCR has a remote control, then you can wire the switches to the remote control's switch contacts. The circuit shown in figure 2 uses the sound output from a TRS-80 Color Computer to activate the tone decoders, which turn on reed relays wired in parallel to the VCR's control switches. (Table 1 contains a list of parts you'll need to build the circuit.) The tone decoders and the reed relays provide total electrical isolation between the computer and the VCR. The tone decoders can be set to respond to any frequency from 0.01 Hz to 500 kHz. (For more information on 567 tone decoders, see

Qu Tymony (POB 2387, Beverly Hills, CA 90213) attended the University of Wisconsin and works as a technical writer. His latest book. 99 Fun-to-Make Electronic Projects, was published by Tab Books. He is currently developing projects for low-cost computer-controlled video editing and special effects.

reference 3.)

Inside the 567 tone decoder 1C, a current-controlled oscillator operates at a frequency set by the values of the potentiometer connected between pins 5 and 6 and the value of the capacitor connected to pin 6 and ground. The input signal (in this case the computer's sound output) and the internal oscillator are fed to two phase detectors. When the internal oscillator frequency is within about 14 percent of the input signal, the output pin 8 sinks up to 100 milliamps to ground.

To tune the 567s, write a short program to make your computer produce a tone, and tune one of the tone decoders to this signal. Check the leads of all the other tone decoders used in the circuit to make sure they do not turn on to this tone. Repeat this procedure until every tone decoder in the circuit will turn on only to its own individual sound from the computer. For very low frequency tones under 800 Hz, the tone decoder may take a full second to lock on to a signal. Be sure that the duration of the sound command in your program is long enough for the tone decoder to

[continued]

IULY 1984 -BYTE 179

VCR INTERFACE

lock on the signal and actuate the reed relay.

The tone decoder is fine-tuned by adjusting the potentiometer connected between pins 5 and 6. For high-frequency operation, you may substitute another value for the capacitor connected to pin 6 and ground; also, see the data sheet that comes with the 567 tone decoder IC for more information.

The reed relay uses a small reed switch that is surrounded by a coil of wire. When current is applied to the coil, the contacts in the reed switch close, which completes the circuit. Because there is no direct connection between the coil and the contact switch, complete electrical isolation is obtained. A power supply for this project is shown in figure 3. Table 2 lists the parts you'll need.

If your computer has an external sound output, then send the signal to the tone decoders with a 10-/xF (microfarad) bypass capacitor. If the computer's sound output is not externally available, you can tap the signal just before it enters the computer's RF (radio-frequency) modulator, if it has one. If the power level of the sound output is too low, you can increase it by using an LM386 amplifier IC to build it up to a usable level (see figure 4).

The Control Program

The control program, shown in listing 1, keeps track of time. When the "start" time matches the "present" time, the computer produces a tone that selects the programmed channel and also produces another tone that momentarily closes the record switch contacts to start the VCR recording the event. When the "end" time matches the present time, the computer closes the stop switch contacts with another tone. When in counting mode, most personal computers are between 1 and 5 percent accurate within a 24-hour period. This is good enough if you set the start and end times a few minutes before and after the scheduled times of the programs you want to record.

Lines 5 to 7 5 request input data about the event to be recorded (channel, start time, end time). Line 80 requests present time to start the computer clock. Line 90 produces a one-second delay for the clock. (This is based on the TRS-80 Color Computer's internal clock

STILL PAUSE

FF CUE

Lh-h. i

STOP

REED RELAYS

RECORD

Figure 1: An example of external switch connection.

SOUND ) 7 ' '

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COMPUTER

'>"*

r

TO MORE TONE DECODER IC». REPEAT CIRCUIT ABOVE FOR AS MANY CHANNEL CONTROL SWITCHES AS WILL BE NEEDED

TO VCR |RECORD I CONTROL SWITCH

TO VCR J STOP 1 CONTROL SWITCH

TO VCR CHANNEL 2 [

CONTROL SWITCH

: ""F /TN1/*F

Figure 2: The computer-VCR interface circuit.

180 B YTE • JULY 1984

VCR INTERFACE

Table 1: The parts needed to

build the computerVCR interface. The number of parts

required depends on the number of channels you need to select.

Part

Radio Shack Catalog Number

567 tone decoder IC (as many as

needed)

276-1721

25k-ohm potentiometer

271-335

l-F capacitor

272-996

2.2-F capacitor

272-135

IO-F capacitor

272-1013

16-pin DIP jumper ribbon cable

276-1976

Reed relays

275-232

Perfboard

276-1394

IC sockets

276-1995

100(VF (3) 35 V

s__ PRIMARY I c»V-o J

PRIMARY SECONDARY

7805 RECTIFIER

+ 5V J

O.l^F

7h

FULL WAVE 1AMP TO 4 AMP BRIDGE RECTIFIER

Figure 3: The regulated power-supply circuit.

T^ble 2: Power-supply parts list

Part

Radio Shack Catalog Number

3-amp transformer

273-1511

Full-wave bridge rectifier

276-1171

7805 5-volt regulator

276-1770

1000-nF capacitor

272-1018

Fuse holder

270-739

Fuse

(capacity depends on number of components!

Perfboard

276-1394

Cabinet

270-224

AC cord

278-1255

Note: A ready-made power supply is

available from Radio Shack (22-1271. You will still have to

use the 7805 5-volt regulator to drop the power down to a constant 5 volts.

speed. Other computers would use a different delay sequence, which you can find through experimentation.) Line 100 compares the start time of event one with the present time; if they match, the computer selects a channel by adding the channel number to 100 and producing a tone. It also produces a different tone to actuate the record switch on the VCR. Line 110 compares the end time of event one with the present time; if they match, it produces a tone to actuate the stop switch on the VCR. Lines 130 to 180 are reserved for more event data. Lines 181 to 300 reset the clock.

Counter-Tuner VCR Procedure

With this method, a reed relay is wired in parallel to the channel "up" switch on the VCR. A tone decoder IC is connected to the reed relay that can be turned on by a unique tone from the computer's sound output.

The computer selects the first event's channel by producing the number of tones needed to reach the desired channel. For example, if the VCR is set on channel 2 when it is first turned on, and the first event to be recorded is on channel 5, then the computer produces three tones with pauses of one-half second between the tones. For the next event, the computer sounds the number of tones equal to the difference between the present channel and the desired channel.

The program for selection of channel 5 could be:

IF AB=H AND AC=M THEN SOUND 100,1 : FOR 1=1 TO 190: NEXT I: SOUND 100,1 :FOR E=l TO 190: NEXT E : SOUND 100,1 : SOUND 150,1

LM386 AMPLIFIER IC

+5V

Rl 10K

\

SIGNAL INPUT

Rl CONTROLS INPUT SIGNAL LEVEL

220/iF

m

Figure 4: The sound-amplifier circuit.

AMPLIFIED

SIGNAL

OUTPUT

Keyboard-Tuner VCR

PROCEDURE

With this method, every number on the keyboard has a reed relay wired in parallel to it. A tone decoder IC is connected to each reed relay that can be turned on by a unique tone from the computer's sound output.

The computer produces two different tones (one-half second apart) that represent a channel selection. To program channel 4, the computer sounds a tone for tone decoder 0, pauses for one-half

[continued)

IULY 1984 'BYTE 181

MEGABYTES FOR NIICROBUCKS

In a field where so-called "breakthroughs" are proclaimed nearly every day, SORD's new M68 is the genuine article. Incredible memory processing speed and software flexibility at simply unbelievable prices. Ideal for your business, scientific and engineering applications.

DUAL PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURE

Not just any two processors, either. The state-of-the-art MC68000™ 16-bit main CPU runs at a blinding 10 MHz. A Z80A™ CPU runs thousands of 8-bit applications, and the AMP9511 Arithmetic Processing Unit can make them faster than ever before.

A MAINFRAME'S WORTH OF MEMORY

The base M68 model starts with 256K of parity-checked RAM and is expandable up to 3.2 megabytes. The M68-1M starts with a megabyte and can be expanded to an incredible four megabytes with available plugin boards. Even large mainframes don't enjoy such power. Think of the number-crunching you can do with four megabytes on your desk.

ADVANCED GRAPHICS

High resolution graphics are standard on all M68's. 640 x 400 pixels in either monochrome or up to 16 colors, with a detailed 8 x 16 character grid for easy readability hour after hour, even in color. Special LSI circuitry and the super fast CPU make high speed drawing a reality.

EXPANDABILITY PLUS

M68's are now available with high-capacity 51/4-inch disks; 8-inch floppy disk and hard disk drives available this fall. Two serial ports, a Centronics-compatible printer port, a light pen port and a GPIB/IEEE-488 port are standard.

SOFTWARE VERSATILITY

The M68 can run more software than any machine in its class. Operating system choices include CP/M-68K,™ RDOS, UCSD P-system,™ CP/M-80,™ KDOS and the PIPS software system that has revolutionized Japanese management and is now used by Citibank and other major corporations in over 45 countries. Choose from C, FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL, BASIC and more. Supports mainframe communications links, graphics, and a wealth of applications software.

MIND-BOGGLING PRICING

If this kind of power sounds expensive, guess again. M68 systems start at less than $5,000, and even four megabyte systems start at approximately $13,000! Each 1MB plug-in board is $2395, available separately as required.

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1-800-223-1796

IN NEW YORK: (212) 206-4045

182

THE NEXT GENERATI0N...N0W

SORD COMPUTER OF AMERICA, 723 West 7 Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017 645 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022

CPM-Reg'd trademark of Digital Research UCSD Pascal: Reg'd trademark-Univ ot Calif at San Diego MC68000-Reg'd trademark. Motorola Corp. Z80A-Reg'd trademark. Zilog. inc. BYTE- IULY 1984 Circle 286 on inquiry card.

VCR INTERFACE

Listing 1: The VCR control program.

5 PRINT 'CHANNEL":: INPUT AA

10 PRINT "START TIME H.M.S";: INPUT AB.AC.AD

I 5 PRINT "END TIME H.M.S";: INPUT AE.AF.AG

20 REM LINES 25 TO 75 ARE RESERVED FOR MORE EVENT DATA

80 PRINT "PRESENT TIME H.M.S":: INPUT H.M.S

90 PRINT H.M.S: FOR T= 1 TO 800: NEXT T : S= S+ 1

100 IF AB = H AND AC = M AND AD = S THEN SOUND (AA+100),!: SOUND 150,1

I 10 IF AE = H AND AF = M AND AG = S THEN SOUND 200,1

130 REM LINES 130 TO 180 ARE RESERVED FOR MORE EVENT DATA

181 IF S> 59 THEN COSUB 200

182 IF M> 59 THEN GOSUB 250

183 IF H> 23 THEN GOSUB 300

184 GOTO 90

200 S = 0 : M = M + 1 : RETURN 250 M = 0 : H = H+l : RETURN 300 H = 0 : RETURN

second, and then sounds a tone for tone decoder 4 (04).

The program for channel selection would be as follows:

IF AB=H AND AC=M THEN SOUND 80,1 : FOR Z-l TO 390: NEXT Z:

sound 90,1 : sound 150,1 Other Interfacing Methods

Sound output is just one of the many possible interfacing techniques that can be used to control a VCR with a micro

computer. You can use a parallel port, a serial port, or a cassette output port to relay data to an interface device. Since the computer's only function is to count the time and momentarily send an output signal, even a portable or a pocket computer can be used to control a VCR with a phototransistor placed near its liquid-crystal display to sense screen changes.

You'll probably want to obtain an inexpensive personal computer for this purpose: many are available, including

the Timex/Sinclair 1000, the Texas Instruments 99/4A, the TRS-80 MC-10. and the Commodore V1C-20. (For more information on interfacing microcomputers to control external devices, see references 6 and 7.) After using the interface for a few days, the biggest problem you will be confronted with will probably be obtaining enough videotape to satisfy your programming needs. ■

REFERENCES

1. Spillane, lohn. TV Field and Bench Servicer's Handbook. Blue Ridge Summit. PA: Tab Books, 1979.

2. Goodman. Robert. Maintaining and Repairing Videocassette Recorders. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books. 1983.

3. Mims. Forrest. 103 Projects for Electronics Experimenters. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books. 1981.

4. Radio Shack Semiconductor Reference Guide. Fort Worth, TX: Tandy Corporation, 1983.

5. Barden. William. TRS-80 Models I, III, and Color Computer Interfacing Projects. Indianapolis, IN: Howard W. Sams and Co.. 1982.

6. Carr, loseph. Microcomputer interfacing Handbook: A/D and D/A. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1980.

7. Wolfe, Gordon. Computer Peripherals That You Can Build. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books. 1982.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The author wishes to extend special thanks to Mario Gonzales for his contribution to this proiect.

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Circle 46 on inquiry card.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 183

At long last, there is

the business mind with

the business system, effortlessly.

Software so totally different and uniquely

intelligent that it can create and carry through complex projects by itself. Extraordinary software with the capacity to adapt to a range of users' abilities, and grow in sophistication as their needs expand.

Introducing Smart Software from Innovative Software!" There's never been a software system like it before. Nor is there anything else like it today.

That's because no other software has the capability to complete and repeat complex projects—from start to finish—on its own. Not by memorizing keystrokes (like a macro), but by adjusting to your project changes; and open-endedly performing dedicated applications.

Entire projects—spreadsheet to data base to graphics to word processing—can be completed without supervision; freeing your time for running your business, rather than running your business software.

In addition, Smart Software puts to rest, once and for all, the ease-of-use versus power dilemma, because this unprecedented software is as workable for beginners, as it is powerful for experts.

Smart Software was created to work for you, relentlessly. Structured to integrate with its smart mates, automatically. And designed to communicate with

For more information on the fully-integrated Smart Software System, ~m*%4 cis\ nt«oi4 o/-vf+XT7r«*-£» W«-i11i r»-r<i4 1\t call800-GET-SMARTor visit your local computer dealerfor a demonstration. IlO\ro\J~oIlLdll aUHWdlC, Dlilllciniiy.

The one-of-a-kind Smart Software System. Undoubtedly the most productive tool ever conceived for the business mind.

The Smart Software System is currently available lor the IBM PC/ XT and compatibles. In Kansas, call 913-383-1089. © 1984 Innovative Software, Inc. Circle 157 on inquiry card.

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Inside Outsi

Thinking of

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You owe it

to yourself to check out the Qubie' 212A modems.

Just a few years ago, computers needed big air-conditioned rooms to operate in, balefuls of money to buy, and a team of wizards to keep them running. The constant march of technological progress has given more and more powerful machines which cost less and less. Desktop computers more powerful than the early mainframe computers are the result of the evolution. The Qubie' modems represent the latest extension of this progress. Because up until now, a 212A compatible modem cost at least $500. Through the use of four low-cost, state of the art microprocessors, we can now offer two versions of our full featured 212A modem at prices the competition sells 300 baud modems for.

In The Beginning

In September of 1983 we introduced the first 212A modem card for the IBM PC available for under $300. The PC212A/1200 is a complete communications package including PC-TALK III software, modular phone cable, card edge guide, and instruction manual. The modem is an auto-dial, auto-answer type, which uses all the Hayes software commands so it can be used with any of the popular software packages including Crosstalk'" and Smartcom™ We picked the best software package we could find based on it's ease of use and features, PCTALK III. Our modem includes features the old industry standard missed out on. Like being able to fit in one slot in a Portable PC or PC/XT.

Or an optional connector to use the modem's serial port when not using the modem. Of course the topper is the $299 price, hundreds less than the competition.

Now Available Outside

Our standalone modem, the 212E/1200 can be used with any computer or terminal with a RS-232C serial port. You can use any Hayes compatible communications software on anything from an Apple to a Zenith. Many owners of IBM PC's are using it because they lack available expansion slots, or have more than one computer they want to use their modem with.

It's attractive gold anodized case houses seven status lights (who says low prices means a shortage of features). It fits comfortably under a standard telephone. It is also a 212A compatible auto-dial, autoanswer modem which supports all Hayes software commands. Even the switch settings are the same, so any software giving recommended switch settings for a Hayes modem can be used, without knowing what the switches do. There is a volume control knob for easy adjustment of the speaker's output. Included in the package is modular phone cable, a cable to hook it to your computer or terminal, and instruction manual. Choose the communications package right for your needs, and you're ready to go!

Four Hearts

The heart of the Qubie' modems are four digital signal microprocessors. Two handle sending, , and two do the "~ -oP^Ha^X receiving. Rather %1» fc '0K%\ than attemP' to ' i filter all but the relevant tones used for modem communications, the

I PC212A/1200 Includes: Modem I

* Card, PC-TALK III software, card J I edge guide, modular phone cable, I T quick reference card, and instruc- '. I tion manual- S299 I Optional external serial port con- . I nector $20. '

I "

212E/1200 Includes: Standalone J modem with cable (specify male or | female), modular phone cable, and# instruction manual. $329. ■

microprocessors measure the tones digitally. This allows them to overcome line noise and static better than analog filter based modems'

Why Buy From Qubie'

Because you will get a product as good or better than any available, pay less for it, and get factory direct help if you need it. If at any time during the one year warranty period your ;■ modem should require service, we wil fix it or replace it within 48 hours. Notice also there are no hidden charges in our prices. No extra for freight, insurance, credit cards, or COD fees. In a hurry? UPS 2nd day air service is just $5 extra. If you are like many who say, "Nah, it's too good to be true'/ just apply the acid test and find out. Then you will be asking yourself, "Why should I pay what these modems used to cost?"

The Acid Test

Qubie' gives you a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on your modem. If you are not completely satisfied we will refund the entire amount of your purchase including the postage to return it. If you can, get anyone selling another modem to give you the same guarantee. Buy both, and return the one you don't like. We know which one you will keep.

IBM is a trademark of International Business Machi nes Corporalioi

Crosstalk is a registered trademark of Microstuf Inc.

PC-Talk HI is a registered trademark of The Headlands Press Ini

Order Today, Shipped Tomorrow!

All prices include UPS surface freight and insurance. Add $5 for two day air service. For fastest delivery send certified check or credit card. Personal checks take 18 days to clear. Calif, residents add 6% sales tax. Corporations and Institutions call for purchase order details.

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THEME

VIDEODISCS AND COMPUTERS

by Stan Jarvis

Hardware, formats, and interfacing

THE EMERGENCE OF the home videodisc player as a storage medium for images has focused the attention of businesspeople and programmers alike on the advantages of linking realistic video with computer graphics and programs.

The videodisc itself is not new; its history begins in the early 1880s when Paul Gipkow received the first videodisc patents in Germany. About this time, Alexander Graham Bell produced optically recorded 12-inch audiodiscs using a solar-powered ink-jet modulating device in Washington, DC. Bell licensed his audio-recording patents to Thomas Edison, who introduced waxcylinder audio players. They were soon replaced in the marketplace by 12-inch audiodiscs developed by Deutsche Grammophone. Edison later founded Westrex to develop talking movies, matching the running length of a reel of movie film to a 12-inch audiodisc spun at 331/3 revolutions per minute (rpm).

England's )ohn Logie Baird created a mechanical scanned video system in the late 1920s. The Baird television used 12-inch pressed-wax audiodiscs containing video test signals to assist in its daily adjustment. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) provided an even greater advance a few years later with the introduction of an electronic scanning television system, replacing Baird's technology.

By 1940, German radio stations were using innovative magnetic audiorecording technology. In the United States, Ampex Corporation used parts carried into the country after World War II to develop its first magnetic-tape audio recorders. Later, Ampex turned its attention to developing the first successful videotape recorders, and Westrex developed the first stereo records.

The modern videodisc is a hybrid, the result of crossing a number of technologies. Special recognition is due 3M Corporation, which funded the first working videodisc players in the early 1960s. The company used silver-halide media read optically with a lightbulb illuminating source. Initially, the company's signal-pickup system decoded considerable "noise" (or interference) from adjacent video tracks. However, because there is little difference between consecutive movie frames (except for the movement of people or objects), 3M reasoned that image noise would seem reduced by spinning a videodisc at an even number of frames per revolution, or 1800 rpm. The company's patent on this concept in the

Stan \arvis (POB 151044, Salt lake City. UT 84115) is president of 1SW Inc. He holds a bachelor's degree in product development and an M.B.A., and he uses an Otrona.

early 1960s immediately prompted industry leaders to view the videodisc as a potential video-image storage peripheral for a computer system.

The forces behind the development of video are distinct from influences that led to modern personal computers. Characteristics such as scan rates, interlace, and data formats were all established long before the emergence of popular cathode-ray-tube computer systems. Video data can be sourced from broadcast transmissions, videotape, videodiscs, or from digital frame buffers. One need only consider the amount of RAM (random-access read/ write memory) allocated to a typical screen control function in a personal computer to appreciate the difference between video requirements (in excess of 300K bytes for a single frame buffer) and computer display requirements. Developers of video systems usually avoid the need for massive amounts of screen memory by refreshing the cathode-ray tube directly from the video source's incoming data stream. Practical relationships between videodisc players and computers have been driven by two forces, broadcast applications and nonbroadcast interactive-video uses.

Broadcast television applications are annually introduced to eager buyers at the SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture

[continued)

!ULY 1984 -BYTE 187

jrirJyQxi (On Jin (bhAx^^rv jTwnto/r

&

By The U'O/nX^

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J*&nt

System

Letter Quality

Say goodbye to correspondence quality and hello to ^ancy Ws high-resolution, proportionally spaced, letter quality. 3<anctj ty&nt provides fonts in sizes from 8 to 40 points, styles include Roman, Bold, Italic, Script, Old English, and more. All this on low-cost Epson (MX, RX, FX) and Gemini 10X printers. S'arvcu $<<ynt is an easy-to-use software package for CP/M and IBM PC compatible systems; no special hardware or installation is required.

Create Your Own Characters

You can use over 30 font sets in the 9<om^ 3><yni package and furthermore, can create any new characters or logos you like, up to 1 inch by 1 inch. A database of over 1500 characters is included that makes it possible to print foreign languages and mathematical notations.

Font Style Samples

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Numerous Applications

tfancy 3<<wd customers, numbering in the thousands, are constantly discovering new applications.

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VIDEODISCS

and Television Engineers) and NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) shows. These are the video equivalents of the annual National Computer Convention. An excellent recent example of state-of-the-art commercial equipment is the VSP (Video Sequence Processor) from Picture Element Ltd. PELs new offering can accept video signals from any of the international standard video formats and process signals recorded in 52 5-line and 62 5-line interlaced rasters, or even proposed 112 5-line formats. It outputs finished video signals in the selected formats. Further, it can process computer-developed images such as 512- by 512-pixel, or 1024- by 1024-pixel resolutions and output them to standard video. It can also record and play up to 8 minutes of video in real time, slow motion, or one frame at a time.

Another broadcast device of potential interest is the Cox CVP100 Computer Video Processor. This $13,000 device accepts a wide range of computer video formats, different scanning rates and logic pulses and outputs standard NTSC (National Television System Committee) video. Shintron has a similar product to interface home computers to NTSC video outputs.

In nonbroadcast applications, computer/video developments have been driven by the interactive requirements of video recorders and players used as a video signal source. A few years ago, small computer/video systems tended to be home built or one of a kind. Today, many companies market excellent products that feature integrated computer/video capabilities.

Interactive Training and Educational Systems

Instruction and training is a widely accepted application and a strong impetus for integrating computers and video equipment. Many early CAI (computeraided instruction) projects failed to reach their expected potential because they lacked audio and realistic video images. Some educators and developers concluded that the addition of videodisc peripherals to CAI programs could improve the success rates of users. This has proven to be the case.

Training systems incorporating videodiscs are usually categorized in levels. Level 1 systems are the simplest, con

{continued)

188 BYTE • IULY 1984

/MicroAge

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"MicroAge is the franchise organization you like to have supporting you because they maintain high professional standards. With MicroAge, we've gained the type of reputation that brings referrals from satisfied customers."

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Gary W. Voogl Franchise Owner

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nSyc

MicroAge franchisees Garrett and Gary Voogt shown with an IBM Portable Personal Computer.

Circle 210 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISCS

sisting of a video player and a monitor. The player may just as easily be a videocassette player, if the material is to proceed linearly with user intervention. Home videodisc players have internal microprocessors to handle drive housekeeping functions. All except the leastexpensive players have sufficient power to accept commands for search, auto

stop, chapter stop, and still-image display through either the player's keypad or via a CAT (computer-aided testing) plug. CAT is used to test machines under computer control at the end of the manufacturing process.

Table 1 lists four videodisc formats available today ranked in order of popularity. The majority of all videodisc

Table 1

: Videodisc formats available today.

Speed

Capacity In NTSC Speed

Capacity In

PAL

Technology

Type

RPM

minutes Images RPM

minutes

images

pickup disc

CED

450

60 27,000 375

75

27,000

Capacitive Grooved

LV

1,800

30 54,000 1,500

30

45,000

Optical Reflective

VHD

900

60 54,000 750

60

45.000

Capacitive Grooveless

OMDR

1.800

13 22.000

Optical Recordable

Table 2: A list of manufacturers and contact numbers for many of the products

mentioned.

Platter Pressers

Laser Video

(7141 630-6700

Anaheim, CA

Pioneer

(201) 573-1122

New York, NY

Sony

(201) 930-6432

Park Ridge, N)

Technidlsc

(313) 352-5353

Troy, Ml

3M

(612) 733-3906

St. Paul, MN

Players

Hitachi

(312) 981-8989

Chicago. 1L

Panasonic

(201) 348-7000

Secaucus. N)

Philips

(212) 697-3600

New York, NY

Pioneer

(201) 573-1122

Montvale. N)

Sony

(201) 930-6432

Park Ridge. N|

VHD

(714) 660-9294

Irvine, CA

Videodisc Recorders

Dover Instruments

(617) 366-1456

Westborough, MA

Optical Disc Corp.

(714) 522-2370

Cerritos. CA

Panasonic

(201) 348-7000

Secaucus, N|

Hardware and Systems

Bell & Howell

(312) 328-5175

Chicago. IL

Compuvision

(212) 532-9113

Santa Cruz. CA

Digital Controls

(404) 441-3332

Norcross, GA

DEC

(617) 276-4111

Bedford, MA

Digital Techniques

(617) 273-3495

Burlington, MA

Hazeltine

(703) 827-2300

McLean, VA

1EV

(801) 531-0757

Salt Lake City, UT

Micro Ed

(800) 642-7633

Eden Prairie, MN

NCR

(305) 323-9250

Lake Mary, FL

New Media Graphics

(617) 272-8844

Burlington, MA

Sony

(201) 930-6432

Park Ridge. N)

Terak

(602) 998-4800

Scottsdale, AZ

Video Vision

(201) 377-0302

Madison. N)

Visage

(617) 655-1503

Natick, MA

Information Sources and Conferences

Nebraska Videodisc Symposium, August 27-30, Lincoln, NE (4021 472-3611

Optical Memory News.

POB 14817, San Francisco. CA 94114. (415) 621-6220

SALT 6th Annual Interactive Videodisc Conference. August 22-24. Washington, DC,

1703) 347-0055

Videodisc Monitor. POB 26, Falls Church,

VA 22046, (703) 241-1799

drives are of the CED format (capacitance electronic disc), but only top-ofthe-line players have ports and capabilities needed for computer connection. Currently, the LV (laser video) format is the easiest to work with because of the number of player brands and videodiscpressing sources now available.

The VHD (video high-density) format is a technically neat compromise, able to play NTSC or PAL (Phase Alternate Line) from the same disc, but currently it is not available in the U.S. Panasonic's OMDR (optical memory disc recorder) allows you to record your own videodiscs. Blanks run several hundred dollars each. The not-yet-available (and unlisted) McDonnell-Douglas format will have a player, recorder, and duplicator, using a photographic film medium. Readily available Level 1 players include Pioneer-manufactured machines sold under the Pioneer, Sony, Magnavox, and Sylvania brand names.

Level 2 systems consist of a videodisc player and a controller, either internal or external. Control data can be decoded from a videodisc with a limited command set to handle most of the requirements. Level 2 systems are best limited to simple, dedicated applications, although this is a constantly changing area. For example, printers have been driven by Pioneer industrial players. The Sony player can drive a stillframe audio adapter.

Level 3 systems consist of a computer, videodisc player, video monitor, and any number of related peripherals. At a minimum, the computer controls the sequence of image strings from the videodisc player based on input from the user and control data stored on the videodisc, floppy disk, or other magnetic storage device.

Applications increasingly require computer-generated graphics to overlay a videodisc image. The earliest Level 3 systems, Apple or TRS-80-driven units using home-brew interfaces, demonstrated how difficult good-quality video overlay could be (see the text box "The Difficulty of Computer-Graphic/Video Overlay" on page 192).

Since that time, a number of video computer systems have shown significant improvement.

Terak is a specialized manufacturer whose equipment is often found in uni

lamtinued)

190 BYTE • JULY 1984

^°*Lv^:

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VIDEODISCS

versities and in industry. (Table 2 lists the phone numbers and addresses of companies mentioned in this article.) Terak offers a PDP 11-23-based processor, 512K bytes of RAM, and a 10-megabyte Winchester hard disk integrated with a videodisc player. The graphic system provides 256 simultaneous colors, 640by 480-pixel resolution, and full video overlay. The Terak color computer costs less than $20,000.

The DEC IVIS (Interactive Video Information System) was announced last spring, based on Digital's top-of-the-line PRO-3 50 personal workstation. The IVIS includes most of the PRO-3 50 features

such as a PDP 11-23 processor, up to 512K bytes of RAM, a 10-megabyte Winchester hard disk, and a VR241 RGB (red-green-blue) color monitor. The IVIS module attaches to the back of a PRO-3 50 chassis and accepts analog video signals from a Sony disc player. These signals are converted to RGB for display, with overlays capable of 960-pixel by 240-line resolution with up to eight simultaneous colors. Options include a mouse, joysticks, and a graphics pad. An IVIS system costs $18,600 with a membrane touch panel on the RGB monitor, and $16,600 without the panel. Converting NTSC signals directly to

The Difficulty of

Computer-Graphic/

Video Overlay

To combine two NTSC signals to form a composite, both must be phase locked in the vertical, horizontal, and chroma, lest the image roll, flicker, or change color with time. Video sourced from videodiscs is usually more stable and accurate . than that which comes from videotape, yet the signals still leave a great deal to be desired. There may be dropouts in the horizontal sync, vertical sync, or during the video. Some players turn off the video when they jump to relock on the start of the spiral at the end of each still frame.

Either the player can be locked to the overlay system or the system can be locked to the player. Sync locking often employs analog-phase looped systems to generate internal horizontal and vertical sync pulses. Locking the player and system to the vertical and horizontal syncs is relatively straightforward compared to locking to the chroma for two reasons.

First, as the size of single pixels on an overlay may be close to the same size as the chroma subcarrier, it is essential that a pixel clock not drift in relation to chroma lest its position or color change. For example, a single video line may contain about 2 56 color pixels. Out of some 50 usable microseconds per video line, each pixel's width would be about 200

nanoseconds, or a pixel frequency near 5 MHz. The 3.579545-MHz chroma subcarrier frequency has a period of 279 nanoseconds, close to the pixel frequency.

Second, NTSC specifies that the phase of the chroma signal will rotate 180 degrees every line and every black-andwhite field (horizontal scanning frequency is 2/455th burst frequency or 227.5 cycles/line). With an odd number of lines (52 5) in every frame, the chroma will be out of phase 180 degrees with the chroma at the rising edge of the subsequent video frame. Because in every frame the phase rotates as well, it takes four fields for the chroma pulse to come back to zero-phase relationship. This presents little trouble when overlaying video-motion segments, or, for that matter, still-frame images from VHD or CED capacitance discs. (They record still-frame images as four and eight fields, respectively.) However, it is a problem when overlaying still frames from 1800 rpm videodiscs where a single two-field image is repeated continuously, so that chroma is out of phase 180 degrees every other frame. This problem can be resolved under master-computer control so that the overlay knows whether the disc is doing a still-frame or video-motion segment.

RGB works well in the IVIS. The display is jitter-free and impressive. The RGB display approach is preferred by other manufacturers including Terak because overall resolution can be more easily optimized, eliminating the need to reconvert to NTSC. This is a case of adapting video to conform to the computer rather than adapting the computer to video. Early systems, such as TICCIT (Timesharing Interactive Computer Controlled Instructional Television—sponsored by the National Science Foundation) used standard analog television monitors, conforming the computer to the requirements of NTSC.

NCR (National Cash Register) introduced its first video/computer at the semiannual SALT (Society for Applied Learning Technology) conference on interactive systems. NCR has replaced the standard monochrome tube for an RGB color monitor in one of its personal office computers. Unlike the IVIS, the videodisc interface controller and RGB graphics-overlay boards are contained internally in the slots for expansion cards. The first model shown uses a Pioneer player and will retail for about $8000. A lower-priced IBM PC-compatible model, scheduled for a summer introduction, will receive the same video treatment. That model's price is targeted at $6500. This may indicate the start of a trend among office-computer manufacturers, where the video-enhanced models may be sold to a corporation as trainers for all the users of regular machines. Other companies are believed to be completing similar modifications, including Zenith. Some expect the forthcoming IBM "Vision Machine" to be a similar device.

Next year Sony should introduce its own videodisc recorder and a single box system with digital data decoding from the videodisc. Sony's VIPS (Visual Information Processing System) is based on the SMC-70 video-support microcomputer which controls its videodisc player(s), U-Matic. or Beta-format VCRs (videocassette recorders). The SMC-70 uses a 4-MHz Z80 with an optional 8086 Supercharger. Factory options include two types of graphicimage superimposers, still-frame audio, control of multiple players, touchscreen monitors, and a range of analog/RGB monitors. The VIPS has several graphic

(continued)

192 BYTE- |ULY 1984

there * no P ^ a IWJ^ ed

. Torf^dorP a3e. .^.cod

forW**B dust, *^V^ar3'

for cot™3*

,Heux^i

"— !■ ■ J

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Circle 334 for Dealer Inquiries. Circle 335 for End-User Inquiries.

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194 BYTE- JULY 1984

Circle 251 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISCS

modes including a 400- by 240-pixel, eight-color overlay onto video. Costs for single systems run $4000 to $8000, depending on options.

Japan Victor, the leading developer of the VHS (Video Home System) VCR format and the VHD videodisc format, sells an integrated system aimed at the home user. The system consists of a video microcomputer, an RGB graphicoverlay interface, a VHD videodisc player, and an analog/RGB monitor. (Analog/RGB monitors are being offered for home and business by most lapanese TV manufacturers.) The company's HC-6 personal computer runs MSX Microsoft BASIC with a Z80 processor and 32K bytes of RAM. Program data is sourced from either audiocassettes or ROM (read-only memory) cartridges. Options include a printer, modem, joysticks, and other peripherals. The HC-6 provides a 16-color text and graphic overlay at a resolution of 2 56 by 192 pixels, with up to 32 sprite

planes. The visual performance is impressive, especially considering its retail price is well under $2000.

Similar MSX systems are offered by other VHD-format manufacturers in lapan, and by Sony for use with Beta VCRs. I especially like Sharp's inclusion of television channel and audio controls in the keyboard unit of its X-7 model. Even though the manufacturers project dramatic price reductions for these integrated home-video computers next year, it's unlikely that MSX systems will be introduced in the U.S. because none of the companies that manufacture them have strong home computer marketing channels.

Components and Interfaces

In addition to integrated solutions offered by major manufacturers, boards are available that allow you to hook up videodisc players to almost any computer. These boards enable you to overlay computer signals over video as

well. Over a dozen companies sell boards to connect Pioneer home videodisc players to Apple lis. A similar number offer IBM boards. Here's a representative sample.

Starting again at the high end, New Media Graphics' $9850 GraphOver 9500 features a 768- by 480- by 4-bit display window, control, and switching for two video players, and both RGB and NTSC output. Software routines provide pan, step zoom, and split screens. A 6809 display processor is used, together with an NEC 7220 graphics generator. This device connects to any computer with an RS-232C interface.

Visage is releasing its first product for the IBM PC-the VDC-1000 videodisc controller card. The $1150 card features 15-color still and animated graphics with up to 32 sprites at a time. Four planes of overlays provide resolution of 190 by 2 56 pixels. The board also reads data

(continued)

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Circle 289 on inquiry card.

JULY 1984

. YTE 195

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VIDEODISCS

that has been encoded on the videodisc. Visage is a well-financed start-up company with good field support.

IEV is another recent start-up, founded by engineering managers from a broadcast television charactergenerator company. IEV introduced a series of video boards for the IBM PC including a $400 video-overlay board. The board accepts NTSC composite video from tape or disc sources and RGB from one of two companion bitmapped graphics boards. The baseboard provides a 16-coIor 640- by 400-pixel overlay for $750.

For some time, the lowest-price videodisc interface solution consisted of a year's subscription to BYTE and parts to duplicate Steve Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar interface, all for around $100. No commercially available interface is under the three-digit figure in the U.S., but some are coming close.

Micro-Ed has an interface connecting a Commodore 64 to Pioneer-manufactured consumer laser video players for $199. Video Vision Associates offers its VAI-13 5 interface to connect the same videodisc players to Apple II and lie computers for $12 5. Neither offers video overlays. Coleco is rumored to have a videodisc interface for Adam in the works for home disc games.

Level 4 systems are at the esoteric end of interactive video. They are characterized by complexity, additional image post-processing, multichannel (up to 32) audio, windowing, digital-screen assembly, etc. Few are driven by single microcomputers. The cost of the videodisc hardware is rather insignificant to the overall price of Level 4 systems. Power and capabilities constantly change, so many features of developing Level 4 systems may be found in smaller systems in the near future.

Commercial and point-of-purchase systems

Whereas most of the training video/ computer applications tend to be used in companies or organizations, commercial uses are finding a broader audience. One emerging application is the pointof-purchase (POP) information presentation in retail stores.

POP computers and peripherals are similar to Level 2 and 3 training systems. A menu is presented on screen or on

(continued)

196 B YTE • JULY 1984

Circle 107 on inquiry card.

Powerful CI^M Software.

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Checks must be in U.S. Dollars and drawn on a U.S. Bank.

□ Check enclosed □ COD if COD add $4.00

□ MasterCard D VISA TOTAI

Card # _

. Exp.

Signature

Ship to: Name. Street

City/St/Zip

CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc. Microsoft is a registered trademark ot Microsoft Corp. TRS-B0 is a registered trademark of Tandy Corp. Apple II is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Osborne is a registered trademark of Osborne Computer Corp. Xerox 820 ts a trademark of Xerox Corp. Kaypro is a trademark of Non-iinear Sys. Heath/Zenith is a trademark of Healh Corp. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Corp Nevada BASIC, Nevada COBOL, Nevada FORTRAN, Nevada PILOT, Nevada EDIT. Nevada PASCAL, and Ellis Computing are trademarks of Ellis Computing. Inc. G 1984 Ellis Computing, Inc.

Circle 128 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 -BYTE

197

VIDEODISCS

Sony should introduce its own videodisc recorder next year, and a single-box system with digital-data decoding from the videodisc.

a printed graphic panel. Viewers punch in the required digit(s) causing the videodisc drive to branch to a motion segment. At its conclusion, either another menu is presented for your selection or the program defaults to the starting menu.

Such systems are satisfactory, but more interesting things are possible when you add computer control. By Video, a Nolan Bushnell start-up, is sampling a kiosk with a videodisc player, touchscreen monitor, keyboard, and credit-card reader. The objective is to use interactive-video catalogs for shopping that is not assisted by human operators. Digital Techniques has introduced its similar Touchcom II intelligent POP/information terminal with options including a videodisc player and credit-card reader. A number of others are about to emerge as well.

Another market niche that rapidly is being filled with offerings is POP in computer stores. Compuvision introduced a POP system at the last COMDEX trade show using an RCA interactive player driven by a Commodore 64 hidden within a stand-up cabinet. Compuvision charges advertisers, whose product information the video player holds, for customers' viewing time in computer stores where the Compuvision machines are located. With expected usage fees, the machines are essentially free to the retailer. The computer keeps track of how often each "commercial" is selected by a customer and periodically transmits this information via modem to substantiate advertiser charges. Being a subsidiary of Softsel. a major software distributor, is a big plus for Compuvision.

Digital Controls has another approach. This company, a manufacturer

of countertop video-arcade games, has been producing integrated training systems with its own Apple interface cards for several years. Digital Controls essentially swapped out the coin mechanism from its 6809-based game machine, added a keypad, and is marketing it as the Learning Center. It creates videodisc training courses for popular software packages, as well as monthly POP demonstration videodiscs for a wide variety of products. Retailers can easily program out products not offered in their stores. Digital Controls claims retailers can pay for the Learning Center in under three months by selling time to train customers to use new software products.

Local Video Recording for Computer Systems

One appeal of the integrated video/ computer system is the practicality of creating custom video material. This is simple with videocassette integrations, because videocassette recording equipment is widely available. Discs present more of a problem. One can make custom laser videodiscs at Sony, 3M, Pioneer, Technidisc, Laser Video, Hitachi, or Sonopress. Expect to pay a $2000 to $3000 master cost plus a perdisc price of $20 or more in low volume. In higher quantities you may pay less than $10 apiece. Most factories require all video material to be submitted on 1-inch videotape.

If you need more confidentiality or security in making discs, or if you need only one disc, there are a number of alternatives. The Panasonic OMDR format uses recordable, preformatted, 20-centimeter diameter, optical discs. Two disc formats are available: 15,000 tracks for the lower-end recorder/ players, and 22,000 tracks for the newest machine that also records in motion with stereo audio. The 15,000-track machines record one frame at a time and have variable playback speeds up to 30 frames per second, but they offer no audio. Panasonic's new $3000 player is being introduced to accompany the recorder/players priced from $20,000 to $30,000.

Other Japanese companies are developing videodisc recorders that are compatible with existing laser videodisc players, but none will introduce products in the U.S. before 1985.

Optical Disc Corporation (ODC) has announced a recorder using its own proprietary, unformatted recordable media. Recorded discs can be played on existing laser videodisc players. The ODC recorder has a base price of about $160,000. ODC is a start-up founded by former associates of DiscoVision.

Dover Instruments sells its Mastermaker for roughly the same price. It can be configured for any format including compact discs. Dover has supplied similar equipment or air-bearing turntables to most of the optical-disc manufacturers in the world.

Note that all the above are for making single masters only. (You can make copies on the OMDR using a recorder and a player for direct transfers.) If you expect to buy a recorder and go into business making any kind of discs, be aware that there are no real sources to sell you duplication equipment. Technically, making masters is easy when compared to the complexity and cost of making copies.

Vertically recorded magnetic videodiscs may be offered at affordable prices before optical-videodisc recorders. One of my Japanese associates showed me a paper comparing the vertical-recording head design and performance of Sony, Matsushita, Sharp, and other videodisc recorders. All the manufacturers reported current data densities four times greater than current optical videodisc densities and claimed to be interested in standardization of recording format. Whether that means a useful floppy videodisc is imminent is speculative.

interactive video Computer Software

Video-enhanced computer systems need good software to take advantage of the user interaction and possible visual capabilities. As with hardware, there has been a noticeable improvement in educational, training, and exhibition software.

Authoring systems deal with the mechanical requirements of running courseware on computers. Author software deals with display creation, response acceptance, analysis of constructed response, and conditional branching. More sophisticated authoring systems deal with broader areas of

{continued)

198 BYTE • IULY 1984

Announcing the Only 97 Function Key

Detached Keyboard for Your

Apple II/Apple II Plus

im sh.fi ,:!■■• V'ff.* C,

•3 it i i

■'> i A

f ...-J... f„.„f.„„f « f .... f „ |«,| f "— f f

ISL

J© i !

Enhance and Upgrade Your Apple 11/Apple II Plus

The new detached keyboard from DATA SPEC™ offers you a convenient, cost-effective upgrade for your Apple ll/Apple II Plus. Experience more versatility than ever before with 97 effortless pre-programmed functions. Functions include basic keywords, operating system commands, CP/M commands and much more. O 20 of the most used functions are conveniently located on a separate keypad for handy access. And all four mathematical functions © sit next to a 10-key numeric pad © for added ease-of-use. Eliminate the need to enter commands manually. Find your programming time cut by 50% or more.

State-of-the-Art Design Keeps You in the Forefront

The new, sleek low-profile design on the DATA SPEC detached keyboard includes a convenient 3-position tilt adjustment © to correspond to your ergonomic needs. Familiar "posi-touch", quality typewriter style keys give you "room to

Circle 341 for Dealer inquiries. Circle 342 for End-User inquiries.

work". Separate LED power-on © and "cap" lock © indicators add to your visual comfort. In addition, a handy 10 foot coiled cable © lets you move your keyboard without the burden

of relocating your computer. And, durability is never compromised in this scientifically formatted design.

You Can Depend On DATA SPEC

The APL-KB-825 detached extension keyboard is brought to you by DATA SPEC, from Alliance Research Corporation where quality, service and reliability have been our primary concerns. See the 97 Function Keyboard at a DATA SPEC dealer in your area, or contact us today for a retailer near you.

■ Suggested List Price: $299.95

■ Warranty-One Year, Parts/Labor

■ Watch for our Apple lie and IBM PC Detached Keyboards Available Soon.

■ Dealer and Distributor Inquiries Welcome.

Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation

QDTTDuOTLlCL,

The Family of High Integrity Computer Support Products

18215 Parthenia Street • Northridge, CA 91325 (818)993-1202

JULY 1984

199

VIDEODISCS

critical concepts and variables, curriculum design, production, and revision. Authoring software can be categorized in levels on the basis of power and sophistication.

Authoring Level 0 includes software that simply controls the operation of the delivery hardware. Usually written in machine language or general-pur

pose language like BASIC or Pascal, this level is useful for single, unique applications where speed of delivery or size of produced code are the overriding factors.

Authoring Level 1 languages have commands and facilities expressly designed to support interactive video, but they require that you understand design

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philosophy and programming languages. Examples of Level I authoring systems include the powerful Tutor language used in Plato. Originally designed in the early 1970s for Control Data Corporation's CDC 6000-series mainframes, succeeding versions have been developed for a number of other computers. The Simpler system running on Modcomp equipment and DEC'S recently announced DAL language for use on its VAX are direct descendants of the original Tutor language. Other examples include Coursewriter, used on the early IBM 1500 and now adapted for microcomputers and variations of the Pilot language that are used on home computers.

Authoring Level 2 provides a selection of elements or templates from which nonprogrammer authors can create lesson content. Some Level 2 authoring systems such as SMS support the structure of the courseware as well as the content. The earliest example of a Level 2 system was TICCIT, which merged video segments into instructional presentations. Other examples of the template approach are the Bell and Howell Pass system (for Apple II), Hazeltine's MicroTICCIT, and many others.

Authoring Level 3 is the most sophisticated type. Its metalanguage defines generic instructional elements that are grouped into sets of tools. It augments the instructional support available at Level 2 for nontechnical authors, where a specialist can design general instructional environments that are compatible with the hardware on which the produced courseware is to execute.

Most known authoring systems restrict users to a specific set of instructional components, yet it is not certain that these will be acceptable to the client or author who must use them. Level 3 systems provide a completely general facility so users can create their own instructional elements, if desired, to augment those supplied by the manufacturer.

An example of a Level 3 system is CDS (Courseware Design System). CDS, originally designed by Dr. James Schuyler in 1973-1975, provides a basic Level 1 language similar in many ways to Tutor, but additionally allows a lesson written in CDS to create or spawn another lesson. Electronic Information

(continued)

«—Circle 185 on inquiry card.

DaisyWheel

Dot Matrix

Thermal

FUJITSU PRINTERS

Yni cartt buy,

fT*\ f U FUJITSU.

more Performance, for me Price.

w and hitrh snppds Anrl Fiiiitsn nrintprs arp sprvirpd h

Finally, there is a full line of quality printers available to meet a variety of needs. And all from a single manufacturer... 4/ FUJITSU. From dependable dot matrix printing to advanced thermal printing, you can't buy more performance for the price. Quality That's Built In: Fujitsu quality is built into every printer manufactured. That quality translates into high reliability (MTBF), versatile print capability, low maintenance, low noise, and high speeds. And Fujitsu printers are serviced by TRW, a nationwide service organization. A Complete Printer Line: Fujitsu's dot matrix printer, with its 24 ^mamm/mm/mgHmmm wire head, offers letter quality printing at 80 CPS. With its ability to also produce draft quality, correspondence quality and a high resolution graphics, the Fujitsu DPL24 leads dot matrix ™

technology. ^_

In daisy technology, Fujitsu's SP830 is the fast est letter quality printer in the industry at 80 CPS. Fujitsu's SP320 daisywheel printer also provides cost effective letter quality printing at medium speeds Fujitsu offers thermal printing with its TTP16 printer. The low-cost printer accepts a wide variety of papers and operates quietly at less than 50 dBA.

Call Us Today: Contact Fujitsu America, Inc., at 408-946-8777 for the printer distributor nearest you.

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(805) 498-5413; Four Corners Technology (602) 998-4440, (505)

821-5185; Gentry Associates, Inc. (305)859-7450, (305) 791

8405, (813) 886-0720, (404) 998-2828, (504) 367-3975, (205)

534-9771, (919) 227-3636, (803) 772-6786, (901) 683-8072,

(615) 584-0281; Hopkins Associates, Inc. (215) 828-7191, (201)

273-2774; Inland Associates, Inc. (913) 764-7977, (612) 343

3123, (314)391-6901; Logon, Inc. (201)646-9222; Lowry

Computer Products, Inc. (313) 229-7200, (216) 398-9200, (614) 451-7494, (513) 435-7684, (616) 363-9839. (412) 922-5110, (502) 561-5629;

MESA Technology Corp (301) 948-4350; NACO Electronics Corp. (315) 699-2651, (518) 899-6246, (716) 233-4490; Peak Distributors, Inc.,

(An affiliate of Dytec/Central) (312) 394-3380, (414) 784-9686, (317) 247-1316, (319) 363-9377; R2 Distributing, Inc. (801) 298-2631,

(303) 455-5360; S&S Electronics, (617) 458-4100, (802) 658-0000, (203) 878-6800, (800) 243-2776; USDATA (214) 680-9700, (512) 454-3579,

(713) 681-0200, (918) 622-8740.

Peripheral Products Division

Quality Lives

Circle 136 on inquiry card.

O 0

0 "Thoughtware,

How Can I Become A More Effective Leader?

I

Thoughtware is new, easy-to-use software

that will help you see and understand how to become a better manager.

It's a unique series of personal,

computer-based management diagnostic and training programs.

How can you become a more effective leader? Thoughtware Program 2.1, "Leading Effectively," will tell you. This four part program has been designed to help managers improve their effectiveness as leaders. It gives you an opportunity to assess your own management style and to compare your results to the self-assessments of other managers.

Unit 1 defines leadership and discusses its three key elements—style, situation and strategy. It stresses the importance of matching the leadership style to the situation and of getting and giving feedback.

Unit 2 is designed to improve your leadership style

® Thoughtware is a

and increase your ability to perform more effectively. You will see the difference between the kinds of power you exert and the importance of using your influence to affect the behavior of others. You'll also learn about three factors affecting your leadership style: the assumptions you make about people, the degree to which you are task- or peopleoriented, and the attitudes you have about the competence of those you supervise.

Unit 3 asks you to analyze a leadership situation you currently face in order to determine what style

registered trademark of the Institute for Management Improvement.

of leadership is appropriate for your particular situation.

Unit 4 offers guidance on how to use eight effective leadership conditions.

To take advantage of the incredible new technology that is Thoughtware, see the adjacent column.

Thoughtware Programs run on the following: IBM* PC and compatibles with color graphics card. Apple9 II Plus and He.

Expanding The Universe Of Learning.

Thoughtware Is The Future.

It's a new way to learn, a logical and innovative approach to management training. It will revolutionize management training now, and in the future. Thoughtware utilizes the latest research in management development from leaders in the field, and has been tested nationally.

For individuals and their organizations, the educational, economic and operational benefits of Thoughtware's computerbased learning programs are enormous. But Thoughtware isn't just the future. Thoughtware Is The Present.

Some of the corporations and organizations who have purchased Thoughtware's Assessing Personal Management Skills Program include:

American Express

American Mgt. Assoc. Apple Computer AT&T Avon

Bankers Life Blue Cross & Blue Shield Bank of Boston Bureau of the Census Chevron USA Ciba-Geigy Citibank City of Dallas Crown Zellerbach Dow Jones Dun & Bradstrcet Du Pont

Ernst & Whinney Exxon

Federal Reserve Bank Fireman's Fund General Electric General Foods Georgia-Pacific Gov't of Canada Gulf Oil Corporation Hewlett Packard Horn & Hardart Hughes Aircraft Co. Husky Oil IBM

Ingersoll-Rand

IRS

Johns Hopkins Univ.

Levi Strauss

Marriott

Marsh & McLennan

Mass. Mutual

McGraw-Hill

MCI

U.S. Navy

NCR

NYU

Owens-Illinois

Owens-Corning

Fiberglas Royal Cup Coffee Sentry Insurance Singapore Embassy Stone & Webster St. Regis Paper Tampax The Nestle Co. The Rouse Co. 3M Corporation TRW

Univ. of Illinois United Parcel Service United Way Univ. of Mass. Westmoreland Coal Westinghouse Corp. Xerox

And hundreds more. What they've learned, you can now discover.

You can reap the benefits of Thoughtware by visiting your local IBM Product Center, computer dealer, or call toll-free 1-800-THT-WARE for the dealer nearest you. Or write:

Thoughtware Inc. Suite S, 2699 So. Bayshore Dr. Coconut Grove, Florida 33133.

Thoughtware Programs include: 1.1 Assessing Personal Management

Skills ($350) 2.3 Defining Goals And Objectives ($450) 2.6 Managing Time Effectively ($450)

Circle 308 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISCS

Table 3: Videodisc pi

zyers available in the U.S. that include computer interface

capability.

Brand

Unit

Worst case

Computer

and model

price

access time

port type

special features

Hitachi

8500

SI 200

6

RS-232C

9500

$1600

3

RS-232C

external sync and subcarrier

Magnavox

8010

$800

17

CAT plug

home model

Philips

VP 832

$1400

5

RS-232C

250-frame instant jump

Pioneer

LD 1100

$800

17

CAT plug

home, top loader

LD 700

$800

12

serial 8-pin DIN

home; front loader

LD VI000

$1200

3

parallel 24-pin

100-frame instant jump

LD V4000

$900

12

serial 8-pin DIN

industrial, front load

PR 8210

$950

17

CAT miniplug

low end industrial

LD V6000

$1600

3

RS-232C

built-in microcomputer

Sony

LDP 1000A

$2500

3

RS-232C

ext. sync and subcarrier

Lasermax

$800

12

serial

home front loader

Sylvania

VP 7200

$800

17

CAT plug

home model

Panasonic

TQ 2020

$18,900

0.5

RS-232C

still video recorder

TO 202!

$18,900

0.5

RS-232C

high-resolution black and white recorder

TQ 2022

$24,900

0.5

RS-232C

videodisc recorder

TO 2023

$34,900

0.5

RS-232C

records motion and stereo

TO 2024

$2985

0.5

RS-232C

player only

Systems Inc. currently develops microcomputer versions of CDS. CDS is unique in that courseware written on one manufacturer's hardware may also be delivered on other equipment as well. Sony recently announced CDS for its VIPS. IBM, Zenith, Terak, and Macintosh versions are expected soon.

Conclusion

The interface between computer and video systems has come a long way over the last few years. There is a positive trend toward greater product commitment from traditional corporations, and better-quality products from well-financed new companies. (Table 3 lists videodisc players available in the U.S. that have computer-interface capability.) In this article I've tried to present a sample range of the developments in this area.

Upcoming developments will include improved performance or less-expensive versions of currently available products. This indicates an expanding market in the future. Further ahead are new areas of technological developments such as vertical-magnetic recording. Some labs are working on solid

state, nonrotating videodiscs (not that farfetched when you consider that the marks on current videodiscs are about the size of the smallest elements in current silicon chips).

Another hotbed of development is multilayer optics used to bend and reflect X rays. Because X rays have shorter wavelengths than visible light, some envision vastly more compact memory devices, including videodiscs. Yet if any of these technological developments reach fruition by the end of the decade, their impact probably will be invisible to the user. The one near-term area of development that could be appreciated by users is the advent of high-resolution video hardware such as 1125-line HDTV (high-definition television). Users who have wanted more RAM in their computers can relate to those who want more resolution in their video.

There has yet to emerge a product that might have the same dynamic effect on the videodisc market that VisiCalc had on the microcomputer market. Yet it is fair to conclude that the quality and range of today's video/computer offerings can satisfy most of today's applications. ■

IULY 1984

I Y T E 203

r

PirtNc

SN740ON SN7401N SN7402N SN7403N SN74Q4N SN7405N SN7406N SN7407N SN7408N SN7409N SN7410N SN7411N SN7412N SrJ7413N SN7414N SN7416N SN74t7N SN742QN SN7421N SN742?N SN7423N SN7425N SN7426N SN7427N SN7428N SN7430N SN7432N SN7437N SN7438N SN7439N SN7440N SN7441N SN7442N SN7443N SN7444N SN744SN SN7446N SN7447N SN7448N SN7450N SN7451N SN7453N SN7454N SN7459N SN7460N SN747GN

74LS00 74LS01 74LS02 74LS03 74LS04 74LS05 74LSG8 74LS09 74LS10 74LS1I 74LS12 74LS13 74LS14 74LS15 74LS20 74LS21 T4LS22 74LS26 74LS27 74LS28 74LS30 74LS32 74LS33 74LS37 74LS38 74LS40 74LS42 74LS47 74LS48 74LS49 74LS51 74LS54 74LS55 74LS73 74LS74 74LS75 74LS76 74LS78 74LS83 74LS85 74LS86 74LS90

74S0O 74S02 74S03 74S04 74S05 74S08 74S09

74S10 74S11 74S15 74S20 74S22 74S30 74S32 74S38 74S40 74551 74S64 74S65 74S74 74SBS 74S86 74S112 74SI13

CA3010H CA3039H CA3046N CA3059N CA3Q60N CA3065E CA3080E

C04( k. CD4I

CD4000 CD4001 CO4O02 CD4006 CD4007 CD4009 CD4010 C04011 CD4012 CD4013 CD4014 CD4015 CD4016 CQ4017 CD4018 CD4019 C04020 CD4021 CD4022 C04023 CD4024 CD4025 CD4026 CD4027 CD4028 CD4029 CD4030 C04034 CQ4035 (More in

Part No. "p

SN7472N

SN7473N

SN7474N

SN7475N

SN7476N

SN7479N

SN7480N

SN7482M

SN7483N

SN7485N

SM74B6M

SN7489N

SN7493N

SN7491N

SN7492N

SN7493N

SN7494N

SN7495N

SN7496N

SM7497N

SN741DON

SN74104N

SN741G5N

SN74107N

5N74109N

SN741I6N

SN74121N

SN74122N

SN74123N

SN74125N

SN74126N

SN74132N

SN74136M

SN74141N

SN74142N

SN74143N

SN74144N

SN74145N

SN74147N

SN74148N

SN74150N

SN74151N

SN74I52N

SN74153N

SN74154N

SN74155N

Number of Pins oi each i C lor (sosy Socket purchatfl Pari No. "Pins Price

SN74156N IB 59

SN74157N 16 .59

SN74160N 16 69

SN74161N 16 69

SN74162N 16 69

SN74163N IS .69

SN74164N 14 69

SN74165N 16 .69

SN74166N 16 .89

SN74167N 16 2 95

SN74170N 16 1 29

SN74172N 24 4 95

SN74173N 16 69

SN74174N 16 69

SN74175N 16 69

SN74176N 14 69

SN74177N 14 .69

SN74179N 1G 149

SN74180N 14 69

SN74181N 24 195

SN74182N 16 1.19

SN74184N 16 2.49

SN74185N 1G 2.49

5N74190N 16 .69

SN74191N 16 .69

SN74192N 16 .69

SN74193N 16 69

SN74194N 16 69

SN74195N 16 69

SN74196N 14 89

SN74197N 14 89

SN74198N 24 1 19

SN74199N 24 1 19

SN74221N 16 1 19

SN74231N 16 .79

SN74276N 20 2 49

SN74279N 16 79

SN74283N 16 1 49

SN74284N 16 2 95

SM74285N 16 2 95

SN74365N 16 55

SN74366N 16 .55

SN74367N 16 55

SN74368N 16 55

SN74390N 16 1.49

SN74393N 14 ? 49

MICROPROCESSOR COMPONENTS

Digitalker

74LS92 74LS93 74LS95 74LS96

74LS107 74LS109 74LS112 74LS113 74LS114 74LS122 74LS123 74LS125 74LS126 74LS132 74LS133 74LS136 74LS138 74LS139 74LS151 74LS153 74LS154 74LS155 74LS156 74LS157 74LS158 74LS160 74LS161 74LS162 74LS163 74LS164 74LS165 74LS168 74LS169 74LS170 74LS173 74LS174 74LS175 74LS161 74LS190

4 .55

4 .55 4 79

4 39 6 .39 6 39 4 39 4 .39 4 49

4 59

4 49 4 59 6 59 4 39

6 79

6 59 6 .59

6 69 6 .69

6 .59

6 69 6 69

6 69 4 .69

6 1.19

6 1.49 6 69

6 69

» 2.95 6 89 6 .89

mwiv.wvM

74LS192 16

74LS193 16

74LS194 16

74LS195 16

74LS197 14

74LS221 16

74LS24Q 20

74LS241 20

74LS242 14

74LS243 14

74LS244 20

74LS245 20

74LS247 16

74LS248 16

74LS249 16

74LS251 16

74LS253 16

74LS257 16

74LS258 16

74LS260 14

74LS266 14

74LS273 20

74LS279 16

74LS283 16

74LS290 14

74LS293 14

74LS296 16

74LS352 16

74LS353 16

74LS365 16

74LS366 16

74LS367 16

74LS368 16

74LS373 20

74LS374 20

74LS375 16

74LS386 14

74LS393 14

74LS399 16

74LS67D 16

81LS95 2D

81LS97 20

74S114 74S133 74S134 74S135 74S136 74S138 74S139 74S140 74S151 74S1S3 74S157 74S158 74S160 74S174 74S175 74S18S' 74S194 74S195 74S196

■^BirurM"

74S243 74S244 74S251 74S253 74S257 74S258 74S260 74S280 74S28774S288" 74S373 74S374 74S38774S47T 74S47274S473' 74S474" 74S475' 74S57074S571" 74S572* 74S573' 74S940 743941

CA3C181N

CA3Q82N 16

CA3083N 16

CA3086N 14

CA3089N 16

CA3096N 16

CA3130E CA3140E CA3160H CA3161E CA3162E CA31B9E CA.3401N

CD4040 CD4041 CD4042 CD4043 C04044 CD4Q46 CD4047 CD4048 CD4049 CD4050 CD4051 CD40S2 CD4053 CD4056 CD4059 CO4O60 CD4066 CD4068 CD4Q69 CD4073 CD4071 CD4072 CD4073 CD4075 CO4076 CO4078 C040B1 CO4082 CD4093

CD4098 16

CD4506 16

CD4507 14

CD4508 24

CD4510 16

CD4511 16

CD4512 16

CD4514 24

CD4515 24

CD4516 16

C04516 16

CD4519 16

CO4520 16

CD4526 16

C04528 16

CD4529 16

CD4543 16

CD4562 14

CD4566 16

CD4583 16

CD4584 14

CD4723 16

CD4724 16

MC14409 16

MC14410 16

MC14411 24

MC14412 16

MC14419 16

MC14433 24

MC14538 16

MC14541 14

MC6M3A MC6520

MC6800 MC68D2CP

•*x.mm

MC6621 MC6828

f/i:h-H3fn ^. MC6850 1! i ' MC6860 MC68000L8

40 CPU ...

40 MPU I2MH7.]

2 40 MPUw/Clock .... 2B 40 MPU w/Clock at 3MHz

40 CPU—8-0it (Inlernal Clock) 1 MHz

40 CPU-B-bit (Eitlema! Clock) 1MH;. . .

N-6 40 MPU-a-Di1(6MHz)

N 40 CPU-Sgl cfiip8-bit(128Ms.Ram) ..

N-6 40 CPU (256 bytes RAMI

N 40 CPU(64CylesRAM) . .

N 40 CPU w/Basic Micro Interpreter

40 CPU . .

40 CPU 16-bit 5MHz . ...

40 CPU8/16-bit

40 HMOS RAM I/O Port-Timer

40 HMOS EPROM MPU

-Z80. Z80A, Z80B. Z8Q00 SERIES

40 CPU(MK3880N)(780C)2MH?

28 Counler Timer Circuit

T 40 Dual Asynchronous Rec/Trans

\ 40 Direct Memory Access Circuit

40 Parallel I/O interface Controller

/Q 40 Seriall/OITxCBandRxCBBondect) .

/i 40 Serial I/O (Lacks DTRB)

72 40 Serial I/O (Lacks SYNCB)

/9 40 Serial I/O

40 CPU(MK3880N-4)(780C-1)4MHz

C 28 Counter Timer Circuit

RT 40 Dual Asynchronous Rec /Trans.

tA 40 Direct Memory Access Circuit . . .

3 40 Pafallei I/O Interface Controller .. .. 0/0 40 Serial I/O (TxCB and RxCB bonded) . 0/1 40 Senall/0(LacksDTRB)

0/2 40 Seriall/OfUcksSYNCB). ..

0/9 40 Serial 1/0

40 CPU(MK3880N-6)6MHz

C 28 Counter Timer Circuit

.RT 40 DualAsynch Receiver/Transmitter

D 40 Parallel 170 Interface Controller . .

48 CPU Segmented

40 CPU Itan-Segmented

40 Serial Comm Controller

40 Counter/Timer & Parallel I/O Unit .

6500/6800/68000 SERIES —

40 MPU Wffll Clock and RAM (2MHzj

4D Peripheral inter Adapler .

40 MPU

40 MPU with clock and RAM

u. •- n I Mr M ;;.:■: /?■.: SV6522

TMS5501

INS3080A

INS8154

8156

INS82C06

OP8212

OP8214

OP8216

OP8224

DP8226

DP8228

DP8238

INS8243

INS8245

INS8246

INS8247

INS8248

INS8250N

DP8251

DP8253

DP8255

OP8257

0P8259

DP8275

DPB279

DP8303

DP8310

8741

8755

Adapt (MC6820).

24 Priority Interrupt Controller

24 1024xB-ijitROM|MC68A30-8:

24 Asynchronous Comm Adapter

24 Synchronous Se'if] ri.ir.i A(i;i|..;e'

24 0-600t)ps Digital MODEM

64 MPU 16Bilf8MHz) ...

40 General Purpose inl Adapter .

40 Multi. Protocol Comm Controller

26 Enhanced Prog Comm. Int. . ....

24 64K EPROM (450ns)

40 Peripheral inter Adapter

— 8080A SERIES

Synchronous Daia Interface(SIRC) ..

CPU

128ByteRAM16-Bitl/0

RAM with I/O Port and Timer .. . Octal D Flip Flop Trl-State (74C374)

8-bit input/Output (74S412)

Priority Interrupt Control . .

Hi-rVei:!mna! Bus Driver

Clock Generator/Driver ,

Bus Driver

System Com./Bus Driver (74S428] :rystem rowolie; i .MS438) . . .

I/O fancier lor 48 Series

'6-Key Keyboard Encoder (74C922) 20-Key Keyboard Encoder .VJC'JL'jj L:i'.,pl.;vL.oii!'uie: (7.1C911) ....

Display Controller [74C912)

Asyn. Comm Elemeni .... Prog. Comm. IZO(USART) . .. .

Prog interval Timer

Prog Peripheral I/O (PPI)

Prog DMA Control

Prog Interrupt Control .., ,. . .

Prog. CRT Controller

Prog. Keyboard /Display interface s-B'i! *n-State Bi-Directionai Trans. . H &■! i.ii U.!:;c:iO'i,!i Receiver 8-btt Bi-Directionai Receiver ..

B-Dit Bi-Direciional Receiver ,

Octal Latched Peripheral Driver 8-oit Umv. Peripheral Interface .... 16K EPROM with I/O

INS1771-i

FD1791

FD1793

FD1795

FD1797

DSQ025CN

DSCJ026CN

INS2651

MC3470P

MM58167AN

MM58174AfJ

COP402N

C0P402MN

COP470N

MM5369AA/N MM5369EST

- DISK CONTROLLERS

40 Single Density

40 Single/Dual Density (lnv.|

40 Single/Double Density iTrue)

40 Opal Density/Side Select (Inv.)....

40 Dual Density/Side Select True

- SPECIAL FUNCTION

8 Dual MOS Clock Unver(5MZ)

B Dual MOS Clock Driver (5M2)

28 Communication Chip

18 Floppy Disk Read Amp System 24 Microprocessor Real Time Clock . 16 Micro. Compatiole Time Clock . 40 Microcontroller w/64-digit RAM

and Direct LED Drive 40 Microprocessor w/64'digit RAM . . & Direct LED Drive w/N Buss Inl. 20 32-seg VAC Fluor. Drvr. (20-pin pkg }

B Prog. Osciilatoi/Divider (60H;i.. .

B Prog Oscillator/Divider (100Hz]

..16.95 29 95 .29.95 29.95 29 95

4027

4116N-2

4116N-3

4116N-4

4164N-150

4164N-200

MM5261

MM5262

MM5270

MM5J80

MMi^'i ;■

MM'^gii :■.

MM5290-4

MM5298-3

■•Pins DYNAMIC RAMS

18

16 16,384*1 (150ns;

16 16,384x1 (200ns) .

16 16,384x1 (250ns)

16 65,536xt (150ns)

16 65.536x1 (200ns)

IB 1024x1 (300ns)

22 2048x1 (365ns). . .

18 4096xt (250ns) MK4096

22 4096x1 (200ns) 2107 .

16 16.384x1 (150ns)

16 16,384x1 (20Gns)

16 16,384x1 (250ns)

16 8192x1 (200ns)

-STATIC RAMS

(650ns)

(450ns)8101

(350ns).

(450ns) L P.

(450ns)8111 ..

(450ns) MOS ..

(450ns)

1.49-8/10.95

6.95-8/49.95

5.95-8/44.95

.49-8/1 95

1101 16 256x1

2101 22 256x4

2102 16 1024x1 21L02 16 1024x1

2111 18 256x4

2112 16 256x4 2114 18 1024x4 2114L 18 1024x4 (450ns)L 2114-2 18 1024x4 (200ns) 2114L-2 16 1024x4 (200ns)L

2147 18 4096x1 (70ns)

2148 IB 1024x4 (70ns)

TMS4045 18 1024x4 (450ns)

TMS40L47-45 20 1024x4 (450ns)

22 256x4 (450ns) CMOS

IB 4096-1 (450ns)4044

24 2048x8 (150ns)CMOS .

24 2048x8 1200ns) CMOS .

24 2048x8 (200ns) L.P. CMOS

•" "'92x8 (150ns) CMOS

MM5257 HM6116P-3 MMt:ihP4 HM6116LP

l-Mr/hl!'-

27LS00

7489

74C920

74C921

74C929

74C930

74S189

74S200

74S206

74S289

82S10

82S25

16 256x1 (80ns) LP

16 16x4 (50ns) 3101

22 256x4 (250ns)

1B 256x4 (250ns) CMOS

16 1024x1 (250nslCM0Si6ljO';.

18 1024x1 (2S0ns)CM0S165!8)

16 16x4 (35ns] 93405

16 256x1 (80ns)93410

16 256x1 (60ns)93411

16 16x4 (35ns) 3101

16 1024x1 (50ns) OC (93415)

16x4 (50ns)O.C.(74S289) .

PflOMS/EPROMS

16

1702A 24 256x8

2708 24 1024x8 (450ns). .3.95

2708-5 24 1024x8 (550ns) SM00246 2.95

TMS2516 24 2048x8 (450ns) 2716 5.95

TMS2532 24 4096x8 (450ns) NMC2532 .6.95

TMS2564 26 8192x8 (450ns) . 14.95

TMS2716 24 2048x8 (450ns) 3 voltage . .9.95

2716 24 2048x8 (450ns) ...4.85

2716-1 24 2048x8 (350ns) .. . .5.95

27160.-5 24 2048x8 (550ns) .4.49

2732 24 4096X8 (450ns) 6.95

2732A-3 24 4096xB (300ns) 7.95

2732A-4 24 4096xB (450ns)21V 6.95

2732Q-4 24 4096x8 (550ns) 5 95

27580-A 24 1024x8 (450ns) ..2.95

2764-4 2B 8192x8 (450ns) 9.95

2764-3 26 8192x8 (300ns) 14.95

MM52040 24 512x8(1us) .4.95

MCM68764 24 8192x8 (450ns) . . .24.95

27128 28 16,384X8 (450ns) !28K EPROM .59.95

74S188 16 32x8 PROMO.C (6330-1) . .1.49

74S287 16 256x4 PROM T S (6301-1) .195

74S2B8 16 32x8 PROM T.S. (6331-1) . .1.95

74S387 16 256x4 PROM 0 C (6300-1) .1.95

745471 20 256x8 PROM T S (6309-1) 5 95

745472 20 512x8 PROM T.S. (6349-1). ...4.95

745473 20 512x8 PROM OC (6348) .4 95

745474 24 512x8 PROM T.S IOM87S296M) .4.95

745475 24 512x8 PROM 0 C (63401 4 95

745476 16 1024x4 PROMTS 6.95 74S478 24 1024x8 PROM t.S 8.95

745570 16 512x4 PROM OC (6305) ..2.95

745571 16 512x4 PROM !S (6306) 2.95

745572 IB 1024x4 PROM OC (6352) . ..4.95

745573 18 1024x4 PROM T.S. (82S137) .4.95 82S23 16 32x8 PROM O.C. (27S18) .2 95 B2S115 24 512xB PROM T.S. (27S15) .9.95 82S123 16 32x8 PROM T S (27Sl9j ?. 9r> 82S126 16 256x4 PROM OC (27S201 . 2.95

825129 16 256x4 PROM T S i2/S21i 2 95

825130 16 512x4 PROM 0 C (27S12) 3 95 82S185 16 2048x4 PROM T S (TBP24S81) 9 95

825190 24 2048x8 (80ns) 14.95

825191 24 2048x8 (80ns) 14.95 DM87S180N 24 1024x8 PROM O.C (82S1B0) ...9,95 DM87S1B1N 24 1024x8 PROM T.S. (82S181) .. . .9.95 0M87S184N 18 2048x4 PROM 0 C (82S184) . . 9.95 DM87S185N IB 2048x4 PROM T.S. (82S185) . 9.95 DM87S190N 24 2048x4 PROM O.C. (82S190) . 14.95 DM87S191N 24 2048x8 PROM T S. (B2S191) 14.95

DATA ACQUISITION

OC10 Mostek DC/DC Convert. +5VIO-9V 2.95

MC3470P 18 Floppy Disk Read AMP Sysiem . 4.95

MC1408L7 16 7-bit D/A Converter (DAC0807LCN) .1.49

MC1408L8 16 8-bit D/A Converter (DAC0808LCN) 2.25

ADCOAO.HI. C\ 20 8-bit A/D Converter (± 1 /?L3B) 4.95

ADC0804 208-bilA/DConverter(1LSB). . 3.49

OAC0806 16 8-bit D/A Converter (0 78% Lin ) . .1.95

ADC0809 28 8-bit A/D Converter (8-Ch Multi.) 4.49

ADC0817 40 B-Dit A/D Converter (1B-Cn. Mmni ) ■ . .9,95

OAC1000 24 10-bil D/A Conv Micro Comp. (0.05%) 7.95

DAC1008 20 10-bil D/A Conv. Micro Comp. iO 20%) 6.95

OAC1020 16 10-bilO/AConv.(0 05%Lin.) . . .7.95

OAC1022 16 10-bil D/A Conv (0.20% Lin.) 5.95

DAC1222 18 12-biiO/A Conv. (0.20% Lin.) . . .6.95

LM334Z Constant Current Source ...1,19

LM335Z Tempera lure Transducer 1.40

LM399H Temp. Comp. Prec. Rel. ( 5Dpm/C°) .5.00

AY-5-1013A 403OKB,urJU4rimn602l 3.95

LOW PROFILE (TIN) SOCKETS

22 pin LP 24 pin LP 28 pin LP 36 pin LP

SOLDERTAIL (GOLD) STANDARD

8 pin SG 14 pin SG 16 pin SG

36 p

ST

■0 WW

SOLDERTAIL STANDARD (TIN)

18 pin S 20 pin S

24 pin S

WIRE WRAP SOCKETS (GOLD) LEVEL #3

1-9 10-99 100-up

40 pin ■

$10.00 Minimum Order — U.S. Funds Only California Residents Add 6Vz% Sales Tax Shipping — Add 5% plus $1.50 Insurance Send S.A.S.B. tor Monthly Sales Flyer!

Spec Sheets — 30c each Send $1.00 Postage for your FREE 1984 JAMECO CATALOG Prices Subject to Change

MasterCard

DT1050 — Applications: Teaching aids, appliances, clocks, automotive, telecommunications, language translations, etc.

The DT105O is a standard DIGITALKER kit encoded with 137 separate and useful words, 2 tones, and 5 different silence durations. The words and tones have been assigned discrete addresses, making It possible to output single words or words concatenated into phrases or even sentences. The "voice" output of the OT1050 is a highly intelligible male voice. Female and children's voices can be synthesized. The vocabulary is chosen so that it is applicable to many products and markets.

The DT105O consists of a Speech Processor Chip, MM54104 (40-pin) and two (2) Speech ROMs MM52164SSR1 and MM52164SSR2 (24-pin) along with a Master Word list and a recommended schematic diagram on the application sheet.

DT1050 Digitalker™ $34.95 ea.

MM54104 Processor Chip $14.95 ea.

DT1057-Expands the DT1050 vocabulary from 137 to over 260

words. Includes 1 ROMs and specs.

PartNo.pTi057 $24.95 ea.

Part No. "Pins Function

■llftlJTilrggJIIIII

'turn

Price

7045IPI

7045EV/KII"

7106CPL

FE0203D

71Q6EV/KJP

7107CPL

7107EWKit*

7116CPL

7201IUS

7205IPG

7205EV/KB*

7206CJPE

720(5CEV/Kit*

7207AIPD

72Q7AEV/Kif

7215IPG

7215EV/KI1*

7216AIJI

7216DIPI

7217UI

7217AIPI

7224IPL

7226AEV/Ki1*

CMOS Precision Timer

Stopwatcti Chip. XTL . .

3Vi Digit A/D (LCD Drive)

m Digit LCD Display tar 7106 & 7116

IC. Circuit Board. Display

31/? Digit A/D (LEO Drive)

IC. Circuit Board. Display

3V: Digit A/D LCD Dis. HLD

Low Battery Veil Indicator . . CMOS LED Stopwatch /Timer

Slopwatcn Ciiip. XTL . . .

Tone Generator ...

Tone Generator Chip. XTL ......

Oscillator Controller

Prep. Counter Chip. XTL . . dfunc CMOSSIopwatchCKT 4Func. Stopwatch Chip. XTL . . SDigilliniv. CounlerC.A.

8 Digit Freq. Counter CC

4 Digit LED Up/Down Counter C A

4 Digit LEO Up/Down Counter CC. LCD 47* Digit Up Counter DB1

5 Function Counter Chip, XTL

. 19.95

. 34.95

..11.95 29.95 16.95

130009 19B3 INTERSIL Data Book yy: .

. .10.95 74 96

$9.95 ]

, 74HC High Speed CMOS

1355 SHOREWAY ROAD, BELMONT, CA 94002 7/84 PHONE ORDERS WELCOME — (415) 592-8097 Telex: 176043

74HC0O 74HC0O

74HC0? 74HC03 74HC04 74HCU04 74HCQ8 74HC10 74HC11 74HC14 74HC20 74HC27 ?4HC30 74HC32 74HC42 74HC51 74HC5S 74HC73 74HC74 74HC75 74HC76 74HC35 74HCB6 74HC107 74HC109 74HC112 74HC113 74HC132 74HC137 74HC13B

"t'lrny 74HC147 74HC151 .'4HC1!>:i -'.INI" 1 '>: 74HC157 74HC158 74HC160 74HC161 74HC162 ;.:nnih;i

/JHCIhJ /■IHf.lhS

74HC'n

74HC174

7MC-ib MHCI* 74HC193 /■IHCI'M 74HC195 /4HCiM7 /WW. /4HK4! 7W.:;>4? /■1HCM

mh(.;m.i /ihc:-m;-.

7JHC":;1

74HC253

74HCU04

74CO0 74C02 74C04 74C08 74C10 74C14 74C20 74C30 74C32 74C42 74C48 74C73 74C74 74C85 74C86 74CB9 74C90 74C93

mad'.i.i ■

74HC2b7 74HC259 74HC266 74HC273 74HC280 74HC299 74HC366 74HC367 74HC373 74HC374 74HC390 74HC393 74HC533 74HC534 74HC595 74HC688 74HC4Q0? 74HC4017 74HC4020 7W.im /4HCJ04i: 74HC4060 74HC4075 7MC4!17!' 74HC4511 MMC4S14 /4HC4;v* 74HC4543

imbuMered AH oihers are butlerefl.

74C95 74C107 74C151 74C154 74C157 74C160 74C161 74C162 74C163 74C154 74C173 74C174 74C175 74C192 74C193 74C195

74C221

74C24D 74C244 74C373 74C374 74C901 MC903 74C906 74C911 MC912 74C915 74C917 74C922 74C923 74C92b 74C926 80C95 80C97

TL071CP

.79

■ Ml

T

;■

LM739N

14

1%

TL072CP

1.39

^H2ul

■1

wM

LM741CN

a

.35

TL074CN 14 1.95

LM747N

14

HW

TL081CP

.59

LM341P-I5

.75

LM748N

a

m

TL082CP

1.19

LM342P-5

.69

LM1310N

14

1.49

TL084CN 14 1.95

LM342P-12

MC1330AI

a

1%

LM301CN

.35

LM342P-15

.69

HC1349

a

1/9

LM302H

1.95

LF347N

14

1.49

MC1350

a

14.9

LM304H

1.95

LM348N

14

99

MC135B

14

1%

LM305H

.99

LM350K

4.95

LM1456V

B

195

LM30.7CN

.45

LF351N

H

.60

LM1458CN

a

59

LM308CN

.59

LF353N

1

1.00

LM148BN

rW

LM309K

1.25

LF355N

■

1.10

LM1489N

HH

LM309H

1.95

LF356N

B

1.10

LM1496N

14

195

LM310CN

1.75

LM358N

a

.69

LH1605CK

995

LM311CN

.69

LM359N

14

1.79

LM1800N

H

V49

LM312H

2.49

LM370N

14

4.49

LM1871N

IB

29h

LM317T

1.19

LM373N

14

3.95

LM1872N

18

Mb

LM317K

3.95

LM377N

1.95

LM1877N-9

14

24H

LM318CN

1.95

LM380CN

R

1.10

LM18B9N

18

??h

LM3I9N 1

1.95

LM3B0N

.89

LM1896N

295

LM320K-5

1.35

LM3B1N

14

1.79

LM2002T

1.95

LM320K-12

1.35

LM382N

14

1.39

ULN2003A

IB

m

LM320K-15

1.35

LM384N

14

1.79

XH2206

IB

H9h

LM320K-24

1.35

LM386N-3

.89

XF12207

14

29h

LM320T-5

.89

LM387N

B

.89

XR220B

IB

249

LM320T-12

LM389N

IB

1.19

XR2211

14

H%

LM32QT-15

.89

LM391N-80

IB

1.19

LM2877P

I.flfl

LM320T-24

.89

LM392N

a

LM2878P

295

LM322N 14 1,65

LM398N

a

3.95

LM2901N

14

Mr

LM323K

5.95

LM399H

5.00

LM2902N

14

LM324N 14 .59

TL494CN

te

3.S5

LM2907N

14

249

LM329DZ

.65

TL496CP

a

1.19

LM3189N

IB

15H

LM331N

3.95

NE531V

a

2.95

LM3900N

M

54

LM3347

1.19

NE544N

14

2.95

LM3905CN

a

11»

LM3352

1.40

NE550A

1.95

LM3909N

8

W

LM336Z

1.19

NE555V

a

.35

LM3914N

ia

295

LM337MP

1.15

XR-L555

8

.59

LM3915N

IB

295

LM337T

1.95

LM556N

14

LM3916N

18

295

LM336K

695

NE564N

IB

2.95

RC4136M

14

12h

LM339N 14 .69

LM565N

M

1.19

RC4151NB

B

1H.S

LM340K-5

1.35

LM566CN

a

1.49

RC4194TK

449

LM340K-12

1.35

LM567V

a

.99

LM4250CN

8

129

LM340K-15

1.35

NE570N

IB

3.95

LM4500A

IK

1.95

LM340K-24

1.35

NE571N

11

2.95

NE5532

244

LM340T-5

.79

LM703CN

a

1.19

NE5534

a

1 KM

LM340T-12

.79

LM709N

.49

ICL8038B

14

H%

LM340M5

.79

LM710N

14

.69

LM13080N

a

119

LM340T-24

.79

LM711N

14

.79

LM13600N

IB

1 1W

LM341P-5

.75

LM723N

14

.55

7S477

HI

it MS

LM341P-12

75

LM733N

14

1.00

ma WUUBLE

30003 1982Nat.LinearDataBookn952pgs) $11.95

204 B YTE • )ULY 1984

Circle I66 on inquiry card.

HOME COMPUTER ACCESSORIES

RS232 ADAPTER FOR VIC-20 AND COMMODORE 64

KEYBOARDS

The JE232CM allows connection of standard RS232 printers, modems, etc. to your VIC-20 and C- 64 A 4 pole switch allows the inversion of the 4 control lines. Complete installation and operation instructions included.

• Hugs into User Port ■ Provides Standard RS232 signal levels ■ Uses 6 signals (Transmit, Receive, Clear to Send, Request to Send, Data Terminal Ready, Data Set Ready).

JE232CM $39.95

VOICE SYNTHESIZER FOR APPLE AND COMMODORE

mm JE520AP

JE520CM

• Over 250 word vocabulary-affixes allow the formation of more than 500 words • Built-in amplifier, speaker, volume control, and audio jack • Recreates a clear, natural male voice • Plug-in user ready with documentation and sample software • Case size: 7VL x 3V4'"W x 1-3/8"H

APPLICATIONS: * Security Warning • Telecommunication

• Teaching ■ Handicap Aid

• Instrumentation • Games

The JE520 VOICE SYNTHESIZER will plug ngnt into your computer and allow you to enhance almost any application. Utilizing National Semiconductor's DIGITALKER Speech Processor IC (with four custom memory chips), the JE520 compresses natural speech into digital memory, including the original inflections and emphases. The result is an extremely clear, natural vocalization.

Part No. Description Price

JE520CM For Commodore 64 & VIC-20 $114.95

JE520AP Far Apple II. Il-f. and ffe $149.95

i <■ '<-■■■' \c«2>"£T"

■I' W

JE664 EPROM PROGRAMMER

8K to 64K EPROMS - 24 & 28 Pin Packages

Completely Selt-Contiined - Hequires No Additional Systems for Operation

■ Programs and validates EPROMs • Checks tor properly erased EPROMs

■ Emulates PROMs or EPROMs • RS232C Computer interface tor editing and program loading ■ Loads data into RAM by keyboard ■ Changes data in RAM bykeybdard ■ Loads RAM from an EPROM ■ Compares EPROMs for content differences ■ Copies EPROMs -Power Input: 115VAC, 60Hz. less than 10W power consumption • Enclosure: Color-coordinated, light tan panels with molded end pieces in mocha brown ■ Size: 15VL x 8VD * 3 VH ■ Weight: 5* lbs.

HI-TEK 14-KEY NUMERIC KEYPAD

■ Great keypad for many home and business computer applications - SPST switching - Mounted on PC. board ■ Size 5" L x 3" W x IV H

■ Color: Grey ■ Weight: 1 lb ■ Spec available

K-14 $9.95

m

Hi III H T II

UJ U;J..f w *

13VLx4VWx VH

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The JE664 EPROM Programmer emulates artd programs various 8-Bit Word EPROMs Irom 8K lo 64K-BH memory capacity. Data can be eniererJ into tne JE664's internal 8K x 8-Bit RAM in three ways: (l| tram a ROM or EPROM; (2) Horn an external computer via the oolional JE665 RS?32C 8US; (3) Irom its panel keyboard The JE664's RAMs may te accessed tor emulation purposes

Irpm the panel:, trat sockih to an ■•xIe'iimI i-'ii.iuiin.ves/ini In [.:- in;i;ir g .ir.;1 ijiiijI.iniv the

JE664 allows for examination, change and validation ol urogram content. The JE664's RAMs ;an he programmed quickly to all "1 "s (or any value), allowing unused addresses in the EPROM !o be programmed laler withoul necessity ol "UV" erasing. The JE664 displays DATA and ADDRESS in convenient hexadecimal (alphanumericI formal. A -DISPLAY EPROM DATA" button chanties the DATA readout Irom RAM word to EPROM word and is displayed in Both hexadecimal and binary code. The Irani panel leatures a convenient operating guide. The JE664 [rammer includes one JM16A Jumpe< Module (as listed below).

JE664-A EPROM Pro°nn.mer $995.00

Assembled S Tested (Includes JM16A Module)

JE665 - BS232C INTERFACE OPTION - The RS232C Interface Option implements

compute' access to the JE.6ri<l's HAM Thus niiows the I'lunipuii." to manipulate, store and iransler EPROM data to and Irom the JE664, A sample urogram listing is supplied in MBASIC 1st CP/M computers. Documentation is provided lo adapt the software lo other computers with an RS232 port. 9600 Baud, B-bil word, odd parity and 2 Stop bits

FOR A LIMITED TIME A SAMPLE OF SOFTWARE WRITTEN IN BASIC FOR THE TRS-80" MODEL I, LEVEL II COMPUTER WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED

JE664-ARS EPROM Prog w/JE665 Option $1195.00

Assembled « Tested (includes JM16A Module)

EPROM JUMPER MODULES - The JK64's JUMPER MODULE (Personality Modulei is a piug-m Module that pre-sels the JE664 lor the proper programming pulses lo the EPROM and configures the EPROM socket connections lor that particular EPROM.

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ASTEC SWITCHING REGULATED POWER SUPPLY

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• Size: 15" L x 3V W x 2W H • Weight: 2'a lbs.

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JE750 Alarm Clock Kit $29.95

DISK DRIVES AND SUPPLIES

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IBM MEMORY EXPANSION KIT COMPAQ COMPATIBILITY

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TRS-80 MEMORY EXPANSION KIT

TRS-80 to 16K, 32K, or 48K

"Model 1 = From 4K to 16K Hequires (1) One Kit

Model 3 = From 4K to 4BK Requires (3) Three Kits Color m From 4K to !6K Requires (1) One Kit

"Model 1 equipped with Expansion Board up to 48K Two Kill Required — One Kit Required for each 1GK ol Expansion —

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TRS-80 Color 32K or 64K Conversion Kit

Easy to install kits comes complete with 8 ea. 4164-2 (200ns) 64K dynamic RAMs and conversion documentation Converts TRS-80 color computers with D, E, ET f and NC circuit boards to 32K Also converts TRS-80 color computer II to 64K Flex DOS or OS-9 required to utilize lull 64K RAM on all computers. TRS-64K2 $44.95

UV-EPROM Eraser

8 Chips — 51 Minutes

| 1 Chip — 37 Minutes

Erases 2708, 2716. 2732, 2764. 251E. 2532. 2564. Erases up to 8 chips within 51 minutes (1 chip in 37 minutes). Maintains constant exposure distance of one inch. Special conductive foam liner eliminates static build-up. Built-in safety lock to prevent UV exposure. Compact — only 9.00" x 3.70" x 2.60". Complete with holding tray for 8 chips.

DE-4 UVEPROM Eraser . . UVS-11EL Replacement Bulb

s79.95 .

516.9^/

Circle 166 on inquiry card.

IULY I984

I YT E

205

COHERENT™ IS SUPERIOR TO UNIX*

AND IT'S AVAILABLE TODAY

ON THE IBM PC.

Mark Williams Company hasn't just taken a mini-computer operating system, like UNIX, and ported it to the PC. We wrote COHERENT ourselves. We were able to bring UNIX capability to the PC with the PC in mind, making it the most efficient personal computer work station available at an unbelievable price.

For the first time you get a multi-user, multitasking operating system on your IBM PC. Because COHERENT is UNIXcompatible, UNIX software will run on the PC under COHERENT.

The software system includes a C-compiler and over 100 utilities, all for $500. Similar environments cost thousands more.

COHERENT on the IBM PC requires a hard disk and 256K memory. It's available on the IBM XT, and Tecmar, Davong and Corvus hard disks.

Available now. For additional information, call or write,

Mark Williams Company

1430 West Wrightwood, Chicago, Illinois 60614

312/472-6659

Mark

Williams

Company

COHERENT is a trademark of Mark Williams Company.

•UNIX is as trademark of Bell Laboratories. Circle 327 on inquiry card.

THEME

CONTROLLING VIDEODISCS WITH

MICROS

by Rod Daynes and Steve Holder

A programming example in BASIC for the Song SMG70

SUPPOSE YOU WANT to control a laser videodisc player with a personal computer, perhaps to create a game. And suppose you happen to have a constant angular velocity (CAV) version of an adventure movie (there are some good candidates available in this category). [Editor's Note: Ik any instance in which you use a copyrighted videodisc you may have to obtain a license from the copyright owner.} This article will give you a few pointers on what to look for and how to get started. In addition, a sample listing is included to demonstrate a few strategies for actually coding your creation.

Listing 1 is written for Sony's SMC-70 (system monitor controller) system, which includes Sony's Z80A-based computer with two 3.5-inch microfloppy disk drives, CP/M (R) operating system, an overlay (SMI-7073 RGB |red-green-blue] Superimposer), and an RGB/NTSC (National Television System Committee) monitor (PVM 1270Q), serially interfaced to the Sony LDP-1000A videodisc player. You can also use the LDP-1000, version 1.7 and newer versions.

The listing was written in Sony's Disk BASIC, which links a videodisc utility called "VX.PAC" (video extension package). VX.PAC includes all of the video

disc control commands designed specifically for the LDP-1000A disc player (an updated version of the utility just released also includes controls for Sony's still-frame audio unit and touchscreen). Sony also has a cache disk (disk emulator), which we did not have with our system.

VX.PAC has all of the commands you would expect for controlling a disc player. They include: LDPINIT, call videodisc intitialize; LDPOUT, call videodisc commands out: LDPDSEG, call videodisc define segment (a segment can be one frame long): LDPXSEG, call videodisc execute segment: LDPSSEG, call videodisc start playing segment; LDPSRCH, call videodisc search: LDPFRM, call videodisc frame:

Rod Daynes is vice president and principal of Interactive Technologies Corporation of San Diego, California. He is interested in videodiscbased games and simulations and is author of "The Videodisc interfacing Primer'.' ]une 1982 BYTE, page 48.

Steve Holder is a programmer and author of two books. Elements of BASIC and Elements of COBOL.

Both authors may be contacted through ITC at 1131 G Street. San Diego. CA 92101.

LDPSTART, call videodisc start: LDPWA1T, call videodisc wait: LDPEND call videodisc end: LDPSTAT call videodisc status: and LDPDISCID call videodisc identification.

Commands for controlling the superimposer (overlay) include: INTSET, call interlace mode set: ASW, call audio switch: and VSW, call video switch.

You control the graphics display (which supports Sony's graphics package in the superimpose mode) by invoking: GLOAD, call graphic load: SLFONT call select font: and TEXT, call text.

Particularly useful commands resident in the VX.PAC utility are: LDPEND, which holds the execution of a program until a particular video sequence has been completed: LDPFRM, a frame status request that can be used for timed waits: LDPSTAT, which reads all kinds of status from the LDP-1000 (or LDP-1000A) videodisc player: and LDPWAIT which holds execution of the BASIC program until the disc frame number comes up.

A nice feature of the SMC-70 is that it is totally integrated with the LDP-1000A player, which is entirely capable of dealing with commands. You can

[continued)

IULY 1984

I Y T E 207

VIDEODISC CONTROL

tell the player to do something, e.g.. play to the end of a sequence, and go on about your business. You do not have to keep your eye on it all the time.

Before You Begin

First of all, a CAV laser disc is required. Superior to constant linear velocity (CLV) laser discs for interactive video, CAV discs are frame addressable. Thus, they can use all the inherent functions of a laser disc, including fast frame accurate access, freeze frame, variable motion control, and frame step. In addition, they can handle data dumps from the second audio track, from the vertical interval, and from horizontally nested data. CLV discs, on the other hand, are not frame addressable, which eliminates the possibility for any meaningful external control.

However, CAV movie discs are harder to come by and more expensive. This is because CAV discs can only store about 30 minutes of linear footage per side. CLV discs can store roughly 60 minutes per side.

With CLV discs, less raw material is needed and movies can be pressed in less time, thus they are considered more economical by mastering facilities and distributors.

Until recently, CLV movie discs were a source of frustration for computer hobbyists and film buffs. Fortunately, several significant new releases are now available in both CLV and CAV formats, with more on the way.

Creating an interactive program from an existing movie can be almost impossible because some of the desired sequences are not on the disc. One de

„ (SUBROUTINES)

0

145

150

e

170 CHAIN MERGE

o a 190 (MAIN PROGRAM)

150

0

170

•

o

190 (MAIN PROGRAM)

TYPICAL PROGRAM. WHEN ENTERED

PROGRAM AFTER SUBROUTINE SET IS MERGED

Figure 1: Merging the subroutine set.

PREVIOUS PROGRAM

170 MERGE

SUBSET

CHAIN 170

170 MERGE

SUBSET

CHAIN 170

170 MERGE

SUBSET

CHAIN 170

•TO NEXT PROGRAM

Figure 2: Chaining the demonstration modules.

velopment strategy is to let the program (game) grow naturally from the movie itself. After you decide on an objective (to "get the waiter to notice you," for example), take some time to separately catalog the desired edits, both the "ins" and the "outs". Next, determine which of these edits can be reassembled into entirely new scenes. Flowchart these segments so you can visualize all the various outcomes. After that you can write your program.

Be aware that the pacing and style of your program is just as important in an interactive mode as it is in a linear mode. Do not become a slave to the logic of your flowcharts. Long search times and short choppy sequences can be deadly. So become a film editor and try several alternatives before you commit yourself to a particular strategy. The operative word here is "orchestrate."

The Demonstration Program

There are nine modules in the demonstration program (eight programs and one subset). This is due to restricted memory space. When one program has been completed successfully, the computer calls the next program via the CHAIN statement, passing variable values, such as the score. We structured the programs so that any one of them could be run separately. For example, you can begin the program in the middle if you implement the command RUN "TURN2." Or you can skip the title sequence and use RUN "FIRSTSEQ."

Since we divided the demonstration into separate programs, we faced the problem of writing the same set of subroutines in every program, with the exception of the TITLE program, which did not use any of the subroutines. To solve this redundancy/overhead problem, we wrote the subroutines as a separate file. This file is called "SUBSET." Each program merges the SUBSET file as needed. (Note: In order to be merged, SUBSET must be saved in ASCII format.) In other words, once you go through the title sequence the first time, lines 1-14 5 of the TITLE program are filed away and play no further part in the game. After the first run, if your hero meets with a grim demise, one of your choices is to pop into the SUBSET file that does all of the preliminary setup to take you through the first

[continued)

208 BYTE • IULY 1984

^H

Eiseal-2

PROVING GROUNDS

Pascal-2 Performs in Medical Neuroscience Lab at Scripps

Clinic and Research Foundation. Division of Preclinical

Neuroscience and Endocrinology.

ascal-2 is the language of our

,:'

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;

hope to increase scientific objectivity,

i

reduce labor costs during

1

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1

PJ^R

increase the quality of scientific

1

research. Pascal-2 is the language of choice, f 9

Dr. Warren G. Young

Biosystems Analyst

p^^Bi

Scripps Clinic and

Research Foundation

%

' \ a

La Jolla, California

1

r. Young and his colleagues are

\

1"* ' * ,dff 4MH^^B

investigating clinical disorders in the neural

r

iHPv f m

system. Pascal-2 is instrumental in maintaining a data base for the geometric attributes of neural cells. Why is Pascal-2 Dr. Young's choice in

^^*L~

- wk! ' --^l ^f^Aik

software? "Structured programming,

.

»l

V

excellent records and file constructs, effi

F

'■ mW^m^^^kJi W^

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documentation and customer support are

HT

some of the reasons why we chose Pascal-2".

To see how Pascal-2 meets your application needs call

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The Pascal-2 system is available on Digital's POP, VAX and

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and Unix Operating Systems.

Digital, POP, VAX, RSTS, RT-11 and RSX are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation, Unixisa

trademark of Bell Laboratories. Pascal-2 is a trademark of Oregon Software.

Circle 2

39 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISC CONTROL

PROGRAM ENTRY POINT, IF "RUN" (INITIALIZING)

1

CHAIN ENTRY POINT ►

(NO INITIALIZING NEEDED)

150 INITIALIZE 155 START DISC • PLAYER

170 MERGE

SUBSET

O

TYPICAL PROGRAM

Figure 3: Ttao program entry points.

( BEGIN J

RESTART

DISC

PLAYER

YES

YES

ADD SCORE

AND

CONTINUE

CNEXT 'N PROGRAMy

NO A TYPICAL GAME

SEQUENCE

f END J

Figure 4: A typical game sequence, the third program entry point.

"play" sequence again.

The CHAIN/V/M statement (chain, variables, merge) merges the SUBSET file, preserving the value of all variables, then starts executing at the beginning of the newly merged program. The CHAIN/V/M statement is line 170 in every program other than TITLE. Since the same SUBSET file is merged into seven different programs, they had to be somewhat standardized. The lines in the SUBSET file are numbered 1-145, and every program is numbered from

line 150 upward. In this way, no linenumber conflict occurs when the two files are merged. The main body of every program begins at line 190, and the first instruction in the SUBSET file is GOTO 190, effectively continuing the program after the merge (see figure 1). Each program enters the next one at line 170, where the SUBSET file is merged with the newly called program (see figure 2).

Since each action sequence was written as a separate program, we had to

allow for the possibility that one of them might be inadvertently run without the benefit of the original initialization. Therefore, the first lines of each program (lines 150-165) initialize arrays, screen, and disc player before the subset is merged. If the program is RUN instead of being merged, it will not crash (see figure 3).

Using scenes played from the videodisc, each program presents a problem (or two) that you must solve or overcome. If correct, you are rewarded with points and the game continues. If incorrect, play is interrupted with an appropriate "bad ending" scene played from the disc (whenever possible). You are then given the choice of quitting or trying again.

To preserve your score to this point, if you choose to try again, we chain the program back to itself. This presents the third entry point at line 155, reinitializing the disc player to repeat the scene (see figure 4).

To take advantage of the sound track (audio is defeated in the still and variable motion modes) and to maintain the fee! of the original film, we let the motion run continuously wherever possible. This has the effect of luring you into the adventure. But you have to stay on your toes. Quick decisions, which can take you by surprise, are demanded at various points. You may be watching a sequence and suddenly there is a closeup of a waiter approaching and the chair being pulled back. You must make a choice: (1) drop your spoon, (2) use your fork, or (3) duck. The correct choice is to use your fork, which is acknowledged by a flashing score in the upper right corner as the disc continues to play. If you: (1) do not respond in time, or (2) choose the wrong option, the computer turns the NTSC video off and searches the disc for a short sequence with the sound of a sniff. Simultaneously, in the RGB mode, IGNORED is printed. After a short pause, the text is erased and another graphic appears while the disc searches for an appropriate reaction shot. The RGB is turned off, the NTSC is turned on, the motion sequence of the reaction shot is played, and at the completion of the motion sequence, an overlay is turned on that asks you if you would care to play again (see figure 5).

{continued)

210 BYTE • IULY 1984

SI £2L* ZA to ?

56 READ JOATft

v?§ IF JOAtftOO cote «0

ELSE JOATft « tmi see DEFIHT os, o? 5$o 61 • mat , o?» ce*t «ee hext a

— TESTOfllft subroutine

61C CD= HBhL- c©= cest/365 §26 IF CD = €€' G0SU8 1268 *" <":0 > CO G©£«6 !3ftS ■ CD«'I2 MT "THE SOS IS';CD*H

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CVEBLAY SOUBC6 INieWtY

m

COMMUTES WiOeO

Cost Breakthrough!

NOW YOU CAN MIX CAMERA VIDEO WITH YOUR PERSONAL COMPUTER DISPLAY FOR ONLY $375.00!

Think of what you could do with this capability right now... mix live or recorded instruction with program code; computer graphics with camera video; provide a moving cursor over a live image for all types of medical and industrial uses; even tape the results on any home or professional type video recorder... the applications are only limited by your imagination.

FULL WINDOW CONTROL

The C-77™ Video Combiner features full window control, allowing you to place any size window anywhere you wish on the screen. It also allows a choice of combined or super'ed images inside the window...allowing the movingcursor-over-camera-image and other useful, exciting effects.

APPLICATIONS IN EDUCATION, MEDICINE, INDUSTRY, ETC.

Almost any video training session can be greatly enhanced with the C-77™ You can use it to scroll computer text alongside a live or taped presentation of the function, procedure or lesson being taught. Or you can prepare programming lessons in which the teacher appears right on the students' monitors, next to the code lines, giving instruction. As the lesson progresses the window may be enlarged to full screen for blackboard chalk-talks or other demonstrations, and then reduced to nothing to allow the students to use what they've just learned "on their own'.'

Medical CAT-scans and other video-displayed medical imaging can now have computeraccurate grids super'ed over them for precise, repeatable location of lesior.s and other areas of interest. The moving cursor offers substantial benefits here too, especially for training sessions, as does the valuable text-scroll ability mentioned above.

Industrial imaging can also be enhanced via grids, cursors and text scroll, with substantial benefits accruing to training, research & development and CAD/CAM applications. Plus, the excitement and vitality that the C-77™ can lend to sales presentations will pay for the unit many times over in the form of increased sales!

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The C-77™ Video Combiner iets you display camera video together with computer output, on your computer's composite monitor or television receiver.

VIDEO CAMERA

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C-77 VIDEO COMBINER

TV RECEIVER OR VCR

Other applications in video, art, HamTV, trade show displays and commercial communications are being discovered daily. You can be one of the discoverers, if you take advantage of our no risk, ten day free trial. The price? Well, up to now, this kind of video mixing capability normally required a table full of gear costing thousands of dollars...but thanks to Rapitech's advances in LSI technology and miniaturization, the C-77™ comes in a mini-box chassis (only 6" x 6V2" x 2")with a mini price tag. Complete with all necessary cables and software allowing use as a character generator, it lists for only $375.00 for the C-77™ standard model; $399.00 for the C-77RF modulated RF video model which works with any TV receiver. And these prices include

IBM is a registered trademark dt IBM Corp APPLE is a registered trademark ot Apple Corp ATARI is a registered trademark of Atari Corp.

Dealer inquiries invited.

handling & shipping via UPS within the continental U.S.!

Order now via our 24-hour, toll-free ordering hotline. Dial 1-800-227-3800ext. 7700, and have your Visa or Mastercard ready. Or order by mail to the address below, enclosing check or money order with your letter. (Checks accepted upon clearance; NY residents add sales tax.)

Utility software on diskette for IBM PC, Apple or Atari is included, as well as printed listing upon request if you have another computer. Both units require camera with external sync, capability, (cameras with lens available - order ft SGM1348 a S385.00 plus tax for NY residents). IBM owners please note: requires IBM, TECMAR or comparable graphics board.

Rapitech

Systems

Inc.

For More Information Call 212-687-6255, Monday-Friday, 9-5 EST

Circle 264 on inquiry card.

hri'"

Circle 225 on inquiry card.

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VIDEODISC CONTROL

Listing l: The following action sequences, with appropriately chosen sound effects, dialogue, and screen prompts, show the personal computer's great range as a videodisc game creator and controller. Program l, the "subset" file, is automatically invoked whenever your hero meets with a bad end. \t returns you to the main program, gives you your score, and asks you whether or not you want to continue.

Program I:

_INTSET (1,0): GOTO 190: ' Enter main program after merging

5 10 15

"SUBSET" Standard Routines Merged to Each Module

20 EVAL INKEYS

25 _LDPFRM |F#): AS = INKEYS

30 IF A$= " " THEN IF F# < LIMIT GOTO 25

35 RETURN

40 '

45 CCOLOR 4.2: LOCATEII9.0I: PRINT "YOUR SCORE:

50 CCOLOR 4.2,2: LOCATEI3I.0): PRINT SCORE:

55 CCOLOR 6.0,0: RETURN

60

65 GCLEAR 8: SCORE = SCORE + POINTS

70 GOSUB 45: FLASHSCORE

75 FOR K% = 1 TO 4: BEEP: PAUSE 2: NEXT K%: PAUSE 30

80 CCOLOR 4,2: LOCATE(3L0): PRINT SCORE

85 CCOLOR 6.0,0: RETURN

90 '

95 LOCATE (20 - LEN(MSGS)/2, 20) 100 CCOLOR 6: PRINT MSGS 105 LOCATE (12,22): PRINT "PLAY AGAIN? (Y/N)" 110 GOSUB 45: EVAL INKEYS 115 AS = INKEYS: IF AS = " " THEN 115

120 CCLEAR: IF AS= "Y" OR AS= "y" THEN CHAIN /V PRGMS.I55 125 _VSW(0): CONSOLE 80: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „ 8: CCLEAR 130 DELETE 1-145: END

135 '

140 __VSW(0): CONSOLE 80: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR 8: CCLEAR

145 PRINT "ERROR "; ERR: " ON LINE ": ERL: GOTO 130

Program 2:

I '

5 ' Written in SONY SMC-70 Disk BASIC using VX.PAC utility commands.

TIMED WAIT Subroutine (Uses L1M1TI

FLASHSCORE Subroutine (Uses SCORE)

SCORE 'Subroutine (Uses POINTS)

BAD END

Routine :IUses MSGS. ' PRGMS)

Restart module, or reset screen. Deleting enables main module to be rerun.

ERROR Routine

10 CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF : GCOLOR .4: GCLEAR 4 15 CCLEAR: _LDPINIT _INTSET(1,0) 20 _LDPOUT (&H51): _LDPSTART (1000,1001) 25 DIM FONT%(1600): _SLFONT(FONT%(0), "ROM70") 30 __VSW(2) : GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR 8.8.8: CCOLOR 0.1,0 35 _LDPWAIT (1002) 40 _TEXT( 129.56,"THE".FONT%(0).0,0.1) 45 _TEXT(I28,55."THE",FONT%(0).7.7,1) 50 _TEXT(I23.146,"GAME",FONT%(0),0,0,1| 5 5 _TEXT(I22,I45,"GAME",FONT%(0),7.7,1) 60 _LDPWAIT(I003): GCLEAR: _LDPWAIT(1004) 70 LOCATEI4.I6I :PR1NT SPACESI32) :LOCATE(4,17) :PRINT SPACESI32) 75 LOCATE(4,18) :PR1NT " DEVELOPED BY

80 LOCATEI4.I9) :PRINT SPACESI32) Mask and overlay.

85 LOCATE(4.20) :PRINT " ROD DAYNES

90 LOCATE(4,21) :PR1NT SPACESI32) :LOCATE|4,22) :PR1NT SPACESI32) 95 _TEXT(58,80,"N1GHT OF THE".FONT%(0),0,6,1,1) Superimposed.

TEXTI76.I00, "BIG DINNER",FONT%(0),0,6,I,1)

'Wait original timing. LOCATEI4.I7) :PRINT SPACESI32) PROGRAMMING BY

Screen red.

Set raster interlace

Start disc

Load overlay font.

Set up screen.

Wait for title.

First in black.

then overlay white

for drop shadow.

Wait, erase, wait.

100

105 _LDPWA1T(1005)

110 LOCATE(4,16l PRINT SPACESI32:

115 LOCATEI4.I81 :PRINT "

120 LOCATE(4,l9) :PRINT SPACESI32

125 LOCATE(4,20) :PR1NT "

130 LOCATE(4,2l) :PRINT SPACESI32

STEVE HOLDER :LOCATE(4.22) :PRINT SPACESI32)

{continued)

212

IYTE • IULY 1984

THE FORTH SOURCE

TM

MVP-FORTH

Stable - iransportable - Public Domain - Tools You need two primary features in a software development package a stable operating system and the ability to move programs easily and quickly to a variety of computers. MVP-FORTH gives you both these features and many extras. This public domain product includes an editor. FORTH assembler, tools, utilities and the vocabulary for the best selling book "Starting FORTH". The Programmer's Kit provides a complete FORTH for a number of computers. Other MVP-FORTH products will simpj/fy the development of your applications.

MVP Books - A Series

D Vblume I, All about FORTH by Haydon. MVP-FORTH

glossary with cross references to fig-FORTH, Starting FORTH and FORTH-79 Standard. 2nd Ed. $25

D Volume 2, MVP-FORTH Assembly Source Code. Includes CP/M® , IBM-PC® , and APPLE® listing for kernel $20

□ Volume 3, Floating Point Glossary by Springer $10

□ Volume 4, Expert System with source code by Park $25

□ Volume 5, File Management System with interrupt security by Moreton $25

MVP-FORTH Software - A Transportable FORTH

□ MVP-FORTH Programmer's Kit including disk, documentation, Volumes 1 & 2 of MVP-FORTH Series (All About FORTH, 2nd Ed. & Assembly Source Code), and Starting FORTH. Specify □ CP/M, □ CP/M 86, □ CP/M + , D APPLE,

□ IBM PC, □ MS-DOS, □ Osborne, □ Kaypro, □ H89/Z89,

□ Z100, D TI-PC, □ MicroDecisions, D Northstar,

^i □ Compupro, □ Cromenco, □ DEC Rainbow, □ NEC 8201, # □ TRS-80/100 $150

□ MVP-FORTH Cross Compiler for CP/M Programmer's Kit. Generates headerless code for ROM or target CPU $300

□ MVP-FORTH Meta Compiler for CP/M Programmer's kit. Use for applicatons on CP/M based computer. Includes public domain source $150

D MVP-FORTH Fast Floating Point Includes 9511 math chip on board with disks, documentation and enhanced virtual MVPFORTH for Apple II, II + , and lie. $450

□ MVP-FORTH Programming Aids for CP/M, IBM or APPLE Programmer's Kit. Extremely useful tool for decompiling, callfinding, and translating. $200

D MVP-FORTH PADS (Professional Application Development

System) for IBM PC, XT or PCjr or Apple II. II + or He. An integrated system for customizing your FORTH programs and applications. The editor includes a bi-directional string search and is a word processor specially designed for fast development. PADS has almost triple the compile speed of most FORTH's and provides fast debugging techniques. Minimum size target systems are easy with or without heads. Virtual overlays can be compiled in object code. PADS is a true professional development system. Specify Computer. $500

.£* □ MVP-FORTH Floating Point & Matrix Math for IBM or

Apple $85

$65

^e* ^ MVP-FORTH Graphics Extension for IBM or Apple

f*

.*□ MVP-FORTH MS-DOS file interface for IBM PC PADS

$80

£»t □ MVP-FORTH Expert System for development of knowledgebased programs for Apple, IBM, or CP/M. $100

FORTH CROSS COMPILERS Allow extending, modifying and compiling for speed and memory savings, can also produce ROMable code. Specify CP/M. 8086, 68000, IBM, Z80, or Apple II, II + $300

FORTH COMPUTER

D Jupiter Ace

$150

Ordering Information: Check. Money Order (payable to MOUNTAIN VIEW PRESS, INC.), VISA, MasterCard, American Express COD'S $5 extra. Minimum order $15. No billing or unpaid PO's. California residents add sales tax. Shipping costs in US included in price. Foreign orders, pay in US funds on US bank, include for handling and shipping by Air: $5 for each item under $25, $10 for each item between $25 and $99 and $20 for each item over $100. All prices and products subject to change or withdrawal without notice. Single system and/or single user license agreement required on some products.

FORTH DISKS

FORTH with editor, assembler, and manual. ^g*D APPLE by MM, 83

□ APPLE by Kuntze

□ ATARI® valFORTH

$100 q Z80 by LM 83 W $1 oo

4?

4ft

$ Q CP/M® by MM, 83

#

$90 □ 8086/88 by LM. 83 *T $100 $60 q 6800n by LM, 83 **• $250 $100 n V|C FORTH by HES. VIC20 D HP-85 by Lange $90 cartridge $50

D HP-7S by Cassady $150 Q C64 by HES Commodore 64 •j£*»n IBM-PC® by LM, 83 $100 cartridge $60

□ NOVA by CCI 8" DS/DD$175 □ Timex by HW $25 Enhanced FORTH with: F-Floating Point, G-Graphics, T-Tutorial, S-Stand Alone, M-Math Chip Support, MT-Multi-Tasking, X-Other Extras, 79-FORTH-79, 83-FORTH-83.

rf □ APPLE by MM, ° C64 by ParSec. MVP, F. 79 .

F, G, & 83 $1 80 ■$& G & X $96

□ ATARI by PNS, F,G, & X. $90 n FD0S for Atari FORTH's $40

<g* C CP/M by MM, F & 83 $1 40 D ^?"8i°ns **£ SpeCi,y <* IBM, Z80. or 8086

□ Apple, GraFORTH by I $75 Q Software Floating

D Multi-Taslcing FORTH by SL, Point $100

CP/M, X & 79 $395 □ 8087 Support

m ™„ .„,. ...o (IBM-PC or 8086) $100

™" '" by MMS „„„ D 9511 Support

F.X, &79 *130 (Z80or8086) $100

D Timex by FD, tape G.X, □ Color Graphics

&79 $45 (IBM-PC) $100

□ Victor 9000 by DE,G,X $150 Management $200

□ fig-FORTH Programming Aids for decompiling, callfinding,

and translating. CP/M, IBM-PC, Z80, or Apple $200

FORTH MANUALS, GUIDES & DOCUMENTS

□ ALL ABOUT FORTH by □ 1980 FORML Proc. $25 Haydon. See above. $25 p 1981 FORML Proc 2 Vol $40

□ FORTH Encyclopedia by n 1982 FORML Proc. $25

Derick & Baker $25

.£»* D The Complete FORTH by

Winfield $16

D Understanding FORTH by

Reymann $3

D FORTH Fundamentals, Vol. I by McCabe $16

..g*1 D FORTH Fundamentals,

Vol. II by McCabe

$13

Vol.1, No. 2 □ A FORTH Primer

$20 $25

□ 1981 Rochester FORTH Proc. $25

Q 1982 Rochester FORTH Proc. $25

D 1983 Rochester FORTH Proc. $25

□ A Bibliography of FORTH References, 1 st. Ed. $15 The Journal of FORTH Application & Research

^>D FORTH Toolsi, Vol.1 by Q ^M>Na1 $20

Anderson & Tracy $20 ^

□ Beginning FORTH by &

Chirlian $17 riirearihd Interpretive

D FORTH Encyclopedia Languages $23

Pocket Guide $7 Q METAF0RTH by

□ And So FORTH by Huang. A Cassady $30 college level text. $25 Q Sys,ems Guide ,0

□ FORTH Programming by FORTH $25 Scanlon $17

□ FORTH on the ATARI by E. Floegel $8

r-i *. 1 ~-tu u b m- □ FORTH-83 Standard $15

□ Starting FORTH by Brodie

Best instructional manual a FORTH-79 Standard $15

available, (soft cover) $18 □ FORTH-79 Standard

□ Starting FORTH (hard Conversion $10 cover) $23 □ Tiny Pascal fig-FORTH $10

□ 68000 fig-Forth with D NOVA fig-FORTH by CCI assembler $20 Source Listing $25

□ Jupiter ACE Manual by p NOVA by CCI User's Vickers $15 Manua| $25

D Installation Manual for fig-FORTH, $15

Source Listings of fig-FORTH, for specific CPU's and computers. The Installation Manual is required for implementation. Each $15

□ 1802 D 6502 □ 6800 D AlphaMicro

□ 8080 D 8086/88 □ 9900 □ APPLE II

D PACE □ 6809 □ NOVA D PDP-11/LSI-11

□ Invitation to FORTH $20 D PDP-11 User Man. $20

D 68000 □ Eclipse D VAX

□ Z80

D IBM

if

MOUNTAIN VIEW PRESS, INC.

PO BOX 4656

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94040

(415)961-4103

Circle 228 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 213

Circle 51 on inquiry card.

IBM-PC/XT or PC compatible IEEE-488 INTERFACE BOARD

IEEE-488

- Implements the entire IEEE-488 standard - transfer commands and data, perform serial and parallel polling.

A resident firmware interpreter simplifies programming and

accepts any ASCII string or code including Tektronix Standard Codes and Formats and IEEE-488 command mnemonics. Interpreter routines support BASIC, PASCAL. C and other languages.

Supports the PrtSc (print screen) key, and all BASIC print statements for IEEE-488 printers and devices.

• Small size - see BYTE 11/83. p. 314

• Accepts a standard IEEE-488 cable.

• Uses only 16 bytes of RAM and no I/O ports.

• A 116 page Reference Manual

provides a tutorial and programming examples for digitizing, interactive bus control, bus diagnostics, and many other applications.

$395 complete. There are no extra software or cabling charges.

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CORP

10 Evergreen Avenue

Burlington, MA. 01803

(617)273-1818

VIDEODISC CONTROL

135 140 145 150 155 160 165 170 175 180 185

_LDPWAIT(1006)

Wait next credit.

LOCATE(3.15) :PR1NT SPACE$(34| :L0CATE(3.I6) :PRINT SPACE${34>

LOCATE(3,17) :PRINT SPACESI34) LOCATE13.18) :PRINT " LOCATE(3,19) ;PRINT SPACESI34) LOCATE(3.20) :PRINT " LOCATE(3,21| PRINT SPACE$(34)

Larger mask need here.

PRODUCED BY

INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES :LOCATE(3.221 PRINT SPACE$(34)

LOCATE(3,23) :PRINT SPACESI34) :LOCATE(3.24) :PR1NT SPACE$(34);

CCOLOR 7,0,0: _LDPWA!T(I007

GCLEAR: CCLEAR: CCOLOR 4,1

FOR K%= 15 TO 22:LOCATE(3,K%) :PRINT SPACE$(34) :NEXT

190 LOCATE(6,17): PRINT "THE OBJECT

195 _LDPWA!T|1008)

200 LOCATE(15,19) :PR1NT "GET THE WAITER TO NOTICE YOU"

205 _LDPWAIT(1009|

210 FOR K%= 16 TO 22:LOCATE(4,K%) :PR1NT SPACESI32): NEXT

215 L0CATE(6,I7) :PRINT "YOU ONLY HAVE ONE SHOT AT IT"'

220 _LDPWAIT(1010)

225 LOCATE(12,l9) :PRINT "A WRONG DECISION . "

230 _LDPWAIT(10U1

235 LOCATE(5,21) :PRINT "AND IT'S ALL OVER FOR YOU, PAL!"

240 _LDPWAIT(1012)

245 FOR K%= 16 TO 22:LOCATE(3,K%) :PRINT SPACES(34):NEXT

250 LOCATE(5,17) :PRINT "YOU CAN EARN MUCH NEEDED POINTS'

255 _LDPWAIT(1013|

260 LOCATE(5,19) :PR1NT "WITH YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION'

265 _LDPWAIT(I014): LOCATE(l0,21)

270 PRINT "AND QUICK REACTIONS."

275 _LDPWAIT(I015)

280 __VSW(3): CCOLOR 6.0,0: CCLEAR

285 CHAIN N "FIRSTSEQ", 170

Program 3:

150 DIM FONT%(I600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF 155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6,0,0: CCLEAR 160 _LDPINIT _LDPOUT (&H51): _INTSET(1,0)

I65_LDPSTART (1016, 1017)

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "FIRSTSEQ"

185 '

190 _VSW(3): ON ERROR GOTO 140

195 _SLFONT(FONT%(0),"SSER70")

200 _TEXT(0.135,"QUICK!". FONT%(0),6,6,1)

205 _TEXT(5,I50,"I = DROP SPOON', FONT%(0),6,6,1|

210 _TEXT(5,165,"2 = USE FORK", FONT%(0),6,6,II

215 _TEXT(5,180,"3 - BELCH", FONT%(0),6,6;I)

220 _LDPWAIT(1018) :BEEP:_VSW(2)

225 LIMIT = (1019): GOSUB 20: TIMED WAIT

230 IF AS = "2" THEN 285

235 GCOLOR „1: GCLEAR 1

240 _LDPSTART(1020,1021)

245 _TEXT(105.80,"CLATTER', FONT%(0),4,5.10.4:

250 PAUSE 5:GCLEAR 1

255 _TEXT(70,I20,"AARRRGGHH", FONT%(0),4,5,3.3)

260 _LDPSTART(1022,1023)

265 PAUSE 1: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

270 MSGS = "TOO BAD. YOU LOSE."

275 PRGMS = "FIRSTSEQ": GOTO 95

280 '

285 POINTS = 375: GOSUB 65

290 CHAIN /V TURN1', 170

Program 4:

150 DIM FONT%(1600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF 155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6,0,0: CCLEAR 160 _LDP1N1T _LDPOUT (&H51): _INTSET(1,0) 165 _LDPSTART (1024, 1025)

Get ready to clear.

Go.

;Mask, then print

first line.

Wait for sound.

Second line.

Wait for scene change.

Smaller mask.

Wait for music. Second line. Wait for music.

Wait scene change. Remask.

Wait scene change.

Wait for sound.

'Wait for next credit. We're done. Warm entry, First Sequence.

'Cold start (if RUN). 'Restart entry point (see line 120, "SUBSET")

Warm start entry point After chain/merge, execution begins at first Instruction, ■(line 1, "SUBSET"): a lump to line 190. This prints off screen. We wait for the right moment, then. . . raise the curtain. Answer quick! 'Right answer? Screen blue (masked). Let's hear gunshot timed with graphic. 'Notes: screen is masked when gcolor, gclear not = 8. Pause for disc access. He falls down. BAD END

Yes. You score. Warm entry, next module

Cold start. Restart entry point. Out byte turns off disc index display.

(continued)

214 BYTE • IULY 1984

RE YOU TIREl OF FLOPPY EXCUSES?

"EXCUSE ME, I REALLY HATE TO BOTHER YOU AT A TIME LIKE THIS BUT THIS DISK IS COMPLETELY FULL'.'

QuadDisk has all the answers

Quadram presents QuadDisk, the Winchester hard disk system that lets you leave a these floppy disks—and their excuses—behind. QuadDisk does everything that floppies do, only better. And faster.

A lot of storage in a little space

For starters, QuadDisk will take care of your storage problems— in more ways than one. QuadDisk comes in 5,10.16,22 and 65 megabyte capacities for all the on-line storage space you need. That's anywhere from about 20 to 225 floppies worth of information. Or up to 36.000 pages of matenal—and then some.

What's even more amazing is that this powerful hard disk drive simply slips into your second 5'A" floppy drive space to become an integral part of your system.

Ready when you are

It takes just minutes to install and QuadDisk is there to stay. QuadDisk is always there when

you

need it

And it works^^

fast. QuadDisk ^

accesses information"^^

faster than a floppy. And can

perform up to 9 tasks at or

It comes complete with its > software. And a file utility t guides you when you want run and manipulate files and programs. There's nothing hard about using this hard disk system. Just follow the simple commands on the sfreen.

ci ii iai i1

iljJftjjtWjj J^Jmm

II !^Tl Jl^K

QuadDisk by Quadram:

rfety first

^uadDisk protects your v**y work like no floppy can. And for added data security, there's QuadDisk with removable cartridges for up to 5MB on-line mass storage and virtually unlimited off-line storage capacity. Just pop one in when you're ready. Pop it out when you're done.

Quadram Quality

You'll find that QuadDisk is backed by reliable Quadram

QUADRAM

—

Copyright 1984 Quadram Corporation All rights reserved

card

How HP business graphics

Enhance your reputation for being more professional, persuasive, credible and effective than your competition with the new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter.

Make a first impression that lasts

The vital importance of graphics to today's business professional

cannot be overstated. In survey

after survey, statistics prove

graphics can help you

spot trends and relation

ships quickly,

analyze data

accurately, and

communicate

your ideas

with more

clarity and power than in any other way.

Even more important, graphics can actually increase personal and company productivity. And create a first impression of quality and professionalism that lasts and lasts.

Graphics: the end to meetings that go nowhere

In a fascinating research project conducted by The University of Pennsylvania, 123 MBA candidates were involved in a study designed to test the effectiveness of business graphics in meeting situations. The results were startling. In the group where visual aids were used:

• Meetings were shorter: The study showed a 28% reduction in meeting length when transparencies were used.

• Group consensus was faster: Agreement was reached by 79% of the group using transparencies, compared with only 8% among the control group using no visual aids.

• The decision process was accelerated: 64% of study participants said they made their business decisions immediately after the visual presentation. When overheads were not used, the control group said they delayed decision-making until some time after the group

discussion following the presentation.

• Presenters with visual aids were perceived as being more professional, persuasive, credible and effective than those not using visual aids.

Now, with the new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter, your meetings can have immediate and productive results like these.

How the quality look of HP graphics can help

The way you present your information can be equally as important as the actual information you're presenting. And that's where the new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter lets your professionalism shine through.

Standards unsurpassed in the plotter business

The technical standards of the HP 7475A have no equal for producing quality graphics. With a resolution of one-thousandth-of-aninch, curved lines are smooth, not jagged, and straight lines are consistently straight. Its exceptional repeatability (the ability of a pen to return precisely to a given point) assures that intersecting lines and circular shapes will meet exactly. The result is high-quality charts and graphs you'll be proud to present.

Why 6 pens when experts say 4 will do?

Graphics industry experts maintain that good graphics contain four colors per chart. But Hewlett-Packard goes the experts two better by providing a six-pen carousel, so you can store and use pens of different widths —thick pens for bold headings and thin pens for details. And with six pens, you won't have to waste valuable time changing them. That's important when "the boss wants to see your presentation in twenty minutes!"

With the HP 7475A, you also get automatic pen capping to prevent pens from drying out between uses, and special "pen damping" (gently lowering the pen to the paper or transparency) to increase pen life and ensure better line quality... use after use after use. You also get a rainbow of 10 colors to choose from, in two line widths.

Your choice: 2 paper sizes and today's most popular graphics software packages

While most professional business applications will be satisfied with standard 8!4 x 11" paper or transparencies, the HP 7475A adds the

216 B YTE • IULY 1984

can be the key to your success.

capability of plotting on larger 11 x 17" media, too. The larger plots are especially well-suited for time lines PERT charts, schematics and engineering drawings.

Best of all, you don't have to be a programmer to produce quality graphics on the HP 7475A It's supported by a variety of professional graphics software packages for both HP and non-HP desktop and personal computers.

Naturally, speaking of software compatibility leads us to hardware compatibility....

Compatible with almost any personal computer in the marketplace today

With two interfaces available, the HP 7475A quickly "makes friends" with most models of today's most popular personal computers, including IBM® Apple,™ Compaq™ Osborne® and Commodore™ —as well as a host of HP computers.

The cost? Surprisingly affordable

The new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter is an amazingly affordable $1895. When you consider that a typical fee for a single five-color transparency from a graphics service is $50—and that the same transparency can be prepared for about $1 in materials on the HP 7475A —the return on your investment is almost immediate.

Another choice: HP's low-cost, high performance Personal Computer Plotter

For the "business on a budget!' you may also want a look at our 2-pen Personal Computer Plotter, the 7470A. Its low cost (only $1095) is as remarkable as the quality of its plots. With many of the same features as the new HP 7475A, the HP 7470A plots on a single paper size (8'/2 x 11"). It stores and caps two pens,

and you can easily change the pens yourself for multi-color plotting. Best of all, the HP 7470A 2-pen plotter lets you turn your personal computer into a personal graphics workstation for only $1095.

Send for your FREE Presentations Package'

"Better today!

For a FREE sample plot, overhead transparency, and more

details, mail the coupon below today. We'll also enclose a list

of software packages you can use with the HP 7475A or HP 7470A.

For the name of your nearest Hewlett-Packard dealer call toll-free 800-547-3400.

3

HEWLETT PACKARD

I 1

YES! I'm ready to gain a reputation for being more professional, persuasive, credible and effective than my competition. Please send me your FREE "Better Presentations Package," so I can learn more about the new HP 7475A Business Professional's Plotter and the HP 7470A Personal Computer Plotter. I understand I will receive this valuable package without cost or obligation.

Name Title

Company

Address

City/State & Zip

Phone Number (_

My computer is

-)

Send to: Hewlett-Packard

16399 W Bernardo Drive, San Diego, CA 92127 Attn: Marketing Communications . 1303 BT7

Circle 151 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984

(YTE 217

DeSmet

The fastest

8088 C Compiler

available

FULL DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE

• C Compiler

• Assembler

• Linker and Librarian

■ Full-Screen Editor

• Newsletter for bugs/updates

SYMBOLIC DEBUGGER

■ Monitor and change variables by name using C expressions

■ Multi-Screen support for debugging PC graphics and interactive systems

■ Optionally display C source during execution

■ Breakpoint by Function and Line #

COMPLETE IMPLEMENTATION

■ Both 1.0 and 2.0 DOS support

■ Everything in K&R (incl. STDIO)

■ Intel assembler mnemonics

■ Both 8087 and Software Floating Point

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE

Sieve Benchmark

COMPILE

4 Sec.

RAM —

22 Sec FDISK

LINK

6 Sec.

RAM —

34 Sec.

FDISK

RUN

12 Sec.

SIZE

8192 b\

1es

To Order Specify: Machine

OS □ MS-DOS □ CP/M-86

Disk □ 8" □ 5V* SS □ 5'A DS

C

WAR E

CORPORATION

P.O. BOX 710097

San Jose, CA 95171-0097

(408) 736-6905

California residents add sales tax. Shipping U S no charge. Canada add $5. elsewhere add $15 Checks must be on a US Bank and in US Dollars

VIDEODISC CONTROL

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "TURNI"

185 '

190 _VSW(3): ON ERROR GOTO 140

Warm start entry point.

' is abbrev. for call'.

VideoSWitch(3) = disc

195 __SLFONT(FONT%(0),"SSER70")

'video only.

200 _TEXT(100.20,"1 = GO STRAIGHT". FONT%(0),6,6,1)

Print off screen

205 _TEXT(5,180."2 = TURN RIGHT",FONT%(0),6,6,1)

and wait.

210 CCLEAR: _LDPWAIT(1026): _VSW(2): BEEP

Overlay on.

215 LIMIT = 1027: GOSUB 20: TIMED WAIT

Choose fast.

220 IF AS= "2" THEN 265

Choice correct?

225 GCOLOR „4:GCLEAR 4

Screen red.

230 _LDPSTART (1028, 1029)

No. You lose.

235 GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: _LDPWA1T(I030)

Wait for effect.

240 LOCATEI2.19)

245 PRINT "YOUR WAITER REFUSES TO SEAT YOU."

He's arrogant.

250 PAUSE 20: PRGMS = "TURNI"

Pass this program's

name

255 MSG$= "NOW YOU MUST PAY A BRIBE": GOTO 95

so it can be restarted

260 '

265 GCLEAR 8: POINTS = 490: GOSUB 65

Yes. You score!

270 CHAIN /V "TURN2", 170

'Warm entry, next

module

Program 5:

150 DIM FONT%|I600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF

Cold start.

155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6,0.0: CCLEAR

Restart entry point.

160 _LDPINIT _LDPOUT (6-H5I): _INTSET(1,0)

165 _LDPSTART (1037. 1032)

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

Warm start entry point.

175 '

SelectFONT reads file

180 ■ TURN2"

of graphic data into

185 '

'1600 element array.

190 _VSW(3): ON ERROR GOTO 140

195 _SLFONT(FONT%(0)."SSER70")

200 _TEXT(10,10,"1 = GO STRAIGHT",FONT%(0).6.6,I)

Off screen.

205 _TEXT(I0,180,"2 = TURN RIGHT". FONT%(0),6,6,1)

210 CCLEAR: _LPDWAIT(1033): _VSW(2): BEEP

Overlay on.

215 LIMIT = 1034: GOSUB 20: TIMED WAIT

Answer quick!

220 IF A$= "1" THEN 255

Right way?

225 GCOLOR „6: GCLEAR 6: _LDPSTART(I035.1036)

Oops. Wrong way.

230 _TEXT(40,100,"DONT STEP IN THE . . .".FONT%(0).4,4,1)

235 PAUSE 11: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR ..8

Pause for timing.

240 _TEXT(120.100,". . GRAVY",FONT%(0).6.6,1)

245 MSG$= "DIDNT MAKE IT!": PRGMS = "TURN2"

250 GOTO 95

BAD END

255 POINTS = 615: GOSUB 65: PAUSE 10: CCLEAR

You score!

260 ' STICKY BUNS

265 _VSW(3): _TEXT(0,120,"HURRY!". FONT%(0),6,6.I)

Next test.

270 _TEXT(0,I35,"PICK ONE!", FONT%(0),6,6,1)

275 LOCATE(0,19): PRINT "1 = NAPKIN"

List of tools.

280 PRINT "2 = SHIRT": PRINT "3 = FINGER BOWL'

285 PRINT "4 = PANTS": PRINT "5 • HAIR"

290 _LDPWAIT(1037): _VSW(2): LIMIT = 1038: GOSUB 20

TIMED WAIT

295 GCLEAR 8: CCLEAR: IF A$ = "3" THEN 3 50

Right one?

300 _LDPWAIT(I039): _LDPOUT(&H4F): BEEP

'Freeze.

305 LOCATE(10.18): PRINT "OH NO! STICKY BUNS!!"

No. Ouch!

310 PAUSE 30: PRINT : BEEP: BEEP

315 PRINT "WHEW! HE SURVIVES BUT HE DRAWS FLIES"

320 LOCATE(I0.21): PRINT "YOU LOSE 290 POINTS."

Lose points

32 5 PAUSE 30: POINTS = (-290): GOSUB 65

but game

330 PAUSE 20: CCLEAR: GCOLOR ,.l: GCLEAR 1

continues.

335 _LDPSTART(I040,1041]

340 GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: GOTO 375

345 '

350 LOCATE (2,22): CCOLOR 6: _LDPWA1T|I042)

Right tool.

355 PRINT "THE NAPKIN MAKES STICKY BUNS HARMLESS.

360 POINTS = 960: GOSUB 65: PAUSE 20: CCLEAR

365 _LDPWA1T(I043)

Wait next sequence.

370 Simon says

375 'LOCATEI14.20): PRINT "PRESS ANY KEY"

Instructions.

[continued)

218 BYTE • IULY 1984

for Performance, Quality and Reliability

Anyone can sell you a box full of hardware. But is it too much computer? Too little? Will it run the appropriate software? What about service? If you need the right answers both before and after the sale, call your nearest Full Service CompuPro System Center. For product information, see pgs. 264-5.

ALABAMA

Birmingham

CPC Computers (205) 879-5976

ARIZONA

Scottsdale

S-100

(602) 991-7870

CALIFORNIA

Bakersfield

Creative Computing

(805) 835-1118

Berkeley

American Computers

& Engineers

(415) 849-0177

Track Computer Center

(415) 845-6366

Burlingame

Mentzer Computer

Systems

(415) 340-9363

Canyon Country

Creative Computing

(805) 251-9877

CJiatsworth

Priority One Electronics

(818) 709-6789

Hayward

Best Computers

(415) 886-4732

Irvine

Priority One Electronics

(714) 660-1411

Los Angeles

American Computers

& Engineers

(213) 477-6751

Gifford Computer

Systems

(213) 477-3921

Mountain View

ACC

(415) 969-4969

Oakland

Track Computer Center

(415) 444-8725

Pacific Palisades

System Interface Consultants (213) 454-2100 Pasadena Omni Unlimited (818) 795-6664 Petalutna

Advanced Information Management (707) 763-7283 Pleasanton Best Computers (415) 463-2233

Sacramento

Logic Systems (916) 922-3377 San Leandro Gifford Computer Systems (415) 895-0798 San Rafael Computer House (415) 453-0865 Santa Barbara Data Bank (805) 962-8489 Santa Cruz Cochlin Computer Systems (408) 429-6728

Santa Maria

Data Bank (805) 922-1333

Santa Rosa

Matrix Computers (707) 542-0571

Simi Valley

Micro Power Unlimited (805) 584-6789

Sunnyvale

Pragmatic Designs Inc. (408) 736-8670

COLORADO

Lakewood

Rocky Mountain Microsystems (303) 232-4545

FLORIDA

Gainesville

Online Computing (904) 372-1712 Orlando Data/Office (305) 629-6776 Satellite Beach Binary Magic, Inc. (305) 777-7080 Tampa

Micro-Computer Technology (813) 985-0919 West Palm Beach Steve's Computer Works, Inc. (305) 683-5900

HAWAII

Kahului Maui

Capacity Plus Computers (808) 871-7984

ILLINOIS

Athens

Computers Plus (217) 636-8491 La Grange Park

Small Business Systems, Inc. (312) 579-3311 Skokie

Lillipute Computer Mart, Inc. (312) 674-1383

INDIANA Terre Haute

General Software, Inc. (812) 234-9421

KANSAS

Ellinwood

Genesys Systems, Inc. (316) 564-3636

MARYLAND Bethesda

JR Systems (301) 657-3598

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston

New England Electronic Exch. (617) 491-3000 Chestnut Hill

Key Micro Systems (617) 738-7306

MISSISSIPPI Pascagoula

Automated Accountants (601) 769-2937

MISSOURI Kansas City

BBRL

(816) 753-5900

NEW YORK

Amherst

Gifford Computer Systems (716) 833-4758

Deer Park

Datapro Systems. Inc. (516) 595-1311 New York

Park Plaza Computer Center, Inc. (212) 759-5820 Park Plaza Computer Center, Inc. (212) 505-8200 Park Plaza Computer Center, Inc. (212) 344-5151 Park Plaza Computer Center, Inc. (212) 595-5353 Staten Island John D. Owens Assoc. (212) 448-6283

NORTH CAROLINA Greensboro

General Semantics Computers (919) 378-1500

OREGON Portland

Microwest Computer

Products

(503) 238-6274

PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia

Forefront Technology (215) 386-1500 Reading Fraser Business Equipment (215) 378-0101

RHODE ISLAND

Coventry

Key Micro Systems (401) 828-7270

TEXAS

Austin

CPA Systems, Inc. (512) 458-9281 Informa, Inc. (512) 459-4216 Omegax Systems (512) 476-6069 Dallas

Dator Systems (214) 521-0915

CompuPro.

AGODBOUTCOMPANY

3506 Breakwater Court, Hayward, CA 94545

Ft. Worth

Dataworth Computer

Systems

(817) 877-4041

Houston

Gifford Computer

Systems

(713) 680-1944

Informa, Inc.

(713) 861-7612

San Antonio

RFCanon, Inc.

(512) 657-0444

Seguin

CPA Systems. Inc.

(512) 379-0660

VIRGINIA

Woodbridge

Office Networks Corp. (703) 690-3312

WASHINGTON

Bellevue

North Ridge Computer Systems (206) 453-0596 Seattle

American Computers & Engineers (206) 583-0130

WISCONSIN

Madison

Beam International

(608) 233-2326

Milwaukee

Byte Shop of Milwaukee

(414) 281-7004

AUSTRALIA

Bankstown

Automation Statham Pty., Ltd. (02) 709-4144

CANADA Coquitlam, B.C.

CSC System Center, Ltd. (604) 941-0622 Vancouver, B.C.

Dynacomp Business Computers, Ltd. (604) 872-7737

THE PHILIPPINES

Quezon City

Corona International, 78-34-71

UNITED KINGDOM

Swansea

Comcen Technology, Ltd. (0792) 796000

©1984 CompuPro

Circle 2 on inquiry card.

SHIPPING

WEST OF MISSISSIPPI EAST - % UPS CHARGES

CALL FREE 1-800-841-2748

COMPUTERS

ALTOS 580-20 $3645

ALTOS 586-20 S5565

ALTOS 986-40 SCALL

APPLE LOOK-A-LIKE SCALL

SANYO 550-555 SCALL

TELEVIDEO

803 $1769 1603 S2019

PORTABLE $CALL

NORTHSTAR ADVANTAGE $2135

PRINTERS

ABATI .$389

BROTHER HR15P $479

DAISYWRIRER 48K $975

DATASOUTH DS220 $1575

GEMINI $275

JUKI 6100 $459

OKIDATA (LOW PRICES) .... $CALL

QUME 1140+ $1275

QUME 1155+ $1475

CITOH

8510 $339 1550 $539

F10-40CPS $970 F1055 . . . .$1299 DIABLO

620 $799 630 $1689

NEC

3550 . . . .$1535 3510 $1235

7710 . . . .$1655 2030 $659

TERMINALS - MONITORS

ALTOS II $875

QUME 102G $529

TELEVIDEO 914 $540

TELEVIDEO 924 $689

TELEVIDEO 950 $905

TELEVIDEO 970 $965

VIDEODISC CONTROL

AMDEK 300G $129

AMDEK 300A $145

AMDEK COLOR l+ $275

AMDEK COLOR II+ $429

B.M.C. GREEN S89

B.M.C. COLOR $235

PRINSTON HX12 $489

DISK DRIVES - MODEMS

INDUS APPLE $259

MICRO SCI A2 $229

ATARI 1050 $365

INDUS ATARI $345

RANA 1000 $310

PROMODEM $359

HAYS SMART MODEM $199

SMARTMODEM 1200 $475

SMARTMODEM 1200B $415

MICROMODEM HE $235

RIXON 212A $449

U.S. ROBOTICS PASSWORD. . . . J$325

1st PLACE

COMPUTER SYSTEMS 13422 N. CAVECREEK RD.

PHOENIX, AZ. 85022

OTHER INFORMATION: 602-867 9897

380 LOCATEI9.2II: PRINT WHEN NAME SAYS STOP."

385 LIMIT = I044: GOSUB 20: _LDPOUT(&H4F): CCLEAR

390 IF F# > I045 THEN 445:

395 IF F# < 1046 THEN 455:

400 SPD = INT((F# - I047I/3)

405 ON SPD GOTO 415, 420, 425, 430

410 AS = "EXCELLENT": POINTS = 2440: GOTO 435

415 AS = "GREAT": POINTS = 2170: GOTO 435

420 AS = "VERY GOOD": POINTS = 1950: GOTO 435

425 AS = "GOOD": POINTS = 1640: GOTO 435

430 AS = "O.K.": POINTS = 100

435 LOCATE(2,20): PRINT AS: "REACTION. SCORE ": POINTS:

440 GOTO 465

445 LOCATE(6,22): PRINT "TOO SLOW!" YOU LOSE 200 POINTS."

450 POINTS = (-200): GOTO 465

455 LOCATE(6,22): PRINT "YOU OVER-REACTED. LOSE 200 POINTS!'

460 POINTS = (-500)

465 GOSUB 65: PAUSE 20: _LDPOUT(&H3A): CCLEAR

470 _LDPWAIT(1048): _LDPOUT(&H4A): LOCATE{4,20)

475 PRINT "POOR GUY. HE DIDN'T GET DESSERT!"

480 PAUSE 25: LOCATE!11,21): PRINT "YOU MAY NOT, EITHER!"

485 PAUSE 25: GCOLOR ,.l: GCLEAR I

490 CHAIN /V "GRAVY", 170

TIMED WAIT Too slow. Too fast.

Reaction speed = ? Select score. •(F# = frame #. from LDPFRM command in TIMED WAIT subroutine.!

POINTS."

Play forward. Wait, then freeze.

Warm entry, next module.

Program 6:

150 DIM FONT%(I600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF

155 GCOLOR „J: GCLEAR I: CCOLOR 6,0,0: CCLEAR

160 _LDPINIT _LDPOUT (&H51): _INTSET(1.0)

165 '

170 _LDPSRCH{1049) :CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "GRAVY"

185 '

190

195

Cold start.

Restart entry point.

Warm start entry point.

VideoSWitch(2) = superimposer + computer screen overlayed on videodisc.

_VSW(2): ON ERROR GOTO 140: CCLEAR _SLFONT(FONT%(0),"SSER70") 200 PAUSE 5: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: LOCATE(3,22)

205 PRINT "YOU'LL HAVE TO AVOID THIS GRAVY STAIN." Over still frame.

210 PAUSE 50: CCLEAR: GCOLOR „1: GCLEAR I

215 _LPDSRCH(1050): PAUSE 5 Next still frame.

220 GCLEAR 8: CGOLOR „8: LOCATEI7.I8) 225 PRINT "A LADLE STICKS OUT OF THE GRAVY." 230 PAUSE 25: LOCATE02.I9): PRINT "CAN YOU AVOID IT?" 235 PAUSE 35: IF SCORE > 2100 THEN 295 240 ' Low score, little chance.

245 LOCATE! 11,21): PRINT "YOU HAVE NO CHOICE."

250 LOCATE(2,22): PRINT "PRESS ANY KEY AND TAKE YOUR CHANCES." 255 CH = INT(SCORE/49 + .5): LOCATE(3,23) Chance

260 PRINT "(YOU HAVE A OUT OF 100 CHANCE)':

265 LOCATEI15.23): PRINT CH: 270 EVAL IN KEYS

275 AS = INKEYS: IF AS = " " THEN 275 280 RANDOMIZE: K = RND(Q): CCLEAR 285 IF K ( SCORE/4900 THEN 565 ELSE 485 290 ' Trivia, anyone?

295 CCLEAR: LOCATE(0,16)

Minimum score to qualify.

% of 4900 pts.

Wait until ready.

Pick random #.

High score, good odds.

300 PRINT

305 PRINT

310 PRINT

315 PRINT

320 PRINT

325 PRINT

330 PRINT

335 EVAL INKEYS

340 AS = INKEYS: IF AS =

345 IF AS = "N" OR AS = '

350 IF AS <> "Y" AND AS

YOU'VE SCORED WELL SO FAR." THE MAITRE'D SMILES ON YOU AND WILL' GUARANTEE YOUR PASSAGE AROUND THE GRAVY, IF" YOU AGREE TO ANSWER A RANDOM QUESTION."

"IF NOT, YOU TAKE YOUR CHANCES."

"IF YOU AGREE AND ANSWER WRONG .

"IT'S DEATH! YOU WANT THE QUESTION? (Y/N)"

' " THEN 340

n" THEN CCLEAR: GOTO 250

<> "y" THEN 340

355 RANDOMIZE: Q = 1RND(7) 360 ON Q GOTO 375, 385, 395, 405, 415, 425, 435 365 QS = "NAME THE WAITER WHO SEATED YOU IN THE KITCHEN."

Trust the odds? Yes or No only. Pick random question. Go get Q & A.

Save memory: load only

(continued)

220 B YTE • IULY 1984

GenTech

COMPUTERS

ALTOS

586-20 (8086, 512K. 5 Users, XENIX/RT, 20 MB

Hard Disk & 1 Floppy) SCall

9B6-40 (9 Users, 42 MB) SCall

COLUMBIA

1600-1 (128K, 2 Drives) SCall

1600-4 (10 MB Hard Disk) SCall

1600-VP (Portable) SCall

COMPUPRO All Models SCall

CORONA Desktop & Portable PC's SCall

EAGLE

PC-Plus 2/PC-Plus XL SCall

Spirit-2 (Portable, 128K. 2 Drives) $2295

Spirit-XL (128K, 10 MB Hard Disk) S3649

FRANKLIN

CX Series (NEW!) Apple DOS. MS-DOS, CP/M SCall

ACE PRO PLUS System SCall

ACE 1200 OMS (6502/Z80B, 2 Drives, WordStar,

MailMerge, ACE Calc) SCall

INTERTEC

HeadStart VPU 512 (Z80A/80B6. 512K) . . . SCall

HeadStart VPU 1000 (1 MB RAM) SCall

NEC

PC-8201A (W/16K RAM) $479

PC-8801A (Z80A, 64K, 2 Drives, 12" Monitor,

WordStar, MailMerge, Multiplan, NBASIC) $1199 PC-8801-16 (Optional 8086 w/MS-DOS) . , SCall

PC-8881 (Optional Dual 8" Drives) SCall

SANVO

MBC 550 (8088. 128K, 1 SSDD Drive (160K),

WordStar, CalcStar, EasyWriter) SCall

MBC 555 (550 Plus 1 Add. Drive, EasyWriter II,

EasyMailer II, EasyFiler, EasyPlanner) . . SCall Double-Sided Drive Systems Available Nowl

SEEQUA Chameleon (IBM Compatible) . . . SCall SWP Micro Computer Products Co -Power-88 Board (8088 w/ 256K)

For KAYPRO 2, 4 & 10 SCall

For MORROW DESIGNS Micro Decision SCall

TAVA IBM Look-Alike (128K, 2 Drives) . . . $1945

TELEVIDEO

1605 (8088,128K, 2 Drives. DOS 2.0) . . SCall

TPC-II (Portable Version of Above) SCall

TITAN TECHNOLOGIES

OX PC (8088 w; 192K) For EPSON OX-10. . SCall

VISUAL Commuter (IBM Compatible Portable) SCall

FOR IBM-PC

AST RESEARCH INC.

MEGA PLUS II (64K. Ser & Clk) $269

MEGAPAK 256K Module $289

SIX PACK PLUS (64K, Ser/Par. Clk) $279

COMBO PLUS (64K, Ser/Par, Clk) S279

I/O PLUS II (Serial Port, Clock/Cal) S125

** OPTIONS**

Each 64K Increment Is S60.

Serial/Parallel/Game Port S45

OUADRAM

EXPANDED OUADBOARD (S. P, Clock, Game)

64K $279 384K $529

OUAO 512*- (Serial Port, Maximum 512K)

64K $239 512K $599

OUADCOLOR I (Video Board) $209

QUADLINK (6502 w/ 64K) $489

MICROFAZER

Parallel/Parallel

16K. . $139 64K . . S185 128K . . $239

Serial/Serial, Serial/Parl, Parl/Serial

8K . . $145 16K . . $155 64K . . $209

AMDEK MAI Board (128K (640 x 400)) $409

CCS Supervision (132 Column) $499

HERCULES Graphics Board (720x348). . . $349

INTEL 8087 Math Co-Processor $249

KEVTRONIC IBM Keyboard (5150) $169

MA SYSTEMS PC Peacock (RGB & Composite.

Parallel Port) $279

MICROLOG Baby Blue II (Z80B, 64K, Parallel &

Serial Ports, Clock/Calendar) S539

PERSVST Color Graphics Board $219

PLANTRONICS ColorPlus SCall

RANA 5 MB Disk Drive w/ Controller.... SCall

STB SYSTEMS Grapbix Plus $349

TANDON TM 100-2 (OSDO Disk Drive) . . . $209

TEAC F0-55B (OSDD Thinline Drive) .... $185

TECMAR Graphics Master (640 x 400 RGB) $519

The Captain (w/ OK) $259

1st Mate (w/ OK) $229

FOR APPLE ll/lle, Franklin ACE

ALS CP/M Card

Smarterm II (80 Column Card) . . . DIGITAL RESEARCH CP/M Gold Card . FOURTH DIMENSION 16K RAM Card

BO Column Card w/ 64K (lie Only) .

Super Drive (143K)

INTERACT. STRU. PKASO Universal. .

Shuffle Buffer (32K)

KOALA TECH. Koala Pad

MICROSOFT Premium Softcard (lie) .

Softcard (Apple/Franklin)

MICROTEK Durnpling-16

RV-611C (Parallel Interface) .... ORANGE MICRO Grappler+

Buffered Grappler+ (16K)

PROMETHEUS Graphitti

RANA Elite I

Elite ll/Flite III

HARD DISK

CORVUS

6 MB $1649 External Mirror .

12 MB SCall Disk Server . . .

18 MB SCall Printer Server. .

Transporter . . $399 The Bank . . . .

Omnidrive (New!)

DAVONG (Universal External)

10 MB $1925 15 MB

21 MB $2645 32MB

$639 $789 $789 S1749 SCall

GREAT LAKES

10 MB Internal For IBM $1059

10 MB External (w/Controller) $1219

23 MB External (w/ Controller) $1799

ocs

10 MB w/ 5 MB Cartridge Back-Up.... S2995

20 MB w/ 5 MB Cartridge Back-Up. . . . $3495 TALLGRASS

12 MB External w/Tape Back-Up $2799

20 MB External w/Tape Back-Up $3199

TANDON TM 5112 (10 MB External).... $1595

TECMAR

Remov. Cartridge Winchester in PC (5 MB) $1479

10 MB w/ 5 MB Cartridge in Chassis . . . $2999

UNIVATION 11 MB w/ 192K For DEC $1995 XCOMP 16 MB External (For IBM. Apple, Kaypro &

Morrow Designs) $1749

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

ANADEX

DP 9625B (60 CPS NLQ) $1199

DP 6500 (500 CPS, 15" Carriage) $2375

C-ITOH Prowriter I 8510 AP $329

DATASOUTH DS-180/DS-220 SCall

EPSON

LO-1500 . . . Si 195 RX-100 $519

RX-80 $279 RX-80 F/T . . . . $339

FX-80 $469 FX-100

FLORIDA DATA (600 CPS. 4 Fonts) .... $2995

INFO RUNNER Riteman Plus $299

MANNESMANN TALLY

MT160L ... $599 MT180L $799

Spirit-60 ... $299 1602 SCall

NEC

P2 Pinwriter (180 CPS, 10" Carriage) .... $649

P3 Pinwriter (180 CPS, 15" Carriage) .... S879 OKIDATA

ML 92 SCall ML 93 SCall

ML 84(P) . . . SCall Pacemark SCall

PANASONIC KX-P1090 $299

SMITH CORONA D-200 $459

STAR MICRONICS

Gemini 10X. . . $289 Gemini 15X .... $389

Delta 10 ... $409 Delta 15 $549

Radix 10 ... . $589 Radix 15 $699

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS

850 RO $489 855 RO $759

TOSHIBA

P1340 $789 P1350/1351 ... $Call

TRANSTAR T315 Color Printer $459

$289 $135 $349

$49 $159 $219 $125 $225

S85 S289 $229 $149

$59 $119 $169

$89 $235 SCall

LETTER QUALITY PRINTERS

BROTHER/DYNAX

DX-15 (13 CPS, Diablo Compat.) $449

HR-25 (23 CPS. 3K Bufler) $749

COMREX ComRiter II (5K Buffer) $459

DAISYWRITER

2000 EXP (25 CPS. 48K Buffer) S985

DIABLO

620 R-1Q5 SCall 630 ECS/IBM. . $1995

630 ECS/API E-109 $2195

JUKI 6100 (17 CPS, Diablo Compat.) .... SCall NEC

2010 $699 2015 $699

2030 $699 2050 $829

3510 S1295 3515 $1295

3530 $1295 3550 $1615

7710 $1749 7730 $1749

OLYMPIA

Compact RO $459 Compact 2 . . . . $429

OUME Sprint 1140/1155 $1299/81479

LetterPro 20P SCall

SILVER-REED

EXP 500(P) . . $419 EXP 500 (S) . . . $449

EXP550(P) . . $519 EXP770(P). . . . $899

STAR MICRONICS PowerType SCall

TRANSTAR T120/T130 S419/S579

■ Jl'ilUlH

AMDEK

DXY-100 .... S609 Amplot II $899

ENTER COMPUTERS

Sweet-P. . . . SCall Six Shooter. . . . SCall

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS

DMP-40 .... S779 DMP-29 .... $1849

DMP-41 . . . $2399 DMP-42 .... $2399

MANNESMANN TALLV Pixy-3 $599

ROLAND

OXY-101 .... S559 DXY-600 $739

STROBE

Model 200. . . $529 Model 260 .... $689

MONITORS

AMDEK

Video 300/300A/310A $135/145/165

Color It ... SCall Color 11+ $419

Color 111+ . . . S379 Color IV $719

GENTECH 9712" Green S85/S95

PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX-12 $489

SR-12 (690x480) $839

Max-12 (12" Amber, TTL) $189

OUADRAM Quadscreen (17," 968x512). . $1595 ROLAND

MB-122G. . . $169 MB-122A $175

CB-141 $289 CC-141 $579

SAKATA SC-100/SC-300 $265/$Call

TAXAN

KG-12N $119 KG-12N/UY, , . . $129

210(380x262) $269 420(640x262) . $459

USI Pi-2/Pi-3 SCall

TERMINALS

ESPRIT

Esprit I SCall Esprit II SCall

Esprit III ... . SCall ESP-6310 $589

LIBERTY Freedom 110/200 SCall

OUME I02/102A S549/S559

103/108 S859/S649

TELEVIDEO 914/924 SCall

950/970 SCall

Personal Terminal $429

w/300 Baud Modem $538

VISUAL 50/55 $559/3689

WYSE

WY-50 $539 WY-75 $625

WY-100 S659 WY-300 $995

ZENITH

Z-29 $659 ZTX-10 $329

ZTX-11 (w/ 300 Baud Modem) $399

I'N'Hi'H

ANCHOR

Mark VI (IBM) . $189 Mark XII $265

HAYES

Micromodem lie (w/ SmartCom I) . . . . $235

Smartmodem 300/1200 SCall

Smartmodem 1200B (IBM) $439

NOVATION

Access 1-2-3 S419

J-Cat (Auto Orig/Answer, 300 Baud). . . $105

Apple Cat II (300 Baud) $225

212 Apple Cat II (1200 Baud) $409

103 Smart Cat (300 Baud) $169

103/212 Smart Cat (1200 Baud) $399

TRANSEND (Formerly SSM)

Modemcard w/ Source (For Apple) . . . $239

PC Modem Card 300 (For IBM) $279

U.S. ROBOTICS

Password (1200 Baud) $319

Auto Dial 212A $459

SOFTWARE

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS Jack 2

LOTUS 1-2-3

MBSI, STAR Accounting Software . . MICROPRO WordStar Pro Pack (IBM)

MICRORIM R Base 4000

PS WordPlus-PC w/ BOSS

SATELLITE SOFTWARE WordPerfect SOFTWORD SYSTEMS Multimate. . SORCIM SuperCalc 3

$349 $329 SCall S399 $319 $349 $289 $319 $239

MISCELLANEOUS

SINGLE SIDED DISKETTES

3M $25 Dysan

Maxell $29 Verbatim. . .

DOUBLE-SIDED DISKETTES

-3M $31 Dysan

Maxell $38 Verbatim. . . .

CARD CO Card';. G

HOUSTON INSTRUMENTS

DT-11 Digitizer (1-Button Cursor)

DT-114 Digitizer (4-Button Cursor)

ORANGE MICRO Grappler CD (For C-64). OUADRAM Quadjet (Ink Jet Printer) . . . RANA 1000 Disk Drive w/ DOS (For Atari)

$29

$38 $33 $69

S779 $105 S789 S309

CUSTOMER SERVICE

401-273-2420

ORDERS ONLY

800-843-4302

150 Broadway, Suite 2212. N.Y., NV 10038

Money Order, Cashier's Ck. Personal Ck (3 Weeks To Clear)

Add 3% MC/VISA, 5% AMEX Charge Add 2% On COD Orders.

APO Orders Add 6%. Add 3% For Net Terms.

All Returned Non-Delective Merchandise Aie Subject To

20% Restocking Charge

GenTech Reserves the Right to Change Advertised Prices.

AMERICAN

EXPRISS,

£..

MaitvrCord

visa:

Circle 137 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISC CONTROL

370 AS ■ "CARBUNCLE": GOTO 445

Q & A needed.

375 QS = "NAME THE WAITER WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT."

380 AS = "INGEMAR": GOTO 445

385 QS = "WHO GOT TO THE TABLE FIRST?"

390 AS = "MOOKY": GOTO 445

395 QS = "NAME THE KITCHEN DWELLERS."

400 AS = "FRED": GOTO 445

405 QS = "STAND-UP COMIC?"

410 AS = "RASPUTIN": GOTO 44.5

415 QS = "WHAT IS THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING?"

420 AS = "YES": GOTO 445

425 QS = "WHAT GOES WITH CORNED BEEF?"

430 AS = "CABBAGE": GOTO 445

435 QS = "CAN YOU KISS THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR ELBOW?"

440 AS = "NOT DURING DINNER": GOTO 445

445 CCLEAR: LOCATE(0,1): PRINT QS

Print question.

450 PRINT "(UPPER CASE ONLY, PLEASE.)"

455 INPUT /L, RESPS: CCLEAR: QS = " "

(Release memory.)

460 _TEXT(40,80, "YOUR ANSWER IS. . .",FONT%(0).6,0,3,1): PAUSE 10

465 FOR K% = 1 TO LENIRESPS)-LEN(AS) + 1

Search resp for right ans.

470 IF MIDS(RESPS,K%,LEN(AS)) = AS THEN AS = "RIGHT": GOTO 565

475 NEXT K%: AS = "WRONG"

Didn't find it.

480 ' Doesn't quite get around

485 CCLEAR 8: _LDPSTART(1051,10521

Start him across.

490 _LDPWAIT11053): _LDPOUT(&H3C): D = 1

Slow motion.

495 FOR K% = 5 TO 1 STEP - 1: PAUSE K% * 6

Decaying loop.

500 _LDPOUT(&H44 + D • &H8)

Fwd or reverse

505 D = D • (-1): NEXT K%

depending on D's sign.

510 PAUSE 3: GCOLOR „4: CCLEAR 4: CCOLOR 6

Screen turns red.

515 MSGS = "AAA1IIYYYEEEEE": C% = 19 + IRND(2)

520 FOR L% = 1 TO 14

525 LOCATE(C%,L% + 5): PRINT MIDS(MSGS,L%,1)

Print msg in random

530 C% = C% - 1 + IRND(2): PAUSE 1: NEXT L%

pattern down screen.

535 _LDPSTART(1054,1055,1056)

Slow motion of

540 PAUSE 3: CCLEAR: CCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

silverware falling.

545 IF AS = "WRONG" THEN _TEXT(110,I40."WRONG!".FONT%(0),4,4,1)

550 PAUSE 20: MSGS = "THAT'S IT FOR YOU, PAL!"

555 PRGMS = "GRAVY": GCLEAR 8: GOTO 95

BAD END

560 ' Gets by

565 _LDPSTART(I057,1058)

570 GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: _LDPWA1T(1059)

Wait until he's around.

575 IF AS = "RIGHT" THEN _TEXT(90,150,'CORRECT!",FONT%(0),4,4,1)

580 PAUSE 20: POINTS « SCORE: GOSUB 65

Double the score.

585 PAUSE 10: CHAIN /V "TURN3', 170

Next challenge.

Program 7:

150 DIM FONT%(1600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF

Cold start.

155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6,0.0: CCLEAR

Restart entry point.

160 _LDPINIT _LDPOUT (&H51): _1NTSET(1,0)

165 _LDPSTART( 1060,1061)

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "TURN3"

Warm start entry point.

185 '

190 _VSW(3): ON ERROR GOTO 140

Print off screen.

195 _1NTSET(1,0): _SLFONT(FONT%(0),"SSER70")

200 _TEXT(55.0,"1 = TURN",FONT%(0).6,6,1)

'Three choices.

205 _TEXT(180,0."2=TURN',FONT%(0).6,6.I)

210 _TEXT(80,15,"RIGHT",FONT%(0),6,6,1)

215 _TEXT(210,15,"LEFT",FONT%(0).6,6.I)

220 __TEXT(60,180,"3 = GO STRA1GHT".FONT%(0).6,6,1)

225 CCLEAR: _LDPWAIT(1062): _VSW(2): BEEP

Show choices.

230 LIMIT - 1063: GOSUB 20

Don't wait long.

235 IF AS = "1" THEN 350

240 GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4: IF AS = "3" THEN 300

Not right; screen red.

245 IF AS = "2" THEN 265

'What's your choice.

250 TEXT(I20,100.'? ? ?",FONT%(0),6,0.5,1)

No selection.

255 GOTO 270

260 '

265 __TEXT(75,100,"TURN LEFT??",FONT%(0).6,0,3,1)

270 _LDPSTART(1064,1065) :PAUSE 3

Scene of Heimlich

222 BYTE • JULY 1984

Enter CompuServe's Electronic Mall and shop at your convenience in these exciting departments.

The Micro Mart The General Store The Travel Agent The Book Bazaar The Record Emporium The Photo Booth The Software Shop The Financial Market The Magazine Kiosk The Gardening Shed The Newsstand

A sample of the companies participating in CompuServe's Electronic Mall "includes:

Amdek

American Airlines

American Express

AST Research

Bank of America

Bantam

Big T Automotive

Buick

CBS Publishing

CDEX

Colonial Penn

Commodore

Computer World

Digital Equipment

dihthium Press

800 Software

47th Street photo

Grolier

Harvard Business Review

Heath

Heinold Commodities

Hertz

E.F. Hutton

Inmac

Innovative Software

Knapp Press

Magazine Entree

Magazine Supply House

Manufacturer's Hanover Trust

MaxUle

McGraw-Hill

Metropolitan Life

Microsoft

Miracle Computing

Misco

Newsnet

Novation

Official Airline Guide

Pan American Electronics

Peachtree Software

Practical Peripherals

Program Store

Professional Color Labs

RCA Record Clubs

Record World

Sears

Select Information Exchange

Sim Computer Products

Simon and Schuster

Small Computer Book Club

Software Advisor

Stark Brothers

Supersoft

Vanguard

VisiCorp

Waldenbooks

Woman's Day Books

Ziff-Davis

Merchants and manufacturers who want to participate in the Electronic Mall" may contact: Stephen A. Swanson, L.M. Berry & Co., P.O. Box 6000, Dayton, OH 45401, (513) 296-2015.

Bft?!r

.—pi i

v BY THE \t)AR2000,THE WORLD

May Catch Up With The Way CompuServes New Electronic Mall "etsYou Shop"

Introducing the * first computer shopping service that brings you convenience, savings and enjoyment

Here's your chance to expand the practical uses of your personal computer.

Sign up for CompuServe and shop in our new Electronic Mali If s easy to use. It tells you more about the products you're buying. It lets you order faster. And it's totally unique

CompuServe's new Electronic Mall" offers you all these shopping innovations.

- It's enormous! So it gives you in-depth information on thousands of goods and services, and lets you buy even hard-to-find merchandise - Its unique "Feedback" service lets you ask the merchants themselves specific questions. - It's incredibly efficient in ordering the products and services you want

■ Its special discount opportunities make it iconomical purchase after purchase - And

ame-urair

3p-quality merchandise

Make the CompuServe Electronic Mall 15-Minute Comparison Test

the Electronic Mall way.

• Call up on your computer screen full descriptions of the latest in computer printers, for instance

• Pick one and enter the order command.

• Check complete descriptions of places to

• Pick several and request travel brochures.

• Access a department store catalog and pick out a wine rack, tools, toys... any thing!

• Place your order.

Whatyou can do in 15 minutes shopping the oh way.

• Round up the family and get in the car.

The Electronic Mall, a valuable addition to the vast world of CompuServe,

CompuServe's Consumer Information Service brings you shopping information, entertainment, personal communications and more

You can access CompuServe with almost any computer and modem terminal or communicating word processor.

To receive your illustrated guide to CompuServe and learn how to subscribe

CompuServi

5000 Arlington Centre Blvd. Columbus, OH 43220

800-848-8199

In Ohio call 614-457-0802 '

The Electronic

An H & R Block Compa

Circle 209 on inquiry card.

Multi-function

RS-232

Transfer Switches

MFJ-1240 $7995

Choice of 8 models

Multi-function RS-232 transfer switches let you

switch your computer among printers, modems, terminals, any RS-232 peripherals; monitor data/ line failure, protect data lines from surges, and use as null modem for less cost than aswitch alone. Switches 10 lines (2,3,4,5,6,8,11,15,17,20). LED data/line indicators monitor lines 2,3,4,5,6, 8,20. Metal oxide varistors protect data lines 2, 3 from voltage spikes and surges. Push button reverses transmit-receive lines (2,3). PC board eliminates wiring, crosstalk, line interference. Connects any one input to any one output.

Model Price In Out

MFJ-1240 {79.95 1 2

MFJ-1241 $99.95 2 2

MFJ-1242 $119.95 2 3

MFJ-1243 S119.95 1 4

Model Price In Out

MFJ-1244 $139.95 3 3

MFJ-1245 $169.95 3 5

MFJ-1246 $199.95 5 5

jMFJ-1247 $99.95 1

[switches 20 lines

AC Power Centers

MFJ-1108 MFJ-1108, $99.95. Add conven$ QQ 95 ience, prevent data loss, head ***' bounce, equipment damage. Relay latches power off during power transients. Multi-filters isolate equipment, eliminate interaction, noise, hash. MOVs suppress spikes, surges. 3 isolated, switched socketpairs. One unswitched for clock, etc. Lighted power, reset switch. Pop-out fuse. 3 wire, 6 ft. cord. 15A, 125V, 1875 watts. Aluminum case. Black. 18x23/4x2 in. MFJ-1107, $79.95. Like 1108 less relay. 8 sockets, 2 unswitched. MFJ-1109, $129.95. Like 1107 but intelligent. Switch on device plugged into control socket and everything else turns on. Others available.

Acoustic/ Direct Coupled Modem

Use with any $ fStj&L phone anywhere I £o

MFJ-1233 Acoustic/Direct Coupled 300 baud modem. Versatile. Use with virtually any phone, anywhere. Use battery or 110 VAC. Direct connect mode: Plug between handset and base. Use with single or multi-line phones. Acoustic coupled mode: Use with phones without modular plugs. Quality muffs give good acoustic coupling, isolates external noise for reliable data transfer. Originate/answer. Self test. Carrier detect, ON LEDs. RS-232, TTL compatible. Reliable single chip modem. Crystal controlled. Aluminum cabinet. 9x1 Vzx4 in. Other models available.

Order from MFJ and try it. If not delighted, return within 30 days for refund (less shipping). One year unconditional guarantee. Order yours today. Call toll free 800-647-1800.

Charge VISA, MC. Or mail check, money order. Add $4.00 each for shipping and handling.

CALL TOLL FREE . . . 800-647-1800

Call 601-323-5869 in MS, outside continental I

ENTERPRISES INCORPORATED

921 Louisville Road, Starkville, MS 39759

VIDEODISC CONTROL

Maneuver

275 GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: _LDPWAIT(l066)

280 _TEXT(65,120,"CRUNCH!",FONT%(0).4,0,10.3)

285 MSG$ = "SORRY. NAME. WRONG WAY!"

290 PRGM$ = "TURN3": GOTO 95

295 '

300 __TEXT(60,100,"GO STRAIGHT??',FONT%(0),6,0,3,1)

BAD END

305 _LDPSTART(1067, 1068): PAUSE 2

'Run between tables.

310 GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8: _LDPWAIT(I069)

315 GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4

320 _LDPSTART(I070,107I)

lump the gravy.

325 _TEXT(45,100."RUN, NAME. RUN!".FONT%(0),6,0,3,1)

330 PAUSE 14: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR ,,8

Music behind graphic.

335 _LDPWAIT(1072): MSG$ = "THIS IS THE CHECK, NAME!"

340 PRGM$ = "TURN3": GOTO 95

BAD END

345 '

350 GCLEAR 8: POINTS = 3490: GOSUB 65: CCLEAR

355 _LDPWAIT(I073)

360 LOCATE(I5,20): CCOLOR 4.2,2: PRINT " WARNING "

Print flashing.

365 LOCATE(6,21): CCOLOR 4.2,0

370 PRINT "TAKE POSITIVE ACTION OR DIE!"

375 LOCATEI9.22): PRINT "TYPE YOUR RESPONSE NOW:"

MINI-EDITOR:

380 CCOLOR 4,0,0: C% = 15: L% = 23

Set col & line.

385 RESPS = " ": EVAL INKEYS: CURSOR ON

Initialize.

390 _LDPFRM(F#): IF F# > 1074 THEN 450

Is time up?

395 LOCATE(C%,L%): AS = INKEYS: IF AS = " " THEN 390

Key pressed?

400 IF AS « CHRSI13) THEN 450

Return key?

405 IF AS <> CHRSII50) OR LEN(RESPS) = 0 THEN 425

Left arrow key?

410 RESPS = LEFTSIRESPS. LEN(RESPS) - 1): C% = C% - 1

then back up,

415 IF C% < 0 THEN C% = 39: L% = L% - 1

update cursor,

420 LOCATEIC%, L%): PRINT " ";: GOTO 390

erase character.

425 IF AS < CHRSI32) OR AS > CHRSII22) THEN 390

Valid character?

430 IF LENIRESPS) > 60 THEN 390

60 character limit?

435 RESPS = RESPS + AS: LOCATE(C%, L%): PRINT AS

Add character typed,

440 C% = C% + 1: IF C% > 39 THEN C% = 0: L% = L% + 1

update cursor.

445 GOTO 390

Check the time.

450 CURSOR OFF : CCLEAR

Time's up.

455 FOR K% = 1 TO LEN(RESPS) - 4

Search response

460 IF M1DS(RESP$.K%,5) = "FLOOR" THEN 510

for right answer.

462 IF M1DS(RESPS.K%,5) = "floor" THEN 510

lower case, too.

465 NEXT K%: _LDPWAIT(I075)

Must be wrong.

470 GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4: _LDPSTART(1075,1076)

New threat!

475 PAUSE 1: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

480 PAUSE 5: GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4: _LDPSRCH(1078)

Looks grim.

485 PAUSE 5: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

490 _TEXT(I00.120,"LOST HAT CHECK STUB! ",FONT%(0).4,0,5,2)

It's all over.

495 MSGS = "TOO BAD. NAME.": PRGMS = TURN3"

500 SCORE = SCORE - 3490: GOTO 95

'Can't keep points if

505 '

'restarting this module.

510 _LDPWAIT(1079)

515 _TEXT(115,170."WISE!".FONT%(0),4,0,3,I)

520 PAUSE 30: CCLEAR: GCLEAR 8

525 CHAIN /V "WYSTEP", 170

What's next?

Program 8:

150 DIM FONT%|1600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF

Cold start.

155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6,0,0: CCLEAR

Restart entry point.

160 ^LDPINIT: __LDPOUT (&H5I): _INTSET(1,0)

165 _LDPSTART(I080,1081)

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "WYSTEP"

Warm start entry point.

185 '

190 __VSW(3): ON ERROR GOTO 140

195 _SLFONT(FONT%(0), "SSER70")

200 _TEXT(20,I80,"1 = WATCH YOUR STEP",FONT%(0),6,6.1)

205 _LDPWAIT(!082): _VSW|2): BEEP

Only one choice.

210 __LDPWAIT(I083): LIMIT = 1084: GOSUB 20

Question is 'when".

215 IF AS = "1" THEN 230 ELSE _LDPWAIT(1085)

Pressed at right time?

220 MSGS = "YOU DID'NT WATCH YOUR STEP": GOTO 280

225 '

[continued)

224 BYTE • IULY 1984

Two more great reasons to buy the Canon' AS-100 Microcomputer.

1. Incredibly low price.

2. Free software.

Now there's even more incentive to buy Canon's AS-100 Microcomputer.

Because not only will you get one of the most advanced, small business microcomputers you can buy, but with a price that's now dramatically reduced, you'll also get value that's just as far ahead of its time. Plus free business management programs.

That's an unprecedented saving on this elegantly compact, yet powerful microcomputer.

It has a high-speed, 16-bit microprocessor with standard 128K- bytes RAM expandable to 512K bytes.

A high-resolution, color display system for easy-to-read figures, charts and graphs (monochrome green display if you prefer).

The convenience and versatility of a lightweight keyboard that's adjustable for maximum comfort. Plus external storage capacity that includes 5V4-inch mini or 8-inch floppy disks, with hard disk drive

also available.

And if all this isn't reason enough, the AS-100 now comes fully equipped with a choice of popular business software packages. Software such as WordStar* for word processing, CalcStar* and SuperCalc 2*** for spreadsheet analysis and dBase II** InfoStar* and Friday!** for data base management. There's also a choice of Canon's exclusive software— Canowritert and Canobrain IP.

Terrific savings and a choice of software packages.

Two more great reasons to buy the only microcomputer that comes with the assurance, reliability and technological quality of Canon.

The Canon AS-100.

For more information:

Call 1-800-323-1717, Ext. 302.

(In Illinois call 1800 942-8881, Ext. 302.)

Or Write Canon U.S.A., Inc.,

Systems Division, P.O. Box CN 11250

Trenton, N.J. 08638.

•InfoStar, CalcStar and WordStar are trademarks of MicroPro. **Fridayl is a trademark and dBase II is a registered trademark of Ashton-Tate. ***SuperCalc 2 is a trademark of Sorcim. ^anowriter and Canobrain II are trademarks of Canon, Inc.

Available through Canon authorized dealers. Offer good through October 31,1984. © 1984 Canon USA., Inc.

Canon Systems Division

Tirrlp dR nr\ innnirv rarH

ERG/68000

MINI-SYSTEMS

. ■ D Full IEEE 696/S100 Compatibility

HARDWARE OPTIONS

D D □ □ D

□ □ □ □ □ □ □ □

□ □

□ □

8MHz, 10 MHz, or 12 MHz

68000/68010 CPU

68451 Memory Management

Hardware Floating Point

Multiple Port Intelligent I/O

64K/128K Static RAM (70 nsec)

256K/512K/1MB Dynamic RAM (150

nsec)

Graphics-Digital Graphics

CAT-1600

DMA Disk Interface

SMD Disk Interface

Vt" or Vx" Tape Backup

SW or 8" Floppy Disk Drives

5MB-474MB Hard Disk Drives

7/10/20 Slot Back Plane

20 or 30A Power Supply

Desk Top or Rack Mount End.

SOFTWARE OPTIONS

68KFORTH' Systems Language CP/M-68KaO/S with C, 68K-BASIC, 68KFORTH', FORTRAN 77, EM80 Emulator, Whitesmiths' C, PASCAL IDRIS3 O/S with C, PASCAL, FORTRAN 77, 68K-BASIC, CIS COBOL4, INFORMIX5 Relational DBMS

UNIX* SYS V O/S with C, PASCAL, FORTRAN 77, BASIC, RM COBOL', ADA', INFORMIX9, Relational DBMS VED 68K Screen Editor Motorola's MACSBUG and FFP Package

Trademark 'ERG, ^Digital Research,

Whitesmiths, -Micro Focus, *RDS, Inc., "Bell Labs, 'Ryan McFariand, •U.S. DoD

30 Day Delivery - OEM Discounts

Empirical Research Group, Inc.

P.O. Box 1176

Milton, WA 98354

(206) 872-7665

VIDEODISC CONTROL

230 SCORE = SCORE + I2380: GOSUB 45

235 LIMIT ■ I086: GOSUB 20: GCLEAR 8

Don't hold key down.

240 IF AS = "1" THEN 260

It's a trap.

245 MSGS = "TOUGH LUCK, NAME."

Can't keep points if

250 SCORE = SCORE - 12380: GOTO 280

255 '

260 LOCATE(9,20): PRINT "YOU'RE NOW IN A POSITION"

restarting this module.

265 LOCATE(l2,21): PRINT "TO WIN THIS GAME. . ."

270 CHAIN /V "WEIGHT", 170

One more test.

275 ' STREET SCENE

280 GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4: CCLEAR

285 _LDPSTART(I087, 1088)

288 PAUSE 1: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

Wait for disc access.

290 PAUSE 2: GCOLOR „4: GCLEAR 4: PAUSE 1

Show, then mask picture.

295 _LDPSRCH(I089): PAUSE 2: GCLEAR 8: GCOLOR „8

but play the sound.

300 _TEXT(105,130,"TAX1!",FONT%(0).4,0.5,2)

Grim scene.

305 PRGM$ = "WYSTEP": GOTO 95

BAD END

Program 9:

150 DIM FONT%(I600): CONSOLE 40: CURSOR OFF

Cold start.

155 GCOLOR „8: GCLEAR 8: CCOLOR 6.0,0: CCLEAR

Restart entry point.

160 _LDPINIT _LDPOUT (&H51): _INTSET(1.0)

165 _LDPSTART(1090,I091|

170 CHAIN /V/M "SUBSET"

175 '

180 ' "FARE"

Warm start entry point.

185 '

190 _VSW(2): ON ERROR GOTO 140

195 _1NTSET(I,0): _SLFONT(FONT%(0)."SSER70")

200 CCLEAR: LOCATE (6,20?

202 PRINT "JUST ANSWER THIS ONE QUESTION. ."

205 _LDPWAIT(I092): CCLEAR: _LDPTWA1T(14077)

210 LOCATE! 1,20)

212 PRINT "WHAT IS THE FARE FOR THE FIRST '/,„ MILE?"

215 LOCATE(0,22)

217 PRINT "YOU HAVE 20 SECONDS TO TYPE YOUR ANSWER."

220 C% = 18: T = 15: EVAL INKEY$: CURSOR ON

MINI-EDITOR.

225 _LDPFRM(F#): IF F# > 1093 THEN 290

Time up?

230 NT = (1094 - F#) \ 32

New time remaining.

232 IF T = NT THEN 245 ELSE T = NT

Different from last time?

235 CURSOR OFF : CCOLOR 4, 2

Then print new

240 LOCATE(9,22): PRINT SPACE$(-(T< 10))X

time, flashing.

242 CCOLOR 6,0: CURSOR ON

245 LOCATE(C%,23): AS = INKEY$: IF AS = " " THEN 225

Key press?

250 IF AS » CHRS(13) THEN 290

Return key?

255 IF AS <> CHR$(150) OR LEN(W$)= 0 THEN 270

Backing up?

260 W$ = LEFTS(WS) - I): C% = C% - 1

Take character away

265 LOCATE(C%,23): PRINT " ";: GOTO 225

and erase it.

270 IF AS < CHRSI32) OR AS > CHRSU22) THEN 225

Valid character?

275 IF LEN(WS) > 20 THEN 225

'20 character limit?

280 W$ = W$ + AS: LOCATE(C%,23): PRINT AS:

Add character typed.

285 C% = C% + 1: GOTO 225

update cursor, check time. Time's up.

290 CCLEAR: CURSOR OFF : _LDPWAIT(I095)

295 FOR K% = 30 TO 70 STEP 20: PAUSE 10

No right answer.

300 _TEXT(165 + K%/2. K%,"WRONG!",FONT%(0),4.0.5,2)

305 NEXT K%: __LDPWAIT(1096): GCLEAR 8

Pothole gaping ahead.

310 LOCATE(5,24): PRINT "P = PLAY AGAIN E = END":

315 _LDPFRM(F#): IF F# > 1097 THEN 325

You can watch til end

320 AS = INKEYS: IF AS = " " THEN 315

of segment or take

325 GCOLOR „1: GCLEAR 1: CCLEAR: _VSW(0)

shortcut out (P or E).

330 IF AS <> " " THEN _LDPSTART(I098.1099)

Music behind graphic.

335 _TEXT(50.4O,"BETTER LUCK",FONT%(0),6.0,5,1)

(Actually, any key leads

340 _TEXT(65,60."NEXT TIME.'.FONT%(0),6.0.5.1)

to this final frame.)

345 _TEXT(30,100,"TO PLAY AGAIN'.FONT%(0),6.0,5.1)

350 _TEXT(70,120."TYPE",FONT%(0),6.0,5,1)

355 _TEXT(I50,120,"BIG DINNER.",FONT%(0),4.6.5.1)

358 GOSUB 45

Show final score

360 CCOLOR 4: LOCATE(18,22): INPUT 11. RESPS

365 IF RESPS = "BIG DINNER" OR RESPS » "big dinner" THEN RUN "F1RSTSEG"

370 GOTO 125

Reset screen and end.

226 BYTE • IULY 1984

Now you don't have to sacrifice print quality for speed.

The Canon Impact Matrix Series Printers.

High speed and high quality in one functional, compact unit. That's what Canon's Impact Matrix Printers offer you.

They print hard copy at a rapid 160 characters per second. While in the double pass mode you get an impressive, high-density 23 X18 dot matrix that gives near letter quality printing suitable for word processing.

Canon's unique technology has also dramatically reduced bothersome clatter down to a muted noise level of less than 60dB.

Even at high speed.

And that, unlike many other impact matrix printers, makes them a pleasure to work with.

Plus there's limitless flexibility with the optional down-loading function that lets you print

) 1984 Canon USA., Inc.

whatever character fonts your host computer can create. As well as a choice of four different character styles (all printable on the same line) that you can enlarge or condense.

The Impact Matrix Series Printers give you a convenient choice of special paper widths-the PW-1080A for 80-character column printout and the PW-1156A for 156-character column.

Exceptional quality and high speed.

The Canon* Impact Matrix Series Printers give you the best of both worlds.

For more information:

Call 1-800 323 1717, Ext. 300.

(In Illinois call 1-800 942 8881, Ext. 300.)

Or Write Canon U.S.A., Inc.,

Printer Division, P.O. Box CN 11250,

Trenton, N.J. 08638.

Canon Printer Division

Circle 49 on inquiry card.

VIDEODISC CONTROL

The combination of the overlay and RGB graphics makes it possible to add new elements to an existing program.

All of this happens very quickly, and without a "glitch." That is, the combination of the overlay and RGB graphics makes it possible to add new elements to an existing program, weaving them into the action so everything seems normal.

In writing these programs, we discovered that timing was critical. In some instances, we changed the sequence of the disc player and screen commands so that videodisc scenes, graphics, and screen-clearing functions coincided.

We found that the best way to lock in the timing was to use LDPWAIT. The LDPWAIT command suspends program execution until the computer spots the specified videodisc frame. In some cases, we detected as much as onetenth of a second lag between the appearance of the desired frame and the execution of the command following LDPWAIT. So we "fudged" (prerolled) the frame numbers as needed to improve the timing.

We had to use the Sony Disk BASIC PAUSE statement several times as a fudge factor. PAUSE 10 is approximately one second.

We might add that in the GRAVY program, we developed a random-question generation sequence with our own (slightly ridiculous) questions and answers from lines 365-440. If you do not like ours you can add your own as long as you do not exceed 40 characters per line.

There are several other examples of how to use a personal computer to reformat an existing disc. Without going into further detail here, we suggest you refer to the listing for additional examples.

Conceptually, there is nothing new about using an existing disc to create a game. The exciting part is that two years ago integrated systems and soft

/^begin N

V'FIRSTSEQ" J

INITIALIZE

TURN OVERLAY SCREEN OFF

195

/LOAD

/SUPERIMPOSE /FONT DATA /INTO ARRAY

200-215

PRINT

SUPERIMPOSE TEXT

220

/WAIT FOR "\ VfRAME #7540/

2 20

BEEP AND TURN ON SUPERIMPOSE OVERLAY

2 25

WAIT FOR KEYPRESS OR FRAME # 7630

3"

230

235

285

/ MASK SCREEN / /IN BLUE /

240

/ CALL NEXT / / SCENE / / FROM DISC /

245

/ PRINT / / SUPERIMPOSE / / TEXT (BANG) /

250

/ PAUSE 1/2 / / SECOND. THEN / / ERASE TEXT /

255

/ PRINT /

/ superimpose / /text /

260

/ CALL NEXT / / SCENE / / FROM DISC /

265

/PAUSE 0.1 sac / /FOR DISC /

/access, then/ /remove MASK /

ADD POINT

290

(CHAIN N

"TURN1" J

J?

Figure 5: A sample flowchart for the "FIRSTSEQ" program, one of eight programs in the listing.

ware support for them were generally unavailable. Today, systems like the SMC-70 are widely available. More importantly, with the kind of software that is also available, you do not need to be an expert to write a program like this. Everything you need is likely to be found in the manual that accompanies the videodisc interface.

For those of you with IBM PCs, Visage (12 Michigan Drive, Natick, MA 01760) has just released a universal videodisc controller card, the VDC-1000, which can run with either the consumer or industrial players. At the time of this writing the card was not yet available, thus

we had no chance to use it for this game. But we are impressed with the purported features. Some of them include: graphics overlay on any NTSC signal; 15 available colors (including "transparent"); full-sprite animation; data dump from disc to PC memory; frame status; and a keyed-to-frame (TM) feature that links graphics and animation to the video.

For those of you with Apple lis and lies. Video Associates Labs (3933 Steck Ave., Suite B109, Austin, TX 78759) has a similar overlay system that has been well received, particularly by the broadcast and industrial video businesses. ■

228 BYTE • IULY 1984

What's more incredible about Canon's color ink-jet printer?

The quality... or the price?

ir ^

£23 CD ES

Take a look at the beautiful clarity of theCanon»PJ-1080A's color ink-jet printing. Then discover that Canon's color printer actually costs well under a thousand dollars. You'll be hard-pressed to decide which is more amazing.

What makes the quality so incredible? Features like:

■ The advanced drop-on-demand printing system. Canon's patented ink-jet technology gives a sharp 640 dot-per-line scan mode, for dazzling high-resolution color and exceptionally clean, crisp printouts.

■ Whisper-quiet operation of less than 50dB and an impressive speed of 37 c.ps.

■ A choice of seven bold colors for bright, imaginative graphics.

■ A special dual-ink cartridge system that gives cleaner

® 1984 Canon USA, Inc.

resolution on blacks and saves

you money, because when black

is used up only the black cartridge

need be replaced. ■ The ability to print high-fidelity

characters and images on

transparencies for overhead

projection. • Compatibility with most

computers you can buy.

And how much does all this cost?

Far less than a thousand dollars.

So what's more incredible about the PJ-1080A color ink-jet printer? There's only one way you'll really be able to find out.

And that's to buy one and decide for yourself.

For more Information:

Call 1-800-323-1717, Ext. 300.

(In Illinois call 1-800-942-8881, Ext 300.)

Or Write Canon U.S.A., Inc.,

Printer Division, P.O. Box CN 11250,

Trenton, N.J. 08638.

Canon Printer Division

Circle 50 on inquiry card.

I

HOW TO RUN

THE WORLD

mm

HBHBgBB

I ghee

Without software you're nowhere.

That's why the Corona PC runs virtually everything. Word Star.1 dBASE II.2 Lotus 1-2-33* Thousands of packages in all. But we didn't stop there.

We give you 60% better graphics than IBM® (640x325 pixels). So your pie charts look tastier. We doubled the memory: 128K memory expandable to 512K on the main board. For power that won't quit. And we bundle software. For instant productivity right out of the box. All at a price about 20% less than IBM's.

The Corona PC. Once you can run the world, runningyour business looks easy. In North America, call 1-800-621-6746 for the Authorized Corona Dealer near you. In Holland, call 020-03240-18111. There are over 1600 dealers worldwide. And their job is to help. Service by Xerox.

THE CORONA PC

corona

data systems, inc.

©Corona DataSystenis 1984.1. TM Micropro Corp. 2. TM Ashtan-Tate. 3. TM Lotus Development Corp. *HTS driver needed for graphics only.

Circle 86 on Inquiry card.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 231

BITE

Reviews

The Sage II and Sage IV Computers

by Allen Munro 235

The Compaq Plus

by Mark Dahmke 247

XENIX FOR the IBM PC XT

by Steven H. Barry and Randall ]acobson. .255

Turbo Pascal

by Tom WadW 267

LISP for the IBM Personal Computer

by \ordan Bortz and ]ohn Diamant 281

The Smith-Corona L-1000 Printer

by Richard S. Shuford 293

Review Feedback 301

Reviewer's Notebook

Business Solutions Inc., a software house located on Long Island, has been sponsoring contests for integrated software packages running on the IBM PC. Guess whose product usually wins? Business Solutions' Jack2, a descendant of its Apple II product called The Incredible lack, has been the subject of some impressive claims.

For the most part, the claims about this $495 program seem to stand up to scrutiny. Iack2 is a database-management program that can handle spreadsheet calculations, word processing, and graphics. All of these functions can be integrated fairly easily. For example, a letter, or database report, can include several different "blocks." One block could be a single record from a database; another block might be a small spreadsheet; a third, a bar graph. When one item of information changes, the spreadsheet and bar graph can change automatically. All this power is fairly easy to set up, too.

Iack2 has two problems, though. If you take any one of its four capabilities—database management, spreadsheet, word processing, or graphics—and look at it by itself, none is close to being as good as single-function programs such as pfs:Write or Multiplan. And second, the program runs on the p-System, not on PC-DOS. This means that you're going to have trouble transferring information from your spreadsheets, word processors, and databases running on MS-DOS. Business Solutions has announced the availability of a utility program that can transfer data from and to PC-DOS files, but we have not received it yet. A review of Jack2 will appear here soon.

Someday we'll have supersophisticated debugging programs that will allow us to customize our software exactly the way we want it. That day may not come too soon, but for now we are fortunate to have keyboard modification programs such as ProKey. The latest version of ProKey (version 3.0) for the IBM PC sells for $130 and allows you to substitute any combination of keystrokes for almost any key on the IBM keyboard. For example, in WordStar, you can change the Delete and Backspace keys into real Delete and Backspace keys. Or one keystroke can be used to insert your return address into a letter. And in spreadsheet programs, ProKey's "macro" key sequences are easier to use than those of Lotus's 1-2-3.

And that's not all. Another program in the ProKey package called Layout lets you easily change the layout of the IBM keyboard. For example, you can change the dreaded Backslash key into a Shift key. just like it's supposed to be, or you can set up a Dvorak keyboard. One problem, though, is that while most of the ProKey programs run on most of the IBM compatible systems, the Layout program is one of the few programs I've found that seems to run only on the IBM.

This month Allen Munro looks at the Sage II and IV, a 68000-based family of machines that has received some good notices elsewhere in this magazine.

Mark Dahmke looks at the Compaq Plus, the hard-disk version of the successful portable IBM clone.

Speaking of the IBM PC, we ran an article last year about a 68000 board for the PC produced by a company called Sritek ("Modular Architecture," by Sudha Kavuru. June 1983, page 194). Since this board comes with the XENIX operating system, we had Steven H. Barry and Randall Jacobson. our UNIX experts, report on it.

One product that has received tremendous raves all over the industry is Turbo Pascal, a powerful, easy-to-use version of Pascal for the IBM PC and CP/M-based machines. Tom Wadlow checks out whether the praise is deserved.

While we're on the subject of languages, we have Jordan Bortz and John Diamant reviewing two LISP systems: muLISP and IQLISP. Messrs. Bortz and Diamant examine how much intelligence—artificial or otherwise—went into these products.

And Richard Shuford takes a look at the Smith-Corona L-1000. a descendant of the TP-I. the first really affordable daisy-wheel printer. Richard reports on whether things have gotten better at Smith-Corona since the TP-I came on the market.

—Rich Malloy, Product-Review Editor

JULY 1984 -BYTE 2J3

*675 GETS

YOU THE WORKS.

£

I^Vl:- " ^"

' ' * '

•

j

n !*1

»-■-.- | MUNHBMAMH 1

■gJ FIXY^ 5

0B

■ ~'\^Z3Mmmm

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■ ~jp^' •

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£.:

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For about half the price of anything like it, now there's a complete plotting system with all you need for creative and professional graphics.

Everything's included: The Pixy microplotter, its dedicated Pixygraph software, paper, mylar film for overheads, two 8-color pen sets and a concise, easy-to-follow manual.

Even if you've never used a plotter before, it's never been easier to turn numerical data into pie charts, bar comparisons and area graphs. Or use your imagination to create unique designs.

?

Just connect Pixy to your IBM8-PC, Apple* or IBM compatible computer and you'll be turning out colorful graphics in no time.

Everything shown is specially offered at the one low suggested retail price for a limited time only. So if you've ever wanted to make your point with graphics, the right time is right now.

See your Mannesmann Tally dealer today or call toll-free for more in- MANNESMANN formation: 800-447-4700. TALLY

In Illinois, 800-322-4400

Apple is a registered trademark of Apple Computer. Inc. IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines, Inc.

234 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 197 on inquiry card.

SYSTEM REVIEW

The Sage

computers

display the

power of

the p-System

by Allen Munro

The Sage II and Sage IV Computers

Some personal computer users like to claim that they have no need for greater computing power. They say that a Z80-based system with 64 K bytes of RAM (random-access read/write memory) can handle all the tasks that most people would ever want to do on a computer. With all due respect, such users are letting their current systems set the limits of their imaginations.

Those who adopt a personal computer that uses the powerful 3 2-/16-bit Motorola MC68000 chip (32-bit internal data bus. 16-bit external data bus), such as the Sage II or Sage IV, are likely to discover new computing potential that they will soon decide they would rather not live without.

Does it make sense to put more than one user on a microcomputer? Probably so, if you are paying for the system but won't actually be using it. Probably not, if you want to use it yourself.

The Sage II and Sage IV let you go either way. The 68000 was originally designed as a minicomputer chip and can support multipleor single-user systems. The standard operating system on the Sage is the UCSD p-System, a single-user computer system. Sage lets you optionally install a multiuser version of the operating system, in which multiple users have access to copies of the p-System, each in his or her own memory partition.

Hardware

The two Sage computer models are virtually identical machines from the viewpoint of the applications software and operating system. Sage Computer Technology offers a finely graded series of systems solutions ranging from a single floppy-disk Sage II with 2 56K bytes of RAM through a variety of dual floppydisk Sage II systems, to a Sage IV system with one floppy disk, a 40-megabyte Winchester hard disk, and 1 megabyte of RAM.

The crucial difference between a Sage II and a Sage IV system is that a Sage II can be expanded up to 512K bytes of RAM and has only floppy-disk drives, while a Sage IV can have up to 1 megabyte of RAM and has at least one hard-disk drive. A Sage II has two serial ports, one for the terminal and another

for a modem or serial printer, and one parallel port. A Sage IV has these peripheral interfaces plus an IEEE 488 instrumentation bus and four serial interfaces for the connection of terminals in a multiple-user mode.

Both the Sage II and the Sage IV can be used as single-user or multiuser machines. The Sage II can support two users (with the modem port configured for a second terminal) and the Sage IV can support up to six users. As many as 15 tasks can be run, which means you can run some extra programs that don't require a terminal, such as printing. Running either machine in a multiuser mode requires the installation of the Sage multiuser environment, a task likely to daunt anyone unfamiliar with the p-System or microcomputer systems in general.

When the Sage II first arrived, I was impressed that the computer arrived in a packaging box not much larger than the one used for an Apple He. I was even more impressed when I opened the box and found that almost all the space was taken up by foam padding and documentation. The Sage II itself is smaller than an Apple He. Here is a computer with 512K bytes of memory installed, two dual-sided 5 ^-inch 80-track disk drives, each with a 640K-byte capacity, and the whole thing weighs only 16 pounds. (The Sage IV weighs 20 pounds.)

The Sage has no bit-mapped graphics capaability built in. It communicates to the user through a separate terminal, connected through an RS-232C serial port. If your applications require graphics, you can purchase a terminal with graphics capability. Sage's approach to graphics has the advantage that only those users who require the capability must pay for it. It also makes it possible for users to select exactly the graphics resolution and color they require and can afford. It has the disadvantage that there will be few applications available off the shelf for any particu

(continaed)

Allen Munro is assistant director of the Behavioral Technology Laboratories at the University of Southern California, 1845 South Elena Ave., Redondo Beach, CA 90277.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 235

REVIEW: SAGE

lar combination of Sage plus graphics terminal. In fact. Sage's approach to graphics is probably reasonable only for those who are prepared to program their application themselves.

The Sage printer port supports Centronics-type parallel-printer interfaces. I had no trouble using my Epson MX-80 to print from the Sage, either by using the file-manipulation utility (the Filer) to transfer text to the printer, or from my own programs. To use any printer with the available applications, find out whether the printer is supported by the software vendor, and, if so. how the correct printer parameters can be installed for that software.

I had some trouble when I decided to hook up the Sage II to an NEC Spinwriter Model 5525 with a serial interface. Thanks to many previous experiences trying to get RS-232C devices to communicate, and to the use of a Carroll breakout box (the RS-232 Line Tester, available from Carroll Touch Technology, 1212 Hagan St., Champaign. IL 61820), a friend and I were able to drive the printer from the Sage's modem port after about two hours of work.

The fact that it took time to complete this hookup is not a criticism of Sage in particular. There simply are not enough constraints on how manufacturers can implement the RS-232C standard to assure compatibility.

Neither of the Sage computers is particularly noisy. Both have fans that seem to do a good job getting the warm air out of the beige-and-black cabinets that house the computers, and they aren't loud enough to interfere with normal conversation. You just notice the sound if you happen to think of it. The harddisk-equipped Sage IV made a highpitched whine for the first 20 hours of operation, but it's been quiet since then.

Both Sages seem to be reliable. When

the Sage IV first arrived, it had a dead hard-disk drive. The carton looked as though it had been handled pretty roughly, and Winchester drives just aren't built to be abused. A call to the Sage service department was promptly answered by someone who suggested some simple tests. Sure enough, there was something wrong with the drive. The Sage service department sent me the replacement unit at the same time I sent the defective unit to them. The new Sage IV arrived in fine working order. The Winchester disk comes formatted and had been set up with all the necessary volumes (virtual disks) and floppy disks for p-System use. The system is set up to boot from the hard disk, but a simple back-panel switch setting change makes it possible to boot from a floppy disk, if you'd rather.

Performance

The only really reliable way to compare the performance of two computer systems is to actually use them. Benchmark programs are too narrowly focused to fully reflect system performance in the real world.

That caveat stated, four benchmarks are reported in table 1. Although any single benchmark should be taken with a grain of salt, a group of benchmarks may reveal a consistent trend. For comparison, the benchmark results for the IBM PC XT and the Apple He are presented here as well.

Virtually the same operating systems were used for all of the tests. Three of the benchmarks—the Pascal version of the Sieve of Eratosthenes, the floatingpoint benchmark, and the disk-transfer rate test—were performed using versions of the UCSD p-System. Both the Sage and the IBM PC XT ran under version IVI of the p-System. The Sage's p-System was produced by Soflech Microsystems; the IBM's came from Net

Table 1: Speed (in seconds) for four benchmarks, using

UCSD Pascal.

Sage II/IV

IBM PC XT

Apple He

Pascal Sieve

74.8

184.6

512.1

Modula Sieve

66.7

246.0

444.6

Pascal Floating Point

73.6

139.4

506.8

Pascal Disk Transfer

Floppy disk

42.9

44.6

53.5

Hard disk

7.9

8.7

75.6

RAM disk

0.6

2.1

work Consulting Inc. (NCI). The Apple He ran under Apple Pascal version 1.1, an implementation of UCSD Pascal version 11.0. (A version IV p-System is available from SofTech Microsystems for the Apple, but it is not widely used because it costs more and runs significantly more slowly.)

The Modula Sieve test for all three machines was done with the Modula operating system from Volition Systems of Del Mar. California. Volition uses a modified version of the UCSD Pascal Operating System, version II, as the basis for its operating system in support of Modula-2.

The first benchmark presented in table 1 is the Sieve, written in Pascal, as presented by Jim Gilbreath and Gary Gilbreath in "Eratosthenes Revisited: Once More through the Sieve" (January 1983 BYTE, page 283). This classic benchmark tests a computer system's speed at performing loops. As the results show, the IBM PC XT takes almost 2.5 times as long as the Sage machines, and the Apple He takes over 6.8 times as long.

The Modula version of the Sieve is also taken from the Gilbreaths' article. Here, running under a slightly different operating sytem, the Sage performs more than 3.5 times as fast as the IBM PC XT, and almost 6.7 times as fast as the Apple. This particular benchmark may actually be the fairest comparison of the speeds of the three machines because all were performed using the same operating system, based on UCSD Pascal version II.

This operating system may be a bit faster than SofTech's version IV1. The Modula operating system includes a Pascal compiler as well as the Modula-2 compiler. When the Pascal version of the Sieve benchmark was compiled on the Sage in this operating system, it ran in 69.3 seconds, a little faster than it did under version IV1.

The third set of benchmark figures in table 1 is the result of a Pascal floatingpoint benchmark adapted from a similar program written in C The original program appeared in "Comparing C Compilers for CP/M-86" by Jerry Houston, Jim Brodrick, and Les Kent (August 1983 BYTE, page 82). The Pascal version used for this comparison appears in listing 1. Here the IBM PC XT took about 1.9

{continued]

236 BYTE • IULY 1984

AT A GLANCE

Name

Sage II

Manufacturer

Sage Computer Technology 4905 Corporate Way Reno. Nevada 89502 (702) 322-6868

Components

Size:

4 by 12.5 by 17 inches Processor: MC68000. 8-MHz Memory:

2 56K bytes standard 512K bytes max Mass Storage: half-height floppy disk,

double-sided 40-track (IBM PC

compatible) 80-track (640K bytes each) Interfaces: parallel, serial, modem

Software

Operating system:

UCSD p-System Included software:

Word/7 Text Processing System Teletalker Communications

Optional Hardware

Sage Terminal (Qume 102). other terminals RAM expansion units to above maximums

Optional Software

Pascal compiler, Timberline spreadsheet, 68000 assembly language, and over 200 commercial application packages from a variety of software vendors.

Operating Systems

10 available, including CP/M-68K, IDR1S, Modula

Prices

1 floppy-disk drive, 256Kbytes RAM

$3200

Options

additional floppy-disk drive S700

additional 256K bytes RAM (to I megabyte on Sage IV) $500

Sage terminal (Qume) $590

MEMORY SIZE

DISK STORAGE

0 200 400 600 800 1000K 0 200 400 C00 800 1000K

F

BUNDLED SOFTWARE PACKAGE PRICE

0 2 4 6 8 10 $0 $2000 $4000 $6000 $8000 $10,000

SAGE n/xsc

IBM PC

APPLE TIE

The memory graph shows the standard and optional memory available for the computers under comparison. The graph of disk-storage capacity shows the highest capacity of a single floppy-disk drive for each system. The bundled software packages graph shows the number of software packages included with each system. The price graph

shows the list price of a system with two highcapacity floppy disk drives, a monochrome monitor, graphics and color-display capability, a printer port and a serial port, 2 56K bytes of memory (64K bytes for 8-bit systems), the standard operating system for each system, and the standard BASIC interpreter for each system.

1ULY 1984 -BYTE 237

^^

SP\j&G

The rear panel of the Sage II/IV.

Top view of the Sage II/IV with the cover removed.

DISK ACCESS IN BASIC 250

200

150

BASIC PERFORMANCE 250

200

150

100

WRITE

READ

SYSTEM UTILITIES

SIEVE

SPREADSHEET (MULTIPLAN)

CALCULATIONS

FORMAT/DISKCOPY

FILE COPY

SAGE H

IBM PC

LOAD

APPLE TIE

RECALCULATE

The graphs for disk access in BASIC show how long it takes to write a 64K-byte sequential text file to a blank floppy disk and how long it takes to read this file (See the June BYTE, page 334.) The Sieve graph shows how long it takes to run one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number benchmark. The calculation graph shows how long it takes to do 10,000 multiplication and division operations using single-precision numbers. The system utilities graphs show how long it takes to format and copy a disk (adjusted time for 40K bytes of disk data) and to transfer a 40K-byte file using the system utilities. The spreadsheet graph shows how long the computers take to load and recalculate a 2 5- by 2 5-cell spreadsheet where each cell equals 1.001 times the cell to its left.

All Sage benchmarks were executed on a Sage IV computer with an 8-MHz 68000 microprocessor. 512K bytes of memory, and two 5W-inch disk drives containing 640K bytes each. The operating system was the UCSD p-System version IV. 13.

•Note that a BASIC interpreter is not available for the Sage II/IV. The BASIC tests were executed using the Softech p-System BASIC Compiler, version IV b5-4. The compiled code was then interpreted by the p-System. The BASIC calculation test was run using 64-bit real arithmetic

The formartiisk-copy operation on the Sage involves three separate operations: format, zero directory, mirror-image copy. The Timberline spreadsheet, version 1.0, was used for the Sage spreadsheet tests.

238 BYTE • IULY 1984

REVIEW: SAGE

times longer than the Sage and the Apple He took about 6.9 times longer.

Finally. I wrote a simple program, shown in listing 2, to test the disktransfer rates of the three machines. The program opens a file for reading and another file for writing and then repeatedly reads 2 5K bytes (50 blocks in the p-System) and writes 25K bytes to the same device. The time it took all three computers to perform this action of a floppy disk was remarkably similar. The Sage was only slightly faster than the IBM PC XT, and only 1.25 times as fast as the Apple. Hard-disk speeds were also similar for the Sage and the IBM, but the Apple's Corvus 11-megabyte hard disk was much slower—even slower than the Apple's floppy disks. This result was puzzling. I knew that the Corvus made working with disk-intensive programs a lot faster on the Apple. Why did the benchmark show exactly the opposite result? The answer, of course, is that disk-transfer speed is not an important part of disk performance for most personal computer applications. Disk-access time usually is much more important.

The last line of data for the disk-transfer benchmark compares the Sage and the IBM when a RAM disk (virtual disk in semiconductor memory) is used. Here the Sage again enjoys a 3 to 1 speed advantage. This result probably reflects the superiority of the MC680O0's memory-addressing method over the 8086 family's.

Software

The Sage II and IV, with the operating system and available applications software, are very much p-System machines. The UCSD p-System is provided with both computers. Also available are Pascal and FORTRAN compilers and a 68000 assembly language that produces linkable assembly code. This means that computation-intensive portions of programs can be written in assembly for speed, while the bulk of the programs are written in Pascal for readability and compactness.

A number of typical p-System utilities are included, such as a cross-reference program and a teletalk utility for transferring files over the RS-232C interface to another p-System computer. The most important utility is a BIOS (basic input/output system) manipulation util

Listing 1: A simple floating-point benchmark.

program fpbench;

const constl = 3.141597;

const2 = 1783.9032;

count = 10000;

var a. b, c: real;

i: integer;

begin

a := constl;

b := const2;

for i : = 1 to count do

begin

c := a • b;

c : = c / a:

c := a • b;

c := c / a:

c := a • b;

c := c / a:

c := a * b;

c := c / a;

c := a • b:

c := c / a;

c := a * b;

c := c / a;

c := a * b;

c : = c / a;

end;

writeln (Done ', count)

end.

Listing 2: A disk-transfer speed benchmark.

program testdisk; var fromblocks, toblocks, numblocks, i: integer; infile. outfile. file;

anarray: packed array I0..25599I of char; (* 50 blocks worth •) begin writeln ('test disk) from blocks := 0; toblocks := 0; reset (infile. testtext); rewrite (outfile. test.data); for i := 1 to 10 do begin

numblocks := blockread (infile.anarray.50.0); fromblocks := fromblocks + numblocks; numblocks : = blockwrite (outflle.anarray,50,0); toblocks := toblocks + numblocks end;

close (outfile, lock);

writeln (fromblocks.' blocks read; '.toblocks,' blocks written.) end.

ity called SAGE4UTIL. This program is the one that lets you change features such as bps (bits per second) rate and number of stop bits for the RS-232C interface or treat one of the floppy-disk drives as an IBM PC-format drive.

Also included is Word7. a word-processing program. Word7 creates and accesses p-System files of type text. The files are not given the 'TEXT' suffix that other p-System text editors assign to the names of files they access and create.

Instead, Word7 appends a "ID" to the name of the document. It is simple to use the Filer utility to change the names of files between the "ID" and "TEXT" versions, making i.t possible to work on the same files.

Unlike other p-System editors, such as the standard editor and Volition's Advanced System Editor, Word 7 provides filing and printing functions from within the program. Word7 is not as mode

[continued)

JULY 1984 • BYTE 239

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United States:

American Calculator & Computer

(205) 933-2344 -AL Almac Electronics

(206) 643-9092-WA

Anacomp (206) 881-1113-CA, UT, WA

Anthem Systems (415) 342-9182-CA

Bohlig & Associates (612) 922-7011 -MN

Butler Associates (617) 964-5270 -CT, MA

Byte Industries

(800) 972-5948 (CA Only)

(800) 227-2070 (Outside CA)

David Jamison Carlyle

(213) 410-9250-CA, CO, HI, IL, NJ, TX

Computers & Peripherals Int.

(315J476-6664-NY

The Datastore (609) 779-0200-NJ

Equipment Resources (404) 955-0313 - GA

Future Information Systems

(212)732-3905-NYC

Gentry Associates

(305) 859-7450 - FL, GA, LA, NC, SC, TN

Inland Associates (913) 764-7977 -KS

Inter ACT Computer Systems

(704) 254-1949-FL, GA, NC

Kierulff Electronics

(800) 338-8811 -AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, MA

MD, MN, MO, NC, NJ, OH, OK, TX, UT, WA, Wl

MA/COM-Alanthus Data

(301)770-1150-MD

MicroAmerica Distributing

(800) 431-7660 (MA Only)

(800) 343-4411 (Outside MA)-CA, MA.TX

Midwest Microcomputers (419) 782-1115-OH

National Computers Syndicate

(312) 459-6400-1L, MN

Pacific Mountain States

(800) 272-3222-CA, WA

PAR Associates

(308) 371-4140-CO, UT

PCA Microsystems (512) 654-4711 -TX

PCS, Inc. (214) 247-9946-TX

Pioneer Electronics

(301) 921-0660-AL, FL, GA, MD, NC, PA

Polygon Industries

(504) 834-7658-LA

Printer Warehouse (213) 829-5493-(CA Only)

(800) 245-9812-(Outside CA)

R.C. Data (408) 946-3800-CA

Rudor Communcations (212) 245-5509-NYC

Schwfibfir

(800) 645-3040-AL, CA, CT, FL, GA, IA, IL,

MA.MD, Ml, MN.NJ.NY. OH. OK, PA.TX.WI

Southern Microcomputer

(305J621-4237-FL

Tek-Aids Industries

(312) 870-7400-IL, PA, TX

Terminal Rentals (714) 832-2414-CA

Terminals Unlimited

(800) 336-0423-24 Locations

Tricom (516) 483-9700-NY

Unico (512) 451-0251 -TX

Western New York Computer

(716)381-4120-NY

Canada:

Abacus Data Services

(416) 677-9555-Ontario

Datamex (416) 781-9135—Ontario, Quebec

DataTech Systems

(604) 479-7117 -Alberta, BC, Ontario

Data Terminal Mart

(416) 677-0184-Alberta, BC, Nova Scotia,

Ontario, Quebec

Future Electronics

(416) 697-7710-Alberta, BC, Ontario, Quebec

Micro Distributing (604) 941-0622-BC

Printerm Data (416) 977-1711 -Ontario

Qume

™ A Subsidiary of UT

REVIEW: SAGE

Table 2: A comparison of Word! on

the Sage IV with WordStar 3.3 on the IBM

PC. The tests measure (l) how long it takes to load

a 4000-word document from a

floppy disk, (2) how long it takes to save the document to a floppy disk, (3) how

long it takes to find the last word in the document,

and (4) how long it takes to

scroll through the document to the end

Test

Sage IV

IBM PC

Software

Word7

WordStar 3.3

I. Document load

7.7

9.9

2. Document save

I3.l

24.2

3. Search

7.2

10.5

4. Scroll forward

58.5

41.2

oriented as other p-System editors, although it does have two basic modes, one for insertion and the other for exchanging or overstriking text, much like word-processing programs such as WordStar. Rather than presenting a oneline menu of available options, as the standard editors do, Word7 requires that the user know which keyboard function keys to use to accomplish tasks like deletion or centering of text.

Both the modeless and mode-type editors have adherents. There may be some advantage to a system such as Sage's that allows users to share the same text files even though they use different editors.

Table 2 shows a comparison of Word7 running on a Sage IV with WordStar running on an IBM PC. As you can see, Word7 is somewhat faster at loading a document and searching, quite a bit faster at saving a document, and somewhat slower at scrolling forward. It should be noted that the Sage IV was equipped with a 640K-byte floppy-disk drive, while the IBM PC had two 320Kbyte floppy-disk drives, 512K bytes of RAM, a monochrome monitor and adapter, and DOS 2.0.

Configuration

The Sage is an excellent p-System development machine because it is faster than any other widely available pSystem computer. Furthermore, its floppy-disk drives can be configured to read a large number of disk formats in addition to its own 1280-block (640Kbyte) 80-track format. Other formats the Sage can read include IBM PC disks in several formats (double- and singlesided, standard 8-sector, or Network Consulting Inc.'s 10-sector) and the SofTech Microcomputing "universal"

medium-280-block disks in IBM PC format. Although Sage does not recommend that its 80-track drives be used for writing to 40-track disks, I found I could ignore the warning messages and safely transfer data from Sage disks to disks that had been formatted on an IBM PC in the standard 640-block (320Kbyte) format. To do this, I simply chose the option in the Sage configuration utility program called SAGE4UTIL that let me make on-line changes to the system's BIOS.

The Sage can directly write to the disks of most p-System computer systems that use 5%4nch floppy disks.

The Sage computers can directly write to the disks of most p-System computer systems that use 514-inch floppy disks. For those systems with disks that a Sage computer cannot write to directly, a standard utility program is provided for transfer of files over RS-232C lines.

Not every novice computer user would find it easy to configure a Sage system after unpacking it. In the best of all possible worlds, your friendly and competent computer dealer would be right there beside you, configuring the computer and giving you detailed training on its use. But in the real world, the computer dealer is all too likely to hand over the boxes and wish you luck. When a computer uses a built-in bit-mapped graphics display, it doesn't have to be

{continued)

JULY 1984 'BYTE 241

REVIEW: SAGE

Postscript

Shortly after this review was prepared, Sage released a new set of documentation for the Sage II and IV and unbundled (or rebundled) its software. The new manuals and packaging go a long way toward eliminating my concern for novice users who might buy a Sage, and make the Sage a good choice for computer users who need extra power or want an inexpensive multiuser system.

Currently, both Sage computers are shipped with the UCSD p-System, communications software, utilities. Word7 word-processing software, two manuals, and a book about using the UCSD pSystem.

The new documentation is more attractively packaged than before. Each of the 6- by 8^-inch binders is separately boxed, in the same manner that IBM PC manuals are. The layout of text in the manuals is attractive, with examples from the screen shown against a light green background. Line drawings are used sparingly and with good effect.

The star among the included manuals is Getting Started, which is going to save new Sage owners a lot of time and aggravation. Getting Started helps you set up the computer and terminal. It tells you how to power up. boot, and back up the system disks, as well as how to execute a demonstration program. The manual also contains primers on the p-System and its disk-file management program, the Filer.

Chapter topics in Getting Started include: electronic information services, including Sage's own SageMail; configuring the sys

tem for use on nonstandard terminals; setting up the system for use with a variety of printers; using the configuration control program: and setting up the system for multiple users. There is no question that novice Sage users are much better off with this new manual.

The same binder that contains Getting Started holds the manual for Word7. Another binder contains the p-System manual, which describes the Filer program and the standard p-System editor. In addition, it describes utility programs for printing files created with the standard editor, reducing a program's start-up time, maintaining the p-System code library, setting up the system for new terminals, and recovering lost files.

Also included is the 500-page Sage Technical Manual, which contains everything anyone might want to know about the Sage hardware and low-level operating system features.

Among the new. optional binders are The p-System Program Development Manual and manuals for the 68000 assembly language and the Sage debugging tool.

Software that is now available separately for the Sage II and IV includes Pascal and FORTRAN compilers and several spreadsheet programs.

Finally, the standard document set includes a copy of Personal Computing with the UCSD p-System. by Mark Overgaard and Stan Stringfellow (Prentice-Hall). Overgaard has been one of the principal forces behind the UCSD p-System since its inception, so this book is likely to contain a great deal of worthwhile information.

set up for use with a separate terminal. The Sage, however, does use an external terminal (or up to five of them if the multiuser system is employed), and it has to be configured to treat the terminals of different manufacturers correctly.

Configuring the terminal involves several steps. First, the terminal and the computer must be set to the same communication parameters, such as bps rate. The terminals I received from Sage for use with the machines were set for 9600 bps, while the terminal ports on the Sage were configured for 19.200 bps. To make the serial communications

242 BYTE • JULY 1984

ports compatible, I had to look up tables in two different documents to find the correct switch settings. Compatibility is not a matter of bps rate alone; it concerns the number of stop bits, parity, and length of characters as well. To find out how the terminal's switches should be set, I had to find the information in the documentation of the terminal and also in the Sage manual.

The second part of configuring the system concerns making the necessary software modifications to customize the operating system for your terminal. This requires transferring some files and changing file names to get the appro

priate set of terminal parameters to load when the system boots. If you are using a terminal other than one of those for which Sage provides preconfigured files, you will have to first write a new cursor-positioning procedure (GOIDXY) and bind it into the operating system. Then you will have to run a program that lets you customize the terminal parameters. This program sets up a system file that records, for example, which ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) character moves the cursor up a line.

The novice user is going to find it takes time and patience to make an unusual terminal work properly with the Sage. Fortunately, Sage does provide the required files for the terminals it sells with the system, as well as many other common terminals. When the Sage II arrived, it came with a terminal labeled Sage. A search of the preconfigured terminal parameter files did not reveal any Sage terminal information. Turning over the keyboard, I found a Liberty Electronics label that identified the terminal as a renamed Freedom 100. The set of terminal-parameter files included one called F100, and that proved to be the one I needed.

Even if the correct files are on your disk, there is no clearly labeled set of instructions describing how to perform the setup. When I began this review. Sage was waiting delivery of new documentation that is said to solve all of the novice user's configuration problems (see the text box "Postscript" on this page for a description of the new documentation), but I would suggest that prospective Sage purchasers who are not familiar with the p-System make sure that they have access to someone who is.

TkE Verdict

The Sage II and Sage IV computers are wonderful systems for p-System developers and serious p-System users. Sage is trying to appeal to a wider user base by making important types of businesssoftware packages available and through improved user documentation. If you are committed to the p-System, get one of these machines. If you aren't, but you're in the market for a system that has demonstrated powerful performance, you should check out the Sage II or IV. ■

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In addition, the System is portable. DiskBank modules are designed to go with you anywhere. Simply slide out the modules you need, put them in your briefcase, and go.

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SYSTEM REVIEW

The Compaq Plus

transportable computer with fixed

disk

by Mark Dahmke

The original Compaq portable computer met its designer's goals of portability and IBM compatibility. The Compaq improved on the original IBM Personal Computer (PC) design by incorporating both the monochrome- and color-monitor adapters into one circuit card, and by designing a 120-watt power supply that would meet the needs of any future additions, such as a fixed disk. See my review of the Compaq (January 1983 BYTE, page 30) for more details. At the time of my visit to Compaq in October 1982, one of the principals of the corporation explained that features like the heavy-duty power supply were added to make it easier to upgrade the unit to fixed-disk operation, but that other problems such as mechanical shock might make it impossible to put a fixed disk in a portable computer. I am pleased to report on the company's new product, the Compaq Plus, which comes with a shock-mounted 10-megabyte fixed disk. The Compaq Plus is identical to the original Compaq in every respect, except for the addition of the fixed disk in the right-hand disk drive location. It has a 9-inch green-phosphor display and a Key Tronic keyboard with the same key layout as the IBM PC. And like the original Compaq, the Plus can display true grays and high-quality text, features that are lacking on most graphics adapter cards for the IBM PC. MS-DOS (version 2.02) and Microsoft BASIC are included just as on the Compaq. The fixed-disk controller card occupies one adapter slot, leaving only two for user-installed hardware, such as memory or serial port addons. The Compaq Plus also comes with both the monochrome- and color-display adapters and a parallel printer port as standard features.

Software

The MS-DOS 2.02 operating system is the same that is supplied with the IBM PC, so in theory, all DOS (disk operating system) functions should be identical. The only difference in the system software is the BIOS (basic input/output system) ROM (read-only memory) that was written by Compaq to duplicate the functions of the IBM PC's BIOS code. The

Compaq company seems to have accomplished the goal of maintaining functional compatibility without copying any of IBM's proprietary software. Over the past year I have done extensive assembly-language programming on both the IBM PC and the Compaq and can personally attest to the fact that the BIOS of the Compaq is written in an entirely different manner, yet performs all of the functions of the IBM BIOS.

Adding the fixed disk to the existing Compaq hardware required three steps: designing shock mountings that can be used to protect the fixed disk in a portable (and sometimes hostile) environment; designing a diskcontroller card that emulates the functions of the IBM design in such a way that software functionality is maintained; and writing the software device drivers that allow the DOS to record and retrieve information from the fixed disk hardware.

At least two of these three steps are performed by any company that decides to build an add-on fixed disk to the IBM PC or any other computer. The important item to note is that below the operating-system level (the BIOS or other device-driver software), compatibility with application software should not be an issue. The purpose of an operating system is to isolate the user and the application program from the hardware.

In the case of floppy disks, the designers must pay close attention to the software and the hardware design to insure disk compatibility with other computers. However, a fixed disk (as the name implies) cannot be removed from its chassis and does not need to be compatible with any other hardware, at least at the circuit board level. This means that it doesn't matter how the information is stored on the surface of the fixed disk itself because only the hardware that wrote the information will ever read it back.

The exception to this rule occurs when you

{continued)

Mark Dahmke (POB 80266, Lincoln, NE 68501) owns and operates a computer consulting business that specializes in computer graphics, operating systems, and videodisc hardware and software.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 247

Circle 287 on Inquiry card.

My Programs Always Compile the FirsTime™

Yours can too!

FirsTime is an intelligent editor that knows the rules of the language being programmed. It checks your statements as you enter them, and if it spots a mistake, it identifies it. FirsTime then positions the cursor over the error so you can correct it easily. FirsTime will identify all syntax errors, undefined variables, and even statements with mismatched variable types. In fact, any program developed with the FirsTime editor will compile on the first try.

Unprecedented

FirsTime has many unique features found in no other editor. These powerful capabilities include a zoom command that allows you to examine the structure of your program, automatic program formatting, and block transforms.

If you wish, you can work even faster by automatically generating program structures with a single key-stroke. This feature is especially useful to those learning a new language, or to those who often switch between different languages.

Other Features: Full screen editing, horizontal scrolling, function keys labeled on screen, help screens, inserts, deletes, appends, searches, and global replacing.

Programmers enjoy using FirsTime, because its powerful features allow them to concentrate on the program logic without having to worry about coding details. Debugging is reduced dramatically, and deadlines are more easily met.

The Spruce FirsTime editor is immediately available for PASCAL ($245) and C ($295) on the IBM Personal Computer and its compatibles. A demonstration disk is available for $25. (N.J. residents please add 6% sales tax.)

For programs that compile the FirsTime.

To order, or for more information, contact:

Spruce

Technology Corporation

110 Whispering Pines Drive

Lincroft, N.J. 07738

(201) 741-8188 or (201) 663-0063

Dealer enquiries welcome. Custom versions for computer manufacturers and language developers are available.

FirstTime is a trademark of Spruce Technology Corporation.

REVIEW: COMPAQ

Compaq's new manuals are bound in book form so it is not possible to add inserts or revisions as was the case with 3-ring binders.

intend to run several different operating systems on the same fixed disk. The FDISK utility on the DOS disk enables you to partition or allocate the fixed disk to several different operating systems such as CP/M-86, Concurrent CP/M-86, or UCSD Pascal. The first sector of the fixed disk may contain the "boot record," which holds the machine code to load the selected operating system into memory. At the end of the boot record is a partition table that contains the starting and ending "cylinder" address of each of up to four partitions. The implementation of the boot record is the same for the Compaq as for the IBM PC.

As a test of the compatibility of the Compaq Plus, I installed and executed several programs that I have developed for the IBM PC that are written in FORTRAN 77 with extensive assembly-language support for special DOS functions that could not be performed from within FORTRAN. The DOS functions included disk file access, directory access, and direct BIOS calls to read and write characters on the monochrome and color adapter card. All of the code performed as anticipated. After thorough investigation, I can find no DOS- or BIOS-level functions that could create compatibility problems when used with a fixed disk.

Most IBM PC software should run on the Compaq Plus, and Compaq Computer Corporation supplies a list of commercially available software that has been tested on its computer. Regardless of what computer you buy, it is always wise to test the software you intend to use with the computer before writing a check.

DOCUMENTATION

The Compaq Plus (as well as the standard Compaq) comes with three

manuals: Operations Guide, BASIC 2.0 Reference Guide, and the MS-DOS 2.0 Reference Guide. They are very similar to what IBM supplies with the PC. I am pleased that Compaq is now supplying information on how to open the cabinet, install add-on cards, and set the memory-size switches. The new manual even shows how to remove the processor card to install additional memory (to upgrade the processor board from 128K bytes to 2 56K bytes). Instructions on adding the 8087 coprocessor are also included.

As someone who is interested in operating systems, I am somewhat concerned that both Compaq and IBM have decided to move the DOS programmer's sections to a separate manual that doesn't come with the computer. While I can understand that the list of DOS function calls and other technical programmer-level information is becoming voluminous with the latest release of MS-DOS/PC-DOS, they could at least include the other manual with the system so programmers don't have to pay extra for information that previously came with the machine.

The descriptions of the individual DOS commands (i.e., ERASE, RENAME, TYPE, CHKDSK) are adequate but not exceptional. It appears that Compaq attempted to write more helpful manuals, but sometimes the wording and imagery are clumsy or difficult to follow.

The new manuals are bound in book form so it is not possible to add inserts or revisions as was the case with threering binders. Compaq has also done away with the IBM-style slipcovers. The advantage of the new manuals is that they are slightly easier to handle than the comparable IBM manuals.

Quick-reference cards are included with all three manuals. The Operations Guide card includes the following topics: system reset, key-click volume adjust, print-screen procedure, installation of fixed-disk partitions, changing the logged disk drive, keyboard layout, and use of special function keys. The MSDOS card includes batch commands, configuration commands, all utility commands and options, display options, and graphics commands. The BASIC quick-reference guide includes all BASIC commands and options.

Compaq's reference cards are much more informative than the IBM DOS

[continued]

248 BYTE" JULY 1984

AT A GLANCE

Name

The Compaq Plus

Manufacturer

Compaq Computer Corporation 20333 FM 149 Houston. TX 7*070 (713) 370-7040

Components

Size: width 20 inches, depth 15.3 inches, height 8.5 inches Weight: 28 pounds Processor: Intel 8088 16-/8-bit microprocessor and socket for addition of the 8087 math coprocessor

Memory

128K bytes of RAM. expandable to 256K bytes on the processor board, expandable to 640K bytes with an add-on card

Display

9-inch high-resolution video display: 2 5 lines by 80 characters: IBM PC-compatible high-resolution graphics with RGB color monitor connection; adjustable viewing angle: composite video connector: optional RF modulator

Keyboard

detachable 83-key IBM PCcompatible layout on a 6foot coiled cord, adjustable typing angle

Storage

360K-byte double-sided 5W-inch floppy-disk drive: 10-megabyte fixed disk

Expansion

Two IBM PC-compatible expansion slots; parallel printer interface included

Software

MS-DOS 2.02 and Microsoft BASIC 2.0 included; FDISK fixed-disk management utility and diagnostics; MS-LINK linker program; runs most IBM PC-compatible programs

Price

$4995 for the basic system with 128K bytes of RAM. one floppy disk, and the 10-megabyte fixed disk

Warranty

90-day limited

' ' i h I I i I I ! i r T"

i.-? ii i i i i i i i i i r

•Y / / I 1 I I I 1 I 1 I «|_}i

MEMORY SIZE

0 200 400

DISK STORAGE

0 200 400

BUNDLED SOFTWARE PACKAGE

0 2 4 6

PRICE 10 $0 $2000 $4000 $6000 $8000 $10,000

COMPAQ PLUS

IBM PC

APPLE HE

The Memory graph shows the standard and optional memory available for the computers under comparison. The graph of disk storage capacity shows the highest capacity of a single floppy-disk drive for each system. For the Compaq Plus, the 10-megabyte fixed-disk storage capacity also is shown. The bundled software packages graph shows the number of software packages included with each system. The price graph shows the Compaq Plus list

price compared to systems with two highcapacity floppy-disk drives, a monochrome monitor, graphics and color-display capability, a printer port and a serial port, 2 56K bytes of memory (64K bytes for 8-bit systems), the standard operating system for each system, and the standard BASIC interpreter for each system. For details of the Compaq Plus specifications, see the configuration details in the At a Glance listing.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 249

Sliding panel on right side covers serial port, video connectors, and three blank expansion slots.

DISK ACCESS IN BASIC

Top view reveals fixed disk {upper left), with floppy disk to its right. Power supply is at right, expansion slots at bottom.

200

150

100

50

31 1 |r H

0

28 1 flWffl

WRITE

READ

SYSTEM UTILITIES 50

FORMAT/ DISKCOPY

FILE COPY

□

FIXED DISK

The graphs for disk access in BASIC show how long it takes to write a 64K-byte sequential text file to a blank floppy disk and how long it takes to read this file. (For the program listings see "The Chameleon Plus." by Rich Krajewski. lune BYTE, page 327) The Sieve graph shows how long it takes to run one iteration of the Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number benchmark. The calculation graph shows how long it takes to do 10,000 multiplication and division operations using single-precision numbers. The system utilities graphs show how long it took to format and copy a disk (adjusted time for 40K bytes of

BASIC PERFORMANCE 250

200

SIEVE

SPREADSHEET (MULTIPLAN)

CALCULATIONS

20

15

10

1 !

B

^M

5

^^

3.7

0

L0

AD

REC

ALCUI

.ATE

FLOPPY DISK

IBM PC

APPLE HE

disk data) and to transfer a 40K-byte file using the system utilities. The spreadsheet graph shows how long the computers took to load and recalculate a 25- by 2 5-cell spreadsheet where each cell equals 1.001 times the cell to its left. The spreadsheet program used was Microsoft's MulrJPlan.

These performance graphs include both floppy- and fixed-disk results where applicable. A formatfclisk-copy test was not performed on the Compaq Plus's single floppy-disk drive because the test is designed for a two-drive system.

250 B YTE • JULY 1984

REVIEW: COMPAQ

The company claims that the Compaq Plus can be dropped off a tabletop and , will not be htirmed.

reference card that simply lists the DOS commands and options without explaining what the options are for. The only misleading material I could find was in the Operations Guide card where the MS-DOS keyboard was listed as allowing the use of the PgUp, PgDn, Up, Down, Home, and other keys that MSDOS does not respond to. These keys can only be used in BASIC or other programs, but the MS-DOS command mode does not make use of them. EDLIN, the MS-DOS line-oriented text editor, does use some of these keys, but the quick-reference guide doesn't make this clear and a first-time user easily could be confused.

TRANSPORTABILITY

Can a fixed disk stand up to the punishment of transportability? Compaq has gone to great lengths to make certain that the fixed disk will not receive any severe shocks while being moved from place to place. The company claims that the computer can be dropped off a tabletop and will not be harmed. While I didn't perform this drastic test of its claims, I did format the fixed disk and carry the unit around with me, giving it what I thought would be average treatment in daily life. Because a friend of mine owns a standard Compaq and I have borrowed it from time to time to work on software for him, I had a pretty good idea of what the Compaq Plus fixed disk should be able to withstand in normal use. Every test of the fixed disk (using the included diagnostic program) has shown no damaged sectors or lost information. Unless you plan to use the Compaq Plus while on an African safari, it should live up to its manufacturer's claims.

In Conclusion

The Compaq Plus is an excellent transportable computer and its fixed disk operates reliably under normal conditions in daily life. ■

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dBASE II $359

Lotus 1-2-3 SCALL

Homo Accountant Plus $99

Poach Pak Series 4 (A/R. A/P, G/U.S239

Poach Text 5000 $237

PFS: Fila $89

PFS: Report $79

PFS: Graph $95

PFS: Writa $88

SuparCalc II 3165

SuparCalclll £259

TKlSolvar £219

Variaform £249

Wordstar Profanional $365

Word with Mouta '$299

Microsoft Word with Mousa $285

Hayes; Smartfwn II $79

Multiplan. . £155

ytAmoiintoftriemory installed on board — None 64 K 128K 192K 256 K

vy/seriatpdrtNo. t» clock $226 $266 $316 $366 $416

/Ufeittfer parallel or serial port No. 2 $274 $314 $364 $414 $464

^/fcpth parallel & serial port No. 2- $309 $349 $399 $449 $499

MatfaPak - expands a fully populated MegaPlus card(256K) to 512K $299

SUSMmI Game Port add $50

***.-■- ■fr"aVaM*VfwaMFJ*l

SBtidard card w/one serial por^S^^nd clock/calendar $129

Additional Parallel (P), Game <G>. or Serial 2 IS2I port add $35 ea.

PDMmQ

Compaq 128K. 1 drive $CALL

Compaq 256K, 2 drives SCALL

CompaqPlus. 128K, 1 drive, 10M8 hard

disk $CALL

CompaqPlus, 256K, 1 drive, 10 MB hard disk. ■ . ■ ■ $CALL

COLUMBIA COMPUTERS

Model 1600-1. Two drive system Call Model 16004, One drive & one 12MB

hard disk system Call

Model 1600-VP Portable unit with two Call

@SANYO

DESKTOP BUSINESS COMPUTERS

MBC-550. 128K.1 drive CALL

MBC555, 128K, 2 drives CALL Sanyo green monitor . . S179

MONITOR SALE

FREE interface cable included!

aiMiuij.ii.inw

Princeton HX-12, 12" RGB Color, high resolution 690-doi, 16 colors. Similar cabinet as IBM monitor. $469

Multi-Function

Cards for IBM PC and XT

(Each card now coma w/ SupwQriw & SfilJafSpool)

Menjftjy installed On card ' >ifctrt'iS|rttip'.t*ndI £or- «■

HSZ5H1B31B3

non, 64K 12SK 19!K 2S6K 320K 384K

ck $227 $267*317*367 $417 $467 $517

ii^##i*IMtyi[pon — ™^^26^t302*3S2-$402 $452 $502 $552

KH

T1H7TOI

QUADRAM

QUADMASTER II - 9-Function memory expansion card for IBM PC

• Up to 384K * Oswap directs out

• Game port put toLPT-1,2or3

• Chronograph • QuadR AM drive

• Parallel port • Master spool

• Serial port * I/O bracket

64K 728K 192K 256K 320K 334K rial, game ports.clock $235 $275 $325 $375 $425 $475 $535

Add MultiTatking to your IBM-PC and XT now!

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AddRamEIKt or Add Ram Plus Ultimate Multi-Function Boards Add Ram Elite (parallel & serial ports) AddRam Plus (Two serial ports)

Memory installed 64K 128K 192K 256K 320K 3B4K 448K S12K

$399 $459 $519 $579 $639 $699 $759 $819

FX 80. 160 CPS, 80 Col., friction Si

tractor feed, parallel Call

FX-100, 160 CPS, 132 Col., friction

& tractor feed, parallel Call

MX-60F/T, 80 cps. 80 col , tractor

friction feed, parallel CALL

MX-100F/T, 100 cps, 136 col,, trac

friction feed, parallel CALL

RX-80, 120 cps, 80 col., tractor feed

only, parallel CALL

RX-80F/T, same as RX-80 but includes friction feed .CALL

JlMil'Hill.'ll

Gemini-10XF 120 CPS, 80 Col., fi tion & tractor feed, (parallel) SCall Gemini-15X,above w/15" platen.Call Delta 10, 160 cps, 80 col., parallel . Delta 15, above but 15" carriage . Call PowerType, 18 cps daisywheel . . CALL Radex-10, 200 cps, 80 col. parallel CALL Radex-15, 200 cps, 132 col. parallel

120 cps,

BBBHijm RIO PLUS Multi-function memory expansion card for ^^^bbjbbbbf. IBM-PC/XT, 64K-384K parity checked memory Com^E ^^^^ plete with parallel port, RS-232C serial port, garni' pott, •W ■Haaar clock/calendar, print buffer/disk emulator software.

memory installed 64K 128K 192K 256K 320K 384K

$289 $339 $389 $439 $489 $539

8510AP Pro writ.

graphics, parallel $335

8510-SP, above but 180 cps . . SCALL 8510-SCP. above but w/3 color ribbon

(red, yellow, blue), also capable

doing orange, green, purple, blkCall 1550 Prowriter-ll, 120 cps,

2K buffer, graphics, parallel. $525 1550-SP, above but 180 cps . $CALL 1550-SCP, similar to 8510-SCP but

SCALL

Special Purpose Cards'

HERCULES GRAPHICS CARDS - Creates hi-resolution graphics on the IBM monochrome. . . . $349 Amdek MAI Board — for both monochrome & color 5 monitor plus 96K user memory enpansion $459 ■ Paradise Mufti-Function Card - - for both color and S

lonochrome displays, w/parallel port $399*

Vista Disk Master - Disk controller card for both 5V." ■

& 8" drives, IBM-PC/XT compatible $169 J

PLANTRONIC ColorPlus -Offers more colors in hi resolut.on plus parallel port $379 \ TECMAR GRAPHIC MASTER - Multi-function graphics board for both RGB color !

or monochrome displays and can do graphics on both $499 ■

STB Color Graphics Board - The newest entry from STB. Operates RGB color or J monochrome monitor. It can also do graphics on the monochrome display , S389 J OUADLINK - An Apple emulator card enables Ihe IBM PC ro run Apple II software 5

No diskette reformatting necessary $479 ■

MULTIGRAPH Monochrome & Color Display Adapter - 720x350 line mono- ■ chrome graphics, Lotus 1 -2-3 compatible. Capable of running software designed for ■ color graphics on monochrome display. 32-bit internal architecture, 32K on board ■ memory $A99 paraiiei Port option .... $75 !

IDS Prism BOC, above f 4 IDS Prism 132, similar to 132 columes, parallel. IDS Pnsm132C,above + 4-colc

$1,395 $1,495

Super dot-matrix printer w/24-pin hi-resolution head. 192 CPS draft, 100 CPS letter-quality P1351 - 132 column (parallel) $1,499 P1340 -Similar to 1351 but smaller Car"

KEMMmSESa

tj^t4«*"*

4116 (16K) 200 ns 4164 (64K) 200 ns 4164 I64K) 150 ns

DYNAMIC

SPINWRITER

■ 3550 - 33 CPS. 203 col., proportional ■

space, bi-directional, parallel. $1,575 J

RAM CHIPS" 2050- Similar to 3550 but 19 cps $939 ■

S 7730 - 55 CPS. 203 col. parallel ,$1,795 ■

. . $1.50ea. 9/$12 ■ Above prices include thimble & ribbon ■

S5.95*., 9/S50 ■ wsmasfwstM '

S6.9S ea. 9/S60 ■ ■•MllWliailM »

•.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 40 CPS daisywheel (parallel) $995 S 5 55 CPS daisywheel (parallel) $1,349 !

DAVONG : Tractor for F'10 S225

HARD DISKS

160L

fric

180L

S585 S799

iriMiiTH.Hi'na

CLKA Green Monitor, 12", 1.000-dot high resolution, 20 MH* . . ,$119 Dynax GM-120. 12" green, high resolution 600-dot, 20 MH*. . / . $129

Roland DG MB-122G. 12" green, 18 MHz., hi-resolunon 720x350 dots, fully compatible with IBM monochrome display card SCall

US) PI-2, 12" green, 1000-dot high resolution, 20 MHi S129

Taxan KG-12N, 12" green, 800-dot hi $149

DV«

INTERNAL EXTERNAL

with without wit

controller controller

. $1,675 . .$1,795.

$2,155 . .$2,135.

$2,475 . .$2,535.

. $2,955 . .$3,095.

18MB Tape Backup for DaVong hard- !

disk (w/o host controller) , $1,435 ■

18MB Tape Backup w/controller$1,S95 5

Networking Kit to hook up a total of J

IBM PC's, Comes w/software$1,899 ■

SIZE

10MB. 15MB. 21MB. 32MB.

Sysgenj.

ABATI LQ-20

cps Daisywheel printer, Qume comtible, 10, 12, 15-pitch, proportional King, uni-directional incremental/biectional logic seeking by software.

" paper width, parallel $435

■tional Tractor $99

TAPE BACKUP" ROLAND

ical way to back ■ DXY-J 0MB in 4 minutes on S Plotte SCALL"

AM-121, 12" umber. 600-di jlution, 20MHz $139

Taxan KA12N, 12" amber, 800<Jot hi resolution $125

USI PI-3, 12" amber, 1000-dot hi resolution, 20MHz $145

Amdek 310A, 12" amber, 900-dot hi resolution, designed to run on IBM monochrome display card . , $165

Prineaton MAX-12, 12" amber, 720 x 350 dot, runs off IBM monochrome display adapter $199

ML-82A, 120 CPS, 80 col, pin & friction feed, serial & parallel . S319 ML-83A, 120 CPS, 136 col, tractor St friction feed, parallel/serial $595 ML-84P, 200 CPS, 136 col „ friction & tractor feed, (parallel) , . . $955 ML-84S, above but serial. . $1,059 ML-92P, 160 CPS, 80 col., frictio & tractor feed, (parallel) . . .SCALL ML-92S, above but serial. . . .$599 ML-93P, 160 CPS. 136 col ..tractor & friction feed, (parallel). . . $739 ML-93S, above but serial. . . $799 2410P, 350 CPS, 136 col,, friction & tractor, 2-color, (parallel) . $2,295

IBM compatible

EEExnna

Tandon TM-100-1, full ht, SSDD . .$159 TandonTM-100-2, full ht, DSDD. $195 Tandon TM-1004, full ht, DSQD, .$335 Control Data 9409, full ht, DSDD .$225 Control Data 9428, half ht, DSDD .$199 Taac55B, half ht, DSDD. . . Sate'SI69 National, half ht, DSDD . . . Sate'$165 Chime 142, half ht., DSDD $239

8-pen intelligent X-Y Plotter. Hi-speed 180mm/sec. IBM-PC compatible. 11" x 17" paper size. Horizontal or vertical Operation. Dual speed switch. Parallel SCALL

The POWER DIRECTORS

P2 - A unique control center and surge protector w/5 lighted and a master rocker switches for your computer & accessories. It also filters out EMI & RFI interferences $125

P12 - Similar to P2 but w/6 switches, a master switch & digital clock..$189

EEnaaaaa

23 CPS daisywheel p 2 color printing, 3K buffer, proportional spacing, etc. Parallel. CALL

Tractor for HR-25 $119

Cut Sheet Feeder (or HR-25. . $199

BROTHER HR-35

NbwF 35 CPS daisywheel printer .CALL

Letter quality daisywheel printer with 2-color printing. Bi-directional, proportional spacing Si bold printing. super/sub script, 13 CPS. 3K buffer.

Parallel interface $CALL

Cut sheet feeder $199

Tractor $119

Keyboard $179

18 CPS daisywheel, 13" platen, 2K buffer, 3-pitch, (parallel). . . .$435 Tractor for 6100 S120

All merchandise is brand new fi. fully guaranteed. All prices reflect 3% cash discount for full payment by cash, cashier's check or money order. Personal or company check requires 2—3 weeks to clear. Visa, Master, American Express cards & PO's accepted from qualified customers. COD's accaoted with 20% paid deposit plus S3 COD fee {by UPS only). No COD's to Canada or FPO/APO. Shipping/insurance/hand ling charges: 3% of total order value by UPS Surface, 5% by UPS Air & Parcel Post (Mm. $3). Calif. residents add sales tax. No sales tax on out-of-state orders. Prices 8t availability subject to change without notice.

EASTERN ENTERPRISES, INC.

Mass Merchandising Since 1969 2937 S. VAIL AVE., LOS ANGELES, CALI F. 90040

Circle 122 on inquiry card.

TOLL-FREE (ORDERS OMLYI

(800)392-7081

(213)725-3080

JULY 1984 'BYTE 251

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Make Way For Hayes'Please.

An advanced, easy-to-use data management system for the IBM® PC and compatibles.

Want to get your paperwork out of a clumsy file cabinet and onto your PC's screen, where you can manage it better? Frustrated with data base software that's either too limited or too difficult to use? Hayes offers you a simple word of kindness.

Please?1 A powerful, yet easy-to-use, system for organizing and managing your information. Please is flexible enough to store any data you enter, and it'll return data to you in exactiy the form you need. Please does more. It does it all faster. And it's sureto please!

"The menu, Please?"

Menus list all your options

and tell you exactly which

keys to press for every

Please feature.

That's to be expected. As the telecomputing leader, Hayes built its reputation on quality design, relia

bility and customer support. Now these same standards have been applied to a new data management system that is going to instandy change the way you do business!

Say you're looking for an efficient way to maintain sales data, Please leads you every step of the way in creating a sales database that might include names, addresses, dates and figures. These categories are called "fields" in database lingo, and they're the very heart of your database structure.

Want last month's total in a particular region? Press a few keys and it's yours! A few more keystrokes and you'll know who's moving product, and what's your biggest seller.

Please will supply you with labels for a mailing to selected customers. It can s^end customer information to your word processor for a promotional letter. And it can receive data from

"Make it snappy, Please!"

Need a report fast? You and

Please can put together a Quick

List in a matter of seconds.

your spreadsheet program. Please will even look up a name and company for you, your Hayes Smart modem* will dial the phone number, and you're ready to talk!

Taking this same sales database, you might also want to define special —*~1 fields for a custom Output Plan.

With a defined fieldfor "COMMISSIONS due:1 Please can automatically compute each salesman's commissions, and print them out in a report of your own design. All this and more, just for saying "Please!"

And if you ever change your mind and want to change the structure of your database, please feel free. Stepby-step instructions show you how. You have the same flexibility with any database you and Please design. You can store up to 16 million records and 200 custom Output Plans for each database! More than you're likely ever to require. But isn't it nice

Please is a trademark of Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. * Smartmodem ?00. Smartmodem 1200 and Smartmodem I200B are trademarks of Hayes Microcomputer Products

Data management system for the IBM Personal Computer.

"Putithere.Please!'

Design a special screen

format to position data

in a particular place.

knowing all that storage power is there? Just in case you ever need it?

Now you might think that a data management system that does all this must be difficult to use. Right? Rest assured. Please works hard so you don't have to. An easy-to-follow sample disk shows you everything you need to know to create your first database. Three Please menus show you which keys to press to access every feature. And whenever you need it, Please provides on-screen HELP messages, tailored to a specific task. So you needn't waste time reading through a list of unrelated instructions on your screen. Or stop what you're doing to consult a manual. In no time at alTand with no assistance at all. you'll be a Please database pro!

"Merge these, Please!"

Combine data from one database into another, without changing your original.

Everything about Please is designed to save you time and effort. So what could make data management even easier? Please Application Templates. that's what!

To help you get up-and-running immediately, we've developed a series of practical, predesigned templates. You'll appreciate their well-thought-out structure, and "fiUin-the-blank" ease. Choose several! For business and personal use. Includii

List, for storing names and addresses and producing mailing lists. Contacts, for manjgures about your sales contacts. Applicants, for following applicants throughout the interviewing process. Appointments, for maintaining your calendar and tracking all of your business expenses. Household Records, a complete home management system. And more! Your dealer has details!

Buy Please nowf Get a FREE Mailing Ust template from your dealet

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Hayes

Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc.,

5923 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.. Norcross. Georgia 30092.404/4411617.

Circle 147 on Inquiry card.

IBM Is a registered trademark c

nalBusiRes> on ration. ©19M Hayes Miaocomputer Products, Inc

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UPGRADES FOR YOUR IBM PC /PC COMPATIBLES

10 Mega-byte Winchester Modular hard disk controller

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Half-high tape drive

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Half-high tape drive

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XT-Power Supply $1265.00

Half-high tape drive

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Hard disk controller

XT-Power Supply $2095.00

20 Mega-byte Winchester

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Micro Design International Inc. has been serving the computer industry for over Tli years, call us today for our complete catalog or to place your order.

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MICRO DESIGN INTERNATIONAL INC.

"Your internal solution"

6586 University Blvd. Suite 7

Winter Park, Florida 32792

Sritek's

6800Obased XENIX system

by Steven H. Barry

AND

Randall Jacobson

HARDWARE REVIEW

XENIX

for the IBM PC XT

Is Sritek hardware in an IBM chassis really a supersystem? The Sritek Company is a small firm from Cleveland, Ohio, that manufacturers an add-in memory/microprocessor card for the IBM PC. Its advertisements claim that this add-in card provides the ultimate in performance for the price.

In this review we will look at Sritek's 68000based multiuser XENIX system for the IBM PC XT. This consists of Sritek's VersaCard (256K bytes of memory) equipped with an extra 256K bytes of memory and Sritek's 68000 MicroCard. As for software, we will look at Microsoft's complete XENIX system, including the Software Development package, the Text Processing package, and the Multi-User package. The complete system we tested costs $2995. A basic single-user system with only 256K bytes of memory is available for $1995.

We will discuss how an early sample of this system worked, compare it with the Radio Shack and Fortune versions of UNIX that we have reviewed, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the three-way IBMSritek-Microsoft marriage on an IBM PC XT. First, let's point out that the add-ins being tested here are really used best in an IBM PC XT hard-disk system, not in the standard PC. The manuals get very conservative about using XENIX on a floppy-only configuration. The system is a fantastic performer, but, in the XENIX software version 2.3A, released in July 1983, it is definitely not one for UNIX novices.

Sritek's implementation of XENIX, and the 68000 coprocessor to run it, is based on a software-partitioned hard disk. This partition allows PC-DOS (the IBM operating system) and XENIX to coexist on the same device. Limited data-file interchange is available now, but more is promised in the future—along with an MS-DOS (the generic version of PC-DOS) emulator for XENIX. When this becomes available, the user's investment in IBM-style software will be compatible with the XENIX/ 68000 purchase. Now, however, there is no such compatibility.

Hardware Installation

The Sritek hardware is based on a Motorola 68000 processor running at 8 MHz. The pro

cessor card, or MicroCard, is mounted on a Sritek VersaCard that has 2 56K bytes of dualported memory, a connector for an additional piggyback 256K-byte memory board, and a connector for the proprietary SRIBUS. The SRIBUS connector is used to interface one of the several Sritek MicroCard processor boards (e.g.. National 16032, Zilog Z80, Intel 80286, Intel 8086).

Sritek assumes you have 128K bytes, 192K bytes, or a full 256K bytes of memory mounted on the IBM PC XT motherboard. In the current version of the IBM motherboard, any memory over 2 56K bytes must be located on expansion boards in the IBM chassis. All of this expansion-board memory must be disabled to use the Sritek memory. This is a disadvantage for owners who have multifunction boards that also supply inexpensive memory. On the other hand, Sritek's memory is available for use by PC-DOS if you set the IBM motherboard switches to reflect the total amount of memory in the system (IBM plus Sritek). We did not test this aspect of the Sritek hardware. Another disadvantage, according to Sritek, is that the IBM power-up memory diagnostics will take a long time to run through the extra memory. The hardware we tested was a complete 68000 system that implemented 512K bytes of Sritek memory (in a 128K-byte IBM chassis). The 68000 processor uses Sritek memory when it is installed and in control of the system (running XENIX or one of the other operating systems offered by Sritek). Sritek says it may be used by the IBM PC XT's 8088 processor as an expansion memory for PC-DOS when the 68000 is not in control of the system. In the dual-processor mode, the 68000 runs its operating system (e.g., Microsoft's XENIX, the University of

[continued)

Steven H. Barry is a senior scientist with Systems Research laboratories \nc. {Eastern Division, 7320-C Parkway Dr.. Hanover. MD 21076). He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and an M.A. from California State University. Los Angeles.

Randall jacobson is a software manager for Systems Research laboratories. He was educated at the University of Maryland.

|ULY 1984 -BYTE 255

REVIEW: XENIX

AT A GLANCE

Name

Sritek VersaCard/MicroCard

Manufacturer

Sritek

10230 Brecksvilie Rd. Cleveland, OH 44141 (216) 526-9433

Price

Single user. $1995 Multiuser, $2995

Processor

Motorola 68000

Memory

256K bytes expandable to 512K

Hardware Needed

IBM PC XT

Software Supplied

Microsoft XENIX

Audience

Knowledgeable end users

California at San Diego's pseudocode p-System, Digital Research's CP/M-68K, and Ryan-McFarland's RM/COS while the XT's 8088 processor is used as an I/O (input/output) processor and the IBM memory is used as an I/O buffer.

The Sritek memory is based on 64 Kbyte chips and is ported to allow access by either the 8088 or the 68000 processor under control of the XENIX operating system by means of an arbitration scheme. The 68000 has a paged memory-management hardware system that allows access to 2 megabytes (MB) of physical memory and supports program relocation. Relocation is essential to a multiuser, multitask operating system such as XENIX. It allows programs and data to be mapped into the available chunks of physical memory.

The alternative (placing programs at predetermined contiguous places) would cause excessive program-execution delays. A program that had to be loaded at location x and was 8400 bytes long, for example, would have \o wait until location x and the next 8399 bytes were vacated. Even if the first program were transferred to disk periodically, the heavy disk I/O would cause unacceptably low performance during "simultaneous" program runs.

All of this is avoided with a memorymanagement capability. The Sritek memory-management hardware allo

cates memory in lK-byte chunks and allows processes (i.e., programs) to be as big as 512K bytes.

Because Sritek's XENIX operating system (OS) and PC-DOS coexist in separate disk partitions, both are available to the user. A future XENIX release will reportedly allow you to execute a PC-DOS program on the IBM 8088 processor under XENIX. Sritek XENIX software also allows the console terminal to be used as a three-way split-screen terminal.

Based on their performance and our visual inspection, the Sritek boards we tested were all well designed and executed. However, they were early releases and did not include the usual metal mounting bracket found on IBMcompatible hardware, nor was a cardguide included. Thus, the heavy, twoboard-thick assembled unit was held in the IBM bus by the mechanical properties of the bus connector alone—a "bad show." We called Sritek to confirm that current shipments include these necessary accessories. Due to the double thickness of the complete Sritek assembly, you need two empty adjacent card slots to install it. The XT has more space than the PC, so this requirement is not as bad as it might have been, even though card slots are very scarce commodities in the IBM chassis. You hate to lose one whole slot due to bulky cards. The hardware installation was

F^iH&M I III 1

HHHH

// 1

^^^H ,_^^^I^^^^^^^B H

w

:q :;::[,::^:}r: ■- -v"^;

Photo 1: Sritek's 68000-based multiuser XENIX system for the IBM PC XT with VersaCard, extra memory, and MicroCard, and system software for development, text processing, and multiuser support.

256 BYTE • IULY 1984

REVIEW: XENIX

easy and the documentation was fairly complete, although it was plagued by idiosyncratic writing and devoid of formatting features that could ease the installer's job.

The hardware installation was the easiest part of the Sritek test. The card was preassembled and the switches were preset at the factory. We rearranged the cards already on the IBM bus to make room for the slot wasted by the double-thick Sritek module. We then cannibalized another IBM PC for a double-sided floppy drive. The one supplied by IBM was only a single-sided drive and Sritek supplies the software on 20 double-sided disks. Still, things went well and the machine booted quite serenely after the major surgery.

Cold Start

The first steps after the actual installation of the hardware are to verify that the hardware is not interfering with the IBM PC XT and that the Sritek board actually works. The first of these is done by booting the IBM in PC-DOS (version 2.0) in the usual manner. That is, a PCDOS floppy disk is inserted in the drive, or the floppy-disk drive door is left open so that the ROM (read-only memory) defaults to the 10-MB hard disk (if it has been formatted and PC-DOS installed). The monitor (an IBM color unit in this case) is turned ON and then the main power of the XT is turned ON. The usual lengthy wait ensues while the boot ROMs lead the machine through the memory check and hardware diagnostic routines. Finally, the OS comes up.

On this "loaner" system, the color/ graphics adapter was being handled as a 40-column device due, probably, to the presence of IBM's medium-resolution color monitor. Sritek's XENIX handles the screen as an 80-column device, and PC-DOS must preset this mode before XENIX is started. Thus, after power-up in PC-DOS and the usual date and time entries, the proper thing to do is type "mode 80 < return >". This causes the system to handle the videodisplay terminal as an 80-column device (pretty uncomfortable on this type of color video-display terminal). The 80column mode also can be set as a power-up default setting. Sritek explicitly recommends the 80-column switch setting on the IBM motherboard for in

[conlinued]

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Copyright © 1984 Dow Jones & Company. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Dow Jones News/Retrieval8 is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

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|ULY 1984 'BYTE 257

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IBM 370

VAX VMS

VAX UNIX

(4.1 BSD)

PDP-11 UNIX (V6,V7,III)

IDRIS/R11

RT-U

RSX-11M/M+

MC68000 UNDC

(UNIPLUS+)

IDRIS/S68K

MS/PCDOS

CP/M-86

C and Pascal for 6 machine architectures: PDP-11, 8080, 68000, 8086, VAX, 370

Full C language implementation

All of the most popular operating systems supported

Optional cross support for: CP/M-80, CP/M-68K, CP/M-86, MS/PCDOS, P/OS-11

Field-proven reliability since 1979

New UNIX-compatible library for non-UNIX operating systems

HOST ONLY:

CP/M-80*, CP/M-68K, VERSAdos, P/OS-11 (*2.1 Cross Compilers are Available)

Circle 326 on inquiry card

Whitesmiths, Ltd*

97 Lowell Road, Concord, MA 01742, (617) 369-8499, Telex 750246 SOFTWARE CNCM

UNIX is a trademark of Bell Laboratories; PDP-11, P/OS, RSX-11M, RT-11, VAX, VMS are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation; CP/M is a trademark of Digital Research Co.;

MC68000 and VERSAdos are trademarks of Motorola Inc.; IBM, PCjr, MVS, VM/CMS and PCDOS are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation;

MS is a trademark of Microsoft; UNIPLUS + is a trademark of Unisoft Systems of Berkeley; 'tins is a trademark of Whitesmiths, Ltd.

REVIEW: XENIX

It is visually interesting, like modern art, but not much like anything you've seen before.

stallations with the color graphics card, but it is easy to miss this recommendation in the current manuals.

After a successful PC-DOS boot, the Sritek "BR1NGUP" floppy is exchanged for the PC-DOS disk and the SRITEST diagnostic is run. Everything ran fine in our case, and the manual said to skip the sections on installation for other manufacturers' hard-disk configurations.

The OS Configuration Procedures section of the technical manual occupies about 13 pages out of 130 (less appendixes). The following ominous note appears at the end of the first page: ". . .You should be willing to follow the directions carefully. Note: Follow the stepby-step procedure given in the next several pages to avoid mistakes. Do not skip any steps as it will result in an improper XENIX configuration'.' The whole process (hardware, software, and disk surgery) took about three hours. The procedure looked simple: insert a couple of disk partitions, follow a detailed example, and then let the Sritek batch file (really a "shell script") do the rest. First, a copy is made of the Sritek BRINGUP disk. Then the PC-DOS partition is removed from the hard disk if it had been installed previously (a backup is made of the current hard disk contents before the partition is removed). You are asked to decide on the amount of space on the hard disk to be allocated for XENIX (at least 7 MB) and whether you want a DOS partition. We chose 8 MB for XENIX and 2 MB for PC-DOS.

When you think about it, a 10-MB disk is pretty small—at least for a UNIX system. UNIX is large. The "kernel" is usually between 60K bytes and 128K bytes, and the utilities, on-line manuals, games, useful programs, required system files, and commands take several megabytes of disk space. Its size is the result of it being a very powerful operating system and also the consequence of having about 200 very useful utility programs in a completely developed system.

Other operating systems are smaller, but the consequences become obvious when a common UNIX-style facility is needed and not available. Thus, we have doubts about using a 10-MB disk for even one OS, let alone two, when one of them is UNIX.

ANTICIPATE

The SRIFDISK utility on the BRINGUP disk was used to install the two disk partitions we chose. This was where I should have noted the instruction to jot down the number of sectors for XENIX. Because the instruction appears as part of the example, or perhaps because we were having an off night and didn't read the screen message completely, we didn't record the number. This wasn't a disaster—just a little uncomfortable until we decided what to do to recover. Otherwise, partitioning the disk was not difficult.

At step 5 of the instructions, things begin to get interesting. The "BOOTABLE" program is run from the BRINGUP disk. This installs a bootstrap loader in the Sritek memory for use by the 68000. Then BRINGUP is typed. Here was where the number of sectors (blocks) was needed. The instruction manual does not warn you that you will be asked for this information at this point. After calculating the theoretically correct answer and entering edit, a long series of commands was executed in a batch-type environment. The result is that the XENIX kernel, bootstrap, swapper, and a portion of the "root" file system were installed within the 8-MB XENIX partition on the hard disk. Following this step, you are instructed to insert each of nine disks that contain the rest of the files to be installed in the "root" (i.e., the XENIX system's) file system.

UNIX allows disk media to be divided into several named sections, called file systems. Sritek's implementation of XENIX uses two of these—the system's information is put in the root file system, while the user's information is put into a user-file system. An unexpected question is displayed at this point: "/dev/usr contains data. Overwrite? (y/n)'—the documentation has no guidance for you (the question is not even mentioned in the documentation). We guessed "y" on the grounds that we were doing a new thing on top of the PC-DOS data. We got

lucky—the system picked up on the prepared script shown in the manual. After the nine "root" TAR (tape archive) disks are fed in, you are asked to feed the 10 user-file TAR disks to the system. Loading disks takes about 5 5 minutes (think about the implications of this for making backups of the hard disk). After this is done, you are finally ready to log into XENIX.

Bringing Up, Backing Up, and Backing Out

The backup copy of the BRINGUP disk is inserted in the floppy-disk drive, the IBM software Reset key-sequence is pressed (Ctrl-Alt-Del) and then the XT uses the AUTOEXECBAT file on the disk to execute the sequence of commands that invokes XENIX. All goes well— unless you have expanded on the Sritek instructions as we had. We decided not to set the hardware switches to indicate 80-column mode for the color monitor. Reading 80-column text is uncomfortable for us on a medium-resolution color monitor. We were given no modal choice by the XENIX OS since it only provides an 80-column terminal handler that thinks it is talking to a Televideo 92 5 terminal. Nevertheless, we wanted 40column displays in PC-DOS (40-column displays have other disadvantages). Thus, when we executed the IBM software Reset key-sequence the display was automatically reset to 40-column mode as indicated by the hardware switches. The software, however, was expecting 80-column mode. So. while the XENIX bootstrap procedure went along just as planned, we found ourselves looking at an unreadable display. We were victims of our own attempt to preserve our display options. Forty-column hardware and a Televideo handler program yield an interesting pattern of unreadable dots repeated, more or less, in each of the four quadrants on the screen. It is visually interesting, like modern art, but not much like anything you've seen before. The solution was to return to PC-DOS and reset the 80-column mode.

However, we first had to get into XENIX to shut it down in an orderly way. UNIX users learn quickly that one does not just turn off a UNIX machine. The result, often, is a corrupted file system.

{continued)

IULY 1984 'BYTE 25»

REVIEW: XENIX

No UNIX novice should attempt to learn the XENIX system while logged in as the superuser.

Now, this was not likely since the system was, according to the Sritek manual, at a log-in message. However, this was a new system and was installed with a manual already shown to have a few quirks. We were not happy about possibly losing several hours' work. Some people would think of this as a potential adventure. We just thought of it as a lot of potential messing around. There are no instructions of any worth in the installation manual on how to log into XENIX. You are told to do so, period. A careful reading of three separate portions of the Microsoft XENIX manuals may tip you off, but maybe not if you're a XENIX novice. So the problem was, "How do we log into XENIX and provide for an orderly shutdown when we can't see what the system's doing?" Well, we "lucked out" again. Reasoning that XENIX should be standard across machines, we used the same startup and shutdown sequences as in the Radio Shack TRS-80 model 16B XENIX review we wrote last summer. Voila! We were back in control without major consequences. However, we don't recommend this as a general practice. For one thing, randomly pressing keys in a UNIX system is a lot like looking into a strange tank of fluid with a match for light. In some cases nothing happens. In others, the results are quite explosive. In this case, however, all we had to do was type Ctrl-D (to allow the system to start up in "normal" mode— really multiuser mode), enter the date and time in YYMMDDHHMM format, and type "root" (the system managers' account) in response to the invisible "login:" invitation. Then, after the system invisibly gave us the "superuser" command prompt (a "#"), we typed "haltsys" to run the program that brought things to an orderly stop. This is another area where Sritek should have provided an explicit set of instructions. Even a careful reading of the Sritek and Microsoft XENIX manuals

does not yield a clear, concise explanation, in one place, of how to start the system from "cold," how to log in for the first time, and how to establish less dangerous accounts than "root." The system is, as it comes from Sritek. easiest to log in on as "root." Root is, of course, the superuser (manager), who can read and write any file, can use any available command, and is responsible for system maintenance. No UNIX novice should attempt to learn the system while logged in as the superuser. In extreme cases, whole file systems can be lost irretrievably or critical system files or utilities can be damaged beyond use. In less drastic cases, files can be made inaccessible to regular system users.

Again, the problem is that the manuals are not very clear about getting into XENIX. In fact, the manuals don't even explain that typing < RETURN > at the first log-in prompt activates XENIX in single-user mode. Having made it into multiuser XENIX through information gleaned from another manufacturer's product, our next step was to shut it down so we could decide what to do about the display. We typed "haltsys" and halted the system.

Having extricated ourself from the 40column syndrome, we created a small AUTOEXECBAT file to set mode 80 and boot into XENIX. Our AUTOEXEC.BAT does this by using the XENIX.EXE utility provided on the BRINGUP disk. This strategy avoids the Ctrl-Alt-Del sequence that, in PC-DOS, resets the screen to 40-column mode and began all the trouble we just described. The procedure works well and the normal XENIX start-up screens are seen during the boot process. From there on. it is fairly normal XENIX. A lot of commands and programs that are extra with other companies' XENIX systems (e.g., Radio Shack) are included with Sritek's implementation at a cost of $495 for the software. These include the C language, a host of development utilities, and the usual multiuser capabilities (although you supply your own hardware I/O ports). The software is all there to support a heavy development environment. It's just that the documentation is not up to the job.

Sritek reports that a number of flaws reported in this review have been corrected since we received our unit last summer.

First, the IBM can have more than 256K bytes of RAM (random-access read/write memory). But Sritek recommends that when you first bring up the XENIX system, you remove all but the first 2 56K bytes of memory. When the XENIX system is running correctly, you supposedly can replace your expansion memory boards up to 512K bytes of memory. A 64K-byte "widow" starting at 9000 hexadecimal must be left open to allow the 8088 to access the memory on the 68000 board.

DOCUMENTATION

Technical manuals have been the neglected stepchildren of the microcomputer industry. Sritek's manuals (including Microsoft's manuals) are actually examples of high quality, compared with most put out by the industry. In particular, the manuals are full of such advice as: "Ground yourself thoroughly before you touch any component on the board. (CAUTION: The MOS IC [metal-oxide semiconductor integrated circuits) components on the board are sensitive to static discharge. Static can damage MOS ICs.)" However, better organization is needed. The caution should have appeared before the instruction to unpack the boards. Complete instructions on ways to ground yourself safely should have followed. Then, and only then, should the user be instructed to unpack the boards. All of these should have been set off from installation instructions by clear document formatting conventions.

Warnings (possibility of injury), cautions (possibility of equipment damage), and notes (things to watch out for to assure proper installation) should each be formatted in a distinctive style. Doing so would draw the user's eye before attempting an improper action. The Sritek technical reference manual constantly refers to the IBM DOS manual for required details of procedures (e.g., making backup files before installing the XENIX software). Such actions, even if they are PC-DOS actions, should be explicitly described in the Sritek manual in each of the places where the material is relevant. Similarly, the manuals should not refer to earlier sections for instructions. Sritek illustrations are placed near their text references, but the quality of reproduction and the use of photos instead of drawings make them nearly

260 B YTE • JULY 1984

REVIEW: XENIX

useless. In the sections on software installation, the manual fails to adequately distinguish between what is placed on the screen by the computer and what is required of the installer.

Cautions and notes (not labeled as such) routinely come after the text describing the action they are meant to modify. A few cautionary messages appear on the screen buried in text, rather than in the manuals. Screen formatting of information and instructions that belong in cautionary messages is lacking. For example, at one place in the installation instructions you are asked (in a long message on the screen) to record the number of disk blocks available to XENIX. This number is used later. The message is easy to miss. We missed it and it cost us several minutes of reading and calculation to reconstruct the number that we should have recorded.

Finally, the installation manual fails to follow an actual live installation sequence. There are several places where unexpected questions appear, where the sequence of events is not quite as stated in the manual, or where a full explanation of the range of possible user actions is missing. There are other places where known bugs in the IBM PC-DOS software should have been explained and the way to fix them presented. These comments on the Sritek manual cover only some of the issues that make a manual easy or hard, helpful or not. The point is that, while it is certainly possible to use much of the available documentation, a lot can be done to make it easier and faster (without necessarily shortchanging the user on valuable technical detail). The benefit to the user is less chance of dangerous, costly, or annoying foul-ups. We can all do with fewer of those.

The XENIX manuals are similar to the standard AT&T documents supplied by Western Electric in their version 7 release of UNIX, with some additional material to cover enhancements. A few changes, mostly cosmetic, have been made. The documents are fine for an experienced UNIX user but terrible for a newcomer. Commands and programs are documented in a peculiarly terse and unnecessarily technical style guaranteed to confuse even experienced users of other systems. UNIX hackers who begrudge every extra character in a document love this stuff. In

fairness, Sritek told us that the system is intended for use by system houses and by knowledgeable end users, and that the manuals were not the best and most current because, just as it was about to spend a bundle to typeset the real stuff, AT&T announced that the new System V manuals, which were to be available soon, would be great. We find it hard to have much patience with this when a bunch of users are getting some pretty raw stuff until "soon" rolls around.

Sritek has indicated that it has also upgraded the documentation since our review. It has added several addenda on such topics as how to log on to XENIX, how to access printers, and so forth. Information on the major device number has also been added to the manual.

Legacy

UNIX is a great operating system, but it is hard to learn on your own without some good tutorial manuals. UNIX development began at a time (in the 1960s) when the only inexpensive and reliable terminal around was the Teletype model 33. This device was slow (10 characters per second) and the keys required several pounds of pressure to actuate. Thus, the user-system interaction is extremely terse. Users wanted to type as few characters as possible and were just as happy to have the result of a command be blissful silence. We are left with that legacy in the standard user interface for UNIX, the one Microsoft

uses in this version of the OS (Sritek says that the Microsoft "visual shell' is not far off). We think a company should compensate by including one of the three good commercially available introductions to UNIX in its $500 software package when its own introductory material is unsatisfactory.

A more serious omission, however, was that the copy of XENIX we reviewed was undeveloped. Even Microsoft's (nontutorial) manuals were inaccurate in several critical details. Several important files for UNIX are placed in atypical (for UNIX) parts of the file system, while the manual calmly quotes AT&T chapter and verse on where they should be. The line-printer (serial or parallel) driver is not configured, and the usual UNIX-style procedures won't work. This, in turn, is due to insufficient information in the Sritek technical manual (the major device number is missing) about the oddly named or misplaced files. These are all indications that Microsoft rushed XENIX out the door. We hope that the long-awaited XENIX version 3.0 will arrive from Microsoft and most of these criticisms will be answered. Note that the Radio Shack version of XENIX we tested several months ago was much cleaner, much better documented, and much easier (still not easy) for a new UNIX user to grasp. All without waiting for AT&T's System V manuals. Also, this Microsoft XENIX was missing many

{continued)

Table I: The machine tested had a 5\2K-byte memory and an 8-MHz 68000 chip. Each test was run twice, with the lowest time recorded. Entries in the Real column represent total elapsed time: entries in the User column represent time in the user process: and entries in the System column represent kernel time. Times are given in seconds.

Function compile sieve execute sieve simultaneous sieves compile terminal one terminal two terminals three terminals compile disk one file two files four files eight files simultaneous sorts

multifile sort

Command

cc -0 sieve.c -o sieve

sieve

sieve&sieve&sieve&time sieve

cc -O terminate -o terminal

terminal 1

terminal 2

terminal 3

cc -O disk.c -o disk

disk I

disk 2

disk 4

disk 8

sort f 1 >fls&sort f2 >f2s&sort

f3>f3s&time sort f4>f4s

sort fl f2 f3 f4 > sorted, file

Real

User

Sys

27.0

3.3

5.4

1.0

0.5

0.1

1.0

0.5

0.1

29.0

3.9

5.4

19.0

0.4

5.0

30.0

4.0

5.6

2.0

1.2

0.3

5.0

2.3

0.6

12.0

4.9

I.I

18.0

II.1

2.3

41.0

4.7

1.7

67.0

24.5

9.1

JULY 1984 -BYTE 261

REVIEW: XENIX

Truly knowledgeable end users will have a fine time with the add-in memory and processor cards.

mature XENIX niceties. Installing a new user is a matter of editing several files as "root" instead of running a simple utility and typing the new user's name and password. Several other utilities that make life easier were also missing.

Performance

Whatever Sritek lacks in glossy presentation, good manuals, and mature XENIX implementation, it is certainly not lacking in system performance. This system is clearly the fastest numbercrunching UNIX-style microcomputer implementation we have ever tested. The MC68000 chip was only running at 8 MHz (10 MHz is a planned option) on our board, yet the benchmark times we found were outstanding. Other UNIX or XENIX systems using 6-MHz 68000s (eg., Radio Shack TRS-80 model 16B and the Fortune 32:16 System 20—not an XP model) were several hundred percent slower on the sieve.c computebound benchmark reviewed in the Gilbreath and Gilbreath article and the Barry and Jacobson article (see references). These other systems are not particularly slow (they're right about where you would expect them to be, given their clock speed)—the Sritek is just very quick. The benchmark is shown in table I. This is the same benchmark we used for the Radio Shack test. The compile time is longer for the Radio Shack (33 seconds) than for the Sritek (27 seconds), while the Fortune compiled sieve.c fastest of all (20 seconds). These long compile times occur because the process is primarily disk-bound. All three systems have relatively slow stepper-motor-type Winchester disks (average access time about 90 milliseconds or so). Note, however, that the Sritek and the Radio Shack both have separate I/O processors with their buffer memory (a Z80 and 64K bytes in Radio Shack's), but both require more compile time than the Fortune. On ex

ecution time for the benchmark program called Sieve of Eratosthenes, a compute-bound algorithm for finding 1899 prime numbers (see references), the Sritek used only one-tenth the time needed by the Radio Shack and did nearly as well against the Fortune. When four simultaneous sieves were executed, the execution time for the last one was the same as for a single sieve. The Radio Shack performance was nearly proportional (380 percent longer). The results are so good that we wonder if the XENIX time utility was really working (although the other times—compile, terminal I/O, disk, and sort—were also quick, but reasonable). In fact, two other sieve benchmarks we've seen, from other sources using Sritek hardware and XENIX software, have very different (and longer) execution times. According to our figures, the Sritek evidently uses the 8088 and its memory to good advantage in I/O-intensive situations but really shines in compute-bound tasks. This conclusion is valid for all of the diverse times that have been reported for the sieve benchmark on this product.

Conclusions

The Sritek add-in board provides a highperformance boost for the IBM PC XT in XENIX. The documentation is relatively poor, even in the realm of relatively poor UNIX documentation. Sritek does not have a national distribution or dealer network—all repair work is on a return-to-factory basis, and the installed base is not large. The full 512K-byte Sritek system will cost $2,995 over what's already invested in the IBM PC XT system. All that money (about $9,000 total) for a nearly raw system and the disadvantages of a multivendor maintenance situation is a little too much. For that kind of money, there are several good vendors out there with fine systems that are fully supported by both dealers and a national service organization. True, these systems are much slower at compute-bound tasks, but they often match, or exceed, Sritek's abilities on typical I/O-intensive business tasks.

We were not able to test any of the application program library mentioned in the technical reference manual. It is worth noting, however, that some good UNIX application software is on the

market (usually bundled with or available on a major manufacturer's hardware package) and that more will be out soon. Sritek mentions the usual business standards—a spreadsheet, a word processor, a database manager, a full accounting system, etc.—in its technical reference manual's specifications list. These packages seem to be drawn from those available in the general UNIX/ XENIX market. It is not clear what level of support a business user would have from Sritek on such third-party software. Our guess is that if a bug cropped up you would go to the software vendor and hope that it was not due to some subtle interaction between the IBM hardware, the Sritek hardware, the Microsoft OS, and your application package. Sritek's intended marketadvanced users and systems housesshould be able to handle these problems, but not quickly nor easily.

In summary, we can recommend the Sritek add-in memory and MC68000 processor cards as outstanding technical products. Truly knowledgeable end users will have a fine time with this hardware. The XENIX software and documentation can be expected to improve substantially in the near future; in fact, since our review Sritek has started offering Pascal and C compilers and the Unify database-manager program. Once some other hurdles are jumped (with little help from the current documentation), the operating environment is comfortably UNIX, version 7, with the Microsoft enhancements described in our Radio Shack article (see references). The product may gain broader appeal with better documentation, more mature OS software, easily available applications software with integrated support on the Sritek system, a strong dealer network, and national support. Sritek reports that the System V version of UNIX will be available this summer, along with a board based on the 68010 chip with enhanced memory-management capabilities. ■

REFERENCES

Barry, Steven H. "The Fortune 32:16 Business Computer." BYTE, May 1983, page 82. Barry, Steven H. and Randall lacobson. "The TRS-80 Model 16B with XENIX." BYTE, lanuary 1984, page 288.

Gilbreath. Jim and Gary Gilbreath. "Eratosthenes Revisted: Once More through the Sieve." BYTE, lanuary 1983. page 283.

262 B YTE • IULY 1984

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SOFTWARE REVIEW

Turbo Pascal

A high

performance,

by Tom Wadlow

Borland International's Turbo Pascal is a new language compiler that claims to combine the benefits of structured programming in Pascal, the interactive conIOW"COSt venience of an interpreted language like

n BASIC, and the speed of a compiled language.

Compiler All this is included in a package that retails for an amazingly low $49.95.

Since Pascal is a compiled language, using it on a personal computer usually means you spend a lot of time cycling between compiler and editor, often shuffling disks in the process. What Borland International has done, however, is provide a souped-up compiler and a programming environment to use it in. The result is a high-level language that can be used for some kinds of serious program development but is easy and fast enough to be used for writing small applications as well. In other words, you shouldn't throw away that BASIC disk, but it will probably gather a lot of dust between uses.

In this review, I'll examine both versions of Turbo Pascal (CP/M and PC-DOS), describe its major features, and compare it to other "professional" compilers. (See also the text boxes "Turbo Pascal on CP/M" on page 268 and "Turbo Pascal on the IBM PC" on page 270.)

The Environment

When you begin to run TUrbo Pascal, the Turbo Main Menu comes up. From the menu you can select the files you will work with and the fashion in which they will be handled, and you can view some information about the resources at your disposal. Entering a single letter will execute one of the menu commands, but each menu item is displayed as a word or phrase, with the key letter highlighted on the screen.

From this menu you can edit or compile a program, change working drives, view a directory of the disk (or a subset of that directory), or change the parameters of compilation.

The Editor

Turbo comes equipped with a built-in screen editor that is helpful when making small changes in a program. As supplied by Borland, the Turbo editor commands resemble a

subset of the WordStar word processor's command set. However, the editor can be configured during installation to look like, more or less, a wide variety of popular editors. I successfully configured the Turbo editor to accept a Mince-like set of commands, but it took several tries to get everything to behave properly.

This editor is very convenient. Errors occurring during program compilation automatically will put you back into the editing mode, with the cursor positioned on the line of code that caused the error. When you are executing a program that has been compiled into memory, some run-time errors such as a divideby-0 will also drop you into the editor. This makes changing and recompiling fairly effortless compared to the traditional way of developing code on small systems.

The Turbo editor is not suitable for massive amounts of editing. There are several activities where the editor's inefficiencies will outweigh its convenience, and you will probably need to use another utility program. One example is the FIND and REPLACE functions, used for string substitution. A number of options are available to restrict or extend the type of searching and replacement that is done. However, for each iteration of the search, the program appears to start from the beginning of the file. This means that the replacement of each occurrence of a common string will take a long time.

Another strange feature of this editor is the definition of tabs. Most text editors have fixed or definable tab stops across a line. Many people are accustomed to formatting source code by indenting lines with the Tab key. The tabs in Turbo are a bit of a surprise, though. Tabs are set anew on each new line. This is done by automatically placing a tab stop at the start of each and every word on the previous line. Thus, a tab just after a carriage return will align the next line with the start of the previous line. There is some sense to this method, but I

(continued)

Tom Wadlow is an engineer and freelance writer living in the San Francisco Bay area. He can be reached at POB 2755, Uvermore, CA 94550.

IULY 1984

I Y T E 267

REVIEW: TURBO

Turbo Pascal on CP/M

by Al Pierce

♦

Turbo Pascal allows in-line machine code and supports the full range of CP/M BDOS and BIOS functions as well as allowing user-written I/O drivers. Interrupts may be used but the programmer is responsible for preserving any registers used by the interrupt routines. Care must be taken because the standard I/O operations used by Turbo routines are not reentrant. This means that they will not work properly when called from within an interrupt handler. Likewise, the BDOS functions and most BIOS calls cannot be used. Interrupt enable and disable may be handled by the use of in-line statements.

In addition to the information on these features, the manual also contains system memory-management information. This includes memory maps of the system during the various compile and execute phases as well as the HEAP and STACKs. The operating-system specifics are covered in a thorough and concise manner with the programmer in mind. Ex

amples pertaining to the use of each feature are given, many of which are short procedures that may be used as learning tools. 1 wouldn't have minded a bit more detail in some areas, such as the EXECUTE function, but on the whole I found it to be a good piece of documentation.

I found Turbo Pascal for CP/M to be an excellent product. The user interface is well done and the inclusion of terminal control functions is a nice touch. The ability to invoke other COM files from the main menu removes the tedium of switching back and forth to the operating system to copy files or check the directory, I only wish the Control-P printer toggle had been left intact but one can't have everything. Borland International deserves praise for this high-value product.

Al Pierce (POB 2755, Livermore. CA 94550) is an electronics technologist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories.

found that the tabs did not do what 1 wanted more often than they did. There is, unfortunately, no way to perform traditional tab alignment.

The editor has several other features that may be a help or a hindrance to you, such as the software toggle for auto-indent and insert/overwrite, but the use of these is more a matter of personal choice than anything else. The fact that there is a convenient editor outweighs the small errors or design oversights that it may contain.

The Compiler

The compiler can be directed to compile directly into memory, where the program can then be executed, or you may compile onto the disk. The memory option is fast and useful for development. Compiling onto disk can be done in one of two ways. An executable file (i.e., a COM file under MS-DOS) can be created, which can then be run directly from the operating system. You

can also create special chain files (CHN), which are used only by Turbo programs and will be explained later.

The Turbo compiler is fast, but slightly peculiar. Turbo is not exactly the lensen and Wirth definition of Pascal. If you are a Pascal purist, you may be irritated by the differences, especially if you bought it to run "standard Pascal. But permit me a brief editorial comment: There is no such thing as standard Pascal. Yes. lots of people advertise that they sell it. I know about the Jensen and Wirth book that supposedly defines it. But standard Pascal doesn't really exist, because real lensen and Wirth Pascal is not worth much as a programming language. It was never intended to be a development language, just a teaching tool. The real measure of Pascal compatibility is the similarity of dialects. For example, almost every Pascal worth using has defined a default clause for the CASE statement. This is not in the standard. When you compare

You can compile directly into memory, where the program can then be executed, or you can compile onto the disk.

Turbo Pascal to other versions of the language, you should examine Borland's extensions to the language and see if they are similar to your favorite version of Pascal.

I would describe Turbo as a Pascal-like language. The basic structure of Pascal is present, but in those places where changes are usually made, namely the CASE default clause, strings, I/O (input/ output), structured constants, etc., the variations on a theme are often striking. Turbo is not really Pascal. But it's very useful.

Data Structure

Turbo has all the standard types: integer, real. Boolean, and char. An integer is a 16-bit signed number. There are no long integer or unsigned integer types. There are also several new basic types:

• byte—essentially an 8-bit, unsigned integer

• strings—yet another implementation of strings in Pascal. These are done pretty well, though. A string is declared with its maximum length. Thus a string[801 can be less than or equal to 80 characters in length. A string! 1 ] is essentially equivalent to type char.

There are also a whole slew of builtin routines to deal with strings such as:

DELETE-delete a substring INSERT—insert a substring STR—convert integer to string VAL—convert string to integer or real COPY—return a substring CONCAT—concatenate two strings LENGTH—determine string length POS—search for a substring

In addition, adding strings can be done with the plus ( + ), which is the same as CONCAT.

Turbo also allows enumerated types, as in other Pascals. The difference in

268 BY TE • JULY 1984

REVIEW: TURBO

Turbo comes with predefined data structures that enable you to perform the equivalent of BASIC'S PEEK and POKE.

them lies with their I/O. In J&W Pascal, the code:

program test(output);

var

foo: (alpha, beta, gamma); begin foo : = beta; writeln(outputfoo); end.

should cause the text "BETA" to be written through output. In Turbo, this causes a compile error.

A new twist in Pascal data structures is the Turbo typed constant. This is a means of creating constants of any previously defined type, including arrays, strings, and records, even variant records. This capability is often found in more advanced programming languages than Pascal, and it is often useful. A typed constant might look like the one in listing 1. In this fashion, specialCommands becomes a read-only variable of type commandTable. Because you can do this for essentially any type, there are many possibilities for saving time and code-space initializing data structures.

Turbo comes with predefined data structures that map onto memory and I/O ports, so that you can perform the equivalent of BASIC'S PEEK and POKE if you are so inclined. This is sometimes described as "being able to feel the bits between your toes."

File I/O

Borland has overhauled file I/O for Turbo Pascal. The way a file is referenced is by means of a file variable. The first operation on any file variable must be an ASSIGN, which binds the DOS name for a file to that file variable. Other operations that are only performed on file variables are:

{continued)

A Second Opinion

Comments on Tlirbo Pascal

by Mark Bridger ♦

Since purchasing TUrbo Pascal several weeks ago 1 have put it through its paces intensively: writing new programs and transferring old ones developed using Microsoft Pascal. I am teaching Pascal at Northeastern University this quarter and I write frequent illustrative programs to hand out to my students. It is truly a pleasure to create them using the TUrbo editor and compile them to check for errors. What used to take several minutes of whirring disk drives now takes a few seconds; executable code files of 20K to 30K bytes are now reduced to 10K to 12K bytes. With this kind of performance, the difference in convenience between a compiled and an interpreted language is virtually nil.

In addition to schoolwork, I have developed several long scientific graphics programs. One of these, a surface drawing package, is about 2000 lines of source code. Making even minor changes in this program has hitherto been a time-consuming activity—even with 300K bytes of RAM disk. Thus, I was particularly anxious to see if it could be adapted to TUrbo easily.

The first change was the graphics procedures: these were originally written in Pascal and assembly language and linked to the main body of the program. I first tried to use TUrbo's "external" directive to call the machine-language routines. Unfortunately, this didn't work. The documentation of external procedure calls in the manual is confusing and contains several obvious errors. I tried many different rewrites of my assembly code to access the variables and return to Pascal: all to no avail. I could, it seems, call the routine, but I couldn't get back.

Finally I gave up and called Borland International for help. I eventually spoke to Mr. Phillippe Kahn. the president of the company. He discouraged me from trying this link-up and suggested that I either use the INLINE method of accessing machine code or, better yet, do the graphics

interrupts directly by using the INTR procedure. This procedure turned out to be ideal. You simply create a record REGISTERS (whose fields are the names of the 8088 registers), assign values to the appropriate fields, and then call INT(num, REGISTERS) where num is the number interrupt desired. It works like a charm, completely eliminating the entire machine-language linking.

Turbo does have a few quirks that require getting used to. For one. the input is not buffered the way that I'm used to in other Pascals. You can't look ahead by accessing INPUT". EOLN works a bit differently; you can't use IF NOT EOLN READLN(x) ELSE READLN to skip over a read with a return. However, you can get around this quite elegantly by reading input into a string and using the powerful string-handling routines. One of these, VAL, converts a string of digits into a real or integer—handy for bullet-proofing I/O. Also, strings are limited to 256 characters; it would be nice to have a full 64K bytes to use the string handling for large-scale byte manipulation.

Turbo has some truly wonderful memory-accessing tools such as the MEM array (all of memory becomes an array of bytes), the SEG and OFS functions, and the PTR function that allows you to create a pointer to any (absolute) memory address. If Turbo became the standard we might not have to program in C to play games.

TUrbo is, without doubt, the best software value I have ever purchased. And, for the whipped cream on top, the latest version of TUrbo contains access to all of the IBM PCs graphics modes, a linedrawing algorithm, multiple windowing, sound, and, for a small amount extra, 8087 support.

Mark Bridger (21 Champa St., Newton Upper Falls. MA 22164) is an associate professor of mathematics at Northeastern University in Boston. Massachusetts.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 269

REVIEW: TURBO

REWRITE—open a file for writing

RESET—open a file for reading

READ—read a component of the file

WRITE—write a component to the

file

SEEK—move to a location in file

FLUSH—update the file

CLOSE—stop using a file

ERASE—erase a file from disk

RENAME—give the file a different

name

EOF—detect end of file

FILEPOS—return position in file

FILESIZE—return size of file

In addition, there are the usual variations for text files, such as READLN, WRITELN, and EOLN.

Conspicuously absent are the Pascal GET and PUT functions. Borland has eliminated them from Turbo, and for good reason, as I know of no other concept (with the possible exception of pointers) in Pascal that has caused as much classroom confusion as GET and PUT. The Turbo READ and WRITE routines are sufficient to deal with the problems that GET and PUT were intended to solve.

Language Operations

The first thing I look for in a new implementation of Pascal is the CASE statement. As I have said before, the default clause (i.e., the statement that is executed when the selector of the CASE

does not match any of the explicitly defined clauses) is a useful thing to have in a language. But there seem to be as many ways of implementing a default clause as there are designers of versions of Pascal. Borland has created yet another way—one that I don't care for much. An example of the Turbo CASE statement from the Turbo manual is shown in listing 2.

Notice that there is no BEGIN-END block surrounding the statements after the ELSE. Also notice that a semicolon precedes the ELSE. These irregularities are without precedent in the rest of the Pascal grammar. I think that Borland tried to make a CASE-ELSE that resembled the IF-THEN-ELSE statement. Unfortunately, what the company has done is create a statement that does not follow the grammatical conventions of the rest of Pascal.

This is not to complain that the ELSE is bad because it is nonstandard. My complaint is that the grammar of CASEELSE has a different flavor from anything else in Pascal. Turbo's typed constants are not standard, but they follow from the way types, variables, and constants are defined. This is a violation of standards but not a violation of spirit. The way the ELSE is defined for the CASE is a violation of both.

PROCEDURES AND FUNCTIONS

Pascal is known as a strongly typed Ian

Turbo on the

With one small exception, the differences between TUrbo on the IBM PC and TUrbo on CP/M are all improvements. Most of the problems encountered with the CP/M version of TUrbo have been corrected on the IBM PC version. There does not seem to be any difference between the execution of a program that has been compiled into memory and a program compiled into a COM file. There are a few restrictions, however. For example, it is not possible to use the CHAIN and EXECUTE routines from a memory-compiled program. These restrictions are well documented.

Pascal IBM PC

The editor on the IBM PC version of Turbo comes preinstalled, so little configuration is necessary. You must choose the display mode that the program will run (monochrome or one of the color display modes). If you wish, the installation program can be used to reconfigure the editor commands to taste.

The one missing feature in IBM Turbo is the EXECUTE command. The Turbo Main Menu lists a command that is advertised to execute a COM file directly. Unfortunately, this option has not yet been implemented for PC-DOS, as a message tells you when you try it.

Listing 1: An example of a typed constant.

type

commandTable = array |1..5| of string|8| const

specialCommands: commandTable = (RUN. STOP'. LIST. COMPILE', QUIT);

Listing 2: Am example of the TUrbo CASE statement from the Turbo manual.

case Year of Min..l939: begin

Time := PreWorldWar2; writel'The world at peace..'): end; 1946.Max: begin

Time := PostWorldWar2; write) Building a new world'I; end; else Time := WorldWar2; writeCWe are at war); end;

guage, which means that the compiler tries hard to assure that the user declares exactly what kind of object each variable and parameter is and then enforces those decisions all the way through the program. Thus, if you declare a variable to be of type REAL, you cannot assign to it an INTEGER value.

Sometimes it is necessary to convert between types, however, and the standard Pascal solution has been to "wirein" several conversion functions to the compiler and hope that they cover all possible cases. Examples of these converters might be FLOAT, which converts INTEGER to REAL, and TRUNC, which converts REAL to INTEGER.

In standard Pascal, it is not possible, save by exploiting holes in the language definition, to write your own FLOAT or TRUNC. They are "magic" routines provided by the author of the compiler. In Turbo, however, you can write conversion routines. Borland has provided a set of extensions to Pascal that allow you to relax type checking in a structured way. This permits you to do, in a consistent fashion, many of those things that Pascal programmers have been doing for years, by "cheating."

For example, imagine writing a routine to concatenate two strings. Ideally, it

270 BYTE

IULY 1984

AT A GLANCE

Name

TUrbo Pascal

Use

Pascal compiler and development environment for MS-DOS and CP/M-80

Manufacturer

Borland International 4807 Scotts Valley Dr. Scotts Valley. CA 95066

Size

Compiler and editor take approximately 35K bytes on MS-DOS

Features

Built-in screen editor and fast compilation to memory or disk; many language additions and special routines for performing systems programming

Documentation

A soft-bound 254-page manual, giving many examples and detailed explanations, is included

Price

$49.95

Comments

A good development environment for small applications: similar to, but better than BASIC for many programs; not very compatible with other Pascal compilers

SIEVE PUZZLE OSORT SIEVE PUZZLE QSORT

PRICE

TIMING COMPARISON (SECONDS)

450

400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50

0

SIEVE PUZZLE OSORT SIEVE PUZZLE QSORT

B TURBO PASCAL COM FILE g IBM PASCAL EXE FILE

A comparison of TUrbo Pascal and IBM Pascal running under PC-DOS on the IBM PC Three programs, the Sieve, Puzzle, and Qsort (listings 3-5), are compared in terms of program size {top) and execution time [bottom). See the text box entitled "A Word About Benchmarks" for further details.

_jiw_' ' —

1.2

IULY 1984 -BYTE 271

REVIEW: TURBO

A Word About Benchmarks

The comparison of any two compilers is a tricky thing. There are many variables and no one benchmarking program can cover all the bases. In addition, there are some intangibles, such as the convenience of use or the presence or absence of certain features, that may make one compiler "better" than another, even though the benchmarks may say otherwise.

Some notes on methodology: When making the measurements whose results are shown here, Al Pierce and I tried to measure what was important and discount what was not. For example, the measurements of compile speed were made from the issuing of the COMPILE command until the command prompt was displayed again. Thus, when compiling to COM files, the speed of the disk drives was an important factor. However, when executing a COM file, we measured from an initial message, discounting the time it took the operating system to load and start the program. The reasoning behind this was that the interesting part of the execution was the algorithm being tested and not the operating-system load routine. In addition, all measurements were done at least three times and the listed results are the average of those three (or more) runs. All times greater than 2 seconds are rounded to the nearest half-second. The results are shown in tables 1 and 2.

Compile times for IBM Pascal are not shown because the method of compilation was so drastically different (involving two separate programs and a linking phase to produce an executable program) that it would have been meaningless to try and compute a time for this process. Suffice to say that, in all cases, the process ran to several minutes for any of the three programs. In addition, it should be noted that IBM Pascal produces EXE files, a format that is slower to load and considerably larger, but more flexible, for large address space programs.

Two of the programs, Sieve (see listing 3) and Puzzle (see listing 4), are fairly well known as benchmarks for compilers. The third, Qsort (see listing 5), performs a Quick Sort on a worst-case array of 100 real numbers. This set of benchmarks is certainly not intended to fully measure the difference in performance for all features, but rather to give an indication of overall performance.

Also, the anomaly of the Puzzle benchmark, whose compile to a COM file is shorter (even with disk I/O) than a compile to memory, is not a mistake but actual measured performance. We did it eight times just to be sure.

Finally, just for the sake of a general comparison, a version of the Sieve benchmark was run under IBM BASICA. It took 33 minutes to complete.

Table 1: Benchmark results for Turbo Pascal running under PC-DOS 2.0. The benchmark programs were compiled on an IBM PC with 320K bytes of memory and two double-sided double-density disk drives. Compilation and execute times are shown in seconds: file sizes are to the nearest 1K byte.

File Sizes: Turbo COM file IBM EXE file

9,000 33.000

13,000 35.000

11.000 24.000

Time for:

Turbo Pascal Compile to memory Compile to COMFILE Execute in memory Execute COM file

IBM Pascal Execute EXE file

Sieve

0.8

2.0 15.0 15.0

76.0

Puzzle

5.7

3.6

69.0

690

416.0

Qsort

3.4 4.0 1.3 1.1

1.2

Table 2: Turbo Pascal benchmark results for CP/M 2.2. The computer system used had a Z80A processor running at 4 Mhz with no wait states, and two double-density 8-inch disk drives with a 3 millisecond step rate.

Time for: Sieve Puzzle Qsort

Compile to memory 0.5 3.0 2.0

Compile to COM FILE 5.0 12.0 9.0

Execute in memory 23.0 77.0 1.0

Execute COM file 25.0 77.0 1.0

File sizes:

COM 8.000 12.000 10.000

should work just as well for two strings of type string] 51 as for two of type string[80|. In standard Pascal you would need to write a separate routine for each size of string used. In Turbo, you could easily write one routine to handle all of them.

There are dangers in doing this, though. There is no way of limiting type independence to a certain set of types. Thus, some unpredictable things could happen if you pass the wrong things to a type-independent routine. Relaxation

of type checking is not the default case in Turbo, so casual errors will probably be detected.

Incidentally, it is not only possible to write conversion routines in Turbo, but in the case of FLOAT, it is mandatory. Turbo comes equipped with a TRUNC, but not a FLOAT Thus, there is no builtin way of converting integers to reals.

External Routines

One important feature that Turbo lacks is the ability to create libraries of exter

nal routines. This facility of separate compilation allows you to build a storehouse of procedures and functions whose code can be shared by many programs. In addition, the ability to compile and test portions of a program separately helps to speed up the development cycle of new applications.

Because Turbo compiles directly into executable files and no external linking is done, it is not possible to separately compile modules from a single applica

(conlinued)

272 BYTE • JULY 1984

Sentinel

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Diskettes.

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Each Sentinel Color Diskette has a lifetime guarantee; 100% certified at levels which meet or exceed all criteria necessary for accurate, error-free read/write operations.

Phone toll-free for the name of the dealer nearest you: 1-800-323-5005 (in Massachusetts 1-800-323-5001).

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Circle 278 on inquiry card.

REVIEW: TURBO

Listing 3: The Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number program. It

function place (i : pieceType: j : position) : position:

originally appeared in "Eratosthenes Revisited: Once More

label 1;

through the Sieve," by ]im Gilbreath and Gary Gilbreath,

var

k: position; begin

January 1983 BYTE, page 283.

for k : = 0 to pieceMaxliI do

const

If p|i.k| then puzzle|j + k| := true;

size » 8190;

pieceCount|class|i|l := pieceCount|class|i||—1;

var

for k : = (to size do

flags : array |0..size| of boolean:

if not puzzle|k| then begin

i.prime.k.count.iter : integer;

place := k:

begin

goto 1:

writelnf 10 iterations.'):

end:

for iter:= 1 to 10 do

writelnl'Puzzle filled.):

begin

place := 0;

count: = 0:

1:

for i : = 0 to size do

end;

flags|i| := true;

procedure remove (i : pieceType; i : position):

for I := 0 to size do

var k : position:

if flagslil then

begin

begin

for k : = 0 to pieceMaxlil do

prime := i + i + 3;

if p|i.k| then puzzle|j+k| := false;

(• writeln(prime); •)

pieceCount|class|i|| := pleceCount|class|i|l + 1;

k := i + prime:

end;

while k < = size do

function trial (j : position) : boolean:

begin

label 1;

flagslkl := false:

var

k := k + prime;

i : pieceType;

end;

k : position;

count:= count + 1:

begin

end;

for i : = 0 to typeMax do

end:

if pieceCount|dass|i|| <> 0 then

wrltelnlcount. ' primes.');

if fit (i, j) then begin

end.

k := place (i, |);

if trial(k) or (k - 0) then begin

writeln (Piece ', 1+ 1. ' at '. k+ 1);

Listing 4: The Puzzle program, written by Forest Baskett.

trial := true;

solves a simple puzzle.

goto 1:

end else remove (1. j): end;

program puzzle;

trial := false:

(• A compute-bound program from Forest Baskett *)

1: kount : = kount + 1:

(• This program solves a simple puzzle, and has been run on a very

end:

wide variety of machines *)

begin

writelnCBeginning PUZZLE);

const

for m : = 0 to size do puzzlelm] : = true;

size = 511:

for I : = 1 to 5 do for | : = 1 to 5 do for k : = 1 to 5 do

classMax = 3:

puzzIeli+dMI + d^kll := false;

typeMax = 12;

for i : = 0 to typeMax do for m : = 0 to size do p|i, m | : = false;

d =8:

for I := 0 to 3 do for | := 0 to 1 do for k := 0 to 0 do

type

p|0,i+d«(i + d«k)l := true;

pieceClass = 0..classMax:

classlOI : = 0;

pieceType = 0.typeMax;

pieceMax|01 := 3 + d'l+d«d«0;

position = O.size;

for 1 := 0 to 1 do for j := 0 to 0 do for k := 0 to 3 do

var

p|l,i+d«(l + d'k)| := true;

pieceCount : array IpieceCIassI of 0..13:

classlH := 0;

class : array (pieceTypel of pieceClass:

pieceMaxli) : = l+d'+d'd'S:

pieceMax : array IpieceType] of position;

for i := 0 to 0 do for j := 0 to 3 do for k := 0 to 1 do

puzzle : array |position| of boolean:

p|2,i+d*(i+d«k)| := true:

p : array IpieceType. positlonl of boolean:

class|2| := 0:

m.n : position;

pleceMax|2] := 0+d«3+d«d«l:

i.j.k :0..13;

for 1 := 0 to 1 do for j := 0 to 3 do for k := 0 to 0 do

kount : Integer;

p|3.i+d«(i+d*k)| := true;

function fit (i : pieceType; | : position) : boolean:

class|3| := 0;

label 1:

pieceMax|3) := 1+d*3+d»d»0;

var

for I := 0 to 3 do for j := 0 to 0 do for k := 0 to 1 do

k: position;

p|4.i+d'(i+d>k)| := true;

begin fit := false; for k := 0 to pieceMaxlil do

dass|4| := 0:

if p|l,k| then if puzzle|j + k| then goto 1:

pieceMax|4| := 3 + d»0+d»d*l;

fit := true;

for i := 0 to 0 do for j := 0 to 1 do for k := 0 to 3 do

1:

p|5,i+d*(j+d*k)| := true;

end;

class|5] := 0;

274 BYTE • JULY 1984

REVIEW: TURBO

pieceMax|5| := O + d'l+d«d«3;

for i := 0 to 2 do for j := 0 to 0 do for k := 0 to 0 do

p|6,i + d«(j + d'k)| := true; class[6| := 1:

pleceMax|6| : = 2+d'0+d«d«0; for i : = 0 to 0 do for j : = 0 to 2 do for k : = 0 to 0 do

p|7,i + d'(i + d-k)| := true; class|7| : = I;

pieceMax|7| := 0+d'2 + d'd'0; for i := 0 to 0 do for j := 0 to 0 do for k := 0 to 2 do

p|8.i + d«(i + d*k)| := true; class|8| := I:

pieceMax|8| := 0+d'0 + d>d>2; for i := 0 to I do for j := 0 to 1 do for k := 0 to 0 do

p|9.i + d«(i + d'k)| := true: dass|9| := 2;

pieceMax|9| := l+d'l+d'd'O; for I := 0 to I do for j := 0 to 0 do for k ;= 0 to I do

p|IO,i + d'(i+d«k)| ;= true; dassl10| := 2:

pieceMax|10| := l+d«0+d"d'l; for i := 0 to 0 do for j := 0 to I do for k : = 0 to 1 do

p|I l.i + d'lj + d'k)] := true; classllll := 2:

pieceMax|II| := 0+d'l+d'd-l; for i := 0 to 1 do for j := 0 to 1 do for k := 0 to I do

p|12.i + d«(j + d-k)| := true; class|I2] := 3;

pieceMax|12| := 1+d'l+d-d'l; pieceCountlOl := 13; pieceCountl 11 := 3; pieceCount|2| : = I; pieceCount|3] := 1; m := l+d'(l+d'l); kount := 0; if fitIO, m) then n if trialln) then writeln('Success in else writelnl'Failure.'); end.

place(0, ml else writeln('Error.'); kount, ' trials.')

Listing 5: The Quicksort program sorts a numeric array.

program QuickSort(input.output); I* Sort a numeric array using a quicksort algorithm. Adapted from volume 3, Art of Computer Programming' by D.Knuth *) I" Several things have been done to this Quicksort to use it as a benchmark.

- The numbers to be sorted are REALS, which are a harder case than 16-bit INTEGERS.

- The input array is hard-wired in. In TURBO this is done by using a typed constant. In the version used to benchmark IBM Pascal, the array is initialized at run-time. Since TURBO does not have an INTEGER to REAL conversion routine as IBM Pascal does, the two could not be coded identically. However, the benchmark clocking is done between the two -MARK-s, and initialization occurs before the first mark, so the difference due to initialization methods should be minimal. The input array is the worst case reverse order.

- For the actual bench-mark, the body of printArray is commented out and replaced by a single writelnf-MARK-');. The reason for this is to permit more accurate measurements of the code speed rather than confuse the eye of the benchmarker. Benchmarks are taken between the MARKs, so as to exclude program loading times. *)

(* global identifiers *) const

max =100: (• maximum array size "I

type

standardArray ■ array |0..max| of real; var

numbers: standardArray; (• array containing the numbers to be

sorted *)

(* Temporary variable •)

(* Commented out during benchmarks

(* Used during benchmarks

last: integer; procedure swaplvar a, b : reall;

(" Exchange the values of A and B *) var

t : real; begin t := a: a :» b: b := t; end;

procedure printArrayltop : integer); (* Display the current contents of the array *) (* Since this isn't the interesting part of the benchmark, this quick and dirty print routine take advantage of the 80 column screen with wraparound. Here is where you would put the more sophisticated output routine in a usable sort routine. •) var

i : integer; begin

{for i := 0 to top do

write(numbers|il:8:2|; writeln; writeln;}

writeln('-MARK-); end;

procedure getArraylvar top: integer): (* Fill array from input *)

(* In a real sort program, this would get the array to be sorted from the standard input or a file or whatever. For the purposes of this benchmark, we will initialize the array with a predeclared array that is the worst case of a sort: an array in reverse order. Note the use of TURBO typed constants. •) const worstCase: standardArray =

(100.0, 99.0, 98.0. 97.0, 96.0, 95.0. 94.0, 93.0, 92.0, 91.0. 90.0, 89.0, 88.0, 87.0, 86.0, 85.0, 84.0, 83.0, 82.0. 81.0, 77.0, 76.0, 75.0, 74.0, 73.0. 72.0. 71.0, 67.0. 66.0, 65.0. 64.0, 63.0, 62.0, 61.0, 57.0. 56.0, 55.0, 54.0, 53.0, 52.0, 51.0. 47.0. 46.0, 45.0, 44.0, 43.0, 42.0. 41.0, 37.0. 36.0. 35.0, 34.0, 33.0, 32.0, 31.0, 27.0, 26.0, 25.0, 24.0, 23.0. 22.0, 21,0, 17.0, 16.0, 15.0, 14.0, 13.0. 12.0. 11.0, 7.0, 6.0, 5.0, 4.0. 3.0, 2.0, 1.0, 0.0); begin (* getArray ") top := 100; numbers : = worstCase; printArrayltop); end; (* getArray •) procedure bubbleSort(start,top: integer; var subArray: standardArray);

(* Bubblesort procedure, sorts array from start to top inclusive "I var index: integer;

switched: boolean; begin (* bubbleSort *) repeat begin

switched := false; for index : = start to top-1 do begin

if subArray|index| > subArray|index+ I] then begin

swap(subArray|lndex|,subArray|index+ 1|); switched := true: end: end; end until switched = false; end;

(continued)

80.0,

79.0,

78.0

70.0.

69.0,

68.0

60.0.

59.0,

58.0

50.0.

49.0,

48.0

40.0,

39.0,

38.0

30.0,

29.0.

28.0

20.0,

19.0.

18.0

10.0.

9.0,

8.0

IULY 1984 -BYTE 275

REVIEW: TURBO

procedure findMedian(start,top: integer; var subArray

standardArray):

do

(• Find a good median value in array and place it at

beginnning of

begin

section to be sorted *)

if swapUp = true

var

then (* scan downward from partition top *)

middle: integer;

begin (* and exchange if smaller than median *)

sorted: standardArray;

while (numbers|e| >= numbers|m|) and (e > m)

begin (" findMedian *)

do

middle := (start+topldiv 2;

e := e- 1;

sorted|l| := subArray|start|;

if e > m

sorted|2| := subArrayltopI;

then

sorted|3| := subArray|middle|;

begin

bubbleSort(l,3,sorted);

swap(numbers|e|,numbers|m||;

if sorted|2| = subArray|middle|

m := e:

then

end;

swap(subArray|start|,subArray|middle||

swapUp := false;

else

end

ifsorted|2| = subArrayltopI

else (" scan upward from partition start *)

then

begin (* and exchange if larger than median •)

swap(subArray|start|,subArray|top|):

while Inumbersls] <= numbers[m|) and (s<m|

end; (* findMedian *)

do

procedure sortSectionistart.top: integer);

s := s+l;

(* Sort a section of the main array, and then divide it into two

if s < m

partitions to be sorted "I

then

var

begin

swapUp: boolean;

swap(numbers[sl ,numbers|ml):

s,e,m: integer;

m := s

begin [• sortSection *)

end;

if top-start < 6

swapUp := true;

then (* sort small sections with bubbleSort *)

end;

bubbleSortlstart,top,numbers)

end;

else

sortSection(start,m- 1); (* sort lower half of partition *)

begin

sortSection(m+l,top); (* sort upper half of partition *)

findMedian(start,top,numbers);

end;

swapUp := true;

end; (* sortSection •)

(" start scanning

from array top *)

begin (' Quicksort main program *)

s := start; (" lower comparision limit *)

getArray(last);

e := top; (* upper comparision limit *)

sortSection(O.last);

m := start; (* location of comparison value *)

printArray(last)

while e > s

end. (* Quicksort main program *)

tion. Borland has sacrificed separate compilation for speed of development, a trade that large applications developers won't care for, but I suspect that many casual users won't mind much.

There is a simple, fairly crude way of calling external routines, provided you know their address in memory, but it does not answer the problems raised above. Turbo provides two routines, EXECUTE and CHAIN, which can be used to run other programs.

EXECUTE will pass control to any program that you could run from the operating-system prompt. When that program terminates, control returns to the operating system, not the program that performed the EXECUTE.

CHAIN passes control to a specially compiled Turbo program. A normally compiled Turbo program contains the built-in Turbo library of standard routines. When you compile a chain program, this library is not included, making the code on disk a lot smaller. When

Turbo has a means of directly calling the operating-system service routines.

a program is run through CHAIN, the library, which is already resident in memory, is kept but the application program is replaced by the chain program. When that program terminates, control returns to the operating system.

It is also possible to include external source files during compilation. By doing this, two programs could share the same source code, though not the same compiled code.

Other Turbo Features

Turbo contains a primitive facility for writing in-1

line machine code. The IN

LINE statement accepts a series of numbers and places them directly into the code being compiled. Using this feature it is possible to write interrupt handlers or optimize specific routines for speed. Again, this is a nonstandard but useful feature.

Turbo also comes equipped with a means of directly calling the operatingsystem service routines. This lets you write applications that can manipulate the environment provided by your operating system. A good example of this might be a directory listing program.

DOCUMENTATION

Included in the Turbo package is a 2 54page, softcover manual that is the documentation for Turbo Pascal. Almost everything that you might need to know about Turbo is in the manual, and I found it useful to run Turbo, compiling into memory, and then read the manual. Going through the book page by page,

[continued)

276 BYTE- IULY 1984

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REVIEW: TURBO

it is easy to try out the examples while running Turbo or to write small test programs to see what a particular function does.

The manual is well written, as computer documentation goes. The first few pages have a flowchart of the manual structure and an explanation of the

Ikrbo is well written, fun to use at times, and fast enough to make up for its few shortcomings.

typography used. As far as I read, these standards were adhered to all the way through the book.

Typography is important in documentation and Borland has made good use of it in its manual. Normal text is printed in a sans serif font that is easy to read. Programming examples are all indented and shown in a typewriterstyle font. Reserved words are shown in boldface, while identifiers are emphasized in the text by italics. These conventions make it simple to scan a page of the manual and pick out the points of interest.

Conclusions

Turbo Pascal will be compared to JRT Pascal and "professional" Pascal compilers. Both comparisons are somewhat unfair. Turbo most certainly is not a toy compiler, to be used until the real thing comes along. It is also not a good compiler for developing massive applications. (See the text box "A Second Opinion: Comments on Turbo Pascal" on page 269 for another author's estimation.) The real comparison that should be made is Turbo versus BASIC. There is very little need for a BASIC when you have Turbo Pascal. It is well written, fun to use at times, and fast enough to make up for its few shortcomings. (See the "At a Glance" page and the text box A Word About Benchmarks" on page 272 for more information on Turbo Pascal.) It is easily worth its price, even if you use it to develop code that will be compiled on a "professional" compiler. But even by itself it is a bargain that shouldn't be passed up. ■

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SOFTWARE REVIEW

LISP for the

IBM Personal Computer

IQLISP and

muLISP—two

versions of a

list-based

by Jordan Bortz and John Diamant

People who own an IBM Personal Computer (PC) are probably glad that many of the greatest programming languages ever written are available for that machine. Now LISP (a list processing language) has joined that group, and LISP is to artificial intelligence as C is to systems programming. Many important applications, inlangUclffe eluding theorem proving, natural language processing, symbolic mathematics, and knowledge-based expert systems, can be done most easily using a list-based language such as LISP. Some of the better-known LISP programs include MACSYMA, a symbolic calculus program from MIT; Eliza, a simulation of a psychiatrist; and MYCIN, which diagnoses diseases.

LISP has traditionally required large amounts of memory and a fast processor. Most microcomputers are unable to run it. Further, most microcomputer owners are unaware of LISP'S power. In this article, we will review two LISP systems for the IBM PC: muLISP from The Soft Warehouse and IQLISP from Integral Quality. To help readers who are unfamiliar with LISP, this article will be divided into two parts: an introduction to LISP and a comparison of these two products.

A Brief History

LISP was developed by John McCarthy from a powerful but hard-to-use language called IPL, McCarthy's LISP language quickly became popular, and people began modifying it for their own purposes. As a result, LISP is anything but a standardized language. At present, three major LISP dialects have emerged as de facto standards: MacLISP, InterLISP, and UCILISP. There is now a project at Carnegie-Mellon University to standardize a new version of LISP, known as Common LISP. Common LISP will be discussed more fully in the section on scoping rules.

An Overview

As its name implies, LISP is centered around the notion of a list. A list is a sequence of atoms, other lists, or both. An atom has a single value and can hold a number, character string, or list. Atoms and lists make up symbolic expressions, also known as S-expressions or SEXPRs. As a

result, there is no distinction between programs and data as far as LISP is concerned. This means that LISP can write programs for itself to execute. This also means that you will be typing lots of parentheses, since they act as list delimiters. An example can show how all of these elements combine.

First, we assign to the atom 'L the list (THIS IS A LIST):

(SETQ L '(THIS IS A LIST))

SETQ binds the list (THIS IS A LIST) to the atom L. The single close quote (alternatively, the word QUOTE) is very important. It tells the LISP expression evaluator not to go to work on anything that follows. This is crucial; without it, LISP would think that THIS is a function and IS A LIST are its arguments. (The double quote is not interchangeable. It is used as a way of enclosing atom names so that they include technically illegal spaces.)

The two biggest list-manipulation commands are CAR and CDR (pronounced could-er). CAR returns the first SEXPR in a list, and CDR returns a list of everything but the first SEXPR. Unfortunately, the names CAR and CDR are horribly non-mnemonic. They originally stood for Contents of Address Register and Contents of Data Register, respectively, on the IBM 7040. The only reason for preserving these names instead of calling them FIRST and BUTFIRST is that you can get a composite called the CADR of X, which is the CAR of the CDR of X. This provides a valuable shorthand; it's easier to say (CADDR X) instead of (CAR(CDR

(continued)

]ordan Bortz is a recent graduate of Sycamore High School He is currently designing relational database systems for Envisioneering Ltd. Bortz is interested in artificial intelligence and turtle graphics. He can be contacted at Envisioneering Ltd.. 555 Metro Place North, Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017.

\ohn Diamant is currently majoring in computer engineering at Case Western Reserve University. He is interested in artificial intelligence and program verification. Diamant may be contacted at 6608 Michael Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45243 or at Michelson 330, 11896 Carlton Rd.. Cleveland Heights, OH 44106.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 281

REVIEW: LISPS

Listing 1: An example of some

simple LISP commands.

-> (SETQ L (JOHN (AND IORDAN) HACK LISP)) (IOHN (AND IORDAN) HACK LISP) ;setq returns the list Its

assigning ;to L as its function

:return value

-> (CAR L)

IOHN

-> (CDR L)

((AND IORDAN) HACK LISP)

; pronounced halfway ; between kidder : and could-her

-> (CARICDR U) (AND JORDAN)

-> (CAADR L) AND

; same as (CAR (CAR (CDR LJJ)

-> (SETQ L (A))

(A)

-> L

(A)

-> L

L

-> (CDR L) NIL

-> (SETQ FOO '(1 2)) (1 2)

-> (SETQ BAR (CONS PLUS FOO)) (PLUS 1 2)

-> (EVAL BAR) 3

LISP and Recursion

Before we discuss defining functions in LISP, let's first delve into recursion. Recursion uses the definition in the definition. For example, we could define a factorial of n as « times the factorial of n-1. Of course, since this recursion could go on forever, we have to define a termination condition—something that ends the recursion. For the factorial, we define the factorial of 0 to be 1. Mathematically, we could express this definition as follows:

m =:

{ x = 0 : 1

{ x > 0 : x x f(x - 1)

(CDR X))). Listing 1 contains some more examples. User input is on the lines that begin with the prompt ->. The LISP interpreter's responses are on the line below it. Figure 1 describes listing 1 in graphic form.

Listing 1 also shows an important atom in LISP: NIL. We tried to take the CDR of a list with only one value, so LISP returned NIL, the "empty list." NIL can also be represented as (). The other special atom is T. T and NIL are the LISP counterparts of true and false.

LISP assumes (unless told otherwise by the quoting mechanism) that the first atom in a list is a function to be evaluated and the rest of the list contains the arguments to the function. Once again, examples are clearer than rigorous definitions.

-> (PLUS 3 5) 8

-> (PLUS 3 (PLUS 4 2)) 9

A predicate is a function that returns T or NIL depending on whether its argument is true or not. The predicate called ZEROP (pronounced zero-pea) asks if its argument is equal to 0. Another predicate is EQUAL, and it tests equality.

-> (ZEROP 0)

~> (ZEROP 69) NIL

-> (EQUAL 5 (PLUS 2 3))

In addition to providing functions for taking lists apart (CAR and CDR), LISP also contains functions for putting them together, notably CONS (list CONStructor), APPEND, and LIST.

-> (CONS THIS '(IS A LIST)) (THIS IS A LIST)

-> (CONS '(THIS IS) '(A LIST)) (THIS IS) A LIST)

-> (APPEND '(THIS IS) '(A LIST)) (THIS IS A LIST)

-> (LIST '(THIS IS) '(A LIST)) ((THIS IS) (A LIST))

Earlier in this article, we mentioned the fact that with LISP there is no distinction between data and programs. The following example demonstrates this and hints at how LISP can be used to simplify algebraic expressions. EVAL is the LISP expression evaluator; it is the opposite of the QUOTE function. EVAL can be called just like any other function. As a matter of fact, the driver loop for LISP (similar to a UNIX shell) in its simplest form is:

(PRINT(EVAL(READ)J)

Let's pictorially trace through this function:

m = 3 x f(2) K2) = 2 x f(l) /U) - 1 x /f0)

flO) = 1 fll) = 1 x 1 |2)=2xl f(3) = 3 x 2 = 6

This example may seem artificial. Simplifying algebraic expressions offers a better use. An expression may contain many subexpressions that need to be simplified. To accomplish this, we can write a function called SIMP, which operates on all the subexpressions in the expression it is given and assigns a simpler coded designation to each subexpression. The expressions can be stored as a list of lists, and we can use CAR and CDR to traverse them. This all sounds good, but before we can write something like that, we have to write something easy like the factorial function. Here it is:

(DEFUN FACT (X) (COND ((ZEROP X ) 1) (T (TIMES X (FACT (SUB1 X))))))

COND is the general-purpose IF... THEN...ELSE statement of LISP. Its general form is:

282 B YTE • JULY 1984

REVIEW: LISPS

AT A GLANCE

Name

muLISP-83 4.05

Type

Programming language

Manufacturer

The Soft Warehouse POB 11174 Honolulu, HI 96828 (808) 734-5801

Microsoft Inc. 10700 Northrup Way Bellevue, WA 98004 (206) 838-8080

Price

$250

Format

5^-inch floppy disk, single- or double-sided

Operating System

MS-DOS 1.25 or 2.0 PC-DOS 1.1 or 2.0

Computer System

Any MS-DOS-based computer with 128K memory

Documentation

150 pages

Audience

People interested in artificial intelligence or symbolic mathematics

Name

IQL1SP

Type

Programming language

Manufacturer

Integral Quality POB 31970 Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 52 5-2985

Price

$175

Format

5!4-inch floppy disk, single- or double-sided

Operating System

PC-DOS 1.1 or 2.0

Computer System

IBM PC or compatible unit with at least 128K bytes of memory (256K for PC-DOS 2.0)

Documentation

300 pages

Audience

People interested in artificial intelligence or symbolic mathematics

-> (PUT

'BORTZ)

BORTZ

'JORDAN 'LAST-NAME

(COND (< test 1 > ... < result 1 > (< test 2> ... < result 2>

(< test n> ... < result n> ))

If < condition i> is true, COND evaluates < result i > and returns it. Otherwise, it attempts <test i+1 >. Since T is always true, the expression following it is evaluated "if all else fails."

A function returns the value of the expression following the parameter list; in

this case, the value returned by COND is returned to the function's caller. A simple function that subtracts 1 from any number is provided below:

(DEFUN SUB1 (X) (DIFFERENCE X 1))

Earlier, we said that every atom can have a value, a function, and a property list associated with (bound to) it. The following examples show the use of a property list.

-> (GET 'JORDAN 'LAST-NAME) NIL

-> (GET JORDAN 'LAST-NAME) BORTZ

LISP has several predefined data types: infinite-length integers, floatingpoint math, character strings, lists, and arrays. As we will discuss later, the two LISPs we are studying do not implement all of the above data types.

IQLISP VERSUS MULISP

The two LISP systems we are comparing are muLISP-83, from The Soft Warehouse, and IQLISP, from Integral Quality. muLISP-83, derived from earlier muLISPs that ran under CP/M-80, runs under any generic MS-DOS computer. It has terminal definition files to select which type of terminal is attached to the computer, enabling running of the muSTAR editor regardless of hardware. If there is no definition for your terminal, you can write your own. IQLISP, on the other hand, runs only on the IBM PC and comparable machines. Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut winner between the two LISPs.

Since LISP is interactive in nature, you spend most of your time under the LISP system. This is unlike a compiler-based environment where you edit the program with your favorite editor and compile it. You can effectively do this with these LISP systems also, but it is more efficient to make changes as you go along, i.e., changing your functions with the built-in LISP editors and testing and debugging them with test data. For that reason, the better the function trace facilities, editor, and debugger, the better for you.

As in any programming language, much of your time is spent editing. In this regard, muLISP wins out. It provides a WordStar-like editor that is screen oriented, and that also helps in matching parentheses by automatically indenting your current line. If the line is indented incorrectly, you know that you have mismatched the parentheses.

IQLISP's editor, on the other hand, is a LISP structure editor; all commands are in relation to an SEXPR's location in the list structure—not its location on the screen. Some people prefer structure editors, but we have found screen

[conlinued)

JULY 1984 -BYTE 283

REVIEW: LISPS

LISP is relatively easy to debug because it's interpreted. Both muLISP and IQLISP have good debugging systems.

oriented editors to be more useful.

Error Checking

Since programming is very prone to errors, much of the time not spent editing is spent debugging your programs. LISP is relatively easy to debug because of its interpreted nature, but some systems facilitate debugging better than others.

Thanks to a new package for muLISP. both LISPs now have good debugging systems. They both give you roughly the same features, with the exception that IQLISP's debugging system is more oriented toward windows and cursor/ control keys. At an error condition, you can ignore the error, escape back to the main read-eval-print loop, or substitute a new value for the expression that LISP was trying to evaluate.

Both LISPs provide good BREAK, TRACE, and BACKTRACE facilities. TRACE enables you to watch the arguments passed to, and the value returned from, whatever function you desire. BREAK causes the system to pause when it invokes the function you have chosen. A BACKTRACE has the system keep track of a TRACE for you and lets you step backward through it.

To facilitate faster execution, muLISP does not do much error checking on its built-in functions. For instance, atoms not bound to anything return themselves— they should cause an error, and they do in IQLISP. This means that if you accidentally misspell a variable in muLISP, you might get strange and undesirable results that are hard to trace. IQLISP, however, complains about the atom being unbound. Similarly, muLISP lets you take the CAR and CDR of atoms, which IQLISP forbids.

IQLISP provides function-key support and windows. Function-key support means you can program the function keys to do whatever you wish. IQLISP's

windows are not "true windows": if you put window A over window B and then remove A, B's contents will not reappear.

Data Types

IQLISP also wins out in this category. Integral Quality's system provides all the data types previously mentioned, plus another data type, the short integer. The interpreter automatically stores integers between -32768 and 32767 in shortinteger format, thereby saving space. IQLISP also provides floating-point math in two fashions. One is loaded in the software floating-point package and the other is provided through the 8087. Since we don't own an 8087 chip, we could not test this. IQLISP provides a good repertoire of trigonometric functions. muLISP, on the other hand, does not support arrays or floating-point math. Floating-point math will be provided in the next version of muLISP, but that may not be until November.

Speed and Space

While IQLISP needs at least 2 56K bytes of memory, muLISP runs comfortably in 128K bytes. The reason is twofold. IQLISP stores its programs in ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) code, whereas muLISP stores them in a token-type format known as distilled code (D-Code). Distilled code is three times denser than ASCII code, and program execution is 20 percent faster.

As can be seen from the benchmarks (see the text box on page 288), muLISP is considerably faster than IQLISP. Also, IQLISP ran out of space faster when running the factorial program. This resulted in a garbage collection (GC). LISP produces a GC when it exhausts all of its free memory and attempts to reclaim wasted portions of it. One of the reasons IQLISP requires so much memory is that it uses 4-byte pointers while muLISP uses 3-byte pointers. This enables IQLISP to address more memory; however, unless you have more than 500K bytes, you will have less to work with because of the high 4-byte-pointer overhead. Furthermore, IQLISP pushes more information onto the stack, thereby limiting recursion. If you are going to use LISP for a real-time application, speed can be crucial. For this reason, and because of a greater availability of compatibility packages, we prefer muLISP to IQLISP.

Extra Functions and Examples

With both IQLISP and muLISP, the user is provided with the commented source code to all LISP functions that are nonintrinsically defined. This includes the editor. With muLISP, however, the user is provided with much more. muLISP comes with a tutorial package that leads the user through many of the muLISP functions and demonstrates graphics and methods of implementing features not included with muLISP. In addition, muLISP includes the Doctor program, an implementation of Eliza; Hanoi, a Tower of Hanoi puzzle solver; Animal, in which the computer tries to guess the animal you are thinking of; and Metamind, in which you and the computer play the game of Master Mind. In addition, muLISP provides an InterLISP and a MacLISP compatibility package.

COMPATIBILITY

By virtue of its nature, almost any feature that exists in one kind of LISP can be simulated in another. The price you pay. however, is speed. MacLISP and InterLISP are two of the three major LISPs for mainframe computers. To help convert from mainframe to PC, muLISP provides two compatibility packages that simulate many features of MacLISP and InterLISP. One of the muLISP compatibility packages attempts to simulate macros. (IQLISP's macros are real.) It is beyond the scope of this article to describe the differences between "real" and "simulated" macros, but the distinction is important for transportability. The fact that the compatibility packages are included with muLISP is a definite plus. Unfortunately, the functions implemented in the two mainframe LISPs are not documented in the muLISP manual, but they are heavily documented in the source code. Although you can print out the source code to make your own

{continued)

Table 1: LISP load times.

Version

Time (seconds)

IQLISP

IQLISP with development system

muLISP

muLISP with muStar

5.0

37.5

2.5

9.0

284 BYTE

JULY 1984

■BSw _

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REVIEW: LISPS

Both packages let you write your own assembly-language interfaces. IQLISP has an interface to the DO DEBUG facility.

S

manual, the functions are not in alphabetical order and are therefore hard to find. It would be better if The Soft Warehouse added a section to its muLISP manual summarizing function usage. IQLISP provides a function package called HELP.LSP that interactively gives you a synopsis of a function's syntax. This is a nice feature, but it takes a long time to load and consumes valuable memory.

Scoping

For those of you who will be transporting software from other machines, we will explain binding (or scoping). The two major types of binding are dynamic and lexical. Lexical binding is the type seen most often in other languages, such as Pascal and C. It binds a variable according to its location in the program (lexical location). Dynamic binding, on the other hand, binds according to when the function is invoked.

(DEFUN PLUGH (FROBOZZ) (XYZZY FROBOZZ))

(DEFUN XYZZY (KRUFT) (PRINT FROBOZZ))

If the scoping is lexical, FROBOZZ is undefined in XYZZY because it is local to PLUGH (just as in C). In dynamic scoping, FROBOZZ is still defined because FROBOZZ was bound by the invocation of the function PLUGH, and PLUGH invoked XYZZY. Instead of having just local and global variables, it is possible to have an infinite number of levels of variable declarations depending on what was invoked first.

On the one hand, dynamic scoping is a more powerful facility because some things simply cannot be simulated with lexical scoping. On the other hand, functions that act differently depending on where they are invoked violate the principles of lambda calculus (the theory

upon which LISP is based). In fact, under dynamic scoping, if the name of a formal parameter of a function is the same as one already defined by a function invoking it, the result could be wrong. Most of the major LISP interpreters use dynamic scoping (FranzLISP, MacLISP. UCI-LISR and InterLISP). Be aware, however, that this is not necessarily true of LISP compilers. For instance, Liszt, the FranzLISP compiler, assumes lexical scoping unless told explicitly otherwise. Common LISP attempts to implement both dynamic and lexical scoping. What this boils down to is that programs that run under one scoping will not necessarily run under a LISP with a different type of scoping. Both IQLISP and muLISP are dynamically scoped, but the type of scoping is an important consideration when looking at other LISP systems.

Documentation

The documentation that comes with IQLISP is very complete and goes to great lengths to explain the internals of the interpreter. Unfortunately, its indexes are hard to find, which makes it difficult, at best, to use as a reference. The muLISP manual, on the other hand, has a good index and is a handy reference. However, it does not explain the internals of the interpreter as completely as the IQLISP manual. It also neglects to document the compatibility packages.

I/O and MS-DOS Interfaces

Both IQLISP and muLISP support cursor positioning and simple graphics, such as plotting points and drawing lines. muLISP supports random-access file I/O

(input/output); IQLISP supports only sequential access. Both muLISP and IQLISP support the MKDIR, CHDIR, and RMDIR commands in MS-DOS version 2.0, although they both will run under DOS 1.1.

Only muLISP supports the EXEC call. With EXEC, you can spawn a new shell (command.com), run DOS (disk operating system) as a subprocess of LISP, and then return to LISP with your workspace intact. This lets you go into an editor, modify your code, and then read it back in. It also lets you just go to DOS to print a file. This is a very powerful feature that more applications should take advantage of. Although IQLISP doesn't support the EXEC call, it provides functions to create directories, delete files, and the like.

Other Features

Both IQLISP and muLISP let you write your own assembly-language interfaces. IQLISP has an interface to the DOS DEBUG facility, which should aid in debugging assembly-language functions. (We did not test this.) It may be important if you must write many assembly-language functions. However, since IQLISP is so slow, you may have to code in assembly language more often in IQLISP than in muLISP.

Both versions enable you to create SYS files. A SYS file is a snapshot of the computer's LISP workspace. You can stop wherever you are and continue later. More important, a SYS file can be used as a storage area for all of your most commonly used functions. Loading a SYS file is several orders of magnitude faster than reloading the source code

(continued)

JOHN

JORDAN

AND LISP

Figure I: A list can be visualized as a tree; the terminal nodes are atoms, the nonterminal nodes are lists. The tree shown represents listing 1.

286 BYTE • IULY 1984

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REVIEW: LISPS

Benchmarking IQLISP and muLISP

One of our main benchmark procedures is a factorial program, both iterative and recursive (see listings 2 and 3 and tables 2 and 3). The recursive algorithm does about as much calculating as function invoking and is thus a good measure of overall performance. IQLISP was consistently slower by about 40 percent. We tried the iterative solution on IQLISP to see if the function invocation was slowing it down significantly (as the iterative solution avoids the overhead of reinvoking the function). In fact, it turned out that the recursive solution was faster, indicating that either the iterative constructs are inefficient or IQLISP has been optimized for recursion. We also learned that IQLISP has a very slow garbage collector, as was apparent from the wild time fluctuations for different runs of the same tests. When memory runs out (after a couple tests of the functions), the garbage collector is invoked and slows down the function that is running. In addition, we ran up against the limit of IQLISP's stack. IQLISP pushes more information onto the stack with each recursion, which reduces the stack's effective size.

The next test we attempted was a program to compute up to the seventeenth term in the Fibonacci series recursively (see table 5). The series is defined as follows:

F(x) - 1 for x < 2

F(x) = F(x-l) + F(x-2) for x >= 2

This recursive algorithm is highly inefficient and takes considerable time even for low numbers in a series. Nevertheless, it is a good test of how much overhead function calling takes, because the function does very little computing or list manipulating. The time tests indicate that IQLISP again is slower, this time by a whopping 200 percent, leading us to believe that muLISP is much more efficient than IQLISP at function calling. The third test we performed was based on the Sieve of Era

tosthenes (see table 3 and listings 4 through 8). We attempted an iterative and a recursive solution in both LISPs. Since muLISP does not have arrays, they were simulated with lists—i.e., (12 3) represents the array having three elements; the first element is 1, and so forth. Due to the extensive amount of list manipulation, the Sieve benchmark shows which LISP handles list processing more efficiently. The tests were performed with an array size of 500, which yielded reasonable times for muLISP (on the order of 1 minute), but wouldn't even execute on IQLISP (memory ran out after about 3 minutes and the command prompt was redisplayed without the function running to completion). Each prime was calculated at about a rate of one every 5 seconds, indicating that if the program would have finished, it would have taken about 5 x 167 seconds, or 835 seconds. Apparently IQLISP is much slower than muLISP (by an order of magnitude) in list processing. However, IQLISP beats muLISP in the iterative Sieve because IQLISP provides arrays.

It is important to realize that even the faster LISP is considerably slower than an efficient compiled language like C, or even a notso-efficient interpreted language like BASIC. The Sieve benchmark took one-twenty-fifth of the time in C (Computer Innovations' C-86) and one-eighth of the time in BASIC (of course, this was with simulated arrays). Comparable performance was shown when we compared the Fibonacci benchmark in C with the LISP versions. This type of performance is not surprising considering all the overhead necessary to support a LISP environment (garbage collection and pointer manipulation).

Overall, it seems that muLISP is quite a bit faster than IQLISP. However, IQLISP has 8087 support, which helps a great deal. Since we did not have an 8087 available, we could not test its performance; however, for most applications, muLISP would still probably be faster than IQLISP with an 8087.

Listing 2: A listing of the benchmark in table 2. Note that two slightly different programs had to be used for each LISP system.

For IQLISP:

(DEFUN FACT (LAMBDA (X| (COND

HLT X 2) 1)

(T C X (FACT (SUB1 X)))))))

For muLISP:

(DEFUN FACTIX) (COND ((LESSP X 2) 1) (T (TIMES X (FACT (SUBI X))))))

Listing 3: The listing for the benchmark summarized in table 3. The program ran on both systems unmodified. Note that REV is a slow version of the function called REVERSE and that APP is a slow version of APPEND. They provide a good test of the speed of recursion of the two LISPs.

(DEFUN REV (LAMBDA (X) (COND ((NULL X) NIL) (T (APP (REV (CDR X)) (LIST (CAR X)))) ) ))

(DEFUN APP (LAMBDA (X Y) (COND

((NULL X) Y|

(T (APP (REV (CDR (REV X))) (CONS (CAR (REV X)) Y))| ) )) (APP (A B C D E F G ) (A B C D E F G)

288 BYTE ■ JULY 1984

REVIEW: LISPS

Listing 4: A recursive version of the Sieve of Eratosthenes written in

Listing 6: A recursive version of the Sieve of Eratosthenes written in

muLISP.

1QL1SP.

(PUTD DEFUN '(NLAMBDA (NAMS EXPS) (PUTD NAM$ EXPSI NAM$]|

(DEFUN PRIMES (LAMBDA (MAX)

(LET

(DEFUN PRIMES (LAMBDA (MAX "%" Local \ar: "%" NUMBERS COUNT)

• (NUMBERS (REVERSE (LISTNUMS MAX))

(SETQ NUMBERS (REVERSE (LISTNUMS MAX)))

COUNT 0)

(SETQ COUNT 0)

(PRIME-AUX NUMBERS)

(PRIME-AUX NUMBERS)

COUNT )))

COUNT ))

(DEFUN PRIME-AUX (LAMBDA (NUMBERS]

(DEFUN PRIME-AUX (LAMBDA (NUMBERS "%" Local \ar: "%" PRIME)

(LET (PRIME NIL)

(COND

(COND

((NULL NUMBERS) NIL)

((NULL NUMBERS) NIL)

((NULL (CAR NUMBERS))

((NULL (CAR NUMBERS))

(PRIME-AUX (CDR NUMBERS)) )

(PRIME-AUX (CDR NUMBERS)) )

(T (SETQ PRIME (PLUS 3 (CAR NUMBERS) (CAR NUMBERS)))

(T (SETQ PRIME (+ 3 ( + (CAR NUMBERS) (CAR NUMBERS))))

(SETQ COUNT (ADDI COUNT))

(SETQ COUNT (ADDI COUNT))

(ELIMINATE PRIME NUMBERS PRIME)

(ELIMINATE PRIME NUMBERS PRIME)

(PRIME-AUXICDR NUMBERS))) ) ))

(PRIME-AUXICDR NUMBERS)]) ) )))

(DEFUN ELIMINATE (LAMBDA (NUM NUMBERS FLAG)

(DEFUN ELIMINATE (LAMBDA (NUN NUMBERS FLAG]

(COND

(COND

((NULL NUMBERS) NIL)

((NULL NUMBERS) NIL)

((ZEROP FLAG)

((ZEROP FLAG)

(RPLACA NUMBERS NIL)

(RPLACA NUMBERS NIL)

(ELIMINATE NUM (CDR NUMBERS) (SUB1 NUM)) )

(ELIMINATE NUM (CDR NUMBERS) (SUBI NUM)) )

(T (ELIMINATE NUM (CDR NUMBERS) (SUBI FLAG))) ) ))

(T (ELIMINATE NUM (CDR NUMBERS) (SUBI FLAG))) ) ))

(DEFUN LISTNUMS (LAMBDA (NUM)

(DEFUN LISTNUMS (LAMBDA (NUM)

(COND

(COND

((NOT (ZEROP NUM))

((NOT (ZEROP NUM))

(CONS NUM (LISTNUMS (SUBI NUM))) )

(CONS NUM (LISTNUMS (SUBI NUM))) )

(T (LIST NUM)) ) ))

(T (LIST NUM)) ) ))

Listing 5: An iterative version of the Sieve of Eratosthenes written in

Listing 7: An iterative version of the Sieve of Eratosthenes written in

muLISP.

IQLISP.

(PUTD DEFUN (NLAMBDA (NAMS EXPS) (PUTD NAMS EXPS) NAMS))

(DEFUN PRIMES2 (LAMBDA (MAX)

(LET

(DEFUN PRIMES2 (LAMBDA (MAX "%" Local Var: "%" NUMBERS J K

(1 MAX

PRIME

K NIL

COUNT)

PRIME NIL

(SETQ I MAXI

COUNT 0)

(SETQ NUMBERS NIL)

(SETQ NUMBERS (ARRAY I (+ I MAX) ) )

(SETQ COUNT 0)

(FOR I FROM 0 TO MAX

(LOOP

(STORE (NUMBERS I) 1))

((EQUAL | - 1))

(FOR | FROM 0 TO MAX

(SETQ NUMBERS (CONS I NUMBERS))

(COND ((EQUAL (NUMBERS J) 1)

(SETQ | (SUBI I)) )

(SETQ PRIME (+3|+| |))|

(SETQ I NUMBERS)

(SETQ COUNT (ADDI COUNT))

(LOOP

(FOR K FROM (+ ) PRIME) TO MAX BY PRIME

((NULL I))

STORE (NUMBERS K] 0)))))

(SETQ K |)

COUNT)))

(SETQ PRIME (PLUS 3 (CAR )) (CAR III)

(SETQ COUNT (ADDI COUNT)) (LOOP

Listing 8: The iterative Sieve program in BASIC.

((NULL K))

(SETQ K (CDR K»

10 SIZE = 500

(SETQ PRIME (SUBI PRIME))

20 DIM FLAGISIZE + 1|

(COND

30 FOR | = 0 TO SIZE

((ZEROP PRIME)

40 FLAG|J|=I

(RPLACA K NIL)

50 NEXT J

(SETQ PRIME (PLUS 3 (CAR |) (CAR J))) ) ) )

60 COUNT = 0

(SETQ | (CDR )))

70 FOR |= 0 TO SIZE

(LOOP

80 IF FLAGIII = 1 THEN PRIME = J + ] + 3:COUNT = COUNT +

((OR

l:FOR K = I + PRIME TO SIZE STEP PR1ME:FLAG|K| = OrNEXT K

(NULL |)

90 NEXT I

(NOT (NULL (CAR J))) ))

100 PRINT COUNT" PRIMES"

(SETQ | (CDR ))) ) )

COUNT ))

{continued)

JULY 1984 -BYTE 289

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Continuous-duty cooling capacity. Solid state power supply circuitry for max. reliability.

■ FAST, HIGH CAPACITY HARD DISKS. Full range of 5", 8" and 14" Winchester models from 10 to 1160 MB, including new high-capacity 5" drives.

10

■ UP TO 32 USERS IN PARALLEL. Add 8 or 16 bit SLAVENET™ processor boards — each a complete Z80 or 80186 computer — to maintain fast, multi-user performance. Both 12 and 20 slot S-100 models available.

■ LOW COST PER USER. Higher performance and lower cost per user than any micro network. True multi-user, multitasking operation plus shared resources.

TurboDOS1" is a registered trademark of Software 2000.

■ FAST, MULTIPROCESSOR OPERATING SYSTEMS. IBS p-NET™ and TurboDOS — access to all UCSD Pascal™ and CP/M™ software.

■ CHOICE OF BACKUP SYSTEMS. Integral 5" or 8" floppies to 1.2 MB. BACKSTOP™ video archiving; BACKSTOP II™ start/stop tape.

MenuMaster is a registered trademark of Borland International.

ULTRAFRAME and TURBO-INTEGRATOR are trademarks of IBS, Inc.

REVIEW: LISPS

Listing 9: The Fibonacci benchmark program written in C. #include <studio.h>

"fable 3

The results of running benchmark 2 shown in listing 3.

Time

mainlargc, argv fa calculates fibonacci of parameters •/

Version

(seconds)

int argc;

IQLISP

240.0

char ** argv:

{ printf("%d'.fib(atoi(argv|l|]));

}

fib(x) fa fibonacci •/

! if (x < 2)

muLISP

30.6

return 1;

else

return (fib(x - 1] + fib(x - 2));

•fable 4:

The times it took to run the Sieve of Eratosthenes benchmark

} Listing 10: The Fibonacci program in muLISP.

with an array size of 500.

Time (seconds)

Program

Iterative Algorithm Recursive Algorithm

IDEFUN FIB IX)

CI C-86

4 (more than 2 of which

(COND

are spent loading the pro

IILESSP X 2) l|

gram from disk)

(T (PLUS (FIB (SUB1 X|| (FIB (DIFFERENCE X 2))l) ) )

BASIC

12.0

muLISP

80.0 95

IQLISP

30.0 would be about 835

Listing 11: The Fibonacci program in 1QLISP.

seconds if it didn't run out of space

(DEFUN FIB (X)

(COND

l(LT X 21 1)

IT (+ (FIB (SUBI XI) (FIB (- X 2))|| ) )

T^ble 2: The results of running benchmark 1 as shown in listing 2.

The asterisk indicates that the test could not be run because of a lack of

•fable 5:

The times it took to run the Fibonacci series up to the

floating-point math or because it would take too long to execute.

Time

seventeenth term recursively.

Time

Version (secondsl

Program

(seconds)

(FACT 301 (FACT 30.3333) (FACT 500]

CI C-86

4 0 (more than 2.0 of which are spent

IQLISP .25 •

19.0

loading the program from disk)

IQLISP with floating-point 1.35 13.0

*

muLISP

8.5

muLISP .25 *

14.5

IQLISP

23.0

each time. muLISP goes one step further and lets you create a new LISP .com file instead of just the SYS file.

muLISP has the advantage that the programs you create with it are transportable to 8-bit machines. However, to retain this advantage, your code must not exceed a 64K-byte workspace.

Conclusions

Each of the LISP systems has its own advantages. muLISP is faster, has a better editor, and comes with tutorials and two compatibility packages. IQLISP has better debugging, floating-point math, and more error-checking capabilities. IQLISP

also has a friendlier environment and a lower price, but it lacks compatibility packages and is quite a bit slower than muLISP. Overall, we prefer muLISP because of its speed and because of its MacLISP compatibility package.

It may be easier for new LISP users to learn under muLISP because of its tutorial system and the MacLISP compatibility mode. One of the best LISP books on the market, LISP, by Patrick H. Winston and Berthold K. Horn (Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1981), assumes a MacLISP environment.

We recommend that you carefully weigh the things you consider most im

portant before choosing a system. Both versions we've discussed are adequate for learning LISP, but muLlSP's speed gives it the edge for doing some types of useful work. ■

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Al Rich from The Soft Warehouse and Robert Rorschach from Integral Quality for providing review copies of their LISP systems. We thank Mr. Rich for adding some more "safety valves" to his LISP system so we couldn't accidentally lose our work. Ralph Hyre and Ion Christenson commented on early versions of the article. We are grateful to Mr. Christenson for the use of his computer when the electricity went out.

IULY 1984 • BYTE 291

THE 8087 IS IN STOCK!

Micro Ware is the world's leading retailer of 8087s. We also have the most accurate statistics on chip reliability. They are: .01% infant mortality, .00% adult mortality and .02% 8088 incompatibility. As for ease of installation, we have never had a customer return a chip because of bent pins. We are so confident that you will be able to successfully install and use the chip that we offer a 180-day warranty with every chip we sell. Thaf s 90 days more than anyone else!

To support the 8087 we stock the largest selection of of 8087 software anywhere. This includes: three FORTRANs, three PASCALS, APL, Intel's ASM86, PL/M-86, several Cs, 87BASIC, 87MACRO and MATRIXPAK For real time or multi-user applications we offer RTOS™ - our implementation of Intefs iRMX executive. Our new products include a professional debugger with 8087 support, an interface library which enables MS Fortran users to call the IBM Basic

Compiler Library, and a translator that converts object modules into readable assembly language filea If you have a question about which computer, language, compiler, operating system or application package is best suited to your problem, we can answer it Just call: Information and Orders—

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8087Support from

Micro

Ware

87FORTRAN/RTOS" our adaptation of the Intel Fortran-86 Compiler generates in line 8087 code using all 8087 data types including 80-bit reals and 64-bit intergers. The compiler uses the Intel large memory model, allowing code/data structures of a full megabyte, and supports overlays. Includes RTOS and support for one year $1350

87PASCAL/RTOS~ is Intel's ISOStandard Pascal with 8087-8088 exceptions. These make it possible to use all the 8087 data types directly, while generating modules in one of thethree Intel Memory Models. Includes RTOS and support for one year $1350

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includes 87FORTRAN, 87PASCAL, PL/M-86, Utilities, TX Screen Editor and RTOS... $2500

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MICROSOFT C COMPILER includes Lattice C and the MS Librarian $350

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FLOAT87 for MS or LATTICE C 125

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292 BYTE' JULY 1984

Circle 224 on inquiry card.

HARDWARE REVIEW

The Smith-Corona L-1000 Printer

listings

A. dsiSV'WhCGl ^l ^ ^e Smith-Corona division of SCM

s. Corporation, long known as a manu

Hf\j£ for lifiht" *^^ facturer of typewriters, created quite

^ — a stir when it announced its TP-I daisy-wheel

QUtV WOrCl computer printer in early 1982. Previously, no

; formed-character impact printers had been

prOC6SSing Or available at a list price of less than $1500; the

r~,—j- .. TP-1 retailed for $895 (see "The Microproces

nlgn'"QUaIlty sor's Tenth Birthday" by Chris Morgan, March

1982 BYTE, page 6). Since then, many other

program manufacturers, most sporting addresses on the western side of the Pacific Ocean, have jumped into the formed-character printer market. The competition inspired product improvements. Smith-Corona first responded with an upgraded machine called the TP-II. A RICHARD S. ShuFORD further improvement on the same basic design was marketed for a short time as the TPII Plus; it featured bidirectional printing and three character pitches. In its latest incarnation, the TP-II Plus has been given a redesigned case and has been renamed the L1000.

The L-1000 is fairly small as daisy-wheel printers go, taking up less room on a desktop than an average electric typewriter. At 21 pounds (9.4 kg), the L-1000 weighs about half again as much as a typical dot-matrix printer. It does not exactly have a multitude of fancy features: it lacks proportional spacing, singlepass double-striking, and the ability to print super- and subscript characters and graphics. But, in addition to the previously mentioned bidirectional printing and selectable pitch, it does have single-pass underlining and uses a standard print wheel with a character set suitable for computer-program printing as well as word processing.

The L1000 prints slowly. Smith-Corona rates its speed at 12 cps (characters per second), but the measured speed in a representative Shannon-text benchmark test was slightly less: 11.2 cps. The L-1000 can skip relatively quickly across blank spaces, so sparse documents would show slightly better results.

The L1000 is also noisy; you wouldn't want to hold a telephone conversation nearby during printing. But most other daisy-wheel printers are also loud enough to be an annoyance.

External Controls

The front panel of the printer contains a power-on light and three rocker switches. One switch selects the printing pitch of 10, 12, or 15 characters per inch (cpi); the second selects the paper-handling mode (top-of-form or "normal"); and the third actuates formfeeds (or linefeeds) or selects the self-test mode. On the back of the case are the rocker power switch, the power connection, a 36-pin female Centronics-type parallel input/output (I/O) connector, and a female DB-2 5S serial RS-232C I/O connector. Behind a removable louver in the back are two sets of DIP (dual-inline pin) switches for selecting some printer control parameters that are infrequently changed; these parameters include the serial data rate, polarity of the serial handshaking signal, the response to carriage-return and linefeed characters, the use of different print-wheel character sets, and the length of the paper (either the North American 11 inches or the Deutsche Industrie Norm 29.7 centimeters).

Using the printing-pitch switch is simple enough—just set it to match the currently installed print wheel. The switch controlling the paper-handling mode requires explanation. The top-of-form mode is of use chiefly with continuous fanfolded paper, enabling the printer to automatically provide four-line top and bottom margins on 11-inch sheets (or fiveline on 29.7-centimeter sheets). The other choice is called "normal" mode, in which vertical movement of the paper occurs only in increments of one line; a formfeed character causes the same behavior you'd expect from a linefeed character.

The normal mode is intended for use when you are feeding single sheets by hand. But even with continuous-form paper I had to use normal mode most of the time because the word-processing programs 1 use (The FinalWord and SuperWriter) keep track of the print position and do not expect the printer to skip lines by itself. (Few word-processing programs

(continued)

Richard S. Shuford is BYTE's special projects editor. He can be contacted at POB 372, Hancock. NH 03449 or through Source account TCG847.

IULY 1984

iYTE 293

REVIEW: L-1000

expect to receive much help from the printer in page formatting. You must be able to turn off the printer's formatting features to prevent strange results from two kinds of formatting being applied at once.)

The labeling on the mode switch is confusing. To get the normal mode you flip the switch to the position marked "CLEAR" and "-" (minus sign). The switch position for top-of-form mode is marked "SET" and " + " (plus sign). Neither label is self-explanatory, sign). Neither label is self-explanatory.

The third front-panel switch, marked "Form Feed/Self Test," is a momentarycontact type. Its function is changed by the paper-handling mode. In top-of-form mode, pressing the switch causes the paper to advance to the top of the next form; in normal mode, the paper is fed by only one line. This function does not automatically repeat; when using the normal mode with continuous paper, I sometimes had to press the third rocker switch 50 times or so to get the page out.

Programmable Controls

The L-1000's special print functions, as with most computer printers, are invoked mostly by means of programmed control sequences it receives along with the printable characters. The functions include changing pitch, setting the left, top, and bottom margins, setting up to 16 tab stops, and underscoring. All the special commands except one begin with the ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) Escape character; the functions and their control sequences are shown in table 1. The exception to using the Escape character is the marginrelease function, which disables for just one line the left margin set on the printer. A bare CAN (cancel) control character invokes the margin release. The printer responds to a few other nonprinting ASCII control characters: the backspace (BS) character causes the print mechanism to back up, the horizontal-tab (HT) character causes the printer to quickly skip to the next tab stop, and the formfeed (FF) character causes a formfeed (but not in normal mode). The L-1000 contains no bell or buzzer, so BEL does nothing. When the printer is controlling receipt of characters from the computer via software

Table 1: Command codes used to invoke functions of the L-1000.

Command Code

Function

ESC US FF

set printing pitch at 10 cpi

ESC US LF

set pitch at 12 cpi

ESC US BS

set pitch at 15 cpi

ESCC

set top and bottom margins to edges of sheet

ESC E

begin underscoring all characters

ESC FF n

set page length at n lines

ESC L

set bottom margin

ESC R

stop underscoring

ESC S

set page length and margins at DIP-switch default

ESCT

set top margin

ESC Z

begin underscoring alphabetic characters

ESC 9

set left margin

ESC 1

set tab stop at current location

ESC 8

clear tab stop at current location

ESC 2

clear all tab stops

ESC /

begin bidirectional printing Idefaultl

ESC\

stop bidirectional printing

HT

move right to next tab stop

CAN

margin release for printing current line

Abbreviations

ESC—Escape character US—unit-separator character FF—formfeed character LF—linefeed character BS—backspace character HT—horizontal tab character CAN—cancel character

Table 2: A comparison of printing speeds of three daisy-wheel printers. Printing was done bidirectionallu: all times are in seconds.

Test Smith-Corona

L-1000

Diablo Juki 630 6100

80-column 51.0 Shannon text

15.2 33.9

60-column 51.4 Shannon text

15.3 33.7

First-order 87.3 English

27.8 58.8

Fourth-order 71.7 Shakespeare

22.4 48.8

First-order 84.0 UNIX manual

22.3 58.1

Spreadsheet 95.8 simulation

28.6 68.6

handshaking, it sends the DC1 (X/ON) and DC3 (X/OFF) control characters to start and stop the flow of data.

The printer can be instructed via DIPswitch settings to recognize the linefeed character as a "newline" character and perform both a carriage return and a linefeed operation upon its receipt. Or the DIP switches can tell the printer to perform a linefeed automatically after every carriage return. The L-1000 comes from the factory set up to require ex

plicit return and linefeed characters.

The L-lOOO's relative lack of special features can be considered an advantage in one way. Users of some printers capable of many functions commonly become frustrated trying to find commercially available software that can use all the cute tricks. For example, an owner of a Diablo 630 discovers that WordStar cannot issue commands for true proportional spacing, which the

(continued)

294 BYTE • IULY 1984

AT A GLANCE

Name

Smith-Corona L-1000

Type

Daisy-wheel printer

Manufacturer

Smith-Corona

65 Locust Ave.

New Canaan. CT 06840

(203) 972-1471

Price

$545

Optional Equipment

Tractor feed. $149 Extra print wheels

Documentation

28-page booklet

Advertised Print Speed

12 cps

Warranty

90 days

Audience

People who want a low-cost formed-character printer for light-duty work

10 20 30 40

CHARACTERS PER SECOND

■ ■ L-1000

50 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000

DOLLARS

JUKI

DIABLO

This is the L-1000 (Tempo 10]. This is the L

This is the L-1000 (Pica 10). This is the LThis is the Juki 6100. This is the Juki 6100 This is the Diablo 630. This is the Diablo 6

I

The Smith-Corona L-1000 printer is compared with the Juki 6100 printer (using a Courier 10 daisy wheel] and the Diablo 630 (using a Courier Legal 10 daisy wheel). The L-1000 is using the ASCII Tempo 10/12 and the Pica 10 print wheels. The pitch for all printers is 10 characters per inch. The

prices shown do not include tractor-feed mechanisms. The print speeds were determined by timing how long it took the printers to run the 60-column Shannon test (573 characters; see "The Art of Benchmarking Printers" by Sergio MelloGrand. page 193 in the February BYTE).

IULY 1984 -BYTE 295

REVIEW: L-1000

630 is certainly capable of. People who buy the L-1000 will at least not have that particular difficulty.

The L-1000 is new enough that few prewritten programs explicitly support it. Software written to use the SmithCorona TP-1 will probably work with the new model if the L-1000's default mode of bidirectional printing does not get in the way. The only means of turning this feature off is by sending the ESC\ (Escape-backslash) command, the ease of which depends on the application.

Routine Use

The printing and paper-handling mechanisms reflect their typewriter heritage. If you've used a typewriter, you should have no trouble loading single sheets of paper into this printer. It has the familiar paper bail, guide, release, and platen knobs. The carriage accepts sheets 13 inches wide. It is difficult to print on the first inch of sheet-fed paper because the top edge must be tucked

under the paper bail for proper feeding. (This limitation is shared by many other printers and typewriters.) But small Rolodex cards can be inserted and printed on with little trouble.

The line-space selector can set the paper-feed linkage to print 6 lines per inch (Ipi), 4/2 Ipi, or 3 Ipi. This seems to be an heirloom from typewriter technology; I suspect that the 6-lpi setting will be appropriate in nearly all computer applications.

The optional tractor-feed attachment was not available for this review, but I tried printing on continuous fanfolded paper loaded into the unassisted friction-feed platen. It worked surprisingly well as long as I straightened the paper every 20 pages or so. However, SmithCorona does not recommend operating the printer in this manner.

The L-1000 uses a ribbon contained in a rectangular cassette, which I found quite easy to remove and replace. A multistrike Mylar-film ribbon is standard

equipment, but fabric and single-strike film ribbons are available. An impression control can vary the force with which the print hammer strikes the print wheel.

Smith-Corona provides an adequate selection of optional print wheels for printing text in English and several other European languages; the LTOOO's wheels have 93 character positions and are identified by a red ring. Because the handling knobs on the print wheels have sharp edges and removing the print wheel requires a fair amount of force, the process is slightly painful. The ribbon must be removed to change the print wheel. The front of the printer's case flips up on a hinge for access to the ribbon and print mechanism.

Annoyances

A few things about the L-1000 annoy me. Often when first turned on, it fails to print the very first character sent to it. And the initialization routine it goes

296 BYTE

1 CPU 8/16

■ Dual processors: 4MHz NSC800 (executes full Z80 instruction set] and 8MHz Intel 8088.

■ Onboard floppy controller with 24-bit DMA. Runs up to four 5% " or 8" floppies in any combination at the same time.

• 8K PROM monitor.

■ 2 serial ports

(software selectable up to 19.2K Baud.)

■ Interrupt controller with 8 vectored interrupts.

• Real time clock interrupt. ■$895 (Manual only; $25)

2256K STATIC RAM/ TIME OF DAY

• Employs fully static CMOS memory chips.

■ Accepts either 8-bit or 16-bit bus requests.

• Includes battery-backed-up time-of-day clock and calendar.

■ IEEE-696/S-100 compatible. •$1850 (Manual only: $25)

IULY 1984

3256K/512K/1MB/2MB DYNAMIC RAM

• Configurable as either dynamic RAM or as disk drive emulator.

• Accepts either 8-bit or 16-bit bus requests.

• Uses 256K chips for 1 MB or 2MB configurations.

• 150ns. RAM chips.

■ IEEE-696/S-100 compatible.

• Low as $850 (Manual only: $25)

4 SBC-300

• Single board computer able to perform as permanent bus master or slave processor.

•Z80*CPU:4or6MHz.

• 64K of dual-ported RAM with parity.

• 2 to 16K bytes of PROM.

• System memory addressing to 16MB.

• Serial, parallel and counter/timer I/O.

• SASI port.

• Dual programmable serial full-duplex channels.

• Supports CP/M* Plus, MP/M* and TURBODOS* •$740 (Manual only: $25)

REVIEW: L-IOOO

through at power-up always performs a linefeed, throwing the paper registration off by one line, i observed some strange behavior in the bidirectional-printing logic, which sometimes brought the print mechanism back to the left margin only to tab it back to where it just came from.

1 don't care for the type font of the standard print wheel, ASCII Tempo 10/12, although it certainly does contain almost all the special characters you need for printing computer programs. (Oddly, it lacks the accent grave.) The ASCII Tempo characters are rather square, as though they are meant to imitate the output of a dot-matrix printer, and the slashed zero seems out of place in formal correspondence. SmithCorona suggests that the print wheel can be used at either 10 or 12 cpi (thus the "10/12"), but I think ASCII Tempo text looks sparse at 10 cpi.

Like many printers, the L-1000's RS-232C serial interface is set up in the

DTE (data-terminal equipment) configuration, receiving data on pin 3 and transmitting on pin 2. This is fine if you want to connect the printer to a modem, but it's not so fine if you want to connect it directly to a computer: most computers also receive on pin 3 and transmit on pin 2. You have to make or buy a special cable that crosses the connections between pins 2 and 3. The L-1000 uses both pin 4 (ready to send) and pin 20 (data terminal ready) of the RS-232C line to transmit its printer-busy status to the host computer. The printer comes from the factory set at 1200 bps (bits per second), with 8-bit data characters, even parity, and I stop bit; 7-bit data characters are more common.

Conclusions

The current list price of the L-1000 is $545, with the tractor-feed option an extra $149, but considerable discounts are available. (Some dealers would rather include the discount as part of

a complete system deal.)

Should you buy the L-1000? Maybe, if its limitations don't bother you, and if you can buy it at a good discount. But at $545 its price/performance ratio is somewhat below that of other printers now on the market.

If you decide to buy the L-1000, make sure that you can obtain a properly wired serial cable. And check the dealer's supply of print wheels for fonts other than ASCII Tempo 10/12, unless you like square characters.

The Smith-Corona L-1000 is not packed with fancy features, but it performs the basic printing functions most people require. The tractor-feed option and the computer-type standard character set is satisfactory for printing program listings and for other technical uses. The L-1000 is most at home in light-duty applications, printing individually prepared letters and other short documents on single sheets of paper fed by hand. ■

5 VFW-III

• Offers simultaneous control of up to three 5%" Winchester drives Cup to 16 heads) and four 5% " and 8" floppy drives.

• Floppy drives may be single- or doublesided, single- or double-density.

• Data transfers under DMA or programmed I/O control.

• Phase lock loop data separator.

• 20-bit single and 4-bit double burst detection span on 256 byte sectors.

•$895 [Manual only: $25)

O HARD DISK SUBSYSTEM

• 2 serial, 1 parallel port (IBM-PC* compatible).

• Supports up to four 5)4 " Winchester drives.

• ECC/CRC plus PLL data separator.

• Full sector buffering. • Incl. CP/M 80* and CP/M 86* BIOS. Optional 20 MB disk w/pwr. supply & fan.

1 Supports Octagon, Compupro, Northstar etc.

I $2295 (Contr. board only: $595. Manual $25)

Circle 336 on inquiry card.

JC> JL V^« These are just some of the boards Syntech Data Systems has to offer. All IEEE-696/S-100 compatible. From the most powerful multi-processing CPU board you can buy to the most sophisticated hard disk subsystem available. Of course, all our CPU boards support Concurrent 3.1 * UNIX* PC-DOS/MS-DOS and CP/M 86* In our complete menu of S-100 products you'll find everything it takes to make a winner. We've combined two companies, Octagon and S/D Systems, so you can put together unbeatable systems from the single most knowledgeable source in the industry. Call us at 214/340-0303. Telex us at 6829016. Or write to the address below for complete information on even more products. We have everything you've hungered for.

•Manufacturers' trademarks

SYNTECH

DATA

SYSTEMS

Something New In S-100

10111 MillerRoad, Dallas, Texas75238

IULY 1984 'BYTE 297

SuperS ft

Language Library

For PC DOS: MS DOS, CP/M-86, and others

A programmer's most important software tool is the language compiler or interpreter he uses. He has to depend on it to work and work well.

At SuperSoft, we believe it. That's why we offer three fine compilers: SuperSoft FORTRAN, SuperSoft BASIC, and SuperSoft C, that answer the programmer's need for rock solid, dependable performance on 16 bit systems.

•'«,V'T-^

BASIC

COMPILER

Compatible with Microsoft BASIC

The SuperSoft BASIC compiler, available under CP/M-86 and MS DOS, is compatible with Microsoft* BASIC and follows the ANSI standard.

Greater accuracy with BCD math routines

If you have used other languages without BCD math, you know how disconcerting decimal round off errors can be. For example:

With IBM PC*

With SuperSoft

BASIC

BASIC with

BCD math

10A=99

10A=99

20 PRINT A

20 PRINT A

30 END

30 END

Output: .9899999

Output: .99

As you can see, SuperSoft BASIC with BCD provides greater assurance in applications where accuracy is critical.

SuperSoft's BASIC is a true native code compiler, not an intermediate code interpreter. It is a superset of standard BASIC, supporting numerous extensions to the language. Important features include:

■ Four variable types: Integer, String, and Single and Double Precision Floating Point (13 digit)

■ Full PRINT USING for formatted output

■ Long variable names

■ Error trapping

■ Matrices with up to 32 dimensions

■ Boolean operators OR, AND, NOT, XOR, EQV, IMP

■ Supports random and sequential disk files with a complete set of file manipulation statements

■ IEEE floating point available soon as an option

■ No run time license fee

Requires: 128K memory

BASIC compiler: $300.00

For CP/M-86: MS DOS, and PC DOS

*SuperSoft BASIC is compatible with Microsoft BASIC interpreter and IBM PC BASIC. Due to version differences and inherent differences in compilers and interpreters some minor variations may be found. Machine dependent commands may not be supported. The vast majority of programs will run with no changes.

FORTRAN

SuperSoft FORTRAN is the answer to the growing need for a high quality FORTRAN compiler running under CP/M-86 and IBM PC DOS. It has major advantages over other FORTRAN compilers for the 8086. For example, consider the benchmark program used to test the IBM FORTRAN in InfoWorld, p. 44, Oct. 25, 1982. (While the differential listed will not be the same for all benchmark programs, we feel it is a good indication of the quality of our compiler.) Results are as follows:

IBM FORTRAN: SuperSoft FORTRAN

38.0 Seconds 2.8 Seconds

In its first release SuperSoft FORTRAN offers the following outstanding features:

1. Full ANSI 66 standard FORTRAN with important extensions

2. Standard data types, double precision, varying string length, complex numbers Free format input and free format string output Compact object code and run time support Special functions include string functions, dynamic allocation, time/date, and video access Debug support: subscript checking, good runtime messages Full IEEE floating point Full 8087 support available as option ($50.00). Ratfor preprocessor available as option ($100.00).

3.

4. 5.

6.

7. 8. 9.

Program developers:

SuperSoft s family of FORTRAN compilers means you can write your programs once and they will run under CP/M-80, CP/M-86, and MS DOS. This lets you get your applications running fast no matter what the environment.

SuperSoft FORTRAN:

available NOW and

working great!

Requires:

FORTRAN: 8087 Support: Ratfor:

128K with CP/M-86 or MS DOS,

32K with CP/M-80

$425.00 (in each environment)

$ 50.00

$100.00

For CP/M-86I MS DOS, IBM PC DOS, and CP/M-80"

In conjunction with SuperSoft, SuperSoft FORTRAN

was developed by Small Systems Services, Urbana, IL, a

leader in FORTRAN development.

Japanese Distributor:

ASR Corporation International. TBL Building. 7th Floor, 1-19-9 Toranomon. Minato-Ku. Tokyo 105, Japan Tel I03I-5025550, Telex 222-5650 ASRTYO J European Distributor: SuperSoft International Ltd , 51 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells. Kent. England TN2 5TE Tel 0892-45433 Telex 95441 Micro-G

C Compiler

In 1982 SuperSoft helped C programmers around the world move their applications from 8 to 16 bit operating systems with the first C compiler under CP/M-86;* PC DOS, and MS DOS.

Today there are several C compilers on the market, and you can look at them all. But if you want a C that's fully portable, syntactically compatible with UNIX version 7 C, rigorously tested, fast in both compilation and execution, packed with more library functions than any other, and produces a very highly optimized assembly code...then you'll find only one. The SuperSoft C compiler.

Professional Quality

SuperSoft started working on C over three years ago, and the work has never stopped. While others were struggling to put in features, SuperSoft was refining and polishing... adding the quality professionals depend on.

Thoroughly Tested

SuperSoft C has been tested with hundred of commercial application programs. And all this testing has paid off.. .with a compiler that's highly reliable in every phase of operation.

Portable

SuperSoft C is now available in most operating systems environments. Since we don't sell operating systems, we can support them all. And as new operating systems become popular, SuperSoft C will be there.

Packed with Library Functions

SuperSoft now has the most complete set of library functions available. All provided with source code.

Thorough User Manual

The new user manual is extensive—jammed with thorough explanations to help you every step of the way. And our technical hotline can help answer any additional questions.

SuperSoft C: $350.00

SupetS ft

FIRST IN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY

P.O.Box 1628Champaign, IL61820 (217) 359-2112 Telex 270365

Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation

IBM PC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation CP/M and CP/M-86 are registered trademarks of Digital Research UNIX is a trademark of Bell Laboratories

Circle 292 on inquiry card.

Advancing the technology of data security

Introducing Data Sentry.®

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Protection for sensitive data

Its own internal computer gives you the telecommunications features of an intelligent modem. But unlike other modems, Data Sentry is smart enough to keep your secrets from the most persistent computer intruders.

Data Sentry puts an electronic wall around both large and small computers. And because its protection is external to your CPU, it can eliminate the expense of internal security software. It blocks the inquiries of wouldbe Mata Haris with a sophisticated security sequence.

Security for every situation

First, Data Sentry requests the phone number of a caller desiring access to your computer. Then it hangs up the phone and searches its list of authorized phone numbers. If the caller's number is authorized, Data Sentry dials the caller back and requests entry of a password. If the correct password isn't supplied within three tries, Data

Sentry disconnects and will not return further calls from that phone number.

Data Sentry also lets users select other lower levels of security if desired, including callback to any number with entry of password. And an option, Remote-ONf lets you turn your computer's power on and off from a remote terminal after security has been cleared.

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Data Sentry logs all attempted contacts for audit trails and analysis of users. Its security set-up is locally controlled by a master password that is accessible only to authorized personnel. And its design includes high-reliability components, the latest LSI circuitry, plus Autodial 300/1200 baud full-duplex communications, with auto ranging for incoming data.

Data Sentry will deal with your toughest security problems.

And it'll never fall for just a pretty face. For a list of your nearest Data Sentry distributors, call toll-free 1-800-443-0100, Ext. 471. Or write: Lockheed GETEX, Suite 945,1100 Circle 75 Parkway, Atlanta, Georgia 30339.

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Leadership in Technology

Circle 184 on inquiry card.

REVIEW FEEDBACK

Statistics Refigured

"Statistical Software for Microcomputers" by lames Carpenter, Dennis Deloria, and David Morganstein (April, page 234) was excellent. Thoughtful, competitive reviews like this are one of the main reasons 1 subscribe to BYTE. The authors should be commended.

Barry Gordon, M.D., Ph.D.

4340 Roland Springs Dr.

Baltimore, MD 21210

Thank you for including three of Dynacomp's packages in your recent survey. "Statistical Software for Microcomputers." We congratulate the authors on their time-consuming analysis.

On the whole we found what was said about Dynacomp's products to be fair and technically objective. However, Dynacomp has received several calls from owners of these and other products who think that the review was unfair. In each case their objections related to what was not said in the review. I will briefly relay the comments we have heard.

1. The review states that the Dynacomp documentation is brief (only about 14 pagesl, whereas the competitive products have manuals of 100 pages or more. Out of context this apparently reads (it didn't to us) as a negative comment. However, the authors stated that they had no problems at all running the Dynacomp programs, whereas they did with some of the other products tested. The connection perhaps should have been made that the Dynacomp manuals served their purpose well and led to flawless program performance.

2. The review accurately states that the three Dynacomp products examined are limited in capability. There is absolutely no error here. Dynacomp feels that if you want to do nonlinear regression you should not be forced into buying a more comprehensive package costing ten times as much in order to use the one feature you want. The customers who called us pointed out that this was one of the strong features of the Dynacomp product selection.

3. Another complaint we heard was that none of the other 13 packages carried by Dynacomp were mentioned. Collectively, these cover almost all the features of the competitive products mentioned in the review and offer additional capabilities (e.g., sample planning, principal components, and others). They range in price from SI9.95 to $249.95. The three Dynacomp packages reviewed were in the S20 to $30 range.

I realize it would be unfair to include all

of Dynacomp's statistics packages in a comparative review because Dynacomp would then dominate the list. Having been in the position of a reviewer in the past, 1 appreciate the difficulty (sometimes impossibility) in presenting a balanced evaluation given the limitations of available magazine space. BYTE has high standards in this respect, and its reviews are generally very professionally done. All I offer in this note is a condensation of some customer responses.

Dr. F. R. Ruckdeschel

Dynacomp Inc.

1427 Monroe Ave.

Rochester. NY 14618

The article "Statistical Software for Microcomputers" in your April issue provides a much needed service to the large community of professional data analysts.

Although we appreciate the reviewers' determination that our product, Statpro, is "far and away the most comprehensive package," we would like to respond to several inaccuracies concerning both Statpro and our company.

The Statpro IBM-PC version is available for sale at this time while our PC XT version will be released in August 1984. We also have both an Apple II and Apple III version of Statpro available, the latter of which operates in either a floppy- or hard-disk environment.

Lastly, our correct company name is Wadsworth Professional Software Inc. Interested readers can contact us at (800) 322-2208 for further product information including a Statpro demonstration package.

Richard ). Dunfey

Wadsworth Professional Software Inc.

20 Park Plaza

Boston. MA 02116

More Than Micro-Logic

We were interested by Rich Krajewski's objective review of Micro-Logic in April. It especially interested us because we sent a similar product to BYTE approximately two and a half years ago, and it only received coverage on page 441 in the Software Received section of the March 1982 issue.

Speaking from a biased point of view, we feel that we have a better product at a better price, the CDS Circuit Design System. Here is a partial list of the convenient features of CDS:

• Boolean minimization of up to seven variables

• User-oriented documentation with index, bibliography, and transparent overlays

• User-defined devices and graphics

• Complete on-screen circuit documentation

• On-screen circuit simulation

• Fast and easy interdevice connections

• Circuit cascading with virtual (disk drive) memory

• A price of only $149

We feel that in order to do justice to your readers you should review other similar simulation/design packages.

Todd K. Moon

Smart Software

POB 1292

Orem. UT 84057

I read with great interest Rich Krajewski's software review, "Micro-Logic," in the April issue of BYTE (page 224). We have a somewhat similar product called Hard that differs from Micro-Logic mainly in the following aspects. Hard costs $45 rather than $475. It is extremely easy to learn and use; in fact, it has been designed for education. It runs on any CP/Mbased system and does not require graphics since its input is via a simple hardware description language. This does not preclude output comparable to that of Micro-Logic. And though it is, overall, slightly less sophisticated than Micro-Logic, it has a few extra features, such as simulation of random noise.

Dr. Ivan Tomek

Modular Systems

POB 1456

Wolfville. Nova Scotia

BOP 1X0, Canada

Over the Rainbow-Again

David Suits's review of the Rainbow 100 is probably the most comprehensive description of this machine that 1 have read to date.

I can only reinforce his comments concerning the difficulty and expense of obtaining technical documentation, such as the BIOS listings, from DEC. However, a number of users groups are now springing up, and many provide basic technical libraries to their members.

Contrary to what is suggested in the review, the 96-track-per-inch format of the Rainbow disk drives gives the Rainbow hardware the ability to read virtually any single-sided, soft-sectored format. In fact, an inexpensive program called Media Master from MDG & Associates of Moorpark. California, allows the Rainbow to both read and write in over twenty different formats in both CP/M and MS-DOS.

More problematic is the VT-100/VT-102 screen

(continued)

IULY 1984 -BYTE 301

CHAOS MANOR

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Now, it certainly is fascinating. I know no one who has a Mac who wants to sell it. When it was my turn with the Mac that Dr. Hyson and I own between us. he parted with it reluctantly, and I can certainly see why. The machine is fun.

It just isn't very useful because there's no application software. Indeed, there's less than we thought, because Microsoft's Multiplan, which we bought with the Mac, is no longer being delivered: the dealers have just been told to take it off the shelf. We have not yet been told why or what Microsoft will do about our copy (which we paid full retail for, as we did with the Mac itself).

The Creator

In fact, the only application software for Mac that's actually on the market is Bruce Tonkin's The Creator database. The Creator is a kind of personal filing system, and there are versions for nearly every microcomputer I know of. The data files created by it can be transferred among all these systems— except, of course, for the Macintosh, which sits in lonely isolation.

For the price—$35 postpaid, 30-day money-back guarantee—The Creator is one of the best values in micro land. I recommend it for nearly any machine; but especially for the Macintosh, since it lets you do something useful with the machine.

The Macintosh version of The Creator is written in Microsoft BASIC. It doesn't use the Macmouse, because MacMicrosoftBASIC is too full of bugs to allow that. Instead, Bruce takes all input from the keyboard and formats it himself; of necessity, he has to treat the Mac as a glass Teletype, ignoring all its splendid Macfeatures such as Quickdraw, because there's no way to get at them.

Tonkin writes many of his programs in his PBASIC which is a preprocessor for Microsoft BASIC that works somewhat as the RATFOR precompiler works for standard FORTRAN. PBASIC lets you do structured code and handles most of the housekeeping for you. I've reviewed it before, and I still recommend it: Bruce

4&

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CHAOS MANOR

Alas, though, it won't work on the Macintosh, because MacWrite won't let you build large enough source-code files to make it worth porting PBAS1C over to the Mac.

For the Rest of Us?

I've lived in Hollywood for some years, and I've grown familiar with the typical Tinseltown deal. A producer goes to a star and says: "I've got a great script and your favorite director. Sure would like to have you in the picture." Then he goes to the director. "I've got a star and a script, and the star sure wants you—' Then to the writer; and finally to the money people. When it's all finished, everything he's said is retroactively true.

Similarly: Macintosh is going to sell like hotcakes because of all that wonderful application software. Now you can't do much with software on the Mac, because there's too little memory, and it takes anywhere from 5 to as many as 40 disk swaps to copy a Macdisk; but it's all right, because there will be a second disk drive, and a hard disk, and other excellent hardware after-market add-ons to fit on the Mac's "virtual slot"; and after that the software will be easy to write. Software houses are going to work very hard to write application software for the Mac because there's such a huge market, since Apple's selling an awful lot of Macs. Hardware houses will do Macadd-ons because there's so much software. Etc.

It can certainly be made into retroactive truth. By the time this comes out, I expect it will be. Some of those Hollywood deals fall flat, "though: it all depends on how quickly they can be put together before everyone in the industry catches on. Meanwhile, right now the Mac is mostly useful for people with special requirements, such as advertising layouts with text or producing memos with graphics.

It sure is fun, though.

Cataloging

For some years now I've used Ward Christensen's public-domain diskcatalog program. Lately though, I've been importuned to try a new one called Eureka! from Mendocino Software. Eureka! has a number of advantages, including the capability to include lots of comments in your disk catalog,

[continued}

316 B YTE • IULY 1984

Have we got an ear-full for you.

Votrax voice synthesizers let your computer talk to you in a world of sound.

Now your ears ore as important os your eyes when working with your computer. With a Votrax voice synthesizer your computer talks, and it talks to you in a world of sound you never thought possible.

Votrax was one of the first pioneers in the field. The Votrax SC-01A speech chip is state of the art, the one many other manufacturers use in their own equipment.

What it means to you is unparalleled speech capability. Votrax voice synthesizers pronounce words by using their basic building blocks rather than utilizing a vocabulary of a few hundred words. It assures you of an unlimited vocabulary. And an unlimited range of sounds: from jet planes to on advanced musical range.

Best of all, Votrax speech synthesizers are "smart," requiring no computer memory for operation. Your computing capacity stays free for other tasks. Small in size yet surprisingly economical, Votrax voice synthesizers are sophisticated pieces of equipment that hook-up in seconds.

Mix speech or sound, program sound frequencies or amplitude levels, or compose your own music with either the Votrax Type 'N Talk tm or Personal Speech System.

Ideal for business, school, handicapped use or the home, Votrax voice synthesizers put a world of sound in your computer.

See your local computer retailer or call toll free for more product, warranty or ordering information: 1 -800-521 -1350 (in Michigan call 313-588-0341). Dealer inquiries welcome.

INC.

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Circle 3 59 on inquiry card.

Undo*Windows*

New Microsoft" Word. It makes your IBM Personal Computer think its better than a $10,000 word processor

With Microsoft Word, what you see on the screen is what you get on the paper So its easy to spot mistakes. Boldface, underline, and italics look like this, not this: A Bboldface A B, A Sunderline A S, Alkalies A L

And, when you make changes, paragraphs are automatically reformatted. Flush right, flush left, centered or justified. It even gives you several columns on a page, like a newspaper.

Word forgives and doesn't forget

There's an "uh-oh" command called Undo. Make a mistake? Or just want to experiment? Hit Undo.

Microsoft is a registered trademark and

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you create your own style sheets, so you can standardize your documents, memos, files and letters.

Its not surprising that Microsoft has a way with Word. We designed the MS™ DOS operating system that tells the IBM® PC how to think. And we pioneered the first microcomputer BASIC, the language spoken by nine out of ten micros worldwide.

For a few final words, call 1-800426-9400 (in Washington State call 206-828-8088) for a free

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1-2-3 $296

IBM PC-2 only$20QQ

256K, 2-360 Kb V4 Hidrives «■■ VtV»/

with 2 IBM 360 Kb drives $'

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256 K, 10 mg hard disk 1-360 Kb drive

only

IBM XT

$4299

GEMINI 10X

$475

EPSON FX80J

( COMPUTERS ) ( MONITORS ) ( BOARDS-IBM )

IBM PC S XT... See special above!!!

COLUMBIA w $3000 retail software!

VP Portable -256K ridiculously

1600-1 2 drives low!!!

16004 Hard Disk please call!!

VISION 126K Portable NEW!!!

( PRINTERS )

EPSON RX 80 100 cps. RX80 FT 100COS..

.294

RX 100 100 COS, 132 col 575

FX 80 160 cps 475

FX 100 160 cps. 132 col 675

LQ 1500 200 cps NEW! 1180

OKIDATA 82A ridiculously

92P low!!!

IBM MONOCHROME

COLOR

AMDEK 300G

300A

310A

TAXAN 12" GREEN

12" AMBER

420 RGB

PRINCETON HX-12

ZENITH 122-12" GREEN .

12" AMBER

124 MONO-IBM

133 RGB

135 RGB/COMP

. 315 . 610 .129 .145 .169 . 109 . 115

.449 .475

c

MODEMS

93P..

2410

. please call .. low!!'

HAYES 300 . 1200..

3 c

HERCULES GRAPHICS 305

AST SIX PAK W/64K 249

MEGAPLUS 259

STB RIO W/64K 249

GRAPHIX PLUS _ 309

OTHERS SCall

QUADRAM QUADBOARO W 64K 249

QUADBOARD I 199

QUADUNK SCall

IBM MONOCHROME 310

COLOR GRAPHICS „ 219

PLANTRONICS COLOR PLUS 359

MA SYSTEMS PC PEACOCK GRAPHICS 239

TECMAR GRAPHICS MASTER 489

EVEREX ALL BOARDS SCall

BOARDS-APPLE

")

1200B

. 199 .479

GEMINI 10-X 269

15-X „ 359

C-rrOH PROWRITER 329

BROTHER DAISY WHEEL

HR-15 449

HR-25 699

HR-35 Scall

MICROMODEM II... ANCHOR MARK XII..

c

DRIVES

D

JUKI 6100

DTC 380 Z

.443

DIABLO 620

36 »

630

TTX 1014 SER/PAR/TRACTOR .

. 1276 . 1799

IBM 360KB 225

TANDON 100-2 360KB 185

PANASONIC >h HI-360KB 159

TEAC H HI-360KB 189

SHUGART H HI-360KB 179

EVEREX 10 MEG HARD DISK W/CONTROLLERS. 899 ATARI INDUS GT 349

ORANGE MICRO GRAPPLER

BUFFERED

MICROMAX GRAPHMAX

VIEWMAX 80

VIEWMAX 80E W/64K

MICROSOFT 16 RAM CARD ....

SOFTCARD

SOFTCARD PREMIUM PAK..

. 115 . 185 . 139 . 159 . 199 ... 75 .239 . 475

'"IBM WOROPROCESSORS"

WORDSTAR PRO PACK

PFS WRITE

MULTIMATE

WORD W/MOUSE

VOLKSWRITER OELUXE

"•IBM DATA BASE™

dBASE II

PFS FILE

CONDOR III

R-BASE 4000

FRIDAY

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CROSSTALK

COPY II PC

MASTERTYPE

PROKEY 3.0

HARVARD PROJECT MGR

SIDEWAYS

NORTON UTILITIES

PFS REPORT

DOW JONES

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PINBALL

FROGGER

339

...89

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c

ACCESSORIES

( IBM SOFTWARE )

64K RAM chips 200ns

KEYTRONICS KEYBOARD 5151 NEW .

VERBATIM SS/DD diskettes

DS'DD diskettes.

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LOTUS 1-2-3

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. 296 . 449 .239 . 159

DISK MINDER holds 75

SURGE PROTECTOR Compugard

PTI POWER BACK-UP 200 w

PTI POWER BACK-UP 300 w

FINGERPRINTS - EPSON

...21 ...28 ...24 ...69 .329 .549 ...48

dBASE II

IBM or APPLE

$364

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Professional pack +

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• Star index

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339

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322 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 105 on inquiry card.

CHAOS MANOR

Late addition: we have one. It works fine. More next month.

Eat Your Heart Out

Macrotech had an impressive board running at COMDEX Winter: an 8-bit Z80 coupled with an Intel iAPX286 chip for 16-/32-bit processing.

It was installed in a CompuPro boatanchor box much like mine. I admitted that I was impressed. To make sure there were no misunderstandings, Macrotech's people opened the box to show me that the board was wire-wrapped; a production model will be available sometime this summer or fall.

The rest of the boards in the box were CompuPro. They claim that sometime before next fall's COMDEX they'll come over here, open my Dual Processor, remove the CompuPro 8085/8088 board, and insert a Macrotech board: after which my system will continue to operate on CP/M-8/16 as before, except that it will be faster, will be able to run Z80 as well as 8080 software, and will accept iAPX286 commands. We'll see: my CP/M-8/16 isn't the common variety, since Tony Pietsch did some work with the command processor, and enabled interrupts, and generally did a spit-andpolish job. On the other hand, I never throw anything away: 1 can certainly boot up the old standard CP/M-8/16 if I have to.

Printer Optimizer

Last month I mentioned Applied Creative Technology's Printer Optimizer, which is a box full of memory that sits between the Golem (CompuPro 8/16) and the NEC 7710 Spinwriter. Shortly after that, ACT recalled the machine in order to add even more memory to it.

And 1 discovered that 1 was hooked. No sooner was the little jewel gone than I missed it terribly. It's amazing how you can get used to the idea that printing is something that happens nearly instantaneously (well, at 9600 bps, which is the speed at which the computer ships data into the Optimizer). Waiting for the machine to print at normal speed (1200 bps) was just no fun at all.

Ten days later it came back. The first time it showed up I'd had Alex install it, but he wouldn't be back from UCSD for a couple of days, and I wanted the Optimizer now; so I tackled the installation myself.

1 am no hardware genius. Like most Americans of my generation, I learned to solder and install electrical switches and such, but when I was in school electronics meant vacuum tubes and hookup wire: not only didn't we have transistors, but printed-circuit boards were pretty rare. Thus, while I'm not afraid of the innards of my computers, I do tend to think of hardware jobs with a distinct sense of unease, not to say dismay. There was nothing for it, though: if I wanted my Optimizer—and 1 sure did—I was going to have to do it myself.

It turned out to be simple. Not as simple as it would have been had I wanted to connect it to a Centronics parallel port instead of through an RS-232C serial port, but simple enough. The ACT instructions are quite clear, with plenty of diagrams and examples and a good explanation of the theory of what's going on. It took me considerably less than an hour to hook things up, and mirabile dictu, everything worked first time.

Now. with 256K bytes of memory in the Optimizer, I can pack a great part of an entire novel into it. I can do that as one long file, or as a series of linked files, or even one file at a time if I want to fiddle with the last part while the beginning is printing out.

The Optimizer even has a way to program it so that the files aren't necessarily printed in the order you put them in: there's a way to shunt stuff off, as on a railway siding, so that something else can be printed first. It's not a feature I use very often, but it can be convenient, as for example when you don't have the fanfold tractor on because you want to print single sheets, but there's a convenient opportunity to load in a file that will need fanfold.

If you don't have a printer buffer, you don't know what you're missing. They come in a variety of styles with various features, and I haven't much experience with any of them except the ACT Optimizer. I sure love this one, and it's hard to imagine one easier to use. Given the wide variety of protocols and stop bits and other such stuff (the RS-232C meaning Revised Standard-232C is anything but standard: there are a bewildering complexity of ways to hook serial ports to computers), it would be difficult to write better hookup instructions.

Recommended.

Speeding Up Your PC

Another gadget I'd just got installed last month was the Quickon from Security Micro Systems. This little gizmo installs rather simply in your IBM PC: when it's all aboard, all you'll see is a small switch on the back.

Throw the switch one way, and the PC behaves normally. Throw it the other way, and the memory tests are disabled: the PC comes on nearly instantly. Now, I don't think you ought permanently to disable the memory tests: but I sure don't much care to-wait for all that every time 1 have to turn the PC off to escape from some hang-up—and with no true hardware reset on the machine, that happens more often than 1 like.

We've had the Quickon working for five weeks now, with zero trouble: and Jim Baen reports that he's had his almost a year. If you like waiting for the PC, you won't need this, but if you're as impatient as I am you'll find it nearly indispensable.

Disk Maker

New Generation Systems is a public benefactor.

Our Kaypro 4 will, courtesy of a program called Uniform—itself a lifesaver— read a number of 5 !4-inch disk formats, but there are machines it has never heard of. However, when we get a disk that the Kaypro can't read, we no longer despair: we take it to the Disk Maker I.

I first heard about the Disk Maker at CP/M East when I stopped to talk with Leor Zolman. Leor was, naturally, demonstrating BDS C the blindingly fast 8-bit C compiler he wrote while he was still an undergraduate at MIT but he'd been so impressed by the Disk Maker that, although he owned no part of the company that makes it, he had one to show off at his BDS booth.

That was a pretty good recommendation by itself. I have considerable confidence in Leor's judgment. He introduced me to the box's inventor, and we arranged to get one shipped to Chaos Manor The result has been as advertised. Disk Maker can read almost any conceivable 5!4-inch disk format.

The machine consists of one or two disk drives—mine has two, one 48 tracks per inch (tpi) like the IBM PC, the other 96 tpi like the Eagle 1600 series—and an S-100-bus disk-controller card. You

[continued)

JULY 1984 -BYTE 323

CHAOS MANOR

ITEMS DISCUSSED

AT&T/IBM PC Interface

Locus

NA

Eureka!

Mendocino Software

$50

RAM Disk for Z-100

Standard Data Corp.

..$995

3330 Ocean Park Blvd.

POB 1564

1500 NW 62nd St.. Suite 508

Santa Monica. CA 90405

Willits, CA 95490

Fort Lauderdale. FL 33309

(213) 452-2435

(707) 459-9130

(800) 327-5567

Calendar/1

NA

Macintosh

$2495

RAM Disk for Z-100.

.#896Z

$2250

Clear Systems

■Apple Computer

Z80/286 Processor

607 Ashland Ave., Suite A

2052 5 Mariani Ave.

Board

Ml 286

$1395

Santa Monica, CA 90401

Cupertino. CA 95014

Macrotech International Corp.

(213) 394-7740

(408) 996-1010

9551 Irondale Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311

CompuPro 8/16 System. . . .

..$5995

PBASIC

. . . . $39.95

(818) 700-1501

CompuPro

3 506 Breakwater Court

The Creator

$35

Sage 11

.$3900

TNT Software 34069 Hainesville Rd.

Hay ward. CA 94545

Sage IV

.$7300

(415) 786-0909

Round Lake. IL 60073

Sage Computers

Disk Maker 1

..$1500

(312) 223-0832

4905 Energy Way Reno. NV 89502

96 tpi option

...$385

(702) 322-6868

New Generation Systems Inc.

Printer Optimizer

$499

1800 Michael Faraday Dr.. Suite 206

Applied Creative Technology Inc.

3B2/300 Computer.

.$9950

Reston. VA 22090

2156 West Northwest Hwy.,

Suite 303

AT&T

(703) 471-5598

Dallas, TX 75220 (214) 556-2916

222 Broadway

New York. NY 10038

Enchanter

.$49.95

(212) 669-2 584

Sorcerer

. $49.95

Quickon

. . . $69.95

Infocom Inc.

Security Microsystems Consultants

55 Wheeler St.

16 Flagg Place

Cambridge. MA 02138

Staten Island, NY 10304

(617) 492-1031

(212) 667-1019

can install the Disk Maker card in your S-100 system and forget it's there until you need it; then, when you get a disk with a strange format, fire up the Disk Maker. Chances are very good that it will be able to read it. and you can use PIP to move files to and from your normal system's disks.

We have the Disk Maker installed in Zorro, the Zenith Z-100, who also runs 8-inch disks in addition to his normal 5!4-inch disks; thus, we can move files from any 514-inch format to 8-inch IBM standard, after which they can be brought in for Zeke and the Golem.

The Disk Maker will format disks, too; about 50 formats are supported. It's thus nearly ideal for a small software house that tries to support a wide spectrum of customers.

It's easy to install, easy to use, and darned near unique. If you need one, you need it bad.

Raving About Calendar/i

Peter Flynn, our new assistant, sees a lot of software; alas, more than I do, since so much flows through Chaos

Manor that I have to let Peter and Alex screen it unless it's something I'm particularly interested in. Thus, he doesn't give many rave reviews.

Here's one item he liked a lot.

"Calendar/1 puts date-related information into a calendar format. It is easy to use. The manual is good and organized in a straightforward manner. The preface states that the manual assumes you know how to use the various CP/M functions such as PIP and COPY and that you have and can use a text editor that can produce plain text files 'with no embedded control characters'

"The text editor is used to create one or more files that are the sources for the date-related information. This is the best approach I have ever seen for a calendar program; it is easy to input large numbers of notices, and it's very easy to update and modify into different calendars. This is by far the most useful and versatile program of its type I have ever seen. It is much better than the scheduler in Valdocs.

"Calendars are composed of notices that are stored in calendar files. Each

calendar file is composed of dates followed by notices pertaining to that date. The calendar files, which you create on a word processor, look like this:

%This is a comment.

@ 8/10/84

Meeting with Fred at 7:15 AM

7/29

First Moon Landing, 1969

8/10

Sally's Birthday

"The order of the dates does not matter, and you can enter the same date more than once. They can be organized under headings such as birthdays, meetings, notices, and social events. Under each date is a notice or group of notices. They will be printed in the box for the corresponding date on the calendar. Lines beginning with % are comments and are ignored by the Calendar/ 1 program.

"A new calendar file can be for a month, a year, or many years. If a date

[continued)

324 B YTE • IULY 1984

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180.00* (3.60)

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Apparat 5 12K Memory Board with OK 85.00

Apparat Combo // w/ser/par/game/

clock/stwr AST Six-Pack Plus with OK AST MegaPlus II with OK AST 110 Plus II AST Serial/Paraltel/Game Port

options tor any AST Card Quadrant Improved Ouadboard

334K with OK Quadram Quadlink (Run Apple Code

on IBM) Tecmar Captain Muttilunclion Card

with O/K

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Comrex/Brother CR-ll 13CPS LO Printer 399.00* Convex/Brother Typewriter Keyboard 150.00*

tor CR-ll Comrex/Brother Cut Sheet Feeder 160.00*

tor CR-ll Epson RX-60 267.00'

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Hercules Monochrome Graphics Card 300.00'

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[ULY 1984 -BYTE 325

C SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

MSDOS

FULL C COMPILER PER K&R • Inline 8087 or Assembler

Floating Point •Full 1MB Addressing for Code or

Data •Transcendental Functions

MSDOS 1.1/2.0 LIBRARY

SUPPORT

•Program Chaining Using Exec

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c-window™ C SOURCE CODE DEBUGGER

•Variable Display & Alteration Using C Expression

COMBINED PA CKA GE-$199 Call or write:

c-systems Fullerton, CA 92634 P.O. Box 3253 714-637-5362 TM c-systems

Videodisc Interface

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players

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Software Available For information call/write:

Orenda, Inc.

3754 Overland Ave., L.A., CA 90034

(213) 202-0770

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Circle 353 on inquiry card.

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Circle 354 on inquiry card.

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Circle 355 on inquiry card.

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CHAOS MANOR

Circle 52 on inquiry card.

.;.;,.: ::.:. . . •:.■■:::. \*::'.::A ■

ends in a year, such as 5/16/84, then it will be printed only in that year; if only a month and day are given, it prints the notice for every year. (Years can range between 1583 and 9999; if only two digits are given, the twentieth century is presumed.)

"Calendar files can be separated or combined: you can have a file of birthdays and another of meetings, print a calendar for each, and combine those with others to make one master calendar. Calendar/1 comes with a number of prewritten calendar files, including holidays and historical dates of interest.

"Calendars can be printed on screen or the printer. You specify the length and width. If a notice won't fit, what will fit is printed, an asterisk is added, and the balance is printed as a note on an overflow page. The layout's good considering the space you have to work with.

"There are a number of other control features, all well documented.

"Calendar/1 is useful for scheduling work; many people can be given identical copies for job control; it is also useful for travel scheduling."

We expect to make a lot of use of Calendar/1 here at Chaos Manor. It's a wellconceived and useful program.

Out of Space Again ...

There's a ton of stuff on my list, and I'm out of space. At least let me mention the Infocom games, such as Sorcerer and Enchanter and the like. Not only do we at Chaos Manor love them, but I notice that my partner Larry Niven is hooked. For those few who don't know, Infocom games are script driven: there's no fancy graphics, no arcade action; only text adventures.

This kind of game grew out of the original Crowther and Woods Adventure of the Colossal Cave. The original Infocom implementers worked on Zork while at MIT they later developed other software for role-playing games. Some of the work they've done parsing and interpreting English is remarkable.

Enough. My taxes are due, after which I'm on the road for two weeks; meanwhile, I just opened a letter from JudyLynne Del Rey, my long-suffering editor at Ballantine Books; she's expecting Larry and me to turn in Footfall Right Away: the letter said only, "Nag! Nag! Nag!"

I think that was a hint. ■

,_

7

In/

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CHAOS MANOR MAIL

Licensing Agreements

Dear jerry,

Because you occasionally address software licenses and their idiosyncrasies in your column, I thought you might be interested in my company's experience with one software manufacturer—Sunburst Software.

In August 1983 we ordered an accounting package as ported to a Charles River Data Systems Universe computer. The software had a myriad of problems, not the least of which was inaccurate addition of account balances. After many frustrating months we requested a refund of our purchase price. Sunburst declined our refund on the grounds that its license did not guarantee "suitability." I would like to see the accounting environment in which 2 plus 2 equaling 5 was suitable.

Incidentally, we think the CRDS Universe is a lot of lightning in a little box. We were running multitasking benchmarks and wanted to keep the processor working hard in the background while we tested throughput in the foreground. To exercise the processor, we were using the C version of BYTE's Sieve of Eratosthenes prime-number program, but we discovered that finding the primes between 1 and 10.000 ten times required so little time as to be insignificant. Instead, we had the CRDS pick out the primes up to 200,000 ten times, which it does in less than 100 seconds real time. Not bad.

Ralph Tilney Austin, TX

Firms that give refunds on software report they don't have very many requests for same; possibly because such outfits take a bit more care?

My son Alex is a real fan of the Charles River Data Systems machines. They're a little out of the normal BYTE reader's price range, though.

I don't think the "BYTE Benchmark" is of much use any longer, though; aren't most compilers designed to optimize the Sieve of Eratosthenes? That's one reason I like "my" matrix benchmark; it's processor intensive and does "normal" arithmetic operations in tight loops—lerry

Electrostatic Printers

Dear ferry.

I enjoyed your comments on the nonavailability of low-cost laser printers for the microcomputer industry (March, page 3 54). Having just completed a search for low-cost, high-speed

printers, 1 can add some information. I am only a consultant, however, so I do not underwrite any of these products.

As regards the Canon LPB-PC, although it is true that this device can sell for about $4000 to an end user, the fact is that Canon has elected to sell the device through dealers and systems integrators who have to add the proper interface. The companies that market it have decided that the biggest market is for complex graphics printing where special typefaces and pictures are being drawn. By the time the user pays for the interface, it is a $10,000 printer. When I spoke to Imagen, it wasn't interested in developing an interface to emulate a daisy-wheel printer (or similar interface).

My client wanted to replace 60 dot-matrix printers with these Canon units, but no one seems to think that the plain printer market is very big. Why can't the printer manufacturers understand that most of the printing being done is straight alphanumerics with serial interfaces? Our reason for wanting the Canon system was that since the entire printing mechanism is in the cartridge, we could have an operator replace it instead of calling an engineer. If replacing the cartridge cures the problem, we save a $150 service call. The cartridge is presently $40, with projections to drop to $20 with competition.

You should refer to this market as electrostatic printers because they do not always use lasers. The Philips Elpho-20 uses a cathode-ray tube to transfer a blue image to the drum through a lens. This printer does 20 pages per minute and sells for $10,000 to the end user. Philips claims that the red lasers used in other printers are the hardest colors to sensitize the drum. The drum is most sensitive in blue, so it uses a CRT beamed through a lens. This technique increases the life of the drum and eliminates the moving mirror used to scan the laser across the drum.

I enjoy reading your column each month. Please keep up the good work.

Bob Noakes San Francisco. CA

Eventually someone will become wise, if not with the Canon then with a Xerox or other brand: there are just too many computer users who've tired of having a machine gun in the same room with them. The laser—or electrostatic—printer is obviously part of the wave of the future, and one day we'll be able to replace both the office copier and the printer with one device.

Until then I'll have to limp along with my Spinwriter for submission copy and the Printmate for fast dot-matrix copy. Thanks for the kind words—lerry

Illegal Copying

Dear lerry.

We at H & H Scientific have recently introduced our Stock Option Analysis Program (SOAP) for the IBM PC and are using a new method to deter illegal copying that might In. terest your readers.

Whereas the Apple version of SOAP had been copy protected, the IBM version of SOAP is issued in an unprotected format and can be copied subject to the terms of our standard licensing agreement. However, in order to use the Dow Jones News/Retrieval Service and thus take full advantage of all the features of SOAR the original program disk must be returned to us to have the purchaser's Dow Jones password encrypted onto the disk. This becomes a permanent part of the program disk and any copies will carry the password.

We think that few purchasers will be willing to give a copy of a program containing their password to a friend and thus risk incurring even modest usage charges by their friends. In effect, the user's password is held hostage (by the user) to guarantee the security of the personal program.

We think this will prove to be an effective deterrent to the problem of illegal copying and at the same time will give the legitimate user the maximum flexibility in selecting the optimum hardware environment, i.e., using SOAP with a hard disk, electronic disk, or combination thereof.

Hersch Pilloff Fort Washington, MD

You have a novel approach to the piracy problem. I can see one difficulty: many users are likely to be wary of giving anyone, including software vendors, their passwords—Jerry

TIjrbo Caution

Dear lerry,

I am sure that the nitpickers will find problems with Turbo Pascal, but the program compiled your matrix program from the October 1982 BYTE with no complaints. The execution time was about 20 seconds. The compilation time was about 6 seconds. These times look very respectable to me.

I caution anyone installing this language to carefully check the definitions for the available terminals. The definitions supplied for the Osborne 1 were incorrect in two places. How

(continued)

328 BYTE • JULY 1984

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CHAOS MANOR MAIL

ever, the Installation Appendix clearly states what is required to install a terminal. Thirty terminals are listed.

The two required changes were in the cursor positioning code: Borland international had the X and Y positioning order reversed, and the Erase to End Of Line code was actually Insert Character code. With these two changes, all test programs compiled and ran correctly. The spreadsheet demonstration program operated correctly and provided some useful examples of procedures that can be applied to other programs.

For the price, I believe that this is an adequate implementation of Pascal for the beginning user. I hope that Borland continues to provide a quality product.

Leo F. Hood West Lawn, PA

I have many good reports about Turbo Pascal, and those are certainly respectable times for an Osborne 1. I'm all for Borland; I hope other software companies decide to lower their prices, too.

Borland has an updated version of Turbo; you can get it by sending the original disk and $29.95 (or buying a new copy, of course). It's worth the trade: the update has overlays and is very fast. There's source code for some nice utilities, too.—lerry

Can the Eagle Fly?

Dear Jerry,

I write for two reasons. A couple of months ago you mentioned Turbo Pascal, and I thought I would let you know what I think of it. What do I think? It's all right. However, floating point is slow. Slower than IBM Pascal by a factor of 8 to 10 is what my tests have shown. Integer arithmetic in Turbo is also slower than IBM Pascal's but only by about one-and-one-half times.

On the other hand, Turbo's screen I/O seems to be faster. Turbo also has some nifty screenmanipulation commands, but any shot at source-code portability is then lost. I see Turbo

as a nice development compiler because it compiles so quickly. As long as you are sure to write in plain Pascal, Turbo can be used for development and debugging. The source can then be compiled with the IBM compiler for the final product.

My other reason for writing is this: I actually own an Eagle PC-2, not an IBM PC. The PC-2, unlike the 1600 series, strives to emulate the IBM as much as it can. It does an acceptable job in my opinion, but things could be better. As you have observed, the documentation stinks. Trying to find out anything from the dealer is difficult, especially since he stopped carrying Eagle products. Calling Eagle in Los Gatos can be a frustrating experience. "Call your dealer," is what you get. Sigh. Do you know of a users group for the Eagle PC? 1 would appreciate any tidbit of information you might have.

Peter Kline Providence, Rl

Dear lerry.

You often refer to your Eagle 1600-series system with a great deal of enthusiasm, and I have visited the local dealer for a first look. However, Tom Wadlow ("The Eagle PC," March, page 236) is rather lukewarm in his praise. 1 can only assume that he must base his judgment on a rather short exposure to the Eagle, whereas you have had yours for some time. Do you have any comments?

I would buy a 5- or 10-megabyte hard disk with backup tape but might prefer Microsoft's Word or Rocky Mountain's NewWord/MergePrint to the Eaglewriter, possibly with SoftCraft's Fancy Font system. The latter looks fantastic, and I have called for the promised "actual example." I only wish that I could get my system with the Corvus monitor that I have seen and like a lot.

Arne R. Lindgren Culver City, CA

Sigh. I have mixed emotions about recommending Eagle computers. It's a good machine, but it sure has lousy documents.

Eagle's new documentation specialist keeps calling me to ask what I'd like to see in the up

dates; I keep hoping the company will get them done and ship retrofits. 1 love that Eagle, but I have to warn people: if you don't know a good bit about computers, be sure the updated documents are out before buying one of the 1600-series machines. I've had no complaints about the Eagle from experienced computer people, but there have been wails from beginners, all with problems that would have been trivial had there been better technical documentation.

In the middle of the rush to new documents, Eagle was hit by an IBM lawsuit requiring it to stop selling machines until it changed the ROM chips: as I write this, Eagle has announced that's done and It's shipping machines again, but its stock has fallen to a critically low value.

That's what delayed the update to DOS 2.0 as well. I received a test version of the 2.0 update, but then I was warned not to use it: I should wait for a later version. It's been a couple of months, and the upgrade hasn't come. Without DOS 2.0 with its tree structure, a lot of the value of the hard disk is lost. Eagle promises the new one Real Soon Now.

It's a real pity: Eagle has some of the best PC hardware around, and the 1600 compiles Turbo Pascal like nothing you have ever, ever seen. (It's fairly speedy with MT+, too. compared to the IBM PC.) By the time you read this. Eagle swears it will have better documents, updated software, and will have survived its cash flow crunch. I sure hope so. I like the machines, but I have to be a bit less than wholehearted in recommending them until Eagle gets its act together.

As of April, Eagle seems to be making real progress; but check with your dealer before buying— lerry

Nevada COBOL

Dear lerry,

John DaMassa asked about the $29.95 Nevada compilers and utilities in your March "User to User" column. I teach programming courses and use my Z80-equipped Apple 11 +

(continued)

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Circle 98 on inquiry card.

CHAOS MANOR MAIL

for demonstrations and examples. I bought the Nevada COBOL compiler about a year ago and have since added Nevada EDIT. FORTRAN, and PILOT to my program library. I also have |RT Pascal for comparison. I feel that I got my money's worth, but that's only one measure. For my purposes. I was also concerned about shortcomings of these packages and how they compared with standard language specifications and other implementations.

The COBOL compiler is a subset of the 1974 ANSI standard. It doesn't include some highlevel modules described in the standard, such as the Table Handling and Sort features; some minicomputer COBOL compilers also don't have these. The language nucleus is complete, and subroutines in COBOL as well as assembly language are allowed. Documentation consists of a reference manual that adequately describes the language and how to get started. The user who doesn't know the language should buy a good textbook, such as Tyler Welburn's Structured COBOL. The negatives are minor: nonstandard 4-digit line numbers and minimal implementations of some I/O statements. For arithmetic, I'd much prefer the COMPUTE statement to the ADD, SUBTRACT. MULTIPLY, and DIVIDE verbs that are included.

The FORTRAN compiler would be the greatest bargain in microcomputer software if it were

based on the 1977 FORTRAN standard. It is a very good FORTRAN IV implementation and does include the IF. . .THEN. .. ELSE statement from the 1977 standard. A good selection of built-in functions are included, plus a number of subroutines that interface with CP/M. The compiler doesn't include character class data, which is another desirable 1977 feature. The 8-bit implementation can cause surprises: single-precision and double-precision variables have exactly the same number of significant digits. The manual is a complete and wellwritten reference. If you're not familiar with the language, you'll also need a good textbook. Nevada EDIT may not be the best program editor around, but it's probably the best fullscreen editor in the low-priced field. It's compatible with any editable CP/M file type. I use it with |RT Pascal files as well as Nevada COBOL and FORTRAN. Since it's a full-screen editor, the user can edit lines in place and move anywhere on the screen. On the negative side, the control codes are rather clumsy. A number of editing commands require two steps: Control-V followed by another command code. I haven't been able to get a couple of the control codes to work. Some control codes must be changed to suit specific hardware environments (such as the Apple with CP/M) by using a configuration routine that comes with the editor.

You'll note that I haven't said anything about benchmark results. As a computer science teacher. I'm more interested in completeness of features than in object-code efficiency. Besides: have you ever tried to write the Sieve of Eratosthenes in COBOL?

Jim Archibald Ceneseo, NY

Dear lerry,

I have tried Nevada COBOL, and the experience was dismal. I would not recommend the product to anyone. It is a pseudocompiler. creating p-code that is then interpreted by the Nevada run-time program. I bought it because I am a COBOL programmer on IBM mainframes and wanted to see how this microcomputer compiler stacked up. I performed a number of tests and was severely disappointed.

The Sieve of Eratosthenes benchmark took 7 minutes to run (one iteration) as opposed to 4 minutes in Microsoft BASIC and 3.6 seconds in Pascal MT+. Since one reason you put up with the tedium of compiling is to get faster code. Nevada COBOL seemed a dismal failure in this department.

I wrote a simple file-to-file transfer and discovered that it transferred all but the last line of the file. A bug is revealed in the way it detects

[continued]

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CHAOS MANOR MAIL

an "at end" condition.

I wrote a program to test the way it handled arithmetic with the various COBOL numeric data types and discovered a bug in handling IF-tests. The code in question follows:

IF AMT-4 IS GREATER THAN AMT-5

DIVIDE AMT-5 INTO AMT-4

GIVING AMT-6 ROUNDED

ELSE

DIVIDE AMT-4 INTO AMT-5

GIVING AMT-6 ROUNDED

When AMT-4 was 5 and AMT-5 was 25. the result returned in AMT-6 was 5, which is correct. When AMT-4 was 2 5 and AMT-5 was 5. however, the result returned in AMT-6 was 0.20. No matter what values I assigned to AMT-4 and AMT-5, it was always the instruction after the ELSE that executed.

I called these bugs to the attention of Ellis Computing and sent source code and all. but Ellis never responded. May I respectfully suggest that you amend your remarks, at least regarding the COBOL package?

William Meacham Austin, TX

Thanks for the reports. My problem is that I'm not about to evaluate Nevada COBOL; it's not a language I do anything with, and I'm not

about to learn it. I can only report what I'm told. Of course, I don't recommend COBOL in the first place. Edsger Dijkstra, the Netherlands computer philosopher, once said that teaching COBOL ought to be regarded as a criminal offense. I don't necessarily agree, but I know people who do. As to writing the Sieve of Eratosthenes in COBOL, I'd rather have an appendectomy if it's all the same with you.—Jerry

Copy Protection

Dear lerry,

I fully support your stand against copy protection in software. It is bad for a number of reasons, and you have done a great deal for users in putting them forward. Some additional reasons need exposition.

One of the most significant things that copy protection does to software is that it alters the nature of the product. If I buy a piece of software, it is mine to keep as long as I own my system—provided it is not protected. If it is protected, then I have bought an entirely different product, a perishable one.

Copy protection also makes little sense economically to the manufacturer because the

shelf-life expectancy of most software is too short for there to be much to protect. The company making the software may go out of business before piracy eats into its profits.

1 am trying to buy several copies of my favorite word-processing program because it is being taken off the market, and I don't want to learn a new system or transcribe files. I am going to get four separate copies and hope. Edward Swaim Austin, TX

I hadn t thought of it that way, but you're right: copy protection makes a perishable good out of a durable good. I do have some sympathy for publishers, but I think the only real solution to software piracy is for the customer base to become sufficiently large. Then publishers can make a profit selling at such low prices that it isn't worth pirating the software.

Of course, high price plus piracy is the equivalent of a low average price, except that the publisher has fewer legitimate customers to support.—Jerry

Dear ferry,

I've been reading with considerable interest your views on copy protection of software. Until

[continued)

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IBM is a registered trademark and PC XT is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. Sysgen Image is a trademark of Sysgen, Incorporated.

CHAOS MANOR MAIL

recently, however, it was of only passing interest to me, having purchased an Osborne Executive, which has no such silly schemes. The Executive was then sold, a Macintosh bought, and along with it a copy of Multiplan.

Multiplan has a ridiculous copy-protection scheme. Microsoft supplies one master disk that it says the user can copy to save wear and tear on the master. However, in order to be able to use the copy, the user first has to insert the master disk, which apparently has a code that tells the copy it's okay to start working. Then you eject the master, put in the copy, and you're free to continue. As long as you don't turn off the power after inserting the master, the copy can still be used, no matter how many other applications you use in between.

This is my first exposure to copy protection, and I'm angry. Now I have to worry about two application disks instead of one. and if the one master disk is damaged. I'm out of luck until I can get a replacement. What really strips my threads is that a friend just bought a Model 4P from Tandy, also with Multiplan, and there's no copy protection at all on his version of the program!

So what gives? Does Microsoft feel that Macintosh owners are more prone to a little unauthorized profit than Tandy owners? Is this what I have to look forward to from Microsoft? It could at least provide two masters, a la Lotus 1-2-3. Anyway. I wrote Microsoft, asking for a second master, but I haven't gotten an answer yet. If this is common to the rest of its Macintosh programs, I think I'll hold off buying Word and make do with short letters using MacWrite. I'll let you know what happens; maybe Microsoft will listen to you.

Richard B. Thomas Tacoma, WA

I have terribly mixed Macfeelings about the Macintosh. At the moment there's so little soft

ware for it, and because there's only one drive, it's so hard to copy a disk (about 40 disk swaps for a complete copy, and Cod help you if you get confused in the middle of doing it) that I can't think the machine more than a pretty expensive toy; certainly it's not much use in business.

Of course, that could change when a second drive becomes available (1 wonder at what price?) and all this software is actually published. Alas, if the Microsoft copy protection becomes standard for all business software. Macintosh will remain Macuseless for business: I sure wouldn't bet my career that one of those small disks was eternal. —lerry

Problems with Otrona

Dear lerry,

I bought an Otrona Attache last year, partly because of your enthusiastic comments. Indeed, it is a fine 8-bit machine, probably the best CP/M machine available. Several months ago, I had the machine upgraded to become "IBM compatible."

Otrona claims that the machine will run nearly all IBM programs, but many programs will not run. It seems to be impossible to tell whether a program will work or not, as Otrona apparently hasn't tested many of them. For example, I have tried to find a good word processor. Microsoft Word will not run; PC-Write will not run; Multimate appears to run, but parts are exceedingly slow; WordStar will run but again very slow, much slower than the CP/M version.

BASIC is the most common language used with IBM computers, and it comes with PC-DOS and most versions of MS-DOS. No BASIC comes with the Otrona MS-DOS, and IBM and Compaq versions will not run. Furthermore, compiled BASIC programs will not run on the Otrona. Otrona says that it will have a BASIC

interpreter "soon"; I haven't been able to find out what it will cost.

The Otrona 8:16 is not very IBM compatible. As an upgrade for existing Attache owners, the MS-DOS system has marginal value, although frustration should be considered part of the price.

Getting any answers out of Otrona is difficult. The company answers few letters, and I no longer can get hold of anyone there by phone.

Another quick point. The Turbo Pascal compiler is fantastic. The IBM version does run on the Otrona, and it is fast and easy to use. And the price is reasonable.

Harvey Motulsky La Jolla. CA

Adeline, our Otrona, recently returned from the "upgrade"; I wish I hadn't sent her in. Something was done to the screen intensity and contrast, so that the software brightness controls will no longer eliminate flash lines and such. In addition, as you say. many IBM PC programs will not run, and some are slower than the corresponding programs on the Z80.

I do not recommend the 8086 conversion for the Otrona. On the other hand, it remains the BMW of the 8-bit small machines. We have the large amber screen, which we like a lot, and the hard disk. With those additions, the Otrona is an excellent base station: leave them behind and you have a true portable. There is, after all. a lot of Z80 software (including my favorite editor, WRITE). The Otrona Attache is still the machine I carry on all my trips.—lerry

Again, Otrona

Dear lerry,

Your continuing fondness for your Otrona Attache, along with my positive first impressions

[continued)

a message to our subscribers

From time to time we make the BYTE subscriber list available to other companies who wish to send our subscribers material about their products. We take great care to screen these companies, choosing only those who are reputable, and whose products, services, or information we feel would be of interest to you. Direct mail is an efficient medium for presenting the latest personal computer goods and services to our subscribers.

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While we believe the distribution of this information is of benefit to our subscribers, we firmly respect the wishes of any subscriber who does not want to receive such promotional literature. Should you wish to restrict the use of your name, simply send your request to the following address.

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336 B YTE • JULY 1984

A printer should complement your computer,

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CHAOS MANOR MAIL

of the machine at a show when it was first introduced some years back, made it an easy choice when it was time to replace my S-100 system with something more portable (I write everywhere), 16-bit (and the 8:16 meant I could cling to the 8-bit software 1 love while making a transition to the 16-bit world), and at least as reliable.

I was disappointed and returned the machine. Here's why.

The Attache keyboard has a nasty characteristic that makes it impossible for the machine to register any keypress while another key is still down or partially depressed.

At first glance this may not seem a problem, and certainly it hasn't affected your affinity for the machine. But I'm a fast typist, and though I learned on manual equipment, I've been using electric or electronic keyboards since 1961. Electronic keyboards with n-key rollover allow you to go into really high gear when typing familiar combinations such as "tion" and "ing." In the fastest execution of "tion," it's likely that the left-hand "t" will still be down while the right hand hits the "i." And because "io" can be typed with a rolling motion of the right hand, it's likely the "i" will still be down while the "o" is struck.

Furthermore, the machine's every-key-autorepeat feature interacts with this one-key-at-atime characteristic. If when typing "tion," you leave the "t" down, it will start to repeat even though another key has been struck.

For me, the effect is that the machine forced me to type as though it were a manual typewriter. It defeats the library of macros my hands have learned over years of typing. No other nonmanual keyboard I've used has these problems. Unfortunately, not every writer looking for a machine with the Attache's specifications will buy one on terms allowing its return, and even those who do may not discover until too late that the typos they're experiencing are happening because the keyboard wants to retrain them to type as though on a manual. It's a design flaw that potential buyers should know about before they buy. If, knowing of it, they try the machine and find they're unbothered, the machine is otherwise quite marvelous.

Dick Lutz Ocala. FL

You know, I thought you'd been sold a lemon when 1 got your letter; 1 simply didn't believe that Adeline had that flaw until I took her out of the case and fired her up.

You're right. You must release each key before pressing the next.

The funny part is that I'd probably have condemned the machine out of hand if I'd known that before I started to use it; but the fact is that I've done tens of thousands of words on my Attache, and I never noticed the "problem" until you called attention to it. For that matter, my colleague Norman Spinrad had no trouble with the Otrona, and neither does Larry Niven; and we're all touch-typists.

It's obviously software, and I expect a real Otrona wizard could rewrite the BIOS to change this feature; 1 wonder why Otrona doesn't offer some options? Alas, it has promised me the

source code to the BIOS for months, but I still don't have it. Maybe I'll get it Real Soon Now, and I can look for a way to change the keyboard response. Thanks— Jerry

Will I Wait Forever?

Dear lerry,

As a regular reader of your column, 1 have come to appreciate the point of view you advocate—on the side of the user of computer hardware and software. I fully agree with your stand on software protection, on the quality (or lack thereof) of most microcomputer documentation, and on the general chaos in the industry. But I do have a complaint.

Primarily on your recommendation, I sent a check to Workman Associates asking for a copy of WRITE for my Otrona. I've been using WordStar for some time but wanted something a little more free-form when writing something longer than a memo. WRITE seemed just the thing. 1 sent the order in early December 1983 and have yet to receive a voluntary response.

In the middle of lanuary I called Workman to inquire about my order. A pleasant woman assured me that it had the order. She said that Tony Pietsch was finishing up the latest bugs, the documentation was being updated, and shipments for the Otrona would resume in 10 days.

That sounded reasonable. 1 looked forward to having WRITE with me when I took my Otrona on a three-week trip to Dallas. When it didn't arrive, 1 decided that 1 would look forward to spending some time with it when I returned. Now I'm just hoping I get the package before you get around to reading this letter.

This reminds me of your cases about the extremely long delays in shipments of (RT Pascal. True enough. Workman has not yet cashed my check; JRT cashed it immediately. But I ordered Vedit at the same time that I ordered WRITE. 1 received Vedit in less than a week. Incidentally, I am delighted with it, both the CP/M version and the MS-DOS version, both of which run on the Otrona.

i wonder if perhaps this is not another case of promoting a product before its time. I assume the people at Workman are your friends (why else would they write an editor just for you?). And I am sure they're very good at what they do. I'm in the software industry myself, and I know the pressure to get the product out before it's ready. You might, however, consider applying your own published standards to products in which you have a specific interest.

By the way. I'm writing this letter using the VM/CMS XEDIT editor, formatted using Waterloo Script. 1 was going to use my Otrona with a different editor, but ...

Ted Brewster New Market, MD

What should I say? At the time I wrote the review. I had a version of WRITE on my Otrona. It worked fine, but there was indeed a later version in the works, and Barry didn't want to ship

the old one when the new one was coming Real Soon.

Then when it was finished, it took Noor Singh some time to do the Otrona installation; Workman has WRITE going on about 100 different machines now, but alas, the only Otrona available was mine, and I had it with me on a trip.

WRITE 1.78 is done now and works fine; I use that version on all my machines. It has a wonderful update: even if you reset the machine, you can recover your text.

Indeed, the Workman family are friends, and my son works there as well, so I am not unbiased; but I do think they live up to fairly high standards. Workman's policy is not to cash checks until he can ship the product: that way. anyone can cancel an order without having tied up any money. He isn't making venture capitalists out of his customers. Alas, this time it took considerably longer than anyone expected.

I checked: your copy has been shipped. I hope you'll like it. I certainly do.

Clad you liked Vedit, too. I've never tried the MS-DOS version on the Otrona. Thanks for letting me know it works—Jerry

CompuPro Doings

Dear Jerry,

You should razz Bill Godbout about CompuPro's new easy-as-pie manuals.

As Ian Wilson, our local computer genius, puts it, "This stuff defines a new standard for the term 'computer unfriendly."'

You'll be sick when you add the hard disk. The 8-inch Fujitsu we are running (Pragmatic) has a transfer rate of roughly a million bytes/sec and is so fast we might as well not even have bought our three M-Drive/H boards.

Is there a CompuPro users group?

William F. Burke Baton Rouge, LA

Let me repeat Pournelle's First Law: If You Don't Know What You're Doing. Deal With Someone Who Does. CompuPro equipment bought through a Systems Center will always be thoroughly integrated and do everything you expect. In your case, there being no nearby Systems Center, you may need a local wizard; fortunately, you seem to have found one

I do razz Bill Codbout about manuals all the time. Think of the improvement: before I started on him. the folks at CompuPro used to put out a single sheet with each board, and their idea of support was to read the spec sheet over the phone! Fortunately, that has all ceased. I do agree the systems integration manuals for the boat anchor (S-100 box) could be improved.

I agree about the hard disk: I seldom use my M-Drive/H any more, except for big jobs like posting my books from journals. Last time, it took over an hour with the hard disk versus 10 minutes with the M-Drive/H. so there's still some reason to keep the memory-drive boards.

The address of the CompuPro users group is CPRO Users Group. POB 1474. Woodbridge, VA 22193,-leny ■

338 BYTE • 1ULY 1984

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A-2 Green $475

A-3 $475

Viewpoint 60 $619

Viewpoint 90 $859

Altos

Smart II $849

Hazeltine

Esprit I S445

Esprit II $435

Esprit III $575

Esprit III Color $845

ESP 6310 $509

Qume

QVT 102 Green $535

OVT 102 Amber $545

QVT 103 Green $840

QVT 103 Amber S850

QVT 108 Green S620

QVT 108 Amber $639

Televideo

910 $445

910+ $519

914 $515

924 $639

925 $700

950 $909

970 $989

800A (User Station) S989

Personal Terminal S385

Wyse

50 S495

75 $565

100 W/14lnch Screen $679

300 $999

Zenith

Z-29 $644

QUADRAM

Quadlink $449

Quadboard 256K (Expands to 384K) $449

Quadboard II 256K (Expands to 384K) $449

MONITORS

Amdek

300 Green $130

300 Amber $145

310 Amber $160

Color 1 + $270

Princeton Graphic

HX-12 $499

Sanyo

CRT-36 Call

CRT-70 Call

Taxan

12"Amber S125

Zenith

ZVM-122 Amber $95

ZVM-123 Green $95

ZVM-124 $129

ZVM-133 Color/RGB $410

ZVM-135 Color/RGB W/Audio S459

DISK DRIVES

Rana

Elitel $215

Elite II $345

Elite III $410

Controller (W/Drive Only) S65

1000 W/DOS for Atari $305

DISKETTES

Maxell

MD-1 (Qty 100) $185

MD-2 (Qty 100) $275

Scotch

5M SS/DD (Qty 100) $200

5% DS/DD (Qty 100) $245

Elephant

5X SS/DD (Qty 100) $155

5% DS/DD (Qty 100) $218

COMPUTERS

Altos

All Computer Models Call

Eagle

PC+2W/EagleMonitor&Adapter Call

Spirit 2 Portable Call

Spirit XL Portable Call

NEC

PC-8201 Computer S465

PC-8201A-90 Battery Pack $17

PC-8206A 32K Ram $299

PC-8271A-01 AC Adapter $17

PC-8271A-02 AC Adapter $17

PC-8281A Recorder S89

Sanyo

MBC-550 System $1199

MBC-555 System $1499

MBC-550-2 System $1399

MBC-555-2 System $1799

1150 System W/5000 Printer S1599

Televideo

802H $4285

803 $1765

803H S2850

806/20 $4640

TPC-1 $1539

Zenith

Z-100 Low Profile $2650

Z-100AII-ln-One-Amber 128K S2800

Z-100 All-ln-One Green 192K $2919

Z-150 Single Drive Call

Z-150 Dual Drive Call

Z-150 W/10 Megabyte Call

Z-160 Single Drive Call

Z-160 Dual Drive Call

COMMODORE

64 $227

1541 Disk Drive $239

1702 Monitor $239

1526 Printer $274

1530 Datasette (only w/64) $60

Order Line: 1-800-528-1054 Order Processing & Other Information: 602-954-6109

COmPUTSR WAREHOUSE

2222 E. Indian School Rd. Phoenix, Arizona 85016

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BYTE WEST COAST

On-line search software and

faster

modems for PCs

by John Markoff

Trends in Telecommunications

Now that the personal computer (PC) has won the battle for office desktop space, software developers are turning their attention toward programs that combine the storage capacity of mainframe computers with the local processing power of PCs. Although mainframes offer PC users access to huge on-line databases of specialized information, how to get to the information and bring it to the PC in a usable form is another question entirely.

In recent months, a new class of PC software has emerged that facilitates the redistribution of tasks between mainframes and PCs. It is called "on-line search" or "database-access" software, and these programs give us a glimpse of how radically PCs will alter the traditional mainframe database-access model based on one central processor and hundreds of remote dumb terminals.

In contrast, on-line search software uses the processing power of the PC to mediate between the researcher and the mainframe database and can offer potentially both a simpler user interface for novices and a more powerful searching tool for experts.

During the past decade there has been an explosion of new sources of electronic information. Several mainframe electronic-information providers such as The Source, CompuServe, and Newsnet have designed their systems specifically for novice users, but most on-line database services require special training to be used effectively. These include databases such as Dialog Information Retrieval Service, Nexis and Lexis, and Data Resources Incorporated.

The high cost of on-line information is also a deterrent to new users. Some databases on Dialog cost more than $100 an hour. This has meant that users generally must undergo extensive training to learn how to develop search strategies to minimize connect time.

Reducing Costs

PC-based on-line search software will be beneficial to database users because it will simplify complex user interfaces now found on many mainframe databases and it will permit extensive off-line preprocessing of searches, there

by reducing the cost of information retrieval.

On-line search software introduced to date can be placed in two distinct categories. The first category is composed of programs that are "loosely coupled" to a specific mainframe database. These programs are extensions of intelligent communications software programs and generally permit automatic log-on, query, and downloading from a host mainframe computer.

The second category includes software that has been "tightly coupled" to one or more particular databases. By tailoring programs for interaction with a host computer, software designers are able to create user interfaces that require little knowledge on the part of the user of either micro-to-mainframe communications or the formal database query process.

The emergence of new communication network standards and standards in the on-line information industry will tighten this coupling to the point where the relationship between the mainframe database system and PC software will approximate the current relationship between operating systems and application programs.

Dialog, a subsidiary of the Lockheed Corporation, is the largest collection of public online databases. It has more than 75 million records of information including articles from over 60,000 journals. These records are contained in more than 200 separate databases ranging form biographic databases such as American Men & Women of Science to statistical databases such as U.S. Exports.

Most Dialog reference records are currently available as abstracts that require you to go to a library to obtain the entire article or source (articles can be ordered on line for an extra fee). However, there is a trend toward making the full text of documents available on line. One Dialog database provider. Information Access Corporation, recently introduced two such databases, called Magazine ASAP and Trade & Industry ASAP, that will cover

[continued)

]ohn Markoff is a BYTE senior technical editor. He can be contacted at 1000 Elwell Court. Palo Alto, CA 94303.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 341

BYTE WEST COAST

ffat] CIS

i t

SMrck Keyword* and Phrases

Selected

ConBoct Statu

S6 litlidt 8S$ 9995

S? CsKsectinf to Telenet

58 Cowsectisj via Telenet node II

59 Sending Slftioe Password SS Jalsbase status report Si

St Select is} latahase

FILES 518,2% I 245 Ml HOT K0BXIH6

._» the phone lwv> to «i*csM«ct. Press <M to advance to the next network.

Photo 1: After installing the proper Dialog password and Telenet, Tymnet, or Uninet network phone numbers, \n-Search will automatically connect to Dialog and execute a search in a selected database. Dialing and automatic log-on are done by pressing the F5 function key on the IBM PC. During the dialing and log-on sequence, In-Search opens a window on the display to show current connect status information. If one network dial-up is busy, In-Search will automatically try other network numbers if they have been installed. 1/ a search has been prepared in the query editor, In-Search will automatically execute the search after it is connected to Dialog.

"_

30 I ^e^icine j ssUesK 4

s$iveering 4 Sci!

Subjects

J

Government: IttHASDttHT COWENTS

Coverwent: FE8E8M, RESISTED ABSTRACTS

Covern«ent: FFJSEBAL IHBEX

abstracts Provides access to publications produced by the conwiittees and subcomittees of the U.S. Congress. Includes hearings, reports, prints. House and Senate dociusents. Corresponds to Congressional Inforuation Service's Index to Publications of the United States Congress. 1976- '■ aantMy updates. 173,688 records.

$9B/ho«r, $.2S/offli»e print

ilfklifht the desired database by novinj the cards up and down with the ..rsor nuvcaent kei)s. Press''*-1 to select the highlighted database.

Photo 2: This is the initial \n-Search display shown when you first enter the program. The category and subject windows on the left side of the screen aid in focusing a search. The file-card windows in the center of the screen give a brief overview of each of the more than 200 databases available in Dialog. When the designed database is highlighted, you can search it by entering the query editor and preparing a search request while either on line or off line. More detailed on-line information is available on any database. The window at the bottom of the screen serves as a context-sensitive command menu.

120 different popular magazines and publications ranging from Scientific American to Playboy.

In-Search

ln-Search is an example of an on-line search program that has been tightly coupled with the Dialog databases.

In-Search, initially designed to be used on the IBM PC or PC XT, was introduced recently by the Menlo Corporation of Santa Clara, California. This

program costs $399. It differs from other database-communication programs both in its scope (the program and its assorted reference files occupy more than one megabyte of disk space) and in the sophistication of its user interface, which offers a window-based display environment and "unhooks" the control of the database query process from the Dialog mainframe computer. "Unhooking" means that you're able to prepare your query in a screen-oriented

editor while either on or off line. The process takes place with little interaction with the Dialog mainframe computer.

If the query has been prepared off line, you can log on to Dialog and have the query sent automatically. When Dialog responds with abstracts, they appear specially formatted in an overlapping window display.

Here, again, the user interaction is not

{continued)

342 B YTE • |ULY 1984

)ORjr

Maff&bement Sofrrtre

Condor's

IBM™PC-compatible file management software is one of the easiest and most complete MENU assisted file managers today, and for just $195.

Would you buy a file manager that can't add two numbers? Of course you wouldn't. PFS FILE™ contains no arithmetic capability and can't even balance a checkbookl

Condor jr. offers all the benefits of PFS FILE™ plus the ability to easily balance your checkbook, total your purchase orders, average grades and even monitor your tax deductible expenses. This is in addition to your normal mailing list and other file management tasks. Unlike PFS FILE ™, Condor jr. also offers report writing at no additional cost.

Condor jr. allows you to upgrade to Condor3 and save money as your needs grow. You can move to a fully relational database without redoing your system. A $195 discount off Condor3 also makes it easier. Since Condor has years of data management experience — we have a proven growth path for you. Condor jr. has been especially designed for the first time user. Not surprisingly, it is designed directly from Condor 3 —a fully relational database that is being used in over 100,000 businesses today. To find out more about Condor jr. and the demonstrationpack software, see your personal computer dealer, or call 1-300-221-8479 (in Michigan call 0-313-769-3902 collect) for the dealer nearest you.

IBM is the registered trademark of Internationa! Business Machines Corp. PFS File is the registered trademark of Software Publishing Corp.

4

Circle 78 on inquiry card.

2051 South State Street Ann Arbor. Ml. 48104 313-769-3988

PLE Logo ace registered trademarks of APPLE Computers, Inc.

: I

This is not a regular edition of BYTE. The BYTE GUIDE to the Apple Personal Computers is your opportunity for exposure to the most select micro audience

Apple owners and users read BYTE more than any other micro publication. They rely on BYTE for objective reporting and state-of-the-art analysis of the entire family of Apple micros and compatibles.

438,000 paid BYTE readers influence purchasing decisions for hundreds of.

very month BY I b draw$ over £ inquiries to advertised products. way to reach this responsive, influential

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micros own Apple PCs for business and personal use.

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Closing date

for space reservations: 8/21/84.

On-sale date: 10/24/84.

ss ana personal

BYTE

The One Source.

Research References:

1983 Talmis Study

1984 BYTE Brand Preference Stud

m

t r OnTWA, the fastest way to fly free

just got faster.

•Excluding Eastern flights that begin or end in Kansas City, and unlimited

mileage tickets. 'Together TWA and Eastern have more flights and fly more people within

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So call TWA and sign up with the fastest frequent flyer program anywhere.

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You're going to like us

346 B YTE • IULY 1984

BYTE WEST COAST

leference Text For: CIS

JOURNAL ANNOUNCEMENT: 818S

Hearings before the Su, ,er H.R. 6S88 (text, f.

488 571), the National I Est Luted Co«t unibus hill, to aaead

the National Security Ac ligence Agency Act of

194S, and the Foreign In The esti»ated DIALOG cost f 1978, to establish a statutory charter for since last connect is: vities. Includes the

following provisions to:

*. Define and deli $8.56 y organization and

functions, including sep IA, FBI, and HSft.

h. Provide standards tram Esc to continue: | activities directed at U.S. citizens. «

c. Establish procedures for congressional oversight and prior r.otif ication of covert intelligence and counterintelligence operations.

i. Cri»inalize unauthorized disclosure of information identifying intelligence agents and informants.

lisfUy the accwulated cost of this online session.

Photo 3: At any time during a search session, In-Search will extract information on the cost of the current search from Dialog. When you first log on to Dialog, you are automatically placed in the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) database. This database is priced at $2 5 an hour, less expensive than many other databases in Dialog, which occasionally are priced in excess of $100 an hour. Dialog automatically places you in a more expensive database only during the time actually spent searching and downloading information from that database. Currently. \n-Search does not supply you with information on the total cost at the conclusion of each session.

Photo 4: An example of a Dialog database search. The current database is the Congressional Information Service (CIS) that provides access to abstracts of publications produced by the committees and subcommittees of the U.S. Congress. This display screen is the query editor. You can enter keywords or phrases on each line. Lines S6 through S8 are examples of how In-Search will direct a particular search to locate references that contain several words or phrases. After determining how many references exist. \n-Search will retrieve them from Dialog and format them for display or output to a printer. When they are displayed on the screen, an overlapping window appears over the query editor for text display.

dependent on the control of a remote mainframe computer. If you wish to interrupt the flow of information from the Dialog mainframe, you can do so simply by paging backward or forward through the information in much the same way that you can scroll through a text document in word-processing software. Because information from Dialog can be captured in a buffer (InSearch tailors the size of the buffer to the available memory level of an indi

vidual computer) on your PC, it's possible to selectively mark records for later printing. You also can store retrievals to disk as ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) text that can be edited by a word processor or called up for viewing by In-Search.

In designing the In-Search user interface, Menlo Corporation has attempted to take concepts from other popular types of PC software. For example,

when working in the query editor, you can edit and change lines of text exactly as though you were working with a document text editor. In-Search has even supplied users with the option of the familiar WordStar command-key sequences for cursor control and word and character deletions (the cursorcontrol keypad is functional as well). The basic In-Search display also contains a menu of command options that are ar

{continued)

IULY 1984 • BYTE 347

KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS INC.

iformation Processing Components, Selected for Performance and Value.

FREE SHIPPING — NO EXTRA CHARGE FOR MASTER CARD AND VISA

PREPAID PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING AND INSURANCE, UPS Ground Continental USA only.

MODEMS

MONITORS

Amdek

300A 143

300C 133

310A 175

Dynax

12" Green 127

12" Amber 138

Taxan

RGB III 446

RGB 420 534

PCS

PGS HX12 473

MAX 12 .'. 196

SR12 Call

USI

Pi 2 12" Green 125

Pi 3 12" Amber 142

Sanyo

8112 Hi/Res 195

NEC

JB 1201 162

IB 1205A 172

JC 1410 817

Hayes

300 207

1200 493

1200B 432

Micromodem Me W/T 242

US Robotics

Password 307

Autodial 212A 460

Novation

Access 1,2,3 454

Apple Cat II 277

Prometheus Products

Promodem 1200 365

Options Processor 78

Memory $30 per 16K up to 64K

Alphanumeric Display 78

Procom Software-Apple, IBM 78

Rixon

PC212A 415

P212A ..■;.. 415

Ast Research

6-Pack 225

Combo Plus 225

Mega Plus 225

64 K Ram Set 55

Plantronics

Color Plus 375

Hercules Computer

Hercules Graphics Card 350

Amdek

MAI 477

Koala

Koala Graphic Tablet Call Everex

Dual Display Call

Number 9

Number 9 1448X1448 Call

PRINTERS

C. Itoh

IBM ACCESSORIES

Prowriter 851 OP 120 cps

340

Prowriter 8510SP 180 cps

477

Prowriter 8510SPC 180 cps color

552

Prowriter 1550P 120 cps

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685

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518

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510

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92p

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427

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705

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Printer Rom

45

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Gemini 10X

120 cps

285

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120 cps

423

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160 cps

448

Delta 15

160 cps

NEC

633

3550

40 cps

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7710

55 cps

Brother

1899

HRI

16 cps

569

HR25

23 cps

765

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34 cps

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Prism 132 color

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1419

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450

550

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431

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1014

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Juki

18 cps

Teletex

12 cps

Mansman Tally

80 cps

160 cps

DISK DRIVES

For IBM

Tandon TM100-2

Teac 55B Vi Height

Pan/Shug Vi Height

CDC

For Apple

Super 5 Vi Height

Quentin Ap 100-Y

Quentin Ap 105-Y Vi Height

Quentin Controller

Rana 1

Rana 1 with Controller

450

455

315 641

180 175 165 220

203 242 213 48 255 325

HAVE IT YOUR WAY

18 Slot Chassis 125 Watt Power

and IBM Compatible CPU

IMP SYSTEM — $1,300 The S-100 Concept for IBM Compatible Systems

You want a computer. You like the flexibility and options of the IBM PC. EXCEPT there are some things that you want your way. YOU:

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• Want more than three additional slots.

• Want a faster or different CPU.

• Want higher resolution graphics.

• Want Dvorak or other keyboard layout.

List Our

TIME SPECTRUM 395 Call

APSTEK 369 Call

CRAMBO 359 Call

BIG BLUE 600 Call

EASIBOARD + 15 functions 350

Maynard Sandstar , .'.. 230

PC CT 80186 8MHz 1195 Call

Scion 1595

Halo-lntlgnt High Res Graphics 150

PROTIUM 1195

Keytronics Keyboard QWERTY -169

Keytronics Keyboard DVORAK 169

Keytronics Keyboard 5151 255

Lotus 1-2-3 users, you need this keyboard.

COMPUTERS

Fr, Co TA Ea Ea Ea Ea Ea Ea Ea Ea

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lumbia 1600-1

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gle I

1709 2600

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2270

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2730

gle 1620

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TERMINALS

91 92 95

Televideo

4

563

5

717

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SOFTWARE

Ashton Tate

dBase II 389

Friday 184

Software Arts

TK Solver 215

Solver Pac 88

Seasoned Systems

Sure Stroke Dvorak Tutor . . 48

Sorcim

Super Calc III 189

Micro Pro

Wordstar 258

Mail Merge 131

Spellstar 131

Pro Pack 475

MBSI

Realworld CI 533

Realworld AR 533

ATI

For Most Software Programs 69

Hayes

Smart Com 72

Micro Stuff

Crosstalk 134

Micro Rim

RBase 344

Hard Disks Call

50 3000

Wyse Teletex

569 460

QNX System 5 "C"

Circle 174 on inquiry card.

Call Call

California Residents add 6.5% State Sales

Tax

Shipping extra for outside USA, FPO and

APO

Please include an address reachable by

UPS, no P.O. boxes, and your phone number

where you can be reached during the day.

(213) 344-4455

Knowledge Systems Inc.

19707 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills, CA 91364

ORDERING TERMS

Prepaid: Money Orders, Cashier's Checks, C tified Checks, Bank Wire Transfers, Master Car Visa, AM EX (add .3% for AM EX) and Person Checks (allow 15 banking days for all person checks). Please include Valid Driver's License and Major Credit Card for Identification.

OLYMPIC SPECIALS

PROMETHEUS Promodem 1200

$365

Options Processor $78

Memory $30 per 16k up to 64k

Alpha Numeric Display $78

Procom Soft ware-Apple or IBM . . $99

TSENG LABS 132 X 44 VIDEO

UURAPAK $585

ULTRAPAK RAM 64K $200

UIJRAPAKDisk Controller $187

Combines the features of a multi function card with that of a super spread sheet video card 132 X 44, with serial parrel! ports & clock, either RAM module or floppy controller.

APSTEK

MULTI FUNCITION CARD

• Parallel Port • Serial Port • Clock

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& Diagnostics • Up to 38K

Megabyte Floppy TEAC55F$195

For those who need more drive space & have less than infinite resources. These drives will run off your already existing controller, up to four drives. Use ] Format so you can read standard density diskettes and use to back up your small hard disk.

J Format $60

DATASHIELD UPS

UNITERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY Some know that it takes much less than a nuclear bomb to ruin your whole day. Blackouts, brownouts, surges, spikes and line noise name a few.

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300 Watt for 5 minutes, 50% load for 20 minutes

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64K

$275

STARWRITER

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ALLOY TAPE BACK-UP 17 MEGABYTES

Using a 3M data cassette. File oriented back up system allows infinite back up for any sized drive.

$1680

External drive and controller.

QNX

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384 K IMP SYSTEMS

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Parallel serial clock game port, Hercules graphics card, 2 ea. Vi high drives, Maynard sand star controller, Keytronics 5151 keyboard, Amdek monitor, amber

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dimension

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Surge protectors with noise suppression.

SF600M $26

6 outlets direct plug into wall socket.

SF1000 $60

10 outlets switched with circuit breaker and 6 foot cord.

VERBATIM DATALIFE

Single Side, Double Density 100 $225

KEYTRONICS 5151 $199

Spread Sheet, Data Base, Touch Typists and Star Ship operators, you need this keyboard to avoid the deadly Terminal Numlock syndrome.

New Dvorak 5151 $199

Sure Stroke. .Dvorak tutor $48

Apple iinv<. d n-jl keyboard KB200 $240

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Interactive 3-D Graphic design for micros. Plugs into your game port to give the j most productive design. An aid for archi- ; lects, designers, inventors, space habitat engineers, and other leading edge technonogists.

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33 Megabytes formatted $2280

External drive with controller & cable.

15 Megabytes formatted $1440

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8 Serial Ports on a Single Card.

Control Systems 8 Port IO .. $690

Take 1 IBM PC add 1 ONX operating system 1-2 of these cards and stir for a mulit-user system of up to 16 users.

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256K RAM, 2 each 320K Drives and Controller, Hi-Res Monitor & Video Card, 2 Serial and 1 Parallel ports. COLOR: add $100.

$2001

JAVA

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$1175

I WISH

Same as the Standard. PLUS 10 MB Hard Disk and 10 MB Tape backup. COLOR: add $100.

$4001

California Residents add 6.5% States Sales

Tax

Shipping extra for outside USA, FPO and

APO

Please include an address reachable by

UPS. no PO boxes, and your phone

number where you can be reached during

the day.

(213) 344-4455

Knowledge Systems Inc.

19707 Ventura Blvd.

Woodland Hills

ORDERING TERMS

Prepaid Money Orders. Cashier's Checks. Certified Checks, Bank Wire Transfers. Master Card. Visa. AM EX (add 3% for AM EX) and Personal Checks (allow 15 banking days for all personal checks). Please include Valid Driver's License # and Major Credit Card for Identification.

BYTE WEST COAST

ranged similarly to those provided by electronic spreadsheet programs. By pressing a function key, you can enter a command mode and select a command that will cause In-Search either to send a particular command to the Dialog system or to retrieve information from its own local database.

Although it is possible to first prepare a particular search strategy off line and then retrieve references quickly to minimize connect-time charges, In-Search is based on a different, more interactive philosophy of on-line database use.

Menlo's president, Lloyd Kreuzer, argues that In-Search is designed to function in a highly interactive manner. This sets it apart from other PC frontend software packages that assume you know what you want before going on line.

In contrast, Kreuzer believes that the most effective way to use a database like Dialog is to be able to alter a search strategy depending on the nature of the

data revealed on a search. "Interactive searching is less precise and therefore more likely to turn up things," he says. "The keyboard is never dead and |in fact) it is uncoupled from the Dialog process."

When using In-Search on a fixed disk, the program provides local on-line detailed information on each individual database. This information, traditionally provided as printed textual documentation by Dialog (on forms called "blue sheets"), allows you to obtain information on the scope of an individual database as well as information on specific database indexes that aid in refining searches.

In-Search also supplies you with local context-sensitive on-line help both for using Dialog and In-Search. If you have an IBM PC without a fixed disk, you must insert one of four separate floppy disks that represent major database categories: arts, education, and social sciences; biology and medicine; busi

ness, government, and news; and engineering, mathematics, and physical science. On a fixed-disk PC, these files are directly accessible by the program and in the future it may be possible for the Menlo Corporation to use Dialog to download updates both to the on-line reference sheets and to the In-Search program itself.

The search process begins with selection of a database to search in. The first In-Search display shows three windows. Two small windows on the left side of the screen allow you to select one of the four major categories and to select further specific subject areas within each category. After you select category and subject you can select a specific database. At this point you are placed in the query editor (In-Search calls this the Search Keywords and Phrases screen) to formalize a search.

After In-Search sends the query to Dialog, the references yielded by each

(continued)

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search are displayed in a separate window referred to as a reference text display. Any search words that you entered in the query editor appear as highlighted text as they are scrolled on the reference text screen.

At the same time, information on modem status is given in a small window in the lower-right corner of the display. When Dialog is sending records, the window indicates Phone-Working. The status changes to Phone-Online after the records have been retrieved or when you interrupt the retrieval process.

For a simple search to answer the question "Are there any books currently available that describe bicycle tours of the California wine-growing region?" You would first select the Books in Print database and then enter the words "bicycle." "wine," and "California" in the query editor. You enter each of these words on a separate line. The first three lines of the editor are labeled SI, S2, and S3. On line S4, you enter the phrase "SI AND S2 AND S3" to insure that any reference in Books in Print that contains the first three words in its abstract will be located. (Running this query with InSearch located one book: Grape Expeditions: Bicycle Tours of the California Wine Country.)

In-Search documents the AND, OR. and NOT logical operators, which are subsets of Dialog's complete range. However, expert users can implement all the other search operators that Dialog permits.

Effective searching of the Dialog database, even with In-Search, is frequently complicated. Since Dialog is generally a collection of document abstracts, it is

heavily indexed, and it is important to understand the structure of the indexes to conduct a complete search.

A Dialog database is broken into records that are composed of fields. A typical record might include fields such as title, author, journal, abstract, descriptors, and identifiers. (Descriptors and identifiers are standard and nonstandard terms used by the database publisher to identify the subject matter of a record.) Each field is indexed either as a word index or as a phrase index.

In-Search gives you on-line access to specific indexes for each database. You can select an index for any term or phrase entered on the query editor screen. You also can send the Dialog database an "Expand" command that shows a listing of indexed words around the particular search word for a particular field in the database. This often will aid in narrowing down the focus of a search. (It is possible to search only one Dialog database at a time, however, some preselection is possible by searching the subject index first with a special command.)

The importance of indexed searching was exemplified when I searched for my last name in The Computer Database. No references were found; however, when the author index was specified. Dialog located 106 references.

Possibly the most intriguing aspect of this new class of software is the change that it portends in the realm of microcomputer-to-mainframe communications. The analogy that casts the mainframe database in the role of an operating system, linked simultaneously to many remote application programs.

brings many possibilities into view. In this model, interaction between microcomputers and mainframe computers would be similar to program calls to an operating system.

Menlo's Kreuzer has called upon online database providers to develop an open-architecture, machine-to-machine interface standard that would permit third-party software developers to create a new generation of applications programs.

"(What is needed is) a universal set of calls to create an open standard for the on-line community that will let us, or anyone, write applications programs," he says. "The information industry literally will explode once we have a machine interface to all the data."

Such an architecture would move in a philosophically different direction than the one currently being followed by some on-line information providers who have been setting up systems based on hierarchical "user-friendly" menus for novice users.

Instead, Kreuzer is aiming at fundamentally changing the division of labor between mainframes and PCs. While it is logical that the data searching and sorting algorithms will remain on the mainframe computer, the PC can be expected to handle the user interface, on-line help, and preprocessing of the search request more efficiently.

Further Benefits

Tighter coupling of the communications process between mainframe host and remote PC potentially can yield other dividends as well. Higher data-commu

{continued)

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37377. CDP REVIEW MANUAL: A Data Processing Handbook. Third Edition. Kenniston W Lord, Jr. Indcpth coverage of equipment, management, mathematics and statistics, and more. Softbound. $29.95 37970. CICS/VS COMMAND LEVEL WITHANS COBOL EXAMPLES. Pacifico A. Lim. An excellent guide to on-line (teleprocessing) concepts. $29.95 41618-2. DATABASE DESIGN. Second Edition. Gio Wiederhold. Completely revised edition of the comprehensive and authoritative work. Counts as 2 choices.

$32.00 42013. THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF COMPILERS. Robin Hunter. Lexical analysis, storage allocation, code generation, syntax analysis, symbol table handling, and more. $27.50

42036. THE DESIGN OF COMPLEX INFORMATION SYSTEMS. Grayce M Booth Hard-won design techniques and methods. $29.95

49428-2.FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERACTIVE COMPUTER GRAPHICS. Foley and Van Dam. The representation of 3D shapes, shading models, intensity and color, creating realistic synthetic images, and more. Counts as 2 choices. $36.95

49476. FUNDAMENTALS OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES. Ellis Horowitz. What they are, how they perform, and how superior language designs will arise in the future. $23.95

62614. MICROBOOK: Database Management for the Apple II. Ted Lewis. Fully-worked out programs written in Pascal, with sample screens. Softbound. $19.95

64728. 1984 PROGRAMMER'S MARKET. Edited by Brad McGehee. More than 500 listings of software publishers who use freeflance material. Softbound. $16.95 70723. THE PROGRAMMER'S CP/M HANDBOOK. Andy Johnson-Laird. A technically-oriented guide for the small computer user. $27.95

42000-2. DESIGN AND STRATEGY FOR DISTRIBUTED DATA PROCESSING. James Martin. The basics, potentials and impact of DDP decisions. Counts as2choices. $37.50

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40430. CONTROLLING SOFTWARE PROJECTS: Management, Measurement & Estimation. Tom DeMarco. $28.50 40072-2. COMPUTER VISION. Ballard and Brown From image scanning to frame theory. Includes: optical flow, templates and image geometry and more. Counts as 2 choices. $39.95

70748. PROGRAMMING A PERSONAL COMPUTER. P Hansen. The fundamentals of the Edison System. Softbound. $18.95

73625. REAL-TIME SOFTWARE. Robert L. Glass A compendium of outstanding articles on real-time design. $24.95 88012-2. WRITINGS OF THE REVOLUTION: Selected Readings on Software Engineering. Edited by Edward Yourdon. A collection of 25 hard-to-find articles. Softbound. Counts as 2 choices. $33.00 32152. ADA FOR PROGRAMMERS. Olsen and Whitehill. A practical workingguide. $18.95

43965. 8086/8088 16-BIT MICROPROCESSOR PRIMER. Morgan and mite. Featuring Intel's 8088 as used in the IBM Personal Computer. Softbound. $18.95 51923. A GUIDE FOR SOFTWARE ENTREPRENEURS. A. L. Frank. $29.00 52 00. HIGH LEVEL COBOL PROGRAMMING. Weinberget al. The classic handbook. Softbound edition.

$24.95 53860. HOW TO SOLVE IT BY COMPUTER. R G Dromey $19.95

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54565. THE ICON PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE. R. and M. Griswold. A general-purpose language with unique abilities to handle nonnumeric data. $18.95 55098. INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN THE 80s: Products, Markets, and Vendors. Ulric Weil. $29.95 55350. INFORMATION INTEGRITY: A Structure For Its Definition and Management. Hal B Becker. $26.95

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4. Convenient Service. At 3-4 week intervals (16 times per year) you will receive the Book Club News, describing the Main Selection and Alternate Selections, together with a dated reply card. If you want the Main Selection, do nothing and it will be sent to you automatically. If you prefer another selection, or no book at all, simply indicate your choice on the card, and return it by the date specified. You will have at least 10 days to decide. If, because of late mail delivery of the News, you should receive a book you do not want, we guarantee return postage.

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Wolfgang K. Giloi. Comprehensive, practical guide for generating effective graphic displays, picture representation and transformation, and more. $28.95 58104. LEGAL CARE FOR YOUR SOFTWARE: A Step-by-Step Guide for Computer Software Writers. Daniel Remer. Copyrights, trademarks, and more. Softbound. $19.95 58811. LOGICAL CONSTRUCTION OF SYSTEMS. Jean-Dominique Warmer. Every aspect of system design.

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$34.95 60326-2. MANAGING THE DATA-BASE ENVIRONMENT. James Martin. "The computer industry's most widely read author, best attended lecturer and foremost authority on the social and commercial impact of computers."— Computer World. Counts as 2 choices. $35.00 82558. TECHNIQUES OF PROGRAM AND SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. G. Parikh. How to keep our systems running. $24.95

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$29.50 62638. MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEMS. M. Aumiaux. How to make reliable evaluations, define overall structure, evaluate characteristics, and more. $26.00 67042. PASCAL FOR PROGRAMMERS. Lecarme andNcbul. Packed with examples, diagrams, and sample codes. $22.95

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If the reply card has been removed, please write to:

The Library of Computer and Information Sciences

Dept. 7-CD6, Riverside, N.J. 08075

toobtain membership information and an application.

Byte 7/84

JULY 1984 -BYTE 353

BYTE WEST COAST

\n~Search uses a significant amount of data compression on the large on-line reference files that are stored on the PC to reduce their size bu almost 40 percent.

nications speeds is one obvious possibility. In-Search already uses a significant amount of data compression on the large on-line reference files that are stored on the PC to reduce their size by almost 40 percent. There are a series of simple strategies for increasing the data-communications bandwidth as well. If the applications program can be coupled more tightly to the host computer, it is possible to employ a variety of data-compression strategies to go beyond the current 1200-bps (bit-persecond) limitation over phone lines.

Post-processing is another significant area. While In-Search currently formats only downloaded information and stores it to disk or outputs it to a printer, several other on-line search programs permit later manipulation of information as well. SciMate, from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) in Philadelphia, is an on-line search program that is priced at $880 and designed for IBM PC, Apple II, and CP/M computers. It provides for automatic logon and query of four different database

systems and includes a local database manager that makes it possible to store downloaded information. The database component of SciMate is called Personal Data Manager. It will take advantage of the record and field structure of information from a host computer or permit you to create your own structure for a local database. Although there are limitations on field and record size, Personal Data Manager permits you to link records to store longer textual documents. You also can move files to wordprocessing programs or merge locally created notes or documents into the database.

In a smaller fashion, Informatics General Corporation and VisiCorp have developed two complementary programs, Answer/DB and VisiAnswer, that permit the transfer of quantitative data from a corporate mainframe computer to an IBM PC where it can then be loaded into a VisiCalc spreadsheet program for local analysis.

Faster Modems for PCs

Today there are a series of barriers confronting high-speed PC data communications. Most of these barriers fall within the realm of the voice-grade telecommunication network and into existing modem technologies designed to send data over this network.

Yet, while digital technologies are promising dramatically higher communication speeds, a series of new modem designs is being introduced that will bring PC-to-PC data rates up to 9600 bps and, with additional data compres

sion, may push speeds higher.

The new technology wasn't originally developed for personal computer users, but rather for digital-facsimile transmission systems. Now that the technology has been moved to PCs, it raises a number of possibilities, including using facsimile machines as remote inputoutput devices for PCs.

Gamma Technology, a Palo Alto, California, data-communications corporation, recently introduced the FAXT-96, a half-duplex 9600-bps synchronous modem board for the IBM PC and PC XT.

Priced initially at $1995 and designed to be used with a synchronous adapter card, the FAXT-96 plugs directly into a card slot in an IBM PC or PC compatible and permits 9600-bps communication over ordinary dial-up telephone lines. The modem includes auto-dial, autoanswer, and multiple-speed features. It connects directly to a phone line and to a synchronous adapter.

The use of dial-up 9600-bps communications is new. It has been made possible because of improvements in modem technology and improvements in the method of encoding digital data on bandwidth-limited voice-grade lines. Control of the FAXT-96 is handled in software from a "master control panel" screen on the IBM PC.

Previous high-speed synchronous modems have been stand-alone units that have been intended for either remote-terminal or micro-to-mainframe communication. The Gamma Technology modem differs in that, although it can be used as a high-speed microIcon tinued)

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Communications

ASCOM™

ASCOM™ is the most versatile asynchronous communication package for microcomputers on the market. It features interactive, menu-driven, and batch operations; supports auto-answer and auto-dial modems; includes most popular protocols; provides network simulation; and many other options.Xerox Corporation, NCR, Monroe Systems for Business, and the big 8 accounting firms use ASCOM™.

SYNC/cq|\/|tm_a bisynchronous communication package that will De configurable for a variety of systems and includes a flexible interface to the operating system. 2780/3780/3270 protocols available on microcomputers with appropriate hardware.

TERMCOM™—A configurable terminal emulator allowing any personal computer to emulate most conversational and selected block mode terminals with asynchronous communications. Available December 1983.

Utilities

EM80/86™

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IULY 1984

iYTE 355

BYTE WEST COAST

to-mainframe communications link, a software package also is being offered that permits error-checked PC-to-PC file transmission at 9600 bps.

The shift from asynchronous to synchronous transmission protocols at higher data rates frees the communication process from the start-stop bit overhead, a difference that automatically yields about a 20 percent increase in transmission efficiency.

The significance of higher data communications rates has grown with the deregulation of the communications industry because communication costs are expected to rise. Gamma Technology is claiming that an eightfold increase in data rate (from 1200 bps to 9600 bps) will save several thousand dollars a year if 160K bytes of information are transmitted daily across the United States. Savings would be even greater if data were transmitted overseas.

The FAXT-96 can be programmed to

meet several international modem standards set by the CCITT (International Consultant Committee for Telegraph and Telephone). The standards include CCITT V.29 at 9600, 7200, and 4800 bps and CCITT V.27 at 4800 and 2400 bps. Until now, U.S. modem signaling standards have been dominated by ATSTdeveloped standards. That's changing, both because of the global need for communications and because AT&T has less influence in an area of deregulation. There are some limitations. Because sending data at 9600 bps is pressing to the limit what currently is possible with voice-grade lines, poor line quality can make it impossible to send data at that speed. To cope with line-quality problems, the Gamma Technology modem automatically tests line quality during an initial handshaking phase and then sets transmission speed at the highest data rate the line will support, ranging from 9600 bps down to 2400 bps. The line test is done by having one system send

a known signal to the receiving system. The receiving system knows what it is supposed to get and can make adjustments to make the closest fit.

A recent study by Xerox of facsimilesystem performance showed that the same modem technology that Gamma is using would support 9600-bps data transmission worldwide approximately 75 percent of the time over voice-grade lines. Over domestic long-distance lines the 7200-bps rate had to be selected only 27 percent of the time.

In addition to cutting communications costs, higher-speed data communications opens up new applications. Facsimile-to-PC connections would make the transmission of the textual information possible for bit-mapped display on the IBM PC. At 9600 bps the facsimiletransmission time for an 8'/2- by 11-inch piece of paper is 30 seconds. Another possibility is for the transmission of specialized database information that includes diagrams or other images. ■

KITE

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Before Johann Sebastian Bach developed a new method of tuning, you had to change instruments practically every time you wanted to change keys.Very difficult.

Before Avocet introduced its family of cross-assemblers, developing micro-processor software was much the same. You needed a separate development system for practically every type of processor. Very difficult and very expensive.

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The Well-Tempered Cross-Assembler

Development Tools That Work

Avocet cross-assemblers are fast, reliable and user-proven in over 3 years of actual use. Ask NASA, IBM, XEROX or the hundreds of other organizations that use them. Every time you see a new microprocessorbased product, there's a good chance it was developed with Avocet crossassemblers.

Avocet cross-assemblers are easy to use. They run on any computer with CP/M* and process assembly language for the most popular microprocessor families.

51/*" disk formats available at no extra cost include Osborne, Xerox, H-P, IBM PC, Kaypro, North Star, Zenith, Televldeo, Otrona, DEC.

Turn Your Computer Into A Complete Development System

Of course, there's more. Avocet has the tools you need from start to finish to enter, assemble and test your software and finally castitinEPROM:

Text Editor VEDIT - full-screen text editor by CompuView. Makes source code entry a snap. Full-screen text editing, plus TECO-like macro facility for repetitive tasks. Pre-configured for over 40 terminals and personal computers as well as in userconfigurable form.

CP/M-80 version $150

CP/M-86 or MDOS version $195

(when ordered with any Avocet product)

EPROM Programmer Model 7128 EPROM Programmer by GTek programs most EPROMS without the need for personality modules. Self-contained power supply ... accepts ASCII commands and data from any computer through RS 232 serial interface. Cross-assembler hex object files can be down-loaded directly. Commands include verify and read, as well as partial programming.

PROM types supported: 2508, 2758, 2516, 2716, 2532, 2732, 2732A, 27C32, MCM8766, 2564, 2764, 27C64, 27128, 8748, 8741, 8749, 8742, 8751, 8755, plus Seeq and Xicor EEPROMS.

Circle 34 on inquiry card.

Avocet Cross-assembler

Target Microprocessor

CP/M-80 Version

CP/M-86 IBM PC, MSDOS"

Versions

XASMZ80

Z-80

XASM85

8085

XASM05

6805

$200.00 each

$250.00 each

XASM09

6809

XASM18

1802

XASM48

8048/8041

XASM51

8051

XASM65

6502

XASM68

6800/01

XASMZ8

Z8

XASMF8

F8/3870

$300.00 each

XASM400

COP400

XASM75

NEC 7500

$500.00

Coming soon: XASM68K...68000

(Upgrade kits will be available for new PROM types as they are introduced.)

Programmer $429

Options include:

Software Driver Package enhanced features, no installation required.

CP/M-80 Version $75

IBM PC Version $ 95

RS 232 Cable $30

8748 family socket adaptor... $ 98 8751 family socket adaptor. . . $174 8755 family socket adaptor . . . $135

G7228 Programmer by GTek - baud to 2400 ... superfast, adaptive programming algorithms ... programs 2764 in one minute.

Programmer $549

Ask us about Gang and PAL programmers.

HEXTRAN Universal HEX File Converter - Converts to and from Intel, Motorola, MOS Technology, Mostek, RCA, Fairchild, Tektronix, Texas Instruments and Binary formats.

Converter, each version $250

Call Us

If you're thinking about development systems, call us for some straight talk. If we don't have what you need, we'll help you find out who does. If you like, we'll even talk about Bach.

CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-448-8500

(In the U.S. except Alaska and Hawaii)

VISA and Mastercard accepted. Ail popular disc formats now available -- please specify. Prices do not include shipping and handling •■ call for exact quotes OEM INQUIRIES INVITED

'Trademark of Digital Research ' 'Trademark of Microsoft

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For information 1-404-449-8089

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Circle 217 on inquiry card

The Micromint

Micromint. Supporting the varied projects that appear in Steve Ciarcia's ______ — _ „ __ _ _ _. monthly article in BYTE Magazine, "Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar." Offering a wide

^AllA/^flAlt range of comPulers and peripherals designed to meet the exacting demands of ^&\JMI" %0 Cf wff I the hobbyist as well as worldwide corporate clients

TERM-MITE ST

SMART TERMINAL BOARD

As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar BYTE Magazine, January & February 1984

All you need to build a Smart Video Terminal equivalent to the types advertised for $1,000.00 or more is a Term-Mite ST circuit board, scanned or parallel keyboard, video monitor and power supply,

• Uses brand new Nat'l Semi NS455A Terminal Processor.

• 24 lines by 80 characters. 25th reverse-video status.

• Upper & lowercase. Line (block) graphics.

• Selectable data rate, parity & display options.

• Reverse video, half intensity, double height & width, underlined, bimking and-or blank character.

• Separate sync or composite video output. Self Test Term-Mite ST Video Display Terminal Board

BCC22 Assembled & Tested $284.

BCC23 Complete Kit 244.

MPX-16 MICROCOMPUTER IBM PC COMPATIBLE

Z8 BASIC SYSTEM CONTROLLER NEW!!!

COMING SOON! MICRO D-CAM

FORTH LANGUAGE VERSION DIGITAL TV CAMERA OF THE Z8

As featured on the cover of BYTE Magazine. Also featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar November, December 1982 & January 1983

The Computer With A Split Personality. —Use it as an IBM PC look alike that directly boots PC DOS 11 and accepts all expansion boards designed for the IBM PC. —Use it as a powerful 8088 single board computer for all your OEM applications. Just add serial terminal, disk drive and power supply. Directly boots CP/M-86. Buy the MPX-16 in the form that best meets your needs or budget. As a bare board, as a wave soldered board that contains all components less ICs, as an assembled and tested circuit board or as a complete system.

• Directly boots PC DOS 1.1 and CP/M-86.

• Most IBM PC software executes with no modifications

• IBM PC bus compatible +- 9 expansion slots

• Intel 808816-bit microprocessor.

• Optional Intel 8087 math coprocessor.

• 256K bytes on board memory,

• Up to one megabyte of system memory.

• Up to 64K bytes of system ROM/EPROM.

• 2 RS-232C Serial & 3 Parallel I 0 ports.

• Disk controller (or 5V4" or 8" drives.

• Sixteen levels of vectored interrupts. MPX-16 Circuit Board Assembled

W/64KRAM $1,200.

OEM 100 quantity price 900.

MPX-16 Circuit Board Asembled

W256KRAM 1,400.

MPX-16 Semi-Kit (wave soldered circuit

board w all components) Less ICs 595.

Complete Kit of ICs W/256K RAM 595.

MPX-16 Unpopulated (bare) PC Board .... 300. CP/M-86 Operating System - Manuals ... 80.

MPX-16 Switching Power Supply 300.

MPX-16 Technical Reference Manual 50.

MPX-16 Metal Enclosure with Fan 300.

Tandon TM100-2 Double Sided/Density

Drive 300.

IBM PC Keyboard Interface Adapter 100.

Shipping & handling additional on all

MPX-16 orders.

I8M PC is a trademark of international Business Machines Inc. CPM-86 is a trademark of Digital Research Inc. Z8 is a trademark of Zilog Inc

Circle 218 on inquiry card.

As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar. BYTE Magazine, July & August 1981

The Z8 Basic System Controller is an updated version of our popular BCC01. The price has been reduced and features added. The entire computer is 4" by AW and includes a tiny BASIC interpreter, up to 6K bytes of RAM and EPROM. one RS-232C serial port with switchable baud rates and two parallel ports. BASIC or machine language programming is accomplished simply by connecting a CRT terminal. Programs can be transferred to 2732 EPROMs with an optional EPROM programmer for auto start appiications. Additional Z8 peripheral boards include memory expansion, serial and parallel I/O, real time clock, an A/D Converter and an EPROM programmer

• Uses Zilog Z8 single chip microprocessor.

• Data and address buses available for 124K memory.

• Can be battery operated.

• Cross assemblers for various computers.

BCCTI Assembled & Tested S149.

New Low Price

Z8 MEMORY. I/O EXPANSION. CASSETTE INTERFACE

• 8K bytes of additional RAM or EPROM

• Three additional 8 bit parallel ports.

• Cassette interface—300 baud K.C. Standard

• Software real time clock

BCC03 w/4K RAM Assembled I Tested S150

BCC04 w/8K RAM Assembled & Tested 180.

Z8 EPROM PROGRAMMER

• Transfer BASIC or Assembly Language application programs from RAM to 2716 or 2732 EPROM.

• Comes with programming & utility routines on EPROM

• Requires BCC03 Z8 Expansion Board for operation. BCC07 Assembled & Tested $145.

Z8 ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTER

i Uses Analog Devices 7581 IC, 8-channel 8-bit.

• Adds process control capability to the Z8 system

• Over 1,000 conversions per channel per second.

• Monitors 8 analog signals in one of two 10v ranges. BCC13 Assembled & Tested $140.

Z8 SERIAL EXPANSION BOARD

• Adds additional RS-232C and opto-isolated 20 ma current loop serial port to the Z8 System

• Runs at 75 to 19,200 baud in all protocols

• Comes with listings of sample serial I/O routines BCC08 Assembled & Tested $160

Z816K MEMORY EXPANSION BOARD

• Add up to 16K of additional memory. RAM or EPROM, to your Z8 System Controller in any multiple.

• Accepts 2016, 6116, 2716, or 2732 memory types

• Four 16K cards may be installed on the Z8 System bringing the total memory to 64K

BCC14 Assembled & Tested w/8K RAM $120.

BCC16 Assembled & Tested w16K RAM 155.

With the new Z8 with on board 4K FORTH you can

program high speed control functions in a few simple

high level language commands. Perfect for data

reduction, process control and high speed control

applications

BCC20 Z8F FORTH Microprocessor chip $150

8CC21 Z8F FORTH System Controller

(This board is a BCC11 with a BCC20

installed)

Assembled & Tested 280.

Z8 CROSS ASSEMBLERS

From Micro Resources

IBM PC, APPLE, 6502 Systems 5Vt",

CP/M2.28 S 75.

From Allen Ashley

TRS-80 Model I. III. Northstar 5V4" 75.

CP/M2.28" 150.

Z8 FIVE SLOT MOTHER BOARD

• Expand your Z8 BASIC System with minimum effort

• Contains five slots complete w44 pin connectors. MB02 Assembled & Tested $69.

TRIPLE VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLIES

+5V @ 300 ma. +' - 12V @ 25 ma.

UPS01 Assembled & Tested $35.

UPS02 Complete Kit 27.

+5V@1Amp. +12V@.5Amp. -12V@50ma.

UPS03 Assembled & Tested SO.

UPS04 Complete Kit 50.

SPEECH SYNTHESIZERS

MICROVOX TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

As featured in Ciarcia s Circuit Cellar BYTE Magazine September, October 1982.

Microvox is a second generation professional voice quality text-to-speech synthesizer that is easily interfaced to any computer, modern, RS-232C serial or parallel output device and provides speech of unbelievable clarity.

• Unlimited vocabulary

• 64 programmable inflection levels.

• 6K text-to-speech algorithm.

• Full ASCII character set recognition and echo.

• RS232C and parallel output.

• 1000 character butter. 3000 optional

• Adjustable baud rates (75-9600).

• Spelling output mode.

• 7 octave music and sound effects

• On board audio amplifier & power supply

• X-OnX-Off handshaking

MV01 Assembled with 1K buffer $299.

MV02 Complete Kit with 1K butter 219.

Add $15.00 for 3K butter option

VOTRAX SC-01A PHONETIC SPEECH SYNTHESIZER IC

The SC-01A Speech Synthesizer is a completely selfcontained solid state device that phonetically synthesizes continuous speech of unlimited vocabulary Used in our Microvox and Sweet-Talker SCOIA Quantity 1-39 W4. ea.

100 + 32. ea.

1000 • 24. ea.

As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar BYTE Magazine, September & October 1983

GIVE YOUR COMPUTER THE DIMENSION OF SIGHT

• Interprets, enhances and stores images

• 256 > 128 digital image sensor

• Plug-in boards for the IBM-PC, APPLE II - or e.

• Software includes utilities for auto exposure, multi-level greyscale. screen dump and image enhancement

• Includes interface card, 4 foot extension cable. camera assembly, manual, and software on diskette

DC01 IBM PC Assembled & Tested $299.

DC02 IBM PC Complete Kit 264.

DC03 APPLE II Assembled & Tested 299.

DC04 APPLE II Complete Kit 264.

300 BAUD ANSWER/ ORIGINATE MODEM KIT

As featured in Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar BYTE Magazine. March 1983

Micromint's latest 300 Baud Modem Kit is crystal controlled, uses the Tl TMS99532 IC, contains just 25 parts and requires no calibration or adjustments Use with acoustic coupler or in direct connect mode

MDD4 Complete Kit as shown $60.

MD05 Transformer lor Direct Connect Mode .. 9. I Acoustic Coupler Kit 20.

E-Z COLOR GRAPHIC INTERFACE WITH SPRITES

APFHII E-Z Color plug-in hoard with Graphics Editor on 3.3 disk

EZ01 Assembled & Tested $150.

EZ02 Complete Kit 125.

APPLE II E-Z Color Plus

• Allows the use of a single monitor or TV set

EZTI Assembled & Tested w Graphics Editor . $200 KP.EII LOGO tor E-Z Color and E-Z Color Plus Supports Sprite Graphics

EZ21 Krell LOGO w lull documentation $89

Animation Software for E-Z Color Plus

• Draw with Sprites using Joystick or Koala Pad

• Animate Sprites from your own BASIC program EZ21 Animation Software $49.

S100 E-Z Color Graphics Board

• With sound generator & loystick interface

• MBASIC Graphics Editor on 8" diskette

£204 Assembled & Tested $289.

MICROMINT INC. 561 Willow Avenue. Cedarhurst, NY 11516 To Order: Call Toll Free 1-800-645-3479 For Information Call: 1-516-374-6793 Call: Monday-Friday, 9-5 PM

BYTE JAPAN

Wrist computer

Akihabara

RAM chips

Counting words

by William Raike

Start-Up

T;

| his is my first column as BYTE's Tokyo correspondent. In the coming months I'll be bringing you news about developments in personal computers in Japan, an idea of what kinds of hardware and software are on the market here (and. for you software entrepreneurs, what isn't), and periodic stories about what people use their computers for. When computer shows happen, you'll read about them; when there is interesting hardware progress to be reported on, you'll hear about that, too. And living here in Japan, 10,000 miles or so from Peterborough, offers a unique perspective on the computer explosion in the United States; you'll read my fearless observations and predictions about that as well. If you would like to contact me, 1 can be reached at BYTE, POB 372, Hancock, NH 03449.

Seiko's Wrist Computer

For this month's new product preview, I discovered the wrist computer system from Seiko. 1 couldn't resist it; I went right out and bought one. Not really a "wristwatch computer," this item is actually a system of components. The watch itself, or more properly, the "wrist unit," besides being a normal-size digital watch with alarm and stopwatch features, contains storage space for 2000 characters organized into two pages, or "memos," of 1000 characters each. The watch also has a liquid-crystal display (LCD) with four lines of 10 characters each. Each character is 5 by 7 dots. Buttons (it has only four) at the bottom of the dark-brown bezel allow you to select either Memo A or Memo B and scroll upward or downward, in addition to using the conventional watch, alarm, and stopwatch functions. You can begin scrolling at either the beginning or end of a memo and proceed either one line at a time or, by holding a scrolling button down, four lines at a time.

The legibility of the display is quite good. The characters are typewriter-size (about 12 per inch), except the time-display digits, which are one-and-a-half characters high for better readability. It has no light; after all, the case has to hold five CMOS (complementary metaloxide semiconductor) LSI (large-scale integra

tion) chips and one bipolar IC (integrated circuit) in addition to the display and a battery. The display has no shadows and the viewing angle is sufficiently wide. Display contrast, remarkably, is adjustable via a separate keyboard unit.

Data entry is accomplished with the separate keyboard unit, which is about the size of a Hershey bar and weighs a little over 2 ounces. The left side contains a square indentation into which you press the watch either to store data in it or to use the watch as a display for the calculator function. It has a QWERTY-style keyboard with 50 keys, plus a Return key and space bar, 4 cursor keys, 4 mode-selection keys, and 2 Shift keys. In the units sold here in Japan, the second Shift key enables each character key to enter a katakana character (one of the two sets of Japanese phonetic characters—the other is hiragana) in addition to upper- and lowercase alphanumeric entry. One feature I found slightly annoying was that the normal mode is uppercase instead of lowercase, with no shift-lock function. Other than that, the watch and keyboard units work like a charm and are easy to learn and operate.

In order to store data in the watch, you snap the watch into the keyboard unit and press the Transmit button on the watch; then select a memo page by pressing either the Memo A or Memo B key on the keyboard. You enter data (or do editing) simply by positioning the cursor and typing the desired text. When you press the Transmit button again, the process ends. The watch becomes a display for the calculator function by pressing CAL instead of Memo A or Memo B and then using the numeric keys and arithmetic operation keys on

(continued)

William Raike, who holds a PhD. in applied mathematics from Northwestern University, has taught operations research and computer science in Austin. Texas, and Monterey. California. He holds a patent on a voice scrambler and was formerly an officer of Cryptext Corporation in the United States. In 1980, he went to'japan looking for 64K-fe RAMs. He has been there ever since as a technical translator and a software developer.

JULY 1984 'BYTE 361

BYTE JAPAN

they keyboard; using the CAL function has no effect on the data stored in the watch.

You may wonder how data is transferred between the watch and the keyboard, particularly because they have absolutely no connectors. The answer: a combination of electromagnetic coupling and serial transmission at 2048 bits per second.'

In addition to the wristwatch and keyboard units, other devices are available: a "controller," which is the size of a small desk calculator and contains a small printer, and an interface adapter for interfacing between the watch and a personal computer.

The controller, according to the instruction manual, is programmable in Microsoft BASIC (using the wristwatch as its display), in addition to duplicating the data entry and calculator functions of the small keyboard unit. ROM (readonly memory) packs for games are also available. Unfortunately, the controller that was demonstrated to me was not working properly, so it was impossible to correctly evaluate it.

One of the lapanese computer magazines has reported briefly on the interface adapter, but dealers will only say that it will be available "Any Day Now." |Editor's Note: "Any Day Now" is the lapanese equivalent of Jerry Pournelle's "Real Soon Now." |

Being the first on your block to own one of these is sure to elicit oohs and aahs from your friends; no doubt there are multifarious uses for the thing. The amazing thing to me is not the technology; it's that the combined price for the watch and keyboard unit is less than $100.

AKIHABARA

A whole city district in Tokyo, called Akihabara, is the center of the consumer-electronics explosion. In future columns, I'll report on the goingson there in the personal computer field and on new products. Upcoming topics will include the latest on two 16-bit machines from Sharp and Fujitsu, and some features of the upcoming Japanese-language personal word processors now appearing on the market.

Technology Frontier

The personal computer market in the next few years will be deeply affected

not only by the new generation of 32-bit microprocessors, whose development is being pioneered in the United States, but also by advances in memory technology, such as the 256K-bit RAM (random-access read/write memory) chips now available in sample quantities from Japanese suppliers. And prototypes of 1-megabit RAM chips exist. Over the longer term, Tokyo-area university research groups are already pressing for development of a 100megabit RAM by the 1990s.

In the immediate future, and of direct relevance to large computer systems, are extremely high-speed memory packages. Hitachi has just announced a bipolar memory module that, although low-capacity, has an access time of 4.5 nanoseconds. Hitachi claims that the density of circuit integration in the new module is the highest in the world.

Six bipolar LSI chips are bonded to a multilayer silicon substrate in a total area of one square centimeter to provide 6K bits of memory. The 108-pin quad package has a hefty heat sink because power consumption is approximately 6 watts. But Hitachi says the basic technology can be used to develop modules for other IC families, including CMOS.

C Across the Sea

Computers have been a part of my life for more than 20 years now. While more computing power is on my desk now than used to be available in the whole room it took to hold the IBM 704 that first grabbed my interest, I still have a sense of wonder about these quiet beasts. And I still get enthusiastic about developing a new piece of software that helps me or another user, sophisticated or not, get some job done more easily, quickly, or conveniently. So this column will contain descriptions and listings of programs that do that, along with programming hints that may help you write better programs.

Besides being a columnist, I do technical translation and free-lance software development, and sometimes consulting. That means I get to use my computer as a word processor nearly every day for between 20 and 60 pages of text. With that kind of motivation, I have good reasons for developing programs that help me get more out of my word processor. I use WordStar; while it may

not be everything the heart could desire, it does just about everything a word processor should do, and simple postprocessor programs can do a lot to make it (or any word processor) more useful.

One example is something as elementary as word counting. Translations (and other documents) are often paid for on a per-word basis. Believe it or not, many translation agencies in Tokyo employ people to count words, manually, in each document they handle. (But you lose a sense of amazement at such things in Tokyo, where every major department store hires "greeters" to cheerfully and respectfully meet everyone coming into the store with a bow and a smile.)

Word counting is simple, even though WordStar imposes certain additional tasks, like ignoring "dot commands" (lines that begin with a period, used for document formatting) and coping with bytes that have the high-order bit set and therefore don't look like the characters they're supposed to be. (On your system, if you use CP/M to TYPE a WordStar document file, you'll probably see all kinds of graphics characters where the last letter in a word should be; on mine, I get katakana characters.) Written in C, the program shown in listing 1 is a straightforward software tool that does the job and also provides a foundation for more ambitious programs for processing WordStar files.

If you haven't yet gotten up the energy (or courage, or whatever) to start using the C language, you really should. It's an easy language to learn if you have some experience with at least one other programming language (even BASIC, to which it is not very similar).

C has replaced assembly language for perhaps 90 percent of my programming work. Programs get written faster and debugged faster, and they're portable (mostly). Most important, they're readable and maintainable.

Lots of C compilers are available these days (see the August 1983 BYTE), but I have only good things to say about C/80 from The Software Toolworks. The compiler-plus-assembler package sells for less than $50; the optional Mathpak, which implements the float and long data types, is about $30 extra and nice to have. The compiler can also generate code suitable for a relocating assem

362 BYTE- IULY 1984

BYTE JAPAN

Listing 1: A program in C to count words in WordStar files.

#define EOF - 1

#define MAXLEN 4000

#include TPRINTF.C

main () fa Count words in input. •/

/* For use with WordStar. Ignores hi bits set. */

/• Ignores lines beginning with periods. (Dot commands.) */ { char *wptr;

char line|MAXLEN|;

int wl, nw;

nw = 0;

while (getlinelline, MAXLENI != 0)

{

if (dotcmd(line)l continue;

for (wptr = line; (wl = getwordl&wptrl) != -I;) if (wl) nw + + ;

}

printfl "%d/n", nw);

}

dotcmd(ptr) h Returns I if char at ptr is '.', 0 otherwise. •/

char *ptr;

{ return ('ptr =='.'? I : 0 );

}

getword(ptradd) /• Searches for a word starting at 'ptradd »/

/• This function returns - I if no word is found */

/• (e.g., end of line). 0 if word is to be ignored. */

/• and a positive integer which is the length of •/

/• the word otherwise */

char •ptraddll;

{ char 'ptr; int len;

ptr = 'ptradd; /* 'ptradd is a pointer (ptr); *ptr is a char •/

len = 0

while (isspace('ptr)) ptr + + ;

•ptradd = ptr;

if 1'ptr == '/0' return - 1;

while (Msspacel'ptr) && *ptr != /0) ptr + + ;

len = ptr - * ptradd: if (len == I)

{if (!isalpha(«.ptradd) && !isdigit(• • ptradd)) len = 0;

} •ptradd = ptr; return ien;

}

getline(s.lim) /* Gets a string (including newline) from std. input. •/ /• 0 terminated. Returns the length of the string. •/ /* Zaps hi bits to 0 in all bytes •/ char >s: int lim; { char *fc

t = s; while (--lim > 0 && (Ct = getchar(l) != '/n') && >t ! = EOF)

«t++ 6= '/I77'; /-zap hi bit'/ if |-t == /n'l t + + ; n = 70; return t - s;

}

isspace(c) /• Checks only for blanks and newlines, not tabs •/

char c;

/« if (c == ' ') return I; if (c == /n) return I: return 0; •/

{ #asm

LXI H,2

DAD SP

MOV A.M

LXI H.l

CP1

RZ

CPI OAH

RZ

DCR L #endasm

}

/include stdlib.c

bier, if you wish, and comes closer than other more expensive C compilers to the full C standard. And the dealer is extremely helpful and responsive to inquiries, which means a lot when you're as far away as 1 am.

The word-counting program in listing 1 was compiled using The Software Toolworks C/80 compiler, in C, #include is a preprocessor directive that tells the compiler to insert a particular file from the disk into the source file at that point. This particular compiler requires the file TPRINTF.C or a similar file to be included when formatted output (e.g., a printfO statement) is used, such as for displaying the result (the word count) on the console. The #include STDLIB.C function at the end of the program includes the standard library routines, such as isalphaO and isdigitQ, within the source file prior to compilation. (The library routines are preceded by #ifneed compiler directives, so that only the library routines that are actually required are compiled; this feature is useful when using the absolute assembler supplied with C/80 instead of a relocating assembler and linker.)

The structure of the main routine is as simple as it is short; successive text lines are read into a character array called line||, using the getline() function. If the line begins with a period (i.e., is a WordStar dot command), it is ignored and another line is read. The line is then scanned for individual words with the getwordO function.

The getwordf) function does what its name implies; starting at the position in line|| that is pointed to by the pointer wptr, it scans subsequent characters in the line, advances wptr to point to the blank or newline character following the first word, and returns the length of the word as its value. (A "word" here is simply any contiguous sequence of characters terminated by a blank or newline character.) The function returns a value of -1 if no word is found, meaning that the end of theline has been encountered. A value of 0 is returned if the word is to be ignored; in this version, getwordf) ignores any word only one character long that is not a letter or a digit (i.e., any isolated punctuation).

The getlinef) function uses getchar() to read a line of characters from the

(continued)

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"standard input" into the array called line |]. It differs from the usual C function with the same name (and probably ought to have been called something different, like getWSln) in that an AND operation is performed with each character and a mask (octal 177 or hexadecimal 7F) whose high-order bit is 0, in order to set the high bit in the character to 0. This task is accomplished in C with the statement *t++ &= \177', which is a compact way to write both *t=*t& \177' and t = t + 1. The local variable t is a pointer to the current character, so that *t is the current character itself. Reading stops when either the end of the line (a newline character) or the end of file is encountered, and the line is terminated with a zero byte, as is normal in C. (In C. strings are simply arrays of characters that are explicitly terminated with a zero byte.) The function returns the length of the line, or a value of 0 if no characters were read, in which case the end of file is indicated.

The isspace() function, normally present in the standard C library, is coded here in assembly language both to illustrate how easy it is to include in-line assembly language in a C/80 program and for efficiency reasons.

Reflecting the origin of the C language, all programs written in C/80 accomplish I/O (input/output) redirection. This capability means that a C program such as this one, which reads its input from the "standard input" and outputs to the "standard output" (normally the console), can obtain its input from a file instead, simply by indicating the filename in the command line when the program is run. Thus, if the program shown in listing 1 is compiled and assembled to produce a program called WCOUNT.COM (to be run under CP/M), for example, it can be used to count words in a WordStar file called TEXT by typing WCOUNT < TEXT followed by a carriage return.

Coming Up

In future issues, look for a C program that allows you to implement "pipes," UNIX-style, and multiple-command lines under CP/M; dealing with the file directory yourself instead of using the operating system's DIR command; yet another sort program; more postprocessors for WordStar; and more. ■

MATHEMATICAL RECREATIONS

A computer

card trick

and a look

at number

narcissism

by Michael W. Ecker

Invariance

Welcome to the world of mathematical recreation. The theme this month is invariance. In point of fact, there are several tricks in mathematics based on some kind of invariance. Some tricks, such as casting out nines, may be more familiar to you than others. Let's look at some of the lesser known ones.

A Computer Card Trick

One of my personal favorites is one that you may have seen commercially available with special card decks. One player mentally picks a positive integer, say, from 0 to 63. The other player—the "guesser —then shows six cards, each containing some of these 64 numbers, and asks whether the chosen number appears on each card. The first player indicates "yes" or "no." At the conclusion, the guesser is able to tell which of the 64 numbers was selected.

You might enjoy trying this game with your computer instead, letting it ask you the questions and give you the feedback. While I could have written the program (see listing 1) without the data statements, I would have given away all too quickly how this trick works. Figure 1 shows how the "cards" are presented. Because I work with a TRS-80 Model III and also a Sanyo MBC-5 55 (an IBM PC compatible), those of you with other compatible machines can probably run the programs I provide as is. If you have another machine, you will need to make some modifications to clear the screen, display a printout, and so on. In this case, CLS clears the screen, and the PRINT statements use commas afterward to keep the numbers in columns, the leftmost edges of which are 16 characters apart. You may replace the commas with tab statements to accommodate smaller or larger screens, or use semicolons and then print blanks.

Why does the trick work, mathematically speaking? If you analyze the program, you'll see that this program presents the cards, or screens, and adds a power of two if and only if the player replies "yes" (Y). Essentially, you are exploiting the following mathematical principle: Every positive integer can be represented in one and only one way as a sum of powers of two in which each power of two

is used at most once. This concept may be considered the underpinning for base two, which in itself is interesting and certainly related to computers.

To illustrate, let's take the number 2 5. It can be represented as such a sum (with the restriction stated—each power of two used at most once) as 1+8+16, and in no other way, apart from the order of specifying 1, 8, and 16. Let's call this breakdown into a sum of powers of two the base-two decomposition. Now look at the cards again (see figure 1). Note that all the numbers on the first screen (a), which corresponds to card 1, require a 1 in their base-two decomposition. Note that 24, for instance, doesn't appear on the first screen precisely because its decomposition, 8+16, doesn't require or allow a 1 in it. For 25, you answer "yes," and the program adds 1 (2 to the power 0). It does not do this for 24.

This process repeats with the second card of choices (b). All the integers on it require a 2 in their representation. Because 2 5 does not require or allow a 2, the number 2 5 does not appear. You would answer "no" (N) for this screen if you chose 25. In a similar vein, all numbers in the third screen (c) contain a 4 in their base-two representation. Those in the fourth (d) contain 8. the ones in the fifth (e) have 16, and in the sixth (f), 32.

If you determine which screens contain 2 5, you will note that it is precisely the ones corresponding to 1, 8, and 16. The program adds them together to reform the original 25. Furthermore, this pattern is easy to read, as the appropriate powers of two are precisely the first numbers (in the upper left) of each card.

An alternate way of viewing the screens is to treat each "yes" response as a 1 and each "no" as a 0. Now look at the yes/no sequence as zeros and ones, but in reverse order. For 25, corresponding to 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, and 1, we have 011001. Because we generally omit leading zeros, this truncates to 11001, which is the base-two representation of 2 5.

[continued)

Dr. Michael W. Ecker is a mathematics professor at Pennsylvania State University. VJorthington Scranton Campus.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 365

MATHEMATICAL RECREATIONS

(la) i

9

3 5 II 13

7

15

17

19 21

23

25

27 29

31

33

35 37

39

41

43 45

47

49

51 53

55

57

59 61

63

DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or Nl?

(lb) \

10

3 6 11 14

7 15

18

19 22

23

26

27 30

31

34

35 38

39

42

43 46

47

50

51 54

55

58

59 62

63

DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or N)?

(1C) 4 12

5 6 13 14

7 15

20

21 22

23

28

29 30

31

36

37 38

39

44

45 46

47

52

53 54

55

60

61 62

63

DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or Nl?

(Id) 8

12

9 10 13 14

11 15

24

25 26

27

28

29 30

31

40

41 42

43

44

45 46

47

56

57 58

59

60

61 62

63

DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or Nl?

(le) 16

20

17 18 21 22

19 23

24

25 26

27

28

29 30

31

48

49 50

51

52

53 54

55

56

57 58

59

60 61 62 63 DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or Nl?

(If)

32 36

40 44 48 52 56 60

34 38 42 46 50 54 58 62

35 39 43 47 51 55 59 63

DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or N|?

Figure

listing 1

1: (a through f) Sequence of screen displays generated using the program in

Number Narcissism

Numerical curiosities can be fascinating. For instance, if you write the fraction % and incorrectly cancel the sixes—most assuredly nonsensical—you get ]A, which just happens to be correct. Another example would be % with the nines going out.

If you write the fraction '%4 and incorrectly cancel the sixes, you get lA, which just happens to be correct.

I want to focus on a different question though. Suppose you take a positive integer—greater than 1 to avoid trivialities—and cube each digit. Take, for instance, the number 123. The cubes of the digits are 1,8, and 27, respectively, for a sum of 36. Hmm . . . nothing exciting there. Now try it with 153. The digit cubes are 1, 125, and 27, for a sum of . . . 153, the original number! Now that's interesting. Mathematicians call such numbers narcissistic (of order 3, or power 3). Some books also call them Armstrong numbers. Two books that describe this phenomenon and are worth taking a look at are by Donald D. Spencer, Sixty Challenging Problems with BASIC Solutions (Hasbrouck Heights, NJ: Hayden Book Co., 1979) and Computers in Number Theory (Rockville, MD: Computer Science Press, 1982).

The program in listing 2 grinds out narcissistic numbers. Note the iterated multiplication used instead of exponentiation. In this way, you accommodate the vagaries of computer and calculator arithmetic and avoid the consequent errors that sometimes appear. Another solution might be to declare integer variables, which might also speed things up compared to using floating-point real numbers. Also note the use of string functions. You may have to adapt this program to suit your machine. For in

366 BYTE' IULY 1984

MATHEMATICAL RECREATIONS

Listing 1: BASIC program for a computer card trick.

1 CLEAR 1000

5 DIM A(6,32)

20 CLS

30 PRINT " PLEASE THINK OF A WHOLE NUMBER FROM 0 to 63"

40 PRINT FOR Z= 1 TO I000:NEXT Z:REM TIME STALLER

45 PRINTPRINTPRINT

50 PRINT" PRESS <ENTER> WHEN YOU ARE READY TO CONTINUE"

60 PRINTINPUTXS

70 CLS

80 FOR |= I TO 6

90 FOR K= 1 TO 32

100 READ A(I,K)

105 IF A().K)< 10 THEN PRINT " ";

110 PRINT A(J,K),

120 NEXT K

125 PRINTPRINTPRINT

130 INPUT "DOES YOUR NUMBER APPEAR ON SCREEN (Y or N)";NS

140 IF N$ = "Y" THEN S = S + 2|(|-I):REM "I" IS EXPONENTIATION

150 IF NS< >"N" AND N$< >"Y" THEN 130

153 NS = " "

155 CLS

160 NEXT |

170 CLS

173 For Z= I to 300:NEXT Z

175 PRINT" OKAY. CONCENTRATE VERY HARD NOW. . ."

180 PRINT " I AM READING YOUR MIND. . ."

183 FOR Z= I TO 700:NEXT

185 PRINTPRINT

186 FOR K=l TO 2

188 PRINT" ";STRING$(57," = ")

189 PRINT

190 NEXT K

193 FOR Z= I TO 300:NEXT Z'

194 PRINT" AHA! YOU PICKED THE NUMBER ";:PRINT S 196 FOR Z= 1 TO 2500:NEXT

198 PRINTPRINT

200 DATA 1.3,5,7,9.11,13,15.17,19,21,23.25.27.29.31,33.35

210 DATA 37,39.41.43.45.47,49,51,53,55,57,59,61.63

230 DATA 2,3,6,7,10,11,14,15,18,19.22.23.26,27,30,31.34,35

240 DATA 38,39,42,43.46,47,50,51,54,55,58,59,62,63

260 DATA 4,5,6,7,12,13.14.15,20,21,22,23,28,29,30,31,36,37

290 DATA 8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,40,41

300 DATA 42,43,44,45,46,47,56,57,58,59,60,61.62,63

320 DATA 16.17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,48,49

330 DATA 50,51,52,53,54,55,56.57,58,59,60,61,62,63

350 DATA 32,33.34,35.36.37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44.45,46,47,48,49

360 DATA 50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63

stance, Texas Instruments computers use SEG$ in place of MID$. You can circumvent this translation if you are willing to settle for only looking up to a prespecified level, such as 1000, as shown in listing 3, or by judicious and clever use of the INT function. You also can investigate higher-order narcissism using powers greater than 3.

By the way, 153 has another interesting property. Start with any number that is a multiple of 3, say, the 123 we used earlier. Take the sum of the cubes of the digits; in this case, 1+8 + 27 = 36. Now

iterate the procedure with 36 to get the sum of the cubes of its digits: 27 + 216= 243. Repeating with 243 gives 99, which in turn gives 1458, then 702, then 351, then 153. Once you hit 153, because it is narcissistic of order 3, you keep getting 153. Hence, no matter with which multiple of 3 you initialize the algorithm, you keep getting pulled inexorably to 153. Try this with other multiples of 3 to see this "black-hole" effect using the program in listing 4. To gain a glimmer of insight into why

(continued)

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MATHEMATICAL RECREATIONS

Listing 2: Narcissistic-number-generating program using iterated multiplication.

10 CLS

12 INPUT "HOW LOW DO YOU WISH TO TEST FROM";MIN

15 INPUT "HOW HIGH DO YOU WISH TO TEST UP TO":MAX

20 FOR N = MIN TO MAX

30 N$ = STR$(N)

40 FOR L = 2 TO LEN(N$):REM START AT 2 DUE TO UNDERSTOOD +

50 D(U = VAL(MIDS(N$,L,1|)

60 C(L) = D(L)*D(L)'D(L)

70 SUM = SUM + OX)

80 NEXT

90 IF SUM = N THEN PRINT "A NARCISSISTIC NUMBER IS";N

100 SUM = 0

110 NEXT

Listing 4: Regardless of which multiple-of-three number you select, this algorithm always produces the number 153, as explained in the text.

200 DIMA(15)

210 CLS

220 PRINT "IN THIS TRICK, I WILL ASK YOU TO GIVE ME A WHOLE NUMBER"

230 PRINT "WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF 3. THE COMPUTER WILL THEN TAKE EACH"

240 PRINT "OF THE DIGITS AND CALCULATE THE CUBE OF EACH DIGIT."

250 PRINTPRINT "THEN THE SUM OF THESE WILL BE DISPLAYED. THE PROCESS WILL'

260 PRINT "THEN BE REPEATED WITH THAT NUMBER, AS NEEDED, UNTIL

270 PRINT "WE START GETTING THE SAME NUMBER. AMAZINGLY, THIS"

280 PRINT "MUST ALWAYS HAPPEN, AND ONE ALWAYS GETS THE SAME ANSWER!"

290 PRINTINPUT "PRESS <ENTER> TO CONTINUE'lXX

300 CLS:INPUT "GIVE ME A WHOLE NUMBER WHICH IS A MULTIPLE OF 3";N

310 PRINT

320 N$ = STRS(N):L = LEN(N$)

330 IF ABS(N-INT(N))>.00001 THEN PRINT "A WHOLE NUMBER PLEASE!":FOR Z = 1 TO

700:NEXTGOTO 300

340 IF ABS(N/3-INT(N/3))>.OI THEN PRINT "A MULTIPLE OF 3 PLEASE!":FOR Z = 1 TO

700:NEXTGOTO 300

350 S = 0

360 FOR 1=1 TO L

370 A(I) = (VAL(MID$(N$,I,1))):A(I) = A(IPA(I)*A(1)

380 S = S + A(I)

390 NEXT I

400 PRINT "THE SUM OF THE CUBES OF THE DIGITS OF LAST NUMBER IS":S

410 IF S = N THEN PRINTPRINT "PROCESS IS COMPLETE."

415 IF S = N THEN PRINT "TO START AGAIN, HIT <ENTER>":INPUT X$:GOTO 300

420 IF S ON THEN N = S:S = 0:GOTO 320

Listing 3:

Simplified narcissistic-number-generating

program for

numbers to 1000.

10

CLS

20

FOR H =

0TO 9

30

FORT =

0TO 9

40

FOR U =

0TO9

50

N=100*

H+10'T + U

60

IF N = H

•H'H + T'T'T+U'U'U THEN PRINT N;

"IS NARCISSISTIC"

70

NEXT U

80

NEXTT

90

NEXT H

we get this interesting property, note that a number of four digits or more will have the sum of the cubes of its digits being smaller than itself. Hence, iteration continually "pulls down" large numbers into a small range of numbers, namely those with at most four digits. Then, for numbers from 1 to 9999, consider the number obtained by taking the sum of the cubes of the digits, repeated

It just so happens that if you start with a multiple of 3, the first number you hit that begins a cycle is 153.

as needed. You eventually hit all or some of the numbers and so must get a cycle. For instance, starting with 55, you get 250, then 133, then 55 again, at which point you will keep getting the 55-250-133-55 . . . cycle. If you hit one of the narcissistic numbers, the cycle is of length one and keeps looping you back to that same narcissistic number the very next step. In either case, every number may be perceived as leading eventually to the beginning of exactly one such cycle. It just so happens that if you start with a multiple of 3, the first number you hit that is the beginning of some cycle is the number 153. Said in another way, all the multiples of 3 feed into the one cycle . . . 153-153 ... I am not aware, offhand, of a more profound explanation for this phenomenon. (An uncanny coincidence was that this article's original manuscript was 153 lines long.)

We plan more installments of "Mathematical Recreations" on a rotating basis with other Kernel articles. Your comments, questions, suggestions, improvements, superior programs, and the like, as well as your indications of interest in this feature, will be most appreciated. Please write to BYTE or me. Dr. Michael W. Ecker, c/o BYTE, 70 Main St., Peterborough, NH 03458. Tell us what you think. ■

368 BYTE • JULY 1984

Announcing 4 New Collector Edition

BYTE COVERS

The 4 Byte covers shown below are the newest additions to the Collector Edition Byte Cover series. Each full color print is 11" x 14", including a 1 1/2" border, and is part of an edition strictly limited to 500 prints. Each print is a faithful reproduction of the original Byte painting, printed on museum quality acid free paper, and is personally inspected, signed and numbered by the artist, Robert Tinney. A Certificate of Authenticity accompanies each print.

Collector Edition Prints are carefully packaged flat to avoid bending, and are shipped first class within one week of receipt of order. The price of each print is $25. All 4 prints are available as a set (Set 21-24) for only $80.

Other Collector Edition Byte Covers are also available from Robert Tinney Graphics. For a color brochure, or to order one or more of the prints shown, please check the appropriate box in the coupon below.

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SYMPHONY

{continued from page 123)

Are you ready for string arithmetic? Symphony includes some long-awaited string functions (see listing 1).

A valuable indexing function has been added enabling use of subscripted variables. The @INDEX(RANGE,COL,ROW) returns the value in RANGE at the COL and ROW specified. With this command, you can set up a matrix of values and easily access one particular value by specifying two variables (for example, age and salary). A RANGETRANSPOSE command is included that serves to switch rows and columns as it copies.

All the other features of Lotus 1-2-3 are alive and well in Symphony. All models developed with Lotus 1-2-3 are compatible with Symphony.

The Database Environment

Symphony provides you with a formsoriented database with rows as records and columns as fields. A data-entry form, including error checks, can be created in the process of defining the database. You can create a custom data

base from scratch or use single command and default values. The latter and easier way is to specify the field headings down a column. One command and several keystrokes later you have a form ready for data entry. Symphony prepares a Setting sheet describing the database, which you can later edit. The database environment is fully integrated with the other four Symphony work environments.

A database form can be attached to a window using the FORM environment for easy data entry. For error checking, you can require that each entry be a number, label, date, or time of day. You might have each entry pass a test before Symphony stores it.

All the database features of Lotus 1-2-3 are present. Records can be sorted ascending or descending quickly using three keys. Numerical or string calculations can be performed using individual records or the entire database. You can even add new records to the database by receiving them from a remote computer over the telephone.

As with Lotus 1-2-3. you still need to

Listing 1: String functions included in Symphony.

©ASCII (STRING}

@CHR(X)

@FlND(STRI,STR2,x)

®LEFT(STRING,x)

@LENGTH(STRING|

®LOWER(STRING)

@MID(STRING.x,a)

®PROPER|STRING]

@REPEAT(STRING,x)

®REPLACE(STR1 OFFSET,x.STR2)

©RIGHTISTRING.x) @STRING(:w/>

OTRIM(STRING)

©UPPERISTRINGI

@VALUE(NUM_STRING)

®DATEVALUE(DATESTRING)

®TIMEVALUE(TIMESTRING)

®ISSTRING(TEST)

Returns ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) code for the first character In STRING

Returns ASCII character represented by number x Returns start of STR1 in STR2 starting at character x Returns x leftmost characters in STRING Returns length of STRING Changes STRING to lowercase Creates string from x to u characters of STRING Changes STRING to initial caps Adds STRING to itself x times

Deletes x characters from OFFSET in STRI; replaces with STR2

Returns x rightmost characters in STRING Converts number x to string in fixed format with y decimal places

Removes leading/trailing blanks from STRING Changes STRING to uppercase Converts NUM_STRING to numeric value Serial number of DATESTRING Serial number of TIMESTRING TRUE if TEST is a string

NOTES: I) x.y, and OFFSET are single-cell numeric values

(cell address/range name of single cell, or a

numberl

2| STRING, STRI. STR2 are single-cell strings

(cell address/range name of single cell, or string

enclosed in double quotes!

3) NUM STRING is a single-cell numeric label

(i.e., number being used as a label)

specify criteria and output ranges for record selection. Statistical analyses can be performed on entire databases or on groups of records found in a search. The functions include average, count, max, min, standard deviation, sum, and variance of items in a range.

Graphs can be created using raw data in the database or using the results of statistical analysis. A variety of printouts can be made from databases including standard reports, invoices, mailing labels, and form letters—yes, you can get the database and word processor working together.

The Graphics Environment

If pictures are worth a thousand words. Symphony is not ignoring the fact. An impressive variety of printers and plotters are supported and a strong configuration program lets you make good use of them. However, as with Lotus 1-2-3, you still need to dump pictures to disk and exit to a separate utility to plot them.

All the graphics capability of Lotus 1-2-3 is present. Seven color graphs can be defined in Setting sheets, which, like the other environments, can be freely viewed, edited, and stored in a Setting catalog for later use. You can even browse through the catalog of defined graphs. Both spreadsheet and database numbers can be graphed.

The graphs can be attached to GRAPH environment windows where they become automatically updated during data editing at your option. You can then manipulate the size and position of the graph windows on the screen. They can be freely paged through and stored away at your discretion—there's great potential here for a slide show that uses macro files. Any active graph window can be expanded to full screen at any time using the Zoom command.

The Word-Processing Environment

In Symphony you can write, edit, format, and print a document without leaving the word-processing environment. You can create a document window, then blow it up to full-screen size by pressing the Zoom key. The top border of the screen will be marked by margin and tab indicators—and behold, you have a word processor.

372 BYTE • JULY 1984

SYMPHONY

1_

COMPOSE HELP

INDENT

LEARN GOTO

STEP USER

SWITCH SERVICES

WHERE

EDIT

JUSTIFY

CENTER

CAPTURE

ERASE

ZOOM

WINDOW

TYPE MENU

F1

F2

F3

F4

F5

F6

F7

F8

F9

F10

Symphony" from •Lotus"

Figure 1: The Symphony function-key template.

Standard word-processing commands are available. Word-wrap is the default, but optional. Paragraphs only or the entire text can be justified right, left, or centered. You can move by character, word, line, paragraph, page, or markers inserted in the text. Ranges can be specified for Move, Erase, and Copy commands much like the spreadsheet. This is a very powerful feature.

Search and replace of word and phrases is supported with lowercase ignored and multiple replace and skip. Page breaks can be inserted in a document with a single keystroke. Individual lines or whole sections of the text can be independently formatted and the format definitions saved for later use.

The word processor appears adequate for generating reports. It is available to any window. Calculated spreadsheet cells can even be mixed in with text created with the word-processing environment.

TtoE Communications Environment

The communications (COMM) environment lets you transfer files to and from

another computer via hardwire connection or modem. You can even capture data during a communications session and send it to disk as an ASCII print file or send it to the worksheet to be edited in the document environment. Data can also be downloaded and inserted into spreadsheet models. The communications features available rival those of specialized communications software, especially considering the macro capability of Symphony to fully automate communications and integrate with other environments in the same program.

As with the other environments. Setting sheets can be created to configure Symphony for each computer system you want to call, and any setting can be loaded automatically with a model. A variety of configuration options are available.

For each Setting sheet you can specify the bits-per-second rate, parity, word length, and stop bits. The phone you use can be pulse or rotary dial with the called phone number specified for autodialing. Auto-log-in sequences can be defined in a log-in Setting sheet.

You can set the screen width for receiving data, set duplex, and even control character-set translation during a terminal session. To aid in talking to temperamental systems, the software gives you control over end-of-line characters to send, characters to handshake on, and delays after each line is transmitted. These features come in handy when trying to communicate with a variety of systems.

You can set the break-key duration and allow or disallow suspension of output for inbound and/or outbound transmissions. In the Install program. I noticed the default error-checking protocol used was XMODEM. This is a popular protocol. Error checking is imperative for the integrity of data transfer. After all, you want to be confident that all those numbers and formulas got through error-free. A missing 0 or character in a formula can be devastating.

1>4E Programming Language

Strong features of Symphony are its macros, command language, and Learn facility. You can teach Symphony to perform tasks automatically. Macros (sometimes called script files or command

files) consist of a column of label entries and/or string-valued formulas. The range of cells holding the macro can then be given an English name. Pressing one key and entering the English name executes all the commands in the macro.

The Learn feature of Symphony lets you switch ON a Learn key that remembers subsequent keystrokes and stores them automatically in a user-specified range within a column. Toggling the Learn feature OFF ends the macro, which can then be invoked to execute the same sequence of keystrokes. These macros can remember simple labels or headings to a complex sequence of events you would normally enter from the keyboard.

In addition to remembering and executing your keystrokes, a command language is available to extend the macro capability. You can declare argument types, create macro subroutines, pass arguments to subroutines, pause for operator entry, create menus, conditionally branch, iterate, and use GOTO. In short, you can program seriously with Symphony.

Summary and Conclusion

Lotus has taken the time to research and develop a good user interface to a very complex and powerful program. Although there is a bit of a learning curve using Symphony, the Help files respond precisely to the task you are performing and are designed better than ever. An on-line tutorial is also provided. The Symphony manuals include a glossary of terms.

Use of windows, the focused menu structure and Setting sheets all help to minimize confusion. Creative use of macro files and the command language can serve to further minimize user confusion. The ability to password-lock the worksheet ties everything up in a nice secure knot and prevents unpleasant overwrites and tampering with valuable formulas.

The potential Symphony provides for turnkey model building is profound—I must admit, now I'm less of a skeptic toward integrated software. I don't think much power was lost through integration. The program will vastly improve the quality of modeling on microcomputers. Now, excuse me while I don my tuxedo and slip away to spend a few weeks with Symphony. ■

JULY 1984 -BYTE 373

To communicate voice the ordinary modem

v|if

■ ■".' ■•

and data simultaneously leaves a lot to be desired.

Introducing theTel-A-Modem.

Now you and your personal computer can talk on the same phone at the same time.

Let's say, for example, certain data you were transmitting via your personal computer to a remote computer user needed some verbal explanation to go along with it. With the ordinary modem it couldn't be done. Not simultaneously.

You'd have to first call the user to inform them that data was coming. Hang up. Redial in order to connect modems. Transmit the data. Hang up. And then call back with your explanation. If you had additional input to transmit and discuss, you'd have to begin the whole process again. Talk about frustration.

Code-A-Phone's solution to this problem is the Tel-A-Modem. An innovative twoline desk telephone integrated with an intelligent modem capable of transmitting voice and data simultaneously.

Of course, the genius of Tel-AModem doesn't end with its unique <* communication capabilities and state-of-the-art convenience.

Specially designed for use with RS-232C compatible computers and terminals, it offers a full spectrum of both telephone and modem cost effective features, including: single button selector for voice or data on either line; fullduplex mode; automatic answer/origi

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nate modes; 300 and 1200 baud data transmission rates; automatic selection of baud rates; switch dialing for tone-dial or pulse-dial systems; memory autodial; and modem status LEDs.

So much for words.

For more information and the name of your nearest Tel-A-Modem dealer, call 1-800-5474683. That is, just as soon as your computer gets off the phone.

r In Ovgon, Alaskaand Hawaii, call 1-503-655-8940.

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A SUBSIDIARY OF CONRAC CORPORATION

WEST COAST FAIRE

(continued from page 137)

crowds. Borland's president, Phillippe Kahn, was there to demonstrate his product and to talk with anyone who'd listen. He's planning a whole line of products, all to be sold at under $70. Unlike most software publishers, Kahn tries to see how much he can include in his packages. For example, the PC version of Turbo Pascal comes with a nifty spreadsheet program—complete with source code. The source contains a number of screen-handling procedures I'd have been willing to pay separately for.

I'm pleased to say Turbo was selling like mad. In case anyone has any lingering doubts, let me repeat: Turbo Pascal is as good a Pascal compiler as can be found on the micro market regardless of price. The new Turbo 2.0 for the PC has overlays, allowing you to write big programs. The integrated editor is a feature found only in really expensive compiler systems. Turbo Pascal is, as I write this, the only Pascal compiler that will work with the IBM PCjr. Not even IBM Pascal will do that! Besides, Turbo is much better than the Pascal IBM sells.

Incidentally, Phillippe Kahn tells me that he tried to get IBM to market Turbo, but IBM wouldn't do it unless he raised the price to at least $200. For reasons he doesn't understand, he hasn't been able to find anyone at Apple who'll talk to him at all about getting it out on the Macintosh. (Borland doesn't yet have a Macintosh Turbo. Pity.)

Turbo Pascal is an example of where I see this industry heading: an excellent product, well documented and well supported, sold at a fair price.

Blaise

One reason many of us like Pascal as a programming language is that you can build up a whole raft of utilities—a box of software tools, if you like—and make use of them in many different programs.

Blaise Computing—I suppose the name is derived from Blaise Pascal?— offers a set of functions and procedures for writing programs in either Microsoft or IBM Pascal. They include both string handling and screen handling. There's a distinct possibility that using these could save a lot of time: it would depend on just how well done the tools are.

They don't support Turbo, alas, but

source code comes with the tools, so it shouldn't be that hard to adapt. I haven't actually looked at what they offer, so I can't tell how much they go beyond the routines given in Peter Norton's book.

Friends and Books

One reason I like the West Coast Faire is that I meet a lot of old friends and make new ones. This year I met Doug Clapp, who has been, uh, kind enough to mention me in his columns. Clapp's book Macintosh*. Complete was, I think, the first one on the Macintosh to be published: alas, it reads as if it were rushed into print, and most of what's in it is either elementary or full of goshwow! breathless awe of the machine. It wouldn't be a bad beginning book, except for the price, which is pretty steep for what's actually covered.

A better Macintosh book is Cary Lu's The Apple Macintosh Book, which goes into heavy technical detail but also covers a lot of elementary essentials. Like Clapp's book, it assumes there's going to be a lot of software for the Mac and that many of its problems will be solved. If you have to get your book out the same month that the computer appears, you'll always have this problem, of course. Eventually there will be books written by people who have used the mature system: until then, Lu's is certainly the best reference I've seen, and I recommend it to anyone who either has a Mac or is thinking of getting one. Alas, Clapp has a really bad case of Macworship: you won'tget an objective assessment from his book.

Robert Tinney, the genius who does the BYTE covers, was at the BYTE booth with Susan, his wife. He was selling posters made from his old covers, and doing a pretty good business. He also took some photographs of me: he'll be doing the cover to my collection of columns and reminiscences that comes out this October from Jim Baen Associates.

While 1 was talking with Robert and Susan, 1 met Peter Norton, whose \nside the IBM PC is just plain excellent. The book gives lots of examples, in BASIC, Pascal, and even assembly language, but it's written in a clear and intelligent style that neither talks down to the reader nor leaves out important information. Highly recommended for anyone with a PC or close PC clone.

Infoworld, as usual, held a big blowout party: this year it was in City Hall. I ran into John Dvorak there and couldn't resist asking him to rate the party, but he wouldn't do it. Adam Osborne was also there. He'd just announced his new software development and publishing venture. He seemed happy enough. Alas, I couldn't stay long: the party featured a rock band and was held under the City Hall dome. Great acoustics if you want to be deafened. . .

Dimension

One of the most interesting hardware items was Micro Craft's Dimension 68000 "Professional Personal Computer." At CP/M East in Boston these folks had only one copy of the machine in their booth: now there were half a dozen, and they were selling them right there at the show: I noticed a couple of software companies buying, and Chris Rutkowski's Rising Star, which is overhauling the Epson QX-10 software, seemed decidedly interested.

The Dimension is supposed to run software written for nearly any 8-bit or 16-bit machine, including Apple, IBM PC, Kaypro, TRS-80, UNIX, and Osborne. The idea is that Dimension owners won't have to worry about software compatibility: one machine runs everything.

I've had no chance to examine the machine, so I merely report the company's claims. Micro Craft had one set up with transparent cover, and it looked well constructed, but that kind of inspection isn't worth much. It's certainly an intriguing concept.

The Big Mac

The most spectacular display at the Faire was Apple's giant-size model of a Macintosh. This big Mac is large enough to walk into! The screen is a projection image of a nearby normal size Macintosh, so that crowds of people can watch Macdemonstrations, and it certainly drew the crowd.

There were also several dozen Macintosh computers upstairs: those interested could make an appointment to go play with one for half an hour. Many people took Apple up on the offer, and they all seemed to come away with smiles. There's no doubting it: the Macintosh is fun. 1 haven't seen so much excitement since the very earliest days.

376 BYTE' IULY 1984

WEST COAST FAIRE

In spite of all the Macexcitement, there was essentially zero applications software for the Mac. No one had any hardware to hang on the Mac's I/O port (called a "virtual slot" in Macsales literature). There was a MacForth to be available Real Soon Now, and the FORTH people had a second disk drive—without a case—attached to the Mac. They'd apparently cobbled that up themselves; Apple wasn't supplying second drives. Or perhaps they were blessed.

Macintosh comes with Macwrite, a limited text editor, and Macpaint graphics-support packages. Apple expects outsiders to develop software for the machine. So far there isn't much. Except for Microsoft's Multiplan—which is copy protected on the Macintosh although the IBM PC version is not; presumably Macintosh users are less honest than IBM customers?—I saw only one other applications program for the Mac.

That was at the Workman and Associates booth: Bruce Tonkin, software author, shared Barry's booth. Bruce writes really complex programs in Microsoft BASIC (MBASIC). Actually, he writes in P-BASIC, which is a structured BASIC precompiler that compiles to, of all things, legal MBASIC. The P-BASIC compiler is written in Microsoft BASIC, so it wasn't very difficult for Bruce to get it onto the Mac.

He used it to write a highly complex database program called the Creator for the Macintosh. Guy Kawasaki, Apple's Macproject head, was quite impressed when he saw it running. It's a good program, not up to dBASE II, but good enough for a lot of serious business work, and it's fast (even in interpretive Microsoft BASIC).

That was all we found for the Mac. The machine has some limits, especially for serious business users. Lack of applications software is one major difficulty. A full discussion of this machine and what

it means to the micro world will take more space than I have here and appears in this month's column.

More Networks

Bill Godbout's CompuPro company was proudly showing off the four-user Shirley; you'll recall CompuPro had a mock-up of it at the last Faire. Shirley puts four computers in a single box and internally networks them; each user has a central processor and memory banks.

The CompuPro folks announced that they'll be using Datapoint's Arcnet system to tie their multiuser machines together. This includes not only the Shirley machine (officially known as the "10") but also the new machine based on the iAPX20286 chip. The 286s are pretty expensive just now, but they are available to software developers.

CompuPro also had Concurrent CP/M 3.0 running on an 8/16 8085/8088 Dual Processor system much like mine. With

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four users and eight tasks, it worked, all right, but it was pretty slow. I'm much looking forward to getting Concurrent CP/M with windows running here, but I'll never put multiusers on a single microprocessor. One user, at least one central processor; that's the rule (mine, anyway).

Over the Rainbow

Digital Equipment Corporation had a large booth just next to Apple, but the people there seemed to have trouble generating any excitement.

DEC is a company that has learned fast. When the people at DEC first brought out their Rainbow PC, they seemed determined to isolate their users from the rest of the micro world. The Rainbow wouldn't even format its own disks! You had to buy them Preformatted.

No more. Rainbow now reads lots of disk formats and runs all manner of outside software; DEC never tires of bragging about just how much. Like the Fujitsu, the DEC Rainbow has both 8-bit Z80 and 16-bit 8088 microprocessors and can run CP/M-80, CP/M-86, and MSDOS software. It's a pretty machine, with a good display—and very nearly the same wretched keyboard as the IBM PC. Since the IBM designers have said in interviews that they just sort of "made up" the IBM PC keyboard, I wonder why DEC'S salespeople insist theirs is some kind of European standard?

The Rainbow deserves more attention than it got; being next to the overcrowded Big Mac display must have been pretty grim for the DEC booth people.

CORVUS

As I've reported in previous columns, we have a Corvus Concept computer. It implements Corvus's Omninet system, which lets us link up an Apple, IBM PC, Zenith Z-100, TI PC, and CompuPro S-100 bus system so that they can all share the Concept's large hard disk.

The only person I "know" at Corvus is a software engineer named David Ramsey, and I've never actually met him: we've corresponded and talked many times on the phone. When I spotted the Corvus booth at the Faire, I headed right for it. A rather pretty young lady with blue eyes was the only person visible.

"Is David Ramsey here?" I asked.

She didn't hesitate a second. "Oh, no. We don't let him come to the Faire. We keep him chained to his desk."

Alex was later told the same thing. This makes me more anxious than ever to meet him.

Corvus has made some changes in its system. For example, our Concept's hard-disk unit is very large, about 114 times as wide as an 8-inch disk drive and a little taller. This size is a hangover from the days when they shipped 8-inch hard-disk drives some years ago, since the drive inside is a 40-megabyte 514-inch drive. Corvus showed off a new hard-disk drive at the Faire. It's only a little larger than the 514-inch hard disk it contains.

The new model has the Omninet interface built in—ours has a separate unit, about 1 Vi times as high as a halfheight 514-inch disk drive, to connect it to the Omninet. Believe me, the amount of space taken by these drives is large, so I was happy to see these improvements. Mr. Ramsey swears he's coming down to Chaos Manor to oversee installation of the new and improved system, run twisted pairs of Omninet wires around, and in general improve on communications here. I'm much impressed by the Corvus; I keep hoping the company will mate that big bit-mapped screen to the Modula operating system, but Corvus says it has something even better, or at least as good, which Ramsey will show us when he comes. I'm prepared to be impressed.

I just hope they take the chains off before they let him come.

PC-Write

PC-Write is a full-screen text editor that makes use of many special features of the IBM PC. I haven't tested PC-Write, but I've seen enough of it to know it's a pretty good editor—especially for the price. You can get it for $10, or even for free.

PC-Write is distributed as "Shareware." What this means is that you can buy a copy from the publisher for $10, but that's not the principal means of distribution. Anyone who has a copy is encouraged to give copies to all his friends. The program and its documents are all on disk, so this is quite feasible.

People who get the program and like it are requested to send $75 to Quick

soft, the program's publisher. When you send in the money, you get a printed copy of the document—a marginal improvement over what's on the disk—and an "official registration number." Put the registration number into your copy. Now, when you give copies away, if anyone you've given it to sends in the $75, you'll get a $25 sales commission.

Quicksort's Bob Wallace says the company's not doing too badly. A number of people have liked the program enough to register it. He's meanwhile writing new programs to distribute this way.

I don't know whether the "shareware" concept will catch on. I encourage the trend.

TUTSIM

One program I'm likely to use often has the odd name of Tutsim and comes with a picture of an Egyptian pharaoh. I presume he's King Tut. 1 have a copy, and when I get a chance I'll wring it out; meanwhile, I saw it work at the Faire, and it was impressive.

Tutsim solves differential equations. It does this by turning your computer into a kind of analog device: that is, you can simulate the various kinds of operational amplifiers some of us older types remember from days long ago. Once you have the analog model set up, Tutsim solves the equations and produces the graphical results.

This probably makes little sense to some readers. Don't worry about it. I'll have a lot more in upcoming columns. TUtsim looks to be a very practical engineer's toolbox, and anyone who has to work with, or teach, differential equations should write Applied i for more information. It might be exactly what you're looking for; certainly it was one of the most unusual items I saw at the Faire.

Rana Systems

I don't recall Rana Systems being at the Faire before, but I may simply have missed it. Since the last show, I've met Fran Mulvania, Rana's director of communications, and we have installed Rana systems, so I tend to notice the company more.

Anyway, the Rana folks were out in force this year with a variety of products. Their flagship item remains the 2.5-megabyte floppy disk that so im

378 B YTE • JULY 1984

WEST COAST FAIRE

pressed me last year at NCC. They also make a full line of disk drives for Atari and Apple computers. I've used them, and they're faster and more reliable than the ones Apple and Atari supply.

Rana's monster floppy-disk controller goes into a standard IBM PC slot. It can control standard floppy disks as well as 2.5-megabyte drives (good for an overcrowded PC). I've been using 1.1-megabyte 8-inch floppy disks for some time now. and every time I have to work with smaller disks I miss the big storage capacity. It would be a weird experience to have 5^-inch disks with a greater capacity than my 8-inch disks!

Rana will shortly have the 2.5-megabyte disks for Apple He systems as well. We expect to get one pretty soon. Full report then.

Osborne

Suddenly a lot of people were wearing buttons that said "Osborne is back!" However, if you read the fine print it wasn't so certain.

The people at Osborne had a booth, not as large as the ones they had in the salad days, but large enough and complete with balloons. (Interestingly enough, Kaypro, which is the entry-level system I most often recommend, was in the booth Osborne occupied last year.) The Osborne people had videotapes of Adam Osborne himself telling how wonderful the Osborne computer is. They even had a bunch of computers that looked like the old Executive, until you got close to them.

What they didn't have was order books. No computers were for sale, and no price for the new Osborne PC has been established. This Osborne is different enough from the ill-starred Executive to warrant calling it a new machine. They say it is definitely PC compatible: I saw it run Flight Simulator, which is the program people often use to test PC compatibility. Otherwise, the machine looked a lot like the older Executive.

There are a lot of differences, though. There's an RGB (red-green-blue) color board adapter, an expansion chassis, and a socket for the 8087 math chip.

At last year's Faire, Osborne had patches with the big "barred O" symbol and the words "Osborne—teaching others to be humble." There weren't any of those patches this year.

Zenith's Friends

As usual. Zenith took one of the largest booth areas of the Faire. It doesn't look all that big, because the folks at Zenith always invite certain people to share it with them. For example. Jim Hudson, whose 8087 math board greatly increases 8086 machine capabilities, was there. Jim was showing off his 8087 boards for the Z-100 and the CompuPro. The Z-100 board is especially ingenious: it's an S-100 board with 2 56K bytes of RAM (random-access read/write memory) and the 8087 both aboard. The 8088 goes on his board, and a header plugs into the motherboard where the 8088 went: the memory connects to the S-100 connector and gets all the decoding and so on there. The Hudson board has a lot of bang for the buck.

Walt Bilofsky's Software Toolworks also shared quarters with Zenith. The Toolworks has changed a bit. Instead of Insta-press flyers, Walt has a big color catalog printed on slick paper. The logo of the blacksmith forging a floppy disk on an anvil is gone, too. For nostalgia buffs, he still distributes software in Ziploc sandwich bags though.

The Software Toolworks used to specialize in Heath/Zenith software, and the company still has a lot for those machines, but most of what I got from Walt this trip is for the IBM PC. I'll report in a later column: meanwhile, those who don't know about the Toolworks ought to get a catalog. Bilofsky sells good stuff at remarkably low prices.

The MPI printer people were also in the Zenith area. Zenith now sells MPI printers. So does Heath in its catalog. The printers say "Zenith" on the outside, but the catalog lists them as MPIs. Pretty honest. I've written about the line before: we have four MPI printers, and we're happy with them all.

Heath/Zenith's New Z-150

The Zenith Z-l 50 ZPC is its entry into the IBM-compatible arena, and it's an impressive one, so much so that my first thought is that this is probably the PC clone to buy if you want one. We'll be getting one shortly—full report then. It sure has a lot of nice features.

The Z-l 50 is a desktop, smaller than the IBM. It seems to run everything that the IBM will, right out of the box. We watched Bruce Tonkin put his MyWord

word-processing program in the Zenith and run every feature. Rachel Klau, a programmer for Heath, said that people came by through the entire show and ran all their favorite IBM programs without fuss, muss, or bother. While she was saying this, a group of people came over and ran their newfangled 2-D structural modeling program on it. They all applauded when it ran and went away saying that it worked better than on the IBM PC. After Rachel had relaxed (they were still batting 1.000 on IBM compatibility), she told me that the Z-l 50 was designed from the start to run Microsoft's Flight Simulator, which is in some ways the very best test of IBM compatibility.

It's certainly the only IBM compatible that you can build yourself. If you're skillful with tools and soldering iron, you could save yourself a lot of money. The folks at Zenith showed a prototype of their "portable" (33 pounds!). Alex says it's one of the funkiest machines ever built. It's portable in about the same sense that a 19-inch TV with a handle is portable—with great care you can get it from room to room. To be fair, the Compaq weighs 32 pounds and the IBM portable 30.

Both the table model and the "portable" have eight IBM-type slots and an 8087 socket, and both run at the same speed as the IBM PC. Given the company's quest for absolute compatibility, that's no surprise, but there is no speedup switch or anything to let the Z-l 50 cut loose on its own, and that's a bit sad. Still, the machines seem to run absolutely everything that people tried, including MS-BASCOM (Bruce wrote MyWord in BASCOM). The Z-l 50 uses two half-height 514-inch drives.

You can get it with a hard disk, which takes the place of one of the floppy disks. Since it's a full-height hard-disk drive, it sticks down into the cabinet below where the lower half-height drive would normally go. Very slick. The detached keyboard doesn't have quite as nice a touch as the Z-100's keyboard, but it's better than most. The keyboard has moved all the "wrong" position keys on the IBM PC to more reasonable places. It has lighted LEDs (lightemitting diodes) for Caps-Lock, NumLock, and Shift-Lock keys.

This is definitely a "Heath/Zenith"

[continued]

JULY 1984 -BYTE 379

WEST COAST FAIRE

machine, in that order. It was developed in St. Joseph. Michigan (Heath's headquarters) by Heath employees. The Zenith Z-100 was developed by Zenith, though of course Heath is famous for its kit versions of computers—including the Z-l 50 ZPCs. Kit versions usually bear the Heath name and fully assembled ones the Zenith name.

The Z-l 50's main claim to fame is its color board. It seems 100 percent compatible with IBM color programs and is by far the best PC clone color board I've ever seen. If the folks at Zenith want to sell this board to IBM owners, they'll make a mint. Unlike the IBM, which blinks horribly every time a line is scrolled. Zenith's has (settable!) smooth scrolling that looks good with both graphics and text. In addition, I heard rumors of high-resolution color boards in development. Don't be surprised if the first one looks a great deal like the Z-100's color palette.

One other twist: there's a built-in debugging tracer in ROM that you can access at any time. It shows you what

code is being run, what's on the stack, and what's in the registers. You can get to it as long as the machine is listening for interrupts; if not, you'll have to turn it off and on. The lack of a real reset switch, one that always works, is the major blemish on an otherwise nearly perfect machine.

Incidentally, don't expect Zenith to suddenly phase out the Z-100 in favor of the Z-l 50. This is the same Heath that will sell you a knob for a 2 5-year-old kit tuner out of its warehouse stock. If the company's reputation won't convince you, the sales of the Z-100 should: GSA, the Army, Navy, Air Force, and UPI have all bought more than 5000 each of these machines. It's likely to be the machine at the Air Force Academy. The Z-l 50 is to get Zenith an entry into the market of PC clones, not because Zenith wants to dump the Z-100. A small company looking for a machine to develop PC software on could do a lot worse than buy the H-l 50 kit.

Speaking of the Navy, I talked to two sailors, one from the Enterprise, the other

in an LHA helicopter carrier (or Large Hotel. Afloat). Both had Z-lOOs onboard—there are 23 on the Enterprise. Both complained that the power supplies tended to burn out on the Z-l00s because of the spikes in shipboard power. Otherwise, they are extremely happy with their Z-IOOs. Considering that most big shipboard navigation and fire-control computers have just been upgraded to 64K-byte core (!) memory, I can see why! It isn't generally known, but the BB New ]ersey still uses big mechanical analog integrators for fire control. A Z-100 with a good power filter would be a lot more machine. . . .

Bottom Lines

There was a great deal more to see, including a Japanese import color system using a light pen to do in 265 shades of color what Macpaint does in black and white. The FORTH people handed me a thick stack of books and program disks that are supposed to produce the brand of FORTH described in Leo

(continued)

IBM's "Channel Arrangement"

I'm not much impressed with the IBM PCjr, so I would have ignored the IBM booth, but the folks there had big signs proclaiming their new "network." This looked interesting, and I sent my son Alex off to investigate. Here's his report:

"IBM showed off a new product to tie the PC, PC XT, PCjr, and Portable PC together. It's not a network. It's a 'channel arrangement' I'm not sure what that is. I can tell you what it is not: a real network. With a raw communication speed of 3 75K bits per second (bpsj and only 64 users maximum, it's not going to compete with Ethernet, Omninet, or Arcnet. lb compare, Arcnet and Omninet run at about I million bps and Ethernet at about 10 million bps. Those are raw speeds, not equal to the amount of data that can really be sent. Nonetheless. I think the low speed alone means it won't do well, even with the IBM name on it.

"Data is carried on a 75-ohm coaxial (TV) cable. You put a Tee in for every station; that Tee cable can be about 16 feet (5 meters) long. The distance between the

farthest stations can be only 1000 meters at most, so IBM's 'channel arrangement' is good only for pretty local communications to start with.

"There are some other problems. IBM doesn't even support all of its own machines; I specifically asked, and no, the company doesn 't support the PC XT/3 70 on this net. Nope, no way to hook up to its own mainframes or non-PCs. Only 10 megabytes can be shared on line; the folks at IBM don't even support multiple hard disks! They said you cannot put a second XT hard drive on the channel.

"There's no true file sharing or record locking (goodbye, shared databases). No DMA (direct memory access), which means that each byte must go through a register (rather than being transferred directly into the receiving machine's memory). This omission is ostensibly because the PCjr doesn't support DMA. (I think that last point is a nail in the coffin of both the jr and the channel arrangement.) .

"The IBM employees I talked with stressed how you could run the PCjr with

no disk drives by doing an 'IPL'—an old IBM mainframe term meaning Initial Program Load—from the net. making the PCjr a diskless workstation. Perhaps they are attempting to crack the school market with this? This might work if it didn't require a hard disk, but in fact the 'channel arrangement' does require one. I could see a bunch of PCjrs being fed by a single PC XT, but I see no cost savings over PCjrs with a disk. First, you must buy IBM's board and software ($400 in quantity), then you must buy a central PC XT ($5000 and up). A PCjr's extra memory and disk drive are only $600; that's an awful lot of PCjrs to buy to get a cost savings—and there's very little school software for the PCjr right now.

"But: IBM knows all these things. Rumors have it that this isn't IBM's network, but merely an aberration (er, stopgap) to fill in at the moment. All those deficiencies lead me to believe that the folks at IBM are using their customers as paying test sites to de-kink their ideas of what a network should be."

—Alex Pournelle

380 BYTE' IULY 1984

What business

does a handsome

dog like me have

with a top cat like you?

My name's McGruff,™and it's my business to help prevent crime. I think it should be your business, too—to teach your employees how to protect themselves. Just send for my business kit —it'll help you develop a program that teaches your employees how to make their homes burglarproof, make their neighborhoods safer, even how not to get mugged. And, while you're at it, get in touch with the cops—they can help you out. So now you're probably wondering (like a top cat businessman should), what's in it for you. That's easy. When your company works harder for your people, your people work harder for your company.

So take the time, and...

TAKE A BITE OUT OF

CRIME

McGruff, Crime Prevention Coalition, 20 Banta Place, Hackensack, NJ 07601 Please send me lots of information on Crime Prevention.

Name:

Company:. Address:_ City:

.State:.

_Zip:.

A message from the Crime Prevention Coalition,

this publication and The Ad Council.

©1980 The Advertising Council, Inc.

WEST COAST FAIRE

PRODUCTS REVIEWED

Apple Computer

Macintosh Computer

Modula Research Institute.

.Public-domain Modula

20525 Mariani Ave.

950 North University Ave.

compiler

Cupertino, CA 95014

Provo, UT 84604

(408) 996-1010

(801) 377-3598

Applied i

Tutsim

Osborne Computers

. Computers

200 California Ave.. Suite 214

26538 Danti Court

Palo Alto, CA 94306

Hayward, CA 94545

(415) 325-4800

(800) 227-1617

Blaise Company

Blaise Pascal utilities

Quicksort

PC-Write

1609 Acton St.

219 First North #224

Berkeley, CA 94702

Seattle, WA 98109

(415) 524-6603

(206) 282-0452

Borland International

Turbo Pascal

Rana Systems

21300 Superior St.

Disk drives

4807 Scotts Valley Dr.

Scotts Valley, CA 95066

Chatsworth, CA 91403

(800) 227-2400

(213) 709-5484

CompuPro

CompuPro 10 multiuser

Software Toolworks

Many IBM PC and

3506 Breakwater Court

computers

15233 Ventura Blvd..

Zenith Z-100 programs

Hayward, CA 94545

Suite 1118

(415) 786-0909

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 986-4885

Corvus Systems

Concept and Omninet network

2029 O'Tbole Ave.

Tinney, Robert

BYTE cover posters

San Jose, CA 95131

1864 N. Pamela Dr.

(408) 946-7700

Baton Rouge. LA 70815 (504) 272-7266

Digital Equipment Corp

Rainbow Computer

146 Main St.

Workman and Associates. .

.WRITE

Maynard. MA 01754

112 Marion Ave.

(617)897-5111

Pasadena, CA 91106 (818) 796-4401

Hudson and Associates

8087 Math Board

Box 2957

Zenith Data Systems

Zenith Computers

Santa Clara, CA 95055-2957

1000 Milwaukee Ave.

(408) 554-1316

Glenview, IL 60025 (312) 391-8865

IBM

Channel Arrangement

1615 South Congress

Del Rey Beach. FL 33432

BOOKS REVIEWED

(305) 998-2000

Clapp, Douglas. Macintosh'. Complete

Micro Craft Corp

Dimension 68000 Computer

North Hollywood, CA: Softalk Rooks 1984 S19 95

9995 Monroe Dr.

Dallas, TX 75220

Lu, Cary. The Apple Macintosh Book

(214) 350-6008

Bellevue, WA: Microsoft Books, 1984. S18.95

Modula Computers

American Lilith Computers

Norton, Peter. Inside the IBM PC

950 North University Ave.

Bowie. MD: Brady. 1983. $19.95

Provo, UT 84604

(801) 377-3598

Brodie's excellent introduction, Starting FORTH. MicroPro has a new 16-bit spelling-correction system called CorrectStar. It has more features than The Word Plus, which I use at present, and 1 liked it quite a lot; I'll go into more

detail on that in my next column.

There were a lot of good speeches and seminars, all well organized. Despite a few glitches, the new Faire management team kept things running far more smoothly than I would have

believed they could. Final attendance was a bit over 40.000, down from the 48,000 of last year, but good enough, especially since so many people bought merchandise. It's still my favorite computer show. ■

382 BYTE- IULY 1984

If they can make it here, they'll make it anywhere.

When's the last time you saw "digging a well" or "installing bio-gas digesters "on someone's resume? Working in the Peace Corps is not your average everyday job. But it sure has trained volunteers to cope with the unexpected—including any company's everyday problems, once the volunteers have come home.

Whatever it takes to be Peace Corps volunteers, it's a way of working that develops a resourcefulness and a degree of self-reliance that volunteers use H long after they've come home. Anyplace they work. On any job they're given. And they all have a unique understanding of different cultures in developing countries. S2H

Hire a former Peace Corps volunteer, and put that experience to work on your "toughest job." Call Peace Corps toll-free, 800-424-8580 (ext. 76) to tell them about job possibilities for returned volunteers. Or if you know of those who might like to volunteer, use the same phone number (ext. 93) to put their experience to work where it can do a world of good.

Peace Corps

The toughest job you'll ever love.

A Public Service of This Publication (jOlfKll JULY 1984 'BYTE 383

Byte Book Club

DATABASE DESIGN. By G.

Wiederhold. 2nd Ed., 704 pp. The expanded second edition of this widely acclaimed book presents the methods, the criteria for choices between alternatives, and the principles and concepts that are relevant to the practice of database design.

701/326B S33.00

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

MICROCOMPUTER GRAPHICS AND PROGRAMMING TECHNIQUES. By H. Katzan. Jr. 240 pp., WOillus. and tables. Here's a stimulating introduction to computer graphics for small computers. It covers all the advances to date in color coding and computer graphics technology and—best of all—it's written for information professionals who can't draw! Includes actual graphics programs worth hundreds of dollars! 582576-7 $22.50

COMPUTER PERIPHERALS FOR MINICOMPUTERS, MICROPROCESSORS, AND PERSONAL COMPUTERS By C. L.

Hohenstein

294/518B $29.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

PROGRAMMING LAN

GUAGES: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION. By T. W.

Pratt, 2nd Ed., 624 pp., 93 illus. This book identifies and discusses the key concepts in programming languages . . . explains their hands-on implementation . . . and covers semantic structures, run-time representations, and the effect of syntax on language structures. 582879-0B $29.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

PROGRAMMING WITH ADA:

An Introduction By Means of

Graduated Examples By P. Weg

ner

789/24XB $25.00

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

OPERATING SYSTEMS By H.

Lorin & H. M. Dietel

582354-3B $25.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

CP/M BIBLE: THE AUTHORITATIVE REFERENCE GUIDE TO CP/M®. By M. Waite and J. Angermeyer. 429 pp., illus. This all-inclusive, easy-to-use reference offers a complete description of all the built-in commands, transient commands, and operating procedures you need to make your particular version of CP/M work harder—and more efficiently—for you.

582917-7B $29.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

ASSEMBLERS, COMPILERS, AND PROGRAM TRANSLATION By P. Calingaert 582110-9B $25.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

DATA STRUCTURES AND PROGRAM DESIGN By R. L.

Kruse

583036-1B $28.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

TROUBLESHOOTING & REPAIRING PERSONAL COMPUTERS By A. Margolis 582890-1 $19.95

AN INTRODUCTION TO VISICALC MATRIXING FOR APPLE* AND IBM®. By H. Anbarlian. 252 pp., illus., softcover. Enables you to use VisiCalc matrixes—also known as templates and models—to put your Apple or IBM personal computer to productive use almost immediately. It describes the actual process of developing matrixes for such applications as expense vouchers, price/ earnings ratios, payrolls, stock portfolios, and more. 016/054 $22.95

THE BUSINESS GUIDE TO

SMALL COMPUTERS By L. Cal

mus

096/627 $21.95

INTERFACE PROJECTS FOR

THE TRS-80 By R. C. Hallgren

582466-3 $18.95

POWERFUL TOOLS!

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New Members take any $4 3 books for only I

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APPLE PASCAL GAMES By D.

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MATHEMATICS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF ALGORITHMS. By D. H. Greene and D. E. Knuth. 707pp. Gives you a clear picture of both the structure and the power of algorithms—and their intimate relationship to the world of the computer programmer. 582707-7 $10.00

THE BOWKER BANTAN 1984 COMPLETE SOURCEBOOK OF PERSONAL COMPUTING. By

R. R. BowkerCo. 700 pp.. illus. This dynamic reference provides seven product directories that cover hardware (with full specs and prices), peripheral hardware, software, books, magazines, computer association publications (many of them free!), and consumer databases. 582915-0 $24.95

384 BYTE • JULY 1984

REAL-TIME COMPUTING With Applications to Data Acquisition and Control. Edited by D. A. Mellichamp. 552 pp., 260 illus. This comprehensive guide helps you specify the type of realtime computing system you need, start it up, and keep it running smoothly and productively. 582844-8B $39.50

(Counts as 2 or your 3 books)

GUIDE TO THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER: Features DOS 2.0 and BASIC 2.0 for

the IBM PC and XT. By W. Si

konowiz. 352 pp.. illus. Going far beyond the manufacturer's manuals, this guide gives you the invaluable hands-on experience necessary to make the most of your machine. 574/847 $19.95

LEARNING WITH LOGO By D.

H. Watt

685/703 $14.95

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR GRAPHICAL DISPLAYS. By D. L. Ryan. 337 pp.. 148 illus., outsized 7 7 x 8V2 format, softbound. Let this easy-to-follow guide show you how to produce displays with a variety of applications—from animation to engineering drawings and documents. It describes and illustrates how to produce program . . . how to select and use such devices as pen plotters, joysticks, and light pens . . . and how to use simple graphic entities. 582931-2B $26.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

INTRODUCTION TO THE UCSD p-SYSTEM . By C. W.

Grant and J. Butah. 330 pp.. illus. This book takes you through the whole process of implementing the UCSD p-System—and gives you hands-on programming experience in Pascal. 582767-0 $24.95

MICROPROCESSOR AND MICROCOMPUTER DATA DIGEST. By W. H. Buchsbaum and G. Weissenberg. 336 pp., 199 diagrams. Containing all the detailed technical data for every microprocessor integrated circuit that is currently listed as a "standard," off-the-shelf item, this book presents the critical pin configurations, voltages, operating parameters, descriptions of each IC. 582835-9B $29.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

BASIC: Getting Started. By W.

S. Davis. 752 pp., illus., softbound. Step by step, this manual guides you through your first programs until you're "over the hump" and feel comfortable with the computer. It takes you from defining the problem through branching and looping right up to arrays and data statements. 582355-1 $6.95

ANNOUNCING: The Most Important Computer Handbook

Ever Published!

The McGRAW-HILL COMPUTER HANDBOOK, 992 pp., 475 illus., edited by Harry L. Helms, with over 24 world-reknown contributors, is by far the most useful and comprehensive reference yet designed for today's computer user. Crammed with easy to get at information, ranging from design concepts to programming techniques, from data bases to interfacing, networking, speech synthesis and recognition to mention just a few of hundreds of entries, this one volume reference does it all—in language and presentation everyone can understand. Invaluable for home, office, and school use, The Computer Handbook "can be helpful to users in solving many mysteries, while opening new doors for exploration and serving as a continuing reference," writes Thomas C. Bartee of Harvard University.

279/721A $79.50

(Counts as 3 of your 3 books)

3 books for only $1.00 each... if you join now for a trial period and agree to purchase three more books—at handsome discounts—during your first year of membership. (Publishers' prices shown)

SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING FOR SMALL COMPUTERS. By

D. H. Marcellus. 432 pp., 154 illus. From designing a user-interface dialogue to give instructions right up to parsing TINY BASIC, the author shows you how to make your machine more responsive to your needs. Coverage ranges from ROM monitors, assembler languages, and text editors to some larger microcomputer systems with hard disks and multi-tasking capabilities. 582937-1B $26.95

(Counts as 2 of your 3 books)

THE SMALL COMPUTER CONNECTION: Networks for the Home and Office. By N. L.

Shapiro. 256 pp. Shows you how to use existing hardware and software to link your small computer to other computers—large and small— and to a vast universe of databases. 564/124 $15.95

ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS' HANDBOOK, 2/e By D. G. Fink & D. Christiansen

209/812A $79.90

(Counts as 3 of your 3 books)

Z80 USERS MANUAL. By J.

Carr. 326 pp., with diagrams, charts, and tables. Takes you through every opportunity the ZAP can offer! It covers Z80 pin definitions, CPU control signals, support chips, interfacing peripherals, and much more. 582336-5 $21.95

INTRODUCING THE UNIX SYSTEM. By H. McGilton & R. Morgan. 256 pp., 50 illus. soft. This book helps you over the initial hurdles of learning this new and powerful computertool—even if you have never used the Unix system or penetrated any of its literature. 450/013 $18.95

HANDS-ON BASIC For the IBM® Personal Computer By

H. Peckham. 308 pp., spiralbound, softcover. Learn BASIC programming right at the computer! Step by step, this manual gives you hands-on experience with BASIC through a series of guided activities. Each of the 12 chapters requires at least one hour at the computer and at least one hour studying the text. 491/78X $19.95

HANDS-ON BASIC FOR THE Atari 4O0/80O/12XL By H.

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lULY 1984 -BYTE 385

ADA PRIMER

(continued from page 141)

Ada Mic

/'~L\ ne of the partial Ada compilers.

Compilers :rocomput<

sage provides a warm feeling that some

for srs

-executable part of main program

I 1 called lanus Ada, is sold by R&R

thing is going on. Finally this message is

begin

\^y Software for Z80- and 8088

displayed:

do_nothing;

based machines. I have the 8088 version

end small;

that operates under M&DOS. Although the

Thank You For Using JANUS/Ada

developers of Janus Ada have not devel

A>

This program is split across three files: ex

oped a full Ada compiler to date, they plan

ample.lib for the package specification of

to do so with this compiler. As it stands.

After this, the linker disk is put in disk A,

the subprogram, examplapkg for the pack

the compiler is a powerful tool that can be

and you type the command A>jlink b:tiny,

age body of the subprogram, and small.pkg

used to learn some of the features of Ada,

which causes the program to be linked and

for the main program.

but remember that it is not a true imple

stored on disk B as tiny.com. Tb execute the

Altogether, the packages do not appear

mentation of Ada.

program, give the command A>B:tiny.

very different from standard Ada. Requiring

lb see how a partial compiler differs from

I strongly recommend that the compiler

that separate units be in separate files is

a full compiler, I submitted the examples

(or at least its scratch files) be put on an

probably not a bad idea for small com

from parts 1 and 2 of this primer to the

electronic disk to speed up the process. If

puters. It isolates changes to small units of

Janus Ada compiler. In order for these ex

the linker can be left in disk A. it's conve

code and keeps compilation times shorter.

amples to run, I had to make some modi

nient to create a batch file to make a com

Both of the programs to display a

fications. In most cases the changes were

mand sequence that compiles, links, and

message look very much like standard Ada

cosmetic, but in one major aspect the

executes.

and both display the correct message. Note

changes were significant because Janus

The other significant difference is that the

that Janus Ada does not use the text io

Ada does not support subprograms that

name of a package has to match the name

package. Instead, various forms of get and

can be separately compiled. Each sub

of the file where the package is stored.

put are built into the compiler.

program must be placed in a package and

Under MS-DOS. this limits package names

compiled as a package. In Janus Ada, the

to eight characters.

- hellol.pkg

concept of the main program is more like

The smallest (anus Ada program with a

- Greet the world

that of a main package; that is, what Ada's

subprogram is

- Introduce output in Ada

designers considered to be the initializa

package body hellol is

tion part of a package becomes the main

- example.lib

begin

program. This is not such a bad way to

- Smallest Ada program with

put ("Hello, world!");

start; it would have been far worse if Janus

- a subprogram in a package

new_line;

Ada had only a single procedure as the

end hellol;

main program. As it is. Janus Ada supports

-Specification in Janus Ada

separate compilation of package specifica

-is in .lib file

This version of the program also displays

tions and package bodies. A package can

package example is

Hello, world!

also contain several subprograms; all the

-subprogram specification

examples that follow contain only one sub

procedure do_nothing;

- hello2.pkg

program per package, however.

end example;

- Greet the world

The smallest Janus Ada program is

- In another version

- examplapkg

package body hello2 is

-tiny.pkg

- Smallest Ada program with

begin

-package name must be same

- a subprogram in a package

put ("Hello");

-as file name in Janus

package body example is

put (",");

-smallest Janus Ada program

-subprogram implementation

put ("");

package body tiny is

procedure do_nothing is

put ("world");

-main program

begin

put ("!");

begin

null;

new_line;

-do nothing in main program

end do_nothing;

end hello2;

null;

end example;

end tiny;

- small.pkg

Janus Ada requires that all variables be

lb invoke the compiler, the source pro

- Main program

declared and have predefined types. The

gram was placed on disk B and the com

with example;

main difference between the following pro

piler on disk A. The command was given

-main program uses subprograms in package

gram and the standard Ada example is that

on disk A as A>janus b:tiny.

package body small is -main program

the input and output routines do not re

Only a compiler writer could understand

-use must be in declaration part

quire instantiation.

the information presented, but the mes

use example;

{continued)

386 BYTE • IULY 1984

ADA PRIMER

the Ada compiler']

the Ada syntax checker"]

the Ada library manager"]

or c = ascii.ht loop

put (" a new_line; put (" s new_line; put (" I new_line;

put (" Your request? ");

new_line; end greet; -receive response

-filtering out tabs, blanks, and carriage returns procedure geLresponse (c : out character) is begin c := "; while c = get (c); end loop; exception when end_error = > c := ascii.eot; end geLresponse;

procedure help (help atopic : help__topic type) is

begin

case help topic is

when ada_help = >

put (" The ADA command compiles and executes the program."); new_line; when syntax_help = >

put (" The ADAP command parses an Ada

program.");

new_line;

when library help = >

put (" The /LIBFILE=[file] option uses a library."); new_line; when error_help = >

put (" Did not understand that. Please rerun the program."); new_line; end case; end help; end help_package;

with help_package; use help_package procedure main is

c : character; begin greet;

geLresponse (c); case c is when ascii.eot = > when 'a'| A' = > when 's'I'S' = > when T|'L' = > when others = > end case;

end main;

null;

help (ada__help) help (syntax_help); help (library help);

help (error_help);

First, we establish a package that contains three procedures:

{continued)

)

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Circle 97 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984

i Y T E 387

ADA PRIMER

-varl.pkg

-Introduce variables package body varl is

-declaration for integer variable age: integer;

begin

age := 40;

put ("This year Sam is "); put (age,2); put(" years old."); new_line;

end varl;

Janus Ada also has subtypes so that the second version of the program appears as

~var2.pkg

-Introduce variables and subtypes

package body var2 is

subtype age_type is integer range 0..99; -declaration for age_type variable age: age_type;

begin

age := 40;

put ("This year Sam is "); put (age,2); put(" years old."); new_line;

end var2;

The control structures for lanus Ada are faithful to standard Ada. The following examples required only minor changes. Since each was a separate program, it was merely a matter of making each into a package body and eliminating the text_io setups.

The first program demonstrates the while loop construct.

-whilel .ada

-The while construct

package body whilel is

subtype count_type is integer range 1.5; count: count_type;

begin

count := 1;

while count < = 4 loop

put (count • 10, 2);

new_line;

count := count + 1; end loop;

end whilel;

The second program is another version of the while loop construct using the succ operation to perform incrementing of the control variable.

-while2.pkg

-The while construct

package body while2 is

subtype count_type is integer range 1.5; count: count_type;

begin

count := 1;

while count < = 4 loop

put (count * 10, 2);

new_line;

count:= count__type'succ(count); end loop;

end while2;

The following program demonstrates the for loop construct.

-foM.pkg

-The for construct

package body fori is

for count in 1..4 loop

put (count • 10, 2);

new_line; end loop;

end fori;

In Janus Ada. get and put do differ in the semantics for how input and output are performed, get reads the end-of-line character, which makes the copy program easier to understand. The strange construction end_of_file(standard_input()) is left over from a version of Ada before it became standardized. 1 was not able to use Control-Z as an end-of-file. but Control-C stopped the program. Janus Ada does not have exceptions, so the other version of the program is not possible.

-copyl.ada -Copy input to output with io.util;

package body copyl is use io.util:

c: character;

begin

while not end of filefstandard input())

loop

get(c); put(c);

end loop;

end copyl;

The io and util packages brought into this

program have the end of file and

end_of_line functions. Other useful input and output functions and procedures in these two packages are provided with the lanus Ada compiler.

The if statement is no different from standard Ada. as can be seen in the following examples.

- ifl.pkg

- Illustrate the if

- and else statements

package body id is

answer: character; begin

put (" Do you like Ada so far? ");

new_line;

put (" Type y for yes, or n for no: ");

new_line;

get (answer);

if answer = 'y' or answer = T then

put (" Glad to hear it!"); else

put (" Hope it changes."); end if; end id;

The only major difference in the next example is the fact that the program was in three files because of the separate package for greet.

-greeting.lib

-greeting for elsif example

package greeting is procedure greet; end greeting; -greeting.pkg

- greeting for elsif example package body greeting is

procedure greet is begin

put (" Do you like Ada so far?");

new_line;

put (" Type y for yes, or n for no: ");

{continued}

388 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 60 on inquiry card.

ADA PRIMER

greet, get_response, and help. The procedure greet presents information on the display as to what the program does in response to user inputs. This is always a good practice, even for more complex programs.

The procedure get_response contains some additional code to make it more user-friendly. Some users of interactive programs type a space (or even an enter or carriagereturn symbol) before entering a response, just as someone about to give a talk may blow into the microphone before speaking. Ada refers to the tab character as ascii.ht (ht stands for horizontal tab). Since the carriage-return symbol is not returned by get, there is no test for the carriage return. The exception is used to denote the end of a transmission (ascii.eot).

After returning from get_response. the value of the character c is tested in a case statement. If it is an end of file.

the program exits from the case statement doing nothing, and then it exits the program at the bottom of the procedure. This is the usual way of terminating an Ada program. The other calls result in the display of some of Ada's on-line help features or display a message to the user. Although you could use a put at the point of the call to the help procedure, the example illustrates the use of the case statement calling another program.

The case statement evaluates the expression following the keyword case. The expression must evaluate to one of the enumerated types, such as character. After evaluation, the statement transfers to the when clause that matches the case value, resuming execution with the statement following the symbol = >. For example, if c contains an a or an A, it matches the first case, and the call will be to display the help information for the Ada compiler. The bar symbol (J) can be read as an or between values such as a or A. If none of the when clauses that contain character values match the value in c, then the others clause is taken.

Ada requires that a when clause be listed for each possible value of the expression in the case statement or that a when others clause be used. This is to help prevent a common programming mistake called missing logic.

Pointers

Pointers, often a source of difficult bugs in programs, are sometimes considered mysterious or tricky. Ada eliminates many of the problems associated with pointers by providing protection against some of the common bugs arising from the misuse of pointers. Ada does not even call its pointers by the name pointers. Instead it calls them access types. Nevertheless, variables of an access type contain addresses as their value just as integer type variables contain integers as legal values. The following example is a version of the Hello, world! program (from part 1) rewritten to introduce access types.

-access.ada

-To introduce access types

with text io; use text io;

procedure main is type message_access is access string; -A

message : message_access; -B

begin

(continued)

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ADA PRIMER

message := new string'{" Hello, world! put (message.all); end main;

-C

~D

The declaration in line A states that message_access is an access type that can point to strings. Then in line B, a declaration is made that message is an access variable; hence, message can point to a string. In line C, the message pointer is assigned to the string created by the new string' (" Hello, world!"). To picture this operation, consider it as represented in figure l. Line D then displays the message with message.all. which indicates that everything pointed to by message is to be used.

-message.ada

-Copy from access string to string

with text_io; use text io;

procedure main is type message_access is access string; small : constant := 20; original: message_access; copy : string (1..small); procedure string_copy

(from_string : message_access;

to string : out string) is

begin

to string := (1..to string'length = > "); -A

for i in from_string.aH'range loop -B

to string(i) := from string.all(i); -C

end loop;

end string copy;

begin original := new string'(" This will repeat. "); string_copy (original, copy);

put (originaLall); -D

put (copy); -E

end main;

The string copy procedure shows that strings can be operated on by pointers and can be stored in arrays. In fact, the string type is predefined in Ada to be type string is array (positive range <>) of character;.

In line A, the procedure sets to string to all blanks with

an aggregate expression. It specifies that as many blanks as

designated in the aggregate are to be assigned to to string.

In line B, a for loop is set to address every element in the string by the use of the 'range attribute. The loop parameter i picks out the individual characters in line C, transferring them from the string pointed to by original into the string copy.

In the body of the main program, original is set to point to a string. Then the procedure string_copy is called. Finally, in lines D and E, the original and the copy are displayed.

The following example performs the same operations without a loop. In Ada, assignment statements between strings of the same length are possible.

~message2.ada

-Copy from access string to string

with text io; use text_io;

390 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 73 on inquiry card.

Circle 33! on inquiry card.

ADA PRIMER

-A -B -C -D

procedure main is type message_access is access string; small : constant := 20; original: message_access; copy : string (1..small);

procedure string copy

(from_string : message_access;

to string : out string) is

length : integer; begin

length := to string'length:

to string := (1..length = > ");

length := from string.aN'length;

to string (1..length) := from string.ali;

end string copy;

begin original := new string'(" This will repeat."); string_copy (original, copy); put (originaLall); put (copy); end main;

The assignments in lines A and B blank out the copy string. The length of the destination string is determined in line C. The assignment in line D copies the entire string in a single assignment statement to the copy string. Of course, Ada will detect an error if the original string is longer than the space set aside for the copy. We can test the lengths of the two strings to prevent an error.

Let us now look at the program weekday, in which a function returns a character string given an integer. In line A, day_type is declared to be an array that is 8 long, having the index values 0 to 7. Note that indices can start with 0, 1, or any other enumeration value. Each element in the array saves a string. It could also save a pointer to a string but, in this example, it is better to work directly with the strings.

-weekday.ada

-return name of weekday

with text io; use text io;

procedure main is type day_type is array (integer range 0..7) of string (1.5); day: day_type := ("Oppsday ", "Monday ", "Tuesday ", "Wednesday", "Thursday ",

--B

[continued)

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JULY 1984 -BYTE 391

ADA PRIMER

new_line;

-Illustrate the if and exit statements

tion that defines the subprogram, and

end greet;

with io, util, greets;

copies.pkg for the main program that calls

end greeting;

package body exitl is

the subprogram copy.

use io, util, greets;

The subprogram copy_in_out actually

-elsifl.pkg

c: character;

makes more sense than in the full Ada ex

- Illustrate use of elsif

begin

ample, which needs special handling to

with greeting;

greet; -display a greeting to the user

store the carriage return and seems to re

package body elsifl is

while not end_of_file(Standard_input())

quire an exception to handle the end-of

- Illustrate use of if

loop

file. A simple while loop continues until an

- and elsif and else

gettc);

end-of-file condition is reached.

use greeting;

if c = 'e' then

put(""~You guessed it! Congratula

-copy.lib

answer: character;

tions! ");

-Copy input to output

new_line;

package copy is

begin

exit;

procedure copy_in_out;

-greet the user

end if;

end copy;

greet;

end loop;

get (answer);

end exitl;

-copy.pkg

-Copy input to output

if answer = y or answer = T then

with io, util;

put (" Glad to hear it!");

The other version of the exit example

package body copy is

new_line;

program uses the same packages as

procedure copy_in_out is

elsif answer = 'n' or answer = 'N' then put

before.

use io, util;

(" Sorry to hear that. Hope it changes.");

c: character;

new_line;

-exit2.pkg

begin

else

-Show how to eliminate

while not end_of_file(standard_input())

put(" 1 don't understand ");

-an exit statement

loop

put (answer);

g«(c);

put(".");

with greets, io, util;

put(c);

new_line;

package body exit2 is

end loop;

end if;

use greets, io, util;

end copy_in_out;

-initialize c to blank

end copy;

end elsifl;

c: character := '';

begin

-copies.pkg

The exit statement is also the same as in

-display a greeting to the user

_main program to call copy_in_out

standard Ada. The version that follows

greet;

with copy;

makes use of the end_of_file construct to

while c /= 'e' and not end_of_file

package body copies is

exit the program. I am not sure if Control

(standard_input()) loop

use copy;

C is the right end-of-file command, but it

get(c);

begin

gets you out of the program.

if c = 'e' then

copy_in_out;

put(""-You guessed it! Congratula

end copies;

-greets.lib

tions! ");

-greeting specification

new_line;

The following set of packages reads in

package greets is

end if;

a line until it reads either an end-of-file

procedure greet;

end loop;

marker or a carriage return. The line read

end greets;

end exit2;

in is then displayed. The main program is in lines.pkg; the subprograms are get_my_

-greets.pkg

This version of (anus Ada does not sup

line and put_my_line, packaged in myline..

-greeting implementation

port exceptions or aggregates and requires

package body greets is

the use of packages for the main program

-myline.lib

procedure greet is

and for any subprograms. This is an ap

-read a line and display a line

begin

propriate structure for subprograms that

put(" If you type a certain letter");

in most cases should be placed in pack

package myline is

new_line;

ages.

put(" I'll congratulate you for guessing

The following program copies characters

limit: constant := 80;

it.");

until an end-of-file marker is reached.

new_line;

end_of_file is defined in a package named

type string ^type is array (1..limit)

put(" If you get bored, type control-c

io; the input and output functions get and

of character;

instead.");

put are built into the compiler. The

subtype index_type is integer range Climit;

new_line;

standard_input function is in the package

end greet;

util. The program is in three files: copy.lib

procedure get_my_Jine (line : out

end greets;

for the package specification that names

string_type;

the subprogram in a procedure specifica

length : out index_type);

-exittpkg

tion, copy.pkg for the package implementa

(continued)

392 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 357 on inquiry card.

ADA PRIMER

"Friday "Saturday ", "Sunday "); function weekday (number: integer)

return string is ~C

d : string (1..9); begin if number < 1 or number > 7 then

d := day (0); else

d := day (number); end if; return d; end weekday; begin

put (" I was born on a " & weekday(4)); end main;

In line B, the variable day is declared to be of type day_type; all eight elements of the array are set by an aggregate. Day (0) is "Oppsday " and day (7) is "Sunday ".

The function weekday inputs an integer number and returns a string. If the value of the parameter falls between 1 and 7, the returned value is the string that names the appropriate day. If the number falls outside the bounds, the value for "Oppsday " is returned.

The main program causes the program to display I was born on a Thursday. The & in the put statement is an operator that joins the two strings together.

If you don't mind giving up lowercase letters in your output, Ada has a way of displaying strings directly from integers.

-weekday2.ada

-display weekday value using image attribute

with text io; use text io;

procedure main is type day_type is (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday); ~A

week_day: day_type; -B

begin week_day := day_type'val(3); -C

put (" I was born on a " &

day_type'image(week_day)); ~D

end main;

Line A defines day_type to have a set of 7 values, Monday through Sunday. Line B defines week_day to be of the type day_type. This enables week_day to take on any of the seven names of the days of the week.

In line C, week_day is set to an attribute of the type day_type. This attribute, 'val, returns the name of the value in the specified position. In this case, the value of 3 yields Thursday. Line D displays the result that combines the message string with another useful attribute of day_type. This attribute, 'image, returns a string representing the name of week_day so it can be displayed. The output from this program is I was born on a THURSDAY.

Note that image provides only an uppercase representa

[continued)

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JULY 1984 -BYTE 393

ADA PRIMER

procedure put_my_line (line : in

lines.com. The program was executed with

new_line;

string__type;

the command sequence

put (" s the Ada syntax checker");

length : in index_type);

new_line;

A>time

put (" 1 the Ada library manager");

end myline;

A>b:lines

new_line;

This is some normal data.

put (" Your request? ");

-myline.pkg

A>time

new_line;

with io, util;

end greet;

package body myline is

to give some indication of the time taken

-receive response

use io, util;

to load and execute the program (including

-filtering out blanks

procedure get_my_line (line : out

the time taken to type the sentence). It took

procedure get_response (c : out character) is

string_type;

less than 20 seconds, most of which was

begin

length : out index_type) is

spent loading the program and typing the

c := ";

c: character;

message. The program appeared to oper

while e ■ " loop

begin

ate instantaneously, as it should for such

get(c);

for i in 1..limit loop

a simple program.

if end_of_file (standard_input())

get (c);

The example that shows the case state

then

line (i) := c;

ment was also rewritten in Janus Ada. It

c := eof;

length ;= i;

could filter out blanks only. When I tried

exit;

exit when end ^of line (standard_

to establish a loop with end__of_Jine. I had

end if;

input());

to type the character I wanted twice. It ap

end loop;

exit when end_of_file (standard—

peared that the end ^of line function

end get_response;

input());

swallowed a character. Otherwise, the pro

procedure get_help (help topic : help

end loop;

gram is not much different than the full Ada

topic ^type) is

end get_my_line;

version.

begin

procedure put_my_line (line : in

case help topic is

string_type;

when ada_help = >

length : in index_type) is

--help.lib

put (" The ADA command com

begin

--Demonstrate case statement

piles and executes the program.");

for i in 1..length loop

with io, util;

new_line;

put (line(i));

package help is

when syntax_help = >

end loop;

-send instructions to display

put (" The ADAP command parses

new_line;

use io, util;;

an Ada program.");

end put_my_line;

-make up for missing ascii character

new_Jine;

end myline;

package

when library help = >

eof: constant character :=

put (" The /LIBFILE=[file] option

-lines.pkg

character'val(26);

uses a library.");

-line functions test

procedure greet;

new_line;

with myline;

-receive response

when error help = >

package body lines is

-filtering out tabs, blanks, and

put (" Did not understand that.

use myline;

-carriage returns

Please rerun the program.");

my_line: string_type;

procedure get_response (c : out character);

new_Jine;

my_length : index_type;

-show help messages

end case;

type help_topic_type is (ada_help,

end get^ help;

begin

syntax_help, library help, error help);

end help;

procedure get_help (help atopic :

-main.pkg

get_my_line (my_line, my_length );

help atopic type);

with help;

put_my_line ( my_line, my_length );

end help;

package body main is

-help.pkg

use help;

end lines;

with io, util;

c: character;

package body help is

begin

In compiling this program, the compiler

use io, util;

greet;

was invoked as A>janus b:myline.lib to first

-send instructions to display

get_response (c);

compile the package specification for the

procedure greet is

case c is

myline package. Then the compiler was in

begin

when eof = > null;

voked a second time with A>janus

put (" On line help for Ada

when 'a'I'A' = > get_help (ada_help);

brmyline.pkg to compile the package body

programmers");

when 's'I'S' = > get_help (syntax_

for the myline package. The third invoca

new_line; new_line;

help);

tion of the compiler, A>janus b:lines.pkg.

put (" Type For help about");

when T|'L' = > get help (library

compiled the main program. After the mes

new_line;

help);

sage Thank You For Using JANUS/Ada. the

nut 1" "Y

when others = > get_help (error_help);

Mul I )i

command A>jlink b: lines caused the pro

new_line;

end case;

gram to be linked and stored on disk B as

put (" a the Ada compiler");

end main;

394 BYTE- IULY 1984

ADA PRIMER

Janus Ada also has access types, as demonstrated in the following program. The main difference between this program and the full Ada version is the Janus compiler won't allow allocation of an object at the same time as setting the object. This restriction is very common in partial compilers. As a result, it requires two statements, whereas one is sufficient in full Ada. Another difference not obvious in this program is that strings in Janus Ada are not fixed-length strings but variable-length strings. In the previous examples, 1 declared a type called ada_string, which is more like a true string. But 1 could not use the type in this example and set it to a string literal, so 1 used Janus strings.

-point.pkg

--To introduce access types

package body point is

type message_access is access string;

message: message_access; begin

message := new string;

message.all := " Hello, world!";

put (message.all); end point;

It's possible to gain access to individual characters in a string pointed to by an access type variable through such notation

as from string.all(i). However, with Janus's

dynamic strings, it is not possible to refer to an element of the string until it is there. Hence, I did just the second version of the program, which eliminates the for loop.

Since the string copy subprogram is just

one statement, it does not seem very worthwhile as a subprogram.

--message.pkg

-Copy from access string to string

with strlib;

package body message is

use strlib;

type message_access is access string;

original; message_access;

copy : string(20);

procedure string_copy

(from_string: in message_access; to string : out string) is

begin

to_string := from string.all;

end string copy;

begin

original := new string; original.all := " This will repeat."; string_copy (original, copy); put (original.all); put (copy); end message;

The original version of the weekday program uses aggregates to initialize the array day. These were changed to assignment statements that assigned the elements of the array individually. The second version of the full Ada program uses the image attribute, and the third version uses an exception handler. Equivalent versions could not be written in Janus Ada because these features are not part of Janus Ada.

-week.pkg

-return name of weekday package body week is type day_type is array (integer range 0..7) of string (9); day: day_type;

function weekday (number: integer) return string is

d: string(9); begin

if number < 1 or number > 7 then d;=day(0);

else d := day (number);

end if;

return d; end weekday; begin day(O) := "Oppsday "; day(1):= "Monday "; day(2) := "Tuesday "; day(3) := "Wednesday"; day(4) := "Thursday "; day(5) := "Friday "; day(6) := "Saturday "; day(7) := "Sunday ";

put (" I was born on a " & weekday(4)); end week;

The output from the program is I was born on a Thursday.

Janus Ada provides for records, as shown in the following program. It makes you appreciate the use of aggregates in full Ada.

The missing 'range attribute requires that the loop be changed if the number of items in the list is increased. The output from the program is the same with the full Ada program.

--list.pkg

-Show an array of records

package body list is

type list-type is record name : string (12); number: string (12); end record;

type phone list_type is

array (1.3) of list type;

phones: phone_list_type; begin phones(1).name := "Sabina Saib "; phones(1).number := "805-964-7724";

phones(2).name := phones(2).number;

"Weather "805-962-6878"

phones(3).name := "Time ";

phones(3).number := "805-966-0611";

for i in 1..3 loop

put (phones(i).name);

put (phones(i).number);

new_line; end loop; end list;

These simple examples show that Janus Ada. while not a full Ada, bears a close resemblance to Ada. I leave you to judge how close the resemblance is. We can hope that future versions will come closer to Ada.

What these examples do not show are the nice error messages and diagnostics that Janus Ada provides. At one point in testing the examples, 1 omitted a semicolon and the compiler asked me if I wanted it to insert one and continue. 1 let it continue; it compiled and executed correctly. In another instance, I was in violation of a constraint and the run-time system told me which line in which subprogram caused the error. It also told me which parent program called the subprogram and at which line the call was made. These features make me hope that this compiler will become a full Ada compiler.

tion of the name. If you use a value outside the range 0 to 6, Ada causes an error, called an exception, to occur. You can refine this example by handling the exception.

-weekday3.ada

-display weekday value using image attribute

-contains exception handler

with text io; use text_io;

procedure main is type day_type is (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,

{continued)

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Circle 194 on inquiry card.

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ADA PRIMER

Sunday); week_day: day_type; begin week_day := day_type'val(3); put (" I was born on a " &

day_type'image(week_day)); exception -A

when others = >

put (" Opps, something was wrong! "); end main;

The program, down to the exception in line A, is the same as before. If something goes wrong, the statement following the = > causes the message Opps, something was wrong! to be displayed.

Records

Ada records are very much like Pascal records. In the example that follows, line A defines list type to be a record with

two fields: name and number. Each record is a string. Both name and number are 12 characters long.

Line B defines a type that is an array of three records. Line C defines an object that can be used to store up to three names and numbers. The object is initialized with an aggregate giving the three names and numbers.

The main program simply lists the information stored in the record. The for loop in line D uses a valuable attribute of arrays 'range. If the array was changed to 2 5 or 100 instead of 3, the loop would not need to be changed.

The put statements in lines E and F show how individual elements in the array, and then individual fields in the record, are referred to with a dot notation.

-Show an array of records

with text io; use text_io;

procedure main is type list_type is record -A

name : string (1..12); number: string (1..12); end record;

type phone list ^type is

array (1.3) of list_type; -B

phones : phone list ^type := -C

(("Sabina Saib ", "805-964-7724"), ("Weather ", "805-962-6878"), ("Time ", "805-966-0611"));

begin for i in phones'range loop -D

put (phones(i).name); -E

put (phones(i).number); -F

new_line; end loop; end main;

When run, the preceding program displays:

Begin Ada execution

Sabina Saib 805-964-7724

396 BYTE- |ULY 1984

Circle 215 on inquiry card.

ADA PRIMER

Weather Time

805-962-6878 805-966-0611

Execution complete Execution time: 12 seconds l-code statements executed: 44

Going Further in Ada

Although you have seen some complete Ada examples and should be able to write your own Ada programs, you can learn much more about the language from the numerous textbooks on the language. Some of these texts are listed in the bibliography.

You will also need access to an Ada compiler. The most comprehensive compilers are on large machines, such as the NYU Ada/Ed on VAX 11/780 computers. There are also some promising microcomputer compilers, such as Janus Ada from R&R Software (see the text box beginning on page 386). Whatever compiler you use, try some of the simple examples from this article and then add your own applications with help from a textbook.

Eventually you will want to have your own Ma Language Terence Manual, available from the U.S. Government Printing Office, as well as from several commercial publishers. Be sure to get the 1983 ANSI standard version of the manual instead of a preliminary version. ■

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, lohn. Programming in Ada. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1983. Booch, Grady. Software Engineering with Ada. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesiey, 1983.

Buhr, R. I. A. System Design with Ada. Englewood Cliffs, N): Prentice-Hall, 1984.

Cherry, George. Parallel Programming ANSI Standard Ada. Englewood Cliffs, N): Prentice-Hall. 1984.

Downes, V. A. Programming Embedded Systems with Ada. Englewood Cliffs, N): Prentice-Hall, 1984.

Gehani, Narain. Ada: An Advanced Introduction. Englewood Cliffs, N): PrenticeHall, 1984.

Gehani. Narain. Ada: Concurrent Programming. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall, 1984.

Habermann. A. Nico, and Dewayne Perry. Ada for Experienced Programmers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1984.

Hibbard, P. Studies in Ada Style. New York, Springer-Veriag, 1983. Leathrum,). Aaa Software Designer's Primer. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall, 1984.

Lewis, William. Problem-Solving Designer's Primer. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.

McDermid, lohn A., and Knut Ripken. Life Cycle Support in the Ada Environment. New Rochelle, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1984. McGettrick, A. D. Program Verification Using Ada. New Rochelle, NY: Cambridge University Press. 1982.

Olsen, Eric. Ada for Programmers. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984. Pyle. Ian. Ada Programming Language. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.

Saib, Sabina, and Robert Fritz. The Ada Programming language: A Tutorial. Los Alamitos. CA: IEEE Computer Society Press, 1983. Saxon. lames, and Robert Fritz. Beginning Programming with Ada. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983.

Stratford-Collins, M. I. Ada: Programmer's Conversion Course. New York: Wiley, 1982.

Wiener, Richard, and Richard Sincovec. Programming in Ada. New York: Wiley, 1982. Young, S. J. An introduction to Ada. New York: Wiley, 1982.

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west mKm 800-648-3311

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KERMIT

{continued from page 145)

tivelu acknowledge the expected command. The potential problem occurs in either the Receive Init state or when a Kermit server is waiting for a command. In either case, Kermit won't know whether communication has begun if the other side's initial packet was lost. Kermit can't assume the other side will time out and retransmit, so it must check periodically by sending a NAK for packet zero. If Kermit gets no response, it assumes nothing has happened yet and goes back to sleep for a while.

But sending periodic NAKs opens the door to the buffering problem. Some systems buffer input for a device; when a program isn't looking for input, some or all the input is saved by the computer for future requests. This can cause problems when talking to a Kermit server or sending a file to a Kermit in receive wait. If some time has elapsed since activating the remote Kermit sending the file and escaping back and starting up the local Kermit, a number of NAKs may have accumulated in the local Kermit's input buffer, so clear the input buffer at the beginning of a transfer.

If the input buffer is not cleared, the local Kermit will think the remote side is having trouble receiving the first packet. In an effort to get the packet through, it will be sent again; this repeats for every NAK waiting in the input buffer. By the time the first ACK is finally encountered in the buffer, a number of duplicates of the first packet will

have been sent out. If this number exceeds the NAK threshold, the connection will be broken. If not, however, the second packet will be retransmitted once for each of the extra ACKs the remote Kermit correctly sent for the duplicate first packets. This can continue throughout the file transfer, causing each packet to be sent many times. So, clear the input buffer after reading each packet. Any computer that buffers its input should clear its input buffer before the transfer and after each packet that arrives successfully. But since not all systems provide a clear-buffer function, we may add our last rule: discard redundant ACKs.

In the situation just described, the first packet would be sent out multiple times, once for each buffered NAK. Upon receipt of the first ACK, the second packet would go out, but the next response would be another ACK for the first packet; by the last rule, Kermit would simply take in the redundant ACK, ignore it, and look for the next ACK, until it got the desired one, in violation of the spirit of the first rule.

If we allowed ourselves to violate the first ryle, we could add another rule, an ACK for packet n also acknowledges all previous packets, as is done in some network protocols, allowing data packets to be sent in a continuous stream. Kermit cannot use this rule for many reasons: sequence-number wraparound, buffer overflows, and locking out half-duplex systems (how can you negatively acknowledge a bad packet if you can't get

Listing 1: A sequence of packets from an

actual file transfer. Comments are on

the

right side or in parentheses.

"A) SH( ®-#"

Send Init

"A) YH( @-#%

ACK for Send Init

"A + 1FMOON.DOC2

File header

"A#!Y?

ACK for file header

"AE"D No celestial body has required |

First data packet

"A#'Y®

ACK for first data packet

"AE#Das m%%%uch labor for the study of its#

Second data packet, bad

"A##N8

NAK for second data packet

"AE#Das much labor for the study of its#

Second data packet again

"A##YA

ACK for second data packet

"AE$D#M#|motion as the moon. Since ClaA

etc...

"A#$YB

(many packets omitted here)

"AD'Dout 300 terms are sufficient.#M#JU

Last data packet

"A#"Y0

ACK for last data packet

"A##ZB

EOF

"A##YA

ACK for EOF

"A#$B+

EOT

"A#$YB

ACK for EOT

control of the line?). Thus, if we violate the first rule, it must be only in a very minor way.

An Example

A sequence of packets from a real file transfer is shown in listing 1. Each packet starts with Control-A, shown as "A. In the first packet, we see following the Control-A the packet length ")" (41 less 32, or 9) followed by the packet type, S (Send Init), and then by the appropriate parameter declarations: maximum packet length is H (72 - 32 = 40), time-out is "(" (40 - 32 =8), number of padding characters is 0 (space - 32 32 =0), the padding character is 0, endof-line is "-" (45 - 32 = 13, the ASCII value of a carriage return), the controlquote character is "#", and the remaining fields are omitted, defaulting to appropriate values. The final character (""") is the single-character checksum, computed as follows (all numbers and computations are in octal, and "sp" represents a space):

) sp S H ( sp

51+40+ 123 + 110+ 50 + 40 +

@ - #

100+ 55 + 43 =674

674 + (674/300) - 676

676 AND 77 = 76;

char(76) = 76 + 40 = 136 = """

The receiver acknowledges with its own parameters, which are the same. Then comes the file header, the file, EOF, and EOT. One data packet was corrupted by a burst of "%" characters, negatively acknowledged, and retransmitted.

Performance

For text files (documents or program source), assuming an average line length of 40 characters with lines separated by a carriage return/linefeed pair, the only control characters normally found in the text file, we see about 5 percent overhead for prefixing of control characters. Assuming no line terminators for packets (although one or both sides may require them), no retransmissions or time-outs, and no time wasted for the line to turn around between packet and response, for an average packet length p, using a singlecharacter checksum, the Kermit protocol overhead consists of five controlfield characters in the data packet, five characters in the acknowledgment

400 BYTE' JULY 1984

KERMIT

packet, and 0.0 5p for control-character quoting.

This gives 10/p + 0.05 overhead. A packet length of 40 gives 30 percent overhead. If p is 96 (the maximum), there is about 15 percent. These figures will vary with the average line length and the frequency of other control characters (like tabs and formfeeds) in the file and will go up with immediate retransmissions—and way up with delayed retransmissions. For binary files, the quoting overhead will be higher. But transmission overhead can also go down dramatically if prefix encoding is used for repeated characters, depending on the nature of the data (binary data containing many zeros, highly indented or columnar data, or program text will tend to benefit). Each file transfer also gets a fixed overhead for the preliminary (Send Init, File Header) and terminating (EOF, EOT) packets.

If the mainframe end of a connection is heavily loaded, it may take considerable time to digest and process incoming characters before replying. On halfduplex mainframes, a pause may occur between sending and receiving, even if the load is light; this might be used to advantage by preparing the next packet in advance while waiting for the current ACK. Another problem may occur on heavily loaded mainframes—undesirable time-outs. Time-outs are intended to detect lost packets. A heavily loaded system may take longer than the timeout interval to send a packet. For this reason, mainframe Kermits should take the requested time-out interval only as a minimum and should adjust it for each packet based on the current system load, up to a reasonable maximum.

A noisy line has a greater likelihood of corrupted packets and therefore of retransmission overhead. Performance can be improved by reducing the packet length (and thus the corruption probability of any particular packet) and the amount of time required to retransmit it. A Kermit program can unilaterally adjust the packet length according to the number of retransmissions that are occurring. Short packets cut down on retransmission overhead; long packets cut down on character overhead.

TtoE User Interface

Kermit was designed from a mainframe perspective. Like many mainframe pro

grams, Kermit issues a prompt, the user types a command, Kermit executes the command and issues another prompt, and so on until the user exits from the program. Much care is devoted to the command parser, even on microcomputer versions. The goal is to provide English-like commands composed of sequences of keywords or operands, with abbreviations possible for any keyword in any field down to the minimum unique length and with "?" help available at any point in a command. Not all implementations need follow this model, but most do.

The basic commands are SEND and RECEIVE. These allow most Kermits to exchange files. Operands can be the name of a single file or a file-group designator (e.g„ with wildcards) to transmit multiple files in a single operation. Although some systems may not provide wildcard file processing, the Kermit protocol allows it.

The CONNECT command provides the mechanism for logging in and typing commands at the remote host, which is necessary in order to start the Kermit on that side. The CONNECT facility provides character-at-a-time transmission, parity selection, remote or local echoing, and the ability to send any character, including the escape character that must be used to get back to the local Kermit. However, no error detection or correction occurs during CONNECT, just as none normally occurs between an ordinary terminal and a host.

When two systems are dissimilar, a SET command is provided to allow them to accommodate each other's peculiarities, for instance, SET PARITY ODD to add odd parity to all outbound characters or SET LOCAL-ECHO to do local echoing when connected as a terminal to a half-duplex system. The SET command must sometimes be used to supply information to the target system on how to store an incoming file with respect to block size, byte size, record format, and record length.

Most Kermit implementations take special care to reassure the user during file transfer. The names of the files being transferred are shown, and a dynamic display is made of the packet traffic, showing successful transmission of packets as well as time-outs and re

(continued)

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KERMIT

tr,

ansmissions. Messages are issued when the user connects to the remote system or escapes back from it. and Kermit prompts identify the implementation. Helpful error messages are displayed when necessary; these may emanate from either the local or the remote system. The final disposition of the transfer is clearly stated: complete or failed.

The actions required of the Kermit user depend upon the degree to which the Kermit programs involved have implemented the specification. Minimal implementations require that the user connect to the remote host, start Kermit there, issue a SEND (or RECEIVE) command, escape back to the local machine, and issue the complementary RECEIVE (or SEND) command. All this must be done for each transfer. More advanced implementations allow the remote side to run as a server and to take all its instructions in special command packets from the local Kermit; all the user

has to do on the remote end is make the initial connection to start the server. The server will even log itself out upon command from the local Kermit. A minimal server can process commands to send files, receive files, and shut down.

See listing 2 for an example of a session in which the user of an IBM PC transfers files from a DECSYSTEM-20. The actions shown are required for minimal Kermit implementations.

The session is somewhat simpler when the remote Kermit is being run as a server. The user must still use CONNECT, log in, and start Kermit on the remote end but need never again use CONNECT to issue subsequent SEND, RECEIVE, EXIT, or LOGOUT commands, even though many transactions may take place. All actions can be initiated from the PC.

Advanced Features

An optional feature of the Kermit protocol is a special packet designed to ex

Listing 2: A sample session that transfers a file between an IBM Personal Computer and a DEC mainframe. The parts the user types are in italic and comments appear on the right or in parentheses. Everything else is system typeout.

A > kermit Kermit VI 20

! Run Kermit on the PC.

Kermit-86 > ! This is the Kermit prompt for the PC.

Kermit-86>connect ! Connect to the DEC-20.

IConnecting to host. Type CTRL-|C to return to PC]

Columbia University CU20B ©terminal vt52 ©login my-id password

You are now connected to the DEC-20. ! The system prints its herald. ! Set your terminal type (optional).

Login using the normal login method

(The DEC-20 prints various messages!

©kermit

Kermit-20>

Kermit-20>send '.{or

"\c

I Back at PCI

Kermit-86 > receive

! Run Kermit on the DEC-20.

! This is Kermit-20's prompt.

! Send all FORTRAN files.

! Type the escape sequence to return to the PC.

! Tell the PC that files are coming.

IThe progress of the transfer is shown continuously on the screen.)

Transfer Complete.

Kermit-86 >corned ! Get back to the DEC-20.

IConnecting to host. Type CTRL-IC to return to PCI Kermit-20> rail ! Get out of Kermit-20.

! Logout from the DEC-20.

Logged out |ob 55, User MY-ID. Account MY-ACCOUNT, TTY 146, at 24-Apr-84 15:18:56, Used 0:00:17 in 01:21:55

I Back at PCI Kermit-86 >exit

! Now. escape back to the PC ! and exit from the PC's Kermit.

press the attributes of a file in a compact and generic manner. The receiver may either attempt to use the attributes to store the incoming file, or archive them for later use. Attributes include not only file characteristics but also the intended disposition—store, print, submit for batch processing, send as mail, etc. Other optional features include mechanisms for gracefully interrupting, delaying, or suspending operations in progress; alternate forms of packet-data encoding; filename conversion; local file management; raw-data transmission and capture; command-macro definition; etc.

Although Kermit was never intended to fulfill the role of a general-purpose network server, its design has made it simple to add new functions. A Kermit server can accept commands in packets from a remote Kermit. The basic commands are for sending or fetching files and for shutting down the server. Other commands may require the display of text at the user's terminal, which is controlled by the local Kermit. For example, a directory listing could be requested; the resulting text is sent back to the local Kermit exactly as if a file were being transferred, except the destination is the user's screen rather than a disk file. With this ability in place, it is possible to implement all sorts of commands, for instance, to delete a file, show who's logged in, inquire about disk space, verify access to a directory, submit batch jobs, send messages, and so forth.

The ability of the Kermit server to perform host functions can be added very simply under certain operating systems. For instance, under UNIX, Kermit can "fork" a shell with commands to perform any function possible under UNIX, redirecting the standard output through a process (Kermit itself) that encapsulates it into Kermit packets and sends it along.

A server with these capabilities could provide convenient access to a timesharing system by users at personal workstations, without requiring the users to be directly involved with the host. If, for instance, workstations had dedicated connections to a host, and the host had dedicated Kermit servers for each such line, users could get access to and manage their host files completely by commands typed at the workstation. Taking this idea one step further.

402 B YTE • JULY 1984

KERMIT

the workstation system software could be modified to make the whole process transparent by incorporating the Kermit protocol in its file access logic—fetching and updating host files as necessary behind the user's back. Since the demands placed on a host by Kermit are relatively modest, many simultaneous users could probably be serviced in this way. This approach could be a relatively painless entry into the distributed, networked environment of tomorrow; when local-area-network protocols become mature and the hardware economical and widespread, Kermit can be replaced by the real thing. But for the ordinary computer user for whom dedicated connections are impractical, doit-yourself Kermit, or some similar facility, will be a valuable tool for years.

Conclusions

The need for a cheap, convenient filetransfer capability among diverse systems is pressing, and many efforts similar to ours are under way at many places. We hope that this article may contribute to those efforts; we don't claim to have the last word on any of the issues raised here and expect that this article may uncover some other approaches. We have billed Kermit as a simple protocol; anyone who has read this far will appreciate what must go into the more complicated protocols used in real networks or when integration of microcomputer and mainframe is a major goal—demand paging of remote files, remote database queries, distributed editing, and computation.

Meanwhile, the Kermit protocol has proven successful and continues to grow in popularity. As of this writing, implementations exist for over 50 computer systems; the major ones are listed in table 1. Some have been contributed or enhanced by the institutions listed in the acknowledgments. No single implementation necessarily includes all features mentioned in this article, but all are able to communicate at least at base level. Additional implementations are in preparation, and present ones are being enhanced.

Columbia University is willing to provide all Kermit programs, sources, manuals, and other documentation to computing centers, academic or corporate, in return for a modest fee to cover costs for media, printing, postage, labor.

Table 1: The computers and operating systems that the Kermit protocol is available on and the computer language the program is written in.

Machine

Operating System

Language

DECsystem-10

TOPS-10

MACRO-10

DECSYSTEM-20

TOPS-20

MACRO-20

IBM 370 Series

VM/CMS

IBM Assembler

VAX-11

VMS

Bliss-32

VAX, SUN, PDP-11, etc.

UNIX

C

PDP-11

RT-II, RSX, RSTS

MACRO-ll

8080. 8085, or Z80

CP/M-80

8080 ASM

8086, 8088

MS-DOS, CP/M-86

MASM, ASM86

Apple II 6502

Apple DOS

DEC-10/20 CROSS

and computing resources. Only magnetic tape and listings can be shipped. We cannot produce floppy disks; instructions are included for bootstrapping the microcomputer implementations from the mainframe computers. Details will be provided on request. Write to

Kermit Distribution

Columbia University Center for

Computing Activities

7th Floor, Watson Laboratory

612 West 115th St.

New York, NY 10025

The protocol specification supplemented by examples of existing Kermit implementations allows new implementations to be created with relative ease. In the past, Kermit implementers have shared their work with other Kermit users by contributing it to the Columbia Kermit library. We hope that this practice will continue until Kermit has spread throughout the known world. ■

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In designing the initial Kermit protocol, we studied several models, primarily the ANSI recommendation. Others included the Stanford University DIALNET project, the University of Utah "Small FTP" project, and the Stanford University Medical Center TTYFTP project. And we examined some real networks, such as ARPANET and DECnet.

Acknowledgments are also due to the many sites that have contributed new Kermit implementations or enhanced old ones: Stevens Institute of Technology, Digital Equipment Corporation, the National Institutes of Health, Cornell University, the University of Toronto, the University of Tennessee, University of Toledo, Pima Community College, Cerritos College, and others. Thanks to Dr. Howard Eskin for help with this article and to Henson and Associates for permission to use Kermit.

REFERENCES

1. ANSI X3.15-1976. Bit Sequencing of ASCII in Serial-By-Bit Data Transmission. New York: American National Standards Institute, 1976.

2. ANSI 3.16-1976. Character Structure and Character Parity Sense lor Serial-By-Bit Data Communication in ASCII. New York: American National Standards Institute, 1976.

3. ANSI X3.28-1976. Procedures for the Use of Control Characters of ASCII in Specified Data Communications Links. New York: American National Standards Institute, 1976.

4. ANSIX3.4-1977, Code for Information Interchange. New York: American National Standards Institute, 1977.

5. DNA Data Access Protocol (DAP) Functional Specification. AA-K177A-TK. Marlborough. MA: Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980.

6. DNA Digital Data Communications Message Protocol (DDCMP) Functional Specification, AA-K175A-TK. Marlborough, MA: Digital Equipment Corporation, 1980.

7. EIA Standard RS-232C Washington, DC: Electronic Industries Association, 1969, 1981.

8. Hamming, R. W. "Error Detecting and Error Correcting Codes." Bell System Technical journal, April 1950, page 147.

9. ISO Reference Model for Open Systems Interconnection (OS1), Draft Proposal 7498. International Organization for Standardization. 1982.

10. Knuth, D E. The Art of Computer Programming. Volume i: Fundamental Algorithms. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesiey, 1973.

11. Mackenzie. C E. Coded-Character Sets: History and Development. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesiey, 1980.

12. McNamara, I. E. Technical Aspects of Data Communication. Bedford. MA: Digital Press, 1982.

13. Martin, lames. Teleprocessing Network Organization. Englewood Cliffs, N): Prentice-Hall, 1970.

14. Neigus, N. I. File Transfer Protocol for the ARPA Network. RFC 542, NIC 17759. Cambridge, MA: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., 1973. (Available in the ARPANET Protocol Handbook, NTIS AD/A-052 594.)

15. Perez, Aram. "Byte-wise CRC Calculations." IEEE MICRO. lune 1983. page 40.

16. Pierce. J. R., and E. C. Posner Applications of Communications Theory: Introduction to Communication Science and Systems. New York: Plenum Press, 1980.

17. Thomas, R.. and I. Yates. A User Guide to the UNIX System. Berkeley, CA: Osbome/McGrawHill. 1982.

1ULY 1984 • BYTE 403

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IULY 1984 -BYTE 405

BOOKS RECEIVED

The ABCs of the IBM PC. loan Lasselle and Carol Ramsay. Berkeley. CA: Sybex, 1984; 160 pages. 17.5 by 22.8 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-89588-102-0, $12.95.

Advanced Pascal Programming Techniques, Paul A. Sand. Berkeley. CA: Osbome/McGrawHill. 1984; 380 pages. 18.5 by 23.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-88134-105-3, $19.95.

All About Hand-Held and Briefcase-Portable Computers, C Louis Hohenstein. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1984; 380 pages, 15 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-O7-O29452-6, $9.95.

APL: An Interactive Approach, 3rd ed. Leonard Gilman and Allen |. Rose. New York: lohn Wiley & Sons. 1984; 380 pages. 21.3 by 27.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-471-093041, $22.95.

An Apple Business Users Guide: Business Decision Making for Higher Profits. William R. Osgood and lames F. Molloy |r. Somerville, MA: Curtin & London, 1983; 160 pages, 21.5 by 27.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-930764-66-8, $15.50.

Applestat, Peter Rob. Englewood Cliffs, N|: PrenticeHall, 1984; 84 pages, 20 by 24.8 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13038951-X. $49.95. Includes floppy disk.

The Apple II BASIC Handbook, Douglas Hergert. Berkeley. CA: Sybex, 1983; 270 pages. 15 by 22.8 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-89588-115-2, $13.95.

Applied Concepts in Microcomputer Graphics, Bruce A. Artwick. Englewood Cliffs. N|: Prentice-Hall, 1984; 384 pages. 18.5 by 24.3 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-039322-3, $27.95.

Assembler for the IBM PC and PC-XT. Peter Abel. Reston. VA: Reston Publishing Co, 1984; 432 pages, 17.5 by 23.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-83 59-0153-X, $16.95.

Atari BASIC Tutorial. Robert

A. Peck. Indianapolis. IN: Howard W. Sams & Co., 1983; 224 pages, 13.8 by 21.5 cm. spiral-bound, ISBN 0-67222066-0, $12.95.

Atari Player-Missile Graphics in BASIC. Philip C Seyer. Reston. VA: Reston Publishing. 1984; 188 pages. 14.8 by 22.8 cm, spiral-bound. ISBN 0-83590112-2, $14.95.

BASIC Programming, Donald D Spencer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1984; 224 pages. 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-684-18039-1, $9.95.

CAAP '83, G. Ausiello and M. Protasi. eds. Lecture Notes in Computer Science #159, New York: Springer-Verlag, 1983; 423 pages, 13 by 19 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-387-12727-5, $18.

COBOL for Microcomputers, Ruth Ashley and ludi N. Fernandez. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 1983; 336 pages, 17 by 2 5.3 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-47187241-5, $15.95.

Commodore 64, John A. Heil and lack Martin. Wayne, PA: Banbury Books, 1983; 208 pages, 18 by 23.5 cm, spiralbound, ISBN 0-88693-067-7, $14.95.

Commodore 64 Exposed. Bruce Bayley. Nashville, TN: Melbourne House Software Inc., 1983: 206 pages, 14 by 20.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-86759144-7, $14.95.

Commodore 64 Fun and Games, Ron Jeffries, Glen Fisher, and Brian Sawyer. Berkeley, CA: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1984; 192 pages, 21.3 by 27.5 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-88134-116-9, $11.95.

Commodore 64 VIC 20 BASIC. Richard Haskell and Thomas

Windeknecht. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1983: 192 pages. 21.5 by 27.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-13-152281-7, $13.95.

The Commodore 64/VIC-20 BASIC Handbook, Douglas Hergert. Berkeley. CA: Sybex. 1983; 208 pages. 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-89588116-0, $14.95.

The Compleat Kaypro. Steven Frankel. Reston, VA: Reston Publishing Co.. Inc.. 1984; 240 pages, 17.5 by 23.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-83 59-0802-X, $16.95.

Computer Basics for Student Programmers. Dominick Sodano, Harry Klaff, and Susan White. Freeport, NY: Educational Activities Inc., 1983; 128 pages, 15 by 23 cm, spiralbound, ISBN 0-9611246, $6.95.

Computer Buyers Protection Guide, L. J. Kutten. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984; 160 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-13-164187-5. $12.95.

Computer Science with Structured BASIC. James Poirot, David Groves, and Charles Hammons. Austin. TX: Sterling Swift Publishing, 1983; 348 pages, 19.5 by 2 5 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-88408-279-2. $18.95.

Computers in Chess. English ed. M. M. Botnvinnik. New York: Springer-Verlag. 1984: 176 pages, 16 by 24.3 cm, hardcover. ISBN 0-387-90869-2. $22.

Computers and Your Child, Ray Hammond. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1984: 286 pages, 14.5 by 22 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-89919210-6, $15.95.

The CompuThink Guide to Word Processing. Jesse Berst. Indianapolis. IN: Howard W. Sams

THIS IS A LIST of books recently received at BYTE Publications. The list is not meant to be exhaustive, its purpose is to acquaint BYTE readers with recently published titles in computer science and related fields. We regret that we cannot review or comment on all the books we receive, instead, this list is meant to be a monthly acknowledgment of these books and the publishers who sent them.

& Co., 1983; 192 pages, 20 by 23.5 cm, ISBN 0-672-22069-5, $12.95.

Creative Design with Microcomputers. Steven K. Roberts. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: PrenticeHall, 1984; 400 pages, 17.5 by 23.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-13189317-3, $14.95.

Database Manager in Microsoft BASIC, Greg Greene. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1983; 176 pages, 19.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-83060567-3, $12.50.

Database. A Primer, C. J. Date. Reading. MA: Addison-Wesley. 1983; 288 pages, 18.3 by 23.3 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-20111358-9. $12.95.

Digital Control System Analysis and Design. Charles L. Phillips and H. Troy Nagle Jr. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: PrenticeHall, 1984; 576 pages. 18.3 by 24.3 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13212043-7. $36.95.

The Easy Guide to Your Commodore 64. Joseph Kascer. Berkeley, CA: Sybex. 1983; 144 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-89588-126-8, $7.95.

8-Bit & 16-Bit Microprocessor Cookbook, loseph I. Carr. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books. 1983: 302 pages. 13.5 by 21.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-83060643-2. $19.95.

Elements of Computer Process Control. Pradeep B. Deshpande and Raymond H. Ash. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983; 400 pages, 16 by 24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-264093-7, $47.95.

The Evolution of Programs. Nachum Dershowitz. Cambridge. MA: Birkhauser Boston Inc.. 1983; 366 pages, 14.5 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-81763171-2. $16.95.

The Fifth Generation, Edward A. Fiegenbaum and Pamela McCorduck. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1983; 288

406 BYTE' IULY 1984

pages, 16.5 by 24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-201-11519-0, S15.55.

First Course in Data Processing with BASIC. 2nd ed. ). Daniel Couger and Fred R. McFadden. New York: lohn Wiley & Sons, 1984; 620 pages, 21.3 by 27.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-47186945-7, $25.95.

First Course in Data Processing WITH BASIC COBOL, FORTRAN, and RPG, 3rd ed. ). Daniel Couger and Fred R. McFadden, New York; lohn Wiley & Sons, 1984; 702 pages. 21.3 by 27.8 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-47186946-5. $26.95.

Fundamentals of Programming Languages, 2nd ed. Ellis Horowitz. Rockville, MD: Computer Science Press, 1984; 464 pages, 15,5 by 23.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-88175-004-2, $26.95.

Games Computers Play, Keith S. Reid-Green. Bedford. MA: Digital Press, 1984; 2 56 pages, 21.5 by 25.5 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-932376-29-0, $16.

Getting the Most from WordStar and MailMerge, M. David Stone. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: 1984; 256 pages, 17.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-13354382-X. $14.95.

Getting the Most from Your VIC 20, Hank Librach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1983; 144 pages, 15 by 22.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-13-3543 57-9. $9.95.

A Guide to the Best Business Software for the IBM PC. Richard C Dorf. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1983; 224 pages, 18.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-201-10256-0. $12.95.

How to Buy Software. Alfred Glossbrenner. New York: St. Martin's Press. 1984; 672 pages. 15.5 by 23.5 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-312-39551-5, $14.95.

How to Create Your Own Computer Bulletin Board, Lary L.

Myers. Blue Ridge Summit. PA: Tab Books. 1983; 224 pages. 19.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-8306-1633-0, $12.50.

How to Get Intimate with Your Computer, Fred D'lgnazio. New York; McGraw-Hill, 1984; 168 pages, 13.5 by 20.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-07-016901-2, $6.95.

How to Program Your Commodore 64, Carl Shipman. Tucson, AZ: HP Books, 1983; 336 pages, 21.5 by 27.5 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-89586-310-3, $9,95.

The IBM/PC & Business Software, lames E. Kelley Ir. Wayne, PA: Banbury Books. 1983; 2 54 pages. 17.8 by 23.5 cm, spiralbound, ISBN 0-88693-000-6, $39.95. Includes two floppy disks.

IBM PC Expansion & Software Guide, 3rd ed. Staff of Que Corp. Indianapolis, IN: Que Corp., 1983; 672 pages. 20.5 by 27.5 cm, softcover, ISBN 088022-057-0. $19.95.

The IBM PC Users Guide, Michael Bane with Mark Andrews. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1983; 128 pages, 13.5 by 20.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-02-008710-1, $5.95.

INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMING

Environments, David R. Barstow, Howard E. Shrobe, and Erik Sandewall. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984; 224 pages, 15.8 by 23.5 cm, hardcover. ISBN O-O7-O03885-6, $34.95..

Interfacing Test Circuits with Single-Board Computers, Robert H. Luetzow. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1983; 2 56 pages, 19.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-83O6-O583-5. $13.50.

iNTEGRATED-ClRCUIT OPERATIONAL

Amplifiers, 2nd ed. George B. Rutkowski. Englewood Cliffs, N|: Prentice-Hall, 1984; 334 pages, 15.5 by 23.8 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-469007-9, $26.95.

{continued)

64K S100 STATIC RAM

*1992f>

NEW!

LOW POWER! RAM OR EPROM!

BLANK PC BOARD WITH DOCUMENTATION $55

SUPPORT ICs + CAPS $17.50

FULL SOCKET SET $14.50

FULLY SUPPORTS THE

NEW IEEE 696 S100

STANDARD

(AS PROPOSED)

FOR 56K KIT $185

ASSEMBLED AND TESTED ADD $50

FEATURES:

• Uses new 2K x 8 (TMM 2016 or HM 6116) RAMs.

• Fully aupporti IEEE 696 24 BIT Extended Addressing.

a 64K draws only approximately 500 MA.

• 200 NS RAMs are standard. (TOSHIBA makes TMM 2016s as last as 100 NS. FOR YOUR HIGH SPEED APPLICATIONS.)

• SUPPORTS PHANTOM (BOTH LOWER 32K AND ENTIRE BOARD).

• 2716 EPROMs may be installed in any ol top 48K.

• Any ol the top 8K (E000 H AND ABOVE) may be disabled to provide windows to eliminate any possible contlicts with your system monitor, disk controller, etc.

• Perfect tor small systems since BOTH RAM and EPROM may co-exist on the same board.

• BOARD may be partially populated as 56K.

256K S-100 SOLID STATE DISK SIMULATOR!

WE CALL THIS BOARD THE "LIGHT-SPEED-100"BECAUSE ITOFFERS AN ASTOUNDING INCREASE IN YOUR COMPUTER'S PERFORMANCE WHEN COMPARED TO A MECHANICAL FLOPPY DISK DRIVE.

FEATURES:

• 256K on board, using + 5V 64K DRAMS.

Uses new Intel 6203-1 LSI Memory Controller.

Requires only 4 Dip Switch Selectable I/O Ports. Runs on 8080 or Z80 S100 machines. Up to 8 LS-100 boards can be run together for 2 Meg. ol On Line Solid State Disk Storage. Provisions for Battery back-up. Software to mate the LS-100 to your CP/M* 2.2 DOS is supplied. The LS-100 provides an increase in speed ot up to 7 to 10 times on Disk Intensive Software. Compare our pricet You could pay up to 3 times as mucn for similar boards.

BLANK PCB

(WITH CP/M* 2.2

PATCHES AND INSTALL

PROGRAM ON DISKETTE)

$69

95

$349

00

(FULL 256K KIT)

THE NEW ZRT-80

CRT TERMINAL BOARD!

A LOW COST Z-80 BASED SINGLE BOARD THAT ONLY NEEDS AN ASCII KEYBOARD, POWER SUPPLY. AND VIDEO MONITOR TO MAKE A COMPLETE CRT TERMINAL. USE AS A COMPUTER CONSOLE, OR WITH A MODEM FOR USE WITH ANY OF THE PHONE-LINE COMPUTER SERVICES. FEATURES:

* Uses a Z60A and 6845 CRT Controller for powerful video capabilities.

* RS232 at 16 BAUD Rates Irom 75 to 19.200

* 24 x 80 standard format (60 Hz).

* Optional formats from 24 x 80 (50 Hz) to 64 lines x 96 characters (60 Hz).

* Higher density formats require up to 3 additional 2K x 8 6116 RAMS.

* Uses N.S. INS 8250 BAUD Rate Gen. and USART combo IC.

* 3 Terminal Emulation Modes which are Dip Switch selectable. These include the LSI-ADM3A. the Heath H-19. and the Beehive.

* Composite or Split Video.

* Any polarity of video or sync.

* Inverse Video Capability.

* Small Size: 6.5 x 9 inches.

* Upper & lower case with descenders.

* 7 x 9 Character Matrix.

* Requires Par. ASCII keyboard.

BLANK PCB WITH 2716 CHAR. ROM. 2732 MON. ROM

$5995

SOURCE DISKETTE - ADD $10

SET OF 2 CRYSTALS - ADD $7.50

WITH 8 IN.

SOURCE DISKI

(CP/M COMPATIBLE)

$12Q95

I aC^ ZRT-80

(COMPLETE KIT, 2K VIDEO RAM)

Digital Research Computers

P. O. BOX461565 • GARLAND, TEXAS 75046 • (214)271-3538

TERMS: Add $3.00 postage. We pay balance. Orders under $15 add 75? handling. No C.O.D. We accept Visa and MasterCard. Texas Res. add 5% Tax. Foreign orders (except Canada) add 20% P & H. Orders over $50 add 85<t for insurance.

JULY I984 -BYTE 407

Circle 101 on inquiry card.

BEFORE YOU BUY CABLE ASSEMBLIES,

Heavy guage

underhood

shield

P.D.T. underhood " 0

22AWG twisted conductors

2mm PVC cover

Jj....... Gold plated pins

22 AWG

twisted conductors

Strain reliever

CHECK UNDER THE HOOD!

DATA SPEC"11 cable assemblies are the very best. Each cable Is fully shielded to exceed FCC EMI/RFI emission requirements. Furthermore, the unique P.D.T. technique is employed beneath the hood shield for maximum integrity under the most adverse conditions. DATA SPEC" was the first to use the P.D.T. process, and cable assemblies constructed with P.D.T. carry a lifetime warranty. DATA SPEC"" has interface cables for all your requirements: Modems, Monitors, Disk Drives, and much more. Insist on DATA SPEC,m cables in the bright orange package. Available at better computer dealers everywhere. For more information, call or write:

A DrvTjior ol Alliance Resarcli Corporation

18215 Parthenia Street, Northridge, CA 91325 (818) 701-5853

Ihte^talker

TEXT-TO-SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

l6K Vocabulary Module Now Available.

A NEW STANDARD

IN PROFESSIONAL VOICE QUALITY

The new INTEX-TALKER features unlimited vocabulary, automatic inflection control and has an unmatched pronounciation accuracy. An optional, new 16K vocabulary module and the built-in text-to-phoneme algorithm enable the INTEX-TALKER to pronounce the 5000 most commonly used words with approx. 100 percent accuracy. INTEXTALKER can speak or spell any ASCII text-including punctuation. Other available options are an 8 K byte user programmable memory and a 2.7 K character buffer for text storage or down loading user programs. Additional features include:

• 64 inflection levels (automatic or manual control)

• RS232C and Parallel connectors

• Spelling and phoneme access modes

• Adjustable baud rates 175-9600)

• 5 octaves of music

• 6502 Microprocessor

• Completely self-contained (requires no overhead)

• Built-in speaker option

• Available at board level (Standard or CMOS version)

For More Information

Write or call us at (313) 540-7601 to order, request our product brochure or to discuss your requirements. Prices start at S295. (plus shipping)

Intex Micro Systems Corporation

725 S. Adams Rd. - Suite L-8 Birmingham, Michigan 48011

BOOKS RECEIVED

Introducing the IBM PCir, Andrew M. Seybold. Indianapolis, IN: Howard W. Sams & Co., 1983: 160 pages, 20 by 23.5 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-67222317-1, $12.95.

Introduction to Business Programming & Systems Analysis, Keith Lohmuller. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books. 1983: 240 pages, 13 by 21 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-8306-1437-0, $13.50.

The IOTA Programming System. R. Nakaiima and T Yuasa, eds. Lecture Notes in Computer Science #160, New York: Springer-Verlag. 1982: 228 pages, 16.5 by 24 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-387-12693-7, $11.50.

The )oy of Computers. Peter Laurie. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, 1983: 193 pages, 21.5 by 28.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-316-51636-8, $19.95.

A Kids Manual for Programming THE SlNCLAIR/TlMEX COMPUTERS, Ed Hoornaert. Blue Ridge Summit. PA: Tab Books, 1983: 168 pages, 13 by 21 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-8306-0608-4, $7.25.

Learning LISP, Gnosis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984: 208 pages, 17.3 by 23.8 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-13527839-2. $29.95.

The MBASIC Handbook, Walter A. Ettlin and Gregory Solberg. Berkeley, CA: Osborne/McGrawHill. 1983: 478 pages. 16.3 by 23.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 088134-102-9. $17.95.

Microchip Technology, Charles Kerridge. New York: lohn Wiley & Sons, 1983: 192 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-471-90240-3. $16.95.

Microcomputer Programming with Microsoft BASIC. Robert G. Crawford and David T. Barnard. Reston. VA: Reston Publishing Co., 1984: 432 pages, 17.5 by 23.5 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-8359-4356-9, $15.95.

Microcomputer Systems: The 8086/8088 Family, Yu-cheng Liu and Glenn A. Gibson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984: 560 pages, 18.5 by 24 cm, ISBN 0-13-580944-4, $32.95.

Microcomputing in Agriculture, lames Legacy. Tom Stitt, and Fred Reneau. Reston, VA: Reston Publishing Co.. 1984;

272 pages. 18 by 24 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-8359-4353-4. $19.95.

Minicomputers in Industrial Control. Thomas I. Harrison, ed. Englewood Cliffs. NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1983: 384 pages. 18.5 by 26.3 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-13-584235-2. $39.95.

Notes on Introductory Combinatorics. George Polya. Robert E. Tarjan, and Donald R. Woods. Boston, MA: Birkhauser Boston Inc., 1983: 208 pages, 14.5 by 22.8 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-8176-3170-4. $9.95.

The Osborne/McGraw-Hill Guide to Your Apple III, Stanley M. Miastkowski. Berkeley, CA: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1983: 288 pages. 16.3 by 23.5 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-88134-101-0. $17.95.

The Osborne/McGraw-Hill Home Computer Software Guide, Steve Ditlea. Berkeley. CA: Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 1984: 206 pages. 15.8 by 23.3 cm. softcover. ISBN 0-88134-107-X. $11.95.

Problem Solving with BASIC. Donald D. Spencer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1984; 160 pages, 13.8 by 20.8 cm, softcover. ISBN 0-684-18036-7, $7.95.

Programming in C, Robert J. Traister. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1984: 206 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-13-729641-X. $16.95.

Programs for Your Timex/ Sinclair 1000, Melbourne House. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 1983: 112 pages. 14 by 20.3 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-13-729780-7. $5.95.

Proper BASIC. Brian C Walsh. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1983: 416 pages. 15.3 by 23.5 cm, hardcover. ISBN 0-47190081-8, $27.95.

Real Managers Use Personal Computers!, Dick Heiser. Indianapolis. IN: Que Corp., 1983; 224 pages, 18.5 by 23.5 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-88022-031-7, $14.95.

Reinventing Man, The Robot Becomes Reality, Igor Aleksander and Piers Burnett. New York: Holt. Rinehart and Winston. 1984; 304 pages, 15.5 by 23.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-03-063857-7. $17.95.

408 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 162 on inquiry card.

BOOKS RECEIVED

Security. IF1P/SEC '83, V. A. Fak. ed. Amsterdam and New York: North-Holland Publishing Co.. 1983: 366 pages, 15.5 by 23 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-44486669-8. $39.

Software Solutions for the IBM PC, Thomas H. Willmott. Englewood Cliffs, N|: PrenticeHall, 1983: 240 pages, 17.5 by 24.3 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-13822387-4, $14.95.

Sprite Graphics for the Commodore 64, Sally Greenwood Larsen. Englewood Cliffs. N): Micro Text/Prentice-Hall. 1983: 192 pages. 15 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-13-838136-4, $15.95.

Telecommunications in the Information Age. Loy A. Singleton. Cambridge. MA: Ballinger Publishing Co.. 1984: 256 pages, 15.5 by 23.5 cm, hardcover, ISBN 0-88410-428-1, $19.95.

Through the MicroMaze.

Wayne Creekmore. Culver City, CA: Ashton-Tate, 1984: 64 pages, 21.5 by 25.3 cm. softcover, ISBN 912677-02-3, $9.95.

The TI 99/4A User's Guide. Bill Brewer with Mark Andrews. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1983: 128 pages, 13.5 by 20.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-02008720-9. $5.95.

Timex Sinclair 1000/ZX81 Users Handbook, Trevor J. Terrell and Robert I. Simpson. Indianapolis. IN: Howard W. Sams & Co., 1983: 160 pages, 13.5 by 21.5 cm. spiral-bound, ISBN 0672-22012-1, $5.95.

Understanding the Apple II, lames Fielding Sather. Chatsworth, CA: Quality Software, 1983: 356 pages. 21.5 by 27.5 cm. softcover. ISBN 0912985-01-1, $22.95.

Understanding Computers. Donald D. Spencer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1984: 400 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm,

softcover. ISBN 0-684-18038-3. $13.95.

Understanding UNIX, lames R. Groff and Paul N. Weinberg. Indianapolis, IN: Que Corp.. 1983: 2 56 pages, 18.3 by 23.3 cm. softcover, ISBN 0-88022-064-3, $17.95.

Unleash Your Pocket Computer, David P. Sumner. Reston. VA: Reston Publishing Co., 1984: 176 pages. 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-8359-8072-3, $14.95.

Using dBASE II, Carl Tbwnsend. Berkeley, CA: Osborne/McGrawHill, 1984: 240 pages, 18.5 by 23.3 cm, softcover. ISBN 088134-108-8, $18.95.

Using & Programming the ZX81 ITS 1000. Albert N. Sickler. Blue Ridge Summit, PA: Tab Books, 1983: 176 pages, 13 by 21 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-83060617-3. $8.25.

VIC 20 Exposed. John Vander Reyden. Nashville, TN: Mel

bourne House Software Inc., 1983: 174 pages, 14 by 20.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-86759-123-4. $14.95.

VisiCalc for Apple II, II+ , He, John S. Craver. Tucson. AZ: HP Books, 1983: 224 pages, 21.5 by 28 cm, 3-ring binder. ISBN 089586-274-3, $14.95.

What Computers Can Do, 2nd ed. Donald D Spencer. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1984: 368 pages, 15.3 by 22.8 cm, softcover, ISBN 0-68418037-5, $12.95.

Your First VIC 20 Program, Rodnay Zaks. Berkeley, CA: Sybex, 1983: 208 pages, 17.3 by 27.8 cm. softcover, ISBN 089588-129-2. $9.95.

Your Personal Computer Can Make You Rich in Stocks and Commodities, Curtis M. Arnold. West Palm Beach, FL: Weiss Research Inc.. 1984: 320 pages. 17.5 by 24 cm, hardcover. ISBN 09613048-0-4. $34.95. ■

Modula-2.

Simply

Better.

More and more software developers are finding a new language simply better i C or Pascal. They're finding Modula-2, by Niklaus Wirth, the creator of il. For professional programmers, it's simply a better language.

Modula-2. Simple like Pascal (if you know Pascal, you can be writing Modula programs in hours) but with much more power and flexibility. Power to handle any professional application, so there's no need for extensions.

Modula-2. Better than C because it gives you strong typing and superior separate compilation facilities. That means you write cleaner programs, faster.

Only LOGITECH'S Modula-2/86 system translates directly into high-speed native code for PC-DOS ~, MS-DOS" and CP/M-86'".

PC DOS is ITM of IBM. MS-DOS is ITM o! Microsolt. CP/M-86 is a TM of Digital Research. VAX/VMS is a TM of Digital Equipment Corp.

No other system speeds your Modula programs along faster than our native code compiler. And our high-level, symbolic debugger ensures your programs arrive in flawless running condition.

Multi-level overlays, 8087 support, ROMable code, and a full library of standard modules make Modula-2/86 the perfect system for every professional application.

We also offer the only VAX/VMS'" resident and cross compiler lor the 8086.

For VAX mainframes to PCs, look to LOGITECH'S Modula-2 software development systems. For professional programmers, it's simply a better choice.

LOGITECH

805 Veterans Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063

415-365*9852

LOGITECH SA (in Europe), CH-1143 Apples, Switzerland

LOGITECH Sri., Corso Nigra 60, 10015 IVREA TO, Italy

Circle 188 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 409

WHAT'S NEW

Portable 360K-byte Disk Drive for Briefcase Computers

You no longer have to connect your briefcase computer to a desktop micro whenever you want to dump your files to disk because you can do it with the Percom Portable Disk Drive. A 360K-byte floppy-disk drive, the Portable Disk Drive features hardware by Percom Data Company and software by the Portable Computer Support Group.

This mass-storage device is powered by a 12-volt rechargeable battery pack, and it connects to a briefcase computer's RS-232C printer port with a cable. It weighs 3 pounds and measures 2 by 4!4 by 8!4 inches.

The Percom Interface operating system comes with the drive and resides in an 8K-byte ROM within the drive.

Also provided is Portable DOS, which allows the com

puter to talk with the drive and provides access to a RAM directory, called RAM Files. From RAM Files you can save any RAM file to disk, delete RAM files, ascertain the size (in bytes) of any RAM file, save files presently in RAM under a single disk filename, and save single files to a previously saved subdirectory.

The Portable Disk Drive sells for $799, including all software, a connecting cable, an AC adapter/battery charger, and manual. An accessory cable is available for applications requiring simultaneous use of a peripheral through the RS-232C port. For further information, contact Portable Computer Support Group, 11035 Harry Hines Blvd. #207. Dallas. TX 75229, (214) 351-0564. Circle 513 on inquiry card.

Full-Duplex Modem Priced at Less than $1000

The Model 224 full-duplex 2400-bps modem from Universal Data Systems has a suggested retail price of less than $1000. This modem uses the intelligence of a microprocessor to provide you with automatic telephone answering, adaptive equalization, and complete diagnostic capabilities. It operates asynchronously or synchronously over the Public Switched Telephone Network. In its 1200-bps fallback mode, it communicates with any other product that's compatible with AT&T 212 standards.

This modem complies with the international CCITT recom

mendation for a V.22 bis data modem at 2400 bps. When on the receiving end. the Model 224 automatically detects if the calling modem is compatible with AT&T 212 and adapts its speed and modulation scheme accordingly. Miscellaneous features include front-panel LED indicators and switches.

Universal Data Systems, a unit of the Information Systems Group of Motorola Corporation, has set the price of the Model 224 modem at $995. Contact Universal Data Systems, 5000 Bradford Dr., Huntsville, AL 3 5805. (205) 837-8100. Circle 511 on inquiry card.

Commodore 64 Memory Expansion

Leader Electronic Technology Company has announced the availability of an adapter that lets you use Leader's 64K-byte memory expander with the Commodore 64. When used with the Commodore 64, the Model 64 KV memory expander and the Model 64KVA adapter combine to partition hexadecimal addresses 8000 through 9FFF into eight separate blocks of 8K-byte locations. Each block is selected by a single POKE instruction. The RAM module plugs directly into the Commodore 64's expansion port.

The Model 64KVA adapter has a suggested list price of $29.95. The Model 64 KV memory module, which can work with the VIC-20. sells for $109.95. A complete package for the Commodore 64 is available for $139.95. Full documentation is provided. A memory expander that will provide the Commodore 64 with up to 2 56K bytes of memory is in development. At press time, the manufacturer anticipates pricing to be in the range of $140 per 64K-byte module. For details, contact Leader Electronic Technology Co.. 7310 Wells Rd., Plain City, OH 43064, (614) 873-4410. Circle 516 on inquiry card.

Low-Cost Dot-Matrix Printer

The $259 Fastext-80 dot-matrix impact printer from SmithCorona runs at 80 cps and produces an 80-character line at 10 cpi (characters per inch). It features emphasized or elongated impressions, bitmapped graphics, and true descenders. It has a full-line buffer and a 96-character ASCII set. The Fastext-80 has six pitches: pica-sized at 10 cpi, elite-sized at 12 cpi, condensed at 16.7 cpi, and enlarged print at 5. 6, or 8.3 cpi. Standard and elongated character matrices are 9 by 8 and 10 by 8 dots, respectively. Horizontal resolution is 60 or 72 dots per inch; vertical is 72 dots per inch.

Fastext-80 uses drop-in ribbon cassettes, which are said to yield 1 million characters before replacement. Among its diverse features are bidirectional printing, Centronics parallel-interface compatibility, friction feed, and a self-test switch.

Available accessories include a removable tractor feed that accepts forms ranging from 3 to 10^ inches wide, a user-installable RS-232C serial interface, and a roll-paper holder. Contact Smith-Corona, 65 Locust Ave. New Canaan, CT 06840, (203) 972-1471. Circle 512 on inquiry card.

Remote On/Off for PC XT

Tel-A-Switch lets you switch on or off an IBM PC XT over telephone lines. This solid-state, self-contained unit uses the signal generated by Hayes Microcomputer Products' Smartmodem to perform this service. Tel-A-Switch can provide up to 1200 watts of electricity, which is equivalent to the power consumed by three IBM PC XTs.

A lock-on feature is provided. Once the computer is powered up and operating, this mode prevents power loss due to interruptions that can occur on telephone lines. Tel-A-Switch can

be used without a telephone connection to automatically turn off the PC XT after a task has been executed in the batch mode.

A remote software package is available for Tel-A-Switch that supports up to 20 different terminals. The remote software requires a minimum of 64 K bytes, one disk drive, and PC-DOS.

Tel-A-Switch alone is priced at $175. With the remote software package, the suggested price is $287.50. Contact Texas Technology Co.. POB 740694. Dallas. TX 75374, (214) 783-9218. Circle 515 on inquiry card.

410 BYTE- IULY 1984

WHAT'S NEW

Three Single-Board Computers Use iAPX 86/186

Three recently introduced single-board computers from Intel use the company's iAPX 186 or iAPX 86 microprocessors. The computers, the iSBC 186/03, iSBC 186/78, and iSBC 86/35, measure 6% by 12 inches and provide a central processor, operating-system functions, peripheral and device interfaces, memory, and industry-standard software. They are based on Intel's 16-bit 8086 and 80186 microprocessors and operate under the iRMX 86 operating system. The iSBC 186/03 costs $1650, and the iSBC 86/35 is S3495. Engineering samples of the iSBC 186/78 are $3000.

The iSBC 186/03 comes with the 6-MHz 80186, eight 28-pin universal memory sites (expandable to twelve), the 80130 iRMX 86 nucleus operating-system component, two iSBX I/O expansion connectors, an iLBX interface for high-speed memory expansion, two serial I/O channels, and a parallel port.

The iSBC 186/78 is a graphics subsystem built on the 80186. In addition to the memory sites and iSBX connectors, it includes Intel's 82720 bit-mapped graphics controller, a dedicated 512by 512- by 4-byte RAM display buffer, and a color lookup table that allows 16 simultaneous colors to be displayed from a palette of 4096. In addition, graphics-software interpreters supporting the NAPLPS standard or the proposed ANSI virtual device interface are offered.

Built around the 8086 microprocessor with a 5- or 8-MHz clock rate, the iSBC 86/3 5 contains 512K bytes of dual-ported RAM (expandable to I megabyte), four 28-pin IEDEC sockets for increased memory, and an optional iAPX 8087 numeric coprocessor.

Contact Intel Corp., Literature Dept. C-21, 3065 Bowers Ave., Santa Clara, CA 95051. Circle 520 on inquiry card.

16-Bit IBM-Compatible Computer Kit

The 16-bit HS-151 Desktop Personal Computer from Heathkit is software- and hardwarecompatible with the IBM PC. Offered in kit or preassembled versions, the HS-151 comes with 128K bytes of RAM, two RS-232C serial ports, a Centronics-type parallel interface, RGB color output, eightlevel gray-scale monochrome output, four IBM PC-compatible expansion slots, and a detached keyboard. Mass storage is provided by one or two 514-inch IBM-format floppy-disk drives, each with a 360K-byte capacity. The HS-151 uses Intel's 8088 microprocessor and MS-DOS. Its expansion bus is electrically and physically compatible with most off-the-shelf accessory boards for the IBM. The HS-151's keyboard is a redesigned IBM-compatible device,

offering an enlarged L-shaped Return key and a double-wide Shift key. Three testing procedures help you check out the HS-151's operating condition. A preassembled version of the HS-151 with a built-in 10.6-megabyte Winchester harddisk drive will be available

soon. The single-drive kit is $1899, while the dual-drive kit is $2199. Contact Heath Co.. Dept. 349-175, Benton Harbor. Ml 49022. In Canada, contact Heath Co., Dept. 3100. 1020 Islington Ave., Toronto, Ontario M8Z 5Z3. Circle 518 on inquiry card.

MPF-III Compatible with He Software

The MPF-III microcomputer from Multitech International is distributed in North America by Cyber Videocom of Vancouver, Canada. Designed to be software-compatible with the Apple lie, the MPF-III can run such programs as Apple Pascal, Logo, WordStar. dBASE II. and Multiplan. It employs the 6502 microprocessor and offers you 64K bytes of RAM and 24K bytes of ROM.

Standard are 80-column text displays, uppercase and lowercase characters, high-resolution graphics with 6 colors, and lowresolution graphics with 16 colors. Monitor and NTSC television connectors and a sound generator are supplied. The MPF-III has interfaces for joysticks, data cassettes, floppy-disk drives, and a printer with Epson and C Itoh drivers.

The MPF-III has a 90-key

detached keyboard with numeric pad and function keys, including one-key BASIC- and DOS-command entry. For fullscreen editing, dedicated keys for character delete, insert, replace, and copy are provided. The base price is $995. Contact Cyber Videocom Inc., POB 35401, Station E, Vancouver, British Columbia V6M 4G5, Canada, (604) 875-1517. Circle 519 on inquiry card.

Computer Offers Low-Cost Office Networking

QSA, a San Diego-based computer manufacturer, offers its Q/Net multiuser, multiprocessor microcomputer as a low-cost alternative to office networking. The company claims that a fiveuser network system would cost $11,220 including terminals.

Q/Net nodes and resources can be connected in any configuration ranging from 1 to 254 users with 1 to 8 file servers on

the network. System expansion is merely a matter of adding another node to the network. Additional hard disks can be added to multiple file servers, and other peripherals can be supported through Q/Net's SASI interface.

The network operating system is TurboDOS, a CP/M-compatible DOS that provides a pathway for CP/M-86 and MS-DOS. Other

software features include interprocessing communications, interfaces to IBM communications protocols (including 3270 and X.25). print spooling, and shared databases.

For details on possible configuration schemes, contact QSA. 7170 Convoy Court. San Diego, CA 92111, (619) 292-1891. Circle 521 on inquiry card.

{continued)

IULY 1984 -BYTE 411

WHAT'S NEW

Bus Interface for PC

The National Instruments GPIBPC interface card uses the NEC 7210 GPIB controller chip and a programmable-array logic to provide a complete set of GPIB functions with a minimum of circuit elements and only eight I/O (input/output) addresses. Transfer of large data files between the GPIB and the IBM PCs memory is accomplished by a DMA controller at speeds of 300 bytes per second. Subroutines are callable from applications programs in BASIC 8088 assembly language. Pascal. FORTRAN, SuperSoft FORTRAN, and C GPIB-PC conforms in height, width, and I/O channel slot dimensions for use with the IBM PC or PC XT. It will work with standard GPIB cables.

A handler, high-level and primitive functions, a configuration program, diagnostic programs, and an interactive control program make up the GPIBPCs software. The handler program controls the GPIB-PC hardware interface and is designed as a loadable device handler

rather than as a driver. The operating system manages the GPIB as one of its system resources. The handler can control more than one GPIB-PC simultaneously, which lets you place a variety of devices on separate GPIB's to meet special needs. The GPIB-PC interface card is

S385. The software handler is $75. Optional programming languages are $50, and connecting cables range from $60 to $70, depending on length. Contact National Instruments, 12109 Technology Blvd., Austin, TX 78727, (800) 531-5066; in Texas, (512) 250-9119. Circle 527 on inquiry card.

Modem Card for PC Uses CMOS Chips

The POPCOM Model CI00 from Prentice Corporation is a 1200-bps auto-dial modem card for the IBM PC PC XT PC Portable, and IBM-slot-compatible computers. The CI00 uses a pair of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) ICs to achieve full-duplex AT&T 212-compatible operation, tone sensing, and voice/data control. This 12.4- by 4.2- by 0.575-inch card uses only one

IBM PC expansion slot and lists for a suggested price of $445.

Among its technical specifications are full call-progress tone sensing of dial and busy tones, remote ring, and voice. This is implemented by a 20-pole filter, which has a patent-pending switching technique. The card is said to be the first one to be able to sense when the local telephone handset is lifted. With this capability, the CI00 can

switch between voice and data operations, even during the same telephone call. This function eliminates the need for dedicated telephone lines for data.

Production deliveries of the POPCOM C100 began last month. Contact Prentice Corp.. 266 Caspian Dr.. POB 3544. Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3 544, (408) 734-9810. Circle 522 on inquiry card.

Multifunction GPIB for IBM Controls Instruments

Ziatech's ZT 1444 IEEE-488 GPIB (General-Purpose Interface Bus) Controller lets engineers and scientists control measurement, instrumentation, and test equipment with their IBM PCs. The ZT 1444 is a short-slot card offering fast data throughput and software drivers callable from assembly language, BASIC, C Compiled BASIC. FORTRAN, and Pascal. All the drivers feature a time-out ability, which ensures that the system does not hang up if a device fails to respond. The BASIC package includes an interactive verification program that allows you to exercise the GPIB without having to write code.

The ZT 1444 uses Texas Instruments' TMS9914A GPIB controller chip. It transfers data to or from devices at rates approaching 450K bytes per second using direct memory access. Pass control, which permits more than one computer to control the same devices without recabling, is supported.

Its cable-connector backplate is a plated-steel bracket that effectively controls electromagnetic interference emissions from the IBM. It incorporates a machined GPIB connector housing capable of accepting standard stacking GPIB connectors with no loss of seating reliability.

The ZT 1444 costs $375. The software drivers range from $45 to $55. Contact Ziatech Corp.. 3433 Roberto Court. San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, (805) 541-0488. Circle 523 on inquiry card.

Hard-Disk Bootloader for IBM PC

A plug-in chip offering hard-disk boot capability for third-party hard-disk drives for the IBM PC, FiXT is manufactured by Golden Bow Systems. FiXT creates a complete BIOS interface between the IBM PC and the hard disk similar to that provided by

the IBM PC XT. It allows the operating system to be bootloaded directly from the fixed disk and permits fixed-disk operations to be performed directly by the operating system. FiXT plugs into the unused

ROM socket of the IBM Personal Computer. It's a complete replacement for installable device drivers. This chip allows standard PC-DOS disk partitioning and formatting facilities for multiple operating systems. FiXT is currently available for

Datamac, Davong, Pegasus by Great Lakes, Percom, and Zobex hard-disk drives. The suggested retail price is $70. Contact Golden Bow Systems, POB 3039, San Diego, CA 92103, (619) 298-9349. Circle 525 on inquiry card.

412 BYTE • IULY 1984

WHAT'S NEW

Mini-Database for Apples

Facts Files 2 is a low-cost minidatabase program for the Apple II family from D:Ness Software Company. This $24.95 program gives you an unlimited number of files, password protection,on-disk instructions, and the ability to design your own record forms. It has an edit feature that lets you quickly update records, and with its sort feature you can organize your records by any field.

Facts Files 2 accommodates up to 400 records in any file and up to 10 different files per floppy disk. Each file's record outline can contain from 2 to 13 fields of data.

Minimum system requirements are 64 K bytes of memory and one disk drive. When ordering from the manufacturer, add $1 for shipping and handling. Contact D:Ness Software Co., POB 5671. Fort Smith, AR 72913. Circle 535 on inquiry card.

DB Master 4 Plus Is Designed for Apples

Stoneware's DB Master 4 Plus information-management system for Apple II series computers has a global editor and a special label printer. Other programming options let you combine data from two or more files with the same format, change the file format without retyping information, recover data from damaged disks, and transfer data between DB Master files and DIF text files.

DM Master 4 Plus comes with a file-converter program that can convert VisiFile and pfs: files to DB Master files. A user's guide, which contains a tutorial and a reference guide, is supplied.

DM Master 4 Plus requires 64K bytes of RAM. The retail price is $350. Contact Stoneware Inc., 50 Belvedere St., San Rafael. CA 94901, (415) 454-6500. Circle 536 on inquiry card.

Double-Res Package ProDOS-Compatible

ALF Products' HGR6 Double-Res Graphics Package for the Apple lie is compatible with ProDOS. This program adds a variety of new functions directly to Applesoft; e.g., statements HGR3 through HGR6 work like the familiar HGR and HGR2 statements, but with 16 high-resolution colors and a 560- by 192-dot resolution.

HGR6 gives you the ability to modify existing Applesoft programs so that they can use the additional colors and higher resolution. You can save your double-resolution images to both DOS 3.3 and ProDOS disks.

HGR6 is provided with both a DOS 3.3 disk and a ProDOS disk. It requires an extended 80-column card. Owners of the older version of this program can return it to ALF Products for a free replacement. The list price is $49.95. Contact ALF Products Inc.. 1315-F Nelson St.. Denver, CO 80215, (303) 234-0871. Circle 532 on inquiry card.

Word Processor Features Typing Tutor

The Write Choice for the Apple II computers, including the lie, combines a full-feature word processor with a typing tutorial. The typing lessons come with a high-resolution game and a keyboard tutorial. Twenty-three lessons are dedicated to teaching the Dvorak keyboard, and 24 lessons cover the QWERTY keyboard.

The Write Choice comes with documentation that shows you how to correct grammar and properly format written documents. It also covers punctuation rules and offers tips on composition. The retail price is $44.95. Contact Roger Wagner Publishing Inc., Suite E, 10761 Woodside Ave., Santee, CA 92071, (619) 562-3221. Circle 533 on inquiry card.

Data Manager Uses Mac's Features

The Main Street Filer information-management program takes advantage of the Macintosh's technology by using pulldown menus, dialogue boxes, and mouse commands. All file designs, record retrievals, and reporting functions can be handled with the Mac's mouse.

Main Street Filer's filing system and report generator can handle up to 65,000 records in each user-designed file, with up to 36 fields of 40 characters in each record.

This program uses a B+ Tree index system, which eliminates time-consuming sorting operations. Four indexes for each file can be maintained. Supplied print programs let you prepare customized reports mail-list reports and labels, envelopes, and Rolodex cards.

The suggested retail price for Main Street Filer is $249.95. Contact Main Street Software, Suite 304, One Harbor Dr.. Sausalito. CA 94965, (800) 824-8757; in California, (415) 332-1274. Circle 537 on inquiry card.

CAD Program for Civil Engineering

PC CAD, a computer-aided design program for civil engineering and oil and gas mapping, operates on the Macintosh and requires a Hewlett-Packard plotter. It draws subdivision, contour, plan and profile, and surveying maps.

A complete set of coordinate geometry routines for threedimensional computation is supplied with PC CAD. Among the point routines are resection, merge and plot, decimal formats, and assign/reassign. Its intersection routines give you such functions as offset, rightangle, and right-of-way.

The plotting package for HP 7400/7500 series plotters creates automatic tables, contouring, and sheet sizing. Userdefinable and user-selectable options are supplied.

PC CAD is also available for the IBM PC. The suggested list price is $1450. Contact Houseman & Associates, Allied Cypress Bank Building, POB 474, Cypress, TX 77429, (713) 890-5160. Circle 541 on inquiry card.

ClickArt for MacPaint and MacWrite

ClickArt gives you more than 100 professionally drawn images that can be used with MacPaint or MacWrite to create invitations, charts, and slides, or for adding a snappy punch to a report. Images include arrows, stars, borders, wine glasses and bottles, city skylines, cartoons, and full-page pictures of classic cars. Albert Einstein, and Boy George.

ClickArt illustrations can be modified in any way you choose or surrounded with text. The program is priced at $49.95. Contact T/Maker Co.. 2115 Landings Dr., Mountain View, CA 94043, (415) 962-0195. Circle 538 on inquiry card.

Figure I: Michelangelo's David at the beach.

[continued]

IULY 1984 -BYTE 413

WHAT'S NEW

lnfoStar + , Powerful DBMS

Word III Suitable for Complex Tasks

MicroPro has announced the availability of version 1.6 of InfoStar+, a databasemanagement system. InfoStar-thas a built-in model for transaction processing, a datadictionary utility, and the ability to automatically restructure an existing database.

The transaction-processing model prompts you into identifying the files to be updated and the data within each file to be used. You can access 16 files simultaneously. After receiving your responses, lnfoStar+ automatically records current transactions and updates the master file while letting you access additional information derived from the process. Reports can be produced.

The data-dictionary utility lists all fields in the database and their characteristics. A database restructure feature lets you add, delete, and change the order of fields in an existing database without reentering data.

lnfoStar+ has the ability to customize data-entry requirements down to the character level, and its sorting routine is said to be high speed. It allows up to 2 55 fields per record. 64,000 records per file, and 255 characters per field, sorting on 32 files, and 9 control breaks.

Additional features include cursor-drawn data-entry forms, a

fill-in-the-blank data-entry procedure, a 60-second quickreport feature, and a built-in tutorial. For comprehensive tasks. lnfoStar+ supplies menus that guide you through its full custom-report option.

StarBurst, MicroPro's systems integrator, is included in the lnfoStar+ package. StarBurst lets you create customized, menudriven systems that make automating routine tasks a matter of a single keystroke. Its interface lets you unite MicroPro and non-MicroPro packages, such as WordStar or Lotus 1-2-3, into lnfoStar+.

A minimum of 96K bytes of processor memory is required. InfoStar+ will operate with two 320K-byte floppy-disk drives, but a hard-disk drive is recommended. Available in PC-DOS format, it lists for S595. with documentation. Updates to early versions can be obtained through MicroPro's Customer Update department. Update prices are SI00 for InfoStar-i1.0 to 1.6; SI 50 for InfoStar 1.0 to 1.6: and S300 for StarBurst to InfoStar+ 1.6. MS-DOS formats for the Tandy 2000, TI Profes-. sional. and other computers will be offered later this summer. Contact MicroPro International Corp.. 33 San Pablo Ave., San Rafael, CA 94903. (415) 499-1200. Circle 542 on inquiry card.

The Samna Word III word processor is suitable for complex word-processing tasks, such as lengthy proposals and contracts. It provides automatic indexing, section numbering, glossaries, a column mode, and five-function mathematics. It's currently available for the IBM PC. PC XT, and such IBM PC compatibles as the Compaq, Columbia, Colby, and Corona. The list price is S650. Word Ill's automatic indexing feature eliminates the need to manually locate words to be indexed. You merely enter a list of words to be indexed and Word III will locate each occurrence. In the column mode, you can move, copy, insert, and delete columns. The glossary mode enables you to store or retrieve paragraphs and other materials with a single keystroke during document assembly. The five-function mathematics feature eliminates the need to call in a separate program or

module to perform simple calculations.

Other capabilities include user-defined function keys, spelling-error detection and correction, and file support for tree-structured directories and subdirectories under MS-DOS 2.0. Tables of contents with section titles and descriptive information can be easily created.

Word III also provides line drawing, hyphenation, justification, pagination, mail-merge, and multilevel Help messages. Alternate keyboard support, including French, German, Spanish, Canadian bilingual, and Greek/mathematics, facilitates special-purpose applications.

Current users of Samna Word II can upgrade to Word 111 for S2 50. For further details, contact Samna Corp., Suite C-1200, 2700 Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30345, (404) 321-5006. Circle 543 on inquiry card.

NAPLPS Videotex Creation Software

A NAPLPS videotex-creation system that runs on the IBM PC and selected compatibles is available from ESC Information Services Ltd. PCSUVIC lets you wield 16 colors simultaneously. Colors are selected from a palette of 4096. Using its three standard or four user-defined texture masks, you can create additional color effects. You can also adjust the color bar and backdrop to produce basic screen animation.

PCS-UVIC has keyboard, tablet, and mouse interfaces. Transfers among these user in

terfaces are unrestricted.

An attributed text mode lets you choose fonts, rotate letters, change line direction, define character size, letter-space words, and set line spacing. You can delete anything you've typed by backspacing. Another feature is a user-definable keyboard, which provides singlekeystroke commands.

PCS-UVIC is S500. Contact ESC Information Services Ltd.. 381 Irving Rd.. Victoria, British Columbia V8S 4A3, Canada, (604) 598-0395. Circle 546 on inquiry card.

Programming Editor Emulates IBM ISPF

A high-speed programmer's editor by Phaser Systems. SPF/ editor emulates the IBM mainframe ISPF editor. It offers full-screen panels that help speed applications editing and full DOS 2.0 path support, which allows you to edit files in any directory as well as execute from any path directory

Both EBCDIC and ASCII hexadecimal commands are provided with SPF/editor.

The introductory price for SPF/editor is SI00. For more information, contact Phaser Systems Inc., 24 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111, (415) 434-3990. Circle 547 on inquiry card.

414 B YTE • 1ULY 1984

WHAT'S NEW

Accounting Application Uses One Drive

PCWare gives a small business complete accounting and invoicing functions for processing as many as 2 50 customers yielding 300 invoices a month, yet it requires only one IBM PCjr disk drive. This package contains full accounts-receivable, accountspayable, general-ledger, and invoicing applications.

PCWare will handle 150 suppliers generating up to 400 checks a month and up to 200 general-ledger accounts with as many as 500 monthly postings. In addition, its detailed invoice function accommodates all current taxation rules.

PCWare costs $795. Contact Private Label Software Ltd.. 93 Queen St. S, Mississauga, Ontario L5M 1K7, Canada, (416) 826-5510: in Canada, (800) 387-8202. Circle 548 on inquiry card.

|r Can Paint Color Graphics

Graph Power )r from Monument Computer Service lets you draw and paint business-quality graphics on your 128K-byte IBM PCjr. Figures can be drawn and painted with any of IBM's standard palette colors; palettes are modifiable under user control. You can draw images and use various graphics-screen pages for animation. A number of predrawn shapes are included.

You can dump Graph Power lr images to an IBM Graphics Printer and other dot-matrix or daisy-wheel printers. This package will also work on the IBM PC and PC XT. A single floppy-disk drive and a color monitor are required. The list price is S90. Contact Monument Computer Service. Village Data Center, POB 603, loshua Tree, CA 922 52, (619) 365-6668. Circle 549 on inquiry card.

Color-Coded Commands Ease Word Processing

Practical Pascal Runs on PCjr

Practical Pascal is available for the IBM PCjr. This complete programming kit consists of the p-System operating system, a UCSD Pascal compiler, a fullscreen editor, a file handler, turtle graphics, extended memory capability. RAM disk, and a print utility for formatting letters and labels.

Its documentation is geared toward individuals new to Pascal and includes an implementation guide and the book UCSD

Pascal: A Considerate Approach, by David Price.

A variety of optional software to expand the capabilities of the system can be obtained. Practical Pascal is priced at $295. Contact Network Consulting Inc., Suite 110, Discovery Park, 3700 Gilmore Way, Burnaby. British Columbia V5G 4M1, Canada, (604) 430-3466 (sales) or (604) 430-6448 (administration/technical). Circle 552 on inquiry card.

WordPlus-lr from Professional Software uses a color-coded command system that helps make word processing on the IBM PCjr a breeze. More than 100 features are contained in this program, including onscreen display of the final output, text and column moves, built-in mail-merge facility, horizontal scrolling, three-line headers and footers, automatic pagination, a numeric mode, global search and replace, freefloating cursor movement, and six levels of on-screen help.

WordPlus-lr will create lists of variable information, print personalized letters, and merge data into a document using user-defined templates for

preprinted forms. It can read print files generated by many popular spreadsheet programs as well as records from most mailing-list and database programs. Simultaneous foreground and background operations with full disk access are also supported.

A complete end-user tutorial and reference/learning guide are supplied with WordPlus-lr. Customer support is available by means of a toll-free telephone number. The suggested retail price for WordPlus-lr is $149.95. Contact Professional Software Inc.. 51 Fremont St., Needham, MA 02194. (617) 444-5224. Circle 550 on inquiry card.

Statistical Package and Data Manager

STATS, a statistical package and data-management system for the Radio Shack TRS-80. runs under DOSPIus. It supplies you with a data-management system with general transformation and subset selection, high-quality graphic outputs, step-wise regression analysis, normality and outlier tests, and an ASCII text editor for data entry. All of

STATS's routines are in machine language, but to handle large data sets, it stores data on disk in binary code.

The ASCII text editor is fully compatible with Microsoft's FORTRAN and BASIC compilers. You can incorporate your own FORTRAN or BASIC module into STATS. With the supplied FORTRAN interface, you can

tailor the software to your needs.

The graphics-output print driver keeps your Epson or Gemini printer operating continuously; the software selects the appropriate format for data listings, plot scales, and analysis. All intermediate results are saved in ASCII files. The final output can be polished either

with a program or with a text editor.

STATS is priced at $99.95. When ordering, specify the model numbers of your computer and printer. Contact Summers Statistical Software. 121 South 1225 E. Bountiful. UT 84010. Circle 554 on inquiry card.

{continued)

IULY 1984 -BYTE 415

WHAT'S NEW

Directory Lists Interface Cables

SPAG. Standard Products Applications Guide, is a comprehensive directory of interface cables for more than 4600 current computer applications. This hard-bound, three-ring book offered by Milford Null Modem lists all major microcomputers alphabetically by manufacturer and model number, sublists potential peripheral applications, and indicates the specific cable required for the interface.

Subscribers to SPAG receive updates all year. A hot-line for technical assistance is supported. Subscriptions are S50. Contact Milford Null Modem, Phoenixville Pike and Charlestown Rd.. Malvern, PA 19355. (215) 296-8467. Circle 555 on inquiry card.

Health Software Described in Catalog

A catalog describing physical and mental health programs is available from CTRL Health Software. The catalog contains diet/nutrition, exercise/aerobics, self-improvement, health education, psychology, and game packages for Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM PC. and Radio Shack TRS-80 computers. The price for each program is listed, and all the programs are available by mail order. Contact CTRL Health Software, 18653 Ventura Blvd. #348. Tarzana. CA 91356, (818) 788-0888. Circle 558 on inquiry card.

Computer-Science Publications Brochure

New Publications in Computer Science. Technology and Applications 1983 from North-Holland has details on 59 books and 2 new journals covering computer science, technology, and applications. Titles cover a wide range of subjects, including software technology, data communications, graphics, system

design, automated manufacturing, robotics, and electronics.

This 128-page brochure is free of charge. Contact NorthHolland, Elsevier Science Publishing Co. Inc., POB 1663, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163. In Europe, contact North-Holland, POB 1991. 1000 BZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Attn: Mr. J. Dirkmaat. Circle 559 on inquiry card.

Tool and Instrument Catalog

Contact East's free 1984 Electronic Tool and Test Instrument Catalog features more than 5000 technical products for assembling, testing, and repairing electronic equipment. Products covered include precision hand tools, test instruments, tool kits, soldering supplies, and staticcontrol products. Photographs, detailed descriptions, and pricing information support each product. Write or call Contact East Inc., 7 Cypress Dr.. POB 160. Burlington. MA 01803. (617) 272-5051. Circle 561 on inquiry card.

Directory Lists RCA Replacements for Industry Devices

A Cross-Reference Directory from RCA Solid State outlines RCA replacements for more than 5500 integrated circuits and power devices. Parts are arranged alphabetically, which provides a quick reference to industry types that correspond to RCA devices. Types of devices included are linear integrated circuits, CMOS logic integrated circuits, CMOS microprocessors, power transistors, CMOS memories, power MOSFETs, CMOS peripherals, SCRs, triacs, and ultra-fast recovery rectifiers.

This 36-page publication is free. Request catalog CRG-100B. Contact RCA Solid State Division, Route 202, Somerville, N| 08876. (800) 526-2177.

Solid-State Processing and Production Guide

The '84 Solid State Processing & Production Worldwide Buyer's Guide & Directory is a sourcebook of materials, equipment, and industry services used by manufacturers of solid-state-related products, devices, and circuits. This 460-page softcover book lists more than 2000 companies and 20,000 products. More than 2200 product/services categories and over 3 500 crossreferences are included. The guide is divided into 60 major categories.

The '84 Solid State Processing & Production Buyer's Guide is $50. Contact Technical Publishing. 875 Third Ave.. New York. NY 10022, (212) 605-9400. Circle 556 on inquiry card.

International Videoand Optical-Disk Journal

Memoires Optiques is an Englishlanguage, European-based journal devoted to the videodisc and digital optical disk industry. Translated from French each month, Memoires Optiques covers international news, developments, and current applications relating to videodisc and digital optical disk technologies. Each issue is illustrated with drawings and photographs.

Single issues of Memoires Optiques cost 150 French francs. Air-mail delivery subscriptions are 1500 francs. For more information, contact Memoires Optiques, ARCA Editions, 97.

rue Mme Mole. 5600 Vannes,

France.

Circle 560 on inquiry card.

Data Sheet Details Compliant Pin

A data sheet describing Interconics Compliant Pin is available. The Compliant Pin is designed for use in printed wiring backplanes and other printed-circuit boards requiring replaceable pins with provisions for wire wrap and adaptability to a two-piece daughter-card connector. It's suitable for applications using sophisticated multilayer backplanes that cannot tolerate damage to the plated through holes. The data sheet describes the pin, its applications, performance, and availability. Photographs and diagrams of the pin in use are provided. Contact Interconics, 610 Bremer Tower, Saint Paul, MN 55101, (612) 228-6590. Circle 562 on inquiry card.

DEC-Compatible Products Listed

Monosson's DEC-Compatible Product Directory lists products and services for the DEC market. It includes hardware, software, third-party maintenance, and publications. Lists of equipmentleasing concerns and vendors are supplied. This directory is published quarterly. Single copies are $2 5. Contact Monosson's DEC*-Compatible Product Directory, POB 71, Kenmore Station, Boston, MA 02215. Circle 557 on inquiry card.

: WHERE DO NEW PRODUCT ITEMS COME FROM? •

: The new products listed in this section of BYTE are culled from the ; : thousands of press releases, letters, and telephone calls we receive J ! each month from manufacturers and distributors. The basic criteria •

• for selection for publication are a) does a product match our readers' ; ; interests, and b) is it new or simply a "reintroduction" of an old item. ; I If you want your product to be considered for publication (at no : ' charge), send full information about it, including its price and an ad- j

• dress and telephone number where a reader can get more informa- ;

• tion. Send this to the New Products Editor. BYTE, POB 372, Han-: : cock, NH 03449. :

416 B YTE • IULY 1984

NKEDABREAK? .

N jDEiLi r» ■* country'.

Come on downjo^wewiu^jL

We make it our business

to offer ROCK BOTTOM PRICES on quality computers and programs.

We invite you to join our high volume of satisfied users.

CHECK US OUT TODAY- CALL 1-800-222-2602

AMDEK COLOR I PLUS 309.95

AMDEK COLOR II PLUS 454.95

AMDEK COLOR IV 819.95

AMDEK VIDEO 300 (GREEN) 139.95

AMDEK VIDEO 300 (AMBER) 154.95

AMDEK VIDEO 310 (AMBER) 174.95

BMC 12" GREEN 89.95

BMC 13" COLOR 249.95

BMC 13" RGB AP2 COLOR 379.95

BMC 13" RGB IBM 449.95

COMREX 9" HI-RES AMBER 119.95

COMREX 13" COLOR W/SOUND 289.95

COMREX 12" HI-RES AMBER 139.95

COMREX 12" HI-RES GREEN 134.95

COMREX 13" RGB COLOR 274.95

GORILLA 12" AMBER 99.95

GORILLA 12" GREEN 89.95

NEC 12" HI-RES GREEN 154.95

NEC 12" ECONO GREEN 109.95

NEC 12" LO-RES COLOR 294.95

NEC 12" AMBER SCREEN 164.95

NEC 12" COLOR - IBM 439.95

PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX-12 519.95

SAKATA 13" COLOR 294.95

SAKATA 13" RGB COLOR 549.95

SAKATA SUPER RGB 749.95

SAKATA 12" GREEN 119.95 SANYO CTR-70 HIRES COLOR 629.95

TAXAN 12" GREEN 129.95

TAXAN 12" AMBER 139.95

TAXAN RGB VISION I 329.95

TAXAN RGB VISION III 464.95

TAXAN RGB 420 IBM 549.95

ZENITH 12" AMBER 119.95

ZENITH 12" GREEN 99.95 ZENITH RGB ZVM-135 COLOR 524.95

USI 9" AMBER PI-4 129.95

USI 9" GREEN PI-1 119.95

USI 12" AMBER PI-3 144.95

USI 12" GREEN PI-2 129.95

USI 14" LO-RES COLOR 309.95

ANCHOR MARK I (RS-232) 84.95

ANCHOR MARK II (ATARI) 84.95

ANCHOR MARK VII (RS-232) 119.95

ANCHOR MARK XII (RS-232) 289.95

ANCHOR VOLKSMODEM 64.95

NOVATION J-CAT 119.95

NOVATION 212 AUTO CAT 624.95

RIXON R212A 1200 BAUD 429.95

SMARTCAT 103/212 429.95

SMARTCAT 103 199.95

SMARTMODEM 300 BAUD 219.95

SMARTMODEM 1200 BAUD 484.95

SMARTMODEM 1200B - IBM 419.95

US ROBOTICS AUTODIAL 212 499.95

US ROBOTICS PASSWORD 379.95

SS/SD ELEPHANT 16.95 OPUS 17.95 SS/DD ELEPHANT 19.95 OPUS 20.95 DS/DD ELEPHANT 25.95 OPUS 26.95

ANADEX DP-9501B 1099.95

ANADEX DP-9625B 1299.95

ANADEX DP-9620B 1179.95

ANADEX WP-6000 2299.95

ANADEX DP-6500TR 500CPS 2529.95

ANADEX 9725B COLOR 1394.95

C.ITOH A10 DAISY WHEEL 569.95

C.ITOH 8510SP 499.95

C.ITOH 8600BP 849.95

C.ITOH 8510 SCP COLOR 579.95 COMREX CR-II DAISY WHEEL 499.95

DAISYWRITER 2000 48K 1129.95

DELTA-10 429.95

DELTA-15 624.95

EPSON FX-80 W/TRACTOR 529.95

EPSON FX-100 F/T 719.95

EPSON MX-100 F/T 449.95

EPSON RX-80 284.95

EPSON RX-80 F/T 339.95

EPSON RX-100 719.95

EPSON LQ-1500 1189.95

GEMINI 10X 284.95

GEMINI 15X 409.95

GORILLA BANANNA 189.95

IDS MICROPRISM 480 429.95

IDS PRISM 132 1459.95

JUKI 6100 PRINTER (P) 464.95

MANNESMANN TALLY MT160L 639.95

MANNESMANN TALLY MT180L 879.95

MANNESMANN TALLY SPIRIT 349.95

NEC 3550 SPINWRITER-IBM 1999.95

OKIDATA MICROLINE 80 279.95

OKIDATA PACEMARK 2350S 2329.95

OKIDATA PACEMARK 2410P 2569.95

OKIDATA PACEMARK 2410S 2639.95

OKIDATA 82A W/OKIGRAPH 379.95

OKIDATA 83A W/OKIGRAPH 664.95

OKIDATA 84P 1099.95

OKIDATA 84S 1199.95

OKIDATA 92P 484.95

OKIDATA 93P 799.95

OKIDATA 93S 894.95

PANASONIC P1090 334.95

PANASONIC P1091 394.95

PRINTMASTER (DAISY) 1439.95

PROWRITER I (8510P) 354.95

PROWRITER II (1550P) 569.95

QUME SPRINT 11/40+ 1439.95 SANYO PR5500 DAISY WHEEL 719.95

STAR POWER-TYPE DAISY 409.95

STARWRITER DAISY WHEEL 1139.95

TOSHIBA P-1351 LP 1719.95

TRANSTAR 315 COLOR 499.95

TRANSTAR 120P 14CPS 464.95

TRANSTAR 130P 18CPS 679.95

TRANSTAR 140P 40CPS 1329.95 MICROBUFFERfEPSON RS232) 129.95

GRAFITTI CARD (APPLE) 89.95

GRAPPLER + (APPLE) 119.95 MICROBUFFERII 16K1APPLE) 154.95 PKASO PRINTER I/F(APPLE) 139.95

WIZARD BPO 16K (APPLE) 139.95

WIZARD SOB 16K (APPLE) 199.95

OTHER PRINTERS AVAILABLE

APPLE He STARTER SYSTEM LOW II APPLE MACINTOSH COMPUTER LOWI I

ATARI 600XL COMPUTER 199.95 ATARI 800XL COMPUTER 309.95 ATARI 850 INTERFACE 199.95 ATARI 1027 PRINTER 289.95 COMMODORE 64 COMPUTER LOW!! COMMODORE 1541 DISK DRIVE LOW!I

EAGLE PC PLUS-2 SYSTEM 3399.95 128K, 2-DS/DD DRIVES, MONITOR, EAGLEWRITER, MS-DOS, EAGLECALC, & CP/M-86 EAGLE SPIRIT-II 2559.95

EAGLE SPIRIT-XL 3959.95

PORTABLE 128K EXPANDABLE TO 640K ON BOARD, 1 320K FLOPPY,

10 MEGABYTE HARD DISK, IBM

COMPATABLE KEYBOARD, 2 SERIAL

1 PARALLEL PORT, MS-DOS 2.0,

MONOCHROME MONITOR, CP/M 86

NEC APC-H01 2239.95

NEC APC-H0 2 2799.95

NEC 8201 COMPUTER 649.95

SANYO 550-1 1SS/DD DRIVE 819.95

SANYO 555-1 2SS/DD DRVE 1124.95

SANYO 550-2 1DS/DD DRIVE 999.95

SANYO 555-2 2DS/DD DRVE 1429.95

ZENITH IBM COMPATABLE 2649.95 ZENITH W/10 MEG DSK 3999.95

WILDCAT STARTER SYSTEM 1329.95

APPLE II COMPATABLE SYSTEM

64K, DETACHABLE KEYBOARD,

2 APPLE COMPATABLE DISK DRIVES,

HI-RES 12" AMBER MONITOR,

RBG & COMPOSITE COLOR OUTPUT,

2 CPU'S (Z-80 A & 6502),

80-COLUMN CARD £ JOYSTICK

TAVA PC -IBM COMPATIBLE 1999.95

128K-RAM, 2 SERIAL PORTS,

1 PARALLEL PORT, 2 DS/DD DRIVES,

COLOR GRAPHICS CARD, & MORE.

WALNUT PC - IBM PC COMPATIBLE

SPECIAL $1799.95 128K RAM, 2 DS/DD DRIVES,SERIAL, PARALLEL, COLOR CARD & SOFTWARE.

IQ TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

SMART CABLES

INSTANT RS-232 CONNECTIONS

#817 (WORKHORSE) 79.95 #821 DIAGNOSTIC FEATURES 164.95

* ONE CABLE FITS ALL *

APPLE HARDWARE S SOFTWARE

4TH DIMENSION DRIVE-ONLY 199.95

4TH DIMENSION DRIVE+CTRL 299.95

ALS CP/M CARD 299.95

APPLE-CAT II MODEM 284.95 BANK STREET WRITER 49.95

BUFFERED GRAPPLER+ 199.95

d-BASE II (REQ Z-80) 499.95

HAYES MICROMODEM He 234.95 MACH II JOYSTICK He 34.95 MACH III JOYSTICK He 41.95 MASTERTYPE 29.95

MICROBUFFER 11+ 16K (P) 199.95 PFS:FILE 89.95

PKASO/U PRINTER I/F 139.95

PREMIUM SOFTCARD He 384.95

QUADRAM 64K80COL CRD He 124.95

VIDEX VIDEOTERM W/SFTSW 239.95

VIDEX ULTRATERM 294.95

HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD 389.95

KOALA PAD TOUCH TABLET 119.95

KRAFT JOYSTICK 49.95

MICROPRO PRO PACK 419.95

MICROSOFT SYSTEMCRD 256K 479.95

MICROSOFT MOUSE 139.95

MOUSE SYSTEMS PC MOUSE 219.95

QUADCHROME MONITOR 589.95

QUADLINK APPLE EMULATOR 519.95

QUADRAM QUADBOARD I 64K 299.95

QUADRAM QUADCOLOR I 229.95

RANA DS/DD DISK DRIVE 274.95

STB SUPER I/O MULTIFUNCT 184.95

TG JOYSTICK W/TOGGLE 44.95

TRANSEND P.C. MODEM 1200 439.95

VERSAWRITER GRAPH TABLET 249.95

WIZARD SPOOLER P/S 16K 249.95

COMMODORE 64

CARDBOARD/5 5 SLOT EXPAN. 64.95

CARD? GRAPHICS INTERFACE 69.95

DATA20 Z-80 VIDEOPAK 229.95 DELPHI'S ORACLE DATA BASE 89.95

DISKEY 34.95

DONKEY KONG 34.95

EASY SCRIPT64 34.95

EASY SPELL 64 34.95

FLIGHT SIMULATOR II 39.95

HOME ACCOUNTANT 54.95

HOMEWORD WORD PROCESSOR 49.95

JOUST 35.95

KOALA PAD TOUCH TABLET 79.95

MERLIN 64 ASSEMBLER 35.95

MSD-SD1 DISK DRIVE 399.95

MULTIPLAN 74.95

OMNI-CALC 34.95

PAPER CLIP W/P 64.95

PAC-MAN 37.95

POPEYE 39.95

ROBOTRON 37.95

S.A.M. 44.95

SARGON II 27.95

VOICE BOX 84.95

We will try to meet or beat any advertised price! ...WE CAN HELP 1-800-222-2602

For technical assistance, order status and California calls (619) 765-0239 Apple Country, Ltd., P.O. Box 1099, 2602 Washington St., Julian, Calif. 92036

We accept AmEx. Prices reflect 2% discount for VISA/MC cash & check (2 weeks to clear). S&H in continental US 5%($5 min) Monitors $10 min. APO/FPO & others call. Calif add 6% tax. P.O. must include check. No COD. All orders prepaid. All items are new with Mfgr's warranty. Prices, products & terms subject to change without notice. All sales final. Returns require RMA#. No returns on software. Volume discounts available.

Apple Country, Ltd. is a DISCOUNT MAIL ORDER HOUSE for the micro computer industry and is a California corporation not affiliated with Apple Computer Inc. Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc.

Circle 26 on Inquiry card.

JULY 1984 'BYTE 417

Circle 346 for Dealer inquiries. Circle 347 for End-User inquiries.

Saving

DO IT YOURSELF! IBM® PC/XT Compatible

To start, you need a high-quality Switching Power Supply and a heavy duty Mainframe to cabinet your Cpu Board, Power Supply, Cards, Drives, etc.

#HSC 1 30-40 $179.00/ea. 130 WATT.

Switching Power Supply

• + 5V/15A, +12V/4.2A, -12V/0.25A, -5V/0.3A

•Built-in Fan

•Power Switch

•Cables w/Connectors for Cpu Board and 4 Disk Drives

•2 Switched AC Outlets for Printer & Monitor

•One Full Year Warranty

Cabinet only

$99.00/ea.

•Heavy duty welded steel •2 Full or 4 Half Height

Disk Drives allowed •IBM® Look-alike

Model #FC-630

DEALER & OEM's INQUIRY INVITED

FORTRONCORP. ^r&0EM*]l^**™

4447 ENTERPRISE ST. ™ tlx 176632

FREMONT, CA 94538 H 800-821-9771

M&M

64K D-RAM

150ns-200ns

$49.00/9 pes.

765AC 8272A

8275 8237A-5

8284A

TMS 9980 $19.00/ea

Terms: Shipping immediately from stock usually, or within 4 weeks if run out of inventory. Minimum $5.00 shipping + handling. Personal check requires 2 weeks clearance before shipping. 6.5% sales TAX required for CA. residents.

Our specialty: 68000, DEC, graphic, database, communication, export

Come visit us in our New York City Showroom *Hablamos Espanol

MICROPRISM

DATA

PRODUCT

EPSON

BANANA

OKIDATA

PRISM 132

TOSHIBA

DEC

GEMINI

DIABLO

M.T.

PRINTERS

110 cps, 84x84, graphic.

379

NEC

DYNAX

COMREX C.ITOH

DIABLO QUME

JUKI

STAR

TRANSTAR

8000 series CALL

FX-80, FX-100, RX-80, RX-100CALL

50 cps 195

Full Line CALL

200 cps, 132 col 1,100

192 cps 24-wire 1,450

LA50 599

Delta 15 559

P11 100 cps, 80 col 488

P38 400 cps, 132 col. . .1,795

Spirit 80 cps 345

"Letter Quality*

2050 20 cps for IBM 840

3550 35 cps for IBM. . . .1,610 7710 55 cps for serial. . .1,750

HR25 23 cps parallel 736

DX15 13 cps parallel 445

Comwriter III 740

F-10 40 cps Excellent 999

A-10 18 cps 530

630 API w/interface. . . .1,735

11+ 40 cps 1,300

50 cps 1,500

6100 parallel 459

Power Type 18 cps 379

315 graphic 479

MODEMS HAYES Smartmodem 300/1200 bps 499

Micromodem II w/software. . 270 NOVATION Smartmodem 300/1200 bps 415

PC Cat 300/1200 bps 450

USR Password 300/1200 339

Anchor Automation, Anderson Jacobson Lexicon, Multi-Tech, Racal Vadic, Ventel ZENITH ZT-1, ZT-11 with modem Call

COMPUTER—Whichever's right for you!

Columbia, Corona,

Cromemco, DEC

Rainbow, Eagle, Leading

Edge, NEC APC, Sanyo,

Televideo

•ZENITH*

EPSON QX-10

(for local and corporate customer)

Altos, Northstar, OSM, TAVA

PORTABLE ON THE-GO Columbia, Corona, Eagle, Epson, NEC PC 8021, Televideo, Zenith

AST, PERSYST, PLANTRONIC TECMAR, QTJADRAM, HERCULES

POWERFUL 68000 CPU Cromemco 68000/Z80 CPU option Fast Floating Point Processor

DUAL 68000 CPU, 80MB SMD hard

disk, intelligent I/O, UNIX,

Database WICAT 1 to 12 users, 68000 CPU,

256K to 4.5MB RAM, 10MB to

474MB hard disk, graphic

DEC VT-100 Compatible Terminals DEC

QUME

Visual

(option)

WYSE

ZENITH

VT100AA 1.600

VT220A 1,050

103 780

102 14" 890

graphic 695

75 675

Z-49 CALL

PLOTTERS/DIGITIZERS

HOUSTON INSTRUMENT DMP 29 1.795

DMP 40 795

DMP 41, DMP 42 CALL

HI PAD digitizer 725

XY plotter 1 pen 620

6 pens 895

PIXY3 3 pens 650

HEWLETT PACKARD Plotters

7470A 2 pens 940

7475A 6 pens 1.640

SWEET-P 100 w/support pack 625

GTCO digitizer CALL

AMDEK

M.T.

TERMINALS/MONITORS ZENITH Z-29 smart terminal BEST PRICE

ZVM 135 RGB color/green monitor. . .475

ZVM 123 green monitor 87

ZVM 124 22 MHZ, for IBM 169

Amber Monitor: Comrex, Panasonic, Zenith PRINCETON Graphic Monitor

HX-12 490

SR-12 630

HAZELTINE Esprit II 540

Esprit III 625

Esprit 6310 599

WYSE 50 14" 80/132 559

VISUAL 55 12" 725

QUME 102 548

Prices subject to change. American Express, Visa/Mastercard add 3%. F.O.B. point of shipment. 20% restocking fee for returned merchandise Persons] checks take 3 weeks to clear. COD on certified check only. NY. residents add sales tax. Manufacturers' warranty only, international customers, please confirm price before order. Accept P.O. from Fortune 500, schools end gov't.

Computer Channel TELEX:

21-55 44th Road 429418

Long Island City, NY 11101 CSTNY

For Information CALL (212) 937-6363 To order CALL 1-800-331-3343

418 BYTE • |ULY 1984

TM

SHOD,

s-wo

ESTABLISHED 1977

SALES 800-528-3138

TECHNICAL 602-991-7870 MODEM ORDERS 602-948-1387 TELEX: 16 5025 FTCC SEC PHX.

CompuPro

SYSTEM 816/A A&T SYSTEM 816 B A&T SYSTEM 816/C* A&T SYSTEM 816 D" A&T (8086) SYSTEM 816 E" A&T (68000)

®

»4.299

94.999 $6,399 • 9.299 «7,099

100 HOUR SYSTEM "BURN IN"

■XEROX ON-SITE SERVICE WHERE AVAILABLE

CPU Z 6MHz A&T $229

CPU 8085/88 A&T S349

CPU 8086 10MHz A&T >S69

CPU 68K 10MHz CSC *600

RAM 17 64K STATIC A&T $349

RAM 16 64K STATIC 8&16 A&T S 389

RAM 22 256K STATIC 88.16 AST $1,229

M DRIVE H 512K RAM-DISK »895

INTERFACER 3-8 SERIAL A&T $489

INTERFACER 4-3 SERIAL/2 PARALLEL $319

SYSTEM SUPPORT 1 A&T $319

DISK 1 A&T $349

DISK 2 A&T 8" H.D. CNTRL $569

DISK 3 5V«" H.D. CNTRL W/CP/M80 & 86 $559

MORROW

DJ/DMA 5V4" & 8" S-100 FLPY CNTRL $556 MD2 SYSTEM W/MDT60 TERMINAL

AND TALLY "SPIRIT" PRINTER $1,699

MD3 AS EQUIP. ABOVE W PEARL DBMS $1,999 MD-3E AS EQUIP. ABOVE WITH ONLY

CPM 2 2, NEW WORD CO PILOT $1.499 MD3-MDCP88-256 AS EQUIP. ABOVE W

8088 CO-PROC. & 256K RAM UPGRD. $2,498 MDP-3 PORT. SAME AS MD3 EXCEPT 6X7"

SCRN. & INCLD. TALLY "SPIRIT" $1,899 MD11 SYSTEM W/11 Mb H.D.. CP/M 3.0.

128 RAM. MDT60 TERMINAL. EPSON

RX80FT PRT. $2,995

MO 16 SAME AS MDII W/ 16.44Mb $3,495

MD 34 SAME AS MDII W/34Mb $4,995

CPZ 48006 6MHz MASTER $739

266KMB MEMORY BOARD $709

CPS-MX 64K RAM SLAVE 6MHz $389

CPS-BMX 128K RAM SLAVE 6MHz $529

■& ADVANCED DIGITAL

comnm*riOM ,

SUPER SIX/128-6 MHz $675

SUPER SLAVE/128-6 MHz $519

CP/M 3.0 $360

TURBODOS MULTI-USER W/SPOOLER $595

DMA-MICR0MA6NUM 5Mb WINCHESTER

FIXED & 5Mb RMOV. CARTG. $1,695

HDC 1001 DMA W, DRIVERS $429

SUPERSTAR W/SUPERSIX 128K.HDC

1001-5. MICROMAGNUM 5Mb 5Mb

CART. WINCH.. TURBODOS 1.3,

2 SUPER SLAVES 128K-6MHZ $4,996

Litton

ffl

JEFFERSON ELECTRIC

TRUE SINE WAVE. 100% BATTERY OPER. W/NO SWITCH-OVER. BYPASS STATIC SWITCH 750 WATTS <a> 16 MIN. #370 811 100 $1,575

1 HR. W/AUXILIARY BATTERY $149

IBM-PC W/FLPY CTRL.. STB GRAPHICS « CRT CTRL. 2S6K RAM. PC DOS 2.10,

2 DSDD DVRS . 12" AMBER MON. $2,995

llfrSSEia FOR IBM-PC

1ft MATE 2S6K. SERIAL. PARA. CLOCK $412

CAPTAIN SAME AS 1«t MATE W/384K $667

GRAPHICS MASTER HI-RES RGB $621

IEEE 488 BOARD W SOFTWARE $367

8Mb H.D. CARTRIDGE INSTALLS IN P.C. $1,496 33Mb FIXED H.D. W/5Mb REMOVABLE

CART. IN AN EXPANSION CHASSIS $4,121

EXPANSION CHASSIS W/8 SLOTS $725 BASE BOARD - DO-IT YOURSELF

MULTIFUNCTION $259

BOSUN XT MULTIFUNCTION BD. $149

jrCAPT. 128K W/TREASURE CHEST $319

jrWAVE 266K $399 jrCADET 384K PIGGY-BACK BD.

ADD-ON FOR jrCAPT. & jrWAVE $479

SUPER "RIO" 256K W PARA , 2 SERIAL

& GAME PORTS. CLOCK-CAL./BATT.

PARA. & SERIAL CABLES $448

PIGGYBACK 512K FOR SUPER "RIO" 256 $571 RIO PLUS W/384K SAME AS SUPER "RIO"

EXCEPT ONLY 1 SERIAL AND NO

PIGGYBACK BD. $549

SUPER I/O LIKE RIO* W/O RAM/XT $149

1-384 MEMORY EXPANSION BD. 384K $484

GRAPHICS PLUS IX RGB & MONO.

PRINTER & LT PEN PORTS $325

lEIectralOQicsJ

QUASI-DISK 512K RAM-DISK W/ON-BD. DRV. STATUS LED'S. WRITE PROTECT, DMA E-Z INSTALL W/SAMPLE CP/M BIOS $895

SI2K PIGGY BACK EXPANSION $695

BA TTERY BACK-UP W/PWR. SUPPL Y $ 169

64K CMOS RAM OR ROM LOADS OF FEATURES

MFIO ALL-IN-ONE I/O BD.

8 ASYNCH. SERIAL, 2 PARALLEL BAUD RATE GENERATOR. CLOCK-CAL W/BATT., PROG. PRIOR INTERRUPT SERIAL OPTION BD. FOR MFIO CENTRONICS PARALLEL BD. FOR MFIO STD. PARALLEL OPTION BD. FOR MFIO

$409

$469 $26 $39 $25

PERSONAL SPEECH SYSTEM

5. ROBOTICS

FREE TELPAC SOFTWARE INCLD.

S-100 BD. MODEM 300/1200 $359

PASSWORD 1200 AUTO ANS./DIAL $369

AUTO DIAL 212A (HAYES COMPAT.) $469

printers:

BROTHER HR 15 SERIAL

BROTHER HR 25 SERIAL

DAISYWRITER 2000 W/48K

EPSON MX. RX & FX IN STOCK

OKIDATA 92

OKIDATA 93

TALLY MT160L

TALLY MT180L

TALLY 'SPIRIT' N.L.Q. @ 80 C.P.S.

$425 $726 $998 CALL $439 $729 *579 $795 $299

: terminals! ;& monitors:

COMREX CR6600-Y. HI-RES. P 39 $125

FREEDOM 100 TERMINAL CALL

FREEDOM 110 TERMINAL-AMBER CALL

FREEDOM 200 TERMINAL-AMBER CALL

(EMUL TELEVIDEO 960 & ADM 31) CALL

PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX12 HI-RES RGB $496

QUME QVT102A $645

QUME QVT102G $629

TAXAN RGB 420 (IBM LOOK-ALIKE) $496

USI AMBER 12" HI-RES MONITOR (20MHz) $109 WYSE-60 14", 132 COL. EMUL. TVI 910,

920. 926. ADDS-VP & HAZELTINE 1600 $519

disk drives:

DMA 5Mb REMOV. CART. W/ 5Mb FIXED WINCH. BARE DRIVE

S-100'S SUBSYS. - DUAL DSDD 8" FLOPPY. QUANTUM 40 Mb H.D.. DISK 1 & 3. CP/M80 & 86

S-100'a TO" 40Mb QUANTUM H.D. SUBSYSTEM W/DISK 3 & CP/M80 & 86

MAXTOR XT 1066 5V<" 65Mb H.D.

MAXTOR XT-1106 6V4" 106Mb H.D.

MAXTOR XT-1140 6V." 140Mb H.D.

QUANTUM Q540 5V." 40Mb H.D.

SEAGATE ST419 6V4" 20Mb H.D.

SEAGATE ST212 5'A" VjHI 12Mb

ZOBEX S'/4" H.D. CNTRL FOR IBM-PC SUPPORTS ST506 INTERFACE DRIVES

ASK ABOUT SUBSYSTEMS FOR IBM or S-100 BUS

landon 100-2 6V4" dsdd $206

$1,600

$3,999

$2,895 $2,249 $2,995 $3,749 $1,895 $1,195 $679

Qume

270 DAY WARRANTY

$189 $395 $466

$169

142 DSDD 6V4"-V4 HI 242 DSDD V-Vt HI 842 DSDD 8 -STD HI NATIONAL (SA456L COMPAT.) 5V< DSDD V2HI FLPY. DRV.

^INDUSTRIAL QUALITYZ parinfts

DUAL ViHI HORIZ. 6'/4" FLPY. SINGLE STD HI HORIZ. TO" FLPY DUAL V4 HI VERT. 8" FLPY SINGLE STD. HI VERT. 8" FLPY

$76

$59

$195

$195

:software:

ACCOUNTING PEARL FOR IBM-PC $635

ASHTONTATE dBASE 2 CP/M-86 8 INCH $449

BDS "C" COMPILER $99

COMP. INNOVAT. "C" COMPILER $299

COMPUVIEW VEDIT-86/MS-DOS $186

FOX & GELLER dUTIL $69

FOX & GELLER QUICKCODE $206

KNOWLEDGEMAN B086 DATA BASE MGR. $346

MICROPRO'S PRO PAK $436

MICROSOFT'S BASIC COMPILER $292

PERSONAL PEARL DATA BASE MGR. $216

SORCIM SUPERCALC 3/IBM PC $246

m DIGITAL RESEARCH

MP/M-86

"C" COMPILER/IBM-PC

DR. LOGO/IBM-PC

CBASIC COMPILER-80

PL/1-86

OR ASSEMBLER PLUS TOOLS

PASCAL MT+

DISPLAY MANAGER-80

ACCESS MANAGER-80

PC ACCOUNTING PACK/IBM-PC

SELECT (WORD PROC.) MSDOS

$419 $219 $62 $310 $466 $124 $217 $249 $186 $697 $307

S-100 DIV./696 CORP.

14425 North 79th Street

Scottsdale. Arizona 85260

FULL DEALER SUPPORT VISIT OUR SHOWROOM

Hrs. 8:30AM 5:00PM M F

Subject to Available Quantities

Prices Quoted Include

Cash Discounts

Shipping & Insurance Extra

Circle 58 on inquiry card.

fTlEGfl-BVTES FDR miCRQ-BUDGETS

eHpand your system...shrink your cost.

Why pay more for top quality products when our prices are consistently among the lowest anywhere? We invite you to compare prices, then call us.

COMPUTERS AT LOW PRICES

CALL FOR CONFIGURATIONS AND OPTIONS

MEMOTECH MTX-512

SHARP PC-5000 PORTABLE

LEADING EDGE PC

IBM PC-XT

PRINCETON GRAPHICS SYSTEMS

HX-12 Limit - One to a Customer Cash Price $459.00

MISC. PERIPHERALS SALE PRICE

HAYES SMARTMODEM 1200B (IBM-PC) *TO<» <M

HAYES SMARTMODEM 1200 (RS-232)

489.50

HAYES CHRONOGRAPH

ROLAND DG XY800 6 PEN PLOTTER

799.50

BAUSCH&LOMB DMP-29 PLOTTER

1885.00

PENCEPT PENPAD 320

EPSON PRINTERS SALE PRICE

MX-100 $475.00

FX-80 489.00

FX-100 689.00

RX-80 309.00

RX-80 F/T 375.00

LQ-1500 1135.00

DYSAN DISKETTES (Boxes of 10 each) SALE PRICE

10*1 5W SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY $31.20

104/1D 5W' SINGLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY 32.98

104/2D 5Vi" DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY 38.99

3740/1 8" SINGLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY 32.39

3740/1D 8" SINGLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY 40.19

3740/2 8" DOUBLE SIDE, SINGLE DENSITY 40.19

3740/2D 8" DOUBLE SIDE, DOUBLE DENSITY 46.89

GREAT LAKES (PEGASUS) HARD DISK SYSTEMS SALE PRICE

10 MEGABYTE INTERNAL. $1149.00

10 MEGABYTE EXTERNAL 7295.00

23 MEGABYTE EXTERNAL 1895.00

40 MEGABYTE EXTERNAL 2449.00

65 MEGABYTE EXTERNAL 3249.00

140 MEGABYTE EXTERNAL 4995.00

TAPE DRIVE 23 MEGABYTE INTERNAL 950.00

TAPE DRIVE 23 MEGABYTE STAND ALONE 1249.00

ORDERS ONL Y 800-8584810 IN CALIF. 800-821-6662

COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SYSTEMS

2858 S. ROBERTSON BLVD., LOS ANGELES, CA 90034

INFORMATION (213)559-0596

Phone orders accepted on Visa and Mastercard only. California residents add 6.5% sales tax. No C.O.D. Actual shipping and handling charge added to all orders. Prepaid orders as follows: Money orders or cashier's check-merchandise shipped upon receipt. Personal checks must clear before shipping. 20% restocking fee.

Prices and availability subject to change. $100 minimum order.

MOTHER BOARD:

• 8088 CPU with socket for co-processor 8087

• 8088 is supported by 8259A interrupt controller and 8237 DMA controller

• 2 (two) 28 pin sockets for ROM

• 8 (eight) expansion slots

• No RAM on board (RAM is on multifunction board)

Bare Board 69.00

Ready Board 199.00

(with IC sockets, resistors, capacitors, connectors, crystals, transistors soldered)

Tested Board (w/o ROM) 399.00

IC kit 199.00

Build Your IBM™PC Compatible at Competitive Prices

MULTIFUNCTION BOARD

• 2 serial ports, 1 parallel port real time clock, 64k RAM up to 256k RAM 299.00

• Floppy disk drive controller board 179.00

• Hard disk controller board 299.00

• Color graphic board 239.00

• Monochrome + color + graphic board Call

• Panasonics disk drive, 320k, half height 179.00

• Hard disk drive 10 MB 699.00

• 100W power supply with fan 179.00

• Case 149.00

• Manual 25.00

• Keyboard 149.00

• High resolution color RGB monitor 499.00

• High resolution green monitor 129.00

• Monitor stand 39.00

• Hayes 1200B modem 449.00

• Hayes 1200 modem 475.00

IBM is the trademark of International Business Machines. Prices subject to change without notice.

L«J Hand well p

4962 El Camino Real • Los Altos, CA 94022

(415) 962-9265 1-(800) 821-3628

TLX: 171947 HANDWELL LTOS

420 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 143 on inquiry card.

SEC

NEC Advanced Personal Computer - The APC

Standard Hardware Package includes:

• 8086 16bit CPU • 128K RAM, expandable to B12K

• 640 x 475 pixel CRT • 8" floppies with 1 Mbyte each

• Great keyboard •48 definable function keys Standard Software Package includes:

• MS-DOS 2.0 • WordStar 3.3

• dBaseII •MultiplaN

NEC APC-1 Drive, Green #H01 $2095

NEC APC- 2 Drive, Green #H02 $2550

NEC APC- 2 Drive, Color #H03 $3150

NEC APC-1 Drive, Color #H04 $2575

NEC 10MByte Winchester #H26 $2175

Limited Time Graphics Specials:

All graphics packages include additional 128Kuser RAM, and

HIGH PERFORMANCE GRAPHICS VIDEO INTERFACE, WHICH CREATES

1000 x 1000 graphics. The dot matrlx printer, where included, is the #H16, aka PC-8023.

GPKG #1 Graphplan, CP/M-86, Printer

GPKG #3 Videograph, Graphwriter, Screenshooter

GPKG #2 Context MBA, Printer

GPKG #4 AutoCAD, CP/M-86

NEC GPKG-xx-MONO $685

NEC GPKG-xx-COLOR $775

IBM PC SvsTems

The Expert says you need 256K RAM. And the price is low. #1 SYSTEM: 2-360K Drives 256K RAM, Graphics Video

Card sQ /.p-Afe^';' $2565

#2 SYSTEM: 2-360K Drives, 256K RAM, Monochrome Video Card, Amber CRTvQ hjj^^T $2825

IBM PC-XT Systems

#1 SYSTEM: Standard unit - List $4995 $4300

#2 SYSTEM: 256K Graphics Video, Amber CRT .... $4845 #3 SYSTEM: 256K, Monochrome Video, Amber CRT. $4990

MIM PC

TA\A PC Systems

All TAVA's inlcude 2 serial pors, 1 parallel port, 2 dsdd thinline drives, a video interface (either graphics or monochrome), 256K RAM, and a 12" monochrome CRT. Free Software: Word processor, Data base, Spelling, Electronic Mail (f^t^

TAVA #1: Graphics Video $1895

TAVA #2: Monochrome Video $1945

TA\A PC-XT #1: 10 MByte Hard, Graphics Video ... $2895 TA\A PC-XT #2:10 MByte Hard, Monochrome Video $2945

$SANYO

SANYO MBC550 Systems

Now with factory installed doable sided drive and DOS 2.1.

MBC550-2 w/3 softwares $ 985

MBC555-2 w/6 softwares $1315

Recommended Options:

128K Extra RAM (256K Total) $100

Serial Port $ 80

Amber CRT $ 140

Color RGB CRT $ 535

FRANKLIN

Franklin 1200-OMS w/CRT $1435

Franklin 1000-PRO Pack w/CRT $ 975

Letter Quality Printers

C. ITOH/TEC: These daisywheel printers use Diablo wheels, ink cartridges, and software codes.

F-10-18 18CPS $ 495

F-10-40 40cps $ 950

F-10-55 55CPS $1275

ABATILQ-20P 20cps, 132 column $ 395

DYNAX-Brother HR-15 $ 410

HR-15 Tractor $ 105

HR-15 Cut Sheet Feeder $ 185

DYNAX-Brother HR-25 $ 675

HR-25 Tractor $ 120

HR-25 Cut Sheet Feeder $ 210

Brother HR-35 $895

JUKI 6100 20cps $ 186

NEC Spinwriters #2050 v'.'.„ t 966

NEC #3556 $1785 ,

NEC #7730 $2100

Silvbr-RbedEXPoOOP $ 475

. ;Silver-ReebEXP550P $ 555

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

BMC CP-80 w/carbon Ink $ 266

C Itoh/tec 180CPS $ 495

ISOCPS-WiDE $ 695

180CPS-COLOK $ 575

I8OCPS-C0LOR-W1DE $ 795

Epson FX-80 $ 499

Epson FX-100 $ 730

Gemini 10-X $ 269

Gemini 15-X $ 415

Mannesmann-Tally MT160L $ 595

MT180L $ 795

IDS Prism 132 w/Color $1485

Okidata 92 $ 435

Okidata 93 $ 700

Prowriter 120cps, std $ 345

prowriter 2 120cps, wide $ 575

-SANYO 550-2 $987

SANYO 555-2 $1325

Tseng Laboratories Ultra-Pak

132 x 44 column video interface with graphics for the IBM Monochrome CRT. Includes parallel port, serial port, clock. Optional floppy disk controller or 64K-384K RAM-s, Pack.

Ultra-PAK List $680... $496

Disk-PAK ,. List $220... $18f:

Ram-PAK (64K expandable to 384K)..,. List $245... $205

Profit Systems !

Multigbaph (80 x 40 Video w/Graphics &

Printer Port ....-;......................... $466

MultiGraph Option Board (132 columns,

16 colors) .,....., $185

Multi-User Subsystem! For 4 users, hardware &

software ......; $650

EVEREX

The EVEREX systems are complete with cables, interfaces, and software necessary to install and use

10MByte Internal, Hard Disk System $ 945

20MByte Internal Tape Backup System $ 975

KEYTRONIC

KB5151 $ 216

Modems

Anchor Automation "Signalman"

I Mark II (Atari) $

Mark III (TI) $

Mark IV (Commodore Pet-CBM) $

Mark V (Osborne) $

: Mark XII (1200 Baud Smartmodem) $

The Networker for Apple w/Software $

TheNbtworker-no Software $

Hayes Smartmodem 300 $

Hayes Smartmodem 1200 $

Hayes Micromodem II-e $

Novation Access 1-2-3 $

110 120 100 345 159 110 215 505 295 445

akata

"We're experts so you don't have to be!"

Circle 131 on inquiry card.

Sakata Monitors

SC-100 Color Composite 13" $275

SC-200 Color RGB for IBM 13" $460

SC-300 Color RGB for IBM 13" $695

SC-1000 Green 12" $125

SC-1000 Amber 12" $135

NEC PC8201 Lap Computer $575

comma

Compaq 2 Drive, 256K $2465

MICROSOFT

Microsoft "WORD" w/Mouse $295

Qibik Modem 1200B Internal $295

EXPERT Computers

21804 Roscoe Blvd., Suite 18 Canoga Park, CA 91304

(213) 344-6063 (800) 528-9537

ADD 4% FOR AMERICAN EXPRESS. ADD 2% FOR VISA/MASTERCARD. 20% PREPAID DEPOSIT REQUIRED ON COD ORDERS. CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS ADD SALES TAX. PRICES MAY CHANGE CALL TO VERIFY PRICES AND DELIVERY.

Circle 69 on inquiry card.

CALL FOR

QUANTITY

PRICING

DISPLAY MONITORS

usi

PI2(12"Green) $ 125

PI3(12" Amber) 129

GORILLA

Hi-Res. 12" Green $ 85

Hl-Res. 12"Amber 95

AMDEK

V300G, 12" Green $ 135

V300A, 12" Amber 149

V310AforlBMPC 165

Colorl, 13"ColorComposite 289

Color II, RGB 399

BMC

12UW(12"Green) $ 89

9191 Plus 249

NEC

JB1201M,B0col $ 149

JB1205M(A)w/audio 155

JC1216 RGB Hi-Res IBM comp 399

TAXAN

12N(12" Green) $ 109

12NUY (12" Amber) 119

PRINCETON GRAPHICS HX12,RGBforlBM $ 479

SAVE $$$$ ON OUR OLYMPIC MARATHON SALE

• * GOLD MEDAL SPECIALS * *

****** IBI

IBM PC h4K I Drive IBM PC 64k 2Dmvh

* * * * TAIMDON * * * *

TMHKI I'loi IBM PC S 1H9

***** TEAC ***** ***** SANYO ***** 558.1)2H«iqht.320K $ 165 MBC5S0 2 «w1 dbl'ilhl Driws »

SiiltwHic $ c)45

* 64 K MEM. UPGRADE * MBC555 2 wJ2 rthlMW Drives S

64K.9chips I yi wat $ <<H MnwSoltwatP 1295

FREE 2-Piece. Anli Static Dust Cover with Purchase ot IBM PC or XT

PRINTER ACCESS.

ORANGE MICRO

Grappler + $ 119

Buffered Grappler +, 16K exp. 64K . 169 FOURTH DIMENSION

Par. Card & Cable for Apple $ 49

TRACTORS

Okidatafor82A&92 $ 49

Juki Bi-Directional 129

PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS

Mic/BufllP,16K $ 145

Mic/BufllS,16K 149

CABLES

Any Computer to Parallel Printer ... $ 29

IBM/APPLE ACCESS.

AST RESEARCH

Six Pak Plus $ 269

Mega Plus II 279

MICROMAX

Viewmax 80E, 128K 80 col. card

forApplellE $ 129

for Applell & II + 139

PC PEACOCK

ColorGraphicsCardw/PrinterPort .$ 269

PLANTRONICS

Color + Board $ 379

PERSONAL SYSTEMS

APPLE

ApplellEStarter System $1249

FRANKLIN

Ace 1000 w/color $ 799

Ace 1200 w/drive 1399

TAVA

1 Par. & 2 Ser. Ports, 128K, 2 - 320K Drives,

ColorCard $1745

DISK DRIVES

SIEMENS

FD100-8 $ 145

Drives For Apple & Franklin MICRO-SCI

A2 $ 199

OUENTIN RESEARCH

Apple Mate $ 199

RANA SYSTEMS

Elite I $ 229

Elite II 349

Elite III 429

PANASONIC

1/2 Height 360K $ 165

JMR100% Apple Comp. Drive 179

Controller Card 55

PRINTERS

OKIDATA

ML82A, 10" carriage $ 298

ML83A, 15" carriage 539

ML92P, 160cps 419

ML93P, 160cps 699

C. ITOH

Gorilla Banana, 50cps $ 169

Prowriter8510AP, 120cps 329

Prowriterll1550AP, 15"120cps ... 545

StarwriterF10-40PU,40cps 969

PrintmasterF10-55PU, 55cps 1299

EPSON

RX80FT, 120 cps $ 369

FX80,10" 160cps 485

FX100,15"160cps 699

JUKI

6100 LQ 15", 18 cps w/propor. spac.. $ 439

TOSHIBA

P1350(1) Dot Matrix, L.Q., graphics. $1495

MANNESMANN TALLY

160L, 160 cps $ 575

180L, 180cps 795

PANASONIC

1091 w/Tractor, 120cps $ 369

IF YOU SEE IT ADVERTISED

FOR LESS, CALL US FIRST

FOR LOWEST QUOTE!

MAIL ORDER:

12841 S. Hawthorne Blvd., No. 585

Hawthorne, California 90250

^aVORDER DESK: «b^

^8» (213] 514-9019 ifp

Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

W. Kept VISA, MaaterCard, COD (w/dapoalt), Certified Checks or Wir. Tr.n.f.ra. Shipping minimum S4.00. Soma itama aubiaet to back order. CA flaa. add S%% Tax. Pries* subject to change.

HERE COMES THE SUN

IBM Compatible Products Apple Compatible Products General Products- cont.

QUADRAM-2 (2) Ser. Ports W/64K. $355.00 QUADBOARD (1 ea)Par/Ser. w 64K .355.00

QUAD 512+ w/64K 305.00

QUAD 512+ W512K 665.00

CLOCK/CALENDAR BOARD 105.00

MODEM Signalman Mark 5 215.00

ADD-ON Hard Disk Drive System

6Mb w'Power Supply & Cabinet .1799.00

Controller for above Hard Drive... 279.00

ASTSIXPACK(64K) 271.00

MSI DUAL I/O (2 ea) Ser ./Par. & Clk 175.00 MSI 256K RAM Board with 64K 199.00

MSI 256K w/Parallel or Serial Port

256K w/Parallel Port and 64K 259.00

256K w/Serial Port and 64K 259.00

VISTA DISKMASTER DMA

Diskmaster interface Sub 4", SVs", 8" 4

V1200 6Mb Hard Disk 225.00

IBM TEAC Disk Drive DSDD,

40 Track Slimline 215.00

APPARAT IBM PROM Blaster 129.00

CABLE Parallel lor IBM, Eagle 4

Columbia 29.95/ea 25.00/2

CABLE Serial lor IBM, Eagle &

Columbia 19.95/ea 17.00/2

Micro Log. Baby Blue II

Z80B Co. Pros.

Multifunction Board Call

IBM Prototype Board-SUN-208 Double Sided

Glass with Gold Plated Terminals . . . 19.50 MULTIFUNCTION BOARD

64K, Serial, Parallel, Clock 295.00

IBM UP-GRADE KIT (4164-200 ns)

49.00/Per Kit

AFDC-1 Floppy Disk Drive SCC95

Controller OO

Runs DOS 3.3 with any standard Shugart compatible 5V4" disk drive. (2 drives each card). Does not read V2 track.

Apparat PROM Blaster 119.00

"ALS" 80 Column Card 159.00

"ALS" Z-CARD (Z80 CPU! 149.00

API Apple Parallel Printer Interface card.

Centronics Compatible $39.00

Apple Compatible Disk Drive

Slimline, Quite 195.00

SUN-Z-80 CARD ISoftcard

Compatible) 55.00

SUN-80 COLUMN CARD 97.00

POWER SUPPLY {5 amp) 59.95

COOLING FAN 42.00

WORD PROS (Benchmark) 299.00

TELECOM (Benchmark) 89.00

WORD STAR Call

LOTUS Call

VISICALC Call

DISCOVER BASIC 69.95

PEARSONAL PEARL 199.00

TYPE ATTACK 39.95

SPANISH 49.95

Formats Indued CP/M, Apple, IBM, TRS-80

General Products

5V." Diskettes

SS/DD (100% certified)

DSDD (100% certified)

10 up 100 up 1.75 1.55

2.50 2.30

MODEM Novation 103 Smart-Cat . .$210.00 MODEM Signalman Mark 7 (RS232). 115.00

COMPARE OUR HIGH RESOLUTION THEN CHECK OUR PRICEI

SUPER SALE!!

Features :

.--Anti-glare Screen with Attractive Case .-Standard Composite Video Input .-'Output for Second Monitor ^22 MHz Video Bandwidth v*High Resolution - 1000 Lines or

132 Charactors Across *- Input Impedance - High or 75 Ohm .-Passes FCC Test for Computer Equipment .-UL Approved

Compatibility : IBM PC, IBM PCjr, Apple II, Apple lie, Comodore. Columbia MPC, Eagle, Radio Shack, Sinclair/Timex, And More

12" GREEN OR gQQ 00 AMBER ogg.OO

MX COMPATIBLE PRINTER

CT-80 dot Matrix Printer (80 cps) 249.00

RAM & ROM IN STOCK .... Call

Mother Boards & Card Cages

SLOTS BareBd KIT A a T w/CAGE

6 $19.00 $44.00 $59.00 $84.00 8 24.00 56.00 81.00 116.00

12 29.00 75.00 110.00 150.00

10MHz, No termination. Includes power indicator and wiring for muffin fan. Uses OK connector for solderless installation and removal of power & reset lines.

1-800-421-5775

rs. imi .ill inf,.< ,,i 213-644-1149

S-100 Products

$i ccoo

64KSM A&T without RAM ... I 99 64KSM A&T w 64k RAM (32-6116's). 339.00 S-100 Board Uses 6MHz 6116's. Vi Amp max. power, Bank Select plus Extended Addressing allows for multi-memory board set-up. 4 independant 16K Blocks make easy use with multi-user systems. Any 2K RAM may be replaced by e 2716 EPROM.

SBC-880 Z80A CPU, A&T $149.00

SBC-880 Z80A CPU, Kit 129.00

4MHz Z80A CPU boards with RAM, ROM & Serial/Parallel Ports.

UFDC-1 Floppy Controller, A&T 245.00

UFDC-1 Floppy Controller, Kit 225.00

The UFDC-1 Floppy Controller uses the

WD1795 chip which runs either

and/or 8"/5V4" Disk Drives.

CLOCK CALENDAR A&T 115.00

CLOCK CALENDAR Kit 95.00

This S-100 Clock Calendar Board has 4 interrupts. Time, Day of Week

and Battery Backup. Call for S-100 Quantity Discounts

Special Sale terns

SUN-721 S-100 Prototype Board 9.95

SUN-722 Apple Prototype Board 5.95

IBM Prototype Board-SUN-208 Double Sided Glass with Gold Plated Terminals 19.95

SUNTRONICS CO., inc. Ma 0 J_t

12621 Crenshaw Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250 f„si 3 pound

STORE HOURS: MON.-FRI. 9:00am to 6:00pi

SATURDAY 10:00am to

422 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 290 on inquiry card.

K you still

For nearly a hundred years, the Statue of Liberty has been America's most powerful symbol of freedom and hope. Today the corrosive action of almost a century of weather and salt air has eaten away at the iron framework; etched holes in the copper exterior.

On Ellis Island, where the ancestors of nearly half of all Americans first stepped onto American soil, the Immigration Center is now a hollow ruin.

Inspiring plans have been developed to restore the Statue and to create on Ellis Island a permanent museum celebrating the ethnic diversity of this country of immigrants. But unless restoration is begun now, these two landmarks in our nation's heritage could be closed at the very time America is celebrating their hundredth anniversaries. The 230 million dollars needed to carry out the work is needed now.

in me, save me,

All of the money must come from private donations; the federal government is not raising the funds. This is consistent with the Statue's origins. The French people paid for its creation themselves. And America's businesses spearheaded the public contributions that were needed for its construction and for the pedestal.

The torch of liberty is everyone's to cherish. Could we hold up our heads as Americans if we allowed the time to come when she can no longer hold up hers?

Opportunities for Your Company. ioNsoR You are invited to learn more about the advantages

~~ of corporate sponsorship during the nationwide pro

Jj] motions surrounding the restoration project. Write on your letterhead to: The Statue of Liberty-Ellis HB1 Island Foundation, Inc., MParkAve, N.Y., N.Y. 10178.

Save these monuments. Send your personal tax deductible donation to: RO. Box 1986, New York. N.Y. 10018.The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.'

IULY 1984 'BYTE

423

Cancer is often curable.

The fear of cancer

is often fatal.

Some people are so afraid of cancer they won't go to the doctor when they suspect something's wrong. Or even for a routine checkup.

They're afraid the doctor will "find something!'

This fear can prevent them

from discovering cancer in the early stages when it is most often curable. There are over 3,000,000 people alive today who have had cancer. If that surprises you, it shouldn't. Cancer is highly curable.

C

4 American Cancer Society

THIS SPACE CONTRIBUTED BY THE PUBLISHER AS A PUBLIC SERVICE

Im

COMPUTER DISCOUNT PRODUCTS

HUGE Inventories • APPLE-IBM Specialists

• ASK ABOUT OUR FAIR PRICE POLICY -ITS GUARANTEED!*

1*

MS

CDP SPECIALS

16K UPGRADE 4116 200 NS 9.99

64K UPGRADE 4164 200 NS (Set/9) 79.99

APPLE FAN w/Surge, 2 Outlets 39.99

PAR PRINTER CARD & CABLE 39.99

16K RAM CARD 39.99

POWER STRIP w/Surge 17.99

3-RING BINDER DISK SHEET (10) 7.99

DISKETTES

SHARPEN YOUR SKILLS THIS SUMMER!

**r*wfa* #§SnwARE

FOR APPLE & IBM

ALPHABET ZOO 19.99

DELTA DRAWING 32.99

FACEMAKEB 21.99

HEY DIDDLE 19.99

KINDERCOMP 19.99

MOST AMAZING THING 26.99

RHYME S RIDDLE 19.99

SNOOPER TROOPS I S II 27.99

STORY MACHINE 21.99

ontinental

APPLE GRAPHICS BOOK 14.99

CPA (GL, AP, AR, PAY)(AP) ea149.99

FCM/FL 1st CLASS MAIL (AP) 59.99

FCM/FL 1st CLASS MAIL (IBM) 71.99

HOME ACCOUNTANT (AP) 44.99

HOMEACCOUNTANT + (IBM) 84.99

PROPERTY MGMT. (AP, IBM) 295.99

TAX ADVANTAGE (Ap) 39.99

TAX ADVANTAGE (IBM) 49.99

ULTRAFILE (IBM) 155.99

mm KENSINGTON llJ^MICROWARE

SYSTEM SAVER

• Surge Suppression

• Fits Apple Stand

• Dual Outlet /; rU.L. Listed $ DO

BPI (GL, AP, AR, PAY, INV) BRODERBUND Arcade Machine

Bank Street Writer

Drol, Loderunner CENTRAL POINT Copy II + OLM Alien Addition

Alligator Mix

Demolition Division

Dtagon Mix

Meteor Multiplication

Minus Mission

Verb Viper/Word Invasion

Word Radar/Spelling Wiz EDUWARE Counting Bee

Decimals/Fractions 3.0

Hands on Basic

PSAT Word Attack

SAT Word Attack JACK REPORT KENSINGTON Format II KOALA Spider Eater New! LEARNING CO Bumble Games

Bumble Plot/Magic Spell

Gertrudes Puzzle/Secrel

Moplown Parade/Hotel

Rocky's Boots MICROLAB Miner 20-49er MICROSOFT Mutiplan ODESTA Chess

Odin PFS Report

File

Graph

Write SENSIBLE SPELLER SUBLOGIC Night Mis. Pinball ULTIMA III

44.99 «24.99 25.99 27.99 27.99 27.99 27.99 27.99 27.99 H37.99 M37.99 23.99 H39.99 51.99 39.99 39.99 74.99 119.99 23.99 26.99 ] «26.99 M29.99 ea26.99 34.99 27.99 165.99 45.99 37.99 89.99 99.99 99.99 99,99 87.99 I 32.99 39.99

DOLLARS & SENSE (lle/c) 79.99

FOR APPLE t IBM

DEADLINE, ENCHANTER M32.99

PLANETFALL 32.99

SUSPENDED 32.99

WITNESS 32.99

ZORK l-lll/STARCROSS ea24.99

SORCERER NEW! 37.99

DYSAN 5- SS/OD (10)

31.99

DYSAN 5" DS/DD (10)

36.99

MAXELL5'SS/OO(10)

27.99

MAXELL 5" DS/DD (10)

37.99

VERBATIM 5" SS/DD (10'

24.99

VERBATIM 5' DS/DD (10

36.99

MEMOREX 3V (MAC) 41.99

ACCESSORIES

FLIP'N FILE (original) 17.99

FLIP'N FILE w/Locktray (25) 17.99

FLIP'N RLE w/Locktray (50) 27.99

HAYES 300 Baud Smartmodem 199.99

1200 Baud Smartmodem 474.99

LIBRARY CASE 1.99

KENSINGTON PC Saver 29.99

PRINTERS C-ITOH 379.99

Epson FX80 549.99

Epson RX80 349.99

Okidata 82-93 SCALL

PRINTER STAND Sm (plxgls) 24.99

PRINTER STAND Lg. (plxgls) 29.99

RIBBONS-Brother (Call

MX & FX 80 4.99

MX & FX 100 7.99

OKI 82, 83, 92, 93 4 Gemini 2.99

FINGERPRINT: Epson Upgrade

RX, FX, MX 44.99

-£. APPLE

~HARDWARE

I ALS CP/M 3,0 259.99

AUTO REPEAT KEY 19.99

BASIS 108 SCALL

DAN PAYMAR Lower Case 1 (rev t-6) 25.99

Lower Case 2 (rev 7) 19.99

DARK STAR Snapshot II 65.99

EASTSIDE Wildcard 79.99

Wildcard II 111.99

FOURTH DIMENSION Drive 219.99

HAYES Micromodem lie 235.99

KOALA PAD 15.99

KRAFT Joystick 44.99

Paddles 31.99

LEGEND 128K Ram 359.99

MlCRO-SCl A-2 Drive 209.99

MOUNTAIN flamplus + 32K 159.99

ORANGE MICRO Grappler + 114.99

Bulferboatd 119.99

Buttered Grappler + 179.99

PADDLE ADAPPLE 24.99

TITAN TECH 128K Ram 379.99

Accelerator II 444.99

Neptune 64K 199.99

TG Joystick 34.99

Paddles 25.99

| ALGEBRA l-III.Ap

31.99

1 ALGEBRA 1, IBM

34.99

J FLIGHTSIMII, Ap

37.99

1 FLIGHT SIM. IBM

34.99

1 FRACTION FEVER, Ap/IBM

21.99

1 MASTERTYPE,Ap

1 MASTERTYPE, IBM

29.99

34.99

IPC

SS Height DS/DD Drive ALPHA Typefaces ASHTON TATE dBase II

Friday

Encyclopedia AST Mega Plus

Six Pack Plus BRODERBUND Serpentine

Lode Runner CAI Masters

Subjects CENTRAL POINT Copy II CROSSTALK HAYDEN Piewriter HAYES 1200B Modem KRAFT Joystick LIFETREE Volkswriter LOTUS 1-2-3

MICROLAB Miner 20-49er MICROSOFT Mouse

Multiplan MONOGRAM Dollars S Sense NORTON Utilities PC CRAYON

Tutor PFS Write

File

Report

Graph POOL 1.5

SIERRA ON-LINE Frogger SIR-TECH Wizardry SUBLOGIC Night Mis. Pinball TG Joystick TITAN 64K BOARD VISICORP Visicalc

Schedule,

129.99 439.99 44.99 119.99 SCALL 27.99 129.99 165.99 129.99 55.99 49.99 47.99 99.99 99.99 89.99 99.99 27.99 26.99 44.99 32.99 44.99 499.99 164.99 M199.99

PLANTRONICS ColorPlus 375.99

ON-LINE INC

FROGGER (Ap) GENERAL MANAGER HOME WORD SCREENWRITER II ULTIMA II

BC QUEST FOB TIRES OILS WELL

21.99 46.99 49.99

81.99 36.99

new:

NEW!

239.99 79.99 399.99 184.99 59.99 299.99 279.99 26.99 24.99 ea31.99 ea16.99

25.99 139.99

I Resale BroC 1

ALPHA PLOT 24.99'

APPLE MECH , FLEX TEXT ea19.99

BEAGLE BASIC. DOUBLE TAKE ea24.99

DOS BOSS 15.99

FRAME-UP 16.99

GPLE 32.99

PRONTO DOS 19.99

TIP DISK #1 14.99

TYPEFACES 14.99

UTILITY CITY 19.99

QUADRAMi

APIC (APPLE /// PARALLEL) 129.99

eRAM 80 column 64K HE SCALL

MICROFAZER 8K Parallel 139.99

MICROFAZER 8K Serial 159.99

QUADBOARD I or II (64K) 269.99

QUADCOLORI 219.99 QUADCOLOR II (Board For Above) 209.99

QUAD512 + I64K) 219.99

QUADLINK 479.99

ENHANCER II

FUNCTION STRIP

HARDSWITCH

MICROMODEM CHIP

PSI0

PRE-BOOTS Apple Writer

Apple Writer for Ultraterm

Visicalc

Visicalc/Memory Expansion

Visicalc tor Ultraterm SOFTSWITCH ULTRAPLAN ULTRATERM VIDEOTERM w/SS + INV

99.99 34.99 16.99 24.99 169.99 14.99 23.99 I 39.99 | 71.99 54.99 25.99 | (CALL 249.99 219.99

CDP Is Your

authorized ■■■ MicroPro, dealer!

This month We'll Match

Any Published Price

Same Terms - At Time Of Order

This Issue Only SCALL

MONITORS

PRINCE!

TAXAN 420 RGB

USI Pi 1 9- Green 20 mh

USIPJ2 12-Green 20 mh

USI Pi 3 12'Amber 20 mh

USI Pi 4 9" Amber 20 mh

USI 1400C Color Composite

499.99 99.99 119.99 129.99 109.99 279.99

Novation

103 Smart Cat

103/212 Auto Cat

J Cat

Access 123 (IBM)

Applecat II

Applecat Upgrade 1200 Baud

Cat Modem

Expansion Module

169.99 399.99 99.99 469.99

249.99 309.00 135.99 29.99

^«^„

.

-SINCE 1977

RETAIL SHOWROOMS

IN CALIFORNIA:

San Jose* (408) 241-2300

San Mateo*(415) 571-1658

San Francisco • (415) 626-2244

COMPUTER DISCOUNT PRODUCTS

860 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, California 95128

MAIL, PHONE, WILL-CALL SERVICE FROM FROM 6AM (pst)

- CALL (408) 985-0400

No Charge For Credit Cards Prices Subject To Change Software Sales Are Final International Orders Welcome Min. UPS Chg. $4 + Ins. Min. US Postal Chg. $10 POs Welcome - Call First

Circle 70 on inquiry card.

ggiS&to

pjBD \jinbui uo zi\ 8P"D

mi Aim • 31 a a <>z*

"WE TURN AROUND FOR YOU"

24-HOUR WATTS 800-528*8960 lncludin9 Alaska and Hawaii

CUSTOMER SERVICE (602) 482-0400 • 2017 E. CACTUS • PHOENIX, AZ 85022

All prices are for cash, cashiers check or money order. Allow 3 weeks bank clearance for personal checks. C.O.D.'s, Visa/MC, and P.O.'s accepted at additional charge. Prices subject to change.

Returns must have authorization number (call 602-861-1141). and are subject to a restocking charge.

TERMINALS

Adds

A-1 Green

A-2 Green

Viewpoint 60

Hazeltine

Espirit I

Espirit II

Qume

QVT 102 Green .

QVT 102 Amber

QVT 103 Green .

QVT 103 Amber Televideo

910 +

925

950

970

Wyse

Wyse 100

Wyse 300

Expirit III

Visual

Visual 50 Green .

Visual 55 Green . Zenith

Z-29

$485 .490 .619

485 540

535 550 840 850

549 699 899 975

.680 1020 .735

599 720

629

COMPUTERS

Altos

580-20

586-20

586-40

986-40

Columbia

Eagle

Franklin

Quasar

NEC Portable

Northstar

Advantage

Advantage w/5MB

Advantage w/15MB ... Televideo Systems

802H

803

1605 IBM Compatible

806/20

800 A (user station) ...

Teleport

Zenith

3629 5549 . Call . Call . Call . Call . Call . Call . Call

2160 3345 4315

4210

1815

Call

4775

.999

Call

Call

MONITORS

Amdek

Video 300 GREEN

Video 300 AMBER

Color 1 Plus

Color II Plus

Comrex

9" Green

9" Amber

NEC

JB 1201

JB 1260

Taxan

12" Amber

Zenith

12" Green Screen ..

12" Amber Screen .

129 145 225 425

.69 . 69

155 115

125

.95 120

FOR IBM PC

IBM PC Call Save $

AST Research

Six Pak Plus—from $279

Combo Plus II—from 279

Mega Plus—from 309

I/O Plus—from 139

Quadram

Quadlink 489

Quadboard 289

Quad 512 Plus 249

Quadcolor 229

Lotus

1 -2-3 .

SOFTWARE

$319

Micropro

WordStar/MailMergo 349

InfoStar 299

SpellStar 159

CalcStar 99

Microstuf Crosstalk 105

Microsoft Multiplan 159

Ashton Tate

dBASE II 389

Friday! 185

Ram Memory 4164-150 59/9 per set

-S9§*r

$63oo

Transient Protection With A Solid Reputation7"

General ,^

Semiconductor .-> ^if^Sf Industries, Inc. «***' *i>

MODEMS

Anchor

Mark I (RS-232)

Mark II (Atari)

Mark III (TI-99)

Mark IV (CBM/PET)

Mark V (Osborne)

Mark VI (IBM-PC)

Mark VII (Auto Ans./Auto Dial) .

Mark XII (1200 Baud)

TRS-80 Color Computer

9 Volt Power Supply

Hayes

Smartmodem 300

Smartmodem 1200

Smartmodem 1200B

Micromodem II

Micromodem II Plus

Micromodem ME

Micromodem 100

Smart Com II

Chronograph

Novation

J-Cat

SmartCat 103

SmartCat 103/212

AutoCat

212 AutoCat

Apple Cat II

212 Apple Cat

Apple Cat 212 Upgrade

Cat

D-Cat

PC-Cat

U.S. Robotics

212A Auto Dial !

Password

S 79

79

109 125

95

... 169

... 119

299

99

9

219 .479

459

265 . 299

269 . 299

. 199

99

. 179

399

219

549

249

. 569

309

139

. 149

.339

ACCESSORIES

3M

51/4" SS/DD 19/Box

51/4" DS/DD (96TPI) 45/Box

Memorex

51/4" SS/DD 19/Box

51/4" DS/DD 24/Box

Elephant

5V SS/SD 16/Box

5V4" SS/DD 22/Box

51/4" DS/DD 28/Box

Head

5V4" Disk Head Cleaner (2 Disk) 14

51/4" Disk Head Cleaner (1 Disk) 9

Koala Pad

Commodore 64 69

Apple 79

IBM 89

Kraft

Joystick 41

Apple Paddles 34

IBM Paddles 34

IBM Joystick 46

Print Wheels & Ribbons All Types Call

DISK DRIVES

CDC

51/4" 9409-DS/DD 379

Tandon

5V4"TM 100-1-SS/DD 160K 150

51/4" TM 100-2A DS/DD 320K 225

TM101-4(96 TPI Quad Den) 339

8" TM848-2(DS/DD) 1.2 MG 400

Indus

GT—Apple 239

GT—Atari 349

Micro-Sci

A-2 (35TR) 189

A-20 (35TR) 169

A-40 (40TR) 269

Rana

Elite I 249

Elite II 399

Elite III 509

1000 319

"STRONG ENOUGH TO STAND ON"

LOCKING FILE CASE

Can Stack,

Hang on Wall, and

Has Carrying Handle.

SPECIAL

$1390

PRINTERS

Comrex

Com Writer II Letter Quality $459

C. Itoh

Pro-writer I

(8510A) Par 319

Pro-writer

(8510A) Serial 419

1550 Parallel 499

1550 BCD SERIAL 549

F-10 40CPS (Letter Qual.) .. 899 F-10 55CPS (Letter dual.) . 1179 A-10 20CPS (Letter Qual.) .449

Daisywriter

Daisywriter 2000 999

Daisywriter Cable 40

Datasouth

DS120 595

DS180 1155

DS220 1590

Diablo

620 (25CPS/Serial) 875

630 (40CPS/Multi-F) ... 1710

IDS Save $

Juki 6100-18 439

Mannesman-Tally

160L 589

180L 829

NEC

3550 (For IBM PC) 1499

3510 1219

7710 1649

Qume

1140 W/IBM Interface 1155 W/IBM Interface

Riteman

1359 1489

Portable

279

Star Micronics

Gemini 10X

.... Call

Gemini 15X

.... Call

Silver Reed

EXP550P

575

Transtar

120 P

499

315 Color Printer ....

499

Sheet Feeders & Tractors Call

SPECIAL PRICES

Okidata Save $

Epson Save $

Toshiba (1351) Save $

"FLOPPY IDISK SERVICES

FLOPPY DISK SERVICES, INC. 39 Everett Dr., Bldg D Lawrenceville, NJ 08648

LEADERS IN INNOVATIVE DISK DRIVE ENCLOSURES!

The FD-PC8™ is a new 8" double-sided disk drive sub-system

ISM PC styling.

The FD-PC8 looks like your other IBM PC components. Same styling. Same color. Same dimensions. It stacks neatly under, on top ot, or next to your IBM PC, and belter still, is only one-half the height of standard 8" drives. Matches Z100 & others also.

2 Drive System—$1495 complete with cables.

SPECIFICATIONS

♦ Full one year warranty or. materials and workmanship.

m

• Exactly Vi the height of standard 6" drives.

• IBM PC styled and painted cabinet.

• IBM 3740 format compatible.

• Sturdy construction easily supports PC or monitor.

• Power supply designed for long life, trouble-free

• Requires Maynard controller for use on PC

NFW/FD-PC5™

This versatile new disk drive enclosure comes completely tested and assembled with a 4" cooling fan, and is designed to offer a variety of mounting options, with the power supply rated for any of the following:

• full-size floppy disk drive

• full-size hard disk

• one or two half-height floppy disk drives

• one or two half-height hard disks

• one or two 3.5" drives

Full 1 year warranty—cable choice optional

DISK DRIVES and other Goodies!

Shugart(1 year war.)

sa-860ds/ddhalfhgt8" $505.00 2 @ 495 ea

sa-455ds48tpi'/2hgt5.25" 245.00 2 @ 230 ea

sa-465ds96tpi V2hgt5.25" 295.00 2 @ 275 ea

sa-300 ss96tpi 3.5 inch 265.00 2 @ 250 ea

sa-851 ds 8" full size 495.00 2 @ 480 ea

W.S.T. (formerly SIEMENS)

FDD-100-5B4 flippy 5.25" 235.00

FDD-211-5 DS48tpi for PC 265.00

FDD-221-5 DS96tpi full size 335.00

FDD-100-5C3 (sa-400 compatible) 175.00

Heath H-89TWOETkit...

put 2 half height floppies internal to the H-89 with our exclusive mounting kit, call for details! Maynard Electronics for the IBM-PC

Memory module (bare) 210.00

64K 305.00

128K 410.00

192K 510.00

256K 615.00

With serial port add 100.00

With 2 serial ports 160.00

Controller w/mod ports 265.00

FDC8 8" controller 245.00

Standard controller $195.00

Controller w/par port 275.00

Controller w/ser port 285.00

Hard disk module 495.00

Modular board 110.00

Multidisplay (mono 8i color board) 575.00

PGS.HX-12 RGB color monitor 525.00

Magnolia controller for the H-89 375.00

Data connectors of all types CALL

Power connectors for all drives CALL

We offer a wide assortment of enclosure sizes, styles and systems, Including both 5V«" and 8;' IBM look-alikes, and more. All are well constructed, attractive and Immediately available at competitive prices. Call for details and prices.

IMPORTANT NEWS!

We are moving, please take note of our address. Our new and expanded facilities will permit us to offer a higher level of service than ever before. Our growth is the result of your patronage; we thank you for it sincerely.

TERMS: MC, VISA, PREPAID. NO COD'S. PERSONAL CHECKS HELD FOR 10 DAYS. WE ALSO ACCEPT P.O.'S FROM MAJOR BUSINESSES & UNIVERSITIES, CALL FIRST.

Toll Free Order Line 800-223-0306 Ask for our free catalog.

Circle 134 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 427

DISCOUNT COMPUTER SUPPLIES ORDER TOLL FREE 1-800-821-5339

Mail to: C.R.E. P.O. Box 361 North Salt Lake, Utah 84054 (801)298-0872 Shipping & Handling in Continental U.S. 3.00for under 50.00order, Free for over 50.00 order

Call or write for our Excellent Quality Discounts!

HALF PRICE SALE

Locking Diskette File

List $49.00 Your Cost^3&^Q^

•Key Lock NOW ONLY

•Space Age Design ,

• Dividers & Tabs $24.5°

•Quality Guaranteed!

•Holds up to 100 51/4" Diskettes

5W Soft Sectored Diskettes High Quality, Lowest Price, 7 Year Warranty!

OUR BEST VALUE

SS/SD . SS/DD DS/DD DS/QD 96 TPI

NOW ONLY 17."/10 NOW ONLY 17."/10 NOW ONLY 23.95/10 NOW ONLY 39.95/10

Call For: Verbatim, Maxell, and Elephant Diskettes

AC POWER CENTER

ONLY $29.95

■ 6 outlets, 4 are switch controlled

■ line surge suppression device

■ power on indicator switch

■ fuse for overload protection

■ max 10A for 120 AC

PROTECT YOUR SYSTEM

RIBBONS

Ribbon Type (Prices per ribbon) 6 12

Anadex 9500/9600 7.50 ea. 6." ea.

Apple DMP 5.s0 ea, 4.46 ea.

Centronics 150/152 4.»5 ea. 3.95 ea.

C. Itoh Pro-writers 5.50 ea. 4.'6 ea.

Dec La 30/36/40 3.75 ea. 3.'5 ea.

Dec La 120/180 (plastic spools) 5.50 ea. 4.46 ea.

Diablo Hytype II Multi-Strike 4.73 ea. 3.63 ea.

Diablo Hytype 11 Nylon 4.73 ea. 3 M ea,

Epson/IBM FX/RX/MX-80 5." ea. 4.'° ea.

Epson/IBM FX/RX/MX-100 6.™ ea. 5.*» ea.

Gemini 10/10X/15/15X 2.5° ea. 2.™ ea.

IDS Microprism 480 5." eas 4.46 ea.

IDS Paper Tiger 120/125/225/440 2.50 ea. 2.00 ea.

IDS Paper Tiger 460/560 5.92 ea. 4.SB ea.

IDS Prisam (Black) 6.'5 ea. 5.63 ea.

IDS Prism (4 Colors) 7.M ea. 6,S0 ea.

NEC PC 8023A 5.5° ea. 4« ea.

NEC 3500 Multi-Strike (single sided) .. 5.s0 ea. 4.7S ea.

NEC 3500 Nylon 7.2S ea. 6.25 ea.

NEC Spinwriter 5500/7700 Multi-Strike 4.90 ea. 3.8° ea.

NEC Spinwriter 5500/7700 Nylon 4.9° ea. 3.80 ea.

Okidata 80/82/83/92/93 2.5° ea. 2.™ ea.

Okidata 84/85 4.90 ea. 3.80 ea.

Qume Sprint 3/5 Multi-Strike 3.'5 ea. 3.™ ea.

Qume IV, Sprint 7/9/10/11 Mult-Str.... 5." ea. 4.'5 ea.

Riteman 9.50 ea. 8.'5 ea.

Tl 810 3.75 ea. 3.15 ea.

Tl 820 4.95 ea. 4.15 ea.

Tritel 4.95 ea. 3.9S ea.

HEAD CLEANING KIT

Industry Recommended

ONLY $14.95

■ wet & dry methods

51 y ■ prevents costly M repair and lost data inch ■ extends diskette and head life ■ safe and easy to use ■ recommended usage: 15 cleanings

PRIORITY ONE ELECTRONICS

Now Stock

3SBSSS.

. 68000/Z80 CPl) Board1 ^^

• Ultra-Fast ww u ®

• Multi-User, Multr-Taswng

• grating system spe

INCI.ODES:

SI 48 SSSK Card «jg

omemco

BETTER THAN HAYES! BETTER THAN PASSWORD!

Prometheus Pro Modem 1200

1200baud Auto Answer/Originate Hayes Compatible Dial Up Modem

<P

IBM PC" Compatible

15 Mbyte Hard Disk

With Controller

Compatible With:

• IBM-PC'" and PC/XT"

• Zenith Z150 • Tava

• Compaq * Corona

PLUG'N'RUN, READY TO GO RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX!!

ADD-ON DRIVE FOR IDM PC™

5'A"48tpi FL0PPY.D0UBLE SIDED/DENSITY

TANDON EPSON

Full Height Half Height

IBBHTN0TMIOO2 Reg Pnce $340 00 86EPH521 Reg. Price $269.00 ShWt. 4lbs. StiWt. 3lbs.

$219 $169

EXTERNAL WITH CABINET AND DATA CABLE

INTERNAL

$1295

[JJP0BIMH0PCX15 (Stl Wt 16lbsl

$1050

15V* "Floppy Cabinet for 2 Half Height or 1 Full Height with Power Supply

BBJMR2SV5

(Sh.Wt. 7lbs.) Reg. Price:$89.00

$69

• Programmable Intellegent Dialing

• Redial if busy

• Wait for tone before redialingffor SprintMCI)

• Help Commands Menu for quick reference

• Built in speaker for monitoring line operation

• Complete internal diagnostics

• Hayes command set compatible PLUS an additional

exicn.d.e™'3mnmand Set ShWt. 2lbs.

BBPBMPM1ZD0

List Price: $495.00

OUR PRICE

PRINTER DUFFERS MICRODUFFERr-Stond olone Duffer

mmPRACTICAL mPERIPHERALS

Part Number

Bucriptlin

Utt Price Our Price

BIPDPMBISM BBPBPMBIPB4 BBPBPMEMB4

64K Serial 2lbs. 64K Parallel 2lbs. 64 K Expansion Module

$349.00 tMI.OO $349.00 tMI.OO $179.00 $145.00

MICRODUFFER 11+ For Apple ll/lle"

16K, Expandable to 64K, Extensive Graphics Features, Serial or Parallel Ports.

BBWntPUKIM w/Serial cable 11b. $259 00 IIBB.B0

BBPBPHB2PIUI1BP w/Parallel Cable 11b. $259.00 8189.00

Bt PBPBBAPBICABB Graphics Only Printer Card $ 99.00 S SS.00

B6 PBPPBINTEBFACE Centronics Parallel l/C Card $ 75.00 S BB.0B

DUFFERS for EPSON MX,FX.RX.ond IDM

BBMPMBM B6PBPMBP1B

Serial 8 k Buffer 11b. Parallel 16K Buffer 11b.

$159.00 S129.0I $159.00 5I29.0I

IY DRIVE AND CABINET TOGETHER AND SAVE $210!

BGIIIHDPCII5 <Sh Wt

PROTECT YOUR DATA!! DATAGARD

©

NOISE and SURG SUPRESSOR 6 Outlet 6'Cord A

BB*BRDB115S (Sh. WL 3lbs) List Price: $49.95

5Va" Double Density, Soft Sector, 40 Track

Use with IBM, Sanyo, Apple and Most Personal Computers

ULTRA.

MAGNETICS

2- 9 boxes 10 +boxes

B6ULT51401 SINGLE SIDE0 $19.00 BGULT51402 *OQ nn DOUBLE SIDED 9^9. UU

Minimum 2 box

$17.00 $26.00

purchase

DUAL SIEMENS FDD1006's with

JMR2C8 Cabinet,Power Supply

and Power Cobles

SIEMENS

$499

BGPDBJMRSIE (Drives shipped separate from cabinet Package shipped in 3 containers)

Cabinet Only

BBJMBZC) Dual 6" Cabinet RegPrice: $339.00 (ShWt 35lbs.)

Sale Price $325.00

PRIORITY

9l6i Doffing Avf3

FDD1008

8" Drive

Single Sided

Double Density

EACH

BtllEFOOIOOa (ShWt16lbs.) Reg Price:$185.00 BBIIEF0DI00BM Manual (10.00

Circle 253 on inquiry card.

$129

ELECTRONICS

Chotsworth, CA 91311-5887

ORDER TOLL FREE C800) 423-5922 - CA AK, HI CALL (816") 709-5111

PING & HANDLING of $3.00 for the first 3lbs, plus 40« for each additional pound (20« if within California). Orders over 70lbs sent freight collect Just in case, include you, phone number. Pnces sub,ec. to change w*hou. notice. We will do our best to maintain prices though July, 1984. Credit card orders will be ha Srop "a e freight We are not responsible for typographical errors. Sale prices for prepaid order only. w«~h»«w~«

ORDER TOLL FREE (600) 423-5922 - CA, AK, HI CALL (616) 709-5111

APPLE COMPATIBLE PERIPHERALS

• Z80CARD

tor II+ ™ & lie" (Microsoft comp.-) $60

• 80 COLUMN CARD

with Inverse & cable (Videx comp'") $90

• GRAPHICS PRINTER CARD

with cable (Grappler + comp.) $90

• FAN lighted power switch,

2 switched outlets, surge protected. $40

• NASHUA DISKS

soft sectored SSSD $18

10 to a box DSDD $25

• 128 RAM CARD

(Titan, Saturn comp.-) $180

• DISK CONTROLLER CARD

(Apple comp.™) $45

All cards are highest quality and fully socketed. • 6 MONTH WARRANTY • Call or write for complete price list and data sheets

LANTON COMPUTER SYSTEMS

37 Juneau Boulevard • Woodbury, NY 11797 (NYS) 800-632-4441 • (outside NYS) 800-645-4441

Allow up lo 3 weeks tor personal checks to clear Money orders, certified checks and COD. orders shipped immediately. Please include phone number. Prices and availably subject to change without notice. Shipping & handling charges $5,00 per order. NYS residents add sales tax.

Our UNIFORTH Systems are used on computers from the VIC-20* to the VAX® , and now are available specifically customized for your DEC* mini-and microcomputer. All ot these features are standard with UNIFORTH: enhanced FORTH-79 (strings, arrays, etc.); a full macro assembler; video editor (string functions, line stack); complete DOS interface (uses standard files for I/O): primitive disk utility (R/W any sec tor); IEEE-compatible floating point with all trig tunc tions; single-step tracing; decompiler; text file support; vectored I/O; and an excellent 200-page User's Manual.

Prices:

Roaiing

Pom! Version"

Rainbow too (MSDOS® or

CP/M86* ) $ 100 $ 160

Professional 325 or 350 (P/OS) 300 400

LSI/PDP-11 (P.T-11) 150 220

LSI/PDP-11 (RSX-11) 300 400

VAX-11 (VMS-11) 600 BOO * Specify 80B7, KEV-11 (FIS), FP-11 or software floating point.

North American postage is included; foreign orders add $10. Maryland customers add 5% tax.

Unified Software Systems

P.O. Box 2644. New Carrotlton. MD 20784. 301/552-9590

DEC, VAX.POP.RT-11.RSX-11 (TM) Digital Equipment Corp. CP/M (TM) Digital Research; MSDOS (TM) Microsoft. VIC-20 (TM) Commodore

SPECIAL DISKETTE OFFER

verbatim Datalife Disks have 6 datashielding improvements for greater disk durability and longer data life. PLUSI If you call, write, or utilize reader service in response to this ad—we'll send you our full-range catalog of computer supplies with Special Offers good for further savings on verbatim diskettes and many other quality products.

Call or write for our discount catalog.

LYBEN COMPUTER SYSTEMS

1250-e Rankin Or., Troy, Ml 48083

Phone: (313) 589-3440

DATALIFE • THE NAME IS THE PROMISE THE WARRANTY IS THE PROOF

Circle 180 on inquiry card.

Circle 315 on inquiry card.

Circle I9I on inquiry card.

SINGLE BOARD COMPUTER

ZINGER ONE

INS 8073 CPU WITH TINY BASIC INCL. 2K RAM EXPANDABLE TO 12K ON BOARD

RAM/ROM INTERCHANGEABLE

EXPANDABLE TO 56K RAM/ROM OFF BOARD

EEPROM PROGRAMMER ON BOARD

24 LINE 3 PORT PARALLEL I/O (8255)

REQUIRES + 5V @ 300 MA ONLY

ON BOARD SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY

EIA - RS 232 I/O PORT

IDEAL FOR CONTROL OR ROBOTICS

**** $119.95 ASMBLD & TESTED ****

ZINGER INTERFACE BOARD

MAY BE PURCHASED WITH ANY OR ALL COMB.

276 WORD SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

8 CHANNEL A/D CONVERTER

REAL TIME CLOCK WITH BATT. BACKUP

24 LINE 3 PORT PARALLEL I/O (8255)

64 KEY KEYBOARD INTERFACE

8 CHAR ALPHA/NUMERIC DISPLAY

INTERRUPT REGISTER ON ALL DEVICES

COMMODORE VIC 20

ADAPTER AVAILABLE

SCHULZ ENTERPRISES INC

1285 LAS TUNAS DR.

SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776

(818) 287-5067

Circle 275 on inquiry card.

wabash

Flexible Diskettes

6 Year Warranty- 100% Certified

FREE m DELIVERY

5W' $135

51/4" $155

SINGLE StOE ▼ ■ .

Single density ■ each

*«TPtWMUBRING OTYiO

51/4" $189

double side T ■ _„„■,

ru-mniF density ■ RaCn

DOUBLE DENSITY

BULK

SSSD

W'MUS RING

■ each

BULK

' ftanh

24 Hour Order Desk

■Jm 1-800-634-2248

Visa. MasterCard, Cert, chk., M/O, COD. cash

Get immediate shipment. Schools & govt on P.O. #.

Personal or company checks held 14 days

APO. FPO. Can. and other non-UPS delivered, add $5.

n orders ot 150 or more. Others addS2 k

Software Services"

1326 25th St. S.. Suite H. Fargo. ND 58103 1-701-280-0121

Circle 281 on inquiry card.

IC

PROMPT DELIVERY!!!

S SAME DAY SHIPPING (USUALLY)

DYNAMIC RAM 1

256K

150 ns

$48.99

64K

200 ns

5.44

64K

150 ns

5.37

64K

120 ns

6.80

16K

200 ns EPROM

1.21

27256

250 ns

Call

27128

250 ns

$26.40

2764

200 ns

10.65

2732

450 ns

5.40

2716

450 ns

3.60

STATIC RAM

5565P-15

150 ns

$39.97

6264LP-1E

150 ns

39.97

6116P-3

150 ns

6.36 J

MasterCard VISA or UPS CASH COD

Factory New, Prime Parts mPqo

MICROPROCESSORS UNLIMITED

24,000 South Peoria Ave /qiqv oCT-AtUH

BEGGS, OK 74421 V,,°J *0»-WOI

PrtOM shown atxtva ant for May 17, 1M4

Please call lor current a volume puces Pncas subject to change Please eapecl ntariei prices on some parts due to world wide shoruvjns Sapping and insurance antra Call' discount prices snoom Small OnMiS recenrad by 6 PW CST can usually be delivered K you by the next morning, via Federal Eipreaa Standard AH ■. M.M1

Circle 221 on inquiry card.

Better Business Basic

BB/M™The original Business Basic Programming Language from MAI/Basic Four* It's fast: Lets you stop, make corrections and then continue the run. It's convenient: Built-in data file system. It's flexible: Powerful string handling. It's compatible: Runs under MS-DOS.

Call 800-321-9916 or write MAIf601 San Pedro NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87108.

W

Basic Four

Business Products"

MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corp. MAI & Basic Four are registered trademarks of Management Assistance Inc.

Circle 195 on Inquiry card.

PC'S LIMITED

IBM PC, 64K.1 Drive S1875

IBM PC, 64K, 1 Drive and 10 meg

Internal Hard Drive »2770

COMPAQ 256K, 2/360KDrives 12395

COMPAQ 256K, 1 / J60K Drive,

10 meg Internal . .13065

TavaPC 128K, 1 Drive 11495

lava PC 128 K. 1 Drive, 10 meg Internal (2390

10 meg Internal PC Hard Disk 1895

64K RAM for PC and XT »49

Prices Subject Hi change without mrticc

SHIPPIM. FREE «1THIM SA

EXTRA FOR VEXT DAY AIR

ALL EQIIPMENT CARRIES FACTORY WARRANTY

IBM is a trademark (if IBM Corp.

Credit Cards add 3%

Quantitv Pricing Acailable

PC's LIMITED

(512)478-5838

404 East 32nd Street Suite #307

Austin, Texas 78705

Circle 245 on inquiry card.

5-100 COLOR GRAPHICS!

Krosaosaaflffa

• Field-proven board meets IEEE-696 standard: fully socketed with solder masks, sllkscreen and gold contact fingers.

• Prioritized display with backdrop and pattern planes plus 32 sprite planes; each pixel in a plane can be colored or transparent.

• Three graphics and one text display mode; maximum graphics resolution is 256H x 192V in 16 colors.

• Composite video output

• On-board 16K RAM is separate from system memory

• Vertical retrace interrupt for real time clock capability

• 0-4 wait states for use with fast MPUs.

• All board options are DIP switch selectable

• Professional quality documentation with BASIC demonstration programs and Tl's TMS9918A manual

• Exclusive Graphics Editor available on 8" SSSD

CP/M-compatiole diskette $ 199.95

(A&T)

flicroPiinqmici

Corporation

Suite 245 • 1355 Lynnfield Road • Memphis, TN 38119 (90D-682-4054

Price includes MICROSPRITE with documentation. Graphics Editor diskette—£9.95. UPS ground— $2.00, UPS air—$4 00. C00-S1 65, foreign add $15.00. VISA & MC welcome.

Circle 219 on inquiry card.

74LS00

74LS00

60

74LS166

2 50

74LS01

60

74LS168

1 35

74LS02

60

74LS169

1 35

74LS03

60

74LS170

2.50

74LS04

75

74LS173

1 50

74LS05

76

74LS174

1 50

74LS08

75

74LS17.5

1 50

74LS09

75

74LS181

2 50

74LS10

65

74LS190

1.45

74LS11

75

74LS191

1 45

74LS12

75

74LS192

1 35

74LS13

95

74LS193

1 35

74LS14

1 25

74LS194

1 45

74LS15

75

74LS195

1.35

74LS20

60

74LS196

1 35

74LS21

75

74LS197

1 35

74LS22

75

74LS221

1 35

74LS26

75

74LS240

1 85

74LS27

75

74LS242

1 85

74LS28

75

74LS243

1 66

74LS40

75

74LS244

2.25

74LS42

95

74LS245

3 95

74LS48

95

74LS247

1.65

74LS51

60

74LS248

1.65

74LS54

60

74LS249

1.65

74LS55

60

74LS251

1 75

74LS73

95

74LS253

1 75

74LS74

1 42

74LS258

1 50

74LS75

95

74LS259

2 95

74LS76

95

74LS260

1 15

74LS78

95

74LS261

3 75

74LS83A

1.15

74LS266

1 35

74LS85

1 25

74LS273

1 75

74LS86

75

74LS275

4 95

74LS90

96

74LS279

95

74LS92

95

74LS283

1 25

74LS93

95

74LS290

1.26

74LS95

95

74LS293

1 25

74LS96

1 25

74LS295

1 65

74LS107

75

74LS298

1 65

74LS109

75

74LS323

4 95

74LS113

95

74LS324

2 15

74LS114

.95

74LS347

2 55

74LS122

1 05

74LS343

2.55

74LS123

1 35

74LS352

1 65

74LS124

1 35

74LS353

1 95

74LS125

95

74LS363

1 95

74LS126

95

74LS365

1.25

74LS132

1 35

74LS366

1 25

74LS133

95

74LS367

95

74LS136

95

74LS368

95

74LS138

110

74LS373

2 50

74LS139

1 10

74LS374

4.95

74LS145

1 75

74LS375

1 25

74LS148

1 75

74LS377

1 95

74LS151

1 25

74LS378

2 55

74LS153

1 25

74LS385

1.95

74LS154

1 70

74LS379

255

74LS155

1 25

74LS386

1.25

74LS156

1 35

74LS381

3.95

74LS157

1 25

74LS390

2.55

74LS158

1 25

74LS393

2.55

74LS160

1 25

74LS395

255

74LS161

1 25

74LS424

395

74LS162

1.25

74LS640

3.95

74LS163

1 25

74LS668

2 75

74LS164

1 65

74LS645

495

74LS16S

1 25

74LS670

250

74LS690

250

74S00

74S00

74S02

74S03

74S04

74S05

74S08

74S09

74S10

74S11

74S15

74S20

74S22

74S30

74S32

74S38

74S40

74S51

74S64

74S65

74S74

74S86

74S112

74S113

74S114

74S124

74S133

74S134

74S135

74S136

74S138

74S139

74S140

74S151

74S153

74S157

74S158

74S160

74S161

74S163

74S174

74S175

74S188

74S194

74S195

74S196

74S225

74S240

74S241

74S242

74S243

74S251

74S253

74S257

74S258

74S260

74S280

74S283

74S287

74S288

74S289

74S373

74S374

74S387

74S471

74S472

74S473

74S474

74S475

7400 SERIES CALL FOR PRICE

RESISTORS

V. WATT 5% CARBON FILM FROM 1 OHM TO 10M OHM

50 pes 99

100 pes 189

1000 pes 9.50

5000 pes 42 50

5% CARBON FILM

1 25

2 35 11.50 52 50

RIBBON CABLE

COLOR COOED

GENERAL PURPOSE BOARDS

BLANK BOARD — HOLES ON 100" GRID, No ETCHED CIRCUIT EXCEPT CONTACT FINGER

Price

No Contacts

Contact Centers

P 441-1 P 442-1 P 721-1 P 722-1

22 44 22 44 36/72 36.72

9 95 10 95 9 95

10 95

D— SUBMINIATURE CONNECTORS

Description

Solder Cup j Right Angle PC Mounting |~

RDXXS DXXCGY DXXC

Grey

MODEMS

MARK I MARK VI

RS 232C 300 BAUO. DIR CONN IBM COMPATIBLE 300 BAUD. DIR CONN . AUTO ANS/DIAL RS 232C 300 BAUD. DIR CONN AUTO ANS DIAL RS 232C 300 1200 BAUD DIR CONN AUTO ANS/DIAL 115VAC to9V DC

IBM PC SMARTMODEM 1200B, Plug-in SMARTCOM II COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE SMARTMODEM 300. AUTO ANS DIAL 300 BAUD RS232 SMARTMODEM 1200. AUTO ANS DIAL 1200 BAUD RS232 SMARTMODEL lie 300 BAUD. AUTO ANS'DIAL Plug-in SMARTCOM I COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE

89 00 199 00

BARE BOARDS

P 25 x 45 2 5■'*4 5■■ 2 50

P 45 x 65 4.5" x 6 5" 4 95

P 45 x 85 4 5' x 8 5" 6 50

P 45 x 170 4 5" x 17 0" 11 95

P 85 x 170 85" X 170" 1995

S - 100 BOARD (5 3" x 10 I HOLES ON 100 GRID

P 100-1 P 100-2 P 100-3

Blank Board Horizontal Busses vertical Busses

15 95 22 95 22 95

EDGE CARD CONNECTORS

PIN PIN PIN PIN

4 95 295 5.95 6.95

WIRE WRAP WIRE

WIRE KIT »l $995

200 3" 250/3 5". 100.4". 4 5". 5". WIRE KIT »2 $24 95

250/2 5". 45". 5'. 500/3". 3 5". 4"

1005 5" 6". 6 5". 7"

SPOOLS AVAILABLE IN RED, BLUE YELLOW AND BLACK

IC SOCKETS

WW ■ WIRE WRAP 1 99

Tel: 1-(800)-821-3628

D- SUBMINIATURE CONNECTOR JUMPERS

25DP36 36" Single Male 1

25DS36 36 Single Female 1

25DP36DP 36 Male to Male 1

25DP60DP 60" Male to Male 1

25DS36DS 36" Female to Female 1

25DS60DS 60 Female to Female 1

25DP36DS 36 Male to Female 1

25DP60DS 60 Male lo Female 1

FLOPPY DISK DRIVES

Snugart SA455L 5V 320 KB

Panasonics 320KB

Toshiba 320KB

Tandon TM100-2A 320KB

FOR APPLE II AND He

7: High /i High « High Full High

209 00 179 00 209 00 209 00

Handwell Handwell

HD-40 HSD-80

green amber

color monitor color monitor

Full High 175 00 /.High 185 00

130 00

135 00

i/ision 420 55000

i/ision ill 500 00

02 ea 019 ea

010 ea 009 ea

025 ea 024 ea 012 ea

011 ea

JOYSTICK

FOR

APPLE II

$32

00

FOR APPLE II & lie FOR IBM P/C

16K RAM CARD

Compatible with DOS 33CPM Visicalc PASCAL

1YR WARRANTY

$39.'

Apple ll/lle Compatible Disk Drive

S175.00

CONTROLLER CARD $49.»

MULTIFUNCTION BOARD WITH

128K 2 Serial Port

1 Parallel Port

Real Time Clock

$399.M

Speedy EPROM

Programmer

for Apple II

$149.°°

Programming 2716, 2732.

2732A, 2764. 27128,

2516, 2532. 2564

in 30 seconds, software

control programming.

no additional

hardware required.

U/V EPROM ERASER

General Industries

$37.50

SUPER COOLING

FANS For APPLE

WITH SURG

$39.!

Color Graphic Display Card

$270.00

64K MEMORY

EXPANSION KIT

for IBM/PC

$52."

Joy Stick for IBM P/C

$35.°

8087

MATHEMATICS

CO-PROCESSOR

$199.°°

Circle 144 on inquiry card.

TERMS For shipping include S2 00 lor UPS Ground or S3 00 lor UPS Blue Label Air Items over 4 lbs require additional shipping charges $10.00 minimum order.

IBM is a trade mark of International Business Machines Corporation Apple is a trade mark ol Apple Computer

Price is subject to change without notice

1-(800) 821-3628

Handwell rp

I 4962 EL CAMINO REAL • LOS ALTOS CA 94022 • (415) 962-9265

TXL 171947 HANDWELL LTOS I

IULY 1984 -BYTE 431

d BASE II

$265.00

d BASE III

(ibm PC) $365.00

Friday! — $179.00

FRAMEWORK - Call

VISA/MC WELCOME

Cabrillo Software

a division of Cabrillo Computer Service

484 Mobil Ave., Suite 42

Camarillo, CA 93010

(805) 484-5353

(800) 421-7354ncaif

(800) 321-5753 usa

Circle 57 on inquiry card.

-> All POURS DATA PRODUCTS' «16-Blt. S-100 Bus: Systems & Boards

... FIREBALL DISCOUNTS « « *

25% off List Price (UPS extra) for

Cashier's Check or Money Order

+ + +

You save MONEY = We save TIME

+ + +

See -> LOMftS *- ad In byte

or request complete specifications

\ UGHTNING SPEED /

8028B-CPU & 80287-NDP: $1458. 76

! I THUNDERING PERFORMANCE I I

80188 & I/O A 256K-DRAM & 5.25V8disk controller & CCP/M-86: $1196.26

Configured tor SanTec-S700 printer:

TeleVldeo-GA970C VDT: $1121.76

Spallblnder-6.30 W/P: »37f.26

HIERATIC COMPUTER SYSTEMS

BOX 133; MEDFORD. MA 02155

(817) 391-8859

Circle 152 on inquiry card.

PRINTER CABLES $30.00

SHIPPING INCLUDED

INTERFACE CABLES

INTERFACE CABLES

Parallel Printer

RS232 Serial

Interface Cable

Interface Cable

Apple

TELEVIDE0

Centronics

Columbia

DB 25

Epson

Male/Female

Eagle

IBM PC

Cable Length

Kaypro

up to 10 feet

NEC

WANG

Zenith

SPECIAL PRICING AVAILABLE TO DEALERS CUSTOM CABLES AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

FABRICATION

CONCEPTS,

INC.

8230 Miralani Drive • San Diego, CA 92126 (619) 271-4522

COBOL CROSS REFERENCE $95

Required:

IBM-PC, DOS-2.0, 128K memory, & one disk drive.

Limits:

1,400 data names & 11,000 references.

Prints cross reference and/or source code. Accepts most versions of COBOL as input. This is a stand alone program which will flag duplicate data names and invalid references. Your name will appear in the report heading. Please print your name and address distinctly.

Street Address

City. State, Zip

Send a check or money order ($95.00) to:

META SYSTEMS INC. ALASKA 200 W. 24th Ave., Suite 115 Anchorage, AK 99503

Circle 206 on inquiry card.

/ WILL BEAT ASY PRICE l\ i'.S.A.

XEBEC (Datamac)-Sunol Systems Winchester Disk Drives

Outstanding Quality Products, Latest Technology

Satisfaction Guaranteed 7 Days Trial,

The Best Hard Drive Subsystem in the World

Complete and Ready to Run, Full Year Warranty

10 MB 5y4" * 1,195.00

16 MB 5V." * 1,895.00

25 MB 5V»" •* t\/yt ■■■* 2.150.00

30 MB 5V," .... I VrVf) ■■ * 2.195.00

40 MB 5V4" ■*■" .<V. . . * 3.495.00

65 MB 514" . . y-y vi-a-v ■ * 3,995.00

92 MB 5V«" .. 1 I IT IT- • * 4,895.00

184 MB 5V»" . . \JM. A ... * 8,995.00

368 MB 5V»" $17,895 00

MX-4 Multiple User Kits $ 400.00

PTR Server Automatic Despools. * 1,295.00

Compatible with the following systems:

Access Matrix (Actrixl/IBM & IBM

Compatibles/Apple II, II+ , Me, III, III+ ,/Altos/

Atari 800/DEC EPSON QX-10/NEC P.C.-8O00/

North Star/Osborne/S-100/Texas Instrument

TRS-80 Model I, II, Ill/Zenith Z89, 90, 100/

Kaypro/Xerox 820/Televideo 802 & 802H/

Sanyo 550 & 555/Commodore 64

(Next day delivery available)

MANDINGO COMPUTERS & CAMERAS

900 CASCADE DRIVE

FORT WASHINGTON, MARYLAND 20744

(301) 292-5632 13011 292 6732

Circle 196 on inquiry card.

6800/6809

Micro Modules

OEM 6800/6809 MICROCOMPUTER MODULES for dedicated control and monitoring. Interfaces for sensors, transducers, analog signals, solenoids, relays, lamps, pumps, motors, keyboards, displays, IEEE-488. serial I/O, floppy disks.

WINTEI

1 Wintek Corp.

if I 1801 South Street !» I Lafayette, IN 47904 _J 317-742-8428

wabash

When it comes to

Flexible Disks, nobody

does it better than

Wabash.

MasterCard, Visa Accepted. Call Free: (800)235-4137

PACIFIC EXCHANGES

100 Foothill Blud San Luis Obispo. CA 93401 (In Cal call (805)543-1037)

Circle 243 on inquiry card.

IBM PC Compatible

CDC

&

E-PROMS — CALL! Lowest Prices Anywhere

•4164-150P $530

•4164-200/250 515/469

6116-P3 599

IBM Ex/Color Boards.... CALL IBM PC, XTs ... Below Market/ CALL Disk Drives: (fob. Tampa)

•TM-100-2 21924

•Half-Heights - 2 21924

•lOmbWin 1,38547

(MS/DOS 2.0/IBM plug in & go) Add $2.95 shipping to all orders • Prices subject to change • P.O.'s on approval • COD. OK • All new, no surplus, no seconds 4920 Cypress St., Tampa, FL 33607 In FL and for info, call 813-875-0299 FOR ORDERS ONLY, 800-237-8910

W. 8 AM-8 PM EDT

Circle 244 on inquiry card.

DATA ACQUISITION

and control for ANY computer

The Model 8232 communicates via RS-232, and has 8 analog inputs (0-5 VDC; 8 bits), 8 digital inputs and outputs, and a 2000 point buffer. Suitable for field data logging or lab use, the 8232 costs only $540. Direct bus-connect unit for TRS80/lli & 4 is $295. Detailed manual, $6. Phone our applications engineer or write:

+ + STARBUCK -X. +

W M DATA COMPANY W «

PO Box 24, Newton, MA 02162 (617)237-7695

Circle 133 on inquiry card.

Circle 328 on Inquiry card.

Circle 288 on inquiry card.

■VII

THE PC SYSTEM SPECIALIST

PRICES AND AVAILABILITY SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

SPECIAL OF THE MONTH

"LAVA PC

A Superior quality IBM PC Compatible Personal Computer. Runs DOS

1.1, 2.0, 2.1, CP/M86®, UCSD p-System®, Runs Lotus 1-2-3®, Multi-plan®, WordStar®, PFS®, dBASEU®. and many more! Hardware includes 128KCPU, Floppy Controller, Two DS/DD Disk Drives, Video Monitor, Video Adapter, Parallel & Serial Ports.

CALL FOR LOW PRICE

Suggested Llrt S2395.00

FREE Lotus 123

or Gemini 10X

with TAVA purchase

PERSONAL COMPUTER

Special of the Month!

IBM PC'COMPLETE LINE

COMPLETE SYSTEM VERY SPECIAL PRICE

64K, Two Disk Drives, Floppy Disk Controller. Video Card and High Res Monitor * 9&QQ

256K RAM. 360KB Disk Drive. FDC. Video Monitor & Adaptor 1OMB Hard Disk Sub-System * 3QQ0

PRINTERS

OKIDATA82 120cps CALL

OKIDATA 92 160 cps CALL

OKIDATA 93 160 cps CALL

OKIDATA84 200cps CALL

EPSONFX80 160cps $499

EPSON FX100-160 cps CALL

NEC 3550 $1899

DYNAXDX-15 13 cps $450

BROTHER HR-1 16 cps $599

BROTHER HR-25 23 cps $749

GEMINI 10X 120 cps CALL

GEMINI 15X 120cps CALL

DISK DRIVES

SLIMLINE QUMETRAC 142 $199

TOSHIBA $205

PANASONIC $199

FULL SIZE TANDOM TM100-2 $199

PERIPHERAL CARDS

AST SIXPACKPLUS 64K $299

MEGA PLUS64K $299

I/OPLUS-ls, lp.c $190

PERIPHERAL CARDS

GAME/SERIAL/PAR $39

64K MEMORY $50

MONOGRAPHIC CALL

HERCULES GRAPHICS CARD $369

PLANTRONICS COLOR PLUS $439

QUADRAM COLOR I/II CALL

PARADISE MULTI-DISPLAY $489

MONITORS

AMDEK 300G $149

300 A $159

310 A $169

PRINCETON HX-12 $490

SR-12 CALL

MAX-12A CALL

ROLAND MB-122 G $139

MB-122A $149

MODEMS

HAYES 1200B CALL

1200 CALL

300 CALL

631 E. rir»t St., Tmtin, CA 92680

(714)838-9100

*IBM PC is a registered trtdenurk of IBM Corp

*dBASE II is a registered trademark of ASHTONTATE. Inc

LOTUS 1-2-3 is a registered trademark of Lotus Development

Wordstar Spellstar Mailrnerge are registered trademarks of Mtcropro International

Visicalc is a registered trademark of Visicorp

Multiplan :s a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp PFS is a registered trademark of Software Publishing Co CP/M86 is a registered trademark of Digital Research. Inc MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp UCSDp is a registered trademark of Softech Microsystems

Circle 220 on Inquiry card.

JULY 1984 -BYTE 433

FLEXIBLE DISCS

WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD!! Call Free (800)235-4137

for prices and information. Dealer inquiries invited and C.O.D's accepted.

PACIFIC EXCHANGES

100 Foothill Blvd. San Luis Obispo. CA 93401. In Cal. call (800)592-5935 or (805)543-1037

PRINTER RIBBONS

PRICE PER RIBBON

ANADEX 9500 10.50

APPLE DMP 5.25

C. IT0H PROWRITER 5.25

EPSON MX-FX 70/80 5.00

EPSON MX-FX 100 6.75

GEMINI 10-10X-15-15X 2.50

PER DOZEN 109.80 52.20 52.20 48.00 69.00 23.40 78.00 92.40 180.00 58.80 78.00 92.40 180.00 69.00 96.00 52.20 23.40 57.00 87.00 58.80 57.00 105.00 87.00 66.00 Call

Catalog r

IBM HARMONICA W

6.75

IBM HARMONICA %"

7.95

IBM 4-COLOR

.... 15.75

IDS MICROPRISM-480

5.75

IDS PAPER TIGER 460/560

IDS PRISM

IDS 4-COLOR

6.75

7.95

15.75

NEC -3500 M/S Non Flip

NEC-3500 NYLON

NEC PC-8023A

6.25

9.00

5.25

OKI DATA 80/82/83/92

0KIDATA-84

2.50 5.00

RADIO SHACK DMP-2100 RADIO SHACK LP VI & VIII SILVER REED EX 550 S/S SILVER REED EX 550 NYLON TOSHIBA-1350

7.50 ... 5.75 5.00 9.00 7.50

XEROX 610/620 M/S 5.95

Add $3.00 Ship. & Hind. — To Order Toll Free 1-800-742-1122 In Ml (313) 569-3218 or Write for our

DWIGHT COMPANY, INC

15565 Northland Drive - West Towe Southfield, Michigan 48075-6496

WE OFFICIAL

NUMBER TO CALL

TO FIND OUT

MORE ABOUT

THE UNOFFICIAL

APPLE LOGO:

617-492-8816

Terrapin'

The Logo People

Terrapin, Inc., 380 Green Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, (617) 492-8816

Circle 243 on inquiry card.

Circle 116 on inquiry card.

Circle 305 on inquiry card.

DISK DRIVES

(For PC, Mod I, III & IV)

Qume 142A $209

Teac FD55B $179

Tandon TM100-2 $209

TandonTMIOI 4 $295

CDC 9409 $219

Case and PS $ 45

PC EXPANSIONS

Maynard Disk Conlroller $162

Sandstar Series Scall

Internal 10MB HDsyslems WS4 S959

WS1 S990

Ouadboard,64K) $269

Quadcolor I $199

AST SixpackPlus (64K) $269

MegaPlus(64K) $269

I/O Plus $114

2nd SP. PP or Game $ 35

HERCULES graphics board .. $349

HAYES Modems. 300 $209

Smartmodem 1200 $489

Smarlmodem 1200B $435

Set 0(9 chips (64 K) $55

VLM Computer Electronics

10 Park Place • Mornstown, NJ 07960 (201)267-3268 Visa. MC. Check or COD

The Statistician

CPM IBM-PC TRS-DOS XENIX

Multiple Regression

Stepwise

Ridge

All Subsets

Backward Elimination Time Series Analysis Descriptive Statistics Transformations

* Survey Research ' Nonparametrics

* X-Y Plots

* ANOVA

* Random Samples

* Data Base

* Search & sort " Hypothesis tests

Please call TOLL FREE 1-800-334-0854 (Ext. 814)

Q

for more information

or write:

Quant Systems

Box 628

Charleston, SC 29402

VISA-M/C Accepted

GILTRONIX SWITCHES ARE THE BEST CHOICE.

. and here are 10 good reasons why:

IBM PC APPLE

1. Serial (RS232)or Parallel (Centronics)

2. Prompt Deliveries

3. Nationally Advertised Products

4. Broad Product Line

5. Over 30,000 Units Sold (o Date

6. Sales and Technical Support

a

7 F.C.C. Approved Units

8. Manual and Automatic Units

9. Highest Quality PC Board Switch Technology

10. Buy Direct From Giltronix, or From Any Authorized Distributor

Manual Units—2 to 6 Ports Automatic Units—3 to 15 Ports

rvi

COGiltromx

ORDER HOT LINE: 1 800 531 1300 (Outside of d

Circle 259 on inquiry card.

Circle 140 on Inquiry card.

PAL, EPR0M

& UV ERASERS from $49.95

LOGICAL DEVICES INC.

U> ofr utmodt jntp&danoe,

SEE OUR AD ON PAGE 200

QG0OGQG

ORDER TOLL FREE

1-800-EE1-PROM

(1-800-331-7766)

Circle 186 on inquiry card.

3X5E-PC: An Affordable

IBM PC-Compatible System for $1495.

• PC-88 CPU card $399

• Color/Graphic card $189

• 5-1/4" diskette adapter card $145

• Multifunction card (64k) $220

• Keyboard $153

• System Enclosure $129

• 65W Power Supply with fan box $135

]P<g MICRO SYSTEMS, INC. 2350 WALSH AVE.. SANTA CLARA. CA 95051 (408) 980-9866 TLX 3719075 EDGE UB

Circle I24 on inquiry card.

T & A SYSTEMS

MODEMS list

COST

U.S. Robotics Puswork 300/1200 Autodial/Auto Answer $449

$350

Rnou R21ZAI 1300/1200 10 no Autodial /Auto Log on) $499

$399

Pturtli300']200) 5525

$399

Hayes 1200 Smart Modem $699

$510

Nw2M<2400 1200- 300 Selectable 18 month warranty) $1195

$890

General DiU Comm 4800 "800 works multipoint $1575

$1395

Universal Data Systems 9600 A B (9600 Dial up!) $2650

CALLS

CRTS

Liberty Electronics Freedom 100 (20 Function Keys Full Editing) $495

CALLS

Teletex 3000(7X10 Matrix Status Line) $599

$495

Visual 50 (Green Phosphur soeen) $695

$595

TelewdtoW) $1195

CALLS

LearZietlcAOMU S695

CALLS

Kimtion (Mew Product fully DEC Compatible) $795

CALLS

PRINTERS

Panasonic 1091 (120 CPS Dot Matin 3 Punt Modes) $599

CALL $

Telelei 1014(20 CPS Daisy Wheel Serial t Parallel Parts Std) $649

$457

Siemens PTII [Silent 150 CPS Ink-Jet) $900

CALLS

TelnidfO 740 (45 CPS Daisy Wheel) $1595

C»LL$

SWITCHES

Giftronin24 Wire A/B Switch) $159

('AILS

IdefcVB Switch 24 ■ $130

CALL$

HARD DISK

Mountain (10 MEG lor Apole Franklin IBM) 1249b

CALLS

MONITOR

Panasonic TRIM (High Resolution 1100 lines) $220

$150

P.O. Box 692 Wheeling. IL 60090

800-323-2666

"We stock a complete product line

ol above manufacturers

Circle 160 on inquiry card.

mmffiim

Lyco Computer Marketing & Consultants

toll free 800-233-8760

TO ORDER

CALL US

In PA 1 717-327-1824

MANNESMANN TALLY

SPIRIT 80 $299.00

MTL-160L $559.00

MTL-180L $775.00

NEC

NEC8023 $389.00

NEC8025 $699.00

PRINTER INTERFACING

AVAILABLE FOR COMMODORE VIC, APPLE. ATARI, IBM-PC, TRS-80. Tl, AND OTHERS

STAR

SAVE = PRINTERS

MICRONTICS GEMINI 10X .$259.00

GEMINI 15X $379.00

DELTA 10 $449.00

DELTA 15 $525.00

RADIX 10 $575.00

RADIX 15 $675.00

POWERTYPE $C ALL

SWEET P(Model 100) ...$549.00 STX80 $149.00

SMITH CORONA TP2 ...$449.00

CITOH

GORILLA GX-100 $169.00

GORILLA SERIAL $199.00

PROWRITER8510 $335.00

PROWRITERII $575.00

8600 $899.00

STARWRITER $999.00

PRINTMASTER $1299.00

SHEET FEEDER $425.00

620 $929.00

630 $1699.00

851OSP $499.00

8510 SCP $559.00

A10 LETTER OUAL $499.00

EPSON

RX-SO $CALL

RX-80FT $FOR

FX-80 $CURRENT

FX-100 S PR ICES

OKI DATA

80 $SAVE

82A $0N THESE

83A $IN-ST0CK

84 $PRINTERS

92 $CALL*

93 $SAVE$

PRINTING PAPER

3000 SHEETS

FANFOLD $42.75

1000 SHEETS

FANFOLD $19.75

1000 SHEETS LETTER...$21.95

200 SHEETS LETTER $8.99

150 RAG STATIONERY. ..$10.99 MAILING LABELS (1 In) ...$9.75 14x11 1000 FANFOLD...$24.75

WICO

COMMODORE & ATARI

JOYSTICK $16.75

RED BALL $18.75

BOSS JOYSTICK $12.75

TRACK BALL $32.75

12 FT EXT CORD $6.95

Tl ADAPTER $9.95

APPLE ANALOG $34.75

IBM-PC ANALOG $34.75

MODEMS

ANCHOR MARK I $45.75

ANCHOR MARK II $79.75

HAYES SMART $239.00

HAYES MICRO II $309.00

DISKETTES

ELEPHANT

SINGLE SIDE SD (10) ....$17.75 SO (100) $16.75/10

SINGLE SIDE DD (10) ... $21 75 00(100) $20.75/10

DOUBLE SIDE DD (10) ... $26.75 DD (100) $24.75/10

MAXELL

MD1 (10) $27.75

MD2(10) $37.75

CERTRON CASSETTES

CC-10(12) $15.99

CC-20(12) $17.99

MICROBIT 1000C $129.00

CAT $144.00

D-CAT $155.00

J-CAT $115.00

APPLE CAT II $279.00

212 APPLE CAT $589.00

DUST COVERS

800 $3.99

400 $3.99

1200 $3.99

410 $3.99

810 $3.99

6O0XL $5.99

8O0XL $5.99

1050 $5.99

1010 $5.99

PROWRITER $5.99

GEMINI 10X $5.99

PERCOM $5.99

EPSON $5.99

RANA $5.99

VIC 64/20 $5.99

VIC 1541 $5.99

COMPUTER

CARE

BIB

DISK DRIVE CLEANER ... $1 2.75 COMPUTER CARE KIT ...$19.75

NORTRONICS

DISK DRIVE CLEANER

WITH SOFTWARE FOR

IBM-PC. ATARI. VIC.

APPLE. *TI $29.75

DISKCLEANER REFILLS.. $14.75 CASS DRIVE CLEANER....$9.95 MEDIA BULK ERASER ...$46.75

MONITORS

SAKATA COLOR $249.00

TAXAN GREEN $119.00

TAXAN AMBER $1 29.00

TAXAN RGB

COMPOSITE $289.00

ZENITH AMBER $105.00

ZENITH GREEN $95.00

GORILLA GREEN $88.00

GORILLA AMBER $95.00

NEC JB1260 $99.00

NEC JB1205 $145.00

NEC JB1215 COLOR ...$269.00

AMDEK GREEN $145.00

AMDEK AMBER $149.00

AMDEK COLOR 1 - $289.00

CONTINENTAL 64

HOME ACCOUNT D $44,75

TAX ADVANTAGE $35.75

F.C.M $35.75

64 USERSOF ENCYC ...$12.75

20 ENCYCLOPEDIA $12.75

KOALA 64

KOALA TABLET $69.75

PROGRAMMERSGUIDE... Si 2.75 GEOMETRIC DESIGNS... $22.75

LOGO DESIGN $27.75

SPIDER EATER $22.75

HES64

HES MODEM $49.95

M. MULTIPLAN $65.75

TURTLE TUTOR $22.75

TURTLE TRAINER $22.75

TURTLE GRAPHICS $37.75

SOUNDBOX $9.95

64 FORTH $39.95

HESMON $22.75

ft commodore |

CARDCO

ATARI

Computers for people. O

800XL ..SCALL

1Q50DISKDRIVE^CAL^

G PRINTER

INTERFACE $64.75

B PRINTER

INTERFACE $39.75

KEY PAD 64 $29.75

LIGHT PEN $29.75

3 SLOT EXPANSION $24.75

5 SLOT EXPANSION $54.75

6 SLOT EXPANSION $79.75

PRINTER UTILITY $19.75

CASSETTE INTERFACE...$29.75

WRITE NOW 20 $29.75

WRITE NOW 64 $39.75

MAILNOW $29.75

DM-1 PRINTER $109.75

LO-1 PRINTER $499.75

BRODERBUND64

BANK STREET 0 $44.75

CHOPLIFTER R $29.95

DAVID'D MAGIC $24.95

DROL D/R $24.95

LODE RUN D/R $24.95

SEAFOX R $29.95

TRAK DISK DRIVES

AT-D1 $379.00

AT-D2 $399.00

AT-D2 TURBO PAK $22.95

PRINTER CABLE $22.95

CONCORD DISK DRIVES

APPLE 163K DRIVE $199.00

APPLE 326K DRIVE $229.00

APPLE CONTROLLER CARD $69.00

COMMODORE VIC 174K... $289.00 COMMODORE VIC 348K... $359.00

ATARI 1 76K MASTER ... $289.00 ATARI 348K MASTER... $369.00 ATARI ADD-ON DRIVES SCALL

PERCOM nieir

AT88S1 . LlloK

$249.00 DRIVES!

ATARI AT88-PD $329.00

AT-8B DOUBLER $129.00

ADD-ON DRIVES $ CALL |

HARD FOR 5 MEG

DISK APPLE 10 MEG

DRIVES IBM-PC 15 MEG

AVAILABLE 20 MEG

INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS

DISK STORAGE (10) $4.95

DISK STORAGE (15) $9.95

DISK STORAGE (25) $19.95

DISK STORAGE (50) $26.75

ROM STORAGE (10) $24.75

^flMBk __ Bra^l^B Circle 192 on inquiry card. POLICY

SHfjlBM' TO ORDER ^i^ijj^B In-stock items shipped within 24 hours of oider Personal

^^^^^^ checks require four weeks clearance belore shipping. No

or send order to depositonC OD orders Freeshippmgon prepaidcashorders

Lyco Computer within the continental US PA residents add sales tax All

P O Br> scion products subject to availability and price change Advertised

, „. _^ * „• „. prices show 4°r. discount offered for cash add 4". for Master

.ustomer Service 1-717-327-1825 Jersey Shore PA 1774C card or v,sa dealer inquiries invited

TO ORDER

CALL toll free

800-233-8760

Wire-Wrap® & Multiwire Software

Whip your designs into snaps with WIREMASTER

Never do another design by hand! Your computer and Wlremaster will quickly and accurately convert your schematic Into wire lists, net maps, parts lists, checklists, and plots (optional) to give you total control. Handles ECL and twisted pair wiring. Versions available for NC machines. Runs on IBM-PC, VAX, CP/M, MSDOS and Unix Computers.

No-risk demo disk available. Call or write for details.

AFTERTHOUGHT ENGINEERING

7266 Courtney Dr, San Diego, CA 921 (619)279 2868

SL-MICRO

STATISTICAL LANGUAGE for MICROCOMPUTERS

features

VALUE and VAR LABELS

DATA TRANSFORMATION

FREQUENCIES CROSSTABS

PEARSON CORR REGRESSION

CONDESCRIPTIVE

Only $250. Manual $15 Available for IBM PC, CP/M or MS-DOS. Many Formats.

QSC BOX 23056

LANSING, Ml 48909

PHONE (517) 641-4428

Circle 14 on Inquiry card.

b—■——m

Circle 261 on Inquiry card.

COMPUTER PRODUCTS-GUARANTEED SAVE UP TO 50%

•COMPUTERS

Zenith Z100 (2 Drives 640K) $2799.00

Columbia, IBM PC, TAVA, NEC Portable >nrj more Call

•PRINTERS.

Brother HR-1S (Letter Quality)

Brother HR-25 (Letter Oualityl

•MONITOR .

i«5.00 1765.00

Taxan Green Taxan Amber

Zenith ZVM122A-Non-Glare Screen, Amber Zenith ZVM123A-Non-ulare Screen, Green Zenith ZVM135 RGB Hi Res. Color 'ACCESSORIES.

1125.00 $129.00 1119.00 $119.00 $499.00

Pnnter Stand 5'* x 21V. x 13 930.00, 5Vi x 15 x 13 $25.00

Roll-Top Diskettes File (holds 100) $34.95

Murii-Color Quality Diskettes, SSDD $22.00, DSDD $29.00

LF. High Quality Diskettes, SSDD $1.75, DSDD $2.25

■SOFTWARE

dBase III $499.00

Upgrade to dBase III $199.00 Peachtree Accounting^, AR, AP, Inventory Control,

Payroll, Job Costing $399.oo,'ea.

'TRAINING COURSE AND HANDBOOK.

Lotus 1-2-3, dBASE II, Wordstar, Accounting and others S65.00 ei. Everyman's Database Primer (Book) $14.95

and many more

MANY OTHERS, AT LOWEST PRICE, PHONE OR WRITE

SMail or Phone Your Order jaetv

LF COMPUTER PRODUCTS VH 8660-D Mlramar Rd. Suite 265, San Diego, CA 92126

(619) 566-6823 — Phone order full rebate

Mutercerd/VISA idd 3%, Shipping 1 Handling S3 95, Ml Rn add

6% Sales Tex. All Pmduota Manuttctuiw Quannteed.

Circle 177 on Inquiry card.

HALF HEIGHT DRIVES

SHUQART: SA 455

Double Sided, 40 TRK/Side

CDC: 9428

Double Sided. 40 TRK/Side

PANASONIC: 551-2 .._.

Double Sided, 40 TRK/Side "179

• 120 Day Warranty MjaXi

• Fm Shipping '!Hi

• No Cnarge For Cred/t Carta r"?T*

• Order Toll Free \SBB1

1-800-531-5475 (Outside Ot Texas)

(512) 250-1489 (In Texas) Text* Realdente Add Stt Sales Tax.

jCompuP.dd

Corp

13010 Research Blvd., Suite 101 Austin, Texas 78750

0

mmuummrn^.

z

(■€>

£

^^ ^mtm "

<

Pl-OlSTwo-way $ 59.95

P1035 Three-way S 89 95

PI-05S Five-way S 109.95

£1

PARALLEL TWO-WAY S 94 95

TRANSFER SWITCH FEATURES

...6

e PI-SWITCH lets you SAFELY SHARE

llj g

multiple SERIAL (RS 232) devices

Sfl

e Great tor printers, modems, etc.

e Handsome black and beige

case female DBC-25 connectors

e Switches pins 1-7 & 20 or set any

Of

way you need before shipping.

e Male connectors available

ml

ONE (1) YEAR WARRANTY

TERMS: MO. Check. Mastercard.

VIjc.COD.

UPS ground $2/ each. 2nd air

z

S4/each, COD add 92 per order.

Ptease call tot your CUSTOM

i

•witch needa.,_t j—-.

SA^BNgflnc.

, J 7301 N.W. 41 Street. Miami, FL 33166

M

IJUOJ SV2-0092

Outer incuklei a&smat

Electronic

Circuit

Analysis

• AC and DC analysis

• Very fast, optimized machine language

• Worst case, sensitivity analysis

• Sweep component values

• 64 Nodes

• Compare circuits

• Log or linear sweep

• Full file handling

• Full editing, error trapping

• Frequency response, magnitude and phase

• Complete manual with examples

• Transmission lines

• Complex y parameters

• Available for CP/M, MSDOS, TRSDOS

• Price - $150.00

Tatum Labs

P.O. Box 698

Sandy Hook, CT 06482

(203) 426-2184

Circle 61 on Inquiry card.

Circle 272 on Inquiry card.

Circle 298 on Inquiry card.

EMS Software, Inc.

Software tools for Architects and Consulting Engineers

Structural Analysis

finite element w/plates, frames, & out of core solver

Concrete Steel Design

columns, beams, & slabs

Project Scheduling (PERT Method)

w/ cost analysis

2-D Drafting System (high performance)

Coded Pressure Vessel Design

Commercial Air Conditioning

Piping Design

m§l] Software, Inc.

2B9 1 LIVONIA CENTER ROAD

LIMA, NEW YORK 14485

(7 1 6) 346-2022

Circle 121 on Inquiry card.

GREAT DISKETTES

Super low prices SYNCOM

fie low priced.high quality diskette with a LIFETIME WARRANTY Packed in olybags ot 10 with Tyvefc envelopes, labels and reinforced hubs, One of the best buys we've seen.

$-139 "aSV'SSDD §.|35

, JrB^BEESBBMI

I—Holds 70 5» diskettes in dust free safety S3 00 Shpng. DISK CADDIES—Flip up style holds 10 5 v diskettes $1.05 ea. + .20

Shpng.

For the lowest priced, highest quality diskettes, storage cases, printer ribbons and paper products, send for our catalog FREE with your order; $1.00 otherwise BONUS! Every catalog includes $15,00 worth of bonus coupons.

Shipping: 5V DISKETTES—Add $3.00 per 100 or fraction thereof. OTHER ITEMS: Shipping charges as shown in addition to diskette shipping charges. Piyment: VISA or MC COD orders, add $3.00 Tans: Illinois customers, please add 8%.

Nationwide: 1-800-621-6827 In Illinois: 1-312-944-2788

Minimum Order: $35.00

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE!

DISKWOflLDI

Suite 4606 * 30 East Huron Street • Chicago, Illinois 60611

SYNCOM

Circle 110 on inquiry card.

&TDK

flexible disks

Call Free (800)235-4137

for prices and information. Dealer inquiries invited. C.O.D. and charge cards accepted.

VISA

PACIFIC EXCHANGES

100 Foothill Blvd San Luis Obispo. CA 93401 (In Cal call (805)543-1037)

Circle 243 on inquiry card.

SPECIALS on INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

6502 * 4.90 6520 $ 4.00 6522 @ 5.00 4116 @ 1.85 2532 <?> 5.90 2716 @ 4.45 6116 <s> 6.45 4164 @ 6.90

Anchor Automation Signalman MODEMS

FREE SOURCE MEMBERSHIP WITH SIGNALMAN

All Signalman Modems are Direct Connect, and provide the

best price-performance values. Dealer and OEM inquiries

MM

Volksmodem with computer cable 68

Mark VII Auto Oial/Auto Answer 99

Mark XII Smart Modem 1200/300 279

DC HAYES Smartmodem

DC Hayes Smartmodem 1200/300

219

519

130 call 95 29

119 20

64 56 72 22 32 44

85 365

50

75 179

79 6

24

PROM QUEEN lor C64 or VIC Apple Emulator for Commodore 64 STAT Statistics Package for C64 Solid Oak 2 Level Stand for C64 or VIC

C64/VIC Switch (networking)

BACKUP VI.0 tape copier for C64 or VIC

CARDBOARD/6 Motherboard - VIC CARDBOARD/5 Motherboard - C64 CARD PRINT G Printer Int. with Graphics CARDBOARD/3S Motherboard - VIC CARDCO C64/VIC Calculator Keypad CARDRAM/16 RAM Expansion - VIC

Complete CARDCO Line in stock

CIE and VIE IEEE Interfaces in stock MSD Super Drive lor C64 or IEEE MAE Assembler for C64 Koala Pad Touch Tablet—C64 or VIC CBC 4/12 Analog to Digital 4 chan/12 bit MULTIPLAN for C64 Dust Cover for C64 or VIC Grand Master Chess for C64 Musicalc Software tor C64 in stock SM Software for C64 in stock BusCard II from Batteries Included ULTRA BASIC - 64 with Turtle Graphics Super Disk Utility - C64 - includes backup Trackball (Electra Concepts) C64 MicroChess - C64 - 8 levels of play HES MODEM with software for C64 Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide WordPro 3+/64 with Spellright VIController (also C64) - BSR Controller COM VOICE Synthesizer for C64 or VIC VIC products in stock - call for extra discounts. Victory Software for VIC and C64 in stock.

APPLE—FRANKUf ITEMS

FRANKLIN—complete line In stock

QUENTIN Orim for Apple/Franklin 189

Swapper Stopper 26

automatic switch between paddles and joystick

KRAFT Apple Joystick 32

Kraft Apple Paddle Pair 32

Koala Pad Touch Tablet-Apple/Franklin 90 SPINNAKER Software in stock Broderbund Software in stock

16K RAM Card for Apple 59

Multiplan— Microsoft 185

Solid Oak 2 Level Stand for Apple 29

Serial Card for Apple 89

MPC RAM/80 column card for lie (AP/TXT) 139

Z80 Softcard and CP/M (Microsoft) 235

RANA Elite I with Controller 389

Parallel Printer Interface/Cable 69 Microtek and MPC Interfaces la stock

Grappler + Interface 135

DC Hayes Micromodem II. He with Smartcom 245

PFS: File or PFS: Report or PFS: Graph 95

Videx 80 Column Card 209

Apple Blue Book 19

215-822-7727

252 Bethlehem Pike Colmar, PA 18915

149

37 19 29 17 45 16 85 50 139

commodore

See us for Personal, Business, and Educational requirements. Educational Discounts available.

PETSCAN I $245 base price

Allows you to connect up to 30 CBM/PET Computers to shared disk drives and printers. Completely transparent to the user. Perfect for schools or multiple word processing configurations. Base configuration supports 2 computers. Additional computer hookups $100 each.

COMPACK/STCP

$115

Intelligent Terminal Package for PET, CBM, C64

Includes ACIA Hardware / STCP Software

SCREEN MAKE R 80 Column Adapter for C64 139

Provide big screen capability for business applications.

Copy-Writer Word Processor for C64 49

Full-featured package with 800 lines of text in memory. Includes double column printing, graphic capability, full printer support.

Special Screenmaker/Copy-Writer Combo 179

PAPER CUP Wort Processoi•- CBM/C64 60

ORACLE (Consultant! Data Base by Batteries Included 89 SPINNAKER Software C64, Apple. IBM, Atari VICTORY Software for C64 in stock Compote! Books in Stock

POWER ROM Utilities for PET/CBM 78

WordPro 4+ - 8032, disk, printer 285

VISICALC for PET, ATARI, or Apple 189

SM-KIT enhanced PET/CBM ROM Dtilities 40

PET Spacemaker II ROM Switch 36

Dust Cover for PET, CBM. 4040, or 8050 8

CmC Interfaces (ADA1800, ADA1450, SADI in stock) HES Software and Hardware in stock UMI Products in stock

FlexFile for PET/CBM/C64 $59

DataBase, Report Writer with calculations, Mailing Lists. Easy to use, and can be modified.

FORTH for PET/C64 full FIG model - Cargile/Riley 50 includes all FORTH 79 Standard extensions, structured 6502 assembler with nested decision macros, standard 16x64 screens, ability to read/write BASIC sequential files, sample programs, introductory + reference manual. Metacompliler for FORTH for independent object code 30 Rooting Point for FORTH 20

BRIDGE mirCM $25

Excellent Bridge program. Computer bids and plays against you. Hands are computer generated, but you may set up hands and modify contract. Allows you to claim balance of tricks, replay hand, and review previous trick.

MMM PASCAL IV for f%T/CIM/C64 99

Virtually full Jensen-Wirth implementation is now suitable for advanced placement courses.

EARL tor PET/CBM/C64 Disk-based ASSEMBLER 65 b»lKLfi.U. #at«tiiM Cki iyMfj $40

COMPLETE DISK RECOVERY SYSTEM FOR 4040/1541

Edit disk blocks; duplicate disks, skipping over bad blocks; unscratch scratched files; check and correct scrambled files; recover improperly closed files. Includes complete diagnostic facilities, extensive treatment of relative files, optional output to printer, and comprehesive user manual (an excellent tutorial on disk operation and theory). Furnished on copy-protected disk. Backup available $10.

Smart Terminal Software for C64/VIC

CBM Public Domain Software—C64/PET27 disks

10 75

DITTO DISK 64 36

Disk copy utility for C64. Make your own disk copies, even if the original is copy protected.

SUIT for ?Wl£iMJW*Whiiii 95

Comprehensive Statistical Analysis Routines Includes complete tile handling capabilities, summary statistics, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, exponential mean tests, multiple and power series regression, analysis of variance, histograms, and non-parametric tests. PageMate 60 Command Word Processor 20

Full-featured package for all' Commodore computers. Full screen editing, and supports disk, tape, and all printers.

DISK SPECIALS

Scotch (3M) 5" ss/dd Scotch (3M) 5" ds/dd Scotch (3M) 8" ss/sd Scotch (3M) 8" ss/dd

10/2.10 50/1.90 100/1.86

10/2.65 50/2.45 100/2.40

10/2.20 50/2.00 100/1.98

10/2.80 50/2.50 100/2.47

We stock VERBATIM DISKS

Write for Dealer and OEM prices.

Sentinal 5" ss/dd Sentinal 5" ds/dd

10/1.80 50/1.75 100/1.65 10/2.40 50/2.35 100/2.25

We stock Dysan disks

Wabash 5" ss/sd Wabash 5" ss/dd Wabash 5" ds/dd

10/1.45 50/1.40 100/1.35 10/1.60 50/1.55 100/1.50 10/1.95 50/1.90 100/1.80

We stock MAXELL DISKS

Write for dealer and OEM prices.

Disk Storage Pages 10 for $4 Hub Rings 50 for $6 Disk Library Cases 8"—300 5"—2.25 Head Disk Cleaning Kits 12 AMARAY Disk Storage Systems in stock. Innovative Concepts FLIP 'N' FILES in stock.

CASSETTE TAPES—AGFA PE-611 PREMIUM

C-10 10/61 50/58 100/50

C-30 10/85 50/.82 100/70

rW/W

data systems

ZVM-122A 99 ZVM-123G 89

ZVM-131 300 ZVM-135 490

Zl 00 16-bit/8-bit System CALL

229 Terminal (DEC and ADM compatible) 680

Z-150 IBM PC COMPATIBLE CALL

M60 PORTABLE PC CALL We stock entire Zenith line.

USI Video Monitors - Green or AMBER 20 MHz hi-res Dealer and OEM inquiries invited

WRITE FOR IBM PC COMPATIBLE PRICES

MultiPlan—IBM or Apple 179 Ouadboard for IBM available KOALA PAD Touch Tablets—Apple, Atari, IBM, CBM

Peachtext 5000 Software Package 199 PFS Software for IBM and Apple in stock SPINNAKER Software C64/VIC. Apple, IBM, Atari

VOTRAX Personal Speech System 269

BMC 9191+ Color Monitor (plus model) 245

BMC 12A 12" Green Monitor 79

Dynax (Brother) OX-15 Daisy Wheel Printer 459

Brother HR-25 Daisy Wheel Printer (25 cps| 749

Itoh Prownter Parallel Printer 379 Panasonic 1090 Printer with Correspondence Mode 279

Gemini 10X 289 EPSON, Okidata, Star Micronics printers in stock

USI CompuMOD 4 R F Modulator 29

We Stock AMDEK Monitors

A P Products 15% OFF

COMPUTER COVERUPS IN STOCK

BROOKS 6 Outlet Surge Suppressor/Noise Filter 54

Surge Suppressor-6 outlet 29

Electrohome 1302-2 13" Hi-res RGB Monitor 335

Panasonic 12" Monitor (20 MHz) with audio 137

Synertek SYM-1 Microcomputer 189

Hewlett Packard

Write or call for prices.

(VI

DATASHIELD BACKUP POWER SOURCE $265

Battery back up Uninterruptible Power Supply with surge and noise filtering. The answer to your power problems.

ATARI-WE STOCK ENTIRE LINE

SPINNAKER and Broderbund Software in stock..

A B Computers

WRITE FOR CATALOG. Add S1 50 per order for United Parcel. We pay balance of UPS surface shipping charges on all prepaid orders (add extra for mail. APO/FPO, air) Prices include cash discount. Regular prices slightly higher Prices subject to change.

Circle 5 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 'BYTE 437

Apple ll/lle®

Industrial Control Plug-In Boards

(SOFTWARE INCLUDED)

Opto-lsolated A32 I/O Board

• Individually Configurable a>b_

• Compatible with SSR Modules JKj / 5

• Opto-lsolated Interrupt Inputs T* ■ "

2 Axis Stepper Motor Interface

$250

Positioning Control Pulse Counting/Timing Frequency Measurements

ROGERS LABS (714)751-0442

2710 S. Croddy Way. Santa Ana, CA 92704

SAVE ON

5H" SSD0-96TPI $2.49 ea BW DSDD-96TPI $3.25 ea.

Boxed in 10's with Tyvec sleeves, reinforced hubs and labels.

OISKETTES FOR MACINTOSH & HP-150

AT TERRIFIC SAVINGS!

3Vi" Memorex $3.99 ea.

See our big ad in this issue lor other groat values! Shipping: BW or 3W DISKETTES—Add $3.00 per 100 or fewer diskettes- Payment: VISA and Mastercard accepted. COD orders only, add $3.00 handling charge. Taxes: Illinois residents, please add 8% sales tax.

WE WILL BEAT ANY NATIONALLY ADVERTISED PRICE ON THE SAME PRODUCTS AND QUANTITIES!

Nationwide: 1-800-621-6827 Illinois: 1-312-944-2788

Hours: 9AM • 5PM Central Time Minimum Order: $35.00 DISK WORLD!, Inc.

Suite 4806 • 30 East Huron Street • Chicago, Illinois 60611

12 Bit A/D Converter

FOR YOUR APPLE«

m

AD16B 16 CHANNEL $29995

* IRQ OR NMI INTERRUPT

* EXTERNAL START CONVERT

* HIGH SPEED - 25,000 COIW./SEC

* 7 VOLTAGE RANGES

* PRECISION SAMPLE & HOLD

Bolt On Signal Conditioning

Frrs INSIDE APPLE"

$7995

A16G

* 16 OP AMPS- EACH WITH SEPARATE GAIN & FILTERING

A8D from $14995

* TRUE DIFFERENTIAL INPUTS

* 2 to 8 CHANNELS

* SEPARATE GAIN EACH CHANNEL

Hollywood Hardware 18181989-1204 6842 V,Hl|ean Ave APn-E l! • reginered

Van Nuys, CA 91406

trademark of APPLE Computers. Inc.

Circle 266 on inquiry card.

Circle 111 on inquiry card.

Circle 154 on inquiry card.

NEW!

_Safi?ST<5nL

KEYBOARD PROTECTOR

Remains in place during keyboard use. Prevents damage from liquid spills, dust, ashes, etc. Fits like a second skin, excellent feel. Homerow and numeric locators. Available for: IBM-PC, Apple He. Send $29.95, check or M.O., Visa & MC include exp. date and signature. Specify computer type. Dealer Inquiries invited. Free brochure available.

MERRITT Computer Products, Inc.

2925 LBJ, *180 / Dallas, Texas 75234

(214)942-1142

GaGUE PC-2

COillPUTEi?

'IBM COMPATIBLE

ME£

Hsmm.

> IBM Compatible

■ 128Kb RAM expandable to 512Kb

■ (2) 320Kb Floppy Disk*

* Monochrome Monitor

* Eagle Writer. Eaglecalc MS-DOS. CP/M-86

» One Year Warranty

EXSEU.

office eouipm

21s alexander street rochester. new tork 1*607

TELEX: 13111B

™,ce '2095°° 'while they last!

(716)325-5530

AFFORDABLE

M 68000

COMPUTER SYSTEM

M68KCP0 6-10 MH - . ■ RAM.

I6KEPROW. oil board monitor, tw~ »SS1? seilai ;>ort>, ;«!v iparatltjl port, 5 ■Hmetifcountt^s expansion Mis. '

Bareb I , * 99.95

Cut t >«f >> ■ »6t5.00

MBS12K j 235 i 2K static RAM.floppj dish

controller© hard disk Interface

» 99.95

Complete Kit (128K)... »725. OO £n£io&ure with potrer supply, fan, Hlter, 4 slot card cage

"S249.00

^:»:«^»* M68000 Macro Cross Assemble! (Ol CP/M80, IBM PC, ins-Bit <**<<< Apl'tt; i!. rmfmte^ vViiii ; :?i;r

&~J »149.00

U1 I Si i-iling # 4.0©

COOordenadVi S 3.00

Fo't ,}<- Liters .<id »20,0©

California residents add 6.5% tax

Cl'IC? Microcomputer <7,4) 553.0, 33 Sytema ■ *

P.O. Box 16115 • Irvine, CA 92713

Circle 351 on inquiry card.

Circle 352 on inquiry card.

Circle 125 on inquiry card.

MEMOREX

FLEXIBLE DISCS

WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD!! Call Free (800)235-4137

for prices and informatioa Dealer inquiries invited and CO.D.'s accepted

PACIFIC EXCHANGES

100 Foothill Blvd. San Luis Obispo. CA 93401. In Catcall (800)592-5935 or (805)543-1037

Circle 243 on inquiry card.

6

times faster

Super Fast Z60 Assembly Language Development Package

ZSOASM

• Over 6000 line/minute

• Generates COM, HEX, or REL files

• Cross-Relerence

• Zilog mnemonics

• Time and Date in listing

• Long labels

SLRNK

• One or two pass operation

• Cross-reference

• COM or HEX output

» Flexible address control

Mod format* a

r Z80 CPM, CDOS, and TURBODOS

S199.96

-S" L R__Sysfef7?s_

For more information or to order. Call:

1-800-833-3061 in Pa.. (412) 282-0864 1622 North Main Street. Butler, PA 16001

VISA or Mastercard

CP/M CROSS

SOFTWARE

for the NS16000

INCLUDES:

* Cross Assembler *

* Cross Linker *

* Debugger *

* N.S. ISE Support *

* Librarian *

* Pascal Cross Compiler *

U.S. Prices start at

$500 for Assembler only

SOLUTIONWARE

1283 Mt. View-Alviso Rd.

Suite B

Sunnyvale, CA 94089

408/745-7818 • TLX 4994264

Circle 279 on inquiry card.

Circle 284 on inquiry card.

SUPER PRICES ON PRINTERS!

NEW! EPSON LQ-1500

"Letter Quality"

High performance 200 CPS, 24 pin printhead that also doubles as a letter quality printer CALL FOR OUR BEST PRICE!

SAVE s200

EPSON CALL US FOR OUR BEST PRICE!

00

EPSON RX-80 100 CPS w/tractor, graphics

CALL FOR OUR BEST PRICE

EPSON RX-80FT 100 CPS w/FREE! graphics

Friction & tractor feed SAVE $150.00

EPSON MX-80FT 80 CPS w/FREE graphics

Friction & tractor feed SAVE $150.00

EPSON FX-80 160 CPS w/FREE graphics

Friction & tractor feed SAVE $50.00

EPSON FX-100 160 CPS 15" platten

Friction & tractor teed SAVE $150.00

OKIDATA

PRICES SLASHED!!!

160 CPS, Correspondence Quality

OKI 92 Parallel

OKI 93 Parallel

2K Serial Board

IBM PC ROMS For 92

IBM PC ROMS For 93

Extra 82/92 83/93 Ribbons (2) 82/92 Tractor

$599 $995

$120 . $59 . $59

$424.95 $679.95 $99.95 $49.95 $59.95 .$19 $9.95 $89 $54.95

720 CPS & 200 CPS OKIDATAS

OKI 82 120 CPS

OKI 83 720 CPS

OKI 84 Parallel 200 CPS OKI 84 Serial 200 CPS _ 2K Serial Board

IBM PC ROMS For 82/83 IBM PC ROMS For 84

. $499 . $775 $1395 $1495 . $150 _ $49 ^$99

$329.95 $569.95 $899.95 $999.95 $119.95 $39.95 $89.95

350 CPS, Near Letter Quality, High-Resolution Graphics

OKI 2350 Parallel ' $2695 $1899.95

OKI 2350 Serial $2775 $1999.95

OKI 2410 Parallel $2995 $2199.95

OKI 2410 Serial $3075 $2299.95

MANNESMAN-TALLY

Spirit 80 CPS 10 inch 160L 760 CPS 10 inch 180L 760 CPS 75 inch

$399 $329.95

_ $798 $579.95

$7098 $799.95

OPEN SATURDAYS

10:OOam—4:00pm PST

High Performance, New Lower Price! PTC-380Z

True letter quality Daisywheel printer up to 32 CPS. with a built-in 48K buffer. The 380Z comes with RS232 serial, parallel Centronics, and IEEE-488 interfaces built-in Full one-year factory warranty! List Your Price

DTC-380Z $7495 $999.95

Sheet feeder $895 $579.95

Forms Tractor $795 $129.95

Bi-directional tractor $300 $249.95

Cable (specify) , $85 $49.95

LETTER QUALITY PRINTERS ON SALE!

Diablo 630 40 CPS

Tractor For 630

Starwriter F-10 40 CPS Starwriter F-10 55 CPS Tractor For F-10

Comrex CR-II 5K parallel Comrex CR-II 5K serial

Tractor For CR-II

Keyboard For CR-II

Sheet Feeder For CR-II

Silver Reed 500 14 CPS ^

Tractor For 500

Silver Reed 550 78 CPS _

Tractor For 500

Juki 6100 78 CPS

Tractor For 6100

NEC 3550 33 CPS

Tractor For 3550

List

$2340 . $250

$1895

$1995 . $250 _ $599 . $644 _ $720 _ $799 _ $259 . $599 - $749 _ $699 . $7 59 . $599 _ $749

$2250 _ $265

Your Price

$1699.95 $219.95 $999.95

$1299.95 $219.95 $489.95 $589.95 $99.95 $179.95 $199.95 $499.95 $124.95 $599.95 $129.95 $499.95 $124.95

$1699.95 $229.95

CLOSE OUT PRICES!

ON ALL STAR-MICRONICS PRINTERS!

Gemini 10X and 15X Radix 10 and 15 Delta 10 and 15 Power Type LQ

CALL US FORICHEAP PRICES!

(Only Manufacturer's warranty applies)

A-B PRINTER SWITCH

Allows your computer to run either of two printers. Standard parallel switch box

Printer Switch $749 $99.95

Extra Cable $40 $29.95

PRINTER STANDS WITH PAPER CATCH

Universal 80 Column Stand

Paper Tray For Above

Universal 132 Col Stand

Paper Tray For Above

Okidata 82/92 Stand

Paper Tray For Above

Okidata 83/84/92 Stand

Paper Tray For Above

Universal Floor Stand

$30 $30 $35 $35 $25 $35 $35 $40

/our Price

$24.95 $24.95 $29.95 $29.95 $19.95 $29.95 $29.95 $34.95

$725 $79.95

SPECIAL SALE PRICE!

EPSON MX-100FT FREE Graftrax-Plus

With FREE! GRAFTRAX-PLUS

100 CPS, friction and tractor feed. 15 inch

platten. one year warranty

List Price $749.00

SALE PRICED AT

$489

95

MICROFAZERQuadram

The Microfazer stand-alone printer buffers are available in any configuration of serial or parallel input, with serial output. All are expandable up to 64K of memory (about 30 pages of 8V2 x 11 text). The parallel-to-parallel version is expandable to 512K copy and pause feature included Parallel/Parallel List Your Price

8K _ $769 $139.95

32K $225 $164.95

128K $445 $269.95

Serial/Parallel

8K .

32 K

Parallel/Serial

8K _

32K

Serial/Serial

8K

32K

$799 $169.95

$260 $199.95

$199 $169.95

$260 $199.95

$799 $169.95

$260 $199.95

MICROBUFFER Practical Peripherals

Stand-alone Microbutfers Parallel, 32K __

Parallel. 64K

Serial, 32K

Serial, 64K

64K add-on board

Microbutfers for Apple II Parallel, 16K _

Parallel, 32K

Serial, 16K

Serial, 32K

List Your Price

$299 $229.95

$349 $269.95

$299 $229.95

$349 $269.95

$7 79 $149.00

$259 $189.95

$299 $229.95

$259 $189.95

$299 $229.95

Microbutfers for Epson Printers

Parallel. 16K _

Serial, 8K

$759 $129.95 $759 $129.95

Computer Products

4901 West Rosecrans Ave. Hawthorne, California 90250

Circle 164 on inquiry card.

JULY I984 -BYTE 439

LINE-POWERED AUTO-ANSWER DIRECT-CONNECT

MODEM $89.95

300 Baud, full duplex, analog loopback for self test, carrier detect, receive data, and transmit data. LED indicators List Price $129.95 $89.95

SMARTMODEM Hayes

Sophisticated direct-connect auto-answer/auto dial modem, touch tone or pulse dialing, RS232C interface programmable

Smartmodem 1200 $699

1200B for IBM PC $599

Smartmodem 301 $289

Hayes Cronograph Micromodem 100 _ Micromodem lie — PLEASE Software Smartcom II

__ $249 __ $399 __ $299

$395

$149

$475.00 $399.95 $199.00 $199.95 $299.95 $239.95 $299.95 $99.95

J-CAT MODEM

1/5 the size of ordinary modems, Bell 103, manual or, auto-answer. Automatic answer/ originate, direct connect, built-in self-test, two LEDs and audio beeps provide status information

Novation J-Cat

$149 $114.95

ULTRA-VIOLET EPROM ERASERS

Inexpensive erasers for industry or home

Spectronics w/o timer Spectronics with timer Logical Devices

. $99 $69.95

$139 $94.95

. $89 $49.95

ISOBAR

The ISOBAR looks like a standard multi outlet power strip but contains surge suppression circuitry and built-in noise filters, plus 15amp circuit breaker lisi Your Price

4 receptacle $B9 $59.95

8 receptacle $99 $69.95

Complete Computer $400.00!

THE

LITTLE BOARD with FREE! CP/M 2.2

Minature single board CP/M computer designed to mount directly on top of a 5'/4" floppy disk drive (7.75" x 5.75"). ContainsZ 80A CPU, 64K RAM. Boot Eprom. terminal port, modem port, parallel printer port, floppy disk controller, and CP/M 2 2 included FREE!

Little Board with CP/M $400 $348.95

Support package $50 $48.95

Serial Cable $13 $11.95

Diskless Monitor Eprom $30 $24.55

K££3S f*f\mm°NDWELL 12

SAVE $500.

■•^~n3#S*

' Word,

■■'....■.■■ .i ■. ■ . ■.-■■>■■.■■■■.■■

star

BUILT-IN

SPEECH

H^«vw»^»jLjJjij

ZMaUmerge

Z^alcstar *Datastar ^fportstar

1

|°daywar

'-oca/ service th ™;onwideffeMrotJ9h service team

4MHz 2-80. c ' ^etearr,

- LC aPProva/j

APPLE ACCESSORIES ON SALE!

Full Height Disk Drive Half-Height Disk Drive Controller

8 inch 2 Meg. system

CP/M 3.0 Card ■

Z-Card with CP/M

16K RAM Card

Best 80 Column Card 64K lie 80 Column — Fan w/surge protect _ Koala Pad

Grappler Plus

Buffered Grappler/16K_ Buffered Grappler/ 64K

_ $299 _ $249

$100

$2495 _ $399 _ $769

I $99

_ $219 _ $199

$99

$725

_ $)75 _ $245 _ $345

$179.95 $184.95

$59.95

$1395.00

$259.95

$139.95

$39.95 $139.95 $129.95

$59.95

$89.95 $119.95 $175.95 $239.95

* in stocW

SUPER DISKETTE SPECIAL!

We bought out a major manufacturer's overstock and we are passing the savings on to you! Single-sided, double-density package of ten with FREE! plastic case Box of 10 w/FREE! case $34 $18.95

ComputerProducte

440 BYTE- IULY 1984

Circle I65 on inquiry card

U.S. MANUFACTURER ONE YEAR WARRANTY!

10 MEGABYTE HARD DISK FOR IBM PC! $995

00

10 MEGABYTE HARD DISK FOR IBM PC

Plug-n-Run. ready to go • complete with controller card, data cable, and mounting hardware • totally PC/XT compatible • faster than XT • handles 4 different operating systems • streamer tape back-up available

10 mbyte internal 10 mbyte external 15 mbyte internal 15 mbyte external 26 mbyte internal 26 mbyte external

5)795 S2095 $1995 S2295 S2495 $2795

Your Price

$995.00 $1195.00 $1395.00 $1595.00 $1995.00 $2249.00

Tape Back-up option CALL FOR BEST PRICE

HI-RES MONITORS

AMDEK 310A

AMDEK 300G

AMDEK 300A

AMDEK COLOR I AMDEK COLOR II AMDEK COLOR IV

PGS MAX-12

PGS HX-12

PGS SR-12

QUADCHROME COMREX CR6800

LisI

$230 $179 $199 $379 $559 $995 $269 $699 $799 $795 $649

Your Price

$169.95 $119.95 $149.95 $259.95 $419.95 $499.95 $199.95 $469.95 $649.95 $499.95 $499.95

KEYTRONICS KEYBOARDS

KEYTRONICS KEYBOARD

$209 $149.95

HIGH SPEED 8087 APU

List Price $295

SALE PRICE $199.95

STB BOARDS FOR IBM PC

RIO PLUS 64K GRAPHICS PLUS RIO PLUS 128K RIO PLUS 256K RIO PLUS 384K SUPER RIO 64K SUPER RIO 128K SUPER RIO 256K SUPER IO

$395 $495 $495 $595 $795 $419 $519 $619 $229

Your Price

$329.95 $379.95 $349.95 $449.95 $549.95 $329.95 $379.95 $479.95 $179.95

SOFTWARE FOR IBM PC

List

Your Price

MICROSOFT WORD

$395

$249.95

LOTUS FRAMEWORK

$695

$439.95

LOTUS 1 2 3

$495

$329.95

SYMPHONY

- - $695

$549.95

riRASF II

$700

$429.95

n-HASF III

$695

$449.95

R BASF 4000

- $495

$319.95

SMART KFY

$89

$69.95

MOVE-IT

$125

$89.95

MUI TIPl AN

$250

$169.95

ACCOUNTING PARTNER _

__ $395

$249.95

OROSSTAI K

$195

$129.95

PROKFY

$75

$54.95

MULTIMATE

$495

$299.95 $249.95

siiPFRrAi r. in

. - $395

TBANSEND PC

$189

$139.95

MICROSOFT FOR IBM PC

MOUSE w/WORD MOUSE

SYSTEM CARD 64K SYSTEM CARD 256K

List Your Price

$495 $339.95

$199 $129.95

$395 $279.95

$625 $429.95

320K DISK DRIVES

DOUBLE-SIDED, DOUBLE-DENSITY FOR IBM PC

CHOICE OF

$-J QQ95 Tandon

LOCAL AREA NETWORKS For IBM PC

QUADNET II

QUADNET VI

QUADNET IV

AST-PCnet II

ORCHID TECHNOLOGY

_ $995 $879.95

$7995 $1689.95

$2295 $1989.95

_ $495 $399.95

_ $595 $499.95

DISKETTES For IBM PC

High quality double-sided, double-density diskettes, certified to be absolutely error free Box of ten, warranteed for one year Box of 10 w/FREE plastic case . $39 $19.95

PLACE ORDERS TOLL FREE

AST FOR IBM PC

SIX PAK PLUS 64K . SIX PAK PLUS 256K SIX PAK PLUS 384K

MEGA PLUS 64K MEGA PLUS 256K MEGA PLUS512K

I/O PLUS

MP 64K MP 128K MP 192K MP 256K

_ $395 $269.95

_ $695 $489.95

_ $945 $569.95

_ $395 $269.95

_ S665 $429.95

$7095 $799.95

. $765 $119.95

_ $295 $199.95

_ $395 $249.95

_ $495 $299.95

_ $595 $349.95

IBM VIDEO BOARDS

HERCULES COLOR

HERCULES GRAPHIC _ PLANTRONICS COLOR

STB GRAPHICS

QUADCOLORI

AMDEK MAI

AST MONOGRAPH

$245 $499 $549 $495 $295 $649 $595

$198.95 $339.95 $379.95 $379.95 $209.95 $349.95 $449.95

64K RAM UPGRADE FOR IBM PC

High speed RAM upgrade kit with FREE! parity (error detection) and one year warranty

I icl V^i ., 0...a

64K KIT For IBM PC 128K KIT For IBM PC 192K KIT For IBM PC 256K KIT For IBM PC 384K KIT For IBM PC

List

$90 $49.95

$180 $95.95

$270 $143.95

$360 $199.95

$540 $289.95

QUADRAM FOR IBM PC

QUADBOARD No RAM

QUADBOARD 64K

QUADBOARD 128K

QUADBOARD 256K _

QUADBOARD 384K

QUADLINK

QUAD 512 PLUS 64K

QUAD 512 PLUS 256K

QUAD 512 PLUS 512K

QUAD COLOR I

QUAD COLOR II

AST MONOGRAPH t . QUAD VIEW

$295 $395 $495 $595 $795 $680 $325 $550 $895 $295 $275 $595 $345

$234.95 $275.95 $339.95 5399.95 $595.95 $449.95 S219.95 $389.95 $549.95 $209.95 $199.95 $449.95 $259.95

Continental USA (800)421-5500

Inside California (800)262-1710

Los Angeles Area (213)973-7707

We accept cash, checks, credit cards, or purchase orders from qualified firms and institutions. Minimum prepaid order $15.00 California residents add 6V2% tax. Export customers outside the USorCanada please add 10% to all prices Prices and availibility subject to change without notice. Shipping and handling charges via UPS Ground 50C/lb, UPS Air $1 00/lb. minimum charge $3.00 Prices quoted are for pre-paid orders only

Circle I65 on inquiry card.

IULY I984 -BYTE 441

CaMForn.a DiqiTAl

Post Office Box 3097 B • Torrance, California 90503

FREE

Plastic library

ease supplied

with all diskettes

I purchased from

[California Digital.

DISKETTES * '16.50

FIVE INCH SINGLE SIDED DOUBLE DENSITY

Te"seSx Each box 10 Boxes 100 Boxes

I SAL Di SITALgHs 19.95

MMM-744/0

MMM 744/10 26-50

MHU-744/16 *«»>•***

VRB -S25J01 _-, _-.

VM-525/10 26.50

VKB 525/16 *™»«*#W

SCOTCH

VERBATIM

MEMOREX

MAXELL

DYSAN

MRX 34B1

MRX 3483 MUX-3485

26.50

MXL-MH1

DYS-104MD —_ — n

18.50 24.50 25.25 22.25 24.50 33.00

DYS-10SJ1D

FIVE INCH DOUBLE SIDED DOUBLE DENSITY

16.50 21.75 23.50 18.75 23.25 30.50

iCALDIGITALcitli;

24.95

MMM 745.'0 _-. — _ MMM 745/10 39-95

MMM-745/16 *»■*■»*» VRB 550/01 __ __ VRB 550/10 3Q Q5 VR8-550/1S *»»»WW

35.00

SCOTCH VERBATIM I MEMOREX MAXELL MAXELL / 96 K! 45.00

I DVS-104S20

[DYSAN S;i:!8l!ig 42.50

MRX 3491

MRX 3493

MRX 3495

MXL-MD2

MXL MD2/10 nq QCI

MXL MD2M6 <l?i?3

DYSAN/96

DVS-204/2D

Hi Ik MM

49.95

22.75 37.95 37.95 31.25 37.95 43.00 40.50 47.95

20.50 31.25 32.75 26.25 34.75 41.25 35.50 45.75

EIOHT INCH SINOLE SIDED SINGLE DENSITY

SCOTCH MMM-740/0 29.50

MEMOREX mrx aw: 27.75

VERBATIM vrb-34/9000 31.50

DYSAN dys-3740/1 35.75

27.50 26.60 29.50 32.75

23.80 22.25 25.60 29.75

EIOHT INCH SINOLE SIDED DOUBLE DENSITY

SCOTCH mmm-7n/o 37.75 MEMOREX mrx309o 35.50 VERBATIM vRB-34/eooo 35.25

DYSAN OVS-3740/1D 40.75 MAXELL mxl -ro, 45.50

35.15 33.50 33.25 38.75 39.75

29.15 27.15 28.75 32.25 35.15

EIGHT INCH DOUBLE SIDED DOUBLE DENSITY

SCOTCH mmm -713/0 47.50 MEMOREX mrx 3.02 39.25 VERBATIM vrb 34 ioo. 41.75 j DYSAN Dvs-37io/2D 54.65 MAXELL mxl-fd2 52.50

44.25137.50 36.75 31.50

37.50 49.75 48.75

32.25 40.50 40.45

Signalman Mark 12.1200 baud. Hayes compatible. Signalman Mark 1, direct connect with terminal cable. CTS212AH 1200 baud, auto dial. Hayes compatible. Hayes Smart Modem 1200 baud, auio answer, autodial Hayes 12006 lor use with the IBM/PC. 1200 baud Hayes Smartmodem, 300 baud only, auto answer, auto dial Hayes Mtcromodem II. 1031 Apple direct conned Hayes Micromodem 100. S-100 auto answer, auto dial. Hayes Chronograph, time & date U S Robotics 212A 300/1200 baud, auto dial/answer U.S. Robotics Password 300/1200 baud Penril 300/1200 auto dial .autolog Universal Data 103LP, line power, answer & originate Universal Data 103LPJ. Auto answer Universal Data 202, 1200 baud, halt duplex only \ Universal Data 212LP. lull 1200 baud duplex, line power ^Novation J' Cat, direct connect, auto answer ^Novation Cat. acoustic connect

^Novation SmartCat 103. auto answer, auto dial

Telex 753607

SGL-MK12

259 00

SGL-MKt

75 00

CTS-212AH

31900

HVS-212AD

179 00

HYS1200B

129 00

HVS-103AD

229 00

HVS-MM2

279.00

HVS-100

31900

HYS-CHR23;

199 00

USR-212A

139.00

USR-PW212

389 00

PEN-12AD

695 00

UOS-103LP

169 00

UDS-103LPJ

21900

UDS-202LP

21900

UDS-2.2LP

359 00

NOV-JCAT

115 00

NOV-CAT

159 00

N0V-SC.03

219.00

MITSUBISHI 96TPU4853

*m

California Digital has purchased over one thousand factory new Mitsubishi M4853 6»" disk drives from the Eagle Computer Company. The drives are half height double sided 96 track per inch. The M4853 interfaces the same as the Shugart SA465. We are currently offering these drives at only $179.00. This is far below distributor cost. Offer is subject to remaining inventory on hand at time of order. MIT-4853

MEMORY

16K DYNAMIC

1.95

4116 150ns.

2764 EPROM

.91

350ns.

6.95

4.95*

450ns.

BLOWOUT

SALE

'129

16K STATIC

4.95

6116 200ns.

4164 ttWoWlSOns

'5.95

DYNAMIC MEMORY

4027 4K dynamic 250ns.

4116 150n*. 16K

41iG200na.16K

4164 150ns. MK128 refresh

41256 150ns. 256K

DPS409 dynamic controller

2708450ns IKxB 2716 450ns. 2Kx 8 2716TMS 450ns. Tn-voltage 27?2 450ns. 4K x 8 2732 3SOns.4K»6 2532 450ns. 4K x 8 2764 350ns. 8K X 8 27128 350ns. 16K * 8

ICM-4027250 ICM-4116150 ICM-4116200 ICM-4164150 ICfcM1256150 ICT-8409

EPROMS

ICE-2708

ICE-2716

ICE-2716TMS

ICE-2732

ICE-2732350

ICE-2532

ICE-2764

ICE-27128

5.95 5.85

Available 39.00 35.00

3.75 8.00 9.90

21L02200ns. IKstatic 21L02 450ns.1Katatic 2112450ns. 2K staiit 2114300ns. 1KK4 4044TMS 450ns. 4K x 1 5257 300ns. 4K x 1 6116P4 2O0na.2Kx8 6116P3150na.2Kx8 6167/2167 100ns 16K

STATIC MEMORY

ICM-21L022O0 ICH-21L02450 ICM-2112450 ICH-2114300 1CH-40444S0 tCM-5257300 ICM-611G200 ICM-6116150 [1(20 pin] ICM-6167100

CONNECTORS

DB25P

S-100 Gold

^

GOLD S-100 EDGE CARD CONNECTORS catalog each 10-99 100 +

lmsais/1 250 CNE-IMS 2 95 2 50 2 19 SuHmsHi/Bel CNE-H100 4 19 3 65 3 47 S-iOOWireW CNE-WIO 3 95 3 50 3.19 Allaif 140' s/l CNE-100A 495 4 50 4 19 .156" CENTER EDGE CARD CONNECTORS 22/44Eyelet CNE-44E 250 2 i5 i 95 43,72 Molo s/l CN6-72S 6.60 6 15 575 36/73 D/Q 8/1 CNE-72S 5 95 5 50 5 19

Other connectors avariabte upon request

D625S h 57-30360 mal< 57-303601 mat 20 pin edge 20 pm socket 26 pin edge 26 pm socket 34 pin edge 34 pin socket

50 pm edge 50 pm socket

RIBBON CONNECTORS

CND-/25P CND-r25S CNC-r36P CNC-r36S CNI-OE20 CNI-OS20 CNIDE26 CNIDS36 CNI-DE34 CNIDS^J CNI-DESO CNI-DS50

5 95 5 59 4 50

7 95 6 75 5 90

7 95 6 75 5 90

4 35 3 30 2 50

2 75 I 85 1.60

4 95 3 50 2 70

3.50 2 40 2.15

4 95 4 50 3.50

4 50 3 95 3 15

(1 IYPE catalog

DE9P male CND-9P 1 60 1 40

DE9S female CND-9S 2 25 2 00

DE hood CND-9H 1 50 1 35

DAi5Pmale CND-15P 2 35 2 10

0Ai5Slemale CND-15S 3 25 3 10

DA 15 Hood CND-15H 1 60 1 35

DB25Pmale CNO-2SP 195 175

DB25Slemale CNO-25S 2 95 2 55

DB25nood CN025H 1.35 t 15 DC37P male CND-37P DC37S female CNO-37S DC37 hood CND-37H DD50Pmale CND-50P

DDSOhood CND-50H d.w z au ?

Hardware 2/setCND-2MS 89 69

AMPHENOL / CENTRONICS TYPE

57-30360 36/P CNC-36P 7 95 6 35 3

IEEE488. C dor CND-24P 7 95 6 35 5 DISK DRIVE POWER CONNECTORS

8 6pinO.C CNP-6DC 195 1Z9

8 3 AC Sgl/S CNP-3SS 1 69 l 09

8 3 AC D&/S CNP-30S 1 69 l 09

5'-. 4 pm D C CNP-4DC I 79 1 19

3 pin DIN recpl CNP-D3P 2 59 '99 I

ttch 10-91 100 +

4.20 3 95 3 6!

5 95 5 75 5 51

2.25 1 95 1 61

5 50 5 10 4 7!

Shipping: First five pounds S3.00, each additional pound S.50. Foreign orders: 10% shipping, excess will be refunded. California residents add 612% sales tax. • COD's discouraged. Open accounts extended to state supported educational institutions and companies with a strong "Dun & Bradstreet" rating. Retail location: 17700 Figueroa Street, Carson CA. 90248.

California Digital has recently participated ir

the purchase of several thousand Siemens'

FDD 100-8 floppy disk drives- These units are electronically and physically

similiar to that of the Shugart 801R. All units are new and shipped in factory

sealed boxes Manual and power connectors supplied free upon request. Your

Choice 115 Volt 60 Hz or 230 Volt 50Hz.

NOTE! European customers we nave a large quantity ot 230 volt 50 Hz units warehoused W

Frankfort Germany Arrangements con he made to will call Ihese drives n quantities ol 50 or more

in Frankfort reducing import duty anC lieiyrit cnarges

REMEX

DOUBLE £

SIDED

219

California Digital has lust purchased a large quantity uf Remex RFD-4000 Eight inch double sided disk drives Remex is the only double sided disk drive thai has an double gimbal mounted head assembly that guaranties lower head tracking. This drive is mechanically solid. Remex has always been known lor producing premiere products for the floppy disk market. The Remex company is a subsidiary of the Ex-cell-o Corporation, a Fortune 500 Company

Eight Inch Single Sided Drives

One Two Ten SHUGART 801R 385 375 365

SIEMENS FDD 100-8 129 125 119

TAND0N 848E-1 Half Height 369 359 349

Eight Inch Double Sided Drives

SHUGART SA851R QUME842 "QUMETRACK8" TAND0N 848E-2 Hall Height REMEX RFD-4000 MITSUBISHI M2894-63 MITSUBISHI M2896-63 Half Ht.

495 485 475

459 459 449

459 447 435

219 219 209

447 439 433

459 449 409

Five Inch Single Sided Drives

TEACFD-55A half height 159 149 139

SHUGART SA400L 199 189 185

SHUGART SA200 % Height 159 149 139

TAND0N TM100-1 189 179 175

Five Inch Double Sided Drives

TEACFD55B half height 179 169 165

CONTROL DATA 9409 IBM/PC 229 219 215

SHUGART SA450 319 309 299

SHUGART SA455 Half Height 259 249 239

PANASONIC JA551/2N (SA455) 169 159 155

SHUGART SA465 Half Ht. 96TPI 289 279 269

TAND0NTM50-2 Half Height 215 209 199

TANDON TM55-4 half Ht. 96TPI 329 319 309

TANDON 100-2 279 269 259

TANDON 101-4 96TPI80 Track 369 355 350

MITSUBISHI 4851 Half Height 259 249 245

MITSUBISHI 4853 Vz Ht. 96TPI 179 175 169

MITSUBISHI 4854 %Ht., 8" elec. 465 449 439

QUME142 Half Height 239 229 219

Three Inch Disk Drives SHUGART SA300 with diskette 229 219 209

Five Inch Winchester Hard Disk Drives FUJITSU M2235AS 27 M<Bytes 999 959 889 RODINE RO-208 53 M/Byte 158914931427 SHUGART 71? 13M'Byte, VaHt 795 765 725 TANDON 503 19 M/Byte 735 775 755

Upon request, all drives are supplied with power connectors and manual

ENCLOSURES

California Digital manufactures an asortment ot stock and custom disk drive enclosures It the volume is justified we will custom design an enclosure lor your application. The following slock disk dnve enclosures are available All include power supplies the 8 enclosures are supplied with exhaust fans

full

Horizontal mount two 8 height drives. S279.00

Vertical mount two full heighi 8 disk drives. S299.00

Horizontal mount one full height or two half height 8' disk drives S239.00

Vertical mount two full height 511 disk drives S139 0Q

TOLL FREE ORDER LINE

(800)421-5041

TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA

(213)217-0500

CaIiFornia DiqiTAl

Post Office Box 3097 B • Torrance, California 90503

FREE

Your Choice

The Sanyo MBC-550 Microcomputer includes 128K byte of memory, a 5V disk drive along with a parallel printer port. The computer outputs both RGB color and monochrome composite video. Extensive software such as Sanyo Basic. Wordstar, Calcstar and Easy Writer I is included with the MBC-550. Along with all this California Digital offers "FREE" your choice of either a second disk drive, or a high resolution green or amber screen monitor- All at the super low price of only S895.

Double sided 320K/byte disks drives are available at only $99 per drive additional.

Second Drive or Monitor

ANYO

IBM COMPATIBLE

'89*

4?

**"? r

System I includes 64K byte of memory one 320K byte double sided disk drive, and keyboard. Monitor and monitor interface available. System II includes 256K byte of memory two 320K byte disk drives, Sakata color monitor, Peacock color card with printer port all for only $2899.

PRINTERS TERMINALS

The RICOH RP1300 is a 35 cps word processing daisy wheel printer ruggedly constructed assuring you of a long trouble free lite. Besides its speed, it also features 16 platen, bi-directional printing, proportional spacing, bold print, shadow print, automatic underscore, forward and reverse linefeed, plus other user programmable features. Making the RP1300 a Best Buy among OEM system integrators The printer is supplied with pnntwheel. ribbon, and paper guide Supplies are available from any Radio Shack Computer Center as well as many local stationary stores

This printer is an OEM type originally manufactured for the Dictaphone Corporation. It is available with an RS-232 serial interface only Interfacing documentation along with special Wordstar software driver suitable for the IBM; PC and IBM look-a-likes is included RIC-1300 S595

MATRIX PRINTERS

StarGemini-10X 120cfiar'sec SlarGemmi-i5X. IDOchar/sec 15 paper Star Gemini Delia 10. 160 Char/sec Star Coex SOFT tnction & tractor Toshiba Pi350 192 ctiar'aec teller quality Okidata82A serial A parallel 9''? paper Okidala92A parallel interface, 160 char/sec Okidata S3A & parallel 15' paper Ofcidaia 84A & parallel 15 paper Okidala 2350 (new| 350 ctiar/sec EpsonHX-8010 i20Cnar/sec Epson FXBO, 10 160 char /sec with graphtrai Epson FX 100 15' 160 char /sec with graph Iran Epson MXiOO withgraphlran. 15 paper NEC8023A parallel 9'2 paper, graphics Anadex 95018 high speed with graphics Anade«9620B200char/sec pari* senal Quante» 7030 coresponclence quality 180 char/sec Prownler 8510 parallel 9'i paper Prownter II. parallel 15 paper, graphics DalaproducIS B-600-3. OanO printer 600 i_PM Printromx P300 high speed printer 300 lines per mm Prmironix P6O0 ultra htgh speed 600 lines per minut

WORD PROCESSING

NEC7710 55 char/second, senal interlace

NEC7730 55 char/sec, par I interface

NEC3550 popularpnnterdesiQ/iedtcxIhelBM'PC

NEC2050 descried lor eM/PC20char/sec pari

Silver Reed EXP500. I4char'sec pari interface

Silver Bead EXP550 17 Char/sec par I interface

Diablo 630 40 char/sec serial

Diablo 620. proportional spacing hot/ 8 vert tab 2(

Juki 6100. ISchar sec graphic mode

Brother HP, 1A daisy wheel, parallel interface

Brother HR1A serial interlace

JrFlOSI

il.40d

Slarwnter F10 parallel. 40 char/sec

Comre* CR1 word processng printer, serial ml

Comrex CR2. 5k buffer proportional spacing, c

STR-G10X STR-G15X

STRD10 VST-C80FT TOS-1350 OKI-B2A OKI-92A OKI-83 A OK1-84A OKI 2350 EPSRX80 EPS-FX80 EPS-FX100 EPS-MX100 NEC-8023A ADX-9501B ADX-9620B QTX-7030 PRO-8510P PRO-2P DPS-B600 jla PTX-P300 » PTX-P60O

PRINTERS

NEC-7710 NEC-7730 NEC-3550 NEC-2050 SRD-EXP50O SRD-EXP550 DBL-630 )cps OBL-620 JUK-6100 BTH-HRlP BTH-HR1S PRO-F10S PROF10P CRX-CH1S CRX-CR2P

567.00 997 00 1995 00

369 00 1029 00 1129 00 1539 00 359 00 689 00 6985 00 4250 00 5795 00

1979 00 1979 00 1799 00 995 00 459 00 659 00 1765 00 879 00 495 00 695 00 695 00 1125 00 1125 00 729 00 495 00

MONITORS

(IMC l,-Ar]i.,....-u.'li.>'.,i)Mf>r I'-MH; , riPil..i-,itv.,J,>ii

BMC 12 high resoiunon 20MH*

AmOek 3O0G 12 green phosphor

Amdek 3Q0A 12 amber phos Hi resolution

Amdek 310A designed lor IBM/PC amber

Zemin ZVM122 Amber Phosphor 12 40 SO column switcf

Zenrlh ZVM 123 green phosphor 1t' 40/ 80 column switch

NEC JB1201 green phosphor 16MHz com posit video

NEC JB1260 commercial grade composii

Motorola 23 open irame bik 'whrle composilvideo Motorola 12 openIramerequireshorz sync andpower Conrac 9 GSM! SWTH SOjUnM hon sync A 12v supply

COLOR BMCAU9191UColoicomposi1 video wiih sound HWC,i1'MMm,B,i.",l,.iM..„jriH use wish it* IBM tompuler NECJC1203OM RGB color monitor NEC JCI201 color composit ~ "h ZVMLi', RGB S .^,iri(.-,.-sin, -i/ildbif lor IBM PC

3ek Color I. 13 cortlposit video 1 AmoekCcJor-ll 13 RGB hi* resolution

" ")k Color III- 13 RGB. medium res olu 11 ion m HX-12 RGB IBM/PC compatible

AMK 300G

AMK-300A

AMK-310A

ZTH-122

ZTHZ123

NECJB1201

NEC JB1260

USI-I2A

MOT. BW23

MOT-BW12

CON-BW9

BMC 9191

238 95

FjMC f'-iu

379 00

NEC 1203

699 00

NEC JC120

339 00

ZTM-Z135

AMK 200

419 95

AMK 3015

359 95

478 95.

California Digital has recently purchased an OEM liquidation, of new Hazeltine 1420 video terminals These units feature direct cursor addressing, full 62 key keyboard with numeric cluster, RS-232C with baud rates selectable to 9600. Self diagnostics and escape sequences func tion mode make this terminal an excel lent value at only $299 00 HZL-1420

Ha/ethne 1420 Video Display Freedom 100. split screen, de Qunw 102 green phosphor lei Visual 50 Green screen Ampex Dialogue 125 green sc Ampex Dialouge 175 amber s WyseSO. 14 green phosphor

i metal enclosure

Wyse 100, h

Wiw .iOi'i E.gh: i.olu- display, spin !

Televideo910 Plus, block mode

Televideo 925 delatchable keyboard 22 lunciion keys

Televideo 950. yrtiijtjit, o\tu .s,pin screen. 22 lunc

Televideo 970 14 green screen 132 column. Europea

Advanced Logic Systems

I CP/M 3.0 CARD

I Includes Digital Research C/PM Plus

m

Apple liVe. 64K computer only APL-2E

Apple ll/e starter kit. monitor, disk. 80 col card APL-2ESK

AdvancedBusnessTech l3Key Pad ABT-13B

Calif Computer 771 OAAsync Serial Interface CCS-7710

Calif Computer 7710B same but for modem CCS-77t0B

Calif Computer 7114A 12K PROM module CCS-7114

Calif Computer 7720A parallel interface CCS-7720

Calif Computer 7724ACalandar/clOckmodual CCS-7724

Calif Computer 7729A Centronics interface CCS-7729

Calif Computer 7740A programmable timer CCS-7740

California Digital 16K card for standard Apple II CAL-A16

Hayes Micromcdem II for Apple II HYS-MM2

Kensington Micro. System saver fan KEN-SFl

Microsoft Sotcard with CP/M. Z-80 MSF-SFTCD

Mountain Computer The Clock MTN-TCLK

Mountain Computer AD/DA 16 input, 8bit MTfM-ADDA

Mountain Computer ROM Plus with keybd filter MTN-RMF

Mountain Computer ROM writer/socket socket MTN-ROMW

Orange Micro GRAPPLER parallel interface OMS-G2

Sorrento Valley 8 controller double side D/D SVA223

TEAC 5' a disk drive tor Apple II TEA-A2

Vista Vision 80: 80 column card for std.Apple II VSA-V1S80

Vista 8 disk controller double side D/D VSA-A800

ASCII KEYBOARD

49

ides 8 function keys ana u «ey m,

i? al only S49 MlC 93GD 5 lbs available a matching General Dym

ny1f?k. !,Hk<?v irovrfi. ufitd.-i KuyUCMi ier S9 95 HIK-15 Bolh lor only S29 49 key eight on modified M'.iicr.rh r.i.

iler make Ihis keyboard ;

I trim panel S10

) S24 95 Matching 15 lie

California Digital has just purchased from Digital Research over eight hundred of the Advanced Logic Systems I CP/M 3 0 cards, "his unique product offers performance I upto 300°» faste- than existing Apple CP/M cards. Featuring a 6 MHz. Z80B micro-processor. 64K/Byteof on board memory, with CP/M 3 0 along with GSX 80 graphics and CBasic. The ALS card supports larger programs with enhanced CP/M editing features Manufacturers suggested price on the CP/M board is S399. while supplies last California Digital is offering this card at only S1 79. ALS-Z80

$•100 BOARDS

16 BIT MICROPROCESSORS

l, .■:!.; ,.',', .-.i ,. - ' r''HH 6 It, ijBMi'jSS (5:j i.'i.i

SINGLE BOARD COMPUTERS

InsighrEQ-J '?« -I ser...' noiS-IOG INS-EO-1 SSiOO

AilvjnLM 0<Qrl4 (njppy & ti* HMD Z80 7b0 00

I.iHtrSy. '■" ■'■!'■■ ' ' [,;]» I,:-. TL; SMI 89b 11(1

TeieiekfDC I y<igiet>r«"i nowmoti TEL FDC1 675 01)

8 BIT MICROPROCESSORS

GiMitMjut ibiJ .'-Dii-iM'^ujiW iJGi /By „■».) ui)

;■,-< .': ■ ■■ <r CCS-J810 ^raOO

Tjibell Z80 wiifi two RS?J^ pons IAH !M m 00

FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLERS

Godooul Disk I double density GBI-'DSKI :i95 00

Calilorma Computer 2422A with CPM CCS ?J22 J39 00

Morrow Diih Jockuv H wiffi CPM 2 1 MDS-DJ:' Z5Q. 00

Morrow Disk jockey I wim CPM itf PW MOS-OJ! IJ50B

TarbeM Eleciromcs double density rAH-fJDC Jig 00

Tdrtjfill Eleciromcs smqle densily TAB-SDC i7100

Fulcrum DMA OmrnCii* I 010 hard disk FCM-001 J HI TO

CPM OPERATING SYSTEM

HARD DISK CONTROLLERS

Octauonhaidmskconiroller wjirsE C 0CT-HO1

signs a

Gttl-DSK.' 8BT-DSK3 MOS-WiUb

Wesiem Digital nt

EPROM BOARDS

inner Ai.cess E'PfiOM Bo uraQiam-, ?712B lAC-PtQu Oigitji Research PROM Doanl 3?K DOR t>K

STATIC MEMORY BOARDS

Caiiioi ., ■■'. i ■ -: ! , LCS-?Hb .1:

DYNAMIC MEMORY BOARDS

UiitoniM I .,',■«.,,?' "/r.; J'AI D2_* ■ <'

C,ilituir.i.il.:i!".; TWtWIMMEl (Xi>-;%6 '9!

INTERFACE BOARDS

Godbou! IntfrlanT , ? ,..rui ports GST 13JA

GudDOUl Inter1,ir.rr I' 1 Serial 3 p.ir ^purl-, GrjT ■•,'..:

IiI/i.IOiujI Ir■ Ir rl,ir_.. ' II Ai": -i ■,.11,11 [Jlirts, liHI llijwl

GodljuijM'.lurljci'r .11 *.(!i 8 .nn.d port5 GUI VISA '...■■IV !»■:* ;\r„:.lll«'i Gi.ll 'rVA

■!'i!. Ou :.,-;:> Oil

I'M,!, 'p,u ■

I 3S

SPECIAL FUNCTION BOARDS

H4»esS liW hterom-Weni JO0D-1urj my Ml 00 Iffl "J

010 npm rCHdMWill :■••'■-', OfC-CClOO 13b 9

UliilSijiilSyiifJi.Mjppi.rnili.inl lUti'HDMI.ii; SVS1 3'>', Ml)

kiiiiiDfJuiSySlti'i-.upp'jr:!' ifJ !'■' I ■i:.rlrrGHl SOi'i !>., ■ uO

Dual Systems :'.■rurw i?diID Acuiw iftC-rjMi/ 6'm M)

Dii-ii Saturn t,'tin resoiiiimii l.'i.n A \) DSI. A'Mia (.:' ■ HO

MuIIhis Opto Isunoi ior:irois fl ch MUt-iCBlO 1.100

Mi.i i., ..liii*iOo,iiri AimiogicAproC; Mill TH4 79 Ihi

I (J I-.' HuijyWireAidpprotolyiK' ID I W1011 19 Oi,

A'lisE|.il'Diiicswire*ia()prololype AHI ttWI'Jd lb 00

ArlBl.i.it.'I1IOHICf!(Jt;lWilJlilllipoSei.ulO«r AHI (,l-!uii ,';> DO

MAINFRAMES & MOTHER BOARDS

'idlluout 1-' ilutmuir.'-! !i.i.U(!.is,t;iiihiwl dBI-MB!

I B M BOARDS

Uu.dMih'ii;-' ■ 6--:k rnemiify & sc-ulp 0uadram512- 512Kmenwry HS232 Quadhoard 64K four f unction !)'j.i;]li'M,'a c'iijK.i.j.j' Function f-±- M-q,i-!ii:. 64K Wtt clOCk^cal

Asr i/o >ius

ASTCamboPlUEfiJK i:lk r;a; AST AJvjr.-.erJ CommunicatW

Peacock color j '

QUD-S1?/61 QUO-5T2.'5l? QUO-dr64 QUD-4/256 ■cai AST MEGp

AST-I'O Sparl ASTCB64 irfl AST-ACC

port PEA-C —

?59 95

J37 95 281 00

STB Super RIO6i..._ STB Super RIO 256K STB Super RIO Piggypack 64K STB Super RIO PiqqyEat.k?56K

STB-I'D? STB-I 0 STB-HI 64

STB-RUW STB Rl,% STB-PB64

;i!B PH,-'.S6

h:iyn-.: '?00!li-'lr-f ,ii ■Ti.-,.ii'fi, :;-■ li'.M P>' HYS-12008

Quickcom300 1200 internal modem WA0-3M?

Mcintr. Carlr. fi4K pius. S PpurT i.lk Ci\ ■ MBI-GT1

Vista Maxir.-jir] Ham fiparifialjle '" 'i.'KK VSA-M576

429 00 495 00 329 00 247 00

Telex 753607

VISA

Shipping: First five pounds $3.00, each additional pound $.50. Foreign orders: 10% shipping, excess will be refunded. California residents add 612% sales tax. • COD's discouraged. Open accounts extended to state supported educational institutions and companies with a strong "Dun & Bradstreet" rating. Retail location: 17700 Figueroa Street. Carson CA. 90248.

TOLL FREE ORDER LINE

(800)421-5041

TECHNICAL & CALIFORNIA

(213)217-0500

SPECIAL PRICES

For the 4th of July Shopper

we will Beat All competitor's Prices!

Franklin Computer

• 1200 OMS 2 Drives, AppleCompatible

• CPM Compatible

* Hi-Res Creen'Monitor

• Ace calc, Ace writer,

C Basic

Mitsubishi Disk Drive

• 4853, 96TPI • Slimline/SA465 Comp.

List $399

$169

Hayes Microcomputer

• 1200 Baud

• Stand alone

* Hi-Res. Amber Monitor

List $649

$489

List $2295

$1495

Apple Computer

• Apple HE

• 64K CPU

Siemans Disk Drive

• FDD100-8 • Sgl. Side/Dbl. Density

List $399 $11 9

List $999

$799

FDD200-8Dbl/Dbl

$180

IBM PC

• PCW/256K • 2 Drives

Tandon

• TM100-2 • Dbl./Dbl. 360K

64K Memory Chips

• All Prime Parts • 90 Day warranty

4164-150NS —$5.75 ea. 4164-200NS — $5.40 ea. 4164-250NS —$5.20ea. 9 chips needed for64K

Okidata Printer

• ML92A

• 160CpS »

• Correspondence Quality

List $2999

$2249

List $399

$195

List $599

$409

<*&

with these Specials!

Apple compatible Drives

QUANTITY 1 2 10

Micro Sci

A-2,35 Track $200 S190 S180

Controller 80 70 65

Ouentin Research

Apple Mate S195 S185 S175

Controller 65 55 45

Rana Systems

Elitel $240 S235 S225

Elite II, Obi. Head 35 345 335

Elite ill, Quad Density 455 445 435

ControllerControls4 Drives 90 80 75

Half Height

FD525AFullVApplecom $150 $140 $130

5Va" Disk Drives

OUANTITY

1 2 10

Teac

FD55A, 160K $160 $150 $140

FD55B.360K '... 180 170 160

FD55F, Quad Density 200 190 180

All Teacs are Half Heignts

Tandon

TM100-1.160K $200 S190 $180

TM100-2,360K 195 190 185

TM101-4, Quad Density 280 270 260

TM55-2,360K W Height 220 210 200

MPI

B-52.360K PC Compatible $200 $190 S180

Shugart

SA400,160K $200 S190 $180

SA455,360K1/! Height 220 210 200

SA465, Quad Den. Vi Height ... 230 220 210

Mitsubishi

4851, ViHeight $220 $210 S200

4853, Quad Den.1/: Height 169 169 169

Control Data Corp.

CDC9409,360K $230 $220 $210

CDC 9409T, Quad Density 300 250 200

Matsushita

JA-155 S160 $150 $140

Chinon

FD55A<sameasTeac)l60K S140 $130 S120

8" Disk Drives

OUANTITY

1 2 10 Siemens

FDD-100-8 S119 S115 $110

FDD-200-8 180 170 160

Shugart

801R,Sgl./Dbl $360 S350 $340

851R,Dbl./Dbl 470 460 450

Tandon

TM848-1,Sgl./Dbl.V!Ht $350 $340 $330

TM848-2, Dbl./Dbl. ViHt 400 390 380

Mitsubishi

M2894-63, Dbl./Dbl $410 $400 $390

M2896-63,Dbl./Dbl.V2Ht 410 400 390

Qume

DT8,DatatrakS $450 $440 S430

5Va" & 8"

Power Supply & Cabinets

OUANTITY

1 2 10 PC Products 51/4"

SingleCabinetw/pwr $ 70 $ 60 $ 50

DualThinlineCabw/pwr ...... 80 70 60

Dual Cabinets Power 80 70 60

All have 6 month Warranty

PC Products 8"

Sgl.Cabinetw/pwr&fan $220 S210 $200

Dualw/pwrfor2thinlines . 220 210 200

Dualw/pwr&fan 270 260 250

FOR YOUR LARGEST SINGLE COMPUTER OUTLET

and the lowest prices in this Magazine

CALL 800-847-1718

THIS MONTH ONLY

FREE Shipping

for all Prepaid Orders

APPLE ADD ON S

COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Apple

CPU Only S 799

Mcintosh 2195

Portable 1150

Compaq Portable (PC Compatible) S1995

Franklin

Ace1000,64K S 700

Ace12000MS 1450

Kaypro

Kayproll $1149

Kaypro4+ 1695

KayprolO 2495

IBM

PC64K,2-Drlves S2150

XT Hard Disk Drive, 128K 4495

PCPortable Call

SANYO

mbc-550 PC compatible S 699

MBC-5552-Drives, more software ., 1099

ALS

zcard S 119

CPM3.0Card 269

Astar

RFModulator S 15

Fanw/Surge 29

Kensington SystemSaver S 69

Koala Graphics Tablet S 89

Kraft

Joystick S 49

Micro Max

Viewmax80,80col.card S 139

vlewmax80E(FforilB64K 129

Micro Soft

16KCard S 69

PremlumSoftCardiiE 369

Multiplan 189

SoftCard(Z80> 239

Micro Tek

Bam 16,16k Memory S 59

Serial interface 89

TC

Joystick S 44

seiect-A-Port 31

Paddles 34

IBM ADD ON S

Ast Research

SixPack + S 274

Mega + 274

IBM

Monochrome Adapter S 319

Colorcard 245

Plantronics PC+ w/software S 389

Quadram

OuadColorCard S 219

Quad Link 479

64K upgrade

64KofMemory S 48

USl Research Paradise Systems multi-display card S 389

MODEMS

Anchor

Mark vii 300 Baud S 139

Markxil, i200Baud 279

Hayes Micro computer

Smart Modem 300 Baud S 199

Smart Modem 1200 Baud 489

Smart Modem 1200B for PC 399

Micro Modem HE 239

Novation

j-cat S 119

Applecatn 259

PRINTERS

Dynax

DX15, LetterQualitv S 449

0X25 729

Epson

RX-80(120cps) S 319

RX-80FTH20CPS) Friction &Tractor. 419

FX-80I160CPS) 519

FX-l00d60cps)l5"Carriage 729

Okidata

82Ad20cps)Par&serlnter S 299

83A<15" Carriage) 569

84P (200 cps) Frictions Tractor .... 999

New Series Okidata

92P(160cps) S 429

93P (15" carriage) 699

Star Micronics

Gemini 10X(120cps) S 279

Gemini 15Xd20cps) 15"Carriage... 399 Powertyped8cps)Ltr.qual 479

PRINTER INTERFACES

Cables

iBMtoPrlnter S 29

Kaypro to Printer 29

RS232Cables 29

Fourth Dimension

Card&Cable S 49

Microtek Dumpling GX(GrapplerCompatible) S 89

Dumpling GXexpto64K 149

DumplingGX16Kw/l6Kexpto64K . 169

for each additional 16K 15

Okidata Options

Tractor for 82 & 92 S 59

serial interface 99

Orange Micro

crappler+ s 114

Grappler + W/16K 179

Star or Epson

Epson Serial interface S 119

Star serial Interface 59

wesper Micro wizard Full Graphics interface S 89

Computer Components Unlimited

A California Corporation

RETAIL STORE:

11976 Aviation Blvd. ■rd inglewood, CA 90304

MAIL ORDER:

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This Ad Supersedes All Others

No Surcharge for Credit Card,

MONITORS

Amdek

colon + Composite video S 289

colorii + RGBVideo 419

300G, 12" Green 139

300A, 12" Amber 149

310A, Monochrome Amber 179

BMC

9191 Color New Version 5 239

IBM

Monochrome Hi ResGreen S 319

Princton Graphics

PGSHX12.IBMCOPV S 469

PGSSR-12, Hi-ResCOlor 649

PGSMAX-12,12" Monochrome 199

USl

P11,9" Green, Hi Res, 20MHz S 100

pi 2,12" Green, hi Res, 20MHz 100

PI 3,12" Amber, Hi Res, 20MHz 100

Pl4,9"Amber,HiRex,20MHz 100

Zenith

ZVMi22,Hi-ResCreen S 109

ZVM123, Hi-ResAmber 109

WW cabinets

SingleCab.w/powersupply S 70

Dual cab. w/powersupply 80

DualThinlinecab.w/pwr.sup 80

8" Cabinets singiecab.w/fan&powersuppiy, .$ 220 Duaicab.w/fan&powersupply ... 270

DISK DRIVE CABINETS

DISKETTES

ecu

Sgl/Dbl reinforced hub. $17 I00forl50

Dbl/Dbl reinforced hub . 22 I00for200

Not Bulk Packed

Dysan

Sgl/Dbl S33 100for300

Dbl/Dbl 39 100for370

Maxell

MD1 Sgl/Dbl S25 100f0r235

MD2Dbl/Dbl 38 100fOr360

verbatim

Sgl/Dbl S26 100for240

Dbl/Dbl 36 100for340

Dysan

Sgl/sgl S34 I00for320

Dbl/Dbl 53 100for480

Maxell

Sgl/Dbl $44 100for380

Dbl/Dbl 50 100for469

verbatim

Sgl/Sgl S30 I00for280

Dbl/Dbl 40 100for360

8 DISKETTES

DISK ACCESSORIES

verbatim

8" or 51/4" Head Cleaning Kit $ 9

Flip TUb

51/4" Holds 50 disks, plexiglass 17

51/«" Holds 70 disks, plexiglass 21

Sales Desk

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Outside California inside Cilifoi ma

Customer Service & Technical

(213)643-5191

All merchandise new we .icrept MC, Vim, Wire Transfer COD Cill. certified Check. POs from uu.ilified firms, APO.iceepied snipping Minimum S4 SO first s pounds T.ix CHifoini.i Res Only .idd ()' .•". s.iles t.ix

PRICES REDUCED DRASTICALLY

CALL TOLL-FREE (800) 545-2633

DISK DRIVES

PRINTERS

SHUGART

5V." SA400 (35 TR) 160K 149.00

5V." SA400L (40 TR) 190K 175.00

5V." SA455L (40 TR) 320K W HGT 195.00

8" SA801 R(SS/DD) 600K 355.00

QUME

5V4" 142 (40 TR) 320K Vi HGT 200.00

8" DT8 (842) 490.00

MITSUBISHI 8" M-2896-63 Thinline 8" DS/DD 12 MG 419.00 8" M-2894-63(110V) Standard 8"

DS/OD 1 2 MG 419.00

5V<" M4853 Quad Density 199.00

coc

514" 9409-OS/DD 225.00

TANOON

5V." TM100-1 SS/DD 160K 139.00

51*" TM100-2A DS/DD (320K)

FOR IBM-PC 199.00

TM101 -4 (96 TPI Quad Den) 299.00

MPI

5V." B-51 40TR SS/DD 180K 150.00

5%" B-52 40TR DS/DD 320K

(FOR IBM PC) 195.00

DRIVE CABINETS

8 CABINETS

8" DDC88V28 w/PS vertical tor

2-8" drives 269.00

8" DDC88T-1 w/PS vertical-tor 2 or 4-8"

thinline drives 269.00

8" DDC88T-2 w/PS vertical lor 2-8"

thinline drives 155.00

8" DDC8V w/PS vertical lor 1-8" drive .. 249.00 8 DDC88H w/PS horizontal for

2-8" drives 269.00

5V." CABINETS 5V DDC5H w/PS horizontal-tor

1-5V drive 55.00

5V DDC5V w/PS vertical-tor 1 ea 5V drive

50.00

5 V DDC55V w/PS verlical-lor 2-5'«" drives (NEW)

85.00

NEW SLIMLINE" DRIVE CABINET 5'V DDC55H'i w/PS horizontal lor 2 ea

5 v." drive — Specity DRIVE 75.00

All Cabinets Available with Extender Connector Add '10.00 ea.

DATA CABLES

8" DSC 88-2SKT-for 2-8" drvs w/skt. conn 20.00 S'/«" DSC55-2SKT-for 1-5V." drvs

w/skt. conn 20.00

RS232MM-5 (male to male) 19.00

IBM to PAR or COLUMBIA to PAR .... 24.00

Osborne to PAR 26.00

Kaypro to PAR 26.00

Many OHMrt Available

Lemon (6AC outlets-3 prong) 44.00

Lime (5-3 prong pwr cord w/on-ott switch) 69.00 Orange-AC surge ♦ EMI (liter (6 outlets) . - 95.00 Peach (3 outlets) AC surge/EMI filter 69.00

AC SURGE ELIMINATORS

DAISYWRITER

Daisywriter 2000-48K Butter/20TO40CPS Letter Quality Par or Serial 999.00

DIABLO

620 (25CPS/Serial) 920.00

630 (40CPS/Multi-IF) 1,799.00

630 ECS/IBM 2,100.00

DYNAX Dynax-15 Par-13CPS Daisywheel

2 color PTG-3K butt 449.00

Dynax 15 Serial-13CPS Daisywheel 525.00

EPSON

FX80 (160 CPS-Par 10") 485.00

FX100 (160 CPS-Par 15") 719.00

JUKI

6100-18CPS/Diablo Compatible

Par/ Daisywheel 438.00

MANNESMAN-TALLY

Spirit 80CPS Par 10" 289.00

160L (160CPS-40CPS Letter Quality 10") 589.00 180L (160CPS-40CPS Letter Quality 15") 799.00

OKI-DATA

Microline 82A (SER & PAR-120CPS 10 1 299 00 Microline 83A (SER & PAR-120CPS 15") 569'oO Microline 92 (PAR-160CPS-LTR-10) ... 41900 Microline 93 (PAR-160CPS-LTR-15") ... 700 00 Microline 84P (PAR-200CPS-LTR-15') . 1,000 00 Microline 84S (SER-200CPS-LTR-15") . 1,100.00

STAR MICRONICS Gemini 10X NEW VERSION

(PAR-120CPS-10") 268.00

Gemini 15X (PAR-120CPS-15") 395.00

TOSHIBA

P1340 - Smaller version ol 1350 / 10" Carriage /

112 CPS Draft Mode / 54 CPS Ltr Quality 395 00

(List Price $1395)

P-1350 - 192 CPS Draft Mode / 120 CPS

Ltr Quality / Specify Par or Serial 1,699.00

Hayes 300 219.00

Hayes 1200

OUR BEST BUY

ANCHOR MARK XII

300/1200 Band Auto Answer/Auto Dial Direct Connect Intelligent Modem w/RS 232 Cable Included 2 Telephone Jacks. Low Power (60 MA) Dial Tone Detect 269.00

DISKETTES

15V» Discount lor Oty 100

FOR APPLE, ETC.

5'/4" Soft Sector SS/DD . 15 00

For IBM PC & PARTNERS

5'/<" Soft Sector DS/DD 20.00

• Lifetime Warranty

• All have Hub Rings and PLASTIC CASE

APPLE FRANKLIN

ACCESSORIES

ALS

CPM 3 0 Caid 269.00

Z-Card II 119.00

Smarterm 2 — 80 Col Video lor 2+ 139.00

COOL TIME

Fan, Surge Protection. Real Time Clock 2 Outlets tor Printer & Monitor 85.00

GENERIC

16K RAM Add-on 45.00

HAYES JOYSTICKS

Mach II (For II & HE) 33.95

Mach III (with firing button) 42.95

HAYES MODEM

Micro-Model HE w/terminal package .... 239.00

MICRO-MAX

View Max 80 (80 Col for II *) 149.00

View Max 80E (80 Col w 64K Memory

Expands to 128KI 139.00

ORANGE MICRO

Parallel Interlace (No Graphics) 61.00

Grappler • (Graphics Interface) 119.00

Grappler ♦ 16K (Buffer and 5 to 64K) ... 175.00

Bulfer Board 135.00

TG PRODUCTS

Joy Stick-For Apple II * 38.00

Paddles 29.00

Selecta Port 38.00

VIDEX

Ultraterm 279.00

Videterm with Softswitch 219.00

APPLE DISK DRIVES

STANDARD SIZE

Micro Sci A-2 (35TR) 189.00

V, SIZE

Super 5" "Green" Thinline 163K 40TR

Belt Drive 179.00

Super 5 "Blue" Thinline 163K 40TR

Direct Drive 189.00

Super 5 "Red" Thinline 163K 40TR

Teac Drive 200.00

RANA

RANA 1 239.00

RANA 2 Dbl Sided 339.00

RANA 3 Quad Density 429.00

ALL DRIVES 1 YR. WARRANTY

APPLE DISK CONTROLLERS

Micro-Sci (35TR) 60.00

Generic (35TR) , 50.00

Micro-Sci (40TR) 89.00

RANA 85.00

OKI-DATA 92 Printer

160CPS - Par Port Ltr Quality

Only $419.00

DAISY-WRITER 2000

With Tractor - 20/40 CPS Daisy wheel - Ltr Quality

Only $999.00

SANYO PRODUCT

• Teac FD55B - DS/DD With Software Only

$229.00

• Serial Interface With Cable,

Software $69.00

TERMS

Open account to state supported

universities & companies with high

Dun & Bradstreet rating.

Visa, MC. Check or Money Order U.S. funds only. Minimum order $15.00

yXv

Computer Company,

1-801-972-2717

PRO-MODEM 1200

• 300/1200 BAUD

• Hayes Compatible

• Auto Answer/Originate

• Clock/Calendar

• Auto Dial

Only $368.00

TOLL FREE f" 1-800-545-2633 CONTINENTAL U.S.

Minimum Shipping S3.00 in the Continental U.S.A.

WE WILL BEAT ANY ADVERTISED PRICE!

IBM SYSTEMS

IBM ACCESSORIES

AST PRODUCTS

Combo Plus (Senal/Par/CLK 64 lo 256K) 259.00

OUR BEST BUY

Si* Pak Plus (Senal/Par/CLK/64K

Expands to 384K) 269.00

Six Pak Plus (Senai/Par/CLK/3B4K) ... 569.00

Meg-A-Plus (Senal/CLK/64K

Expands lo 256K) 269.00

Meg-A-Pak {Expands Meg-A-Plus

lo 512K) 270.00

DC. HAYES

Smartmodem 1200B-Smartcom 2

w/ software 399.00

KEYTRONICS

5150 Keyboard 199.00

5151 Keyboard 229.00

MAYNARD

Floppy Controller

Floppy Controller (Serial)

Floppy Controller (PAR)

Sandslar MOD-FDC

MODULAR (lor 5V orB" drives!

ADD-ONS FOR Parallel MOD

SANDSTAR Serial-MOD

MOD-FDC Clock Caiendai MOD Game Adapter MOD Sandstai Multi-Function Bd (Holds up to

6 modular add-ons

NEW 10 MG Hard Disk (Internall

w Controller

160.00 230.00 210.00

205.00 60.00 79.00

69.00 49.00

82.00

IBM COLOR CARDS

P.C. PRODUCTS CORP

Rainbow Color Card 529.00

• 4 Times Better Tnan IBM Color

• Expands to 128K RAM • PAR Port

• Serial Port • Game Adapter • Light Pen Intf

• Mono Output • Composite Output

Hercules 339.00

PC Peacock 299.00

PRINCETON GRAPHICS

HX-12-Hi-Res Color 479.00

SR-12-Super Hi-Res Color 649.00

OUADRAM

Quadlink 449.00

Quadcolor 1 199.00

Quadcolor 2 199.00

Ouadboard 1 .... (No memory) 199.00

Quadboard 1 .... (64K) 259.00

Expands to 256K Serial, Parallel, Clock, Software

Quadboard 2 .... (No memory) 199.00

Ouadboard 2 .... (64K) 259.00

Expands to 256K 2 Serial Port, Clock and software Ouadboard 384

With 64K (Expands to 384K). Serial, Parallel. Clock. Game Port and software 249.00

MAIL ORDER TOLL FREE 1-800-545-2633

SHUGART12MG HARD DISK

FOR IBM

With Maynard Controller and Software

Only $989.00

IBM PC-1—Includes 64K RAM, 1 ea. 320K Disk

Drive 1,875.00

IBM PC-2— Includes 64 RAM, 2 ea. 320K Disk

Drive 2,195.00

IBM PC-3—Includes 256K RAM. 2 ea. 320K Disk Drive, Mono Adapter, Mono

Display 2,399.00

IBM PC-4—Includes 256K RAM, 2 ea, 320K Disk Drive, Peacock Color Card. Princeton HX 12 Display 3,395.00

IBM-XT

• 128K RAM • 1 ea 320K F.D. • 1 ea.

10MG Hard Disk '4,195.00

8087 CPU 179.00

IBM UP-GRADE KIT

INCLUDES 9 EA 4164-200NS FOR EXPANSION ON ALL IBM PRODUCTS WITH PARITY

IBM DISK DRIVES

CDC

CDC 5'/i"9409DS/DD320K Quietest Drive . 225.00

PANASONIC — BEST BUY IN V, HGT

5V JA-155 (40 TR) 320K 'j HGT Direct Dirve

w/Brackets 169.00

2 lor 310.00

TEAC

5'4" F-55B (40TR) 320K 'i HGT Direct Drive

(For Sanyo & IBMI w/Brackets 169.00

2 lor 320.00

SHUGART DISK DRIVES

SA455L-1/2 HGT 320K DS/DD

w/BRACKETS 195.00

2 tor 370.00

TANDON DISK DRIVES

TM 100-2A 320K DS/DD 199.00

Back up for Hard Disk

6.38 MG Removable

Hard Disk

Only $969.00 Extra Disk $99.00

IBM COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS

IBS SYSTEM

IBM • LOOK-ALIKE'

PC-2000 — Basic Mainframe 929.00

FEATURES • 5 Slot Mother Bd W/64K (Expands to 256K)

• Power Supply w/Fan

• Lo-Profile Keybd - 96 Key

• 2 ea Serial • 1 ea PAR

• Space for 4 ea. Vi HGT Drives or 2 Full Size.

• Will run PC/DOS or MS/DOS

• Will run all MS/DOS Compatible Software

•PC-2001 — Includes 64K RAM. 1 ea.

320K F.D 1,350.00

PC-2002 — Includes 64K RAM, 2 ea.

320K F.D 1,595.00

PC-2003 — Includes 256K RAM, 2 ea. 320K F.D..

Video CD, 12" 300A Mono Display 1,895.00

PC-2004 — Includes 256K RAM, 2 ea. 320K F.D.. Color Cd, Princeton Color Monitor 2,395.00

COMPAQ

Compaq with 256K and 2 ea.

F.D. (360K), Par Port 2,359.00

COLUMBIA

1600-1. 2-Drives(360K) 2,569.00

1600-4, 12MB Hard Disk 3,695.00

MPC-XP Portable 2,289.00

SANYO

MBC550, 1 -Drive, software 789.00

MBC555. 2-Drives. more software 1,099.00

MBC550-2 949.00

MBC555-2 1,295.00

Optional Serial Port 69.00

GREEN

BMC 12AU (15MHZ) 80 Col/12" 79.00

USI PI-1 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/9" 100.00

USI PI-2 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/12" ,100.00

AMBER USI PI-4 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/80-Col/9" . . . 100.00 USI PI-3 (20 MHZ) Hi-Res/80 Col/12" .. 100.00

COLOR

Amdek 1-12" Composite (For Apple) 259.00

Amdek I • Composite w/audio 275.00

Amdek ll-12"-RGB (For IBM-PC) w/audio 419.00

DISPLAY MONITORS

OUR BEST BUY

OUR BEST BUY FOB APPLE SAKATA SC-100 Best Composite Video for Apple According to Creative Computing Analysis 259.00 OUR BEST BUY FOR IBM

Princeton HX-12-RGB (For IBM-PC) 479.00

TEAC FD55B DS/DD 360K

TEAC FD55F Quad Density

$169.00 $219.00

QUADBOARD 384K

With 64K

(Expands to 384K)

Serial, Par, Clock,

Game Port and Software

Only $249.00

Retail Sales

123 East 200 South

Salt Lake City, Utah 84111

^s^/y^

Computer Company,

1-801-972-2717

Mail Orders l

1780 West 2300 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84119

Prices subject to change without notice.

Serial 4 Illlllll I ^ Para//e/

Convert What You Have To What You Want!

' RS232 Serial ' 8 Baud Rates

' Latched Outputs

* Centronics Parallel ' handshake Signals

• Compact 3K x 4% X t}|

No longer will your peripheral choices be limited by the type of port you have availablel Our new High Performance 700 Series Converters provide the missing link. Based on the latest in CMOS technology, these units feature full baud rate selection to 19.2K, with handshake signals to maximize transfer efficiency. Detailed documentation allows simplified installation. Order the Model 770 (Ser'Par) or Model 775 (Par/Sen Today!

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Connteior Op.ion 110.1 CA nuldanii B". u. UPS Shipping S3 00

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300

BAUD

MODEMS

1200 BAUD

SIGNALMAN Free 'SOURCE'

300 BAUD direct connect $ 69

300 BAUD AUTO DIAL/ANS $ 99

300/1200 AUTO DIAL/ANS $299

US ROBOTICS. . . 300/1200 AUTO

■Hayes Compatible' "Password' with cables, spkr $339

Auto 212' dlxe $399

DOT .. m . LETTER

MATRIX PRINTERS QUALITY

GEMINI lOx 120 cps graphics $289

PROWRITER120 cps hi density $359

JUKI daisy wheel 18 cps $565

DAISYWRITER 40 cps $999

cpm COMPUTERS ibm

Eagle SCALL Columbia PC.

Kaypro HARDDISKS Corona P.C.

Televideo PORTABLES Eagle P.C.

IMAGE COMPUTERS

P.O. Box 1164, Cardiff, CA 92007 CALL TO ORDER: _ __

(619) 436-7669 af*% ^£T VISA/MC

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CONVERSED COMPUTER

Created at MIT in 1966. ELIZA has become the world's mos! celebrated artificial intelligence demonstration program ELIZA is a non-directive psychotherapist wtio analyzes each statement as you type it in and then responds with her own comment or question-and her remarks are often amazingly appropriate!

Dasigned to run on a large mainframe. ELIZA has never before been available to personal computer users except in greatly stripped down versions lacking the sophistication which made the original program so fascinating

Now. our new microcomputer version possessing the FULL power and range ot expression of the original is being offered at the introductory price of only $25 And it you want to fmd out how she does it (or teach her to do more), we will include the complete SOURCE PROGRAM for only S20 additional.

Order your copy of ELIZA today and you ll never again wonder how to respond when you hear someone say. 'Okay, lets see what this cornouter of yours can actually do'

ELIZA 18 AVAILABLE IN THE FOLLOWING FORMATS:

6.SX

Please add $2 00 Shipping and handling to all orders (California residents please add 6% sales texl

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH GROUP

IMMLMLV 621 North La Jolla Avenue. Oept S Los Angeles, CA 90046 12131856-7366 (213)654-2214 MC VISA and checks accepted

VISA

Circle 130 on Inquiry card.

Circle 156 on Inquiry card.

Circle 28 on Inquiry card.

BM

XT COMPATIBLE OEM COMPONENT SALE

Computer Case $150.00

Key Board $199.00

Power Supply $225.00

Mother Board-Bare $ 95.00

Mother Board without ICs. . $225.00

Mother Board with ICs $525.00

Dealers/OEM Buyers Quantity Discounts Available.

All items are 100% XT Compatible as

replacement kits. Case with interchangable

rear panel for PC Users. Bare board comes

with complete instruction with part list. 1

year manufactures warranty on most items.

VISA and MasterCard welcome

Price change without notice

IBM is a trademark of

International Business Machine

HiTech International, Inc.

4'H.i. ll (amino Ktnl. S»il« nil

Ix.s Alios. (A "M022 (4IS) 444-0I4I II X I7I»S4 IB<

SPECTACULAR

LOWEST PRICES 3M DISKETTES

HME WARRANTY

$180ea™ $930ea

WA" SS/QD/96TPI ... $2.55 5>/i" DS/QD/96TPI ... $3.20

8" SS/SD $2.00

8" SS/DD $2.45

8" DS/DD $2.95

1-800-328-3472

Dealer inquiries invited. COD's and charge carda accepted. All orders shipped from stock within 24 hrs.

North Hills Corporation

3564 Rolling View Dr.

White Bear Lake, MN 55110

MN Call Collect 1-612-770-0485

Disks 'n Things

♦ Dealer Inquiries Welcomed

Circle 153 on Inquiry card.

Circle 236 on Inquiry card.

Circle 106 on Inquiry card.

MEMORY MODULES

8Kx8 CMOS RAM

Radio Shack Model 100 SEC PC-8201

* Suggested List $120.00, ^-f*0±m

Purple price *09.95

* Low power CMOS design.

* Simple installation

* 30 dey satisfaction guarantee or your money beck.

* 1 Yeer warranty

* Next dey shipment vie UPS Included In price.

* Optional Memory Teet program $15. (Cassette) No trills dlrsct connect Modem Cable • S9.95

Shipping: From stock. Free UPS surface Cont. USA-Add $4.00 lor UPS 2 day Air-Add $7.00 for Canada-Payment: VISA or M/C. Checks held 14 days. -Tex: 67. (Calif, only).

PURPLE COMPUTING

CALL NOW

2068 Ventura Blvd. 4T3* Camarilla, Ca. 93010 sV4

(805) 987-4788

Circle 255 on Inquiry card.

BASF FLEXYDISKS® WHOLESALE C2^ 100% ERROR FREE ^J? LIFETIME WARRANTY

3W" SOFT SECTORED

54112 SS/SD »346

5%" SOFT SECTORED

54974 SS/SD 171

54980 DS/DD 2.36

54986 DS/QD 2.84

8" SOFT SECTORED

54998 SS/SD 2.14

54021 SS/DD 271

54039 DS/DD 3.53

VISA, MC, AMERICAN EXPRESS, COD

DEALER INQUIRIES INVITED

TOLL FREE 1-800-323-5357

IN ILLINOIS 1-312-982-1030

ASK FOR PAUL

CREST COMPUTER SUPPLY, INC.

7855 N. GROSS POINT ROAD SKOKIE, IL. 60077

Circle 92 on Inquiry card.

APPLE COMPATIBLE HARDWARE

INTERFACE FOR TYPEWRITER,

CENTRONICS AND WORDSTAR

COMPATIBLE

Model « Price

Tl Olivetti Praxis 30. 35. 40 $91

T2 Olivetti Praxis 41

T3 Silvet Reed Ex 42, 43, 44 » Penman

T4 Adler Satellite 11 and Alpha Royal 2001

T5 Olympia Compact and Swintec 1146 CM

INFRARED INTERFACE FOR REMOTE OPERATION WITHOUT CABLES

IRR Board. Receiver station $99

for use with one or all:

IRN Numerical Pad VisiCal compatible $49

IRK Full keyboard with lower case $129

IRC Four direction cursor control $29

■ jHfe TO ORDER CALL (408) 734-4631

INTERFACE

Advanced Transducer Devices, Inc. 1287 Lawrence Sta. Re/.. Sunnyvale. CA 94089

Additional $2 50 per order lor ihtppin$ Cahf miotenti add 6'.'\. tax

Circle 13 on inquiry card.

^-;-,.1.-'::—v.;;y)- ■<*

Hrl

MEGd

<»»

Ideal for

• COMPUTERISTS

• OEM MANUFACTURERS

• DEVELOPMENT LABS

• UNIVERSITIES

• INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

THE ULTIMATE OEM/PC

COMPATIBLE SINGLE

BOARD COMPUTER

FULL IBM - PC* COMPATIBILITY!

DEALERS AND OEM MANUFACTURERS QUANTITY DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE

Standard Keyboard Interface

(Full PC compatible)

Eight Compatible I/O Interface Connectors

(Full PC compatible) (compatible with all IBM-PC* plug-in cards)

Special J1 Interface

(Allows horizontal mounting of compatible expansion cards for easy bus expansion and custom configuring) (Board has 62 pin gold plated compatible connector)

I

Extended ROM Capability

(Runs all compatible PC ROMS) (Jumper programmable to accommodate all popular 8K, 16K, 32K and 64K ROM chips and NEW EE ROMS! VPP power pin available for EP ROM burning!) (External VPP voltage required)

Board Size

10.5 inch X 13.5 inch

Full Mega-Byte Ram Capacity! On board!

(With parity)

□ 256K Bytes using 64K chips

□ 1 Mega Bytes using 256K chips

Hardware Reset

(Overcomes reset flaw in PC)

Power Connector

(Full IBM* pinout compatible)

8088 Processor

(Same as PC)

8087 Numeric Processor

(Same as PC)

Peripheral Support Circuits

(Same as PC)

Configuration Switches

(Same as PC)

Speaker/Audio Port

(Same as PC)

Wire Wrap Area

To facilitate special custom applications!

ORDER NOW!!!

Evaluation Board Kit!

(Blank board with full assembly instructions and parts list.)

Includes highest quality PC board with gold plating, silk screen, solder mask

□ MEGA-BOARD™ with full assembly instructions '. $9995]

□ USERS MAN UAL with theory of operation,

schematics, block diagram, application notes $19 95

□ MEGA-BIOS™ fully compatible MS-DOS/PC-DOS BIOS $29.951

ORDER NOW!!!

SATISFACTION GUARANTEED! 10-day money back guarantee if not completely satisfied

WE

DISPLAY

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

CORPORATION

4100 SPRING VALLEY ROAD SUITE 400 DALLAS, TX 75234 (214)991-1644

TERMS: Shipment made 2 to 5 weeks from receipt of order. VISA, MC, money order, company check accepted. COD'S require $25 deposit. Balance UPS COD. Please add $2.00 shipping and handling per order.

•IBM and IBM PC are trademarks of International Business Machines Circle 112 on inquiry card.

©1983 Display Telecommunications Corporation

JULY I984 -BYTE 449

ADVANCED

CXDMPUTER

PRODUCTS

TM

IBM PC MULTICARD

MULTICARD" multifunction card for the IBM PC & XT expandable to 256K. Thousands of this popular card have already been shipped by ACP.

• 64-256K • Disk Emulator Software

• Parallel Port • Printer Spooler Software

• Serial Port • Clock/Calendar

• 1 Year Warranty • Clock Software

$22900 w/64K $22900

S-10064KcmosRAMCARD

Unbelievable Price!

$2gg00

Assembled and Tested

• ACP has sold over 1000 of these IEEE compatible, low-priced, high-reliability 64K Static RAM Cards. Single 5-Volt operation.

SIEMENS SALE

You can now purchase Shugart , compatible 8" Disk Drives below your

existing factory direct pricing! These Prices are the lowest ever published

•Siemen's SSDD FOD100-8.. $169.00

Also, with purchase of Disk Drives

you can buy the Vista V-1000 Dual Case

with Power Supply and Cable

for only $375.00 Regular Price $495.00

Offer Limited! Factory Warranty 90 Days! Shipped Immediately from Stock! 'OEM Quantities

DOT MATRIX PRINTER

COEX 80-FT

* 9x7 Dot Matrix,80 CPS, Bi-Directional

Printing **• 2K Buttered Memory c 80. 96, 132 Columns, Graphics and

Block Printing v* Selectable Char Pitch. Line Spacing

and Feed COEX Interface Card to Apple $49.95

ACP HAS DISK DRIVES

APPLE II ™ COMPATIBLE

Thin APPLE COMPATIBLE

I I HI I DISK DRIVES

I i n o VISTA s010 8W std $199.00

| \ | | C CUMANA 5'/." Std 219.00

RANA Elite 1 249.00

Ri-iwrt Elite2 3W00

rf ' ' * W Elite Controller 82.00

SUPER 5 Alps A40 Ttiineline 199.00

$■4 A ft (1(1 TEAC T40 Thmeline . 239.00 | If 11 TEAC T80 Doublesided 329.00 I W talf Controller 58.00

TANDON100-2

jSgGM^g. PC Compatible • Double Sided

^Us $229°°

■^ "o<%B,3 TM100-1 $179.00

TOSHIBA Half-High

PC Compatible • Double Sided

s-jygoo

OTHER DRIVES WE STOCK

E FD5SB . ■SEAGATE10M

450 BYTE • JULY I984

E Datatrack 8

1800 DS I320K).. ATE ST506 16MB V

64K RAMS s °9

$90.00

APPLE" COMPATIBLE

DISK CONTROLLER

Mappki computer

tW' Authorized Dealer

Only

S4g95

UJ-l,H-liil-!-ill-i:-M-i»'^li-l

BUSINESS

ACP PRICE APPLIED SOFTWARE Versatorm $299.00

Versaform Hard Disk 399.00

ARTSCI Magic Window II 95,00

Magic Combo 149.00

ASHTON-TATE dBASE II (CP/M) 385.00

Fnday (CP/M) 198.00

BPI (GL, AR, AP. Pay, Inv) M. 299.00

BRODERBUND Bank Street Writer 49.00

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS The Incred Jack 149.00 CONTINENTAL (GL. AR, AP, Pay) ... . ea. 189.00

Home Accountant 49.00

DATAMOST Real Estate Inv 99.00

DOW JONES Market Manager 249.00

Market Analyzer 289.00

Market Microscope 549.00

EAGLE Money Decisions 149.00

FOX & GELLER Oickcode 199.00

d Utility 69.00

d Graph 199.00

HAYDEN Pie Writer 99.00

Compiler Plus 79.00

Basic Compiler 45.95

HOWAHOSOFT Tax Preparer 149.00

Real Estate Analyzer 139.00

KENSINGTON Format II 99.00

LIGHTNING Mastertype 35.00

LIVING VIDEOTEXT Think Tank 135.00

MICROPRO Wordstar 249.00

Mailmerge or Spellstar 139.00

Wordstar Prot. 4 Pak 449.00

info Pak or InfoStar Call

MICROSOFT Multiplan 179.00

Multitool Financial 79.00

Multitool Budget 119.00

MEGAHAUS Megawriter 49.00

PEACHTREE Series 40 (GL, AR, AP) 379.00

Series 9 (Text, Spell, Mail) 399.00

PERFECT SOFTWARE Call

QUARK Word Juggler (He) 199.00

Lexicheck (Me) 99.00

Call tor Apple III SIERRA ON-LINE

Screenwriter II 99.00

Screenwriter Professional 149.00

General Manager II 169.00

Dictionary ....: 79.00

SOFTWARE PUBLISHING PFS File 89.00

PFS/Graph or PFS/Report 89.00

STATE OF THE ART Call

STONEWARE DB Master 4 0 249.00

BB Utility 1 or 2 79.00

SYSTEMS PLUS Acct Plus (GL, AP, AR) Set 599.00

VISICORP Visicaic 3.3 179.00

Visicalc Enhanced 199.00

Visifite or Visidex 179.00

HOME & EDUCATION

BRODERBUND Chopper $29.00

Drol or Loderunner 28.00

Arcade Machine 44.00

Apple Panic 24.00

BUDGECO Raster Blaster 24.00

PinbaH Construction Set 29.00

COUNTERPOINT SOFTWARE

Easy Games tor Young Children 28.00

DATAMOST Aztec 29.00

Pig Pen or Shark Attack 23.00

DATASOFT Zaxston 31.00

EDU-WARE Compumath 37.00

Algebra I. II or III 30.00

Compuread or Compuspell 23.00

EINSTEIN Memory Trainer 73.00

ELECT. ARTS Music Construction Call

HARCOURT Computer SAT Call

HAYDEN Sargon II 29.00

INFOCOM Zork I, II or III 29.00

Deadline 36.00

KOALA Modules (8 available) Call

LEARNING COMPANY

Juggles Rainbow 36.00

Bumble Games 48.00

Gertrude's Secrets 59.00

L & S Crossword Magic 41.00

MICROFUN Miner 2049er Call

MICROLAB Call

MICROSOFT Decathlon 25.00

Typing Tutor II 19.00

MONOGRAM Dollars & Sense 74.95

ORIGIN Exodus: Ultima III 41.95

PENQUiN The Quest 16.00

SENSIBLE Sensible Speller 99.00

SIERRA/ON-LINE Frogger 28.00

SIRTECH Legacy of Uylgamya 29.00

Knight ot Diamonds 29.00

SOUTHEASTERN Data Capture 4.0 54-95

SPINNAKER Alphabet Zoo 20.00

Delta Drawing 35.00

Fraction Fever 23.00

Kindercomp 21.00

Facemaker 28.00

SUBLOGIC Flight Simulator or Pmball 26.00

SUNDEX-No. 1 Rated Home Finance

CPA Personal Accountant 74.95

CPA Personal Investor 74.95

Personal Payables 42.95

TERRAPIN Logo $99.00

TRANSEND Transend I 75.00

VIRTUAL Micro Cookbook 29.00

UTILITIES/SYSTEM

BEAGLE Apple Mechanic $23.00

Apple Plot or Pronto DOS 26.00

Beagle Basic .. 26.00

DOS Boss 17.00

Double Take or Utility Crty 26.00

CENTRAL POINT Filer 16.00

Copy II Plus 31.00

LOCKSMITH 79.00

MICROSOFT A.LD.S 85.00

Cobol 80 575.00

Fortran 80 155.00

PENQUIN CGS System 79.00

PHOENIX Zoom Graphix 31.00

SOUTHWEST Merlin 49.95

Send for Complete Catalog of Software

Apple Compatible

Printer Interface S/[Q95

w/Apple to Epson Cable 49

Apple He Compatible

80 Column SQQ95 Card W/64K 5151

APPLE COOLING FAN

VISTA "SOLO"

Apple II lie Compatible Disk Drive

Totally compatible to Apple Drives.

Only

$1gg95

Controller $49.95

Just plug in and run.

Apple II16K RAM CARD

Compatible with 180 Softcard" .PASCAL CP/M'"

Full 1 year Warranty. Top Quality by COEX

NEW LOW S4 Q95

ACP PRICE 13

Also from COEX, NEW EPSON

Parallel Interface for Apple.

With cable $49.95

VISTA A800

8" Disk Controller

for Apple ZiJ"

VISTA "DISKMASTER"

IBM Compatible

$16995

3". 5". 8" and V1200 Compatible

MONITORS

®1AXAI\I

MODEL ACP PRICE

210 RGB Composite, Sound (Apple] S329.00

400 RGB Vision I Med res. (Apple. IBM. etc ) 329.00

410 RGB Med. res. (Avail. Mar.) 429.00

415 RGB Vision III Hi Res. (Apple w/l.'O. IBM) .559.00 420 RGB III Hi Res. [IBM Cabinet! 559.00

121 TTL Green 12" (IBM Cabinet) 179.00

122 TTL Amber 12" (IBM Cabinet) .. 189.00

100/105 Green/Amber 139.00/149.00

CLEARANCE SALE

(Quantities Limited)

OTY LIST ACP

120 Apple III Switching Power Supplies S59.95

13 Zenith Z89X Computer 2199 1149.00

26 Zenith Z90-0 Computet 2499 1299.00

22 Zenith Z37 Disk Drive 1699 899.00

t2 Zenith Z87 Disk Dnve 999 549.00

1 Zenith Z67 Hard Disk 5995 3199.00 •All Zenith New In original boxes with 90 day Factory Warranty from nearest dealer.

2 Tl 84OR0 w/fnetron 995 579.00

4 Tl 840R0 w/tractor 1045 599.00

2 Tl 840R0 Package Opt'fnction 1265 699.00

5 Tl 840R0 Package Optlrador 1315 749.00 7 Tl 850 Serial Printer 449.00 7 Tl Professional Multiplan 350 179.00

20 Tl Prof 64K exp to 192K Ramcard 149.00

1 Fortune System 10 7995 2995.00

1 Fortune System 20 1099O 3995.00

3 Fortune 256K Ramcard 1095 599.00 35 Olivetti M20 Computer 2495 995.00

200 General Terminals CTC RS232 269.00

40 Zentec 8003'9003 Terminals 249.00

800-854-8230

TWX

910-595-1565

Mail Order: P.O. Box 17329 Irvine. CA 92713

Retail: 1310B E. Edinger. Santa Ana. CA 92705

(714) 558-8813

542 W Trimble. San Jose. CA 95131

(408) 946-7010

We service most Floppy Disk Drives

Apple lie W/128K. 80 columns

Apple lie Starter System 1395.00

Includes: Apple He w'64K, 80 Column Card, Monitor II & Disk II w/Controller

Disk II w/Controller 399.00

Disk II 329.00

Monitor II Green tilt 179.00

Super Serial Card 189.00

80 Column Text Card w/B4K 169.00

Imagewnter Dot Matrix Printer 549.00

"Apple Products Available rn-atore Only"

JjleJI

iiil:

LIST ACP

ALS CP/M 3.0 Plus Card $399.00 $299.00 COMPUTER ACCESSORIES

Power Control Center P12 99.00

COEX 16K Ram Card 99.00 49.95

Parallel Printercard w/Cable 99.00 49.95

Apple II Prototype Card 29.00 20.00

Apple I Extender Card 29.00 20.00

64K Extended 80 Column 199.00 99.95

CORVUS Hard Disk Omntnet Call

EASTSIDE Wildcard (11 * w/64) 89.00

Wildcard 2 (lie) 119.00

Wildcard Plus (64K in 10 sec) 149.00

FINGERPRINT Epson Enhancer 49.00

GIBSON Light Pen 249.00

IS PKASO Interface (ll/lle) 199.00 139.00

PKASO Interface (III) 199.00 159.00

KENSINGTON System Saver 39 95 69.95

PC Saver 49 95 39-95

KEYTRONICS KB200 II • Keybd 298.00 225.00

KOALA Graphics Pad 125.00 95.00

KRAFT Joystick 65 00 48.00

Game Paddles 50 00 39.00

MCT Speed Demon 295 00 249.00

MPC 128K Bubble Memory 875 00 699.00

M&R Supi Mod II RF Modulator 69.00 49.00

Supr Fan 50.00 38.00

MICROPRO 6MHz Applicard 4 Word Call

MICROSOFT Z-80 Softcard 395.00 249.00

Z-80 Softcard Plus 645.00 479.00

Softcard Premium Pak (II ♦ ) 695.00 499.00

Softcard Premium Pak (lie) 495.00 395.00

MOUNTAIN COMPUTER

CPS Multifunction 239.00 169.00

Music System 395.00 335.00

A/D Plus D'A 350,00 299.00

MICROTEK Dumpling But w<64K 349 00 265.00

ORANGE MICRO

GrappterPlus 175.00 129.00

16K Bufferboard 175.00 129.00

Grappler Buffered w'16K 245 00 199.00

PCP) Applicard w 128K, 6MHz 595 00 499.00

8088 Coprocessor 595.00 499.00

Applicard W/128K. 4MHz 495 00 429.00

PERISOFT (All w 1 Year Warranty)

Printedink Intel). Printer I/O 99.00 79.00

Messenger Univ. Serial I/O 135.00 109.00

Timelink Realtime Clock 110.00 89.00

Graflink Graphics l/o 175.00 139.00

Bufferlmk w/16K Buffer 18900 159.00 PRACTICAL PERIPHERALS

Microbuffer 16K (Epson Parallel) 159.00 Call

Microbuffer 32K (Epson Parallel) 199.00 Call

Microbuffer 16K (Epson Sertal) 179.00 Call

Microbuffer 32K (Epson Serial) 219.00 Call Microbuffer In-line 64K (Parallel) 349.00 279.00

Microbuffer In-line 64K (Serial) 349.00 279.1

PROMETHEUS Versacard 4 in 1 199.00 166.1

QUAORAM Ouadlink 680.00 499.00

Microfazer I6K (Parallel) 189.00 169.00

Microfazer 16K (Serial) 220.00 195.00

Microfazer 32K (Parallel) 225.00 199.00 SATURN/TITAN 32K Ramcard 64K Ramcard

128K Ramcard 499 00

Accelerator II Card 599.00

Neptune 64K + SO

Neptune 128K + 80

Neptune 192K + 80

STREET Echo II (Apple) 149.00

Echo II Serial (In-line) 249.00

SYNETIX Sprite I 149.00

Sprite II 249.00

Supersprrte 39500

Flashcard 144K 449.00

Flashcard 288K 629.00

TG PRODUCTS

Joystick 59 95

Select-a-port 59.95

Trackball 64.95

Joystick wToggle He 64.95

VIDEX Videoterm (80) 345.00

U!traterm(132) 379 00

Enhancer II 149.00

VISTA COMPUTER

A800 8 Disk Conlrotlef 379.00

A500 bV," Disk Controller 99.00

V1200 Amlyn 6.2Mb 1549.00

VOTRAX Type N'Talk 259.00

Personal System 395.00

21900 1B9.00

349 00 289.00

499 00 399.00

59900 449.00

199.00

299.00

389.00

99.00

199.00

129.00

224.00

359.00

49.95 49.95 54.95 54.95 199.00 279.00 99.00

299.00

49.95 1099.00 199.00 329.00

ANDROBOT LIST ACP

Topo w Speech $1595.00 Call

Androwagon 95.00 Call

Toposott (II, lie) 10000 Call

Topoteach (II. lie) 15900 Call

Topologo Call

FRED (Educational Robot) 349.00 Call

FRED Soft (II. lie) 79 00 CAII

RB5X

RB5X Robot w/8K 1795.00 Call

16K Memory Add-in 125.00 Call

Robot Arm Option 895.00 Call

Voice Option 195.00 Call

Power Pack 94,00 Call

Robot Control Language (II. He) 395.00 Call

ZENITH HERO I 2495.00 Call

Apple" Apple Trademark of Apple Computer IBM" IBM Trademark of Internationa) Business Machines

TERMS: We accept VISA. MC. MO. Cdshiers and Personal checks. School and Company PO s We do not charge your card urml we shrp ftrec™t ct«ecKs requin; drivers license and credit card # NeSotftarta Added on VISA or MC COD 1 over S500 require 20% deposit with order Add 3% shipping and handling for UPS We otter sameday shipment Prices soDiect to change without notice We reserve the right Id substitute manufacturer. We are not responsible for typographical errors

Circle 10 on inquiry card.

ADVANCED

^COMPUTER PRODUCTS

Serving Computer Professionals Since 1976

HARDWARE

AST Sixpakplus w OK(SPC) $229.00

Megaplus II w/0K(SC) 229.00

I/O Plus II (CS) 115.00

Game/Serial/Parallel Options 35.00

Metrographies Graphics Card 445.00

CHALKBOARD Call

COEX IBM PC Extender Card 29.00

IBM PC Prototype Card 36.00

OAVONG Hard Disk Drives Call

KENSINGTON PC Saver 39.00

KEYBOARD IBM PC Compatible 149.00

KEYTRONICS 5150/5151 199.00 Call

KOALA 96.00

KRAFT or TG

IBM PC Joystick 59.00

Game Paddles 29.00

MICROSOFT Mouse 169.00

MIR PC/XT Exp Chassis (6 slots) 439.00

MOUSE SYS Mouse lor PC 196.00

PERSYST Time Spectrum W/6-4K 289.00

PTI Back-up Power 200/400W Call

QUADRAM Quadboard II w OK 229.00

Ouadlink (Apple Prog.) 479.00

Ouaddisk (up to 72Mb) Call

Microlazer MP64 w 64K .... 179.00

VISTA Multicard Plus 0K-384K 199

Maxicard W/64K I up to 576K).. . . 229.00

PC Master (10 1/0) 329.00

Diskmaster (Floppy Com.) 169.00

Dynaframe Hard Disk Call

PC Clock I/O 129.00

PRINTERS MONITORS

BROTHER HR-25 (23cps daisy)

Call

HR-1A (16cps daisy)

Call

EPSON RX-80 (100cps)

299.00

FX-80/FX100

Call

NEC Spinwnter 3550

1698.00

OKIDATA Model 62/83 399.00/619.00

Model 84P/84S 919.00/989.00

Model 92P/92S 445.00/595.00

Model 93P/93S 769.00/899.00

SILVER REED EXP550 (17cps)

588.00

EXP770 (30COS)

770.00

Delta 10/15 (160cps)

Call

TTX Model 1014(12cps)

TOSHIBA 1350 Dot Matrix

529.00

1549.00

AMDEK Video 300G/A 145.00/155.00

Video 310A amber (IBM)....

.159.00

Color 1 Plus (earphn/nonglare Color II RGB (IBM) analog...

329.00

449.00

Color II Plus

399.00

Color IV RGB (IBM) analog.

779.00

89.00

SR-12 RGB (690x480)

Call

MAX-12 Amber

Call

ZENITH ZVM-121 12' green

ZVM-134 12" RGB color

99.00

399.00

\JJ

DISKETTES

1 1 1

DYSAN 5W SS DD 10/155

$28

XI

DYSAN 5V<" DS DD 10/65

36

■

IBM5WSSDD 10/60

43

IBM 5V<" DS DD 10/65

47

111

VERBATIM 525-01 SS DD 10/45

20

VERBATIM 550-01 DS DD 10/55

29

MAXELL MD1 SS DD 10/50

22

MAXELL MD2 DS DD 10/60

32

1

Flip Storage Box 5'/<" (80 disks)

18

-J

BULK SPECIAL SS 10/25

16

■3

With Sleeve and Box 100/195

149

IBM ACCESSORIES

COMPUCABLE

Keyboard/drive dust covers (set) $16.00

CURTIS Tilt/swivel Monitor ped 43.00

PC Pedestal (IBM Mono) 58.00

PGS Quadchrome disp. Adapter . 9.00

Vertical PC Stand 20.00

Mono Extension Cable 43.00

Keyboard Ext Cable 35.00

AC Plug Adpt (any mon. to PC).. 8.00 EDP PROTECTION DEVICES

The Lemon/Peach 39.00/83.00

The Orange/Lime 94.00/58.00

GILTRONIX SWITCH BOXES

2 Way 8 Lines 90.00

4 Way 8 Lines 179.00

2 Way Centronics 199.00

RIBBONS Each Dozen

Epson MX-80 5.75 59.00

Epson MX-100 10.95 120.00

Star Gemini 10/15 2.50 26.00

Okidata 80/82/83 3.95 44.00

Okidata 84/92/93 4.95 55.00

NEC 3550 11.95 135.00

MODEMS

BIZCOMP Model 2120 (Internal) ..

449.00

Smartmodem 300

199/00

Smartmodem/IBM Cable.. NOVATION Access 1 -2-3

25.00 ! .388.00 |

SOFTWARE

dBASE ll/Friday

$378°7$168°° Condor

$38900

SuperCalc l/ll/lll $790o^j5goo/$2280o

Multiplan Vers. 1.1

$13800

Microsoft Mouse/Word

$288°7$23800

Wordstar 3.3

$25800

Micropro Pro Pak

*37800

Rbase 4000

$32800

T. K. Solver!

$26800

PFS

File 88.00 Graph 88.00 Write 88.00 Report 78.00

Context MBA Call

VisiOn Call

Lotus 1-2-3 Vers. 1A

Call!

Bank Street Writer 58.00

Home Accountant Plus 88.00

Sideways 48.00

Volkswriter 114.00

Knowledge Man 274.00

Crosstalk XVI 108.00

Multimate w spelling 348.00

CompuServe Subscription 38.00

Executive Info Sen/ 78.00

Vidtex Software 58.00

Executive + Vidtex 118.00

Source Subscription 68.00

Source w/source link 108.00

Send for Free

Catalog

96 Pages of

Selected Values

TOLL FREE 800-854-8230

mm'm^W\

• COLOR SPECIAL •

THE COLOR GRAPHICS CARD

(same designer as Colorplus Card)

$O£Q°0 BREAKTHRU! SOCQ00 fcOJ 1 year Warranty a£U%7

MULTICARD II 1.^)199

(INTRODUCTORY OFFER) 1 #

Advanced Computer Product's best selling multifunction card for the IBM PC & XT (plus compatibles) now has been improved with expansion capability to a full 384K and at no charge an additional game port. You also get Print Spooler and Disk Emulation Software plus a full year SWAP-OUT Warranty at no extra charge. Why pay more when you can get the same function and performance as Quadboard II™ and AST Sixpak Plus'" for substantially less money. You compare! Try it at no obligation. 10 day no questions asked return privilege.

I00

FUNCTION

Multicard II

Quadboard II

Sixpak Plus

Memory

0 to 384K

0 to 384K

0 to 384K

Parallel/Serial

Yes

Yes

Yes

Clock/Calendar

Yes

Yes

Yes

Game Port

Yes

Yes

No ($50 list Opt.)

Software

Yes

Yes

Yes

Warranty

1 Year

1 Year

1 Year

ACP Price

with OK

199.00

229.00

229.00

EXPANSION MEMORY

• 64K Upgrade (Set of 9 64K rams) ... .$5000

• 256K RAM's (256K x 1) *792§

• 16K RAM's (16K x 1) "lO/^99

• 8087 CPU (Arithmetic Processor) $19900

111/ AI (Serial, Parallel, Clock/Calendar)... $129°°

The most popular expansion card for the short slot of your IBM XT. All these functions on one card optimized to fit in one slot. 1 year warranty.

COLOR/GRAPHICS/COLOR/GRAPHICS

• Plantronics COLORPLUS™ ..

... '399"

• Amdek MAI

•438"

• Hercules GRAPHICS CARD ..

. '348"

• Hercules COLOR CARD w/Par

port '229"

• Graphics X Software

'42*

• Paradise MULTIDISPLAV....

•378"

• Quadram QUADCOLOR l&ll..

'199 Call

• C0N0GRAPHIC CARD

'895"

• Scanoptik C0L0RGRAPHICS

•269"

• MA Sys PEACOCK

•299"

IBM PC COMPATIBLE DISK DRIVES

,00

Tandon TM-100-1 Single Skied (160K) ... 169'

19900 22400 17900

16900

495

169°°

Tandon TM-100-2 Double Sided (320K).

Control Data 9409 Double Sided (320K) TEAC* 55B *A high Double Sided (320K) .

Toshiba* V2 high Double Sided (320K)

'IBM PC Mounting Hardware for V2 highs...

Vista "Diskmaster" 5'/*" & 8" Diskcontroller.

I TERMS: We accept VISA. MC. MO. Cashiers and Personal checks. School u/tl nDIICD- D n P«» -tltoa ■«:.. pi orri4 I and Company PO's We do not charge your card until we ship Personal ""»«■ UBUEH. r.U. BOX I M« Irvine, Ml SKf 14 |

I checks require drivers license and credit card # No Surcharge Added on VISA or MC. CODs over $500 require 20% deposit with order. Add 3% I shipping and handling tor UPS. We oflersameday shipment.. Prices subject I lo change without nonce We reserve the right to substitute manufacturer. | We are not responsible tor typographical errors Retail Sale Pricts May I Vary. IBM" trademark ot International Business Machines Quadboard n " | trademark ot Quadram Corp Sixpak Plus" trademark ol AST Research Inc.

Retail: 1310 E. Edinger, Santa Ana, CA 92705 (714) 558-8813

542 W. Trimble, San Jose, CA 95131 (408) 946-7010

800-854-8230

TWX

910-595-1565

WE STOCK CABLES • RIBBONS • DISKETTES • SPARE PA

IBM PC & PRODUCTS = PIPELINE

The Source!!

• 64K of Memory • 9,4164

1 set for

2 sets for

$47 $90

IBM PC

• 64K, Disk Controller

• 1,360K Disk Drive

• Keyboard

List $2104

$1875

IBM PC XT

* 128K, 10MesHand Disk • 1, 320K Drive* Keyboard

List $4995

$4295

TEAC DISK DRIVE

• FD55B * Slimline, 360K

List $299

$165

SANYO COMPUTER

• Model MBC550-2

• Dbl. Sided • Software Included

List $1295

$979

MITSUBISHI DISK DRIVE

DISKETTES

• 360K • 4851 Model

• Dbl. Side, Dbl. Density • 5 Year Warranty

• With Reinforced Hub

List $299

$179

10 for 100 for

$19 $170

STAR MICRONICS

• Gemini 10X • 120cps, 80 col.

List $399

$269

COMPAQ

* 256K Portable • 2 Drives, 360K ea.

List $2995

$2395

COPROCESSOR

PC PRINTER CABLES

* 8087 • The Arithmatic chip

• 6 foot Shielded * Lifetime Guarantee

List $299

$169

List $39

$18

The Source!

H™

^25"

•'B™ ■ . SS^!

■^™

i

c o

M P U T E R

s I

ANCHOR MODEM

* Mark XII

* 1200 Baud

* Hayes Compatible

List $399

$249

• We Accept MC, Visa, Wire Transfers, Certified Checks

• COD's Avialible

• All Prices Reflect a Prepaid Discount

• Shippins Minimum 4.50

• Purchase Orders Accepted

• This Ad Supersedes all Others

Prices Subject to Change

CALL TOLL-FREE (800) 841-0905 For Lowest Prices & Fast Delivgi

IBM & COMPATIBLE COMPUTERS

IBM

PC w/64K, no drives $134<

PC W/64K, 1 Drive (128K) 187'

PC XT, 128K 10 Meg Disk 439;

COMPAQ

Compaq 128K, 1 Drive $1995

Compaq, 256K, 2 Drive 2395

EAGLE

PC-2,128K, 2 - 320K Drives .... $2550 PC"2+ 2250

COLUMBIA

1600-1,2-Drives(360K) $2595

1600-4,12MB Hard Disk 3875

MPC-XP Portable 2395

SANYO

MBC550,1 -Drive, software $ 719

MBC555,2-Drives,160Kea 1035

MBC 550-2,1-Drive, 320K 979

MBC 555-2,2-Drives, 320K ea 1295

Optional Serial Port 89

TAVA

2-Drives, 128K, 2 Ser. 1 Par. Port, Color Graphics Card & Hi-Res. Green Monitor $1789

MODEMS

HAYES MICRO INC.

SmartModem300

Smart Modem 1200

1200B for PC

ANCHOR

Mark VII300 Baud

Mark XI11200 Baud

PROMETHEUS

ProCom 1200

RIXON

PC212A, 1200 Baud Stand Alone.

U.S. ROBTICS

Password, 1200 Baud ....

PRINTERS

OKIDATA

ML92A(160cps)

ML93A(160cps)

92 & 93 Plug* Play

STAR MICRONICS

Gemini 10X, 120 cps

Gemini 15X, 120cps, 15 "car. ..

JUKI

6100,18cpsltr.qual

Tractor Feed

MONITORS

AMDEK

300G, 12" Green ;

300A, 12" Amber

310A, 12" Amber Monochrome

Color I + Color Composite

Color II + RGBw/Cable

PRINCETON GRAPHICS

PGSHX12 s

PGS MAX12

PGSSR12

IBM COMPATIBLE DISK DRIVES

TANDON

TM-55-2, % Height (360K) $ 195

TM-100-2(360K) $ 195

TEAC

FD55B, U Height (360K) $ 169

MATSUSHITA

Same as Panasonic, Vi Ht. 360K ... $ 155

CDC

9409,(360K) s 219

DISKETTES

PIPELINE

Dbl./Dbl. Reinforced Hub 1 year

warranty 5 19

Flip File Holds 70 (smk. plexiglass) . 16

INTERFACE CARDS FOR IBM AND COMPATIBLES

AST RESEARCH

SixPac + 64K Par. & Ser. Software . $ 269 Mega + 64K exp. to 512K Ser. Port 269 MegaPack 256K option for Mega. . 279 l/o + Ser. & Optional Par. Game . . 149 Additional Ports 49

QUADRAM

Colon 5 219

Color II 229

Quadlink 449

Quad Board 1 239

Quad Board II 269

HERCULES

Color Graphics Card $ 339

PLANTRONICS

COlOr + <r T7Q

D°s1-1 $ 39

Dos 2.1 59

Monochrome Monitor or Adaptor 309

FLOPPY DISK CONTROLLERS

Maynard $ -1^9

Maynard w/Ser. Port 229

Maynard w/Par. Port 229

Sigma Controller 159

Vista 159

PC PRODUCTS

Rainbow Color Card $ 369

AMDEK

MAI Card $ 489

DUST COVER

Covers Monitor, Mainframe & Keyboard $ 19

MORE ACCESSORIES

Koala Graphics Tablet $ 89

8087 Co-Processor 1 79

Kraft Joystick 3.

Par. Printer Cable 39

The Source!

ORDER DESK:

(213)970-0177

(800)841-0905

(OUTSIDE CALIFORNIA)

■ ^■■t

MAIL ORDER:

1142 Manhattan Avenue, CP21 CUSTOMER SERVICE Jvianhattan Beach, CA 90266 (213) 970-0177

Circle 24h on inquiry card

Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday 9:00 am tn innnm

DoKa

COMPUTER PRODUCTS,

ORDER TOLL FREE

(800) 538-8800

(CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS)

(800) 848-8008

[MasterCard]

TERMS: Minimum order $10.00. For shipping and handling, include $2.50 for UPS ground or $3.50 for UPS Blue (air). For each additional air pound, add $1 for UPS Blue shipping and handling. California residents must include 6% sales tax; Bay area and LA residents include 61/2% sales tax. Prices are subject to change without notice. We are not responsible for typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to substitute manufacturers. All merchandise subject to prior sale.

HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 7:30 to 5:00 Saturdays 10:00 to 3:00

VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE

2100 De La Cruz Blvd.

Santa Clara, CA 95050

(408) 988-0697

ALL MERCHANDISE IS

100% GUARANTEED

DoKa

STATIC RAMS

2101

256

4 |450nl

1 90

5101

250

4 (450ml Icnnl

390

2102-1

1024

1 |450ml

88

21021-4

1024

1 |450llllLP|

98

2I02L-2

1024

1 |250ll) ItPI

1 45

2111

256

4 |4S0ml

245

2112

256

4 1450p.1I

295

2114

1024

4 [450m!

8/7.95

2114-25

1024

4 |250>ll

6/895

21141 4

1024

4 (450m) (LP)

9/9.95

21141-3

1024

4 1300ml (LPI

8/10.95

21141-2

1024

4 |200ml an

8/1195

2147

4096

1 ISSni!

4.90

THS4044-4

4096

1 1450ml

3.45

TMS4044-3

4096

1 |300m|

395

TMS4044-2

4096

1 I200MI

445

MK4II8

1024

6 1250m)

990

TMM201E-200

2046

6 1200ml

410

TMM2DI6-IS0

2046

6 II 50ml

4.90

TMMZ016-100

2041

S 1100ml

6.10

HM61I6-4

2046

6 |200ml Icfflm]

4 70

HM6I1E-3

2046

i 6 (150ml (cmml

4.90

HH6116-2

2046

t 8 |l 20ml tcmoi)

8.90

HM6II6LM

2046

< 8 I200ul IcmmllLPl

5.90

HM6116LP-3

2046

i 1 |l50ml ItmmKLP]

690

HH61I6LP-2

2046

I 6 |I20mI IcmgillLPI

995

2-6132

4096

i 8 1300ml lOiml

3395

LP = Low Piotr ami = Ouni-sntii

DYNAMIC RAMS

TMS4027

4096 i I |250ml

I 15

UPD4I1

4096 i 1 1300ml

2.95

MM5290

4096 i 1 1300ml

295

MM10S

8192 i 1 1200ml

190

MM5298

8192 i 1 1250ml

too

4116-250

16184 i 1 1250ii|

.49

4116-200

16384 i 1 |200«ll

.69

4116-150

16384 i 1 1150ml

120

2118

16384 i 1 1150ml (5.1

490

4164-250

6S536 l 1 1250ml

4 45

4164-200

65536 i 1 1200ml 15.1

5.45

4164-150

65536 i 1 llSOiiMS.I 511 = Si«|X 5 Volt Sifflf

EPROMS

6 45

1702

256 i 6 II nl

4.46

2706

1024 i 8 |450>il

249

2758

1024 i 1 1450ml

249

2756

1024 i 8 |450nl I5ll

5.90

2716

2048 I 8 1450ml 15.1

295

2716-1

2048 I 8 1350ml 15.1

5 90

TMS25I6

2046 i 6 |450hI 15.1

5 45

TMS27I6

2048 i 6 1450ml

7 90

TMS2532

4006 ■ 8 1450ml 15.1

590

2732

4096 i 8 1450ml (5.1

3.95

2732-250

4096 I 8 1250ml 15.1

690

2732-200

4096 l 8 1200ml |5»

10.95

2764

8192 i 6 (450ml 15.1

5 95

2764-250

8192 I 6 1250ml (5.1

1395

2764-200

8102 I 1 1200ml (5.1

23.95

TMS2564

6102 i 8 |450h) (5.1

16.95

MC66764

8192 i 6 (450ml 15.1 124 llll

36.95

27128

16364 i8 Cill

19.95

5> = Sligll 5 Kill S...H

74LS00

74LS00

.23

74LS92

54

74LS01

.24

74LS93

.54

74LS02

.24

74LS95

.74

74LS03

.24

74LS96

.88

74LS04

.23

74LS107

.38

74LS05

.24

74LS109

.38

74LS06

.27

74LS112

.38

74LS09

.28

74LS113

.38

74LS10

.24

74LS1I4

.38

74LS11

.34

74LS122

.44

74LS12

.34

74LS123

.78

74LS13

.44

74LS124

2.85

74LS14

58

74LS125

.48

74LS1S

.34

74LS126

.48

74LS20

.24

74LS132

.58

74LS21

.28

74LS133

58

74LS22

.24

74LS136

.38

74LS26

28

74LS137

.98

74LS27

.28

74LS138

.54

74LS28

.34

74LS139

.54

74LS30

.24

74LS145

1.15

74LS32

.28

74LS147

2.45

74LS33

.54

74LS148

1.30

74LS37

.34

74LS151

.54

74LS38

.34

74LS153

.54

74LS40

.24

74LS154

1.85

74L.S42

.48

74LS155

.68

74LS47

.74

74LS158

.68

74LS48

.74

74LS157

.64

74LS49

.74

74LS158

.58

74LSS1

.24

74LS160

.68

74LS54

.28

74LS161

.64

74LS55

.28

74LS162

.68

74LS63

1.20

74LS163

64

74LS73

.38

74LS164

.68

74LS74

.34

74LS165

.94

74LS75

.38

74LS166

1.90

74LS76

.38

74L.S168

1.70

74LS78

.48

74LS169

1.70

74LS83

.59

74LS170

1.45

74LS85

68

74LS173

.68

74LSB6

.38

74LS174

.54

74LS90

.54

74LS175

.54

74LS91

.89

74LS181

2.10

74LS189 8.90 74LS363 1.30

74LS190 .88 74LS364 1.90

74LS191 88 74LS365 .48

74LS192 .78 74LS366 .48

74LS193 .78 74LS367 .44

74LS194 .68 74LS368 .44

74LS195 .68 74LS373 1.35

74LS196 .78 74LS374 1.35

74LS197 .78 74LS377 1.35

74LS221 .88 74LS378 1.13

74LS240 .94 74LS379 1.30

74LS241 .99 74LS385 185

74LS242 .98 74LS386 .44

74LS243 .98 74LS390 1.15

74LS244 1.25 74LS393 1.15

74LS245 1.45 74LS395 1.15

74LS247 .74 74LS399 1.45

74LS248 98 74LS424 2.90

74LS249 .98 74LS447 .36

74LS251 .58 74LS490 1.90

74LS253 .58 74LS624 3.95

74LS257 .58 74LS640 2.15

74LS258 .58 74LS645 2.15

74LS259 2.70 74LS668 1.65

74LS260 .58 74LS669 1.85

74LS266 .54 74LS670 1.45

74LS273 1.45 74LS674 9.60

74LS275 3.30 74LS682 3.15

74LS279 .48 74LS683 3.15

74LS280 1.95 74LS684 3.15

74LS283 .68 74LS685 3.15

74LS290 .88 74LS688 2.35

74LS293 .88 74LS689 3.15

74LS295 .98 74LS783 23.95

74LS298 .88 81LS95 1.45

74LS299 1.70 81LS96 1.45

74LS323 3.45 81LS97 1.45

74LS324 1.70 81LS98 1.45

74LS352 1.25 25LS2521 2.75

74LS353 1.25 25LS2569 4.20

6500

1 MHZ

6502 4.90

6504 6.90

6505 8.90

6507 9.90

6520 4.30

6522 6.90

6532 9.90

6545 21 50

6551 10.85

2 MHZ

6502A 6.90

6522A 9.90

6532A 10.95

6545A 26.95

6551A 10.95

3 MHZ

6502B 9.90

6800

68000 58.95

6800 3.90

6802 7.90

6808 12.90

6809E 16.95

6809 10.95

6810 2.90

6820 4.30

6821 3.20

6828 13.95

6840 11.95

6843 33.95

6844 24.95

6845 13.95

6847 10.95

6850 3.20

6652 15.70

6860 9.90

6862 10.95

6875 6.90

6880 2.20

6883 21.95

68047 23.95

68486 18.95

6800 1 MHZ

68B00 9.95

68B02 21.25

68B09E 28.95

68B09 28.95

68B10 6.90

6BB21 6.90

68B45 18.95

68B50 5.90

APPLE ACCESSORIES

30 Column Apple 11+

149.95

129.95

ZBO Apple 11+

89.00

Z80 Apple 11+ Kit

59.00

Z80 Apple HE

B9.00

ZBO Apple HE Kit

59.00

16KCerd

39.95

13.95

38.95

74.95

29.95

13.95

Dim. Drive

199.00

59.95

454 BYTE • JULY 1984

Circle 114 on inquiry card.

r The Flip Sort PLUSu ^

The Flip Sort Plus" adds new dirrfensions to storage. Designed with similar elegant lines as the original Rip Sort~. in a transparent smoked acrylic. Holds over 100 diskettes and has all the outstanding features you have come to expect from the Flip Sort Family.

$24.95

The FLIP SORT"

The new Flip Sort" has all the fine qualities of the original Flip Sort1", with some added benefits Along with a new design, capacity has been increased 50% to hold 75 diskettes and the price is more reasonable than ever-$19.95

Z-80

Z80-CPU ..

2.5 MHZ

.. 3.90

Z80-CTC ..

Z80-DART .

Z80-DMA .

Z80-PI0 ...

Z80-SI0/0 .

ZBO-SIO/1 .

11.95

Z80-SIO/2 .

Z80-SIO/9 .

Z80A-CPU .

4.0 MHZ

.. 4.29

Z80A-CTC .

Z80A-DART

Z80ADMA .

12.95

Z80APIO

Z80ASIO/0

Z80A-SI0/1

12.95

Z80ASIO 2

Z80B-CPU .

6.0 MHZ

Z80B-CTC

Z80BPIO ..

Z80B-DART

12.95

Z6132

ZILOG

33.95

Z8671

DISC CONTROLLERS

. 15.95

1791

. 23.95

. 48.95

. 53.95

. 58.95

. 17.95

UARTS

. . 6.90

INTERFACE

8T28

8T97

8T98

. . .88

DM8131

VOLTAGE REGULATORS

7805T .74 7905T 84

78M05C .34 7908T 84

7808T .74 7912T .84

7812T .74 7915T .84

7815T .74 7924T .84

™24T « 7905K 1.44

7805K 1.34 7912K 1,44

7812K 1.34 7915K 1.44

7815K 1.34 7924K 1.44

7824K 1.34 79L05 78

78L05 .68 79L12 78

78L12 .68 79L15 .78

78L15 68 LM323K 4.90

78H05K 9.90 UA78S40 1.90

78H12K 9.90

C.T * TO-220 K = TO-3 L - TO-92

DIP SWITCHES

4 POSITION 84

5 POSITION 89

6 POSITION 89

7 POSITION 94

8 POSITION 94

IC SOCKETS

1-99 100

8 pin ST .12 .10

14 pin ST .14 .11

16 pin ST .16 .12

18 pin ST .19 .17

20 pin ST 28 .26

22 pin ST .29 .26

24 pin ST .29 26

28 pin ST .39 .31

40 pin ST .48 .38

64 pin ST 4.20 call ST - SOLDERTAIL

8 pin WW .58 .48

14 pin WW .68 .51

16 pin WW .68 .57

18 pin WW .98 .89

20 pin WW 1.04 97

22 pin WW 1.34 1.23

24 pin WW 1.44 1.30

28 pin WW 1.64 1.44

40 pin WW 1.94 1.75

WW = WIREWRAP

16 pin ZIF 5.90

24 pin ZIF 7.90

28 pin ZIF 8.90

ZIF = TEXTOOL (Zero Insertion Force!

CRYSTALS

32.768khz 1.69

1.0 mhz 3.69

1.8432 3.69

2.0 2.69

2.097152 2.69

2.4576 2.69

3.2768 2.69

3.579535 2.69

4.0 2.69

5.0 2.69

5.0688 2.69

5.185 2.69

5.7143 2.69

6.0 2.69

6.144 2.69

6.5536 2.69

8.0 2.69

10.0 2.69

10.738635 2.69

14.31818 2.69

15.0 2.69

16.0 2.69

17.430 2.69

18.0 2.69

18.432 2.69

20.0 2.69

22.1184 2.69

32.0 2.69

RESISTORS

". WATT 5% CARBON FILM, ALL STANDARD VALUES FROM 1 OHM TO (0 MEO OHM

50 pes 1.25

100 pes 2.00

1000 pes 15.00

5V*" DISKETTES ATHANA

SSSD 18.95

SSDD : 22.95

DSDD 27.95

BULK DISKETTES

5W' DISKETTES

NO LABEL

SINGLE SIDED DOUBLE DENSITY (WITH JACKETS AND HUB RING)

Pack of Ten $ 16.95

Peck of 100 $149.00

SPECIALS

4116 4116

2708 2716 2732 2764 27128

4164 4164 4164

250ns 49(p/ea 200ns 89C/ea

2.49 2.95 3.95 5.95

128KEPROMS 19.95

8KEPROMS 16KEPROMS 32K EPROMS 64K EPROMS

64K DYNAMIC A /IE

250ns ■"r.,-r%J

64K DYNAMIC C ^C

200ns 0.*T«J

64K DYNAMIC C. A Cv

150ns \J .*T%J

2114 450ns 8/7.95

QUVT8/1 EPROM Eraser

$57.95

QUV-T8/1 Economy Model: This is a low cost EPROM Eraser housed in a plastic enclosure The UV element and components are installed in the top lid and you place the EPROMS in the bottom half. No timer or switch option is included.

• Erases up to 8 EPROMS in 15 to 20 minutes.

• 12,000 u Watts at 1" distance.

• 90-Day Warranty

DoKa

2100 De La Cruz Blvd. Santa Clara, CA 95050

Circle II4 on inquiry card.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 455

4164

64K DYNAMIC 200 ns

4116

16K DYNAMIC 250 ns

8/579

STATIC RAMS

2101 5101 2101-1 2102L-4 2102L-2 2125 2111 2111L 2112 2114 2114-25 2114L-4 2114L-3 2114L-2 TC5514 TC5516 2147

TMS4044-4 TMS4044-3 TMS4044-2 UPD410 MK4118 TMM2016-200 TMM2016-150 TMM2016-100 HM6116-4 HM6116-3 | HM6116-2 HM6116LP-4 HM6116LP-3 HM6116LP-2 TMS4016 Z-6132 HM6264P-15 HM6284LP-15

356x4 258x4 1024 X 1 1024 X 1 1024 X 1 1024 x 1 258x4 258x4 256x4 1024 x 4 1024 X 4 1024x4 1024 x 4 1024x4 1024 x 4 2048x4 4096x1 4096x1 4096x1 4096x1 4096x1 1024x8 2048x8 2048x8 2046x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048x6 4098x8 8192x8 8192x8

LP * Low Power

(450ns)

(450ns) (cmos) (450ns) (450ns) (LP) (250ns) (LP) ( 45ns) (450ns) (250ns) (LP) (450ns)

|450ns)

(250ns)

(450ns) (LP)

(300ns) (LP)

(200ns) (LP)

(650ns) (cmos)

(250ns) (cmos)

( 55ns)

(450ns)

(300ns)

(200ns)

(100ns)

(100ns)

(200ns)

(150ns)

(100ns)

(200ns) (cmos)

(150ns) (cmos)

(120ns) (cmos)

(200ns) (cmos) (LP)

(150ns) (cmos) (LP)

(120ns) (cmos) (LP)

(200ns) (cmos) (300ns) (Ostat) (150ns) (cmos) (150ns) (cmos)

Ostat = Quasi-Static

EPROMS

xrystaljT

.99

1.49 ! 2.95 249 2.95 2.99 8/9.95 6/10.95 8/12.95 8/13.45 8/13.95 2.49 9.95 4.95 I 3.49 • 3.99 I 4.49 3.95 9.95 4.15 4.95 6.15 4.75 I 4.95 8.95 , 5.95 6.95 10.95 6.95 34.95 39.95 49.95 I

1702 | 2708

2758 |2716-6 | 2716 | 2716-1 |TMS2516 |TMS2716 | TMS2532 | 2732 | 2732-250 | 2732-200 I 2732A-4 I2732A I 2732A-2 12764 I 2764-250 I 2764-200 ITMS2564 1 MCM68764 I MCM68766 I 27128-30 | 2712B I Sv ■ Single 5

256x8 1024x8 1024x8 2048x8 2048x8 2048 X 8 2048 x 8 2048x8 4096 x 8 4096x8 4096x8 4096x8 4096x8 4096x8 4096 x 8 8192x8 8192x8 8192 X 8 8192 x 8 8192x8 8192x8 16384x8 16384x8 Volt Supply

(1us) (450ns) (450ns) (5v) (650ns) (450ns) (5v) (350ns) (5v) (450ns) (5v) (450ns) (450ns) (5v) (450ns) (5v) (250ns) (5v) (200ns) (5v) (450ns) (5v)(21vPGM) (250ns) (5v)(21vPGM) (200ns) (5v)(21vPGM) (450ns) (5v) (250ns) (5v) (200ns) (5vi (450ns) (5v) (450ns) (5v) (24pin) (350ns) (5v) (24pln) (300ns) (5v) (250ns) (5v)

21vPGM « Program at

4.50

3.95

5.95

2.95

3.95

5.95

5.50 |

7.95

5.95 I

4.95

8.95 11.95

6.95

9.95 13.95

6.95

7.95 19.95 I 14.95 39.95 42.95 29.95 34.95 I 21 VoltsJ

DYNAMIC RAMS

TMS4027

2107

MM5280

TMS4060

UPD411

TMS4050

MK4106

MM5298 ; 4116-300

4116-250

4116-200

4116-150

4116-120

2118

MK4332

4184-200

4164-150

4164-120

MCM6665

TMS4164-15

TMS4416 I 41256

4098x1

4096x1

4096x1

4096x1

4096x1

4096x1

8192x1

8192 X 1

16384x1

16384x1

16384x1

16384x1

18384x1

16384x1

32768 x1

65536x1

85536 X1

65536x1

65536x1

65536 x1

16384x4

282144 X1

5v - Single

;250ns) (200ns) (300ns) (300ns) (300ns) (300ns) (200ns) (250ns) (300ns) (250ns) (200ns) (150ns) (120ns) 150ns) (Sv) (200ns) (200ns) (5v) (150ns) DM (120ns) (5v) (200ns) (5v) (150ns) (5v) (150ns) (5v) (2O0ns) (5v) 5 volt supply

1.85

8/11.75

6/7.95

8(12.95

8/14.95

8/29.95

4.95

9.95

5.95

6.95

8.96

8.95

8.95

9.95

CALL

r* * * *HIQHTECH* • • *1

| SSI 263 SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

* MICROPROCESSOR COMPATIBLE

* 5 8-BIT CONTROL REGISTERS

* ENHANCE YOUR MOCKINQBOARD OR BUILD STEVE CIARCIA'S SWEET TALKER II Oft QC I (BYTE MARCH '84) d%Jm*J\J

L* • • • SPOTLIGHT * * * *J

* computer managed muentory - ulrtuaiiv no bach orders!

* uery competitiue prices! Friendly staff!

* Fast seruice — most orders shipped within 24 hours!

| 32.768 khz

1.0 mhz

1.8432

2.0

2.097152

2.4576

3.2768

3.579S45

4.0

5.0

5.0688

5.185

5.7143

6.0

6.144

6.5536

8.0 I 10.0

] 10.738635 14.31818 15.0 16.0 17.430 18.0 18.432 20.0 22.1184 L.32.0

CMOS

6800

I 68000 49.95 I

6800 2.95 I

6802 7.95 I

16803 19.95 13.90 I

I 6809E 14.95

6809 11.951

I 6810 2.95 I

6820 4.351

I 6821 2.95

6828 14.951

6840 12.951

6843 34.95

6844 25.95 I

6845 14.951 6847 11.95 1 6850 3.251 6852 5.751

I 6860 7.95 I

I 6875 6.95 I

6880 2.251

I 6883 22.95 I

I 68047 24.95 I

|68488 19.951

6800 ■ 1MHZ

I 68B00 10.95 I

68B02 22.251

68B09E 29.951

68B09 29.951

68B10 6.95 I

68B21 6.951

68B40 19.951

68B45 19.951

| 68B50 5.9S |

68B00 - 2 MHZ

r 6500

1

1 MHZ

6502

4.95

6504

6.95

6505

8.95

6507

9.95

6520

4.35

6522

6.95

6532

9.95

6545

22.50

6551

11.85

2 MHZ

6S02A

6.95

6522A

9.95

6532A

11.95

6545A

27.95

6551A

11.95

3MHZ

L6502B

9.95.

DISC I CONTROLLERS I

1771 16.95

1791 24.951

1793 26.951

1795 29.95 1

1797 49.951

2791 54.951

2793 54.951

2795 59.951

2797 59.951

6843 34.95

8272 39.951

UP0765 39.951

MB8876 29.951

MB8877 34.95

I 1691 17.951

12143 18.95J

r 8000

1

8035

5.95

8039

5.95

INS-8060

17.95

INS-8073

49.95

8080

3.95

8085

4.95

8085A-2

11.95

8086

24.95

8087

CALL

8088

29.95

8089

89.95

8155

6.95

8155-2

7.95

8156

6.95

8185

29.95

8185-2

39.95

8741

29.9S

8748

24.95

18755

24.95.

8200

CRT CONTROLLERS

I 6845 14.95

68B45 19.95

HD46505SP 15.95

6847 11.95

MC1372 6.95

68047 24.95

8275 29.95

7220 99.95

CRT5027 19.95 1

CRT5037 24.95 j

TMS9918A 39.95

LDP8350 4995.

18202 | 8203 | 8205 | 8212 18214 | 8216 18224 | 8226 | 8228 | 8237 18237-5 18238 18243 18250 18251 18253 I 8253-5 18255 18255-5 18257 | 8257-5 18259 I 8259-5 18271 18272 18275 18279 I 8279-5

18282

18283

18284 | 8286 18287 18288 I 8289

8292

24.95

39.95

3.50

1.80

3.85

1.75

2.25

1.80

3.49

19.95

21.95

4.49

4.45

10.95

4.49

6.95

7.95

4.49

5.25

7.95

8.95

6.90

7.50

79.95

39.95

29.95

8.95

10.00

6.50

6.50

5.50

6.50

6.50

25.00

49.95

14.95.

Z-80

2.5 Mhz

zeo-cpu 3

Z80-CTC 3

Z80-DART 10

Z80-DMA 14

Z80-PIO 3

Z80-SIO/0 11

Z80-SIO/1 11

Z80-SIO/2 11

Z80-SIO/9 11

4.0 Mhz

Z80A-CPU i

Z80A-CTC <

Z80A-DART !

Z80A-DMA 1:

Z80A-PIO I

Z80A-SIO/0 1:

Z80A-SIO/1 11

Z80A-SIO/2 i;

Z80A-SIO/9 1:

6.0 Mhz

I Z80B-CPU

Z80B-CTC

Z80B-PIO

Z80B-OART | Z80B-SIO/2

ZILOG

I Z6132 34.95 I

Lz8671 39.95J

9.95 12.95 12.95

19.95 39.95

UARTS

AY5-1013

3.95

AY3-1015

6.95

PT1472

9.95

TR1602

3.95

2350

9.95

2651

8.95

IM6402

7.95

IM 6403

8.95

INS8250

10.95

GENERATORS

BIT-RATE

MC14411

11.95

BR1941

11.95

4702

12.95

COM5016

16.95

COM8116

10.95

MM5307

10.95

FUNCTION

MC4024

3.95

LM566

1.49

XR2206

3.75

8038

3.95

r MISC

UPD7201

29.95

TMS99532

29.95

ULN2003

2.49

3242

7.95

3341

4.95

MC3470

4.95

MC3480

9.00

11C90

13.95

95H90

7.95

2513-001 UP

9.95

l25 13-002 LOW

9.95,

CLOCK CIRCUITS

IMM5314 4.95 1

|MM5369 3.95 IMM5369-EST 4.25 1

IMM5375 4.951

1MM58167 12.951

MM58174 11.951

1MSM5832 3.95]

KEYBOARD CHIPS

IAY5-2376 11.951

I AY5-3600 11.95 I

AY5-3600PRO H.95J

4528

4531

4532

4538

4539

4541

4543

4553

4555

4556

4581

4582

4584

4585

4702 1

74C00

74C02

74C04

74C08

74C10

74C14

74C20

74C30

74C32

74C42

74C48

74C73

74C74

74C76

74C83

74C85

74C86

74C89

74C90

74C93

74C95

74C107

74C150

74C151

74C154

74C157

74C160

74C161

74C162

74C163

74C164

74C165

74C173

74C174

74C175

74C192

74C193

74C195

74C200

74C221

74C244

74C373

74C374

74C901

74C902

74C903

74C905

74C906

74C907

74C908

74C909

74C910

74C911

74C912

74C914

74C915

74C918

74C920

74C921

74C922

74C923

74C925

74C926

74C928

74C929

*JDR Microdevices 1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128

VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE

HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5

T-Th., 9-9

Sat. 10-3

S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128 800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA) (408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110

Copyright 1984 JDR Microdevices

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING

TERMS: Mini

$2.50 for UPS Ground and $3.50 for UPS Air. Orders over 1 lb. and foreign orders may require additional shipping charges — please contact our sales department for the amount. CA residents must include 6% sales tax, Bay Area and LA residents include 6V/0. Prices subject to change without notice. We are not responsible lor typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to substitute manufacturer. AH merchandise subject to prior sale.

456 BYTE • |ULY 1984

Circle 168 on inquiry card.

2764

8Kx8EPROM 450 ns

s695 27128-30

16Kx8EPROM 300 ns

$2995

BARGAIN HUNTERS CORNER

2.95 2.95 2.95

SPECI

D7/31/84

[TRANSISTORS ]

2N918

.50

MPS3706

.16

MPS918

.25

2N3772

1.65

2N2102

.75

2N3B03

.25

2N2218

.50

2N3904

.10

2N2218A

.50

2N3906

.10

2N2219

50

2N4122

.26

2N2219A

.50

2N4123

.25

2N2222

.25

2N4249

.25

PN2222

.10

2N4304

.75

MPS2369

.25

2N4401

.26

2N2484

.25

2N4402

.25

2N2905

.50

2N4403

.25

2N2907

.25

2N4857

1.00

PN2907

.125

PN4916

.25

2N3065

.79

2N5066

.25

306ft

.69

PN5129

.25

2N3393

.30

PN5139

.25

2N3414

.25

2N5209

.25

2N3563

.40

2N8028

.35

2N3565

.40

2N6043

1.75

PN3565

.25

2N604S

1.75

MPS3638

.25

MPSA05

.25

MPS3640

.25

MPS-A06

.25

PN3643

.25

MPS-A55

.25

PN3644

.26

TIP29

.65

I MPS3704

.16

TIP31

.75

TIP32

.79J

IC SOCKETS

1-99 100 |

8 pin ST .13.11

114 pin ST .16 .15

16 pin ST .17 .13

18 pin ST .20 .11

20 pin ST .29 .27

22plnST .30 .27

24 pin ST .30 .2?

28 pin ST .40 .35

40 pin ST .49 .38

| 64 pin ST 4.25 call

ST ■ SOLDERTAIL

8 pin WW

.69 .49

14 pin WW

.69 .52

16 pin WW

.69 .68

18 pin WW

.99 .90

20 pin WW

1.09 .98

22 pin WW

1.391.28

24 pin WW

1.491.36

28 pin WW

1.891.49

40 pin WW

1.991.80

WIREWRAP

RF MODULATOR

(ASTEC UM1082) QUANTITIES LIMITED

* PRESET TO CHANNEL 3

* USE TO BUILD TV-COMPUTER INTERFACE

* +5 VOLT OPERATION

NOW ONLY

$695

ZIF SOCKETS

ZIF = Zero Insertion Force

OPTO-ISOLATORS

4N26 4N27 4N28 4N33 4N35 4N37 MCT-2 kMCT-6

1.00 1.10

MCA-7

MCA-255

IL-1

ILA-30

ILQ-74

H11C5

TIL-111

TIL-113

RESISTORS

V* WATT 5% CARBON FILM

ALL STANDARD VALUES

FROM 1 OHM TO 10 MEG OHM

50 PCS. SAME VALUE .02

100 PCS. SAME VALUE 1000 PCS. SAME VALUE

' BYPASS CAPS

.01 UF DISC

100/6.00

.01 UF MONOLITHIC

100/12.00

.1UFDISC

100/8.00

.1 UF MONOLITHIC

100/15.00J

1N751

1N759

1N4148

1N4004

KBP02

KBP04

VM48

DIODES

5.1 volt zener

12.0 volt zener

(1N914)awltchlng

400PIV rectifier

200 PI V1.5o mp bridge

400PIV1.5amp bridge

Dip-Bridge

.25 .25 25/1.00 1011.00 .45 .55 .35

r MUFFIN FANS

4.68'Square 3.125 "Square

14.95 14.95

HEAT SINKS

TO-3etyle

TO-220 style

.96 .35

SWITCHES

SPDT mini-toggle DPDT mini-toggle SPST mini-pushbutton

1.25

1.50

.39

LED LAMPS

1-99 100-up

JUMBO RED .10 .09

JUMBO QREEN .18 .16 JUMBO YELLOW .18 16 LED MOUNTING

. HARDWARE .10 .09

LED DISPLAYS

I HP 5082-7760

MAN 72

MAN 74

FND-357 (3S9)

FND-500 (503) I FND-S07(510) lTIL-311 4x7

HEX W/LOQIC 9.951

DIP

SWITCHES

4 POSITION

.85

5 POSITION

.90

8 POSITION

.90

7 POSITION

.95

8 POSITION

.95J

UNIT PRICE 5.95 5.95 7.95 8.95 10.95

CAPACITORS

TANTALUM

6V 10V 15V 20V 25V

36V

.22u<

.40

.27

.40

.33

.40

.47

.36

.60

.66

.46

1.0

.40

.40

.46

.46

1.5

.45

.60

1.6

.75

2.2

.35

.40

.46

.65

2.7

.40

.46

.90

3.3

.46

.60

.55

.60

.66

3.9

.46

4.7

.46

.68

.60

.66

.66

6.8

.70

.76

10

.65

.66

.60

.86

.90

1.00

12

.66

.85

.90

15

.75

.86

.90

18

1.25

22

1.00

1.35

27

2.25

39

1.50

47

1.35

56

1.75

100

3.25

270

3.76

DISC

60V .05 470 50V .05

50V .05 560 50V .05

50V .05 680 50V .05

50V .05 820 50V .05

60V .06 .001 ul 50V .05

60V .05 .0016 50V .05

50V .05 .0022 50V .05

50V .05 .005 50V .05

50V .05 .01 50V .07

60V .06 .02 50V .07

50V .06 .05 50V .07

50V .06 .1 12V .10

.1 60V .12

MONOLITHIC

.1 ill-mono 50V .18 047u(mono 50V .15

.47u«-mono 60V .25 .01u(-mono 50V .14

ELECTROLYTIC

RADIAL 50V

14 1ul

25V .14 4.7

35V .15 10

50V .15 10

50V .15 22

36V .18 47

16V .18 100

36V .20 100

26V .30 160

16V .60 220

AXIAL

COMPUTER GRADE

660 1000 1500 44,000ul 30V 3.96 6000

50V .14 16V .14 16V .14 50V .16 16V .14 50V .20 15V .20 35V .25 25V .25 25V .30 16V .40 16V .42 16V :60 16V .70 16V .85

JDR Microdevices

1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128

800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA)

(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110

c Copyright 19B4 JDR Microdevices

VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE

HOURS: M-W-F, 9-5 T-Th., 9-9 Sat. 11-3

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING TERMS: For shipping Include S2 (or UPS Ground or S3 for UPS Blue Label Air. Itemi over 5 pound* require additional shipping charges. Foreign orders, include sufficient amount (or shipping. There is a $10 minimum order. Bay Area and Los Angeles Counties add 6Vi% Sales Tax. Other California residents add 6% Sales Tax. We reserve the right to substitute manufacturer. Not responsible (or typographical errors. Prices are subject to change without notice. We will match or beat any competitor's price provided It Is not below our cost.

458 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 169 on inquiry card.

MCM68764

8Kx8EPROM 450 ns 24 PIN

s3995 SSI 263

SPEECH SYNTHESIZER

CABINETS FOR 5V4"

DISK DRIVES CABINET #1 '29.95

• Dimensions 8% x5'y.6x3'Vt.*

• Color matches Apple

• Fits standard 5%" drives, Inc. Shugart

• Includes mounting hardware and feet

CABINET #2 879.00

• Complete with power supply, switch, line cord, fuse & standard power connector

• Dimensions: 11'Ax 5% x3'Vii"

• +5V® 1 AMP, +12V® 1.5 AMP

• Please specify gray or tan

J NOTE: PIMM Include sufficient amount for I shipping on abovt Itsms.

MICROCOMPUTER HARDWARE HANDBOOK

FROM ELCOMP — $14.95

Over 800 pages of manufacturers data sheets on most commonly used IC's. Includes:

* TTL - 74/74LS and 74F

* CMOS

* Voltage Regulators

* Memory — RAM, ROM, EPROM

* CPU's — 6800, 6500, Z80, 8080, 8085, 8086/8

* MPU support & Interface — 6800, 6500, Z80, 8200, etc.

TRANSFORMERS

FRAME STYLE 12.6VAC 2amp 4.95

12.6VAC CT 2amp S.9S 12.6VAC CT 4amp 7.95 12.6VAC CT 8amp 10.95 25.2VAC CT 2amp 7.95

PLUG CASE STYLE 12VAC 250ma 3.95

12VAC 500ma 4.95

12VAC lamp 5.95

12VAC 2am p 6.95

DC ADAPTER

6,9,12 VDC selectable with unlveral adapter 8.95

Please include sufficient amount for shipping on abovt Items.

TANOON 5V4•

DISK DRIVES TAN DON

TM100-15V4"(FORIBM)SS/DD 199.00

TM100-25V»"(FORIBM)DS/DD 219.00

MPI

MP-525'/4"(FOHIBM)DS/OD 249.00

TEAC

FD-55B'/2 "HEIGHT DS/DD 189.00

SHUGART

SA400LSV4'(40TRACK)SS/DD 199.95

8" DISK DRIVE

FD 100-8 BY SIEMENS, SHUGART801 EQUIV.

SS/DD-10/S149EA. $169.00

FD 200-8 BY SIEMENS, SHUGART 851 EQUIV.

SS/DD - 10/8220 EA. $239.00 TEAC HALF HEIGHT

Plsass Include sufficlsnt amount tor shipping on abova Itams.

I MasterCard

ORDER TOLL FREE

800-538-5000 800-662-6279

(CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS)

CENTRONICS

IDCEN36 Ribbon Cable 36 Pin Male 8.95 IDCEN36/F Ribbon Cable 36 Pin Female 8.95 CEN36 Solder Cup 36 Pin Male 7.95,

RIBBON CABLE

CONTACTS

VISA

SINGLE COLOR

10'

COLOR CODED

10'

BEST SELLING BOOKS

OSBORNE/MC GRAW-HILL

I Apple II User's Guide 16.95

CRT Controller's Handbook (.96

68000 Assembly Language

Programming 18.99

I CBASTC UserGuide 15.00

SYBEX

I Z-80Applications 15.95

IBM PC PRO DOS Handbook 18.96

Programming the 8086/8088 15.95

The Best of IBM PC Software 18.96

J Microprocessor Interfacing

Techniques 17.95

r EDGECARD 1

CONNECTORS

S-100ST

3.95

S-100WW

4.95

72 pin ST

6.95

72 pin WW

7.95

50 pin ST

4.95

44 pin ST

2.95

44 pin WW

4.95

DIP CONNECTORS

DESCRIPTION

ORDER BY

CONTACTS 18 20 22

24 28 40

HIGH RELIABILITY

TOOLED ST IC

SOCKETS

AUGATxx-ST

.99

.99

.99 1.89 1.89 1.89 1.99 2.49 2.99

COMPONENT

.65

.75

CARRIERS (DIP HEADERS)

ICCxx

.85 1.00 1.25 1.25 1.35 1.50 2.10

RIBBON CABLE DIP PLUGS (IDC)

IDPxx

~- 1.45 1.85

— 2.50 — 4.15

For order Instructions see "IDC Connectors" below.

D-SUBMINIATURE

DESCRIPTION

ORDER BY

9

15

CONTACTS 25

37

50

SOLDER CUP

MALE

DPxxP

2.08

2.69

2.50

4.80

6.06

FEMALE

DBxxS

2.66

3.63

3.25

7.11

9.24

RT. ANGLE

MALE

DBxxPR

1.65

2.20

3.00

4.83

—

PC HOLDER

FEMALE

DBxxSR

2.18

3.03

4.42

6.19

—

IDC RIBBON CABLE

MALE

IDBxxP

3.37

4.70

6.23

9.22

—

FEMALE

IDBxxS

3.69

5.13

6.84

10.08

—

HOODS

BLACK

HOOD-B

—

_.

1.25

~

—

GREY

HOOD

1.60

1.60

1.25

2.95

3.50

*WWWr"??WW???.

MOUNTING HARDWARE-SI.00

For order instructions see "IDC Connectors" below.

IDC CONNECTORS

DESCRIPTION

ORDER BY

10

20

CONTACTS 26 34

40

50

SOLDER HEADER

IDHxxS

.82

1.29

1.68

2.20

2.58

3.24

RT. ANGLE SOLDER HEADER

IDHxxSR

.85

1.35

1.76

2.31

2.72

3.39

WW HEADER

IDHxxW

1.86

2.98

3.84

4.50

5.28

6.63

RT. ANGLE WW HEADER

IDHxxWR

2.05

3.28

4.22

4.45

4.80

7.30

RIBBON HEADER SOCKET

IDSxx

1.15

1.86

2.43

3.15

3.73

4.65

RIBBON HEADER

IDMxx

—

5.50

6.25

7.00

7.50

8.50

RIBBON EDGE CARD

IDExx

2.25

2.36

2.65

3.25

3.80

4.74

ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS: Insert the number of contacts In the position marked "xx" of the "order by" part .number listed. Example: A 10 Din rlaht anale holder style header would be IDH10SR.

Copyright 1984 JDR Mm

Circle 169 on Inquiry card.

"I

JULY 1984 'BYTE 459

FOR APPLE COMPUTER USERS

JDR Microdevices

WOUSMIDS SOLDI

JDR 16K RAM CARD FOR APPLE II+

| * Expand your 48K Apple to 64K

Fully compatible with Apple Language System — Use | in place of Apple Language card Highest quality card features: gold edge connector, sockets for all IC's. [* 2 YEAR WARRANTY

Kit with Instructions $40.95 i

Bare PC Card $14.95

$4495

GET SLIM IN 1984!

JDR HALF-HEIGHT DISK DRIVE

I * 35 Track if used with Apple Controller 40 Track Controller and DOS Available (Call for Price)

$20995

Mfi SVSTCMS

IFD-35DISK DRIVE!

$199

95

Shugart Mechanism —

Made in U.S.A. | * Direct Replacement for

Apple Disk II | * Compatible with Apple

Controller or other Apple |

compatible controllers | * Specially designed

electronics with low power |

consumption I * DOS 3.3 and 3.2 compatible | * One Year Warranty

I CONTROLLER CARD

$69.95

rsn

VISA

SSI $279

APPLE COMPATIBLE POWER SUPPLY

Use To Power Apple Type Systems + 5V@4A +12V@2.5A -5V@.5A -12V@.5A Instructions and Apple Power Connector Included.

$7995

BMC BIYIH-80 PRINTER

|* 80 CPS Dot Matrix Printer Prints Bi-Directional in 40, 80,1 71 or 142 Columns in Normal,I Double Width or Compressed Text

| * Print Superscript As Well As Superb Graphics in Character| or Bit Image

If

MasterCard

VIEWMAX-80 NOW ONLY $15995|

I* 80 Column Card for Apple ll+l

* Video Soft Switch

* Inverse Video |* 2 Year Warranty

VIEWMAX-80e A/ElrV*12995

80 Column Card for Apple Mel I • 64K RAM Expandable to 128K 164K RAM Upgrade $4760!

GRAPHMAX $12995|

Hi Resolution Graphics Printer Card

Centronics Parallel Interface Zoom, Rotation and More

I Graphmax with Color

' Option 14995'

NASHUA DISKETTES

5V." WITH HUB RING

I MD1 SOFT SECTOR. SS/SD 19.95 I

I MD1D SOFT SECTOR. SS/DD 26.25

I MD2D SOFT SECTOR. DS/DD 30.75 I

MD2F SOFT SECTOR, DS/QUAD DENSITY 45.00

MD110 10 SECTOR HARD. SS/SD 19.95 I

| MD210D 10 SECTOR HARD. DS/DD 30.75 |

8" WITHOUT HUB RING

I FD1 SOFT SECTOR. SS/SD 24.75 I

I FD1D SOFT SECTOR. SS/DD 30.00 I

L.FD2D SOFT SECTOR, DS/DD 36.7bJ

OTHER ACCESSORIES FOR APPLE II

ITHUNDERCLOCK $129.95|

Real-Time Clock Calendar Software Included Mountain Software Compatible BSR Control Options Available

[KRAFT JOYSTICK $39.95]

VERBATIM

DATALIFE DISKETTES

SS/DD SOFT SECTOR

$29.95

SS/DD 10 HARD SECTOR

$29.95

\5V*" DISKETTE] FILE

| • ATTRACTIVE. FUNCTIONAL | DISK STORAGE SYSTEM 75 DISK STORAGE CAPACITY • MOLDED FROM DURABLE | SMOKED PLASTIC WITH FRONT CARRY- tn /»gg I

bi

LL

IVI0NIT0RS

BMC MONITOR STAND MODEL PA-900 Your Display Will Tilt & Swivel s29.95

ING HANDLE

$169

MONOCHROME

|BMC BM12AUW GREEN 12" S89.95

BMC BM12EUY18MHZAMBER M39.95

BMC BM12EUN 18 MHZ HIGH RES GREEN S11 5.00 NEC JB1201M-20MHZGREEN M69.00

IZENITHZVM12315MHZGREEN NEWS105.00| COLOR

I BMC BMAU9191U COMPOSITE 13" . . . S279.00 |

NO C.O.D. ORDERS PLEASE

JDR Microdevices

1224 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128

800-538-5000 • 800-662-6279 (CA)

(408) 995-5430 • Telex 171-110

Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer Corporation

VISIT OUR RETAIL STORE

HOURS. M-W-F, 9-5

T-Th., 9-9

Sat. 10-3

PLEASE USE YOUR CUSTOMER NUMBER WHEN ORDERING

TERMS: Minimum order $10. For shipping and handling Include $2.50 lor UPS Ground and S3 SO lor UPS Air Orders over 1 lb and foreign orders may require additional shipping charges -- please contact our sales department lor the amount. CA residents must include6% sales las. Bay Area and LA residents include 6Vo. Prices subject to change without notice. We are not responsible lor typographical errors. We reserve the right to limit quantities and to substitute manufacturer. All merchandise subiect to prior sale tej Copyrighl 1984 JOR Microdevices

460 BYTE • IULY 1984

Circle 170 on Inquiry card.

UNCLASSIFIED ADS

BYTE is concerned about software piracy. Unclassified ads proposing exchanges of software must specify that the software was written by the individual or is in the public domain. BYTE reserves the right to refect any unclassified ad that does not meet this criterion.

WANTED: Donation of Apple computer system for a science department in Madras. India, for use as a laboratory computer. Dr. S. Ganapathy (visiting faculty from department of biophysics, Madras. India). Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. MN 55455. (612) 373-2359.

WANTED: Established, nonprofit youth-athletic organization seeks tax-deductible donation of microcomputer, disk drives, monitor, and printer, or small business computer for our mailing lists, word processing, schedules, and the administration of our handicapped program. Any disk-based system would be welcomed. Kenneth Drozd, 9 Dogwood Dr.. lackson. Nl 08527.

WANTED: Nonprofit agency needs a donation of a usable microcomputer to help low-income veterans, youths, handicapped individuals, ex-offenders, and unemployment recipients attain training and employment. Bill Slovick, Project |OVE Inc., Suite 2K, 2725 Congress St.. San Diego. CA 92110. (619) 238-3826.

WANTED: Nonprofit environmental organization seeks tax-deductible donation of microcomputer, disk drives, monitor, and printer. Will pay shipping. Seward Weber, Vermont Natural Resources Council. 7 Main St.. Montpelier. VT 05602. (802) 223-2328,

WANTED: Donations of keyboards, monitors, printers, disk drives, and disks to promote educational opportunities for newly formed Boy Scout Troop. Donations are tax deductible. Boys range in age from 11 to 13. Donations will assist in the attainment of Computer Merit Badge and promote additional interest in computer-related Boy Scout activities. Larry Hugenberg, 3448 Belden Ave. Youngstown. OH 44502, (216) 782-5517 after 5 p.m.

WANTED: I would like to exchange ideas, suggestions, and information with other Cromemco C-10 owners from everywhere. Would also like to buy BYTE: August 1983 and December 1983. Orlando Lopez. Carrera 10 B. 30-28 sur. Bogota 5. Colombia, South America.

WANTED: Real-world beta-test sites needed to develop manufacturing cost-estimating program that establishes standard job costs. Managers or administrators may send a description of how your computer is equipped, what it is. and the specific cost estimating you do. If you are selected, you will receive the final package for your help. Wm. Stocker. American Machinist. 1221 Ave. of the Americas. New York, NY 10020.

FOR SALE: Ohio Scientific C3-B-22 time-sharing microcomputer with two 52K-ROM memories working at 2MHz for simultaneous data-handling activities. Comes with 80-megabyte hard disk, drives, and full back-up capability. Includes two Televideo 912 terminals and printer: S12.500. Will ship. Bob Harvey. Scholarship Information Inc., 5 Crystal River Dr.. Cocoa Beach. FL 32931. (305) 259-9700.

FOR SALE: Back issues of BYTE from lanuary 1982 through December 1983. Good condition: all for S50. Postage paid anywhere in the continental U.S. Send cashier's check or money order. Lee C Boger. Apt. 251, 455 5 Mission Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46254 (317) 298-4760,

WANTED: Public-domain program embodying recognized constructs and procedures from psychology and philosophy to be used by intelligent individuals to improve the quality of their professional (and personal) decisions. Mike Gallagher. 2835 West Fargo. Chicago, IL 6064 5, (312) 764-4737.

WANTED: IBM PC or compatible computer. Prefer smaller system or inexpensive expanded system. Minimum required: 64K. one floppy, video, parallel-printer port, operating system, and languages. Monitor, hard disk, color not important but will be considered. Include service history and manufacturer of boards. C. Reaves. Llano Route. Box 128. Fredericksburg, TX 78624, (512) 685-3256.

FOR SALE: Unused IBM PC AST Megaplus II serial/ parallel clock, 64K board. Warranty card, disk, instructions are still sealed: S2 50 or trade. Also, have a BASF 12-Msec drive, set up for TRS-80 Model I. in OK condition: $100. Alexander Crawford, 116 East 63 St., #2C. New York, NY 10021, (516) 537-1228.

FOR SALE: Hayes Micromodem 100, S-100 modem, new: S185. SSM PB1 S-100 EPROM programmer: $100. Shugart 8-inch SSDD drive, like new, can show locally: $150. Make offers. David Langmann, 2900 Conn. Ave. NW Washington. DC 20008. (202) 232-7999.

FOR SALE: S-100 Cromemco computer 64K RAM, printer interface, 16 FDC disk controller, 21-board capacity, 30-amp power supply, three 5M-inch Tandon DS/DD drives: $2 500 or best offer. Allen Shina, 4117 New Utrecht Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11219, (212) 438-0656.

FOR SALE: Back issues of BYTE. March 1981 through December 1983. Send offer for complete set or for individual issues. Bill Efron. 1369 Murray St.. St. Paul. MN 55116.

FOR SALE: Never-used Ohio Scientific system. One C1P I6K 6502-based computer with built-in BASIC One Superboard II 6502-based computer kit (unfinished). One black-and-white monitor. Numerous manuals and a complete set of cables. Original cost was $700, best offer. Also, will consider trading for Atari or Apple equipment. Hans Hsu, 3020 Bolgos Circle, Ann Arbor, MI 48105. (313) 662-3666.

FOR SALE: Kilobaud # 1 through #71. BYTE # I through #60. SCCS interface Age #5, 6, and 8 through #56. Make an offer. Merle Vogt. POB 14 5. Von Ormy, TX 78073.

FOR SALE: Two Apple III floppy-disk drives. Silentype thermal printer, super serial card for Apple II. two ADM 31 smart terminals, Intermec 9300 barcode reader and 9400 portable bar-code reader with wands, interface, and power adapters. All manuals included. Best offer. Mark Kuster, 521 Scott Ave., Dalhart. TX 79022. (806) 249-5287.

FOR SALE: First year of BYTE: $30 plus UPS. First year of Kilobaud. $30 and second year: $20 plus UPS. Peter Buyaki. 203 North Cherry St., Harrison, AR 72601, (501) 741-7857.

FOR SALE: Apple Silentype printer and interface, like new. Best offer over $150. Randy Webb, 622 East 11th St., Bloomington, IN 47401, (812) 339-7661 or 335-1858.

NEEDED: College-bound student needs any computers, computer parts, printers, modems, disk drives, computer books, CRT terminals, peripheral cards of any kind, and anything else. 1 will pay all postage. Doug Peterson. 5555 Washington, Denver, CO 80216, (303) 296-0346.

WANTED: Texas Instruments operating systems for obsolete DS990/1 with FD-1000 and 77is with FD-800 (also obsolete). Need TX5, TX5DS. and TXDS. Can swap TX5 or TX5DS manual for system configured to come up on my unit. Also, need documentation for TPL release 3.2. Robert Geeslin. 1142 East 49th St., Tulsa, OK 74105.

WANTED: College student would appreciate a donated computer for experiments. Kevin Knott. 26347 Midway. Dearborn Heights. MI 48127.

WANTED: High school student would like donated Apple computer equipment, cards, peripherals, manuals, anything unwanted. Will pay all postage. Anthony Mate, 4769-B, West 120th St., Hawthorne. CA 90250. (213) 978-8917.

FOR SALE: BYTE from Vol. 3 No. 4 to Vol. 9 No. 1. Missing Vol. 3 No. 5 and Vol. 4 No. 1. Best offer for all. Sanford Spero, Apt. 7, 503 North Grant, West Lafayette, IN 47906, (317) 743-8806.

WANTED: Student who wants to enter telecommunications would appreciate any donations of modems or modem parts in any condition. I will pay shipping costs. Paul Hopkins. 289 Goose Lane. Tolland, CT 06084,

FOR SALE: Back issues of BYTE, lanuary 1979 through December 1983 complete. Good condition. Best offer over $100. lim Shearer, Suite 2. 210 West Maumee, Angola, IN 46703. (219) 665-7673.

WANTED: Unwanted or broken computers, disk drives, printers, or modems. I will pay shipping and handling costs. Robert Haskins. R.D. #3 Box 3611, Spring Grove, PA 17362.

FOR SALE: Back issues of BYTE. September 1975 through December 1983, except October 1975 and lanuary 1976: $3 50 or best offer. Back issues of interface Age. December 1976 through June 1981: S200 or best offer. Bill Myers. 98 Pineland Dr.. Akron, OH 44321. (216) 687-2982

WANTED: S-100 boards for Technical Design Labs Xitan computer. Especially interested in memory boards and the ZPU-2 microprocessor board and associated documentation. Send description with asking price. William Leonard. 14956 Ronda Dr., San lose, CA 95124, (408) 377-8582 evenings.

WANTED: Atari 810 disk drives, new or used. David Allbritton. POB 6811, Birmingham, AL 3 5210

WANTED: Anyone interested in exploring the uses of personal computers for some not-so<ommon applications. Let's correspond. I am an engineer. Amy Mehta, 4026 Harvest Hill #2043, Dallas TX 75234, (214) 620-0831,

FOR SALE: Xerox 820 board. Comes with CP/M 2.2 and Microsoft BASIC on an 8-inch disk. Without monitor, drives, or enclosure: $50 as is. Also, BMC composite monitor: $75. loe Keller, 10110 Walnut St, #216, Dallas, TX 76243.

WANTED: Graduate student would appreciate donated computer and peripherals for experiments. I will pay shipping. Fonbin Lin, 35 Northwood Rd., Storrs. CT 06268.(203) 487-1735.

WANTED: Early issues of Micro. Kilobaud, and 6502 Users Notes, circa 1977 through 1980. Also interested In obtaining a Texas Instruments TM 990/U89 University Board. Harold May, 428 Phillippa, Hinsdale, IL 60521, (312) 325-1910.

FOR TRADE: Rainbow 100 users interested in swapping information and ideas. A. Darveau, Room 807. 3655 Drummond St., Montreal. Quebec H3G IY6. Canada.

WANTED: If interested in joining a users group for Timex/Sinclair computers on Long Island, drop me a post card. Heinz O. Henken, 9 Dartmoor Dr.. East Northport. NY 11731.

FOR SALE: CompuPro hardware, 816A system, 20megabyte hard-disk subsystem. Extra RAM 21. M-Drive/H, 10-MHz CPU 86/87. MPX-16. All like new. Visual 300 terminal. Also. Ithaca Intersystems Model 81 OH computer with front panel and XPU-80 6-MHz Z80B CPU. In perfect condition. New, over $13.000: $4000 takes all. Frank McGirt. 188 Piedra Loop. Los Alamos. NM. 87544, (505) 672-9362.

FOR SALE: Tektronix T4002 graphics computer terminal with 4802 joystick, high-speed RS-232C interface, two spare tubes, all manuals. IK by IK addressable points. Recently calibrated. Excellent for CAD/CAM work: S2000, trade, or make an offer. Bob Morein, 1570 Arran Way, Dresher, PA 19025, (215) 646-4894,

FOR SALE: Radio Shack PC-I Pocket Computer and printer/cassette interface that allows up to 1424 BASIC statements. Manuals included. Also, have cassette recorder used for storing programs and data. All in excellent shape: asking $170 (with optional cassette). Would like to trade for an HP4ICV Steve Gentry. RR I. Box 481. Richland. IN 47634. (812) 359-5170 evenings.

UNCLASSIFIED POLICY: Readers who have computer equipment to buy. sell, or trade or who are requesting or giving advice may send a notice to BYTE for inclusion in the Unclassified Ads section. Tb be considered for publication, an advertisement must be noncommercial and nonprofit (individuals or bona fide computer clubs), typed double-spaced, contain 60 words or less, and include name and address. This is a free service: notices are printed as space permits, your confirmation of placement is appearance in an issue of BYTE as we engage in no correspondence. Please allow at least four months for your ad to appear. Send your notices to BYTE. Unclassified Ads. POB 372. Hancock. NH 03449.

IULY 1984 -BYTE 461

BOMB

BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box

1

121

2

125

3

136

4

139

5

143

6

151

7

171

8

179

9

187

10

207

II

235

12

247

13

255

14

267

15

281

16

293

17

305

18

341

19

361

20

365

ARTICLE AUTHOR(S)

Symphony: A Full-Orchestra Version of Lotus 1-2-3 ladrnicek

A Musical Telephone Bell Ciarcia

The West Coast Faire Pournelle

An Ada Language Primer, Part 2: Tool Building in Ada. . Saib

Kermit: A File-Transfer Protocol for Universities,

Part 2: States and Transitions.

Heuristic Rules, and Examples da Cruz,

Catchings

Electronic Encyclopedias Cook

Televisions as Monitors Coach

Computer Control of a Video Recorder Tymony

Videodiscs and Computers larvis

Controlling Videodiscs with Micros Daynes.

Holder

The Sage II and Sage IV Computers Munro

The Compaq Plus Dahmke

XENIX for the IBM PC XT Barry.

Jacobson

Turbo Pascal Wadlow

LISP for the IBM Personal Computer Bortz,

Diamant

The Smith-Corona L-1000 Printer Shuford

Computing at Chaos Manor: The AT&T Computers Pournelle

BYTE West Coast: Trends in Telecommunications Markoff

BYTE Japan: Start-Up Raike

Mathematical Recreations: Invariance Ecker

THE BEST OF APRIL

Steve Ciarcia's "Build a Scrolling Alphanumeric LED Display" placed first in BYTE's Ongoing Monitor Box results for April. Ciarcia and his Circuit Cellar will benefit from the $100 prize. "The Coleco Adam" by lules H. Gilder wins S50 for second place. In the third slot is lerry Pournelle's User's Column: "The Most Fabulous Ob|ect in the Entire World." Ruth Heuertz, author of "Soviet Microprocessors and Microcomputers," is fourth in the countdown and in fifth place is Gregg Williams's preview of "The Mindset Personal Computer." Congratulations, authors.

BYTE ADVERTISING SALES STAFF:

|. Peter Huestis, Advertising Sales Manager, 70 Main Street

, Peterborough, NH 03458, tel. (603) 924-9281

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Post Card Mailings

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National

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Bradley Browne 16031 924-6166 BYTE Publications 70 Main Street Peterborough. NH 03458

International Advertising Sales Representatives:

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Mr, Arthur Scheffer

Seavex, Ltd,

Publimedia

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McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.

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Overseas Corp.

Bat Yam. Israel

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866 56! 321 39

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3-2-5 Kasumigasekl

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Seavex Ltd

Tokyo 100, lapan

Liebigstrasse 19

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05-49/50 Tanglin Shopping Center

D-6000 Frankfurt/Main 1

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West Germany

France

Singapore 1024

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720 33 42

Republic of Singapore

462 B YTE • IULY 1984

READER SERVICE

Inquiry No.

Page No.

2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23

26 27 28 29 30 31 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 41

42 43 44 45 340

47 57

48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 58

339 59 60 62 61 63

330

64 65 67

1st PLACE SYSTEMS 220

800 SOFTWARE 67

A.S.T. RESEARCH 19

AB COMPUTERS 437

ACTION COMPUTER 142

ACTION COMPUTER 142

ADDMASTER CORP. 364

ADV COMP PROD 450, 451

ADV SYS. CONCEPTS 350

ADV. TRANSDUCER DEVICES . . 448

AFTERTHOUGHT ENG 436

ALF PRODUCTS. INC 332

ALL ELECTRONICS CORP. 114

ALLENBACH INDUSTRIES 313

ALPHA OMEGA COMPUTER. . . 102

AMARAY CORP. 246

AMER. SQUARE COMP. 106

AMERICAN MICRONICS 77

AMPRO COMPUTERS INC 391

APPARAT INC 156. 157

APPLE COMPUTER INC CII. 1

APPLE COUNTRY LTD 417

APROPOS TECHNOLOGY 364

ARTIFICIAL INTL. RESEARCH. .448

ASHTONTATE 41. 42. 43

ASHTONTATE 304

ASHTONTATE....' 339

ATTACHE SOFTWARE INC 287

AVOCET 3J7

B&B ELECTRONICS 364

BASF SYSTEMS 116. 117

BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC 22

BAY TECHNICAL ASSOC 23

BD SOFTWARE 112

BINARY TECHNOLOGY 364

BORLAND INT'L 47

BORLAND INT'L 52, 53

BOTTOM LINE. THE 68

BUSINESS SOFTWARE 175

BUSINESS SOFTWARE 175

BYTE BROKER THE 389

BYTE APPLE GUIDE 344. 345

BYTE BACK ISSUES 356

BYTE SUBSCRIBER NOTICE 336

BYTEK COMP SYS. CORP. 183

C WARE 218

C-SYSTEMS 326

CS.D. INC 160

CABRILLO SOFTWARE 432

CALIF DIGITAL 442. 443

CALIF MICRO COMP. 302

CANON USA 225

CANON USA 227

CANON U.S.A 229

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT CORP . .214

CDR SYSTEMS 326

CHRISLIN IND. INC 309

CHROMOD ASSOC 64

CODE-A-PHONE CORP . . 374, 375

COGITATE. INC 393

COMMERCIAL BUSINESS SYS. . . 420 COMMUNICATIONS ELEC.404, 405 COMP COMPNTS. UNLTD. 444, 445

COMPETITIVE EDGE 389

COMPUADD 278

COMPUADD 436

COMPUMAIL 167

COMPU-MEDIA SUPPLIES 278

COMPUPRO 219

COMPUPRO 264, 265

COMPUSERVE 222, 223

COMPUTER ACCESSORIES ... 243

COMPUTER CHANNEL 418

COMPUTER CONNECTION INC . 422

Inquiry No.

Page No.

70 COMPUTER DISCOUNT PROD. . . 425

72 COMPUTER HUT OF N.E 333

73 COMPUTER INNOVATION 390

74 COMPUTER MAIL ORDER . 398. 399

75 COMPUTER PRICE CLUB 112

• COMPUTER WAREHOUSE 340

76 COMPUTERS AND MORE 75

77 COMPUTERS FOR LESS 278

78 CONDOR COMP CORP 343

79 CONROY-LAPOINTE 244. 245

80 CONROY-LAPOINTE 244, 245

81 CONROY-LAPOINTE 244, 245

82 CONTROL DATA 49

83 CONTROL DATA 319

84 CORECO INC 32

85 CORONA DATA SYS 80. 81

86 CORONA DATA SYS 230, 231

87 CORVUS SYS INC 263

88 COSMOS 280

89 CRAHEN COMPANY 170

90 CRE WHOLESALE PROD 428

92 CREST COMPUTER SUPPLY... .448

93 CROMEMCO 5

94 CUESTA 308

95 CUMANA 115

97 CUSTOM COMPUTER SYSTEMS 387

98 DATA ACCESS CORP. 331

341 DATA SPEC 199

342 DATA SPEC 199

101 DATA SPEC 408

102 DATASOUTH COMP. CORP 27

104 DIGITAL RESEARCH 146. 147

• DIGITAL RESEARCH COMP.... .407

105 DISCOUNT COMPUTER CENTERS 322

• DISKETTE CONNECTION 377

106 DISKS N THINGS 448

107 DISKWORLD, INC 196

109 DISKWORLD, INC 401

110 DISKWORLD INC 436

111 DISKWORLD INC 438

112 DISPLAY TELECOMMNCTNS. . . 449

113 DMA 355

114 DOKAY COMP PROD. INC. 454, 455

• DOW IONES 257

115 DUPONT COMPANY 318

116 DWIGHT CO.. INC 434

117 DYNAX, INC 329

118 DYSAN CORP. 60. 61

120 E.T.I 92

121 EASI SOFTWARE 436

122 EASTERN ENTERPRISES 251

123 ECOSOFT 62

124 EDGE MICRO SYSTEMS 434

125 EDUCATIONAL MICROCOMP. . . 438

126 ELCOMP 278

• ELLIS COMPUTING INC 195

128 ELLIS COMPUTING INC 197

129 EMERALD COMPUTER 24

• EMPIRICAL RESEARCH GROUP 226 131 EXPERT COMPUTERS 421

Inquiry No.

Page No.

132 EXPOTEK .426

352 EXSEL 438

133 FABRICATION CONCEPTS INC. . 432 343 FLAGSTAFF ENGINEERING 307

134 FLOPPY DISK SERV INC 427

346 FORTRON CORP. 418

347 FORTRON CORP 418

345 FOX 6 GELLER INC 85

136 FUJITSU AMERICA 201

137 GENERAL TECHNOLOGY 221

138 GENICOM 337

139 GIFFORD COMP. SYS 87

140 GILTRONIX, INC 434

337 GREAT LAKES COMP. PERIPH. . 327

141 GREAT SALT LAKE COMP 446. 447

142 GTEK INC 78

• H&E COMPUTRONICS 311

143 HANDWELL CORP. 420

144 HANDWELL CORP. 431

145 HARMONY VIDEO 364

146 HAYES MICROCOMP. PROD. 79

147 HAYES MICROCOMP. PROD 252. 253

• HAYES MICROCOMP. PROD 279

334 HELIX SYS. & DEVLP. CORP ... 193

335 HELIX SYS. & DEVLP. CORP ... 193

149 HERCULES COMPUTER TECH. . . 71

150 HEWLETT-PACKARD 83

151 HEWLETT-PACKARD 216, 217

152 HIERATIC COMP. SYS 432

153 HITECH INTL. INC 448

154 HOLLYWOOD HARDWARE .... 438

155 HOUSTON INSTR/BAUSCH&LOMB 124 360 IBS. CORP 152

156 IMAGE COMP. PROD. 448

• INDEPENDENT BUSN SYSINC 290

157 INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE. . 184, 185

158 INTEGRAND 100

159 INTERACTIVE STRUCT. 63

160 INTERBUSINESS CORP. 434

161 INTERTEC DATA SYS 15

162 INTEX MICRO SYS 408

• IBM INSERT 32 A-D

163 10 TECHNOLOGIES 18

164 IADE COMP, PROD 439

165 IADE COMP PROD 440. 441

166 IAMECO ELECTR 204, 205

167 IAZZY INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD.... 314

168 IDR MICRODEVICES INC. .456. 457

169 IDR MICRODEVICES INC. . . 458. 459

170 IDR MICRODEVICES INC 460

171 KADAK PRODUCTS 308

172 KEITHLY/DAS 45

173 KEY TRONIC CORP. 104, 105

174 KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS . . 348. 349 .176 KOALA TECHNOLOGIES CORP. . 138

• KORSMEYER ELECTR DESIGN . . 82

177 L.F COMPUTER PRODUCTS ... 436

178 LABORATORY MICROSYS 62

179 LANGLEY-ST. CLAIR 38

180 LANTON COMP. SYS. INC 430

TO GET FURTHER information on the products advertised in BYTE, fill out the reader service card with your name and address. Then circle the appropriate numbers for the advertisers you select from the list. Add a 20-cent stamp to the card, then drop it in the mail. Not only do you gain information, but our advertisers are encouraged to use the marketplace provided, by BYTE. This helps us bring you a bigger BYTE. The index is provided as an additional service by the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions. 'Correspond directly with company.

Inquiry No.

Page No.

181 LIBERTY GROUP INC 314

182 LIFEBOAT ASSOC 191

183 LIGHT MACHINE CORP. 350

184 LOCKHEED-CETEX 300

185 LOGICAL DEVICES 200

186 LOGICAL DEVICES 434

187 LOGICAL MICROCOMPUTER ... 96

188 LOGITECH INC 409

189 LOMAS DATA PRODUCTS 163

190 LONG-LIFE ACCESSORIES 367

191 LYBEN COMP SYS 430

192 LYCO COMPUTER 435

• M-H RECRUITMENT 306

• MACMILLAN BOOK CLUBS.... 353

193 MACROTECH INT'L 159

194 MACROTRON 396

344 MAGNUM PC 312

195 MAI BASIC FOUR 430

196 MANDINGOCOMP&CAMERAS432

197 MANNESMANN TALLY 234

198 MANX SOFTWARE SYS 65

199 MARON ENGINEERING LTD.... 377

200 MARYMAC INDUSTRIES 367

202 MAYNARD ELECTRONICS 107

203 MC-P APPLICATIONS 315

• McGRAW-HILL BOOK CO. . 384. 385

204 McGRAW-HILL BOOKSTORE ... 354

205 MEMOREX MEDIA PROD . 370, 371 351 MERRIT COMP PROD 438

206 META SYSTEMS 432

207 METHOD SYS. INC 401

208 METRA-BYTE 31

209 MF| ENTERPRISES INC 224

210 MICRO AGE COMP STORES INC 189

211 MICRO CRAFT CORP 95

212 MICRO DATA BASE SYS 28. 29

214 MICRO DESICN INT'L , ... 254

215 MICRO EQUIPMENT CORP .. 396

216 MICRO MANAGEMENT SYS. .108

217 MICRO MART, INC 358. 359

218 MICRO MINT 360

219 MICRODYNAMICS 430

220 MICROMAIL 433

221 MICROPROCESSORS UNLTD.... 430

• MICROSOFT CORP (Busn Basicl 101

• MICROSOFT CORP (Cobol) .... 103

• MICROSOFT CORP. 320. 321

222 MICROTECH EXPORTS 330

223 MICROTIME 4

224 MICROWARE 292

225 MID-AMERICA WHOLESALERS .212

226 MIDWEST MICRO-PERIPHERALS. . 16

227 MINDSET CORP. 98. 99

228 MOUNTAIN VIEW PRESS 213

229 MPI 17

230 MULTI-TECH SYSTEMS 58

231 NATIONAL COMPUTER LTD. ... 106

232 NEC INFORMATION SYS CHI

233 NETWORX INC 266

234 NICOLET PARATRONICS 152

235 NORTH HILLS CORP. 278

236 NORTH HILLS CORP. 448

237 NORTHWEST DIGITAL SYS 84

127 NOVA COMPUTER INOELECTRADE 334

238 OKIDATA 178

239 OREGON SOFTWARE 209

353 ORENDA, INC 326

240 ORYX SYSTEMS 173

241 OSICOM 150

242 PC NETWORK 325

354 PIS 326

356 PACE SYSTEMS. INC 326

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 278

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 364

IULY 1984 -BYTE 463

READER SERVICE

Inquiry No. Page No.

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 367

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 401

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 432

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 434

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 436

243 PACIFIC EXCHANGES 438

244 PC PIPELINE 432

245 PC'S LIMITED 430

348 PERSYST INC 134. 135

349 PERSYST INC 134, 135

246 PIPELINE COMPUTER 452. 453

247 POWER BASE SYS 93

248 PRACTICAL PERIPH 91

249 PRACTICAL PERIPH 113

251 PRENTICE-HALL INC 194

252 PRINCETON GRAPHIC SYS 72

253 PRIORITY ONE 429

254 PURCHASING AGENT THE ... . 114

255 PURPLE COMPUTING 448

256 QUADRAM CORP 20. 21

257 QUADRAM CORP 109

258 QUADRAM CORP 215

259 QUANT SYSTEMS 434

260 QUBIE DISTRIBUTING 186

261 QUESTIONAIRE SERVICE CO. . . 436 • QUME CORP. 240. 241

263 RADIO SHACK CIV

264 RAPITECH SYS. INC 211

350 RCA 165

Inquiry No. Page No.

266 ROGERS LABS 438

267 ROLAND CORP 34. 35

262 RTE DELTEC 277

269 RUTISHAUSER OF AMERICA . . 127

270 5-100 DIV 696 CORP 419

271 S-100 DIV. 696 CORP. 419

272 SAB-LINK INC 436

• SAFEWARE 316

273 SAFT PORTABLE BATTERY 25

275 SCHULZ ENTERPRISES 430

• SCOTTSDALE SYSTEMS 120

276 SEEQUA COMP. CORP. 7

355 SEITZ TECHNICAL PROD 326

277 SEMIDISK SYSTEMS 97

278 SENTINEL TECHNOLOGIES.... 273

• SILICON SPECIALTIES 74

279 SLR SYSTEMS 438

• SOFTCRAFT 188

• SOFTLINE CORP. 40

281 SOFTWARE SERVICES 430

283 SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS INC 36, 37

284 SOLUTIONWARE CORP 438

285 SONY VIDEO PRODUCTS 390

286 SORD COMPUTER OF AMERICA 182

287 SPRUCE TECHNOLOGY CORP 248

288 STARBUCK DATA CO 432

333 STAR MICRONICS 155

289 STRUCTURAL PROGRAMMING . 195

290 SUNTRONICS 422

Inquiry No. Page No.

292 SUPERSOFT 298, 299

336 SYNTECH DATA SYS 296, 297

294 SYSGEN INC 335

295 SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT ASSOC 285

296 SYSTEMS STRATEGIES 108

297 TALLGRASS TECH 55

298 TATUM LABS 436

299 TAVA CORP 169

300 TAXAN, CORP. 30

301 TAXAN, CORP. 30

• TEKTRONIX INC 1J3

302 TELETEK ENTERPRISES, INC. 51

303 TELEVIDEO SYSTEMS ... 110, 111

304 TELTONE 66

305 TERRAPIN INC 434

306 TEXAS COMP. SYS 90

• TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. . . II. 12, 13 308 THOUGHTWARE INC 202. 203

310 THREE M COMPANY 161

130 TIGERTRONICS 448

• TINNEY ROBERT GRAPHICS 158. 369

311 TITAN TECHNOLOGIES 164

312 TOSHIBA AMERICA INC 176

313 TOSHIBA AMERICA INC 177

• TRANS WORLD AIRLINES 346

314 U.S. ROBOTICS 57

315 UNIFIED SOFTWARE SYS 430

316 UNIPRESS SOFTWARE INC 70

317 UNISOURCE 59

Inquiry No. Page No

318 UNIVERSAL DATA SYS 39

319 VEN-TEL INC 351

320 VERBATIM CORP 129

321 VERTEX SYSTEMS 316

322 VIDEX 56

323 VISUAL COMPUTER 88. 89

• VLM COMPUTER ELECTR 434

324 VOLITION SYSTEMS 271

359 VOTRAX 317

325 WANG ELECTR. PUBL. INC 86

• WAREHOUSE SOFTWARE 26

326 WHITESMITHS LTD 258

357 IOHN WILEY & SONS INC 393

327 WILLIAMS, MARK CO. 206

329 WINTEK CORP. 8

328 WINTEK CORP. 432

331 WRITING CONSULTANTS 391

332 X'LNT DISKETTE 76

• Correspond directly with company

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING SECTION

601 AMER. BUYING & EXPORT. , . 416B

602 MICRO DATA BASE SYS 416A

No domestic inquiries, please.

CO«*>

BYTE will offer a revolutionary computerized program to service our subscribers and our advertisers.

■ Teamed with Berkshire Computer Processing Center of Pittsfield, MA, BYTE can assist in information turnaround from advertiser to reader within a few days' time.

■ The system—Automated Inquiry Management System (AIMS)—works by Touch-Tone phone. Subscribers can phone Berkshire Computer and key in advertisers' reader service numbers. Advertisers can then access the system directly obtain inquirers' names and respond to them within days of the reader's requests.

■ This new service will be available to SUBSCRIBERS ONLY. If you are not a subscriber fill out the subscription card bound in this issue now and take advantage of this valuable new service. Or, call BYTE circulation at (800) 258-5485.

■ The standard reader service card is still available for use by subscribers and non-subscribers.

EVTE

464 BYTE • IULY 1984

INTRODUCING PIH WRITER

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS.

AND A HEAD TO HEAD

COMPARISON OF WHY

THEY'RE BETTER.

Our new multi-mode Pinwriter® dot matrix printers have a lot in common with our Spinwriter®letter-quality printers. Designed and manufactured with the same quality and reliability that has made our Spinwriters the best selling letter-quality printers to PC users. We also gave them many unique capabilities you won't find on other dot matrix printers. Especially at such an affordable price.

More dots, more fonts, more versatility.

One thing that makes Pinwriters stand out from other

Our exclusive 18-pin print head is graphically sharper than a 9-pin printer, as this unretouched photo shows.

dot matrix printers is our printhead. It has 18 pins. Compared to the usual nine. It also has true dual-pass printing. The result: an amazing 240x240 dots per inch.

The quick brown fox The quicker brown fox The quickest brown fox

Three speeds cover all your printing needs.

That's why the print is as close to letter quality as you can get without getting a

Spinwriter. And why charts, illustrations and graphics look so crisp.

Our new P2 and P3 dot matrix printers give you everything our Spinwriter letter-quality printers are famous tor, including forms handlers.

Pinwriters have something else no other dot matrix printers have. Eight operatorselectable print styles, plus as many as 11 international character sets. And an LED display to tell you which style has been selected.

What else? Three printing speeds. 300, 900 or 1800 words per minute to handle all your printing needs from word processing to data processing.

Plus, a variety of forms handlers to speed up all your paperwork. All made and designed by NEC. And all easily installed and changed by the operator.

For the final word, see your NEC dealer.

Only a demonstration can

Pmwriter and Spinwriter are registered trademarks of NEC Corporation.

show you how clearly superior the Pinwriter is compared to other dot matrix printers. And how versatile it is.

For the Pinwriter retailer nearest you, call 1-800-3434419. In Massachusetts call 617-264-8635.

And find out why more and more PC users are saying, "NEC and me."

NEC Information Systems, Inc. 1414 Mass. Ave. Boxborough, MA 01719

Circle 232 on inquiry card.

First Time Ever! Powerful Minicomputer Accounting Software Available on a Micro.

\ 1 * \

MAI/ Basic Four Programs Now Ready-to-Run On the Incredible Tandy TRS-80® Model 2000

Our MAI/Basic Four accounting software is just what small businesses have been waiting for. Because it is quite simply the best accounting solution available today. Combined with our state-of-the-art Tandy 2000 Personal Computer, MAI/Basic Four programs will add power, flexibility and efficiency to every facet of your accounting procedures—general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable and more. Since

MAI/Basic Four software was originally designed for minicomputers, it's already been proven in thousands of businesses worldwide. All the programs are fully integrated, so you only have to enter data once. You can easily tailor the system to meet your special accounting needs. And the documentation is extremely clear and straightforward, so there's no previous computer experience required. Get a demonstration of the

Tandy 2000 and MAI/Basic Four software today. Tandy 2000 systems start at $2999, or only $105 per month* on our commercial lease. Come see your accounting solution today!

Available at over 1100

Radio Shack Computer Centers and at

participating Radio Shack stores and dealers

Radio /hack

COMPUTER CENTERS

A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION

Circle 263 on inquiry card.

'Plus applicable use/sales tax Prices apply at Radio Shack Computer Centers and participating Radio Shack stores and dealers MAI Basic Four is a trademark of Management Assistance. Inc